" tar t—The Moldleas of Monday contained a formal denial of Mr.
Roebuck's fact as to the treaty or understandino, for the cession of Sardinia by Italy to France, in the event of the evacua- tion of Rome. It was couched in language which it would have been scarcely possible to use had the denial been simply "diplo- matic." "Not only," said the .Moniteur, "does such a convention not exist, but even the thought of entering into negotiations on this subject with the Cabinet of Turin has never occurred to the Empe- ror's Government." We hope that in future Mr. Roebuck will distrust his own "certain knowledge" as much as most men distrust their conjectural opinions. A series of valuable letters have been published in the Times from the French camp at Chalons. We learn from them that the Empe- ror commands the constant efforts of the most scientific experience for the task of perfecting not only the physical condition of his army, but its accoutrements and discipline. "The war in Italy has not been lost upon him." The leathern leggings, worn by the Zouaves, reaching a little above the white linen gaiters, have been universally adopted for the infantry soldiers. The rifle has been introduced throughout the whole army. "Sights" are abolished, except for the Chasseur rifles, as a refinement useless to ordinary marks- men. Slow step is altogether done away with, the pas ordinaire being fixed at 77 to the minute, double quick at 110 in a minute. The oldcomplicated formation of squares has been changed, and the simple square adopted, with a reserve in the centre. The deep for- mations of the Napoleonic army are exchanged for the shallow ones of the English. Great improvements have also been introduced into the construction of the huts, and measures taken to ensure the general salubrity of the camp. No less effort has been devoted to the improvement of the French cavalry. Great progress has been made in procuring good horses, in which at the time of the Crimean war they were greatly deficient. Algeria has been almost drained, and England, Germany, and Switzerland thoroughly ransacked. But the faith in heavy cavalry, which is one of the French military tradi- tions, still appears to linger. The accoutrements, such as the saddle and bridle, have indeed been considerably lightened. The riding, too, has been vastly improved since the Crimean war, and rendered easier by shortening the stirrup. "A new kind of puppet-heads has been put upon the practice-ground, and these rise again by a spring when they are struck by lance or sword." The men are also trained to leaping their horses over barriers. Their inanceuvring is described as exceedingly good. Cavalry brigades, or even divisions of from 1000 to 2000 men, are taught to charge in line. Marshal Randon is said to be responsible for many of the improvements in the cavalry tactics.
The Emperor's visit to the camp had been a decided success, and the visit of the Prince Imperial still more so. The child was a favourite with the Zouaves, and many a story, which, if not true in fact, shows the interest and kind feeling felt for him in the army, was circulated. Take, for example, the following: "The Emperor invited during his stay every evening the superior officers of another division to dinner. Those of the Third Infantry Division were there the day Marshal Canrobert arrived. After dinner the gallant Marshal asked the boy whether he had already gone through the manual exercise. The boy brought his musket, and the Marshal gave the words of com- mand. When it came to the loading, the Marshal, either on purpose or because he remembered old things vaguely, commanded Ouvrez le bassinet' (priming), when the boy quietly answered, 'You have forg,otten your rhglement, there are now percussion-caps.'" The Emperor is gone to Biarritz, and the only political event is the speech delivered by Count de Morny on opening the sitting of the Council General of the Puy-de-Dome. His candour has, on this occa- sion, given great offence. After his usual tribute to the Emperor, in which he says, "The internal embarrassments from which scarcely any of the great Powers of the world are at this moment free, and., above all, the word of the Emperor Napoleon, remove all appre. hension of any war whatever in which France can be engaged," the Count goes on to discuss commercial and local affairs. But he cannot conclude without a further appeal in favour of the Imperial system. "You, gentlemen," says the Count, to the members of the Council of the Puy-de-Dame, with something like the irony of affected magniloquence—"you whose calm judgment precedes that ofposterity, must be struck by the great movement that has taken place since the peace." In what 'way the Count imagines that this remarkable quality distinguishes the councillors of the Puy-de-Dame from other men, he does not tell us, but he evidently attributes to it some very tranquillizing influence on their judgment by the confidence with which he addresses to them the sentiments that have given so much offence in France. The offending passage is as follows :
"You cannot but admire the powerful initiative of the Emperor, which extends to all things, and which has voluntarily opened the path to all liberties. For my part, I sincerely rejoice when I see my country endowed by its sovereign with new liberty, because I con- sider that liberties accorded (libertes octroyees) will be better es- tablished among us than were the liberties which were achieved. I particularly rejoice when the liberty is civil or commercial, because, in my opinion, the exercise of it ought to precede that of political liberties, and lead to them without danger and inconvenience. Civil liberties ,„oive to the man and the citizen the sentiment of his indi- vidual value and his duties, and inspire him in particular with fore- sight and a taste for labour. The habit of always having recourse to the Government, of counting on it' more than on oneself, engenders idleness and a weakness of mind which enervate the individual, and often lead his political sentiments astray."
The phrase here used has given great offence in France. It was the phrase employed by Louis XVIII., and, as the Siècle says, to use such language is "to speak the language of another age, of 1788 and 1814. It is to attack the principles of 1789, which the Government has always claimed as its owroand as,-the basis of the Imperial insti- tution." France is, after all; far more sensitive_to a phrase than to an injustice.
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