IMPRESSIONS OF THE LATE REVOLUTION.

Anglo-Maori Warder, Volume 1, Issue 13, 18 July 1848, Page 3

IMPRESSIONS OF THE LATE REVOLUTION.

(From the London "Times," March 9.) To the Editor of the Times. Sir.-On my return to England, I hear, with extreme Surprise, that what has been passing in France is regarded by many person 1 *, even of the most educated classes, not only with the interest and admiration which certain features of it are so well calculated to excite, hat with unqualified approbation and enthusiasm. As it is to be presumed (or ho.et) that the person! who judge tho matter thus are led to do ao by the' ptfsoauon, that the change which baa been wrought, at so vast and unquestioned en expense of individual suffering and terror, is for the good of the peoph% S.uj that the people are-convinced that it is. so, allow a-,, eye witness to recommend to them a littfe" more careful inquiry into facts, and a little more thoughtful view into the future. Jt is impossible that any who are excited to enthu« siasm by a relation of these aßtonishing events can feel eo profound an iotercet iu the French people as those who, like myself, owe life and property t«» their forbearance j who have seen and heard from eye witnesses various touching trait*, of magnanimity, and who have been the objects of generous s< Ijcitude on the part of men trembling for the very existence of their all, and so worn out with incessant watching 1 , that they mighi w>ll have bfen forgiven tor losing all recollection of the dangers or fea>s of strangers. Personally, then, the impressions I received were calculated to raise my opinion of the French people, and to strengthen my attachment to the country, rather than the contrary. It is, perhaps, for this very reason—it is because I ! do care a greu dtal more for F a nee than those who eo rrclrlessly ba 1 this disorganization of the entire frame'of her society, that I view it, on the contrary, wi'h life profoundly reject sadiuas, and alarm. I must add that these, «nd no other, aie the seDtiments which | have heard expressed by Frenchmen of every party etid of ever) class, without exception. I have feen daily and intimately persons of all parties ; Legiiiuiatists, Conseroaieurs t or adherents of the lae Government—adherents of the Mole Ministry of half an hour—adherents of the Barrot Ministry, equally shortlived—friends and intimates of members of the Provisional Government. I can most truly and distinctly affirm, that I saw and heard nothing from any of theni but alarm and consternation, mingled with the strongest conlpmtm-ions of the two conflicting parties whose obstmrcy had brought about a collision which everybody had feared, though no oue's fears had come within the widest range of the reality- I heard onfy expressions of the conviction that the present order of thirty cou'd nut last; that, in spite of the heroic i efforts, ihe excellent iiitentioiis, and the acknowledged talenis of several wpmbers of •'he Government, it had u dftaken to conduct an edifice which must fall in J crush them under its ruins ; that it watPViow forceil by fear upon promises, and would he forced upohf'aets, •utterly inconsistent nidi the stability of any GoverXmen. whatever. In short, the profoondest aoxiet) and sit'at the heart «i ihe educated classes, of France, of whatever patty; atH, not the least, of those who have uudci taken the ;->wful task of tuhn:* hei. Ot th t you fully &ssur. d. " Eneli'-h, will perhaps say, " This wc expected ; j)ut, the people?" Wed, I must alfirm that, if hy ** people" tbtY mean the industrious, quiet working clashes, itie real basis of society, the object ol the respect and solicitude of all enlightened rubrs,—if they mean these men, the al-uai and cuin.'ei'uit>«n are greater Jmong them 'had in the higher classes, n proportion to the slcndeiness of the resources the-j have to fall hack upon; in many cases this amounts to a sort of blank despair. The moie clear sighted among them see the ternblc ebmces that await t»eio j they see capital leavtug the country, confidence destroyed, std employment suddenly suspended or withdrawn, to ' an extent never seen before. Let me mention a few small hut significant facts :—• My locksmith told me he had always employed four ' men , he has discharged three. An English pasir'cuus ' who has constantly tcni Joyed fifteen journeymen, was I about to discharge nearly all. Everybody is turning awiy scrvants,>espccially meo, as the more expensive. I ftus told that good carnage horses had been sold for 500 ftt ncs e ich. A vast number of bouses are becom- , removal of the English alone would nuke a. visible change in this respect. And what think ' >ou arc the feelings of all the tribes of water c.irnrrs, washerwomen, and the humble dependents lor existence on these houses ? Nothijig, dnnug the three days, 1 seemtd to be more adecting and alarming tlnn the ' sight of these humblest mmistrants to the prime -lants ofliic rushing liom door to door, even in ihe quietest struts, to get their hard labour accomplished in saiety. Our poiteur d'eau was every morning our cuhest in- 1 lbrnKint of the events of the night, and I was a'mck ' with the good sen*- anil charms u! hi;, views- " Us d* l(J iliii-/'liL --.uJ; "est.puis uuleut | se faift por-mrs d'.,m ?" ' C'est absiirdc—ec =wht dei nu-iiJ»ouj;es." ("Tlu>e gvutlenieii talk of iquihty; will they inrn water camera ' Itn, absurd—tin *e are he") " lis (on nous laincr tous." (" Tiiey are gojng to rum us all." These last uor.U I heard frequently, repeated by persons of die working clasbes. A poor eoinini&>itmt r (porter), who, for p.i%, and tluougklong n'ttoUis, convened a letter for me on the lili.', /ime ui looking aghast. " Nnus uida s.in. m.i're." (" lieie \\c an-, without a tiKiMer"). v.ul i.e. "1J..11 Dien! /j-eai iv que iwu* lh-ns .'" what will Uvon.e ,»f nt.'") ■' l"„ pai. out.ima.ur .-, no hyiger a c.-t-arj"), » d;..n< | reuimh. i a.u., I.i kuhitie." b,ib.ri,m") Ih"- t hidced,w»s.o t oi..i k-it ■ -v all th.t | u^»^tc l s ut-u .ipjo.i.t..!. Jim his ih.t u-t.-ud i',, i. in.ru.u- I.T amt.oiitv.or -m i'.-ai,l, ~u- ... t'. ■!> ul; t . WuldU. I mm.l) ' i h. N.i -ah r.n-.i,h V ....:.. ,-, ~ rMI i ...,,- -Aii , - ■„.,. I.l\ utlli.i.i.v. M yiom no riuidmi.i. h.u-'l ' , r ; M M„-.tu-,,l u M .,i 1, ew. Piri,„,,ML ( .l. lll . l t ni.Nfi'a..... i'lu J"-..u\ „*'.',» , yl'['."'stuV:s" 1 t

