Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-08-21
The Secret Intervention Of Russia
During the Late War.
Paris July 2sl correspondence of the

Paris (July 29) correspondence OF the
London Times.
NJ. Clement Duvernois, the noted
Imper ialist, was examined by q COM
mission of the French National As
sembly, on the 18th ult. Already the
report has been several times spread
that when the flrst defeats struck the
French army the Emperor OF Russia
offered the Government Of the Tuil-
cries his good Offices to bring about
peace without q diminutiOn OF terri
tory. but that the revolution of the
4th OF September having occurred,
these favorable Overtures could not be
carried out. NJ. Clement Duvernois,
invited TO inform the commission Of
what he knew positively on this sub
ject, drew out of his pocket the copy
OF q dispatch from His Majesty the
CZzr, dated the day after Sedan, in
which it was expressly stated that the
Emperor OF Russia would employ
himself enereetically to bring about
peace on the basis of territorial integ-
rity for France. This dispatch having
Only arrived in Paris after the FevOlu.
ton had already succeeded, had fallen
into the hsnds of the new Minister for
Foreign Affairs, NJ. Jules Favre, who
naturally could not carry il out in the
manner cOntemp ated, although it
would have spared France so many
misfortunes. It has been very wrongly
said that II. Jules favre had con-
cealed this dispatch. NJ. Jules Favre
Wss In q situation which did not allow
him to inherit from the Empire the
good will Of the Car. Often In the
H. - n
the celebrated lawyer attacked the
AutOcrat OF all the Russias; he could
not enter, as q matter OF course, into
negotiations with the Sovereign; pre-
parRtiOns were necessary, and they
were almost Immediately c0nhded to
NJ. Thiens, who started for London
before going to st. Petersburg. How
much time, as well as good will, was
lost!
The mistake lay, after being made
aware of the Cars dispatch, in taking
it too literally, and in seeing In it an
assurance Of an energetic co-opera-
ton, when the state of affairs was so
completely altered in his eyes. Be
sides, an indication of the disposi-
tiOns of Prussia even more than those
Of Russia was to be found in 1t. Rus
sia, Il has been said, had signed q Sc
cret treaty with Prussia; this IS quite
possible, and, in any case, events have
since caused very particular credit to
be attached 10 this supposition. But
this treaty did not interdiet Russia
from exerting herself s'eneFgetically"
Ia putting an end to the war; 1t was
not meant by this that Russia was GO
ing TO unite its arms to those OF
France; it would have been unreason-
able to think so. 1t was necessary to
penetrate further into the thoughts Of
the Government of st. Petersburg,
and TO understand that, II they made
such an offer TO the Emperor, it was
becsuse they were beforehand certain
of success. It has been said that II
peace had been made then, thanks to
the good Offices Of the Gar, that sov-
ereign would thus have sacrificed the
hopes he had founded on the war OF
obtaining the revision of the Treaty of
Paris. This is another error and a
defect Of political vision. Is il not evil |
dent, on the contrary, that II Russia |
had obtained for France, IN spite Of |
the defeats she had sustained, the |
most generous and honorable treat. |
I
would have been forced out of graft |
tude 10 support the Russian interests |
in the Black Sea, and, far from find-
ing in France an adversary, Russia |
would have had a still powerful ally, |
who would have been worth more |
than a spectatress disarmed and do
cile only from necessity? I persist,
then, in thinking in spite of the dis /
patch, that III. Jules Favre was never |
in q position to profit by the favorable |
articles contained in the dispatch. /
Enough faults have been committed |
without studying TO create an ima9i-
nary one. This dispatch, ss il APP
pears, is not the only one which was
produced before the Commission by |
the former cOnfidant of Napoleon /
III; he also placed before their eyes
the reply made TO il later by the EN-
press. In this letter the Empress
Regent apologies for so tardily ac-
knOWiedging the benevolent offers Of /
the Car; but she was not made aware 1
Of the dispatch until several days az
ter the 4th of September, and then /
only In a circuitOus manner. She /
begs His Majesty the Emperor Of /
Russia TO preserve his benevolent In
tentiOns toward France, to use his ef-
forts to save il without considering /
the interests OF the dynasty, whatever
Government might be at the head Of /
the nation. This letter NJ. DuvernOis /
was authorized TO make known, and |
even TO publish. Misfortune Is great |
school, II only Its lessons were always
durable.