French Papers.
The Times, 1824-03-30T00:00:00

tidur some time had beenoccupied in hearing the reports of vai. riots bureanu respecting the quialifieatious of memberm- The Reporter of the 8ih bureau propo$ed the. adnission of AlBet jamin Constantt A. Dudon detanded anid obiaihiedlcave'to address the Chamber. (Lively move-ment of curiosity. Protbund silenem.) . ll. Duconv...I believe we have a right to be astonished at so :svsc- cinct a rep&rt respecting the election of Al. Benjamin Constaint. It was not cnncealeil in the bureau, that some serious quescions had arisen With iregard to 4is admission, ants'.&\. Beinjamis "Costauit himself was informed of-it. However it appears that th'ere is no one in this assenmbly, excepting hiim an(l. me; who linows that hhas not the qualities requisite to bt a deputy. (Proliongel laughter.-- .1l. Benj4ntin Constant did not Iaueh.) It is not for the purpose ot' denottncing, as ha5 been d9ne already mere irregularities in the elcc toral proccedimg that I rise to attUck the election of M. Beaatuin Constant it ija with the law in my hand that I dedhtd tbat lie has not the necessary qualities to be anmitted to the honour of ia seat in this Chamber. I(ively sensation.) I hope that the Assemnbly'h4ill do litP the justicc to believe that T amn aniniated by no feelings of miaignity ln thus attacking the eliibiiit of i'. Benjamin Constant (=ovement oe hi:patiencQ oni the eatrciimc left); for if we aTe re- ucet to see in this Chamber any persons wyho prsfess the same po- litical opinions as )le}- Al. Girardin.-You have so arranged it, that they might not be very numeorou-s Al. Dudonn..Doaetvoat I say distuilb vou ? (I.augh:er.) l. *e Gir.rdin.-Nothing that syo .an sa-y can disconcert tne. Al. Dtitlon._Do not. r beg, increasc the difficliljy of spekitIg at this triburc by your sarcasic 'jokes. If continued i1. Dudonl. vwe are re3ulced to see here any persons who profess the same political oiplnions as .lI B. Constait, I tirefer liin to any other, for, in the orecedinsg sessions, he never indulged in tlho,e declamnations which h d to mnesuues- c.f Ceveritv agrainst other nicnibets. Ullurniufa on t.e left.) Besidt s, 3,i. B.'(;nstant is an advcrsarv verv easy to deal woth f or he has written so ntuch, that his own Airodu-ctions always sulipply an answ cr to wL hat lie t,.ay ads anee, and perhaps we shall fied a proot of this in the present circumstance. (aentatoi.) I maii- tat thlat ;\1. Benjanin 'Constant does rvot rossess the qualities to en. t*tl.i him to A seat in this ;;ssemnbly, r.-ause :o be a lmitted to this honoulr ne must be a Frenclunan. Now this must be the case in hree vs.-..y birti, ori.n, nr naturalization. You cannot admit him wit'iaout attiaking one of the prerogativem of the Crown, for it : the Kir aloine vwiho cats confer letters of plenary naturali7atiott. Al. Benjamin Coi,.tant is not a Frenchmian by birth. fie was born at Lbnmanne in 177. Bitt is he a Frenichian'a by origin ? (n this point I can consult nio oilier docutments than those furnished hv ilinusell; tor ont this occasitni he has enjoyed the very intiocent, bit perhtaps ariSto0ratiCal pleasure of producitsg to tdle bureau his gene- alogs (bursts of laughter) attid this is what we learn fron this aaid s'ene'log' ely. Al. llmnjansin Constant dt-scendsdfrom i1A. A tiglstin CmWnstit dle Rebeqtue, who flet France itn 1605. rnd establisled his famfflv at Genera. lie had a son born there in 138, naiaied David Conosa-t vho tilleti several important posts at Geeneva. This Ail. D) vii Ii id hiniseif two sons, otie of whotmt enterctl into the service of' liolland, ard we have seenl onev of these descendanst cimsandinF tne alties urnder the tvalls of Paris. The other reismainied at 06rneva. inld likew:isc there filled solne irtitottant offices, lie was living in 17i. and tlied in 111110. This A1. Constant te Rcbtcque finds iin all Ilis aneestors citzen ouf Gleneva, established in that place in 1605. The pr6oi'that ie has not lbv hi, origin the right-'f sitting in Frrenh assemblies is, that in 1796 1l. Benjaunini Constant alddressed an application to the Direetory, toobtairi his recogtigtion as a Frenchi citizen. Ilis deinand wvas rejected. . II. Benjaanin Constant theni presented a petition to the (ouncil of Five Hundretd, praying to be declaredl a French citizen, which was not granted. Al. Dttdon then proceeded to exainine the reports presented to the CI,aulber of Deputies, when Al. Benjamiti Constant took his seat in lhe Chamber in 1817 and 181'1. ntil cantended that the Chamber had been lei into error bv those reports ; anld'after advertin -to the causes wblich occasioned the emigration of his ancestors in tfle vear 160.5, conditi(leti with the wvord.s-.' lu wlihed for notoriety ; let it fall upon your head; you are not a Frencbman, and you cannot sit in this Olamber." (Stroi.g stnisation.) Al. the Reporter.-I minst iustify the lth Bureau from the re- rnach wbicls has been cGst upon it.' (.'IBDy oices on the right- It Las not intended to attack the Bureau !") The 8th Bureau (continued the RenCurter). after having examined the docunients rub- unitted to it by .11. 