FRENCH ADMINISTRATION.

Sir Stafford Northcote delivered a lecture last week at the Exeter Literary Society on the system of administration in France. It is of importance that the English should get the better of their ways of think- ing, and be able to feel with the French and understand them; but it was impossible for them to do so unless they understood the French system of administration. It must not be compared with our Civil Service.

The French have organized their civil service in a very perfect and libe- ral manner, and in a way which shows a peculiarity of the Freneh charac- ter, for if one thing distinguishes the French above other nations, it is their pecuilar aptitude for arrangement, their organization, their love of har- mony, their bringing things together. Everything connected with the Administration is brought to the centre, and radiatea from the centre. They are seandalized at the English Administration, which consists of bits or patches, and causes many difficulties between this and that authority. They say, "What a confusion ! How can such a country be governed ? thus is beautiful; everything is brought to a centre, and must come to the centre." A person might draw a map of the French Administration, and it would look pretty ; he had done it himself. Everything goes from the centre and to the centre. The Administration takes cognizance of bakers pork but- chers, dogs, rabbits, midwives, chimneys, grub-killing, weed-burning, everything. No one can open a baker's shop without permission. The prefect is bound to settle where weed should be burnt; persons could not burn it here or there lest they might do damage. The mayor of a com- mune issues an order that on such and such days the people are to kill their caterpillars, that they might prevent too great an increase of these interesting little creatures. . There is a distinct administrative tribunal; lawyers study administrative law, and the great body of lawyers have wished to codify it, but it was found to be so large that it defied codifica- tion. It is calculated that, at the time of the downfall of 'Allis Philippe, there were 800,000 official persons in France. Be that as it might, in the National Assembly in 1849 a proposition was made that a detailed account be published of all the public functionaries in France remunerated by the Government or departments. When the Government undertook the task, they found that it entailed such enormous labour that they were ob- liged to go to the Assembly and request that the order should be rescinded, stating that if they were obliged to carry it out it would require a work of fifty quarto volumes of 600 pages each, and entail an expense of 20,0001. France could more an army of men to any point the Government might decide upon ; the Minister had only to transmit his orders and France would have an army and everything ready for action. See how it works in matters of small interest. Ho had come across in a French book a cu- rious example of the way private affairs were managed ; it was the case of a man who wished to have a pleasure-boat on a river—to get it (though those present could not see why), he had to obtain the sanction of the Ad- ministration. These are the stages. In the first place he had to send his application to the prefect for permission to have the boat.; the prefect sent it to the sub-prefect ; the sub-prefect sent it to the moire the inaire re- turned his report to the sub-prefect ; the sub-prefect forwarded it to the prefect ; and when he had got it, the prefect then referred to the engineer- in-chief of the department ; the engineer-in-chief for the department next forwarded it to the engineer-in-ordinary ; the engineer in ordinary to the comptroller of the district; the comptroller of the district reported to the engineer-in-ordinary, who reported to the engineer-in-chief; the en- gineer-in-chief reported to the prefect—then the prefect, having eon- suited the director of taxes in the department ; and the director of taxes in the department having consulted the director of taxes in the ar- rondissement, the director of taxes in the arrondissement reported to the director of taxes for the department, and the director of taxes for the department to the prefect. The prefect, having thus got sufficient in- formation to form an opinion, drew out his report with alibis reasons, and scat it, with all the correspondence, to a superior power, the director- general of roads and bridges, who was an officer of state ; the director- general of roads and bridges consulted the master of finance; the master of finance referred it to a director of the administration of taxes ; the director of the administration of taxes reported to the master of finance ; tht master of finance approved of the report, and told the director-general of rads and bridges so, and the director-general of roads and bridges sent to the prefect ; the prefect dent to the sub-prefect ; the sub-prefect to the maire ; and the main- to the party interested. The result was communicated to the engi- neer-in-chief Of the department ; the engineer-in-chief of the department comMunicated it to the engineer-in-ordinary of the department; the engi- neersin:ordinary of the department to the director of taxes of the depart- ment; and the director of taxes of the department communicated it to the director of the arrondissement. He could not help thinking that that would be an excellent arrangement, but it gave a good deal of trouble. In former times a man residing in the Island of Jersey made it his business to find out holes in the Customs' Acts of Parliament, and being an in- genious fellow, and the system at the time, rather complicated, whatever law was mados he set to work to see how he could avoid it with regard to Jerseys and see if he could not introduce something there, free of duty., that could not be introduced anywhere else free of duty. A struggle ensued between him and the Board of Trade who tried if they could not outwit hint. If an act was passed to outwit in one thing, he got something else. That atate of things could not exist in France ; they had laid down the principle that the Legislature in its written laws could not ' provide for every cam, and there must be some authority to supply theomissions of the Legislature.. It has been thought sufficient to lay down this general principle, and leave it to the Administration. If a man in France acted as their friend in Jersey did, they would say that if he had not offended against the letter of the law he had no doubt done so against, the intention of it, and would stop him from doing this or that. The position of the Ad- ministrationis one of immense importance—it governed the whole system of .France, and had the power not only of executing; but of practically making the laws, and also of interpreting the law. A law was passed in 1849, when a different state of things from the present existed ; they. put In alittle clause in it that every vendor of boo., engravings, or prints, should take out a license.- That apparently innocent clause had received a complete -change from the Government of France, it having been developed by.a set of ordonnances on the part of the Minister of the Interior and Pre- fect9f Police. These ordonnances provided that no candidate at election who opposed the Governnient Might put out fill address, and no Person aught distribute any addresses of the candidate, or any portrait of the can- didate; under penalty of being.putimprisen. That certainly was not the intention of the Legislature at the time the law was passed. If .a question. between individual and individual arose, the ordinary tri- bunal would stop the as.seMption of power of. the Adstration to Unduly stretch the law ; but if a queinion arose between an individual end the Go.- vernment, the ordinary Court could not do that, as it had no authority in the case; it went to the administrative tribunal, and not to the ordinary tribunal. If a .public officer were concerned in a cage, it could not be judged before the ordinary tribunal without the sauction.ef the Adifinistra- tion ; it must be decided in the Administrative Court, and not by the or-

