United States' Legation; and he added that he was confident that this letter, coming directly from your Lordship to M. Jules Favre, would remove all difficulty.

My Lord,

Lord Lyons to Earl Granville.-(Received January 10.)

Bordeaux, January 5, 1871. IN execution of the instruction conveyed to me by your Lordship's telegram of yesterday, I told the Comte de Chaudordy, this afternoon, that in consequence of the statement which M. Jules Favre was reported to have made to Mr. Washburne, that he declined to leave Paris, your Lordship had desired me to urge the Government here to appoint a new Plenipotentiary in his stead without delay.

M. de Chaudordy answered, that it was not in the power of the Delegation at Bordeaux to do this. In virtue of the authority given to them in the matter by M. Favre himself, and the Government at Paris, they had announced his appointment to the foreign Powers, and had written to inform him of what they had done. There could be no doubt that, as soon as he received the communications dispatched to him hence, or the letter which your Lordship had written to him, he would proceed to London to take part in the Conference. The Delegation here had neither the right to make any change, nor any speedier or surer means of communicating with M. Favre, than those they had employed to inform him of the appointment; and, therefore, even if they were able to appoint a fresh Plenipotentiary (which in fact they had neither the power nor the desire to do), they would have no certainty of being able to make their having done so known to M. Favre, in time to prevent his setting out for London.

M. de Chaudordy went on to say, that he was fully sensible of the friendly considertion which your Lordship had already shown in the matter of M. Favre's appointment, and that he rightly appreciated the pains you had been good enough to take with a view to facilitate his journey, and to avoid opening the Conference without him. He could assure me that, on his own part, he had written repeatedly to M. Favre, and had made every possible endeavour to get his letters safely and speedily into Paris. The Delegation here had used, and was using, every possible means of sending intelligence to M. Favre; and, indeed, M. Gambetta in particular, had dispatched letters to him in no less than fifteen different ways.

M. de Chaudordy said, in conclusion, that he sincerely regretted the inconvenience to which he feared your Lordship was put by the delay; but that he felt sure you would make allowance for difficulties in communicating with Paris, for which the will of the Delegation was certainly not responsible. And he would earnestly beg your Lordship to avail yourself of such means as were at your disposal, to make M. Favre speedily acquainted with the real state of things respecting the Conference.

No. 159.

Earl Granville to Musurus Pasha.*

I have, &c.

M. l'Ambassadeur,

Foreign Office, January 12, 1871. I HAVE the honour to acquaint your Excellency that I shall be happy to receive you at the Foreign Office on Tuesday next, the 17th instant, at 1 o'clock, to confer with the Representatives of the other Powers, parties to the Treaty signed at Pari th 30th of March, 1856, respecting certain matters stipulated in that Treaty with res e to the neutralization of the Black Sea.

I am, &c.

Similar letters were addressed to Count Apponyi, Baron Brunnow, Count Bernstorff, and the Chevalier de

Cadorna.

M. le Chargé d'Affaires,

No. 160..

Earl Granville to M. Tissot.

Foreign Office, January 12, 1871.

I HAVE the honour to acquaint you that I have severally invited the Plenipotentiaries of Austria, Italy, Prussia, Russia, and Turkey, now in this country, to meet at the Foreign Office on Tuesday next, the 17th instant, at 1 o'clock, to confer with the Representatives of the other Powers, parties to the Treaty signed at Paris on the 30th of March, 1856, respecting certain matters stipulated in that Treaty with respect to the neutralization of the Black Sea; and I trust that by that day a Plenipotentiary of the Government of National Defence, will be prepared to meet the Plenipotentiaries of the other Powers in Conference on that subject.

I am, &c.

(Signed)

No. 161.

GRANVILLE.

(Extract.)

Mr. Odo Russell to Earl Granville.-(Received January 13.)

Versailles, January 3, 1871. WHILE we were speaking, a letter came in from Mr. Washburne, the United States' Minister at Paris, stating that he had informed M. Jules Favre that he could have a safeconduct to leave Paris and attend the Conferences in London, but that M. Favre had declined both to leave his colleagues and attend the Conferences under present circumstances.

Count Bismarck said he hoped another French Plenipotentiary would be speedily appointed, or the Protocols left open for the future consideration of the French Government, but that the meeting of the Conference would not suffer further delay.

My Lord,

No. 162.

Musurus Pasha to Earl Granville.-(Received January 13.)

Ambassade Impériale Ottomane, Londres, le 13 Janvier, 1871.

