troops therein than should be necessary for the maintenance of order.

Had this convention remained in force, a road would have been left open to us as far as the neighbourhood of Paris until the 1st of March, 1875. Hence it follows that in Berlin it was always considered important to stipulate for, and to hold fast to, the neutralisation, or, in other words, the defencelessness of the important departments lying to the east of Paris.

Such a stipulation was politically of the greatest importance, in consequence of the excitement still existing in France at that time.

But France was also allowed the privilege of making payment before the expiration of the dates specified, and thereby of bringing about at any earlier period, the evacuation of the departments occupied by our troops.

Consequently, in February, M. Thiers gave me to understand that France was inclined to make use of this privilege. He had a conversation with me about this matter, whereon I made a report on the 7th of February which has been several times printed.

From this report it appears:

(1) That I was the first to broach the question to your Highness, whether, notwithstanding the undeniable advantage, in a military point of view, secured to us by the Convention of June 1872, a speedier evacuation of the French departments would not be to our interests, and also desirable in the interests of a lasting peace.

(2) That I already at that time pointed out how necessary it was not to let anything transpire about the eventual negotiations.

In consequence of this report, negotiations took place in Berlin between the responsible authorities.

On the 22nd of February, I put in another report on this subject, in which I again urged the necessity of maintaining the neutralisation of the departments until the 1st of March, 1874, even if the payment of the remainder of the war indemnity should take place on the 1st of September. The authorities at the headquarters in Nancy, were also consulted upon the military view of the subject.

Finally, I received the following Telegram from your Highness:

[Paris. No. 6.]

66

'Berlin, March 2nd, 1873.

"To Count Arnim.

"I have laid your report of the 22nd of February before the Emperor, and will tomorrow send to your Excellency, by courier, a sketch of the Convention, together with the authority to negotiate upon its basis. We make the following proposals:

"The fourth milliard is to be paid by the 10th of May, but payment of the fifth milliard will take place in four equal instalments, viz.: on the 1st of June, the 1st of July, the 1st of August, the 1st of September; evacuation of the second department will not follow in May, but the evacuation of the four departments will follow after payment of half of the fifth milliard at the beginning of July. The evacuation of Belfort will take place only after payment in full, consequently in September.

(Signed) "VON BISMARCK.”

This Telegram is a résumé of the Draft Convention intended to be forwarded to me on the following day, and which was announced in this

manner. It did not contain instructions to impart the contents to the French Government nor to make any communication to M. Thiersbut simply "the authority to negotiate upor its basis."

If, then, your Highness had this telegram in mind when informing his Majesty by letter that I had suppressed "telegrams of a decisive nature," your memory has deceived your Highness with regard to its contents.

Another Telegram exists, despatched by your Highness to me, on the same day, viz., the 2nd of March.

With regard to this Telegram the facts are as follow:

After receiving the above mentioned telegraphic résumé of the proposed Draft Convention, the following Telegram was addressed by me to your Highness:

"Paris, March 2nd, 1873.

"The Imperial Ambassador to the Foreign Office at Berlin.

"I take the liberty of again urgently beseeching your Highness to proceed so that the French Ambassador in Berlin shall not

obtain any insight into our counter-proposals; otherwise the hopes of the President of the French Republic will be raised to such an extent that the negotiations will be rendered difficult, and the secret will ooze out. I must be in a position to make him a much lower offer at the beginning. Should the French Ambassador, however, have become acquainted with the proposals, I beg your Highness will inform me of the fact.

I can give your Highness my particular reasons for having addressed this Telegram to you. You yourself have enunciated the sound and long established principle that nothing is so detrimental to the success of diplomatic negotiations as carrying them on in two places at the same time.

This principle has not always been observed by your Highness.

I know instances in which you interfered in negotiations intrusted to others, without informing the person having the conduct thereof. If confusion arises from such a procedure, the official negotiator incurs the risk of being