The New York Herald Newspaper, April 1, 1873, Page 6

oad —— o vores ; L J, 1873—QUADRUPLE SHEET. the same thing is going on everywhere in nearly a A P A N GENERAL DUCROT, fvely feels thag the day an energetic man shall be wanted to take a prompt, resol with reference to Frencn political affairs General Ducrot may eusily turn out to be that man. His lady seems to be rather inclined to represent the legitimist, and consequently to a certain extent the clerical é left the company’s coal depot with about fifty cootlet and one foreigner named Jacobsen, @ Dane. When Rear the mouth o! the creek the boat capsized, and Jacobsen and twenty-two of the coolies we! Had it not for the exertions of Dowson every department @: army u.anagement. 1 remarked to the, General thot ne seemed to take @ gloomy vie w on the present state oi military aifuirs in France. “Well,” was his answer, “all Ican eay is that we have avery good law ef military reciuitment The Proposed Imperial Mission to China and An Interview with the Soldier Who Would Have Pre- vented Sedan. THIERS--THE PARTIES--THE ARMY. How Napoleon Ill. Prepared for the Contest with Prussia. [ “WE MUST FIGHT AGAIN.” State of France as Seen by a Commanding General. EUROPEAN ALLIANCES NECESSARY. Safety Only in Restoration of the Monarchy or the Empire. GOVERNMENT MUST FIT THE PEOPLE. President Thiers Proposing a Coup @Etat for Paris. HIS STRATEGY A FAILURE. Hoe Will Probably Prolong His Term Till His Death—After Which Napoleon IV., Henry V. or an Orleans Prince—No Sta- ble French Republic. Paris, March, 15, 1873, British journalists sneer contemptuously at in- terviewing as a feature of American Journalism, except when they happen to find the custom con- venient for themselves. It seems to be thought in England that a man locked upin a sub-editor’s room in Fleet street or Printing House square can know more of anything under the sun than the man who visits the spot where history may be making and talks with the makers. An Oxford or Cambridge A.M. whe knows ancient Rome well and modern France very little, writes like a dab- ‘ater on the politics of the latter, with no other ma- terial than a large share of religious and parlia- mentary prejudice and a few letters of our own, badly translated from much-abused French papers, and the fatal habit of writing his column a day blinds him as to the qnantity of nonsense he puts forth. My present line of action is to “interview @verybody, from the peasant and his donkey to the prince and his lions, and send off the Taw material as I get it,” and this secmis to me to promise more real enlightenment on the state of thought in France—and it is that out of which the future must grow—than any other plan I am acquaintea with; and I believe that American journalism is right in its faith in in- terviewing, despite all sneering to the contrary. General Ducrot seemed a person whose opinions it ‘would be valuable to know, considering the mill- tary possibilities of the situation. The remarkable fesolutences of his personal character, the position he eccupied during the lgst war, as well as that he occupies new, both as a Deputy in the Assembly of Verseilles, and as the Commander-in-Chief of an ‘independent army corps, and, finally, the rumors dately spread that he intended to make a Coup @éat—rumors which had been officially al- . luded to by M. Gambetta in the tribune of the As- sembly—everything suggested that a conversation with the General would be most interesting and in- structive just now. The difficulty was to get at bim. Happily, however. a friend of mine was in great faver with him, and he soon got me a per- mission to call upon the Geueral. The next ques- tion was where to fiad him, for he has several resi- denmces, and is scarcely ever to be found at any of them sufiiciently at leisure to give @ visitor more than a few minutes’ time. After seeking him in vain in several places in turn, ouly to find he had just started on a tour of duty among the several posts of his command, I finally found him spending a few days at the chateau of Chazelles, in the Niévre, the property of his father-in-law, M. Dechamp, where he was enjoying ashort visit with his family. There, in one of the quietest family residences of France, during a long evening, I have just listened toan extempore lec- ture on French politics and French military affairs, delivered by a general whose name was in every- body’s mouth all through the civilized world but a short time ago, and will, undoubtedly, be so more than once ag I state these circumstances because I consider that the kind manner in which the General re- ceived me and the willingness with which he spoke were compliments he paid to the American nation and to the New York HeRawp, for he bad DO personal favor to accord te me. With a view to give something like an ac- urate report of the opinions and ideas the General expressed ou that evening, I must ‘take the military and the political ques ‘tions separately. But before entering upon either @ few words about the General’s family may ‘be of some interest. They will render the account also more complete, for a good portion of ‘the evening was spent in a general conversation, &m which Mme. Ducrot and her father took almost as lively a part as the General himself, and to ‘which the presenvo of the children and of tue vil- ‘age priest and the crackling of the blazing wood 4n the oid-fashioned fireplace gave mach more the aspect of @ quiet Winter evening in the country than an interview between a commander-in- chief of an army and @ newspaper correspon- dent. The General himself, in his brown jacket and his high boots, looked quite like a country gentleman fresh from fox-hunting. I did Not notice even that everlasting bit of red ribbon in his button-hole, without which ne Frenchman of position can ever be seen. The only circumstance that marred the cheerful aspect of the picture ‘was that Mme. Ducrot, as weil as her four daugh- ters, were in deep mourning, the family having quite recently lost a girl of eight years, the death of which had so much affeeted the lady as te compel her to leave her husband’s property, a few miles from Chazelles, and to come for a stay to her father, Te remain at Germiny, where her daugh- ter died and was buried, seemed unbearable to the lady, and all the apparent reservedness of her na- ture was of no avail against the tars which filled her eyes when she mentioned her loss. There are, however, #ix children still alive to console the mother, the youngest scarcely two years old, hav- ing been born while the father was daily exposed to the shots of the enemy. The war has, on the whole, affected the family very severely. A brother of Mme. Ducrot, a young captain of infantry, was Killed at Metz, and his death caused the death of her mother, The vicissitudes to which the General ‘was exposed, through