074 
confidential interview with the per- 
sons who may be entrusted with the 
principal direction of affairs, you 
will communicate to them a copy of 
the nofe Verbale- which I delivered to 
M. Otto, -aiid which is herewith in- 
closéd ; ana you will take every op- 
portunity of ‘impressing upon their 
minds the deep interest which his 
mhajesty takes in the success of their 
exertions. You will state to them, 
that lis majesty cntertains hopes 
that his representation to the French 
government may have the effect of 
inducing the first consul to abandon 
his intention of compelling the Swiss 
nation by force to renounce that 
system of government under which 
they had so long prospered, and to 
which they appear to be almost una- 
tiimously “anxious to return. In 
this event his majesty will feel him- 
self bound to abstain from all inter- 
ference on his part; it being his 
carnest desire that the Swiss nation 
should be left at liberty to regulate 
their own internal concerns, with- 
out the interposition of any foreign 
power. If, however, contrary to 
his majesty’s expectations, the French 
government should persist in the 
system of coercion announced in the 
proclamation of the first consul, in- 
serted in the Moniteur of the Ist 
instant, you will, in that case, in- 
form yourself, by every means in 
your power, of the disposition of 
the people at large of the Swiss con- 
federacy, and particularly of those 
who have the direction of their at- 
fairs, and of those who possess the 
greatest share of influence amongst 
them, to persevere in the defence 
of their rights, and in the mainte- 
nance of the system they have adopt- 
ed. You will likewise enquire into 
the means of defence of which they 
may be possessed, and of the pro- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1863. 
bability of their being exerted with 
success. You will on no account 
encourage them to persevere in ac- 
tive measures of resistance which 
they aye not themselves desirous to 
adopt, or which they may believe 
are unlikely to ke ultimately effec- 
tudl. If, however, you should find 
that the people of the Swiss confe- 
deracy are generally determined to 
persevere in the maintenance of their 
independence, and of their right to 
return to their ancient system of go- — 
vernment: and if you should be of 
opinion that, from the union that 
subsists amongst the people, and’ 
from their zeal and enthusiasm in’ 
the cause in which they are engaged, | 
they are finally resolved, at all 
hazards, to resist the threatened at-- 
tempt of the French government to’ 
interpose, by force of arms, in the’ 
settlement of their internal concerns ; 
you will then immediately commu- 
nicate, in confidence, to the Swiss 
government, that, either in the event 
of a French army having entered 
the country, or in the event of your 
having reason to be convinced that 
a French army is actually advancing 
for that purpose, his majesty has 
authorised you to accede to their 
application for pecuniary succours, 
[ have furnished you with a cy- 
pher and decypher, that you may 
have it in your power to correspond 
with his majesty’s ministers at Vien- 
na and Munich, if you should think 
it advisable ; and as it is highly pro- 
bable that the armies of the Swiss 
confederacy may be inadequately 
supplied with arms, ammunition, or 
provisions, and may be desirous of 
procuring supplies thereof from the 
neighbouring countries, you will 
use your utmost endeavours to give 
them every facility for this purpose. 
You will be very particular in in- 
forming 
