THE TABLET

A W eekly Newspaper and Review.

DUM VOBIS GRA.TULAMUR, ANIMOS ETIAM ADDIMUS UT IN INCCEPTIS VESTRIS CONSTANTER MANEATIS.

From the Brief oj His Holiness to The Tablet, June 4, 1S70.

Voi. 38. No. 1638. London, September 2, 1871.

r*icE5d. bvpost

[R egistekkd a t the G eneral P ost O ffice as a N ewspaper.

C hronicle of th e W eek : The

Crisis at Versailles.— Future Presidents.— M. Thiers on the last Six Months.—The Religious Element in the Cabinet.—The East SurreyElection.— The French Deputation in Ireland.— The Lyons Schools. — The Observance of Sundays.— Press Prosecutions in France.— The 4th of September.— Austria .and Germany. — Prince Bismark -and the “ Daily Telegraph.”—

'Unannexed Populations. — The Munich Schismatics. — Socialist Congress.—The 23rd August at TRome.—The Revolution and the International in Italy.— Stanislas C o h e n ............................................. 289 .L eaders :

The Situation in France . . 293

CONTENTS.

L eaders (continued) :

The International Association in

America, Spain, and Switzerland • Arbitration instead of War—IV . University Education in Ireland . The International Exhibition.—The

Italian Pictures .... T he A nglican Movement:

Indications that even the Highest

Anglicans do not feel the True Sense in which the Church is the Body of Christ .... R eviews :

Councils and Ecclesiastical Docu­

ments relating to Great Britain and Ireland. . . . Journal of the “ ady Beatrix

G r a h a m .................................... Our Sister Republic

298

R eviews (continued) :— Westward by Rail. . . . S hort N otices : Caelum Christia-

num.— Patron Saints C orrespondence :

Young Men’s Societies . Dress in Churches. . . . Convent of the Good Shepherd at

P a r i s ............................................. R ome :

Letter from Rome Stanislas Cohen .

.

The Roman Pontificate in History Peter’s Pence.................................... D iocesan N ews : Westminster.—

Beverley. —Liverpool I reland :

Letter from our Dublin Corre­

spondent .....................................

F oreign N ew s :

France :

Bill on the Prolongation of

M. Thiers’ Powers . M. Thiers’ Deposition on the

Insurrection .... Germany :

303 3°4 ! 30s ! 305 I 307 J 307

308

Prince Bismark’s Confidences . Bavaria............................................. Switzerland :

A new Socialist Programme Memoranda :

Religious Educational . Literary. Scientific Fine Arts . , Sanitary. , G eneral N ews

308 30S

309 309

310 3XI 3« 3*1312 312 212

CHRONICLE OF THE W EEK.

AT VERSAILLES. T

THE CRISIS

H E interest o f this w eek centres in the crisis in F rance. T h e re are indications that M. Thiers has been brought to a sense o f his position, and that his pretentions have been somewhat modified. In the first p lace lie cannot but see that the conflict o f last w eek at all events m ight have "been avoided. W h ile he was working h im self in to a passion with the R igh t about the N a tional Guard, and talking about resignation, his own M in ister, M. Dufaure, as well as the majority, accepted the conciliatory amendment o f General D u c ro t for the more gradual dissolution o f that force. I t is c lear therefore that a previous understanding would have been possible had temper not com e in the way. T h e same personal feelings envenom ed the controversy on Tuesday.

