The debate in the French Assembly on the revision of
the Con- stitution closed earlier than was expected, and did not retain to The debate in the French Assembly on the revision of the Con- stitution closed earlier than was expected, and did not retain to
the end that judicial dignity and self-control which character- ized its commencement- The decision oi the Assembly has but too probably beers motives!' bp the stinie rasemovw personal considerations which pnomptei tin raising. of the question. The members, withreswenceptirsees appearteihaves kept thinking more of the chances of a Presidential canvass than of the defects of the Constitution. The tactics of the thorough Republicans are intelligible, and even defensible. Aware of the power of habit to reconcile men to institutions, and believing that every year added to the existence of the Republic tends to consolidate it, they op- pose all change whatever. Those who believe that the econo- mical condition of France is incompatible with any form of government but the Republican, approve of this strategy. On the other hand, the readiness of the French public to sur- render itself to the guidance of a few political leaders in the capital, justifies the gravest apprehensions from anything that favours coups &kat ; and this, there can be little doubt, is the natural tendency of the virtual interregnum which must result from the simultaneous termination of the Assembly's and the President's terms of office. It is also unfortunate that the really considerable majority for revision should be defeated by the fac- titious requirements of the law, which confers a veto upon an actual minority. Public opinion necessarily continues unsettled when a minority prevails ; and the spirit of faction is active as ever. France has narrowly escaped another Ministerial crisis. A vote of censure against the Faucher Ministry was carried in the Assembly, almost avowedly under the influence of spleen on ac- count of the indiscreet manner in which a personal supporter of the President attempted to palliate Government interference with the free will of the elective body. The consequence was, that the Ministers tendered their resignations, and were with difficulty persuaded to withdraw them. The hostile vote was clearly per- sonal to the President, for two days later a vote of supplies to meet the extraordinary expenses of the Minister of the Interior was cartied by 481 to 205. Notwithstanding the increasing steadiness of industrial exertion in France, and the improvement of the revenue, the political aspect of the country is of a nature to awaken grave anxiety.
An interesting conference has been opened this week at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris. Delegates from the principal European powers have met to concert a common code of sanitary laws applicable to the ports of the Mediterranean. The inveteracy of the epidemics which still prevail from time to time along the coasts of the Mediterranean excite panics among the natives, strong in proportion to their ignorance and superstition. Hence vexatious interferences with commercial movements, some- times promoted and sometimes connived at by governments to subserve political ends. The worst offenders in this way are the King of Naples and the Ottoman Porte. The present conference originated in a kind of emeute which occurred at Marseilles some time ago, in consequence of a disagreement between the central government and the municipal authorities on a quarantine ques- tion.
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