The Pastor Mr. S. Descombaz, President of the Evangelical Alliznce of Lyons to Granville Leveson-Gower, October 18, 1870

Lord Lyons to Earl Granville

My Lord: I had this morning the honor to receive your lordship’s telegram of yesterday informing me that the Prussian authorities had consented to allow the members of the embassy and other British subjects who should accompany them from Paris to pass the lines of the German army.

I went immediately to the Comte de Chaudordy, and after placing in his hand a memorandum on the subject, begged him to move the government delegation here to do all that depended upon it to facilitate the departure of my countrymen from Paris.

M. de Chaudordy said that he could answer at once for the willingness of the government here to do all in its power; but that, of course, the necessary arrangements must be made at Paris with the government and the military authorities there. If, however, I would compress an instruction to Mr. Wodehouse into a very small compass, he would undertake to send it for me to Paris in a way which he had reason to hope would prove to be both speedy and safe.

I accordingly intrusted to M. de Chaudordy a short letter in cipher, in which I informed Mr. Wodehouse that your lordship had received through the Prussian ambassador in London an assurance that the members of the British embassy and inoffensive British subjects coming out of Paris would be allowed by the German military authorities to pass. I added that it would be necessary that a list of these British subjects should be drawn up by Mr. Wodehouse for communication to the German authorities; and I desired him to settle the arrangements with the French government at Paris, and, if possible, to make the result known to Count Bismarck either directly or through Colonel Walker. I further recommended Mr. Wodehouse to take every means to give notice to all British subjects of this opportunity for them to leave Paris; and I directed him, moreover, to make such arrangements for the safe custody of the archives and of the embassy house and property as should appear to be most advisable under the circumstances. Finally, I desired him to take advantage of any means he might have of communicating with me.

Some hours after I had delivered the letter to Count Chaudordy for transmission to Mr. Wodehouse, I received your lordship’s telegram of this day, informing me that you had requested the Prussian ambassador in London to beg Count Bismarck to forward a communication from you to Mr. Wodehouse on the subject of the removal of the members of the embassy and other British subjects from Paris. I trust that the result will be that Mr. Wodehouse will thus receive, in a more certain and regular way than that to which I have been obliged to have recourse, complete instructions from your lordship respecting this matter.

I have the honor to inclose a copy of the memorandum which I gave to M. de Chaudordy.

I have, &c.,

[Inclosure.]

Memorandum.

Le Gouvernement Prussien est prêt à laisser passer librement le personnel de l’ambassade d’Angleterre qui se trouve encore à Paris, ainsi que les sujets britanniques inoffensifs qui voudraient l’accompagner, et dont une liste serait rédigée par M. Wodehouse.

Lord Lyons est chargé par Lord Granville de se concerter sans retard à ce sujet avec le gouvernement français.

The Prussian government is ready to allow a free pass to the personnel of the English embassy now in Paris, as well as to the inoffensive British subjects who may wish to accompany them, and a list of whom may be drawn up by Mr. Wodehouse.

Lord Lyons is charged by Lord Granville at once to concert arrangements on the subject with the French government.