M. de Lamartine has received the tremendous deputation from the
Irish Confederates, sent over to greet the Republicans with sympathy and to ask succours for the Irish rebels. The reception was comparatively cool ; the succours were expressly refused. Though M. de Lamartine is a poet, a revolutionist, and a minister of the mob, he has some insight into the true policy for his coun- try, and has abundant courage to obey his own conscience. He declined to aid a section of the British people, or set one part against another. Mr. Smith O'Brien still brags about 50,000 men ready to come over as volunteers in aid of the Confederates; but he bears no authorized promise of succours from the Govern- ment; be returns with nothing authentic but a lecture. The state of France is not materially altered ; lt it is bad enough. Bankruptcy is impending, says a French journal ; the Funds are fallen to a rate of prices like that of the South American Stocks ; trade is stagnant; labour is effectually disorganized ; the army is mutinous. Nothing is regular, but the planting of " trees of liberty" in every place and crossing : perishable monu- ments, planted in uncongenial paving-stones, destined to a stunted and transitory existence, and therefore chosen, we presume, as typifying the French Republic
General Cavaignac was offered the Ministry of War : he con- sented to accept it, if he were allowed to bring 80,000 troops to Paris, to protect " liberty,"—a significant foreshadowing of the next stage in French history.
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