A recent proposal in the French Chamber of Deputies, to abolish the embassy to the Vatican, was rejected by a vote of 307 to 217. On that occasion Prince Goblet made the following speech, for which he was applauded:— "As long as we live under the régime of the Concordat, it is necessary to maintain relations with the Vatican for the training of the clergy and the appointment of bishops and cardinals. The importance of our protectorate in Eastern countries, also, requires the maintenance of friendly relations with the Vatican. Rival powers dispute our protectorate. The friendship of the Pope is, therefore, precious. The Pope already has his bitternesses. Is it for us to increase them? It has been said recently that the Pope could no longer count upon any country but France. That does not mean that France will intervene to restore his temporal power; but the more the Pope is deprived of that power the more France ought to honor him by curtailing nothing of her respect for the high authority he represents." The present Pope may be trusted to make himself indispensable to the Governments of Europe. It matters little whether he has temporal power or not, so long as he practically controls the movements of the great powers. In this connection it may be noted that the Pope has recently received a letter from the Czar, accepting the Vatican's proposals, and promising to restore diplomatic relations between the Russian Government and the Vatican at an early date.