The New York herald., 1870-02-02
Our Special European COrrcspOudcuco-
Crimo, ReIisisa and Radical Rsvois-

Our Special European CorrcspOudouco-
Criuo, Religion and Radical Rsvois-
The special mail reports from. Europe
which we publish to-day illustrate our news
kilograms by the ocean cables to the 2lst OF
January. The detail is comprehensive and
instructive. II tells Of crime and its retribu-
tive punishment on earth, religion in its essen
tials and disciplinary divergences, political
economy In its appliances to the wants OF mod
ern society, politics as profession, with the
anxieties, reoriminations and dangers OF its
pursuit, and of the gradual yet still certain
progress which is being made by the Old World
system Of self-government.
Our special writer in Paris visited the prison
of La Roquette just previous to the execution
of Traupmann, the murderer of the Kinck
family. He was permitted an interview with
the convict in his cell, and consequently tells
Of his everyday life just previous to being pre-
pared for the knife of the executioner. Apart
from Traupmann, his report of the appearance
which was presented by the congregated
criminals who are held within the walls of this
French jail Is at once revolving and affecting.
II shows a sad aggregate Of humanity in its
hitherto unrestrained baseness, and now only
controlled by actual force from the qualification
of its fiercer passions. It was q dark facial
reflection of the points of violation of every
one of the Ten Commandments, and be-
held at one time in an alarming unity.
After this we have Traupmann tended in his
cell, made ready, led forth, ascending the
steps to the guilotine, and bound to the
plank; the fall Of and keen swerve Of the
knife and the head in the basket. A muir
derer was obliterated here. Science, as in
the case Of Dumollard and others, looks after
the severed head, and asks, ''Does conscious
ness remain in the brain after the act Of the
executioner?" The sheen of the side of the
knife flashes in the keen eye of the philoso-
pher. 1t cannot penetrate to the other side
of the steel, and Traupmann cannot reply.
From Rome we have an important report Of
the proceedings of the Ecumenical Council.
Our special writer throws considerable light
on the influences which are at work in
the ecclesiastical assemblage, moving and
restraining its members. Cardinals hats
are canvassed for pertinaciously, no doubt;
but Irish lay radicalism, associated with Bri-
tish revolutionism, evidently curb the episco-
pacy in its action, and what is termed Fenianism
appears to come up in very rugged and actual
contrast with the pleasing theory of infalli-
bility. Premier Gladstone, 1t is said, is well
aware Of this. So much so that we are
assured that Holy Mother Rome has been
compelled to have recourse for advice to her
sturdy Anglo-Saxon offshoots of Oxford and
Cambridge, in the hope that the footprints Of
the monk Augustine may lead her again to
peace and harmony in return for her admins
tration of Pontifical pIacebo to the ''irrecon-
cilables" Of the Green Isle. The Bonaparte-
Noir tragedy and coming trial were discussed
in the French legislative body, M. Rochefort
taking decided position against Bonaparte-
ism. England and Ireland supply new facts
of interest, 30 that our mail budget from
Europe is, as usual, very acceptable, if not as
whole, agreeable as an evidence Of how
public instruction sometimes tends.