The rumour about the cession of Pondicherry has excited English
society as nothing in this war has excited it. The demand
is felt as a direct blow to England. We have discussed the mat- ter at length elsewhere, but we may here remind our readers of two points. It is extremely doubtful whether the Treaty of 1815 would not be legally binding on the Germans—whether, that is, they could venture to send troops to Pondicherry, except as a declaration of war ; and secondly, whether it gave the right of cession to anybody at all. We of our free grace, to keep up a historic tradition, restored Pondicherry to the French ; but we did not restore it to the Germans, or to anybody except our old historic Indian foes. Perhaps the best step, with M. Gambetta's consent, would be to occupy Pondicherry—an affair of three days, —as a measure of Indian precaution, and let the Germans get it if they could. We should risk war, but it would be on a ground which Germany, unless she wanted war, would avoid.
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