Curious and convincing evidence has been produced that France was
really at heart very hostile to the war, which the Emperor declared had been forced upon him against his will by the enthusiasm of the French nation. The Government of Paris have published the replies made to the official questions put to the prefects of the eighty-eight departments as to the temper of the people in relation to war, and it seems that almost all make in official language a confession of the utter unwillingness of the people to go to war. Most of them say the people were resolved to meet war =should it be essential for their dignity and honour, but not one says that a wish for war exists, or even so much as ardour for war in ,case war should prove to be necessary. " With respect to the -country districts," says the Prefect of Aisne, "the occupations and anxieties of harvest engross the attention of the population. It is but by slow degrees that the news of this grave incident will reach them. But whatever be their desire for peace, and however much
may be needed by them, they will, I am convinced—" and so 'forth. That is a fair type of the tone of the majority of the Teplies. If the Emperor were forced to go to war by any of the people of France, it must have been only by the noisy people of a few great cities, of whom his own ministers were chief.
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