The Sun.
London, England, 1824-02-03 00:00:00

THE HOLY ALLIANCE and SWITZERLAND.

AnAu, JAN. 9.o.—Never were nations who
still possess any degree of freedom or inde-
pendence, more interested in watching the pro-
ceedings of foreign Powers, than in the age in
which we live. Formerly the world beheld coa-
litions of kings to subjugate inoffensive nations,
and to share them out among them like herds of
cattle, but never till now did we see the principal
Powers of a vast continent entering into conven-
tions for exercising over each other a mutual sur-
veillance in the interest of despotism, for extin-
guishing, or preventing from coming into exist-
ence, institutions favourable to their subjects, or
to those of states over whom they domineer ; or,
in a word, for arresting the human race in its
progress towards civilization, or forcing it as far
as in them lies to retrograde towards barbarism.
The late Spanish invasion—one of the greatest
political crimes which was ever committed—has
disclosed by its results the views of ihe Holy
Alliance. Inattentive minds, however, might
still believe that this event was unconnected
with a general system of oppression, and that it
was intended to repress a military insurrection.
It may be useful, therefore, to undeceive them,
and to convince them, that even though the Con-
stitution of Spain had been the work oithe King
and his Ministers, the war must nevertheless have
taken place. The Holy Alliance respects the
will of its separate members, or of governments
beyond its pale, as long as that will ii conform-
able to the interests of arbitrary power; but it
disallows or opposes their wishes as soon as they,
appear to be favourable to the liberty and inde-
pendence of nations. I might support this state-
ment by reference to a great number of facts
which have been exhibited in various eountries ;
but I shall content myself at present with an ac-
count of what has of late years taken place in
Switzerland.

Switzerland is the least calculated of all countries in the
world to inspire its neighbours with fear. Containing at most
only a population of a million and a half, it is dividtel into 22
states, each of which enjoys a complete independence of the
rest with respect to internal affairs. Not only has every State
its own government and its own laws, but they are divided
from each other by a difference of manners, of religion, of
language, and extent of civilization. In the smaller cartons,
and particularly in the centre of Switzerland, we find still the
ignorance, the superstition, the corruption, and the prejudices
of the middle ages; while in others we meet with a popul ttion
at once enlightened, moral, and religious, without a tincture
of fanaticism. In the vallies which are watered.by the Rhode,
and the mountaine which discharge their streams into that
river, the French language is alone understood ; in the valliea.
and mountains which direct their waters to the Rhine, no..
thing while the Italian is the medium
is spoken but German ;
of communication in the districts which incline towards Italy.
Religion is a cause of division still more powerful, several
cantons carrying to fanaticism their attachment to the Catho-
lic church, while others profess the most rigid adherence to the
reformed faith. In addition to this, Switzerland has no stand-
ing army. The service required for internal security is per-
formed by the militia, or a small number of gendarmes. In
no state does there exist an assembly whose sittings are pub..
lic ;
and, with the exception of Geneva, there is not a canton
which possesses a single writer engaged in political discussions
or speculations. These different states are only united by a fe-
deral government, which has at its disposal neither treasures,
nor armies, nor power, and whose members assemble only at
distant intervals.
such a country would appear to be little susceptible of revo-
lutions ; especially if we consider that in general fortunes are

more equally distributed than elsewhere, that taxes scarcely
exist, that the safety of no citizen is menaced, and that the
men who cannot find the means of existence at home, are in
the habit of expatriating themselves to serve in the armies of
other States, or to become domestic servants to foreigners•
Thus for ages Switzerland has enjoyed the most perfect tran-
quillity, and experienced no other shocks than those received
from foreign Powers. Its most constant maxim has been not
to meddle in the affairs of its neighbours, and never has it ex-
cited in them either fear or jealousy. To its inoffensive policy,
as much as to its inaptitude for foreign enterprise, it has owed

the security which it has enjoyed for several ages.
To considerations derived from the internal state of Switzer-
land, we must add those which spring from its geographical
position. This confederation has every thing to fear from
Austria, from Prussia, from Sardinia, and from France, while

it can expect no succours from other countries, or at least from
those most likely to oppose the wishes of the Holy Alliance
It is, therefore, impossible to ascribe to it any subversive views,
or to imagine that it can ever entertain projects for disturbing
the peace of its formidable neighbours. To execute such de-

signs, the inhabitants of these peaceful cantons want both mo-
tive and the means. Notwithstanding this state of things, the

.. -
agents of the Holy Alliance have, during the last eight years,

unceasingly tormented them, and pushed them to acts calcu-
lated to compromise them. They hare demanded from them

every thing that could shock their ancient prejudices, or degrade
them in their own estimation ; and the most remarkable circum-

stance is, that this oppression has fallen most heavily on those
who could feel it most poignantly.

