The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-01-03 00:00:00

SWITZERLAND

The following is the speech of M. Dules, the
President of the Council of State, at the opening
of the Extraordinary Session of the Federal As
sembly

" Gentlemen,—The Federal Assembly, convoked
extraordinarily by the Federal Council, will have
to enter into grave discussions. Our country, the
most peaceable in Europe, is menaced with war by
a foreign Power. Ought we to elude this war or
accept it ? Such is the difficult question which
the councils of the nation will have to decide.
I believe that I express your . sentiments and
those of the Swiss people in saying that
Switzerland desires peace with all her heart; if
it be compatible with honour, for Switzerland
has neither an obstinate and exaggerated opinion
of her rights, nor a sentiment of vengeance
against the unhappy prisoners. But if peace be
not compatible with honour, Switzerland would a
thousand times prefer war, with all the evils it
carries with it, to a peace which would be a stain
on the honour and independence of the country.
It is with that spirit that we shall commence our
deliberations—one hand extended to accept peace,
and the other ready to support war. May the
God of our fathers, who has hitherto so marvel-
ously conducted Si,vitiderland through dangers, be
also with us in these circumstances. I now declare
the Extraordinary Session of the Council of States
to be opened.
The Suisse of Berne says:—

" The Federal military department has addressed
to the Government of the cantons a circular in
which it enjoins the Municipal Authorities to send
immediately to the commanders of divisions a
return of the state of the buildings, the .condition
of the population, &c., of their communes, together
with information respecting all the edifices which
can serve for the establishment of guard houses,
workshops, hospitals, and stables. The communes
moreover, are requested to make known the number
of horses they possess. If war be declared, the
General in Chief and the commanders of divisons
will have the right ,to take from private persons all
the horses they may require. The Grand Council
of Lucerne met on Saturday, and accorded to the
government an unlimited credit for the eventualities
of war."

The Bourse Gazette of Berlin announces that the
last news from Berne leaves no more chance of a
pacific solution. According to this jonrnal, a
suspicion is entertained at Berlin that.the Federal
Council wishes to protract the negotiations until the
period when, the trial being finished and the
sentence delivered, all paths of conciliation will be
definitely closed, according to the well known
resolutions of the King of Prussia.
A letter from Berlin in the Dresden Journal
says

" Immense activity prevails in the various offices
of the Ministry of War here, and of the adminis
tration of regiments. In the Ministry of War and
in the general staff, deliberations, in which the
officers of provincial staffs take part, are held on
the preparations necessary to be made by the
entrance on a campaign of an expeditionary army.
The medical organisation in particular is being
completely transformed in consequence of the
experience attained in the Eastern war."

The following private telegraphic despatch hAs
been received :

" BERNE, DEC. 30, EVENING.
"In the sitting of the National Assembly at
Berne, the Commission proposed unanimously to
accept the propositions of the Federal Council,
and consequently to remain faithful to the policy
acted on up to this time: The reporter, M Escher,
said, 'lt is useless to give a motive for these pro
positions, as they repose on the general law of
nations. Nevertheless, the communications of the
Federal Council increase the hopes of a pacific
solution, satisfactory to Switzerland. The Com-
mittee hopes that the Federal Council will have
succeeded in finding that solution. In the event
of a contrary result, an energetic defence of the
territory will be provided fcr, for which an author-
isation of unlimited credit is demanded.' The
conclusions of the Committee were adopted unani-
mously, without discussion, by the 120 members
present. The effect of the report was prodigious."