CONTINENTAL EUROPE.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 709, 19 May 1852, Page 3

CONTINENTAL EUROPE.

[From the Empire, May 3.]

The European intelligence, received via the Cape bv the Queenstown, is of a very exciting nature'.

In France, the newly elected President had entered upon his desperate career, with a vigour dnd rapidity of action which show that his past years of imprisonment and exile were not endured in vain, or without schooling him to a terrible proficiency in military despotism. The Consultative Commission presented on the evening of the 31st of December the grand result of the votes, which was as follows: — Voters, 8,116,773; Yes, 7,439,216; No, 640,737. On the presentation of the national votes by M. Baroche, the President made the following speech: —-“France lias comprehended that I departed from legality to { return to ’the right. Upwards of seven million votes have absolved hie. My object was to save France, ar.d perhaps Europe, from years of trouble and anarchy. I understand, with all the grandeur of my mission, I do not deceive myself as to its difficulties, but with the counsel and support of all right-minded men, the devotedness of the army, and the protection which I shall to-morrow solemnly beseech Heaven to grant me, I hope to secure the destinies of France by founding institutions responding to the Democratic in-; stincts of the nation, and the desire of a strong and respected Government to create a system, which reconstitutes authority, without wounding, the, feeling of equality, or .closing , any path of improvement, and. to lav the. foundation of an edifice capable of supporting a. wise and beneficent liberty.” Cries of “Vive Napoleon,”

and " Vive le President,” followed the speech, which was frequently interrupted by expressions of apDlause. The members of the consultative Commission presented their congratulations. The diplomatic corps was presented to the President by the Apostolic Nuncio. There was no speech. The Archbishop of Paris in his address to the President, offered his concongratulation and good wishes for the success of the high mission God had confided to the President. The President thanked the Archbishop in a short speech. The two consistories of the Reformed Church, and one of the Confession of Augsburg, and the Central Israelite Consistory presented their congratulations. On January Ist the inauguration of the President took place in the Church of Notre Dame. The Times correspondent thus describes the ceremony “No one that witnessed the scene of to-day can ever forget it. From the firing of the cannon at the Inva!ides —seventy signals, ten for each million —at ten in the niorning, to the triumphant passage of the President from the Church of Notre Dame to the Palace of the Tuileries, hemmed in the whole way between two forests of military, the multitude outside cheering and shouting ‘ Vive Napoleon,’ the spectacle was vast, imposing, and magnificent. The President ai rived at thegreat portal at neon ; Gen. Magnau only sharing his carriage; and it was noted that he had for the first time on a public occasion discarded the uniform of the National Guard, and adopted the purely military costume of a lieutenant-general in the army.. Some of the accounts say that the ac-

clamations as he alighted were few and faint. The Archbishop of Paris met him at the porch and tendered to him the relic of the true cross, in its costly casket, of which the cathedral officials boast the custody. Louis Napoleon kissed the relic with acted reverence, and took his place in the procession to the altar. The seated spectators rose, and all, even the military, stood uncovered during liis passage from the grand entrance to the chair of state. As he walked up to his place, the orchestra performed the march and * Vivat in aeternum,’ by Leseur, a quaint and pompous strain. The band was like one instrument, so perfect was its precision, and so marked and decided its accent. The Te Demn, which Leseur (the Emperor Napoleon's Maitre de Chapelle) composed for the battle of Austerlitz, and which was afterwards performed in celebration of the taking of Algiers, was the capital tnorceau, and displayed the strength and number of the executants to the highest advantage. The coup d’oeil presented on entering the cathedral of Notre Dame was somewhat deteriorated by the effect cf a dense fog, which, throwing a veil of mist over all that passed outside, penetrated to the innermost recesses of the building, and mocked the dazzling brilliancy of nearly a thousand wax-lights, suspended in clusters from the roof. In the course of a short time, however, when the chant d’appel of the tambours, accompanied by the cries of * Vive Napoleon,’ which reverberated from without, and were reechoed through the lofty nave and aisles, announced the arrival of the President, this had partially died away, and a better opportunity was afforded of appreciatiug the splendour of the scene, which stretched in gorgeous hues and glittering disarray before the astonished sight. The pillars of the great nave, adorned with purple-coloured banners, sprinkled with stars of gold—the velvet draperies and enormous garlands of foliage and flowers which covered and fell from the galleries—the richly decorated flags, carrying the arms and names of the chief

