Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1870.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 16, Issue 851, 26 October 1870, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1870.

Considerable diversity of opinion exists in reference to the conduct of King William of Prussia in continuing to caiTy on aggressive warfare against the French people after the surrender of the Emperor as a prisoner into his hands; and especially in his refusing to treat for peace with the Provisional Government of France when overtures might tjave been made to him. The broad facts of the caae, as they have reached us by late mails, appear to show, to say the last, considerable consistency on his part. His declaration, made in the faoe of the whole world, that he had no quarrel with the French people, but with the IJmperor, should have led us to expect that on the fall of that personage into his hands be would have been himself the first to propose conditions of peace with France.

On the contrary, ve find that, accord* ing to his letter to the Queen, as published in the telegrams, he expresses* sympathy with his fallen foe. His emotions, he says, on meeting the exJSinpeior of the French, were overwhelming. "For the raomem I could not control myself, on thus meeting him whom, three years ago, 1 saw at the summit of grandeur." These emotions were of sympathy with Napoleon as a fallen monarch : not on account of the thousands of his fellow-men who were at that moment being own subjects as well as those of him who had fallen; and the slaughter of whom he knew full well a word of his might have stayed. It seems that it was not enough that he had humbled Napoleon; he must also humble France —r-anji that to the very dust. It does not appear that he waited for any over tures from the Provisional Government before making known his decision that he would not recognise it as such; but while knowing that that was the only power that existed with which he could treat, announced his determination not to acknowledge its authority, but to treat only with officials recognised by the ex-Emperor, whom he knew had lost every vestige of rule in France, ft does not to us appear very difficult to explain this inconsistency. King WiLliam is not the first who has unintentionally given impetus to a force which he would afterwards gladly check. He had a quarrel with the French Emperor and brought about his fate. In doing this he has set free the spirit of Republicanism, and much as he may have against the Emperor, he has more against it. The spirit of Republican ism being raised and filled with life, will probably not remain with France only, but may spread e\en to his own ruiu. We believe that to stay its progress he would even restore the exEmperor to his throne—preferring rather to .see France an Empire under Napoleon 111. than a people living under a Republican Government.