NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE French Minister of Justice, M. Dufanre, on Tuesday pre-
sented two Bills to the Assembly, intended to supplement the Constitutional Laws. By the first, called the Public Powers Bill, the authority of the President of the Republic is considerably increased. Be is invested with the right of convoking the Chambers, which are ordinarily to meet on the second Tuesday in January, for an extraordinary Session ; of decreeing two adjournments of a month each in a session ; of sending messages to the Chambers ; of de- manding a fresh deliberation on a law already accepted ; and of .making and ratifying treaties, to be divulged only when it is ex- pedient for the State, though this power does not extend to treaties of commerce, or treaties for ceding, exchanging, or annexing territory. These powers are nearly as great as -those of Napoleon III., though checked by the President's liability to impeachment before the Senate on a vote .of the Deputies. By the second Bill, some indirect restrictions on the right of the electors to select whom they please as Senators are removed. The Communal "delegates," or electors, who are in the chief town of each arrondissement to help the Councillors-General and Municipal Councillors to elect the Senators, are allowed their expenses; the Senators are to be paid 'like Deputies, and the higher officials are forbidden to seek elec- tion. Moreover, if a Communal Council has been dissolved and superseded by a Commission, it must be re-elected to appoint the delegate. We hive explained' elsewherethe probable opera- tion of these Bills, which will not, we imagine, be seriously resisted.
