The following is the character of the President of the French Republic, as drawn by M. de la Gueronniere, late editor of "La Presse," and now editor of the "Pays :" "Louis Napoleon is a superior man, but with that superiority which conceals itself under a doubtful exterior. His life is altogether internal-his words do not indicate his inspiration-his gesture does not shew his audacity-his glance does not intimate his ardour-his demeanour does not reveal his resolution. All his moral nature is, in a certain manner, kept under by his physical nature. He thinks, and does not discuss he decides, and does not deliberate-he acts, and does not make much movement-he pronounces, and does not assign his reasons. His best friends do not know him-he commands confidence, and never seeks it. The day before the expedition to Boulogne, General Montholon had promised him to follow wherever he led. Every day he presides in silence at his Council of Ministers--he listens to everything that is said, speaks but little, and never yields—with a phrase, brief and clear as an order of the day, he decides the most disputed questions. And that is the reason why a Parliamentary Ministry is almost impossible by his side. A Parliamentary Ministry would want to govern, and he would not consent to abdicate. But with that inflexibility of will there is nothing abrupt or absolute in the form. Queen Hortense used to call him the mildly obstinate; and that judgment of the mother is completely true. Louis Napoleon Bonaparte possesses that goodness of heart which tempers and often conceals the workings of the mind. The somewhat English stiffness of his person, manners, and even language, disappears under an affability, which, with him, is only the grace of sentiment. Many are deceived by that appearance, and take his goodness for weakness, and his affability for insincerity. At bottom he is completely master of himself; and his kindest movements enter into his actions only according to the exact measure he has determined on. Easily roused, he cannot soon be led away; he calculates everything, even his enthusiasm and his acts of audacity; his heart is only the vassal of his head. Does that inflexible judgment constitute an active will? I hesitate not to reply, no; and it is here that I have to touch on one of the shades the most essential and most delicate of his character. Louis Napoleon Bonaparte is endowed with an incontestable power of resistance-of vis inertiæ; but what he wants, in the very highest degree, is the power of initiation. He believes too much that the empire is to be, and is apathetic. He is not sufficiently impressed with the maxim that the head of a Government is bound not only to resist the impulse of the parties which desire to lead him away, but that to properly fulfil all his mission he ought to have an impulse of his own, to march firmly forward, and to make himself the guide of the public mind. In closely examining the acts of the President of the Republic since he has been in power, we perceive that he has freed himself from every one, but led no one after him. It would seem that he must become an instrument in the hands of this man or of that. But he has served no ambition, and has very adroitly withdrawn from all the conjoint responsibilities which impeded or constrained him. All would have been exceedingly well if, after having had sufficient energy to achieve his personal independence, he had possessed sufficient resources to constitute his political importance, and to connect his individuality with a great movement of opinion. It is that which he has not done. Louis Napoleon Bonaparte is at present the free and incontestable head of the Government; but he is not the head of public opinion; he has, without doubt, behind him many reminiscences which his name arouses, much enthusiasm which his blood produces, many sympathies generated by his character and many interests. reassured by his government; but he has not under his hand those great currents of opinion which men of real strength produce and direct, which carry their fortune with that of the country. Is that his fault? Is that his fault? I am inclined to think it is." No. IX. PROCEEDINGS ON INQUEST ON THE BODY OF JOSEPH LONNERGAN (SHOT BY EDMOND POWER, ESQ., J.P., THE 21ST OF APRIL, 1807). EVIDENCE AND FINDING OF JURY-SWORN INFORMATIONS, ETC. Copied verbatim from the original documents existing in the Crown office of Clonmel. County of Tipperary-To Wit.-The names of the jury to try and enquire how, and in what manner, Joseph Lonnergan, late of Mullough, in said county, farmer, came by his death. Taken before Richard Needham, Esq., D. Mayor of Clonmel, and Edmund Armstrong, one of the coroners of said county, at the gaol of Clonmel, April 23, 1807. John Mulcahy, 10. and enquire how, and in Gentlemen, your issue is to try, what manner, Joseph Lonnergan, gaol of Clonmel, was killed, and by whom, when, and where, and upon what occasion. We find that Joseph Lonnergan came to his death by a gun-shot wound, and from circumstances, we believe that said shot might have been fired by Edmond Power, as magistrate of this county, in his own defence, and the execution of his office, and under the authority of the Secretary of the Lord Lieutenant. Signatures of the jury follow. Bernard Wright was the editor of Mr. Power's Paper, "The Clonmel Gazette," the same person who was flogged by Sir John Judkin Fitzgerald.-R. R. M. Evidence taken on an inquest held on the body of Joseph Lonnergan, on April 23, 1807, in the gaol of Clonmel. First witness, John R. Phillips, of Clonmel, surgeon, deposeth and saith, that he was called upon about five or six o'clock on the evening of the 21st of April instant, and saith that in about a quarter of an hour after, deponent examined Joseph Lonnergan, the deceased, in the gaol of Clonmel, and saith, he found he had received a gun-shot wound, which wound was the occasion of his death, and saith, that the said Lonnergan died about eleven o'clock on the ensuing morning. John R. Phillips, surgeon. Richard Needham, D. Lieut. Clonmel. Edward Armstrong, Coroner. Second witness, Mary Kirwan, deposeth and saith, that she saw a shot fired at the deceased Joseph Lonnergan, but does not know who fired it, but it was fired by a gentleman on horseback; saith she saw the deceased after the shot was fired stretched on the ground, saw a good many people gathered at the place where the shot was fired; saith, the person who fired the shot was on a small road, and the deceased was at the other side of the ditch; saith, the deceased did not throw a stone, and that he could not without deponent seeing him; the gentleman was standing on a ditch at the opposite side of the place where the first shot was fired, when he fired the second shot. Saw a gun in his hand, and saw him charge the gun after the second shot was fired. Truly read by me, Edward Armstrong, Coroner. Richard Needham, D. L. Darby Dwyer, of Gananey, third witness, deposeth and saith he knew Joseph Lonnergan, the deceased: deponent saith, he does think that the person who fired the shot was not on horseback; did not see any one fire the shot, but deponent heard it; saw the above-named Mary Kirwan at the place be fore deponent went for Mr. Power's horse, and saw Mr. Power there; deponent is not related to the deceased, nor is Mary Kirwan: heard only one shot, does not know who the first shot was fired by; saw a gun in Mr. Power's hand. Bridget Hannahan, widow, of Mullough, fourth witness :— Deponent saith, she heard a shot fired, on which deponent came up and saw a man on the ditch with a gun in his hand, and saw Joseph Lonnergan lying on the clay; saith, she does not know Mr. Power, and being called upon to identify his person, said, she could not do so; saith the person who had the gun in his hand said he would shoot her if she came farther; and saith that the man on the ditch was forty yards from the deceased, when deponent came up and saw no other person with a gun. Bridget Hannahan, × her mark. Truly read by Edward Armstrong. Richard Needham. John Everard, of Mullough, farmer, fifth witness, deposeth and saith, he knew Joseph Lonnergan, the deceased: saith, he was not present at the beginning of the transaction, but came up a good while afterward, and deponent met Mr. Power, who came up towards the place where deponent was, and deponent and Mr. Power met each other; saith, he saw a shot fired by Mr. Power, at which time Joseph Lonnergan, the deceased, was running away from Mr. Power, and deponent asked Mr. Power why he fired at the deceased, and he answered witness, that the villain had thrown a stone at him, upwards of two pounds weight, which Mr. Power produced to witness; and that he hit him with the stone; the deceased got into the house of Mr. William Lonnergan, of Mullough, and Mr. Power asked Lonnergan if the second shot |