The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-08-13
IN INTERVIEW WITH NAPOLEON
IIy.

san Engl:sbman." writing from Paris July
%, to the London Telegraph, gives the follow
ing account of an interview with Napoleon Ill
Exper,erce has warned m, that authorita-
tive expressions Of opinion emauating from the
pro.agenIsts in great political 'crlsls rarely
find their way into foreiga newspapers. 1t is
with the purpose OF enaDling your readers to
form their own Judgement upon the views now
expressed by the Emperor Napoleon that l ven
ture to repeat the words which he yesterday
employed while speaking to a friend and to my:
self during an lnteryew With which he honore d
us at the Tuilerles. must begin by rem tri-
ing that have known the Emperor for many
wears, and have seldom seen hlm looking be-
ter, When last spoke with him FIVE mouths
ago, he looked careworn and haggard, With q
complexion more than usually sallo and ash
colored. Yesterday hls face looked fuller, his
eve bright, his cheek healthy. wish IN sdd:-
tion to premise that, attef he had spoken. l
INQUIRED whether We we're at liberty to repeat
bis words q hante Uoic. He ans wered II wish
nothing better than that should be represent
ed to the people Of England as holding these
views"
TIE Emperor, after speaking with his usual
quiet kindness upon some private m!tters:
turued suddenly to the political situation OF
France and of Europe. He said, "One fort
night before the utterance of the Due de Gram
mont in the Corps slatit-Thich utterance
has as it seems to me. been 60 unjustly re
f1ec:ed upon by the English press-l bad no
notion that war was at hand, nor am l, even at
this moment. by any means prepared To- II. l
trusted that. when the Due de Gramm INT had
set me straight with France by speaking man
fully in pubic as TO the Hoheuzollern candida.
ture, should be able 30 to manipulate and
handle the Controversy as to make peace certain.
But France has slipped out OF my hand. can
not ru upless lead. Thlsls the most national
war that in my time France has undertaken
and I have no choice but to advance at the
head OF public OPINION which can neither
stem nor check. In addition. NJ d. Bismarck,
although very clever man. wants TOO much,
and wants il tho quickly. After the victory OF
Prussia IN 1866 reminded him that but for
the friendly and self-denying neutrality Of
France he could never have achieved srch
marvels. Ipoiuted out to him thatI had never
moved q French soldier near to the RhIne
frontier during the continuance Of the Gsrnc1
wur quoted to him from his own letter in
which be thanked me for my abstinence, and
said that he had left neither PrussleD gun
nor Prussien soldier upon the Rhi"e, but bad
thrown Prussia's whole q "a Undivided strength
ag inst Austria aud her allies. told HIM thae,
as ONE slight return tor my Friendly inacGvl-
ty, I thought that be m ght surrender Lux m.
bDurg, and one or two oIner little toWHs which
gravely meuace our frontier, to France L
a,lGed that IN this Wsv he would. by tuning
sacrifice easily forgotten by Prussia, In view
of her enormous successes and acqusi IONS
pacify the French nation. whose Jea!ouslts IL
was so easy to Arouse, 30 difficult 10 disarn.
IN. de Bismarck replied to me, alter some
delay, Not one tcot OF territory. whether Pras,
sian or neutral, "an resign. Bat. perhaps II
we're to make some further acquisitions,
could mate some conce4-ion.. E.T, for 70,
stance, il we're TO take Holland? What would
France want as sop for hollanLf'
81 replIed sal the Emperor .'that if he at
tempted 70 lake Holland 1t meant war With
France and there the conversation. in which
n. De BIS arck ard NJ. de Benedettl were :he
lnterlocutors. came 10 an enI."
l have repeated this conversation as nearly
as possible IN the Emperor's words While we
we're speaking the Euc de T evlse brought Il
dispatch to bis 4ajesty when The latter read
and which was 10 the effect that "the E eVeni b
Crps Of the Prcss:au urlaY we're at tuas mo-
mept troopng into tt Ewes" bave little sir
10 Gdd to this rrcapi,uIati a. these words,
when ! have faithfully endeavored 20 interpret.
must speak fer themselyes.