The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-26 00:00:00

no need of it for conversing with those generally
surrounding them. This is the solution of the
enigma :—The true capital of the Grand Duchy is
not Luxemburg, its provincial chief town, but Paris.
Paris is the ideal city to which the aspirations of all
Luxemburgers tend. Everybody here who can
afford to make a long journey goes, in the first
place, to Paris, as everybody who wants to make a
short journey in the neighbourhood goes to Metz
rather than to the far more interesting city of Treves.
The French-speaking workmen visit Paris regularly
every year, returning here at the end of the season,
and remaining with their families during the period
of chomage until their money is spent and the time
for recommencing work has arrived. Workmen of
a superior kind go to Paris to perfect themselves in
their particular calling, and also because Paris is, to
their idea, the greatest place in the world. Young
men whose parents have means, after being educated
at a French or Belgian gymnasium, go to some
French university to complete their studies. Those
who wish for a military career enter the French or
the Belgian army, but for the most part the French.
The Federal contingent of Luxemburg consists (for
it has survived the Confederation) of only 1,700
men, and offers no career to a warrior of ambition ;
but Luxemburg has contributed its contingent of
volunteers to the Belgian Legion which was formed
for service in Mexico, and to the permanent Foreign
Legion of France. A man must be desperately in
want of military glory to enter the French Foreign
Legion. A certain number of Luxemburgers, how-
ever, have done so, others have become naturalised
in France, and have entered the French regular
army. It can- be seen from the tombstones in the
cemeteries that Luxemburgers were killed fighting
on the French side in the Crimean and Italian cam-
paigns. But no Luxeinburger took part in the great
German war, which was terminated without the
Luxemburg Contingent of 1,700 men being called
into the field at all.

There is no movement on the part of workmen or
students or aspirants for military fame towards Ger-
many ; all which proves not that the Luxemburgers
are French, but most decidedly that they are not
German.

As for their general mode of life—to return to
the minor tests in the Duchinski system—their
cookery is partly French, partly German, and they
drink Moselle, which is half a French half a German
wine. They have French beds with German eider
downs upon them. Their horses seem to be a cross
between the Flemish and the old French post-horse.
The men clothe themselves, but do not dress, and
that personage in a recent French comedy who
longed for the day when he might walk about with
his waistceat unbuttoned would have found him-
self quite at home in Luxemburg. As for the
women, they resemble in many respects the admir-
able women of Strasburg—amiable Germans, vivi-
fied by a French spirit.

APRIL 23.

People in England, as in other parts of the world,
must have been surfeited with news from Luxemburg
—I mean of incidents supposed to have happened
there. Established Governments, or their agent. 4,
have shown themselves as fertile in invention as the
much-abused " European revolutionists," who
used to concoct such wonderful telegrams about
Italian, and, above all, Polish affairs. I thought on
arriving here that if I did not succeed in discover-
ing what had, I should at least be able to find out
what had not, taken plac6—what was the truth
about the petitions for and against annexation to
France? what about the revolt of the " Nassauers'
in garrison here ? what about the proclamations in
favour of annexation to France posted up on the
walls at night by French agents to be torn down
the next morning by indignant inhabitants? what
about the black flags carried through the streets on
the anniversary of the battle of Sadowa ? what
about the visit of M. de Lavalette to Luxem-
burg? what about the visit of the Baron
de Tornaco to Paris ? All I knew about the
affairs of Luxemburg on reaching this city—in
addition, of course, to the bare fact that the King of
Holland had proposed to cc le the Grand Duchy for
a pecuniary- consideration to the Emperor Napo-
leon, and that Count Bismark, or the King of Prus-
sia, had forbidden the sale, was based upon the facts
suggested by the above inquiries.
The scaffolding was a treacherous one, and for the
most part rotten. Two petitions, one for the main-
tenance of Luxemburg in its present position, the
other approving, by implication, the proposed an-
nexation to France, have been circulated and signed.
As for the " Nassauers," by which was meant the
Nassau regiment, forming about one-half of the gar-
rison, they did not revolt, nor had they anything to
revolt about. I have been puzzling myself for some
time to find out why this fable of the revolt of the
Nassauers was spread so industriously all over
Europe, but must now give it up as a bad job.
With regard to the proclamations, if they were
posted up at night, when as a rule it is dark, who
can prove that they were posted up by French
agents? Ido not see why the French Government
should send agents to Luxemburg at all, for every
Luxemburger you meet is a se'l- constituted French
agent already. I cannot speak positively of my own
knowledge, but every one that I have asked has given
me the same answer on the subject—that the ad-
dresses in favour of France were posted on the walls
and dropped about the streets by the students and
other young men of the town—les jennes gears, as a
class, in fact. Grave persons admit that it was very
unbecoming to do anything of the kind, inasmuch as
the country is still under the government of the
King of Holland, but they deny that French agents
were in any way concerned in the matter. If the
farce of universal suffrage should really be played iu
connection with the proposed cession of Luxemburg,
the French will no doubt look after their own inte-
rests and their own ballot boxes, and without resort-
ing to any unfair play they might, if the question
was understood to be one between entering the
North German Federation and being annexed to
France, count on obtaining an enormous majority.
But I don't think they have made any attempts to
influence the sentiments of the people hitherto, and
why should they? I have bought some dozen books
on the history, laws, and local religious ceremonies
of the Luxemburgers. They are all in French, and
three out of four contain sarcasms against the Ger-
mans. The two most celebrated works in Luxem-
burg literature are the learned description of the
Grand Duchy by the Bishop of La Basse-Mouturie,
and its too complete history, in eight stupendous
quartos, by the Jesuit, Father Bertholet. Ido not
pretend to have read either of these productions;
but I have looked through Bertholet's appended
" Dictionary of Illustrious Men produced by the
Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, whose names are not
i❑troduced in this history," and I can certify that
both the works I have mentioned are written in
French. If the historians of the last century, writ-
ing at a time when the Grand Duchy still formed
part of the Holy Roman Empire, used the French
language, and if, as is the case, the guide-books and
pamphlels of the present day are also published in
that tongue, then it is really very difficult to under-
stand what need there can be to stimulate the
Luxemburgers in their very evident inclination
towards France.
There have been officers and non-commissioned
officers here, however, from the neighbouring forti-
fied town of Metz. The officers, after sending their
cards to the proper authorities and requesting per-
mission to see the works of the fortress, were natu-
rally enough refused. But the new forts protectity*
the railway, and other military buillings erected by
the Pru sians were sketched all the sane. Indeed,
though printed notices are exhibited forbidding the
approach to certain points in the fortifications, there
are no sentinels to enforce compliance with the in-
junctions. The garrison is said to be at its mini-
mum ; and this would certainly seem to point to at
least the possibility of a painful solution of the
Luxemburg question. A better sign still is that of
late no additional works have been constructed, and
that no new artillery has been brought into the
fortress.

French functionaries, too, have visited Luxe

burg in their offidtl capacity, and with the view
of reporting to their Government on the condition
of the Grand Duchy generally. A Prefect from a
neighbouring department, who h s large estates
here, was the first to arrive. Spin minor officials
came with the special view of st.fdying the com-