NEWS OF THE WEEK.
FRANCE has many faults, but she is rarely tedious. She has got through a grave political crisis within the week, though it involved the fall of a Ministry, the resignation of a President, and the election of a new Head of the Republic. Under circumstances detailed elsewhere, the Socialists suspected that M. Raynal, in arranging the Rail- way Conventions of 1883, had acted corruptly, and demanded an investigation. The Government conceded this ; but the extreme parties were not satisfied, and resolved to assert their right to reopen those conventions, even though the Council of State, which, like our own Privy Council, has among other functions judicial ones, had decided that they were binding. M. Trait therefore moved on Monday a resolution, or rather an amendment to a resolution, which affirmed that the Chamber, while respecting the "separation of powers "—that is, the independence of the Judges—" reserved the rights of the State." M. Dupny refused, on behalf of the Government, to accept any such doctrine, alleging that the Chamber, if it agreed to it, would declare itself in fact a Convention, and above all laws. M. Trelat, however, persisted; some seventy or eighty of M. Dupuy's own party—in fear, it is believed, of suspicion of corruption—voted against him, or abstained, and priority was given to M. Trelat by 263 votes to 241. The Ministry, justly regarding this as a vote of "No confidence," immediately left the Chamber and resigned their offices.