J'AI eu l'honneur de recevoir la lettre que votre Excellence a bien voulu m'adresser en date d'hier, et je ne manquerai pas de me rendre au Foreign Office, Mardi prochain, le 17 de ce mois, à 1 heure de l'après-midi, pour conférer avec les Représentants des autres Puissances signataires du Traité de Paris du 30 Mars, 1856, sur certaines points de ce Traité relatifs à la neutralisation de la Mer Noire.

My Lord,

Imperial Ottoman Embassy,
London, January 13, 1871.

I HAVE had the honour to receive the letter which your Excellency addressed to me yesterday, and I shall not fail to attend at the Foreign Office on Tuesday next the 17th instant at 1 o'clock to confer with the Representatives of the other Powers signataries of the Treaty of Paris of the 30th of March, 1856, on certain points of that Treaty relative to the neutralization of the Black Sea.

No. 163.

Count Apponyi to Earl Granville.—(Received January 14.)

M. le Comte, Londres, le 13 Janvier, 1871. CONFORMEMENT à l'invitation contenue dans votre note en date d'hier, j'aurai l'honneur de me rendre au Foreign Office, Mardi, le 17 du courant, à 1 heure, pour y conférer avec les Représentants des autres Puissances signataires du Traité du 30 Mars, 1856, sur certaines stipulations de ce Traité relatives à la neutralisation de la Mer Noire. Je saisis, &c.

(Signé)

APPONYI.

My Lord,

(Translation.)

London, January 13, 1871.

IN conformity with the invitation contained in your note of yesterday, I shall have the honour of attending at the Foreign Office on Tuesday the 17th instant at 1 o'clock, to confer with the Representatives of the other Powers signataries of the Treaty of the 30th of March, 1856, upon certain stipulations of that Treaty relative to the neutralization of the Black Sea.

M. le Comte,

Baron Brunnow to Earl Granville.-(Received January 14.)

Londres, le Janvier, 1871. J'AI l'honneur d'accuser réception de la note en date du 12 Janvier, par laquelle votre Excellence a bien voulu m'inviter à me rendre à la Conférence qui sera tenue au Foreign Office, Mardi, le 17 Janvier, à 1 heure après midi.

Conformément aux instructions de ma Cour je me ferai un devoir de prendre part

à cette réunion à l'heure indiquée.

I HAVE the honour to ackowledge the receipt of your note dated the 12th of January, in which your Excellency has invited me to attend the Conference to be held at the Foreign Office on Tuesday the 17th of January at 1 o'clock.

In conformity with the instructions of my Court I shall have the honour of attending this meeting at the hour mentioned.

(Translation.)

My Lord,

Count Bernstorff to Earl Granville.—(Received January 14.)

Prussia House, January 13, 1871.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch of yesterday's date, and at the same time to acquaint you that I will not fail to appear at the Foreign Office on Wednesday next the 17th instant at 1 o'clock.

I have, &c.

M. le Comte,

No. 166.

The Chevalier Cadorna to Earl Granville.-(Received January 14.)

20, Hill Street, Berkeley Square, le 13 Janvier, 1871. JE me fais un devoir de vous accuser réception de votre note en date d'hier par laquelle vous m'avez fait l'honneur de me prévenir que vous voudrez bien me recevoir le Mardi prochain, le 17 courant, à 1 heure après midi, au Foreign Office, pour conférer avec les Représentants des autres Puissances signataires du Traité de Paris du 30 Mars, 1856, sur certaines matières stipulées dans le dit Traité au sujet de la neutralisation de la Mer Noire.

Je m'empresse de porter à votre connaissance, M. le Comte, que j'aurai l'honneur de m'y rendre dans ma qualité de Plénipotentiaire de Sa Majesté le Roi d'Italie.

J'ai, &c.

My Lord,

20, Hill Street, Berkeley Square, January 13, 1871.

I BEG to acknowledge the receipt of your note dated yesterday, in which you do me the honour of informing me that you will receive me at the Foreign Office on Tuesday, the 17th instant, at 1 o'clock to confer with the Representatives of the other Powers signataries of the Treaty of Paris of the 30th of March, 1856, on certain matters stipulated in the said Treaty on the subject of the neutralization of the Black Sea.

I hasten to inform your Lordship that I shall have the honour of attending in my capacity as Plenipotentiary of His Majesty the King of Italy.

I have, &c.

(Signed)

C. CADORNA.

No. 167.

My Lord,

Earl Granville to Lord Lyons.

Foreign Office, January 15, 1871.

