The Express.
London, England, 1863-02-26 00:00:00

FRENCH MEDIATION IN AMERICA.

The following is the rei ly of Mr. Seward to the
despatch of the French government dated 9th
January, a tranalation of which appeared in our
columns at the time :

I. SEWARD TO U. D►YTON.

DeFortnum& of State, Waahingtoa, Fob. 6,1883.

VA& 1.. baytos, Fag., &a

- .
Sir,—The intimation given in your despatch of Zan. 15
(No. 233), that 1 might expect a special visit from X Mer-
cier, has been realised. He called on the 3rd inst., and
gave me a copy of a despatch which he had just received
from M. Dronyo de Lhuys, under the date of the 9th of
January I have taken the President's instructions, and I
now proceed to give you his ideas upon the subject in
question. It has been considered with seriousnevs, re-
sulting from the reflection that the people of France
are known to be faultless sharers with the Ame-
rican ratios in the misfortunes and calamities of
our unhappy civil war. Nor do we, on this
any more than on other occasions, forget the Ira-
ditionsi frieodship of the two countries, which we
unhesitatingly believe has inspired the counsels that
M. Drouyit de Lhuys bag imparted. He says :—" The
Federal government does not despair, we know, of giving
more active impala to hostilities." And again he remarks :
protraction of the struggle, in a word, has not shaken
the confidence of the Federal government in the definitive
success of its efforts."
. .

These ne.esps seem to me to do unintentional injustice
to the Logone, whether confidential or public, on which
this government has constantly spoken on the subject of the
war. It certainly has had aria avowed only one purpose—a
determination to preserve the integrity of the country. So
far from admitting any laxity of effort, or betraying any
despoodeocy the government has, on the contrary, borne
itself cheerfully in all vicissitudes with unvarying confidence
in an early and complete triumph of the national cause. Now
whoa we are is a seamier invited by a friendly power to re-
view the twenty-one roost& history of the conflict, we find
no occasion to abate that confidence through which in an
alternation of victoria and defeats as is the appointed inci-
dent of war, the land and naval forces of the I, nited States
have steadily advanced, reclaiming from the insurgents the
ports, forts, and posts which they had treacherously wined
before the strife actually begun, and even before it was seri-
ously apprehended. So many of the States and dietricts
which the insurpots included in the field of their projected
outlays slaveholding dominion have already been redisab-
lished under the flag of the Union, that they now retain
only the States of Georgia, Alabama, and Texas ; with
half of Virginia, half of North Caroline, two-thirds of South
Carolina, half of ansigiepi, and one-third respectively of
Arkansas and Louisiana. The national forces hold even the
email territory in close blockade and siege. This govern-
ment, if required, does not hesitate to submit its achieve-
manes to the tat of , and it maintains that in
no part of the world, in no times, ancient or modern,
has a nation, when reordered all unready for combat by
the aijoyments of eighty years of almost unbroken peas%
ao quickly awakened at the alarm of DODiiioD, put forth
energies so vigorous and achieved successes so sigma sad
effective as those which have marked the prover of Ma
contest on the part of the Union.
M. Drouyn de Liam, I feu, has taken other light then
the correspondence of this government for his gukbase he
ascertaining its temper and finances. He has piebald, and
of divisions of sentiment imam those who hold themselves
forth as organs of piddle opinion hers, and has gives to
there an wane impalas... It is to be remembered the
this is a nation of thirty millions, civilly divided into LZ
one states end arritaini, which cover an expanse
less than Europe ; that the people are a peaceful data
cracy, exercising everywhere the utmost freedom
of speech end suffrage ; that • great crisis necessarily
prodnoss vehement, as well as proloaad, ,debate, with
sharp collisions of individual, local and sectional in-
terests, sentiments and ecovicdows, and that this heat of
controversy is increased by the intervention of speculations,
interests, prejudiced, and pram from every other part of
the eivilieed world. It is, however, through such debates
that tits agreement at the nada upon any subject is habi-
tually att•ined, its reeolatioes formed, and its policy esta-
blished. While than has bows much difference of popular
opinion and favour comeraing the agents who shall carry on
the war, the principles on widish it shall be waged, and the
means with which it shall be prosecuted, N. Droop' do
Mays has only to n& to the statute book of Congress sad
the asontive erilinaness to learn that the national activity
has Maitre/been, sad yet is, se ahead as that of any other
nettea, whatever its foam of government, ever was
under eiristaishuiede madly pave import, to its
No* .

