4 b RECOLLECTIONS OF FORTY YEARS. 



known, the which order he had authorised me to copy 

 from his correspondence. He informed me, however, 

 that he had kept it secret up to the present, and that 

 if I thought it expedient to make use of the expres- 

 sion in our draft of agreement with the Eomans, he 

 saw no objection. 



General Oudinot again promised me to await the 

 final decision of the French Government, but he was 

 still much worried by the complaints which the 

 generals under him made as to the inaction of the 

 army. It was agreed that I should explain, at the 

 next council of war, the political situation in which 

 we were placed. The generals who were present were 

 Yaillant, Eostolan, Eegnault de St. Jean d'Angely, 

 generals of division; Gueswiller, Le Yaillant, and 

 Molliere, generals of brigade, and two others, whose 

 names I have forgotten ; in addition to Colonel de 

 Tirion, the chief of the staff. 



I read part of my despatches to the Ministry as 

 well as the accompanying documents, and I added 

 that I had resolved to formally oppose a resumption 

 of hostilities against Eome pending the arrival of 

 orders from .the Government, basing my declaration 

 upon the latest instructions sent to the commander- 

 in- chief by telegraph on the 10th of May. Several 

 generals asserted that a simple demonstration would 

 suffice to ensure the opening of the gates, that at the 

 most there would be no need to do more than knock 

 down the corner of a single wall, and that there would 



