The French' Ministry have made a very important announce- ment,
that the Electoral Bill will be proposed for its second reading,—of course with the new amendment, which substitutes
scrutin d'arrondissetnent for scrutin de liste,—imihediately on the reassembling of the Assembly at Versailles. This is interpreted to mean that the Cabinet wish to bring their whole moral force to bear in favour of the Conservative change they are about to propose, and do not intend to fritter any of it away in discus- sions on interpellations, some of which,—like that on M. Ducros' conduct, and the favour still shown him by the Govern- ment,—are quite certain materially to injure them. It will be a very grave crisis. If the scrutin d'arrondissement were to be car- ried, all might go comparatively well, for it is probable that in spite of it a very much more Liberal Assembly might be elected, which would at once replace the law which the people like. But if, on the contrary, the Assembly adheres to the system popular in France, there is grave reason to fear that M. Buffet's Ministry will be followed by a Ministry of the extra-parliamentary kind, and that Marshal MacMahon, like Charles I. will try to govern without a Parliament. And how that Might end; nobody could tell,—probably in another barren coup d'itat. Is no com- promise possible, such as, for instance, scrutin de lisle with the cumulative vote for those who choose to avail themselves of it, so that any large minority can secure a hearing ?
