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That the Spanish forces would not advance beyond the walls of these places, and only act on the defensive till the arrival of the allies ;

That any funds found in the public treasuries would be reserved for the disposal of the allied Powers;

That Spain would not enter into any Treaty with Mexico till the arrival of the allies;

That Spain pledged herself to protect all foreigners and their property to the utmost of her power;

That in the event of a blockade being found necessary, it would only be in force to the exclusion of Mexican vessels ;

That should Mexico make any resistance to the castle and town being taken by Spain, it might be necessary to cause the removal of the various merchant-ships now at anchor between those places, but that directly Spain got possession, the vessels would be permitted to resume their former position.

As I am fully aware of the great hatred the Mexicans in general bear to Spain, I asked the Admiral why he could not postpone operations till the arrival of the allies, who, I felt convinced, would be well received, and no opposition offered to their landing and taking quiet possession of the town and fort.

To this he replied that, in the first place, his orders compelled him to commence operations against Mexico; and, secondly, that the health of the troops compelled their being landed at once.

I then suggested to the Admiral that as, in all probability, the entire Mexican Government would evacuate the town and fort directly they received his summons, I feared by so long a period as 48 hours being given, anarchy and riot would probably prevail in the town during the interval of the summons and the actual taking possession, which might be attended with great risk to foreigners.

To this the Admiral replied that he should regret exceedingly if any foreigners suffered, but he feared he could not well give a shorter summons.

Thus ended the conference, and I think if Spain acts up to her pledges, her taking temporary sole possession of these places cannot be of any material consequence, whatever may be the future intentions of the allies.

On the 15th, about 3 P.M., a squadron of 12 Spanish steamers anchored between us and the main, evidently intending to land a portion of their troops, as 3 gun-boats (row) were sent in-shore to protect the disembarkation; but about 5 the breeze and swell having considerably increased from the northward, the intention was abandoned, and during the night the squadron resumed its former position off Sacrificios.

On the 16th, about 4 P.M., two paddle-steam frigates, one bearing

the Admiral's flag, proceeded from this and both anchored close on the south-west side of the Fort of San Juan d'Ulloa, where they remained for the night.

On the 17th, the Spanish troops commenced landing both at the town and the fort, and at noon the Spanish flag was hoisted on all the forts of Vera Cruz, and also in the Fort of San Juan d'Ulloa, where it was saluted with 21 guns by the Spanish Admiral off Vera Cruz, and also by the Spanish Commodore off Sacrificios.

The disembarkation of troops has continued, though it has been considerably delayed by fresh northers setting in during the afternoon. I should think about 3,000 have been landed.

Shortly after the Spanish Commodore had saluted the Spanish flag on the Fort of San Juan d'Ulloa, he sent to inform me that had he known the Admiral intended saluting he would have given me notice, but he was only following his superior orders.

I did not consider it necessary to salute, as by so doing I felt I should be insulting the Mexican Republic. As yet the French frigate has not saluted.

The town continues to be perfectly quiet, though about 5,000 inhabitants appear to have quitted it: all the shops are open.

An efficient police is established, who have already apprehended numerous thieves.

I communicated with Her Majesty's Consul yesterday, who does not need any assistance.

Commodore Dunlop.

VON DONOP.

No. 2.-Earl Russell to Lord Bloomfield.

(Extract.) Foreign Office, February 5, 1862. WITH reference to the subject of the offer of the Crown of Mexico to the Archduke Maximilian of Austria, I have to instruct you to inform Count Rechberg that it is the intention of Her Majesty's Government to abide strictly by the terms of the Convention of the 31st of October,* concluded between Great Britain, France, and Spain, relative to the intervention in Mexico. Lord Bloomfield.

RUSSELL.

No. 3.-Earl Cowley to Earl Russell.-(Received February 8.) (Extract.) Paris, February 5, 1862.

I OBSERVED to M. Thouvenel that I was bound to inform Her Majesty's Government if I had any reason to believe that the stipulation of non-intervention in the internal affairs of Mexico, which had been introduced into the Convention of the 31st October, 1861, was possibly about to be overstepped. M. Thouvenel replied that Vol. LI. Page 63.

the Imperial Government would certainly not attempt to impose any Government whatever on the Mexican people. Earl Russell.

COWLEY.

No. 4.-Sir J. Crampton to Earl Russell.-(Received February 9.) (Extract.) Madrid, January 30, 1862.

IN obedience to your Lordship's instructions I have communicated with Marshal O'Donnell and Señor Calderon Collantes upon the subject of your Lordship's despatch of the 23rd instant.

My first interview was with Marshal O'Donnell.

As soon as I had read to his Excellency your Lordship's despatch, he said that he observed, with satisfaction, that the ideas and intentions of the Spanish Cabinet in regard to Mexico were entirely in accord with those of Her Majesty's Government.

With respect to the departure of the Spanish expedition from the Havana before it had been joined by the English and French forces, it was a circumstance caused by the distance of the scene of action from the seat of Government, and the consequent failure of the timely arrival of its instructions to the officer in command of the Spanish forces, modifying those of which he was already in possession, the nature of which had never been concealed from Her Majesty's Government, or that of France. His Excellency referred to General Gasset's proclamations to the army and to the inhabitants of Vera Cruz of the 17th December last, as showing conclusively that the Spanish Government never entertained an intention, either of making a conquest of Mexico, of setting up any particular Government there, or of furthering any views of exclusive interest. He could see nothing in this to cause uneasiness, but rather a proof that the Spanish Government at no time entertained views at variance with the conditions of the Convention which they afterwards signed with England and France.

