It is feared that M. Carnot is seriously unwell. He
has been suffering from general weakness for some months, and has been treated for liver complaint ; but the doctors, with Dr. Brouardel at their head, now repudiate that idea. They con- sider the President suffering from overwork and anaemia, and have ordered him for some weeks to Fontainebleau, where he can enjoy the fine air of the forest, and obtain some respite from visitors and politicians. M. Carnot has consequently been compelled to give up his tour in Brittany, and writes to M. Dupuy, just now Premier, regretting the necessity and for- warding £2,000 for the poor. He also directs that all the decorations he meant to have bestowed shall be forwarded to those who have earned them. It may be taken as certain that the President believes himself ill, for he intended his tour as an electioneering expedition, and expected to secure representa- tives pledged to his re-election. His death or resignation would greatly confuse politics in France, as no candidate has anything like an assured majority in the Chamber. The most probable candidates would be M. Constans, M. Casimir Pinier, and M. Brisson, probably in that order ; but there will be many more, unless there is a catastrophe before the day of election.
