The French Censorship.
The Times, 1824-08-25T00:00:00

norrigm--mx n .,printed in Ihe tih ist'r? ofzc7ssre. ls it posab?. P .bel3eve that we ite ttndce Ihe ti o bieretand'e..Vi11leI6 ' In the preefaeet the secohd edition>; M. ;de Chhtea'lbriasvd alll'des t'othe rapi,4 rhale ..of tb ist i wbih,. he says,, was soldina.less Uime than it was wAttan, notwithstandizng. the censors would not let it be advertised, sad the post.refased. to transmit co'pies to the dcp4rt' ments as-usa1 . l is said, that 5,000 cbpies0f t6e' first edifion cven sold withia three-hours. . This pamphlet contains some information respecting the articles which- tbe..zensrsa -havaecpunged,. Among those struck out of.the Jourrrari tier Debats of Tuesdar, the 17th, vas-lst, A sccorrd artf- c2 tak'.nga retrospectiveview of the blitsiness of the late sessilon of the Clihmber of Deputies: 2d, The advertisement of AL; Cjlateaubri- 'and's pamphlet: and, 3cly, Some lines on the sensibility of the Duk~'ea'`47ecahns, on- tariigr that his son, the -Duke deChzrtgcs, had ibtixirned a priza! . AgalziIt the'Consiistirrtollielthe Csnsos.rs.were still miore,8evere, and1 that . cuirnal was even preefrtded from mentioning the Duke d'An;ouleme as engaged in it causertoch-niore honourable Ito humanity than leading a French ;rrmy in. Spain Xo, restore' Fr,r dinand VII. to hig absolute -,uthority. Al. -le Cheteraubriand says the thing seeined so inprobable,. that he cottld not believe it was suppressed*umil he saw the 4rticle. It was merely ix ffotice sent from the Duke-d'Agobulerne, inviting. ihe Memlrers of the Royal Soaiety for Prisont Discipline to meet his' Royal Highiness at a sitting .of ti9 society'on o tiuteday; accompanied by a few remarks of thc editor, expruasng `a wis:bthat all-the abuses which exist in the pri. -sone,' atid give so much pain go tho true Friends of huinanity and re. 'ligi9n could be Lade known to ils Rdvfl Higiinoss.; iiatlid i-ti ht .be well informed on a sublecl so wort iy of 'his bnenficence and hit. inanittyZ . . .. . . - I do Cnlaxteubiiaiid asks whlether there ig-any thing in such an article as thc lasL vwhih mighlt, ha)ve been expected to tsrotoke the vwraih? at' the cettsor.s, br lloknems1s de p!s#irAses, ag he styles thbn,; j"ttis, then," saya he, ' no lonter permitted to speak of btimanity nor of~religion-g rind thus thle name ofa Prir,ce lthe restorer of our army-a- uame that Eutope rtspects, arid France has inscribed amonE thc grertideeti;nl,fifstes) of, her glory-vis blottcl edut by some ob. scurecensors in apolice-office. It is true that the Prince, though a ClrristiAn, is sfspeeted of boibk attached to the Chartei. It'is trntt Mhat all uarties in Spain Iave found their only shelter in his sword- 7hiat he has inculcated concord in the midst of divisions-that he hat repressed the ramblings of libertv, as well.as tha vala4des of arbitrary poivcr_-thhat heis opposcd to-re-actions arid vengeance-that he hia hot fuffered proscriptidns to dishonour his army_.mnd that the piles bf the inquisition have flven way to the altars raise4 to hisvicto. rtes," Thl artthor alludes o a speech he male in the Cham. bcr.of,. J?-eors'.on the. l3th of Mlarch, 1823, in which, in reply. lng -to a previous .speaker, he said, "-A noble Baron. antieipatet kbat.. dinc. wilI'be. inv4dq, and all oar libertie tdcstroeyei by Spain. As to the invasion ot Prance, .and the loss oS' opr publif liberties. -one thing shaU console me-that these-events shall i never take plsec While I and: mxy colleagues arc tministers. . iThe noblh tjro.n,>rho posse'sses so much talent, and such generous gentiments. unill pardon this assettien." These words, and the establishment oi the Censorship, Al. de ( hateaubriand says, cxplain why.ho is nt lenger Mllinis-.er,. .ard thecase- of the treatment he has experieneec from iris collegues* but he says he will leave persons, and. speak only of Prance. ' I ticednot-ropfat,"'he .avs, "what I have said .a bundrei times in the tribune, anti-what I have prnnted a htindred -times ir Iry horks, that there can he no representative govemment withoui the libeitvofthe press. With the Cersorsrhip' of the Jourrials, thr Constitutional Monarchy will become either more weak or more vio !lelittharn AIbsolut6 Menarclry. It is a weal:'or thrulyv inacitirle. wtvich iterrupts by to ornplexviEy of its wheels, or breaks by tih l'orceofitsmodon. ? .iThe-ex.M iniister then proceeds to notice the-fourth article in tht law of tie 17th of March, 1822, whichi ptovides for the revival oh lire CensorAhjp,.and:coutends, that according to tie spitit of thai lawv, no:kvent er 6ircumstnance has oecurred to ,ttstify its reviral. The article says,: " If in the interval of tlhe sessioris ofthc Charnt bers, serious cirrcustanecs sbotild- render ineffectual' for the mse. :nent, the mneasures of, guaranteo and- repression established. fN Censorship mnay-be again putin force." " I demand," says A.l di bhatentibpand,"'Vif the case provided fei by the law has occurred I Ate foreign armnies at our gates ? Is there any conspiraey in the in. terior-? * IS the throne menaced ? Has one of our belovedl Prince, fllen underthe dagger of anew Lowyel ? No, bappily not. *Yhat. lien, iias l4tppened ? Why, thie Ninister has comimritted sofm ohults i -e lfas,lostra majority in the Chamber of' Peers; he Is de. ected betfore the trfbunals, of shameful negoliettioiii in order to puir. chase oliinions; he)ias dissipated the advantageous results of thi expedition in Spain ; tbat hte has separated from the Royalists--it: or,e word, Lhat he-appears incapable of his offlces These are thi scrious ci'cumstances which compel us to violate the fuadameiita liberty of institutions whieh we owe to the - wisdoni of the King. If the circumstanees are serious, he has mnade them so; asnd. it'i algainst hhiself that lip hag' establfshed the Censorship." Wi have next an e:positionof the circumsrtanees whriel have lei] to-thi revival of- the Censorship, against wlhich M. de Chateaubriam strongly-contendsi he speaks witih gr6at bitterneis of his rival, r,f tie Villele, though not by name, and centends that the country Is en dangered by: the measures -he pursues.' In conclusion, ht says " The r.ernedy isetasy if'the malady is taken in time: if it is suffer eel tt go'on, it becomes incurable. I cannot develop almy thought it, this little pamphlet, the rapid work of a few hours, which- I pub lish iri a hurry dn account bf the importancef' of theisubjeict. Iti hald for me, that am so far advanced in my career, - to re-engage it struggles which have consumed my life: but a Peer of' France and Msgistrate,.Icaninot seepublie liberty perish.. I could riot .see th tribinals altackedlwithout raisirig my voice-without giving my sup pert, feeble. as it may be,- to the institutions that were endangered France ma:y * be . free and -happy, is my, prayer; and as to my OW! destiny, let it be as Orod pleases." THE FRBNCH CEBSORS111P.