Neue Rheinische Zeitung. No. 161, 6 December 1848

The Federal Council and the Foreign Envoys –

Friedrich Engels (1848-12-06)

Federal Council in Ticino – Centralisation of the Posts –
Apology of the Commander of the German Imperial Troops

Bern, 2 December. On receiving notification of the constitution of the new federal authorities and the concomitant expiry of the Treaty of 1815, the Federal Council has already obtained assurances from all envoys that they believed they could promise in advance the recognition of the new authorities and the new constitution by their governments. Only the English envoy, Master Peel, mentions nothing of recognition and merely states dryly that he has communicated the notification to his government. Since Russia has no representative here, no declaration has, of course, yet arrived from that power. – The Federal Council has appointed as federal representatives in Ticino: Colonel Stehlin of Basel and Colonel Briatte of Vaud, both members of the Council of States, the latter its President. The radical Briatte will hopefully conduct himself differently from Messrs. Escher and Munzinger. Incidentally, all Italian refugees capable of bearing arms have already been dispatched from Ticino into the interior of Switzerland. – Furthermore, the Federal Council has immediately proceeded to execute the law on the centralisation of the posts; Herr Laroche-Stehelin of Basel has been appointed provisional Postmaster-General of Switzerland, and two commissions have been formed, one for assessing the value of the material to be taken over from the cantons and private parties, the other for drafting a law on the organisation of the Swiss postal service. – The commander of the German imperial troops in question has duly tendered an apology in a communication to the Federal Council; he declares his readiness to give the demanded satisfaction and reports that those concerned have already been referred for punishment.