no fault of his own, at ‘Woerth, Sedan and Paris are well known in America; but tne degree in which they affected ) both him and bis wife could be hardly realized, J gaw him @ couple of days befere the battle of Woerth, # bandsome man, of barely forty-five, without @ single gray hair in his head, While he looks certainly fifty-five now ft would be difficult to ond, eltver on his head onin his mustachs, any o!her than perfectly gray hair, His spirit is, wowever, by ne means abated, _ pnd in logking at and [is Wim gu. instinct. sentiment in the family; but he did not appear to me as sharing to any great extent her sympathies in that respect. BEWRE ¥, AND THE ORLEANS PRINCES. We spoke oftie Bordeaux days. He sai@ that Henri V. had a very fatr chance to the throne of France then and that the only objec- tion he would Bave ded to his accession would have qe, M. ie ouré,” said he to the vil- lage it+the probable increase of cleri- cal infiuesoe in civit masters. But he su, that had the Orieans Princes been wise enough fully to submit to the only legitimate representative of old French royalty they would naturally have got a moral influence over the Count de Chambord and might have easily softened whatever there would have been extra nt or extreme in the Count’'s own as well as party’s personal tendencies, “The country would certainly have gained,” sald the General, “for it would have had a stable form of government by this time, inatead of the uncertainty We have now. 1am much indebted to the Duo d’Aumale, under whose o} T served m Aerie: and I bave a great feel of respect for ; but Lhave several times in the last two years jrankly told him my o} concerning his own and the whole of the Or! family’s po tical attitude, There cannot be the slightest doubt that it France is to be # kingdomthe on! Kuofeugment: of his Tights ‘the: Oneans Princes e 1 oO ie rieans ne would have established their own right of mheri- tance to him, and would have had the wnole coun. try with them, representing, as they would have done, the liberal elements of the But as 800n a8 they undertouk to bargain with the Count de Chambord they placed themselves on a revelu- tionary and democratic ground, upon which they will be always beaten by the esentatives of Bonapartism. The Orleans family has just as little nts to the throne ag the Bonaparte ‘The little nd Be we done for the country tten, while everything the Emperor - eer tene —_ or coos J ee of our ring classes ne! prosper- ity is quite fresh in the memory. acai. THE NEEDS OF FRANCE. * The vast majority of the nation does not care about strictly parliamentary forms of government, the only prestige the Orleans princes can claim to have. These forms are almost a8 strange and suspicious- looking to the country ihe as the present are; white the institutions of the Empire, whatever may hav n their theoretical value, worked,satisiac- torily," ‘What is still more important, got the f present generation familiar with it peace and prosperity to recover our strén; ain; we must regain Europe's con- fidence fo! sake of making alliances. That is all we want-a present, and for this no new combina- tion can be ak any use, Give us the ancient French monarchy, else let us have our more modern Empire back again. No sort of intermediate course will answer the purposes we must all have in view, and I told the Duc d’Aumale several times, that if my personal sympathies were to be sought for they could be found only on one of these two sides, although, if I am asked to do so, | will serve France under any order of things, as I am deing now.” This and similar topics were touched upon quring the whole of the evening, the conversation constantly pi from cur- rent events to general views, The resignation of the Roman Ambassador (M. de Bourgoing) was commented on by Mme. Duoret, her father and the curé, Besides, M. de Bourgoing being a cousin of the lady, the obvious sympathies ofthe company toward the ba AT accounted for the importance attached to resignation of the Ultramontane pienipolaniiary, But here again the General did pot seem to insist much upon the purely clerical aspect of the question. at he Teproached M. Thiers in this case for was that the occurrence created a new complication in the for affairs of France and that he made the sacrifice of M. de aie who was one of hia (M. Thiers’) oldest personal friends. All these dis- cussions had @ considerable interest to me, as showing the state of pypite feeling in influential rovincial circles. But the really interesting part of he interview for the American readers began when the ladies retired, M. Dechamp following them, and the curé taking tt fora signal to go home too, I hi aes mass them, . We, remained there alone with the General, sitting in an old-fashioned easy chair, by the side of @ bi 7 fire, and listening to him for at least a couple of hours more without scarcely ever having need to ask him a question, so full seemed he of thoughts on the present state of French affairs and so wiil- ing to give utterance to them. This is, as nearly as possible, what I heard from him :— A GOVERNMENT SHOULD FIT THE NATION. “I am by no means disposed in favor of the Republic, and if I am opposed to it, it is not on the ground of any theoretical consideration. I disre- gard all theories in politics, and especially in our case. Every imaginabie jorm of government 15 good as long as circumstances are in favor of it and the people fit to live under it. My view upon the present position of France is a pare, practical one and consists of this: I know that, sooner or later, WE SHALL HAVE TO FIGHT AGAIN. For the purpose of fighting we want money and alliances, and we cannot possibly get either unless we have perfect order and tranquillity at home and inspire full confidence abroi Now, is there anything of the sort to be obtained under the form of poverament we have at present or any other self-governing combination, which can only lead us to quarrels and squabbies from the Ist of January to the end of December ? What power that will make @ close alliance with the French Republic? Some peopie say Russia and America, But is the present, or any possible Russian Emperor, @ likely persem to encourage republican institutions ? As to the Americans, 1 think them too wise and too business-like to mix themselves up in European litica. If we had a war with England that would ye another question; they might then have sided with us. But as long as We shall have to fight with the Germans we shal] be compelled to look for an European alliance or to undertake the task single- handed. his is my starting point, and it compels me to wish, independently from any personal sympathies and with the sole desire of welfare to ‘rance, fora strong amd stable government that would have had gome roet in the country at large, and would, consequently, guarantee