ged to offer to that statement the most positive and emphatic, but most courteous, denial. The noble Duke referred to the circumstances attending Mr. Villiers' motion, and to facts that transpired during the debate thereupon, in proof of this assertion. He would not now enter further into matters of controversy. When Lord Aberdeen should resume his place in that House he would be able to explain his part in the transactions better than any one could do for him: meanwhile the high reputation of the noble Earl were sufficient to protect him from the insinuations against his political conduct in which Lord Derby had indulged. First Commissioner of Public Works-Sir W. Molesworth. The Marquis of Lausdowne to have a seat in the Cabinet without office. On the 27th, the House of Lords having met pursuant to the last adjournment The Earl of Aberdeen rose to explain the circumstances which had induced him to undertake the task of forming a new Administration, and said, though both his tastes and habits, as well as the reflection that he had arrived at the very verge of the period usually assigned to human life, might have rendered him reluctant to accept office, he had felt it his duty to obey the commands of the Queen. He had been accused, indeed, of entering into a conspiracy to overthrow the late Government, but he could only say that his efforts had been directed towards keeping it in, and not towards its destruction; and so far was he from conspiring against the Earl of Derby and his colleagues, that First Lord of the Treasury- he had actually made arrangements The Earl of Aberdeen. for passing the remainder of the Lord Chancellor-Lord Cran- winter on the shores of the Meworth. diterranean. Circumstances, howChancellor of the Exchequer ever, had induced Her Majesty to Mr. Gladstone. The Ministerial arrangements not being completed, as Lord Aberdeen had anticipated, by the day to which the House of Lords had adjourned, a further adjournment to the 27th took place. Before that day the new Cabinet had been completely formed, and was announced to the public as follows: Secretaries of State :- castle. First Lord of the Admiralty Sir James Graham. President of the Council-Earl Granville. Lord Privy Seal-The Duke of Argyle. Secretary at War-Mr. Sidney Herbert. President of the Board of Control-Sir C. Wood. request his advice in forming an Administration, and the Cabinet being now complete, he would proceed to lay before the House a sketch of its intended policy. With regard to Foreign Powers, it would adhere to the principle which had been pursued for the last 30 years, and which consisted in respecting the rights of all independent States, in abstaining from interference in their internal affairs, while at the same time we asserted our own rights and interests, and, above all, in an earnest desire to secure the general peace of Europe. This policy might be observed without any relaxation of those defensive measures which had been lately under taken, and had, perhaps, been too long neglected. At home the mission of the Government would be to maintain and extend free-trade principles, and to pursue the commercial and financial system of the late Sir Robert Peel. A crisis in our financial arrangements would speedily occur by the cessation of a large branch of the revenue, and it would tax the ingenuity of all concerned to re-adjust our finances according to the principles of justice and equity. The questions of education and legal reform would receive every attention at the hands of the Government; nor would an amendment of the representative system, undertaken with out haste or rashness, be excluded from its mature consideration. The Earl of Derby, he was informed, had spoken of a Conservative form of Government, and wondered how he (Lord Aberdeen) and his associates would be able to carry on the service of the Crown; but the truth was, no Government was possible at present except it were Conservative, nor was any Government possible except it were Liberal. Those terms had ceased to have any definite meaning except as party cries, and the country was sick of them. The measures, therefore, of the Government would be Conservative as well as Liberal; for both were essentially necessary. The noble Earl, too, had spoken of the spread of Democratic principles, but he looked in vain for any indication of such a state of things; on the contrary, the country at large was never more tranquil or contented, and though there might be speculative Democrats among us, those were not the men who subverted States. Finally, the noble Earl expressed his regret at the spirit of hostility in which Lord Derby had spoken of the new Government, and concluded by moving the adjournment of the House to Friday, the 10th of February. The Earl of Derby said there was so little to complain of in the programme which the House had just heard, that he should have abstained from any remarks, had it not been said that he had accused the noble Earl and his colleagues of entering into a conspiracy against the late Government. Now, he denied that he had ever used the word "conspiracy," though he might have said "combination;" and if, after the negotiations which had confessedly taken place between three totally different parties in the Lower House, the concert which had been arrived at among them did not constitute a combination against the Government, he was at a loss to understand the meaning of the word. With respect to the financial measures of the new Government, he was glad to hear that some of the noble Earl's supporters in the Lower House had already modified their extreme opinions, and that a re-adjustment of the income tax on equitable principles would be attempted. The intentions of Lord Aberdeen on education and legal reform were undoubtedly satisfactory, though his views on the amendment of the representation were of oracular ambiguity. The noble Earl had ridiculed the notion of a dangerous Democracy, but it remained to be seen whether an alteration of the existing representative system might not throw too great power into the hands of a lower and less informed class of the community. Personally, he had no feeling of hostility against the new Government, but he had no great confidence in it, for he had no conception of the principles on which it was based. If, however, the noble Earl conducted his Administration on a truly Conservative policy, he should receive no obstruction from those with whom he (Lord Derby) acted. The House then separated for the Christmas recess. In the House of Commons several adjournments took place before the arrangements were so far accomplished as to enable the numerous new writs to be moved for. It was not till the 31st of Dec. that the appointments to all the subordinate offices, by the acceptance of which seats are vacated, having been completed, the ultimate adjournment to the 10th of February took place. CHAPTER VIII. FRANCE.