The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1849-09-29
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We have placed on our outside soma expressions
Of the opinion Of the Press in regard to the French
affair They run prettymuch in the same strain
that it is tbs duty of the government to maintain
its dignity, and that war is preferable to submission
to insult. Some are very strong in the faith that
there is case made out of gross indignity, and
one or two, the Philadelphia North American, for
example, are very bellgerent, without having any
authentic information Of the real state of the con-
troversy. There is never any doubt, in this coun-
try, of the zeal of the people every occasion in
the vindicaton of national honor, and the support
Of those who assert it. 1t does not need to be
established by the eager protestations with which
war is threatened and pledged, upon every rumor
of difficulty of any kind with foreign govern
ment. We are.an excitable, as well as a sensitive
people, and there is. generally more need of pru-
dence and calmness, with which to enlghten and
direct the national susceptibility, than fiery APP
peals, with which to stir up popular passions.
There is evidently serious difficulty with the
French Minister. 1t would be comparatively I'M
important if it were merely question with him,
and the whole case now before us, confirming the
representation of his insolent conduct As respects
France, our government has the absolute right to
refuse communication with her minister, as well
as any minister of any government, and send him
home, and no government has right 10 treat it as
an offence. 1t has been done repeatedly before.
All governments claim and exercise it. Spain
lately sent off Mr. Bulwer, the British Minister,
and her tight to do SO was not questioned, nor was
there any national complaint of the act Our gov
eminent has refused intercourse with Genet, the
| French Minister, and with jackson, the British
] Minister, and the French Directory once refused
| for a while to receive American Commissioners.
In none of these cases was the refusal treated as a
national question. But if the French Government
have refused to recall NJ. Poussin, and justified the
refusal on the ground that they adopt his views
theirs, then the quarrel will become national, and
the indignity will no longer be that of M. Poussn,
but must be settled with the French Republic itself
There is, however, no certain intelligence yet
that the French President has taken this position
There are Washington letters and Geographic dis
patches which have avOwed that NJ, de Tocque-
vile, the French Minister for foreign affairs, has
expressed the opinion that it is trifling matter in
which both parties are at fault, and has declined
to order the return of M. Poussn on that ground
This is far from official sanction Of the offensive
words Of NJ Poussin, and we have seen, in the
official publications on this subject that the tele
graph and mail correspondents report very inaccu-
ratey. The significant words in NJ. Poussin's
letter to which Mr.. Clayton took exception, were
represented as mach more coarse and insulting
than they are in the letter ITSELF as published by
the Republic, and it is not impossible that they
may have also suffered some in the translation.
1t must be observed, however, that the official
statement in the Republic, which we published
yesterday, says nothing of any communication
whatever from the French Government. 1t seems
on the contrary to imply that it is the silence of
the French Government which has been construed
into a refusal 10 redress the wrong" These are
| Mr.. Clayton's words in the article:
"The whole correspondence was communicated
to his excellency, the Minister of Foreign Affairs
of France, on the 9TH of July, by Mr.. Rush. AT
length finding IL apparent that The French Govern.
aet trhoL refused to redress The JUrong inflicted bV
the French Minister, the President felt constrained
to terminate Mr. Poussin's official intercourse with
this government, and thus preclude an opportunity
which might be again abused"
Had any direct communication been had from
the French Government through Mr.. Rush or
otherwise, it is not likely thar Mr.. Clayton would
on the goth have used the words that it had been
made apparent" The answer of the govern
ment, containing such refusal, is an important
point, which is unlikely to have been suppressed
in a statement purporting to be official
The continuance of the rejected minister is still
| then point of difficulty, as the noncompliance
with direct request for his recall would be in
| itself grave discourtesy But we learn that it
has been for considerable time well understood
that M. Poussin is out of favor with the present
French Government, that his republican sympa-
thies have made him adverse to Louis Napoleon,
and that his recall, on these grounds, had already
been determined upon and his successor named
M. Montholon, son of the celebrated Count of that
name The change of ministers is likely to hap
pen STILL without any reference to this controversy
when, if the French Ministry shall not have
adopted the quarrel the whole affair will die away
and be forgotten.