The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-17 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, JANUARY 17, 1863,

French Diplomatic Correspondence.

The Mouiteur publishe;, in a supplement, various
diplomatic despatches which have passed between
the French Government and its diplomatic agents
abroad. These despatches comprise the questions
of Rome, of Servia, of Mexico, of the Cupola at
Jerusalem, and America.
These despatches have been laid before the French
Chambers. Same of them have already appeared
in our columns, either in substance or in extenso.

The following refer to the Roman question ;
« THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS TO THE AMBAS-
SADOR OF FRANCE AT ROME.

" Pads, Dee. 20.
"I have heard, in an indirect manner, that Mr. Odo
Russell, on being received by the Pope, gave to his Holiness,
in the name of Earl Russell, the advice to quit Italy, adding
that, in such a case, her Britannic Majesty's Govern-
ment would willingly offer to him the island of Malta
as a place of residence; that English vessels would
be at his disposal; and that the Pope might rely upon the
eagerness of England to give him in the asylum that he
might accept all the conditions of an establishment worthy
of him. These propositions were made in an official form,
adopted for the first time in the intercourse which Mr. Odo
Russell has held with the Holy See. Monsignor Chigi hav-
ing come to see me, I told him, in alluding to the above,
that I had learnt that we had new auxiliaries and competi-
tors in the protection which we give to the Holy See. The
Nuncio having confirmed the information which had been
given me, I added, wh le avoiding to take the matter more
seriously than was necessary, that we hoped very much that
if the Pope—which God forbid—were compelled to quit
Ital.) he would grant us the preference over England, and
that we should ask it of him.

"DROT.TYN DE LHUYS."
" THE AMBASSADOR OF FRANCE AT ROME TO THE
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
" Rome, Dec. 27.

. _
"M. le Ministre,—l hasten to send you the information
which I have received, and which I have reason to believe
is correct, concerning the proposition recently made to the
Holy See by Lord Russell to put ;he island of Malta at the
disposal of the Pope, in case of his consenting, as England
advised him to do, to give up Rome to Italy,
"In the course of the summer Mr. Odo Russell, who was
about to take leave, solicited an audience of the Pope. Ad-
mitted td the audience, Mr. Russell pleaded as usual, but
in decorous terms, the cause of Italian unity, for the success
of which, he said, his Government entertained the most
ardent desire. At the moment of his taking leave of His
Holiness, when he was already upon the threshold of the
cabinet, the Holy Father addressed to him, it seems, without
attaching to them the least importance, these words, 'Adieu,
dear Mr. Russell ; who knows if one day I shall not be forced
to go to you to ask for hospitality ?' At these words Mr.
Russell immediately returned into the cabinet of the Holy
Father to ask him if he indeed feared that he should be com-
pelled to quit Rome ; and if, in that case, he would really
be disposed to go to England. The Pope very quickly re-
assured Mr. Russell by adding that he was ignorant of the
trials which Providence reserved for him ; but that for the
moment he had no apprehension, and did not at all dream of
removing fr in Rome. Mr. Odo Russell, who, doubtless,
reported this conversation to his Government, giving it,
perhaps, more importance than it really possessed, wai im-
mediately, we are assured, summoned to London by tele-
graph. On his return to Rome, in the month of November
last, Mr. Odo Russell went to Cardinal Antonelli and gave
him a note, in which L'-ird Russell, after having supported
the cause of Italian unity and the right of Italy to possess
Rome, advised the Pope to quit the Eternal City, and an-
nounced that in case the Holy Father were disposed to fol-
low this advice the English Mediterranean fleet would be
placed at his service to convey him either to France, or to
Spain, or to Malta, where a palace would be put at his dis-
posal, and where he would wait freely until Italy had pro-
nounced in relation to his sovereignty. Mr.:OJo Russell,
in presenting the note of his Government to his Holiness's
Secretary of State, authorised him to make, confidentially,
such use of it as he might think fit. The Cardinal hastened
to reply that he had no use to make of it, seeing that the
Pope did not dream the least in the world of qui' ting Rome.
The intention of his Eminence was even, as we arc assured,
to maintain complete silence in this matter, so as not to
give to the proceedings of Mr. Ode Russell an importance
which it did not possess. But it soon became known at the
:Vactican, as Mr. Odo Russell himself spoke of it to one of
i lwe again
the diplomatic employes accredited to the Holy See. Matters
remained
there, however, and Cardinal Antonelli regarded
been incident
a s e
, i‘.
Ir
.
terminated,o (0
Russellh
n , according
presented whathimself
has
told
to n
to his Eminence, on the occasion of the Christmas fetes, to
and informed him that he had received a private letter from
Lord Russell, in which that Minister expressed his lively
regret at seeing that the Pope was not disposed for the irk rnent to accept his propositions, adding that he had reasons
to believe that his Holiness would in a very short time find
himself under the necessity of profiting by them. Cardinal
Antonelli abstained from malting any reply • to this new
communisation.

"PRINC3 DE LA TO ER D'ATJVERONEt."

FRANCE AND I r ALY.

"THE MINISTER OF FRANCE AT TURIN TO TIM 'MINIS-
TER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS.

" Turin, Dec. 10.
" M. to 3linistre,—l do not think, despite the colour
which is attributed to the influential members of the new
Cabinet, the relations of the Italian Government with the
Government of the Emperor can be, in any respect what-
ever, modified. M. Ricasoli, from the first day, was very
desirous to tell me so, and his language was identical with
that of M. Ratazzi. The friends of Baron Ricasoli remain,
like him; gr.ateful to France for the sacrifices which she has
made for Italy. They feet that they cannot march forward
'ivitlibut her, much lets in spite of her; thatwithout a ablu-
tion honourable for all parties the Emperor cannot withdraw

his troops from Rome. For my part I limit myself for the
moment to repeating what your Excellency has written in
all letters in your reply to General Duiando, that you will
receive with eagerness any proposition which allowed of
arriving at an honourable and equitable solution of the
Roman question ; that they would find us ready to believe
in the friendly dispositions of the new Cabinet, awaiting
its acts. "SARTIGES."
" THE MINISTER OF FRANCE AT TURIN TO THE MINIS••