ser,
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, dea