THE MISSION TO ROME, 79 



interests of the French who are still in Eome 



My preparations for starting will not take long, and 

 I shall follow close upon the bearer of this letter. 



(Signed) " F. DE LESSEPS." 



The Triumvirate to M. de Lesseps. 



" ROME, May 30. 



" Sir, We have received the declaration of May 

 29th which you have done us the honour of addressing 

 us. The Assembly, to whom a copy was also sent, 

 having confirmed its original decision, which delegated 

 us full powers to treat, it is for us to reply to you. 

 We do so with all due speed. If we havo not sooner 

 answered your letter of the 26th, it was because, as it 

 did not contain any proposal on the part of France, 

 nor any reference to that which we had made to you, 

 it did not seem to call for any urgent reply. 



" We have carefully examined your declaration, 

 and we append the modifications which we deem it 

 our duty to submit to you. As you will at once see, 

 they relate more to matters of form than of substance. 

 We might say a good deal in advocacy of the changes 

 which we propose changes which, as we believe, are 

 demanded not only by the nature of the mandate 

 which we hold from the Assembly, but also by the 

 clearly expressed wishes of our fellow-citizens, without 

 whose assent no efficacious or definite agreement is 

 possible. But time presses, and we must pass over 

 details. We prefer to leave them to your good faith, 



