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inevitably involve our country in disgraee. 37> They regard the movement, merely es a politicai scheme devised for the purpose of expelling the administration from power, and it has had no other effect tham that of lowering excessively the standard of genuine patriotism, for which they had conceived our citizens so highly distinguished. The other portions of the Message, in which the President shows that our commerce, agrìculture, manufactures and other resources have been attended hy unprecedented success and prosperity, notwithstanding the foreign war in which we have been engaged, excites malversai wonder and admiration.
The Duchess of Parma, Maria Louisa, consort of Napoleon, and. former Empress of France died at her residence in the dnchy of Parma, on the 17th Ulto. Her reniairjis are in contee of transportation for interment in this city, hut have not <as yet arrived.
The late Duke of Locca, has agreably to the terms of the treaty of Vienna taken possession of the Dnchy of Parma. The proclamation issued by him, on his installation, and in which he avows bis opposition to change and Ms determination to sustain the insti tutions of his predecessor, has given hut little satisfaction to bis new subjects, since like the other inhabitants of Italy, they have become of late, the zealous advocates of reforni.
At the Diet in Hungary stili aitting, the session is quite a strormy one. The party in opposition to the government hold the superiority both in talent and numbers. They have refused even to vote the usuai address to the throne, but the length of this despatch, already, will prevent me from going farther at present into the details of their proceedings, and I shall reserve them for a future occasion.
The health of His Highness Prince Metternich, I regret to inforni you, is unusually feeble this winter. He stili however continues to discharge his officiai duties, but has been obliged to dispense with his entertainments and curtail his reception*, and it is the opinion of those most dosely comnected with him, that he is obviously failing under the weigbt of business and of years.
No. 22 Legation of the U. States
Vienna, Fehruaiy loth, 1848
Sir
In the Hungarian Diet, stili sitting, after a debate of six days, the address proposed by M. de Kossuth, **) deputy for the comitat of Pesth, and leader of the opposition, was carried; whilst that offered by Conni; Szecheny,39) the
37) Il 13 novembre 1847, Henry Clay (1777-1852), del Kentucky, già segretario di Stato, e spesso candidato per la nomina presidenziale da parte del partito xvhìg, espose in un discorso la sua forte opposizione all'annessione di qualunque territorio messicano; cfcr. JOHN H. SCRROEOER, Mr. PoWs War: American Opposition and Dissent, 1846-1848, Madison, 1973, pp. 139-141.
3) Lajos Kossuth (1802-1894) era il capo dell'opposizione ungherese alla Dieta dei 1847-1848.
39) Il conte Istvàn Széchcnyi (1791-1860), sebbene non fosse capo del partito al governo, nel 1846 aveva accettato una posizione nel governo regio dell'Ungheria e aveva cooperato con 1 conservatori nella speranza di promuovere la causa delle riforme moderate.