The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-09-02
An Interview with Napoleon.

Paris Correspondent of London Telegraph
| July %. .
1t is with the purpose of enabling
your readers to form their own judg
ment upon the views now expressed by
the Emperor Napoleon that / ventur,
to repeat the words which he yesterday
employed while speaking to a frien(
and to myself during an interview will
which he honored us at the Tuilleries
/ must begin by remarking that l have
known the Emperor for many years
and have seldom seen him looking bet
ter. When last spoke with him, five
months ago, he looked careworn ant
haggard, with a complexion more thar
usually sallow and ash-colOred. Yes.
terday his face looked fuller, his eye
bright, his cheek healthy. wish, in
addition, to premise that, after he had
spoken, inquired whether we were al
liberty to repeat his words o. hd,ae Uojr
He answered, 81 wish nothing better
than that [ should be represented tc
the people of England as holding these
views.n
The Emperor, after speaking with
his usual quiet kindliness upon some
private matters, turned suddenly to the
political situation of France and OF
Europe. He said, Zone fortnight be-
fore the utterance of the Due de Gra-
mont in the Corps Legislatif- which
utterance has, as it seems to me, been
so unjustly reflected upon by the Eng
lish press-I had no notion that war
was at hand, nor am [, even at this mo-
ment 10y any means prepared for it. !
trusted that, when the Due de Gramont
had set me straight with France by
speaking manfully in public as to the
Hohenzollern canditure, / should be
able to so manipulate and handle he
controversy as to make peace certain.
But France has slipped out ofmy hand.
| cannot rule unless / lead. This is
the most national war that i'm my time
France has undertaken, and ! have
no choice but to advance at the head
of a public opinion which can neith-
er stem nor check. In addition, M. de
Bismarck, althouSha a very clever man,
wants too much, and wants it too
quickly. After the victory of Prussia
i'm 1866, / reminded him that but for
the friendly and self-denying neutral
ity of France, he could never have
achieved suclT marvels. Ipointed out
to him that had never moved a French
soldier near to the Rhine frontier du-
ring the continuance of the German
war. | quoted to him from his own
letter, in which he thanked me fer
my abstinence, and said that he had
left neither a Prussian gun nor Prus-
sian soldier upon the Rhine, but had
thrown Prussia's whole and undivided
strength against Austria and her allies.
/ told him that, as some slight return
for my friendly inactivity, / thought
that he might surrender Luxembourg,
and one or two other little towns which
gravely menace our frontier, to France.
| added that in this way he would, by
trifiing sacrifice, easily forgotten by
Prussia, i'm view of her enormous sue
cesses and acquisitions, pacify the
French nation, whose jealOusics it was
so easily to arouse, so difficult to dis
arm.
an. de Bismarck replied to me, af-
ter some delay, Not one foot of terri
tory, whether Prussian or neutral, can
resign. But, perhaps, if 1 were to
make some further acquisitions, could
make some concessions. How, for in
stance, if | were to take Holland. What
Woulu lRuCC Nohl 40 q oop ioi IIOi-
land?'
81 replied, said the Emperor, that,
if he attempted to take Holland it
meant war with France; and there the
conversation, in which NJ. de Bismarck
and NJ. de Benedetti were the interlo-
cutors, came to an end" 7 II. d F.
i have repeated this conversation
as nearly as possible in the Emperor's
words. While we were speaking the
Due de Trevise brought dispatch to
His Majesty, which the latter read, and
which was the effect that "the 18th
Corps of the Prussian army were at
that moment trooping into Treves." I"
| have little, sir, to add to this recapit-
ulation. These words, which | have
faithfully endeavored to Interpret,
must speak for themselves" '.0 .