The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-06 00:00:00

The French Press on the Russian Note.

The new note sent by Prince Gortschakoff in reply to the
last despatch of Count de Rechberg betrays, the France is
of opinion, much irritation and discontent. Referring one
by one to the three points challenged by the Count, the
Russian Minister affirms that they were quite understood
at Vienna ; Russia, in addressing Austria, had been actu-
ated solely by considerations of common interest necessi-
tated by the conjoint responsibility by co-dividing Powers,
and she naturally felt grieved that a proposition conceived
in so friendly a feeling should not have found at the court
of Vienna the reception it was entitled to expect. The
France affirms that there must be some want of understand-
ing between the two Courts, and proceeds to enquire how
such men as Prince Gortschakoff and the Count de Rech-
berg can accuse each other of assigning to declarations,
the clearest and most explicit in appearance, a meaning
which they cannot support. Our contemporary explains
the anomaly in these terms The reason of this under-
standing lies together in the transformation which has
tsken place in Austria, and which reacts on questions
of foreign policy. Austria has become a Liberal Power, and
Prince Gortschakoft has spoken to het as if she was Abso-
lutist; he thought that he had before him the Austria of
1831, of 1546, or even of 1855, whereas he had to do with
that of 1863, living under a constitutional regime, and mak-
ing public opinion and liberty the principal bases and the
surest support of her domestic and foreign policy. Prince
Gortschakoff did not take that transformation into account;
astonished at the attitude which he saw the Court of
Vienna assume, he thought that an appeal to historical pre-
cedents and an invocation of the past would be sufficient to
again place Austria in what he considered her traditional
path, and that the declarations of Count do Rechberg, who
appeared to have departed from the former language of
Austria, ought to be interpreted in that manner. In a word,
Prince Gortschakoff mistook dates, and wrote on the 14th
July a despatch which was quite an anachronism. The
precise and categorical reply of the Count de Rechberg sud-
denly convinced him of his error, and the fresh note of the
Prince is nothing more than on avowal of the diplomatic
check which he has just met with at Vienna. Prince Gort-
schakoff must therefore make up his mind to one fact—
that Austria is no longer with Russia and Prussia in the
affairs of Poland—but with France and England. The axis
of diplomacy has been displaced ; its basis of operation is
now in the very heart of Europe. Before that union of the
three great Northern Courts, closely bound together by
their complicity in the act of 1872, diplomacy was in a ruki-
nority ; now it is in a majority. What before made its e
wela
of
ness now constitutes its strength. This private quarr
Austria and Russia has just been added to thehcecireoanrinneg-
gotiations of the three Powers, determinehsic b
his very ins'
'
and marks their first effect. others
ulwt w
Web cannot be
long
portant in itself, is a prestige ofo
the recent proceedings of
delayed. How, in presence,
of
Petersburg
fail to comprehend,
Austria, can those at St. l
that times and situations are materially changed, and that
what was tolerated in 1831 and 1846 has completely ceased
to prevail at present.':
The Debate also notices the Russian.
eri reply, but forms a
su the subject, considering the change in
different opinion
language as indicative of a more conciliatory disposition on
the part of Russia. It says—" He declares that his proposal
made with a friendly feeling, in conformity with the
relations and common interests of Russia and Austria.' It
is evident that there is a wide interval between this new
langu'get this earnest and humble apology, this disavowal
more or less sincere, and the disdainful insinuations and the
haughty and trenchant language of the replies to the three
Cabinets.
If we might draw any certain and formal con-
clusion frosts this document, as transmitted to us in the tele-
graphic version, we should be inclined to think that Russia,
according to her usual practice, has found time
pfor
ireenflt toec-
tion since the 14th July, and has deemed it exped
change her sentiments, tone, and attitude.
backwards may be followed by others more delcihsievefi,rasnt
and the
Morning rest will per; in
iaps findthis apology of Prince
Gortschakoff a new and powerful argument in support of its
programme, ' Union is peace,' The Vienna Gazette takes
this same view of the preseni...situation, being. convinced that
the interests of Russia must. ..nopel her to follow the three
Powers in the path of conciliation, end to make the conces-
sions demanded of her for the mailltenancc of peace in.
- I Europe."
_

CURIOUS DISCOVERY.—The Journal de Saone-et-
Loire publishes a letter from the Abbe Cauherat
giving a detailed account of a discovery recently made about
half a league from Paray (Saone-et-Loire). A workman
who was digging a field, which only last year formed part
of the neighbouring forest, and was then broken up for the
first time, struck his spade against a large Roman tile about
a foot below the surface, and under it were found seven
metal dies, such as were used by the Romans for coining.
The abbe says that these dies are made of a mixed metal,
hard and brittle, but that he has not yet been able to ascer-
tain its precise composition. Some of them are in the form
of truncated cones, 1.77 in. in height, 1.38 in, in diameter at
the large end, and 0 79in. at the other, on which the im-
pression is engraved. The smaller dies are of nearly equal
size at the two ends, and thickest in the middle. They
belong to the reigns of Tiberius, Caligula, and Claudius,
and bear respectively the following inscriptions :—Tr.
CN.SAR Div. AUG F. AUGUSTUS (Tiberius Caesar, div
Augusti filius, Augustus) ; C. CIESAR AUG• G. -FRA• •• •
(Caius Ca mar Augustus, Germanicus tra )• T.
C/ESAR AUG. ROM/F. TR, POT. 111. CoS. 111. (Tiberius
Claudius Coeser Augustus, Rom a) tribunitiapotestate functus
tertio ; consul tertio). There are two dies of Ttberius, but
one of them is broken. The three princes all bear laurels
over their diadems. The three princes all bear laurels over
their diadems. The fifth die represents a goddess seated,
with the inscription Julio ..., placed vertically on the
right side. "Two of the dies, :says the abbe, " are in the
possession of an amateur who forestalled me, but I have
impressions of them. They appear never to ham had any
inscription, but I believe the head to be that of Augustus.
The EllglCrOr is not crowned with laurels, but has the ra-
diated with
The points preserved for emperors after
their
crownapotheosis. five
die f
for the reverse presents a ram,
the emblem of the sactifices offered to the deified emperor.
From the place in which they were found these seems little
reason to doubt their authenticity.