Memoir of Armand Carrel. 137 



against her. Justice is on her side ; and from this conviction she may 

 derive the courage necessary for persevering in the defence of her 

 rights. The ministry demanded a chamber from the country ; and 

 this chamber has been freely and regularly nominated. It expressed 

 the opinions of France. It ought to have been assembled on the 3d 

 of August. It alone is empowered to grant the budget of 1831. 

 What remains for France to do, is to refuse the impost. The cham- 

 ber, which has to-day been dissolved, has done its duty, the electors 

 have done theirs. The press, which henceforth cannot openly serve 

 the cause of liberty, has also performed all that could be expected 

 from it. It now remains for the tax-payers to protect the cause of 

 the laws. The future is entrusted to the individual energy of the 

 citizens." 



After the revolution of July Carrel became chief editor of the 

 "National/' Thiersjand Mignet having left it to join the ministry of 

 Louis Philippe. The journal which had hitherto been influenced by 

 the narrower opinions of the two latter, now became more free and 

 democratic than ever. Thiers had indeed attempted to maintain his 

 influence over it, and had even tried to convert it into a ministerial 

 organ; but the other proprietors would not allow this, and Carrel 

 was installed into the place of sole editor. The paper henceforth 

 became, as it were, a reflection of himself ; and the reputation of both 

 increased in proportion as he gave vent to the originality of his views 

 and the boldness of his opinions. The best writings of Carrel are 

 to be found in the numbers of the " National" from this period to his 

 death ; and it is to be regretted that no selection has yet been pub- 

 lished ; for though many of them were written on subjects of tem- 

 porary interest, yet the greater number are worthy of being handed 

 down to posterity, on account of their admirable principles and 

 the 'matchless vigour of their style. No political writer indeed has 

 perhaps ever appeared so thoroughly qualified for the duty as Carrel 

 was. To the perspicuity of Cobbett, he united the boldness of 

 Junius, with this difference, that in him there was none of that 

 wavering which characterized the former, while he would have 

 scorned to have shielded himself under the mask of the latter.* What 

 he wrote was the genuine expression of his mind; and he was always 

 ready, not only to avow it openly, but to defend it with his life ; as 

 the melancholy occasion of his death has proved. His style, without 

 any artifice or labour, was a masterpiece of facility, always full and 

 flowing as his imagination, which was ready and inexhaustible. In 

 his compositions, if we do not observe the care of the author in 

 retouching and correcting his sentences, we find instead, a vigorous 

 inspiration, which gives animation, form, and colour, to every subject. 

 Carrel was in every sense of the word an eloquent man. The 

 occupation which he had embraced prevented him from showing his 

 powers as an orator; but he never for a moment hesitated or showed 

 the least difficulty in selecting his language ; and those noble 

 thoughts and splendid sentences which appear so profound and so 



* Our correspondent forgets, that Junins wrote in days when the open statement 

 of such opinions would have entailed on their holders imprisonment and death. It is 

 quite unnecessary to cite any instances of George the Third's policy. 



