all we should still have to restore to them, while they had nothing to reftore to England, it was impoffible not to confider the terms on which his Majefty propofed peace to Holland as generous and liberal.

M. Delacroix was not at all difpofed to agree with me on this point, and faid. Holland, tripped of thefe poffeffions, would be ruined. He then held out, but as if the idea had juft croifed his mind, the poffibility of indemnifying the Dutch for their lotfes in India, by giving them a tract of territory towards the Meufe, (I could not find out whether he meant Aix la Chapelle, Liege, or the countries of Juliers and Berg) and hinted, that if this was not to be done, an additional fugar ifland might, perhaps, be ceded to the Dutch Republic. I told him all this might become a fubject of future difcuflion, and I conceived, that if we could agree upon the more effential points, the treaty would not break off on thefe fecondary confiderations. Our converfation had now been extremely long, and M Delacroix ended by faying, that although he had taken upon himieif to enter with me thus far upon the subject, yet I muft not confider any thing he faid as binding, or as pledging the Republic, till fuch time as he had laid the papers I had given him before the Directory; and in order to do this with more accuracy, he again asked me, whether in his report he was to ftate the difuniting Belgium from France as a fine qua non from which his Majefty would not depart. I replied, it moft certainly was a fine quâ non from which his Majefty would not depart; and that any propofal which would leave the Netherlands annexed to

France, would be attended with much greater benefit to that power, and lots to the allies, than the prefent relative fituation of the belligerent powers could entitle the French government to expect.

M. Delacroix repeated his concern at the peremptory way in which I made this affertion, and afked whether it would admit of no modification? I replied, if France could, in a contre projet, point out a practicable and adequate one, ftill keeping in view that the Netherlands muft not be French, or likely again to fall into the hands of France, fuch a propofal might certainly be taken into confideration.

M. Delacroix by no means encouraged me to explain myfelf more fully; he repeatedly faid, that this difficulty relative to the Netherlands was one which could not be overcome.

Juft as I was taking leave of him, he begged of me to explain what was meant by the words in the memoire (A) in the 4th paragraph, beginning de s'entendre mutuellement fur les moyens d'affarer, and ending at leur paffions respectives. I told him, it referred to the deftructive fyftem adopted by France in the Weft Indies, and went to exprefs a with, that the two powers fhould agree on fome general and uniform fyftem of internal police in the fettlements there, which would contribute to the fecurity of thefe poffeflions to the refpective countries, and at the fame time to the happiness of every defcription of inhabitants in them.

M. Delacroix, a little hurt at my expreffion relative to the fyftem adopted by France, endeavoured to recriminate on us; but he ended

by

by faying, that they fhould certainly be willing to concur in any arrangement relative to the negroes, which did not militate against the principles of their conititution. Here our conference ended, and as, during the whole courfe of it, I bore in my mind the poffibility, that although this, our firit, might be the only favourable opportunity I thould ever have of fpeaking on the general principles on which his Majefty was difpofed to treat, I endeavoured, by adverting more or lefs to almoft every point in my inftructions, to enable M. Delacroix (if he reports faithfully) to ftate to the Directory what I faid, in fuch a manner as to put it out of their power to mifconceive what were his Majefty's intentions, to remove all poflibility of cavil on this cafe, and to bring them to a clear and diftin&t aniwer, whether they would agree to open a negotiation on the principle of the ftatus ante bellum, or on one differing from it only in form, not in fubftance. I hope in attempting to do this I did not, in the first inftance, commit myfelf, or discover more of my inftructions thin it became me to do; and that in the converfation with M. Delacroix nothing efcaped me which might, at fome fubfequent period, hurt the progrefs of the negotiation. I have, I believe, given this conference nearly verbatim to your lordship; and I was particularly anxious to do this correctly and minutely, as well that you may judge on the propriety of what I faid myself, as that what M. Delacroix faid to me may be accurately known, and remain on record.

