| Collection | Victorian Papers, Main Series |
| Description | Referring to a draft received, the Queen thinks it right that England should request information on the points raised by the communications between the two Emperors, but should refrain doing so on the presumption of being invited to ratify the proposed arrangements in a congress, and not on a desire to bend Emperor Napoleon to the fulfillment of his promises to the Italian people. These promises were made to his allies as a belligerent; having remained neutral, England cannot now urge him to carry out hostile intentions on the enemy with whom he has now made peace. The Queen also wonders whether England should strongly condemn that portion of the peace which is known to be peculiarly the Emperor's own, i.e. the confederation of the whole of Italy, by stimatizing it as nullifying all his promises. The Emperor will either have to keep his word to the Emperor of Austria, and be accused of having broken his word to the Italians, or he will have to break his word to the Emperor of Austria in order to satisfy England, and the peace will not be carried out. Either way, England would assume the responsibility for the resulting complications, from which it is currently free. |