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    t in business and of fliht given to erou...

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    :.. . 9 ; . _ , lit* JpYfpPfftti 3ttlt\ltf[t\lCt jff Kllri-lQil' ,-/?»•«• (j ?——

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    :¦ . ; • . FRANCE.. • ¦ • (From our own ...

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  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

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    T In Business And Of Fliht Given To Erou...

    o THE LEADEH . [ No . 442 , September 11 , 1858 . *¦ - ' — - ^ - —^—^ ¦¦^¦ ^ ¦¦ tf r

    :.. . 9 ; . _ , Lit* Jpyfppfftti 3ttlt\Ltf[T\Lct Jff Kllri-Lqil' ,-/?»•«• (J ?——

    ?

    :¦ . ; • . France.. • ¦ • (From Our Own ...

    : ¦ . ; . FRANCE .. ¦ ( From our own Correspondent . ') Paris , Thursday , 6 p . m . It appears that the Leader enjoys the distinction of being obnoxious to the minor satellites of Government here , and is regularly stopped in the post about every third week . As the same measure is meted out to all independent journals , including the Times and Athenaum , there may , perhaps , be no very great reason for complaint ; the less so , that although they may cause some delay and annoyance , yet in the end these stoppages are © f no avail . Tne very fact that the Leader is stopped , renders its readers all the more desiroua to see it—and

    they do see it , despite post-office employe ' s and customhouse officers . Oftentimes the obnoxious article makes Its appearance copied into other journals , and then great is the perplexity of the authorities ; they must let in the mischief , or else stop , perhaps , a friendly publication . An instance of this occurred at the last stoppage of the Times . . The offending article which caused the exclusion of the Times was circulated all over France the very same day , through being quoted in an evening paper , which for obvious reasons I dp not name . It would be unfair to suppose that the Emperor and his immediate friends are cognisant of these silly proceedings ; they are due to the too great zeal and to the very

    little knowledge of English possessed by subordinates . Indeed I believe it is more ignorance than anything else . There is here a sworn interpreter of the courts of law , who is also employed by the authorities to discover the hidden poison ( as it . is termed here ) of English journals . Every morning at seven o ' clock he is in the Rue Jean-Jacques-Rousseau for that purpose , and one would suppose from his position that he was competent to translate , " coups de dictionnaire , " our mother tongue . Yet I saw a translation of a Chancery document , in which A and B were severally restrained , rendered by this gentleman into French , " seV & rement emp 6 ch 6 s . " Now , when the censor of English papers

    fancies that severally and severely mean the same thing , it is not difficnlt to understand , the numerous stoppages of the Leader . Supposing that in givingan account of the address presented to the Emperor by different authorities on the occasion of the recent Imperial progress , you had written ,. '" His Majesty received the Conseil-GeneYal , the Cour Imperiale , and the Academie , who severally addressed him on his presence in the midst of them , " the censor , on coming tp this passage , would rush off to his chef , trembling with indignation at your impiety , and exclaim , "Monsieur le Preset , voici le Laardare ( for that is the pronunciation of your title ) qui a eu l ' audace de dire que sa Majeste *

    Imperiale a 6 t € adresse ' e severement par leConseu-Ge ' neral , la Cour IrapGriale , et l'Acaddjnie de Rennes , a l ' occasion de sa presence au milieu d ' eux . " The Pre'fet gives' his orders— --for it is the Prefet de Police that controls the Post-office in these matters—and the Leader is stopped because an ignorant underling did not know that the French for " severally" is " individuellement . " The modern French version of the " Vicar of Bray , " Monsieur Dupin , the executor of Louis Philippe ' s will , and present Procureur Imperial , has just had his say about Cherbourg . This versatile , garrulous , and imitative old gentleman thought the example of Messrs . Lindsay , Roebuck , and Millies , worth following ; but as