cities of the empire—the columns of the sanctuary, covered from base to capital with silk brocade of crimson and gold—The altar in the choir, with its rich and gaudy ornaments —

the benches for the authorities and the constituted bodies, and the galleries on either side, crowded with people en grande tenue—the orchestra of five hundred executants,. vocal and instrumental, disposed in the galleries at the extremity of the choir—and, the principal feature of all, the lofty dais, with hangings of crimson and gold, doubled with, white, surmounting the estrade, which faced the altar, and supporting the siege d’honneur whereon sat Louis Napoleon with his prie-Dieu, the Archbishop of Paris (who officiated in the service), and the attendant Bishops to his left,— these, and other objects too numerous to specify, all glittering in the light of the countless wax candles, which pained the eye to look upon, gave to the ancient Cathedral, one of the architectural glories of Paris and the world, a strange and fantastic aspect, which made it difficult to believe oneself in a place of worship. The general effect, indeed, was quite as theatrical as it was brilliant. It was, nevertheless, a surprising and intoxicating spectacle. The service concluded with the - * Domine Salvam,’ thus worded— ‘ Domine salvam fac Rempublicam —-salvumfac Napoleonem —et exaudi nos in die qni invocaycrimus.’ Outside the Cathedral, the sight was, in its way, quite as imposing as that which I have endeavoured to describe in the interior. , The whole surface of the Place du Parvis was covered with military, who left just space enough for the carriages to pass from the. great door, —-from which the President, and all those who had seats in the nave, made their exit,—and proceeded towards the.quays. As soon as the carriages had left, there was a general rush of the people to enter the Cathedral; which tliey were allowed to do by the troops, as during the service, none were permitted to enter without tickets from the bureau of the

Interior. The civility of the troops and their officers was remarkable, and their general deportment denoted an unusual state of exhilaration.” From Notre Dame Louis Napoleon went direct to the Palace of the Tuileries, which is to be his future residence. Here, after the receptions of the constituted bodies, the President inaugurated his new residence by a banquet of 400 covers, at which were present the ministers, the diplomatic corps, the members of the Consultative Commission, the prefects of the Seine and of police, the New Municipal Council of Paris, General Lsewestine, and the National Guard ; and last, not least, GeneralMagnah, and the leading officers of the army of Paris. The

number 400 is borrowed from the number of his uncle’s guests at the same royal residence when installed as Fiist Consul. By the President a was celebrated on the Ist of January, in the chief towns of the departments, and on the 11th in all the. communes, and a Te Deiim was performed in >all the churches. The Prefect of the Seine, with the

authority of the Minister;.of the interior, placed 80,000 francs at the disposal of the mayors.of Paris for the relief of the.indigent of the capital on the proclamation of the votes of the 20th and 21st of December. A fter - this grand day of events, where every circumstance is ordered, with a consummate knowledge of the tiemendous game he is playing, so as best to pacify or mislead a blind populace and conceal his unripe designs, this spurious Caesar sets himself to work to hind the French people down by the neck with an amazing ferocity. Decrees, the most astonishing in their injustice, succeed each other like flashes of lightning. Within a few days, the Monileur contained three lists of

