AFFAIRS IN FRANCE.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 579, 27 April 1876, Page 4

AFFAIRS IN FRANCE.

The Paris correspondent of the Times writes, on February 17th r M- L6on Renault, the late Prefect of Police, is opposed at Corbeil by the Bonapartists, who, evidently despairing of defeating him by any other means, are trying to convince the electors that he is ineligible. They have published a legal opinion of ten barristers to this effect, but it is a significant circumstance that these are ten Bonapartists, On the other hand, M. Seaard, the Batonnier, and all the members of the Council of the Order of Advocates, with the exception of M. Grdvy, who is in the province’, declare that the objection is quite untenable. The question turns on the construction of clause 12 of the law of last November on the elec tion of the Deputies, which mentions the Prefect of Police among the functionaries ineligible for election in the Arrondisstments wholly or partially included in their jurisdiction. The Bonapartists contend that, as Prefect of Police, M. Renault’s jurisdiction included the Seine-et-Oise, in which Corbeil is situated, as well es the Seine, inasmuch as by a decree of M. Thier’s Government during the Commune, his predecessor’s powers at St Cloud, Meudou, and Sevres were extended to the whole of the Seine-et-Oise—a decree never rescinded. The maintenance of the state of siege in that department, moreover, they allege, also gives the Prefect a jurisdiction which disqualifies him. On the other side, M. Senard and his colleagues of various political opinions insist that Corbeil is not under the jurisdiction of the Prefect of Police, and that the decree of 1871 was a temporary and exceptional measure designed as a safeguard for the National Assembly, which became obsolete before M. Renault’s appointment. His resignation does not affect the question, as six months must elapse before the ineligibility of a functionary who resigns office ceases. In spite of this objection there is every probability of M. Renault’s return by a large majority. Owing to defamatory statements against the Due Decsze* at an election meeting in the Salle Valentino, a complaint has been lodged with the Public Prosecutor, and a judicial investigation has been opened. The Duke would have treated the affair with contempt bad he not found that one of his competitors ia the SHh Ward reprinting the

statements and circulating them among the electors. The Bonaparte quarrel in Corsica is still going on. What effect has been produced by the latter of the Prince Impe ial, whose French is sharply criticized by some of the Paris papers, is not yet known, but by the last advices the Emperor’s letter of 1863 was the subject of keen controversy. Prince Napoleon had left Ajaccio on a circuit of the neighbouring Cantons before its publication, but his organ the Patriate —had insinuated that the letter was apocryphal, and had denounced its publication, if genuine, as a scandalous breach of propriety. It hinted that the Prince might retaliate by publishing letters addressed to him by the Emperor reflecting bitterly on the Rouher party. To this the Aigle replies that not only is the letter authentic, but it could, if it chose, give the Prince’s answer to it. The Patriate takes up a more tenable position when it urges that the letter is virtually nullified by the Prince’s nomination two years afterwards to the Vice-Presidency of the Privy Council, and by the Emperor’s letter of September, 1872, approving of the Prince as a candidate at the General Election, then considered imminent. The Emperor, it says, was then enlightened by misfortune and the divine glimmerings of approaching death. The question of the Channel Tunnel is steadily advancing. An international company, it is well known, was formed, with a capital of £160,000, to be furnished in equal moieties by French and English shareholders. This first step succeeded, and the English company, which was behindhand in raising its capital, has for some time been provided with the requisite sum. A second step was then taken. The promoters were told that as they meant to risk 4,000,000 f, it was better that they should immediately appeal to capitalists, and constitute themselves definitively. This advice was not followed. They thought it better to risk their own capital, and not appeal to Ihe public, until experiments had been made, and nothing was left to chance. This deteim'nation was promptly justified. The preliminary expenses have only amounted to an insignificant sum, and the promoters have already acquired a certainty that they may make decisive experiments; and when these have been made, they will resolve either on the entire abandonment of the scheme, or on a definitive enterprise guarded against all eventualities and miscalculations, so that whenever they present themselves before the public they can precisely determine the time, cost, and nature of the undertaking. It still remained to agree on an international convention regulating the relations of the two countries as regarded the future tunnel. Here there were numerous difficulties which took some time to adjust, for it was a question of creating a veiitable international tribunal to decide without appeal on the numberless unforseen cases which may arise in such a work. The difficu’ty, however, has been overcome. It has been decided that an international tribunal should take the place of an International Consultative Commission, the special mission of which will be to smooth over the difficulties, leaving to each Minister, as to each country, the task of settling the particular questions testing with it or within its jurisdiction. On these bases the International Convention will shortly be signed. Immediately after which the. experimental company may be considered definitely formed, and will enter actively on its function!.