The Draft Convention mentioned the 5th of September, 1873, as the final term of the neutralisation. In accordance with the authority given me, I modified the Draft to this effect, viz., that the 1st of March, 1874, was fixed as the final term. However, to render matters complete, I here annex the translation made by me of the Draft Convention. ARTICLE I. "La France s'engage à payer le quatrième milliard jusqu'au 10 mai.-Les paiements ne seront pas au-dessous de 100 millions et annoncés un mois d'avance. "Le cinquième milliard sera payé en quatre termes de 250 millions chacun : 1er juin, 1er juillet, 1er août et 1er septembre.-Simultanément avec le dernier paiement, la France paiera les intérêts dus depuis le 2 mars 1873." ARTICLE II. "Les paiements seront faits conformément à l'art. 7 du 10 mai 1871 et des protocoles séparés du 12 octobre." ARTICLE III. "Les troupes de Sa Majesté commenceront l'évacuation des quatre départements le 1er juillet, après le paiement du second terme de 250 millions à compte du cinquième milliard.— L'évacuation sera terminée dans l'espace de quatre semaines au plus tard.” ARTICLE IV. "La France se charge de l'entretien des troupes en garnison dans les quatre départements jusqu'au jour de l'évacuation, "Et de l'entretien des troupes formant la garnison de Belfort jusqu'à l'évacuation de cet arrondissement.". ARTICLE V. Jusqu'au 1er mars 1874, les quatre départements désignés dans l'art. 3 seraient neutralisés. "Pas d'agglomération de troupes, pas de fortification. "Engagement analogue de la part de l'Allemagne." milliards, and the first payment of interest. This agreement, the last item wherein shows a balance in our favour of 256,911 frs. 45 centimes, was already communicated in October last by your Excellency to the French Government, without any remark having been made about it up to the present time. We must make a point of having this definitely settled. "I await with deep interest the report of your Excellency on the progress of the negotiations to be entered into. (Signed) "VON BISMARCK." ARTICLE I. "France pledges herself to pay by the 10th of May, 1873, the milliard which, according to the arrangement in the 1st Article of the special convention of the 29th of June, 1872, was to fall due on the 1st of March, 1874. The payments on account shall not be less than one hundred millions, and shall be notified to the German Government at least one month before payment. France shall pay the milliard which, according to the above-mentioned arrangement, is to fall due on the 1st of March, 1875, in four instalments of two hundred and fifty millions each, on the 1st of June, the 1st of July, the 1st of August, and the 1st of September, 1873. Simultaneously with the last payment, France shall pay to the German Government the interest accumulated since March 1873." ARTICLE II. "The regulations laid down in the third paragraph of Article VII. of the treaty of peace of the 10th of May, 1871, apply to all payments made in accordance with the preceding article. ARTICLE III. "His Majesty the Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia, shall order, on the 1st of July, 1873, after the payment of the second instalment of two hundred and fifty millions due on that day, the evacuation of the departments of the Ardennes, Vosges, Meuse and Meurthe-etMoselle,-which the German troops shall occupy until that date, and will cause it to take place within four weeks at the latest. The evacuation of the arrondissement of Belfort will take place after the payment of the two hundred and fifty millions, and the interest due on the 1st of September, 1873." ARTICLE VI. "Le droit de réoccupation reste réservé pour le cas de non-exécution des engagements." ARTICLE VII. "Les parties contractantes reconnaissent que la France a payé, jusqu'au 11 mars 1872, à compte des deux milliards et des intérêts dus le 2 mars, 2,149,743,088 francs. Provided with this sketch, I went to Versailles early on the 5th of March. Had I found M. Thiers in good health, I should, without doubt, have examined the project with him point for point. We should have settled on which points we were agreed, and on which we were not. He would have acquainted me with the form in which he wished the special article relating to Belfort to be drawn up. The question would have been cleared up as to whether he would agree to the extension of the neutralisation until the 1st of March, 1874. I should, as early as the 5th, have reported to Berlin the result of the pourparlers, and have |