At all times Switzerland had been in the habit of giving an
asylum to men whom political persecution had driven from

their own country, without inquiring what opinions they enter-
tained, or what land gave them birth. At the beginning of
the French revolution, the emigrants who hadfought for Royalty
found a refuge in the country which had afforded an asylum to
the judges of Charles I. ; and the gentilhomms why had
drawn his sword for arbitrary power went to repose front his
fatigues on the tomb which covered the ashes of Edmund Lud-

low. Geneva, feeble as it was, refused to obey the French
Convention, which ordered it to expel the emigrants to whom
it had yilded an asylum, and its refusal was not then imputed

a a crime.

After the second restoration of the Bourbons in France, the
persecutions'ibich were its consequences threw into_the Swiss
territory a certain number of old men, destitute of influence

even in their own country, and some officers who fled from the
vengeance of a party whom they had often vanquished. 'These
fugitives, separated from every friend, and cast on a strange
land, where they were totally unknown, certainly could give Ea
reasonable ground of alarm to the Holy Allkance.a However,
z
they no sooner reached Switzerland than they were surrounded
with a multitude of spies. The French Government recmired
the expulsion of all on whom it was pretended there was legal
ground for inflicting punishment, and the delivery •of those
who were supposed to, be liable td, be tried by French Courts.
Many of these unfortunate men wanderedfoi a. long, time ie.
the mountains without knowing where to 'seek an asylum. In
the midst of this distress, one of the Swiss Governments had
the weakness to arrest some of them, and deliver them up to
the French police.
The revolutions of Naples and Piedmont next introduced a
still
.greater number of refugees into Switzerland.
.The,foreigre
Ministers at first imperatively demanded-the expulsion of the
greater part, and, as it belongs to the nature of despotism to
be absurd, each of the members of the Holy Alliance at the
same time refused to let any of these unfortunate exiles pass
through its territory. However, it was not long that mere de-
mands for expulsion were adhered to. Austria ordered a cer.
tain number of Milanese to be given up to her : and that her
order might not be eluded, she required that they should be de-
livered into the hands of her secret agents in the cantons. As
the execution of this order required the concurrence of several
members of the Government, the secret was not easily kept.--
It reached the ears of those who were to be arrested, and they
succeeded in escaping from Switzerland under borrowed names.
In one of the principal cantons, the Government had the weak-
ness to place one of its own agents under the command of the
Austrian spies, with orders to arrest and deliver up a man who
was demanded ; and if the innkeeper with whom this person
lodged had not afforded him means of escape, the shameful
example would have been exhibited of a Power seizing, by its
own agents, in an independent State, men whom it was wished'
to sacrifice to political vengeance.
These measures having acquired a certain degree of publicity,
all men who had any thing to fear from the Holy Alliance took
care to leave Switzerland. The only foreigners who remained
were those who had been long resident in the country—those
who had received authority for their stay from their own Go-
vernments, or those who were merely travelling for pleasure.—
The Holy Alliance was scarcely assured of its triumph in Spain,
when it began again to pay attention to Switzerland. Six of
its Ministers assembled at Paris, in the form of a congress
Each Minister produced a list of the men whose proscription he
required, and the number was found to amount to 200. These
lists, which were accompanied by notes of a nature most vio-
lent and insulting towards an independent State, were trans-
mitted to the Governments of the cantons. Passports were.
ordered to be delivered to the exiles for two maritime towns in
Germany, the Holy Alliance taking the charge of transporting
them to America. But this plan has not been executed, and
the reason will soon be seen.
The reader will be curious to know who were these 209 men
so dangerous- to the Continental Monarchies. They were of
the following description :—Some had never been in Switnr-
land ; several had left it many years before; others had been
settled for 20 or 25 years in the country, carrying on their busi-
ness or professions ; among them were infirm old men of 60 or'
70. At Geneva, for example, a man of nee, who had resided in
that state during 25 years, and who earned a livelihood lsy teach-
ing Italian and music, was proscribed. A Savoyardofficer,
