M. Ferry has explained himself upon Revision, by permitting a
friend to repeat to the correspondent of the Times his exact words uttered in conversation. There will be no Revision at all until Bills have been passed by both Houses limiting the objects of Revision,—not a very adroit scheme, as amendments are allowed, and an amendment may go very far. When the Bills have passed, the " Congress " will meet about Easter, and M. Ferry will propose that in future the appointments made to Life seats by the Senate shall be limited to nine years, a rather useless innovation. Senators are not children, and a man of fifty-five, elected for nine years and eligible for re-election, will be a Life Senator. M. Ferry further proposes to prevent the possibility of a dead-lock between the Houses, which always hangs over him. He does not know what the settlement will be, but "one House must be entitled to have the last word," and in the nature of things it can only be the Chamber. As to Scrutin de Liste, "it is not absolutely necessary to introduce it into the Revision scheme." It seems hardly wise to encounter the great risks involved in Revision debates to be held in Paris for such small ends, and we should not wonder if M. Perry, pledges notwithstanding, found before Easter that Revision could stand over till a more propitious time. It is always open to him to say that he feared the Chamber might not pass his Bill limiting the subjects of discussion.
