FOREIGN EXTRACTS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume III, Issue 120, 23 April 1853, Page 5

FOREIGN EXTRACTS.

FRANCE.

In France the formal proclamation of the empire had taken place. The definite result of the votes of the plebiscite on the question of the re-establishment of the empire was announced in the Senate as follows—

Ayes Noes Null .:

7,864,189 253,145 63,396

. The result was received with unanimous cries of " Vive l'Empereur !" Immediately afterwards the whole corps legislatif went to St. Cloud, en costume, to present the result to the emperor, when the Vice-President of the Senate delivered a speech replete with fulsome flattery. At its conclusion the Emperor, amidst the most profound silence, in a firm voice replied as follows :—

"Gentlemen—The new reign which you this day inaugurate, is not founded, as so many others mentioned in history have been, on violence, conquest, or stratagem ; it is, as you have just declared, the legal result of the will of a whole people, consolidating during the calm that which it founded in the midst of agitation. " I am deeply grateful to the nation which three times in four years has supported me with its suffrage, and each time has but augmented its majority to increase my power. " But the more that power gains in extent and in vital force, the more need it has of enlightened men, like those who every day surround me—of independent men, like those whom I address—to guide me by their advice, and to contain my authority within just limits, if ever it could stray beyond them. " I take this day with the Crown, the name of

Napoleon 111., because the logic of the people

has already bestowed it upon me with acclama- * tion, because the Senate has legally proposed it, and because it has been ratified by the whole nation. P "' Does this mean that in accepting this title I fall into the error attributed to the Prince who, returning from exile, declared null and void all which had been done in his absence? Such a sentiment is far from my thought. "Not only do I.i'ecognise the governments which have preceded me, but I in some measure inherit what they accomplished, for good and for evil; for succeeding governments, notwithstanding their different origin, are each a party to the acts of their predecessors. "But the more readily I accept all that, the less was it allowed to me to pass over in silence the glorious reign of the head of my family, and the title, regular though ephemeral, of his son, which the Chambers proclaimed in the last effort of their conquered patriotism. Thus the title of Napoleon 111. is not one of those dynastic and obsolete pretensions which insult both truth and common sense; it is the homage paid to a government which was lawful, and to which we are indebted

for the finest pages of our modern history. " My reign does not date from 1815 ; it dates from the moment you communicated to me the suffrages of the nation.

" Accept, therefore, my acknowledgments, M. les Deputes, for the eclat you have given to the

manifestation of the national will, in making it more evident by your verifying the votes, and more imposing by your declaration. •Js." I thank you, also, M. les Senateurs, for having been the first to congratulate me, as you were also the first to embody the popular wish. fe " Assist me, all, to establish in this land, harrassed by so many revolutions, a stable government, whose basis shall be religion, justice, probity, and the love of the less fortunate classes.

"And here receive the oath, that I will spare no exertions to assure the prosperity of our country ; and that, while maintaining peace, I will yield in no point which concerns the honour and the dignity of France."

The following is from Paris, the 9th December :—" This day week witnessed the accomplishment of one of the most extraordinary events of modern times—the formal re-esta-blishment and proclamation of the Napoleonic Empire, with Monsieur Chas. Louis Napoleon 111. On that day His Majesty took his place among the crowned heads of Europe, and began reigning with absolute power over 35,000,000 subjects, and one of the finest territories in the world. He did so, we are told, in obedience to the national will, expressed by nearly eight million votes ; and he will no doubt continue to do so until kicked out by a new revolution.

" That Europe does not entertain any great confidence in the maintenance of peace for a long time to come, is evident from the fact that Russia, Prussia, Austria, and even England herself, are making great military preparations. It is evident also, on the principle that " coming events cast their shadows before," from the manner in which the French people talk of an approaching war. I have more than once alluded to the rumours that were current of war being inevitable : well, at this moment these rumours are more than ever general, and appear to come from well-informed sources. It is even said that the war will commence with an attempt to invade England, and that all the details of the operations have just been drawn up in a Council of Ministers.

'* It will be remembered that the three great continental monarchies, Russia, Prussia, and Austria, entered into a treaty —or to speak more, correctly, came to an understanding, in the month of May last, not to recognise Louis Napoleon in the event of his claiming to be the heir of his uncle, as such a claim would they considered, be a too flagrant violation of the treaties which not only deposed the uncle from the throne of France, but declared that none of his family should ever be allowed to ascend its throne again. Now, Louis Napoleon does claim to be the heir of his uncle, and his uncle's son was for the brief space of two or three days nominally Napoleon 11., in the Senatus Consulturn by which he was elected Emperor, as also in official documents, and in the official Moni' teur. He has, too, issued a decree enacting that money shall be coined in the name of Napoleon 111. Thus, then, he to all intents and purposes arrogates the title of the third Napoleon. But it appears from announcements made in Parliament by our Government that he has declared positively to it that he does not claim to the Emperor as the heir of his uncle, but solely as the elect of the French people. It follows that what he does and says at Paris is in direct contradiction to what he causes to be said in London : that here he assumes a designation which there he disavows. Bound by his representations, our government,, of course, has recognised him as Emperor; indeed it would have done so as a matter of. course, if he had boldly called himself Napoleon 3or 50. But it remains to be seen whether Austria, Prussia, and Russia will be equally complying. Up to this moment they have not sent in their recognition of him, and considerable uneasiness is felt on that-account. Austria, however, will no doubt, through fear.of consequences, shut her eyes to the fact of one and the same man being Napoleon 111., heir of Napoleon 11., at Paris, but not Napoleon 111., and not an heir at all—but a private gentleman elected on his own account to the imperial dignity—at Vienna. Prussia perhaps will do the same thing. But it is considered very unlikely that Russia will consent to be duped iv the same way. The Czar is <J cheval on monarchical principles, and on the respect due to treaties. Now, if Russia withholds her recognition, that is, breaks off diplomatic relations with France, it is very likely that the other two

