Year: 1871




After passing through endless vicisstudes. the


wearisome evacuation treaty seems at last in a


fair way Mt last of struggling through to Its final


termination. At the risk of boring your readers.


as we shall soon have treaty Of our own to dis


cuss with France, think it may be profitable to


explain the present stage of this effort of dipIO-


macy, in the hope that the lessons which it teach


es may not be lost in future negotiations with the


French Government do not mean for a mo-


ment to imply any want of good faith or good


will on the part Of the latter, but simply to point
out how the relations which it occupies to the


Chamber and to the country cramp and fetter its
action at every moment, rendering most difficult
and unsatisfactory the task of any diplOmatist


who may suddenly and Unexpectedly fnd-just


when he thinks everything is setted-that he


has to begin all over again. First it is
the Chamber Which upsets oil tho arrangements
painfully arrived at by negotiators then it is
deputation of manufacturers who bring such pres
sure upon the government that it takes fright and
draws back in alarm then the bankers obstinate
ly combine to render every money arrangement
which would suit the two countries impossible
and lastly, there is that constant dread every
French Minister has of public opinion, which as
it is combination of ignorance prejudice and
impulse, he is always wrong to regard, and only
strong in defying. All these influences tend to
render French diplomacy IN its present phase
weak and vaccillating, though it is thoroughly
welI-intentoned and quite as honest as any other
1i,lou,oo,, L.


tions under which the negotiations are being con-
Quoted, it is the duty of those Powers who have
to treat with this Government to strengthen its
hands as much as possible, having regard to the
peculiar difficulties by which it is surrounded and
making allowances for the complications in which
it is involved. 1t is due to Count Arnlm to say
that this spirit of consideration has animated
these tedious negotiations on his side, while on
the other, NJ. de Remusat and NJ. Pouyer Quer-
tier have shown untiring patience and temper in
meeting the perpetualy recurring difficulties
which have arisen from unexpected quarters to
thwart their efforts After the vexed CONNER
cial question arising out of the insertion of the
third clause by the Chamber was finally settled
W Germany allowing curtament of the time
DUNG which the reduction of the frontier duties


Was ts last, and by verbal alterations which were
calculated to meet the difficulties which that
clause created, suddenly up stants new and un-
expected obstacle in regard to the mode of pay
ment The Freach Government proposed treas
ury bonds guaranteed by bankers while the Ger
man Government inssted upon bills of exchange.


The Oblpption uhiah !
bonds was that in the event of a change of gov
ernment occurring or in the event of the arrange
ment being repudated by the Chamber on the
ground that the existing Government had no
right to incur this respons,hrlitv not ,t ,.,,Il
the Government itself be released from the obli-
CATION of paying, but Ghe endorsers would also
be released while in the case Of bills of exchange,
the responsibility Of the endorser would remain
absolute even though the acceptor, from some
exceptional cause might escape that responsible
ity. But in tie case of bills of exchange, both
Governments we're instantly met by the bankers,
who absolutely and decidedly refused to consent
to gi,e paper to the amount of 6500O000O of
frsncs to the German Government, even though
the latter promised not to put it into execution,
and it must be acknowledged that their objection
not without force. ." If the German Govern
ment will put clause into the treaty" said they,
"stipulating that under no circumstances shall
these bills be negotiated we do not mind giving
them to the amount required" But as the very
reason why the German Government insisted up
on having bills OF exchange was in order to have
the power, in the event of revolution or a vio-
lent change in France of putting them on the |
market, it was quite evident that they could not
agree to stipuate the exact contrary. On the !
other hand, it is clear, that notwithstanding any
mere verbal propise not to negotiate the paper
except under certain circumstances when once
1t was in the hands of Prince Bismarck with fac
uty of circulation, 1t was in fact tantamount to |
being actually in circulation; and 65O0OOO0O of
francs is a sum which, when it may possibly be |
put upon the market at any moment in addition |
to the usual amount of paper out, was sufficient /
to injure the credit of the strongest house. On /
these grounds the bankers were inexOrable in |
their refusal to grant bills of exchange for that /
amount, but the French Government took anoth- |
er objection to this course. IT, they argue, our
Minister of Finance gives Prince Bismarck $50, |
100000 of negotiable bills payable in gold and
the latter should find it necessary or convenient
for political purposes to negotiate these bills, he
would suddenly withdraw from circulation $50,
100000 of bullion, and this amount might dIsap-
pear in the vaults of the treasury at Berlin, but
when the bills came to maturity, as they are made
payable in gold, the French Government would
have TO provide for further sum of $4,000,
900 of coin to be put into circulation, so that
there would be currency disturbance to the va
lue of l,3OO0OOOOO of francs in gold instead of
65OOOO,OOO, and the price of gold would be pro-
enhanced. For these reasons the
French Government finally declined the mode of
payment proposed by the Germans, which they
seemed in the first instance disposed to agree to
before the objections arose, and which only be-
came apparent at the last moment. Still, it was
evident that they were not of nature which
should cause them to be considered insuperable,
aud the patient negotators once more cast about
for means of escape from the dilemma. 1t was
at this juncture that it seemed advisable that NJ
Pouyer Quertier, armed with full powers, should
90 to Berlin, where personal interview with