Grenville, dated Life, 16th July, with regard to the paft as to the fu *797. It was at the exprefs invitation of the French plenipotentiaries that I met them on Thursday the 13th inftant; one of them ftated their motive for withing to confer with me, not to be in confequence of any anfwer they had received from Paris on the fubject of the projet, which he obferved could not be expected fo foon, but to refume the difcuffion on the article which he had objected to on my first reading the projet, and on which they conceived it was poffible and even expedient to argue before we enter ed on the more important branches of the negotiation. It was article II. that he referred to. He objected to the renewal of the treaties therein mentioned from various reafons; first, that many, and even most of them, were irrelevant to that we were now negotiating; fecondly, that they were in contradiction to the new order of things established in France, as they feem to imply an acknowledgment that a portion of the regal authority is ftill exifting; thirdly, that they might be fuppofed to apply to conventions and ftipulations, in direct contradiction to their prefent form of government, and he quoted the convention of Pilnitz in particular. I was about to reply to him, and I truft in a way that would have done away his apprehenfions on this point, when another of them in terpofed by faying, that their fincere and only defire was, that the treaty we were now entering upon might be fo framed, as to fecure permanently the object for which it was intended; that no article likely to produce this end might be omitted, nor any doubtful one in ferted; but that the whole, as well ture, might be fo clearly and diftinctly expreffed, that no room for cavil might be left. This he af fured me, in the name of his col leagues, was all that was meant by their objection to renew fo many treaties in which fuch various interefts were blended, and so many points difcuffed foreign to the prefent moment. Their renewing them in a lump, and without examining carefully to what we were pledged by them, might involve us in difficulties much better to be avoided. I replied, that I admitted moft certainly all he said, and that it was with this view, and on this principle folely, that the renewal of these treaties was propofed by his majesty; and that if he recol lected (as he undoubtedly did) the different wars which were termina. ted by these treaties, and the many important regulations ftipulated by them, he would admit that the allowing them to remain in their full force was fimply an acknowledg ment of the tenure by which almost all the fovereigns of Europe, and particularly the French republic, held their dominions up to this day. That thefe treaties were become the law of nations, and that infinite confufion would refult from their not being renewed. He replied, that our object was evidently the fame, that we only dif fered as to the manner. I thought the renewing thefe treaties in tele would the best contribute to it; while they were inclined to think that extracting from them every thing which immediately related to the interefts of the two countries, and ftating it in one article, was more likely to attain this defirable object. The French minifter again repeated, that their first wish was, that the treaty we were now making fhould hould be clear, distinct, solid, and lafting, and fuch a one as could not, at any future period, be broken through without a manifeft violation of good faith. And I again repeated, that nothing could be fo confonant to my orders, or the intentions of my royal master. One of the plenipotentiaries was difpofed to dwell on his objections, which were, that these treaties were figned when France was a monarchy, and that any retrospect to those times implied a fort of cenfure on their present form of government; but this was arguing on fuch weak ground, and fo incapable of being seriously maintained, that I, to avoid fuperfluous contradiction, was very willing to let it pafs unnoticed. After a good deal of very conciliatory, and even amicable difcuffion, in which, how ever, neither party gave much way to the other, it was propofed by them that we fhould return home, to meet again as foon as was convenient after an attentive and deliberate perufal of thefe treaties, in order to ftate refpectively our ideas on this fubject. I obferved, that although I was perfectly prepared to do it at the moment, and felt almost bold enough to affirm, that no measure could be devifed which would fo completely meet our intentions as an unreserved renewal of the treaties they hefitated about, yet I was very willing to acquiefce in their propofal, with this fimple obfervation, that if any delay arofe from it, fuch delay was imputable to them, and not to me. My words were, "Je ne me rends pas re"fponfable des longueurs dans lef"quelles cette difcuffion pourrait "nous entrainer." The French minister's answer was, "Si des "longueurs fervent à déterminer “des objets qui pourraient donner "lieu à des querelles à l'avenir, "ce fera du tems bien employé." It was not my wifh to contest this affertion, and our conference ended with it. (No. 19.)