326 



FRANCE. 



those were led out who were to be imme- 

 diately put to death ; on the other, those who 

 were to remain in prison. The number of 

 dead was estimated at 20,000; that of pris- 

 oners at 30,000. 



In the mean while, the definitive peace be- 

 tween France and Germany had been con- 

 cluded. The negotiations in Brussels threat- 

 ened to remain without result, as the French 

 endeavored in every possible way to obtain a 

 modification of the conditions which had been 

 agreed upon in the preliminary peace. As 

 the civil war in Paris made it desirable for 

 both parties to hasten the conclusion of the 

 definite peace, Bismarck, Jules Favre, and 

 Pouyer-Quertier, met in Frankfort, in order 

 to bring the negotiations to a speedier close. 

 Tbe deliberation began on May 6th, and on 

 May 10th the definite peace was signed. The 

 conditions of the preliminaries were in some 

 points modified, though not mitigated, in favor 

 of France. 



The ratifications of the treaty were to be 

 exchanged within ten days. On May 12th the 

 treaty was laid before the French National 

 Assembly. The committee moved that it be 

 ratified. General Ohanzy spoke against the 

 ratification of the proposed exchange of terri- 

 tory ; but, when Thiers showed that the pro- 

 posed exchange was by no means unfavorable 

 to France, the Assembly ratified it by a vote 

 of 440 to 98, and subsequently the whole 

 treaty by a large majority. 



As soon as the army had overpowered the 

 insurrection, the question of the future form 

 of government was pushed into the foreground 

 of political agitation. The Legitimists, who 

 for some time had assumed a hostile attitude 

 with regard to Thiers, displayed a remarkable 

 activity. They declared the fusion of the 

 Bourbons and the Orleanists to have been vir- 

 tually accomplished, and they carried on their 

 agitation in behalf of " the house of France." 

 But, notwithstanding their positive declara- 

 tion, it was found that the fusion had not been 

 accomplished, and the execution of the other 

 points of their programme was equally unsuc- 

 cessful. The cabinet was partly reconstructed, 

 as Lambrecht became, in the place of Picard, 

 Minister of the Interior, Cissey Minister of War, 

 and Lefranc Minister of Agriculture ; but Jules 

 Favre remained Minister of Foreign Affairs, and 

 the position of Thiers was not only not shaken 

 but notably confirmed. The Duke^d'Audiffrey- 

 Pasquier, the leader of the Legitimists, moved 

 in the National Assembly the abrogation of 

 all laws of expatriation directed against mem- 

 bers of " the house of France." This was met 

 by another motion brought in, in the name of 

 -the Left, by Deputy Brunet, for repealing 

 the laws of expatriation against all the former 

 sovereign families of France. The Assembly, 

 on June 2d, voted as urgent the latter mo- 

 tion. Public interest, for a time, was wholly 

 absorbed by this question, and by the election 

 of the Duke d'Aumale and the Prince de Join- 



yille to the National Assembly. After delay- 

 ing the decision for a few days, Thiers, on 

 June 2d, declared, in an elaborate speech, that 

 he approved the repeal of the laws of expatria- 

 tion, and was also willing to have the elections 

 of the princes declared valid, if the latter 

 would resign their seats. He admonished the 

 Assembly to extend the "truce " between the 

 parties, as France would be plunged into the 

 worst anarchy, if the conflict between them 

 was at once to be decided. In conclusion, he 

 declared that he would deceive nobody. The 

 motion for abrogating the laws of expatriation 

 was adopted by 484 against 103 votes ; and the 

 election of the two princes of Orleans was 

 declared valid by 448 against 113 votes. The 

 princes submitted to the compromise pro- 

 posed by Thiers, and left Versailles, after a long 

 interview with the President. Not in har- 

 mony with this report was, however, an official 

 declaration of the Prince de Joinville, who de- 

 clared that, among the two places which had 

 elected him deputy, he chose the former. The 

 Orleanists, like the other parties, seemed to 

 hope that the supplementary elections to the 

 National Assembly would give to the latter a 

 more definite complexion. The adherents of 

 the Commune continued to issue proclama- 

 tions, threatening placards, and explanatory 

 declarations. A great activity was also dis- 

 played by the Catholic party. The Bishops of 

 Evreux, Bayeux, Coutances, Seez, and the 

 Archbishop of Rouen, addressed a petition to 

 the National Assembly, in which they de- 

 manded the restoration of the temporal power 

 of the Holy See. The demonstrations in favor 

 of the Pope were numerous, and were fre- 

 quently coupled with others in favor of Henry 

 V. (Count de Chambord). During these con- 

 flicts of parties, the practical questions which 

 demanded a speedy solution were, however, 

 not neglected. Paris was divided into four 

 military districts, the public places were or- 

 dered to be closed at a certain hour, the thea- 

 tres subjected to a strict superintendence, and 

 a number of other measures taken which grad- 

 ually restored order. The National Assembly 

 began to discuss the reorganization of the 

 army; the system heretofore in use was re- 

 jected by all the members of the committee, 

 which recommended the introduction of uni- 

 versal military duty. The financial question 

 was regarded as still more urgent than the re- 

 organization of the army, because the time 

 when the first half milliard of the war indem- 

 nification had to be paid was near at hand. 

 The National Assembly, in compliance with 

 a proposition made by the Minister of Finance, 

 Pouyer-Quertier, resolved to contract a loan of 

 two milliards. The subscriptions to this loan 

 exceeded all expectation a much larger sum 

 being subscribed than the Government had 

 asked for. The favorable result of the loan, 

 and the success of the grand review of the 

 French army in Paris, on June 29th, filled the 

 Government and people of France with new 



