come

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upon the phantom denominated attempt to conceal that the object the "ostensible editor." At the of interposing an interval between same time, the stamp duties already the printing and the publication, imposed on periodical writings were was to enable them to seize the augmented. Then followed some work, if on examination it should general provisions, increasing the be found obnoxious, before it got penalties already denounced by the into the hands of the public; and existing law, although, in no one men who loved liberty could not instance, had the courts, when a shut their eyes to the fact, that conviction was obtained, this was not merely a censorship, nearly up to that point of punish- but a most galling and ruinous ment which the law would have censorship. The censor who reallowed, and the prosecutor re- fuses his imprimatur to the manua quired. Printers were made uni- script of an author, only wounds versally liable in the very same his self-love, and prevents him, by way as the known authors, pro- possibility, from filling his purse; prietors, or publishers. Under the but the censor who, calling for no pretext of protecting the sanctity manuscript, pounces on and renof private life, but from a convic- ders useless the printed edition, tion, it was said, on the part of besides injuring his pride, empties Peyronnet, that his own private his pockets. The regulations, likelife would not bear investigation, wise, which increased the stampa it was broadly declared, that “ duties upon journals, and imposed fine of five hundred francs shall be a new and exorbitant stamp-duty imposed on every publication re- on all other works of not more lating to the acts of private life of than five sheets, were confessedly any Frenchman living, or of stran- intended, as they were excellently gers residing in France, unless the calculated, to diminish the number person interested shall, previous to of readers—to shut out a great parti judgment obtained, have author- of the public from all means of ized or approved of the publica- obtaining information, as useless or tion:" and, lest private persons mischievous to make reading, in whose names had been publicly short, too costly a luxury ever to used, might have the good sense become the regular food of the

, and the good taste not to make middle and lower orders. This matters worse by a still more pub- was enough to call forth the disa lic trial, it was finally provided, approbation of any sensible and ihat “every act of defamation honest-minded man, and much committed against private persons more than enough to rouse the may be officially prosecuted, even utmost fury of the liberal journals. where the person defamed has The other provisions of the law made no complaint.”

excited, in at least an equal degree, Such was the proposed law, the a hostility altogether independent promulgation of which excited in of political opinions. The clause Paris one loud and universal ex- which declared females and minors pression of alarm and indignation. incapable of being proprietors of a Its character was such as to unite journal, was a direct and violent against it men of all parties, for it interference with property. A attacked industry and property as widow or a minor might be sharewell as liberty, Ministers did not holders in canals ; partners in

manufacturing establishments, or matter was to be found. Then the commercial enterprises of any first copy issued for sale would be kind, but were not allowed to seized at the door of the printingpreserve their interest in a journal; house, and all that the world would and, though their very existence hear of the matter would be, the might depend upon the profits of trial of the author, the printer, one, a share of which had been and the publisher, before the court bequeathed to them by a husband of correctional police. The effect, or a father, they were to be cut which these positive discourageoff from its emoluments by this ments to writers and proprietors ex-post facto law. The limitation would have on this branch of inof the proprietors of a journal to dustry, could not be doubtful; and five, inflicted the same confiscation the fiscal regulations of the new law even on those who might be duly would cut up a great portion of it qualified, while the regulation, by the roots. The increased stampwhich required that the names of duty on journals would put an the proprietors should be printed end at once to half the journals in at the head of every number, com- Paris; while the imposition of a pelled those who wished to be dor- tax of a whole franc on the first, mant proprietors to withdraw their and ten centimes on every other capital from this branch of indus- sheet of all works, not exceeding try altogether. The prohibition five sheets, would render it imposagainst removing a single sheet sible to print any pamphlet with a from the printer's office till five or rational prospect of its being sold. ten days had elapsed, was pro- It was calculated that the effect of nounced at once to be not merely all this would be, immediately to unjust and oppressive, but absurd throw out of employment between and impracticable. No printer, it eight and ten thousand persons, was said, kept, or could keep, all and to induce many, who had the sheets of a work in his print- something to lose, to abandon a ing-office till the day of publica- profession so dangerous and pretion; and if he attempted to carry carious. A petition was prepared, a single copy to the person who signed by every bookseller and was to stitch them together, he printer of any eminence in Paris. was to be prosecuted as if he had The printers declared, that the published, and the whole edition law, in its present form, would put was to be forfeited. As the law a stop to their occupation. now stood; the deposit and the Thus the general outcry against publication took place simultane- the proposed law rose from much ously ; the public were made larger and more substantial interests judges of the book as well as the than those of mere party spirit

