Paris was almost stnpified by news so unexpected, and the
wildest reports became current. France was about to attack Italy and re-establish the Temporal Power. General Cialdini called upon M. Simon, and so strong became the feeling among diplo- matists, that a bulletin was forwarded to the Havas Agency stating that the Marshal was at peace with all Powers, and that Ultramontane manifestations would be sternly repressed. The Deputies, however, were agitated on other grounds ; the *House met on Thursday, and under the influence of a lofty but not violent speech by M. Gambetta, the majority passed by 355 to 154 an Order of the Day declaring that no Ministry would be acceptable which was not at once free and Republican, and that responsibility to the majority was of the essence of the Constitution. It was believed that under this pressure Marshal MacMahon would yield, but on Thursday evening he appointed a Ministry, in which the Due de Broglie is President and Minister of Justice, M. Fourton, Minister of the Interior, M. Caillaux, Minister of Finance ; General Berthaut and the Duke Decazes remaining Ministers of War and Foreign Affairs. This is a regular Ministry of Combat, the Due Decazes being far the most Liberal, instead of by far the most Conservative man in the new Ministry ; and M. Fourtou's appointment indicating a determination to dissolve. Up to the evening of Friday no intelligible explanation of the Marshal's motives had appeared, but throughout France his action is attributed to clerical intrigue.
