New-York tribune., 1874-04-13
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. LETTER.

In these days diplomatic mysteries never
last long. In the dark ages before newspa-
pers, the knowledge of diplomatic proceedings
was confined to a very limited circle, and the
most important documents of centuries ago
are continually being unearthed by the indie
fatigable Motleys and Martins Of the present.
But the Journalist of to-day will leave very
little to be done by the historians of the fu-
ture except to select the most available mate
rial from the vast mass at their disposition.
Our own service, of course, works in glass
hive as an English statesman once graph-
cally said, and if there is anything which
escapes the newspapers in the course of the
year. the State Department cleans out Its
pgeon-holes in December and sends IN
everything with the Presidents Message. If our
Envoy, fOndly trusting that the cOnfdentaP
over his dispatch is a seal of secrecy, gives
his intimate opinion of the public and private
morals of the King of Thule, he may begin to
pack his portmanteau as soon after New Years
as convenient, for he will certainly read his
piauant disclosures in the papers which an
nounce to him that Congress is in session. He
is lucky if he escapes with black looks and
snubbings. In Santiago de Cuba they mobbed
and would fain have hanged one of our Con-
suls because one of his confidential dispatches
was published in Washington. These things
ought certainly to teach our diplomats not to
be jealous. The best way is to write no dis
matches, and the next best is to put nothing
in them, for, sooner or later they Will be
printed The chance of a judicous murderer's
keeping his secret is much better than that
of q modern Envoy.
A dispatch which has been discussed and
doubted for four years may be said to have en-
joyed q relative eternity of mystery. This is
the case with that now famous instruction
sent by Count Won Beust to Prince Metternicb,
in Paris, in July of 1870, which has just been
given TO the public in the columns of the
TEMPS of that city. There has been such
cloud of contradictions set afloat about this
document, SO much hot blood aroused by the
discussion concerning it, that it has at last
assumed an importance in no way belonging
10 if. and its publication may lead to serious
combinations. But in fact it is not an especially
significant dispatch. Both sides will claim that
it sustains their respective theories about it.
The Austrian Premier said, awe consider the
"cause of France Our own, but the alliance
"of Russia and Prussia prevents the armed
intervention OF AuslIld. iHc ouo PaitJ '"n
say that this implied a conditional promise to
support. and the other can reply that II ex-
pressly refused any support whatever. The
rest of the dispatch, which instructs Prince
Metternich to advise that overtures be made to
Italy, is simply piece of that fussy lmper-
tnence which has so often marred and rem
dered useless the best work of Count Won
Beust.
The chief interest of the incident is as an
illustration of the curious revenges OF time.
There was probably never a Nemesis moro
prompt than that which brought back to the
lips Of Napoleon Ill. in 1870 the poisoned
chalice he had aiiectionately presented in 1866
to his good friend and brother, Francis Joseph
of Austria. While the war was brewing be-
tween Prussia and Austria, the chief use of the
Prince of Metternich in Paris was TO be lied
to by the Emperor and write home encOura-