20S Ten Years of my Life. 



easy to obtain permission to see the Emperor, but now I had, 

 like all the ministers, to send always for an especial permission. 



The Austrian and Belgian tiovernments must know better 

 than I do whether their representatives acted according to their 

 instructions ; but to us, and even to the Mexicans, their 

 behaviour appeared very extraordinary, and by no means to be 

 admired. When the French troops left, they had already done 

 great harm to the cause of the Emperor by their circulars, 

 which filled the foreign troops who wanted to remain with the 

 Emperor with suspicion ; and now they behaved and talked 

 as if they were quite on the side of his enemies. 



I have been told that the Austrian Charge d' Affaires and his 

 secretary did so, 'the better to serve the Emperor ;' but I must 

 say it was a very strange, and to me an incomprehensible 

 policy. 



Mr. Elooricks, the Belgian minister, went so far in further- 

 ance of this policy, that he openly, and in the presence of the 

 staff of Escobedo and the General himself, spoke of the Em- 

 peror with the most unbecoming expressions. He called him 

 something like a ' stupid fellow,' and said that the Liberal 

 Government was perfectly within its rights in shooting him. 

 Escobedo and his staff officers are still there to confirm the 

 truth of what I have here stated. 



Mr. Curtopassi, the Italian Charge d'Affaires, behaved far 

 better than either the Austrian or the Belgian Ministers. He 

 at least tried to serve the Emperor, and if he did not succeed 

 it was only because he had to work with promises instead of 

 ready cash. 



He addressed himself to the Mexican physician who had to 

 visit the Emperor, M. Riva de Nigra, and promised him ten 

 thousand dollars if he would so arrange that the Emperor 

 should be placed in a private house, for which we had worked 

 long before, as I have already stated. We wanted it, because 

 it was far easier to arrange an escape from such a private house 

 than from where he was. 



The doctor, who would probably not have resisted a few 

 hundred ' ounces' in cash, dM not trust promises, and thought 

 it more profitable to inform Escobedo of the proposition made 

 to him. As the desire in itself seemed so innocent, and had 

 l)een expressed before, Escobedo took no further notice of it, 

 blill the offer of so much money made him suspicious. 



