THE MISSION TO ROME. 



55 



and which have the support of 

 all Europe, but to a Power 

 superior to all these, and des- 

 tined to play a very important 

 part in our internal destinies : 

 I mean the Papacy. 



This is a second and not less 

 serious infraction of the rules 

 laid down by the Government 

 of the Republic, which has not 

 declared war upon Austria, 

 which is solely desirous of 

 placing itself in such u posi- 

 tion as to exercise the due in- 

 fluence of the French Republic 

 in the ulterior regulation of 

 the atfairs of Rome. 



of Rome. Naples has seen fit 

 to take military action, but we 

 never promised to side with 

 her, and when General Oudinot 

 was called upon by M. de 

 Ludolf to come to a decision, 

 he left him with no doubt upon 

 the subject. A telegraphic 

 despatch of May 10th, sent by 

 the Minister of Foreign Affairs 

 to General Oudinot, instructed 

 him to inform the Romans that 

 we did not intend to join with 

 the Neapolitans against them. 

 We do not therefore throw 

 down the glove to Naples, any 

 more than we do to Spain, 

 whom I was myself instructed 

 to inform that her ambassador 

 at Gae'ta had very unwisely 

 separated her cause from ours, 

 and that in taking part, to- 

 gether with Austria, against 

 us, he was serving the interests 

 neither of the Papacy nor of 

 Spain. With regard to Aus- 

 tria, her principles are so 

 different from ours that it is 

 very difficult for us to be 

 agreed, while a pretence of 

 agreement would not be of any 

 use to you, and would alienate 

 for ever the Roman popula- 

 tions. A decision must there- 

 fore be come to, and if we are 

 to avoid war with her it is by 

 going on as we have begun, 

 unless new and unforeseen cir- 

 cumstances should arise, and 

 by fortifying day by day our 



