New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-08-01
VAR TOPICS,

We hope the world has been duly i'm
pressed with the charming personal relations
that prevailed until lately between Count Ben
edetti and the Prussian Court. When France
and Prussia were on the verge of war King
William invited the ambassador to dinner,
and treated him so well that his next official
dispatch was rampant, not to say delirious,
eulogy of the royal wines, mingled with unin-
telligible explanations of the Prussian policy.
1t was announced in the Corps Legislatif that,
sowing to arrangement of the wires" that
dispatch was not received in fit state for
publication. And now it seems that Count
Bismarck was in the habit of using Count
Benedict as his private secretary. When he
wanted a secret treaty drawn up, he made NJ.
Benedict sit down and write it from his die
tation! After so much intimacy perhaps the
Count thought he had some excuse for inter-
rupting the King when His Majesty was
drinking.
Some of the small papers, which have the
misfortune of not belonging to the Associated
Press, have given us already about four pitched
battles on the Rhine frontier, with the most
terrible losses. There is something very strange
about these engagements. They burst upon
the world every third or fourth morning with
a tremendous explosion of large type, and
nobody ever hears wordzabout them after
wards.
Gen. Lebeuf has positively refused to give
Prince PlOnPlOn a command. We dare say
Gen. LebGuf might do France still greater
service if he could only refuse command to
Prince Plon-PlOn's imperial cousin.
We must expect astonishing reports from
the seat of war by way of Paris, especially
now that the lively journalists of that gay
capital, being excluded from the lines, are re-
duced to the necessity of inventing their news,
instead Of merely distorting it. But we really
did not expect anything from Germany quite
so funny as the recent violation of the neu-
"trality. of Luxembourg" A French corporal
crossed the line to get some tobacco; the in
habitants fled; and the Governments of Brus-
sells, Berlin, and st. James's began telegraph
ing to each other like mad. We hope it will
be understood hencefOrth that the equilibrium
OF Europe will not allow French corpOrals to
buy tobacco in Luxembourg.
1t seems hardly worth while to press any
| further for an answer to the question about the
secret treaty. Put all the French answers to-
gether, and you will have no difficulty in
guessing at the truth. First, there was no
such proposed treaty. Then there was pro-
posal, but it came from Prussia, and France
rejected it. Then (after the manuscript was
exhibited in NJ Benedettis autograph), it was
merely an informal memorandum, of which the
French Government had no knowledge. This
was rather tax upon credulity but the sub
sequent answers have been in geometrically
increasing ratio of absurdity. A few days ago
we were told that it was only little game of
Napoleon's to test Bismarck; and now NJ Bene-
detti gravely informs us that he wrote it at
Count Bismarck's dictation. At this point in
the explanation al the world laughed.
Whether the independence of the Papal
States is to be guaranteed again by France
and Prussia IN 1870 as it was in 1854 really
makes very little difference. The Garibaldans
will be allowed to turn out the Pope as they
came near doing before, and then Victor
Emanuel VIII turn out the Garibaldians and
Keep tic territory himself. lie would have