peace and prosperity at home and iriendship and confidence abroad. I do not care whether it be the ancient kingdom or the empire, but outside of these two forms hininid I see nothing except misery and humiliation for my country.” A FRIENDLY CHAT WITH PRESIDENT THIERS. Ihad some time back a friendly talk with M. Thiers, for we have sometimes friendly talks with him, althongh not very oiten, When he wants me he is always friendly; when he does not he is not. However, on that evening we were not only on friendly, but on familiar terms, for there was no one at his fireplace except himself, Mme. Thiers and myself. We talked of various matters, and among ether things, ef course, about his position and political views, I told him quite frankly then that the great unhappiness for France was that he had no children. “Why ? asked they, both laughing, and think- ing, perhaps, that 1 was about to repeat seme newspaper jokes concerning a Thiers dynasty. “Because you have no one to care for,”’ answered I. “If younad children you would not be disposed to make experiments of this sort. You may, no doubt, keep a little wind in the sail till the end of your days; but what is to come after you? Now, ‘we who have children care rather more about to- morrow than about to-day, and that is the whole difference between your views and my views, M. le President.” But, of course, he assured me that Such was not the case, and that he cared for the future Just a8 much as | did. THIERS AND THR ASSEMBLY. At this point I ventured to ask the General whether there was notin bis opinien any chance for M. Thiers of ultimately obtaining @ solid and stable majority that would enable him to carry on the government of the country without constant éxcitements and almost permanent crises. Could he net appeal to the patriotism of the nation on the necessity of order and stability till the war in- demnity shall be discharged and the soil of France liberated from the contrel of German soidiers, and rally the two centres around such a question? “No, never |” answered the General, “fhe men of the Centres are all either periect nullities or else very energetic and resolute aspirants to power. Men like the puke d’Audiffret-Pasquier or the Duke de Bregiie will never give in until they get the power into their own hands, and M. Thiers 1s the Jeast likely man to yield anything of what he gets hold of. People outside generally believe that the Right is a8 ambitious as it is obstinate. ‘This 18 all nonsense. I know every member of the Right, and | must say that even the most extreme of them would prove more manageable than any of the leading men of the Centres, had only M. Thiers frankly sided with them. They are nearly all very ricoh. They would refuse office even if offered, but they have their creed, which they will abjure under no circumstances, I have really often wondered what it is that makes M, Thiers stick to the Left; for radieal he himself certainly is not. How do you think, a8 an outsider, the fact is to be ac- counted for /”” A SUGGEETION OF PRAR. Iwas rather heey to give the answer which the General, looking at ‘me, seemed to wait, and said in general terms that ore believed that M. Thiers had arrived at the conclusion that no form of government would suit France a8 well as the re- publica form, and that ke consequently shows consideration to, if he does not exactly side pe those whem he knows to be true republicans. said algo that the acceptance of a republic having been the condition of his being brought into power on the part of the radicals, he might consider him- self bound not to disregard them now. Finally, [ mentioned the extraordinary allusion made some months ago by the London Times, that M, Thiers feared being assassinated in case he openly de- serted his supporters of the Left, “Well,” answered the General, “I think this last suggestion is by no means as’ unjustifiable as tt looks. I believe that fear has more to do in this case with M, Thiers than anything else. Some lume back, when we were at Versailles, Mine. Thiers paid a visit to ag Read and they, of course, began to talk about M. Thiers, my wife’ asking the lady whether there was any hope of the President not enconraging any longer the extreme Left. ‘Why,’ answered Mine, Thiers, ‘my vusbund does by ho means encour: them; but they have treated us with regard, so weare olutged to pay them some conside:ation.’ Now, what does such @ phrase mean, Ui it docs not mean that there is— will tell ‘alr eral; “how van was 8) d a plan of uttacl means of mone; , gates. ‘Tho however, vo, tor the le iheue je ey to the ny cand for. Peary fhe whole time o! es, I know jere were in i'aris something like ti ity. thovaand te heaas would 1 5 the ied in simultaneous ttacks geome oi which would naturally buttwo.at least would Lave b serious, I ¢: d my plan accordingly to M. but he insisting upon my Erg ie Bahay I sidered it tmpossi- ble ply With lis wish, and resigned alto- peas uie ti ers in my wine oe Asgem- ly 88 @ Deputy for ni vince ne Vre).' GENERAL Duds COMMAND. “1 had after that no sort of iniercourse with the President until the law on for discussion in tae Assemuly, universal peace, as. well as the to leagen the etrength of the upon the two years’ ob! we would be utterly deprived of army. the pamphlet [ subject advoon' 5 C) knew that would be found too long JO practice, and thereiore J had quite made up my ming to ac- cept five years, even before the bon came up ior discussion. In that sense 1 accordingly delivered ®@ speech durimg the debate, and as bi..dhiers was also on the side 0: five Spnth, I fonnd myseli tie adv of his views. is Drought ‘upon me the favor of some compliments from’ the President when dt descended irom the tribune, aud shortly aiterwards M. Thiers asked me to re-enter active service and to accept the grand commandement at Bourges, I answered that I had never refused to serve my country, and on the wthoi November jast took up my command, The position of 4 General hold! a so-called grand conmandement is the same as the position of the marshals under the Empue. Four of us bold at present such red Uons—Marshal MacManon at Par! jen eral Bourbari st es, General ~Chanzy at Tours and myself here; only Marshal Mac! ry under bim Mahon has five army corps in Paris and north of it, while eaoh of us has only one corps. But his position ts much more coimfort- able in respect of ios ours is, We have & great res} ity, and are constantly attacked elther by the ome or By, the other side, For in- stance, at the time of the Grenoble speech, the joverument apprehended some disturbunces in e South, and tho Ministry at Marseiiles sent cer- tain orders to General La Cadie, commanding tie oe ys quartered at Bor 8, a8 it sent orders to other generals. Among these orders was one di- Tecting them to have @ given quantity of cartridges ready per man. 1’ order was Issued in due course by General La Cadie throughout his division on the 26th of November, while ‘ived only on the 28th. Still it was everywhere spread that tne order was Ey, ersonal order, and that thé cars- ridges were used in @ movement on Paris; and M. Gambetta referred to it even in his speech of December 14. The fact is that I am very mnch disliked by the radical portion of the population of the region under my command. As soon asthe rumor was spread here that I was ropa’ be appointed they even got upa little leputation tousk M. Thiers to send them some one else instead of me. The Mayor of Boarzes, for instance, a gentieman of @ very radical turn of mind, cannot stand me at ali. He is a barrister by profession, and undertook ene day the defence of @journalias whom I caused to be brought before the tribunal, and who was condemned to 2,000 francs’ Gne and six months’ imprisonment. Now, the barrister, having become a Mayor, wants to retaltate upon me for his havi: lost the case he deienai Under such and similar circumstances is there any wonder that most absurd rumors are Spread about my projecting ® coup d'état or in- tending to march on Paris 1” The General spuke with such bitterness ef tho feelings he thought he inspired in part of the prov- inces under his command ‘that I considered it de- sirable to reassure him at least alittle en the point. I mentioned, therei u Theard bs oper several ‘gh my journey, and the profound y. ie, Ducrot inspired the net told me how she was woi Nevers ambulances all through the war, disregard- ing her physical unfitness, her having lost her brother and her mother, and her husband being be- sieged in Paris. ‘The prooi that people appreciated his wife's patriotic exertions seemed to give some comfort to the General, and he went on, speaking less bitterly of the past eventa, THE WARNING BEFORR SEDAN. “Well, I know it is very dificult to please every- body, but I must say I have had all through very bad luck. Whatever I do now is always attributed to my hey ambition, while during the war had to endure odium for other people’s faults and incapacity. For nearly two Fang’ before the war broke out L used to write to jae Emperor and to the generals in power at the Tuileries, warning them of the dangers that were pending and proposing the means jor averting them. The Emperor did not take any notice of what I wrote, while his Capinet Noir opened all my letters to Trochu and other genera's, cor- manding then at Strasbourg. L it my duty thoroughly to study Alsace, Lorraine and the Vos- ges. I knew every path of the country where war ‘was to be carried on; but Marshal MacMahon was my superior, and 1 bad, therefore, no advice or in- structions to give, but had to receive them, and some Were such as to Show me plainly enough the abyss we were hurrying into. The same, or nearly the same, thing occurred at Sedan. When the Marshal was wounded 1 had to take the chief command, and at once ordered @ general retreat towards Mezieres. It was the only means of savingthe army. The heights in front of that town olfered us a strong position, We could fairly figut taere the Germans, or, at all events, prevent, by means of acomparatively small’ vody of troovs, their advance, and thus secure the retreat of the main army. But haif an hour after L had given that order Generali Wimpien sent me word that he was the senior oficer; that ‘a v tory was wanted at any price,’ and that ne the: fore revoked my orders. ‘And so we got the vice ral. per ie day and night at the tory. AG Paris, again, I was constantly ordered to do things which | could not approve, and the respon- sibility for which was invariably thrown upon me. It wouid be impossible now to recapitulate all thal I went through then, and it will be enough to say that, as much as you were deceived at the Army of the Loire by the _ official assurances that I had come out of Paris and was but @ day’s march from you, 80 was I deceived by the same official assurances that the Army of the Loire was steadily advancing and would meet me as soon as I had come out of ‘the fortifications of Paris. And the worst is, per- haps, that I may some day be again in the same position of belug compelled to do what | consider to be foolish and to have to answer for the results as if they were my ewn faults. M, THIERS AS A STRATEGIST, M. Thiers, for tustance, is constantly mixing Dimseif up in military matters and giving orders which make him perfectly ridiculous. I have toid yeu already how he insisted upou my throwing 30,000 men under the guns of the Fort W'issy. He would not give in, and, happliy enougn, { was not compelled to obey him. Wut tue same thing might have happened uider less favorable circumstances, and, had the troops been mussacred, it would again have been my fauit, ‘And the best point is that the obstinate little President was ultimately compelled to accept my view, for the Fort d’Issy was taken possession of before any attack on Paris had begun. The same thing is Row going on with reierence to army management, M, Thiers thinks he knows eve thing better than military men do, and wants to have the upper,haud tu every department of gov- ernment, to regulate every littlest detail of mull tary organization. No one appreciates the mar- veilous capacity and vast Knowledge of the Presi- dent more than I do; but, precisely because [know how vast and thorougi is his Knowledge in many branches of statesmanship, I cannot admit that he cau know much about a jew others, Aman even or M, Thiers’ ability and experience cannot be om- niscient. He has, for instance, written some beau- tiiul pages about the great permanent camp which Napoieon I. established at Boulogne. These pages show a remarkable amongt of military iniorma- tion on the part of the writer; but ail that is not @ reason for his being justified in taking a fancy to ermanent camps and introducing them ail through France. SENTIMENT OF THE ARMY, You asked me whether it was true that half the army was imperialist. Certainly it is true, and I wonder only that the whole of it is not so. If M. Thiers will persist in Keeping the army all the year round seciuded in these miserabie cumps, he will, beiore long, alienate every man down to the last recruit from the Republic, a8 well as roi lim- self. 19 there any sense in condemuing the whole army of France to celivacyr—in cotung it away from all society, even during the Winver months, when there 1s 80 littie work to do’—in compelling the men to uve in siush and mud’—to sieep, scarcely ever wadressing themselves, and to have cards and sor wine for their ouly recreation? And the poor married subaltern oilicers, how are they to support their wives and children livin in town and keeping @ separate household? An then look at the amount of money these camps cost. You have seen my own Camp d’Avor, 80 you Thust know that