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PRINCIPLE AND NO PRINCIPLE. 



PRINCIPLE AND NO PRINCIPLE, 



Or the late Armand Carrel, Editor of " The National," and the 

 present M. Thiers, late Prime Minister of France. 



THE names of Carrel and Thiers must be very familiar to our 

 readers, because, since the revolution of " the three glorious days of 

 July," both of them have been continually before the public, and 

 have cut a prominent figure in the political, governmental, and legis- 

 lative events of France, the former as a journalist and a republican, 

 and the latter as a depute and a minister of the citizen king. 



Carrel and Theirs sprung both from the same class and were both 

 first known to the literary and political world by their historical pro- 

 ductions. Carrel however, since the beginning of the restoration, 

 had been already before the public as a staunch partisan of repub- 

 lican institutions and of civil and religious liberty, and, having taken 

 an active part in the revolutions of the Peninsulas of Europe, had 

 been not only severely persecuted, but also condemned twice to 

 death in consequence of his political principles. 



When Carbonarism from the south of Italy was first introduced 

 into France, Carrel and Thiers both embraced its doctrine and were 

 amongst the most active carbonari, who established and propagated 

 that political institution in Paris, and in the most populous cities of 

 France. There existed, however, a great difference in the private 

 character of Carrel and Thiers. The former was a liberal, civil, 

 sober, unaffected, and always independent man. The latter professed 

 liberal principles, but was proud, affected, and a great parasite of the 

 rich, and powerful members of the opposition of the Restoration, and 

 by his servile submission to whatever the renowned French banker, 

 Jaques Laffitte ordered him to do, little by little, became his fa~ 

 vourite, and protege, and by him at his mansion was introduced to 

 the most influential leading members of the chamber of deputies. 

 Through the influence of his Maecenas, Thiers began his career of 

 journalist, and assisted by that banker's money became afterwards one 

 of the fourteen shareholders of the Constitutionnel of Paris, to which 

 periodical he largely contributed for several years as a political and 

 literary writer. In 1829 Thiers, not satisfied with his condi- 

 tion in that establishment, aspired to be appointed one of the four 

 chief conductors of that journal in opposition to Cauchois-Lemaire, 

 and, having failed in his ambition, he separated from that periodical, 

 and endeavoured to establish the Nouveau Constitutionnel, but was 

 outwitted by the cunning, rich, and powerful harpagons of Rue 

 Montmartre. 



Then Thiers, having first chosen for his editorial colleagues 

 Carrel and Mignet, and having obtained the pecuniary means from 

 Laffitte, started the National under the standard of very broad civil, 

 political, and religious principles. 



When the demi-liberal administration of Martignac was succeeded 

 by the foolish and priest ridden ministry of Polignac, it was Thiers, 