dinary tribunal. If the Administration was concerned, the case must be decided by the administrative tribunal, where the plaintiff or defendant, as the case might be, would be the judge. He showed historically that all things tended to bring the whole coun- try under the power of the central Government. That became a part of the French nature, and though there might be changes in the nature and in the form of government in France every ten or twenty years the present state of things will remain substantially permanent as long as the nation remains what it is. It is the system that may be called the paternal Government, or they might apply the French term to it, " ad- ministrative centralization."

Steps have already been taken at Bradford to prepare for the next meeting of the association for the Promotion of Social Science which will be held in that populous town. The leading local citizens are be- stirring themselves in the most energetic manner; and 14001. has been already subscribed to meet the expenses.

The Manchester Chamber of Commerce have presented to Mr. Themes Easley, a handsome piece of silver worth 400 guineas, as a testimony of their respect for his conduct as president of the Chamber for fourteen years.

The Leeds Chamber of Commerce have adopted a suggestion made by Mr. Miller of Dundee, and are willing to aid in forming a Flax Supply Association, for the purpose of obtaining supplies from India.

The people of Birmingham held a large meeting on Wednesday, the Mayor presiding, and passed resolutions declaring a determination to re- sist by all legitimate means the revival of church-rates. They will be satisfied with nothing but the "complete extinction of the existing sys- tem throughout the country."

The annual meeting of the friends of the Saltley Reformatory called upon the platform many of those distinguished gentlemen who have al- ways supported the juvenile reformatory movement. Mr. C. B. Adder- by presided, and in his speech he reviewed the history of the question and marked its progress.

From 1854 to 18-58, not a single session of Parliament has passed in which there has not been legislation regarding it. At that moment there are two Scotch acts, three English acts, a Middlesex act, and an Irish set; and that is enough. He would say, "A truce to legislation, and let us now set to work with action"; not, however, that they had been at all wanting in ac- tion during the progress of that legislation. Ile had some satisfaction in re- flecting that he introduced the first act and the last act upon the subject, and he had peculiar satisfaction in saying that he did it simply as the spokesman of Birmingham. All these different acts have not taken exactly the same view of the subject. Scotland, he thought wisely, has treated as one matter the whole question of juvenile vagrancy, while England has taken pains to make a distinction betwixt vagrancy and criminal children, and has added to the number of its divisions by having local as well as general acts. Mr. Addorley objected to all multiplicity, especially in the matter of schools, and said he would rather have the Scotch system than the English one. 'Ireland has taken a different view from either, and has specially con- fined-itself to criminality, public opinion against vagrancy being probably not very strong in the sister kingdom. But though the three countries have created the subject differently. in detail, yet it is satisfactory to know that all have accepted the same principle—that the public had determined to step in and prevent children being cast upon the streets to live upon plunder.