-Extract of a Dispatch from Lord Malmesbury to Lord Grenville, dated Lifle, July 16, 1797. My Lord, Yesterday, at the moment I was preparing to attend the conference, in which we were to enter into fuller difcuffions on the litigated fubject of the renewal of the treaties mentioned in the fecond article of the projet, I received from the French legation the enclosed paper (A). In about an hour I returned the enclosed anfwer (B), to which I received the enclosed reply (C); and I am this moment come from the conference which has taken place in confequence of it. I began by laying, that I had fo licited this interview from the fame motive which would actuate every part of my conduct; that I wifhed to make my reports not only correct but conciliatory as far as depended on me, and I was now come in order, if poffible, to obtain from them fuch comments and explanations on the note they fent to me yesterday, as would enable me, when I tranfmitted it to my court, to fecure the negotiation from being interrupted, perhaps abruptly terminated, by the perufal of it. If I understood it right, it meant that the directory requires as a fine qud non preliminary, that every thing the king has conquered from all and each of his enemies fhould be reftored, and that till this restoration was confented to the negotiation was not even to begin. I faid, if (R 2) I was I was correct in this ftatement, and the plain fenfe of the declaration would bear no other interpretation, Iinuft add that it would not only moft certainly prevent the treaty from beginning, but would leave no room for treating at all, fince it deprived his majefty of every means of negotiation; for I could not fuppofe that it was in their thoughts to intimate that the principle of the treaty, as far as it related to his majefty, was to be one of all ceffion and no compenfation, and yet that was precifely the pofition in which his majesty was placed by their note. One of the French plenipotentiaries, who had let me proceed rather reluctantly, here ftopt me, and faid, that he and his colleagues were exceedingly happy that I had expreffed a wish to fee them before I difpatched my meffenger; that they wished to affure me, that they had thought it dealing fairly and honourably to state what they had received from the directory in the very words in which it came to them; that they fhould be forry if the declaration they had been directed to make me, fhould be of a nature to interrupt, much lefs to break off, the negotiation; that it was the fincere with of the direc tory that the negotiation fhould proceed and end fuccefsfully; and that, far from fhutting the door to further difceffions, they were perfectly ready to hear any propofals we had to make, and only wished that these proposals fhould be, if poffible, fuch as were compatible with their most facred engagements. I repeated what I had faid, that no door was left open if his majefty was in limine to reftore every thing; and that a peace on thefe conditions would not be heard of by the country. I obferved, that immediately on leaving them, I should dispatch a meffenger; but what that meffenger carried would most materially affect the progrefs and iffue of the negotiation; I therefore defired to know whether, in confequence of what I had heard from them, I might confider the strict and literal meaning of the declaration not to be a decided negative (which it certainly feemed to imply) on all compenfation whatever to be made to his majefty, but that propofals tending to this effect would ftill be liftened to. One of them anfwered, "Certainly; and if they fhould be found fuch as it will be impoffible for us to admit, we will on our fide being forward others for your court to deliberate on." Under this affurance, which at leaft, to a certain degree, qualifies the declaration of yesterday, I broke up the conference. (No. 20. A.)-Note from the French Plenipotentiaries to Lord Malmes bury. The minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic have tranfmitted to their government the projet of the treaty, and the note relating thereto, which were delivered to them on the 20th of the prefent month, by the minifter plenipotentiary of his Britannic majesty. They have juft received fresh communications and orders, which require that they fhould make the following declaration to Lord Malmesbury. There exift in the public and fe cret treaties, by which the French republic is bound to its allies, Spain and the Batavian republic, articles by which the three powers refpectively guarantee the territories poffeffed by each of them before the war. The The French government, unable to detach itself from the engagements which it has contracted by these treaties, establishes, as an indifpenfable preliminary of the negotiation for the peace with England, the confent of his Britannic majefty to the reftitution of all the poffeffions which he occupies, not only from the French republic, but further