New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-10-07
FRANCE.
THE SICK MANTLE PROPOSED ABDICATI0N
THE CoNvoCATIoN-M. CIiAsLEs AND Ii

THE CONNOCATlON-hs ShAoLho hE'D HA' |
MSS IFRoM QUIZ OWN CORRESPONDENCE |
PANS Sept III had just dropped my letter into |
tho box at Bowles Bros. our hosptable TRIBUNE
bankers, when q gentleman came in with the pro-
yoking news that the long looked for promenade
had, at length, actually taken place, anu
that Louis Napoleon had, that moment
passed by our very door. i say provoking
news, for I should have liked to see tho great
invalid. and to Judge for myself, which Of the
two stories about his appearance was true; that
which reported him as looking pale and thln' OF
that which declared his appearance to be no
different from what has. of late, been usual 10 MN
Tn spite of all the assurances in thejournas, hardly
ANYBODY in Paris, it is, probably sale 10 say
expected to see the sick man 80 soon; certainty
no one could have looked for him on
that particular day, which happened 10
be an exceptionally unpleasant one. The wind was
violent-Louis Napoleon it is said has horror OF
the wind-and little showers kept FILLING, enough 10
make people uncomfortable, but not enough TO lay
the dust which is as great nuisance in Paris as it
is in New-York. Probably if the sick man had been
plain, private ctizen he would have judged it both
safer and pleasanter to stay at homo that Friday
and TO order the horses embarrassed and led back
IN their stables again. But in truth, he had not the
choice. Either he was really dying as the specuia-
tors and "the irrecOncilables "-thank Goo that
there are "irreconcilabes saying, or he
| vas well enough to come out of his bedroom and
show himself to the people, For, beside that great
| many people believed him to be dangerously i'll,
there was spreading report that he was actually
dead-you know twas q report to that effect
that affected the Bourse at Vienna so dlsas-
trously but this rumor was of different character
1t was not much an open brut as 1t was an uncom
Portable suspcion-a sort of superstition-that was
;ta
| face of the popular mind, and that only wanted
few more DAYS to get hold that could not easily be
| loosed Of course to us Americans, or to English
| people that such story should get about much
more be believed appears ridiculous; but am con-
WINGED that it might easily have been believed here
in Paris rot only by the lower orders, but even by
| many of their betters. With the unusual freedom
enioyed during the last few weeks by the press, IL
might not have been to keep the secret long, but
| as that freedom is gift that may at any time DO
taken back by the power that conferred It, sufficient
pressure might have been brought to bear to keep the
| newspapers dumb for convenient season, and the
mere knowing that in case Louis Napoleon were really
dead and the Government wished TO keep it secret,
il would be perfectly possible for it to do so, for
week at least was excuse enough for such rumors
being blown about and even for its being seriously
entertained by many. Indeed, it was no time for
dou BITS. With the condition of the public mind such
Bourse, it felt 10 be absolutely necessary 10
know something certain a subject that concerned
the prosperity, not merely OF france put OF al
Europe: and eve if the man whose sickness was
making all Europe sick had to DO brought to Parls
from st. Cloud litter. brought he must be, and
shown to the Parisans. Accordingly. the carriages
were brought round TO the door once more, and, IN
spite of the threatening sky the invalid. or rather
let me call him. the cOnvaescent, for such he has
actually proved to be- mounted the steps vehicle
without say the of1ici0us journals any assistance,
Eugene took her place by his side and leaving their
little boy at home with his paythings, the two, ac-
companied by another carriage containing certain
officials. drove through the Bots de Bonlogne, down
the Champ Elys6es. along the BOgleyards dc la Made
leine and DIES Capucines, then down the rue de Ia
Paix and the rue Castiglione to the rue Rivoli-
stopped, some say, and some deny, at the Iueries,
and then, back TO st: Cloud. This was long drive
for a man to take who had been nearly month
confined to his bed. but it does not appear to have
been followed by any bad results believe he has
been twice to Paris since that day. but his visits
excite interest nor enthusiasm among the people,
one only hears of them by the next days news.
with what 1 said about the anxiety Of the
Parsians to see Louis Napoleon with their own eyes,
reply that that anxiety had so far as can learn,
no personal character whatever, He is the consti-
tuted ruler Of France, and whether it ought in rea-
son to be so or not his life seems to be- to-day the
link that holds good many things in Europe to-
gether. II he were to die just now there could not
fail to be disturbance more or less, of the existing
state of things and this disturbance would be felt in
mems business If not In their bOsOms Consequently
everybody who has money invested felt anxious TO
know whether the long dreaded moment really
longer. When it was known in Paris that he had
really been able to take the air and that he was
feeling of relief but am not to be easily persuaded
that, for the recovery Of the himself anybody
gave particular thanks Since that day the question
and the BOurse has fsettled down 70 its normal
fluctuations The exciting questions of the last week
have been the position of Prince Napoleon and the
ConvocatOn Of the Corps Legslatfs. You will have
heard long before this reaches you, by that Mar-a
of Special Correspondents, the cable that there
IN fha affap hof H.
tatiDg abdicatiOn Of the throne in favor of his
son. with Eugene as Regent, when the young Prince |
shall reach his fourteenth year. He will be IA the
10th of next month. Probably tho report, like 30
many Others was put forth merely feeler, but it
was taken up with some interest and advocated by |
the two parties whom may call Constitutional
The one the Conservative ConsttutiOnals, accepting
the quasi proposal of Eugene Regent the other,
the Liberal Constiutionals, pIeferring Prince NapO
Leon both agreeing with unllatterng unanimity. on
the point of the desrabeness of abdcation AS for
the Ireconcilables, they also were delighted with
hear of no regency at ALL whether of Prince Napo- |
leon of Eugene. On the contrary, they INDUCED |
their boisterOus but often very clever and amusing,
wit at the expense of all four, the abdicatipg inva-
lid, his wife, his son. and his cousin, and made merry
with them as only French newspapers can. One |
could easily see that il the ideas of Abdicati0n and
Regency had been seriously proposed, there would |
have been hot work in the newspapers; rs II was,
there were some sharp things sad and if the idea of
Eugene regent was quietly secuted the whole,
the opposition 10 that of the Prince Napoleon may be
said to have been as badly entertained. The ques-
ZION I5 docs any great party IN FRANCE WanU eltncr
Prince Napoleon or Eugene for rulerf i believe |
not. can find no evidence of desire for either.
But then, it is true public interest is excited much
more in the question of what form the Govern
ment Is to take than who is to administer it, As
for the other matter of the calling together the
Corps Legisati there is really nothing positive to be
said Not only is it not known when it has been
decided to summon the deputies, but the news
papers are divided in opinion as to whether they
ought to be summoned at once. at time still
some weeks distant and whether, when summoned,
they ought to be allowed to sit or ought to pc dis