The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-11 00:00:00

The Weather—Sun Office, Dec. 11, 1863.

THERMOMETER.

This day at Two o'clock

Barometer-30.19.
Wind—S.-W. ; moderate, and cloudy.

c,t4
•:".6!)
Ttfj *it '44td_ll-,

LONDON, FRIDAY, DEC. 11, 1863.

Although the phrase is expressive so far of a
mere conventional courtesy among the Monarchs—
it is ,something for the French EMPEROR to have
elicited from each of the contemporary rulers of
Europe the assurance, " Je saisis cette occasion pour
sous r enouveler les assurances de la haute estime et
de l'ansitie toute particuliere avec lesquelles je suis,
Monsieur mon frere, de Votre Majesty, le bon here"
—ALiEXANDRE, FRANccis-JOSEPH, GUILLAVME,
GEOUGE, LEOPOLD, and so on through the whole
list of the reigeing European Sovereigns. To cor-
dial esteem, to inviolable friendship, they are again
thus very recently and very formally pledged ; and
the potentate to whom they stand thus pledged
anew, is the very one who has hitherto
disturbance
flouted as the perpetual meditator of
throughout Christendom. This is
certainly—if nothing else—a very curious
turn-111R of the tables, indeed! Could anything be
more on„„,
-`o,3r than the terms in which the King of
PRUSSIA, for
example,
responds to the EMPEROR'S
invitation.?-_
" I thank yourespondsr to it, thus, by accepting it !
MAJESTYMAJESTY for the hospitality you are
kind enough to
0r
ar me, and I am sure that I shall
find in Paris the
cordial reception which renders
the recollection of my stay at Compiegne so dear to
me! but it will rather appertain to our united Mini-
sters to enlighten by their discussions and to
prepare for the sanction of the sovereigns the
propositions that wilt
tzi
submitted to the
Congress.Congress.''Language u
indicative of the Royal
writer's conviction that the Congress is in very
deed tcr ee holden as proposed! 140
Congress that
England has refused to participate In
His Im-
perial Majesty the Emperor of A"MIA, although
refraining from assurances ofcooperation So explicit,
observes most graciously and graeeftei,
g upon
NAPOLEON'S project of a Congress— Step
is
dictated to your MAJESTY by the sincere desire to
spare the world the calamities which war lead, to.
To preserve and assure to Europe the benefits of
peace, while maintaining the honour and dignity
of the country we govern from attaint, ought to be,
in fact, one of our most constant preoccupations. Such
is also my dearest wish, and to attain such an object
my co-operation will always be secured by your
MAJESTY." All the KAISER asks, therefore, by
way of preliminary, is a sufficiently clear and cate-
gorical indication of what might probably be the
subjects of discussion brought under the considera-
tion of Pontiff, Emperor, King, and Sovereign-
Prince, at the Council-board of this grandly con-
ceived Congress of the rulers of Christendom. An
indication of a programme, that England [salted for
and obtained, only to repel the original invita-
tion
when she had obtained it. The King
of BAVARIA, replying to the French Em-
l'Elt°lt la a letter dated Rome, the 27th
;November, observes, it will be seen, " I hope
that the Proposition of your Imperial Majesty, fol-
lowed by ulterior
explanations upon this subject,
will meet with the
reception from the Powers
directly interested in the
solution of these questions
indispensably necessary to
:neut.e its success." His
Majesty adding, "In this supposition I do not hesi-
tate to adhere to the
proposition of your Imperial
Majesty, and I shall eas„ro
myself fortunate
in cooperating in the work of
general ei
7he eefer-
fication by taking part in the future
ences." Again—en acceptance !
accordance
proposition
given to ILO by the
EmPEßon.'s prop
Sovereign Pontiff, is, if possible, still more emphatic
in its precision and completeness. His Holiness,
beginning his reply to NAPOLEON 111. thus unhesi-
tatingly:—'• The idea your Majesty expresses of
being able to establish without commotion in Europe
ith the Co.
—and, please GOD, elsewhere also—w