Year: 1867




II has been for some time no secret that the
relations between Macmillan of Mexico and
Louis Napoleon had altogether ceased to be
friendly. Macmillan had been selected by
Louis NAPOLEON as q tool for carrying out what
he regarded as one of the very best Napoleonlc
ideas, the restoration of mOnarchism in Latin
America. Long did the French Emperor refuse
to admit that the Mexican expedition, instead
of being the brightest page in the history
of his rule was a miserable failure but when
at length further denial of its failure became
impossible, the modification felt by the Emperor
turned TO a large extent against the unsuccess-
full agent who had been selected to carry out
the plan. The diplomatic correspondence on
Mexico between the Governments of France
and the United States was full of hints at
which Maximilian must have felt profoundly
indignant; and if the repeated and concurrent
reports from many generally well-lntormed
Mexican correspondents deserve any credit
Marshal Bazaine has of late used to Maximil-
ian a tone of outrageous arrogance The
latest instances Of this kind are referred to In
the Mexican dispatches in this mornings issue.


1t was not TO be expected that Maxlmilian
should tacitly submit to this dOmineering con-
duct. We have repeatedly had indications that
Macmillan either had given or would give
vent to the feelings which the conduct of the
French Emperor could not fail to produce.
But the most important statement which we
have as yet had of his feeling toward France,
is an account given by The London Times of a
circular which the Imperial Government OF
Mexico is said to have addressed to its dipo-
matte agents abroad. The statement OF Ihe
Times, which we give in full in another column,
charges Louis Napoleon with having withheld
from Macmillan that moral support which the
latter had q right to expect. The issue OF such
a circular had been mentioned before III our
reports from Mexico, but the account III Ihe
Times is the fullest which has yet been given.
How far this correspondent had the means to
acouaint himself with the contents OF the cir
cular. we do not know, but there fare strong
reasons for supposing that documents of this
kind have been issued from the lmperialist
Government of Mexico, and that Macmillan
conempates the publication of other docu-
ments which will be anything but pleasing to
Lous Napoleon.


Maximilian has very good reasons for COM
planning of the duplicity of Louis Napoleon,
but the latter is undoubtedly right when he
identifies the Withdrawal of the French troops
with the collapse of the Imperial rule in Mexico.
The dispatches which we publish this morning
leave no doubt that the last days of Mexican
Imperialism are rapidly approaching. Alvarez is
in the vicinity of the City of Mexico and either
he or PorfiriO Diaz is likely to occupy 1t
Immediately after the departure of the last
French troops, which was to take place ycster-
day. We may have few more sensation dis
patches about pretended victories of the
Impcriast armies; but there is no risk, we
believe, in predicting that if the Mexican En-
pire should at all survive the embarkation of
the French troops, its further existence will be
measured not by months but by days.