NEWS OF THE WEEK
RIGHTEOUSNESS and peace have kissed each other in the persons of the Emperor of the French and the King of Prussia. It was stated last week that Napoleon had demanded Of Prussia the restoration of the frontiers of 1814, and the official journals admitted that negotiations were in progress. The King of Prussia, after a long Council attended by one or two Generals, replied that Germany could not surrender German territory, whereupon the French journals first published formal denials that any demand had been made, and then announced that the Emperor had received the Prussian Ambassador, and assured him that His Majesty, though considering the " wish " for new frontiers just, had only expressed it in deference to the opinion of France, and promised that good relations between the two powers should in no case be disturbed. He hoped, however, that Prussia would not overstep the line of the Main. The Emperor has also written to the King of the Belgians, saying he esteems him a great deal too much to take away any of his territory ; so there is a kind of diplomatic millennium, which would be quite nice if anybody could say what it all means. If the Emperor expected refusal, why did he make the demand ? if he did not expect it, why does he display so un- usually Christian a spirit ? It looks very much as if Napoleon had received assurances which enabled him to endure his apparent loss of prestige with great tranquillity.
