The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-14 00:00:00

Tirg gITN, LONDON, THIYIIBI3.A.Y EVENING, DECEMBER, 14, 1i)64

NAPOI ON I.

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CORRESPONDENCE OF THE EMPEROR

The Moniteur of yesterday contains the follow-
[g articles :

" The appeal made by the commission charged with
the publication of the 'Correspondence of the Emperor
Napoleon I.' has been responded to. The archives,
libraries, and other public establishments, as well in
France as in foreign countries, have already furnished
valuable documents.
" A great number of families and individuals, ama-
teurs and collectors of autographs, who possess portions
of this correspondence, have also evinced a desire to
communicate them to the commission. There is no
doubt that their example will be shortly followed by
every person who has it in his power to contribute
towards the completion of this great publication.
" The Correspondence of Napoleon I.' comprises, not
only his autograph or dictated letters, but also his pro-
clamations, instructions, bulletins, reports, various
orders, and even the important notes with which ho
often accompanied the projects which were submitted
to him.

" The commission immediately acknowledges the re-
ceipt of documents which are entrusted to it, and sends
them back as soon as copies have been made from them.
"Persons who cannot, or who do not wish to transmit
to the commission the original documents, may content
themselves by sending authenticated copies of them, en-
closed to its president, his Excellency Marshal Valliant,
Minister of War."

VIE LATE LOSS OF TIM TIGER, AND
THE TREATMENT 0? ITER OFFICERS
AS PRISONERS OF WA R.

The following are copies of a correspondence relative
to the prisoners of war in Russia. We give the corres-
pondence without note or comment :
"13.14i.5. Victory, 24th Oct., 1854.
" Sir,—l have the honour very respectfully to request
you will be pleased to lay before my Lord Commis-
sioners of the Admiralty the f illowiug statement, rela-
tive to my treatment as a prisoner of war at Odessa.
"A few days after the destruction of the Tiger, and
during our detention in quarantine, the Russian autho-
rities required to know our respective ranks, which the
first lieutenant, Alfred Royer, undertook to explain.
" When a sufficient time had elapsed to communicate
with St. Petersburg, we were assembled and told by
the interpreter that, the superior officers of the ship were
to be classed and receive rations equal to 2s. 6d. ; the
midshipmen were also to be classed together and receive
a similar ration ; and the remainder of the officers were
to be classed together and have rations equal to Is. Bd.
daily. That the authorities had considered the three
lieutenants and the surgeon only as the superior officers
of the ship, to the exclusion of myself (the paymaster),
the master, and the marine officers. To this we made
a demur, and considering there must be some misunder-
standing or misrepresentation, and that this degradation,
in all probability, might affect my position as a prisoner
of war in obtaining parole,' in addition to the diffe-
ence of treatment and rations I should receive, I wrote
the enclosed letter to the Baron Osten Saoken, but

eutenant A. Royer Objected to forward it, observing
he had given me my proper rank.
" On our endeavour to explain to the interpreter that
we had not our proper position, Lieutenant Alexander
Hamilton and Webb E. Stone both denied the assertion
relative to my rank being equal to a lieutenant, and this
altercation, anything but creditable to officers situated
as we then were, was not checked or corrected by
Lieutenant Royer.

"It appeared to me that the clear intention of the
Emperor was that the superior officers of the ship, as
denominated by our service, should have superior treat-
ment • but that the authorities at Odessa, from some
unexplained cause, treated us after the manner of their
service, and having no paymasters or masters, and our
positions being placed before them as ranking with but
after lieutenants, we were not considered their equals,
and therefore. treated as inferiors, the surgeon being an
exception, because in Russia he ranks with a major.
" I beg leave "to submit very respectfully for their
lordships' consideration that Lieutenant Royer, by re-
fusing to forward my letter to Baron Osten Sacken, and
not confirming my assertion made to the interpreter,
but allowing the other lieutenants to deny it, put it out
of my power to obtain the treatment I was entitled to
as prisoner of war of my rank, as established by her
Majesty's Order in Council.
"On my passage to England I lost my personal
effects, through the unexpected sailing of the Treat,
transport ; and I have only recently recovered them and
the enclosed letter, which prevented me from writing
before on this subject.
"I have the honour to be, Sir, &c.,
(Signed) " G. A. LI.NOII, Paymaster,
late of her Majesty's ship Tiger.
"To Sir Thomas Cochrane, Vice-Admiral, K.C.8.,
Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth."

