The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-14 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, APRIL 14, 1861

The Debate in the French Chambers on
Mexico—April 12.

The order of the day was the adjourned discussion on
the Address (the part under consideration being Par. 16
relating to Mexico, on which an amendment had been pre-
sented, disapproving of the French expedition and calling
for the immediate return of the troops).
M. CORTA, in continuation of his speech, commenced on
the previous day, said that he considered the pacification
of Mexico in a fair way of being accomplished. All the
sea ports 'and the principal towns were in the hands of the
new Government, and the taking of Ojaca had deprived
the insurrection of its principal arsenal. Perhaps it might
be necessary to send an expedition into Sonora, but there
could hardly be any serious resistance there, and he felt
convinced that expedition would be the last. As to the sup-
pression of briganclism, which had long prevailed through-
out the country, the Government had organised rural
guards, which seemed likely to have a beneficial effect.
But the presence of a disciplined army was still necessary,
not only for the consolidation of the new institutions, but
for the security of all interests. He thought that army
must be composed of Europeans ; but should it be French?
The amendment proposed the immediate withdrawal of the
French troops ; but such a step would compromise the re-
sults already obtained and make French policy the laugh-
ing-stock of Europe. To abandon the men who had ac-
cepted the intervention and declared for the new Empire,
leaving them exposed to the animosity of reactionists,
would be an act unworthy of France. She could
bear the sacrifice of money, but not of her hon-
our. (Approbation.) The French force might be gra-
dually reduced in proportion to the development of the
foreign legion and other troops, but the French
flag must remain in Mexico till the interests it had gone to
defend should be sufficiently guaranteed. As the eventu-
ality of a war resulting from the establishment of peace in
the United States, he could say from his own observation
when in Mexico, that much less uneasiness was felt there
on that point than in Europe. When the United States
were victorious in Mexico, no disposition was shown to
hold the country, and quite recently, when Juarez offered
the province of Sonora to the American Government for
75 millions, President Lincoln twice refused to accept it-
As for President Davis, he had acknowledged the new
Government of Mexico, and expressed his willingness to
hold friendly relations with that country. He therefore did
not think that Mexico had anything to apprehend from her
northern neighbours. What might be the results of the French
expedition to Mexico, the future would show; meanwhile it
was the duty of France not to have her task unfinished. His
late visit to that country had convinced him of that fact,
and he would therefore vote against the amendment, and
for the paragraph of the Address. (Hear, hear.)
M. ERNEST PICARD began by observing that M. Corta's
glowing descrription of the prospects of Mexico had not
convinced him that it was the interest of Franco to prose-
cute her enterprise further ; he was rather inclined to
accept the judgment of General Forey, who viewed the
position of affairs in a very different light. He wanted
official information on the subject, but the Government
withheld all documents which might throw light on the
real state of things, as if it wished to keep the country
under illusions which itself did not share. (Interruption.)
The Government said that the French troops were about
to return home, whereas M. Corta asserted that they were
going to conquer Sonora. (Interruption.)
Several VoicEs—He did not say that.
M. CoRTA—I only said hypothetically that if such an ex-
pedition were meditated, it would encounter little resist-
ance, and would be the last. (Hear, hear.)
M. E. Picini) went on to say that the country was not
pacified, and that if demonstrations in favour of the Em-
pire were made in some places, there were serious resist-
ance in others. M. Corta had stated that if the French
troops were to leave Mexico, those persons who bad fa-
voured the intervention would be exposed to the attacks
of the reactionary party. Why, the French themselves
were at present exposed to the animosity of their own
partisans, as was proved by the letter which the Arch-
bishop of Mexico addressed to General Sala, stating that
the Church of Mexico had never been, even by Juarez,
more cruelly treated than by the Provisional Government.
Such was the language addressed to the French by the
very persons whom they went to help. He would ask M.
Corta whether he was sure that he had seen everything.
A VOICE.—You yourself have seen nothing.
M. E. PICARD—M. Corta understood what he saw, but
he (M. Picard) thought much more remained to be seen.
He believed that one reason why the Government left the
affairs of Mexico in obscurity was that Maximilian would
be obliged to make another appeal to French capitalists,
and he feared that France would in some way be involved
as a party to the loan. The true basis of the loan was the
financial prosperity of Mexico. It had been stated that
the customs revenue of Mexico was 80 millions in 1856,
and in all probability had since increased to 100 millions.
He held in his hand a synoptical table of the Mexican
finances, drawn up in 1850, and he found that, if the re-
sults indicated by M. Corta were correct, the revenue had
nearly doubled during a period when the utmost agitation
prevailed throughout the country. (Interruption.)
M. CORTA said that the returns which he gave were ex-
tracted from a document published in Mexico in 1856, and
therefore could not fairly be impugned on the authority
of a document which appeared five years previously.
M. E. PICARD thought that the financial accounts of
Mexico were not very reliable, and he was convinced that
no good results could be obtained from financial dealings
with that country. Last year M. Berryer had stated that
instead of a loan of 100 or 120 millions, Mexico would want
700 or 750 millions, and seeing that a second loan was now
meditated, his eminent colleague, perhaps, was not far
wrong. The hon. deputy hexe gave a retrospective view
of the Mexican affair from its commencement to 1864, when
the Government declared, before the committee of which
M. Larrabure was reporter, that the French troops would
return before the end of that year, and that no new new
expeditions would be made into the interior of Mexico ;
yet it now appeared that there was to be one to Sonora.
The Government had forgotten its engagements with the
Chamber, and the army not only did not return in 1864, but
would not return in 1865. The Minister did not deny this,
and he thanked him for making no further engagements.
What would the Chamber do ? Either the discussion of
the Address was a mere political pastime--(interruption)—
M. GEMS-Brzorx—The word is parliamentary.
The PRESIDENT—If it be parliamentary, it is-ill-chosen,
in presence of debates so serious and complete.
Mr. E. PICARD said that the interruption proved his
meaning to have been misunderstood. What he wanted
was that the Chamber should give an efficacious vote. He
did not think the language of the Address sufficiently pre-
cise to obviate all possible mistakas on the part of the Go-
vernment as to their intentions. He adjured the Chamber
in the interest of the country to express an energetic
opinion if they had the courage. (Interruption, and cries
of " Order ! order !")

