of no modification? I replied, if France could, in a contre projet, point out a practicable and adequate one, still keeping in view that the Netherlands must 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 myself 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 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'afurer, and ending at leur poffeffions refpectives. I told him it referred to the deftructive fyftem adopted by France in the West Indies, and went to exprefs a wish, 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 poffeffions 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 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 conftitution. Here our conference ended, and as, during the whole course of it, I bore in my mind the poffibility, that although this, our first, might be the only favourable opportunity I fhould ever have of speaking 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 instructions, 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 diftinct answer, 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 instance, commit myself, or difcover more of my inftructions than it became me do; and that in the converfation with M. Delacroix nothing efcaped me which might, at fome fubfequent, period, hurt the progress 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 myfelf, as that what M. Delacroix faid to me may be accurately known, and remain on record.

It muft, however, be remembered (as I obferved in the beginning of this difpatch) that he spoke for himfelf, as minifter

indeed,

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 readinefs to difcufs the fubject, the impreflion 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 fo nearly infurmountable, that knowing as I do the opinion of the Directory, I faw little profpect of its terminating fuccefsfully. But I did not expect the conduct of the Directory would immediately be fuch as to evince a manifeft inclination, and even determination, to break off on the first propofals; and I was not a little furprised at receiving, on Sunday, at three P. M. the enclosed letter A from M. Delacroix: he fent it by the principal fecretary of his department (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 afked 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 unusual to fign memorials which were annexed to a note actually figned, and that I fcarcely felt myself authorised to depart from what was, I believe, an invariable rule. That as to the fecond demand, made in fo peremptory and unprecedented a way, I could, without much hesitation, fay at once that it could not be complied with. M. Guiraudet lamented this much, and faid, 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 anfwer the next day. On reflecting more attentively on the request 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 peevishly, and that the doing it would put them still more in the wrong.

As to the strange demand of an ultimatum, it was perfectly clear what it became me to fay, and I hope that in the enclosed anfwer B. (which I 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.

Yesterday 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 fpeed, I fhall fo foun have it in my power to fay the little which remains to fay

relative

relative to this fudden, though perhaps not unlooked-for, close to my miffion, that I need not trefpafs any further on your Lordfhip's patience.

P. S. I thought it would be proper for his Majefty's minifter at Vienna to receive the earliest intelligence of the negotiation being broken off, I therefore have difpatched a messenger 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.

M.

No. 31.

SIR,

Paris, 28th Frimaire, (December 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 in to me yesterday. I am charged exprefsly by the Directory to declare to you, that it cannot listen to any confidential note without a fignature, and to require of you to give in to me, officially, within four and twenty hours, your ultimatum, figned by you. Accept, Sir, the affurance of my high confideration. CH. DELACROIX.

(Signed)

No. 32.

COPY. (B.) Paris, 19th December, 1796. LORD Malmesbury, in anfwer to the letter which the minifter for foreign affairs had the goodness to tranfmit to him through the hands of the fecretary general of his department, must remark, that in figning the official note which he gave in to that minister, by order of his court, he thought he 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 refo lution of the Executive Directory, and haftens to fend to the minifter for foreign affairs the two memoriais figned by his hand.

With refpect to the pofitive demand of an ultimatum, Lord Malmesbury obferves that infifting on that point in fo peremptory a manner, before the two powers fhall have communicated to

each

each other their refpective pretenfions, and that the articles of the future treaty shall have been fubmitted to the difcuffions which the different interefts which are to be adjusted, 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 minister into every explanation of which the ftate and progress 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 requests the minifter for foreign affairs to accept the affurances of his high confideration.

No. 33

THE undersigned minifter for foreign affairs is charged by the Executive Directory, to anfwer to Lord Malmesbury's two notes of the 27th and 29th Frimaire (17th and 19th December, O. S.) that the Executive Directory. will liften to no proposals contrary to the constitution, 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 results that he acts a part merely paffive in the negoitation, which renders his prefence at Paris ufelefs; the undersigned 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 poffible, the territory of the Republic. The underfigned 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 reci procal channel of couriers. CH. DELACROIX.

(Signed)

Paris, 29th Frimaire (19th December) 5th year of the French Republic, one aad indivifible.

LORD Malmesbury haftens to acknowledge the receipt of the note of the minifter for foreign affairs, dated yesterday. He is

*

pre

preparing to quit Paris to-morrow, and demands, in consequence, the necelfary paffports for himself and his fuite.

He requests the minifter for foreign affairs to accept the affurances of his high confideration*..

Paris, 20th Dec. 1796.

Gredentials of Lord Malmesbury.

GEORGIUS R.

GEORGIUS Tertius, Dei gratiâ Magna Britanniæ, Franciæ,

et Hiberniæ Rex, Fidei Defenfor, Dux Brunavicenfis et Luneburgenfis, Sacri Romani Imperii Archi-Thefaurarius 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 ftabiliri poffit; cumque, eâ de caufa, virum quemdam tanto negotio parem noftrâ ex parte plenâ auctoritate ad hoc tam magnum onus conficiendum munire decrevimus, fciatis igitur quod nos fide, induftriâ, ingenio, perfpicacia, et rerum ufu, fidelis et dilecti confiliarii noftri Jacobi Baronis de Malmesbury, 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 (ita tamen ut generale fpeciali non deroget nec à contra), pro nobis, et noftro nomine, cum miniftro vel miniftris, commiffariis vel plenipotentiariis Reipublicæ Gallice pari auctoritate fufficienter inftructo vel inftructis, cumque miniftris, commiffariis, vel plenipotentiariis aliorum principum et ftatuum, quorum inter effe poterit, fufficienti itidem auctoritate inftructis, tam fingulatim ac divifim, quam aggregatim ac conjunctim, congrediendi et colloquendi, atque cum ipfis de pace firmâ et ftabili, 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 tractatufve, vel alia inftrumenta quofquot et qualia neceffaria fuerint, conficiendi, mutucque 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

In the official account of the negotiation published by the British govern ment, Mr. Wickham's note to M. Barthelemy, M. Barthelemy's anfwer, and the note of the British government upon that anfwer, are included; our readers will find them in Vol. III. Part II. page 154, of the Collection of State Papers.