(No. XVIII.) Tranflation-Projet. ift. There fhall be a fufpenfion of hoftilities between the fleets and armies of the French republic and thofe of Great Britain. 2d. The hips of war and merchant vessels of each nation shall enjoy a free navigation without being fubject to any fearch, and hall obferve the ufages established previous to the war. 3d. All veffels, of either nation, captured after the of Fructidor, fhall be restored. 4th. The places of Malta, Alexandria, Belleifle, fhall be affimilated to the places of Ulm, Philipf burg, and of Ingolstadt; that is to fay, all neutral or French veffels fhall have permiffion freely to enter them, in order to furnish them with provifions. 5th. The feveral fquadrons which blockade Breft, Cadiz, Toulon, and Flushing, fhall return into their own harbours, or at leaft keep out of fight of the coaft. 6. Three English officers fhall be dispatched, one directly to the admiral commanding in the Mediterranean, another to the commander of the fquadron before Malta, the third to the commander of the blockade of Alexandria, to notify to them the prefent armistice, and to convey to them orders to conform themselves thereunto. The faid officers fhall pass through France, in order the more expeditiously to arrive at their deftination. 7th. His catholic majefty and the Batavian republic are included in the prefent armiftice. No. XIX. is a note, Sept. 5, from lord Grenville to citizen Otto, ob ferving, that the defire to facilitate the conclufion of a general peace could alone lead his court to the difcuffion of a propofal fo difadvantageous to the interefts of Great Britain; and as the termination of the continental armistice would put an end to all inducements of such a measure on the part of this country, fuggefting the expediency of France prolonging the armiftice with Auftria, and to allow time for receiving the king's commands on the propofal made here. No. XX. Note from M. Otto to Mr. Nepean, Sept. 4, enclofing a fketch of the treaty proposed by France. No. XXI. Sept. 5. à letter from M. Otto to captain George, obferves, that his majefty's choice in the provifional appointment of Mr. Grenville to take part in the eventual negociations at Luneville, cannot fail to be very agreeable to the French government, and that he fhould deliver the neceflary paffport, which he had previoufly obtained, as foon as the refult of the prefent communications fhall have rendered fuch journey neceffary. No. XXII. Sept. 6, A note from M. Otto to lord Grenville, ftating, that he had forwarded his lordship's note of the 5th, by an extraordinary meffenger, to Paris. No. XXIII. Sept. 7, A note from lord Grenville to M. Otto, enclofing No. XXIV, of the fame date, a reply to the French official anfwer of the 4th, ftating, that the spirit of that answer was not confonant with the conciliatory difpofition which it profeffed; that the unauthorised act of an Auftrian officer, who had been perfuaded to fign articles, was not calculated to terminate the war; P 2 yet felf towards the allies of France, even before any reciprocal engage ment can be received from them, in which all mention of the king's allies is totally omitted; that the principle contained in the following projet is that alone on which his majefty can confent to treat; and although the conditions are far fhot of what his majefty might juftly demand from analogy to the terms of the continental armiftice, or from the relative fituation of naval force, he repofes in the good faith of his enemies; and if M. Otto was authorised to accede to thefe ftipulations, his majefty would authorife a perfon to fign them; if not, he is requested to forward them without delay to his government. (No. XXV.) Counter Projet. yet that his majefty had not inter- his majefty is expected to bind himfered to have fuch preliminaries annulled, because there exifted previous engagements between the courts of London and Vienna, not to treat for peace except in concert with each other, and because the firft intimation which his majefty received of the fignature of thefe pretended preliminaries, was accompanied by the exprefs declaration of his ally, that they were wholly unauthorifed, and muft be confidered as abfolutely null. The French government, at the time they treated with the Auftrian officer, knew he had no powers or inftructions for fuch treaty: he avowed fuch to be the fact at the time, and declared it even in the paper which he figned. That although his majefty views the propofal of a naval armiftice in no other light than as a temporary advantage, which it is propofed him to yield to the enemy, in order to prevent the renewal of continental hoftilities-yet as it may contribute to the conclufion of a general peace, if France will confent that the refpective pofition of the two parties fhould remain during the armiftice, fuch as it was at its commencement, and that neither of them fhould, by its operation, acquire fresh advantages, or new means of annoying his enemy, fuch as he could not otherwife obtain, his majetty would confent to the armistice, notwithstanding the many difadvantages which would refult to this country from fuch a meafure; that the French