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    No. M7, October 16,1858.1 THE LEADEB. 11...

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    ORIGINAL. CORRESPONDENCE. -a

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    . TRANCE. (From our oxon Correspondent?)...

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  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

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    No. M7, October 16,1858.1 The Leadeb. 11...

    No . M 7 , October 16 , 1858 . 1 THE LEADEB . 1101

    Original. Correspondence. -A

    ORIGINAL . CORRESPONDENCE . -a

    . Trance. (From Our Oxon Correspondent?)...

    . TRANCE . ( From our oxon Correspondent ?) Paris , Thursday , Gh p . m . At the risk of being deemed to always harp upon one string , I have again to trespass on the attention of your readers with a few remarks upon the condition of the contest between Free Trade and Protection , the last that I shall have an occasion to offer before the preliminary skirmish is lost or won , which will materially influence the crowning fight , for on Sunday next expire the two decrees of 1855 and 1857 , which , to a slight extent , have safeguarded the interests of French consumers of iron against the extortion of monopolists . If these

    decrees are not renewed , the people of this empire will fall under a system of inaction , which cripples their energies , and keeps up an insuperable barrier to their material progress . The construction of railwaysalthough British rails cannot be now imported with profit . -will be dependent upon the caprice of a few dozen ironmasters . The advancement of agriculture will be unmeasuredly retarded that these gentlemen may make rapid fortunes in a few years . The whole of machine-made goods will be taxed before leaving France , and unfairly overweighted in their competition with foreign goods in markets abroadl Not a machine nor an article made of iron can be exported . The

    shipbuilding trade will be crushed by a tax on raw materials . Importations will be double in price , and every article of home consumption produced by machinery will be largely augmented in cost to the working classes . Such is the picture which must rise up before the vision of the Emperor when he takes counsel with himself as to the course he should pursue next Sunday . If France has been able to recover from the effects of the crisis , if her population have enjoyed a degree of comfort and well-being superior to what might ; have been expected , if her sons are peacefully earning their bread instead of fighting in the streets and crimsoning the soil with their kindred blood , this improvement is due to the partial

    meaiures of free trade which the Emperor lias had . the foresight'and the courage to inaugurate . But for his active interference in the economical regime of France , the horrors of June , 1848 , might have been re-enacted ere this . Untaxed corn is a surer foundation and better defence for his throne than the servility of the priesthood or the unscrupulousness of his armed host , who , together , constitute the pretorian guard of the empire . Without believing his Majesty to be a profound political economist or a thorough freetrader , I do not conceive that , with his known courage and implicit confidence in his ( itoile , he is willing to run so great a risk as I have Attempted to portray , to please a few wealthy

    manufacturers . It would be presumption to venture to prognosticate what policy he may pursue in three days , but I cannot credit that ho will throw himself into the arms of the prohibitionists . He can scarcely be prepared to weld the future of his dynasty to such a rotten cause , and to alienate the intelligence and integrity of all France . What confirms mo in this belief is the persistance of the Emperor in the course of free trade with respect to the importation of corn . Since my last letter the free exportation of grain has also been established , and to-day ' s Moniteur contains an imperial decree- —the complement of the two preceding ones—dated at St . Cloud , 18 th Oct ., yesterday , which is

    to the following effect— " Since the decree of the 30 th Sept ., 1858 , on the report of his Imperial Highn e ss tho Prince , charged with the Ministry of Algeria and the Colonies , and of our Minister Secretary of State for the department of Agriculture , of Commerce , and of Public Works , we have decreed and do decree as follows ; —' Art . 1 . The faculty accorded by the decree of 2 nd Oct ., 1857 , to foreign ships to effect up to the 30 th Sept ., 1858 , the transport of grains and flour , of rioo , potatoes , and dried vegetables , between Algeria and France , is extended until tho 80 th September , 1859 . " This certainly dooB look like a fixed determination to persevere in a liberal commercial policy , and gradually to bestow upon the nation tho blessings of freo trade . Tho prohibitionists profess to entertain quite a contrary

    opinion . I say profess , for they cannot bo so purblind as not to seo what is in storo for them . Evon granting that to-day they may be successful , to-morrow they will bo vanquished , for freo trade is inevitable , and they would do well to take caro that its advent bo not accompanied by social disturbances . In their organ , published to-day , M . Charles do Lesoops , under tho signature of that Auvorgnatwith whom tho IHmea made merry at tho beginning of the summer , writes : —" AH Induces us to believe , in fact , that tho resolutions of tho Government nro decided on , and that they will realise thoso hopes with which many of its ropresontativoa have rejoiced our workshops . " At tho eamo timo , while protoruling to entertain this confidence , tho journal alluded to neglects no moans of Inti midation , and the banded prohibitionists follow tho

