FRANCE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume X, Issue 601, 7 August 1858, Page 3

FRANCE.

The following letter is published in the "Standard" of 17th April:— : The French Nation and Lastartine.—Sir —Your French correspondent says in his yesterday's letter, " I am sorry to hear on all hands the Lamartine: subscription has proved a complete failure. It is a characteristic feature of the French nation that, however great and genuine their enthusiasum, it never stands the financial test; their feelings invariably subside when they have to put their hands into their pockets." Permit me as a Frenchman and a literary man, to appeal to your feelings of equity, and allow me to enter my protest against this sweeping aspersion, thrown, no doubt inadvertently, on the French nation. Lamartine has been rescued by the subscriptions of my countrymen, who have again greatly subscribed with great generosity to his last work, which is, in point of fact, but a poor compilation of the works of others. Some years ago the Sultan presented him with an ample estate, capable of producing the poet an enormous income. All these gifts and alms have been dissipated by Lamartine who persists in keeping up a princely establishment, town and country houses, with carriages, horses, hounds, etc., and, in short, living in opulence as king of

—'beggars ! Be not surprised that at a time when a great number of French literati, both in and out of France, have so much difficulty in obtaining by constant exertions a livelihood for themselves and their families, the public at largo in France and all the world over, begins to be tired of these repeated calls on its charity for subscriptions to purchase back the poet's '•paternal andirons" (les chenets .palernels), which, as a French journalists so humourously said, ought really to have been made once for all into a majorat. Before we throw blame on a whole nation it is but fair to ascertain whether the blame be deserved or not. Most of those -who wield the pen, in a literary sense, look upon liamartine as a man who degrades the -profession of letters by such mean conduct—an opinion that is heartily shared by yours resnecfully, S.

The ' Ocean' of Brest announces tliat Gomez, the associate of Orsini and Pierri in the attempt upon the life of the French Emperor, formed part of the band of convicts lately embarked on board the Adour, steam transport, for Cayenne.

The reports concerning the retirement of Gen. Espinasse from the Ministry of the Interior con tinue to circulate. This is owing, it is said, to the Emperor's, refusal to sanction a plan submitted by the general for the re-organisation of the Home Office.

According to a letter from Marseilles, great alterations and improvements are being effected in that city. A residence for the Emperor, erected under the directions of M, Vatreeher, the architect who built the Imperial residence at Biarritz, is now in process of construction, and .vill be a great ornament to Marseilles.

Fuad Pacha, who is to represent Turkey at the Paris Conferences, is to leave Constantinople towards the close of this month.

The ' Moniteur' publishes a return of the revenue of Prance for the first quarter of 1858, as compared with the corresponding quarter of 1857, showing an increase in favour of the former period of 4,713,000f., and that on the same period in 185G the increase is 18,915,000f.

A credit of 180,000 francs is opened by the vote of the Legislative Body for the purchase of the tomb and habitation of the Emperor at St. Helena.

One of the most interesting volumes that has for a long time appeared in Prance 13 that of the " Memories of M. Guizot," about to be published. He begins by stating his reasons for bringing out the book at present, and proceeds with his subject matter from the commencement of his own career up to a very recent date. His appreciation of the character of Napoleon I. is singularly just and felicitous throughout. j ' Midame Victor Hugo's appearance in Paris has given rise to a variety of reports and speculations. Her visit, liowever, is solely on family affairs. Clesinger, the sculptor, has recently appeared in a new light, that of painter. At his studio at Home is to be see:i a Sleeping Eve, reposing on flowers, among which nestles the serpent, whispering guileful snggestions into her ear. i The picture is said to be not unworthy of Rubens. Beside this work are two splendid" heads, the muses of Painting and Sculpture; a statue of Sappho; and the model of an infant Hercules killing the serpents, which he has presented to the Prince Imperial, an i which he is about to execute in a block of magnificent marble given him by the Emperor for that purpose. i' A charming little book has appeared by Madame Marie de Grandfort, entitled "'Cjmment s' Aime t'on^quand on ne s'Aime plus?" The 'Presse' says in its weekly commercial review:—"Trade in Paris has baen exceedingly calm during the waek. .It is only within the last two or three days that buyers have begun to frequent the nouceautes shops." According to returns lately prepared at the •Miuistvy of Marine, by order of the Emperor, Prance will possess, in the year 1859, an effective force of 150 war paddle and screw steamers, of great speed, independently of the sailing ships of war fitted with'screws. These 150 war steamers will be composed of ships-of-the-line, frigates, corvettes, and cutters. Neither gunboats, steam transports, floating batteries, nor fireships are included in the number of 150. Marshalls Magnan. Castellane, and Baraguay d'Hilliers are at present making a tour through 1 the departments placed under their command. They have been everywhere well received. Marshal Canrobert has concluded his inspection. Marshal Magnan, who for a long period commanded the Department of the North, where the number of fortified towns and military establishments is considerable, and where military ardour is universally diffused, was particularly well received. The Prefect of the Seine has written a letter to the President of the Legislative Body, giving explanations of an altercation which took place between him and a member of the Committee on the Budget a few days ago. The letter was | communicated to the committee, who, however, demanded that the Prefect of the Seine shall attend in person and apologise for the language he used to those who opposed the bill presented in the Chamber for the 60,000,000f. for the era- | bellishiuent of Paris. The Prefect will probably | have to do so, as, of the seven who compose the j committee, six have voted against it. The letter of M. Henon, one of the members for Paris, declining an invitation to dine at the j Tuileries, was as follows: —"Monsieur le Grand Chambellan, —I have received the letter by which you invite me, in the name of the Emperor, to dine at the Tuileries. I should be greatly surprised, M. le Chambellan, to find myself at such a meeting, and my constituents would not be less so, at the moment when my friends are on the road to exile and transportation."

The table annexed to the law for calling out next year a hundred thousand conscripts, shows that more than one-third of the youths inscribed on the list are to be taken from their families. Only 295,000 youths ai-e on the list. Of course many of them will die before the expiration of a year. Others will be ill; others are maimed, blind, or in some way disqualified; others are under the necessary height. Probably, therefore, more than one-half of the really robust lads who reach the age of twenty next year, will be taken from useful avocations.

A letter from Manila, dated the 28th of February, informs us that the French screw transport

Durance, sent there on a special mission* luul engaged 400 native seamen for the service of tlid French fleet at Canton. A French brig of war, sent out to cruise on the coast of Tonkin, .had. returned, bringing a letter from Monsignor Melchior, Komah Catholic Bishop of the province, addressed to the Captain^General, in which tho venerable prelate draws a very gloomy picture of the persecutions to which the Christians iit Cochin-China are at present subject.