The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-02-13
VOLUME 25-NUMBER Is.
from the san Francisco Bulletin, jan H..
Seward and NapOleOn-An UnEritten
Chapter OF the Rebellion.

seward and NapOleOn-An JnEFitten
Chapter OF the Rebellion.
The death Of the ex-Emperor Ma
pOleon recalls an incident Of the great
southern rebellion which has not
hitherto been made public. IL is well
known that the late Emperor Of the
French was an active and earnest
sympathiZer with the south that
more than once he seriously medita-
ted material intervention in its be-
half that the invasion Of Mexico and
the enthrOnement Of Maximilian in
the seat of the MOnteZumas was a
part of a deliberate plot to break up
the American Union. But 10 what
lengths he proceeded how reSOlutely
determined he was to carry his full
design into eXecutiOn-has never been
fully known outside Of narrow Off
cial circle. The story Of his purpose
is short but suggestive, and was told
by Mr.. Seward 10 few personal
friends at a dinner party, among
whom was the writer Of this article.
No one who was present will eyer for
get the intense esTnestness and ami
nation Ofthe great statesman as he
related the mOmentous incident. The
exact words 50 pregnant with eloquent
meaning-sO solemn and impaSslOned
we cannot in every instance repro
duce, but the general import is given
below
''It was, - said Mr.. Seward, sin the
darkest days Of the rebellion. Disas-
ter upon disaster had befslIen
the Union armies. Treason was ac-
tive and bOld-frOnted at Washington,
in the North and the West. Rebel
emissaries aud their allies were plot
I ting against US over the Canadian
border. Our foreign relations were
most critical. Rebel cruisers were be-
ing fitted out in British ports and sent
to prey upon our commerce Ger
many was eOldly neutral the small
er European states were Indifferent
spectators of the conflict; Russia wss
the only friend we had among the
, powers of the earth
''In this desperate emergency | re-
| ceiyed an autograph letter from the
Emperor of the French. It was
marked private and confidential Ii
began with expressions of personal re-
gard for myself, and pain at the spec
tacle of the great republic i'm the
thrOes of dissolution. Personally, "
said Napoleon, AZ could wish the
cause of the Union to succeed. But
the welfare Of France and the force of
popular opinion are paramount To ill.,
dividual SympathieS. Our CONNER
I cial interests are seriously suffering
I from the prOlOngatiOn of your war.
Nv Suij 'ts appeal To me To arrest
-.--..N ..., .. J INST obey the
v..,y- 90 Franz at Whatever cost.
} You canHO, pat ,.u.,I the rebellion;
embrace the earliest opportunity to
make terms with the South. If you
fail To do this, / shall feel compelled,
in the Interests of civiliZatiOn-tO in
tervene with :tlI the power at my
command
'I answered NapOleOn's insulting
letter immtuIIirly. ] did not waste
/ words in compliments. | said This
is family quarrel. We propose to
settle it in our own way and in our own
time. We do not wish the assistance
of outsiders we will not brook inter
. ference. The American Union is to
/ be preserved. It shall be preserved if
I il takes twenty ears to DO il. The
D y
I people are Just beginning to warm to
: the work. We wish to be on good
! terms with our neighbOTs-We wish
to be on good terms with France, our
ancient ally. But you must keep
hands off. If you presume to inter-
fere, we will SHOW you what free
/ people batting for national existence
are capable of. Hitherto we have
/ conducted the war humanely, in ac-
cordance with the codes that govern
| the most Christian States. Interfer-
ence on your part will be the signal
[ for q war of conquest and dest tIuetiOn.
/ We will free the negroes ; we will put
arms in their hands, aud send them
forth to ravage and plumber. We will
make the South q waste and desOla-
ton Raise hand againt us, and
/ horrors worse than those of San Do
mingO will be seen from one end OF
I the South to the other.
The letter was sent by the first
steamer. The same day telegraphed
to ThurlOw Weed, Archbishop
Hughes and Bishop Simpson to meet
me at the AstOr House the following
nnrnipO. That evening ] iaft fN'
! New York and explained to these en-
inent gentlemen the objects OF the
conference and the new danger that
/ threatened the Union cause. I told
them that they must at once go to
Europe to labor unOfIicially with the
/ Government and ruling classes in
England and on the Continent, to
/ represent the wickedness, danger and
folly of foreign interference. In less
than a week they were on their jour
Rey, reached Europe at a most OpDOr-
tune moment Mason and Slidell
has just been seized, England was in
a white heat Of rage and did much
toward convincing Europe that the
proper thing and the only thing to 10
, was To leave rs alone. And the mis-
sion cost the government less than
seven tho I5and dollars