. The public prosecutor; the author and journals of the ultra-royalist party his work, the prosecutor and his were as vehemently opposed to it prosecution, were tried by public as their liberal adversaries; all who opinion. But the five days allowed felt the value of liberty, of the by the new system would be spent rights of property of the dignity and in having the work examined by independence of literature, united, interested officers, eager to detect as if to avert a common calamity. what their masters might call dan- Ministers were deserted not only gerous matter, where no dangerous by all the independent part of the

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nation, but by many of their for- had never been wanting in submer friends. Even the journals mission to princes, or inclined to which they paid for supporting interfere in politics, and most of them, the literary hirelings whom whose members had found their they had bought with the public way into its ranks, through the money, and fed with the crumbs medium of royal favour, ventured of office, either threw down their to risk incurring the king's disarms, or turned them against their pleasure, by condemning the king's commanders. The Parisian jour project. At a sitting of the acan nals were unanimous in their in- demy which was held for the purcessant assaults upon the bill ; not pose, an address to his majesty one solitary sheet put forth a sen- against the law was proposed by tence in its behalf; ministers were . Lacretelle, the historian of the reduced to the necessity of writing Revolution. Of twenty-eight memarticles themselves for the Moni- bers who were present, eighteen teur, and compelling the other voted for it, and only six against journals to reprint these articles in it; four having declined to give their columns. The situation of their opinions as academicians on a the property of the Moniteur itself measure on which they would soon made the defence of the new pro- have to decide legislatively as peers ject in its columns a severe satire of France. Even of those who on its pretended justice, and a opposed the address, not one ape bitter irony on free discussion. proved, or attempted to defend, The property of that journal be- the law. Their opposition was longed to the daughter of Pan- founded on the impropriety of the coucke, the celebrated bookseller, academy, a purely literary body, who established it at the beginning interfering with measures of state of the Revolution, and to the widow and political discussions. On the of the late proprietor. By the other hand, it was maintained, that article of the new project, which the academy was not only entitled, rendered females incapable of holde but was bound, as being the first ing the property of journals, these literary body in the kingdom, to ladies were to be stripped of their express its opinion on a project means of existence, and yet they which affected so deeply and imwere obliged to declare it'" a law mediately the general interests of of love and liberty;" an unfortu- letters, and of literary men. The nate expression which the wits of decision excited high displeasure at Paris tortured into a thousand court; and those of the academishapes, and turned, in a thousand cians, who were within the reach epigrams, to the grievous annoy- of ministerial vengeance by holdance of the Keeper of the Seals, ing places dependant on the miniswho happened to live in a state of terial will, were speedily taught separation from his wife, and to at what price they were to purhave his household under the chase their liberty of opinion. It

. management of his wife's sister. Even the French academy, which his Excellency having belonged to a

is a privilege of the academy, that phlets, and throwing the responsiits members, when they have occa- bility on the printer, even where sion to address the king, are entitled the author and publisher were to approach the throne directly, known. M. Villèle himself was and present their petitions to his defeated in his own bureau. He majesty in person. The director proposed M. Kergarion, a violent of the academy having applied in ultra, and a zealous partisan of the the proper quarter to be informed Jesuits. The adversaries of the when it would please the king to bill proposed M. de la Bourdonnaye, grant him an audience, for the himself a royalist, but more modepurpose of presenting the address, rate in his views, and a personal received for answer, that his ma- enemy of the minister and of his jesty refused to receive him at all. project. The liberals joined the M. Lacretelle, who had proposed royalist opposition and carried the the address, was immediately dis- election of de la Bourdonnaye. missed from his office of dramatic Of the nine members, ministers censor ;

