THE TABLET

A IVeekly Newspaper and Review

D u m V O B IS G R A T U L AM U R , A N IM O S ET IAM ADDIM U S U T IN IN CCEPTIS V E S TR IS CONSTAN TER M AN E A T IS .

From, the Brief of H is Holiness to T h e T a b l e t , June 4, 1870.

Vol. 50. No. 1966. L o n d o n , D e c e m b e r 15, 1877.

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[ R e g i s t e r e d a t t h e G e n e r a l Post Office as a Newspaper

C hronicle of the Week:—

Page

Continuation o f the Crisis in France. — Failure of the Proposed Dufaure Ministry — A New Government o f Resistance. — Difficulties in the Formation.— The Conservatives v. the Marshal.— The Theory of the Three Ministries.— Present Attitude of the Three Monarchical Sections. — The Representatives of Commerce. — Ths President’s Chances of Success.— The Fall o f Plevna.— Arrest of the Turkish Advance.— Other Incidents of the Campaign. — Russia’s Terms.— The Policy of Austria.— Sunday Closing in Irelmd.— Venezuela ................................................737

CONTENTS.

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L e a d e r s :

The Fall o f Plevna and the

Future of the War .. •- 741 The County Franchise and Man­

hood Suffrage . . . . -• 741 The Prussian Ministry and the

Landtag ..

The Irish Land Libel Case . . 743 R e v i e w s :

742

Mr. Froude on St. Alban’s . . 734 Upper Egypt . . . . •• 745 Holiday Rambles . . . . •• 746 The “ Month ” for Decembe r . . 746 S h o r t N o t ic e s :

The Nineteenth Century . . 747 Cyclopaedia of Costume . . . . 747 Leaves from my Sketch-Book . . 747 Driven to R o m e ........................... 748

S h o r t N o t i c e s (continued) :

Father de Andrade’s Daily Me­

Page ditations . . . . . . .. 748 Mary Immaculate, Mother of

God . . .. . . .. 748 j A r t ;

The Grosvenor Gallery .. . . 748 C o r r e s p o n d e n c e :

The Problem of Catholic Liberal

Education.. . . . . .. 749 The Bedford Mission . . .. 750 Convent of Mercy, Clifden .. 750 Society of the Holy Childhood .. 750 Poverty in the Centre of London 751 Restoration of the Carmelite

Order in Spain . . . . .. 751 The Work of l'Abbé G ay .. .. 751 Distress in the North-west of

India ....................................751

R om e :— Letter from our own Correspondent

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D t o c e s an N ew s :—

Westminster.. Southwark . . Beverley Hexham and Newcastle . Liverpool Salford ....................... •• 755 I r e l a n d

Letter from our own Correspondent ....................... - 755 M e m o r a n d a :—

R e l i g i o u s ....................... Educational!.. G e n e r a l N ew s

CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.

CRISIS IN FRANCE. A

CONTINUATION OF THE

T the beginning of the week all hope of a conciliatory arrangement between the French Chamber and the President had disappeared. And yet there had been a moment at which an agreement seemed possible. The expedient which we mentioned last week was, at the very time we made the suggestion, being tried by the Marshal, though we could not know it then. It having been proved by M. Duclerc’s declaration that the conditions mentioned in the first Havas No‘e as preventing the formation of a Parliamentary Cabinet had not really been exacted by the Left, and that they were merely the unauthorised suggestions of M. Duclerc himself, the Marshal, acknowledging that the Left could not be held responsible for the failure, sent for M. .Dufaure. After two interviews, M. Dufaure wrote the President a letter, stating the conditions on which it seemed to him possible to form a durable Ministry. These were, absolute freedom of the Ministers as to appointments, the adoption of the Bill concerning the State of Siege, and a Presidential Message to Parliament. At the interview which followed, and which took place about noon on the 6th, Marshal MacMahon accepted these conditions, and commissioned M. Dufaure to form a Cabinet. At the same time he expressed a desire to retain the present occupants of three posts which he has of late endeavoured to make independent of political changes, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, War, and Marine, not, however, as he is reported to have said to M. Grevy the same afternoon, making this reservation a sine quit non, or a casus belli. On this point there seems to have been a misunderstanding, as will be seen presently. But while M. Dufaure set to work to form his Cabinet the Marshal had the interview with M. Grevy just referred to. In reply to what the President said about the reservation of the three posts, M. Grevy represented to him that it would be better to defer unreservedly to the will of the country, and told him that with a Dufaure Ministry no social interests would be endangered, adding that it was quite false that he himself aspired to become the Marshal’s successor. The Marshal thanked him warmly for his advice, and up to that evening appeared to expect the success of the arrangement, as the President expressed his deep regret at being obliged to abandon the Conservative functionaries, saying that he had no choice left to him, and that he should be eternally grateful for their co-operation. Meanwhile M. Dufaure had got together his Cabinet, fully believing, as may be seen in his subsequent declaration, that the Marshal did not insist on altogether withholding from him the nomination to the three portfolios,

N e w S e r i e s , V o l . X V I I I . N o .r i4 75 .

and on Friday morning he went to the Elysée with his list. He had been advised to leave to a friend of the Presiden the Ministry of Foreign Affaiis, and at first proposed to give it to its late occupant, M. de Banneville, but on the representation of his colleagues he had substituted the Comte de St. Vallier, well known during the negotiations for the liberation of the territory, but who, if the Marshal should make a point of having some one else, would be no obstacle, as it was understood that in that case he would willingly accept an Embassy. The list then was composed as follows :— M. Dufaure, President of the Council, and Minister of Justice and Public Worship ; M. de St. Vallier, Foreign Affairs ; M. de Marcère, Interior ; M. Léon Say, Finance ; M. Waddington, Public Instruction ; M. de Freycinet, Public Works; M. Teisserenc de Bort, Commerce; General Gresley, War ; and Admiral Pothuau, Marine. But M. Dufaure found that the Marshal had in the interval made up his mind inexorably to insist on retaining the three portfolios absolutely at his own disposal. He therefore summoned those whom he had proposed as his colleagues to meet and deliberate in one of the committee-rooms of the Senate. The meeting, after long deliberation, was unanimously of opinion that, as a matter of principle, this condition could not be accepted, inasmuch as Art. 6 of the Constitution makes the Ministers collectively responsible for their general policy, which would be impossible if three of them were political opponents of the rest. Moreover, that such a Cabinet would possess but little stability, as, in resisting extreme demands from the Left, it would be open to the charge that such resistance was inspired by the foreign elements introduced into it by the Marshal. However, this being affirmed as a matter of principle, it was agreed that in the definitive selection of particular names for these posts the utmost possible deference should be shown to the Marshal’s wishes. Then M. Dufaure wrote to the Marshal to this effect, and had a subsequent interview with him, at the close of which, seeing that the President was not disposed to make any concession, he recommended him to send again for the Presidents of the Senate and the Chamber, adding, “ they will tell you if I am too exacting.’’

An hour later on Friday evening the Havas Agency published a second semi-official Note d u f a u r e *n these words : “ The President of the Rem i n i s t r y . public had charged M. Dufaure with the formation of a new Cabinet. The conditions of M. Dufaure were accepted by the Marshal, who, on his side, demanded as sole condition the maintenance of the Ministers of War, Marine, and Foreign Affairs. There seemed no difficulty as to this point, for under all preceding Ministries it had been admitted that these Ministerial Departments should, in the interest of the country, be independent of parties. At the last moment these three offices have