period when the right of Spain to the territory fo ceded was te ceafe, in order that any operation, which it might become expedient for his troops to undertake there, might be directed against the French alone. And although no explanation could ever be obtained from the court of Madrid on this fubject, his cominanders on the spot were reftrained from acting, and did not act against the Spanish part of the island, till the ceflion actually took place, by which it became, as far as the act of Spain could make it, a part of the territories of France. To the accufations which made up the greater part of the remainder of the manifefto, refpecting the detention or capture of merchant ships, or the violation of territory therein mentioned, it is fufficient to reply, that in every cafe of fuch a nature which has been brought to the knowledge of the British government, the most effectual meafures have been inftantly taken for inftituting inquiry into the particulars of the tranfaction, for collecting the proofs neceffary to afcertain the fact on which the charge is founded, and for fubmitting the whole to that regular course of proceeding in which juftice is to be rendered in thefe cafes, according to the established practice throughout Europe, and to the exprefs ftipulations of the treaties between Great Britain and Spain. Amidst the wide and complicated operations of a naval war, extended over every quarter of the globe, it is not improbable that fome diforders and irregularities may have taken place, which the utmost vigilance of the government could not immediately difcover or reprefs; and that in the exercife of the undoubted right of a power at war, to fearch out and feize the property of the enemy, the rights of neutral nations may, in fome inftances, have been unintentionally expofed to temporary moleftation. The fame obfervation was not lefs applicable to Spain in her war with France; and the fhort interval that has elapfed fince her declaration against Great Britain has amply fhewn that fimilar complaints will arife from her conduct in the prefent war. The utmost that can be demanded in fuch cases of a power at war, is, that it fhould fhew itfelf ready on all occafions to liften to the remonftrances and reclamations of thofe whom it may have aggrieved, and prompt and expeditious in redreffing their injuries, and in reftoring their property: and to the readiness of the British government to fulfil thefe duties, in every cafe where they have been called upon to do fo, even Spain herself may fafely be called to bear witness. Nor would it be easy to cite a more striking proof of the friendly difpofition of the King's government, and of the particular attention manifefted towards the rights and interefts of Spain, than arifes from an impartial examination of the detail of what has paffed on this fubject. It will be found that the caufes of complaints, whether well or ill founded founded, which have been brought forward, are much fewer than ever have occurred within the fame period in former times. And the court of Spain, when called upon to fpecify particulars on this head, is obliged to have recourfe to an allegation of the depre dations of Corfican privateers. There remains but one ground upon which the court of Spain pretends to account to the world for the rath and perfidious step which it has taken in declaring war against England, and to excufe to Europe the calamities which cannot fail to refult from fuch a measure; the fuppofed decree of arreft afferted to have iffued against the Spanish Ambaffador at the court of London. The fact, to which this relates, must have been grofsly mistaken before it could be made to appear, even in the eyes of Spain, a fit motive for the flighteft reprefentation or complaint, much more a juftifiable caufe of war between the two kingdoms. By the ftrefs which is laid upon this tranfaction, who is there that would not be led to imagine, that the law fuit commenced against the Spanish ambaffador, was attended with fome peculiar circumftances of perfonal indignity? That the refult was intentional, and originated with the British government? or that, on being apprifed of the offence, the court of London had fhewn fome unwillingness or delay in proceeding to the profecution of the parties concerned in it? Who but would be aftonifhed to learn that the process itself was no more than a fimple citation to answer at law for a debt demanded? that the fuing this procefs was the mistaken act of an individual, who was immediately difavowed by the govern ment, and ordered to be profecuted for his conduct, and who made, (but made in vain) repeated and fubmiffive applications to the Spanish ambaffador for forgiveness and interference on his behalf that cafes of the fame nature have frequently arifen in England from the ignorance of individuals, and from the ready appeal to the laws which the happy conftitution of the country admits and authorifes, without the previous intervention or knowledge of any branch of the executive government; and that in all fimilar cafes, and particularly in one which had occurred only a few weeks before, precifely the fame measures have been pursued by the government to vindicate the privileges of foreign minifters, and have uniformly, and without exception, been accepted as completely adequate to that object, and fatisfactory to the dignity and honour of the fovereign whom the cafe concerned? Such then are the frivolous motives, and pretended wrongs, which Spain has chofen to affign as the juftification of her declaration of war against Great Britain. Such are the topics of complaint upon which his Majefty has repeatedly offered the most une unequivocal explanation; upon which he has long and earnestly endeavoured to perfuade the court of Madrid to enter into a full and amicable difcuffion, for the