The Sun.
London, England, 1870-09-20 00:00:00

M. JULES FAVRE'S CIRCULAR.

The Telegraph considers that the new circular prepares
what is almost a carte blanche ; it amounts to the
admission that France will make any sacrifice in
her power to obtain an honourable peace. Ger-
many wants compensation for the past and security
for the future. On this platform, negotiations—
or, at least conversation tending to pave the way for ne-
gotiations—can take place. Of course it is quite possible
that the conditions which the victor thinks essential for
" security " may be found by the conquered incompatible
with 'honour." But, at all events, both sides
will know the best and the worst. One pas-
sage of M. Favre's circular is insignificant, al-
though it might have been made more explicit.
He represents Republican France as " disavowing all
political conquest, all violent propaganda, and having no
other mission but to remain mistress of hesself." This
is, in general terms, a renunciation of all those means
of temptation so often presented to French eyes. Con-
sidering that the new Government is entreating
M. Bismarck not to annex reluctant populations, and not
to take a slice of territory from an independent neigh-
bour, the Telegraph thinks that France, through
its present representatives, might have added a dis-
tinct disclaimer of that demand for the Rhine frontier
which has been the ignis fcrutus of every French politician
Legitimist, Republican, Orleanist, or Imperialist ; who
all talked, and wrote, and dreamed of the Rhine. Such a
voluntary declaration from a Government of France, en-
dorsed by a French National Assembly, would be a land-
mark in French history, and would have a palpable
effect on European opinion. So much may be implied in
M. Favre's disavowal of a 4 political conquest; but in a
matter like that before us, where particular suspicions
have been aroused, &articular renunciations would be
extremely useful.

M. JULES FAVRE'S INTERVIEW WITH BISMARCK.
Of the result of M. Jules Favre's interview with Count
Bismarck, says the Standard, we are not yet informed ;
but we are constrained to say that the chances of peace do
not appear to be much brighter. The second circular of
the French Ministtr of Foreign Affairs is so far reas-
suring that it proves that the Provisional Government of
France have arrived at a truer appreciation of the
dangers of the situation. They have abandoned the
position which they took up in M. Favre's
first circular, and they seem prepared to admit that
they have inherited a certain liability on account
of the war. They show a disposition to make every
reasonable compensation to the victorious Germans,
and they realise the fact that the price which
France will have to pay for peace must necessarily
be a heavy one. They stipulate only that they
should not h, asked to accede to conditions which shall be
injurious to the national honour. We do not know that
the Government of the 4th of September, existing
as it does only on sufferance, and without any legal title
to represent the people of France, could do any more than
this to prove their sincerity. They have fixed the date
of the meeting of the Constituent Assembly as early as
was possible in the circumstances, and until after that
meeting takes place it would be clearly unreasonable to
expect M. Favre and his colleagues to pledge theint*lreel
to pail' specific onoessions.