THE MISSION TO ROME. 65 



generals commanding army corps, to give them his 

 instructions with regard to the attack on Eome which 

 was to begin at midnight. Having learnt that the 

 General had determined to take no account of my 

 advice, I thought it my duty to submit to General 

 Yaillant, who had recently arrived from Paris, whose 

 coming had been telegraphed to me by the Presi- 

 dent, and who might therefore be supposed to be in 

 possession of the latest views of the Government, my 

 serious motives for opposing the proposed attack, 

 and for believing that the immediate occupation of 

 Eome was pregnant with danger. I wrote to him 

 as follows : 



" May 30, 1849. 



" I was hoping to have come to see you this morn- 

 ing, in order to communicate to you confidentially 

 the result of my latest conference with M. de Eay- 

 neval. But I have not been able to find the time, 

 being busy preparing a note for the purpose of showing 

 that, from the political point of view, the necessity of 

 despatching a division which would be distributed 

 over Albano, Frascati, and Marino, on account of the 

 recent landing of 4,000 Spaniards at Gaeta. It is 

 said that they will give fresh courage to the Neapo- 

 litans and that the campaign will be resumed. It is 

 our duty to anticipate them in the occupying of the 

 encampments around Eome which they might other- 

 wise seize, and, by thus anticipating them, make our- 



VOL. I. F 



