I sent last night by telegraph a short message, announcing the important fact of the signing of the armistice. The Moniteur of this morning confirms the fact in the following words:
The first meeting of the congress took place this day at the hotel of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, at one o'clock. The sitting lasted till half-past four o'clock. It was agreed that an armistice, which will of right expire on the 31st of March next, shall be concluded between the belligerent armies. This armistice shall be without effect on the blockades established or to be established.
The Moniteur will no doubt be as sparing as possible in the communications it makes to the public of the progress of the conferences - but I learn that besides the above the Austrian propositions were paraphed by the plenipotentiaries as preliminaries of peace, establishing their identity.
Count Walewski, as president, opened the proceedings with a brief speech, explanatory of the important business before the congress, and no doubt containing the usual good wishes for success. The sitting lasted but three hours and a half, and as we presume that a sincere desire of peace animates all parties, it is probable that all unnecessary and tedious etiquette was dispensed with on the occasion; that space of time was not too much for the exchange of powers of the plenipotentiaries, the opening address of the president, the reading and affixing the ne varietur to the preliminaries of peace, and the discussion as to the armistice.
It appears, moreover, that a declaration in writing was signed by the plenipotentiaries not to reveal directly or indirectly what passes at the conferences until the whole shall be concluded. This last is the only point to which a journalist may object, but there is no help for it, and any protest he might make would very probably be considered as non avenu.
With this exception, all the rest appears satisfactory, and you will appreciate the importance of the armistice expiring on the 31st of March next, when the operations may be resumed without the necessity of any new order being given and also its being limited in its effect to operations by land. I communicated yesterday, the fact of the Russians continuing to fortify themselves in the Gulf of Finland. This fact has been confirmed to me in another quarter since I despatched my intelligence; and though the enemy only imitate us in continuing the construction of their defences, yet it shows that they are not yet so completely exhausted as is supposed, in one direction at least.
It was rumoured this morning—and the rumour may be repeated—that nothing like serious discussion took place at this first sitting, everything having been previously known and probably agreed on, and that conversation rather than discussion took place. I am informed that the contrary is the fact, and the various points which were to be brought before the plenipotentiaries at the first meeting were in reality seriously discussed, and that it was only after such discussion that the armistice was signed.
[Following the Congress of Paris, the Treaty of Paris was signed on 30 March 1856, bringing an end to the Crimean War]
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