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I truft, my lord, I fhall not incur cenfure for having declined to offer in diftinct terms to wait at Lifle till I could know his majefty's pleasure on the peremptory propofal made to me: but when I confidered the nature of the propofal itself, the avowal that this would not be the laft, nor perhaps the moft humiliating condition quired of us, and the imperious ftyle with which I was enjoined to depart in twenty-four hours, it was utterly impoffible for me to affume a language, or affect a manner, that could be interpreted into folicitation or entreaty. I felt myself called upon to treat the whole of this extraordinary proceeding with calmness and temper; and, notwithstanding the deep and poignant concern I muft feel at an event which I fear will remove all probability of an immediate pacification, I truft, that in the expreffion of this fentiment I have not used a language unbecoming the character with which I am invested, or the greatnefs of the fovereign and country whofe dignity and interefts it is my primary duty to confult and to maintain.

'I have the honour to be,
with great refpect, my lord,
your lordship's most obedient
humble fervant,

(Signed)

MALMESBURY. Right Honourable Lord Grenville.

(No- 43. A.) Note from the French Plenipotentiaries to Lord Malmef bury.

The undersigned minifters plenipotentiaries of the French republic, commiffioned to treat of peace with England, have the honour to affure lord Malmesbury, minifter plenipotentiary of his Britannic majefty, that the French government wifhes as fincerely, as strongly as ever, a peace, defired by the two nations; but, unable to conclude any other peace than fuch an one as is founded on the laws and on the treaties which bind the French re. public; perfuaded that, to arrive at this end, it is neceffary to explain itfelf with entire frankness, and defirous of giving to the negotiation the greateft rapidity, the executive directory has exprefly charged the underfigned to demand of lord Malmesbury, whether he has fufficient powers for reftoring, in the treaty which may be concluded, to the French republic and to its allies, all the poffeffions, which fince the beginning of the war have paffed into the bands of the English.

The undersigned are equally charged by the executive directory to demand of lord Malmesbury an anfwer in the courfe of the day. They requeft him to accept the affurance of their high confideration.

(Signed)

TREILHARD. BONNIER.

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potentiary of his Britannic majefty receives with great fatisfaction, the expreffion of the fincere defire for peace, which the minifters plenipotentiaries of the French republic announced to him yesterday in the name of their government. He has the honour to affure them, that the king his mafter is animated with the fame defire, and has nothing more at heart than to put an end to the calamities of the

war.

With regard to the question. which the minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic addreffed to lord Malmesbury, concerning the extent of his full powers, he confiders himself as having already given the most unequivocal anfwer upon this fubject, in the two notes which he delivered to their predeceffors on the 15th and 24th of July.

However, to avoid all mifunderftanding, he renews the declaration which he made yesterday; that is to fay, that he neither can nor ought to treat upon any other principle than that of compenfations; a principle which has been formally recognised as the bafis of a treaty equally juft, honourable, and advantageous to the two powers.

Lord Malmesbury requests the minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic to accept the af furances of his high confideration.

(Signed) MALMESPURY. Life, Saturday, 16th Sept. 1797. 10 A. M.

(No. 45. C.) Note from the French Plenipotentiaries to Lord Malmefbury.

The minifters plenipotentiaries of the French republic, commiffioned to treat of peace with England, have the honour to acknowledge

the receipt of the aniwer of lord Mameibury to the note which was prefented to him in the conference of yesterday.

It appears from this anfwer, and from the two notes of the 15th and 24th of July, to which it refers, that lord Malmesbury has not pow ers for agreeing to the reftitution of all the poffeffions which his Britannic majefty occupies, whether from the French republic, or from its allies.

In confequence, while they reiterate to Lord Malmesbury the moft pofitive affurance of the fentiments of the French government, the underfigned apprife him of a decree of the executive directory, which fignifies that, in cafe lord Malmesbury fhall declare himself not to have the neceffary powers for agreeing to all the reftitutions which the laws and the treaties which bind the French republic make indifpenfable, he shall be to return, in four-and-twenty hours, to his court, to afk for fufficient pow ers. Lord Malmesbury can fee in

this determination of the executive directory, nothing else than an intention to haften the moment when the negotiation may be followed up. with the certainty of a fpeedy conclufion.

The minifters plenipotentiaries of the French republic requeft lord Malmesbury to accept the af furances of their high confidera

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(No. 46. D.)

Note from Lord Malmesbury to the French Plenipotentiaries.

The undersigned minifter plenipotentiary of his Britannic majetty has the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the note of this day, which has been fent him by the minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic.

Whatever regret he may experience at feeing the hope of a fpeedy conciliation thus deftroyed, he can return no other answer to a refufal fo ablolute, to continue the negotiation on grounds which appeared to have been already agreed upon, than by demanding the neceffary paffports for himteif and his fuite, in order that they may set off within the four-and-twenty hours, and return immediately to England.

He requests the minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic to accept the affurances of his high

confideration.

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and for following them up with a fuccefs, no lefs defirable to the two nations, than it would be flattering to the minifters charged with the conduct of them.

The French government is fo far from entertaining the intentions which the note of lord Malmesbury appears to impute to them, that the minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic have received no order to quit Lifle, after the departure of the minifter plenipotentiary of his Britannic majesty.

The minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic requeft ford Malmesbury to accept the affurances of their high confideration.

(Signed) TREILHARD.

BONNIER.

By the minifters plenipotentiary, the fec. gen. of the legation.

DERCHE.

Lifle, 30 Fructidor, 5th Year of the French Republic. (Sept. 16, 1797.)

