FRANCE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 542, 13 January 1858, Page 3

FRANCE.

Paris, October 10. The trial of M. .Migeon, which is proceeding before the Court of Colmor, furnishes, as I expected,, some very curious details as to the manner in which elections are conducted in France. It is really of but little moment that the Government is the accuser, and not the accused, in this instance; the facts brought to light 'have a double, significance; they tell quite as much against authority'as against the private persons, whp are alleged to be the authors of them/ M. Migeon stands charged with all sorts of manoeuvres in qrder to x obtain his election to the Corps Logi'slatifi "According to the evidence given against-him, "it would appear-that he put in operation a number of schemes,

such,as have been, unfortunately, only too common in most French elections. He represented that he was really and truly the candidate of the Government ; that 'his adversary who came forward with that pretension was but an imposter; that he was specially recommended by the Minister of. the Interior,'and so on. Furthermore, it would appear, that M. le Comte Mig-eon opened a sort of bureau from. which he despatched emissaries on horse and foot to aid his cause; that these emissaries displayed sham telegraphic despatches, certifying' that he was an official candidate; that they distributed his bulle~ tins, and were well paid for their trouble, and that they called people <l scoundrels," and " asses," who refused to vote for him. M. le Comte Migeon, it would also appear, gave away money to needy voters, in order to secure their suffrages; kept an open table for the hungry and thirsty, and promised the workmen of the country that if he were returned, the duration of their daily labour would be fixed at ten hours; but that, if his adversary were returned, it would be fourteen hours. By these means, if we are to believe the evidence given at the trial, M. Migeon succeeded in securing his return by a very respectable majority.

It is not, however, to this branch'of the stibject that we need give much attention. If M. Migebn has been guilty of all the high crimes and misdemeanours imputed to him, he has done no more than has doubtless been ; done in hundreds of other quarters bj candidates whom the Government does not come forward, with eagerness to prosecute. It is to the facts elicited in-the course of the trial, showing- in what an irregular manner the election in question was in some cases conducted, that we may with more propriety direct our glance. For it may safely be said that if irregularities, such as are there described, can take place in favour of an opponent of the Government, the -same-or- even worse can easily be committed when a supporter of the Government is concerned. Just listen, to the evidence of Jean Pierre Paillet and Charles Seylierj both of the Commune of .Loriviere. These witnesses deposed to facts which are called li curious" in the reports. They are."curious" indeed. Thus these two people state that the " number of the electors of their commune was fifty-

nine, of which twenty to their knowledge were to vote for M. NizolJe " (the real Government candidate). At the scrutiny the following* result was obtained :—Nisolle, 3; Migeon, 59! The witness Paillet added that "he, his sons, and domestics, to the number of five persons," actually deposited their votes in the urn in favour of Nizolle, who was declared to have obtained in all only three votes. His explanation of this phenomenon was simple enough, for he declared that " the bulletin bos was not only not shut, but people rummaged in it with their hands ad libitum." Thus we see that the election in this commune, according- to the evidence of the witness, was the merest farce. Not the slightest measures were taken to guard the ballot-box, and people rummaged in it at their own good will and pleasure! Can anything be more condemnatory of the boasted purity of election in France"? Can anything more completely show that the election figures published as the results of universal suffrage are to be received with the utmost distrust, even if they are to-be received at all ? For, as I have before pointed out, if Government opponents can so easily tamper with the ballot-box, Government supporters can do so even more easily. It would appeal- that the commune of Loriviere was not the only place where these irregularities took place. At Giromagny four men were placed by the maire to guard the uvns, but they were beaten away by six others; in the pay, it is to be -presumed, of M. Migeon. The result obtained from these urns was, doubtless, about as satisfactory as that obtained at Loriviere. The trial, let me add, is not yet finished, so that other details, as interesting and instructive as those I Have brought forward, may, perhaps, be in store for us. • ;

A decree inserted in the.-' Monitew' this morning' makes known to the public that tjie Government intends for .the future to have the exclusive control of ..the College 4e Frances Hitherto, this [educational establishment has heen managed by acommittee of professors. By the new decree, the Minister of Public Instruction- will supply their place. The object of.-this dhang-e'is obvious enough. The College de 'France: exclusively in the hands of Governraeßtvwill.be made even more subsemenMo thaiOavernineut taan it has

yet'been. "None but pure Napoleonic processors will be admitted to its tribunes, ■and tlie youth of France will draw their instructions through thoroughly "unde--R led" sources. The youth- of' France will 'doubtless be duly grateful. , . = 'No\v that a little more is known about the illness of the King of Prussia, more interest is felt in the matter. The accounts which reach us state that he was taken ill while in the railway carriage, travelling from Berlin to Potsdam with the Emperor Alexander. They- smoked rather too much, it would appear, and the King fell into a sleep, from which, at the end of the journey, he could riot be aroused. He was bled, but all to no effect for_some time. JTne question of the succession to the throne, has, of course, been much -agitated. The King of Prussia, as is well known, has no children, and according to the constitution his eldest brother succeeds to-the crown- That brother is the Prince <of Prussia, about sixty years of age. It is his eldest son, Prince Frederick William, who is betrothed to our Princess Royal.

The Emperor; lam informed, is not yet going to fix himself in his capital. He will leave St; Cloud very shortly for a trip to Compilgne, which, however, will not be of long ■'■duration;' possibly, only a day or two.

It is quite certain that Narvaez's Ministry is -virtually at an end, though we have no news yet who is to-be-his successor., M. Bravo Murillo, is still thought the most likely to take the reins of power. General Armero has, however, been sent for to Madrid, and is spoken of as also likely to do so. The rumour obtains little credit here.

It is said that the Emperor Napoleon intends to visit Berlin before the end of ths year, and that it is in that city and not in Munich he will meet the Emperor of Austria. The illness of the Prussian monarch will, however, modify, in all probability, this arrangement.