(Enclosure in the above.)
"Odessa, June 4, 1854.
"TO HIS EXCELLENCY TUB BARON OSTEN SACKEN, &C.

" Sir,--I have the honour very respectfully to submit
for your excellency's consideration my position in her
Britannic Majesty's navy, because a distinction has
been made between myself and some of the officers of
equal rank, which it seems affects my allowance and my
position as a prisoner of war.

" In her Britannic Majesty's navy, my rank as pay-
master is a commissioned wardroom officer, living with
the lieutenants, surgeon, master, marine officers, &c. I
am by her lajesty's Order in Council to rank with the
lieutenants tot the navy—a fact which I imagine your
excellency is unacquainted with, as I am, I understand,
to receive different allowance and different treatment
than the lieutenants and surgeon, who are my equals in
my own country's service.
"Availing myself of this opportunity of thanking your
excellency for your kind treatment and consideration to-
wards me with others during our detention at Odessa,
" I have the honour to be, &c.,
(Signed) "G. A. LANCE, Paymaster,
Her Britannic Majesty's Navy, and Prisoner of War."

Lieutenant Alfred Royer's letter in answer to the
foregoing :

" 31st October, 1854.
" Sir,—l have the honour to acknowledge the receipt
this day of the documents named in the margin.
" While at Odessa the interpreter brought from the
general a paper which he requested we to enable him to
fill up. It related to the rank of the officers. •
" He inquired and marked down the order in which
the officers took command of the ship ; and with respect
to those officers who do not take command, I most dig-
ticctly explained to him their position as ranking with
lieutenants, but after, that they line with lieutenants.
"After a lapse of sufficient time for this to be sent to
St. Petersburg, and for an answer to be returned, it
was announced to us that the lieutenants and surgeon
were to be considered as superior officers, a term used
by them and not by me.
" I refused to for ward any letters to Baron Osten
Sacken as I could not in any way alter iwhat I had
stated to the interpreter, all of which had been noted
and laid before the general previous to being sent to tee
Emperor. lat the sane time said I would forward to
the admiral or to their lordships any letter the officers
might think proper to write. I had adhered to the in-
structions.
" As to any altercation between the ether lieutenants
and the paymaster, it may have taken place because my
first intimation of their being the subject of discontent
was from Lieutenant Hamilton, who met me outside our
house and:informed me of the discus ion, widen its being
renewed in my presence I stated I would not enter into
any argument on the subject.—l have, &C.,
(Signed) " A. Rums, Lieutenant.
" To Capt. J. C. D. Hay, her Majesty's ship Victory.

Copy of a memorandum from Vice• Admiral Cochrane
to Captain Hay, dated 4th November, 1854 :
" Captain Hay is to inform Mr. George A. Lance,
paymaster, late of the Tiger, that their lordships having
referred to Lieutenant Royer to report the steps taken
by him to make known to the Russian authorities the
rank of the several officers under his orders, their lord-
ships are perfectly satisfied with his explanation on the
subject ; and they cannot obviate inconveniences which
appear to have arisen from the decisions of the Russian
Government in their disposal of prisoners who had fallen
into the hands of the enemy.
(Signed) T" u
uots J. CocaßANz."
" Captain J. C. D. Hay:,

A ÜbTRIA, RUSSIA, AND THE FOUR

POINTS.

