Paris, 14th January 1835.
Sia—The Doctrinaires have made a sham movement, of a sham
fight, against—TitE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. They are SO dreadfully unpopular from Dunkirk to Toulon, and from Toulon to the Gulf of Gascony, that they are attempting " to do a bit of courage and are endeavouring to make Europe and the world believe that they will.actually " vindicate the national honour," and redeem France from the ignominious position in which the policy of the last four years have placed her. So the Moniteur of this morning contains the recall of M. SEBRCRIER, the French Minister at Washington, and the offer of pass- ports to the American Minister, Mr. LIVINGSTON, at Paris. Of course Mr. LIVINGSTON has taken the Doctrinaires at their word; and so in a few hours himself and his suite will be on their road to London. If I did not know the Doctrinaires right well, I should call this very serious. But they are such tricksters they are such cowards— and such charlatans — that I look upon all this demonstration as a sort of official pageant, in which each one plays his part, in the hope thereby of deceiving the unwary and misleading the igno- rant. It is undoubtedly true, that the mere fact of America being a great way off, is very much in favour of the Doctrinaires ! Besides this, America is not a power which has recourse to conquest ; it has no idea of establishing European colonies. A commercial war- fare is the utmost, therefore, that can ensue; and this will take sonic time to organize, and its evils will not be immediately felt. So the President's speech has been quite a godsend to the Doctrinaires ; who will be valiant, and national, on very cheap terms ! They just wanted such a lift ; and, with their usual good luck, they have a means afforded them of profaning the words " national honour " and " national pride and sensibility," by taking those terms on their lips ; and svhilst they will please and tickle their friends, who will be sure to say, " Did we not tell you that the Juste Milieu and Doctrinaires would, if necessary, declare war against any power which should offend France ?" On the other hand, these self-same Doctrinaires will make no war at all, but will seek by every means in their power to gain time, delay the ques- tion, and thus save all appearances.
And really after all—supposing the Doctrinaires should make a war, and should carry on a war with America, on account of these claims of the United States upon this country—would it not be a war altogether worthy of them, and of their principles and doctrines? France owes America sonic money. This is just as certain as that France is France and America is America. How much she owes, is not quite as clear; but this quantum meruit can be settled in a few days, if a national commission should be appointed by both Chambers to examine the question. As France owes money, she is bound to pay the money she owes ; and if, instead of a treaty signed secretly between two and three years before it was made known to the French nation,
national, French, popular Government, had conic down with a mes- sage from the Crown to the Houses, praying the Deputies and the Peers to appoint commissions to examine the claims of America and report thereon,—then all this trouble, anxiety, refusal, and ill-humour between two great nations, would have been avoided, and A inerica would have been paid, as she ought to be, what is justly due to her. But instead of this, the treaty was kept a secret fifty months ; France was not consulted; and when consulted, it turns out that the sum de- manded is not to be paid to bond fide claimants, but to a few rich spe- culators, who have bought up, at the lowest prices, the original claimants' demands, and are now trying to make a benefit of 400 or 500 per cent. Thus a war is to be undertaken (if war there is to be) not about any great point of national policy, or any thing involving any principle of vast importance, but about the question of a few millions of francs more or less to be paid by France for indemnities and claims clearly due. Whose fault is this ?—The fault of the Doctrinaires. They signed a treaty, made engagements, and entered into pledges, without paying the smallest attention to the fact that the Chambers in France must first be consulted. They wished to show to this "mere Republican Government" in America, how " Monarchical" Governments in Europe could pay away money as they thought fit ; as now they wish to gratify the Absolute Governments in Europe by showing how little they care for the alliance and friendship of a mere Republican Govern- ment in the New World. The Doctrinaires imagine, that to slight the Government of America—to offer Mr. LIVINGSTON his pass- ports in the presence of the whole world, and to insert that offer in the Moniteur—will gratify not a little this " old " Europe; and they antici- pate many a pressure of the hand and many a smile of approval from the representatives of Austria, Prussia, and Russia, for such truly " Monarchical" conduct. Now all this is what I call tricking; and in the long rein this tricking will not thrive. "But," say the Juste Milieu Deputies this morning, "though we recall our Minister from Washington, and though we give Mr. LIVINGSTON his passports, still we mean to examine the American claims—mean to vote, and mean to pay them." Is this possible ? What ! recall your Minister because America has asked to be paid, and yet admit the next week that she is entitled to the money she claims 7-----Yes, it is pos- sible. This is the Doctrinaire policy. They are to prove their courage, and get a trifling majority in the Chamber of Deputies, by a show of fight and of war—against America! But then, they are to avert a war, by urging that majority to pay the demands of the United States. Into the merits of the claims of the United States I do not enter, because your columns are full of election news and .domestic po- litics but no doubt can be fairly entertained of their Justice. Let President JACKSON, then, remain firm—insist on having all that Ame- rica is entitled to, and not give up the thousandth part of a farthing to the Doctrinaires. I am, Sir, yours obediently, the Doctrinaires. I am, Sir, yours obediently,
0. P. Q.
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