All had depended on the election being carried out before the secret was disclosed; a delay of some weeks must take place, and some indiscreet words of Salazar disclosed the truth.

General Prim had no course left him but to send to the French Ambassador, to give him official information as to what had been done and try to calm his uneasiness.
What were Bismarck's motives in this affair?
It is improbable that he intended to use it as a means of bringing about a war with France.

He could not possibly have foreseen the very remarkable series of events which were to follow, and but for them a war arising out of this would have been very unwise, for German public opinion and the sympathy of all the neutral Powers would have been opposed to Prussia, had it appeared that the Government was disturbing the peace of Europe simply in order to put a Prussian prince on the throne of Spain contrary to the wishes of France.

He could not ignore German public opinion now as he had done in old days; he did not want to conquer South Germany, he wished to attract it.

It seems much more probable that he had no very clear conception of the results which would follow; he did not wish to lose what might be the means of gaining an ally to Germany and weakening France.