_To his Excellency Don Jose Antonino Vidal, &c. &c. &c._
* * * * *
(PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL.)
_Buenos Ayres, September 2nd, 1842._
MY DEAR M. DE VIDAL,--I had not time, before the departure of the
packet, to answer your private letter of the 24th ult., and now keep
my promise made to you in my letter of the 25th ult., of replying to
it.
I must first begin by telling you that, some days before the packet
sailed, Count de Lurde and I made the formal tender of the mediation
in the manner presented to me by my instructions with which I made you
acquainted when I was last at Monte Video.
I told M. de Arana that he was doubtless acquainted with the object of
our visit, to which he assented, of which he had been informed by
previous conversations which he had with me, and which was no longer a
secret, for it had formed articles in the Monte Video newspapers, and
the topic of conversation in the streets of that Town for weeks. But
public or private the object is the same, one of the greatest
importance to this country and of serious consideration to Great
Britain and to France,--that of urging General Rosas to accept the
mediation of France and Great Britain, of which the Count de Lurde and
I then made the formal offer to the Buenos Ayrean Government in order
to put an end to the deplorable conflict in which Buenos Ayres and
Monte Video have for such a length of time been engaged. _That Monte
Video to my knowledge is anxious and willing to make peace_ with
Buenos Ayres upon fair and reasonable terms, and I could produce
authority for what I advanced, if required, that the proposal which
General Rosas had formerly made, of accepting the mediation of Great
Britain upon the condition that General Oribe should be returned to
power, was inadmissible, and that it was obviously impossible that
either the British or French Governments could sanction, by their
mediation, the desire of General Rosas to place in the Presidency of
Monte Video _a particular individual_, who, however meritorious in
other respects, may not be acceptable to the majority of the
inhabitants of the Oriental State, and that those Governments can only
agree to offer to either of the belligerent powers such conditions as
one independent State can, consistently with its honour, accept from
another.
I then acquainted his excellency that it was the confident expectation
of her Majesty's Government that the Argentine Government will accept
the offer of Great Britain and France to mediate between Buenos Ayres
and Monte Video, upon just and reasonable conditions, and that the
Buenos Ayrean Government will authorize us, the Count de Lurde and me,
to propose moderate and honourable terms of peace to the Government of
the Republic of the Uruguay. I stated to M. de Arana that this offer
is dictated by the feelings of humanity and of warm interest in the
prosperity of the two neighbouring Republics, and her Majesty's
Government earnestly hope, as M. de Lurde said does that of France,
that the Government of Buenos Ayres will maturely reflect before they
reject the friendly intervention which is now offered to them by two
such powerful states, and I concluded by conjuring his Excellency to
use his whole influence with General Rosas, as his friend and adviser,
to accept the offer of mediation in the manner just proposed to him.
M. de Arana replied, that of course we could not expect from him any
other answer than that he would hasten to lay the object of the
communication we had just made to him before General Rosas, which he
would do on that evening, and addressing himself to M. de Lurde, he
said, you know the answer which was addressed to the British Minister
last year, a copy of it having been given to M. de Becourt. Neither
the French Minister nor myself were anxious to recur to that answer
nor to discuss it, but he joined with me in soliciting the good
offices of M. de Arana to obtain a happy issue to our joint offer.
M. de Lurde said, and with reason, that it would be of the greatest
importance to obtain the acquiescence of General Rosas to the
mediation as soon as possible, in which I joined him in pressing
terms. M. de Arana immediately replied that he would render an account
to the Governor of the earnest desire of the two Ministers with all
the interest that demands an affair as delicate as it is important.
With this last observation of M. de Arana the conference ended, and we
took leave full in hope that General Rosas, with the soundness of his
judgment and the generosity of his disposition, aided by his
Excellency's influence and good offices will not hesitate to accept
the offer of Great Britain and France to terminate a war which, for
the sake of humanity and the prosperity of the two Republics, is so
earnestly desired by all Europe, as well as by the people and
Government of Monte Video, who ask only for peace, and the power the
most legitimate in the world, that of choosing its own rulers, and its
form of government themselves.
Two days after the packet sailed we, the Count de Lurde and I, called
upon M. de Arana; he told us that in a question of such great
importance, as is the joint offer of mediation of Great Britain and
France, it should, he thought be communicated in writing, and he asked
us if we had any objection to make it in that manner, I said by no
means, and the French Minister and I sent in a note on the following
day, 30th August, beginning with "In consequence of your Excellency's
desire to have the communication we verbally made to you on the 24th
instant, committed to writing, we have the honour, &c., &c., and I
repeated in writing word for word what I had said to him verbally, and
the French Minister did the same. You have now, dear M. de Vidal, a
faithful and exact account of every thing that has taken place in this
important business.
Now as to what you ask of me with respect to answering the official
note you sent to me by the French Minister, I agree with you
perfectly, that Her Majesty's Government would not make a second offer
of its mediation, without being resolved to support it, more
especially since you say that Lord Aberdeen has declared to M.
Ellauri, that he will put a stop to the war.
But this assurance on the part of Lord Aberdeen does not give me the
power either to take measures for carrying this declaration into
effect, or to make such a declaration to General Rosas. I _must wait_
for instructions from my Government _before_ I inform the Buenos
Ayrean Government what they will direct shall be done, as it is not
for me to say in what manner the war shall be put a stop to.
M. de Lurde, when I spoke to him about the purport of the official
note to me from you, of which he was the bearer, told me that he had
simply acknowledged the receipt of it, because he could give no other
answer, and I feel that I am in exactly a similar position.
You are now, as you have always been, in possession of my public and
private sentiments upon this most important question, the mediation,
and you may be most confident that my conduct upon it, whilst it is
pending, will be as satisfactory to your Government as to yourself.
Believe me, my dear M. de Vidal, always your faithful and sincere
friend,