New-York tribune., 1886-04-25
CURIOUS LITTLE ANDORRE.
A BONE OF CONTENTION BETWEEN FRANCE
AND SPAIN.

AND SPAIN.
IRON THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRTBUsEl
PARIS. April q
The troubles in the Valley of Andorre do not
seem vet to be at an end There is not only a
struggle there between the French and Spanish in
huences which Germany tries to keep in hostile op-
position to each other but between the spirit that
dominated in Northern Spain in the Thirteenth
Century and that which governs the great nations
Of Western Europe. had not long ago a conversa-
ton with President Greyy about AndOrre. Hes said
| that il is "a republican curiosity" There were
valleys III Switzerland which were by their geOogi-
| cal conditions just as isolated. But the valleys
next them were nhabitedby people with the same
| i0eas and institutions. Andorre won liberty
| of the fullest kind just before Spain went into
absolutism, civil and ecclesiastical, of the most
| formidable character France was delivered over
TO foreign invaders and civil wars during the first
| three centuries of the existence of the Pyrenean
Republic Tho moral barrier between Andorre
| and the States around her therefore as great
| as the material Although her watercourses flowed
toward the Ebro, she less in touch with Spain
| than with France. The absolutsm built up by
Charles V. and the Inquisition kept her III
| her shell; and she did not profit
| by the eight months In the year
| when the passes leading to CATALONIA and Aragon
are open to md outlets for her surplus population
i'll those provinces. The French vigner was rarely
| a Frenchman. But his functions often had the ef-
| feet of bringing him to Paris and when he and
his wife went back TO Andorre they took with them
some French ideas well rs furniture and dresses
| These things acted as "a slow ferment. Everything
that vtaIized and stirred up from Paris. The
Bishop had no family and was most great Span
ish churchmen of his station are, indifer-
ent to civil progress and afraid of
change. He did nothing to stimulate If he
! went 10 Madrid lie brought back fresh idea or
new object which would show in a striking man
ncr i'll what direction the world advanced.
Since 1870 the French fcments have been
stronger than they were before. The diligence
| which serves as means of locomotion between
France and AndOrre is not the slow coach that 1t
used to be, although 1t takes nearly thirty hours to
accomplish what railway might do in perhaps
an nour. But still II is an Improvement IN the
diligence OF former times. There was also an
| active cOntraband trade of war munitions
| kept up between France and Spain when there was
a Republic III the latter country and the Carlists
were fighting against 1t in the northern provinces.
| This brought the Andorre people INTO more imme-
| date contact than tnty had ever previously been
| with modern conditions of life. They made money
as smugglcrs and were thus able to travel beyond
their mountains. When they went into France
| so on, spending that money and they got dis
contented with their isolation. A rail-
i way was tnen proposed. III MADE, IL would
| bring Madrid eight ten hours nearer
| TO Paris and would certainly wake up Andorre
from its ethaTgic state. But the Bishop and the
spanish Government have their reasons Tor OBJ
| structing the enterprise. Military engineers on
both sides of the valley also create difficulties by
the reports they send in to their respective Govern
ments. Two very distinct parties have come into
| existence in this Old World Republic. One repre-
sents the medieval spirit and tends to aravitate
toward Spain. The other is French. industrial and
modern. NJ Patlnaud, the French delegate. has
been instructed not to throw fat on any fire. while
showing no weakness. He can afford to be patient,
as time works for France who does not want to In
terfeIe with any local interest custom or instltu-
tion. She only aims at keeping Andorre i'll friend
| ly relations with her and preventing the railway
from ever being turned 10 military account against
her.