The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1852-03-27
Attitude of France towards Swift.
Zerland and Belgium,

lowing paragraph:
The Swiss Independence repeats n report. cur
rent at Berne. that the Federal Council hal dc.
nanded the Intervention Of Great Britain against
France. and that NJ de Saligpae Fsnelon was pre-.
paring to depart. II ia certain that the furniture
he had ordered has been counterinnnded
According TO the Schwyiz Gazette, the French
Government had called upon the Federal Gov.
erhment to place restrictions on the public press
The attitude assumed lev n. F,ench Govern.
ment towards Switzerland has attracted the nj.
iention OF political men and diplomatisis Tho
Swiss journals boldly express their Indignation al
the arbitrary demand 10y the Government If Lou.
Is Napoleon for the banishment of all refugees
from the Swiss territory. In addition 10 ne de-
tails published IN the letter Of our Paris Cores.
pondent, we have received the following letter
from Berno, which expresses the views Of the
President Of the Helvetlan Republic
BERNE, February 10, 1852
lou are aware that the French Government
complains of the political conduct followed bv
the SSies Federal Council, and of what il STYLES
the hostile attitude which Switzerland has asum.
ed towards it. ! am enabled to give you the OPP
lnlons Of the President Of the Confederation.
which lie expressed with some warmth on the
subject.
For some time past, (hc said) the French Gov.
ernment has never ceased in prosecuting lis with
Incessant reclamatinns, and has assumed tone
with regard TO Switzerland which. under existing
circumstances would seem to conceal some arps
pene for an attack upon onr Federal institutions.
We are rep'oached with giving shelter To hand
/ ful OF unfortunate refugees whom we received
( from pure sentiments of humanity. and of viii, n
number We ordered or those who had been point.
cd out to us as the most dangerous-a rc orous
and arbitrary measure not in harmony with opr
| republican morals; we have gone a long way--.
/ perhaps too far-in this path of crncession but
we wished TO deprive these evil wishers. whom
! we knew TO be lowering about Switzerland. even
OF the shadow Of pretext The reclamn,iors
OF France respecting certain individuals which i,
| declared were concealed in our territory, worc
often totally devoid of foundation oftcntimes it
happened that the expulsion was demanded ,f
men then actually residing in France as was the
case with Mnzzin, whose frequent journeys to
Paris and long scjourn at that Capitol, are facts
oi public notoriety. The complaints Respecting
the press are still less unius,lfable for the last
two years certain French journals have not ccas.
Ell to publish the most absurd rumors and state.
ments, and to bring the most unfounded accusa.
tons against Switzerland; according to them MI
army OF refugees was prepared to invade France
at a moments notice.
/ What would the French Government have re-.
piled, had We assumed upon ourselves to put n
stop to those calumries, which we left to tie
Judgment Of the common sense Of the public at
large As,uredly, it would not have stopped
/ these journals, By what right should il be more
tNHctlng towards US than We have been towards
i'll BY what right especially. does it attempt
now to compel us to pnt down the liberty Of the
/ press which is one Of the fundamental principle,
of our institutions l. it, moreover. reasonable
to exact as 1t does, that we should suppress the
itee expression ofOpinon, and that we should op-
pose appreclations Of the accomplishment of an
act such as that Of the 2d of December which il
submitted to he judgment and commentaries Of
the whole world
But the pretension7 Of the French Government
are not confined to those two objects. the recent
reclamation Of l,s representative relative TO tie
dscrce OF expulsion issued against French Jews
established at Bale Campagnc by the grand
council Of that canton is one oi those had p,etex,s
Tor quarrel which can only be explained by at
tributing it TO complete ignorance Of the treaty
existing between the two countries. We do not
exactly approve Of the decision, somewhat an ex.
penolve one, taken By the Baslc Government. and
n proc! of It Is, that we have engaged that can +.
Ton to modify It's decree; but rs regards right
we cannot question it; we have in fact, in our
possession, defamation forming part Of the
Convention of 1928 signed "Rayneval,' ambas.
Sador of France, and according to which it is ex.
prc''ly stipulated that the cartons shall have full
and entire faculty to apply the same treatment
TO foreign as that applicable to Swiss Jewa. Now,
these latter being, by special decree, excluded
from BALE Champagne, the decree in question is
perfectly in keeping with the conditions Of the
treaty, ana there l. no reason why the Bale Go.
vernment should be compelled to make aa eycep.
ton in favor Of French clcna, whose soonrn in
the canton, from thcr u.ury aul provcrbiat bad
ii,l led IN the long run to the rIiin Ot the lnhat.
llans, and Is nj this moment the sore spot of the
country. II Is IN this sense that the Federal Go.
yernmeut has decided 10 reply to VI de Fenelon,
the new French Minister to Switzerland. whose
arrival at Berne has been signazed by such q
budget Of uncalled for cxactuus
Il Is quite evident (continuul Mr. rur1r. tho
President, with increased yyacity) that tie free
Institutions of our country give umlrase to the
, French Government perhaps il cnertains in Sc.
cret the idea Of imposing some modification upon
our constitution; but let it not be deceived; we
are neither 80 weak nor divided among ourselves
rs we may appear; and should France ever at
tempt To touch our liberties, conscryators and ra.
deals would vanish To give place to one united
Swiss people, ready to defend them
Such - the language held by the President Of
the Swiss Confederation, which may be regard
Cl ns fir expression Of the fculing here and Of
the terms upon which the two Governments now
stand towards each other II was quite evident
from the animated language Of NJ furer, that
he not only expressed his own sentiments brt
, those Of all his colleagues in the Federal Coun.
ell
f am told lthal W. Furrcr has expressed his,sclf
+ in similar language to tue English Representa-.
tive in Switzerland.
Paris Letter, Feb IL, in London Chronicle.
The alarm created in Switzerland by tho threa.
icnng attitude assumed by the French Govern.
meht ia becoming every day greater. You are
already aware that, in the note presented to ;tc
Swiss Government by VI. Feuelon Salignac the
! French Minister IN that country, France demands
the expulsion Of all refugees, the suppression of
all clubs aad political associations, a strict ssr.
veIIlancc over the newspapers and, what is still
more extraordinary the postpouoment Of tho &c
neral clccticn' The ground upon which this last
demand /. made is that elections at the present
, period would agitatc the country, and give unea
slness to the ncigh6orns Governments Upon
receiving this extraordinary note, the President
, OF the Helyctic Confederation demonstrated mild.
ly against the unvoutcd harshness Of the Ian.
, guagc used towards the Republic, aud vontured
to hint that the demands themselves Nero not
such as could bo honorably complied with by an
, Independent! State; upon which, u. Feneon Sa
, lignac is stated BY Berne paper to have replied
III an insoIeut tone, that tho orde's issued by ,ho
. Government which he represented were to be OK.
I ecutpl and mot T., L, lisrnss,J