it is about the most wretched lace that could be Well imagined, and now mind nat it will cost the country something like seven millions of sraucs. Some time back @ little hesita- tion seems to have arisen at Versailles as to the general convenience of that camp, wad orders were ven to stop the further Duilding of Booths and to ‘nke up the aeeounts for the work already done, | These accounts showed an expenditure of about seven huudred and Ofty theusand francs, and the sum having appeared too large to the Versailles authorities to be up we received an order to resume the work anew—that is to say, to spend aboat ten times as much again upon @ thing that Will certainly have tobe given yp very s00n, and w; bat we haye done noting for military or- Ranrsation, Much a8 iong #6 M. Tiers will everything concerning the army.” BKYORR THR WARS ‘The conversation then turned to the mism: | mént and dad organization of the army under re, Which can have By intercat lor American ra at present, and which the rai _con- in the stron.est porsibl rt ently to the outbreak oj the war and recontly siluded to vy the Duke de Gra- rc the D ” seo true that Dot ony a altos es but the whole ;lan of a can as perore mh, went Coe ag ; at . asked 5 Seer temty at tah tart im conse- sia and alienates oe spend trem France, But wo jenna, need not ee faras added the General, to find ident facts, When 1 commanded at Stras- bourg the Grand Duke 0! Hesse-Darmstadt asker = several times tv come icross the Khine to visit by all ours,’ wag And so lL wont; and in the he “Grund Duke in @ little (he was already too much alraid of of such mutters at his palace) he sald me that tiuere could not be poe, oe doubt as to the siie on which hig pare ies, a8 well as those 0: Wurtemburg and varia, woul) be in cise 01 & Freuch cenflict with Prussia, The only doubiful poins was Baden. ‘But bin) must hurry to cross the khine,’ said the Grand uke, ‘ior if the Emperor is slow in his prepara- tions the whole of South Germany, now thoroughly hostile to Prusgia, will be taken into the great German. current without our being abie to resist.’ Isent in to the Reid all the iniormation £ could get. I showed him that with 30,000 men entering German territory irom/Alsace and 30,000 more from Lorraine, having a reserve that would bring the army to 100,000, we ceuld have, in a iew days, the whole’ of uth Germany with us, But that ought to have been done a twelvemonth be- fore we were routed at Woerth, and 1 re already toid you what the Emperor and his Oabinet Noir did with all my letters an ions,’? SOLDIERLY REGRET AND WISM TO TRY AGAIN, It was uearly mi ht now, and the General seemed so grieved whenever the conversation turmed to past events, which seemed, however, constantly to absorb , and to which he con- stantly returned, that 1 got up from my chair to take leave of him, But he still talked of Sedan, of Woerth, of Paris and of that “ert yy Wissem- bourg affair, which he exerted all efforts to Prevent and in which he lost his best brigadicr neral. I have never yet seen & Frenchman so lull of deep sorrow for the past, and so thor- Oughiy absorbed by the singie, all-overpowering idea of another fight with the Germans and of an ultimate recognition of French military honor. THE LOOK AHEAD. “But what do you think of the more proximate future ?”’ asked the General when we were stand. ing on the threshold of the quiet, old-fashioned drawing room taking leave of each other, “Weil, whatcan I say? If we don’t come to blows once more, which [ am afraid we shall, M, ‘Thiers-will prebably manage, one way or another, to keep the power in his hands until the day of his death. Meanwhile the Prince Imperial is now about seventeen years. of age, and I am by no means sure that he is not the person that is to suc- ceed M. le President. But you know how ditticult it le with us to say anything positive about the morrow. LITERARY CHIT-CHAT. JOHANN SrRauss has his “Remintscenses of America” completed, and Shepard & Gill; of Bos- ton, will publish the book. Vosr’s long promised treatise on railway con- struction is printed, and will be published within @ month, THe HistorY OF IRBLAND, by Father.Thibaut, S. J., of St. Joseph’s College, Troy, is to be printed by the Appleton’s. Dicxson’s Analysis of Blackstone's Commentaries, lately published by Rees Welsh, of Philadelphia, 18 & work for members of the legal profession and all persons of literary pursuits who desire an aid in the establisnment of systematic habits of thought and of study. It is, as it were, “a map of the science of the law.” THAT EXPERIENCED TRAVELLER and author, E. G. Squier, is understood to be engaged on a work of carefal research and full information abeut Bolivia. EARL RUSSELL'S new book, “Rise and Progress of the Christian Religion in the West of Europe,” 1s nearly ready for publication. ORIGINAL TRANSLATIONS of Mme. George Sand’s three charming little books for children are to be published by Estes & Lauriat, Beston, Joun Murray has published a volume of epitaphs under the title, ‘‘Mottoes for Monuments, or Epi- taphs Selected for General study and Application.” A RIcH CALIFORNIAN named Lick has given land worth $100,000 to help build a memorial edifice to Thomas Paine. One-half the amount is to be ex- pended in lectures and publications in honor of this iconoclast of the revolution. T. B, PereRsoN & BROTHERS announce for im- mediate publicatien a new novei by Mrs. Ann S, Stephens, entitled “Lord Hope’s Choice.” THE LONDON Graphic is said to be growing into one of the wealthiest journalistic properties in the world. Gustave Dorz and Blanchard Jerrold are about to do for the modern Lutetia (Paris) that which they have recently done for the modern Babylon, and the illustrated work is to be published simul- taneously in the two capitals, Mr. JAMES GRANT has written, as a supplement to his ‘History of the Newspaper Press’ (which was a bitter bad one), an account of the “Rise and Prog- Tess of the Saturday Review,” which wili appear in @ fow days. ‘THE MEMBERS Of the bookselling fraternity who deal in old books have diminisned in London nearly one-half in the Jast twenty years. This is mainly owing to the exhaustion of the commodity dealt in, ‘Tne BRITISH WAR OFFICE has published a notable book on “The Armed Strength of Russia,’ trans- lated from the German. ANOTHER CLASSICAL member of. Parliament has undertaken the translation of Juvenal. His name is J. D. Lewis, ana it is to be hoped that he wii, succeed better than did Dryden, Gifford and Madan. At a ReceNT PuBLIc SALE in London acopy of Smith’s History of Virginia, 1627, was purchased for the extraordinary price of £1,046. Though not entirely perfect, it was fortunately on large paper, one of the four or five copies known to exist in that state. It had been preserved in an old country house library, and will now take its place among