WHAT NEXT ? (From the Times June 27.)

New Zealander, Volume 4, Issue 259, 22 November 1848, Page 6

WHAT NEXT ? (From the Times June 27.)

It i> the ambition ot Fmnm it) be the world's guide, and her dcMiny to bo the w. rlit'a wiirnitig. Her «spnations arc fuilillcd in cflect, th u^h mafoiin f.u other Uiriii belt-will »nJ scll-idoluiiy lud fashioned. Yet there is nothing unuiiionublts in the opinion lh.it I'l.inee should be the mihlic-s (,( m lire, of la«t«', and ot .Jil;,, and should gi\e the lint impure mid the Ims' touch to the ever nov v\o.k ol lmprovi'mnil and nvili/iilioii. fjliice the glonouh citu ol atil.q>uty (ill in ilif du^t, there bus nowbeic been u firti chmiioii ot MiciLt\, or a inoio '•pli-nd d emblem of naiion,\l unity ,'md greutnes% thau the Ccipii <tl of Finnic — Whether as the throne of an uneibiit and h.illovved dynasty and the hint ol a refined and goigeoua (Joint, or as the fuium of a youthful and s ingiiini' icjiuMic, or us the centre of a v ctoiiuin emi'iie, or as the, m. exhuu tiblc bourcc of brilliant novtl le;. in every d.« pilrinicnt of human invention, Puns enjoyi the uncx10 ted homage ol tile world's, admiration. Hr r outward form and circuiiutunci.B bent her inward ideal. Her palace, » Li r K-irdens, her theaties her galleiies of <nt, her jnttrmiimble nvenuts, her transpaient utniospheio, and her cheeiful subuibs, aie tui'h as a gient mundi ih, (Onqui-ior, or |ieople» niii;ht choose fiom all ihd hoi Id Id oicupy and ennoble. Meanwhile the genius ol the pi-ople, as if disdaining so humb'e an alxn'e and a work .so unworthy of its poweis, 6ti I uses to higher thoughts, and dreams ol an lrringmary gieatncuH, surpiiasin^ all it has done. Y t ihenmltof tins uisuiiubli; ainhilini), and ihe end i-f tlu'su biiliiiint sueeesses, is, that Parii pxlubi s, not for the hi bt time, nor yet for the la»t, the moat lamentable ol spectacles, tl c most miserable and total of downfalls. Without enquiring too deeply into the secn-t ol tins fitality, or pionouncmg too conlidently on the mond k'Sion it conveys, we see at ie.i-t a cine to the misfot tunes ol Paris m the immediate anted dents of the pregent disaster, 'i he revolution of Februaij, the continii'il tumulls that bnve umci* rayed over the inf.int republic, and the civil war of the Idst four days, are the work of a vast class of unemployed men. Reckoning the workmen employed in the uitClien nationtuj', and the various puolie woik* commenced f'n the ocCi'.sion, tugrtiier with t he Garde Mobile adioitly detached from tin 1 rest of the class, there appear to be in I'ans neaily 150 000 men uiteily unable to maintain themselves and their families by legular industry in ordinary employments. Many nl these are rather boys i ban men, but on a \ery modeiate calculation these 150,000 are the greater moiety of ihe male population of Palis. Kor these (our months they have been paid for carrying 1 mu&kcts for wheeling earth to and fro, for making uniforms, in fine fordoing nothing of real utility, iind for contril utiiijr not one binglenunl or one rag of clothing to ihe humnn race in its peaceful and normal condition. The grcat< i part of the popu» lation of Paiis. represented by thtae 150,000 nn-n, bos hern sim| ly an incumbnmci' on the onth—telleHris iiiulilc pondus, doing nothing tor then keep, but compltcentij -livouimg the (o «i, and vreaiinjj the clothes, an I dwelling in the houses, produced, woumi, and built, bj honest, hind working, ill paid mm. For 1 >ur months this great multitude has fl->nt iwhed in a lyi'imieal usurpation and aiisiocratical independence, us it /»?<*> e.s lohiumeic nuti ? as it Paris wjS iluir p-ilace, France their farm, and the piovinciaN iheir tenants arid serfs. Enoimous udditional taxes have been laid on the whole people to support the upstart multitude that lorded il in the metropolis. The whole nitelliKince of the country resulted this unconscionable and intolerable tyranny, which it knew mtut, one day, have an end. The iule.is of the republic have temporised with the destioyer as long as they could. Whi i) the treasury was exhausted, and the patience oi the public was a'so worn out, it became n«'(VBsary to deul with die evil. The attempt hasullinoHt cobt Palis destruction. Now, it is not the fact, nor is it reasonable to be* lieve, that these 150,000 men, under whu'ever name th"y may have received the pay of the_ State, aie till

