Washington telegraph., 1862-03-26
NO. H..
CoSprrIoS OF AFFAIRS In FRANCE.

-Growiny Distress Of the MdnntactUr-
ing Glasses Feb Z, 1S62.-At
Rouen and Lyons, cities which, within
the past few days, have had the oppor-
tunify of visiting, the distress among the
burners is so great that serious apprsnen-
siuns of Disturbances have been felt by
the authorities. Tn, want OF cotton has
brought many of the mills to dead lock.
Short time has been long ago in practice,
but the ilnpossibility OF obtaing n,atcries,
has now fairly laid on the shelf thousands
of hands. Frenchmeh of the working
class, have but one way of reasoning on
such subject ct-ascribing the fault to
the government; and already murmurs OF
such sinister Daturc have been heard,
that ] was told by those who had good
grounds for what they said, that ad lition-
al troops had been conveyed 70 thecasernes
of both these cities, and even means an
tici patci TO prevent any infraction of the
peace At Rouen, / was an eyewitness
of much of the distress the want OF work
is occssioning. Men, women and chill
dren were 10 the streets, who had been
tbrouging the .Nluie fDr temporary re-
lief. They were not noisy-not mechanf;;
but there was lowering gloom OF wrath
TO come, which one of the sous prefels
infyrmed me called for speedy attention,
if evil consequences were to be averted.
The French ovUricr Las, Of late years,
lost much Of that sobriety which formerly
so distinguished him from his English
compeer, and the consumption Of ardent
Spirits has become SO fearfully increased
as to have elected memorials on the sub
ject FROM the various mayors and sous
prefeLs of the district. The Frenchman
of this class puts nothing away for .
rainy day. nor does he acquire property
during the sunshine. In Liverpool, and
Glasgow, aud Manchester, when work is
abundant, cottages become nicely furnish-
ed aud comforts are seen in them that
superior tradesmen in France do not ven
ture to purchase. Such is not the case
with the manufacturing population here.
They live in wrecthed tenements. parts of
houses 10 mi.ersble novels, fostering in
the roofs of six storied fabrics, which are
nothing more than SO many holes wherein
to burrow for the necessary purpose of
sleeping. That duty c,mplied with, the
canopy of heaven is their common shelter,
under which they wash, feed and disport
themselves till night again summons
them to their dormitory. What need Of
furniture, Of goods and chattels, Of any
Of the materiet Of properly, with such
habitsy The consequences is, that unlike
the English or Scotch manufacturing la
borer, they have nothing to pawn or sell
when employment ceases, nor any home
in which TO hide their misery. They
rush at once TO the streets, where thous-
ands Of fellow-suffcrers greet item, and
instead of prac;icing any of those shifts
which domestic invention under other
circumstances might suggest, their whole
aud sole occupation is to ow the Goals
of q common grievance until a victim or
scapegoat presents itself, which, as said
before, is in almost all cases the govern
ment of the lay.
All 1 have said of Rouen applies in .
greater degree to Lyons. There the
greater number of manufacturers and
more considerable wealth have enabled
employers to temporize more effectually
with the evil rntil now; but the pinch
has at length been too painful fnr further
expedients. Thousands of hands are be-
ing tured off weekly. You cannot make
bricks without straw, they say, and We
have no straw to give you.
The supply Of cotton is becoming less
and less every hour, ard unless the En-.
peror agrees to interfere 10 this American
quarrel YOU must starve, and we ourselves
must 60 into the gazette.
Large bodies of workTen got together
on Tuesday last. and telegram was dis
patched to the government, that unless
some means were found Of supplying their
present necessities the consequences might
be fatal, and an order was sent to deal out
relief wherever it was positively required,
At this moment more than half the work
ing population of Rouen and Lyons are
supported entirely from the Imperial Ex-
chequer.
Under these circumstances, / look upon
il as certain that, unless Gen. Mcclellan
speedily strikes blow, the government
at Washington will be exposed to pres
sure from France, if not from France and
England The notion is gaining ground
that, although the North is perfectly c.
pablo Of dealing with this monstrous re-
bellion, if true to hersef, there is such .
state of corruption in high places. such
treachery rampant, that the sword of VIC
tory is shattered in the soldiers hands,
at the moment il should strike home.-
There is, therefore, cry and clamor for
help, which, in other words, il a alarm
bell to dynastic susceptibility, and We
know that, whenever that point is touched
all other considerations fall below it.
am, then, of opinion. that the Imperial
Government will not long be deaf to the
sounds which are heard from these and
other manufacturing depots.
E@Capt Thomas Clay, who was taken