FRANCE. 



367 



individual liberty. The first authorizes admission to 

 provisional liberty, with or without guarantee even ; 

 in criminal matters it will diminish the rigor of pre- 

 ventive detention. The second suppresses the con- 

 trainte par corps (personal detention) in civil and 

 commercial matters an innovation which is, how- 

 ever, but the reappearance of a very ancient princi- 

 ple. From the earliest stages of Rome it was de- 

 cided that the property, and not the body of the 

 debtor, should be held responsible for the debt. 



The Policy of tJie Imperial Government. Let us 

 continue, then, to follow the path traced out abroad. 

 Let us live in peace with the different powers, and 

 only allow the voice of France to be heard for right 

 and justice. At home let us protect religious ideas 

 without yielding up in any way the rights of the civil 

 power, diffuse instruction in all classes of society, 

 simplify without destroying our admirable adminis- 

 trative system, give to the communes and the depart- 

 ments a life more independent arouse individual 

 initiative, and the "spirit of association, and finally 

 elevate the soul and the body of the nation. But 

 while making ourselves the ardent promoters of use- 

 ful reform, let us maintain with firmness the basis of 

 the constitution. Let us oppose the exaggerated 

 tendencies of those who provoke changes with the 

 sole object of sapping that which we have founded. 

 Utopia is to good what illusion is to truth ; and 

 progress is not the realization of a theory more or 

 less ingenious, but the application of the results of 

 experience, consecrated by time, and accepted by 

 public opinion. 



Both the Senate and the Legislative Body 

 adopted addresses to the Emperor, reiterating 

 the views of the imperial speech, and express- 

 ing unbounded confidence in the policy of the 

 Government by an almost unanimous vote. In 

 the Legislative Body, several subjects of the ad- 

 dress, especially the one on Mexico, were se- 

 verely and brilliantly attacked by members of 

 the liberal Opposition, but without effect. Con- 

 siderable interest was awakened by a speech 

 on the Eoman question by M. Thiers, who at- 

 tacked the unity of Italy, and demanded con- 

 tinued protection of the temporal power of the 

 Pope ; but the majority of the Legislative Body, 

 as well as of the Senate, sustained the Govern- 

 ment in this as well as in every other question. 

 Two prominent members of the liberal Opposi- 

 tion, Olivier and Darimon, separated in some 

 questions from their party, recognizing the Im- 

 perial Government as the true expression of the 

 popular will, and promising it their entire sup- 

 port, in case it should adopt a more liberal 

 policy. The session of the Legislative Corps 

 was closed on July 4th. 



The report of the assassination of President 

 Lincoln produced a great excitement in the 

 French Chambers. In the Legislative Body of 

 June 1st, M. Kouher, Minister of State, and M. 

 Schneider, the acting President, made them- 

 selves the interpreters of the horror and indig- 

 nation which the whole nation felt with regard 

 to the crime. " Abraham Lincoln," said M. 

 Kouher, " displayed in that unfortunate struggle 

 which distracts his country, that calm firmness, 

 that indomitable energy, which is the charac- 

 teristic of great souls, and the necessary condi- 

 tion of the accomplishment of great duties. On 

 the morrow of victory he showed himself gen- 

 erous, moderate, conciliatory. He was anxious 



to bring the war to an end, and by peace to 

 restore to America her splendor and prosperity." 

 And M. Schneider felt sure that " the emotion 

 caused by the assassination had been nowhere 

 so profound and universal as in France. Called 

 to the head of affairs at a critical time," he 

 continued, " which will be forever memorable, 

 Mr. Abraham Lincoln rose to the height of his 

 difficult mission. After having shown indomi- 

 table firmness during the struggle, he seemed 

 likely, by the moderation of his language and 

 views, to bring about a fruitful and durable rec- 

 onciliation between the children of the Ameri- 

 can nation. His latest acts were the crowning 

 of the life of an honest man and a great citizen." 

 Previously a letter from the leading members 

 of the Democratic Opposition had expressed to 

 the President the desire that the Legislative 

 Body should follow the example of other Euro- 

 pean Parliaments, and pass resolutions expres- 

 sive of indignation at the crime, and of sympathy 

 with the American people. The Emperor de- 

 puted an aide-de- camp to call on the Minister 

 of the United States, to request him to convey 

 to President Johnson the expression of profound 

 affliction and sorrow with which the odious crime 

 had inspired the Emperor, and the same senti- 

 ments were expressed by the Empress on receiv- 

 ing Mr. and Mrs. Bigelow. The Minister of 

 Foreign Affairs addressed the following de- 

 spatch to the French Minister in Washington : 



PARIS, April 28th. 



SIR : The news of the crime of which President 

 Lincoln has just been the victim, has caused in the 

 Imperial Government a deep feeling of indignation. 

 His Majesty at once despatched one of his aides-de- 

 camp to the Minister of the United States, to request 

 that he would transmit the expression of this feel- 

 ing to Mr. Johnson, who is now invested with the 

 presidency. In the despatch which I addressed to 

 you yesterday, I desired to make known to you, 

 without delay, the painful emotion which we have 

 felt ; and to-day I am anxious, in conformity with the 

 intentions of the Emperor, to render a well-merited 

 homage to the great citizen whose loss the United 

 States deplore. Raised by the suffrages of his country 

 to the first magistracy of the republic, Mr. Abraham 

 Lincoln had displayed in the exercise of the power 

 placed in his hands the most sterling qualities, for in 

 him firmness was allied to high principle. His great 

 soul never shrank from the terrible trials which were 

 reserved for his Government ; at the moment when 

 an atrocious crime removed him from the mission 

 which he fulfilled as a religious duty, he felt that the 

 triumph of his policy was definitively secured. His 

 recent proclamations are marked with the thoughts 

 of moderation which inspired him in approaching 

 resolutely the task of reorganizing the Union and 

 assuring peace. The supreme satisfaction of accom- 

 plishing this work has not been granted to him ; but 

 in collecting these evidences of his great wisdom, as 

 well as the examples of good sense, of courage, and 

 of patriotism which he has given, history will not 

 hesitate to place him in the rank of the citizen? who 

 have been the greatest honor of their country. By 

 order of the Emperor, I forward this despatch" to the 

 Minister of State, who is directed to communicate it 

 to the Senate and Legislative Body. All France will 

 ioin in his Majesty's feelings. 



Receive, &c., DROUYN DE LHUYS. 



To this despatch the following answer was 

 received : 