1. Con,stant, determiiined to proposc his admission. However, being apprised that .A. Dudlon liad made researches touching this a air I asked hlis for themu- Al. Dud:mn.. INen was that ? Al. tlie Reporter.-'esterdavy .l. Dttdon.-. could not theis give thetn to you. Al. the Reporter.-In tite absence of these researches, the bureau felt itself bourd to act under atn asitheistic proceeding, whicl provedI that Al. B. Constant presented himlself before tbe proper atithoritles, to obtain the sanction of tiye law. W'e were ignorant that his an- cestors hid qmtitted France on any other than religiotus groundR. [*. Iadon, in the course o1' Isis speech, affirnsed that " the ances- tor of Al. 1B. Cunstant quitte d France because lie was accused of the crimne of' high treason."-(Pofotnd sensation, consternation on the left.) And this fact, contirued Al. Dudon, i' iisclosed to us by Ml. I!. Constant hiiself. C!aisiing thie lionour of being ad(nitted amoag Frenc iniets, lie stated its his petution that lie was descended froims an iscestor who hail beets banished fromn France for a cause of wlich e could niot butt approve, ina3smuch as hc was implicatedl in a pro- rci f,ortised by the Protestaises, tending to estatblish a Republic in k'rance.j..( Remsewed sensationr.) Al. B. Constant densanded to be htear-d. A great many vnices" To.nsorrow, to-morrow!" Ofisers-." No, no speak univ "' Al. I. Conatarnt.-Gcntlemen, the assemblv will excuse the de- tas Iinto which I shall be obliged to enter to prove the inaccuracies ofthe assertlois o the oiourabil neisiber who spoke last. It will excusc also toy want of preparation, fbr I onlv vaguely anticipated the attack that was to bemadeuponie, and I scarcely tbottglttthat it woould really take blace. I have, hesides, plaCeed all my docu- nients in the bureau, and I am thus disabled from bringing forward a great deal of niatter with w hich I could oppose what has been ad- dressed to you. (Many voices-" To-nmorrow,to-morrow.") A great many members quitted their seats and left the hall, wvien the Piresi- dent declared the discussion adjourned to the followting day. SlTTrNG OF TiE 27TH Or MAARCHs. This sitting had attracted a throng of spectators: the privileged anti public tribunes were occupied before the President had takei h is senP.t. A3.1;M Wechiii, Casimir-Pertier, and Devaux, all three en cos- tume, had a long and aninmated conversations. AlIAl. FoIvand B. Constant entered during the reading of the pro. rcs .c rbalu. Te latter carried ut.nder his ann an enormous mass of papers. AT. Devattx accosted hinm, and spoke to him for soine time with considerable wartonh. At'ter some prehiininary' business bad been gone through, M. nI. Constant ascended the triibine, and began by thanking the assenm- bly for the dlelay which they granted him on the precetling day. le confesse(i that delay was nece.ssary to him. Attacked in his capacity of a French ctizen-rattacked in bis honour-for they ac- csused thin of having deceived the Chamber and the Reporter of 1819-atracked in the menory of his father, whom, said he, they hail insulted in the grave, lie oould not have controlled an emotion wvhich mIght have beetn injurious to hin.. AisY excess frorn that cause, however, was nolonger to be feared, and he thanked the Chaimber for having given hii utime to itivestigate the facts of tite discussion because troni tlose facts must result liis justification, and the proof' that he possessed the rights for which he contenided. Ml. R. Constant then mentioned, in answer to the assertion of Al. Ducon, that no foreig:ner couldi sit in the Legislaitive Chanmbers without letters of naturalization, that MW. Dunionit, at this moment a Peer of France, Itad been a Swiss officer, had never received letters of natural zation, antl did not need themn, because lie was the de- sCendant of French Protestants, saho v/ere obliged to quit France in consequence of politicel troubles. l. B. Constant then quoted Art. 22. of the Law of Dec.lp 1759, which istlius worded:-" Every person born in a foreign country, related in whatsoever degree to exiles banished on account of thieir religion, are declared naturalized Frenclimets." 21. Constant then proceeded to etutnerate various facts and circumstances in support of the right he claimed, and was left speaking when the EtivV went to press. PARIS, AIARCH 27. The King heard mnass in his apartments. A vessel, which leftt Constantinople and arrived at Odessa in the short space of 40 hours has brought the important news, and whihl is very disastrous for tie Porte, that Mohatiied Ali Pacna, Viceroy of Egypt, hasthrown off the maslt and declared birnself irndependent. it was suspected for somne time past at Constantinople, that this en- terprising man was meditating sorne proiect-ofiatdescription. This was the reason the Turkish Goveenmjeut wished to weaken his power, and demanded of hiin an auxiliary corps of 10,000 men, but i ohatned conceive4ilititime todeclare himself.-Gazette d'.4ugsbwr,f. .rh,A,Y,-y pjpxAg.' . !?.ffA4IBRjL O.PDPFrj?TTms.-?sjTk,-t4 6-P:VAliM N. I