The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 76, July 1972 - April, 1973 Page: 35
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From Texas to Mexico
for the Austrian, withdrew their forces in the spring of 1862. The
French began their march on Mexico alone.
The foregoing is not to imply that the behavior of Dubois de
Saligny was the sole or even the principal cause of the establishment
of the tragic empire of Maximilian. A monarchy in Mexico ruled
by a Habsburg prince was part of Napoleon's "grand design" of
which his minister in Mexico could not at first have been aware.
Nevertheless, his responsibility for the course of events was large.
When he went out to Mexico with little but his financial combina-
tions on his mind, his bullying demands had escalated French griev-
ances beyond reach of negotiation. After the tripartite intervention
began, it was his determination and ruthlessness that ruptured the
alliance. Since he was then obliged to share his authority with the
French commander-in-chief, Admiral Jurien de la Gravibre, far more
amenable to compromise than he, and since both Dunlop and Prim
sincerely desired to avoid force, the role of devil's advocate was
his alone. It is true that by this time he was cognizant of the em-
peror's desire to establish a monarchy in Mexico and confident that
his intransigent position was in conformance with his ruler's purpose.
How tragic for France, for Mexico, and all involved that the emperor
had so unscrupulous and at the same time so effective an agent in
his service in Mexico. A less resolute man would have quailed before
the censorious eyes of the British and Spanish commanders. One more
thin-skinned would have been wounded by the slings and arrows of
the Mexican press, and, conscious of his malfeasance, might have
tempered or abandoned his unjustifiable demands. Both shameless
and brazen, he had helped tempt the emperor into intervention and
had fostered the monarchical illusions until, French troops having
been committed in the interior, France was past the point of no
return.
In the summer of 1863 the French emperor at length came to
recognize the scandal surrounding his legation in Mexico and the
true nature of the man who directed it. He dismissed Dubois de
Saligny in the most peremptory language and ordered him home
to report in person. The game was now up, but Dubois de Saligny
desperately played out his remaining cards. For several weeks, in
order to continue the lucrative financial business of the legation,
he concealed the fact of his recall and continued to act the minister."
52Dubois de Saligny acknowledged receipt of his recall on July 26, 1863. Dubois de
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 76, July 1972 - April, 1973, periodical, 1973; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101202/m1/53/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.