RETROSPECT OF 1877.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2814, 20 February 1878, Page 2

RETROSPECT OF 1877.

(FHOH THE HOME HEWS, JANUARY 3.) (Continued from our last.) LA BELLE FHANCE.

France is the country which has chiefly attracted the attention of Europe during the past twelve months. It is ouly natural that the succession of events wh'ch have taken place in that distracted country, where a peaceful solution seems even at the preseut moment as far removed as ever, should have been watched in England with special interest. The struggle that is now going on, that has been going on indeed in otic shape or another, ever since the establishment of the existing Constitution, is a struggle through which we have long since passed—the struggle for Parliamentary Government against the arbitrary rule of an individual, it is nothing io the point to say that the wants and condition of France are not the wants and condition of England; that Constitutional liberty, as we have it here, is impracticable there: that the mode of government for which the Republican majority in the Chamber of jJeputies contend would lead to revolution and ruiD. Whatever its results in France may be, the people of France have given their suffrages in favor of Parliamentary rule. The Chambers were opened at, Versailles on January 9, and were immediately afterwards adjourned to the end of the month. The Extreme Left took an early opportunity of exhibiting their strength by electing a Budget Committee composed almost exclusively of member's of their body. But as yet there were no open signs of a rupture between the Marshal and bis Ministers as imminent. On March 25 MM. Victor Hugo and Louis Blanc addressed immense assemblies of working men in the French capital, and the ouly other event that need bo noticed, before May 10, was the prosecution of M. Cassagnac for libelling the Chamber of Deputies. On May 16 the momentous fact was known that President MacMahon had dismissed M. Jules Simon, and tbut the rest of the Cabinet had at once sent in their resignations. M. Simon had absented himself from a debate on Press Lawp, with a view, as tho President chose to think, to hinder thoir progress. Before this the President wrote a letter to his Premier ouched in the most offensive terms which he could command. M, Jules Simon at once replied that, under the circumstances, he had no course but to resign, and the Marshall lost no time in informing him that his. resignation was accepted, and had been expected. The president at once replaced the Cabinet of M. Simon with one in which the chief spirits were tho Due de BropjHe and M. de Fourtou. The Chamber of Dcputios, on assembling after the change, passed whnt amounted to a vote of want of conGdcnce i\ tho new Ministry by 353 to 154. The ques-

tion of confidence was again raised in a series of debutes, one of the rewaikable features in which was tlio appearance of M. Thiers, and the extraordinary 'reception given him iv the Chamber aa the saviour of France. The speech of M. Gambetta, delivered amidst the greatest excitement, and in spite of the greatest difficulties, was also noticeable; and more noticeable yet was the address of the new Foreign Minister, the Due De^azes, to the effect that there would be no alteration in the ' policy pursued at' the Foreign Office, The Marshall had already announced that he would avail hipsel' of the right giveuhim bj the Const iiution, and ask the Senate to sanc-ti.-t; a dissolution. On June 23 the Senate decreed the dissolution by a majority of twenty voles. Ministerialists and .Republicans prjfess to anticipate the result with equnl confidence. The Conservatives hid the eternal machinery in their hi-iici.s. M. Gambetta declared that the 353 deputies who had already declared again.-!l ilio Government would be found in the nuw Chamber to hare risen to 400. The interval before the elections com-nitiiL-eil was ereutlul. The Government, with incredible unwisdom, prosecuted M. Gum helm because he had defined in a speech the position of the MarshalPresident with more precision and force than courtesy. Marshal MacMahonissued an addressed to the electors. M. Thiers died, bequeathing to his country notonly an , illustrious name and the memory of great' services, but a political ■ testafi£;nt in which the dangers, difficulties, and duties of Frenchmen in the forthcoming elections were pointed out with marvellous lucidity and vigour. On the whole the elections passed off tranquilly. The Government' made the utmost of the strength which., its position gave it, but notwithstanding 1 this found itself in a minority of more than a hundred in the new Chamber of Deputies. Probably the role by which, on Nov. 7, M. Albert Grdvy -was appointed President of the Chamber of Deputies indicates correctly the working of the Republican majority. What has passed since then is : too fresh in! the* memory of the public to need anything' but the, briefest recapitulation. The President and his supporters were first occupied with a series of attempts to secure the sanction of the Senate in their active resistance of the Republican party, while on the whole the Senate has con-* ducted itself under trying circumstances with equal patriotism and prudence. The Government of the Duo' de Broglio resigned, and was replaced by that of M. Uatbie. Then ensued a ralher prolonged interval, during which the Marshal endeavored to secure the consent of the Senate, or rather of the Constitutional Orleanists, who-are just strong enough to turn the scales in the Senate, to a second dissolution. It was clear that the Government of M. Batbie n-as under any circumstances impracticable, and accordingly it went the way of its predecessors. At first it seemed as if, owing to the conditions insisted on by the President, the negotiations with M. Dufauremustendin failure. But M. Dufaure, as well as the Constitutional Orleanists in the Senate, held out, and declined to, »bate those conditions. At length the crisis ended by the Marshal waiving his claims to nominate the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the -Navy, and the Army. M. Dufaure proceeded to fill, up these posts, and thus the long crisis was at an er»d. The new Government is a thoroughly moderate one, and it only remains to be seen whether it will satisfy the Republican majority on the Chamber. But the principle of Parliamentary Government maybe said to have been established in France, and that it is a flight advance, although it has taken an entire twelvemonth to accomplish. ' '; :

