Year: 1874




| ordinary human beings, we should say that
there was little prospect that the French AS
sembly would do anything of consequence dur
ing the three days which intervene between now
and their Adjournment On Thursday next they
are to take a recess until the Both OF November,
and each party has been making desperate
effort during the last few days to place itself IN
| position to get some advantage of the rest dur
ing this long vacation. Up 20 Saturday, the
conduct of the Republicans was marked
by the same discretion and admirable re-
serve which have been shown from
the time the Assembly sat at bordeaux unit!
the present. They have hitherto left to the
Monarchists and the BOnapartists those scenes
of violence and clamOr which do so much 10
discredit representative government. On Friday
the speech of M. Gambetta opposing the pro
rogatiOn, though it was rs energetic ana
practical as his parliamentary efforts usually
are, kept strictly within the line OF legality
and propriety. and while exciting the enthuS-
astic applause of his own party, does not seem
to have given umbrage to the Conservatives.
But when the radical had finished and the
turn of the aristocrats came, the difference was
at once seen between the party which wishes





wishes to govern France The democrat in
bis speech had respected the law which he
would like to change, the Assembly for which
he feels the most profound contempt, and the
present incumbent of the Executive oihce,
whom he knows to be hostile to him and his
cause But the Marquis dc Franciieu, speak
ing for the aiistocratc and monarchlcal
party of the Right, the party which
claims to be the only safeguard of
public order. declared that he considered
it his right and duty to do all he could to re-
establish the monarchy. This, Marshal Mac
Mahon has several times within the past few
weeks defined as treason to the government
of the Septennate. The King cannot be
brought in before six years without what the
President considers a revolution. Yet the Pfesl-
dent is so constituted, so enslaved by the
traditions of lifetime, that he cannot help
giving more of his confidence and his
sympathics to those titled gentlemen who
avow their intention to overthrow him and
his government, than to the more intelligent
men of the Left, who propose to obey the
law, to sustain his tenure of office, and to
organize the Republic now, before the
welfare of the country is still further lmper-
lied by the factions agitation announced ana
heraded by the Legitimists. OF course this
audacious menace produced great excitement,
and the Chamber called upon the Government
to avOw its policy in relation to this sedltlous
declaration. 1t was useless to nope LOT any
categorical statement from the MacMahon
Cabinet, and Gen. De Cissey merely answered
IN general terms that the Government would
make its power respected by all parties-like
scboolmaster who, when his favorte has been
detected in some flagrant misdemeanor, threat
ems to birch the whole school.


On Saturday, however the Republicans were
poaded into curious and seemingly foolish
indiscretion. A Bonapartist had used some
insulting language about the Republic the day
before. Instead of allowing it to be forgotten.
several Republicans challenged HIM on Satur-
day to repeat it, which he was OF course happy
to do. Upon this the Chamber appears to
have boiled over, like soup into which
cup of milk has been poured. The members
called each others veracity and courage IN
question with such vigOr that the hours OF
the Sabbath were probably occupied IN arrang-
ing the preiminaries of batch OF duels,
which may occupy the rest OF the
session. 1t is hard to understand why
the Republicans should have been so sensitive
to the abuse of this particular Imperlalist,
especially in view of the fact that the Bona
partist faction has lost all its standing in the
/ Chamber, and appears to be making little
headway in the country. In the Permanent
Committee which is to sit during the recess,
the Imperalst is the only party not repre-
sented, the Legitimists having six members,
the Moderate Right and Right Center having
ten. and the Left nine. In Committee thus
composed there is fair prospect of entire
impotence. and that is about all which can
now be expected of the French Assembly.
THE CHEMICAL CENTENNIAL


The Convention of Chemists just adjourned