Year: 1864

and pushed you almost to the violation of the
law of nations. Your glory will be to take the
opposite of those violent declarations, of those
tllibustering expeditions of those unscrupulous
ambitions.


The temptations which great army excites
are Of the class most difficult to repress. May
you not hesitate TO reduce your forces after
peace Not only your material prosperity but
your very liberty is Involved in dlsarming In a
reduction of your expenses, and return to the
old idea of small armies and small budgets.


But we do not deceive ourselves. Your small
armies, do what you may, will be large COM
pared with those Of three years ago. Your mil,
itary education is completed you have replied
but TOO well to those who fmiled at the recital
of your battles Of 1861. You have learned but
too quickly to face death, and to kill, and what
you have learned you will not unlearn. You
will not return to your former situation


But while we do not expect again to see your
effective force at ten thousand men, we do hope
that effective orces which are now numbered by
hundreds Of thousands will not long be witnessed
on American soil.


III


Courage You have before you one of the
most noble works, the most sublime which csn
be accomplished here below-a work in the sue,
cess of which we are as Interested as yourselves
"a work the success OF which wi De the honor
aoG the consolation Of our time.


| This generation will have seen nothing more
Grand than the abolition of slavery (in destroy
ing it with you, you destroy it everywhere and
the energetic uprising OF il people which in the
midst OF its growing prosperity was vlsbly sink
/ fIt.., atfrl.f fDaI I,Yeg ~ =.
the completely OF the North, odious laws and
COMPROMISES


! Now, at the cost Of immense sacrifices, you
have stood up against the evil you have chosen
rather to pour out your blood and your dollars
than to descend further he slope Of degradation,
where rich, united, powerful, you were sure to
lose that which is far nobler than wealth, or
union or power.


We'll, Europe begins to understand, willingly
or unwilling ly, wha you have done. In France
in England everywhere, your cause gains ground
and be 1t said for the honor of the nine teenth
century, tha obstacle which our i'll will aud our
evil passions could not overcome, the obs tacle
which the intrgues Of the South could not sur
mount is an idea, principle. Hatred OF sla
very has been your champion IN the old world.
A poor champion seemingly. Laughed al.
scorned, il seems weak and lonely But what
matters it /; ere the account be closed principles
will stand for something, and conscience, 10 all
human affairs, will have the last word
This, gentlemen, is what we would say to you
in the name Of all who with us, and better than
ourselves, defend your cause in Europe. Your
words have cheered Us may ours IN turn cheer
you You have yet to cross many dark valley.
More than once the impoSsibllity of success will
be demonstrated to you more than once, IN the
face Of some military check or political difficulty,
the cry will be raised that all Is lost. What
matters it to you2 Stsengt then your cause daily
by daily making it more just, and fear not
there is a God ABOVE.


We love to contemplate in hope the noble fu-
ture which seems to stretch itself before you.
The day you emerge at last from the anguish oil
civil war-and you will surely come out freed
from the odious institution which corrupted
your public manners and degraded your domes
tic as we'll as your foreign policy-that day youi
whole country, South as well as North, and the
South perhaps more fully than the North, will
enter upon a wholly new prosperity. European
emigration will hasten toward your ports, and
will learn the road TO those whom until now it
has feared to approach. Cultivation now aban.
doned will renew Its yield. Liberty-for these
are her miIacles-will reyiyiiy by her touch the
soil which slavery had rendered barren.


Then will there be born unto you greatness
nobler and more stable than the old, for in this
greatness there will be no sacrifice of justice.


AsENoR DE GAsPARIN,


AUGusTIN COCHIN,


EDoUARp LABoULAYE, Member


of the Institute Of France


HENRI MARTIN.
Paris, October 81, 1868