The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-24 00:00:00

THE EMPEROR Na.POLION'I3 SPEECH,

Although the chief intereat of the above speech belongs
to the paragraphs devoted to Mexico, the Times finds seve-
ral other matters of importance in the elaborate address.
Strange as it may seem, it is nevertheless true that the
diaplay by each country of the strength of its fleet, of its
tremendous power of iojaring an enemy, did more last year
to induce au amicable temper than if there had been an
international exhibition of locomotive or of cotton machi.
nary. Nationklike to show their strength and to have it
appreciated—a moral failing which has been a chief cause
of many wars for which statesmen as the time ore grave
political reasons, whioh historians have dutifully echoed. The
declaration of neutrality in German affairs is heard without
surprise when France and England are seen to be of one
mind, and the words about Italy are not lasi satisfactory.
It is a great thing, too, that the Emperor should think it
necessary not only to announce retrenchment, but to ex-
plain how it has been effected. France, and France alone, is re-
sponsible for the immense armaments which nowoverburden
Europe, and if she would come forward and make a large
and permanent reduction in her rut standing army, the mill.
tart' system of Europe, the most gigantic evil which afflicts
its people, would in a few years crumble to the ground.
The Times doss not despair that this will be accomplished.
The Daily Pews points out that though the troops are to
ovine back from Marie it is not shown how they are to
be withdr►wn without " compromising the interests they
went to defend." In any event the experiment ham failed,
and if the difficulty of coming away is great that of re-
maining is greater. No part of the Emperor's sddreas can be
made to signify that the government of the United States is
to help him to escape. The policy of the American govern-
ment has been frank and friendly from the first, that
government having declared throughout that it would hold
with regard to Mexico the same principles
that it holds respecting other countries. It has
never pretended to a right to impose a particular
form of government on Mexico ; it is its foreign origin, and
not its monarchical form, which makes the government
of Maximilian distasteful to Americans; though the latter
are no doubt influenced by the palpable and inweesing
evidence of the barbarism--such as the institution of peon
(labourer) slavery, and the system of executing prisoners of
war—which the archduke's government is spreading over
the country. Three atrocities are evils • government
must take into consideration when required to give •
pledge not to interfere with the new order of things.
If the government of the United States were to call upon
the Archduke Maximilian to disband all hie foreign soldiers
by • certain day and rely solely on the Mexican troops which
he has enrolled, it would act just as Count Cavour acted
towards the Papal government in 1860, with the
approbation of Europe. And it would thus actively vin-
dicate the principle of non-intervention. It is by no means
certain, however, that President Johnson would proceed so
far.

The Post, after lauding the policy of the French govern-
ment in respect to European Powers, proceeds to comment
upon the coldness of the French people towards the Mexican
expedition, and the advantage which is given by this sub.
ject to a parliamentary oppositiot sensibly increased both
in strength and numbers. This, however, they will lose
when orders are given for the evacuation of the country by
the French troops, If, despite the protests of the Ameri-
can government, it is resolved to maintain such a force in
Mexico se would enable Maximilian to hold his own against
the republican party, then • rapture between Fr►noe and
the United States would be sluices inevitable.

It has never occurred to the Herald, even for a moment,
as possible that Napoleon 111. could contemplate the
abandonment of the Emperor Maximilian, a sacrifice of
the prestige of France which it might be as much u his
throne is worth to attempt ; and his speech on Monday
fully accords with our contemporary's anticipations. To
abandon Mexico would be to renounce all prospect of the
repayment of the Mexican ion raised in France, and would,
therefore, be seriously detrimental to French interests, to
say nothing of the probable consequences of the step, the
humiliation of France, and her submission to the arrogant
pretensions of the United States government. Each so.
vernment his taken up its position, and will find It difficult
to recede from it without dishonour.

The Telegraph describes the feeling In America against
the French interferenoe in Mexico as a " fabricated
paroxysm of popular indignation," and "a spurious blast
of many-tongued discontent," and says if the Emperor
thinks proper to remain there the United States have no
more thought of declaring war against him than they have
of entering into an expedition in balloons against the MOOD.