The eighth article of the constitutional charter, by which Louis possessed his throne, had stipulated for the liberty of the press. On the 6th of July, two of his ministers were introduced into the chamber of deputies, to present a law on this subject. The project of the law was divided into two parts, the first respected the publication of works, the second the superintendance of the press. According to the first, every work of above 30 sheets might be pub lished freely, without previous examination ; but the liberty which was apparently given on this part of the project, was in a great measure withdrawn, by the proposal that the director-general of the press might order all writings un der 30 to be communicated to him before being printed. The appointment of censors was to be vested in the King. No journals or periodical writings were to ap pear without the King's authority. According to the second part of the proposed law, no person could be a printer or bookseller, without the King's licence, which might be withdrawn ; and all printing establishments not licensed might be destroyed. The projet concluded with a proposal that the law should be revised in three years.
This projet was referred to a committee, who decided by a mere majority of votes, that previous censorship ought not to serve as the basis of the law. When the report of the committee was brought up, several bold and eloquent speeches were made in favour of the liberty of the press, which seemed to prove that more practicable ideas of the nature and object of government were beginning to pre vail in France ; but the painful recollection that the same men who spoke thus freely and warmly on this important topic, gave applause, apparently as zealous and sincere, to the measures of Bonaparte, forces the mind to withhold from them the rarer and more useful tribute of disinterest ed patriotism. In time sitting of the 1 1 th of August, the Abbe Montesquieu addressed the chamber of deputies in defence of the plan of the law, which had been submitted to them, conceding, however, on the part of the King, cer tain amendments, to the effect that no censure should ap ply to a work exceeding 20 sheets, and that the law should cease to operate at the end of sessit;n After an ani mated debate, the law, as amended by the concession on the part of the crown, was adopted by the chamber, there being 137 votes for it, and 80 against it.
The only other topic of considerable interest and impor tance, which came under the discussion of the chambers, related to the restoration of the unsold estates of the emi grants. A law to that effect passed the chamber of de puties by a large majority ; it was then carried up to the chamber of peers, where it passed by a majority of 100 votes out of 103 present. On this occasion Marshal Mac
donald pronounced a discourse of great effect, at the close of which he announced his intention of proposing a projet of a law, the object of which should be to grant life an nuities to those of the emigrants, the sale of whose estates had left them unprovided for. The nature of the propos ed law was most maliciously misrepresented in one of the Paris journals. According to the statement in it, Marshal Macdonald asserted that the military of all ranks were willing to contribute a portion of their pay to create a fund for the support of the emigrants. The effect, and pro bably the purpose of this misrepresentation, was to in crease the of the soldiery, already sullen and irri tated, not only towards the emigrants, but also towards the King and the government. The offending journal was im mediately suppressed ; but such was either the timidity or the indecision of the government, that in a short time it was again permitted to be published.
On the loth of December, Marshal Macdonald present ed to the chamber of peers a sketch of his system of in demnity for the emigrants : he estimated at 300 millions the amount of confiscations or sales made, and of course the amount of indemnities to be provided ; and he propos ed to replace the value of the confiscated and sold estates by an annuity of 21 per cent.
Such were the two principal topics that came under dis cussion before the chambers during 1814 : they were not only important in themselves, but they had a material in fluence on the stability and permanence of Louis' govern ment; for the very limited liberty granted to the press alarmed and alienated .the republican party, which were now beginning to assume consistency and strength ; and the very agitating of the subject relative to the property of the emigrants, created serious and general apprehen sion in the minds of the very numerous and widely spread class who had purchased confiscated estates. Discontent and dissatisfaction began to manifest themselves in dif ferent parts of the kingdom. Among the oppressions from which Louis, or rather his brother, had promised to liberate the French, were the droits reunis, or indirect taxes; but though the minister of finance, and after wards Talleyrand, officially reported the prospects of France, with respect to the produce of the taxes, and manufac tures, and commerce, as very flattering, yet the King could not redeem his pledge that the droits reunis should be taken off. In consequence of which, the collection of them created such serious discontents, that his Majesty was obliged to issue an ordinance, which at once proved the serious nature and the extent of the evil, and the ina bility or apprehension of the government, to crush it effec tually by vigorous pleasures.