THE MISSION TO ROME. 71 



our soldiers, which the slightest incident might bring 

 to a painful head. Is it not better to wait till these 

 feelings have calmed down ? Then the people them- 

 selves will come to ask the French soldiers to enter 

 the city, and perhaps in a few days. It is all very 

 well for us to declare that we shall not interfere in the 

 general administration of the city; but a military 

 occupation would be certain to entail this ; and how 

 can we tell that, once entering Eome by force, we 

 should not be obliged to employ force to maintain 

 ourselves there, or that we should be free to withdraw 

 our troops just when it was convenient or necessary 

 to do so ? It seems unnecessary that I should dwell 

 further upon this situation or upon the other grave 

 matters to which I have made allusion. 



"F. DE LESSEPS. 



" P.S. M. de Eayneval writes to me from Gaeta, 

 under date of the 28th, that, according to letters from 

 Rome, the city has resolved to defend itself if attacked. 

 He adds, ' The moderate party would not care to face 

 the perils of a reaction of which they hope that we 

 shall spare them the cost.' This was just the view I 

 had taken the day I arrived in Eome. I am very 

 glad that this view, so opposed to all that had been 

 said before, is confirmed by the news from Gae'ta." 



The General sent me a note, written in pencil, in 

 which the aide-de-camp sent to communicate with the 

 commander of the column ordered to take up a position 