    free speech does not happen to bo the fashion just now , and would not be tolerated in a law officer . of the Crown , Monsieur Dupin ' s performance was a vary lame and slipshod affair . Such as it is , however , it has met with the honour of publication in the Moniteur of this morning . ' Last Sunday , on the principle * I suppose ,. of " . the better the day the better the deed , " Monsieur Dupin , in his position as President , addressed the Cornice Agricolo of Clainecy . The speech opened by a silly , fulsome compliment to Monsieur Delangle , on whose administration , we are told , depends " public order , the security of persons and of property : its care roaches to all public establishments , and watches over rich and poor ; it protects the good , overlooks and restrains the wicked , and upon it depends , in great measure , the security and prosperity of the State . " The public are further asked

    to lament over , the fate of public men , bocauso " the first sacrifice that is required from them by public business is that of their liberty . " Rather an awkward con-^ fc ¥ fllOn * to ^ be '' made- 'bvva * uublio . man .:-bu t-then ri MQq ^ ftpir ^ Dupin has a habit of damaging his employers . But to proceed to Cherbourg . Aftor oppressing regret at having been unable to nsslafc at the inauguration » f the , Lao Acs Sotons , in the department of tlio NIovro , which is to store up water and prevent its inundating the valley , Monsieur Dupin solid . " But if I -was not Able to assist at this local fdlo , I indemnified myself by going to the national ffltoa at Cherbourg . I wished to carry my contingent of observation and of admiration to those magnificent scenes to which tho attitude and the words of tho Emperor convoyed an improssiou of so great a signification , nnd which , while affirming tho Idea of pence in all minds , have booonio thohappy % l & wl of

    an improvement in business and of a new flight given to credit ; . . . . I was accompanied by my honourable friend Monsieur Darblay , senior , my old colleague in the Chambers and in -agriculture . We arrived at Cherbourg two days . beforehand , wishing , before its immersion—a mere whim—to walk dry-footed on the . bottom of that immense basin , flanked by graving docks and building slips , where thirty vessels of the line may find , in case of need , place and security . We desired to touch with the hand the little ditch , dug hi the rock , wherein were to be sealed the commemorative medals , and the granite tomb destined to cover them , before the sea came to overflow them for . ever . Our . eyes were ravished to see at the end of the roadstead , under the shelter of a gigantic _ . .. __ ' a . •__ i —*^ . « n « . 3 . ^ n nn .. -flt .-rVtf n > itran fn

    breakwater , more than five kilometres in length , ten magnificent vessels , as well held in perfect line by their anchors as could be ten regiments of pur best infantry on a review day in the Champ de Mars of the capital . Embarked on board the boat of the General Commissary of the Navy , we went directly to the breakwater and the central fort ; at night we returned on board the Admiral ' s vessel , the Bretagne , where we had the good fortune to find in Admiral Rpmaine-Desfosses one of our old colleagues in the Legislature . He was good enough to remember his old president . ( Monsieur Dupin was formerly president of the Legislative Body when France had something more than the hollow semblance of one ) , whom he had also seen

    navigate laboriously / and struggle in the midst of tempests , against the waves of assemblies and the rising tide of factions , and he ( the admiral ) gave us the most cordial reception . Accompanied by the chief of bis staff , we visited in detail this model ship , as elegant in its form * as recherche in its furniture , as it is powerful by the solidity of its construction , by the perfect installation of its machinery , the force of its artillery , the number of its sailors , and the cleverness of its crew . By an especial favour of the admiral , we were permitted to be on board the day of the arrival of the Queen of England , whose superb yacht , accompanied by a brilliant escort , anchored in front of us . This grandiose spectacle filled all hearts with emotion ; it ( not the Queen , but the

    spectacle ) was saluted three times by the thousand cannons of the fleet and of the forts ( in a foot-note to a speech-published in the Moniteur , Monsieur Dupin writes , " Admiral Charles Napier , in a letter published in the English journals of the 28 th of August , estimates the cannons of the forts at 2000 ; if thej' are there , SO much the better , the salvoes were only all the more beautiful" ) , and the cries repeated by ten thousand sailors , not in executing tricks ( this is intended as a rebuke apparently to the sailor who stood on the masthead of the Victoria and Albert ) , but with the seriousness and aplomb which become true sailors . To the vivats of the French replied the hurrahs of theEnglish sailors , and those of the 250 members of the British Parliament who