projet profeffes to aflimilate Malta and Egypt, &c. to Ulm and Ingolftadt, although the terms it requires of victualling them, &c. for an unlimited period, is in direct contradiction to the ftipulaHons of the German armistice, and Art. 1ft. Stipulates that all hoftilities, both by fea and land, between the forces of the two contracting parties, fhall be fufpended, and fhall not be renewed until after fourteen days notice given of the termination of the armistice; but in cafe of the renewal of hoftilities between Auftria and France, the armiftice between Great Britain is likewife to be confidered as terminated. Art. 2d, relates to the fending orders from the two governments to their officers abroad to conform to this agreement. Art. 3d. All prizes made during the continuance of the armiftice, by any officer apprized of this meafure, to be restored, if made in the Channel or North Sea, within twelve days after the ratification of this convention, to be given up, although the captors fhould be ignorant of the truce. Art. fuch armistice, to be placed on the Art. 7th. This convention fhall be ratified, and the ratifications fhall be exchanged within the term of ten days, or fooner, if the fame be practicable. Art. 4th. Malta, and the maritime towns and ports of Egypt, fhall be placed on the fame footing as thofe places which, though comprifed within the demarcation of the French army in Germany, are occupied by the Auftrian troops; confequently nothing fhall be admitted by fea which can give additional means of defence; and provifions only for fourteen days at a time, in proportion to the confumption, as it fhall be afcertained by commiffaNo. XXVI. A note from M. ries to be named for the purpote, who fhall have power to eftablifh Otto, September 8, to lord Grenthe neceffary regulations for giving ville, obferving, that as the object effect to this ftipulation, conforma- of France was to compenfate, by a bly to the principles of the fourth British armiftice, the inconveniarticle of the convention concluded ence which might refult to the rebetween the Auftrian and French public from the eventual prolongation of the German armistice, and generals in Germany. that the counter-projet fo far defeated his purpofe, he deemed it neceffary to fubmit it to his government, and to wait for farther infructions. Art. 5th. The blockade of Breft, Toulon, and any other of the ports of France by his majeliy's fleets, fhall be difcontinued; and all Briti ships fhall be inftructed not to interrupt or obftruct the trade or navigation of any fhips failing to or from the coafts of France, except in the articles of naval and military ftores, which are not to be brought thither by fea during the prefent armiflice. None of the flips of war now ftationed in the faid ports refpectively thall, before the renewal of hoftilities, be removed to any other station. Art. 6th. The allies of the two parties fhall feverally be at liberty to accede to this armiltice, if they fo think fit; provided that they alfo engage to obferve a like armiflice, on conditions fimilar to thofe here fpecified, towards fuch of the allies on the other fide as fhall alfo accede to it. The naval ports and arenals of the allies of France are, during No. XXVII. A note from M. Otto to lord Grenville, September 16, ftating that the first conful, ftill hoping to approximate the interefts. of the two governments, and their withes for a fpeedy and folid peace, had difpatched orders for deferring, for fome day, the attack which the French army had been directed to make upon the whole line. It likewife enclosed No. XXVIII. A reply to lord. Grenville's letter of the 7th September, and the counter-projet which accompanied it. In this, M. Otto obferves, that as the ftipulations propofed by his lordship, offered no compenfation to France for the continental truce, it could, only be admitted as the prelimina ries of a particular arrangeme P 3 betwe between France and England. He was accordingly directed by the chief conful to fubmit that the projet of the armistice be drawn up, and admitted in terms analagous to thofe propofed by the British minifter, but folely under the fuppofition that this armiftice fhould be independent of the events of the continent, and relative only to a feparate negociation, to be immediately opened between the two powers; or that his majefty continuing to make common caufe with the emperor, fhould confent that the maritime truce may offer to the French republic, advantages equal to thofe fecured to the house of Auftria by the continental truce. He then adverts to the effects of the armistice to Auftria and Naples, and obferves, that France fiould derive equivalent advantage from the naval armiftice, in the free na vigation of her ships, and the facilities neceflary for her communications with the islands of France, and the re-union of her American colonies, and in reinforcing her army in Egypt. No. XXIX. A note from lord Grenville to M. Otto, Septem20 inclofing a note of the fame date. No. XXX. Lord Grenville fays in his note to M. Otto, that there did not appear any thing in M. Otto's note of the 16th, to alter his majefty's fentiments as expreffed