Mr. Adderley pointed out that administrators are the last to be con- vinced of the necessity of reforms, and the last to appreciate reforms forced upon them. He insisted that too much reliance should not be placed on the state ; for if reformatories cease to be private institutions, aided by the state, but chiefly supported by voluntary contributions, they will before many years be prisons in the guise of reformatories, and therefore worse that an open honest prison.

A singular case was heard in the Vice-Chancellor's Court at Oxford on Saturday. Two members of the University ; one Mr. Parkinson, a Master of Arts, duly attired in jockey costume, had determined to ride a race in Port Meadow, a large fiat piece of ground belonging to the freemen of the city. The Proctors, hearing of this, interfered. Although they were warned to refrain from riding, the gentlemen persisted, and when sum- moned to attend before the senior proctor Mr. Parkinson refused, not recog- nizing his authority. For this he was fined 51.; but he refused payment', and was cited to appear in the Vice-Chancellor's Court, when ho paid the fine under protkat, and appealed, alleging that the Proctors have no power over any members of convocation, except to report him to the Vice-ChaW- cellor. Dr. Kenyon heard the appeal. Judgment reserved.

Frederick Prentice, a labourer at Queenaborough in Kent, has' slain a young girl in the streets of that town because she refused to listen to hik addresses. Ile afterwards surrendered to a constable whom he met at mid- night on the road to Sheerness.

Mr. Ileury Terry, a tilvermith of Leeds, has been fined 61. for assaulting Mr. David Newton, wool-merchant and Town Councillor.

A boy was imprisoned in Ipswich gaol for stealing a watch. When about to be liberated, he told Mr. Mloway, the governor, that he should gO to his Mends at Richmond in Yorkshire, from whom he had run away. Mr. Als loway communicated with his father, and the poor man begged him to re- tain the young sinner until an elder brother urrived to take him home. The elder brother came—he had walked all the way—the last twelve miles without food. He stated he had eight shillings only when he started from home; but he had brought his trowel with him, being a bricklayer, hoping., on his way home, to meet with a job to support himself and brother on the jolieney homewards. Mr. Alloway kindly gave both lads a good and substantial meal, provided them with funds, and started them on their way rejoicings'

i,r

A 'yoang lady, the daughter of an East Yorkshire squire, and the Wile of her district, has fallen in love with her father's valet, and married. him. The account in circulation describes the lady as making love to the gentle- man's "gentleman," and as succeeding in her seductive arts. Perhaps this will not prove quite accurate. The wedding was cleverly contrived. Miss pretended te go on a visit to a frieud of the family -, she Went renlly to York. The "gentleman ," a week afterwards obtained.' leave of absence on urgelit private affairs" for two days. He' ago wcet to York. Soon afterwards the parents of the lady were startled by' receiving wedding-cards!

The lives of the Marchioness of Westminster and her dauAter were placed in peril at Chester the other day in consequence of what looks like an indulgence of exceasive parshnony. As they were driving along Fere, gate Street the body of the old carriage, from sheer decay ..along, separated into two parts. The two ladies were plum(' gently on

ground ; the horse ran off with the box on which sat the servants. No one was hurt.

Windsor Castle was menaced with fire on Saturday. A son of the Reve- rend Lord Wriothesley Russell, sleeping at the house of Canon Anson in the cloisters, set his bed furniture in flames. Happily aid was at hand and the fire was extinguished, but not until all the furniture had been burned.

Huge draper's shops are now the fashion. They grow bigger and bigger almost daily. The mania is not confined to London, it has extended to the provinces. One of these enormous establishment at Liverpool has recently hmi augmented. Business was carried on in one department, while labourers were pulling down walls and clearing away another. On Tuesday the shop was full, when suddenly a wall, left without support, fell down, broke into the shop, and carried customers, shopmen, and goods, together with the floor on which they stood, into the cellar. They had to be dug out. The result was that five persons, two ladies, a shopman, and two labourers, have been killed, and seven others have been wounded more or less severely.

A jury have blamed the proprietor of the shop for not having employed proper workpeople.

Another house, also undergoing conversion, from a public house to a hotel, fell on Thursday ; killed one; wounded severely, one.

A workman in the Dowlais Works died recently from the effects of being bitten by a cat in a rabid state. Six other persons were bitten by the fu- rious animal, which has been destroyed.—Bristol Mercury.