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

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    : ¦ . ; . 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 , " h , 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 Imp ( jriale , 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 —*^ . « _ .,. i . ^ n nA .. -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 the future will perhaps never have an opportunity of renewing . We wero again on board the Brctngne , in the admiral's 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 morrow , . 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 , cominnndur 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 Queon Victoria . "

    Such Is a vory faithful rendering of Monsieur Dupin ' s . impressions of his visit to Cherbourg ; for I lmvo been q qreful \ o fci yg the Iniporiul I ' rocuror ' a speech as litornllyaai possible . ' it ^ iS ^ noir ^ v ^ ry-lnstt'uotlve-tnoivintow resting ; but it affords a curioim contrast with what has boon recently spolcon in England on tho same subject , and i ^ also gives you tho measure of one of tho chief men in Franco . Monsieur Dupin has boon culled the Lord Brougham of Franco ; but tho , parallel la sourcoly fair to tho eccentric ox-Lord Chancellor . Ills Lordship did certainly petition M . Crcmioux to make him a French citizen ; but his bellof in his general fitness , unlvoraul 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 . Nor would Lord Brougham doom H becoming 1 lu him , or

    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 nrtff '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 under 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 believe 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 lu ( Jucrre avec I'Anyleterre ? is by a person who lifts no connexion with tho Government . Tlio M . Mctleros , who

    likened English gentlemen to Surdunapnlus quailing the blood of thoir serfs from golden cups , in M . de Se ' vignc ' , a j'oung . gentk'iimn who makes his iWlut i » tho . ijOUtic . o-litc . rary world by tho aforesaid tak-nted mul amiublc production , I ciiniiut ' sH ' y that he is Jikuly to eclipse the fame of his nncestress , or that his pnmiihlot will bo read 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 nnollior , 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 Sovignu 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 uukliidneas to Uw young gontlcman , but simply an an jllurttratiou of wliij i I lmvo advancednml to show that more impoi'tuncu M than

    , attacluid ,.. Uf , % fifl , Q lllJfl l H ' ~ ' ^ "f politiuul lint rod tho ) merit . So long as tlio Emporor" i oVn"h ' ITnrtir'lrls-- |>««* uiU mind , that is to say , hu » command nml full iipo of l > intellectual fucuHlcs , ho will bo tho most bhvnuoui . upholder of tho nllinnuo . Ho i » innnk'il , uiul has tfh' ™ pledges to fortune . Ho k , In fuel , bound over token ) ' t »< j poacoi Ilia son ip youhg , and hocai > uo , t ilodirw that ro «» hlo craUlu 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 would curry out tho I ' '" ' 1 , undo , but not ' Imitate hit faults . Mut , howovor niw Uispouoil ho nmy Lo to itunun , clri ' umstuuuort »>*/ "

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

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    Untitled Article

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

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 11, 1858, page 928, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2259/page/8/