'M. Dufaure found it necessary to mollify his ch ie f by refusin g to accept the Committee’s B ill, unless there was inserted in the preamble a special acknowledgm ent o f M. Thiers’s past services, and o f “ the guarantees” which the prolongation o f his power “ would afford to the confidence o f the country,” which amendment he moved. On W ednesday M . V ite t announced that the committee accepted this amendment, whereupon M . Dufaure, in the name o f the Council o f M in isters, accepted the Bill. In the meantime, amongst other counter-projects, M. de Choiseul had g iven notice o f one calculated to satisfy the sensitiveness o f M. Thiers by its preamble, and saying nothing about Constituent powers ; but when M . Dufaure announced that the Governm ent adopted the Committee’s B ill, M . de Choiseul w ithdrew his. T h e struggle was thus concentrated on the point concerning the Constituent power o f the A ssem b ly , and the announcem ent that Governm ent adhered to the p ro ject o f the com m ittee was received with loud and v io lent protests from the Left. M . Pascal Duprat endeavoured to .prove that the A ssem b ly did not possess Constituent powers, and G eneral Ducrot, M . St. M arc Girardin, and M . Baragnon, maintained that it did. T h e L e ft got very excited, and when the last named speaker reproached the men o f the 4th Sept, with having overthrown an established

Hwernment, M . T estelin exclaim ed that i f they had not, « hnnt,*' £

a ttack. H e moved the rejection n f L • , b.e n o^s the preamble which affirms the A s s em b ly ^ ConstTtuen" rights, first, because it was unnecessary; secondly, because ,t was an encroachm ent j and thirdly, because i f recogn ized by the A ssem b ly it m ight be disputed by a portion

New Series. Vol. V I . No. 147.

o f France. T h e A ssem b ly , he said, was not com petent to decide in favour either o f a R epublic or a M onarchy, and he (M . Gambetta) would not a ccept o f a R epublic at its hands. H e expressed his conviction that the C o n stituent powers would a t any rate not be exercised, and sat down declaring h im self exhausted by the interruptions he had to endure. T h e result o f the debate was that the “ consideration ” affirm ing the Constituent rights o f the A ssem b ly was carried by 433 votes against 227. A t the close o f the sitting M . Edgar Quinet, in the name o f 75 members, presented a motion for the d issolution o f the Assem b ly .

W h ile it was uncertain whether M . Dufaure’s v m r n m q am endment would be accepted by the Com-

' 1 s' m ittee, M. Thiers is said to have declared that i f its merits were not sufficiently acknow ledged lie would “ act on an irrevocable determ ination ; ” in other words, resign. I t becam e im perative to look out for a successor, and it is positively stated that the D ue d ’A um a le was sounded, and that he flatly declined. H e has probably seen enough since his return to F rance to conv in ce him that the post is scarcely tenable by a Prince not w illin g to sacrifice a good deal o f his d ig n i t y ; besides there seems no reason to believe that his adherence to the understanding between the members o f the R o yal H ouse is not sincere and firm. T h e rumours o f other overtures to M . Gre'vy, General Chanzy, and Marshal M acM ahon do not seem to rest on any very solid foundation. Should matters ever com e to the worst, the A ssem b ly , i f deprived o f M. Thiers, and menaced w ith c iv il strife, m ight do many a more foolish th ing than to entrust the executive p rovisionally to j Marshal M acM ahon. N obody would be so capable o f ] neutralizing that in fluence which M. Gambetta and G eneral | Faidherbe confidently hope that they can bring to bear on j the army. I t is in this quarter that the greatest danger lies.

M . Thiers has certainly om itted no oppor-

THE LAST SIX MONTHS.

m . th ie r s on tUn ity o f d irecting the attention o f the A ssem ­

b ly tohis services during the war and insurrection, and his claim s to their future confidence. T h e

R iv e t proposition was com ing on for debate, when M. Thiers expressed his desire o f making his deposition before the Committee o f Enquiry into the causes o f the insurrection. T h e substance o f this deposition will be found in another part o f our columns. Its principal interest consists in the contributions which it furnishes to the history o f M. Thiers’s circular m ission last winter. England, he says, was hesitating, and desirous o f acting with R u s s ia ; Russia was sym pathetic, but evidently bound b y engagem ents with Prussia. Shortly afterwards the tone at St. Petersburg changed, and M. Thiers was recommended to return to V ersailles, everyone assuring him that P r u s s i a would make peace on reasonable terms. From St. Petersburg M. I hiers went