Observations on the Present State of the Affairs of the River Plate

by Thomas Baines

I must first begin by telling you that, some days before the packet sailed, Count de Lurde and I made the formal tender of the mediation in the manner presented to me by my instructions with which I made you acquainted when I was last at Monte Video.

I told M. de Arana that he was doubtless acquainted with the object of our visit, to which he assented, of which he had been informed by previous conversations which he had with me, and which was no longer a secret, for it had formed articles in the Monte Video newspapers, and the topic of conversation in the streets of that Town for weeks. But public or private the object is the same, one of the greatest importance to this country and of serious consideration to Great Britain and to France,—that of urging General Rosas to accept the mediation of France and Great Britain, of which the Count de Lurde and I then made the formal offer to the Buenos Ayrean Government in order to put an end to the deplorable conflict in which Buenos Ayres and Monte Video have for such a length of time been engaged. That Monte Video to my knowledge is anxious and willing to make peace with Buenos Ayres upon fair and reasonable terms, and I could produce authority for what I advanced, if required, that the proposal which General Rosas had formerly made, of accepting the mediation of Great Britain upon the condition that General Oribe should be returned to power, was inadmissible, and that it was obviously impossible that either the British or French Governments could sanction, by their mediation, the desire of General Rosas to place in the Presidency of Monte Video a particular individual, who, however meritorious in other respects, may not be acceptable to the majority of the inhabitants of the Oriental State, and that those Governments can only agree to offer to either of the belligerent powers such conditions as one independent State can, consistently with its honour, accept from another.

I then acquainted his excellency that it was the confident expectation of her Majesty's Government that the Argentine Government will accept the offer of Great Britain and France to mediate between Buenos Ayres and Monte Video, upon just and reasonable conditions, and that the Buenos Ayrean Government will authorize us, the Count de Lurde and me, to propose moderate and honourable terms of peace to the Government of the Republic of the Uruguay. I stated to M. de Arana that this offer is dictated by the feelings of humanity and of warm interest in the prosperity of the two neighbouring Republics, and her Majesty's Government earnestly hope, as M. de Lurde said does that of France, that the Government of Buenos Ayres will maturely reflect before they reject the friendly intervention which is now offered to them by two such powerful states, and I concluded by conjuring his Excellency to use his whole influence with General Rosas, as his friend and adviser, 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, dear M. de Vidal, a faithful and exact account of every thing that has taken place in this important business.

Now as to what you ask of me with respect to answering the official note you sent to me by the French Minister, I agree with you perfectly, that Her Majesty's Government would not make a second offer of its mediation, without being resolved to support it, more especially since you say that Lord Aberdeen has declared to M. Ellauri, that he will put a stop to the war.

But this assurance on the part of Lord Aberdeen does not give me the power either to take measures for carrying this declaration into effect, or to make such a declaration to General Rosas. I must wait for instructions from my Government before I inform the Buenos Ayrean Government what they will direct shall be done, as it is not for me to say in what manner the war shall be put a stop to.

M. de Lurde, when I spoke to him about the purport of the official note to me from you, of which he was the bearer, told me that he had simply acknowledged the receipt of it, because he could give no other answer, and I feel that I am in exactly a similar position.

You are now, as you have always been, in possession of my public and private sentiments upon this most important question, the mediation, and you may be most confident that my conduct upon it, whilst it is pending, will be as satisfactory to your Government as to yourself.