the gems of the great New York Library of Books of America, founded by Mr. Lenox. ‘THE ABSOLUTE NECESSITY of the Greek language to university honors has jong been méintained in Englisk and American colleges. But now comes the University of London and opens its degrees in science, medicine and law to students who have not acquired a knowledge of Greek. The universt- ties in France, Germany and Italy adopted this policy years ago. Les Derraves ts the name of Rochefort’s new novel, which the Minister of Public Instruction had the depravity to prohibit in Franee. AN ARMENIAN comic newspaper, bearing the name of Punch, hag been suspended for two months for ridiculing the Armenian Patriarch. Mr, W. Davies is preparing a book called “The Pilgrimage of the Tiber from its Mouth to its Source.” The course of the Tiber has never been completely explored. and no account has been given of it in its entirety, either in Italian or Engfish. The pictures given by local historians of the medimval condition of some of the Tiberine towns and country will be new to most English readers. The chapter upon ihe popular songs of Central Italy will also probably afford an insight into a quite fresh flel‘ of literature, THE ARREST OF PAYMASTER'S CLERK BO- * “QART, New Yor, March 20, 1873, To THe EDITOR OF THE HERALD: Maving noticed in your paper of this date, that “Naval Paymaster Bogart” has been arrested in San Francisco, Cai., I beg leave to state that Mr. Bogart never was honored with a commission in the United States Nayy as Paymaster, he was sim- ply Paymaster’s clerk on the United States Steamer Verriont, and absconded with about $30,- 000 government iunds intrusted to his care. by pubusuing es forsake you will correct @ false G vy e siatement aud much @bligs A PAYMASTER, i United states Savy hl | do not believe We shail be able to frame Bunself What Is Moped from the Diplomacy. Isr Fear of Serious Consequences—Washing- Cabinet Instructions—Religious Tol- Project of a Ropeal of the Law of Exeontion of Foreigners—Plan of Postal Treaties with the Out- side Nations—' Lives Lost by Accident. apenas ‘Yoronawa, Feb. 23, 1873, The imperial mission to China has not. yet left Japan. AsI told youin my last, Soyoshima, now acting as Prime Minister, is to be at the head of this mission, with the rank of Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary. General Legendre is to @o as chief adviser, with the rank of Assistant Envoy. The reasons for the delay of the mission are twofold, One 1s that the government do not care about sending away the mission until the advent of the Peruvian Embassy which is daily ex- Pécted, and about which doubts will exist as to whqtier that mission is to come with peace or war in its hands. Tae other reason is that o considerable opposition has developed ; itself during the last month from some high Japanese oMicials, which has now attained such Strength as vo endanger the departure of the mis- sion. Mr. De Long has interested himself to some extent in its success, and is doing his best to smooth the diMiculties. But the fact that an American is connected with the mission is of itself suMectent te raise an opposition from those Jap- anese who receive their inspirations from the rep- resontatives of other nationalities, BBLATIONS TO PERU, The Peruvian question is a source of great un- easiness to the Japanese. In spite of the bold face that they attempt to put upon their actions in the Maria Luz ship case they {eel convinced that they Went a step further than international law war- ranted them.. True, they were openly backed up by the British Ohargé d’Affaires, and secretly by the American Chargé. But it strikes me that the Eng- lishman merely used the Japanese as a cat’s paw to pull out of the fre chestnuts which were 80 hot that the English themselves did not dare to touch them. In a humanitarian view of the case the action of the Japanese was undoubtedly all praiseworthy; but said action is almost certain te undergo the flery ordeal of an examination in which the senti- mental side will remain in the background. The letters from the Lima correspondent of the HERALD in relation to this question haye been republished here, and the indignant feeling of the Peruvians on account of the action of Japan has rather disturbed the eomplaisance with which the government at first viewed'the action o/ their officials. As far asI can learn the mission of Captain Garcia in the In- dependencia is altogether a peaceful one, Un- doubtedly he will demand compensation for the unwarrantable interferenee of thq Japanese in the voyage of the Maria Luz, Mr. De Long has received instructions from his own gov- ernment at Washington to so far aid the Peruvian Envoy as to offer his services, in order to secure a favorable and friendly reception for hiin from the Japanese, but the same despateh concludes with instructions that “Mr, De Long must do nothing from which the Japanese might inier that either he or the American government iooks with any favor upon the coolie trade.” This codcluding paragraph might have been left out. It appears to that Mr. De Long’s former action tended to induce the belief that he had defended tne in- famous traM@c a8 on between Macao and Peru. Nething was iurther from the intention of the American Minister, But while he, alike with all other foreigners, fully appre ciates the horrors of the coolie trade. Asa Minister he had to take into consideration the responsibilities attendant upon the individual action of one government. Be- sides, he was really bound to act as the representa- tive of Peru, according to instructions previously received from Washington. Notwithstanding the fact, however, that he advised the Japanese gov- ernment to a contrary Course to which they took, the Japanese government fully appreciate the mo- tives of Mr. De*Long, and he has received an assur- ance from the Minister of Foreign Affairs that the Peruvian Envoy will be received with all due re- spect and in a friendly spirit. RECALL OF DIPLOMATISTS. - Kido and Okubo, two of the Vice Ambassadors now with the Japanese Embassy, of which Twakura is the chief, have been recalled. The reasons for this action are not entirely clear, but I presume that it is considered that the! resence at home is necessary on account of the want of harmony now prevailing in the different depart- ments. Besides, it seems to be now decided that the revision of the treaties is to take place in Ja- pan and not in Europe. And, as the principal countries have already been visited the continued presence of these two officers is no longer neces- sary. CHRISTIANITY TOLERATED, An order has recently been issued by the Dal- jok-wan (the imperial government) to the Gover- hors of the different cities and provinces, instruct- ing them that herealter the edicts against Christ- lanity are not to be enforced, and the