Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1861-05-08
THE RICHMOND WHIG.
OUR PARIS CORRESPONDENCE.
P.nt, Tnasdau Anil 10 1871

PARIS, Tuesday, April 10, 1861
To the Editor o. The Whig:
The French Government in pursuance of the reforms
naugurated in the past few months is seriously consid
erirg the expediency Of modifying the passport laws
with view to abolishng at the earliest practicable
men system Incompatible with the spirit of the age
As example of the difficulty experienced in eff,eting
the slightest changes opposed to the routine to which
minor officials obslinatey welded it is proper to
mention that the imperial order relative to the admission
Of English subjects the first of January last has
never received its full application until within few
days The pohce employees at Calais and Bou-
logne, the principal points at which English
travellers enter France, persisted in a species
of surveillance hardly less annoying than the
former delays occasioned by the exhibition and
visa Of assports Travellers oblg, appear in
the passport bureau and submit TO exsmnatio
to their names, origin destiDation &c. Of the
provoking character Complaint OF this oeious abuse
having been made TO the Minister Of the Interior Count
de Persiguy, precise instructions on the subject wee
Immediately sent 10 the oyer-Zalous unctonares at
Calais aud Bouogne, the result OF which is that pas
gers row land ut those ports from English packets wi
out let or hindrance As matter OF course there
be distinction observed betw British SUI cts and
citizens OF ANY other country crossing from H. gaud TO
France and the passport system Is thus far, completely
atrogaed.
But it is frequently asked, by French citizens why
privilege important is conierr upon foreigners aud
withheld from themselves? There u fair show Of rea-
in the nterrogatory though its force is much di.
mniShed by the fact that the pas port laws OF the En-
pre have fallen into disuse and free circulation in the
interior is impeded than if those laws did
Were it Otherwise indeed residence in France
would be attended by ncesant and dangers
personal liberty According 10 the letter Of The Code
any police iuncliJnary may Arbitrarily require citzns
Strangers to exhibit their ppeTs, and, il found without
properly authenticated passport, countersgncd by the
authorities Of the locality in which the individual happens
be at the tine he is liable 10 be thrown lit the
mon ii and detained vagabond until he can, by
satisfactory pfco,s, establish 5 identity. cite but
feature Il system aboundiDg in similar enormlties
which, If enforced, woud speedily pace the France o
1861 par with the France OF 1893 aud drive stran
gers from her perilOus shores Tue neglect of these
terrible proves them to be anachronism and
nope is entertained that the sute will receive, at
the hands OF government ouch investigation will
terminate in formal repeal OF laws uaworthy Of the
country which is 30 powerfully contributing 10 the dis
semination OF liberal ideas throughout Europe.
II takes very pretty sum to support the Navy OF
which the world has ltterly had much TO say. The
appropriations from The French NJ iTne Department. for
o62 amount u I26. lGj 4l9 rlncs, about $25 233
600 The estimate Is increase Of 517 coo francs
the budget OF the current year. The pitcipll d
visions IL 231 900 francs for provisions 36 900 OoJ
laues Tor stores 10 $40 900 francs Tor hospitals &c
In the increase is also included 7S2 600 francs pay OF
four rtar-admFa!s seventyfye lieulenans chip
ainz, all OF creation, and additions to the corps Of
surgeons, engineers hremen, and mari nc genda: me-
The total O:ce Of the French Navy in S62 is estimated
at 24S ships, (ncluding three steelpated frgas)
ned Dy 45 lSi men, OF whom % oil 10 be sailors
aGoat, IL bS9 marines, go sailors shore duty and
the remainder artillery, geudermcs, &c.
The printer OF the famous pastoral letter of the Bishop
Of Poiier in which tie preate rougy hint d that the
L,-F I,auI
Of the local tribunal OF Poitiers than the Bishop himself
before tie Council OF State The action of The Council
of Sac declare tha, the pastoral letter contained
an abuse and to ordaia its suppression The unlucly
printer has not gotten of easily. The law required
him 10 post wiki the administrative authorities co
pies of the pastoral letter, Creating il DID, Of pol
cal stfIrs twentyiour hours before its publication, in
accordance w.h law passed in lSfg. The letter had
been print. and circulated before notce was given
the Peiect Of its ISSUE The result cf the proceedings
gains the publisher the Laicion of five hundred
francs fine.
A prolOs OF political pamphlets considerable nose has
been created by the appearance aud almost immediate
,zure of q brochure ened IA Lesson in French His
tory" addressed to Prince Napoleon by the Duke de
Aumale one Of the exiled Orleans Princes. The pImph
let aboulds in mi atemeLts, but is cleyeTy wren and
would under any circumstance have been widely read
is seizure has OF course redouol-d public curiosity
and little doubt is entertained that the government will
adopt the wise plan OF Withdrawing the order of sup
preston and allow the people 10 form just opinion III
he premises instead Of erroneous one, based upon
merely surmse. IL had en- asserted By some of the
journals that a manucip,copy Of the Duke de Auma
es letter was sent by It's author to Prince Napoeon
hree weeks before the publication took place
This statement is denied By authority of Prcce Napc
con- who knes nothing Ot the mater until a few
ments before the seizure and tEen it is said eudeavorgd
10 prevent the adoption of that measure though nec
tualy The Prince probably shes reply the Duke
d'Aumae, and cannot do 50 if the brochure remains
suppressed report is current that Prince Napoleon
ias written TO the Emperor and asked the Imperial inter
fererce as an act OF justice to himself Meantime the
incident has served demonstrate that the breach be-
tween the elder and the younger BCuibons il wide
as ever The Legitimsts have received the 0reanist
manifesto with a coOUess and disddn which prove that
the heirs of Louis Philippe have nothing whatever TO
expect from the parans of the Duke de Bordeaux or
as they pretenousy style Prince who has not set foot
| 40 France since lSAO "lEvnry V"
The reiga of terror continues undated at Warsaw.
All accounts concur ia repr senng the Russian Govern
nent a. resolved 10 pursue most rigorous policy aud
make 10 concessions whatever. The individuals
promised 10 tie recent movement divided into three
ca;egories the first OF which, the least cupable will be
confined six months in the Fortress Of Madu; the
.ond sent join the army in the Caucassui and tue
third the riogca9er3 Incorporated in the frontier rcg
meuts of Eastern Siberia. Count Andrew ZlmOy XXI,
President of the Agricultural Society OF Poland is said
to be on his way Paris accompanied by Count Pooc-
xi to ask the Intervention OF the Emperor Napoleon