neutral powers to continue, without remonftrances or reclamations on their part. M. Adet further obferved, that, if they would take meafures to render their flag refpected by the British government, the fame refpect fhould be fhewn by the French republic; but if through weakness or partiality they fuffered the English to sport with their neutrality, they ought not to complain if the French, in order to reftore the balance, fhould continue to imitate in this cafe that conduct which the English had found it convenient or ufeful for their own purposes to adopt. The anfwer given by the American government to this remonftrance, ftated, in justification of their conduct, that the treaty made with France in 1778, formally expreffed that neutral veffels fhould neutralize the cargo; whereas the treaty lately concluded between the United States and England contained no fimilar regulation. The American government acted therefore in perfect conformity to the letter of both treaties; and though it was lawful for the English to feize French property on board American veffels, the French were reftrained by their treaty with America, from making reprifals in fimilar circumftances on the English. So far as the letter of treaties ought to influence the decifion of the queftion, the reclamation of the American government was founded; but whether that government was juftified on the fcore of political morality in concluding a fubfequent treaty with England fo pointedly hoftile to the interests of their former ally in this article, does not fo clearly appear. In addition to this memorial, M. Adet foon after prefented a note recapitulating other grievances, among ft which was the infraction, on 1 the part of the American government, of that article in the treaty with France which refpected the guarantee of the French colonies by the United States. The fpeech of the prefident to the American congrefs, and the answer of the viceprefident, contained recriminations, which, far from leading to any amicable explanation, or to conciliate the differences which had arifen, tended to widen the breach which already existed, and fan the flame which it was fo much the intereft of both parties to have extinguished. Whatever specific caufes of complaint the French government might have had against that of the United States on account of the treaty lately concluded with England, the difpofitions which led to the for mation of that treaty, would alon have been fufficient to have explained the reafons of the general indignation of the French against them. Accustomed of late to witnefs levees of minifters from the conquered monarchs of the old effablifhed governments in Europe deprecate the vengeance or fupplicate the friendship of the French republic, it was not without feelings of indignation that they faw the people whom they boaffed to have fnatched from fervitude and oppreffion, and to have erected into independance and power, in viola tion of the ties of gratitude and friendship, and of those bonds more commonly refpected between nations, folemn and formal treaties, not only become indifferent in the obfervance of either, but join against them by forming the strictest alliances with their common enemy. This indignation had been hitherto tempered by the conduct of the American ambaffador, and by the reprefentations which the friends of of both countries had occafionally made; and it is probable that the breach would have been widened no further than the temporary fufpenfion of the French ambaffador in the United States, had not the American government, by exchanging ambaffadors at this period, evinced further difpofitions of hoftility, fince no reasonable pretence appeared for this exchange but the attachment which the prefent ambaffador had fhewn to the cause of the French revolution. The news of the intended refignation of the prefident of the United States had preceded the arrival of the new ambaffador, Mr. Pinckney. This event, which was expected by the French government, had in fome measure allayed this warmth; and it was hoped that an amicable arrangement would fpeedily have taken place, as it was fuppofed that the choice of the United States would fall on a perfon lefs hoftile to their interefts; but as the exchange of ambassadors under the prefent circumftances afforded fo favourable an opportunity of expreffing their feelings, they not only refused to permit the new ambaffador to remain officially at Paris, but intimated to him that his refidence as a private citizen was inexpedient. The directory nevertheless, when Mr. Monroe took leave, obferved, as they had already done with refpect to Sweden on a similar occafion, that the people of America, not being implicated in the acts of their government, were ftill objects of their efteem; and expreffed alfo their perfonal regard for the intereft which Mr. Monroe, during his refidence at Paris, had fewn for the welfare of the republic. Amidst the various negotiations which in the courfe of the year occupied the French government, that which England propofed to open, engaged moft deeply the public attention. The treaties which had been made with thofe of the combined powers with whom the republic was now at peace, were the neceffary effects of the advantages it had gained, or the apprehenfions it had excited. Supported by the coalition, they had found their efforts ineffectual to refift the overwhelming flood of French victories; torn by force, or feparated voluntarily from its caufe, their infulated fituations gave them no alternative, but fubmiffion to its influence, or adhefion to its fate. Although the war had firft broken