on the 7th; that his majesty's known engagements to his allies, and his defire to contribute to the general tranquillity of Europe, would not permit him to feparate his intereft from those with whom he was connected; and the propofed alternative offered by France, was nothing more than the renewal of a demand already rejected: "The orders for giving notice of the termination of the continental armistice muft actually have been dispatched from Paris at the very time when the continuance of that armiftice was proposed to his majefty, as the condition and inducement for a maritime truce." The king, however, waving this and fimilar confiderations, would ftill be induced, on fuitable condi tions to make the facrifices necessarily attendant on a naval truce, if the doing fo fhould prevent the renewal of hoftilities on the continent, and facilitate a general peace. His majefty would not admit that his enemies had acquired any afcendant over the fpirit of the Auftrian armies; but were the affertions of the French government better grounded, his majefty could not admit a right to demand from him compenfation for the benefit France alleged would be derived by Auftria from the continuance of the armiftice, although his majesty had offered to make confiderable facrifices on account of his allies, and to evince to Europe his concern for the general welfare, and to his enemies, his pacific difpofitions. But to yield to the prefent demand would be to facrifice those means of prefent defence, and those pledges of future fecurity which have been acquired by fuch great and memorable efforts, and which he can never be expected to forego till the refult of thofe negociations, in which he has declared his readinefs to concur, fhall have crowned his endeavours for the happinefs of his people, by the restoration of a fafe and honourable peace." No. XXXI. M. Otto, in a letter to lord Grenville, September 21, refers to a new projet. No. No. XXXII. which, after propofing that negociations fhall be opened for a general peace; that hoftilities fhall be fufpended: that British officers conveying orders to foreign ftations for that purpole fhould be furnished with paffes to proceed through France, and that prizes made after certain periods fhall be returned; ftates as follows: Art. 4th. Malta and Egypt fhall be affimilated to the places in Germany, which, although blockaded by the French army, have been permitted to enjoy the benefit of the continental armiftice, Malta shall be furnished with provifions for 15 days at a time, at the rate of 10,000 rations per diem. With regard to Egypt, fix French frigates fhall have the liberty of failing from Toulon, of unlading at Alexandria, and of returning without being fearched, and without fuffering any oppofition during their paffage, either from English fhips or from thofe of the allies of Great Britain. An English officer of rank fhall for this purpofe embark on board one of the frigates, and fhall travel through France on his way to Toulon. Art. 5th. The blockade of Breft, of Toulon, and of every other French port, fhall be raised; and all British captains fhall receive inftructions not to interrupt the trade of any veffel either entering therein or going out thereof. No fhip of the line, however, of two or three decks, actually at anchor in the said ports, fhall be at liberty to go out before the renewal of hoftilities, for the purpose of changing its station; but frigates, floops, and other small fhips of war, may freely go out and navigate, and in the event of their meeting at fea with fhips belonging to his Britannic majefty, they hall obferve the customs established before the war. Art. 6th. The land-forces in the pay of his Britannic majefty hall not have the power of dilembarking in any port of Italy during the continuance of the prefent armiftice. Art. 7. The allies of France, namely, Spain, the Batavian republic, and Genoa, fhall participate in the benefit of the prefent armistice. (If his Britannic majesty infift upon including his allies in the armistice, they fhall enjoy the fame advantages with thofe of France.) Art. 8th. The prefent convention fhall be ratified, and the ratifications fhall be exchanged in the space of ten days, or fooner if it should be poffible. No. XXXIII. M. Otto, in a letter to lord Grenville, Sept. 23, refers to an answer which he inclofes to his lordship's note of the 20th. No. XXXIV. M. Otto enters at much length into the pofitions advanced in the above note, and with much ingenuity replies to them. No. XXXV. Is a note from lord Grenville to M. Otto, Sept. 25, referring to a note in anfwer to his communication of the 23d. No. XXXVI. Contains this anfwer, highly argumentative, but not containing any new propofition. No. XXXVII. Lord Grenville acquaints M. Otto, that in confequence of his defire to communicate perfonally with a confidential perfon, his majefty had appointed Mr. Hammond to meet him." No. XXXVIII. Lord Grenville, in a letter to Mr. Hammond, fame date (September 24), recapitulates to that gentleman the progrels of the negociation, and thews in terms.. the moft ftriking and diftinct, that there did not exift a fimilitude be P 4 tween |