ti a ees 
4 
STATE PAPERS. 
ment had retired from Berne to Ti. 
sanne, the partizans of the ancient 
federative system of the Swiss can- 
tons, who established immediately 
in the former city a provisional go- 
yernment, deputed a confidential to 
Paris, for the purpose ef counter- 
acting the measures of M. Stapfer, 
and of engaging the first consul to 
suffer the inhabitants of Switzerland 
to settle their affairs amongst’ them- 
selves. He was instructed in any 
emergency to address himself to the 
ministers here of the principal powers 
of Europe, and to solicit their inter- 
ference and assistance in the objects 
of his mission. He reached Paris 
four days ago, and had reason to 
flatter himself, from the result of an 
interview which he had immediately 
with M. Talleyrand, that the first 
consul would put no obstacle in the 
way of any arrangement which the 
Swiss might agree upon among them- 
selves for the final settlement of their 
government ; he was therefore much 
surprised to learn, soon afterwards, 
that a change had taken place in the 
first consul’s sentiments, and his 
astonishment was completed when 
he found that the latter had taken 
so decided and so unfavourable a 
part in the business as that which is 
announced by a resolution published 
in yesterday’s Moniteur, (which I 
have the honour to transmit en- 
closed,) in the form of an address 
to the inhabitants of Switzerland. 
This person having, besides this pub- 
lic declaration, aéquited some pri- 
vate information of its being the 
first consul’s intention to give the 
most immediate and vigorous effect 
to it, lost no time in addressing a 
letter to the latter, in which he took 
the liberty of stating that he must 
have been deceived by false repre- 
sentations, that his interference in 
3 
671 
the affairs of Switzerland was, as he 
was authorised to say, entirely un- 
solicited by the majority and the best 
thinking part of the inhabitants, and 
that he had therefore to entreat of 
him, in the most earnest manner, to 
suspend the execution of his resolu- 
tion until those explanations could 
take place which he trusted might be 
the means of preventing the immense 
effusion of blood which would other- 
wise inevitably ensue. He at the 
same time addressed himself, in the 
course of yesterday, to me, as well 
as to the Austrian and Spanish am- 
bassadors, and to the Russian and 
Prussian ministers, (not having gain- 
ed admittance to M. de Cobenzel, 
nor to M. de Markoff or Lucchesini, 
he afterwards wrote to them,) soli- 
citing, in the strongest terms, an in- 
terference (jointly, if possible) on 
their part, with the French govern- 
ment, to endeavour to avert the im- 
pending evil. I naturally observed 
to him, in answer, that the present 
state of political relations between 
the great powers of Europe afforded 
no prospect of his obtaining of their 
ministers at Paris to adopt a con- 
certed measure in favour of the ob- 
ject which he had so much at heart, 
and that of course I could not take 
it individually upon myself, without 
any express instruction from my go- 
vernment. He returned to me, to- 
day, to acquaint me that he was not 
only as yet without a reply from 
any quarter, but had reason to fear 
that his prayers would not be listened 
to by the, Austrian, Russian, and 
Prussian ministers ; he therefore con- 
jured me to transmit them to his ma- 
Jesty’s government, from whom only 
his countrymen could have a hope of 
deriving any assistance in the terrible 
conflict which he knew they were de- 
termined to stand, and which would 
only 