M. JULES FAVRE, acting doubtless under the influence of honourable motives, would seem to be unwilling to leave Paris at the present time; but after the appeal which has been made to me by the Porte and other Powers deprecating any further delay in the meeting of the Conference, I feel myself unable to postpone it.

Your Excellency will state this to M. de Chaudordy, and again press for authority being sent to M. Tissot to take part in the Conference.

I am, &c.

VILI

No. 168.

Earl Granville to Lord Lyons.

My Lord,

Foreign Office, January 15, 1871.

IT would appear from your Excellency's telegram of last night that M. de Chaudordy has at last heard from M. Favre, who is prepared to come out of Paris to take part in the Conference, although averse to making any direct application to the Prussian authorities for a safe-conduct, which, however, he thinks he may perhaps obtain through the intervention of the United States' Minister; and under those circumstances M. de Chaudordy suggests that the meeting of the Conference fixed for the 17th instant should be postponed.

Upon consultation, however, with the Austrian and Turkish Representatives, we have come to the conclusion, and being aware of the opinion of the others, that it would be inexpedient to defer the first meeting of the Conference, which has been so long delayed, beyond the day at present fixed for it to be held, although no specific questions relating to the provisions of the Treaty of 1856 will be dealt with on that day.

Her Majesty's Government hope that before the second meeting M. Favre will arrive, and that he will not allow any point of form as to the safe-conduct which has been offered to him to interfere with his arrival.

But much misconstruction would be obviated if M. Tissot were authorized to attend the Conference on the first day of its meeting.

No. 169.

I am, &c.

Sir,

Earl Granville to Mr. Odo Russell.

Foreign Office, January 15, 1871.

FROM a telegram that I received from Lord Lyons yesterday evening, I cannot but conclude that the difficulty which has been raised, both at Versailles and in Paris, in regard to a safe-conduct for M. Jules Favre to come out of Paris, and to attend the Conference, is substantially a matter of form, and that either party, if desirous of doing so, might easily overcome it.

I

am, &c.

(Signed)

GRANVILLE.

No. 170.

Earl Granville to Mr. Odo Russell.

Foreign Office, January 16, 1871.

Sir, THE Austrian and Turkish Plenipotentiaries to the Conference, whom I have consulted as to the date which we should fix for the first meeting, are of opinion that, considering that it has already been delayed so long, it would be very undesirable that it should be further postponed beyond the 17th instant; and, in this opinion, which had already been stated to me by the other Plenipotentiaries, I fully concur. The first meeting will, therefore, be fixed for that day; but it has been decided to confine ourselves to the discussion of general principles, and to reserve for future meetings the discussion of specific questions respecting the provisions of the Treaty of Paris of 1856. It is much to be desired that M. Jules Favre may arrive in this country in time to take his seat at the second meeting, and I should wish you to take any opportunity that may present itself of urging him not to allow any mere point of form as to the safe-conduct which may be granted to him to delay his departure from Paris.

Under any circumstances it would be desirable that M. Tissot should be present at the first meeting, as his absence might give rise to misconstructions which it would be most desirable to obviate.

I am, &c.

(Signed)

GRANVILLE.

No. 171.

M. Jules Favre to Earl Granville.-(Received January 17.)

M. le Comte, Paris, le 10 Janvier, 1871. JE reçois seulement aujourd'hui, 10 Janvier, à 9 heures du soir, par l'intermédiaire de M. le Ministre des Etats-Unis, la lettre que votre Excellence m'a fait l'honneur de m'écrire le 29 Décembre dernier, et par laquelle elle veut bien m'annoncer qu'elle a prié M. le Comte de Bernstorff de faire tenir à ma disposition le sauf-conduit qui m'est nécessaire pour franchir les lignes Prussiennes, et assister, comme Représentant de la France, à la Conférence qui doit s'ouvrir à Londres.

Je remercie votre Excellence de cette communication et de l'obligeance qu'elle a mise à me faciliter l'accomplissement du devoir qui m'est imposé.

Il m'est, toutefois, difficile de m'éloigner immédiatement de Paris, qui, depuis huit jours, est livré aux horreurs d'un bombardement exécuté sur sa population inoffensive, sans l'avertissement usité dans le droit des gens. Je ne me sens pas le droit d'abandonner mes concitoyens au moment où ils sont victimes de cette violence.

D'ailleurs, les communications entre Paris et Londres sont, par le fait du Commandant-en-chef de l'armée assiégeante, si lentes et si incertaines que je ne puis, malgré mon bon vouloir, répondre à votre appel dans les termes de votre dépêche.