OUR ILLUSTRATION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1003, 18 February 1882, Page 1 (Supplement)

OUR ILLUSTRATION.

'-Leon''-Gambetta, thd Prime : Minister ; .of France/ was 'bo'rh ; at Cahbrsj a 'large 'town in the'south'of'France; about sixty miles north of Toulouse, in October, 1838, so that at; the presontirriomerithe is only 43 years of 'age. Hia-family lave' of -Italian origin. -'The lather ; of Gambetta .was a" grocer'of'fair standing,.iand'gave ; .his son the advantage of ■•• a .'igood-,' ! educatibn, ■ He' was "ad- ; . -<•-"' mittedasan barrister,>iii ; 185U, and at once 'became: famousi for his' ad-vanced-rcpublicaV opinions, which at that time-were extremely unpopular- amorigat .the-propertied ; olasses..' GambßttaV ; fira'fc great case-was in -1869, when he'defended the editor of the Emancipation, a newspaper ■published at .Toulouse/against a prqseoution brought against it by the Government,-' -The elbnuenco displayed upon that occasion, and the liberal opinions expressed,' made Gambetta known throughout France, and the same year 'hewas elected toithe'Chamber-bf ! -Deputies both'for Marseilles and one of ; the democratio .districts of Paris, as an-irreconcilable .opponent' >of ■■ the ■■■ Napolebnio :; Government, In January, 1870, he made'a l violent at tack.- upoii the.iollivier-Minißby,''.arii pro. phesied the speedy-downfall ; of the 'empire. The Auglb-Gorrhaft war- cOuuhehced .in •Augast^'-1870..,',Napbleoneapitulated'at'-Se-dan:a fowweoks afterwards/arid theß'epublie was proclaimed; Gambetta was nominated ■Minister of-the Interior; and developed administrative' powers 6f : ; the very ,; highest orde'f.i ; ,.He remained ; in Paris'during the K of'the siege, l but-left by "a balloon'in October, passing over the German ■lines. :; 'He "arrived .s'afely'/at'Roueny' from iwhenco he reached Tours,- and assumed ; the 'directions of affairs! -Here he organised the raised.the army of : the •Loire,--which .attempted to raise the siege of :Paris/urged -upon 'the people l of ■'■Frarioe ii to/" continue the' war Woutrance, arid sucdeeddat ,ininfusinghisfieryspirit into the-people ok* ithWest and south' of Fratiue; whither■ the >,, ; German i armies > had ■ not ; penetrated;: ■ But his efforts were useless; the raw levies whioh :he raised .were .;every wliero defeated, aiid at last Paris fell and a truce'was proclaimed, After the feign pf the' Communists, 1 which Gambettatookmopart in, he was again returned to Parliament, and became the leader ofi.thb democratic: seotioh of' the Repub:licahj:paHy,> and combatted':to;tlie utmost tho conservative tendencies of the men elected during 1 thoireaction which succeeded the'disastrous war of 1870-71. From this time up to 1879,'duringwhich, though the inclination of the people was towards Republicanism, the reinsof the Government were in the hands of the President M'Mahon's conservative party, Gambetta ceased not to infuse Republican ideas into the minds of. the people, which ultimately led. to, the resignation of Marshal M'Mahon, and the: election of Mons, Grevy, as President of the Republic, when Gambetta was triumphantly elected to fill the: place vacated by.tho latter as President of the Assembly* Thoieventsof the past few weeks must be fresh in the iniuds of our readers; - M. Gambetta. has a prepossessing' face,'witha slightly Jewish expression, He is extremely sociable, and loves to be surrounded by his / personal'and political friends. f