We have already published Count Buol's note o
November 9th, addressed to Count EsterhazY:
Austrian Minister at Berlin, and forming part of a
correspondence between the two Courts as to the
particular propositions to be made by both in com-
mon at the Germanic Diet. This note was accom-
panied by a confidential communication, in which
the Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs exposes
more openly the views of his Court respecting the
four points and the manner in which Austria will
deal with them in
the document
given cases. The following is
Your Excellency (commences Count Buol) is aware
that the official communication from the Prussian Court,
to which we this day pl , was accompanied by a
confidential note to ContreArynim, the contents of which
this ambassador had the oodness also to impart to n3e.
The Baron von Manteugffel declares therein that the
Cabinet of Berlin fully appreciates the reasons that pre-
vent our entering into any definite engagements with
respect to our line of conduct in case Russia accepts the
four points. As Austria and Prussia are on the point of
extending their mutual responsibilities beyond the limits
of the April treaty, the King's Cabinet, considering this
closer position to be based on confidence, wishes to be
informed as clearly as possible whether Russia, by her
declaration of being willing to accept the basis of peace,
wit,l have her anxiety removed concerning Austria's par-
ticipation in an offensive war, and how far Austria would
in this case make knowr and adequately support her
dissentient convictions in opposition to any 'alt.:Hier
demands that might be made by the Cabinets of Paris
and London.
From this confidential communication of Baron Man-
teuffel we venture t• hope that the cabinet of Berlin will
on the receipt of our official despatch, sent off this day,
will feel quite assured on the subject of oar entering
into any fresh formal engagements- We feel no reluc-
tance on this head, but on the contrary take pleasure in
regarding it as a duty imposed on us by the close fede-
ral compact and the relationship of common descent
existing between the two states, to give on our side the
readiest and most confidential exposition of our inten-
tions. In doing so, we first of all venture to recall to
mind, eft passaitt, the declarations your Excellency was
empowered to make by my note dated August 28. Even
at that period we intimated to the court of Berlin that
Russia—if she seriously wished to prepare a foundation
for peace by unequivocally accepting the four points—
so long as she persisted in this resolution need enter-
tain no apprehension of seeing us ranged with her anta-
gonists. Our views in this respect have not been modi-
fied. We still wish to see the way prepared for negotia-
tions, and the conditions of peace agreed upon, taking
the four points as a basis, and having them equitably in-
terpreted in a manner calculated to obtain the equili-
brium of Europe. Should Russia declare her willing-
ness, at Prussia's request peradventure, to negotiate on
the basis of these four points, we should tnost warmly
advocate their acceptance by the maritime powers and
the simultaneous suspension of hostilities. Pending the
negotiations themselves, our constant efforts would be
directed in causing a loyal and reasonable construction
to be put by all the parties concerned on any point
mooted while discussing these preliminary points, and
during the stage of their transition to formal articles of
peace. To come forward with additional demands
while negotiations were in progress does not enter into
our views. Should any one of the belligerent powers
make use of its privilege and propose fresh condi-
tions, a privilege we have reserved to ourselves in
a public document, and which consequently we could
not gainsay in others, we should, it is true, let every
party freely decide for himself ; but at the same time
should endeavour to maintain a spirit of moderation
and conciliation. Had Russia declared herself willing
to negotiate on the basis of the four points, and should

;he Wester❑ Powers then decide on their part to con-
tinue the war, Austria would not bind he:-self to support
any fresh demand. Yet Austria can only declare her-
self satisfied when Russia formally and i.olemnly stipu-
' Ides with us to accept the four points, no matter what
' event may take place, and no matter what the dumtion
of the war may be. Did we but receive the promise of
this satisfaction, we would at once, in due consideration
of our European duties, anticipate its fulfilment by con-
ferring with the maritime powers, and by then endea-
vouring to induce even them to accede to and ac-
cept our satisfaction. Should the renewed application
of Prussia to Russia be not followed by the wished fur
result, Austria would decide on taking a further step,
and this time in common, for effecting the acceptance of
the four points. But a refusal would in this case occa-
sion the interruption of diplomatic relations. The par-
ties so joining in taking that step would have to submit
to the same consequences. Assuredly, however, it will
be looked upon as only fair that we, before making a
final proposal of this nature, should previously inform
the courts of Paris and London of our intention, and at
the same time should endeavour to obtain the assurance,
that a successful issue of the step to be taken by us
at St. Petersburg would also meet with corresponding
success in both these cabinets. So long as Russia shall
have not accepted the four 'paints, Austria must reserve
to herself the right of taking independent steps
for enforcing their adoption. And here the question
may opportunely be asked, whether Prussia and the
German Diet aro ready to make common cause with us.
For the rest, we should come to no final decision, until
we had confidently debated the matter with our federal
allies. In no case should we form with any foreign power
engagements inconsistent with the spirit of the April treaty,
with our own duties as a member of the Bind, or with the
interests of Germany. We must, however, retain cur
right of entering into whatever engagements may seem
to us indispensably requisite for attaining the common
object, but which we should undoubtedly duly commu-
nicate to our German fillies.

Supposing the outbreak of war with Russia, Austria
could not engage to be contented with the four points.
Respecting all these cases, your Excellency !nay explain
yourself in the sense of the foregoing to Baron Man-
teuffel ; but your language must have the character of a
confidential oommunisation. Should you find that the
Prussian Court receives our explanation with that satis-
faction which we desire, you may go further, and make
a confidential communication of this despatch ;
inas-
much as we are confident that the Royal Cabinet would
take the strictest care not to allow any interpretation of
our intentions other than is exactly conformable to this
note to transpire.—Receive, &c., BUOL.