Page:The rise and fall of the Emperor Maximilian.djvu/211

 the expeditionary corps had but one duty, that of protecting the empire. At the same time, the marshal honestly pointed out to the Mexican cabinet the mistakes which had been made, and met the pretended complaints which were brought forward against the expeditionary corps.

Mexico, October 16, 1866. Monsieur le Ministre de la Justice,—In reply to your excellency's letter of October 9, I have the honour to inform you that, in consequence of the arrival of General Castelnau, aide-de-camp to his majesty the Emperor Napoleon, who certainly is the bearer of instructions from my august sovereign which I have not yet seen, I am not in a position to inform you of the future disposition of the French troops. In the meantime they remain in their positions, continuing to render assistance wherever necessity arises, both to the authorities and to the people of the empire.

With regard to the national and auxiliary troops, your excellency, having been away from the government, is doubtless not aware that, since the arrangement of military divisions, these troops have been completely at the disposal of the Mexican generals commanding these divisions, and consequently under the orders of the government which directs their movements, either through the medium of the minister of war, or of the imperial commissioners.

Since this took place, my duty has been confined to giving advice which has scarcely ever been followed, or to lending the assistance of my troops in recovering the warlike stores, or repairing the fortifications in the most important places; in short, in helping as far as I possibly could in the reorganisation of the national army. This army comprises, at the present time, twenty-two battalions of infantry, including the Mexican cazadores, ten regiments of cavalry, four companies of gendarmerie, with artillery and engineers to correspond, the whole forming an effective force of 17,254 men.

By adding to this the 6,811 men of the Austro-Belgian legion, and the auxiliary or permanent guards who still exist, it amounts to a total of about 28,000 men. On the 28th of last