126 RECOLLECTIONS OF FORTY YEARS. 



and of the embarrassment which he felt in conse- 

 quence of this persistent pestering. M. Sabatier has 

 asked for instructions by this post, but in the mean- 

 while has not thought it right to give the Viceroy 

 any advice, for which I do not blame him, consider- 

 ing that I, though in no official position like him, 

 have not thought it right to ask his Highness to 

 intervene, no ostensible act of hostility against the 

 company having yet been committed. 



"The Viceroy informed the Austrian consul and 

 myself that no difficulty had been raised ly the Porte, to 

 which he was about to report what had occurred, but 

 that the opposition came entirely from the English 

 agent. At the same time, I am about to proceed, by 

 arrangement with the Viceroy, to carry out the deci- 

 sions of the board so far as concerns the continuation 

 of the preparatory survey, works which would in any 

 case have had to be done first of all. 



" The other questions are settled in principle, but 

 we must, of course, wait to see what attitude the 

 French consul will be ordered to assume." 



To M. Damas-Hinard, Private Secretary to the 

 Empress of the French, Bayonne. 



"LA CHENAIE, October 7, 1859. 

 " Our ambassador at Eome writes : 

 " ' I am following with intense interest the grand 

 enterprise to which you are so patriotically devoting 

 your persevering efforts, and I sincerely trust you 



