London, Tuesday, Septembe...
The Times, 1824-09-28T00:00:00

The private lettwzrs of Saturday from Pariv, I-eceived yesterday by express, colItilnlue to rnaintain the pkilion that the commenucement at least of' the aew rcign will be dliF tinguished by tha strict maiuteiianee of a pacific policy, al)rl infer, therefore, zdlmoat as mnatter of course, that AX. de VI,LELELP Will remain in office. The KING, it i; said(, is earncstly beutL oln securiing lhis own popularity wi:h his subjects, bcfore he veintures ot any ineasures of in- .portancc, either political or finanicial. Al. de VILLE1.1, vbilose wishes were niot ronsulted in the initroduction of the DAUrHI!s' into the Council of Ministers, has been reconiciled to that apparent dliminiution of his influence by an arrange- tpInt which conaies the presidecjcy of the DAurutiN to those questions in which movements of troops or miliitary operations a-c under discussion. The ex. Minister CHATE AU- BRISND is to be reconciled by a pension to his continued exclusion from office; for though no very strong objections are understood to exist on the part of the KING to his re- introductiorn to the Cabinet, provided a reconciliation could be effectedbetween him and M. de VILLELE ; yet, as that is impracticable, and the services of the latter MJinister cannot at present be dlispensed with, the alternative of a pension to AM. de CHATEAUSRIAND aloIne remnains to ex- press the Royal sense of his merits when in power. The amount of the pension fixed upoii for M. de CHATEAUBRI- ANI) is said in the Paris letters to be 20,000 francs, or about 8001. sterling only-a sum so moderate, that itis presumed he has only been induced to accept it as a compensation for the sacrifices he has been calle(d on to make, by the hope of exchaniging it, at no very distant period,for thc solid ad- vantages of a seat and ascendancy in the Cabinet. We really rejoiee at all indications of a liberal system of policy ; and the more so, as there is notlhing in the general aspect of France, or the ostensible spirit of parties in that kingdom, to induce the belief that his Mla,jesty acts from fear. Concessioni, clemency, anl kindness, are useful only when they appear to proceed from the free will of him who exercises those virtues, and wiho might, if he were disposed, pursue a rigorous course, withoiit any apprehension of a disastrous result. Every thing that the new Ki G has done appears to have been well done. But there is one measure which we think his Majesty might adopt at the com- mencement of a new reign, which would at once evince his own security, and gratify his people's eishes. Let him withdraw the censorship, and restore the press to its late free(lom. WVhat has he to fear? Attacks upon the Minis- ter? Lct the Minister, then, afford his adversaries this metho(d of assailing hinm ; if they owe their arms to his indulgence, at least they cannot dip them in poison. There is no measure by which he could so show himself to be their superior. A curious circumstance was remnarkedI at Paris on. Thurs-. (ay last, (during the translation of the remains of Louis XVIII. to St. Denis. In the programme of the ceremo- nial to take place on that occasion, as published in the Mfoniteur, it was annotunced, according to long-established usage, that " a number of the clergy wvith lighted tapers cc ,ill follow on foot." At the funeral of the Duke of Banat there werc at least 800 ecclesiastics in the procession, and the number of professors of the clerical persuasion has not diminishe(d withiit that period ; yet, on the present occasion, to the great sca;tdal of the i'onfl pepoul of Paris, not one was seen following the corpse of Louts XVIII. It appears that this extraordinary ntglect on thle part of the priestheod has arisen friom a cotitestedl point of juristdiction be- tween the Grand Alinoner. svho is wholly a Jesuit, and the Arclib shop of PAnts, Who inclinies in favour of the libetties of the Gallican Chlirch. 'rhco quarrel broke out openly on Thlursdlay, in consequenec of a right claimed bv each to perform the service over the late KtxoN at St. Denis. Neither of them would yield, and censequently all the Priests, attached to either party, absented themselves from the fiuneral procession. This tenacious adherence to rights long considere(d obsolete, is a tacit intdication of the wishes and( power of the priesthood, who testify their belief, at least, that wvith the new reign the period of their ascendancy is again arrivedl. OA UNrD'). TUE.SDAY', S15PTE I'BER 28, UN;2.