The friends of the Vatican in France rely greatly upon
the Pope's power to deprive the Government of its position as protector of all Roman Catholics in Asia, a position which gives it a special foothold in Syria, and some other Turkish provinces, and in China. The position will, it is said, be transferred to Austria—that is, really to Germany—and the prestige of France in the Eastern world will suffer greatly. It is doubtful if the French Government will care much about the threat, as it can go on protecting anybody whom it is its interest to protect; and almost certain that the electors of France, who are masters of the situation, will be unmoved by the danger of converts whom they know nothing about. The true point at issue is whether the people of France are, as M. de Mun thinks, devoted to Vaticanism, or whether they, like their present representatives, consider the Clericals hostile to the Republic. No one as yet can be quite certain
on that point, but the evidence of votes is all against M. de Mun.
