Private Correspondence.
The Times, 1824-10-04T00:00:00

. l'A1SiS, MgP.'. . 'The death of Louis XVIIL, wxhich six years ago would have led to a revolution, hts:not produced the- slightest apparent change in the march of the GovernmenL Tbe degrees by which we hav been brought. under the dominion of the emigrants and. the Jesuits have not been insensible, but they have been so ea sy-th atwe have been able to pass them without experiencing any vielent shpcl. j The mensures which haye signalizetd the new reign-nanely, the pardon granted to a few unfortunate refugees taken in Spain with arms in their hands, and the aunulling of some acts of rigour-had been prepared some time ago-by If. Villele, but with a view difier- ent from that of conferring popularity on the new King. That M inis- ter wished to mal;e U8s of them under the reign of lIouis XVIII| to destroy the bad impression which had been produced on the pub- lic mind by some acts of his administration. But the death of the Monarch having arrived before the decrees were published, the Mlinister adroitly gave the credit of them to the new King, in order more and more to ingratiate himself with his Mlajesty. Tihe object ofour(}overnment being the recovery of absolute power, the Ministers endeavour to regain, by conferring personal fayours,the popularity which they lose by sacriflcing institutions. Thus, at the same time that they proclaim that the war of Spain was legitimate and salutary, they grant a pardon to the French soldiers who were taken fighting for the Spanish Constitution. They In this follow the example of Buonaparte, who was always disposed to bestow pardon, and even sometimes to confer favours, on thosc who would consent to renounce their principles. Al. de Villele 30ng hesitated towards what individuals the Royal clemency should be exercised. He had to choose between pub- lic writers who have been condemned for their opinions, Generals or simple citizens who have been condemned for conspiracies real or supposed, or soldiers who had gone to Spain to support the cause ofthe Constitution. If the firstsr the second class of persons had consented to renounce their opinions, there is no doubt that they would have obtained the prefeTence, because the pardon which would have been extended to them vwould have made a greater noise: but after having sounded someof them, and havlng seen that nothing could be expected from them, the Alinistry directed the exercise of the Royva clemency towards some unfortunate soldiers1whose opinions can have no weight on society. The hesfItation which A;. deVillele evinced on this subject, and the information which he'or0ered to be collected, retarded the measure, and caused it to be ascribed to the goodness of the new King. The re-establishment of the School of Law at Grenoble is a mea- sure precisely similar to a number of others of which I haveformelly spoken to you. The Professors of that school could not be removed; the Government, which wished to displace them, and which could give no reason for so doing, declared the suppression of the school, and the Professors were thus in fact dismissed. Now that the school is re-established, other Professors are appointed, with- oat afFording reason for the former professors to complain of their dismissal. The tame system precisely was observed when the M1inis. try determined to dismiss the Professors and the pupils of the Poly. technlc School, the members of the French Institute, judges, officers, or simple schoolmasters; and, in fine,all those whom the Government had engaged not to remove. In making this observatior, my only object is to acquaint you with facts, and not to cast any blame on the character of the new King. The diflerences which exist between him and his brotlher are atll in favour of the fonrmer ; and yet it is doubtful whe- tlier his reign will be more tranquil than that of his predecessor Louis XVIII. These differences, and others which exist in the po- sition of each, will produce a marked influence on the march of Go- vernment. The circle of the late King's affections did not extend be- yond himself. He was willinig to have a favourite when he could find a man who cotild at once amuse him with anec- dotes, and supply him with money ; but lie was not suscep- tible of any attachment. He even seemed to feel a kind of plcasure in dismissing his favourites at the time when the wvorld least suspected their loss of his friendship. In ihis manner we saw dis- appear from Court, Blacas, De Cazes, Father Elize., and some others, without hearing from L,ouis XVIII. the least testimony of regret at their loss, or the least indication of displeasure towards those who had destroyed them. lThe attachment which he showed towards the members of his Royal Family was not much stronger than that which he evinced towards his courtiers. The result of this absence of affections was, that Louis XVIII. was never induced, either by kindness or gratitude towards those who served him, to tIo any act calculated to compromise his own safety. IIence he preferred an old courtier of Buonaparte who could serve his views, to an old servant whose support migh)tibavc endangered his tranquillity. flence he dismissed Blacas, when he saw that lhis favourite endangered his popularity with the Liberals; hence he dismissed De Cazes,when Dc Cazes compro. mised his credit with the emigrants; and hence he dismissed the Doctrinairer, who were devoted to his person from principle, when he saw that their principles compromised his absolute power. This conduct enabled hint to have courtiers, but did not permit him to have friends. For this reason the ensigrants reposed no more coafidence in him than the Liberals. Charles X. is of a ciaracter altogethier different. Both in gootl fortune and in bad he has remained attached to his friends, and has served them when lie could, witbout calculating what would be the consequences of this conduct to hIinisclf. There cannot be mention- ed, since his return to France, a single friend whom he has betrayed or abandoned. The constancy of lhis affections has produced in the persons attached to his fortune, a true devotion towards his person. It results from this reciprocity of affections, that the conduct of the new King will be less the effect of calculation than that of'his predle- cessor. It will be the cxpression of the will of his friendts, much more than of his