Year: 1866

and natural, but which he expressed in a man
ner that certainly was not judiciOue or praise
worthy. He applied to the Federal Council the
chief executive authority of the Swiss republic,
complained Of the article, and asked tor redress
of some kind.


The Federal Council replied, according to the
report we have seen, just as the executive body
OF any free country must reply. The Council
declared that IL fully shared Mr.. Harris iDdig-
nation, but that the mode OF Furnishing news
paper Tor libel was clearly laid down in the
Swiss code OF laws, and II could only refer Mr..
Harris to the ordinary tribunals OF the country
II ne desired to obtain redress. Indeed, one can
hardly understand how the representative of a
free monarchy residing in the capital of free
republic could possibly have thought OF any
other course OF proceeding, If any proceeding
were necessary.


Were the grossest libel against the Emperor of
the French to appear tomorrow in an English
newspaper-and very gross libels against the
Emperor and against the Empress too have
often appeared In some of our papers-the Eng
lish Government, If applied to by the French
Am bassador, could only give just the same an
swer which Mr.. Harris has received from the
authorities of the Swiss Republic:-"There are
the courts of law; they are open to you as to
us; we have no power to control them or their
decisions, or to assume their functions, any
more than you have" 1t seems strange, indeed,
that an English Minister should place himself
in position to require and receive such an
answer.


Those who read the Paris letters of continental
papers are well aware of the ridiculous and
scandalous rubbish which fills up too many of
them. II is nearly all scandal about emperors,
kings princes, and princesses The secret
doings, the private conversations-nay, the very
purposes - of these illustrous persons are
described to the public with whatever fulness
and minuteness of detail the imagination Of the
correspondent can reach to. We must say that
Queen Victoria generally, though not always
gets off unscathed. The Emperor and the En-
press of the French, the King of Italy, the Pope
and the House of Romanof, are the chief themes
of scandal. Can anything be more foolish than
to make such trash the subject of diplomatic
remonstrance? No one minds it; public opinion
is in way affected by it; and even il any effect
were produced, we really cannot help it.


1t is certainly not so cruel a grievance that il
is worth our endeavoring TO tamper with the
free institutions of a friendly and gallant
people in order to get rid OF it. MIR. Harris, if
he leads the English papers at all, must see in
some OF them, once a week OF least, some
scandal about the imperial family of France,
which must assuredly be hurtful to the feelings
OF many Frenchmen in England All this sort
OF thing is dseracetul, and we are bound to say
caiumny heaped upon her as English journals
have, from time to time, poured out upon the
Empress of the French.


But we know what would be said to the
French Ambassador If he called upon the
English Government to lntorlere in the case of
any of the offending journals, and we know
what would be thought of his discretion and
judgment if he set about solemn proeeou.ion L..
a court of law. Queen Victoria and her people
are alike indifferent to the imputation of the
Lausanne Gazette, and we cannots think tnat
either will feel much obliged to Mr.. Harris il he
really has taken the unwise and extraordinary
course which so many reports ascribe 10 him.