The Express.
London, England, 1863-01-16 00:00:00

MINISTER or FORLION AFFAIRS.

"Tarr, Deo. 29.

"K Minister,—Assailed by the extreme party
for having adopted an expectant policy on the
Roman question, the new ministers have left to be
explained, through some journals, the attitude
which they rely upon maintaining, and which is
summed up in these words by the Opinions
of the 21st Between France, which denies
Rome to the Italians, and Italy, which
it irrevocably desires, there is no understanding
possible.' Although this declaration, in supposing
that it was on behalf of the ministry, did not in any
way pledge it towards the government of the Em-
parer, as up to a certain point it pledged it towards
the country, I believed it my duty incidentally to I
consult M. Paaolini upon the sense which
might be attributed to it. The Minister of Foreign
Affairs began by declaring that there was no jour-
nal in the country which had the light to speak in
the name of the government, or to say that it was
inspired by the government. He made no difficulty
in recognising that, after the declaration which had
been made, that the Roman question must be for the
hour put on one side,—it was infinitely too much
spoken of in the chamber and in the press ; but, at the
same time he admitted that his colleagues and he
himself shared the opinion of the country that
Rome was the natural capital of Italy. He added
that it was an inheritance from M. de Cavour which
every Italian ministry must accept ; that General
Durando had reaffirmed it ; that when be proposed
to the government of the Emperor to negotiate, it
was on the basis of Rome for the Italians ; and that
the only difference between the programme of the
present cabinet and that of the former one was the
abstention from new overtures to the government of
the Emperor, the latter believing that it could
not accept a negotiation upon that basis.
But' I said to M. Paaolini, ' it is a veritable non
possums that you pronounce, while we invite yon
to consult with the Court of Rome upon the ground
of conciliation. Do you not think it impolitic to tie
your hands beforehand without knowing whether
events will not give rise to combinations by which
it would be useful to profit for opening new
negotiations ?' M. Pasolini exclaimed against
the interpretation, much too absolute, according
to him, which I gave to his language, and he ex-
plained to me that the present ministers would
continue to follow the march of events with the
liveliest interest, and that when they believed it
possible to resume this negotiation with the
government of the Emperor, they would hasten
to do so. K Pasolini reproduced to me various
considerations ; amongst others, that which would
consist in leaving the Romans, by the withdrawal
of our troops, liberty to vote for the sovereign that
pleased them, as had been done in France, Greece,
dm I heard M. Pasolini without interrupting
him much. I could not, however, refrain from
observing, with regard to this last argument, that
if the new code of the rights of peoples allowed the
filling, by their voice, of a throne which had become
vacant, it did not, nevertheless, admit the possibility
of voting with respect to a throne legally occupied,
and that Europe would have reason to be asto-
nished if a monarchial country like Italy should
calmly propose the dispossession of a sovereign for
the sake of public utility.
"The Minister of Foreign Affairs listened with
attention to the remarks which, in a friendly spirit,
I was led to make to him upon the dangers to the
Italian government of a policy which, by declarations
too absolute, would embarrass its future action to-
wards the government of the Emperor. K Pasolini
opposed himself to the supposition that the present
cabinet could ever show itself ungrateful to France ;
and he insisted, in his own name and in that of
his colleagues, upon their perfect determination to
proceed in harmony with the government of the
Emperor, and to rely upon him. The language of M.
Farini, who came to see me after this interview,
was of a nature rather to confirm the friendly
assurances of M. Pasolini. One fact remains
gained—it is the pause which is officially pro-
duced in the Roman question by the accession of
the new cabinet.

(Signed)

" BARTioss."

THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON AND THE
AMERICAN CONTINENT.

Among the documents in the "yellow book "
just communicated to the French Chamber is s
letter from the Emperor Napoleon to General
Forey, commander of the French troops in Mexico,
in which we read :

" There will not be wanting people who
will ask you why we go to lavish men and
money for the establishment of a regular go-
vernment in Mexico. In the present state
of the civilisation of the world, the pros-
perity of America is not a matter of indifference to
Europe, for it is she who feeds our manufactories
and gives life to our commerce. We have an
interest in this—that the republic of the United
States be powerful and prosperous ; but we have
none in this—that she should seize possession of all
the Mexican Gulf, dominate from thence the
Antilles, as well as South America, and be
the sole dispenser of the products of the New
World. We see now by sad experience how preca-
rious is the fate of an industry which is reduced to
seeking its chief raw material in one market alone,
to all the vicissitudes of which it has to
submit. If, on the other band, Mexico preserves
its independence and maintains the integrity of its
territory, if a stable government is con-
stituted with the assistance of France, we shall
have restored to the Latin race on the other
side of the ocean its strength and prestige ; we
shall have established our beneficent influence in
the centre of Aderica, and this influence, by
presenting immense openings for our commerce,
will procure us the materials indispensable to our
industry. Mexico, thus regenerated, will always be
favourable to us, not only from gratitude, but also
because her interests will be in harmony with ours,
and she will find a powerful support in her good
relations with the European Powers. To-day, then,
our pledged military honour, the exigency of our
policy, the interest of our industry and of
our commerce, all make it a duty to
march upon Mexico, and boldly plant there our
flag ;to establish either a monarchy, if it is not
incompatible with the national sentiment of the
country, or, at all events, a government which pro-
mises some stability."

PROTESTANTISM IN ITALY.
TURIN, Jar. 12.

Since the return to power of M. Drouyn de
Lhuys the number of Anglican churches iu Italy
has greatly increased. But a little while since
there were only two protestant clergymen in Naples
—now there are six, and they are too few to
minister to the constantly increasing number of
neophytes. An Anglican church is about to be
erected in the Marches, i. e. at the very gates of
Rome. Such are the fruits of the support given