    desired to assist at this marine sitting ( seance maritime ) . ( Here another foot-note is , introduced by the author in the publication of his oration , in which he notices Mr . Macartney ' s account of the visit to Cherbourg , and adds " so all the world has been content . " ) The joy of these good neighbours made part of our own ; nnd on the occasion of the visit of the Emperor to the Queen ( the latter Monsieur Dupin does not grace with a capital letter ) , tho simultaneous presence of the two sovereigns of the two nations , and of the two fleets , gave to this scene an unheard-of character of grandeur and of majesty of which tho past has not offered an example , and which t he future will perhaps never have an opportunity of renewing . We wero again on board the Brctngne , in the admiral ' ^ saloon , when Admiral Lyons , already a little broken , but with a behaviour full of dignity and

    nobility , oamo , accompanied by Marshal Pciissier , to pay his official visit to the French admiral . We wished to retire out of discreetness , but Admiral Desfossds obligingly kept us , and we assisted at tins interview stamped with lofty politeness and military cordiality . Tho narrow * . placed on board tho Isly , whieli , an loading frigate , w ' ns athwart tho lino , and the nearest to see well , we were witness of tho enchantment which lighted into the middle of the night tho nautical fote given by tho Emperor of tho French to tho Queen of England . Our artillery , Hignalised by numerous sulvoes , of which the shots wore repeated separately by seconds , all the incidents of the evening , and , a quarter of an hour aftor tho royal banquet , Cupt . Ruse , coimnnndur of tho Isly , to whoso courtesy the admiral recommended us , brought on board the electrical words which tho Emperor made hoard in his tonst to Queen Victoria . "

    generous to those who are not allowed to defend themselves , -. now to speak of a Legislative Body over which he had been elected to preside , in such terms of . contempt and insult as ex-President Diipin has thought fit to speak of the last free Parliament of France . Evidently Monsieur Dupin , who trims his sails to every wind , prefers to the old Latin adage , de mortuis nihilnisi boriwn—for-free parliaments are dead now—the French dictum , les absents out tovjoitrs tort . Lambessa , Cayenne , death , and exile have rendered absent those who sought to establish liberty in France , and Monsieur Dupin thinks he may safely aver that they "were in the wrong , that they constituted the rising tide of faction , for they are not here to . how false is the assertion . It augurs or /> r » Arfvn a + (\ fitnco ' wTi'A dm nrtK 'flilnWAri' tn i \' t * fi * nA * Kft « ,

    no good for the morality of the present Administration when we find it indulge in " evil speaking . " Your readers can furnish the biblical quotation of its predecessors . As Cherbourg is brought again upon the carpet , and at the risk of wearying your reailers , I beg to transmit the opinion of those whoy although in a minority here ,, are alone worthy of credit . However unpopular Mr . Roebuck may be with the followers of Lord Derby and of Lord Palmerston , and also with a section of the Liberal party , if the criticisms of the Daily News on the last Sheffield speech may be taken as a fair index of their opinion , the honourable member is not likely to injure his reputation for political foresight among thbse who are acquainted with the

    present condition of France . Men may object to the form , but they cannot , in justice , to the matter . The invasion of England and the chances of its success are the everyday themes of conversation . Absurd as it may appear , the pillage of London is the day-dream of the army , whose chiefs are resting impatiently in inaction . Happily , there is no chance of war ,, ami , therefore , none of prizemoney and advancement . Were the army alone in question , powerful as is its influence , there would be little danger ; but there is a general intrigue among these who are opposed to the Empire to bring about rupture , and , if possible , a war . with England , as a means of destroying the Empire and advancing . their own political ends . A distinguished Legitimist , one of those

    who sympathises with the Hindoos and lauds the Russians , said the other day : " Son oncle a peri , et lui aussi il perira la main de TAngleterre . " That the wish was father to the thought is evident . Legitimists , Orleanists , and Ultramontanes are all united in the . same wish and belief . They spare no effort to bring about this result . They fill their organs with diatribes stupidly malicious against England . They have organised a species of propaganda which is carried on through the provincial journals , for creating ill-will towards Englishmen in the minds of the peasantry . The Empire they dare not attack , but they seek to undermine the rock on which it is built—the English alliance . Added to this , there are the Protectionists , 2 numerous wealthy and unscrupulous party . Their chief writer , M . Charles de Lcsseps * who is the brother of

