The French Chambers met on Tuesday, but little interest attached
to the proceedings, which were opened in both cases by temporary or seniority Presidents. Owing to the poste pouernent of the Triennial Elections till the 28th inst., one- third of the seats in the Senate are vacant ; but the temporary President, M. Wallon, who is eighty-seven years of age, while criticising the Cabinet for the postponement, omitted to explain, as M de Blowitz well points out, how the Cabinet could have counted on the conclusion of the Conspiracy Trial by Thursday week last, or how one hundred outgoing Members could fairly have been detained in Paris by their judicial functions while their competitors were electioneering in the provinces. As a result of the Cabinet's decision the Senate will not begin business till February 2nd. In the Chamber of Deputies M. Deschanel was re-elected President by 308 votes to 221 given to M. Brisson. In a forecast of the Session M. de Blowitz antici- pates that the question of amnesty will probably be one of the first to emerge, and we cannot quite make out whether he applauds M. Waldeck-Rousseau for his present apparent inteution to abandon it. We are glad to see, however, that he pays a tribute to the present Cabinet as the most upright and reassuring one which France can wish for, and even hope to possess, for a long time to come.
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