proscriptions, rivalling in iniquity the most terrible and vindictive decrees of any era of political commotion. Without trial of any sort, and on the plea of general safety, one decree of Louis Napoleon banishes from the French territory, from that of Algiers and the colonies, 66 ex-representatives,, including the most obscure and the most illustrious of the Monta gnard party; aud the decree closes with the terrible menace, that if any one of them should re-enter France or its colonies, he may be transported—that is, sent to a penal and pestilential settlement. A second decree banishes from France and Algeria AlB of the most celebrated statesmen and generals of the day, including General de General Changarnier, General Le Fl 6, General Bedeau, M. Thiers, M. de Remusat, M. de Lasteyrie, M. Emile de Girardin, M. E. Quinet; and they are prohibited from entering France or Algeria, except by virtue of a special authorisation of the President of the Republic. A still more daring violation of all rights is the transportation to Cayenne of five other representatives.

But this is not all. Five hundred and seventy five prisoners, arrested on charges of being concerned in the resistance to the coup d’etat, have been sent to Havre, in order to be transported to Cayenne; and hundreds more, it is expected, will shortly follow. Louis Napoleon lias resolved not to tolerate any persons whose “ presence in France might impede the re-establishment of tranquillity.” A decree was published ordering that all coins in gold, silver, or bronze should henceforth bear on the face the effigy of the President of the Republic, with the. words “ Louis Napoleon Bonaparte,” and on the reverse the < words “Republique Francaise ” in the middle of a border of oak and laurel leaves, together with the value of the piece and the year of its fabrication. On the outer edge the 5 franc and 20 franc pieces are to have the motto “ Dieu protege la France.” The Chamber of Commerce at Havre, which had entered upon its journals a

protest against the coup d'etat, was dissolved by a decree, and a provisional Chamber of Commerce, consisting of 15 members, appointed, pending the new elections of the members. The French Eagle was re-established on the banner of the army, and on the cross of the Legion of Honour. The Moniteur publishes a circular from the Minister of the Interior to the prefects directing the erasure of the words “ Liberte, Egalile, Fraternite,” from the public edifices, as .also the restoration of the ancient

and historical names of streets and public places, changed during the revolutionary period. The Palais National will resume its former name of Palais Royal; the Rue de la Concorde that of Rue Royale; the Academte National de Musique that of the Grand Opera; the Theatre de la Nation that of Theatre Francais, &c. A decree prescribes that offenders by seditious cries shall he amenable to the Correctional Police Court. Numerous promotions were being made in the army. France was to be cut up into military divisions. The Paris correspondent of the Daily News says, “ There

is hut too much reason to believe that those rumours which imputed to the President designs of foreign aggrandizement are not altogether unfounded. I am aware that in England a deal of scepticism is expressed upon this point. But I any bound to mould my communications upon facts which I receive from good authentic sources, without paying the least attention to the degree of probability which may he attached to such views on the other side of the Channel. And first of all, let me call your attention to a most remarkable expression which appears in the Moniteur, and which has evidently not been put there for nothing. In the preamble of the decree designating the new military division, it is said, with regard to the limits of the 6th division, whose head-quarters are at Strasbourg, ‘ The 6th division is that of Strasbourg, desiined by its form and position not to change so long as the

frontiers themselves do not change.' The words in italics are noted by every one as pregnant with meaning, and may be like the cloud about the size of a man’s hand which overspread the heavens with tempests. In connection with this subject, the following remark is reported to me, as having recently dropped from : Louis Napoleon : —‘ The Emperor/ he is, represented to have said, ‘has bequeathed to me a debt to France, the province of the Rhine. I will discharge it.’ It is needless to say how little reliance is to be placed upon the most pacific assurances of a man who went on up to the last hour before the coup d'etat protesting his respect for the law, and his religious regard for his oath. It is clear that, whatever representations may be made to Prussia and Russia of Louis Napoleon’s desire to cultivate peaceful relations with all the world, those powers will not iail to arm, and put their armaments upon a war-footing. It is possible that Austria, on whom the Russian alliance has weighed so heavily, may be attracted by promises from France to shift the burthen of her support from the shoulders of the Czar to those of Louis Napoleon, particularly as the view of the cabinet of Vienna is to weaken Prussia, and prevent her effectually from aspiring to the first place in the German confederation. France is at present the chief obstacle to Austria in Italy; and, by favouring or even coun-

tenancing her designs, upon the legations and Piedmont, might purchase her agreement to the separa! ion of the Rhine province from Prussia.