It must, however, be remembered (as I obferved in the begin

ning of this dispatch) that he fpoke for himself, as minifter indeed, but not under the immediate inftructions of the Directory, and this confideration will take a little away from the fingularity of fome of the pofitions he advanced. I confefs, my Lord, from the civility of his manners, and from his apparent readiness to difents the fubject, the impreffion which remained on my mind on leaving him was, that the negotiation would go on, but be liable to fo many difficulties, and fome of them

nearly infurmountable, that knowing as I do the opinion of the Directory, I faw little profpect of its terminating fuccessfully. But I did not expect the conduct of the Directory would immediately be fuch as to evince a manifest inclination, and even determination, to break off on the firft propoïals; and I was not a little furprized at receiving, on Sunday, at three P. M. the enclofed letter A. from M. Delacroix: he fent it by the principal fecretary of his depart ment (M. Guiraudet) who communicated to me the original of the arreté of the Directory, of which this letter, abating the alteration in the form, is a literal copy. After perufing it, I atked M. Guiraudet whether he was informed of its contents, and this led to a short converfation on them. I told him that both the demands were fo unexpected that I could not reply to them off hand: that as to the first, it was quite unufual to fign memorials which were annexed to a note actually figued, and that I fcarcely felt myfelf authorifed to depart from what was, I believe, an invariable rule. That as to the fecond demand, made in fo pe

remptory

remptory and unprecedented a way, I could, without much hefitation, fay at once that it could not be complied with. M. Guiraudet lamented this much, and said, that this being the cafe, he feared our principles of negotiation would never coincide. I agreed with him in my expreffions of concern. We converfed together afterwards for fome time, but nothing paffed at all worthy remark. I told him I fhould fend my aufwer the next day. On reflecting more attentively on the requeft that I would. fign the two memorials which I had given in, it ftruck me that the complying with it pledged me to nothing, and that it was merely gratifying them on a point infifted on peevithly, and that the doing it would put them ftill more in the wrong.

As to the ftrange demand of an ultimatum, it was perfectly clear what it became ine to fay, and I hope that in the enclosed anfwer B, (which fent yesterday morning at twelve o'clock) to M. Delacroix, I fhall be found to have adhered as clofely as poffible to the spirit of my inftructions.

Yefterday evening, at half paft nine, M. Guiraudet brought me the note C, to which I immediately replied by the note D. They require no comment; and as I intend leaving Paris to-morrow, and travelling with all convenient speed, I fhall fo foon have it in my power to fay the little which remains to fay relative to this fudden, though perhaps not unlooked-for, clofe to my miflion, that I need not trefpaís further on your lordship's patience.

I have the honour to be, &c.
(Signed) MALMESBURY.

P. S. I thought it would be proper for his Majefty's minifter at Vienna to receive the earliest intel. ligence of the negotiation being broke off, I therefore have difpatched a meffenger to Vienna with a copy of the feveral papers which have paffed between me and M. Delacroix fince our conference, and alfo a fuccinct account of what paffed on it. The meffenger left this place to-day at three, P. M. Right Hon. Lord Grenville, &c. &c. &c.

No. 31.

M.

Paris, 28th Frimaire, SIR, (Dec. 18,) 5th year. THE Executive Directory has heard the reading of the official note figned by you, and of two confidential memorials without fignatures, which were annexed to it, and which you gave into me yefterday. I am charged expressly by the Directory to declare to you, that it cannot listen to any confi dential report without a fignature, and to require of you to give into me, officially, within four and twenty hours, your ultimatum, ligned by you.

Accept, Sir, the affurance of my high coufideration.

(Signed) CH. DELACROIX, No. 32

'Paris, 19th December, 1796. COPY. (B.)

LORD Malmesbury, in anfwer to the letter which the minifter for for foreign affairs had the goodness to tranfmit to him, through the hands of the fecretary general of his department, muft remark, that in figning the official note which he gave in to that minifter, by order of his court, he thought he

had

had complied with all the ufual formalities, and had given the neceffary authenticity to the two confidential memorials which were annexed to it. Nevertheless, to remove all difficulties, as far as lies in his power, he willingly adopts the forms which are pointed out by the refolution of the Executive Directory, and haftens to fend to the minifter for foreign affairs the two memorials figned by his hand. With refpect to the pofitive demand of an ultimatum, Lord Malmefbury obferves, that infifting on that point in fo peremptory a manner, before the two powers fhall have. communicated to each other their refpective pretenfions, and that the articles of the future treaty fhall have been submitted to the difcuffions which the different interefts which are to be adjufted, neceffarily demand, is to fhut the door against all negotiation. He, therefore, can add nothing to the affurances which he has already given to the minifter for foreign affairs, as well by word of mouth, as in his official note; and he repeats that he is ready to enter with that minifter into every explanation of which the ftate and progrefs of the negotiation may admit, and that he will not fail to enter into the difcuffion of the propofals of his court, or of any counter project which may be delivered to him, on the part of the Executive Directory, with that candour and that fpirit of conciliation which correfpond with the juft and pacific fentiments of his court.