out with Auftria and Pruffia, it was generally believed in France that the English cabinet had been the original fomentor of this war, as it became foon after its avowed and almost only fupport. Regarding England therefore as the fource of all their calamities, the French could scarcely look towards that country without reproach, for the defolation and horrors of which it had eventually been the caufe, and which it appeared to them refolved to perpetuate. The offer of negotiation from England was therefore confidered with a fufpicious and averted eye by the French government; and the previous negotiation which had taken place between the English cabinet and that of Berlin, and which had failed *, had added to the conviction of the directory that peace was neither the wifh nor, the expectation of the English government from this negotiation. It was under these impreffions that the mi *The French affirmed that the object of this negotiation, which took place just on the eve of lord Malmesbury's departure to Paris, was to bribe the court of Berlin to rejoin the coalition, 1796. nifter nifter of foreign affairs in France received; from the minifter of foreign affairs in England, an official note, demanding pafports for an envoy from the English court, to open a negotiation at Paris. The permiffion to grant thefe paffports was given to the minifter by a refolution of the directory on the 30th of September. The paffports were fent, and the minifter plenipotentiary arrived in Paris. If the fufpicions of the French government were well founded refpecting the infincerity of the Englith adminiftation with regard to peace, the fymptoms of their own averfion to it were not concealed upon the arrival of lord Malmefbury at Paris. All that memory could furnish of his conduct in former negotiations, that calumny could invent with refpect to his prefent intentions, and the means which he had brought with him to turn every thing to his own advantage by his acknowledged addrefs, and by corruption, were circulated with avidity under the apparent fanction of the directory; nor did they ceafe, till, on the remonftrances made by lord Malmesbury againft thefe infults, the government difavowed what the public had previoufly condemned. On the 24th of October, lord Malmesbury tranfmitted to M. Delacroix, the French minifter of foreign affairs, a memorial, in which, after ftating in the ufual terms the defire which is Britannic majefty entertained for peace, he propofed the establishment of fome general principle on the opening of the ne. gotiation which should ferve as a bafis for a definitive fettlement; obferving that the firft object of a negotiation for peace was generaly that of reftoring or giving up what had been taken from the refpe&ive parties during the war. The me morial stated, that as Great Britain, far from having any reftitution to demand of France, had, by a feries of uninterrupted fuccefs, acquired colonial conquefts of inestimable value, and as on the other hand France had made continental conquests on the allies of his British majefty, it was propofed that the negotiation fhould turn on the compenfations to be made to France by proportional reftitutions, the nature of which fhould be difcuffed as foon as the principle was admitted. After examining the memorial, Delacroix obferved to ord Malmefbury, that as he fpoke in the name of the allies of Great Britain, and was ftipulating for their interefts, he was of courfe invefted by them with powers for that purpofe; to which his lordship obferved that he was not thus commiffioned, but that as foon as the directory fhould have agreed. to the principle laid down, he would difpatch meffengers to the different courts to give an account of the fate of the negotiation, and receive their inftructions. It was then afked if he could give any precife idea of the principle of reftitutions fo far as concerned Great Britain and France: to which his lordship aufwered, as before, that as foon as the directory fhould explain themfelves, he would fend mefiengers, and afk for inftructions alfo on this point. The directory were not disposed to enter immediately into this explanation. The anfwer which they returned, on the contrary, was far from conciliatory, and wore a form of diftruft and defiance, which in that ftage of the bufinefs was generally regarded as neither politic nor becoming. It was reprefented, that, from the mode adopted by the Englifh cabinet, the hope of peace was was very diftant; that, had lord Malmesbury confined himself to treating feparately for his own cabinet, for which he was duly authorifed, inftead of treating for other courts, for which, by his own confeffion, he had received no authority whatever, the negotiation might be confiderably fhortened. It was infinuated, that, as the declaration he had made was not fupported by his credentials, fo he might have received fecret inftructions contrary to thofe he profeffed; that the British cabinet had a double view in the prefent application, both of hindering the other powers from treating feparately, and alfo of obtaining with greater facility new fupplies from the English nation for the continuance of the war; and that the propofitions now made by lord Malmesbury differed from thofe made fome months preceding by Mr. Wickham, only in being prefented under a more polite and amicable form. With refpect to the principle of reftitution advanced by lord Malmefbury to ferve for the bafis of the negotiation, the directory obferved that it was too vague and indeterminate; that the first object was the confideration of the neceffity of a juft and folid