94 RECOLLECTIONS OF FORTY YEARS. 



the Ministry did not know of until the 6th of 

 June. 



3rd. My negotiations had facilitated the re- 

 victualling of the city. From the beginning of the 

 armistice until the 1st of June, General Oudinot did 

 not allow the city to be revictualled. Communication 

 was free at the points occupied by the French posts 

 only for unarmed persons provided with proper safe- 

 conducts and for small quantities of provisions. 

 Several French merchants sent me a petition asking 

 me to authorise their fetching from Civita Vecchia 

 season goods over which they would incur serious loss 

 if their sale was delayed. I communicated their 

 petition to the General, who refused to do as they 

 asked. 



4th. I am accused of having unnecessarily kept 

 the troops inactive. It is quite clear that my mission 

 as a negotiator did not admit of my engaging in 

 hostilities, and that if the troops had been ready 

 to attack they would have had to wait. But I 

 maintain that they were not in a position to under- 

 take the siege when I reached head- quarters on the 

 15th of May, which reduces the period of my negotia- 

 tions to a fortnight and not to a month as has been 

 stated. During this time the French troops did not 

 remain inactive, and the preparations for a siege were 

 not suspended for an hour. A large number of 

 fascines were made every day, and movements which 

 excited the apprehensions of the Eoman populations 



