Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-07-29


who advancing on the French territory, with
| force and arms, and with the avowed project oI
oveTturnng the established government, by eX-
citing the people and the army to revolt against
their lawful sovereign, and by usnrpng the title
! o. EnPerour Of the French (l) had incurred the
penalties which all icgisations pronounce against
such outrageS--a man, who by abusmg the guod
faith ofthc soyereigrs, had broken Z solemn trea-
ty--a man, in fine, who by recalling upon France,
happy and tranquil, all the scourges Of internal
! and external war, and upon Europe, at 4 moment
when TIE blessings of peace must have consoleI
her Tor her long suiicrnss, the sad necessity of
new general armament, was Justly regarded as the
applicable enemy of public welfare. Such was
The origin, such were the grounds of the declara-
ton of the 18th March-a declaration of which
the justice and necessity have been universally
acknowledged, and which general opinion has
sanctioned
The events which conducted Bonaparte to Pa
ris, and restored to him for the moment the s1er-
else OF supreme power, have doubtless in feet al
tered the position in which he was ut the period
CT his entering France; but these events brought
on by criminal collision, by military conspiraces,
by rsvoitng treasons, can create right; they
are absolutely null IN alegai point of view and
IN order TO tie position of Bonaparte beng es-
'ent'ally and egtin,ately altered, it would bene-
cessary that the steps which he has taken to es-
bis himself on The runs fths government over
some legal title.
8onaparte iays Il down in his publications, that
the wishes of the French nation in favour of his
his re establishment on the throne, suffice to con-
stitute this legal title.
The question FOR the powers 60 examine may
be stated as follows-Can The consent real or fc-
titious explicit or tacit, of the French nation to
the re-estabIishment Of BonapaIte's power, ope-
rate legal change in the pos ton of the latter in
regard 70 foreign powers, and form title obli-
gatory on these powers
The committee are of opinion hat such cannot
by any means be the effect of such consent; and
The following are their reasons
The powers know too well the principles which
ought TO guide them in their relations with an
independent country, to attempt Gas it is endea-
voured TO accuse them) "toimpose upon it laws,
to interfere in its internal affairs, to prescribe to
II form OF government, to give 1t masters ac-
cordInS to the interest or passions of is neigh
bours," ~ but they also know hat the liberty Of
a nation 10 change its systems OF government
must nave its just limits, and that ifforeign pow
erS have not right 10 prescribe to il the exercise
which IT shall make Of that liberty, they have at
least individually the right of protesting against
the abuse which IL may make of it at their ex-
Den5e- Impressed with this principle, the pow
crs do not deem themselves authorize ed to impose
goveTnTn ent on France, but they viii never re-
nounce the right of preventing the establishment
IN OF 4 FOCUS OF OF SuDVer-
siOns to other states, under the title ola govern
ment They VIII respect the liberty Of France
in every way in which it shall not be ncompatb bic
With Their own security, and the general trEll-
guilty of Europe.
In the existing case, ther ght of the allied SOW
sreigns To interfere in the question of the inter
nal government of France, is the more incontcsti-
Bile, inasmuch as the abolition ofthepower Which
now claims to be re-established there, was the
flnHa TrPnfal condition of Ire9 OE IN,
which rested all the relations which up 10 he
return of Bonaparte 10 Paris, subsisted between
France and the rest Of Europe. On the day of
their entrance into THris, the soveregns declared
that they wouldnever treat of peace with Bona
parte. L3l This declaration, loudly applauded
BY France and by Europe, produced the abdica-
ton Of Napoleon, and the convention ofthe lth
ofAprl it formed the principal basis OF the ne
gociation; it was explicitly pronounced in the
preamble Of the treaty Of Paris. The French ma
ton, even supposing II perfectly free and united,
cannot withdraw itself from this fundamental con-
dtion, without abrogating the treaty of Paris and
ell its existing relations with the European svs-
TEN. The allied powers on the other hand, by III.
sisting on this very condition, ONLY exercise
right which il Is impossible to deny them unless
il be maintained that the most sacred compacts
can be perverted, as suits the convenience of el-
Their ofthc contracting parties
IT hence follows, that the will of the peaple Of
France is by no means sufficient 10 re-establish
in a legal sense, government, prescribed by so
Tenn engagements, which that very people err
tered into with all the powers Of Europe and
that they cannot under any pretext, give validity
az against these powers, 70 the right Of recalling
70 the throne, him, whose exclusion was n condi-
ticn preliminary 70 every pacific arrangement
with France; the wish Of the French people even
If it were fully ascertaned would not be the less
null, and ofno effect in regard to Europe towards
re-establishing power, against which al Europe
has been n state ofpernanent protest from the
31st Of Match, 1919, up to the 18th Of March,
1915 and in this view, the position of Bonaparte
is precisely at this day what it was at these last
mentioned periods.
SECOND QUEsrIov.
| Shouldthe oter 10 sanction hs treaty Of Paris
change the dgsbo7itior ofthe bo7vers?
France has had no reason TO complain of the
| Treaty of Paris. This treaty reconciled France
with Europe il satisfied all her true interests,
secured all her real advantages, all the elements
ofprosperity and glory, which people called 10
| one Of the first places IN the European system
could reasonably desire, and duly took from her,
that which was to her, under the deceitfIl cxteri-
OF Of great national eelat an inexhsusiible source
/ Of suferings, OF ruin ard Of misery. This
! treaty was even an INN ense benefit for country
reduced by the madness of its CHI Ell to the most
/ disastrous situation.
a. The first article Of the convention Of the
! 18th Of April, 1914, is as follows " The Empe
| ror Napoleon renounces for himself, his success.
| sCrs and descendants az we'll as for ali the mem