same are to be removed irom the public edict boards. This is peculiarly Japanese. Of course the order amounts to toleration of Christianity. And yet the Dai-jok- wan refused to absolutely repeal the laws against Christianity or to pass a positive law tnat here- after all religions are to be tolerated, But they have taken this rather tortuous course of deciar- ing that the said edicts are still the laws of the land, but until further orders are not to be en- forced. PLAN OF FOREIGN COMMUNION, A proposition has beef made by the Japanese government to the different foreign representa- tives to open the whole couutry of Japan to trade and residence for ioreigners, provided said foreign- ers will subject themselves to Japanese law. e Japanese promise to estabuish judicial tribunals throughout the Empire; guarantee that no foreigner shall be subject to corporal punishment, and limit their penal authority over foreigners to ‘a fine of $800, or to imprisonment not to exceed twelve months. On the e of it this looks very liberal on the part of the Japanese; but it is ques- tionable, first, whether the Ministers have power to accept such a proposition without the consent of their respective governments, as their doing 40 would be tantamount to making a new treaty; and, secondly, whether it would be advisable to surrender the ex-terri- torial Mtg of foreign residents, even to the limited extent asked by the Japanese. It must be borne in mind that the Japanese are as yet en- tirely ignorant of law as administered in ope or America, and it will be a long time before the; can establish a judicial system that will be accep’ able to foreigners. The preposition originated with Count Fe, the Italian Minister. His object in making this suggestion to the Japanese govern- ment was to enable the Italian silk and silkworms’ 8 buyers to go into the interior and purchase directly from the producer, As these men would only be there for a shert time in each year it would make very little difference to them whether for that short period they were under Japanese or foreign rule. But with permanent residents the case would be entirely different, The question has not yet been discussed by the diplomatic body, buta ineeting of the foreign Ministers for that purpose is to take pince in a day or two, I have every reason to believe that the peogosiiten. will be ac- cepted, Poe by the nisters, and that they will refer the matter to their own govern- ments for instructions. « THE POSTAL SYSTEM. A gentleman named 38, R. Bryan leaves Japan by to-morrow’s steamer for America, having in his pocket an appoingyent from the Emperor of Japan as Superintendent of Foreign ‘ostage. He is to go to Washington and endeavor to make @ treaty between Japan and the United States tu reference to postal matters, ‘This appointment has been breught about by the exer- tlons ofMr. De Long, who seemed to think it a Maiter of great importance to secure this office for an American. If Mr. Bryan turns out to be the roper man for the pesition—and it is to be hoped fe will, for as a rule the Eee have profited but little by going to America to secure incum- dents for important positions—he will do good service to the Japanese and to foreigners, for the foreign residents Yokohama now get their mall matier from home through three different offices, namely, the French, English and American, All of these are at different parts of the settiemen: all have different rules, and all charge differen’ rates of postage. It would therefore be a boon to have oue general it oflice under competent Management. Mr. rn was formerly in the General Post Office at Washington. He was in- duced to resign his position there in order to come toJapan to secure the appointment he now has. If Mr. Bryan succeeds in Washington he is ther to proceed to London, Paris and Berlin, and effect similar postal treaties at each of those capitals, INDUSTRY AND ART, Sano, who has gone to Vienna as Vice President of the Austrian Exhibition, has been appointed Minister Resident to the Austro-Hungarian Em- ire, and Nouboyousi Sawa has been accredited the Vourt of Russia as Envoy Extragrdinary, FATAL AQCIDENT. Thave to record a very sad accident which oc- curred in this harbor on the 12th inst., namely, the upsetting of a boat panete to the Pacific Mail Com; any, by which twenty-three persons lost their i e Bont was a Not Japanese boat, used \ by the company to tow coai barmes, Tle hoot. Peruvian Relations to the Government and Popu- have been was extremely cold wet Mr. pomp Jumpea into the water, cessive di suceceded in raising 10 seven bodies justin time to jerve thei has been the local PI Roem Bey Society be ntieman its gold medal, society im America? ‘piagag As usnal, dori) the Winter Ye bees ja! 1e ‘ol visited two or thieo times by the dre nende and, upon one occasion, with fatal results. Aboué three o'clock on the morning o/ the 28th ult. a fire out in @ building occupied as a hotel and so was the progress of the flames that the people scarcely time- encape. As it was, one engineer named Joseph Hyde, an American ci ‘Was burned in his bed, as was also b) male servant. One man, in jut 1 broke both his legs and wrists, and the preprie' also had to make a leap for life and broke three her riba in dong so. Others suffered miaor APRIL FOOLS’ DAY. To-day és an anniversary which brings with it Temembrance of practical jokes played on’ unsus Picious persons by individuals who have nothing better to do than to amuse themselves at the ex« pense of their neighbors, April Fool is like Mother Goose; it is @ household word, and hag {ts festivals in every clime and in every tand where civilization has a footing. Thigis the day known to the Romans as the “Feast of Fools,” of Festa Stultorum, although it was celebrated im February by the conquerors of the world. People will be sent to-day on long errands for pigeons’ milk, mare’s milk or strap oll, to tae druggists for tulip powder and to the poulterers for hen’s teeth, and silly fancies like these will help to beguile young people ef both sexem In France, although the practice of ringing deor bells and breaking door knockers off is unknown, yet they have an April Fool's Day, and the person who sustains the burden of a joke is called a @ dort or “April mackerel”—the latter in being supposed to be the most unsuspicieus that swims the waters. It is understood tha‘ an Borohime was one of the most practical jokers his tiwe, and many a poor, belated Danish chieftain was “sold” by the Irish King in @ way that showed his keen relish of fan. Good Friday, April ty ced style), would now be April in the calendar, and it was on that memorable day that Briam played the heaviest joke of his life on the Danes at lontarf, the battle resulting in the total expulsion of the Northern robbers from Ireland. tly the joke was against Brian, for he lost