PRANCE. 



319 



Instituted the joint and individual responsibility of 

 the ministers. Thus are determined our respective 

 duties and rights. The independence of the minis- 

 ters is the condition of their new responsibility. 

 These principles, derived from the Constitution, are 

 those of my Government. The end of this crisis 

 will be the starting-point of a new era of prosperity. 

 All the public powers will cooperate in promoting its 

 development. The accord established between the 

 Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, henceforth cer- 

 tain of regularly reaching the expiration of its com- 

 mission, will enable the great legislative works de- 

 manded by the public interests to be completed. 

 The Universal Exhibition is about to be opened. 

 Commerce and industry are about to take a new 

 spring; and we shall give the world a fresh testi- 

 mony of the vitality of our country, which has al- 

 ways revived through labor, through thrift, and 

 through its profound attachment to ideas of conser- 

 vation, order, and liberty. 



This termination of the crisis which had kept 

 France in suspense during the greater part of 

 1877 was hailed with satisfaction throughout 

 the country. The Chamber as well as the Sen- 

 ate, in accordance with the wishes of M. Say, 

 voted the four direct taxes and a credit of 529,- 

 500,000 francs, which was declared sufficient 

 for the first two months of 1878. They then 

 adjourned on December 18th. The important 

 work of clearing the Administration of reaction- 

 ary officials was promptly taken in hand by M. 

 de Marcere. On December 19th, 82 new pre- 

 fects were appointed, one prefect was trans- 

 ferred, and only four prefects were left undis- 

 turbed. The departmental councils met on 

 December 31st, and it was found that the Re- 

 publican victory was much greater than ap- 

 peared from the official reports. The Left had 

 a majority in 45 departments, against 36 in the 

 previous elections. This was of particular im- 

 portance, as it secured to the Republicans a 

 majority in the Senate after the senatorial elec- 

 tions of 1878. 



France acquired a new colony in 1877, or, 

 rather, had one of her former colonies restored 

 to her. The island of St. Bartholomew, one of 

 the group of the Lesser Antilles, known as the 

 Windward Islands, was ceded to Swedenin 1784, 

 and was the only colony ever possessed by that 

 nation. Finding, however, that the island was 

 more trouble than it was worth, Sweden pru- 

 dently parted with it to France for a " mere 

 trifle." It has an area of about eight square 

 miles, and a population of 2,898. St. Bar- 

 tholomew labors under one disadvantage 

 namely, that of having no natural supply of 

 water ; and its inhabitants are dependent for 

 this convenience on the neighboring island of 

 St. Christopher, which belongs to Great Britain. 

 Notwithstanding this drawback, sugar-cane, 

 cocoa, tobacco, and cotton are successfully cul- 

 tivated. 



The Premier of the cabinet appointed on 

 May 16th, the Due ALBERT DE BROGLIE (eee 

 ANNUAL CYCLOPEDIA for 1873, page 306), born 

 in 1821, is well known to the public by his suc- 

 cessful efforts, in 1873, to overthrow the Gov- 

 ernment of M. Thiers. Under President Mnc- 

 Mahon he became the Premier of the new Gov- 



ernment. This position he retained until May, 

 1874, when he was dropped by the Legitimists, 

 and was compelled to retire. In the National 

 Assembly he was hated so bitterly, that all his 

 efforts to be elected a life Senator by that body 

 were unavailing. The Bonapartists then nomi- 

 nated him for the Senate in the department of 

 Eure, and elected him. In 1877, after the sum- 

 mary dismissal of the Simon cabinet, he was 

 again appointed Premier by President Mac- 

 Mahon. 



MAEIE FRANCOIS OSCAR BARRY DE FOURTOU, 

 the Due de Broglie's Minister of the Interior, 

 was born January 3, 1836. During the Em- 

 pire he was a distinguished advocate of Ri- 

 berac, and, as mayor of that city, was one of 

 the most liberal magistrates of the day. It is 

 said that even under the Empire he gained the 

 reputation for successfully managing elections,' 

 the talent for which he again displayed since 

 his recent accession to power, and that he ma- 

 terially contributed to secure for the Emperor 

 his large majorities. In 1871 he was elected to 

 the National Assembly from the Dordogne, and 

 in that body, while being at the same time Lib- 

 ' eral and Conservative, soon gained a prominent 

 position as an orator and a political manager. 

 Struck by his remarkable talents, M. Thiers, in 

 December, 1872, appointed him Minister of Pub- 

 lic Works, which department he exchanged on 

 May 18, 1873, for that of Worship ; but on 

 May 24th he was forced to retire, with Presi- 

 dent Thiers. On November 20th, however, he 

 entered the cabinet again, as Minister of Public 

 Instruction, of Worship, and of Fine Arts ; and 

 on May 23, 1874, was appointed Minister of the 

 Interior. He retired from the ministry on 

 July 20, 1874, in consequence of a difference of 

 opinion with his colleagues. In 1876 he was 

 elected to the Chamber of Deputies by the Dor- 

 dogne, where he voted with the Right. He 

 had always retained the esteem and confidence 

 of the President, who was said to have fre- 

 quently consulted him; and when, in 1877, 

 President MacMahon formed a Conservative 

 ministry, M. de Fourtou was again given the 

 Department of the Interior. Here he imme- 

 diately undertook to prepare for the elections, 

 introducing the same political measures that 

 had given to the Empire its immense majorities. 

 He is considered a Bonapartist. 



M. EUGENE CAILLAUX, the Minister of Fi- 

 nances (see ANNUAL CYCLOPEDIA for 1875, page 

 814), who was appointed Minister of Public 

 Works in 1875, retired with the Buffet minis- 

 try, in 1876. In the same year he was elected 

 a Senator for Sarthe. He is a moderate Bona- 

 partist. 



The Viscount CAMILLE ADRIENNE DE MEAUX 

 (see ANNUAL CYCLOPEDIA for 1876, page 814), 

 the Minister of Commerce, held the same po- 

 sition during 1876-'76, and in 1876 was elected 

 a member of the Senate from the Loire. He 

 is considered a good executive officer. In poli- 

 tics he is a Legitimist. 



M. AUGTJSTE PARIS, the Minister of Public 



