New-York tribune., 1871-05-15

While historians are to-day ransacking tho
archives of Berlin to obtain the materials ior
properly explaining the negotiations that re-
suited in the final determination of Prussia to
free itself from the domination of the first
French Emperor, most of the important events
of the late war in Europe, and the general
tendency of the negotiations growing out
of it. can already be written from trust
worthy materials. No one has done so much
to bring about this result as Prince Bismarck,
who has just added another contribution,
given elsewhere in the letter Of our Berlin
correspondent, whose character and position
are sufficient guarantee for the accuracy OF
the information.
Prince Bismarck in his frank way stated
to a group of liberal members of the lmpe-
rial Diet of Germany his opinion of Louis
Napoleon, which gives the key to the sudden
change in the attitude of the Versailles Gov
ernment respecting the conclusion OF a definitlye
treaty of peace. After the defeat at Sedan 1t
was difficult for the Government of National
Defense to accustOm themselves to consider
the magnitude of their losses. "Thiers
(" and Favre were very supercilious in the be-
"ginning," said Bismark we had to put
I" them more plant by proving to them that
eve were the masters of the situation" Ihe
means adopted proved most effective, as it is
known that when Favre returned to the Ger
man outposts, after his interview with Bis
marck, he appeared ten years older than he did
few days before. Nothing, however, was then
accomplished, and Bismarck once more di-
rected his attention to Napoleon, with whom
he had been in negotiation from the time OF
his incarceration at Wilhelmsh0he. Louis
NapoleOn's great fault" said Bismarck, is
I" his want of determination, his hesitation his
yacillatOn between two principles, or two
sides of question, his aversion to quick
decision where it is necessary to choose be-
tween two evils; he is Hamlet-Iike charac-
ter whose native hue of resolution is sicklied
"oer with the pale cast of thought" "There
"were many combinations by which he could
81 have become the master of the Paris repub-
"lic. and, as well as we had made it, we
could unmake it.n But Napoleon still hesi-
tated, up to the moment when the patience of
the Germans was exhausted On the noon
"of the same day on the evening of which l
"signed the preliminary treaty of peace with
"Tbiers and Favre," said Bismarck, "and in
"the presence of the latter l received
ga note addressed in lady's hand
"writing On opening it, found that it was
written by Clement Duvernois, Napoleon's
"secret agent; he informed me that his
"master was now willing to accept our terms.
alt was, however, too late. / sent word to
"Duvernois to call on me in the evening.
/" Late in the afternoon l arrived at an under
" standinp with Thiprs and when DuyenOis
"came, l told him that had just signed the
treaty with the former"
Undoubtedly, Bismarck used the proposition
of Napoleon to induce the Versailles Govern
ment to accept his terms of preliminaries of
peace Can it be that similar weighty con-
siderations were brought to bear on Favre at
Frankfort to induce him to accede to Bis
marck's terms of a defintive peacef