powers, who look up to her with some humility as their protectress, will sooner or later on some pretext or other—follow her example: and then who can tell how long the sword will remain sheathed.

" There was a heavy fall in the funds yesterday, as there had been the day before and further fall is expected. Considering the anxiety which the Government feels to keep up prices and the heavy expenses it incurs for the purpose—this fact is not without gravity. "The foreign Governments which thus far have acknowledged the new Empire are Great Britain, the two Sicilies, and Belgium. The Ambassador of the two Sicilies did so with most unseemly haste—on the very day after the proclamation of the Empire: that is to say, before it was at all possible for him to have received instructions from his Government by telegraph. This is ascribed to fear lest Bonaparte should revive the claims of his cousin Murat to the throne of Naples. " It had been expected that the new Empire would have been accompanied by some extensive measures of administrative and political importance. But none have yet appeared. The new imperateur has, however, not been unmindful of his accomplices in the atrocious coup d'etat. Count de Morny, his bastard brother, who acted as Minister of the Interior in that affair, has been promoted to the rank of Knight Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor, and Generals Magnan, Saint Arnaud, and de Castellane have been created Marshals. But all these appointments are in direct violation of the law. The Statutes of the Legion of Honor enact that every member must pass a certain time in the inferior grades before being raised to the highest—De Morny has not done that. The regulations of the French Army, and a positive law, declare that no General can be made a Marshal who. has not actually commanded an army in the field against a foreign enemy—the three Generals promoted have not done that.

" It is said that the civil list of the new Emperor is to be fixed at 25 millions of francs. The ex-King Jerome and his son are to have an appanage of 1 ,500,000f. with the Palace Royal as a Residence. The Imperial Crown has long since been ordered and is nearly ready. M. Lemonnier, the celebrated jeweller of the Place Vendome, is the artist. M. Lemonnier, is also preparing a magnificent casket of jewels for the future Empress; one of the principal objects in which is a magnificent diamond bracelet, with a portrait of Napoleon—a little flattered, and looking almost as young as his (rumoured) bride."

The election of the Emperor Napoleon 111., has of course, been carried almost unanimously. Some show of opposition was desirable, and a few " Nons" are accordingly admitted to have been deposited in the balloting urns along with the "Ouis." As the ballot is managed in France, however, it matters very little which way a voter declares his opinion. The gentlemen who have charge of the votes know what is required, and if the withdrawal of a handful or two of " Nons" and the substitution of a double number of " Ouis" is necessary, the thing is done at once, and no one is the wiser except the authority to whom the obliging official looks for his reward. It is stated by nearly all the correspondents of the morning journals in Paris that the present " management" of the ballot has exceeded all previous operations in open audacity; but the matter is of little importance. Had Louis Napoleon called the country to vote that he was a second Messiah, he could have secured just as many " Ouis" in his favour, as he has on the present occasion. The new Emperor begins to find that neither the course of empire nor that of "true love" is likely to run smooth with him. His senate, which has heretofore been so obsequious —and which even now has awarded to him the enormous income, or " dotation," of 25,000,000 of francs (£1,000,000) has begun to exhibit some signs of independence, by objecting to the proposed alterations in Louis Napoleon's constitution which would deprive the Legislature of the small modicum of control still left to it over the national finances. The difficulty has been compromised for the present, the "Emperor" giving way a little; but it shows how insecure is the basis of his despotism. Then the princess Carola of Vasa, who was to have been empress, and for whom a "household" was actually in preparation, has, at the command of her father, transferred her affections—or, what is more essential, her hand —to

Prince Albert of Saxony. The Emperor is not likely to find a partner of princely lineage to share his ephemeral and blood-stained throne. His partisans, moreover, are quarrelling among themselves. The Ministers, Fould and Persigny, are said to have had a furious altercation in the presence of Louis Napoleon himself. This personage has tried again to induce some respectable politicians to enter bis Cabinet, but in vain. He sent for M. de Bethmont, one of Gen. Cavaignac's republican ministers, and urged him, with his friends, to take office ; but one and all indignantly refused."

It is considered almost certain that ■ Prince Napoleon (Jerome) will be named Viceroy of Algiers. ..

