he fhall be to return, in four-and-twenty hours, to his Court, to ask for fufficient powers. Lord Malmesbury can fee in this determination of the Executive Directory nothing elfe than an intention to haten the moment when the negotiation may be followed up with the certainty of a speedy conclufion. The Minifters Plenipotentiaries of the French Republic request Lord Malmesbury to accept the affurances of their high confideration. Lifle, 30 Fructidor, 5th year of the Republic, (Sept. 16, 1797.) (Signed) TREILHARD. By the Minifters Plenipotentiaries, the Sec. Gen. of the Legation, DERCHE. (No. 46. D.) The undersigned Minifter Plenipotentiary of his Britannic Majefty 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 speedy conciliation thus deftroyed, he can return no other answer to a refufaj so abfolute to continue the negotiation on grounds which appeared to have been already agreed upon, than by demanding the neceflary paffports for himself and his fuite, in order that they may fet off within the four-andtwenty hours, and return immediately to England. He requests the Ministers Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to accept the affurances of his high confideration. (Signed) Lifle, Saturday, 16th September, 8 P. M. (No. 47. E.) MALMESBURY. The underfigned Minifters Plenipotentiary of the French Republic, commiffioned to treat of peace with England, have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Lord Malmesbury's anfwer to the note which they addreffed to him this day. They think it right to obferve to him, that he does not appear to have feized the real meaning of their note; that it by no means contains refufal to continue the negotiations, but, on the contrary, the means for giving them activity, and for following them up with a fuccefs, no lefs defirable to the two nations, than it would be flattering to the Ministers 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 Lisle, after the departure of the Minifter Plenipotentiary of his Britannic Majefty. The Minifters Plenipotentiary of the French Republic requeft Lord Malmesbury to accept the affurances of their high confideration. (Signed) TREILHARD. Life, 30 Fructidor, 5th year of the French Republic. BONNIER. (No. 48. F.) 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 Secretary General of their Legation. He thinks he cannot answer it better than by submitting 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 anfwer to the queftion which is now fo unexpectedly renewed, a queftion, that in appearance relates folely to the limits of his full powers, (which are in the most 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 destination 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 à note enjoining him, in confequence of a decree of the Executive Directory, to return to his Court in the space of four-and-twenty hours, as ill calculated to accelerate the conclufion of peace. Nevertheless, to answer the assurances of the Minifters Plenipotentiary of the French Republic, and to teftify his defire to feize their real meaning with respect to which he should be very forry to deceive himself, he thinks that it would be more fatisfactory to meet once more; and if the Minifters Plenipotentiary of the French Republic fhould be of the fame opinion, Lord Malmesbury would propofe that this meeting fhould take place at an earlier hour than ufual, in order that he may have time to take fuch steps as the refult of their conferences may render neceffary. He deûres the Minifters Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to accept the affurances of his high confideration. Lifle, Sunday, Sept. 17, 1797. (Signed) (No. 49. G.) MALMESBURY. The underfigned 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 Minister Plenipotentiary of his Britannic Majefty has tranfmitted to them this morning. Referring to the notes addreffed to Lord Malmesbury on the 29th and 30th Fructidor, and efpecially to the first of yesterday, they agree to the meeting which Lord Malmesbury appears to defire, and propofe the hour of noon. They request Lord Malmesbury to accept the affurances of their high confideration. Life, 1ft complementary day, 5th year of the French Republic. (17 Spt. 1797-) (Signed TREILHARD. By the Minifters Plenipotentiary, the Sec, Gen, of the Legation, DERCHE. (No. 50.) Difpatch from Lord Grenville to Lord Malmesbury, dated Downingftreet, Sept. 22, 1797. My Lord, I have had the honour of laying before His Majefty your Lordship's dispatches, in which you have given an account of the extraordinary conduct of the new Plenipotentiaries of the French Kepublic, of the answers 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 yourself, both in your official notes, and in your converfations with the French Plenipotentiaries, as well as of that in which you have conducted yourself during the whole courfe of the negotiation, which feems too likely to be now brought to its close. As it appears, however, that fome farther anfwer will probably be expected by the French Government to their late extraordinary demand, notwithstanding the full and conclufive reply given in your Lordship's notes, I have received the King's commands to tranfinit to you the inclofed draft of a note, which it is His Majetty's pleasure that your Lordfhip fhould tranfmit to the Plenipotentiaries at Lifle, by a messenger whom I fhall direct to be in readiness for that purpofe. GRENVILLE. The underfigned Minifter Plenipotentiary of his Britannic Majefty has rendered to his Court a faithful account of the circumftances that have interrupted the exercife of thofe important functions which His Majefty had been pleased to entrust to him. His Majefty has deigned to honour with his entire approbation the answers which the underfigned 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 underfigned has been exprefsly 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 moft ample form, authorizing the undersigned 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 recognized as fufficient as well by the Plenipotentiaries with whom he has hitherto treated, as by the Directory themfelves, 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 which has been done hitherto upon this fubject, being entirely conformable to cuftoms long established and recognized 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, farther than as the underfigned himfelf 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 explana< tions whatever, the underfigned had every reafon 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 farther progrefs of the negotiation which had been fufpended for more than two months. 4. That the Court of London had good reafon to be ftill more aftonished at the fubflance of the new demand made to the underfigned; a demand relating to preliminary 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 notification 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 basis of the project, detailed with fo much opennefs, which was prefented by the underfigned a few days after his arrival at Lifle, or by returning 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 wish to break off, notwithstanding the meafures lately adopted with refpect to him: a meafure which the undersigned 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 restore peace to the two nations; but that if, without having himself contributed to it on his part, he fhould again find himfeif under the neceffity of continuing the war, he will conduct himfelf upon every occafion agreeably to the fame principles, doing every thing which can depend upon him for the reeftablishment of peace, but perfifting to defend, with an unfhaken firmness, 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 affurance of his high confideration. (Signed) London, the 22d of September, 1797. (No. 52.) MALMESBURY. 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 meflenger, from Lord Malmesbury. They have the honour to anfwer to 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 conftant determination not to agree to any VOL. IV. L 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 formerly 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 powers neceffary for reftoring the Dutch and Spanish poffeffions, occupied by the troops of his Britannic Majefty, the Executive Directory has given a new proof of its opennefs, and of its defire to accelerate the conclufion of peace in requiring Lord Malmesbury to return to his Court, for the purpofe of obtaining the authority, without which he cannot conclude; a measure rendered neceffary by the declaration of the Minifter Plenipotentiary of his Britannic Majefty, 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 affurances of their high confideration. (Signed) TREILHARD. Lifle, 4th Vendemiaire, 5th year of the Republic, (Sept. 25, 1797-) (No. 53.) BONNIER. 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 Plenipotentiary 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 fpeedy 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 foreseen his return with powers that fhould not be illufory, and the limitation of which should no longer be a pretext for delaying the conclufion of peace: That fuch are ftill the hopes and intentions of the Executive Directory, which enjoins the Minifters 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 Majefty 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 i lenipotentiary of his Britannic Majefty fhall not have arrived at Lifle. The Executive Directory will feel the greatest regret that a reconcili ation 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. |