THE FRENCH WAR SCARE OF 1875.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 2 November 1907, Page 3

THE FRENCH WAR SCARE OF 1875.

—o One of the best-known of the French historians of Napoleon, M. Henri Welschinger, contributes to the Debats a brilliant article entiled "The Truth as to the Scare of 1875," apropos of the second volume which has just been published by M. Andre Dreux of the memoirs of the Viconipto de Gontaut-Birau, formerly French Ambassador at Berlin. Mr Welscliiuger, who received the Grand Prix Gobert of the French Academy for his work on "Le Roi de Rome," ha 3 more than onco had to combat those writers both in France and Germany who contested the fact that in the spring of 1575 i'lince Bismarck really intended to attack France and that it was the London 'limes which, revealing to Europe the whole extent of the danger, saved the Continent from a disastrous war. In the light of new facts collected by M. Dreux ill "Los Dernieres Annees do l'Ambassade 1874-1877," and of his own private information drawn from his notes of his conversation with the late Albert Sorel, the historian, who was the private secretary of the Due Decazes, the French Minister for Foreign Allah's, M. Welschinger seeks to rectify some of the conclusions of M. Dreux as to the nature of the tension which had led the Due Decazcs to say to the French journalist and Academician M. llerve 011 the morrow of the visit to him of Prince llohenlolic, "We may have the Prussians in Champagne within two weeks." This authority concludes:—"lt was to a foreign journalist that the Minister of Foreign Affairs made this startling revelation. It was to a foreign journalist that he repeated it, opening up to him his entire dossier, so that Europe might know the whole truth. Two days later appeared the famous article in the Times revealing the perfidious schemes of Prince Bismarck. There was an all but general outburst of surprise and indignation. Europe awoke. . ... 11l vain did Prince Bismarck fuddenly changed his attitude. In vain did he thrust the war rumors on the Clericals and financiers who, aceordin» lo him, had sought to make something out of them. In vain did the papers in liis pay accuse the European press of spreading false news. Nobody was do'•eiy'd hy these denials, these manoeuvres. . . . The scare of 187j is not

a legend, and the documents left by 11. de Ootaut-Biron confirm its reality. What lesson should we take to heart from this authentic fact? (JortchalcolPs advice to General Le Flo, 'Vou,s n'avez qu'une chose a faire, cest' de vous rendre forts tres forts."'