(No. 48. F.)

Note from Lord Malmesbury to the French Plenipotentiaries.

The underfigned minifter plenipotentiary of his Britannic majefty has the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the note which the minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic tranfmitted to him yesterday, through the hands of the fecretary general of their legation. He thinks he cannot answer it better than by fubmitting to them in his turn the following obfervations.

That having already by his note, dated July 24, and in obedience to the exprefs orders of his, court, given an answer to the question, which is now fo unexpectedly renewed; a question that, in appearance, relates folely to the limits of

his full powers (which are in the moft ample form), but which does in fact require a declaration of the whole extent of his inftructions; and not being authorized to quit the place of his deftination without the exprefs orders of the king his mafter, in any cafe except that of the rupture of the negotiation; he could not help confidering a note enjoining him, in confequence of a decree of the executive directory, to return to his court in the ipace of four-and-twenty hours, as ill calculated to accelerate the conclufion of peace; nevertheless, to answer the affurances of the minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic, and to teftify his defire to feize their real meaning, with refpect to which he should be very forry to deceive himfelf, he thinks that it would be more fatisfactory to meet once more; and if the minif ters plenipotentiary of the French republic fhould be of the fame opinion, lord Malm-fbury would propofe that this meeting fhould take place at an earlier hour than ufual, in order that he may have time to take fuch fieps as the refult of their conferences may render neceffary. He defires the minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic to accept the affurances of his high confideration.

(Signed) MALMESBURY. Life, Sunday, Sept. 17, 1797.

(No. 49. G.) Note from the Plenipotentiaries to Lord Malmesbury. The underligned minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic, commiffioned to treat of peace with England, have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the note which the minifter plenipotentiary of his Britannic majefty has trauf mitted to them this morning. Re

ferring to the notes addreffed to lord Malmesbury on the 29th and 30th Fructidor, and especially to the first of yesterday, they agree to the meeting which lord Malmesbury appears to defire, and propoie the hour of noon.

They request lord Malmesbury to accept the affurances of their high confideration. (Signed)

TREILHARD BONNIER. Lifle, if complementary Day, 5th Year of the French Republic. (17th Sept. 1797.)

By the minifters plenipotentiaries, the fec. gen. of the legation.

DERCHE.

(No. 50.) Difpatch from Lord Grenville to Lord Malmesbury, dated Downing-freet, Sept. 22, 1797.

My Lord,

I have had the honour of laying before his majesty your lordship's difpatches, in which you have given an account of the extraordinary conduct of the new plenipotentiaries of the French republic, of the anfwers given by your lordship to their unjuftifiable demand, and of your confequent departure from Lifle.

I have the fatisfaction to be able to affure your lordship, that his majefty has been pleafed to exprefs his entire approbation of your lordship's judicious and temperate conduct in the unprecedented fituation in which you were placed, and of the manner in which you expreffed yourfelf, both in your official notes, and in your converfations with the French plenipotentiaries, as well as of that in which you have conducted yourfelt during the whole courfe of the negotiation, which feems too likely to be now brought to its close.

As

1

As it appears, however, that fome further anfwer will probably be expected by the French government to their late extraordinary demand, notwithstanding the full and conclutive reply given in your lordhip's notes, I have received the king's commands to tranfmit to you the inclofed draft of a note, which it is his majesty's pleasure that your lordship fhould tranfmit to the plenipotentiaries at Litle, by a meffenger whom I fhall direct to be in readiness for that purpose. (Signed)

GRENVILLE. Right Hon. Lord Malmesbury.

(No. 51.) Note from Lord Malmefburg to the French Plenipotentiaries. The undersigned minifter plenipotentiary of his Britannic majesty has rendered to his court a faithful account of the circumstances that have interrupted the exercife of thofe important functions which his majesty had been pleafed to intruft to him. His majefty has deigned to honour with his entire approbation the answers which the under figned has already made to the extraordinary and unexpected demands which the new plenipotentiaries of the French republic addreffed to him immediately upon their arrival at Lifle.

But in order to leave no doubt refpecting the nature and object of this demand, the under figned has been expreffly ordered to declare, in the name of his court,

1. That the full powers with which his majefty had thought proper to furnish him for negotiating and concluding a treaty of peace, are conceived and expreffed in the most ample form, authorizing the underfigned fully, and without referve, to fign any treaty upon which he might agree with the

French plenipotentiaries, whatever its nature or conditions might be; conforming himself, in all cafes, to the inftructions which he might receive from his court.

2. That thefe full powers have been received and recognised as fuficient, as well by the plenipotentiaries with whom he has hitherto treated, as by the directory them felves, and that there is, confequently, no room for any new difcuffion upon a fubject which has already been clofed by common agreement, and which, moreover, is not liable to any doubt or difficulty whatever; every thing this fubject being entirely conwhich has been done hitherto upon formable to customs long establish ed and recognised by all the nations of Europe.

3. That the demand of the directory, therefore, in reality, refers not to the full powers of the underfigned, but to the extent of his inftructions, of which the directory could not, under any circumftances, require any communication, further than as the underfigned himself might judge fuch a communication conducive to the fuccefs of the negotiation; and that very far from being in a fituation to be called upon for any new explanations whatever, the underfigned had every reason to expect, from the repeated communications which had been made to him by the French plenipotentiaries, that he fhould immediately receive a contre projet, of a nature to facilitate the further progrefs of the negotiation which had been fufpended for more than two months.

4. That the court of London had good reafon to be still more aftonished at the fubftance of the new demand made to the undersigned; a demand relating to preliminary

con

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