Page:The rise and fall of the Emperor Maximilian.djvu/297

 for foreign affairs, as is shown by the two following documents:—

Mexico, January 21, 1867. Monsieur le Maréchal,—The opposition offered by the government of the Emperor Maximilian to the execution of the convention of July 30 being more active than ever, and new difficulties necessarily being the consequence, I have the honour of transmitting (enclosed) to your excellency the last instructions which have been given to me on this subject by the emperor's minister of foreign affairs. Minister of France.

Paris, December 15, 1866. Sir,—By your letter of November 9 (No. 99), you inform me that, without allowing yourself to be stopped by the objections which M. de Pereda has endeavoured to introduce, you have proceeded to put into execution the convention relative to the assignment which was to begin on November 1, and you also send me an official statement of agreed accounts of the custom-house at Vera Cruz, which has been drawn up by our agents on their entering upon their duties.

You have done right, relying on the precise stipulations of article 7, in replying to the Mexican under-secretary of state for foreign affairs, that the deed of July 30 needed no other formality before it was put in force. I can only fully approve what you have done, and must impress upon you to maintain the same course of action if our rights are again questioned.

Surely there had been a want of foresight when, under the pretext of recovering a few millions for our countrymen, more than six hundred millions were buried in the Mexican abyss: just now, on the other hand, there was a want of generosity in extorting from Maximilian his last financial resources.

In a military point of view, there was still one important question to be resolved. It was impossible that our army could withdraw, leaving behind them