DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE.                      117 
pernal royal government. Offence might be given to France should her fatal

present be refused, while acceptance can bring no possible good to Austria.

Timeo Dauaoefetiam donq ferentes" is, I suspect, the secret thought
of the 
government. 
I have the honor to remain, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
J. LOTHROP MKOTLEY. 
Hon. WILLIAM H. SEWARD, 
Secretary of State, Washington, D C. 
Mr. Motley to Mr. Seward. 
No. 36.]           LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 
Vienna, October 5, 1863. 
SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch, No. 
41, of date September 11, marked ednfidential,.in which information is con-

veyed to me as to the attitude of the United States government in regard

to the war now existing between the empire of France and the republic of

Mexico. 
I understand from the tatter portion of the despatch that the representatives

of the United States abroad are instructed not to engage in the political
de- 
bates which the present unsettled aspect of the war in Mexico has elicited.

Hitherto I have occasionally deemed it my duty, in my private and unofficial

capacity, to give expression to the almost universal American sentiment as
to 
the events inquestion, and as to the misfortunes which have come upon a 
republic, our nearest neighbor, through the invasion of a distant and powerful

nation. Of course, I have never engaged in any political debates, as I am
fully 
aware that the United States government has never, directly or indirectly,
au- 
thorized me to that effect. 
I have thought, however, that it might be useful for the department to be

informed, from time to time, of what might transpire as to the candidacy
of 
the Archduke Maximilian for the throne which it is proposed to erect in 
Mexico, or in that part of the republic which has been subdued by the armies

of the French Emperor. 
I regret that my last despatch, No. 35, conveyed incorrect information. Al-

though I stated that the source of that information was not official, nor
such as 
I could vouch for, while I relied myself on its correctness, yet I should
not 
have transmitted it at all, except for strong reasons for my faith not now
neces- 
sary to indicate, 
At any rate, unless there has been some sudden change in the plans of the

archduke, which I have no reason to suppose, it is obvious that the informa-

tion was erroneous; for it now appears from the answer of his Imperial Highness

to the deputation of "notables," a translation of which is herewith
transmitted, 
that his ultimate acceptance of the offered crown is very problematical.
The 
conditions laid down are such as have been intitnated in all my previous
de- 
spatches, excepting No. 35, and would seem very difficult of fulfilment.
One would 
suppose, for instance, although it is not distinctly stated, that among the
guar- 
antees, that.of England would be included, ,ad it is difficult to imagine
that 
this could be obtained. 
* As to Poland, and the probable results of the insurrection there, I see
no 
reason to change the opinion hitherto expressed in this correspondence. A
con- 
tinuation of epistolary polemics between the three powers on due side and
Rus- 
sia on the other, would seem impossible after the last note from St. Petersburg,