Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1873-02-01
SEWARD AND NAPOLEON. o..
An Unwrlten Chopter OF the Rebellion.

! SEWARD AND NAPOLEON. a. q.
| An Unwrlten Chopter OF ths Rebellion.
lSan Francisco Bulletin.l
The death of the ex-Emperor Na-
poleon recalls m incident of the great
Southern rebellion which has not hither-
10 been made public. It is we'll known
that the late Emperor of the French
was an active and earnest sympathizer
with the South; that more than once
he seriously medAated material inter-
vention in its behalf; that the invasion
of Mexico and the enthronement of
Maximilian in the seat of the Montezu-
mas was a part of deliberate plot to
break up the American Union. But to
what lengths he proceeded-how resol-
utely determined he was to carry his
full design into execution-has never
been fully known outside of narrow
official circle. The story of his pur-
pose is short but suggestive, and was
told by Seward to a few personal friends
ut q dinner party, amony whom was
the writer of this article. No one who
was present will ever forget the intense
earnestness and animation of the great
statesman, as he related the momen-
tous incident. The exact words, SO
pregnant with eloquent meaning-so
solemn and impassioned-we cannot in
every instance reproduce, but the gen.
eral import is given below:
cit was," said Seward, "in the
darkest days of the rebellion. Disas-
ter upon disaster had befallen the I'm
ion armies. Treason was active and
bold-fronted at Washington, in the
North and IN the West. Rebel emissa-
ries and their allies were plotting against
us over the Canadian border. Our for
eiSn relations were most critical. Reb-
ell cruisers were being fitted ont in
British ports and sent to prey upon our
commerce; Germany was coldly nell
tral; the smaller European States were
Indifferent spectators of the conflict;
Russia was the only friend we had
among the powers of the earth.
In this desperate emergency re-
ceived an autograph letter from the
Emperor of the French. 1t was mark
ed private and confidential. It be-
gan with expressions of personal re-
gard for myself, and pain at the specta-
Gle of the great Republic in the throes
of dissolution. Personally said Ma
pollen, Il could wish the cause of the
Union to succeed. But the welfare of
France and the force in popular opin-
ion are paramount to individual sym
pathies. Our commercial interests are
seriously suffering from the prolonga-
ton of your war. My subjects appeal
to me to arrest the bloody conflict. I
must obey the voice of France at what
ever cost. You cannot put down the
rebellion; embrace the earliest opport-
unity to make terms with the South. If
you fail to do this, I shall feel COM
plleded, in the interests of my country
i'm the interests of civilization-to
intervene with all the power at my
command
ct answered Napoleon's insulting
letter Immediately. I did not waste
words in compliments. I said This
is family quarrel. We propose to
settle it in our way and in our own
time. We do not wish the assistance
of outsiders; we will not book inter-
ference. The American Union is to
be preserved. 1t shall be preserved #
it takes twenty years to do it. The
war is hardly commenced yet; the peo-
pie are just beginning to warm to the
work. We wish to be on good terms
with our neighbors-we wish especially
to be on good terms with France, our
ancient friend and ally. But you must
keep hands off. If you presume to in
terfere, we will show you what free
people battling for national existence
are capable of. Hitherto we have con-
Quoted the war humanely, in accord
ance with the codes that govern the
most Christian States. Interference
on your part will be the signal for a war
of conquest and destruction. We will
free the negroes; we will put arms in
their hands and send them forth to
ravage and plunder. We will make
the South q waste and desolation.
Raise hand against us, and horrors
worse than those of San Domingo will
be seen from one end of the South to
the other. r
"The letter was sent by the first
steamer. The same day 1 telegraphed
to Thurlow Weed, Archbishop Hughes
and Bishop Simpson to meet me at the
Astor House the morning following.
That evening I left for New York and
explained to those eminent 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 class
es 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 journey,
reached EuDpe at an opportune mo-
ment Mason and Slidell had just been
seized and England was in whitehead
of ragel and did much toward convinc-
ino EurOne that the proper thinr and