Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-12-07
Tn. Emperor Of the Frsnch-His Career

perur Napoleon H. completes the seventh
year of his reign. His apprenticeship {"
Empire is ended, and he is now master; but
he has been in business on his own account
since it began. In fact he became te fdcfo.
though not DE j,,t master Ut the destlnies
of France on the memorable I'd December,
1851. when Paris at early dawn found her
streets lined with soldiers. and her walls
placarded with announcements that the leg
i,Iativr assembly WAS dissolved, and that
universal suffrage which had been set aside
by the law OF the Slst May preceding. was
restored Incredulous Paris rubbed its eyes
and read, and then went home and armed. =
But the master head had anticipated the
movement which had been planned by the
mountain" and, before breakfast on that
eyen,ful day, the chefs Of that faction, and
all those who by position or influence were
likely Ia prove dangerous were In the hands
of the police; some Of them such ~ Chan
GARNER, Lamorciere Cayaignac, Bedeau,
Leho, Theirs, and others, We're not only ar
rested. bur tar on their way u the fortress Of
Ham. Then followed the usual Partisan
demonstration of barricades, and cries of
cire Ia it6rrtc, speedily drowned in the roar
OF cannon and musketry. The 4th Decem
Der, 1851, Saw the streets of the metropolis
strewn with yictims-to what? Patriotism!
curiosity? love OF excitement brandy We
cannot say perhaps all these had u share IN
the great emrute: but, any how, the republic,
though not Ia repubtique democratiqne ct SO
ctuie, trlumphed, and on the lst January.
ls52. the alsles of Notre Dame rang with the
r. Ueum and the solemn prayer Domtans
sltrum .tar rtmpubiicam Sdlrnm tic Ludort.
cum .NoJ,oiy"nem Aud great cause there
was for this; for had not six hundred suspects
been sentenced 30 deportation 10 Cayenne!
and had not the President OF the republic ap.
pealed To the nation, and been confirmed IN
his high office BY a majority Of G,I9s,4I9
votes!
1t was from this time forth that Louis Ma.
pulenn swayed with a master hand the des-
TIMES of France. lie Went on gradually,
smoothing step by step the road to empire. :
Thus, on the 18th January, 1852, went forth
the decree for altering the coin. which hence
forth bore the supcrScription Of Caesar. Two
days afterwards these melancholy inscrip-
tons on the walls Of Paris, on the public
buildings on the houses, the flags, the coin.
"Liberte Eyalite, FaterHhe," were abolished,
whitewashed, removed and the faded trees
of liberty, which had been planted here and
there with so much enthusiasm, were rooted
up. On the Sth January, the suspects, GOO
III number, embarked for Cayenne. On the
10th. THEIRS Changarnier, Bedeau, Lamori-
ciere, and others were exiled. On the 18th
the old national guard was dissolved. And
on the 18th, all obstacles being removed, A
NEW CONSTITUTION WAS bestowed upon
France. This great boon emanated from the
patriotism of the President. 1t provided
that he, and every President after him. should
hold office for ten years that there should
be Senate composed Of members nominated
for life, by himself, and a Legislative Assem-
bly, composed of deputies from each depart
ment, elected by universal suffrage. There
WAS to be Il handsome "dotation" for each
Senator. 80 as to make it worth his while To
he the obedient servant of the President, and
Prince Jerome Bonaparte, the brother of the
First, and uncle of the Third, Napoleon was
to preside over its august deliberations. The
elections for the deputies were put in hand
at once, but no time was lost IN other mat
tcrs The expatriuted Louis Philippe, the
citizen King had amassed considerable pro
perly; II was invested in lands, houses. pic
lures, rcnteS, wines, timber-and was valued
at several millions Of francs; We doubt if the
real value was ever made known; but whatever
it amounted to, it was contiscated pm Ell sim
pie, and without appeal, by decree OF the
President on the 2235d january. The proceeds
were not distributed among the people
Two days later appeared another decree res
torlng titles Of nobility which had been
somewhat rude!y displaced by the term "clti
zen, Dukes, MarquIses ana Counts reap
prared on the scene. and the SdlOnS OF the
Prince President" and Of the Princess Ma
thide his cousin, who did" the hpnors of
the Tuileries, once more brought 10 mind
the splendors ot the First Empire. All this
charmed the French. Paris began to recOv-
or It's saycty, and the store keepers regalned
their spirits. too long oppressed with the
burden OF patriotism. bold head was now
relieving them from all trouble in that res.
pect, and they were happy.
There WAS, however, u bitter drop IN the
fountain OF the Prince Presidents happl-
ness This Was the press, which would not
or could not understand that he was the
Savior OF France Ii was not pleasant for
him 10 he continually reminded Of Badiu-
glet, the unfortunate baker OF Stra-burg,
nor Of that eagle at B,ulosne, nor Of the un.
prrpy.sesSin. nose which nature had gwen
Nun, HOI VI His bcIns tue hepieM w hiS unSio'
Such improprlctles on the part OF the Jopr-
nalists Of France tended 10 bring him INTO
contempt. 10 therefore did the thing which
cost Charles y his throne. lie ISSUED the
iainnu. decree Of the 9Th February, 1852,
whereby The law of the 10th Sept. ls50,
was rendered more stringent and Il system
Of licensing, cautlnnins, suspendlng and sup
pressing introduced, which has made the
French press what 1t now ls- worthless ~
Al rxp"nent ot public sentiment, but an al
mirahl- instrument for developing the views
ot the government. Ii was enasculated by
thu arbitrary measure. but the Prince Pres
ldent bad majority OF seven millions To
back HIM, )" the minority were tam to sub
NIT. Foreign news papers, especially those
i England and Belgium. were prohibited ~
France The Prince had a special horror of
Punch and the Times, which last, II must
bo confessed, out. Ilcricd lleroi in abuse OF
hm We need not wonder 1T his hostility
Ia a tree pre.s Which INDUCED III such un-
called Tor ,llifcutinn His next step was
equally cool. and IN ~ grand u scale. by
u decree Of the 18th March. ls12. the entire
-vstrm 81 Jurisprudence was effected, tor 10y
II the Code Napoleon WAS relnstated IN all
it, force Lastly martial law, which had
prevailed without interruption since the
. tai I..l A,