Maryland free press., 1863-01-09

JEFFERSON DAVIS.
BY the President:
j. p BENJAMIN, Secretary Of State.
10 uun,ors of inief I $ .itfoI:.
The papers are variously spcculating as to
the probability of foreign mediation or inter
vention in American affairs. A Washington
correspondent Of the New York Post, referring
to the statement that Louis Napoleon will Of
fer propositions Of the nature of mediation,
remarks:
Rumors Of this kind are quite common here
at the present time, but they cannot be traced
to any authentic source. 1t is, however,
claimed by many intelligent persons that Mr..
Seward confidently expects the intervention
of the French government in oti affairs, and
that he has shaped the foreign diplomacy of
this government of late wholly in reference to
such danger Hence. hc comedies acqrics-
cence in the trade going on between New York
and the French in Mexico, and in Mr., Cor
wins singular conduct in Mexico The exact
present unless they come to us as the first pro-
posal of mediation camc-through the English
newspapers.
We take tire following from Washington
letter dated December 2Sth, published in The
New York Tribune:
The anticipations expressed in my last let
ter as to the probable course of the French
government with regard to mediation seem to
be confirmed by the news received from Eu-
rope during the last two weeks. ] stated if
you remember, that it was not in the tradition
Of French diplomacy and still less in the char
actcr of Louis Napoleon, TO abandon a policy
before having tried all the combinations calcu-
lated to secure IFS s,icccSs, and that we might
prepare TO see the mcdiatioE scheme play
part in our politics. All that | have seen or
learned since corroboratcs that sentiment and
develops the idea contained IN germ IN Drouyn
de LIiuy's letter.
If | am correctly Informed, the French GOV
ernmcnt has decided t. act alone in the mat
ter, and to offer to the President of the United
States the same proposition which has been
made to England and Russia, trusting to his
Judgment to pronounce upon its merits and
its practcability. That document will bc ac-
companied by u letter from Druuyn de IiIuys,
stating in Substance that the Emperor believes
the proposition of an armstic an act in no
way injurious to the interests and honor Of the
United States, but, on the contrary, cminently
useful; that it is not his intention to p:cSs it
Upon The Federal government, which alone can
determine the time when the friendly offer Of
France may be accepted; but that the Prcsi
dent must be aware that any protractcd rcIu
sal of her offers would ncccssitatc the Emperor
to listen to the Southern representatives, whose
propositions for recognition have hitherto been
rejected because he has always entertained the
hope of seeing our difficulties afnic&blj SCI
tied, and the Union restored
The official communication will conclude by
stating that the French government expects
that Mr.. Lincoln will maturely consider the
peculiar situation il which it is placed, and
also take into consideration the Uses and Gus
toms established +. the cases referred TO in his
proposition by writers on international! law.
Such, am informed, is the sense of the let
ter to be forwarded TO Washington in the
course Of month or SO, together with the
proposition for mediation already presented to-
England and Russia. ain disposed to credit
this information, in as much as several cham
bcrs of commerce in France have expressed in
their addresses to the Emperor the hope that
':the noble and humane project of racliation"
in American affairs would not be abandoned.
On the other hand the wants and destitution
of the French working class have become so
pressing that they cannot fail to have an i'll
ilucncc upon the mind Of the Emperor and
confirm him in lis project. BESIDES, the idea Of
seeing the Emperor perscverc, alone and with
out the corporation of other nations IN becom-
ing The arbitcr in our difficulties, has something
in it which fattcrG the vanity Of the French
people; and Louis Napoleon is too alroit to
miss the opportunity of adding to his popu-
larity by step which in his estimation and
that of his friends does not fix his policy DOR
compromise IN tic least IS relations with the
United States.
letter from Washington TO the New York
Express also says:
Its currently reported, aud in diplomat
* circles, that meditation will be offered on
the first of January Ivy France alone, if hy no
other European government, and if we do
not hcai it before the middle Of next month
there is every probability that by that time
the news viii reach US. A. TO what our gov
ernmcnt will do in ,hc arrangement | am not
prepared to say, nor will volunteer an opin-
ION; hut This mu,h j. known, that j. Is in res