franrs.—The political trance in France continues. Recent elections, it is
said, are slightly in favour of the foreign policy of the Emperor, and the Conseils Gifniraux, from which the opposition expected much, have as yet given no sign of political life. One only has ventured to hint that it would like the right of petition, and has obtained it, subject to the approval of the President to the petitions put forward. The correspondent of the Times states that the effect of the pamphlet L'Empereur, Rome, et le Rai has been to remove doubts as to the public willingness to see the occupation of Rome brought to an end. The Mottileur, as stated last week, has denied something about the pamphlet, but what, no one can understand, and meanwhile it is accepted as official. The papers are allowed to publish proofs that a Bourbon conspiracy has a centre at Rome, the elections are avowedly fought between Government and the priests, and "clerical oases," those charges of indecent conduct so often brought against a celibate clergy, are permitted to creep into the journals. Some statistics have been published of the returns of French railways, now 5907 miles in length. The receipts in the past six months have increased from 12991. a mile to 14241.—an increase of 9 per cent. The increase is believed to arise almost entirely from an increased traffic on the old lines.
The French Government appears most earnestly desirous that France should be weltrepresented in the Great Exhibition of 1862.
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