FRANCE. (From the Times' Correspondent.)

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume V, Issue 370, 17 February 1849, Page 4

FRANCE. (From the Times' Correspondent. )

October 8. — In J 'the way of domestic news we have nothing 'to-day of importance. Everybody is talking of the vote of yester-" day in the National Assembly, declaring salaried functionaries ineligible as Deputies, and of the question of the election of President, of the Republic. On the first-named topic, v some surprise is manifested that the Chamber should have come to so sweeping a conclusion, by which even officers of the army and navy, are included in the prohibition ; but as the exception's to the rule are to be declared on the discussion of the organic laws, it is generally supposed that the vote of the Chamber will be greatly modified. General" de Lamoficiere declare/! himself, in very strong terras, against the decision ; and General C^vaignac said, that if the officers of the army were to be excluded from the phamber,,the. act would be one of great ingratitude. On the subject ojf ,the Presidency, the prevailing opinion with the public is ? ., that, the ejection, ought to be left toihe National JO Assembly, as it would be very dangerous in the present state of things to allow it to be subject to Universal Suffrage. Two things are feared — the excitement got up in the . large towns by the <Red Republicans, and the ig^ norance of the peasantry. It appears, however, that the Deputies of the Moderate party, although anxious for the maintenance of order in,-$e election of a good President, incline^ strqngly in favour of the vote by Universal Suffrage,; all others, they say, being a violation of the constitutional principle o£ a Republic. It is considered probable that some arrangement will be come to, by which all immediate danger may be prevented, and yet the principle of Universal Suffrage be respected. The only way in which this can be done, would be-by a provisional Presidency. , Political; bauquets appear now to be the order of the day of the Ledru Rollin party. They can no tynger agitate by clubs, for the government shuts them up as soon as they become the arena of sedition. Three have been closed this week, and as the others are allowed to take only such a sum for the admission of .strangers as does not cover the expenses, it is probabje thot many will be closed even without the intervention of the authorities- Corsaire of this day announces that a, twenty sous democratic and social banquet is being organized in Paris. Tt is not certain that ,the government will allow it to be held, unless some guarantees be 'giveu tbatfit shall not be made a means pi exciting the people to commotion. A banquet of this ,k;ind w^s advertised for Rome, but there it was forbidden by the authorities. „ ,T he army of Par^s continues to express discontent at the privatiops which it undergoes ; but there is not tn<e least external sjgn o£;insubordinatipn, and an, order having been £iyen,to~.£xclude from ,the camps. the emissaries.qf the, Red Republicans, who visit them for, , the purpose of excitemen % and corruption ; and General de Laraoriciere having stated that everything, possible shall, be done to amelior- , ,ate the condition "qf? the .tropps, .there 'i? reason Jp.b.ejieve, that nothing^serious will' arise out ajCtne dWcorjtepfth.at' jjas'been manifested,, .nartjpularly.as the most cordial understanding <sujbs^sts he^tweea the army and trje National Guards. 7/ .;. ( „/ (!, ,{' , „ *' , i ,Tke,i>?£«ff ( ojF tord'ay States that the me'di-j ation respecting Italy is at an end, the Elm-, peror of Austria paying positively refused to ,the,affa|r{tji) o a^pbngress^n,; any otherj basis than his remaining Suzerain of the Ita-

