* * * * *
_Buenos Ayres, October 26th, 1842_
MY DEAR M. DE VIDAL,--Neither you nor I were, nor could be surprised
at the wretchedness of our negociation, or rather of M. de Lurde's and
my attempt to make this Government accept the mediation of Great
Britain and France, to put an end to the war, and I am happy to think
that when I was last at Monte Video, I prepared her Majesty's
Government for this result.
I feel the greatest pleasure to find that my unceasing efforts to
obtain the acceptance by the Buenos Ayrean Government of our joint
mediation have satisfied you. I can conscientiously say that I have
done every thing in my power to make it succeed.
Of course I never meant but that the note should be immediately
communicated to the Government, all I requested, and in which I was
sure your own discernment and good feelings would make you concur in,
was, that it should not be published until it has come out here.
I observe, in all your letters, you write _mediation_ for mediators,
as applicable to my expressions.
"My words in one of my preceding letters were, that your reliance on
the mediators should not be vain or unfounded." This you have seen and
can rely upon. I never hoped or gave you reason to hope that the
mediation would be successful, but the results, according to my
opinion and belief, (I am no prophet to predict), will not be vain nor
illusory. The feelings of the British Government (and as you tell me
Lord Aberdeen has himself said) towards the Banda Oriental will be
very different since the conclusion of a treaty between it and great
Britain to what they were before.
Believe me, my dear M. de Vidal,
Always your sincere and faithful Friend,