The announcement of the intention of the British Government to propose an addition of men to the Navy appears to have directed the attention of the Constitutional to the whole of the efforts which are making in England to render the navy efficient as a means of defence against invasion, and for the maintenance of that maritime supremacy to which she has hitherto owed much of her security and prosperity. The Constitutional, without attributing the naval preparations in England to any recent events on the Continent, or any wellgrounded apprehension of invasion in consequence of the change that has taken place in this country, does not, nevertheless, attempt to conceal its dissatisfaction. It professes, however, to believe that, let the "English do what they may to increase their navy, they will not be able to check the spirit of maritime enterprise that is developing itself in France, and must expect to divide with her the supremacy which they have hitherto enjoyed exclusively.

A correspondent of one of the London papers gives the'following account of the naval and military preparations now in progress inFrance: "An immense activity is observable at the Ministries of War and the Marine. Orders are being sent off every day to all the chefs de corps to get up.the warlike spirit of the. soldiers. In all the military and naval arsenals all is movement. Just now, a new system of artillery, devised by the Emperor, is being experimented upon in the various polygones. This system consists in reducing to a single callibre all the various field pieces, which are now composed of four different callibres—pieces of four, light artillery; pieces of eight, artillery of the line; pieces of twelve, artillery of reserve, and sixinch howitzers. The uniform callibre proposed by Bonaparte is to be that of twelve. Now to make you understand all the importance of this change, 1 should add that these pieces of twelve carry 1600 yards, while the other pieces carry only from 800 to 1000 yards. These experiments, I repeat, are being actively carried on. Dont be too confident in our veracious Emperor's pacific assurances. It may be that, some morning, all Europe will awake (as Paris did on the 2nd December) to find the army of Paris on the frontiers of the Rhine. There are sober people who believe in this eventuality, as they do in to-morrow's sunrise. Besides this change of system in the artillery, an equally grave modification is proposed in our present recruiting system. According to the existing law, 80,000 men are enlisted every year, for seven years' service. In the new system, the entire male population would be called upon to serve ; but instead of serving for a period of seven years, the men destined for the infantry would only serve oue year. As to the men destined for special corps, such as cavalry,'artillery, engineers, grenadiers, and imperial guard, they will remain m service, some eight, the others'seven years. The soldiers discharged will be liable to be recalled to serve until they are 33 years of age. Here is the formidable levy we should be able to take the field with at any given moment ; Ist, the army actually in service, 400,000 men: 2nd, reserve of twelve classes, from 21 years of age to 33—280,000 men in each class —3,360,000 soldiers for the twelve classes ; general total, 3,760,000 men. There is enough and more than enough, to sweep the world I" ' UNITED STATES. We (the Melbourne Argus) .have a complete file of New York papers, from 24th October to the 18th of November inclusive, the latter date being three days later than those previously received- The'result of the election for President was no longer doubtful, the official returns for most of the leading states having been published. General Pierce, the democratic candidate, was elected by an immense majority. Our readers

are probably not generally aware that a chief article in the democratic creed is a reduction of the high protective tariff, so long upheld by the influence of the northern manufacturing states, so that the election is a new victory for Free Trade. The New York paper are filled with accounts of meetings celebrating the happy event. President Fillmore has delivered his last Message to Congress. It is considered to be a respectable production, although he steadily persists in arguing in favour of." protection to native industry," notwithstanding the immense majority by which the in-coming Free-Trade President has been elected. He repudiates all aggressive intentions on Cuba, or any other foreign dependencies or powers, and states that the expedition to Japan is sent chiefly for the purpose of attempting to open a commercial intercourse by peaceable means with that coun- ' try, but with orders to remonstrate in the strongest language against the cruel treatmentto which shipwrecked seamen have been often subjected in it. The expedition, he adds, has been materially aided by the good offices of the King of Holland. The first vessel of the squadron, the steamer Mississippi, has already started, and the President has announced that any commercial privileges that may be obtained from the Japanese Government will be shared with all foreign nations, as was done by the English in the case of China.. The rest of the squadron, imder Commodore Perry, was to sail about the Ist Dec. for Jeddo. The squadron consists of ten ships of war, including four large steam frigates, besides three store ships. To the ships' companies are to be added 700 marines, which, with the compliment of the storeships, officers, scientific corps, and others attached to the expedition, will make an effective force of 4000 men, and above 330 guns, mostly heavy ordnance. The expedition is to carry out a magnetic telegraph, a locomotive and railway cars, and many other productions of modern civilisation, that are doubtless intended to "astonish the natives, The Scientific American states, among the articles to be taken out are the following—locomotive, and ten miles of railroad iron ; a telegraphic apparatus, with wire sufficient to lead.from the Emperor's palace to one of the principal towns ; an apparatus for taking daguerreotypes; a magnificent barge for the Emperor, and some fifty boxes of domestic goods of all descriptions.

There are particulars of a most destructive gale on Lake Erie. The propeller Poiohatan had foundered, and all on board perished. A great number of other vessels had been wrecked, and many lives lost.

The funeral obsequies of the Honourable Daniel Webster, which took place in New York, on the 16th November, were on a scale of unprecedented magnificence and extent. The procession alone was a mile and a quarter in length.

The mail steamer Illinois had brought gold dust from California valued at upwards of 2,000,000 dollars.