(No. 2.)-Official Note.-The Minifter for Foreign Affairs to Lord Grenville. The undersigned minifter for foreign affairs of the French republic, loft no time in laying before the executive directory the note which was tranfmitted to him on the ift of June (O. S.) by lord Grenville, in the name of his Britannic majefty. He is directed to answer it. The executive directory fees with fatisfaction the defire which the cabinet of St. James's expreffes to put an end, at length, to the ca lamities of war. It will receive with eagerness the overtures and propofals which fhall be made to it by the court of England. pro The executive directory defires, notwithstanding, that the negotia tions should be fet on foot at once for a definitive treaty. This ceeding appears to the directory preferable to a congrefs, of which the refult must be remote, and which does not correfpond with the ardent desire that it has to re establish, as quickly as poffible, (June 4, 1797.) ed, with the greateft fatisfaction, the affurances of the difpofitions of the executive directory to entertain with eagernefs the pacific overtures of Great Britain, as well as of its defire to re-establish, as soon as poffible, peace between the two powers. Anxious to contribute to it in every thing which can depend up on itself, the British government will not delay to fend to Paris, or to fuch other place, upon the continent, as may be agreed upon, a minifter, to treat and conclude with the plenipotentiary, who fhall be appointed by the executive directury. The underfigned is directed to defire to know the with of the di rectory, as to the place of the nego tiation, in order that a speedy determination may be taken here upon that fubject; and to request the minister for foreign affairs to fend him, without delay, the neceffary paffports, to enable the king's ple nipotentiary to repair immediately The question to his deftination." of figning preliminary or definitive articles, will neceffarily depend upon the progrefs and turn of the negotiations, to which, on the part of Great Britain, will be brought the most fincere defire for the speedy re-establishment of peace. (Signed) Westminster, June 8, 1797. GRENVILLE. (No. 4.)-Official Note.-The Minifter for Foreign Affairs to Lord Grenville. The executive directory of the French republic has feen with fatiffaction, by the official note of lord Grenville, dated June 8th (O. S.), that the court of London fhews it felf difpofed to fet on foot, without (Q2) delay, delay, the negotiation, for which it has lately made an overture. Filled with the fame eagerness, convinced that the intentions of the British government are fuch as it defcribes them, the directory has directed the undersigned, minifter for foreign affairs, to tranfmit to lord Grenville the neceffary paffports for a minifter furnished with full powers for the purpose of ne gotiating a definitive and feparate treaty of peace with the French republic. The executive directory has fix ed upon the commune of Lifle as the place of meeting for the refpective plenipotentiaries. (Signed) CH. DELACROIX. à Paris, 23 Prairial, 5th Year of the French Republic. (June 11, 1797.) (No. 5.)-Form of Paport. Liberty, Equality. Fraternity, Union. In the name of the French republic. To all officers, civil and military, charged to maintain public order in the different departments of France, and to make the French name refpected abroad. Allow to pafs freely furnished with full powers of his Britannic majefty for the purpofe of negotiating, concluding, and figuing a definitive and feparate treaty of peace with the French republic, native of, &c. &c. * going to Life, department of the north, the place appointed for the negotiation, without giving or fuffering any hindrance to be given to him. This paffport shall be in force for decades only. Given at Paris the 23d Prairial, 5th year of the republic, one and indivisible. The minifter for foreign affairs, (Signed) CH. DALACROIX. By the minifter, (Signed) T. GUIRADET. - Lord (No. 6.) Official Note. Grenville to the Minifter for Foreign Affairs. The undersigned has received from the minifter for foreign affairs of the French republic his official note, with the paffport which accompanied it. The court of London willingly accepts the propofal of the French government with refpect to the place of negotiation, and confents that Lifle fhall be appointed as the place of meeting for the refpective plenipotentiaries:-it being always understood, that the king's plenipotentiary fhall have liberty to dif patch his couriers directly from Life to Dover, by way of Calais; and that the English veffels, appointed for keeping up this com munication, fhall be allowed freely