peace, and the establishment of a juft balance of power; and that the present respective fituations of the belligerent powers ought alfo to be remembered, of which the force of the one was diminished by the defertion of various princes of the coalition, and the force of the other increased by making most of these powers its allies, or rendering them at least neutral. The directory concluded by affuring lord Malmesbury that as foon as he fhould prefent fufficient powers from the allied courts to ftipulate for their respective interefts, and obtain their engagements to abide by what fhould be determined in their name, the French government would give an anfwer to whatever formal propofitions fhould be made. Of whatever powers lord Malmefbury was poffeffed, he was cautious in the exercife. Had he been the agent only of the British ministry, it does not appear that he had received fufficient inftructions to proceed in the treaty; but as he propofed to ftipulate for the interefts of the allied courts, the directory had no fecurity that they would abide by any of the conditions concluded in their name, by a perfon who, though negotiating for them, profeffed to be invested with no fpecial authority on their part. In reply to thefe obfervations, and to the official anfwer returned by the minifter of foreign affairs to his first note, lord Malmesbury (having fent to London for further inftructions) communicated a fecond paper to the directory, in which, after commenting on the offensive and injurious tone in which their laft anfwer was conceived, he obferved that they were altogether mistaken in fuppofing that his powers authorised him to treat feparately from the allies of the British crown; that his powers were fufficient for the negotiation and conclufion of a peace, and that he had fully inftructed the minifter of foreign affairs that he could enter into no conference of which a feparate treaty fhould be the object. It was ftated, that, as a feparate treaty was altoget er inad nitfile, the intervention of the allied courts would become indifpenfable in the courfe of the negotiation; but that it would be usclefs to ask for full and formal powers from then until the principles of the negotiation nad $ 2 been been difcuffed; that the emperor had given a manifeft proof of pacific difpofitions at the opening of the campaign, and that the allies might be invited to accede as foon as the principle fhould be agreed on of a combined negotiation. court? At this point it was likely the negotiation would have ftopped, as the note delivered on the return of the meflenger, the 26th November, declined entering further into the fubject of negotiation until the directory had explained itfelf with refpect to fome principle on which, it could be grounded. The directory however felt the neceflity of declared, what lord Malmesbury had not difcovered, that their answers had uniformly admitted the principle he had contended for; and that he had nothing more to do than to point out fpeedily and categorically the objects of reciprocal compenfation. The expediency of forming a principle of this kind was again urged, and the offer of proportional reftitutions again repeated; obferv-complying with this condition, and ing, that the directory had neither given any explanation in its laft communication with refpect to the principle, nor propofed any other whereby the end in queftion could be attained. The directory, in anfwer, very laconically requeried lord Malmesbury to point out the fpecific objects which he propofed; and expreffed their ignorance of any proofs which the emperor had afforded of pacific difpofitions, as the emperor had been the first to break the armiftice. To this lord Malmesbury replied, that he was not authorifed to point out the objects of reciprocal compenfation until the directory had agreed to the principle of the negotiation which he had laid down, or admitted of fome other which might anfwer the fame end; that the pacific difpofitions of the emperor were evinced by the official note in which he obferved that the operations of the war fhould not prevent him from conceding to any propofitions for peace, agreeable to whatever form fhould be adopted by the belligerent powers. The brevity of the official anfwer returned to lord Malmebury's fecond communication led him to inquire if that was all the answer he was to expect; to which the minifter of foreign affairs rejoined in the affirmative, and at the fame time requested to know if, on every note that paffed between them, it was neceffary to fend a meifenger to his As the governments were at length ag.eed on the principle of the ne gotiation, lord Malmesbury, on the return of the meflenger whom he had fent to London to notify the acquiefcence of the directory, and receive the neceflary inftructions, communicated to the minifter of foreign affairs two memorials, of which one was a confidential memorial on the principal objects of reftitution, compenfation, and reciprocal arrangements; the other related to peace with Spain, and the republic of Holland. The first memorial, which contained the conditions of reciprocal reftitution between the French republic and the allied powers, propofed that France fhould cede to the emperor Brabant, the country on the left of the Rhine, Italy, and whatever had been taken from him during the prefent war; the re-establishment of peace between the empire and France, which fhould be arranged with the emperor as conftitutional chief of the empire; that the court of Petersburg fhould have full liberty to interpofe in the negotiation whenever it thought proper; and that Portugal |