24 AUGUST 1844, Page 1

Another awful quarrel has agitated Paris—a collision between the Government

and a school—the Ecole Polytechnique. Through some inopportune mischance, the Government could not appoint one of the examiners for the annual examination in the regular way ; and the one appointed irregularly happened to be unpopular, it appears, with all the school,—a bad sign for a teacher : the youths whose turn it was refused to be examined by him; they were expelled, and the school in a body accompanied them in their expulsion ; the Government met that alarming more boldly, by totally dissolving the school, to reorganize it anew. Lours Puturre is said to have desired such an opportunity to remodel an academy which has been a reservoir for Bonapartist and Republi- can opinions : and no wonder; but the step is considered hazardous, so popular is the institution. And the method of execution gives a ludicrous importance to the quarrel between the King with his Ministers and the schoolboys. Marshal Souvr, the Minister of VVar, was suspended—some say because he did not like to counter- sign the ordinance of dissolution ; Admiral DE MACKAU was ap- pointed to his place for a day, the school was dissolved, and the Marshal was again let into office ; the boys having been honoured by the appointment of a special War-Minister to do battle with them. The affair is to English eyes one of those puerilities that at times so possess our neighbours, but only baffle us to know what on earth can make grown men so excited about trifles.