to go into, and come out of, the port of Calais, and to pafs in perfect fafety between that city and Dover. With refpect to the paffport, the underligned finds himfelf under the necefiity of remarking that the terms in which this inftrument is drawn up, differ from the ufual form, by the particular defcription, which is inferted in them, of the nature and extent of the powers, and of the omiffion of the king's plenipotentiary. This new form appears liable to produce, in many inftances, confiderable inconvenience; and according to the terms ufed in this particu. particular inftance, it would have the difadvantage of not anfwering exactly to the powers and the miffion of the minifter in question. His full powers, drawn up in the ufual form, will include every cafe; and without prefcribing to him any particular mode of negotiation, will give him the most unlimited authority to conclude any articles or treaties, whether preliminary or definitive, as might beft conduce to the fpeedy re-eftablifhment of peace, which is the fole object of his miffion. But the court of London does not by any means make a point of concluding a preliminary treaty, and would prefer only that mode, whatever it may be, which shall be found the best calculated to accelerate the conclufion of peace. The king's plenipotentiary then will be equally ready, and authorized to begin the negotiation without delay, upon either footing; upon the footing of a preliminary treaty or should fuch continue to be the wish of the directory, upon that of a definitive treaty. As to what regards the queftion of a feparate treaty-there would be no objection to fettling, by a treaty of this kind, whatever relates to the refpective interests of France and of Great Britain, as has been ufually the practice in fimilar cafes: but the king cannot allow any doubt to fubfift as to his intention of providing for what is due to the interefts of his ally her moft Faithful majefty. And in purfuance of the fame principles, his majefty will not refufe to enter into fuch explanations with respect to the interefts of Spain and Holland as may appear neceffary for the re-eftablishment of peace. After this frank and precife explanation, the Britif government is perfuaded that the directory will not delay to tranfmit to them a paffport for the Britifh plenipotentiary and his fuite, in the ufual form, and fuch as were fent in the month of October laft for the miffion with which lord Malmesbury was then charged. In this expectation, and for the fake of avoiding all delay, his majefty has already made choice of the fame minifter to represent him on this important occafion. And the undersigned is charged to inquire on what day the French plcnipotentiary will be at Lifle, in or der that lord Malmesbury may ar rive there at the fame time. (Signed) GRENVILLE. Weftminfler, June 17, 1797. (No. 7.)-Official Note.-The Minifter for Foreign Affairs to Lord Grenville. The underligned minifter for foreign affairs has laid before the di rectory, immediately upon its receipt, the official note addreffed to him by lord Grenville, dated June 17, 1797 (OS). He lofes no time in replying to it, according to the orders which he has received. The directory, partaking most fincerely in the pacific fentiments which his Britannic majefty announces, and withing to bring the negotiation as quickly as poffible to a happy iffue, perfifts in requiring that the refpetive plenipotentiaries fhall begin immediately upon their meeting, to treat of a definitive treaty. The directory accepts, with fatisfaction, the confent of his Britannic majefty upon this fubject, expreffed in the hote of lord Grenville. The directory confents that his Britanuic majefty fhall make, by (Q3) his his plenipotentiary, fuch propofals or ftipulations as he shall think proper for her most Faithful majefty, as in return the plenipotentiaries of the republic will do for their allies his Catholic majesty and the Batavian republic. The directory confents that the negotiation fhali be opened with lord Malmesbury. Another choice would, however, have appeared to the directory to augur more favour ably for the speedy conclufion of peace. The directory requires that it fhall be eftab ifhed as a principle, that each English packet-boat, which fhall have brought over either the plenipotentiary or a cou. rier, fhall return without delay, and fhall not be allowed to make any stay. The directory will give or ders that a French packet-boat fhall be furnished without delay, to each of the couriers whom the plenipo tentiary of his Britannic majefty fhall difpatch. The directory defires, at the fame time, that the couriers fhould not be fent too frequently; the frequent fending of