Lord Malmesbury requefts the minitter for foreign affairs to accept the affurances of his high confideration.

foreign affairs is charged by the Executive Directory, to answer to Lord Malmesbury's two notes of the 27th and 29th Frimaire (17th and 19th December, O. S.) that the Executive Directory, will lif ten to no propofals contrary to the conftitution, to the laws, and to the treaties which bind the Republic.

And as Lord Malmesbury announces at every communication, that he is in want of the opinion of his court, from which it refults that he acts a part merely paffive in the negotiation, which renders his prefence at Paris ufelefs; the underfigned is further charged to give him notice to depart from Paris in eight and forty hours, with all the perfons who have accompanied and followed him, and to quit as expeditiously as poflible, the territory of the Republic.

The undersigned declares moreover, in the name of the Executive Directory, that if the British cabinet is defirous of peace, the Executive Directory is ready to follow the negotiations, according to the bafis laid down in the prefent note, by the reciprocal channel of cou

He

He requefts the minifter for foreign affairs to accept the affurrances of his high confideration.

ti

Paris, 20th December, 1796.

Credentials of Lord Malmesbury.

GEORGIUS R. GEORGIUS Tertius, Dei graMagna Britannia, Franciæ, et Hiberniæ Rex, Fidei Defenfor, Dux Brunavicenfis et Luneburgenfis, Sacri Romani Imperii ArchiThefaurarius et Princeps Elector, etc. omnibus et fingulis ad quos præfentes hæ litteræ pervenerint, falutem :

Cum belli incendio jam nimis diu diverfis orbis terrarum partibus flagrante in id quam maxime incumbamus, ut tranquillitas publica tot litibus controverfiifque ritè compofitis, reduci et ftab liri po fit; cumque, eâ de caufa, virum quemdam tanto negotio parem noftrâ ex parte plenà auctoritate ad hoc tam magnum onus conficiendum munire decrevimus, fciatis igitur quod nos fide, induftriâ, ingenio, perfpicacia, et rerum ufu fi delis et dilecti confiliarii noftri Jacobi Baronis de Malmefbury, honoratiffimi ordinis Balnei equitis plurimum confifi, eumdem nominavimus, fecimus et conftituimus noftrum verum, certum, et indubitatum commiffarium et plenipotentiarium, dantes et concedentes eidem omnem et omnimodam poteftatem, facultatem, auctoritatemque necnon mandatum generale pariter ac fpeciale (itu tamen ut generale fpeciali non deroget nec à contra), pro nobis, et noftro nomine, cum miniftro vel miniftris, commiffariis vel plenipotentiariis Reipublicæ Gallica pari auctoritate fufficienter inftructo vel inftructis, cumque miniftris, commiffariis, vel plenipotentiariis

aliorum principum et ftatuum, quorum inter effe poterit, fufficienti itidem auctoritate inftru&tis, tam fingulatim ac divifim, quam aggregatim ac conjunctim, congrediendi et colloquendi, atque cum ipfis de pace firmâ et stabili, fincerâque amicitiâ et concordia quantociès reftituendis, conveniendi et concludendi; eaque omnia quæ ita conventa et conclufa fuerint, pro nobis, et in roftro nomine fubfignandi; fuperque conclufis tractatum tractatufvevel alia inftrumenta quofquot et qualia neceffaria fuerint, conficiendi mutuoque tradendi, recipiendique omniaque alia quæ ad onus fupra dictum feliciter exequendum pertinent tranfigendi, tam amplis modo et forma ac vi effectuque pari, ac nos fi interessimus, facere et præftare poffemus, fpondentes et in verbo regio promittentes nos omnia et fingula, quæcumque a dicto nofro plenipotentiario tranfigi et concludi contigerint, grata, rata, et accepta omni meliori modo habituros, neque paffuros unquam ut in toto, vel in parte à quoniam violentur, aut ut iis in contrarium eatur. In quorum omnium majorem fidem et robur, præfentibus manu noftrâ regiâ fignatis, magnum noftrum Magna Britanniæ figillum appendi fecimus. Quæ dabantur in palatio noftro Divi Jacobi die decimo tertio menfis Octobris, anno Domini millenimo feptengentefimo nouagefimo fexto, regnique noftri trigefimo fexto.

Translation of the Credentials given to Lord Malmesbury.

George Rex.

GEORGE, by the grace of God, king of Great Britain, France and Ireland,