CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE FRENCH AND ENGLISH GOVERNMENTS.

No. 1.—Earl Cowley to the Earl of Clarendon.

(Received February 24.) Paris, Feb.23, 1858. My Lord—Count Walewski is very desirous that I should express to your Lord- ship his astonishment and regret at the interpretation put, during the late dis- cussion in the House of Commons, upon certain phrases in his despatch to Count Persigny of the 20th ultimo—astonishment that his meaning could have been mis- understood, and regret that he should be believed, with his knowledge of England, capable of applying as a generality an imputation which the context of his de- spatch ought, he thinks, to have proved could only have been intended for a definite class of strangers. I must, in justice to Count Walewski, add, that in the numerous conversations which I have had with him during the last month, his language has been in entire conformity with the assurances which I have thus the honour to convey to your Lordship on his part. Moreover, his Excellency has evinced so much concern that the deplorable events which have occurred should not interrupt the friendly re- lations which exist between the two countries, that it is not to be supposed he would intentionally have said aught that could be construed into an attack upon the liberties of the British nation.

I have, &c. COWLEY. No. 2.—The Earl of Malmesbury to Earl Cowley.

Foreign Office, March 4.

My Lord—You will take the earliest opportunity of assunng Count Walewski that her Majesty's advisers, on their accession to office, are earnestly desirous of maintaining in their integrity those close and friendly relations which, since the restoration of the Empire, have marked the alliance between France and Great Britain, to the great benefit of both countries. Convinced that these sentiments are shared by the Government of his Imperial Majesty, and that both Governments will concur in the opinion that such friendly relations are best maintained by frank and unreserved intercourse, her Majesty's Government appeal with confidence to that of his Imperial Majesty to aid them in their endeavours to remove some causes of miaapprehension, which, it cannot be denied, have produced, and if suffered to remain unexplained must continue to produce, painful effects, upon the public mind of England. Your Lordship will assure Count Walewski, that her Majesty's Government en- tertain the fullest conviction that his Excellency, in his despatch of the 20th January, written at a moment when the just indignation of France and of the world has been excited by the late atrocious and cowardly attempt upon the life of his Imperial Majesty, and under the impression that the laws of England were in- sufficient to protect his Imperial Majesty against a repetition of such attempts upon the part of foreign refugees resident in Great Britain, had no other intention than that of pointing out to her Majesty's Government what appeared to be a source of danger to France, and inviting their attention to the supposed defect. If such has been from the first the hope of her Majesty's Government, that hope has been completely realized by the full and frank assurances which Count Wa- lewski has spontaneously given, as reported in your despatch of the 23d of Febra- pry, of his astonishment and regret at the interpretation put upon certain phrases in his despatch to Count Persigny on the 20th January, astonishment that his meaning could have been misunderstood, and regret that he should be believed, with his knowledge of England, capable of applying, as a generality, an imputation which the context of his despatch ought, he thinks, to have proved could only have been intended for a definite class of strangers." Though her Majesty's Government have from the first entertained the belief that an erroneous construction had been put on Count Walewski's despatch, they re- ceive with the highest satisfaction the voluntary repudiation, so honourable to his Excellency, of the meaning which he believes to have been attributed to him ; and in the same spirit of candour they desire to call his attention to those expressions which really have produced an unfavourable impression on the public opinion of this country.

Your Lordship will therefore remark to Count Walewski, that his Excellency, in stating that the attempt which has just providentially failed, " like others which have preceded it, was devised in England "—in speaking with reference to the " adeptes de la demagogic " established in England—of " assassination elevated to doctrine, preached openly, practised in repeated attempts "—and in asking " whe- ther the right of asylum should protect such a state of things, or contribute to fa- vour their designs and their plans "—has not unnaturally been understood to imply imputations, not only that the offences enumerated are not recognized as such by the English law, and may be committed with impunity, but that the spirit of English legislation is such as designedly to shelter and screen the offender from punishment.

Her Majesty's Government are persuaded that had Count Walewski known, when his Excellency held with your Lordship the conversation to which I have adverted above, that such construction was put upon certain portions of his despatch of Janu- ary 20, he would have had no difficulty in adding to the assurance then given the further assurance that nothing could have been farther from his intention than to convey an imputation injurious alike to the morality and the honour of the British. nation. All the offences which his Excellency enumerates, on being proved to the satisfaction of a jury, subject the person convicted to the infliction of penalties more or less severe ; and if cases have been brought to the notice of the Government of his Imperial Majesty which may appear to have been overlooked by her Ma- jesty's.Governrnent, it is not to be doubted but that the advisers of her Majesty, in abstaining to prosecute, have been influenced by motives of discretion quite con- sistent with an earnest desire to repress such offences.

Subsequently, however, to the late atrocious attempt, proceedings have been in- stituted in two cases—one for complicity in the late murderous attempt, another for a publication " elevating assassination to doctrine" ; and another similar case is now under the consideration of the Law-officers of the Crown.

It is hoped that these considerations will satisfy Count Walewski, that either his expressions have been greatly misunderstood, or that they have been made under au erroneous apprehension of the state of the law in this country, and that in either case his Excellency will not hesitate, with that frankness which has cha- racterized his conduct, to offer an explanation which cannot fail to remove any ex- isting misconception.

Your Lordship will read this despatch to Count Walewski, and leave a copy with his Excellency.

I am, &c. MALIIES/WHY. No. 3.—Earl Cowley to the Earl of Halmeabury.

(Received March 9.) Paris, March 8, 1858.

