The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-08-15


that the sword has been sheathed for q time, to
give diplomacy an opportunity to conclude
peace, we find the sphynX of the Tutlertes
formally summoning the Court of Berlin to
rectify the French frontiers by transfer OF
Prussian territory
1t was at first considered that Napoleon would
be satisfied with nothing less than making tne
Rhine the eastern limit of his empire, but 1t mas
latterly been semi-otficially intimated tnat ne
Will be content with the frontier fixed by the
Treaty OF Paris OF May 30, 1874 and the restora-
tion of the districts which the treaty OF farls
OF November 20, 1915, removed from the doml.
nation of the French crown. knowledge OF
the boundary lines defined by these treaties will,
therefore, help to elucidate the subject In the
new aspect in which it is now viewed.
The treaty of 1914, which was concluded
poleon's first overthrow and his retirement to
Elba gave very liberal terms 10 France. By
the second article of that treaty it was provided
that France should be assured the integrity OF
its boundaries as they existed on January l.
1892, with such augmentation of territory as
were comprised in the subsequent article. Some
cesslons of territory were therein made to
France by, the neighboring powers, and others
we're made by France to them, for mutual
advantage and for the sake of more clearly
defining its frontiers, "but which, nwrites Allison,
upon balance ot gains and losses, gave 1t an
increase of tour hundred and fifty thousand
souls" France, however, had secured to it
Avignon, the Venaisn, and the county of
Montbehard, the first conquests of the Revolu
tionary Government. The various clauses of
the third article specified line OF demarcation
on the side OF Belgium, Germany, Switzerland,
ana Italy; that on the Spanish frontier remain
ing as 1t was on January /, 1872. The most
important clause was the fifth, by which the
fortress OF Landau, that prior to the year 1892
had formed an insulated point in Germany, was
brought within the French frontier by the cession
to that country of part of the departments of
Mont Tonnerre and the Lower Rhine, by which
acquisition the fortress and It's district were
Joined to the kingdom. France consented, at
the same time, to abandon all pretenslon TO any
territories beyond the limits then dehned and
the adjoining nations reserved the full right to
fortiiy whatever point OF their states they might
Judge fitting tOr their SAFETY.
If the French people mad remained faithful to
the Bourbon dynasty no alteration would have
been made in the boundary lines thus agreed
upon; but in the olJwing year, after they had
again rallied round the standards of Napoleon,
the allied powers were determined upon re-
ceiying compensation Tor the loss OF blood and
treasure to which they had once more beeu sub
ieeted; and much to the orlcl Of their legitimate
sovereign, he was compelled to submit t. loss OF
territory as a punishment for acts to which he
had been naturally and strenuously opposed.
In spirit OF revenge some OF the conquerOrs
demanded that France should yield up the
most important provinces, which, during the
past two and q half centuries. the mOnarChS
of the house Of Bourbon had added to
their dominiOns. Austria insisted upon receiv-
Ing Odck AlSace ana Lorraine; spain asked IOf
the Basque provinces; Prussia considered that
she would be insecure unless the frontier pro-
vinCes that ad Oined the Rheuish section Of her
kingdom were Ceged to her; while the King of
the Netherlands demanded the French tortressas
on the Flemish border; and they supported
their claims by keeping eight hundred thou
sand troops on French soil, Quartered upon the
people. Fortunately for France, Russia being
unable to receive any benefit from concessions
of territory, the Emperor Alexander stood by
her side and sustained her in resisting these
extraordinary demands. The negotiations
were, however, much protracted. and some
months elapsed before the definite treaty OF
peace was signed.
Though the terms of this treaty were very
humiating to France, still they were tar from
being as severe az some OF tbe allies would have
made them. 1t was considered that the indem-
nifty due to the allied powers could not be either
entirely territorial, or entirely pecuniary, with
ont prejudice to France III the one or the other
of her essential interests, and that Il combina.
ton OF the two modes would avoid the incon-
veniences that would result were either resorted
to separately. The territorial concessions, which
is all that we have occasion to deal with in the
present article, consisted i'll restoration of the
boundaries OF France to the state in which
they stood in 1890, with some slight moditi-
cations on both sides, by which means the
whole of the territory, Iar from mconsiderable,
gained by the treaty of 1914, was resumed
by the allies. In consequence OF this the
fortresses OF Phillipsvllle and Marienburg,
with the territories belonging to them,
and the Duchy OF Bouillon, were added to the
Belgic provinces of the kingdom OF the Neither
lands; and SaTe-Louis with its fortress, and
SarrebTuCk were incorporated with Rhenish
Prussia. The fortress II Landau and the a liza
cent district was likewise ceded to Germany,
and is now comprised within Rhenish Bavaria;
the fortress, however, was declared the common
property of the confederation, but has latterly
been garrisoned by Bavarian troops. Further
south the French fortress OF Huningen, which
menaceG Basle, was to be demolished; VersoiX
and small district was ceded to the canton
OF Geneva; and a portion OF Savoy, which, in
The treaty OF 1914, France was permitted to re-
tain, was restored to the kingdom OF Sardinia.
France, however, now owns the whole OF Savoy,
which, with Nice, she has received for the aid
she gave to Italy in the war OF 1859.
If, then, the Emperor Napoleon only demands
the Districts ceded in 1915 to Germany it is evl
dent that, should he obtain them, ne will not
acquire any very great addition to his territory;
but the tortresses he would receive with them
would greatly strengthen his position on the
| German border, and their possession might give
him an opportunity, at future day, by anothe r
| move, TO extend his empire to his grand obiec
| tive point, the western bank of the Rhine. We
are not yet informed what, in the general settle
ment of Europe, he will claim nom Italy, though
| 1t is pretty generally conceded that els eye
is steadily fixed on the island otSardinia, which
! is more than likely to fall within his grasp,