The French Senate has refused to permit the revision of
the article of the Constitution which confers on the Senate the right of amending the Budget ; and M. Ferry has accepted his defeat, though he intimated last week that he would not accept it. M. Ferry has now got the sort of authority which permits him to be inconsistent with himself without losing influence. The Senate, it seems, will probably agree to making the law regu- lating the election of the Senate extra-constitutional,—that is, subject to ordinary legislative Acts, and not requiring for the future the summoning of a National Assembly for the express purpose of revising it. And if this be done, Life Senatorships as they expire will be filled up by Senators sitting for nine years, and nominated by the two Houses voting separately, but the votes, when taken, being added together. Also the size of the Senatorial electorates would be increased, so that each Senator would be elected by 60,000 electors, instead of 36,000. The vote in favour of Revision on the scheme which the Senate has now "decapitated," was 294 against 191. M. Ferry's majority is large and steady.
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