LOUIS PHILIPPE 251 



But so.on after his elevation to the throne Louis Philippe began to 

 throw off his mask, and little by little Lafayette, Lafitte, Odilon 

 Barrot, Dupont de PEure, Audry de Puiraveau, Manguin, and all 

 those who had the most contributed to his usurping an undeserved 

 crown were disregarded and disgraced; and thus the dictatorship of 

 the present citizen-king began and continues under the nominal re- 

 sponsibility of a constitutional ministry, who are nothing more than 

 the tools of the tyrant of France. 



Now let us historically compare the state of France during the 

 restoration and under the reign of Louis Philippe, and we shall see 

 whether the French nation have gained or lost by the change. 



During the fifteen years of the restoration, notwithstanding the 

 brutal persecutions of MM. Corbiere, Delaveau, and Mangin, the 

 dwelling-house of every Frenchman was sacred, and no arbitrary do- 

 miciliary visit ever disturbed the peace of a private family or of any 

 individual. But under the paternal government of the king of the 

 barricadoes, through the patriotic solicitude of MM. Perrier, D'Ar* 

 gout, Montelivet, Thiers, and Gisquet, thousands and thousands of 

 domiciliary visits have taken place, and daily take place in every 

 town and in every corner of France ; and nine-tenths of those inqui- 

 sitorial and unconstitutional profanations are acknowledged to be not 

 only arbitrary and vexatious, but also useless and uncalled for. 



During the restoration the prisons of France scarcely ever con- 

 tained above thirty individuals condemned in consequence of political 

 offences or of ex-officio information, notwithstanding the famous seve- 

 rity of MM. Marchangy, Frayssynous, and Foudras. But under the 

 citizen-king, through the zeal of MM. Persil, De Beranger, and 

 Martin, several hundred literary, scientific, and political writers have 

 been confined and are still confined in the common gaols of France. 



During the restoration persons of every class were permitted to 

 assemble in their private houses, there to amuse themselves or to do 

 whatever they chose, without the least fear of being suddenly surprised 

 by the armed force and arrested. The Palais Royal and the Chateau 

 de Neuilly, the hotels of Lafayette, Lafitte, Perrier, and Foy were 

 respected, although they were openly denounced as the rendezvous 

 of the enemies of the existing government. But under the patriot- 

 king such re-unions cannot be tolerated ; and if a few individuals are 

 suspected or denounced to assemble together, and their place of re- 

 union be known, they will be certainly arrested, and then be pro- 

 bably kept in prison for ten or twelve months before their trial and 

 acquittal. 



During the restoration the house of the hereditary peers of France 

 often opposed and rejected several despotic projects of the govern- 

 ment, although they had been sanctioned by the chamber of depu- 

 ties. But, under the renowned hero of Gemappe and Valmy, the re- 

 generated house of the elective peers of France, being almost all 

 servile creatures of the reigning dynasty and entirely dependent on 

 its pleasure for the continuance of their peerage, are always ready 

 to approve and sanction any project the government may choose to 

 submit to their consideration ; and, if Louis Philippe were to demand 

 of them the abolition of the whole charter, he would certainly obtain 