M. M. Villemain and secured the nomination of five who Michaud, who had supported it, would go any lengths with them. were deprived of the situations Among these was de Moustier, the which they filled, the former of ambassador, whom, but a short time Maître des Requêtes, and the latter before, they had recalled from the of Reader to the King. A public court of Madrid for betraying their subscription was opened for M. interests and disobeying their inVillemain, which in a short time structions. His opinion of the amounted to four thousand pounds. proposed law was, that it was a M. Michaud was editor of the great deal too mild to be efficient. Quotidienne, the most ultra-royal In consequence of the almost journal of Paris, the official ga- equal weight of the two parties zette of Chaves and the Portu- in the committee, the project, when

returned by that body to the Ministers were more powerful chamber, was altered and amended in the chamber of Deputies than in every one of its most important beyond its walls; but even there provisions. Some of its leading it was only after a violent struggle, articles were discarded altogether. that they were able to secure The interval of five and of ten a majority in the committee to days to elapse between the time of which the bill was to be referred. deposit and the publication, was The members of the chamber are shortened to two and five days; distributed by lot into nine sections the list of exceptions was extendor bureaux ; and every bill brought ed, and the clause, which proin is referred to a commission of hibited the issue of a single sheet nine members, formed by each of from the printing-office even to be these bureaux electing one of its dried or stitched, was amended so own number. In the present in- as to include under the denominastance, some of the bureaux, while tion of printing-offices all the estas they elected commissioners friendly blishments necessary to complete in general to ministerial projects, the work for publication. The instructed them to oppose particu- proposed stamp-duty of a franc on lar provisions of the law, such as every pamphlet of not more than these imposing the duty on pam« qne sheet, with an additional tax

guese rebels.

of ten centimes on each additional clause, that “the tribunals, howsheet, till the number should ex- ever, shall have the power of disceed five, was rejected entirely; charging printers from all responbut, in place of it, a restrictive re- sibility,

according to circumstances” gulation was proposed, giving to -and, considering the temper government a control over all pub- which the courts had uniformly lications of not more than five displayed towards alleged offences sheets, but only if they were print- of the press, prosecuted by public ed in a smaller size than 18mo. officers, there was every reason to The limitation of the proprietors anticipate that this addition would of a journal to five in number was be a practical abrogation of the rlso discarded ; but, that some per- whole article. sons substantially interested might While these discussions were always be known, and be at hand going on, the Courier Français had to meet the demands of the law, been prosecuted by the advocateit was recommended that the pro- general for a libel on M. Peyronnet, prietors should be bound to select the father of the bill, contained in from among themselves, one, two, one of the numberless jeux d'esprit or three, of their number, holding upon himself and his offspring with at least one third of the property, which the press daily teemed. As who should, on all occasions, be re- the libel went near to impute to sponsible for the journal. These his excellency very serious, though proprietaires-redacteurs however, private, misconduct, the court con were to be males and of full age; victed the editor, but inflicted, at excepting to this extent, the confis- the same time, the very lowest cation of the property of females and quantum of punishment allowed minors contemplated by the origi- by the law, viz. imprisonment for nal bill was removed. A great a fortnight, and a fine of twelve reduction was recommended in the pounds. proposed scale of fines and impri- The alterations, however, pro« sonment, as well as in the addi- posed by the committee, by no tional stamp-duty to be laid on the means suited the views of the mix journals. The article which im- nisters, and they had influence posed a fine of five hundred francs enough to procure the rejection on every publication regarding the of the greater part of them. The private acts of a living Frenchman, debates were vehement and ima or of a foreigner living in France, passioned, sometimes more so than was retained; but that which au- legislative dignity seemed to per. thorized an ex officio prosecution mit.

M. de Berthier having of private defamation, even without designated the conduct of the mithe authority or against the wishes nistry as “ most culpable and base," of the person injured, was altered M. Peyronnet demanded leave to by a recommendation that the ex- speak. While he proceeded toofficio prosecution should be al- wards the tribune, M. Berthier lowed only “on the demand and advanced across the area, and with the assent of the party.” barred his passage, calling out to To the article making the printer him in a very animated tone equally liable, on all occasions, “ Have a care, Sir, of what you with the kpown author and are going to say; I know every publisher, was added 4 saving thing that has passed." At these