    same policy , like the sheep of Panurge . The Consultative Chamber of Arts and Manufactures of the Oise , sitting at Beauvais , and composed of textile manufacturers , chiefly utter the following lachrymose complaints in a report addressed to the prefect of that department : — " Cruelly tried during the period we have signalised , M . le Prefet , by the reaction-of crises in the United States and in England ; by the extreme elevation of the rate of interest during several months ; by the stagnation of business which followed ; by the suspension of railway works ; by the crushing competition of foreigners , who , under the pretext of the wants of naval construction , encumber France with their goods under the favour of a considerable reduction in the tariff ;

    discouraged , disquieted by the approach of that day when custom-house prohibiting duties will cease , to be replaced by entry dues which will diminish the efficiency of protection ; smitten thus on all sides and at the same time , trade has been unable to find either confidence , enterprise , or the resources which are necessary to it to work , extend , develop , and improve its processes and means of action . " - After the textile manufacturers come the ironmasters , who in their skirmishes always charge under the cover of some other interest . The Consultative Chamber of Arts and Manufactures of the Kievre join in the howl with the hopes of scaring the S ' tate from wisdom . These gentlemen say : — " In our department the metallurgical trade has been the worst tr e ated , and unfortunately the entire department is wedded to its good and bad fortunes . When metallurgy languishes , forest property and coal and mineral workings The workmen in

    'suffer an immediate depreciation . establishments which directly or indirectly employ thousands of hands in prosperous times , fall into misery , ami , obliged to impose restrictions on themselves , limit , forcedly , their consumption of all kind 3 of goods which make the wealth of commerce and of small local trades . " It surely needs no prohibitionists from the Xievre to teach Frenchmen that when the population of a department is absurdly rendered dependent iipon an artificial and forced manufacture , the foundations of prosperity will not be seated upon natural causes . It is precisely because such is the case , because protection renders trade uncertain , precarious , and baneful , because it makes the food of the people dependent upon laws which a breath made and a breath may unmake , because it creates antagonist interests among all classes of society , and because it renders employment liable to fluctuations which no wisdom can foresee or control ,

    that its abolition is sought to make room for free trade . The protectionists are stupid enough to seek to frighten the Government and the patrons of commercial liberty by evoking the memory of 178 G . Their organ exclaims : — " For a long time past , never have the corporations , mouth-pieces of trade , certainly expressed such apprehensions nor traced so sad a situation . The experience of the late period has produced results which recal to mind the state of public sentiments in 178 G , "

    studied for the law , obtaining the degree of Licentiate . Cheri appears to have been smitten by the appearance of the young English g irl * . whose humble and menial position could not have been concealed for a moment , and called on Madame C . the following day , pretexting a desire to renew the family relations which formerly existed between the C- ' s and X . ' s . Cheri further expressed a desire to learn English , which Alice Ellen was qualified to teach . Madame C . seems to have imprudently accepted the proposition , and allowed CheVi to visit her house during two months , every evening of which was passed , from seven to half-past eight , with the girl alone , as Monsieur was absent and his wife was occupied with the care of a sick sister . The

    advo-It may bo quite true that such is the case , indeed I believe it is ; but it is not that public indignation is directed against the Government or free trade—quite the contrary . The persons obnoxious to the people aro the prohibitionists , who now stand in place of tho Jhrmievs generaux of tho old regime , and who tax the necessities of the nation to revel in riotous living . What befel the Jermiers genaraitcc in the years following ' 8 G ought to bo a warning to the protectionists of today .

    marriages in philibcgs and bonnets . The tartan worn in France is , in the eyes of M . de Fontanes , the sign of English domination and the badge of national degradation . If this state of things continues , he" clearly foresees the coming of that day when the wearers of historical names in France—the J ils des croise ' s , as he delights to call tbem- ^ will be able to read Shakspeare , Milton , Bacon , Locke , Garlyle , Shelley , and will cease to feel an insane hatred against the land which gave their mothers birth . " Dies iras ! " wails forth M .

    de Fbntanes , whenever noble Frenchmen shall not be filled with bilious hatred of Englishmen , or when they shall be unwilling to enact a new St . Bartholomew . Your readers can well imagine how happy must be the position of English wives and mothers in a society where such a jackpudding of Ultramontane intolerance is allowed to froth forth his bile , and it must be a matter of surprise that any English Roman Catholic should be found among the subscribers to the Uhivers , which contains such stupidly foul libels upon their nation , and more especially their female kindred . Monsieur of

