The Sun.
London, England, 1870-09-28 00:00:00

THE LATE NEGOTIATIONS.

REPORT OF M.

JULES FAVRE.
TOURS, SEPT. 27.

The report of M. Jules Favre, dated the 21st inst., on
his late negotiations at the head-quarters of the Prussian
army, states that the day after its establishment the new
Government received the representatives of all

the I ~veers in Paris. North America, Switzerland,
Italy, Spain, and Portugal officially recognised the
French Republic, the other Governments authorised their
representatives to enter into semi-official relations with
the new Government. M. Favre explains the various
solutions of the situation which were proposed, such as a
league .of the neutral Powers, and says :
" Time went on and the enemy came nearer, and I
decided to take a direct step. Therefore, on the 10th of
September I asked M. de Bismarck if he was willing to
enter into negotiations as to the conditions of an arrange-
ment. His first reply was that he could not entertain any
proposal, in consequence of the irregular character of our
Government. However, he asked what guarantees we
could offer for the execution of any treaty that might be
concluded.
"The Minister of the Power which had acted as
intermediary considered it desirable that I should not
hesitate to proceed to the Prussian head-quarters. I
decided to take this step, expressing at the same time
my regret that the negotiations were not kept secret as
agreed upon."
M. Favre proceeds to relate his conversation with M.
de Bismarck. He proclaimed France's love for liberty,
but at the same time declared the unshakeable resolution
of the country to accept no condition which would con-
vert the proposed peace into merely a short and threaten-
ing truce.

M. de Bismarck replied that if he believed a perma-
nent peace possible he would conclude one at once.
He maintained that the position of the present French
Government was precarious, and that should Paris not be
caj,tured in a few days it would be overthrown by the
populace. " France will as little forget the capitulation
of Sedan as Waterloo or Sadowa, which did not concern
you."

M. Jules Favre goes on to say :—" Count Bismarck
maintained that the French nation had had a fixed inten-

tion to attack Germany. To any observations combating
his assertions and explaining the causes of the war, and
pressing him to state exactly his conditions of peace, M.
de Bismarck replied distinctly that the security
of his country compelled him to keep territory
which would be a guarantee of safety, and
he declared that the departments of the Upper
and Lower Rhine, of the Moselle, with Metz, Chateau
Salins, and Soissons, were indispensable, and that he
could not relinquish them. To the objections that the
consent of the people of whom he disposed was more than
doubtful, and that the public law of Europe would not
permit him to act without that, M. de Bismarck replied
that he was aware of this, but said—" As we shall shortly
have another war with you, we intend to enter upon it in
possession of all our advantages."

M. Favre hereupon remarked that Europe might find
the pretensions of Prussia exorbitant, and might
oppose them, adding :—" We will never accept them.
We can perish as a nation, but we cannot dishonour our-
selves. The country alone is competent enough to
decide upon a cession of territory. We have
no doubt as to its sentiments, but we will con-
sult it. Finally, I urged that Prussia carried
away by the intoxication of victory, desired the
destruction of France. M. de Bismarck protested against
this, but to my demand for time to allow of the meeting
of the Constituent Assembly, he replied that for that pur-
pose an armistice was necessary, which he could not grant
at any price.
"At the second interview, on the evening of the 19th,
at Ferrieres, M. de Bismarck appeared to allow himself
to be persuaded about an armistice, which I asked should
be for 15 days, and on the following day, at 11 a.m., he
sent me the following conditions, namely, the occupa-
tion of Strasburg, Toul, and Phalsburg ; and as I told
him that the Assembly would meet in Paris, he
desired in that case to have the forts commanding
the capital—Mont Valerien, for instance. I objected to
this, that it would have been more simple to have asked
for Paris at once. M. Bismarck replied, ' Let us seek
some other combination.' I spoke to him of the Con-
stituent Assembly meeting at Tours, in which case no
guarantee against Paris should be required. M. de
Bismarck further demanded that the garrison of
Strasburg should surrender as prisoners of war.
Having expressed my indignation at this proposal,
M. de Bismarck went to consult the King, who
accepted the second combination, but insisted that
the garrison of Strasburg should give themselves up as
prisoners of war. My powers were now exhausted. I
rJse and took my leave, expressing to him my conviction
that we should fight as long as we could find in Paris an
element of resistance."
M. Favre, in his report, proceeds to explain the Dearing

of the interview. He sought for peace, and met with an

inflexible determination to have conquest and war. He
therefore now states the facts and communicates them to
Europe.
On the 21st instant M. Favre forwarded a dispatch to
M. de Bismarck, explaining that the Government
of the National Defence would not subscribe to the condi-

tions upon which the armistice was dependent. M. Favre
states that his mission has not been useless, since it has
removed the ambiguity in which Prussia had enveloped
herself. She had declared that she attacked Napoleon
and his soldiers, but respected the nation. " To-day we
know what she desires."
In conclusion he calls upon the country to rise,
and either " to disavow the Ministry or fight to the bitter
end."

OFFICIAL PRUSSIAN DISPA.TCH,
ROYAL HEAD-QUARTERS,
FERRIERES, SEPT. 27, 9.23 Am..

M. Jules Favre's report of his conversations with the
Chancellor of the North-German Confederation shews cer-
tainly a desire to give a truthful account of what took place,
but is, nevertheless, inaccurate. The question of an armis-
tice was the chief point to be discussed. As regards the
cessions of territory, Count Bismarck would only state
his views when the principle of a territorial cession 13:colic'
have been accepted.