and formally of thofe of Spain and the Batavian republic. In confequence, the underfigned minifters plenipotentiary requeft lord Malmesbury to explain himfelf with regard to this reftitution, and to confent to it, if he is fufficiently authorized to do fo; if not, and in the contrary cafe, to send a meffenger to his court, in order to procure the neceffary powers. The object of the conference PLEVILLE LE PELLEY. Lifle, 27 Mefidor, 5th year of the Republic. July 15, 1797.) Malmesbury to the French Plenipo tentiaries. The minifter plenipotentiary of his Britannic majefty has given the moft ferious attention to the note dated this morning, which he has received from the minifters pleni. potentiary of the French republic. He has no hesitation in declaring to them, that his inftructions by no means authorize him to admit, as a preliminary principle, that which their declaration feems intended to establish: nevertheless, being perfuaded that it is his first duty not to give up the hopes of conciliation until he shall have exhausted every means of obtaining it, and being anxious to avoid, in the report which he fhall have to make to his court, the poffibility of mifunderftanding on a fubject of fuch importance, he propofes to them a conference for to-morrow, at the hour moft convenient to them, after which it is his intention to dispatch a meffenger to his court. He requests the minifters plenipotentiary of the French_republic to accept the affurances of his high confideration. (Signed) MALMESBURY, Lifle, 15th July, 1797. (No. 22. C.)-Note from the French Plenipotentiaries to Lord Malmefbury. The minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic lose no time in acceding to the defire expreffed by the minifter plenipotentiary of his Britannic majefty, of conferring with them on the fubject of the note which they addreffed to him COLCHEN, Sec. Gen. of the this day. Legation. They have, in confequence, the honour of propofiug to him to (R 3) o'clock, (No. 21. B.)-Note from Lord meet to-morrow morning at eleven o'clock, at the ufual place of conference. They requeft him to accept the affurances of their high confideration. (Signed) LE Tourneur. PLEVILLE LE PELLEY. HUGUES B. MARET. Lifle, the 27th Mefidor, 5th year of the Republic, one and indivifible. (July 15, 1797-) The natural step upon the prefent occafion would therefore have been, to direct your lordship to terminate at once a negotiation, which, on the footing now propofed by the enemy, affords neither the hope nor the means of any favourable conclufion; nothing be ing left for treaty, where, as a preliminary step, one party is required to concede every thing, and all compensation from the other is ab COLCHEN, Sec. Gen. of the Le- folutely and at once precluded. gation. (No. 23.)-Copy of a Dispatch from Lord Grenville to Lord Malmef bury, dated Downing-Street, July 20, 1797. My Lord, Your lordship's difpatches by the meffenger Dreffins were received here on the 17th inftant, at night, and I loft no time in receiving his majefty's commands on the very important fubject of your letter, No. 9. I am much concerned to be under the neceffity of remarking, that the claim brought forward in the note tranfmitted to your lordfhip by the French plenipotentiaries, is in itself fo extravagant, and fo little to be reconciled either with the former profeffions of thofe minifters, or with their conduct in the previous ftages of the negotiation, that it affords the strongest prefumption of a determination to preclude all means of accommodation. If fuch is really the determination of the directory, nothing can remain for this country, but to perfevere in oppofing with an energy and fpirit proportioned to the exigency, a fyftem which muft tend to perpetuate a state of war and civil tumult in every part of Eu rope. His majesty's fervants have, however, obferved, that in the conclufion of your lordship's conference with the French plenipotentiaries on the fubject of the note in quef tion, the prefident of that milhon informed your lordship, that it was not intended to refift all compenfa tion for the immenfe extent of reftitution demanded from his majefty, and for the other obvious circumftances of disadvantage to this country in the situation of Europe, as refulting from the war; and even added, that he and his colleagues would eventually bring forward proposals on this head for the deliberation of the king's government. It appeared poffible that fome advantage might perhaps arise to the great object of peace, from grounding on this declaration a further proceeding, fuch as might af ford to the directory (if they are fo difpofed) the means of replacing the negotiation on a more practica ble footing. With the view therefore of leaving nothing untried which can contribute to reftore peace on any fuitable terms, his majefty has been pleased to direct that your lordship fhould for that purpose afk another conference with the French plenipotentiaries. In this conference your lordship will remark in fuch terms as the occafion must naturally fuggeft to you |