individual interest. But as these friends consist of emigrants whe are the most determinecd enemies of the revolu. tion, it is easy to foresee what will be the character of his govern- !ment. Louis XVIII. submitted to all thc religious formalitics in fashion at cottrt, but he was attached to thetn in noother way than as a paut of court etiquette. At heart, he was not a zealot; nor did he love itc priests: on the contrary, he considered them as dangerous rivals of his power. He mnade CusC of their services, because, in his nind, thc idea of unbelief was connected with that of liberty ; but he neither showed them devotedness or confidence. Dr Cazes secretly thwarted the Jesuits by his orders, and M. de Villele has been teen to act the espritforl,convirceed that he ivas pheasitig his master. IjouisXVIII., without being very well inorirtned, had a cultivated mind. His pre. tensions acre even so high in this last respect, that be would sooner have pardloned a conspirator than a man who had ridiculed hiis in. tellect or his sagacity. this prince hias etren died wibh the happy conviction that, for the last thirty years, he has directed- all the events wlich happened in Elurope. Charles X. differs entirely front his brother in this respect. Hav- ing pass8vl a very dissipated yotith, lie never once dreamel of cuilti- vating his understanding. As long as he was young, he limited his ambition to the acquirement of the ciaractcr ofgallett k*ii1rt. Hi& courtiers represented him as the model of a chXevalier l raitcois. In growilng old, hc has becomc devout. He will therefore, like his bro- ther, falGil all the duties of religion, but lic will fulfil them with sin- ccrity. As lie posscsses a very limited knowledge, alnd is enducd vith little firmness of character, he will easily become an instrtiment in the hlandis of the priests. Thus, while Louis XVIII. made use of the Catholic clergy to conisolidate ihis power, tTie Catholic clergy wilL make use of Charles X. to extend and confirm their privileges. The Government of Louis XVIII. had to-makintain a perpetual struggle for the plenitude of its power frotm its conmiie ieeenet to its termination. It was necessary to pay the expenseti of two inva- sions-.to repress conspiracies or insurrections perpetually springing up-to defeat the Liberals annually at theelections, and to extinguish the revolutions of Naples, Piedmont, and Spain. The AfinIsters succeeded in postponing the consideration of the claims of the priests and the emigrants by thc necepsity which they were under of watch. ing for the safety of the Government, anti of defending themselves against their common enemies. The. Mhlisters of Charles X. are it a difterent position: they have no longer atny foreign Powers to pay, they Ihave no longer any. conspiracies to suppress; they have no longer aunual elections to manage; they have no longer to oppose the claims of the Liberals; they havc no longer to extinguiish revolutions; int a word, they have no longer ally formidable enemies to encounter. Tbc. Ministry is thea about to find itself in front of the pretensions of the noblesse antd .lie clergy, with A King altogether disp,osed te- satisfy them$and no pretext for longer postponing that satisfaction. If thcsc,pretensions were limited to the acquirement of' money, they wo,ld- be easily 8atJsfled. But they extend much beyond that. They arm directed to the legal and perpetual possession of power, and in this resppe it wvill be very difficult to answer their expectations. What. ever be the present power of the ernigraatts and the clergy, they feel well .that their existence will be precarious-as long as it is founded on nio inistitution. In tite present state of thi,tgs, a revolution at Coarst, or the will of the Ministry, may place the Liberals in their siteation. The question, therefore; with them is-howv they may be so organized as that their power shall neither depend upon tbe will of the,people nor the eapriees of the Illinisters; and this diffliculty can.- not be solved. . The, itinistry has two means of paralysing their efforts-rparnely, to secure the majority of the tvwo Chambers by fa- .tours,5 ozAopaoseAff3he4rty of the emigrants u1d..the priestj that party wvhich the Dake of Ahgo,'leme fonned in the Spanish war.- If the Xinistets emplo, thse firt Fod ofproceeding} the pretensios of the clergy and of the enmigrants, inst,ead of being displayed in the Chambers, will manitest themnselves without it, and the 111inisters -will have to struggle against so many clamoura and intrigues, while they 'wll 5fn4 in the King such a disposition to yield, that they themielves must surrender their ground, or fall in the contest. ifithey wish to take thc support of the party of the Duke of Augou- lere, they .will-soon find that this party is -not firm-that it has nci- ther taken root in the nation nor in the Court. Since his triamph over the Sparnish Constitution, the Duke of An- gouleme is persuaded that he possesess great military talents. He bas been so often told that he is a hero, that he at last believes it. ble has in consequence attached to his person a little knot of Boona- parte's Geenerals, who flatter his mania. Those courtiers think them- selves Liberals, because in the first place they (1o not like the priests, and in the second they have pretensions to p(t;ser without being noble by birth. They consider themselves as a great power in the state, and speak even of a war with the Holy Alliance to cstend the French frontier to the Rhine, antl to cenquer Belgium. They would willingly attach thernselves to the AlMinistry if the Mlinistry would purchase their support; but they would turn against it r-nd abandon eyen their here as aoon they found that the emigrants and the priests were triumphant. Then they would go to mass and escott processions. The journals have told you of the joy difftused over Paris by the entry of the King. According to them, tears of tenderneas were shed, and an intoxication of joy manifested, at seeiRg our august Alonarch receive a petition, to whichi he mnade no answer. It should be known that these accounts are generally made by personal friends of thel'Ministers, and that we, the good inhabitants of Paris, are often surprised in reading in our journal in the mnorning, how happy we were the previous evening_when we testified no feeling whatever- P.RVATE CORRBSPONDENCE, WOlJS XVItI. AND CHARLES X.