had complained of ill'' i .11 c! c linages during this season nfbalK From tbt it »t the SJCtli to U.e 3rd of March the most nurul vdbgc could not have more utterly nwlsdi -s. a iarmj,c— not a TOotfall—except at interval- the s»t tdy and silent step of the patrol of the Nalieual Guard, Uuntal for js Mic sole guarintee for snlet,). '* I'.V' o mju," said a grocer, "must now defend In- own. U'c hue no protection hut ourselves ; no police; in .-"iny *' 'Hint so Utile violent th-nrhance to priva'e life ocrurrcd in tin- elementary ttrjfe of society is what obi. never be admired enough; but to admitv the state, or the measures that led to it, is to abdicate all claim to Fioui the time tint the National Guard felt that h> had to dekad what all men have an interest in defending, its exertions have been almost superhuman. A friend of mine, a gentleman of delicate mid refined habits, had been in a bed once between the 22nd of February and the 2nd of March. " Les J'ansiens soiit sur les dents," said an officer of the line, with whom I travelled from l'aris to Amiens. But how long- ran this last? How long are the gentlemen of Paris to have to escort criminals from the prisons to the courts oi justice, or lo do duty at the duors of the theatres ? Already, ir is to be hoped, some police is organized ; but how long will it be before the people will repose with confidence under the ordinary protection oi the law ? The real deep-seated and deeply felt calamity is the increasing disposition of the French people to resort to violence for the redress of their grievances- TJunkiDg' men see with alarm that this is becoming the ha jit of the country, or rather of Paris. The least orderly, the least trustworthy, the least estimable part of its population, bate discovered the secret of their, power, and have grown confident from repeated su»psj», They are generally men whom youth, disposition, poverty, and independence of all ties render consummately careless of life; they are brave, prompt, and clever. 'Flu* mure sober and stable part of society will not move till the. necessity is urgent—that is, till it is too late. When passions and tenors have subsided, and men t may safely say what they know and think (which no- ; body can now), the world will be astoni.-diei to Icain , how insignificant {.is force) were the begummes of this mighty movement. A Frenchman of great intelligence, who followed and watched the whole from first to libt, and who on the 'luesday night assured me it was nothing—a gemineric— related to me the v. iole leailul growth of the torrent. The a.tdck on tl.e (lovannieiit was (as one of your correspondents has justly icrnarked) contemptible enough, but its extreme unpopularity had left it without defence. The National Guard—little dreaming of what was to come—would not turn out to save a Ministry, or even a King, it hated or despised ; the army will never act without the National (maid ; that is now ascertained and acknowledged The Government fell before a mob of daring bin.,, aided by a few desperate men. But nothing can be more complete than the mistake of those that think that the people who were hostile to the Government and the King, intended thu t.A.il uurthrow of the constitution. Even amofg tin. am.ei ruffians who rushed into the Chambci ut it was only one voice that called out, on the iiomimtiounf the Duchess of Orleans Regent, '* 11 est :<op N>rd." This I heard from a friend who wr.s pre.ui*., ami who witnessed the whole of that Ureadful a* me; uln re.di flU'hority, all ordei, all revercuee, wVther lor pi im.,,-. or institutions, for youth or age. i.