My Lord—I waited upon Count Walewski this afternoon, by appointment, and read to him your Lordship's despatch of the 4th instant ; and, in compliance with the instructions contained in it, I left a copy with his Excellency.

Count Walewski said that he received with great pleasure the assurances conveyed in it, that the Government of which your Lordship is a member are earnestly de- sirous of maintaining in their integrity those close and friendly relations which, since the restoration of the Empire, have marked the alliance between France and Great Britain ; that he recognized, in common with your Lordship, the great benefit of a good understanding between the two countries ; and that you would always find him disposed to aid in maintaining it.

With regard to the rest of the despatch, Count Walewski said that he would re- turn an answer to it in a day or two through the Emperor's Ambassador in London ; but that he had no hesitation in stating at once, that nothing could have been further from his intention than to convey, in his despatch of the 20th of January to Count Persigny, any imputation whatever on the morality or honour of the British nation. Nay, he would go further, and assure me that that despatch was written with no other object than to signalize acts and proceedings dangerous to the tran- quillity of France, which the Imperial Government had reason to believe were carry- ing on within the British territories. His Excellency admitted that he had used strong language, but it bad been solely with reference to those acts and proceedings. He had never pointed out, or intended to point out, a remedy for them It was for the English Government and the English nation alone to determine in what manner, and in what measure, a remedy could be applied.

I have, Sze. COWLEY.

No. 4.—The Earl of Malmesintry to Earl Cowley.

Foreign Office, March 9, 1858.

My Lord—I have received your Excellency's despatch of the 8th instant, re- porting the language of Count Walewski on receiving from you a copy of my de- spatch of the 4th instant ; and I have to acquaint your Excellency that her Majesty's Government have observed with great satisfaction the friendly spirit which pervaded his Excellency's remarks, and they feel sure that all the misconception which has prevailed respecting the purport of his previous despatch of the 20th of January will be entirely removed by the answer which Count Walewski leads you to expect will be returned to the communication now made to him. ' I am, &c. MALMESBERY. No. 5.—Count Waleroski to Count Persigny.

(Communicated to the Earl of Malmeabury by Count Persigny, March 12.) (Translation.) Paris, March 11, 1858.

M. le Comte—Lord Cowley. has delivered to me a despatch which has been ad- dressed to him by her Britannic Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, dated the4th of March, and of which you will find a copy annexed hereto. The Government of the Emperor congratulates itself on the friendly dispositions of the new Cabinet, and sees with sincere satisfaction that the present Ministers of the Queen, like their predecessors, are under no misapprehension either as to our intentions, or as to the grave nature of the facts which we have signalized to the Government of her Britannic Majesty. The Government of the Emperor, M. le Comte, flatters itself that, for six years, its whole conduct has precluded the suspicion of its wishing in any way to wound the dignity of the English nation ; and his Majesty thinks that he has seized every opportunity, during peace as well as during war, of drawing closer the bonds be- tween the two people. The Emperor, as you are aware, has always entertained this profound conviction, that the reconciliation of two great nations, after ages of antagonism, could be sincere and lasting only on one condition, namely, that the honour of one should never be sacrificed to the honour of the other.

Such sentiments, attested by the constant acts of the Government of his Majesty, are a sufficient answer to the erroneous interpretations of which our communication of the 20th of January has been the object. Besides, what has happened ? I begged you to signalize to the Government of her Britannic Majesty the existence in London of a sect of foreigners, which, in its publications and its meetings, ele- vates assassination to doctrine, and which in the spate of six years has sent into France not less than eight assassins to strike a blow at the Emperor, as is proved by the declarations of the jury. All these attempts, like that of the 14th January, have found the Emperor im- passive: putting his trust in the protection of Heaven, his Majesty views with profound disdain the attacks which arc directed only at his person ; but the country has shown itself to be deeply moved by them, and as, at the time when I addressed my. despatch to you, no repressive measure had been taken in London, public opinion in France, without taking into account the nature of the institutions of England, or the motives of discretion of which Lord Malmeshury's communica- tion speaks, was astonished that so much audacity should have remained un- punished. Moreover, the character of our proceedings was laid down to you in the clearest manner by the Emperor himself, who wrote to you towards the end of January- " I do not deceive myself as to the little efficacy of the measures which could be taken, but it will still be a friendly act, which will calm much irritation here. Explain our position clearly to the Ministers of the Queen ; it is not now a question of saving my life, it is a question of saving the alliance."

The Emperor, M. le Comte, has never intended to demand the support of foreign

Governments to increase his personal security. A more elevated sentiment, an

interest greater in his eyes, had e guided him—namely, the maintenanei of the good relations existing with the neighbouring states My despatch of the 20th of January had no other object than to signalize a state of things which was to be regretted ; but I carefully abstained from expressing any opinion as to the measures calculated to remedy it ; and I have been unable to un- derstand how certain expressions of that despatch have been so misinterpreted. It is, besides, unnecessary for me to tell you that it never entered my thought to consider English legislation as designedly sheltering the offender, and, to borrow Lord Malmesbury's own words, as screening him from punishment. In giving these assurances to the Principal Secretary of State, you will be so good as to add, that as the intentions of the Emperor have been misapprehended, his Ma- jesty's Government will abstain from continuing a discussion which, by being pro- lenged, might prejudice the dignity and good understanding of the two countries ; and that it appeals, purely and simply, to the loyalty of the English people. I request you to read this despatch to Lord Malmesbury, and to leave with him a copy of it. Receive, &c. A. W.it.rwsm.