London, Wednesday, March ...
The Times, 1824-03-31T00:00:00

The e reneh papers of Sunday, which arrived last night, are alto- gether filled witl) discussions in the Chlamber of Deputies on tihe validity of election returns. It will be recollected, that on Fri- day Dl1. B. CONSTAXT's returll was objected to by 51. DUDON, o0, theground that be was not a Frcnch citizen. On Saturday the ho. nourable member replied to the statements and reasonings of his as. sailant. Ile began by remarting, that he might, it was true. fountd his claims on an uncontested possession of the right. of citizenship for so many years, but he was willing to fore- go this support, and to rely solelv on the legal construe. tion of the ordinance of 1814, as it applied to his case. When, by this ordinance, the citizens of the departments which were separated from France followed the rights of those departments, the persons whoseancestors, being French citizens, were proscribed on account of religion, and who had returned to the country of their ancestors, were not considered as foreigners who had been admtitted, but as chiltdren who had been recalled; and were therefore not agair excluded. M lten it speaks of stclh religionists, the law of Decembet lo, 1790, uses the words, are declared natural-bom Frenchmen ;' when it speak-s of foreigners, it employs the phrase, " they beconme " Frenchnien." The Restoration,l he contended, consecrated thit principle. In consequence of this distinction, it became necessary fsr lAxSSEXNA, who was born at Nice, to reccive letters of natura. lization, wlhile General DEMONT was tnade a peer of France with. out any such formality. This brought him to the question-was hr in thie situatioti of General DEmrox T_was he the descendant of pa. rents who had been driven from France on account of their religiouas tenets ? He woulid prove that lhe was, and that there. fore the law of 1799, which declared that "all persons born in a Ibreign country, descending in any degree from a Frenchman or a - French woman,who were expatriated on account of religion, arede. c]ared Frenchimen, and shsll enjoy the rights attached to titat quality, if thity return to France to tix their place of domicile, and "take the civic oath," applied to him. The honourable mnember then went into the history of his family to establish this position. By certificates, dated 1794, 1795, 1796, 1798, and 1800, he proved that his father had come to France and resided in it; that be himself had come early to France, purchased an estate, atd exercised the rights of a citizen. Hie had, indeed, presented apetitionto the Council of Five Hiundred, to be admitted a citizen; but he took that step merely because the Directory had objected to his occupy. ing a place without having resided seven successive years in France. The objection was removed, and he had exercised in consequence the functions of a citizen. A-ter the Restora- tion,he had, been placed on the list of electors, and persons eligible to be deputies; he had been presented as a candidate, he had been bal- lotted for in several departments, and had been finally admitted into the Chamber in 1819. hl. DELAIROCHE, late Deputy of the Seine, had been in the sanme position as himself, and was admitted into the Chamber without any question or opposition. A1. DuDoN, in answer to this reasoning, contended that these presumnp tions of citizenship could not stand against positive facts- that the ancestors of D.1 B. CONSTANT had been expatriated frotn France, not on account of religion, but of conspiracy_ and that even after the alleged admission of his father to the rights of citizenslip, the hon. mel'ber bad, in a contract, signed hinself a Swiss anad a Aforqn;s. M. B. CONSTArVT, in replying to this new charge, denied that he ever signed himself a Alarquis; and while he adnitted the signature of the contract as a Swiss, offered to prove that it was dated before 1796, when he obtained tlse recoznition of his riglhts as a Frenchman. As Mh. DunDos h2d nmade some allt- sion toacts not honourable to him before that period, St. COXSTAT T retorted upon him bysaying, " I defyanyone to prove against "me such a charge. I have nothing in common with those men who take advtntage of their functions to conclude ifVasnezs bararzisz." This is abroad allusion to an accusation brought against 1M.ul DoUlo of having, whent emiployed by BUONSIARTE on an iniportant mis. sion, towaids the conclusion of the bar, sold his despatches to the Russians. After this altercation betwren the two deputies was con- cluded, General Foy-, and several other snembers, addressed the Chamber oni each side of the question. At last it was proposed to postpone the discussion till the Chantber was fittally constituted; and in the mean timne to send back the hquiry and thc documents to tite bstreastx. If Al. B. CONSTANT htd taken the civic oath, and complied with the other conditions of the law of 1790, after the year 1795, wthen be had still subscribedi himself a Swiss, there was no doubt that he would be considered ts a Frenclt citizen, though lie did not clain in virtue of the recogniion of his father's ctizen- ship. This is admitted by A1. IMAStrIGNAc, an Ultra lawyer, wvho thinks that proofs lf this fact shouldbegiven. M. CONSTAyNT, by acquiescing willingly in the postponenent of his admission, anid thte re-exaimination of his case, seents to have confidence in the re- sult. The other business of the Chambei was of no interest. .ONO ON. IVEDXESDA 1, M' 1ARCH 31. 1824.