DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE. 



DOST MOHAMMED, KHAN. 355 



cerning the Emperor's intentions, are entirely satis- 

 factory, if we are permitted to assume them as having 

 been authorized to be made by the Emperor in view 

 of the present condition of aftairs in Mexico. It is 

 true, as I have before remarked, that the Emperor's 

 purposes may hereafter change with changing circum- 

 stances. We, ourselves, however, are not unobservant 

 of the progress of events at home and abroad ; and in 

 no case are we likely to neglect such provision for our 

 own safety as every sovereign state must always be 

 prepared to fall back upon when nations with which 

 they have lived in friendship cease to respect their 

 moral and treaty obligations. Your own discretion 

 will be your guide as to how far and in what way the 

 public interests will be promoted, by submitting these 

 views to the consideration of M. Drouyn de 1'Huys. 

 I am, sir. your obedient servant, 



WILLIAM H. SEWARD. 

 WILLIAM L. DAYTON, Esq., &c., &c. 



On the 9th of October, Mr. Dayton reports 

 his communication of the views expressed in 

 the preceding letter, to the French minister 

 M. Drouyn de 1'Huys, as follows: 



I brought out your views, however, in the course of 

 a general conversation about Mexican affairs. I asked 

 of M. Drouyn de 1'Huys what character of test was 

 to be adopted, with a view to learn the wishes of that 

 country (Mexico) as to its form of Government. He 

 said that the vote of the entire country, and of all its 

 departments, whether the French were or were not in 

 their possession, would be taken, and if upon its reg- 

 istries it should appear that a large majority of the 

 whole population (Spanish and Indian) were favorable 

 to a monarchical form of Government, he supposed 

 that would be sufficient. He thought there would be 

 no difficulty in applying this test, and showing a large 

 numerical majority in favor of the archduke, and that 

 form of Government. 



M. Drouyn de 1'Huys went on to say, that the dan- 

 gers of the Government of the archduke would come 

 principally from the United States, and the sooner we 

 showed ourselves satisfied, and manifested a willing- 

 ness to enter into peaceful relations with that Govern- 

 ment, the sooner would France be ready to leave Mex- 

 ico and the new Government to take care of itself, 

 which France would, in any event, do as soon as it 

 could ; but that it would not lead or tempt the arch- 

 duke into difficulty, and then desert him before his 

 Government was settled. He added, that France could 

 not do that. He said, that the early acknowledgment 

 of that Government by the United States would tend 

 to shorten, or perhaps, he said, to end all the trouble- 

 some complications of France in that country; that 

 they would thereupon quit Mexico. 



* * * * * * 



I told him that, without having any authority from my 

 Government to say so, I should scarcely suppose that 

 France, under the circumstances, would expect the 

 United States to make haste to acknowledge a new 

 monarchy in Mexico, but I would report his views to 

 the Government at home ; not suggesting, however, 

 that any answer would be given. In the course of 

 conversation, he took occasion again to repeat, volun- 

 tarily, their disclaimer of any purpose to interfere with 

 Texas, or to make or to seek any permanent interest or 

 control in Mexico. 



On the 23d of Octoher, Mr. Seward writes 

 to Mr. Dayton acknowledging the receipt of 

 his despatch, and saying: 



SIR : I have the honor to acknowledge the reception 

 of your despatch of the 9th instant (No. 361), which 

 brings me the views expressed by M. Drouyn de 1'Huys 

 concerning the situation in Mexico. Various considera- 

 tions have induced the President to avoid taking any 

 part in the speculative debates bearing on that situa- 

 tion which have been carried on in the capitals of Eu- 

 rope as well as in those of America. A determination 



err on the side of strict neutrality, if we err at all, 



in a war which is carried on between two nations, with 

 which the United States are maintaining relations of 

 amity and friendship, was prominent among the con- 

 siderations to which I have thus referred. 



The United States, nevertheless, when invited by 

 France or Mexico, cannot omit to express themselves 

 with perfect frankness upon new incidents, as they 

 occur, in the progress of that war. M. Drouyn de 

 1'Huys now speaks of an election which he expects to 

 be held in Mexico, and to result in the choice of his 

 Imperial Highness the Prince Maximilian of Austria 

 to DC Emperor of Mexico. We learn from other 

 sources that the prince has declared his willingness to 

 accept an imperial throne in Mexico on three condi- 

 tions, namely : first, that he shall be called to it by the 

 universal suffrage of the Mexican nation ; secondly, 

 that he shall receive indispensable guarantees for the 

 integrity and independence of the proposed empire; 

 and thirdly, that the head of his family, the Emperor 

 of Austria, shall acquiesce. 



Referring to these facts, M. Drouyn de 1'Huys in- 

 timates that an early acknowledgment of the proposed 

 empire by the United States would be convenient to 

 France, by relieving her, sooner than might be possi- 

 ble under other circumstances, from her troublesome 

 complications in Mexico. 



Happily the French Government has not been left 

 uninformed that, in the opinion of the United States, 

 the permanent establishment of a foreign and monar- 

 chical Government in Mexico will be found neither 

 easy nor desirable. You will inform M. Drouyn de 

 1'Huys that this opinion remains unchanged. On the 

 other hand, the United States cannot anticipate the ac- 

 tion of the people of Mexico, nor have they the least 

 purpose or desire to interfere with their proceedings, 

 or control or interfere with their free choice, or disturb 

 them in the enjoyment of whatever institutions of 

 Government they may, in the exercise of an absolute 

 freedom, establish. It is proper, also, that M. Drouyn 

 de 1'Huys should be informed that the United States 

 continue to regard Mexico as the theatre of a war 

 which has not yet ended in the subversion of the Gov- 

 ernment long existing there, with which the United 

 States remain in the relation of peace and sincere 

 friendship ; and that, for this reason, the United States 

 are not now at liberty to consider the question of rec- 

 ognizing a Government which, in the further chances 

 of war, may come into its place. The United States, 

 consistently with their principles, can do no otherwise 

 than leave the destinies of Mexico in the keeping of 

 her own people, and recognize their sovereignty and 

 independence in whatever form they themselves shall 

 choose that, this sovereignty and independence shall 

 be manifested. I am. sir, your obedient servant, 



WILLIAM H. SEWARD. 



WILLIAM L. DAYTON, Esq., &c., &c., &c. 



The correspondence with other countries, 

 when important, is noticed in the articles else- 

 where on those countries. 



DOST MOHAMMED, KI*AN, emir of Cabul, 

 born in the country of the Barekzais, about 

 1785, died under the walls of Herat in May, 

 1863. The vicissitudes of his career have been 

 rarely equalled except in oriental countries, 

 where the sovereign of to-day may be a wan- 

 dering refugee to-morrow. The tribe of the 

 Barekzais have been for a long period the lar- 

 gest and most prominent of the Tartar hordes 

 which occupy the western portion of Central 

 Asia, and its chiefs have borne a conspicuous 

 part in the government of that region, and the 

 control of the successive empires which have 

 risen and fallen there within the past three or 

 four centuries. In l738-'9, Nadir Shah, the 

 most enterprising and energetic of the Persian 

 monarchs in modern times, had conquered Af- 