lian I; pf6 r vihces.' r This id erroneous ; b«t lunderstand/ fronvi^otfrce-Toncwbich I can place reliance',- that' J the~ 'present ; Government is by< no med¥k^atiSfied"with ' the dispositions manifested :b: by Ij Aust!riay an* gr^at preparations' aYe f still making for theebtryV French troop's* inw 1 Italy, in' f the ■ evefrit } o£ ! there being ndi change in the policy J o£ the' Atfsttiail Cibinett' i The affair at Vienna, on v the^ 27th uk^' turns oat to have been 1 much less important than was said. TKS collision was entirely'be-' ' tween the Civic Guard arid^aome riotersih one of the faubourgs, whtf^hiid got up a charivari. A letter from ( Vtenhi'stitea that only two, persons were killed, and that the 1 following day the,"&ffair .was scarcely talked of. "Th'e.roani&kQs'of the Emperor of Austria to'tlie Hungarians have' had little ; effiect.' The' new Commander-in-Cb 1 ief appdinted by him, ' Count. Lamberg, is said to 1 have been assassinated at Pesth by/ r a, student, and Bafdn Jellalish continued the wat'in spite of the injunctions, to' the contrary ] of the ' Emperori On the reisult of the' struggle 'in Hungary depends in a great degree the solution of the j[talian question. If the EroperoT can pifcify that coqntry, and get the_ promised array t)f 15,000 men to inarch, he l will, perhaps, set France at defiance ; but without a Hungarian I army he will be too weak in Jtaly to venture into, a conflict with a French 1 r array. The French funds have been pretty steady to-day. The 5 per cents, closed at 68f. 65c, and the 3 per cents at 44£f. / The Governraent'ha'sthis day made in the Moniteur, an important declaration as regards the question of the election', of President o! the Republic. An evening journal haJ as- j serted that the Government intended' to avail 1 ] itself of the. , proposition for adjourning the nqmination of the President until after/, the vote on the organic laws, which cannot Take place, for several months. General Cavaignac announces officially that he will insist upon the election for President taking place as soon as the mode ,of election shall have been settled by the National Assembly, as he regards the prolongation of a Provisional Government beyond the period required by absolute necessity, as a mortal injury to the interests of the country. , . General Cavaigfiac is right in necessity and right in policy. He is just in 'demanding the prompt cessation of Provisional Government ; he is' politic if he aspires to the Presidency, for in France the public mind is too changeable for any man to rely upon it for a length of time. <. There was a moment when, if M. de Lamartine had been proposed as President he would have had five-sixths of the votes of the people, and' now he would not have onesixthj and yet M. de Lamartine has never ceased to be~an honest man and a good Republican. He lost his popularity by his compromise -with Ledru Rollin, and it will require manymonths to convince the nation that under the existing circumstances he took the right course to prevent the Red Republicans from (getting hold of exclusive power. Tho friends iof o'rder'were without the means of resisting the Red Republic when M. de Lamartine temporised with'it';' yet for that act he has sunk into comparative obscurity. General Cavaignac may be also sacrificed to some change of feeling, and 'if .he wishes to be President he must be proposed whilst the nation feels convinced of the necessity of electing him.

Smith O'Brien.— The, trial at Clonmel has concluded in a verdict of ' " Guilty," accompanied with a most emphatic recommendation to mercy. Everybody will feel satisfied that both justice and mercy are satisfied by this return. Of Mr. O'Brien's actual guilt there can be no serious doubt, though the splendid ability with which his defdnce has been conducted did just suggest the apprehension of a verdict, which we are sure j would have been most injurious to the prospects of Ireland. " For 'many reasons" we are ready to join in the prayer of the jury; as indeed we have long before expressed in anj ticipation of this result. ,Mr." Smith OBrien, [ with some qualities that crave bur compassion, cinnot be considered an entirely 'accountable person. His, enthusiasm scarcely allows him to be conscious of his own' intentions. In, other words, he hardly knows what he wants ) or what he means. , On * former occasion he; excited the. ridicule of the nation, and even of his brother repealer's, by a piece of childish 1 obstinacy, without either meauing or point.! [ His present vagary basrbeen jofjaimuch. more) | serious character,* but theynowhoJ identify! iibej martyr of the coalhole with !the;hero'jof BalI'lragary will desire for hira'.nothingjraore thau <an Wtire andJfinal withdrawal;! "fiShi theses-; r citement ef- political hfe.^ — JFinie*; • vili i> t j

turdk°y etehitigV October ' frkirfflie'€itir i lnfel«{ 'ligerice^ofthe Times fctae/^Th^Eaglwb Tuticls cWt f mue without flrffidqaltioh, <3diwtils for motley 1 iHrdl/gho'at"- th'ei, dat^ have b^en ' at Btes,"to |i and for account B'o|\to''f .- ;: Bank "Stodk bldsed ,I^2 t<>^niTiafc^ tdW;<2s4

35*.; Jiine* 29s< la 325. premium.! A; considerable reactioa >hss taken pl«oe4n the mining share market during! the weefcrrau active demand having been made for shares in seneral mines, especially the/ dividend and leadihg mines of Cornwall. Whether this; arises ifrora the 'positive improvements , in the respective i mines, tbe , anticipated advancein the standard; or Jhe demand for fine copper, [ We will not venture to affirm-rbut we. may , hope that the combination of causes adverted to will have the effect of producing the Jongex pecfed and desired change.' ~