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conditions which had already been rejected at the very commencement of the negotiation, and from which the French plenipotentiaries had in effect departed, by a formal noti fication of the measures which the directory were, in confequence, taking for the purpose of coming to fome arrangement with their allies.

5. That it is, therefore, only by confenting to treat upon the bafis of the projet, detailed with fo much opennefs, which was prefented by the underfigned a few days after his arrival at Lifle, or by return ing a contre projet of a conciliatory nature, agreeably to the affurances which he received fo long ago, that it appears poffible to continue the negotiation, which the plenipotentiaries have fo ftrongly affured him that the directory did not wifh to break off, notwithstanding the measures lately adopted with refpect to him: a meafure which the underfigned forbears to characterize, but which could not fail to produce in this country the impreffion of a difpofition by no means pacific on the part of the directory.

The underfigned is directed to add, that his majefty would fee with real regret the certainty of the exiftence of fuch a difpofition, fo little compatible with the ardent defire with which he is animated to reftore peace to the two nations; but that if, without having himself contributed to it on his part, he fhould again find himself under the neceflity of continuing the war, he will conduct himself upon every occafion agreeably to the fame principles, doing every thing which can depend upon him for the re-eftablishment of peace, but perfifting to defend with an unfhaken firmnefs, the dignity of his crown, and the interefts of his people.

The minifter plenipotentiary of

his Britannic majefty requests the minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic to accept the affur ance of his high confideration. (Signed) MALMESBURY.

London, the 22d September, 1797.

(No. 52.) Note from the French Plenipotentiaries to Lord Malmes bury.

The minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic, commiffioned to treat of peace with England, have received the note dated from London, which has been brought to them by an extraordinary mef fenger from lord Malmesbury. They have the honour to anfwer him, that their note of the 29th Fructidor, to which they refer, offered the double affurance of the fettled intention of the French government to continue the negotiations for peace, and of its constant determination not to agree to any other conditions than fuch as are compatible with the dignity of the French republic.

A peace, of which the bafis fhould be contrary to the laws, or to the engagements taken with its allies, would never fatisfy the hopes of the nation. It is a point from which the executive directory has never departed, and upon which its fentiments have never varied.

Lord Malmesbury having formally declared in his notes of the 15th and 24th of July, and in the laft inftance in that of the 17th September, that he had not the pow ers neceffary for restoring the Dutch and Spanifh poffeffions, occupied by the troops of his Britannic ma jefty, the executive directory has given a new proof of its openness, and of its defire to accelerate the conclufion of peace, in requiring

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lord Malmesbury to return to his court, for the purpose of obtaining the authority, without which he cannot conclude; a measure rendered neceffary by the declaration of the minifter plenipotentiary of his Britannic majesty, and upon which it is impoffible to give a wrong impreffion to any thinking and impartial mind.

The minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic requeft lord Malmesbury to accept the affur ances of their high confideration. (Signed) TREILHARD. BONNIER.

Lifle, 4th Vendemiaire, 5th Year of the Republic. (Sept. 25, 1797.)

DERCHE.

(No. 53.) Note from the French Plenipotentiaries to Lord Malmefbury.

The minifters plenipotentiaries of the French republic, charged to treat for peace with England, have the honour to inform lord Malmefbury, that having fent a copy of his laft note to their government, the executive directory has directed them to declare in its name, that it has never ceased to wish for peace; that it gave an unequivocal proof of the fentiment which animates it, when it ordered the minifters ple nipotentiary of the republic to require a categorical explanation as to the powers given by the English government to its minifter plenipotentiary; that this demand had, and could have, no other object but to bring the negotiation to a speedy and fuccefsful iffue:

That the order given to the plenipotentiaries of the republic to remain at Lifle after the departure of lord Malmesbury, is another proof that the directory had defired and 3797.

foreseen his return with powers that fhould not be illufory, and the limitation of which fhould no longer be a pretext for delaying the conclufion of peace:

That fuch are still the hopes and intentions of the executive direc tory, which enjoins the ministers plenipotentiary of the republic not to quit Lifle till the continued abfence of the negotiator fhall no longer leave any doubt of the intention of his Britannic majesty to break off all negotiation :

That confequently the 25th Vendemiaire (16th of October, old ftyle) is the period fixed for the recall of the minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic, fuppofing that at that time the minifter plenipotentiary of his Britannic majefty thall not have arrived at Lifle.

