The President of the French Republic has worked hard to
make his tour productive of popularity; and his persevering industry seems to have been attended with very considerable success. He has played a versatile part ; using show and military parade with- out seeming devoted to either for his own satisfaction. He has made the most of his resources—his cool courage, his imperial name, his white charger. He has composed speeches of all kinds, intended to hint that he 'feels precisely as each audience might have wished. He has reserved to himself the faculty of remaining as he is, of accepting a new term of office, of being President for life, or of becoming Emperor. The elected of the people appeals from the elected of the several constituencies, and will take what, ever the people may give. It will be remembered, however, that "the people" Of France has in great part been disfranchised; and that although Louis Napoleon has attained his first step by favour of universal suage, the altered constitution will permit him to accept as the gift of the people whatever may given by the qua- lified constituency, which must find its majority among the trading and " upper " classes, not among the poor and the industrious. Hence the elected of December 1848 is a grand advocate of "order."
M. de Larochejaquelin and other Legitimists of Franco have been, to Wiesbaden, on the pious mission of seeing whether something might not be made of the Duo de Bordeaux, alias the Comte de Chambord, alias Henri Cinq : but, like all its precedents, it is evident that the expedition has proved a perfect failure. The fact is, that the heir of the elder Bourbons is not a man of this day—al little so as Saint Louis. He is a sickly man, who lives in a dream of injured royalty: the French are "his people" by "Divine right"; he will not injure them by violences' nor do anything to earn the post.which his y desires for him. Other legitimate pretenders have embodied a traditional right in a vigorous action: "Henry the Fifth" is only the shadow of a tradition, as useless to his party as the most genuine portrait of Saint Louis would be. The letter of M. de lairochejaquelin, in courtly language, breathes disappointment in every line: if is clear that the legitimists got nothing out of their pageant pretender—he will wait till the hearts of "his people" are enlightened by a miracle. Meanwhile, the party cannot east him off, because it happens, inconveniently for the Legitimists, that French Legitimacy cane only the one rightful heir, even though he be destitute lo721zthe qua- lities needful for a pretender. So the men of the King of Franoe, having marched up the-hill of expectation' march bravely into nto the valley of despond, armed with an heroic policy— that of keeping up appearances.
It is possible that this demonstration on behalf of the right Royalist Pretender may have quickened the diligence of the Im- perial Pretender who is half in possession ; but M. de Laroche- jaquelin's letter will have allayed any soft alarms that might have fluttered at the name of Henri Cinq.
