important effects of this agreement, notably the law upon the re-organisation of the army. He announced the approaching end of the foreign occupation. My predecessor," added the message, "contributed powerfully by happy negotiations to prepare this. You helped him in his task by affording him an assistance which never failed him, and by maintaining a firm and prudent policy, which allowed the development of the public wealth rapidly to efface the traces of our disasters. Lastly, and above all, our industrious populations have themselves hastened the hour of their liberation by their eagerness to resign themselves to the heaviest burdens.

"France will in that solemn day give evidence of her gratitude to all those who have served her ; but in the expression of her patriotic joy she will preserve the moderation which is becoming to her dignity, and she would reprehend, I feel sure, noisy manifestations little in harmony with the recollections which she preserves of the painful sacrifices which peace has cost us "

The end of the message was given to praise of peace, and to the statement that sincere friendship existed "with all the Powers"

Not a word of the "existing institutions" of the constitutional laws, nor of the burning subjects which were at that very moment the object of universal solicitude. It was, however, thought that the vacation which was opening would not come to an end before a decision had been arrived at as to the future of the country. But it was not expedient to take the country into confidence.

The other document was a manifesto of the groups of the Left.

Manifesto of the Left

In this, as was natural, all delicate questions were treated without reserve. The opinion of the country was needed; a vigorous effort was made to keep it in full activity. Deputies of the Left affirmed that in consequence of the events of the 24th of May the republican spirit, put on its trial, “had been strengthened throughout France." They declared themselves ready to use all the means allowed to them by law in order to struggle against "all the supporters of the Restoration." They solemnly took note of the pledges of the President of the Republic. “It is with perfect security, with real confidence in the loyalty of the statements of the first magistrate of the Republic, that the representatives of the Republican Union go to meet their constituencies."

fusion was Conclusions

The political necessity for the dissolution of the Assembly was insisted on afresh. The failure of the attempts at monarchical announced somewhat prematurely. were drawn from the bye-elections which had already taken place; the success of those which would soon allow more than two millions of Frenchmen to pass their judgment upon the policy of the 24th of May, its results and tendencies," was calculated.

Lastly, the manifesto contemplated, like the Message, the end of the foreign occupation. The Deputies of the East were charged by the Republican Union "to convey to their fellow countrymen the expression of the admiration, sympathy and solidarity, felt for them by all its members, while regretting that this great event of the liberation of the territory could not coincide, in consequence of the

state of siege, with measures of appeasement and clemency."

VI

The convention of March 15th, 1873, fixed the beginning of the evacuation of the four departments still occupied (Ardennes, Vosges, Meurthe-etMoselle, and Meuse, with the exception of Verdun) immediately after the payments of half the last milliard of the indemnity. This, as we know, was payable by monthly instalments: on the 5th of June, July, August, and September.

About the middle of June, the French Cabinet, resuming, somewhat tardily, negotiations opened by M. Thiers, offered Germany 268 million francs in gold, which she needed for an issue of the new currency of the empire, in return for the simultaneous liberation of the departments of the East—that is to say, the abandonment of the pledge of Verdun. M. de Gontaut-Biron made this proposal to Prince Bismarck, who refused to entertain it.1

So action was restricted to executing the clauses of the agreement of March 15th, 1873.

The two instalments of June 5th and July 5th having been regularly paid, the liberation began at this latter date by the despatch of the baggage, material, and ambulances.

Wearying discussions, painful details, had rendered the situation increasingly difficult. The populations, the troops in occupation, the official agents,

1

J. Valfrey, Histoire du Traité de Francfort, vol. ii., pp. 197–98. See also Henri Doniol, La Libération du Territoire (pp. 396, et seq.) on the causes which prevented the conclusion of the anticipated evacuation of Verdun (August 5th instead of September 15th) after the 24th of May.

all looked forward with an occasionally dangerous impatience to the end of this difficult period. General von Manteuffel and the Comte de Saint-Vallier busied themselves in avoiding complications; but even they were at their wits' end. On July 15th, a little before the liberation, an incident occurred at Nancy which revealed the condition of tempers and might have produced serious results: In the course of a ride, Manteuffel was crossed by a public conveyance, whose driver touched the General's horse with his whip. The author of the attack was immediately prosecuted, and General von Manteuffel consented, though somewhat testily,' to accept this reparation.

1 The incident of the stage coach had happened at five o'clock in the evening. At seven o'clock Manteuffel wrote one of his usual pencil notes in slanting lines, to thank the Prefect, M. Doniol, for the orders of repression immediately given, adding: "Believe me that everything which happens to me personally disarms me as far as is possible. . I should have liked to write on the subject of this incident to the Comte de Saint-Vallier this evening, but as it is a detail, I should not like to spoil his night, knowing his sensitiveness. This affair will have no consequences." See Henri Doniol, La Libération du Territoire, p. 410.

Some days before, the General had offered the municipality of Nancy 20,000 francs for the maintenance of the German tombs set up in the town cemetery. The Mayor replied that "the dead had no nationality, and that he would undertake the care of the German tombs as of the others in the public cemetery." Touched by this action, the General offered 20,000 francs to the hospitals, adding to it furniture for the regimental schools, and for the chaplaincy of the army of occupation. The Society for the Protection of the Alsaciens-Lorrains published a letter saying that, if this offer were accepted, it would hand to the Mayor of Nancy an equal sum destined for the poor of Metz. Manteuffel showed his vexation and some officers manifested their irritation somewhat sharply. The Mayor of Nancy having publicly refused the gift of the Society, the excitement soon subsided.

Fortunately, on August 5th, the town of Nancy, which had been for two years the capital of the German occupation, was to be freed.1

On that day, before the assembling of the German troops, workmen climbed on to the frieze of the Stanislas Gate and prepared supports for flags. The same preparations were made at the Town Hall.

The hammer of the Town Hall clock struck the first stroke of six : General von Manteuffel, on horseback and in travelling uniform, raised his sword at the corner of the Rue Sainte-Catherine, thus giving the signal for departure. A silent crowd was waiting. Three cheers sounded; the German troops started, filed past the Commander-in-chief, and took the eastern road.

Now came the return of the French troops and authorities.

"the

"At half-past six," says an eye-witness, gendarmerie mobile occupied the posts of the Town Hall and the Sainte-Catherine barracks. M. Bernard, the Mayor, hoisted the tricolor flag on the balcony of the Town Hall. At the same moment on all the houses, at all the windows, appeared the flag of France, hidden for three years. The excitement was great: all shook hands, and seemed to meet again after a long separation. The three colours were displayed everywhere; tricolor cockades and ties were worn; carriages, horses, even dogs, wore them; it was a regular delirium." 2

The whole day long the inhabitants moved along

1 On August 5th the Treasury handed over to the chests of the German Government 250 million francs, representing the third quarter of the fifth milliard of the war indemnity.

2 Oswald Leroy, Nancy au jour le jour.

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