Fallieres, who had been elected to succeed M. Loubet.
Other expressions of the growing intimacy between the English and
French nations were the visit of the lord mayor of London at Paris,
a visit of representatives of French universities at London, and a
special invitation extended to General French and other English
officers to view the fall maneuvers of the French army. Internally
the enforcement of the new Church and State Separation Law caused
many difficulties and widened the break between France and the pope.
A general strike of miners followed the worst mining disaster of the
age, which killed over 1,200 miners at Courrieres. Captain Dreyfus
was finally completely vindicated. Two changes of ministry occurred.
M. Rouvier was succeeded as prime minister by M. Sarrien, whose
resignation, on account of ill health, brought M. Clemenceau to the
helm.

The separation of church and state continued to hold the center of
the stage in 1907. Monsignor Montagnini, auditor of the Papal
Nunciature, was expelled. The Catholic bishops, though, of course,
supporting the pope in his objection to the separation law, finally
reached a partial understanding with the Government in regard to the
continuation of public worship in Catholic churches. Labor troubles
and serious riots in the principal wine districts occurred
throughout May and June, but, though they were embarrassing the
Government, they did not result in any changes in its composition.
France exchanged notes with both Spain and England, establishing the
continuation of the _status quo_ in parts of the Mediterranean and
Atlantic as far as they affected lines of communication between the
contracting powers. A Franco-Japanese agreement of June, 1907, was
principally commercial in nature, although it expressed the
adherence of the two countries to an open-door policy in China. King
Edward and Queen Alexandria again visited Paris.

President Fallieres, accompanied by M. Pichon, the Foreign Minister,
reciprocated with a visit to England in May, 1908, where he was most
cordially received. In July, 1908, the president also paid visits to
the kings of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, and to the czar.
Considerable bad feeling was created between France and Germany on
account of the action of the German consul at Casablanca in giving
shelter to some men of German origin who had deserted from the
Foreign Legion. The matter, however, was finally referred for
adjustment to the Hague Trib