NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE French Assembly met on Monday, and on Wednesday M. Thiers read his speech, which was mainly confined to the Constitutional question, the state of the finances, and the English Treaty. What he said on finance is not intelligible in the sum- maries, and we give his view of the Treaty elsewhere, but his view on the Constitutional question was most important. Briefly summarised it amounted to this--that the Republic was legally established beyond discussion, and beyond overthrow, except by Revolution ; but that the Assembly had the right and the power to change a form of Republic which was only incidental, and add -the conservative institutions necessary to its strength. He would not dictate what those institutions should be, but he would, if asked by a Commission appointed to investigate the subject, advise to the best of his power. The Republic must be conservative, for if it were not, the masses, though they might live by agitation for a few days, would grow afraid of themselves, seek refuge in the arms of an adventurer, and so "recommence the sad and humiliat- ing journey from anarchy to despotism and despotism to anarchy, a path strewn with shame and calamities." He strongly condemned the idea of "a Republic of a party,' declaring it would only be a thing of a day, and advised the Republic to seek her agents without dis- tinction of party, class, or origin.
