Page:The rise and fall of the Emperor Maximilian.djvu/48

32 votes of the assembly at Mexico as a first indication of the inclination of the country———'

This was the signal for a new campaign, intended to collect the suffrages of the provincial towns. It was felt that too much haste had been used, without having sufficiently taken account of the public spirit, and above all of the delicacy of the future sovereign, who required a sincere suffrage. Once more then, in spite of all the promises made at the French tribune, without any kind of foresight, we were about to plunge into new contingencies, and to commence a third series of costly sacrifices. We were no longer 'masters of the situation;' we were bound to follow the slippery path on which we had entered. Now, however, was the time to reflect on the state of matters, and notwithstanding the repugnance of M. Rouher, the time, too, to treat with the conquered Juarez, if we ourselves wished to come off as conquerors.

In the month of October 1863, General Bazaine took the command-in-chief out of the hands of General Forey, who had been promoted to be marshal, and had been recalled to France; he also assumed the functions which had devolved on M. de Saligny, who did not long delay in following the captor of Puebla.

General Bazaine assumed the reins of office at a critical time. The Juarist contingents were forming again in the interior, and were getting dangerous; bandits infested the roads and the environs of the capital; the inclinations of General Forey towards the clerical party had alienated those honest liberals who were ready to rally round him in the hope that a generous inspiration had been kindled by France to put an end to discord; that, when once the honour of her arms had been satisfied, the public rights would not remain unrecognised; and that without any