counts, received the final sanction of the chambers.*

men.

The army for 1828 was 283,818 In the navy, there were, afloat or on the stocks, 336 vessels, of which 56 were ships of the line, and 52 frigates.

During the discussion on the budget, several topics of general interest were adverted to. The treaties by which 12,000 Swiss were taken into the French service, were greatly complained of, especially, as the pay of these troops were far higher than that accorded to the French.

In the course of these desultory discussions, general La Fayette, admitting the ameliorations that had been introduced since 1789, in the social organization of France, drew from them the conclusion, that the more nations advance, the more go. vernments tend to retrograde. He blamed, in the army, the superabundance of generals, of staff. officers, of privileged and foreign corps. "We have few soldiers," said he, "and a nation that was formerly completely armed, and for a long time victorious over Europe in a coalition against its independence, is now as much disorganized and disarmed, as a conquered people could be." He expressed him.

self warmly against the refusal of the government to recognise the American states; and particularly pointed out the Spanish expedition as one of the most deplorable acts of the late ministry, as an expedi. tion both culpable and unfortunate, expressions which were repelled with earnestness by the minister of marine.

The relations with Spanish America were repeatedly the subject of discussion during this session, and when the chamber was on the budget for the department of foreign affairs, M. Jacques Lefe. vre complained that France had remained in an equivocal position, towards the states of South Ame. rica; and that the new tariff, promulgated in Mexico, imposed on French merchandise duties, double those which were establish. ed for other nations. According to him, the absence of her agents had not been less injurious to the political, than to the commercial concerns of France. The appropriation for objects connected with religion and education, also serv. ed as the foundation of many remarks; but our limits do not permit us to enter, in this place, into a further examination of these topics, or to detail the discussions respecting

august body soon imposed silence on the turbulent animosity of party passions; and, whether it was that several of the peers of the last pro. motion joined the old majority, or that the members of the old minority went over to the side threatened by the ministerial invasion, the general spirit of the house appeared not to be changed, and the laws passed in the other chamber found in every thing that could secure the maintenance of the charter, and of constitutional principles, the same support from an imposing majority."

Among the events of the year, connected with the history of France, is the return of the troops from Spain, now reduced to 5,500 men, who had remained there as an army of occupation since the year 1823, when the duke d'Angouleme obtained his triumph over the Spanish Cortes and the estab. lishment of representative governments in the Peninsula. Though the object of the invasion was wholly unjustifiable, yet after the liberal institutions were destroyed, and no hopes remained for Spanish regeneration, the influence of the French was decidedly beneficial, and unquestionably checked many of the excesses of the priests and their bigoted sovereign. Indeed, the submission of Ferdinand to the moderate counsels of his foreign advisers, was one of the principal grounds of the VOL. III.

rebellion of the Catalonians, who violently complained of the toleration, which, as they alleged, the Constitutionalists enjoyed. It is also probable that had the French army been previously withdrawn, active and efficient aid would have been furnished to the Portuguese rebels under Chaves, at the time that the invasion of that country was apprehended by Mr. Canning.

By a convention, concluded towards the close of the year, Spain agreed to meet the indemnities due to France for the expenses of the army of occupation, by inscribing on the grant book a capital of 80,000,000 francs; and it was stipulated, that, besides paying the interest, amounting to 2,400,000 francs, 1,600,000 a year should be appropriated for the gradual extinguishment of the principal.

The troops that returned from Spain formed part of the expedi tion, consisting of 13 or 14,000 men, that sailed for the Morea in the month of August, under Gene. ral Maison, and to whom was confided the honourable task of freeing that interesting country from the barbarians who still occupied some of its important fortresses. These places were all given up to the French, and the object of the expedition fully attained.

During the summer, the king made an excursion through his northern provinces. At Strasbourg, where he passed three days, he

received the personal compliments of several princes of the Germanic confederacy, among whom were the King of Wirtemberg, the Duke and Margraves of Baden. The Prince Constantine of Lowestein came to offer to his majesty the respects of the King of Bavaria.

The ministry sustained a severe loss by the indisposition of M. De la Ferronays, the most popular of their number, whom bad health compelled, in the course of the summer, to ask leave of absence from the duties of his office, to which he never returned. We have already seen, that the administration was at no time sure of an ascendency in the chambers, and that at the end of the session, as at the beginning, a majority, which changed according to temporary considerations, decided all questions. They were as unfortunate in their attempts to obtain the confidence of the crown, as they had been to acquire that of the legislature. Indeed, Charles X. was decidedly under the influence of the priests, and of his old advisers, with whom he only parted through necessity, and to recall whom to power he seemed disposed to avail himself of the first occasion. Du. ring the recess, several elections had taken place, nearly all of which terminated favourably to the libe.

rals; but, from this result, it could not be inferred that the strength of the ministry had been increased. The violent opponents of Villèle and his associates, were dissatisfied with the cautious proceedings of the new administration. Among the causes of discontent, was the decision of the ministry not to remove functionaries on political grounds, a course which, probably, contributed to their own overthrow.

There were important considerations, which ought to have weighed with the friends of constitutional liberty, in inducing them to uphold the existing administration. Their conduct had been frank and loyal. While M. Villèle, besides the anti-liberal tendency of his internal administration, had rendered himself extremely unpopular with the majority of the nation, by the expedition to Spain, which, with all its mitigating circumstances, was not only a palpable interference with the internal affairs of another state for the worst of purposes, but had entailed on the country a debt of a hundred mil lions, all Frenchmen exulted in the deliverance of the Greeks, effected by the generous interven tion of their arms, under the direc. tion of the new ministry.