idle, worthless, unprincipled freebooters. It is not to be sunp.'spd that the majority of a great and enlightened metropolis are ho uttcily ignorant or depraved. The truth is, these ] 50,000 men, or at least the majority of them, cannot get employment. There you have U>b key to (his year of calamities and wonders. l J ,ms h.i«j not work for halt its population. Idleness ami hunger led the giowinp notation of last wmtei, kindled the ambition olpolitic.il adventure™, sounded the tocßin of reform, gathered the prorinciul meetings, demanded tin 1 f.ital banquet, manned tlie bdiricatlc, roiii jielletl Loins ['hillippe to abdicate, established the Repubic, and consigned France for yea s tMiniserusun&l'cakablc, yet to be reveal* <1 The third and Jntherto the hloot?» lest revolution of Fiance, with nil its Kuiopenn consequences, is on'y a dcvelopement of that disaster which has filed our own count iy with de~ piession, insolvency, mid want. Our slixie in tho crisis has been lecorded in the Share-list, the Gazeilr, the Rate-book, and in mauy a piivate tale of misf rtune. France shows her portion in the sufferings of the ni>e more emphatically and characteristically set; foilh in revolution tind civil war. Nor is it c'lflioult to di'cover why Paris pionns under so piodigious a muss ot inactive and unpioducUve i.ibrur. Jts splendour, its refinement, iti luxury, itn vanity, its ambition, its jealousy, l«nvc produced this in'estine foe These 15U,0'J0 men have been generally employed either in wo'Kh ol luxury and taste, or in public works of no real utility. Trade flaijs, and ihe revenue fails ; the thousind and one articles ol Pans munuiactuir — clocks, bionzc, bijouterie, marquctenc vases, trinkets cmvingsi engmvin&s, dresses, embirndery, paper hangings, furniture, are no longer in demand; Ihe fortifications arc fini&hcd, the iaifwins me sutpeuded or worked at slow time, mid forthwith a hund <-d Miuu-nind men from : he tasteful dcai^nei to the nile "nuwif," tiro thrown out of em plojment. Whit can they do ? We saw linw they wire living on their eariiiiif^n (or mouth a/tfr mouth, arid how uinf.irmally the withdiaw-ils from the Shvid^ liaulc cxceeihd the depositd towards the end ol last ym. As every weiikness in natute breeds its own ye/nun, there arc not wanting nilly creatures with <» ceitain sort of who could | eisuaile the unemployed nit,) the eijregfous fallacy that the State shi.uld find thomvork anl pay llii'in {jood vvagci.—Hence the rapid d< velopeinent of Communism m l'aris last year. Hence the revolution ( (reeled by Corn* nninibts. Hence Us UommuuiHt clucfu. Hence the ro-itly (xpenu ents of uidustr-nl «I|{iiiiia ion, ihf» koli'inn foolery of the Luxeinbou g, thtc delnious noi <;. s nsp of L >vis Mlanc, and hence a new insuirectiowh'oh takes for Us ciy, '• The Social and J)emacratini Republic." < 'i'lic insurrection has been suppressed. The wolves ha\f! been burneil cut of their covers ?nd driven into the c Hintr). But ilic dillicul'y icinams, fonts cm-ico still i xisr, und di-ly artillery anil <ira>;or>i)3 Tuide blill Ways, and the renor which laHt Keniuaiy aggruvtited the (xiitin# evil, of the commercial crisis, and with hew what in tie employment tlieie was, is only increased by the terrible events of the present day. — Time are Hill those 150 000 men armed or unarmed, but equally fining nothing, and eipially dependent on the S»u r e. If tlifylinve been decimated in tlid recent, recent -tuiKgle, still 1 .'50,000 icn.ain. How aiu they to be eni|'lo)ed ? When it w,is luicly | Mpoid to set • hem at UsU w.irk, thousands of hkilhd artisans replied that Ihi y could nor, proiurc hicid for their faru Iliei on these liiinl (omiitions. Tiny could not compete wi h h.irdv rustic labourers. The .Stiile, liowever, hail no LOiK't-mal woik to give them. Apnin, the l «ii -roads, th • u » h untinibhud. will rot yield an em!y piofit on the (Mithy, and ask lor capital which is not (or hconnn^. Gen 1 ral Cavaignnc has not solved the Rieatscci.il cnii>ina. Neitlnr he nor any one can tell ll 3 aii9 how >i city ol ltixuiy and elegance, that consumes the produce of indiHtiious pr. vmci'S, and only rontubut. a m ictmn Ihn nij)cilluiliis, the follies, and the vices of idleness and we-d'h, can maintain its miiltncukfe in ;& time of !-t,igi>alioiii instemi'j', anil distrust. lv/ea in the midst of the mowm-lion th* National Assembly is obi ged to voe an exliaouhnary gr.int to maintain th>- fa iiibheJ bdi.cicnts and procure the ncutrali y 08 the miss, 'lhe vry day the diet. tor steps into his aiduous poet he is obliged to continue the cironeoue policy which he was tailed to crus-h.

