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ADDENDA.

No. 1.

Reply of M. Thiers to Count Arnim's letter of the 30th of September, 1876.

"MONSIEUR,

"Je réponds aux nouvelles questions que vous m'adressez relativement aux négociations qui s'engagèrent en 1873 pour l'évacuation du territoire français.

"Comme je vous l'ai déjà dit, il m'est im possible, à la distance où nous sommes des événements de cette époque, de me rappeler l'ordre précis dans lequel se succédèrent vos communications, et mon regrettable ami, M. de Rémusat, qui les recevait, aurait pu seul répondre sur ce sujet, avec une entière certitude.

"Pour ce qui me concerne, je me rappelle positivement que dès nos premiers entretiens les difficultés de la négociation furent com

plétement abordées de part et d'autre; qu'à l'égard de Belfort, notamment, qu'il s'agissait de faire ranger dans les territoires qui seraient les premiers évacués, vous me déclarâtes n'avoir pas les pouvoirs nécessaires pour me donner satisfaction à cet égard, et que la négociation ayant été depuis transportée à Berlin, c'est là que ce point fut discuté et réglé d'une manière définitive.

"Recevez, Monsieur, l'assurance de mes plus distingués sentiments.

(Signé)

"Paris, le 30 Septembre 1876."

"THIERS.

No. 2.

Deposition of the witness Colonel von der Burg.

The Colonel von der Burg gives the following evidence:

"I was chief of the general-staff of the German army of occupation in France, from the autumn of 1871 until the termination of the occupation in the autumn of 1873. I will first of all remark that the position of commander-in-chief

of this army of occupation partook not only of a military but also of a political character, so that a sort of political staff, represented by Count Radolinski, had been attached to this commander, in addition to the military staff.

"So early as February 1873, the head-quarters, at the instance of M. Thiers, then President, had been consulted by the French plenipotentiary, the Count St. Vallier, with a view to ascertaining whether an earlier evacuation of France could not be arranged and obtained. Consequently, the German head-quarters forwarded this request to the Foreign Office at Berlin, and that office at the beginning of March made known to the German head-quarters, by the order of his Majesty, the Emperor, the readiness of the German Government to open negotiations on the basis contained in the afore-mentioned request of the President, M. Thiers (which was submitted by Count St. Vallier, on the 23rd of February, 1873), and also that official pourparlers would be carried on by the ambassador in Paris, Count von Arnim. The fact that M. Thiers, instead of presenting his demand direct to Count Arnim, addressed himself to head-quarters,

aroused in our minds the suspicion, as may be well imagined, that M. Thiers mistrusted the German Ambassador, a suspicion in which we were subsequently confirmed by the despatches and letters of M. Thiers to Count St. Vallier, when submitted to our criticism.

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Thereupon, the Imperial Chancellor forwarded to us, on the 3rd of March, 1873, the Draft of the new Convention, with the question: "Are there any military objections to the Draft ?" adding the remark that this Draft would also be sent to Arnim.

"Count St. Vallier was confidentially informed by us in general terms of the principal features of the Draft, and he stated that this Draft would encounter no obstacles. This statement we reported to Berlin, together with the observation that military interests were secured by the Draft. According to our opinion, based on good grounds, matters were going on smoothly, when the Imperial Chancellor informed us, on the 8th of March, 1873, that Arnim reported

* It is evident from the report of Count von Arnim, dated the 7th of February, and published on the occasion of the first trial, that this suspicion had not the least foundation.

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