-Proscription Decrees-Dissolution of the National Guard throughout France-Promulgation of the New Constitution-Council of State-Ministry of the President-Decrees, ordering a Sale of the Orleans Property-Protests of M. de Montalembert and M. Dupin— Judgment of the Tribunal of the Seine-Final Decree of the Council of State-New Electoral Law-Law relating to the Press-Political Anniversaries not to be celebrated-Inauguration of the Senate and Legislative Corps-Speech from the President of the RepublicSpeeches of Marshal Jerome Bonaparte and M. Billault-Transportation for Political Offences-Decree, defining the Relations of the Council of State to the Senate and Legislative Body-Speech of the President to the Magistrates-Conversion of the Five per Cent. Rentes -Manifesto of the Comté de Chambord (Duc de Bordeaux)—Its Reception by the Legitimists-Distribution of Eagles to the ArmyLetters from Generals Changarnier and Lamoricière, refusing to take the Oath to the Constitution-Speech of M. de Montalembert against the Orleans Decree-Close of the Session of the Legislative CorpsSpeech of the President of the Republic. N the 10th of January, some interpretations which he disavowed, Odecrees were published which and he demanded to be placed on proscribed different classes of persons, whose presence in France, it was alleged, might impede the reestablishment of tranquillity. The first decree banished to French Guiana, five ex-representatives of the people, MM. Marc Dufraisse, Greppo, Miot, Mathè and Richardet, for taking part in what was called the recent insurrection. The second decree, as a measure of general safety," banished from the territory of the Republic, from Algeria, and from the French Colonies, 67 exrepresentatives, "whose residence in France would be calculated to foment civil war." General Cavaignac was not included in the list, and he wrote to the Minister of War, stating that the exception in his favour might give rise to the retired list, to which a period of service for thirty years, and eighteen campaigns, entitled him. His request was complied with. General Changarnier and other officers of distinction, residing in exile, were at the same time placed on the half-pay list. By decree, on the 11th of January, the National Guard throughout France was formally dissolved, and at the same time re-constituted on a new basis. The following are the chief provisions of the new system. "Art. 1. The service of the National Guard consists-1st, of the ordinary service within the precincts of the commune; and, 2ndly, of service in detachment out of the territory of the commune. "Art. 2. The service of the National Guard is obligatory on every Frenchman, from 25 to 50 years of age, who may be judged apt for that service by the conseil de recensement. Nevertheless, the Government will fix the number of National Guards for each locality. "Art. 3. The National Guard is organized in all the communes which the Government may deem necessary; it is dissolved and recognised accordingly, as circumstances may require. It is formed into companies, battalions, and legions, according to the necessities of the service, determined by the administrative authority, which is to have the power of creating corps of sapeurs-pompiers. The creation of special bodies of cavalry, artillery, or engineers, cannot take place except by the authorization of the Minister of the Interior. "Art. 4. The President of the Republic is to nominate a Commander-in-Chief, and Colonels, and Lieutenant-Colonels, in such places as he may deem it advisable. "Art. 5. The National Guard is placed under the authority of the mayors, sub-prefects, prefects, and Minister of the Interior. When, by the orders of the prefect or subprefect, the National Guard of several communes is assembled, either in the chief town of the canton, or in another commune, it is under the authority of the mayor of the commune in which the meeting takes place. Are excepted from that decision the cases determined by law, in which the National Guard is called on to perform military service, and is placed under the orders of the military authority. "Art. 6. Citizens cannot either take arms, or assemble as National Guards, with or without arms, without the order of the immediate officers, and these latter cannot give such order without a requisition from the civil authority. 66 Art. 7. No officer in command of a post can have cartridges distributed to the National Guards placed under his authority, unless in virtue of a precise order or in case of attack. "Art. 8. The National Guard is composed of all Frenchmen and foreigners in the enjoyment of civil rights, who shall be admitted by the conseil de recensement, on condition of being dressed in the uniform, which is obligatory. "Art. 13. Whenever the National Guards are on service with the paid troops, they take precedence of them. "Art. 14. The expenses of the National Guard are voted, regulated, and superintended like all other municipal expenses. "Art. 15. The expenses of the National Guard are obligatory or optional. The obligatory ones are: -1, the cost of purchasing colours, drums, and trumpets; 2, the repairs, cleaning, and cost of arms, with the reserve of having recourse to proceedings against the National Guards, according to the terms of Art. 13; 3, the rent, lighting, firing, and furniture of the guardhouses; 4, the cost of registers, papers, and all the minor expenses which the service of the National Guard necessitates; 5, the pay of the sergeant-majors and adjutantmajors; and 6, the pay and clothing of the drummers and trumpeters. All the other expenses are optional. "Art. 21. The prefect can suspend reviews and exercises in the communes and cantons, on condition of at once rendering an ac |