With respect to the preamble and the Article of the Convention which defined what our intervention is intended to do, and what it is not intended to do, Marshal O'Donnell observed that it was unnecessary to refer to the text of the Treaty, inasmuch as he was fully acquainted with its terms and penetrated with its meaning, from which he had never intended, or now contemplated, to depart in the slightest degree.

He was fully aware, and had uniformly declared, that the allied forces are not to be used for the purpose of depriving the Mexicans of the right to choose their own Government. Such were the conditions of the Convention with England and France, and such, he would add, was his opinion of what the principle of an intervention in Mexico ought to be, long before that Convention was signed, and when an intervention by Spain alone had been decided upon. I

might recollect, his Excellency observed, that such had been the opinion he had expressed to me when we conversed upon the subject at La Granja in August last, and from that opinion, now become an engagement, he had never swerved.

To what design of using the allied troops "to set up a Government repugnant to the sentiments of Mexico," allusion was made in your Lordship's despatch, he was, therefore, at a loss to understand. If it was to a plan which he had been informed was agitated by some persons, he meant that of establishing a Monarchy in Mexico under an Austrian Archduke, he could only say that no such plan had been originated or entertained by the Spanish Government, nor had any communication of its existence in the quarter alluded to been ever made to them, either at Paris or Madrid. He would go further, and tell me unreservedly that were such a plan to be proposed to him, it would be met with his decided disapproval. He entirely agreed with your Lordship's observations as to the inevitable consequences of such an attempt by the allies to impose any particular form of government upon Mexico; she must be left free to choose for herself. A Government imposed by the allies, the allies would be bound to support; and, speaking for Spain, he would most decidedly decline to guarantee the continuance of any form or species of government in Mexico.

With respect to the particular combination in question, it would be unnecessary for him to do more than to refer me to the opinion which he expressed to me when an idea was agitated of conferring the sovereignty of Mexico on a Spanish Prince. It appeared to him to be so extravagant as to be scarcely worthy of consideration. The present plan was not less so. A monarchy under an European Prince, if not guaranteed by Europe, would not last a year; if guaranteed and supported by Europe, it would be a fruitful source of struggles between European Powers and those of America who had adopted Republican institutions and repelled European interference in the New World.

"I am not aware," said Marshal O'Donnell, smiling, "of the wishes or disposition of the illustrious individual whose name has been brought forward on this occasion, but I can only repeat what I have often before said to you on this subject, viz., that being neither Archduke nor Prince, but simply a Spanish General Officer, and supposing (what, however, is impossible) that the Crown of Mexico were offered to me, I should not hesitate for a moment to refuse it. I have lived too long in contiguity with Mexico, when Captain-General of Cuba, not to be somewhat acquainted with the manners and political habits of that country, and the knowledge of them which I have acquired has certainly not led me to the conclusion that Monarchy under an European Prince would succeed in reducing it to order."

Marshal O'Donnell summed up by saying that he could not see that there existed, in reality, any difference of view between the two Governments; and that no plan had been proposed to, or been entertained by, the Spanish Government, which involved a deviation from the principles of joint action in regard to Mexico laid down in the Tripartite Convention.

At a later hour of the same day I saw Señor Calderon Collantes, and read to him your Lordship's despatch.

His Excellency's language was entirely conformable to that of Marshal O'Donnell in repelling any idea, on the part of the Spanish Government, of a departure from the terms or the spirit of the Convention, and in denying that any plan had been proposed to them which involved such a departure. Of the design of establishing a Monarchy in Mexico under the Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian he had, indeed, heard. He did not know where such a design may or may not have found favour, but it certainly had not done so at Madrid. He had no reason to think that it had done so at Paris, for no communication had been made on this subject by the French Government to that of Spain.

His Excellency protested, in the strongest manner, that the whole conduct of the Spanish Government in regard to this matter had been perfectly frank and straightforward. There had been no arrière-pensée on their part from the beginning, nor was there now. The objects meant to be obtained by the Spanish Government, in their proceedings with regard to Mexico, were those which they had declared them to be, first on their own account, and afterwards by the terms of the Convention with England and France, and they had no other.

His Excellency expressed the earnest desire to act in entire harmony with Her Majesty's Government, but did not disguise from me that he felt somewhat touched at what seemed to imply a sort of doubt on their part of the entire frankness of the Spanish Government. There were some phrases in your Lordship's despatch which he did not think quite just, and which seemed to indicate a disposition on the part of Her Majesty's Government to give ear to suggestions unfavourable to the sincerity of Her Catholic Majesty's Government. This was a disposition the existence of which he would deeply regret, but he felt sure, at the same time, that it would disappear after a candid examination of a correct report of the facts of the case. Earl Russell.

JOHN F. CRAMPTON.

No. 6.-Sir J. Crampton to Earl Russell.-(Received February 9.)
(Extract.)
Madrid, January 31, 1862.
SENOR CALDERON COLLANTES sent for me this evening, and

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