The Government of France has taken a most important step.
The first batch of Senators who will retire under the Constitu- tional law number 75, of whom 19 are Republicans and 56 Monarchists. It is probable that when these seats are vacant, the Republicans, possessing a majority of the Municipal delegates, who, with the addition of some other classes, numerically power- less elect the Senate, will at least divide the return, and thus become masters of the Senate till 1881,—that is, over the revising period The Monarchists have therefore been most anxious to postpone these elections to the latest legal date, so as to give themselves every chance of anything "turning up," and have even extracted a legal opinion that they may be postponed to March. The Dufaure Cabinet have, how- ever, persuaded the President to sign a decree fixing the Sena- torial elections for January 5th. This decree has given immense satisfaction to the Liberals, who see in it evidence of honest pur- pose, and it will, it is believed, greatly smooth the path of the Ministry next Session.
