The French, being determined not to intervene in Turkish affairs,
are interesting themselves keenly in a religious debate. The Ultramontane Bishops have recently delivered very fiery Charges about the Temporal Power, have declared that the Pope is a prisoner, and have scolded the Italian Government with hearty energy. Some of their papers, going yet further, have called on Marshal MacMahon to reinstate the Pope by force. Italy complained, and the French Government, by circular, remonstrated with the Bishops, and warned them to desist,— a warning which, according to M. Jules Simon, they obeyed. The Liberals are not, however, satisfied, and have demanded an explanation from the Cabinet. On Thursday, therefore, the Premier explained the facts, adding that Italy had strictly ob- served the guarantee law, and the Pope was only a voluntary prisoner, while the French Church was much freer than it had been in the days of Louis XIV. The Government would take no preventive measures, but it would prosecute anybody who dis- obeyed the law. The debate was to continue on Friday, and there is a general sense that the struggle between the Ultramontanes and the Freethinkers, a struggle that knows no end, will for some time to come be a main factor in the politics of the Assem- bly. The latter especially are growing furious, and some of their papers indulge in language which would be proscribed in any country in the world.
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