396 The Ministry MoU-Gutzot, %c. 



" Le Temps," the " Journal du Commerce," the turn-about " Jour- 

 nal de Paris," by the " Messager des Chambres," and by a great 

 number of ignorant shop-keepers. 



The Car lint, or the Legitimist party, which for a length of time was 

 scarcely able to be represented in the chamber of deputies by a 

 single member, in consequence of the perfidy and mal-practices of 

 the French Mahmoud, has at present its regular section there, and 

 its leader, M . Berriyer, confident of his integrity and private vir- 

 tues, emboldened by his extraordinary power as an orator and a 

 politician, and profiting of the inconsistency and of the revolting 

 conduct of the present government, is often the open denunciator of 

 the hypocrisy of Louis Philippe and of his ministerial tools, and not 

 seldom is the chief instrument of the defeat of the Philippist projects 

 in that house. The Carlists are supported in their views from with- 

 out by the " Quotidienne," the " Gazette de France," the " Courier 

 de 1'Europe," " La France," " Le Reformateur," by the ancient aris- 

 tocracy, by the priesthood, arid by the majority of the inhabitants of 

 the south and west of France. 



As for little Thiers, since he began his career of a national repre- 

 sentative, he has already served under the standard of three different 

 parties, and hitherto his parliamentary conduct has not had any fixed 

 principle with regard to either domestic or foreign policy. He was 

 admitted into the house through the interest of Laffitte, and of the 

 movement; two months had scarcely elapsed from his entering as a 

 Liberal, when he suddenly turned in favour of the Doctrinaires against 

 his former patrons and colleagues, and during four Doctrinaire ad- 

 ministrations he was always their spokesman and champion against all 

 the other sections. But during his short-lived premiership little 

 Thiers became the man of all parties, and by coalescing with the 

 Tiers-party and the Legitimists he succeeded in obtaining a floating 

 majority in the chamber of deputies. It may be now asserted, that 

 in consequence of his frequent changes, and of his political apostacy 

 and turpitude, Thiers is heartily despised by all parties, but in the 

 meanwhile he may probably be still courted apparently by each 

 party, in order to make use of his abilities against the existing ad- 

 ministration, and as he has already opened once the mysterious bag 

 of the French Mahmoud, and has let loose an Orleanist cat, it is 

 more than probable that shortly in one of his angry moments he may 

 let escape from the same bag some larger and more dangerous cat, 

 which, by his appearance, might create a great sensation within 

 and without the house. 



Such is the exact state of parties of the present chamber of depu- 

 ties; but from what has already taken place during the debates and 

 amendments upon the address in answer to the speech from the 

 throne, from the patriotic result of the verdict of the Alsatian jurors, 

 and from the late unexpected overthrow of the Philippist Law of Dis- 

 junction, we may safely predict that a crisis is at hand in that assembly 

 and in France, and that there is a great probability, that if Louis 

 Philippe were obliged to dissolve the house, the liberal party will be 

 greatly augmented at the expense of the Orleanists and Tiers-party. 

 The Carlists, however, may obtain from the south and from the west 

 a few more representatives; but their efforts can not oppose any ef- 

 fective barrier to the progress of necessary and indispensable ameli- 