Is M. Lamartink a Ghi.ax Man?— The Union Kiiyn — " In the English it-volution theic wu» Cromneil. I'x/loie making himself Pioieetor of the Republic, he vms in the Puil-aiicut and in civil wir the pei.smiticntioii of the revolution. In Cromwell authority wholly resided. Cioinwll knew how to put each thing in its place Wlipii ln> got on hnr&ebdck lie did nol speak — lie tlrfw tin? sword ; and he kept the tiihiiuc lor his perches. He was a great m,ui in great circunT'tH rices. In Amciidi there was Washington— anotlur man who directed all tlic forcts of the icvoln ion. lie- spoke Airliout doubt, and hi» bj oko well; but he acted, and .ic'c-d iviili pi >mptitui!e. lie hud especmlly an aidmin'Jle quality — h» wa<- one, if wo may so express ouivclvcs— ■ mid it was known what lie desired and where ho would go. One might be with hun or against bun. Those wno follow d him had confidence; tho-e who combHtt^d him esteemed him. In council his opinio.l was adopted, because his opinions were never ambiguous — in the uisemb ie< he wan listened to because his < haraeter gave power to bis speechts. Thus histoiy enrCi<isiers u great man tb'j more. In France, riming our firbl republic", we had, a!s'>, not a great ninn, but a man who had at leist the advanlngc of nit being ri living hi roglyphic. He wus, perhaps, too clear iv h 6 conduct and opinions— he was a visible flig, mu h more viable to the eyes of the multitude thfiu to its iriU'llignirc. Kvi-n his bone lus taken its place in Instoiy. I»ut tins time, iv your second republic, wliero it the man who duects it? Where is Cromwell, Wihbinjjton — even Lafayc t« ? Nowhere. Consequently tluie ib no authoii y, no jjuide, no direction, and that causes every b)dy to h«y * Whither do we go ?' And this neeesHty "t a man in a i evolution is so woi! indicated that all Fi.uice in the first moment turned towurds M. dv Liunurtine. A man was wanted, ami Frmce beliived that he was there. Sbo consecrated him by acclamations fiiEt — by votes afterwards. M. dc Lamartine had no nee Ito choose his place — it was Hiven u> him. To be at the head of the movement, hu bud only to Innser faire. Never was there an easier part! Was it on that ucoount thiit he diediined it? lie perhaps sought wlnt was difficult wiihout doubting that he would only meet with the impossible. He alone was desired, but he determined to b- two. lie divided — lra< turned himsell ; abandoning the firat lank, hw placed himself on the 'lower step by the bide of M. Ledru Rillin. In our opinion, it is not onl/ the constitution which is necessity to n» ; it is a man who previously bhou'd havo presided at the di awing of it up, and who afterward* should aid in es ahhshing i r . Let the committee labour then, but with more care, activity, puiJence, and wisdom, from the fuel Uiut, in order to give order, ie must derive nil its strength irom itaclt. And wlun the work ihall be accomplished, let the committee not imigine time it la at the end ot its tank, it would do well to dctci-nd to the public itreet with a lantern in the hand to «tok a man "