18th Feb. 'THE President of the French Republic died at ten o'clock on Thursday night, or at six o'clock on Friday morning by our time; and before noon on Friday the sad news was known in Shanghai. As announced by us in an Extra, he died after only three hours' illness our French contemporary, the Echo de Chine, circulated later the fuller information that at six p.m. on Thursday M. Faure was in his private study, when he felt that he was ill. It was an apoplectic attack. The President was able to summon M. Lo Gall, who gave him all the aid that was possible at the moment. Doctors were immediately called in, but despite their efforts, the President lost consciousness about eight p.m., and died at ten o'clock, surrounded by his family and by Mr. Dupuy, the French Premier. Fortune has not smiled of late on the Presidents of the French Republic, M. Grévy retired virtually in disgrace owing to the misconduct of his son-in-law, M. Wilson; M. Carnot was assassinated; M. Casimir-Périer resigned for some reason that has never been made public when he had been little more than half- x in office, and now M. Faure has been removed suddenly and prematurely at the age of fifty-eight.
M. Francois Felix Faure was clected President on the 17th of January, 1895. On M. Casimir-Périer's resignation there were three probable candidates for the office, and on the first ballot the votes were M. Brisson " 338 votes.
M. Faure 244, M. Waldeck-Rousseau 185 Before the second ballot M. Wal-deck-Rousseau retired, asking his supporters to transfer their votes to M. Faure, and the result of the second ballot was M. Faure. 430 votes.
M. Brisson - 861, Writing on the day of the election, the Paris correspondent of the Times said Once more France has emerged without shipwreck from one of the most unforeseen and threatening storms which have ever assailed her. M. Felix Faure, Minister of Marine in the last Cabinet, an hon ourable, industrious, attractive man of Moderate Republican views has been elected at the second ballot by 430 votes against 361 for M. Brisson. "The contest was a severe one, as the number of votes given for M. Brisson is the largest which has obtained by an unsuccessful candidate for 20 years—a proof of the tenacity with which the opposing forces defended their position, President Faure was born at Paris, 20th January, 1841. A self-made man, he was long a journeyman currier in Touraine, but he eventually became a shipowner at Havre, The next day the Times had a leading article on the election, in which it said "The new President is not very widely known to the outside world, but the part which he has played in the domestic polities of his country is respectable, and has earned for him the cordial esteem of his colleagues. He is a native of Paris, but has long been settled in Havre, where he established himself as a shipowner and became President of the Chamber of Commerce. He served the office of deputy-mayor during the terrible year 1870, assisted as captain of the garden quelling the Paris Commune, Faure continued to confine his attention to local objects until 1876, when he was an unsuccessful candidate for the representation of Havre. He was returned for that town in 1881 and the fact tha sat for it continuously since that date is gratifying roof of the -high regard in which he is eld by those who ought to know him best. Immediately after his election to the Chamber he was nominated U; secretary for Commerce and the Colonies in the administration of Gambetta, and he was appointed to the same office in the Cabinets of M. Jules Ferry in 1883, M. Brisson in 1885, and M, Tirard in 1887. Last May ('94) he attained for the first time to th ity of a portfolio, being created Minister of Marine in the Dupuy Cabinet. In Parliae ment M, Faure has acquired a solid reputa. tion as a ood man of business. While he has naturally shown a icular interest in those questions connected with the Colonies and the foreign commerce of France which are intimately related to the shipping industry, he has also been selected to act upon other committees dealing with matters of trade and finance of " more general kind, such as the Railways Committee and the Committee on the Conversion of the Route. In politics M. Faure has been an opportunist, and belonged to the group known as the Union Républicaine."
If there was any doubt as to the wisdom of the choice made by the Conference at Versailles, it was soon dissipated. Straightforward, sincere, dignified, and intelligent, not a great man, but a solid sensible administrator, and areal lover of his country, M. Faure has commanded the French Ship of State successfully through a succossion of storms that might well have frightened him from the bridge. His popularity continually increased since his election, though the bright light that beats upon a throne beats even more strongly on a presidential chair, and he earned the genuine regard and respect of the Sovereigns with whom his position brought him in contact; notably H. M. our Queen and the Czar of Russia. A Chief of the State born to the purple could not have borne himself better on the trying occasions of the Czar's visit to Paris and his own return visit to St. Petersburg, If, as has been hinted sometimes, he was quite conscious of the grandeur of his position, that is a very pardon. able weakness, and it allowed to impair his serv country. It can be easily understood that he has been seriously worried by the course of events in France in the last year or two, and he has fallen a victim to the troubles of his distracted country.
The French Constitution provides no Vice-President, and the interim Chief of the State is M. Dupuy, the Premier, who seems to have a very
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.