The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-06-09

they cannot make up their minds about is the
word federal They don't know exactly
what it means, but they think it must mean
something very undesirable. They don't take
the slightest notice when they are told that
America and Switzerland are republican fed
erations. They simply answer you, The
cases are quite different there and they
think they have said everything and refuted
all arguments you may adduce.
soIIc1ruDE OF THE cKsARs
1.-THE other day the two Emperors paying
each other compliments at St. Petersburg, did
our Minister ct that Court the honor of talk
ing to him. They said they greatly desired
safety and order should be restored in Spain
and bloodshed ended. The Minister answered
them that the Spanish government was
doing its best to achieve these ends.
But ] said to my friend, Senior CASTELAR,, on
receiving the report Of this conversation, that
if I had been in the place OF. the Spanish
Ambassador would have answered their
Majesies that we had as much safety and
order as ever, and that we have had no blood
shed at oil, even not SO much as there was the
other day in Frankfort, or as there is always
in Russia whenever dozen people assemble
to discuss any public grievance and whole
regiments are sent out to restore order
my poor friend Senior CASTELAR,, who is
very impressionable, as you know, is getting
quite nervous under the influence of the in
formation he gets from our Ministers abroad.
It looks as if we were going to receive some
strong worded notes one of these days on
the subject of the word federal as COM
pared with conservative and I am very
glad that the Assembly will probably meet
by the time we receive these documents
Seiior Figueras mentioned some of the
measures already taken by the government
Of the Republic, and which ought to have in
spired the foreign Powers with some conf
dence in the future Of Spain as far as peace
and order were concerned, and his incidentally
mentioning the recent publication of the
budget led the conversation to
TIE QUESTION OF FINANCES.
''This is, acknowledge" said the Presi-
dent ''our weakest point; and, assuming that
speak to you not as the President of the
Spanish Republic, but simply rs Sefor Figue-
ras, would say that our financial position
can certainly be much improved by ourselves,
but that q complete financial regeneration of
Spain is possible only with the aid of America.
It would be too long now to explain to
you my views on this question. The recep-
ton room at the Presidencia must be already
full, and people must get impatient about my
not coming; but if you call any evening we
will have a quiet talk about this, as we'll as
many other subjects. We all know in Spain
that the only true friends we have are the
Americans, and I know that talking to o
HERALD representative is the same as talking
to several millions of American citizens So
shall always be glad to have a talk with you,
for we don't want to conceal anything, and
hope that the more Spain and the Spanish
Republic are known the other side of the
ocean the better it will be for everybody.
"But do not suppose that, when I say that
American enterprise and American gold can
alone regenerate the finances Of Spain !
mean in any way to allude to Cuba. That
island must be left quite out of the question
at the present moment. As both Carlist
and Afonsist leaders told you, SO must I
tell you, too, that no government will dare,
at the present moment, to propose ANY
arrangement affecting in any way the, in
tegrity of Spanish territory; and this was
one OF the reasons for my having put SO
much territorial integrity as you said, in
my official answer to General Sickles the other
day. Our enemies were spreading rumors that
we were arranging the sale Of Cuba in an
underhand manner, and I had to answer
them. My private conviction is that Cuba is
lost for us, and that in quarter Of century
every Spanish peasant will firmly believe that
Cubas joining the States was quite natural
thing, as he now believes it to be the most I'M
patriotic and criminal idea ever conceived
But my personal opinions on future events
have nothing to do with the political opinions
Of the present President of the executive
power of the Spanish Republic. When we
aot xc11~