The executive directory will feel the greatest regret that a reconciliatión, already twice attempted, fhould not be perfected; but its confcience, and the whole of Europe, will bear it teftimony, that it is the English government alone that will have inflicted the fcourge of war upon the two nations.

The minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic entreat the minifter plenipotentiary of his Britan nic majefty to accept the affurances of their high confideration.

(Signed) TREILHARD.

BONNIER.

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the plenipotentiaries of the French republic, is directed to obferve to them,

That it is only in confequence of the formal and pofitive injunction of the directory that he quitted Lifle; that his powers were neither illufory nor limited; and that nothing was omitted on his part to accelerate the negotiation, which has been only retarded by the delays of the directory, and which at this moment is only fufpended by its

act.

With regard to the renewal of the conferences, the underfigned can only refer to his last note, where he has explained with franknefs and precision the only means which remain for continuing the negotiation; obferving at the fame time, that the king could no longer treat in an enemy's country, without being certain that the cuftoms eftablifhed amongst all civilized nations, with regard to public minifters, and efpecially to thofe charged to negotiate for the re-establishment of peace, would be refpected for the future in the perion of his plenipotentiary.

The minifter plenipotentiary of his Britannic majefty requests the minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic to accept the affurance of his high confideration. (Signed) MALMESBURY. London, 5th Oct. 1797.

Declaration of the King of Great Britain to the People, refpecting the Rupture of the late Negotiation.

His majesty's benevolent endeavours to reftore to his people the bleffings of fecure and honourable peace, again repeated without fuccefs, have again demonftrated, beyond the poffibility of doubt, the determined and perfevering hoftility

of the government of France, in whofe unprovoked aggreffion the waroriginated, and by whose boundlefs and deftructive ambition it is ftill prolonged. And while, by the courfe of these transactions, continued proofs have been afforded to all his majesty's faithful subjects, of his anxious and unremitting folici tude for their welfare, they cannot, at the fame time, have failed to recognise, in the uniform conduct of the enemy, the fpirit by which the councils of France are ftill actu ated, and the objects to which they are directed.

His majefty could not but feel how much the means of peace had been obftructed by the many addi tional difficulties which his enemies had fo repeatedly thrown in the way of every negotiation. Neverthelefs, on the very first appearance of circumftances in fome degree more favourable to the interefts of humanity, the fame ardent defire for the eafe and happiness of his subjects induced his majefty to renew his overtures for terminating the calamities of war: thus availing himfelf of every opening which could in any manner lead to fecure an honourable peace, and confulting equally the wishes of his own heart and the principles by which his conduct has invariably been guided.

New obftacles were immediately interpofed by those who still directed the councils of France, and who, amidst the general defire for peace, which they could not at that time openly difclaim, ftill retained the power of fruftrating the wishes of their own country, of counteracting his majesty's benevolent intentions, and of obftructing that refult which was fo neceffary for the happinefs of both nations. Difficul ties of form were ftudiously created; modes of negotiation were

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infifted upon, the most inconfiftent with their own conduct in every other inftance; the fame spirit appeared in every step which was taken by them; and while the most unwarranted infinuations were thrown out, and the most unfounded reproaches brought forward, the established cuftoms and ufages, which have long prevailed in Europe, were purposely departed from, even in the fimple acts which were to be done on their part for the renewal of the negotiations. All these things his majefty determined to difregard; not as being infenfible of their purport and tendency, nor unmindful of the importance of these points, in the public intercourfe of great and independent nations, but refolving to defeat the object of these artifices, and to fuffer no fubordinate or inferior confideration to impede, on his part, the difcuffion of the weighty and extenfive interefts on which the termination of the war must neceffarily depend.

He directed his minifter to repair to France, furnished with the most ample powers, and inftructed to communicate at once an explicit and detailed propofal and plan of peace, reduced into the fhape of a regular treaty, just and moderate in its principles, embracing all the interefts concerned, and extending to every subject connected with the reftoration of public tranquillity. The communication of this paper, delivered in the very firft conference, was accompanied by fuch explanations as fully ftated and detailed the utmoft extent of his majefty's views, and at the fame time gave ample room for the examination of every difputed point, for mutual arrangement and conceffion, and for reciprocal facilities arifing out of the progrefs of fair difcuf fion.

