ake no change in his relations with the French Government, and to do
nothing that might wear the appearance of English interference. It appeared
that Lord Palmerston had once more acted on his own initiative. He was
requested to resign. Before long the dismissed Minister had an opportunity
of showing the government how formidable an adversary he could be.

1852

[Sidenote: Louis Napoleon in power]

[Sidenote: Empire foreshadowed]

On the first day of January, Louis Napoleon was reinstalled as President of
France in the Cathedral of Notre Dame. The day was made a public holiday.
On New Year's Eve the Diplomatic Corps had congratulated Prince Napoleon at
the Palace of the Tuileries. A few days later some of the more prominent of
the President's opponents, among them Changarnier and Lamorciere, were
conducted to the Belgian frontier. On January 10, the President banished
eighty-three members of the Legislative Assembly. Some six hundred persons
who had been arrested for resisting the _coup d'etat_ at the same time were
taken to Havre for transportation to Cayenne. On January 14, the new
constitution was made public. All real powers were vested in the President.
He had the initiative for all new measures, as well as the veto on
deliberations of both Senate and Legislative Assembly. The Senators were to
be appointed by him. The sessions of both bodies were to be held behind
closed doors. The impotence of the legislators was offset by their princely
salaries. Senators were to receive 30,000 francs per year, while the
Deputies drew half that sum. The actual sessions of the Legislature were
limited to three years. The President himself was to draw an annual salary
of 12,000,000 francs. The money for these expenditures was raised by
extraordinary means. A decree on January 22 confiscated all former crown
lands and the estates of the Princes of Orleans. The press was gagged by a
decree prohibiting the publication of any newspaper without the sanction of
the government. All liberty poles were chopped down, and the motto of
"Liberte, Fraternite, Egalite," was tabooed. On February 29, the elections
for the Legislative Assembly were held. The government nominated all the
candidates, and practically all were elected. Late in March, Prince Louis
Napoleon opened the Senate and Corps Legislatif. His address throughout was
couched in the language of a monarch. While he conceded the intention of
the republican reforms to be harml