The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-03-15
Letter from the Emperor Napoleon to the
Emperor of Russia
"Palacc of the Tuilerics, Jan. 90 "a

Ialacc OF the lullerlcS, Jan. ~. 81.
SIRE-The difference which has
arisen between your Majesty and the OF
tGman Porte has assumed such a grave
aspect, that | think it right myself to
explain directly to your Majesty the
part which France has taken in this qucs.
ton. and the means which suggest them
selves to Inc in order to avoid the dan.
gers which menace the tranquility of Eu,
rope.
1.-THE note which your Majesty has
just sent to my government, and to that
of Queen Victoria, cndeavors to prove
that it was the system ofprcssure adopt
cd from the commencement by the two
maritime Powers, which alone involved
the question in bitterness. On the con-
trary, according to my view, the matter
would have continued Cabinet question,
if the occupation Of the two Principali-
ties had not suddenly transferred it from
the region of discussion to that of fact.
Nevertheless, although your Maiesty's
troops had entered Wallachia, we adj
vised the Porte not to consider that &C.
cupation as a warikc act, thus proving
our desire for Cancellation. After | had
consulted with England, Austria and
Prussia, [ proposed to your Majesty a
note, designed to give satisfaction to ALL
Your Majesty accepted. We had hardly,
however, been informed of this good
news, when your minister, by explanatory
commentaries, destroyed all the concilia
tory effects of it, and thus prevented us
from insisting at Constantinoplc upon its
pure and simple adoption The Porte,
for its own part, suggested some modid-
cations in the note. to which the repre-
sentatives Of the four powers at Vienna
were not indisposed to agree. They
were not however, agreed to by your
Majesty. 1t was then that the Porte,
wounded in its dignity, its independence
threatened, and being compelled to raise
an army to oppose that of your Majesty,
preferred to declare war rather than re-
main in state Of uncertainty and hu.
mility. The Porte had claimed our sup
port the cause of the Porte appeared
to us to be just one, and the English
and French squadrons were therefore Or
dered to the Bosphorus,
Our attitude in reference to Turkey
was that of protector, but it was pas
siyo. We did not incite her to war We
increasingly addressed to the ears of the
Sultan the advice of peace and modera-
ton, persuaded that this was the best
mode Of coming to an agreement, anu the
four powers consulted together again,
and submitted to your Majesty some
other propositions. Your Majesty, on
your part, exhibiting the calmness which
arises from the consciousness of strength,
contented yourself with repulsing from
the left bank of the Danube, as in Asia,
the attacks of the Turks; and, with the
moderation worthy of the chief of a great
empire, your Majesty declared that you
would act on the defensive. Up to that
period, then, we were, l may say, inter-
ested spectators, but simply spectators
of the dispute, when the affair Of Sinope
compelled us to take more decisive
part. France and England had not
thought it necessary to send troops to
the assistance of Turkey. Their flag,
therefore was not engaged in the conflicts
which took place upon land. But at sea
it was very different There were atthe
entrance to the Bosphorus three thou.
sand guns, the existence of which pro.
claimed loudly enough to Turkey that
the two leading maritime powers would
not allow her to be attacked by sea. The
affair at Sinope was for us as painful as
it was unexpected for it matters little
to us whether or not tho Turks wished
to convey munitions Of war to the Rus.