76 RECOLLECTIONS OF FORTY YEARS. 



Borne only confirmed me in the opinion which I had 

 expressed on the 15th, the very day of my arrival. 

 I saw that our Government was being entangled in 

 the most deplorable manner, and I felt that, pending 

 fresh instructions, it was our duty to conform to the 

 telegraphic despatch of May 10th, which authorised 

 our entering Eome, "if we were agreed with the 

 inhabitants," and which permitted us to attack " if we 

 were compelled to do so, and in the event only of 

 having the fairest prospects of success." 



Could I tear up my own agreement and dispense 

 myself from submitting it to the consideration of my 

 Government, which, after all, had exclusively instructed 

 me to negotiate with the Roman authorities and to 

 conclude partial arrangements with them ? 



In short, I considered that the essential thing to be 

 done was to prevent an immediate and imprudent 

 attack ; that my provisional arrangement would at all 

 events have the effect of suspending it for a few days, 

 and of leaving Government the choice between peace 

 and war. I had, moreover, informed the Minister of 

 Foreign Affairs, by telegram on the 22nd, that if it 

 had been resolved to adopt a line of policy differing 

 from that which I considered to be the outcome of 

 the vote of May 7th, I wished to be recalled. 



Moved by these considerations, I determined not to 

 be deterred by the opposition of General Oudinot. I 

 signed in his presence and left on his table one of the 

 three copies of the convention. I informed him that 



