308 



FRANCE. 



vice-presidents were reflected. The fourth 

 successful candidate, M. Eicard, replaced M. 

 Benoist d'Azy. Five hundred and ninety-five 

 votes were recorded, and the results were as 

 follows : M. Martel (Left Centre) received 468 

 votes; the Duke d'Audiffret-Pasquier (Right 

 Centre), 451 ; M. de Kerdrel (Right), 343 ; and 

 M. Ricard (Left Centre), 300 : these four were 

 elected. M. Benoist d' Azy, of the Right, who 

 was unsuccessful, obtained 275 votes. The 

 three former questors were reflected, viz., M. 

 Baze, of the Right Centre, by 482 votes ; M. 

 Toupet des Vignes, of the Left, by 460 ; and 

 General Martin des Pallieres, of the Right, by 

 "294 votes. 



Soon after the adoption of the new Consti- 

 tution on March 10th, a new cabinet was. 

 formed, composed as follows : Buffet, Minister 

 of the Interior and Vice-President of the Min- 

 isterial Council ; Dufaure, Minister of Justice ; 

 Duke Decazes, Minister of Foreign Affairs ; 

 General de Cissey, Minister of War ; Rear- 

 Admiral Marquis de Montaignac de Ohauvaure, 

 Minister of the Navy and the Colonies ; L6on 

 Say, Minister of Finances; Wallon, Minister 

 of Public Instruction, of Public Worship, and 

 of Fine Arts ; Cailleaux, Minister of Public 

 Works ; Vicomte de Meaux, Minister of Agri- 

 culture and of Commerce. The policy of the 

 new cabinet was explained by M. Buffet, by 

 the following declaration which he read from 

 the tribune of the Assembly: 



the task they have accepted without the support ot 

 a majority approving and associating itself with 

 their policy. Their first duty is to make you ac- 

 quainted with this policy, which is most distinctly 

 conservative, and will be devoid of any character- 

 istics either of provocation or weakness. This dec- 

 laration, which will be falsified by no act of the 

 Government, might appear superfluous if the inter- 

 pretations placed upon the vote on the constitu- 

 tional bills, and the consequences deduced from 

 that vote, had .not caused indecision in public opin- 

 ion, and even disquietude in the public mind, 

 which it is desirable to reassure. All ambiguity- 

 must be removed, and to each commune of France 

 must be conveyed the conviction that the indus- 

 trious population attached to order by the sense of 

 its own interests has the Government on its side, 

 and may rely upon us to protect it against subver- 

 sive attacks and passions. We shall be seconded, 

 we doubt not, by the intelligent and devoted admin- 

 istrative staff which knew how to maintain order 

 under difficult circumstances, and which may rely 

 upon our constant support. So long as the organi- 

 zation of the public powers remained an open ques- 

 tion it was a source of division among men who 

 were perfectly agreed as to the course the Govern- 

 ment, when constituted, should pursue. This ques- 

 tion having now been settled, the division ought to 

 disappear. We renew with confidence the appeal 

 made by the President of the Kepublic to the mod- 

 erate men of all parties, and we earnestly claim their 

 support. It is our duty to insure the obedience and 

 respect ot all toward the constitutional laws. We 

 are firmly resolved to defend them against all fac- 

 tious intrigues ; but, as the servants of the law, we 

 shall never be the instruments of any policy of vin- 

 dictiveness in France, where the changes of institu- 

 tions and dynasties have left in the hearts of a great 

 many citizens regrets and convictions which are 

 worthy of respect so long as they are not displayed 



by any reprehensible acts. Any other conduct on 

 our part would be contrary to justice and good pol- 

 icy. We should have approved at all times of this 

 firm and conciliatory conduct ; to-day it is the only 

 one suitable to the state of things to which our mis- 

 fortunes have given birth. Who can think that this 

 is a fit moment for us to tear each other to pieces, 

 and afford the world the spectacle of our internal 

 dissensions? Should we not thereby strike a last 

 blow at the power of France? It seems to us that 

 before this supreme consideration all hesitation 

 should cease. The Government intend submitting 

 to you modifications of the laws by which the press 

 is at present regulated. It is necessary normally to 

 secure the efficient repression of excesses which, in 

 the eyes of the most moderate men, would discredit 

 the legitimate use of free discussion. So long as 

 this new law is not voted, the Government cannot 

 relinquish the exceptional powers which are con- 

 ferred upon it by the state of siege in a certain num- 

 ber of departments. We ask also, for a stated pe- 

 riod, the maintenance of the present legislation 

 respecting the appointment of mayors, who will be 

 chosen as much as possible from among the mem- 

 bers of the Municipal Councils. Should the Assem- 

 bly not share the views we have laid before it rela- 

 tive to the Government's course of policy, we would 

 ask it to express itself immediately, and we should 

 not fail to understand the obligations which this 

 refusal of support would impose upon us. 



On March llth the National Assembly 

 elected the Duke d'Audiffret-Pasquier Presi- 

 dent of the House by 418 votes out of 598. 

 The members of the extreme Right gave in 

 131 blank voting papers. M. Martel, who was 

 supported by the Bonapartists, obtained 30 

 votes. 



On March 18th a motion was adopted to 

 adjourn on March 20th until May 5th, and pro- 

 vision was made for the appointment of a per- 

 manent committee of 25 deputies to sit during 

 the recess. A few days before the adjourn- 

 ment the National Assembly adopted the law 

 on the increase of the French army. 



The chief of the new ministry, M. Buffet, 

 declined to comply with the request made for 

 a change of prefects. In reply to the mem- 

 bers for Toulouse who urged this change, Buf- 

 fet replied that it would be impossible, without 

 disturbing the country, to effect any great 

 changes in the administrative staff, which had, 

 in fact, merely carried out the instructions of 

 the former ministers. He could not admit that 

 he had the right to blame public functionaries 

 for respectfully obeying the orders transmitted 

 to them. In fine, M. Buffet thought the pre- 

 sent prefects, with very few exceptions, might 

 be retained, and that it would be sufficient to 

 give them clear and precise instructions in 

 harmony with the new order of things. The 

 new Government also determined to put a 

 stop to the Bonapartist intrigues. The Bona- 

 partist agents were arrested in three depart- 

 ments and fined for distributing pamphlets. 

 The organ of M. Rouher in Corsica was prose- 

 cuted for publishing a violent article against 

 the republic. The Minister of Foreign Affairs 

 showed himself anxiously intent upon avoiding 

 any conflict with Germany. Instructions were 

 sent to the prefects of the eastern depart- 

 ments to use all legal means to prevent the re- 



