FRENCH AFFAIRS. [From the "Times," November 1 ]

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 515, 22 March 1851, Page 3

FRENCH AFFAIRS. [From the "Times," November 1 ]

Under tlu> most democratic form of covcinmetit which has yet been attempted in Europe, with an Executive Power denying its autboiity from tinect popular election, and a National Assembly which claims an active share in all the resolutions ot the State, if is a subject of inexhaustible wonder to ses to what narrow uierestg. tj what petty cabals, and to w!nt personal influences the policy and the deotimes of the French Republic lire now i/duc°d. For wth ihis extreme publicity of the whole machinery of gov-rtiGient, and this ostentatious resp(nisil)tlity ot its chief servants, the nal ndm'D'stitMion of the omntiy and the powers, which actually <rjve xi ii s affairs have becoms sfcrot and irrehponsihli". Tlnsc who form a cot. -ere opinion or a plausible (onjecruie as 10 the state of Fiance have ceased i<> lcok upon the stuiace, or to .ake much account of the nominal instil tMorii of* thai- country ; and by a whimsical perveision of all reasonable chances the future is supposed to proceed horn the shims of a squadr n of hi isterous troopers, from Louis Napoleon's emprv cassette, or fiom General Chdngainur'ssphynx. like aaitude at tha levee o>- the review. Everybody is coTtent to believe that these accidents or m indues .ire p -tent enough to prevail out the ughis of the Republic, if it has rinhts, aud over the will of the nation, if such a will can be sjid to aspire to any other result than mere tranquility and orda\ In order to fol.ow ihp tuin of events in France, we aie therefore btou^iit back to a faint and intricate track of petty animosities aud peisonal rivalry, which tile scent is too cold and the interest too weak for us labotiously to umavel. Louis, Napoleon himself, or at least the shallow and sanguine faction which forms his Ciief society, had probably entertained vague hopes that amidst the piogresa of the summer and the military shows ot the autumn, some popular breeze would spun* up in their favour, and duve them towards the object of their piis-ionare longings. Yi_t they la\, like a ship becalmed, vwthin bight of the splendid pn/j they ci.uld isot roach, and all that wn obtained in exchange f,jr so many efforts and so many bottles of cha i payne was the " hip-hip. hurra" of a few dragoons for an imaginary Emperor. But these occurrences, though in themselves rnoie fit matters of deusion than of alarm, served to revive the suspended animation of the political body whic 1 ! repiesenta the Assembly. The Minister of War, General Hautpoul, was called over the coals, with gieat animation, and on the repetition of his alleged offence of encouraging or allowing illegal cue* by the soldiery was formally censured. Ttie President 6eems to have thought it prudent to sarulice for the present his zealous minister, and Genet ill Hautpoul was transferred to the GovernorGeneralship of Algeria from the War Department, though this change was accompanied by marks of undimmished favour and confidence — none of disgrace. So fur a concession, and a prudent one, was made to the Assembly and to Genera! Chang^rmer, who was known to disapprove the conduct of the minister ; buc the successor of Genet al Hautpoul, in the person of General Schramra had bean selected for ths very same qualities which had jubt caused the dismissal of the founer officer fiotu his post, and the very measure which had been contemplated by the one as a sideblow at General Chang inner was speedily executed by the other. Not daring to attack openly and if) his own person tlie p iwerful military chief who controls the army and mainly supports the Government, buc yet resolved to puni&h the ill-will displayed by the Etat Major at the Satory review, the President antl his Cabinet determined to t ti ike a blow at General Neumayer, second m command to Changarnier, in Paris, and intimately connected with that important peisonage. General Neuumyer was to be tiansfeired from the metropolis to a provincial command. Upon this announcement the Commandant of the army in Paiis thought tit to addreij. the strongest remonstrances to the Minister of War, although in fact such remonstrant ces were a plain pioof that Geneial Chatigaimer's political position baa waived m bis favour the common obligations ot mihtaiy duty. Thtice in the day did the Cabinet meet to resolve the knotty point whether/ their lormidable protector was to be resisted 01 obeyed, and at a late hour, though the Mmistiy held ihtn, and the ordinance removing Neumayer to ilennes actually appealed in the Moniteur, it was si ll doubuul what would be the issue ot the struggle. We do not at present anticipate any important results from this conflict, and it is a, most as improbable that Louis Nipoleou will cut the knot by removing General Cnangaimpr from the command of Pat is as it is tlut the General will proclaim fi dictatorship and -.end the Pi evident to Vincenu.es. Theie are ot course extreme and improbable expedients, though 111 these times und in the present titate of France it is not always what is most extravagant that is most unlikely. But what may be distinctly traced in this transaction is the gtowtli of that division and ammo&ity which, i he lespt-ctivt? positions ol tl.e President and General Changaimer have tendered aluiost inevitable between them ; antl the importance of this fac f . is materially inc.eascJ by tlu approaching cnnvocition of the National Assembly, ami by the difficulties of anoth r kind to which the President is notoriously (Xjiosed. On a lormer occasion lie owed the additional vote of income to the tWtsne language of Ge-,eial Changer. ni' r, ftlnch pn'v tiled uvci the esid'tir, iepujjnunce. of tJie A-i%ttnblv ; but there i> ie.)son to appivhsud • hat the iiiue at'd tl.e motive for such set vices are ilreaiiy pat-t. Urlyin^ to a g>eu extent on the army ■01 the m tiutenance and extension o} his pow^r, Louts Napoleon has (ailed in Ins attempla to attach to his P'T^on and his cause the mojt coiistdeiuble raembera of liiat p.-oifssion. In paiticular General CaVuignac, U-cleau, L unoriciere, and now piobaoly Changamier, must all be reckoned as very coM suppoiters, if not direct opponents. None of them would probably consent lo the prolongation ot powers which was once con'emplaied and hoped (or — still le-i would they be paitieh to the ridicule and violence of a military cozip (I clot. In facl there is nearly us much chance of a mill 1 city movement against the President's pretensions as ni favour ot them, end it is not impossible that the perhonul ambition or ths General's may eru long be measured H^ainst bib own. These cIJ-,BCHi»oiis Uneaten to increase, if that be pussible, ilk' uncertainty and instcunty <>< the polnirnl con ntioti of France, lor in a coutirry in huilli all pv&ol'-he.l rights have b°eu ->o frequency abr-^Ut'l €»ii'/ ad aiitb/uty i, Kitkrown, tao occmipuce ot the mosi itifl v, incident niuy bu the forerunner of a revo-

Jution, a»<l men endeavour with superititiouskanxirty to read their Ute in every *trnw that drifts to windwa. d. The truth is that do great scheme or fixed plan of action is framed bv any one, and that no comprehen»ive mind is at woik on the herculean task of moulding these scattered fragments into an empire or a throne Men who art* too weak *° make their destiny mu»t be content to wait upon F« rtune, and as the Roman satirist )««? a^o exi>re-sed it, it is their incapacity which plaovd her among the gods. The itntesooen of Fiance of every shade of opinion have become Ibe mere ipedators of t lie slow and iiregular rotation of Hie machinery they were once so ambiiious to direct. liven the discussions or divisions cf the Cabinet, from which it i- said iliat two inipoit«m member* are likely to retire, have lost all intcrr^t ; nnd when onr enquires who tnay chance to be the succes<;<iri of tl-ese Ministers, we are answered bv some name of perplexing obscurity, as H the reign of stop paps over a grrat nation could be indefinitely prolonged. The tide n>ugt have fallen to it« lowest ebh before sucb blocks could emerge from the fcurface of the waters.