d your generous citizens in their
private capacity can afford without jeopardizing your own welfare and
your own interest (and assuredly it never came into my mind to desire
more)--should we, meeting with no support here, be crushed again, and
absolutism consolidate its power upon the ruins of murdered nations, I
indeed cannot but believe that it would become a historical reproach of
conscience, lying like an incubus upon the breast of the people of the
United States from generation to generation. I mean, the idea, that had
you not withheld that support which you might have afforded consistently
with your own interest, Hungary perhaps would be a free, flourishing
country, instead of being blotted out from the map; and Europe perhaps
free, and absolutist tyranny swept from the earth.

You then would in vain shed a tear of compassion over our sad fate, and
mourn over the grave of nations: nor only so; but the victory of
absolutism could not fail to be felt even here in your mighty and
blessed home. You would first feel it in your commercial intercourse,
and ere long you would become inevitably entangled; for as soon as the
Czar had secured the submission of all Europe, he would not look
indifferently upon the development of your power, which is an embodiment
of republican principles.

I am not _afraid_ to answer the question, as to what are our means
and chances of success--but prudence commands me to be discreet. Still,
some considerations I may suggest.

The spell of Austria is broken. It is now notorious that the might of
the dynasty, though disciplined, well provided, and supported by deluded
races, which had been roused to the fury of extermination against us--it
is now notorious that all this satanically combined power proved unable
to withstand the force of Hungary, though we were surprized and
unprepared, and had no army and no arms, no ammunition, no money, no
friends, and were secluded and forsaken by the whole world. It was
proved that Austria could not conquer us Magyars, when we were taken
unaware; who can believe that we could not match her now that we are
aware and predetermined? Yes, if unprepared in material resources, we
are yet prepared in self-consciousness and mutual trust; we have learned
by experience what is required for our success.

In former times Hungary was the strength of Austria. Now, Austria is
weak, _because_ it has occupied Hungary. It was strong by the unity
of its army, the power o