The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-11 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 11, 1863.

As we are going to press we receive by the sub-
marine telegraph the text of the autograph letter
addressed b:r the Emperor NAPOLEON 111, to the
Sovereigns of Europe. It is far finer, even, because
yet more forcibly outspoken, than his remarkable
address tho, other day when inaugurating the new
session of the Legislature. It is conceived in a
noble spirit throughout. Read it—and answer if it
be not ! 1,0 ok boldly and honestly at the words writ-
ten down thus by the hand of this powerful ruler,
who, when already EMPEROR, deigned not to speak
of himstilf, several years back, otherwise than as a
parvenu. among the Sovereigns. It is true that
there is a tons so ominous as to be almost
sinister, in the bold allusions thrown out in the
eanier part of this letter, as they had been more
vaguely already thrown out, the other after-
noon in his speech, in reference to dangers of a
most serious kind now impending imminently
over Christendom. But they are ominous, from the
force of circumstances. What is sinister in them
comes from the momentous peculiarities of the
situation. NAPOLEON 111. is plain enough, in all
conscience, it must be allowed ire what he says, as
to the situation, as to this crisis or juncture at
which we have arrived. "We are threatened,"
he says to his cousins, the Sovereigns, quite frankly
"We are threatened with a danger, so much the
amore formidable because the improvements effected
'"ilisatiou which have bound the peoples toge-
ther by an identity of material interests
ateead
rendern a war still more destructive. Let us
sod
Z it'alarela foreitakeng our part, for [mark this !]
inagndeut
atl.irresisgible events to disturb our
draw us, despite ourselves, into a
contrary dire
in anythi of
n atig
n2'
Who shall say that there is
—with Poland alt this any exaggeration ?
wati'uggling now, for the life
and for the de
, in the brutal grasp and
under the yet more
lutal heels of Russia!—
with Italy standing, a
years, (and still!) upon during these last fee?
a-
pie, her heart burnlitkne alert, armed cap-
ithia her for
other changes than those gwh Y.
ihave already
been effected in the Romanpeoinha
deny That the
danger is imminent, who shall
yearelt has been
increasingly imminent for Borne
since 1818, in fact—ever since th© atrPirtiBt.--s
b ever
:now overt, now latent, (a strife utwayia
theegan,
deadly when thus intermitted and suppree,,e47obre
tween the revolutionary party and the reactionißta:
Returning to the EMPEROR'S letter, however,
after the solemn warnings addressed to himself, one
might say, not less than to the other Sovereigns of
Eurore—how do we find NAPOLEON expressing
himself upon what is in truth the real subject-
matter of this extraordinary and most exceptional
communication ? We find the French EMPEROR
opining up his thoughts with a manly simplicity
of frankness that has about it a majesty far beyond
the ordinary circumlocution of diplomatic corres-
pondence. "Called to the throne"—Mr. KINGLAKE
(and, with him, hoc genus omne) must grind his teeth
on reading this and just simply read on—" Called
to the throng by Providence, and the will of the
l,
ench people, bat trained in the school of
(la e"ie.Y, it is perhaps less allowable for me than
'for
any other to ignore the rights of Sovereigns and
the legitimate a • spirations of peoples. Thus, lum
ready, without a preconceived system, to enter an
International eo
grEss with the spirit of modera-
tion and justice, ordinarily n
ordinarily the portion of those
who hare endured
any various trials." That
there Li a dignity and,
to speak, even a pathos
in the words we have italicised.fr in this last extract,
b
aee conceive it wouli e
ma:k iho nit indeed not to
recognise. Continuing the re
wever, which
have been here momentarily interrupted, the
EMPEROII says—if it would b 0 o.ssible
one moment to apply such a Phrase
to r
any
words falling from the impassive lips
of
i
Sphinx—ngenuously :
this reputed "If I take
initiative in this overture I do not yield to an