: Mémoires pour servir à l'Histoire de mon temps (Tome 5) by Guizot Fran Ois - France Politics and government 1814-1830; France Politics and government 1830-1848; Guizot M. (François) 1787-1874; France Foreign relations 1815-1848 FR Biographie Mémoires J

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o M. Guizot, that the message intended to be conveyed to the Porte by M. de Pontois, must have been much altered by the person who delivered it, or else that M. de Pontois must have made such a communication entirely without instructions or authority from his own Government, and indeed in direct opposition to the spirit of the instructions which he had received; because the language used upon this occasion by M. Pontois was directly at variance with the language which has been held by the French Government to Her Majesty's ambassador at Paris, by M. Guizot to Her Majesty's Government in London, and, as far as Her Majesty's Government are informed, by the French agents at Alexandria to M?h?met Ali. For, at Paris, M. Thiers, on his return not long ago from the meeting hold at the chateau d'Eu, assured Earl Granville that the strictest orders had been sent to the French admirals in the Levant to avoid any thing which might lead to collision between French and British ships of war; in London M. Guizot, both before and after his visit to the chateau d'Eu, has always stated to the undersigned that the armaments of France are purely precautionary, and in no respect whatever aggressive; that France intends to remain for the present entirely quiet; but thinking that the measures which the four powers are about to take in the Levant may by possibility lead to events which might affect the general balance of power, or alter the state of possessions of the powers of Europe, or in some way or other bear upon the direct interests of France, the French Government had deemed it right to place himself in an attitude of observation; and at Alexandria the French agents are understood to have declared to M?h?met Ali that France has no intention whatever of taking up arms in his support. It was therefore obvious to Her Majesty's Government that M. de Pontois could not have been instructed or authorized by the French Government to hold at Constantinople a language directly the reverse of that which had been held by the French Government everywhere else, and the more especially as the language held by M. Pontois is directly at variance with all the public and official declarations made by the French Government of the principles upon which the policy of France, with regard to the affairs of the Ottoman Empire, is founded.

The undersigned has great pleasure in acknowledging that the conviction thus felt by Her Majesty's Government has been confirmed by the belief expressed to him by M. Guizot upon this matter, on which however M. Guizot stated that he had received no information from his own Government, and of which he knew nothing but what the undersigned had laid before him. The undersigned therefore in transmitting to M. Guizot the accompanying papers, in order that they may be made known to the French Government, begs to assure M. Guizot that he makes the communication not in consequence of any doubt which Her Majesty's Government entertain of the sincerity and good faith of the Government of France, but because it is fitting that, in a matter of such deep importance to the peace of Europe, the French Government should know how much the language which is reported to have been used by one of his diplomatic agents differs from that which the French Government itself has held.

The undersigned has the honour to renew to M. Guizot the assurances of his most distinguished consideration.

Foreign Office, 9th sept. 1840.

Le soussign?, principal secr?taire d'?tat de Sa Majest? au d?partement des affaires ?trang?res, selon ce qui a ?t? convenu entre lui et M. Guizot, ambassadeur extraordinaire et pl?nipotentiaire du Roi des Fran?ais aupr?s de cette cour, lors de leur r?cente entrevue, a l'honneur de transmettre ? M. Guizot un extrait d'une d?p?che que le Gouvernement de Sa Majest? a re?ue, il y a quelques jours, de Lord Ponsonby, avec une copie des documents auxquels cette d?p?che fait allusion.

