The Sun.
London, England, 1870-10-29 00:00:00

THE. EMPRESS EUGENIE.

The Daily News publishes the translation of another
document respecting the Empress Eng&ie. It is an
authentic exposition of facts, and of the views and aims
of the lady, concerned. Assuming its accuracy, which
there is no reason to impugn, it is an ,important
contribution to our knowledge. The manifesto com-
mences by a statement that the Empress, whilst in Eng-
land, has remained a stranger to every intrigue. She is
not without hope of a restoration, but she is resolved to
take no steps at present. In respect of rejecting all pro-
posals for a cession of territory, the Empress is not one
with the Provisional Government. The document pro-
ceeds :

" The evidence of this may be found in her
answer to the first emissary, sent her by M. de
Bismarck on the 15th of last month, when she had
been only a few days in England, and when the
events that had brought about her exile were still so
recent that she might perhaps have been excused if she
seized on the first opportunity of exercising her authority
as Regent. Prussia at that time was ready to make
peace. The victories of Weissenberg, of Forbach, and of
Sedan, were enough for her glory. Public opinion in
Germany had not then been embittered by the con-
tinuance of a war which the surrender of the Emperor
promised at first to terminate, and the Chancellor of the

OCTOBER 29, 1870.

North German Confederation did not then feel himself
obliged to offer to a country exhausted by the struggle any
considerable territorial compensation. Accordingly he
proposed to the Empress to conclude a peace on the basis
of the surrender of Strasburg, the key of the house, as
he calls that French city, with a portion of the, Depart-
ment of the Bas Rhin, including but 250,000 inhabitants,
and with a war indemnity of two thousand millions of
francs. The Empress, rejecting long before the Pro-
visional Government the idea of territorial cession,
refused this proposition, which has remained so
completely unknown that views are to - day- im-
puted to ber which would be wholly incon-
sistent with her past acts, and as hostile to
her interests as to those of France. No doubt conversa-
tions take place at Chislehurst between the Empress and
her household. The chances of restoration, and the means
to be employed when the hour shall strike, may well be
discussed, but such views are private, and have remained
private ; nor has any indiscretion— a thing in itself im-
probable—given to anybody the right to state them in a
positive form, much less to give them an official character.
To form a juster estimate of the various narratives
that have been published, it needs only to keep
in mind the intrigue in which General Bourbaki
became an involuntary tool, or that famous manifesto im-
puted to the prisoner of Wilhelmshohe. It is known to-
day how entirely ignorant was the Empress of those two
matters, and what a surprise to her was the arrival of the
confidant of Marshal Bazaine. It ought to be equally
well known that her desire to take part in none of the
intrigues of which it was sought to make Chislehurst the
centre, has been formally expressed. The Empress lives
in the most absolute retirement, surrounded by a few per-
sons whose devotion is known, coming but seldom to Lon-
don, dividing her hopes between France and her son.
The arrival of General Boyer was as unexpected as that
of General Bourbaki. It was only natural that the envoy
sent by Marshal Bazaine to the Prussian headquarters
should have thought it a duty, when his mission was
accomplished, to pay this respects to the Empress at
Chislehurst, and to apprise her of what was passing fn
Metz. Everything beyond this is pure imagi-
nation. There was no question of a military
revolution in the interview of last Saturday
at Chislehurst, but solely of the possibility
of continued resistance. To suppose that the
discussions between the Enipress and General
Boyer had any other end is to hold light the military
honour of the defender of Metz, as well as to confess ig-
norance of the relations existing since the Mexican war
between Marshal Bazaine and the Empress, with whom
he has never been a favourite. From such an interview
it is a long step, as will be seen, to that project of the
Empress's journey to the Prussian headquarters, and to
the part she was to be made to play in the negotiations
for peace. No doubt the Empress eagerly desires to
see an end of hostilities, but whatever those reck-
less partisans whose dangerous services she rejects
may assert or allow to be supposed, and whatever be the
diplomatic intrigues of which M. de Bismarck desires to
make her an instrument, it is certain that she does not
dream of sacrificing an inch of French territory, or any
part of the honour of the country to her dynastic in-
terest. When Alsace and Lorraine shall be no longer
in question, the Empress will doubtless use every effort
to put herself in agreement with the country, with
a view to obtaining an honourable peace, but till then
she will abstain with the same dignity and resolution as
heretofore."

The manifesto proceeds to say that with respect to the
visits of the Prince Napoleon, the Empress has never
concealed her prepossessions against him whom she re-
gards as the Emperor's enemy. It is certain that his
last visit to Chislehurst ended in an explosion. He called
one of the late Ministries a Ministry of idiots. The Em-
press replied : " I know not what you mean by a Minis-
try of idiots, but what I do know is that down to the last
moment the Emperor was served by devoted and faith-
ful friends. For the last eighteen years yon have
opposed the Empire. You and those about you have
never ceased to undermine it ; and to-day, when the
Emperor is fallen, you pursue him still. Had you been
at Paris on the 4th September you might have been able
to give us good advice, but you were absent, as you have
so often happened to be, at the moment of danger ; of
course, to your great regret, as Ido not doubt.' Upon
this, says the document, Prince Napoleon tarried no
longer. He took up his hat and left the room.