> ! i ask m wiath, i<n childhood or womanhood—lm t tii. 1 Im. net claimed the respect* the temUrnis., tin. obedience, rr the piety of man, was trodden in the dirt. General—l might almost siy universal—as U ihe conviction in France that the Itcpitolic c-mint stand, that " Ics choscs lie peuvent pas alier com.m 5.1" (to use the people's expression), i a* lu.cn se completely diagged 111 the mire, that utv cannot but doubt the expediency of attempting to ltun it, 01 the possibility 0! establishing it on the only .olid basis—the respect of the people. It haa, it U tint, been \try unfortunate in its representative ; for iho'.gh per lection is not lo be expected in a. King, some dc;u.' of elivation and digimy el se.eimeut— some of tin. .pubtiei of a gentleman, are ; at <dl events, they are imi.-,.crsaMu; and the want of tiiem kit Louis * Philippe without a fi lend, and rendered hia fall unhunoured and unlainented. But it is cne thing to prtst ne a vmerj' I« -luiildiri.r from di cay and mm, and amith.-r to build it up again when it Ins been desecrated, polluted, and -levelled to the ground. We may well j*k, whcie i> tho power competent to this task ? I cannot have so little f lith in the good *en*- <*f countrymen as to doubt that they will Me how Mii.idat has been Uie course taken by a portiou of the um l.au n oi France. It ks impossible that they can Whe\e tii.it manufacturers will contiuue to prudacc, when i'r-p s., iiobtfLy to buy, or that governments e"iii emnpj i!h.-p to consume who have no money to p-\ w.ih. '". t if there be any who are obnoxious to >.ich ; to- - d '•>- sum, I lecoimnend thcni t-> go lo i'.n,-; to v.-ih -1.-i-r the once gny, and now gloomy boulcvai.K ; t > mtu the dcberted shops; und abov.- all, to sir iV p.lr, aiuious unquiet laces ui tiiem. These slh.s \ 'u--' filled wih biueis, rcpu-ented the l.'bo-; ut t- ..t thousands. \\hat becomes of these whm tln> tro empty ; " Are \ou a little more tran.piiW" I »ti I t-» 1 ov-mu-re, 01 unlkbvllcr, in her little shop, -on,r ikjs .lu-r the event. "Not much* madam; 'li finie;'—things cannot go on thus." feiie EpoUu tlie language ol all France. At Amiens the pt-opto opeulv uv.iwed thfcii entire dislike tu llie uli-.u.f a KepuUie, and declared tlint they cunfuiuitfU oiilv fui the oT oujei.aiul 111 the c«»iiiidonco that anvther state of things must an»i— the we wcifc assUfed, of neailv all tlio provinte. Hut, f»e opinions what llicy ina>, it is vtu*, lalury to see that Unite is now but one p.ut\ in Fiance,—Uiut of tudei ami peace. The ii'.itibts, who have *o long declined all >l»an* :n piihhu hfe,aie acting with admirable dev..Hon lo llieir coijntiy. 'hieie is also a piodigi.ais amount of yyod feehng and in the inas 3> mu!gle<l with the more obvious, eiior and vice, and wtill deploiabie and d.ngetoui) tauce. It i» nnpossible,it would be nimimil, lo despair ut fiance, But while *u Ui-k on tier uiUi mlei ."-t, adimi alion, ami hope, let us tmt fall mlt* mi oss a blunder as Madllllruull.it nil hei best sun* tlei.h.ie, 01 to eli'ect an vutliiiMa«ni and n (vnlitteiice thev are so lai fiom fechn_>. l.et tmii it.- them -/let e.u-h, .tcc«nduig b» his station ■nid abihu.ny to Mi-a.nn .trdei, to silence »ut-lt.aa-d p.-i.m., to *..ue.'l d .bdu-,u.|is i= . 1 ir.Ne h..p.s. and 1,. thf r.un t;--- »1.. i h.uf U- mi!!, ami uny haw the ~..M.-1,t.. viv.- their ..Hinln and Knepe ri..llt ne-.e t.-i.di-.-ilamiTi.^

1 »« • .1.i..».| ~,„i;ol Hie lMilli«s 0f llortm.lv t.i M.i.,.,m.. ,1c Mainlmur, til .1 m knstslld , «mm Wt , r tli.ui l«i).j;», Waul.-, unJ.t kiiys, w.nn.'ll arc tuc i-itomi.il to -;>ncni, under iiueeus—

Tnn Examiner and the Sptrtator are at logger heads, the one deprecating, the other udvucatng, an increase of our military force. Senilis; all question of the new revolution in France, which must at once have dicided the contioveisy iu favour of the lit'ei journal —even without that, the Spectator had much the best of it. It is always a pity lu spoil a fair stand up fijjit; yet a lm.ker ou might pertinently and pu.igeutly quote, from ' King Henry Vl.' * YrVre't not a shame that whil t yru live at jar, Thajmrtul French whom you lute vanquished, Shobhi make a start o'er seas n;d vanquish you ? Irle thinks, already, in this civil broil, liee iliem lording it in London btreets, prying— Vtila§e.ts,' un»o all th=-y meet.'