his life on that day, bis head having been ripped open by a Danish battle axe. one erigin of this day. We have suggested Twenty others might be given, every one stronger than that preced ing it. For instance, one of the most accredited is that on one occasion Louts XIIL held in strict watch, in the chateau of Nanci, & prince of Lorraine, who had the ill-iortune seri- ously to offend him. The prisoner one hs escaped the notice 1 his os is, and saved himself on the ist of Aprilby swimming across the river Meuse, on which the people of Lorraine said that Louts had held a poi in+ his custody. It is, however, probable that the custom ef giving @ man something to do, that we may aiterwards generously laugh at him for his pains, has a be- ginning further pack than the age of Louis and were it not that the corruption of the word passion into is rather we should follow that derivation. By w the mockery of Christ by the Jews is ail to, which is supposed to have happened in April. ‘The sending from Annas to Vaiaphas, trom Caiaphaa to Pilate, m Pilate to Herod, and from Herod back again to Pilate, is well known, and appears to have had no other design than to gine useless trouble. Another sacred origin of the custom, without reference to. the French name, is the mis- take oi Noah, who sent the dove out of the ark be- fore the waters had abated, on the first day of the month among the Hebrews which answers to our April. To perpetuate the memory of the deliver- ance of eight iavored souls from the otherwise unt- versal destruction of the human race, it waa thought afterwards fit to punish those fo. eg 4 by sending them on some—to use the words of tor's landlady—sleeveiess errand, similar to that ineifectual message upon which the bird was sent by the patriarch. THE ALLEGED M°SWEEGAN HOMICIDE. Coroner Herrman’s Investigation—In- jured in Some Manner Unknown, , Yesterday afternoon the fatal tenement house Tow at No. 48 Scammel street, on the 2th of February Jast, in which Bridget McSweegan, the victim, received only @ scalp wound, was the sub- Ject of investigation before Coroner Herrman, at the City Hall. The prisoner, a one-eyed, vicious- looking woman, was present, and looked as though the liquid poison in which she had so long indulged to excess was well out of her system. Once or twice during the examination of witnesses the prisoner exhibited her malignity by calling Mrs, Howard a liar, and it was found necessary to place an officer beside her to keep her quiet. Below will be found the main points in the testimony elicited before the Coroner and the jury. Mary Howard, of 48 Scammel street, deposed that she heard Mary McNamee and Bridget Mc- Sweegan having some words in their room on the first floor, and her son requested her to go dewn id see what was the matter, but the witness did t go down; witness says both the women were intoxicated, and on the night in question the pris- oner’s husband was arrested ; the deceased boarded with the witness, but eg her nothing; deceased worked sometimes; she did not live with her hus- band. During the time the witness was giving her testimony the prisoner became excited and gave Mrs. Howard the lie, and repeated the remark. John Howard, a lad twelve years of age, son of the previous witness, ¢estified that John McNa- mee, a boy nine years old, told him that the night previous his mother and deceased had a quarrel and struck each other with wooden hoo; John McNawee, the little son of the prisoner, was called to the stand, and deposed that deceased came into his mother’s room drunk one night and called his mother a w—e and him a bastard; bis mother pues up @ hoop and struck Mrs. McSwee- n in the face with it; the prisoner did not strike leceased with a bottle. Officer Moran, of the Thirteenth precinct, testi fled that he found deceased lying in the hallway ef house 48 Scammel street, in a state of insensi- bility on the morn! of the 24th of Febru: took her te the ion house; after par re- viving deceased said that prisoner had struck her on the head with a bottle; deceased was intoxi- cated at the time she was found, and had a cut om the side of tae head, On admission to the hospital deceased told the surgeon that a man nad struck her, but she aid not give his name. Dr. Cushman testified that deceased died from erysipelas caused by the wound on the head, joroner Herrman submitted the case to the jury who rendered the following VERDICT :— “That Bridget McSweegan came to her death from erysipelas caused by a wound on the head; said wound being received in some manner to us un- known, at 48 Scammel street, on or about the 24th day of February, 1873.” joroner Herrman, believing that a farther tncar- ceration would prove beneficial to the confirmed inebriate, McNamee, required her to give bail im $1,000, in default of which she was committed to the Tombs. The prisoner’s husband said he would pre- cure bail for her to-da; INFANTICIDE AT SING SING. mgular Disclosures—Another Discovered in a Trank. The churchgoing residents of Sing Sing village are at present shocked at some scandaious disclos- ares which have come to light in their midst within the past couple of days, Last Saturday while some children were playing near the public school, they found partially covered in aheap of ashes the re- mains of a fully developed, newly born male infant, which had apparently lain there only a day or two. Coroner Bassett having been notified, empanelie@ ® jury and on @ post-mortem examination of the body marks of violence were plainly discernable om the throat, leaving no doubt that the child had been murdered. A verdict to that effect “by some per- son unknown” was accordingly rendered. Conjecture being still rife as to who the un- natural mother may be, information was yesterday received by Justice Hyatt a forth that ine Jackgon, a mulatto girl, aged fifteen, living wil other in Central avenue, had given birth aninfant some three or four weeks ago, which time it had mysteriously disappeared. official at once issued ® warrant for the arrest the girl Jackson, and an officer P home for t urpose of apprehending her. On arriving at the house the officer displayed his war- rant and intimated the nature of the crime of which she was suspected. The girl thoroughly alarmed, and hastily replied that the baby found in the ash-heap could not belong to her, ag hers was up stairs in the trunk. On ascending to an upper room the body of a colored infant, wrapped up in a bundle of old clothing, was found, and in an advanced state of decomposition. She insisted that the child was still-born, and as {® was impossible to find any marks of violence on Corpse iis the remains, the Coroner's jury which inv tod the case came to the concin/ion that the infant had been “iound dead.” The mother, im whose sleeping tment the body had lain rotting fox fow weeks. yg Uva discoarged from