The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-02 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

TIMES.—A telegram from New York, dated
yesterday, alleges that the Emperor Maximilian
has been executed by order of Juarez. The in-
telligence is said to have been brought to New
Orleans by the captain of an Austrian frigate, who
telegraphed it to the Austrian Minister at Wash-
ington. Of course,it may not be true. There
may have been misapprehension, there may possibly
have been fabrication. It may be that rumour has
belied the victorious Republican, and that he has not
committed this atrocious and useless crime. Until
the matter is set at rest by certain intelligence we
will cling to the hope that Maximilian still lives.
But we are constrained to say that we see nothing
incredible in what is related. The character of the
Mexicans, and of Juarez in particular, the relent-
less nature of the struggle, the obstinacy and the
mutual animosity of the contending factions, the
military executions, which are known to have been
inflicted, the threats of Juarez during the cam-
paign, the ambiguous expressions of his Minister
at Washington, and, above all, the silence
in which everything has been shrouded since
the surrender of 'Queretaro bid us be pre-
pared for the worst. Theonly reassuring circum-
stance is that soma considerable time must have
elapsed before the fate of the ex-Emperor was de-
cided upon ; and that deliberation in such a case
gives hope of moderation. But even this circum-
stance hardly weighs against the known character
of the President and the men by whom he is
surrounded. Maximilian, after surrendering, ap-
pears to have been held prisoner while his fate was
decided upon. Of what passed we have only the
vaguest rumours. Nothing has been known posi-
tively of the intentions of the captors. It was
said he was to be Uptight before a court martial,
but that opinions were divided as to how he
should be disposed of. It is very probable that
there was, as asserted, a desire on the part of some
to let him go, while another party clamoured for his
execution. The severities practised by the French
and Imperialist generals against certain of the Re-
publicans who were captured while maintaining a
desultory warfare afforded an excuse for retaliation.
If the news received be correct, the party of venge-
ance have gained the day. The unhappy Emperor
has shared the fate of his chief associates, and the
renovated Republic is stained with the blood of the
dethroned Emperor. The blood will cling to the
nation as well as to the man who has ordered it to be
shed. Juarez is but a type of the race, which, since
the Sovereignty of Spain -was withdrawn, has ever.
alternated between despotism and anarchy, and is
now once more free to follow its half-savagein-
stincts. Like the great majority of those
who
is
called Mexicans, Juarez is an Indian, without, it s
said, any admixture of European blood. He has
shown that he has energy, courage, and perseverance,
but to look to him for mercy, gentleness, regard for
a fallen enemy, and such-like virtues, whether
Christian or chivalrous, would be futile. H e belongs
to a party whose usual recklessness and disregard of
human life have been heightened to the extreme of
savagery by the conflict of the last four years. This.
party, again, represent a barbarous population,
to look upon moderation and mercy as signs
of weakness. The worst traits of the Mexican charac-
ter have been exhibited in this matter, and it will
impress on the new Government a character which
will not easily be changed. As long as we
,can re-
memberfrom exercising the
utmostf act factions s
rights ha ve
Mexico
the
blgoooodd.s
ahnedritvhale
event, and when they
least,s t r u g gslteaskoof t
husni
rs p
livesu loonu s partisans, t
he
liberty of peaceful residents were endangered by the
these did, at
extended even to
Mexico,
aon, d
failed underwent the last extremity of war. One
mieenan
might have hoped that the progress of enlighten-
hdumthaantittyhe übmßigehpttoaaven
leaders, taught by
the events of the last few years, would have endea-
voured to introduce a milder political code. They
have had not only the remonstrances of Europe,
but the advice of the United States. Every one is
agreed that such a political state as existed before
the invasion of the French cannot permanently en-
dure. They must be aware that these incessant dis-
turbances and thq desire of so many to gratify their
ambi▪ tion at the cost of the public peace had their
origi▪ n in the recklessness and demoralisation of so-
ciety, and that these could only be cured by aban-
doning the evil traditions of political vengeance.
But if they have at the first opportunity revived all
that was worst in their former conduct, we expect
their Government will go from bad to worse until it
falls anew into anarchy, and compels another inter-
vention. Europe is not likely again to interfere,
but a time must come when the United States will
have to deal with the Government which slew
Maxim•
ilian. If it beindeed true that this Prince's
career has closed, we of Europe, whatever country
we may belong to,
will have some regrets for one
who has thus fallen. It has always seemed strange
that a Prince so highly placed, having all the most
illustrious lineage, abundant wealth, and domestic
happiness could afford, should have left his own
home to rule over semi-barbarians in another
hemisphere. The love of a Throne must be strong
indeed when a Hapsburg will leave the shores of the
Adriatic, give up his hereditary rights, and accept-
ing the support of a foreign Sovereign who but a
few years before had inflicted the most grievous
calamities on his house, mix himself up in the
qurarrells of a mongrel race, who can never be
loyal to him, and whom he can never esteem. But,
though we must acknowledge this element of
weakness in the character of the Archduke, he
had qualities which by common consent are held
to be the most admirable in one of his station.
He was amiable and conciliatory in government,
as he showed in Italy, where, though no
blandishments could have reconciled the people
to Austrian rule, it was admitted that if the
achievement bad been possible it would have been
accomplished by . Maximilian. In private life he
is said to have displayed the same qualities and to
have gained, as did hi▪ s unhappy wife, the good
will of those among whom they lived. In his last
struggle for the Throne of Mexico his courage has
been fully proved. His Government since the de-
parture of the French has been, in the eyes of all
but himself and a few sanguine or fanatical fol-
lowers, doomed to destruction. His own prudence,
and the prudence of his advisers, must have told
him that his safest course was at once to abandon his
unstable Throne and to leave the country. He
had excuse enough for such a course. He might
justly have said that lie had been deceived as to the
disposition of the Alexi▪
cans and the intentions of
the French. He had been led to believe that the _