The triennial municipal elections in the 36,000 communes of France
were held on Sunday. Complete returns. have not been received, and there will be many second ballots, the candidates not having obtained a clear majority of electors; but it is under- stood that in Paris and all large towns, with the doubtful excep- tion of Marseilles, the Extremists and Socialists are defeated. So also are the Right, who have lost heavily, even in Brittany and Corsica. An immense majority have, in fact, pronounced for the Republic as it is. The Clerical question was raised every- where, but the voters, even in the south, were not moved by the assault on the Religious Orders, who carried nothing, except two seats in 80 in Paris itself. The general vote was in fact, as it always tends to be in France while the people are prosperous, in favour of things as they are, the electors paying literally no attention to details, though they may involve important principles. It must be noted that the prosperity of France is extraordinary. Last year duties to the amount of £1,080,000 were taken off, but the surplus actually received has been no less than £3,100,000. As the French wheat harvest was below average, this shows unusual prosperity, as does the increased revenue on every excisable article, except sugar. In reporting this prosperity, we must not forget that an immense revenue is received by the Treasury from the taxes on transfers of property, much of which in England is levied for the advantage of the legal profession.
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