_Paris, October 24, 1835_.
His Excellency the DUKE DE BROGLIE,
_Minister of Foreign Affairs, etc._
MONSIEUR LE DUC: Having executed to the letter the last instructions of
my Government in the interview which I had the honor to have with your
excellency on the 20th of this month, in order further to comply with
those instructions I am about to return to the United States. Before
leaving France, however, I have thought that it might not be altogether
useless to address your excellency and to submit to you the conversation
which then took place between us, word for word, as I understood it.
In pursuing this course I am prompted by a double motive: First, by a
sincere desire to avoid even the slightest misunderstanding as to the
precise meaning of any expressions used on either part, and also with
a view, in presenting myself to my Government, to furnish indisputable
proof of my fidelity in executing the instructions with which I had
the honor to be charged. This last motive, Monsieur le Duc, does not
interest you personally, but the first, I am sure, will not appear
without importance in your eyes.
Having said that I was instructed to employ both language and manner the
most conciliatory, I begged you to believe, should anything appear to
you not to partake of that character, that the fault must be attributed
_to me alone_, and not to my Government, as in that case I should be
certain that I neither represented its disposition nor faithfully obeyed
its orders.
I began the conversation by informing you that I had requested an
interview by order of my Government, and that on the result of that
interview would depend my future movements. I said that I was ordered
to convey to the French Government assurances of the very lively
satisfaction felt by the President on receiving the news and
confirmation of the King's safety, and that I was further instructed
by the Secretary of State to assure you personally of his high
consideration. After an obliging answer of your excellency I had
the honor to submit the following question:
"I am instructed by my Government to inquire of your excellency what
are the intentions of His Majesty's Government in relation to the funds
voted by the Chambers."
And I understood you to make the following answer:
"Having written a dispatch to His Majesty's chargé d'affaires at
Washington, with instructions to communicate it to Mr. Forsyth, and M.
Pageot having read it to Mr. Forsyth, I have nothing to say in addition
to that dispatch."