then having been one of the principal caufes of the rupture of the former negotiation. After the above explanation, it becomes unneceffary to tranfmit to lord Grenville a new paffport; the reftrictions which he apprehended were to be found in that which has been addreffed to him being entirely done away. The French plenipotentiaries will have arrived at Lifle by the time at which lord Malmesbury can himself be there. (Signed) Paris, 2 Meffidor. (June 20, 1797.) CH. DELACROIX. Grenville to the Minifter for Fo reign Affairs. The undersigned has laid before the king the official note of the French government which he received the 23d of the prefent month. As to the two firft articles of this note, both parties are agreed. On this point, therefore, there is nothing to be added to the explana tions already given; in confe quence of which explanations lord Malmesbury will, without delay, proceed to Lifle to enter into a negotiation with the French plenipotentiaries for the completion of a definitive treaty; the remark of the directory upon the choice which his majefty has thought fit to make of his plenipotentiary, being certainly of a nature not to require any anfwer. The British government agrees to the arrangement propofed for the packet-boats, provided that a French packet-boat fhall be furnifhed regularly, and without the leaft delay, for each courier, which the British plenipotentiary fhall find it neceffary to difpatch: the exer cife of his incontestable right in this refpect being to be governed by his own difcretion only, with a view to bringing the negotiation with which he is charged to a fpeedy and fuccessful end. With regard to the rupture of the laft negotiation, the circumftances and the motives of it are known to all Europe; and it is not at the moment of entering into a new pacific difcuffion that the British government conceives it can be of any ufe to recall them to recollec tion. Lord Malmesbury will fet out (No. 8.)-Official Note. Lord from London on the 30th of this month month to proceed to Calais; from (No. 9.)-Official Note.-The Minifter for Foreign Affairs to Lord Grenville. The under figned minifter for foreign affairs loft no time in laying before the executive directory the official note addreffed to him by lord Grenville, dated the 26th June (O. S.), 8th of the prefent month Meffidor. In anfwer to this note, he has the honour to declare to lord Grenville, that the plenipotentiaries charged by the directory with the negotiation are already affembled at Lifle, and that the conferences may be fet on foot as foon as the plenipotentiary of his Britannic majefty fhall have arrived there. Provifion has been made, that there fhall never be a want of packet boats for the couriers which he fhall think proper to fend to London. The undersigned at the fame time apprizes lord Grenville, that a copy of this note will be delivered to lord Malmesbury on his arrival at Calais, in order that there may be nothing to hinder his immediate departure for Lifle. (Signed) CH. DELACROIX. Paris, 11th Medor, 5th Year. (June 29, 1797.) (No. 10.)-Extract of a Dispatch conference with the French plenipotentiaries, and having mutually exchanged our full powers, I think it my duty to difpatch a meffenger, in order that his majefty may have the earliest information of this circumftance. My dispatch, however, must be confined to this alone, as nothing whatever has yet paffed relative to the negotiation itself. (No. 11.)-Copy of the full Powers of the French Plenipotentiaries. Extract from the Regifters of the DeEquality. Liberty. liberations of the Executive Directory. Paris, the 30th Prairial, 5th Year of the French Republic, one and indivifible. The executive directory, after having heard the report of the minifter for foreign affairs, decrees as follows: The citizens Le Tourneur, heretofore member of the executive-directory, Pleville le Pelley, and Maret, are authorized to negotiate with the minifter plenipotentiary of his Britannic majefty, the treaty of peace to be concluded between the French republic and Great Britain. The directory gives them the neceffary full powers for agreeing upon and figning the articles of the treaty to be made. They fhall conform themselves to the inftructions which have been, or fhall be given to them by the executive directory, to whom they fhall render an account of the progrefs and the iffue of the negotiations. They are equally authorized, and under the fame conditions, to ftipulate for the allies of the republic, his catholic majefty and the Batavian republic. The citizen Colchen, appointed fecretary general to the French lo Having had this morning my first gation, is authorized to affift at the (Q4) con |