THE FRENCH PRESS ON INDIA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 537, 26 December 1857, Page 3

THE FRENCH PRESS ON INDIA.

(Paris Correspondent of the Times, Sept. 3.)

The 'TJnivers' yesterday commenced a series of articles on the Indian insurrection, which, as far as they have yet gone, fully maintain, if they do not augment," the reputation already acquired by that journal for waut of common sense and bitter hatred of England. Fortunately, the venom of the ' Univers' is of no very dangerous description; were its effects as virulent, as the animus with which it is emitted, England would long since have been annihilated, and the earth purged of heretics—of all those, at least, who refused forthwith to abjure'their errors, and embrace the gentle doctrines of which M. Louis Veuillot is the. propounder. Viewing' everything- through the same spectacles, and earned to mad extremities by its mania of proselytism, the Ultramontane journal has long" since discredited itself in France by its extravagant views and enormous bigotry. Its Parisian contemporaries rarely condescend to argue with it seriously, and, indeed to do so is mere loss of time. In the pi'esent instance, however, one or two of them take it to task, expressingl themselves in terms of strong disapprobation. This is in reply to its yesterday's article, which is quite but-heroded b|y the egregious folly of that published to-day. One is not surprised to hear the ( Uni'vers' declare that. if England loses India it will be in consequence of the Re-

formation, and that had she remained Catholic she would have preserved her Eastern possessions. That is only in accordance with the usual strain of the priestly periodical. But one is certainly rather astonished to learn that now her only hope of retaining the empire that is on the point of escaping- from her grasp is by applying to France for assistance. The i Univers' foresees the time when, her stores of fighting men exhausted, she will seek the aid of her ally, and then conditions must be imposed upon the suppliant. In return for the sword that shall re-establish, her power in the East she must quit the Mediterranean. The lonian Isles must be joined to Greece, Malta must revert to France, which possesses, in Northern Africa, " another India, less rich, but healthier than that of the English— an agricultural and military empire, which France will not hold a. century without filling it with a Christian people!" When Gibraltar is restored.to .Spain, France may fairly, in return for this service, take possession of the Balearic Islands, which are on the way to Algeria. " Malta, in the hands of France, becomes for Latin Europe a sure barrier, against the East, and gives to the Holy Places and to the Catholic interests in that part of the world a protection which ceases to be illusory." But, without further following up the rhapsodies of the ' Univers,' I will briefly quote the ' Debats.' The <Debats' says:— The ' Unirers' to-day prophesies, with texts of Scripture, the fall of England, and declares her summoned to the judgment of God. " They lashed Catholic truth,"" says the ' Univers,' with the prosperity of England. See (they said) is not Protestant England the freest, the richest, the strongest nation in the world ? They can 110 longer use this argument sines England is condemned to perish." "Yet a little," says the ' Univers,' " and we shall lessff often hear it asked what England would have ' gained by remaining Catholic? She would have gained, this—she would have made herself in India a solid empire, and she would not have been overthrown at a blow, shamefully hustled (bousculee.), One can hardly discuss such arguments, attired in such language. Let us, however, point out to the ' Univers ' that its prophetic ardour makes it lose sight of the past and of the lessons of history. . Certain)^ it. is - grievous to be threatened with;ttie loss 6f ivh immense colony, even when one possesses many others that are tranquil and prosperous, but it is yet more g iivous to have lost all one's colonies or to have none to lose, and that is the con-; dition of the most Catholic nations in the world —Spain and Portugal. The present difficulties of England are the attributes and the natural and legitimate compensations of power and prosperity. Before rej'ajcjng.at them, and proudly congratulating oneself on being exempt from them, ifc would be well to reflect that it is already something to have so much to lose, and that it enables the loser boldly to support the comparison with those who have nothing. It is not then yet time to point out the effects of Divine vengeance in the situation of England,, and to declare that heresy has been fatal to her power, but it is always time for the ' Univers ' to promulgate and interpi'et the decisions of Heaven, at the risk of finding itself;at variance with those of common sense.

The ' Memorial Bordelais,' in its impression .of the 31st August, after a brief summary of the recent deplorable massacres in India, publishes the following' appeal to the French people :—

All-. Christian-.hearts, without distinction of nationality, will sympathize with the sufferings of their brethren in Bengal and in the oilier provinces where the rebellion prevails, and will be ready to come forth to their aid. But we Frenchmen, who in recent and different calamities, especially at the time of the earthquake in Martinique and at the time of the inundations of 1856, received .such substantial proof of British sympathy.—we who fought and suffered side by side with the English in the late Crimean war, —we hold it as our duty to be the first to come forward to offer help to those of our friends and allies who are in. misfortune.

We therefore express the wish that a public subscription may be opened without delay to receive the gifts of those who are desirous of giving a proof of their sympathy for the unhappy victims of the Indian insurrection. At the head of this list we doubt not will appear the names.of the most august personages and of the highest-functionaries. All the notabilities of the country will subscribe. . There is not a town in Prance which will not make it a point of honour to appear in the list, and we need not add that the city of Bordeaux will figure among the first..

In an article on the late events in India,, the ' CoristitutiorineP' pays the following tribute to the noble qualities there displayed by our unfortunate countrymen: — .

■lf-anything could soften the bitterness in- . siured Jby^the sad news from India,Mt.i3 assuredly Ftilse-spectacle presented by tho gallant men who '-Kaye fallen victims to this rebellion. The dignity of the British character and the .adniirable strength' of the Anglo-Saxon raco, which haa performed so great a part in the history of the world, dbiuo forth with splendour. Among the

officers of the revolted regiments there were ninny young men who, by tlieir youth and inexperience, may have contributed to the events which have swept them away; but they have wiped out all faults by the firmness, free from any ostentation, they exhibited in late events. We have described more than one deed of hero-

isra worthy the admiration of .posterity. In the midst of torments aud on the blink of the grave « they. Have displayed that modest courage which characterises in our days the man ennobled by the influence of Christian civilization. The •cruelty of the murderers has only been equalled by the courage of the victims. A nation which loses such sons, must doubtless bewail their martyrdom, bub it has the right to be,proud of them.