2 JULY 1881, Page 2

One by one, the statesmen of the old Orleanist regime,

which,. though it is now despised, produced some of the greatest men of France, are passing away. M. Dufanre died on Mon- day, at the age of eighty-three, and was followed to the grave by universal regret, all the more remarkable because- he was in demeanour harsh and sardonic. He was a most suc- cessful lawyer, and a politician who never made a serious blunder,. incorruptibly upright, very industrious, and perfectly firm ; but he was essentially a Whig, and wanted the imagination. upon which sympathy is based. He was probably aware that his great powers lacked something, and was, in consequence,. attracted to M. Thiers, towards whom his loyalty never swerved.. It is recorded of him that, with strong rural tastes, he liked no prospect so well as that of profitable, and, therefore, as a rule, ugly land,--a curious glimpse into his character. There was something arid about his mind, though in his personal relations one of the most affectionate of men.