To this proceeding, open and liberal beyond example, the conduft of his majesty's enemies opposes the moft ftriking contraft. From them no counter-project has ever yet been obtained: no statement of the extent or nature of the conditions on which they would conclude any peace with these kingdoms. Their pretenfions have always been brought forward either as detached or as preliminary points, diftinct from the main object of ne gotiation, and accompanied, in every inftance, with an exprefs referve of farther and unexplained demands.

The points which, in pursuance of this fyftem, the plenipotentia ries of the enemy propofed for feparate difcuffion in their first conferences with his majesty's minifter, were at once frivolous and offenfive; none of them productive of any folid advantage to France, but all calculated to raise new obstacles in the way of peace. And to thefe demands was foon after added another, in its form unprecedented, in its fubftance extravagant, and fuch as could originate only in the moft determined and inveterate hof❤ tility. The principle of mutual compenfation, before exprefly admitted by common confent, as the juft and equitable bafis of negotiation, was now difclaimed; every idea of moderation or reafon, every appearance of juftice, was difre, garded; and a conceffion was required from his majesty's plenipo tentiary, as a preliminary and indifpenfable condition of negotiation, which must at once have fuperfeded all the objects, and precluded all the means of treating. France, after incorporating with her own dominions fo large a portion of her conquefts, and affecting to have deprived herself, by her own ins (T2) ternal

ternal regulations, of the power of alienating thefe valuable additions of territory, did not fcruple to demand from his majefty the abfolute and unconditional furrender of all that the energy of his people, and the valour of his fleets and armies, have conquered in the prefent war, either from France, or from her allies. She required that the power of Great Britain should be confined within its former limits, at the very moment when her own dominion was extended to a degree almost unparalleled in hiftory. She infifted, that, in proportion to the increafe of danger, the means of refiftance fhould be diminished; and that his majefty fhould give up, without compenfation, and into the hands of his enemies, the neceffary defences of his poffeffions, and the future fafeguards of his empire, Nor was even this demand brought forward as conflituting the terms of peace, but as the price of negotiation; as the condition on which alone his majefty was to be allowed to learn what further unexplained demands were still reserved, and to what greater facrifices thefe unprecedented conceffions of honour and fafety were to lead.

Whatever were the impreffions which fuch a proceeding created, they did not induce the king abruptly to preclude the means of negotiation. In rejecting without a moment's hesitation a demand, which could have been made for no other reason than because it was inadmiffible, his majefty, from the fixed refolution to avail himself of every chance of bringing the negotiation to a favourable iffue, directed that an opening fhould still be left, for treating on reafonable and equal grounds, fuch as might be come the dignity of his crown, and the rank and ftation in Europe in

which it has pleafed the divine providence to place the British nation.

This temperate and conciliatory conduct was ftrongly expreflive of the benevolence of his majesty's intentions; and it appeared for fome time to have prepared the way for that refult which has been the uniform object of all his meafures. Two months elapsed after his majefty had unequivocally and defini tively refufed to comply with the unreasonable and extravagant preliminary which had been demanded by his enemies. During all that time the negotiation was continued open, the conferences were regularly held, and the demand thus explicitly rejected by one party was never once renewed by the other. It was not only abandoned, it was openly difclaimed; affurances were given in direct contradiction to it. Promifes were continually repeated, that his majesty's explicit and detailed propofals fhould at length be anfwered by that which could alone evince a real difpofition to negotiate with fincerity, by the delivery of a counter-project, of a nature tending to facilitate the conclufion of peace; and the long delays of the French government in executing thefe promises were excufed and accounted for by an unequivocal declaration, that France was concerting with her allies for those facrifices on their part, which might afford the means of proceeding in the negotiation. Week after week paffed over in the repetition of thefe folemn engagements on the part of his majefty's enemies. His defire for peace induced him to wait for their completion, with an anxiety proportioned to the importance of the object; nor was it much to expect that his minifter fhould at length be informed what was the extent and nature of the conditions

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