84 RECOLLECTIONS OF FORTY YEARS. 



over this paper, or over the letters of the Municipality 

 of Borne, the President of the Constituent Assembly, 

 and of the Eoman Executive Power. You sent me 

 back the correspondence by your chief aide-de-camp, 

 M. d'Espivent, who told me that you were too busy 

 to read it carefully ; you afterwards convoked Generals 

 Yaillant, Eegnault St. Jean d'Angely, Molliere, the 

 chief commissioner of the army, and the chief of your 

 staff, Colonel de Tirion. In their presence, and not- 

 withstanding your loud talk and threatening gestures, 

 I quietly read all my documents as well as my notes 

 of the day which I had addressed to you. As my 

 representations were useless, and as I formally refused 

 to associate myself with your project for a night 

 attack without previously warning the Eoman au- 

 thorities an act which would have perhaps led to the 

 massacre of the French colony in Eome I withdrew. 

 I am desirous of placing on record here the fact that 

 all the persons present at the meeting treated the 

 official representative of the Eepublic with the utmost 

 courtesy. 



"Upon reflection, and in compliance with the 

 urgent and enlightened advice tendered you, you 

 decided at the eleventh hour to recall your order for 

 the resumption of hostilities. But these orders did 

 not arrive in time to prevent the occupation of Monte 

 Mario, where you met with no resistance, because I 

 had had time to let the authorities in Eome know 

 through my secretary, M. Leduc, that there was no 