ENGLISH POLITICS. The history of the political year at home may be aumnrd up in the words, the complete disintegration and disorgauisation of the Opposition. What hat hap* pened since the prorogation of Parliament. is identified in spirit and tendency with, what occurred during the Session. The Liberal party have successively en* deavoured to make capital out of every topic that has presented itseif for public consideration. The Liberal chiefs have endeavoured to rally their followers (o the tune of half-a-dozen different cries. But no sooner is one of these proclaimed in audible notes than a vojee is raised— a Liberal voice too—to the effect that it is a delusion and a snare. Mr Gladstone advocates Household Franchise in counties on a popular platform; Mr Lowe denounces the perverted sentimentalism and folly of the proposal. Lord Hartinton " goes'' conditionally for disestablish* ment; the Duke of Argyll protests against the data on.which Lord Harting. ton's demand is based. As it is with domestic policy so it is with foreign policy, and there is vo doubt that even among the Opposition a majority is satisfied;with the conduct of Her Majesty's Ministers * in the past, and quite prepared to repose: confidence in it for the future.

BEVIBW OF THE PARLIAMENTARY SKSSIOIT.' The Queen's Speech was delivered oa, Feb. 8, and Parliament lost no time in settling down to work. It made such swift and substantial progress that before the Houses rose for Easter the University and the Valuation Bills had been read a second time, while the Prisons Bill was rapidly passing through committee. There had also been several debates on foreign policy, aqd several debates more raised by Irish members on Irish topics. A«jfegards tho former of these, the series mast practically be-said to have been closed by the four nights'debate before the Whitsuntide recess on Mr Gladstone's Resolu* lions. Mr Gladstone now perceives that he made a grievous mistake in with* drawing the third, fourth, and fifth Beso* lulions under the pressure of the Whigs. If he had persisted in going on with them! the probability is that he would not have found a much larger majority arrayed against him, while he would certainly not have sustained the moral defeat which the withdrawal, together with the subsequent division contributed. The upshot of all the discussion on the policy of Her Majesty's Ministers, whether in tho House of Commons or the House of Lords; was to make it clear that their Opposition critics had uo definite alternative proposals to offer. The nation has accepted the Ministerial policy faute de rnuux, and | having accepted it, believes that it would 1 have been difficult to have invented a better. How far the second of these two circumstances we have mentioned inter* fered with the legislative business of Par* liament a few words will be sufficient to show. Early in the Session ;Mr Smyth snatched a victory for a Sunday Closing Bill, which wouid have become law iui very little while, had not a number of Irish members determined to waste time wi'h talking it out. Many prccioui

hours were also sacrificed to the discussion of Mr O'Shaughnessy's proposal in favour of rendering attendance at Irish National Schools compulsory, and of Mr Shaw's motion in favour of Home? Eule. When on the early morning of July 3, the Army Estimates were being considered in Committee of Supply, Mr O'Connor Power moved to report progress, on the strength of nu alleged Irish grievance that Ireland was not permitted to raise a volunteer force. Sixteen motions of a sim'lar character were made, and eventually tho House was counted out at 7.30 a.m. This was the beginning of that organised policy of obstruction which reached its culminating point in the discussions on the South African Bill, when on Tuesday, July 24, there began the ever memorable, aud the longest, sitting on record.

LEGISLATION OF THE SESSION. Notwithstanding the impediments which these continued agencies placed in the way of Her Majesty's Ministers, they have still continued to get through a respectable amount of solid legislation. They have passed a measure reforming tho prison system of Eugland; they have passed a measure which is calculated to extend the benefits of our national Universities. The Irish Prisons Bill, the Irish County Courts Bill, and the Scotch Sheriffs' Courts Bill, have all become law. The bouth Africa Bill was introduced by Lord Carnarvon in the House o.f Lord on Apjjil 20, with the approval of Lord Kimberlby, the sole critic of the measure being Earl Grey, and that on the ground not of principle but of seasonableness. The Bill is purely permissive, but events which have since passed in South Africa have conclusively proved that Confederation is the one and only guarantee against native disturbances. It is also to be noticed that an exceptional amount of time has been devoted to Indian affairs. As early as Feb. 13, Mr Fawcett moved for a select committee to inquire into Indian finance, and the proposal led to a long a id, it may be said, an exhaustive discussion, in, strange to say, a crowded House. THE BUDGET.

To pass back from topics which relate to our Colonial and Indian dependencies to subjects of more directly domestic in- . terest, we have to notice the substantive defeat of the Government Burials Bill involved in the acceptauca of Lord Hatrowby's amendment; the rejection on its second reading by 222 to 83 of Mr Holt's Bill for the total abolition of vivisection; the defeat of Mr M'Laren's Bill for the abolition of Church rates iv Scotland; the acceptance by the Government of Mr C. S. Bead's motion for County Boards, and of Mr Eeginald Yorke's motion for a committee to inquire into the constitution and practices of the Stock Exchange. Of purely financial debates there were less in the Session of 1877 than is usually the case. The Budget was brought forward on April 12, showing a surplus of £443,000 for the past year, and estimated receipts cf £79,020,0C0 as compared with an estimated expenditure of £78,744,044 in the year ensuing. The Education vote of £1,910,000 showed an increase on that of 1875 of £203,000. To he continued.

A pabagbaph in the Australian news published yesterday was to the effect that •' Supple is to be released." Gerald Supple was a clever Melbourne barrister who from,being eccentric developed a homicidal mania. He imagined that Cf. P. Smith, a Melbourne press writer, was always writing him down, and one day in the street he tried to shoot Smith, but instead shot a Sergeant of Police. For this he was tried, and being found to be insane, was ordered to be imprisoned during the Governor's pleasure. Mr Supple was a brother-in-law of the Mr Wilson, barrister, who was drowned in the harbor during the very early days of the Thames, and until recently he had relatives residing in Auckland.