Henri de in Rochejaquelin, formerly a renowned Legitimist, greatly compromised
himself with his party by accepting the President's chair in the Conseil-General of Deux-Sevres. In order to right himself if possi- ble, he has addressed a letter to the Assembide Nationale, which, after de- claring that the address of the Council-General of the Deux-Sevres, which had been attributed to him by that journal, was proposed by Genera Allard, and signed by all the members present, proceeds as follows-
" Prince Louis Napoleon, in doing me the honour to name me President, was well aware that I would never repudiate my principles. He was aware also that I had protested against the coup d'etat of December 2. I had, in fact, told him so myself. Since that period, I, like many others of my colleagues, was enabled to appreciate events and the situation of France I had seen men and political parties closely enough to be convinced, that if the coup d'etat of December 2 had not taken place, I certainly should not have had the satisfaction of witnessing the triumph of may own opinions, but that we should have inevitably fallen into the hands of a faction, Red or Blue, which would have given us a regime of which I cannot say that I should have in the slightest degree to acknowledge the mildness. I did not desire to see the present Government; but it has the double merit in my eyes, first, of pre- -venting others from appearing which I should have infinitely less desired to see ; and next, of having its basis on the national will, of appealing to all the men of worth who are willing to give their loyal and disinterested co- operation to the service of their country, without asking for any renunciation of their principles. I do not think that Louis Napoleon would think him- self honoured by the support of apostates." Nevertheless, the fact remains, that the son of the heroine of La Vendee has rallied to the usurping Government of the nephew of Napo- leon Bonaparte.
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