320 



FRANCE. 



a restoration of monarchy to be impossible in 

 view of the spirit prevailing among the masses 

 and the split among the monarchical parties. 

 The electors therefore would do well to en- 

 lighten the National Assembly by the election 

 of moderate Republicans, without scaring it. 

 The result of the election was on all sides 

 chiefly attributed to the influence of this letter. 

 On February 26th, Thiers again expressed his 

 preference for the permanent establishment of 

 a moderate republic in reply to a French dele- 

 gation from New York, which in the name of 

 a number of French residents of the United 

 States presented him with an album. M. 

 Thiers said : " The noble example of Wash- 

 ington should be a model for us all. Those 

 who govern or may govern France should 

 have this great model before them. They will 

 be fortunate if they unitedly succeed in ac- 



complishing the work that God gave to "Wash- 

 ington to achieve alone." M. Thiers proceeded 

 to point out the futility of the efforts made to 

 restore monarchy in France, and hoped that 

 parties would end by acknowledging their ina- 

 bility to carry out such projects, and leave the 

 country to govern itself as it liked best. M. 

 Thiers, to this end, recommended perseverance 

 and scrupulous respect for law. He stated 

 that he would devote to the service of France 

 all the strength that remained to him. The 

 Bonapartists were devided in their opinions 

 on the Septennate. The great parliamentary 

 leader of the party, ex-Minister Rouher, in a 

 letter addressed to the Ami de V Ordre prom- 

 ised to the Septennate his support, making it, 

 however, dependent on several conditions. 

 The Government, which cannot well do with- 

 out the support of the Bonapartists, took great 



offense at the declaration that at the right 

 point of time only two forms of government 

 would be face to face, the empire and the re- 

 public. Prince Napoleon, on the other hand, 

 declared that he could not recognize the 

 Septennate, as it was not based on universal 

 suffrage, and that he remained a firm adherent 

 of democratic principles. On March 16th the 

 majority of the Prince Imperial was made the 

 occasion of a great Bonapartist demonstration, 

 and a much greater success attended this dem- 

 onstration than a short time ago could have 

 seemed possible. All the great personages of 

 the party came over, numerous deputies and 

 senators, and crowds of dismissed imperialist 

 prefects. There, were, too, a sufficient number 

 of hujnbler adherents to show that imperialism 

 has a large hold on the affections of some who 

 do not expect to get any personal gain out of 

 a restored empire. The Duke of Padua made 



a speech to the prince in the name of the 

 party, and the prince made a reply, which was 

 generally commended as well suited to the oc- 

 casion. He extolled the plebescite as the right 

 and salvation of the country, and declared him- 

 self ready, if the mime of Napoleon should, for 

 the eighth time, proceed from the ballot-box, 

 to assume the responsibility which the vote of 

 the nation might impose on him. In the mean 

 while, the prince said, the order was main- 

 tained by the sword of the Duke of Magenta, 

 the companion of his father's glory and misfor- 

 tune, whose loyalty was a guarantee that he 

 would not give up the treasure guarded by him. 

 'The number of Frenchmen attending this dem- 

 onstration was estimated at 8,000. Among 

 the prominent men who were present were 

 Rouher, Cassaignac, and Murat. Prince Na- 

 poleon was not present, thus indicating by his 

 absence that the rupture between him and 