Avant m?me que le soussign? ait eu l'honneur de montrer ces papiers ? M. Guizot, le Gouvernement de Sa Majest? ?tait convaincu que la d?claration qui devait ?tre faite ? la Porte par M. de Pontois devait avoir ?t? fort alt?r?e par la personne qui l'avait faite, ou bien que M. de Pontois devait avoir fait cette d?claration absolument sans instructions et sans l'autorisation de son propre Gouvernement, et v?ritablement en opposition directe avec l'esprit des instructions qu'il avait re?ues, parce que le langage employ? en cette occasion par M. de Pontois a ?t? directement contraire au langage tenu par le Gouvernement fran?ais ? l'ambassadeur de Sa Majest? ? Paris, au langage tenu par M. Guizot au Gouvernement de Sa Majest? ? Londres, et, autant que peut en ?tre inform? le Gouvernement de Sa Majest?, au langage tenu par les agents fran?ais ? Alexandrie ? M?h?met-Ali. Car, ? Paris, il n'y a pas longtemps, M. Thiers, ? son retour de la r?union tenue au ch?teau d'Eu, a assur? le comte Granville que les ordres les plus stricts ont ?t? envoy?s aux amiraux fran?ais dans le Levant d'?viter tout ce qui pourrait mener ? une collision entre les navires de guerre fran?ais et anglais; ? Londres, M. Guizot, avant comme apr?s sa visite au ch?teau d'Eu, a toujours assur? le soussign? que les armements de la France sont de pure pr?caution et n'ont en aucune fa?on un caract?re aggressif; que l'intention de la France est de rester enti?rement tranquille quant ? pr?sent; mais que, regardant les mesures que les quatre puissances sont au moment de prendre dans le Levant comme de nature ? amener, par quelque ?ventualit?, des faits qui pourraient affecter l'?quilibre g?n?ral de la puissance ou alt?rer l'?tat des possessions des diverses puissances en Europe, ou atteindre de mani?re ou d'autre les int?r?ts imm?diats de la France, le Gouvernement fran?ais a cru bon de prendre une attitude d'observation; et ? Alexandrie, il revient que les agents fran?ais ont d?clar? ? M?h?met-Ali que la France n'a aucune intention de prendre les armes en sa faveur. Le Gouvernement de Sa Majest? a eu, par cons?quent, lieu de penser que M. de Pontois ne pouvait pas avoir re?u d'instructions ni d'autorisation du Gouvernement fran?ais pour tenir ? Constantinople un langage directement oppos? ? celui que le Gouvernement fran?ais a tenu partout ailleurs--et cela d'autant plus particuli?rement que le langage tenu par M. de Pontois est directement oppos? ? toutes les d?clarations publiques et officielles que le Gouvernement fran?ais a faites des principes sur lesquels est fond?e la politique de la France relativement aux affaires de l'Empire ottoman.

Le soussign? ?prouve un grand plaisir ? reconna?tre que la conviction que le Gouvernement de Sa Majest? s'est ainsi form?e a ?t? confirm?e par l'opinion que M. Guizot lui a exprim?e ? ce sujet, sur lequel n?anmoins M. Guizot a constat? n'avoir re?u aucune communication de son propre Gouvernement et duquel il ne savait que ce qui lui a ?t? expos? par le soussign?. En cons?quence, le soussign?, en transmettant ? M. Guizot les papiers ci-joints, afin qu'ils puissent ?tre port?s ? la connaissance du Gouvernement fran?ais, demande la permission d'assurer M. Guizot que cette communication est faite par lui, non par suite d'aucun doute con?u par le Gouvernement de Sa Majest? sur la sinc?rit? et la bonne foi du Gouvernement fran?ais, mais parce qu'il convient que, sur des mati?res si profond?ment importantes pour la paix de l'Europe, le Gouvernement fran?ais sache combien le langage qui a ?t? tenu, ? ce que l'on rapporte, par un de ses agents diplomatiques, diff?re du langage que le Gouvernement fran?ais a tenu lui-m?me.

Le soussign? a l'honneur de r?p?ter ? M. Guizot les assurances de sa consid?ration la plus distingu?e.

Foreign Office, 9 sept. 1840.

Reschid Pacha sent M. Francheschi to me this morning to communicate a message the pacha has received from the French ambassador, through M. Cor, the French dragoman.

My servant, by mistake, denied me to M. Francheschi, who went on to the internuncio and delivered his message to H. E. who came here immediately with M. Francheschi, and prepared a despatch for Prince Metternich detailing the transaction, and of which I have now the honour to enclose a copy that will save your Lordship the trouble of details from me.

M. Francheschi said that Reschid Pacha is not alarmed, though he is aware of the gravity of the situation of the affair; he said the Sultan is not alarmed and is firm.

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