The PRESIDENT requested the hon. deputy to withdraw
the word which had offended the Chamber. It was not a
question of courage, but of convictions ; and, in France,
those who had convictions never wanted courage to ex-
press them.
31. E. PICARD—I appeal to the whole Chamber; it will
admit with me that the resolution to be taken in the pre-
sent circumstance requires a certain courage. (Denials.)
The PRESIDENT again requested the hon. deputy to with-
draw an expression which was to a certain extent offen-
sive to the Chamber.

M. E. PICARD said he, withdrew it without the least
hesitation. He had no intention to offend the Chamber.
He trusted that the second part of the amendment respect-
ing the recall of the troops from Mexico would be adopted,
or a similar wish expressed in other words. It was not
prudent to leave 40,000 or 50,000 Preach soldiers and a
part of the fleet engaged for years at a distance of 3,000
leagues from home. He, therefore, adjured the Chamber
to demand their recall in the interests both of the Govern-
ment and of France. (Partial approbation.)

M. Rounzu—The Government does not come to ask the
Chamber for a vote of confidence, but for a sincere, en-
lightened, and deliberate judgment on the events in Mexico.
To facilitate such a judgment I will give a plain statement
of the facts. M. Picard has unjustly complained of the
silence of the Government on the Mexican question, seeing
that the Maniteur publishes every fortnight an accurate ac-
count of the military, administrative, and financial situa-
tion of Mexico. M. Picard's reproach is, therefore, un-
founded. I will first show the state of Mexico before the
expedition, what the Emperor Maximilian has done, and
what duties the present situation imposes on us, after
which I will discuss the meaning of the paragraph in the
Address, and that of the amendment. Before the French
intervention, Mexico was a prop to the most detestable
anarchy, the result of fifty years of disorder, revolution,
and civil war. Such was the painful contrast which
Mexico offered, between the great natural advantages with
which God had endowed it, and the anarchical conduct of
the governing classes. Order, industry, and patriotism
were only to be found among the long oppressed Indian
population. There was no security for the industry of the
natives or even of foreigners ; hence arose the resolution
of the three great Powers to obtain satisfaction for the
affront offered them and for the outrages committed on
their subjects. What is the state of Mexico under the
Government of the Emperor Maximilian called to the throne
by the suffrage of five millions of inhabitants ? The country
is not indeed quite pacified, but that is not surprising, as the
Emperor has been there scarcely ten months. The inter-
vention of France has, however, pacified the central pro-
vinces, whil3 those of the North and South are only par-
tially so. The governors of those provinces had long been,
in a manner, independent of the central Government,
had their own administration, troops, and finances, and
contributed but little to the general expenses of the Go-
vernment. The Emperor had therefore to reorganise the
parts already subjected and to pacify them. This was a
difficult task, as he had to resist the tendencies of the
clerical party on the one hand and of the pretended Liberal
party on the other. Between these two parties the Empe-
ror has had the honour of constituting the Conservative-
Liberal party. While accomplishing this task he had also
to bring the remoter provinces under his sway. With this
view he granted a general amnesty, visited the provinces in
person that he might see for himself what should be done,
and on his return to his capital set about organizing the Go-
vernment in the way he thought most likely to prove bene-
ficial to the country. Having restored the administration