The Elections and Assignment o f. the Commands.-Onthe arrival of the Roman commissioners from Africa, simul-taneously with that of the Carthaginians, the senate met at the temple of Bellona. L. Veturius Philo reported that Carthagehad made her last effort, a battle had been fought with Hannibaland an end had at last been put to this disastrous war. This announcement was received byand Veturiu s reported a f urth ean unimportant one, namely thSvphax. r success though comparativelye defeat of Vermina, the son of He was ordered to go to the Assembly and make thesharers in the good news. Amidst universal congratuall the temples in the City were thrown open andthanksgivings were ordered for three days. :The envoys from Carthage and those from Philip who hadalso arrived, requested an audience of the senate. The Dictator,at the instance of the senate, informed them that the hew consuls would grant them one. The elections were then held and Cnaeus Cornelius Lentulus and P. Aelius Paetus were made consuls. The praetors elected were M. Junius Pennus to whom the City jurisdiction was allotted;M. Valerius Falto, to whom Bruttium fell;M. Fabigs Buteo, who received Sardinia, and P. Aelius Tubero, to whora the ballot gave Sicily. As to the consuls' provinces it·was agreed that nothing should be done until Philip's envoys and those from Carthage had obtained an audience. No sooner was one war at an end than there was the nroSDect of another commencing. -1-rie consul Cnaeus .l,entulus was Keenty desirous of obtaining Africa, as his province;if the war should continue, he looked forward to an easy victory;if it were coming to an end he was anxious to have the glory of terminating so great a struggle. He gave out that he would not allow any business to be transacted until Africa had been decreed to him as his province. His colleague being a moderate and sensible man gave way, he saw that to attempt to wrest Scipio's glory from him would be not only unjust but hopeless. Two of the tribunes of the plebs-Q. Minucius Thermus and Manlius Acilius Glabrio -declared that Cnaeus Cornelius was attempting to do what Tiberius Claudius had failed to do ,26 and that after the senate had authorised the question of the supreme command in Africa to be referred to the Assembly, the thirty-five tribes had unanimously decreed it to Scipio. After numerous debates both in the senate and in the assembly it was finally settled .to leave the matter to the senate. It was arranged that the senators should vote on oath, and their decision was that the consuls should come to a mutual understanding, or failing that,, should resort to the ballot, a- to which of them should have Italy and which should take command of the fleet of fifty vessels. The one to whom the fleet was assigned was to sail to Sicily, and if it proved impossible to make peace with Carthage, he was to proceed to Africa. The consul was to act by sea;Scipio, retaining his full powers, was to conduct the campaign on land. If the terms of peace were agreed upon the tribunes of the plebs were to ask the people whether it was their will that peace should be granted by the consul or by Scipio. And also if the victorious army was to be brought away from Africa, they were to decide who should b血g it. Should the people resolve that peace was to be concluded through Scipio and that he was also to bring the army back, then the consul was not to sail for Africa. The other consul, who had Italy for his province, was to take over two legions from the praetor M: Sextius.