PROJETS DE PARTAGE DE LA BELGIQUE
(Pages 159 et 173.)
Lord Palmerston au vicomte Granville, à Paris.
(Extrait.)
« 13avrill831.
« Maherly (') also told me - lhat which you will
do well to communicate in confidence to Périer, but not to Sébasliani — that there was over hère, a little time ago, an agent of Soult, sent ostensibly to buy horses and equipments; but the agent, having got introduced to Maberly in the way of business, became too open to him upon politics — said lhat Soult was delermincd to gel possession of Iielgium ;
(') Membre du parlement pour Abingclon.
that France, howevcr, was not prepared to engage in a naval war with England, and was consequcnlly most anxious to detach us from the otlier four powers, and lo persuade us to consent to the views of France. That for this purpose they would offer us Antwerp and Ostcncl, and would make any arrangement almost that would be agreeable to us, but consistent with their views; that Soult, and thosc who acted with him, who, however, were not named, had not confidence in Talleyrnnd, and could not employ him in the négociation (') ; but if Maberly could sound the governmenl, and should find that we were disposed to listento such propositions, Soull would send over a confidcntial agcnl hère, by whose means the affair might be selllcd without the conférence knowing anything aboul it. Maberly said he told this person that thèse were matters he had nolhing to do with ; and he did not suppose that the governmcnt would be at ail inclined to enter into such a negotiation; but (liât, neverthcless, he should mention the matter to me whenever lie had an opportunily; and in the mean while the agent is gone back to France.
" My answer lo Maberly of course was, that if the man came to him again, lie should tell him that he was sure that any such proposition would be pcremptorily rejected. But it is right, I Ihink , that Périer should be awarc what sort of colleagues lie bas, and the manner in which they create distrust in the sincerity of the french government... »
(') Le maréchal Soult se défiant de Talleyrand ! Et cependant l'un et l'autre convoitaient la même proie! Mais sans doute que le vieux guerrier ne voulait pas céder au diplomate émérite l'honneur de la curée.
APPENDICE
Le même au même.
(Extrait.)
« Foreign-Oiïice, 12 août 1831.
« ... I think it right tolose no time in communicating to you a conversation which took place to-day betweenTalIeyrand and Bulow, and which was related to me immediately, in confidence, by the latter, because it is highly important in the présent state of things that you should be aware of it. We had a conférence hère to-day.... Talleyrand came first, and after him Bulow, bolli beingin the red waiting-room till the rest should arrive. Talleyrand immediately began about Belgium, and said to Bulow that that country could not go on as it was ; that Lcopold is a poor créature and unfit to be a king; the Belgians a set of cowardly vagabonds, unworthy to be independent ; that we hâve got inlo a difficulty that threatens to upseteither the French or theenglish ministry; that if the french troops retire, there is and end of Périer; and if they do not, the english governmenl musl fall ; that there is but one solution of thèse difïiculties, and that is a partition ; that if France, Prussia and Holland united, the thing would be simple, and England must be contented with the makingof Antwerp a free port. He dwelt at some length upon this, lus old and favourite project, till their conversation was interrupted by the arrivai of the other plenipotentiaries.... »
Le même au même.
(Extrait.)
« 2G août 1851.
« Talleyrand lias for some time past been preaching to ail who would liston to him the necessity of partitioning Belgium, and sending Leopold to Claremont, unless he werc grand duke of Luxembourg; and he put up Alexander Baring the other day to broach this doctrine in the House of Commons... »
(The lifeoflord Palmerston, t. If, pp. 66 et suiv.)
