New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-05-22
FRANCE.


NAPOLEON'S FOREIGN POLICY-TIIE REVUE DIS DEUN
MoNDEs ON TIE sIrUArIoN-TIIE MoNTEUR OF
THE CEssION OF RUSSIAN AMERICA
From Our SPECIAL Correspondent
His Maiesty's policy since halfbrother De Mony's
death seems to have lacked curiously not only direct
ness of means but foresight decision and consistency
of purpose. Remember that the Emperor Is his own
Minister of Foreign Affairs, and then note the ap-
parent oscillations the doubts, the contradictions
prevalent his conduct of them ESPECIALLY toward
Germany as revealed in documents directly inspired
by him, or written by his own hand Read for ex-
ample in connections his letter of April II, 1906 to
Drouyn de Lhuys his letter of June H. the Layactte
Circular of Sept 16 1861 the speech of Rouhcr IN the
great debate on foreign affairs less than two months
ago, where he boldly asserted the weakness of
New Germany, broken in three fragments and
trumphantly boosted that Government had net
made single mistake in its foreign policy and the
same confidential spokemms assertion on the sth of
April. that it was Holland that started the LuXem-
burg qucstion-an assertion which, when uttered 10y
member of the Parliament of that Kingdom ON the
Goth of April was fatty and formally denied by the
Foreign Affairs Minister, Van Iuylcn Van NylcNclt,
TO be just, distinction is 10 he made here, though
Mr. ROuhcr took care not 10 make II clear III his be
tween his assertion and that of the Holland PaTla,
ment member. The Luxembourg question started
really of itself little natural branch Oi the Franco
Gcrnanc question, that grew out OF Sadowa battle
fed-a great spreading bay tree, luXllant ol latics
for the PrusSiaus only. OF unhIage Tor The french
For the bending of this thingto French INCLINATION the
efforts OF tender woman were employed; "A least at
has been currently said and accredited that an en-
trely unaccrcdited Madame " was the primary
agent for the sub-prelimnay tentative gongs about
toward preparation Tor negotiation OF CeSson OF me
Duchy. Here the initlatoIy step was french Inc
ccssiOn being thus informally agreed upon between
France and Holland, then the last named Power be
came first III formally hrOacnng the subject
10 Prussial Now what conclusion To draw
/
proofs of Napoleon's having been grossly
mistaken in his calculations, and grossly ae-
ceved or deceiyng-Or both Ills Majesty Is not Il
fool nOr is Minister ROuher. Had they
been fooled A partial, and, so far az
its author diScrcetly goes, satisfactory
TO the general reader answer TO tins lnteri0gai9iy
which surprises and puzzles rs here, and VIII be Ike
10 have Interested y0u, am able 10 give You. NOT
that your correspondent has been the recipient ol
any Of those confidential revelations winch persons
in high office about the Emperor and foreign cnbas-
sailors resident here are foudly lavish OF IN their
habitual intimacy with newspaper correspondents.
nor vet that he has that common gait OF second SlehJ
before which milstones are dlapianoiS nor even tHe
! cabeistc glance OF the Atlantic tclegrammaiian
whose invention creates and whose electric lntch-
! gence illumnates for the amusement of Americans
! spheres of knowledge undrcamcd OF here TIL the
! siOw-going steamers bring back in print his Won
| dIOus revelations Of itself 10 benlghtcd Europe.
only translate and respectfully commend to your
notice portion of the political review OF the fort
night. printed IN the Eer6e ds Doar u0pdsS Tor the
first of this month Beside the opportunity for learn
! ing which the social and political relations OF MS
author NJ. de FORBADE furnish him. he has by intel
| lectual endowment and culture unusual advan-
tagesr of knOiciHg what Inc has learned Sclrcspcc
full and respectful of Others he Is neither inventive,
nor indiscreet nor of course, Sensational Add to
this the long-estabshed character of the Rerae, to
which he has been for years the constant contributor
in this political department, and 50 give to the iO-
| lowing the authority you deem belongs to 1t.
One of the striking pecuiartles OF the luXemburg
affair is the course pursued by the French Govern
mcnt. 1t is wOnderingly asked How happens 1t
| that the Cabinet of the TuilcIics did not demand
and obtain the adjustment of the position of the
/ nv at he nm O
NikOlsburg were going on under ITS own mediation,
! and the Treaty Of Prague was signed Did ques-
| ton of this importance which we saw "a few
! months later, 10 give room Tor such alarming
complications then escape the attention. the fore
sight OF our diplomacy BY keeping to the essential
point. the evacuation OF the fortress how easily
must il not have been attained at the moment Wheh
Prussia was reaping the benefit OF our neutrality,
and when the sacrifice of the right of garrison would
have been lost sight of in the spendOr ana pOht OF
her sudden territorial ACKNOWLEDGEMENT was thS
forgetfulness lack OF foresight on the part OF
France or rather not other designs ana WIDER
ambitions then entertained The latter supp0sltOl
is the most probable. 1t is matterot European no
toriety that we then, demanded more Oh
Prussia, and were hoping much better
things of her. Luxembourg was but
trfng fraction Of an increase of territory and OF
incubation that we counted upon obtaining in moving
toward the Rhine. Was il this hope with which be
fore the war Bismarck beed attentive neutral
tvf One thing Is certain that nothing mad been PUT
in writing, and that the skillful Prussian Minister
excused himself from written engagements by SAVING
that the King his master, would sooner renounce all
an alienation of German Territory, an enterprise
whose popular and patriotic preteXt the necessi
~ of rendering Germany greater and stronger toward
foreign Powers. Beside, our claim was presented
With an iaoppOrtunify the effects OF which have been
recently revealed II was the determining and inn
mediate cause of the secret conventions concluded
between Prussia and the States Of the South by
which the military unity of Germany was cOnsum-
mated Bismarck had decided on being very severe
with the States of the South He had received Won der
PfOrdten who came to invoke his CleIDency for Ba-
varia with nlexibe sternness lie had signlfied 10
him thai Prussia would take Franconia from Bava-
ria On the instant that he knew of the French de
nIands-be1ng yet ignorant whether or not they
x-ould be backed by sOercive ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
h nged all his designs the States of the South In
stead of contracting their limits he offered and asked
comm nicated 10 him the demands that violated the
integrity Of the Germ2nie soil appealed to his German
Nv toward Baravia and leave Fracona in her possess
ion and tia everything should be subordinate to the
against forec,, interference. The BavaTian Minister
thanked him With warm emotion accepted with al
of Prussia and took upon himself TO negotiate Tor tue