The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-01
PAST IS DUO INTO
Memoirs of De BIowitz Throw
Side Lights Upon History.


lshed history of value appears in the
memoirs of De Blowitz. journalist and
diplomat. AS correspondent at Paris Of
the London Times, De BlowitZ for many
years filed a position of unique import
ance. He knew thoroughly the state
craft, royalty and nobility of his time,
and for over forty years followed the
rapidly changing center of action and
interest in Europe. In his memoirs which
are 10 be published tomorrow, De Blow
itz makes an explanation of the failure
of France to go to Egypt with Eng
land that is particularly interesting at
this time on account of the situation
in southeastern Europe.
He claims that France did not partic-
ipate in the events of 1881 because of
the quarrel between Gambetta and De
Freycinet. He speaks with authority,
for he was ore of the mediatorS who
made the fruitless EFFORT to bring the
two statesmen together before they
parted for all time. He AYERS that De
Freycinet was offered the war port
folio in the Gambetta cabinet in 1881,
and with that understanding, agreed
to enter the ministry. Later Gambetta
insisted that De F'reycinet become min
lister of foreign affairs.
The latter, anxious to retrieve the
reputation lost in 1870, had set his
heart upon the war portfolio and would
have no other. De BloWitZ's story of
the first breach, the effort at compro-
mise and the break and quarrel that
kept France out of Egypt is the dra-
matte personal story Of a participant.
A heretofore unpublished interview
with Bismarck, had in 1878, is a valu-
able contribution to the literature re-
lating to the iron chancellor. Bismarck
had just come from the negotiation
of the treaty of Berlin and talked with
surprising franllness of the stupendous
events of the time and the men who
helped to shape them. Here is a por-
ton of the statement of Bismarck:
THE peace of San Stehani was one
of the most thoughtless actions of mod
ern history Ignatieff made a blum
der which no true statesman would
ever have committed. He took every
thing that he could get. When an enc
my is vanquished and one has ones
feet on his neck, he can be made to
give whatever one wants, but one must
think of the consequences of the VIC
tory as we'll as the consequences of the
defeat. We should not be where we
now are If had acted like Ignatieff, if
l had taken territory from Austria.
AT that time every one was against me.
/ had said when we started: If we
should be victorious, I shall not annex
any Austrian territory, for we must not
remain enemies forever. In ten or
twelve years time we must be able to
come to an understanding with her.
When we We're victorious, every one
wanted me to take territory from her.
held my own though and since then
have often had cause to congratulate
myself that I did SOL
At these words could not help look
Ing the prince in the face, and he at
once read in my eyes the question that
was on my lips, for without fiinching he
said:
Il know what you mean; you are
thinking about the last war But in
1871 l acted in the same way. AT that
time France was in our hands. Paris
was conquered. The commune was
brewing, everything was disorganized;
and If had acted like Ignatieff 1 should
have demanded Picardy and Cham
payne. Now, this never occurred to
anyone, and when 1 was urged to take
Belfort and Metz, l refused, saying:
No; Belfort is in the hands of the
French; 1t must remain theirs And
even with regard to Metz, Oh seeing
the despair of poor M. Theirs, 1 hest
tated. But as you know, at the con-
eluslon of the campaign such as that
was, one has to take into consideration
the military element, and 1 was obliged
to listen to Moltke, who kept repeating
to me at every hour of the day, Metz
III OuI LduuSi OF III Ine- hands OF the
French, means difference of 100. 900
men, more or less, in the army I
could not impose upon my country the
burden of putting 100000 more men
into active service at a given moment"
In treating of the evils of the French
prince In 1886, De Blowitz quotes an
extended statement made to the author
at the time by the Count de Paris. De
Blowitz deplored the action of the gov
eminent, urging that evils placed the
claimants to the throne in the best po-
sltion that they could wish-that of be-
ing able to conspire at their case.
An intensely dramatic story is told
which relates the circumstances under
which Due Decazes, minister of foreign
affairs, heard that Lord Derby had
bought 100000 shares of Suez, which
gave England control of the canal. It
was in 1875, and De Blowitz writes that
he was at the house of the minister
watching him play a game of billiards
with lady.
Opening the packet" records De
Blowitz, the duke began to read one of
the kilograms. Suddenly he became
red, then pale, and wiped his temples,
moist with sweat. Then as if madden
ed, with an irresistible movement, he
took the billiard cue which he had put
down, struck 1t on the rim of the table.