purpose of averting from his own fubjects, from thofe of his Catholic Majefty, and from Europe, the extremities of war. When upon grounds of fuch a nature, and with the offer of negotiation repeatedly prefented to its choice, a power has wilfully and wantonly chofen a war, in which its prosperity, its happiness, and its fafety, are hazarded, and in which it will have as much to fear from the fuccefs of its allies, as from that of its enemies-it furely is not too much to prefume, that, even in its own eyes, that power is not juftified for the proceeding which it adopted, and that there must be fome unaffigned motive of irrefiftible neceffity, which induces it to purfue measures alike inconfiftent with its intereft and with its honour. It will be plain to all posterity-it is now notorious to Europe, that neither to the genuine wifhes, nor even to the miftaken policy of Spain, her prefent conduct is to be attributed; that not from enmity towards Great Britain, not from any refentment of paft or apprehenfion of future injuries, but from a blind fubferviency to the views of his Majesty's enemies, from the dominion ufurped over her councils and actions by her new allies, the has been compelled to act in a quarrel, and for interests, not her own: to take up arms against one of those powers in whose cause she had profeffed to feel the strongest interest; and even to menace with hoftility another, against whom no cause of complaint is pretended, except its honourable and faithful adherence to its engagements. Under these circumftances, his Majefty forbears to enumerate the several grounds of just complaint which he has had occasion, on his part, to prefer to the court of Madrid, fince the conclufion of the peace between France and Spain; the many and grofs inftances of unjuft partiality towards his enemies, of undue protection afforded to their fhips, and of injuries committed, and allowed to be committed, on those of his Majefty and his fubje&s. Confident of having acquitted himfelf to the world of any fhare in originating the present war, he finds in the manifeft and unprovoked aggreffion of the enemy, a fufficient caufe for calling forth the refources of his kingdoms, and the spirit of his fubjects; and he commits to the Divine Providence the iffue of a contest, which it was to the last moment his earnest endeavour to avoid, and which he now ardently desires to bring to a speedy and honourable termination. THE THE NEGOTIATION. Official Correfpondence, published by the British Government, relative to the Negotiation for Peace between the French Republic and Great Britain. No. 1.! SIR, IN obedience to the orders of the King my mafter, I have the honour to tranfmit to you the enclofed note, and to request of you that you will forward it to his Danifh Majefty's minifter at Paris, to be by him communicated to the Executive Directory. The fentiments of your court are too well known to the King to admit of his Majefty's entertaining any doubt of the fatisfaction with which his Danish Majefty will fee the intervention of his minifters employed on fuch an occafion, or of the earnestness with which you, Sir, will concur in a measure which has for its object the re-establishment of peace. I have the honour to be, with the most perfect confideration, Sir, Your moft humble, And moft obedient fervant, To the Count Wedel Jarlsberg, GRENVILLE. No. 2. HIS Britannic Majefty, animated with the fame defire, which he has already manifefted, to terminate, by juft, honourable, and permanent conditions of peace, a war which has extended itself throughout all parts of the world, is willing to omit nothing on his part which may contribute to this object. It is with this view that he has thought it proper to avail himfelf of the confidential intervention of the minifters of a neutral power, to demand of the Executive Directory palfports for a VOL. V. perfon perfon of confidence whom his Majefty would fend to Paris with a commiflion to difcufs, with the government there, all the means the moft proper to produce fo defirable an end. And his Majefty is perfuaded that he fhall receive, without delay, through the fame channel, a fatisfactory answer to this demand, which cannot fail to place in a ftill clearer light the juft and pacific difpofitions which he entertains in common with his allies. Weftminfler, Sept. 6, 1796. GRENVILLE. No. 3. MY LORD, I HAVE the honour to inform your excellency, that the note. addreffed to the Executive Directory of France, in date of the 6th of the prefent month, was tranfmitted by Mr. Koenemann, charge d'affaires of his Danish Majefty, to Mr. Delacroix, minifter for foreign affairs at Paris, who promifed that an answer thould be returned to it after it had been fubmitted to the confideration of the government. Three days having elapfed in expectation of this anfwer, Mr. Koenemann went a fecond time to the minifter abovementioned, who gave him to understand, that the Executive Directory had not permitted him to return an answer in writing, but that he was directed to exprefs himfelf verbally to this effect: "That the Executive Directory of the French Republic would not, for the future, receive or anfwer any overtures or confidential papers tranfmitted through any intermediate channel from the enemies of the Republic; but that if they would fend perfons furnished with full powers and official papers, these might, upon the frontiers, demand the paffports neceffary for proceeding to Paris." I have the honour to be, with the most perfect refpect, (Signed) Your excellency's most humble, London, Sept. 3, 1796. COMTE DE WEDEL JARLSEERG. No. 4. SIR, Paris, Sept. 191796. I WAS indifpofed at my country houfe when your excellency's courier brought me the letters which your excellency did me the honour to write to me on the 7th inftant, together with the note 5 of |