M. Baroche's speech last week at Rambouillet has entirely failed
to counteract the increasing disbelief in France as to the main- tenance of peace, in spite of the Minister of the Interior having endorsed his colleagues' assurance by a circular to the Prefet, and the whole chorus of official papers being made to strike day after day into laboured reiterations that all is peace and goodwill in the world. The French public is manifestly smitten with obdurate scepticism on the score of peace, for not the slightest impression has been made by all this effort at authoritative persuasion. But now a practitioner of still higher standing is announced to be about to take this obstinate case in hand. The Emperor has signi- fied his intention to attend the fete to be held on the 9th May at Orleans in commemoration of Joan of Arc, and it is given out that on the occasion he will himself deliver one of his sensation speeches.
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