    Ferdinand , of Suez and Barcelona notoriety , writes umlur a borrowed name the most ferocious invectives against England , because she is the home' of free trade . Were war to break out to-morrow English goods would bo excluded from the French market , and they would be able to despoil the poor consumers to their heart ' s content . So that the war party is really more formidable than mny be generally thought . Tho only parties who uphold the alliance and deprecate war are the Republicans and tin personal friends of the Emperor . I sincerely bolievo Mr . Roebuck to be in error in supposing that the ridiculous pamphlets that have been published are with the cognisance or inspiration of the Emperor . Indeed , I am in a position to state positively that tho most silly nnd ferocious of all , Aurons-novs hi ( Jucrre avec I'Anyleterre ? is by a person who lifts no connexion with tho Government . Tho M . Mctleros , who

    likened English gentlemen to Surdanapnlus quailing the blood of thoir serfs from golden cups , in M- 'j Se ' vignc ' , a j'oung . gentk'iiinn who makes his iWlut i » tho . ijoUtiw-litc . rary world by tho aforesaid tak-nted n »> l nmiubie production , I ciiniiut ' sH ' y that he is Jikuly to eclipse the fame of his nncestross , or that his pnmiihlot will bo roud before her letters nro forgot tun , hut M him take heart 5 there was u certain writer in Venice who took money from ono monarch to abuse nnolhor , and who gave his name to n stylo of literature which died in Franco with tho Viivu JJuchcsno , nnd in Kh ^ """ with tho tfatb'ht . M . do Sovigno belong , I believe , or fit lunst ought toby hjs nanio , to tho Legitimist party ; "' * purpose of his pamphlet if , therefore , tniuflparoBU 1 '" ^ ' and I mention his case , not out of any uukindneua to Uw young gontlomun , but simply aa i \\\ jllurttratiou of wliij i I hftvo advancednml to show that more impoi'tuncu a

    j 9 uch Ss a vory faithful rendering of Monsieur Dupin ' s . impressions of his visit to Cherbourg ; for I have been oarqful \ o fciyg the Iniporiul I ' rocuror ' a speech as litornllyas possible . it ^ iS ^ noir ^ v ^ ry-inatt'uotive-tnoivintow resting ; but it affords a ourioun contrast with what has beqn recently spoken in England on tho same aubjoct , and i ^ also gives you tho measure of ono of tho olilof men in Franco . Monsieur Dupin has boon culjod the Lord Brougham of Franco ; but tho , parallel la sourcoly fair to tho eccentric ox-Lord Chancellor . IIU Lordship did certainly petition M . Cromioux to make him a French citizen ; but his bellof in his general fitness , universal powers , and ubiquity novor wen * so fur as to induce his Lordship to thrust himself before tho world ns a " laborious navigator , " tho pilot that woathorod tho storm . $ ov would Lord Brougham doom H becoming 1 lu him , or

    , attacluid ,.. Uf , % fifl , Q lllJfl l H ' ~ ' ^ "f politiuul lint rod than tho ) nwrit . So long as tlio Enipolror" i oVn"h'ITnrtir'lrls-- |>««* uiU mind , that is to say , hu » command nml full iipo of l > intellectual fucuHlcs , ho will bo tho unmt bhviiuoun upholder of tho nllinnuo . Ho i » dkwtIimI , uiul has tfh' ™ pledges to fortune . He k , In fuel , bound over token ) ' t »< j poacoi Ilia son ip youhg , and hocauuo , t iloairw that ro" » hlo crnUlu should gnthor tho sIohuh of a Kut' 0 | io «»¦»»• which would never end but with tho uootruutiu" o » ' dynasty or of England , On more lUun ono oooiibioii Ims duularod that ho wouHl ciiitv out tlio I ' '" L , undo , but not Imitate lilt fuults . Mut , liowovor niw Uisposoil ho nmy la to itunun , ciri'umstuuuort i" « "

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 11, 1858, page 8, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_11091858/page/8/