Page:The rise and fall of the Emperor Maximilian.djvu/131

 CHAPTER IX.

T the time when Mr. Seward delivered his long diplomatic note to the French minister, the Baron Saillard, sent on a mission to Mexico by the French cabinet, was landing at Vera Cruz. The same courier brought two despatches from M. Drouyn de Lhuys to M. Dano, one dated January 14, the other January 15, 1866. In the first, he set forth 'that our present situation in Mexico could not be prolonged, and that circumstances compel us to take a decided step in this respect, which the emperor desires me to communicate to his representative.' Our minister of foreign affairs limited himself to affirming e that the court of Mexico, in spite of the rectitude of its intentions, avowedly found it impossible to fulfil the conditions of the treaty of Miramar.' By putting it in these terms, the entire responsibility of our evacuation was unfairly thrown upon Maximilian, who was left in ignorance of the fact that the Mexican question had now become an American one. M. Drouyn de Lhuys ended his first despatch as follows:—

To M. Dano, French Minister at Mexico. Paris, January 14, 1866. . . . It is necessary that our occupation should have a fixed limit, and we must prepare for its termination without delay.