Prussia, also, has views upon Baden and Switzerland, which might make her not unwilling to exchange an unruly democratic dependency, alienated from her in feeling, and continually tending to incorporation with France, provided that she were allowed to indemnify herself by encroachments elsewhere. Globe's correspondent says, that Louis Napoleon constantly assures persons about, him, and the diplomatic body, that he. desires peace,

because it is the duty of his position, and the only means of re-establishing the finances, and placing the trade, agriculture; and manufactures of France on a good footing. It is understood that, in order to tranquillize fo-cign governments, Louis Napoleon will, almost immediately, send instructions to all bis ambassadors, desiring them: to give the courts the most positive assurance of his desire for the maintenance of peace. —It is said that the Northern Courts have intimated to the French President their intention of causing that article of the .treaty of Vienna, according to which no

member of the family of Napoleon can occupy the throne of France, to be strictly observed.— There were not less than two thousand insurgents prisoners in the single arrondissement of Brignoles. The National Guard of Paris was about to be dissolved, and would be replaced by a voluntary guard, which would, be called the “ Guard of the President of the Republic.” The building in which the Legislative Assembly held its sittings was very nearly removed. . It cost 400,000 francs in 1848, when erected by order of the Provisional Government. . The sale of the materials only realised 43,000 francs. The new constitution was to be proclaimed bethe 15th and 20th of January. .It was said by persons well informed, that the new constitution would contain the following provisions : The Senate to be composed of 150 members, chosen among Frenchmen possessing an income of 90,000 francs per annum, or, ; in default of this qualification, having rendered distinguished services to the State. The latter were to receive a salary of 25,000 francs per annum. The attributions of the senate were to be as nearly as possible those of the senate of the empire ; its debates not to be open to. the public. The legislative body was to be composed of 250 members only; each electoral arrondissement was to choose three members, among whom the executive would select one as legislator. Hence there would be 750 candidates elected, of whom 250 would be appointed. Nothing is yet decided as to the degree of publicity to be given to the debates of the legislative body. In fact, if the provisions of the constitution of the year VIII. are to be carried out, the legislative coips is to be simply a voting audience, who are to listen to three speakers appointed by the Government from the Conseil d’Etat, to explain and defend bills, which the ministry alone would have the right of initiating, and to three speakers appointed by the Tribunate, a body of 100, chosen by the Senate out of capables elected by the communes. Thus, the part of the corps legislatif would be reduced to that of mutes in this funeral of all liberties.

Austria..—A Vienna correspondent, under date of the 26th December, states that the recent change of our Minister of Foreign .Affairs had caused a great and favourable impression at Vienna. The Cologne Gazette, in a telegraphic despatch from Vienna, under date of December 25, states that the Minister of Finance, Von Krauss, had resigned. It is said that the Minister of Commerce, Von Beaumgartner, would replace him.

Turkey. —Advices frbm Constantinople, of the 14th December, state that the Sultan had issued a firman in favour of his subjects, who profess the reformed Christian creed, which will secure to them the freedom of meeting, and the registry of births and marriages. The Kolner Zeitung had been fined fifty thalers by the Prussian Government for publishing translations of Elihu Burritt’s “ Olive Leaves for the People.” Dr. Gustav Freund, Vienna correspondent to the Weser Zeitung, had been condemned by a court-martial to three yeais’ imprisonment. The editors of all the journals in Hungary are now obliged to send in to the authorities accurate lists of their subscribers. These examples will shew the down-trodden state of the press of Europe.