Mr. HOWARD. I sincerely hope, sir, that the information furnished by the honorable Senfrom NewYork may be relied upon, and that we shall soon see the complete evac uation of the Mexican territory by the French troops. Of course I am entirely ignorant of the source of the information; and notwithstanding the confidence with which the honorable Senator seems to regard that information, I must take the liberty to express a doubt as to such a result. Sir, the number of French troops within the Mexican territory at the present. time is not less than 50,000, and until a very recent period the number has been increasing from time to time by accretions from France and Belgium and other places in Europe where the Emperor has been able to pick up troops and send them to Mexico. Among these tron s is a force which is known as the “foreign egiou, ” consisting of 8,000 troops., Now, sir, as to the probability of the with drawal of the French troops from Mexico next October or next November, or at any definite time in the future, I beg to call the attention of the honorable Senfrom NewYork to the convention which was entered into between the Emperor of the French and Maximilian under date of the 10th ofApril, 1864, a solemn treaty between the 2 sovereigns: “The Governmentof his Majesty the Emperor of the French and that of his MHJQSIYthe Emperor of Mexico nanimated by an equsil desire to insure the reestablishmentof order in Mexico, and to consoli date the newempire.have resolvedto arran o by a ctroonovpesntion the conditions of the stay of the reach in this country.” Now comes the stipulation: "A lTlCl R l. The French troopswhich are now in Mexico will be reduced as soonas possibletoo corps I have in my hand extracts from a l pt' 25,000 men, including the foreign cgion. "This corps. to protect the interests which have. caused the intervention”. l l |l 1 l That is the corps of 8,000 men, to protect the peculiar interests of the Emperor of the French and of Maximilian, “which have caused the intervention in Mexico " will remain. That interest is nothing more nor less, as we all know, than the downright conquest of Mexico by the French arms and its retention by France under the frivolous and shallow pretext of a protectorate in favor of the scion of the house at Hapsbnrg known as Maximilian. "This corps. to protect the interests which have caused the intervention. will remain temporarily in Mexico"Temporarily l “npder the conditions arranged by the following articles. “Amions 2. The French troops mll evacuateMexico accordingas his Minesty the Emperor of Mexico shall be able to organise the troops necessaryto replace them. “Anricu: 3. The forciirn legion in the serviceof Fran c, composed of 8,000 men. will nov erthe ess still remain tor 6 yearsin Mexico”I desire the especial attention of the honorable Senfrom NewYork to this clause. The foreign legion is to remain at least 6 years in Mexico"after all the forces shall have been recalled. confoimubly to Articletwo. Dating lrom this moment the said legion shall passinto the service and pay of the Mexican Govcrnment. The Mexican Government qeserves to itself the faculty 0t shortening the duration at the employment of the lemma 103101in1 Mexico." The French army, by this solemn treaty between the 2 Emperors, is to remain in Mexico until his Majesty the Emperor of Mexico shall be able to “organize the forces necessary to replace them, " 1 atis, to replace tlLe French troops. How long Will that be? how long will it require the Emperor Maximilian to muster troops enough. composed of Mexicans and Austrians and all other nationalities, to replace the French army in Mexico tllltl maintain himself on the throne? No, sir; the stipulation of the Emperor of the French thus entered into With Maxmiihan looks forward to the ermaneut and perpetual maintenance of the fmperor Maximilian upon the throne of Mexico. So long as he sha i find it necessary to maintain himself upon that throne by means of foreign on], so long the Emperor of the French is bound to aid him and continue his forces in Mexico. As throwing some further light on the continuance of the French troops in Mexico, I beg to'read an extract from an article published in what 15 called the Memorial Di'plomatique, in Paris, datedMarch 12, 1865. It has the air of authority in it; I have no doubt it is entirely otficial. That journal says, after commenting upon the convention to which I have already made alluswn: "Should. however the yo organization of the Mexican army progress sutficiently rapid to render the complete evacuation possible at some not distant future, the foreign legion, which realizes an effective of 8,000 men, would still coritinuo to unfurl the French flag in Mexico for 6 whole years alter the departureof all the other trpops.unlcssthe Emperor Maximilian should Judge it expedientto shor10th eduration ofitsomployment, Tiiusimposing as seems the force of bnyoncts of which the U.S. Will be able to dlSPOfc‘lfHlc)’ end the fratri aidal war which at presoiitdivides them, thereis very little fear that they will bedisposedto makean at tack upon Mexico. where, for 8 or ten yearsstill they are sure to meet the French flag: andshould they forget that it is to the generous cooperation of France that they owe their own independence, they could not be ignorant that the Government of the Emperor Napoleon HI does not compoundin a matter of honor and dignity.’ I refer to these passages as a reply to the assurance given us by the honorable Senfrom NewYork, based upon the paper which he has read to us, that it is highly probable the French troops are about to be recalled from Mexico. No, sir; I think this talk about. the withdrawal of the French troops from Mexico is a mere amusement, and notwithstanding the many assurances that we have had, direct and indirect, that they are about to be Withdrawn I have no idea at all that the Emperor of the French contemplates the withdrawal of the French arm from Mexico. French pride is concerned in that question, French honor, French dignity, French glory. It is today a French connest, so far as the conquest has extended, an France now holds it by the iron grip of war and conquest, and so she intends to hold it for the future, and I regret to say that her progress in Mexico has, in my humble judgment, been in a great degree owing to our own difficulties at home, if you please to call it so, our own weakness, reduced by the civilWar through which we have just passed, and also to a want of manly firmness and courage on the part of our own Government in its negotiations and its relations with thatof France. Until we have some new policyiu our foreign affairs, apoliey which shall in some form assert the ancient and time honored Monroe doctrine, you will see no withdrawal of the French troops from Mexico.