safety, and Mot" we votes his Ma
raised anywhere, oat cit the immediate Add of the
mrrectice, in favour of tonic, intimation, or moillatien, or
arbitration, or of oonspromme with the mbequiskteent of
one acre of the national dolma, sr the ensueder of ems
one constituteeal franchise. At the Name time it is mani-
fest to the world that one resources are yet abundant sod
our credit adequate to the existimg emerpmey.
What It. Droeya de lan'sseggesee vs, that this govern-
ment shall appoint commionme to meet on neutral
Foetid@ 001thnethethe of the Meerienth He =Perm that
an the conformer to be thus held, sweigreasl complaints
could be discussed, sad in place of the accusations which the
North end the South now mutually oast npon each other,
the conference would be engaged with dicimeions
of the interests which divide them. He amines
farther, " that the conamimiooss would seek, by means
of well ordered end profound delllimations whether
these interests en eisileitively imeeseileable, whether
separation is an ethreine that mum no loner be avoided, or
whether the memories of a mernan ethetheMb the ties of
every bad which hem seeds at the North mid the South
one whole Federative State, red have borne them ce to so
high • degree of prospenty, ore sot mars powerful than the
ceases which lave placid erne la the hinds of the two
populations." This stragestise ie set an MitheNtithity
and it may well have been thought by the Braparee of the
Frostily in the earrehmse of his lesevolenit dorm for the
resterstrie of pesee, a learelde one. Bei when N. Droeyn
de Lime shall ewe 10 TeMeW it in the light in whisk it
meet neroseerily be exemined in the canntry, I think he
can hardly fall to perceive that it amounts to nothing tees
than a properties that while this government is engaged
in suppremin sia armed insorrection, with the/ purpose
otemaintaimeg the emaitutional narked authority
and mamma the lernrity of the country, it shall enter
into diploinatie mss nsorm with the insensate upon the
questions whether that authority shall not be mounced,
sad whether the county shall not be delivered over to dia-
units, to be quitely tiMmeed by ever-intemising soaroby.
If it woe poovelde fee lie government of the United
States to compromies the Natives' authority so far as to
enter Mt* such debates, tis mg easy to perceive what good
meths could be ebeelasd by them. The commimioners must
agree Is recommeetting sillier that the Union shall stand or
that it shall be misietarlly devolved, or else they moot
leave the vital queerest emettled, to abide at Lest the foe-
tunes of the war. The government has not shut out
koowledge of the present More any more than of the past
pupae's of the inewrimita. net is not the Best groom'
to nppose that the coetroilieg actors would be pomaded
et this moment by any arguments which a national rionais-
their could offer to Ismw the ambition that has impelled
them to the disloyal position they are occupying.
day commie/mar who should be appointed by those
actors, or through their oration or influence, must enter
the conferees= Sebald with the spirit and pledged to the
personal fortunes id the Insurgent chiefs. The loyal people
in the insurrectionary !Mateo would be unheard, and any
offer of mot by this government, on the condition of the
Maintenthee of the Union, must necemarily be rejected. On
the other hand, as I have already intimated, this govern-
ment has Dot the least thought of relioquishin the trust
which has bees melded to it by the nation, under the moat
solemn of all political senetions ; and if it had any such
thought, it would have still abundant ream to know that
peace, proposed at the cost of dissolution, would be imme-
diately, universally, and indignantly rejected by the Ame-
rican people. It is a great nahiftke that European states-
men make if they appose this people are demoral-
ised. Whatever, in cam of an murrectioe, the
cr. I;he Netherlands,
would dr; to satwitheir.
national Merinos, no matter bow the strife might be
regarded by or affect foreign nations, just so much, and
certainly so lees, the people of the United States will do, if
, to am far the mums beads the region which
is bun by the Peale and Atlantic masts, and by the
shores of the Gulfs of Bt. Lawrence and Mexico, together
with the tree and Gomm navigation of the Rio Greed.,
Missouri, Arkannes, Miressappi, Ohio, St. Lawrence, Hod-
Km, yhteemee, peeemac. =a,- other national highways, by
which this leek which to them is at me a lard of
inheritance and a laid of promise, is opened and watered.
Even if the agents of the American people thus me-
doing their power should, through fear or faction, fall
below the WOW of mama& virtue, they would be
speedily, yet oonseiterienally, rephieed by others of sterner
character and patriotism. I met be allowed to say, also,
that IL Decoys de Liter ens in his description of the
partite to the present mai& We have here, in e=
genie, no North, no South, no Northern, DO
States. We have an inemectionery party, which in bested
upon end ie dimly adjecent to the shoive of the Gulf of
Mexico • and we have, on the other band, a loyal people,
who oseetitete not only Northers limes, but Festers,
Middle, Western, mid Southern States.
I have on may occasions heretofore submitted to the
French government the Presidest's news of the intonate
and ideas which are at the bottom of the determi notice of
the American government and people to maintain the
Federal Union. The President has dose the same thing hi
his memegie and other public dedentions. I nitrate,
therefore, from reviewing that argument in comxion with
the existing qualities. M. Drouys de Lhuys draws to hit
aid the conferences which took place betweee the colonise
and Great Helena is our revolutionary war. He will
allow me to anewer, that action, in the crier of a nation,
must accord with its neesesities, and therefore can be seldom
conformed to preeedsatit Great Britain when merinos that
negotiation had voseffeetly come to entertain double of her
ultimate success ; and it is certain that the counsels of the
colonies could not have fulled to take new courage, if not to
gain other advantage, when the parent State compromised
so far as to treat of peace on the terms of conceding their
Independence.

It is true, ihdted. that Peace !nu" °""
WI"
tame-
lai
that mafermsess acct attend, if they am at snowed to
trice& tim pomikalims. Timm is, hammer, a better form
for "ea worernott *wilts mai *raptlsiah *M. Draws Lbays
surrosta. The Maw mmald Ise is Isavortin of
the stestitatice of the UMW liwo. Vaal ari7