The drift of France towards Republicanism appears to be steady
and consistent. Twenty more elections for seats invali- dated by the Chamber were held on Sunday, and the Republi- cans carried fourteen, all previously held by Monarchists. At St. Girons, M. de St. Paul, an important Bonapartist, was defeated by 4,636 to 2,253; and M. Rcederer, the champagne-maker, was beaten at Rheims by 9,407 to 9,114, though he professes to accept the Republic. M. J6rome David is the only conspicuous Bonapart- ist who escaped, with three other Monarchists. Two seats await the second ballot. The Republicans in the Chamber now number 380, and when the invalidations are complete, will probably be 400 out of 532 members, as M. Gambetta predicted. The French electors, in fact, when liberated from official pressure, are Republican,—a fact which will yet have great influence in Italy, Spain, and per- haps Germany.
