WAR ITEMS

Dunstan Times, Issue 448, 18 November 1870, Page 3

WAR ITEMS

It is very difficult to understand the tone of Count Von Bismarck towards Great Britain. He is, to begin with, very angry because we export horses, coals, and cartridges to France, and demands that we put a stop to these breaches of neutrality. Coal ■wo cannot stop, as they are protected by treaty ; but we have stopped their departure in English store-ships, declaring them in that case contraband of war. Cartridges we can stop but only by prerogative, and we hope wo shall : and horses wo cannot stop at all. Wo might as well stop sheep, because mutton helps to make French soldiers capable of endurance. All this is very natural, as belligerents always think neutrals secret enemies ; but what does Count Von Bismarck think to gain by calling Englishmen old women, tauntingus with cowardice and prophesing our subjugation, all which things he does in the correspondence. Does

he think Englishmen are Continentals, to he driven into a duel by a few hard words ? If he does, ho totally mistakes the character of the national pride, If the whole world abuses us we shall tranquilly condemn the stupidity of the whole world. Or is he preparing a state of feeling in Germany which will enable him when the war is over to set England at defiance? England and Prussia are growing warm on the neutrality question. A strong despatch received at the Foreign Office on the Cth of October shows that Earl Granville had shifted his ground. He first asked proofs of the furnishing of arms, and then said that the trade was legitimate, and that the authorities had no power to prevent it ; also i mputing to Prussia a desire for benevolent neutrality from England. Count Bernstorff disclaims such a desire, and says that fifty thousand stand of arms were exported to France in one week, and that the factories in Birmingham and London are working night and day for the French Government. " I possess authentic copies, " Bays the Count Bernstorff " of the contracts, and proofs that the export of arms is thoroughly organ ised in various British ports," He then quotes Wellington's letter to Canning in 1825, which eays—" It is England's usual habit to prohibit such export, and not prohibiting it is a breach of neutrality." He also quotes the order to the Custom'' authorities in 1863 to prohibit the export of arms to be used against Denmark. After refuting the other suggestions of Earl Granville, Count Bernstorff says :—" As fertile hope expressed by your Excellency that the German people will, in a cooler moment, judge less severely the attitude of the British Government, I regret that, after your Excellency's note of the 15th nit., it has been added to our knowledge that our enemy is being daily equipped with British arms. I cannot therefore share such a hope, and can only trust that the known sympathy of the English people may produce a change for the better.., It was understood that Prussia addressed a fina 1 remonstrance to England on October 4., but the result was not known. The correspondent of the Scotsman, writing on August 30, says;-" All is famine and desolation in rear of the Prussian armies. They have swept the country like a flight of locusts, and from their own acts a most awful retribution must await them if they get a repulse. The French troops need not trouble themselves! much to kill them, but simply leave them to retire over the desolation they created, when if such a cat. astrophe arrives, I shall be much surprised if any reach the frontier.