    To return to Pau . In 1856 , C , Pau—French journals never give the names in these matters , but only the initials , and it is perhaps desirable to follow the same example here—went to England , and on to Ledbury . His wife being ill , Alice Ellen B . was eng . iged as nurse and companion . The information obtained by Madame C . showed that the girl was honest , civil , and of good moral conduct ; that her family , though poor , were respectable ; and by her subsequent behaviour at Pau , she gained the esteem and affection of the C . family . In the course of last June twelvemonth

    occurred the processions of the Fete Dieu . That of the parish Saint-Jacques -was to pass through the street where lodged Madame de F ., the grandmother of 5 L Cheri de Something , wliich , being an unknown quality , I term X . On this occasion , Madame C , accompanied by the English girl , asked to be allowed to witness the procession from Madame de F . ' s window . And there Alice Ellen , for her misfortune , met this thing dressed in man ' s attire , and answering to the Christian name of Cheri . It had received a classical education , was Sous-Chef in the Prefecture of the Lower Pyrenees , and had

    cate allowed his belief to clearly transpire that advantage was taken by Cheri to seduce the poor humble defenceless girl , " Quo sc passa-t-il alors entre 1 ' ir . i et l ' autre ? Dieu seul et eux lc savent . " The result of these persevering and assiduous visits Avas that scandal was soon floating in the moral atmosphere of Pau . Madame C . intimated to Cheri that his visits must be discontinued , as they compromised , the girl . "Je l'aime et je veux l'rfuouser , " was the reply , which induced Madame C . to . givo way . But on the return of the lady ' s husband , Chcri was sent to tho rig ht about and the girl sent home . Chdri , nevertheless , pestered the girl with letters professing tho most sincere affection , and the simpleton believed them . After an interminable scries

    In a preceding letter I promised to notice a recent trial at Paris , which afforded curious illustrations of the French marriage law , and of tho condition of French society in the middle of the nineteenth century .. I deferred fulfilling my promise last week in order to bo able to give a full and detailed account , which , I tr u st , will operate as a salutary warning to all families in England . But before entering into these painful particulars—painful on account of the circumstance that

    indiof love letters , Cheri gradually developed his plan , and in a letter wrote;— "I have spoken to my father , my dearest Ellen , of the project I had to go to seek you in England . Ho is good , and does not object to my intentions to call you my wife ; but ho wishes to know before giving his consent to anything , what is the position of your fortune and of your family . ... I am not rich ; I possess only a country estate , which brings mo in about 100 ? . a year , and my place in the Prefecture . It j . s enough " to live on , but not too much . As to my family , you will Ihul all about that in tho little book enclosed . If that does not frighten you , and that you always lovo tho poor Frenchman , write . " So far from Chcri possessing any clear property , it came out at the trial that tho estate would not return so much as

    viduals with the pretence to manhood should use tho language they did towards a defenceless English girl in a foreign country , and under age , however great might have been her misconduct—I am dosirous of calling attention to a now phase of Anglophobia in France , Tho Ultrumontanes and Legitimists are doing their best to got up a crusade against marriages with English women , under the leadership of those noblo specimens of manhood , Eugono Veuillot and Xavier do Fontanes , albeit the first entered into the bonds of wedlock the

    other day , and received tho nuptial benediction from tho P 6 ro Ventura , who has increased his character for eccentricity by desecrating a pulpit with a eulogium on M . Veuiliot , and exalting tho scrviuo which this Arotino of religious journalism has rendered to tho Church , M . Xavior do 'Fontaiiosr—l am not quite clear as to his title to tho aristocratic particlo- —concocted an article somo short timo back which is irrovorontly called by tho sons of Voltaire , a tartine , ami in which ho protested , in language as foul as could bo allowed to pass by tho consor , against tho wholesale importation of English women for marriage ; with thp " noblu sous of Franco . " Ho stated that this immigration was the rosult of a deep and wido-apread conspiracy for uncatholioising and denationalising tliu noblest families in Franco ; and the first object of this conspiracy , organised b y Protostnnt and porddioua Albion , wan attained when English mothers succeeded in clothing tho oll ' snrhig of theso mixed

    represented , oven if it hail not been mortgaged up to the full value . Horo , then , -wns fraud upon tho part of ChJri Alice Ellen appears to have replied to this letter , spunking vaguely of throe tiroes GO , OOOf . ; whereupon Cho ' takos fire , cherry-rod hoar , and writes back iininodintoly , " What shore of this la yours ? Is it landed or money property ? . . . Writo directly . I wait with impatience . " Tho impatlunco' gruw unbearable , and next , tho old grandmother wns brought upon tho scene to write to her friend

    aglrlshohad known us tho servant of : "Mademoiselle , I am churged to write to you nMpoutiiiff a marriage botwoon you and ChoYI . Chdvl ' n tMhor " . »» givo his oonsont if what his son stato * is correct , out iu . Chdrl is obliged by his pluoo and his position as n » W «"'«" ; to hold a certain rank . Me will bo au > -prof « ct in i few

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 16, 1858, page 21, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_16101858/page/21/