France is drawing the attention of our vigilant politicians, in
divers ways. A banquet is held in the Mite! de Villa of Paris, to celebrate the second anniversary of " the elected of the 10th December," and the principal speeches are scanned to ex- tract some practical meaning. M. Berger, the Prefect of the Seine, proposes the health of the President, and talks in a very re- actionary tone about the time when Order was assailed by Anarchy in that hall; an allusion to the revolution, which not only made a "sensation" among the banqueters, but also makes practised poli- ticians on this side of the water devoutly believe that France has seen the error ofher ways, and is sever going,.to do ,so any.more. Prince Louis Napoleon, tbough ewessly repudiating all pow based on reaction, also speaks slightingly of mere resolutionat7 governments, and talks of furthermodification of the constitution, "without disturbanpe "I. all of which is.taken to establish4he fact. that France is quite reformed : the more so as the Salem of the Throne was onperblY decorated—quite royally Again, in the National Assembly, M. de Montalembert has been proposing a bill to secure observance of the Sabbath. This would be an improvement—if it Werepossible. Frazee never cnforeedm. melancholy observance of the Sabbath ; but/riding infringements of the sacred day are a modern innovation, and a very bad one. We doubt, however, whether they are not now so universally iden- tified with the customs of the people as to be beyond abolition by statute.
More imaginativepoliticians have been set speculating by a ru- mour that the French Government, contemplating the influx of gold from California, intends to introduce emeasure to abolish the joint gold and silver standard in favour of a silver standard alone. It is absolutely necessary to do so, says a distinguished English journalist : mankind numbers 1,000,000,000; the gold currency of the world is 300,000,000/. ; the additional amount needed annually is 3,000,0001. ' • but California is adding 10,000,0001. a year. So writes the alarmist. The Globe relieves our fears with stiff but decorous dnbitations : is mankind exactly a billion, or is not the number really unknown ? is the currency only three hundred mil- lions sterling, and not more than four hundred millions? will California add ten millions a year for a continuance f—and that is the real question. Probably not. The workings become more diffi- cult and costly as they proceed. Besides, more gold is wanted. Well said, Globe : certainly y -there is no need for fear, as yet. Nor need we go to France to learn our practical duties in political eco- nomy ; for France is a tyro in that science, whatever progress indi- vidual Frenchmen may have made ; and France is given to theo- retical panics : moreover, we are not yet certain that the French Government is under the panic specified. However, it is a " sub- ject" to write about, not yet much hackneyed, nor quite deprived of its excitatory properties.
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