who had served in the French army, against whom no charge
of any kind existed; who was entirely devoted to agricOlture,
and whose labours, in concert with those of his wife who taught
the German language, supported a numerous family of child-
ren, was also proscribed. It was in vain that one of the most re..
spectable citizens of the State presented a petition in his fairour
to the Government. Ile was obliged to obey the mandate of the
Holy Alliance, and leave the country, with his numerous fa-
Mily. One old man of neary 80 years of age, completely deaf
and paralytic, and another nearly as old, and suffering under
numerous infirmities, were • expelled from the canton of Vaud.
An old village schoolmaster, who had been for 20 years em-
ployed in teaching children to read and write, was likewise
thought worthy of the attention of the Holy Allies, and placed
on the fatal list. Nothing could exceed the levity with which
these lists were drawn up, as may be seen by the following
S
ibner in which an individual is referred to :__.c you will pro-
who lives near you ; and if you do not find him,
you will proscribe -- : for we have some reason to believe
that he is the same person, under a different name."
A Paris advocate had retired to Geneva, as much from
aversion to the system of the French Government as to es-
cape from prosecutions to which he was exposed. The Go-
vernment of Vaud offered him the Professorship of Legislation
in the academy of that canton, which had just become vacant.
The first thought of the Advocate was to refuse the offer; and
it is said he was only induced to accept it by the urgent en-
treaties of his friends. In the mean time he was placed on the
Holy Alliance list, and the Government of the Canton was
ordered to banish the man they .had invited to their territory,
and made a professor. Feeling that to obey such an order was
to dishonour themselves, the Authorities of Vaud hesitated to
submit, and expressed a wish to know the facts the charge on
which the order was founded. The only answer they received
was a
have more positive order • and it is hard to Nay what might
occurred the l'aaeessor, on learning what was going
on, asked permission of the Government to retire with his farm-
ly, which was of ceurse most readily granted.
A respectable ecclesiastic established in the canton of Fri-
burg schools of mutual instruction, which excited the interest
of all travellers in that part of Switzerhind. This mode of
teaching obtained great success, and the most certain way of
agitating the country was to attack these schools. In fact.,
serious troubles were the consequence of the first menaces di-
rected against them. Such was the state of things, that had
not Father Girard voluntarily resigned, and exerted himself to
tranquillize the people, the Holy Allies would. hare had a
pretence for the invasion of Switzerland similar. to that by
which they seek to justify their atrocious conduct towards
Spain. No one in Switzerland has the least doubt of the pert
taken by the agents of the Holy Alliance.
The Government of the canton of Vaud had of its own
accord established the liberty of the press, and surely no great
harm could. happen to the Holy Alliance froru this measure ;
for in that country no writer meddled- with politics, and the
journals servilely copied from others published in different parts
of the Continent. However, the re-establishment of the cen-
sorship was required. Government had to submit to the same
yoke ; and a Journal of Legislation and Political Economy"
was suppressed. In fine, the great Continental Powers have
neglected nothing to dishonour Switzerland in the eyes of fo-
reign nations, and to degrade her in her own. But what are
the motives, and what will be the result, of these. violent mea-
sures ? This question requires too long an answer to be re-
solved here, and must form the subject of another letter.
I have stated that the Holy Alliance at first intended to
transport to the Anicrican Continent the men proscribed by the
Ministerial Lists, and that' this plan was not carried into exe-
cution. The failure may be thus accounted for.—When the
Holy Alliance deliberates, the difkrent members act as one
body, and the decisions express the wish of the majority, but
when the time .for execution Comes, 'the
.individual members
recover in some measure their independence, and are some-
times obstinate enough to act .1p conformity with their own
particular views. Thus it Willlappene that those who were ire
the. minority may counteract the resolutions carried' by the.
'majority. This has occured in the present•case. The Alliance
had directed that no passports should be given except to the
places specified, hut some Governments overlOoked this regu-
lation, and granted them for various other points.