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Engels in Neue Rheinische Zeitung December 1848
The Federal Council and the Foreign Ambassadors. — The Federal Council in Tessin. — Centralisation of Posts. — German Army Commander’s Apology
Source: MECW Volume 8, p. 119;
Written: by Engels on December 2, 1848;
First published: in Neue Rheinische Zeitung No. 161, December 6, 1848.
Berne, December 2. Since announcing the constitution of the new federal authorities and the simultaneous expiry of the 1815 treaty, [125] the Federal Council has already received the assurance from all the foreign ambassadors that they believed they could promise in advance their governments’ recognition of the new authorities and the new Constitution. Only the British ambassador, Master Peel, made no mention of recognition, and merely stated tersely that he had communicated the announcement to his Government. As Russia has no representative here, no statement has, of course, come from that power.
The Federal Council has appointed as its representatives in Tessin Colonel Stehlin from Basle and Colonel Briatte from Waadt, both of them members, and the latter President, of the Council of States. The radical Briatte will, it is hoped, act differently from Herr Escher and Herr Munzinger.[126] Incidentally, all Italian refugees of military age have been removed from Tessin into the interior of Switzerland.
Further, the Federal Council has started to apply the law on the centralisation of posts. Herr Laroche-Stehelin from Basle has been appointed acting Postmaster-General of Switzerland, and two commissions have been set up, the first to assess the materials to be taken over from the cantons and private individuals, the second to draft a law on the organisation of the Swiss posts.
The German army commander concerned has made the appropriate apology in a letter to the Federal Council; he declares himself ready to give the satisfaction required, and announces that those concerned have already been handed over for punishment.