NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE existing Government of France manifests some alarm for its position abroad and at home ; a fact manifested by the precautions which it has taken to alarm its enemies, to conciliate its friends, and to increase the resources of the Government party. The steps that it has taken appear to be of an unpromising kind. The en- deavour to purchase adhesion by the disposal of public money has created increasing disgust, which was at last in danger of ex- ploding, even in the subservient Corps Legislatif. The Prince de In Moskwa is a troublesome person, allied with Bonapartist roy- alty, and in debt : it was intended to satisfy and silence him by paying off arrears of pension to the widow of his father ; but the excessive repugnance of the Chamber caused the withdrawal of the measure.
_There have been murmurs at other financial operations. One which has not given rise to so much opposition, is a bill to supply municipalities with funds out of the Credit Foneier and Credit Mobilier to promote local improvements and buildings, for it falls in with the French idea of doing everything by Govern- ment means; but it stimulates that enormous expenditure without return which must precipitate the inevitable crash.
At the same time that he is trying to buy up interests local and personal, Louis Napoleon does not reject the means of ruling by naked terror. The Imperial Government of 1853 proposes to re- store the death-punishment for political offences, which the Re- public of 1848 abolished. All parties, even the Legi '
timists feel that by this measure those who sanction it will be placing a knife in the hands of one man, which may be used against themselves. Besides the natural dislike to the barbarous reaction, it creates disgust as coming especially from him who has oftener than once profited by a clement administration of the law which he had outraged. In his absurd exhibition at Boulogne Louis Napoleon wantonly shot a soldier : if he had committed the atrocity in Eng- land, he might have been hanged for murder. His punishment for that, and the high treason of his attempt to subvert the go- vernment then peacefully established in France, was commuted ; and now he, the criminal whose life was spared, having attained to power by the success of other acts of violence, is restoring the sanguinary character of the code ! The French do not dislike military coercion, but they hate and despise meanness and cow- ardice.
