Diffentient,

BEC

Jft, ECAUSE war is a ftate fo unnatural, fo barbarous in itfelf, fo calamitous in its effects, fo immoral when unneceffary, and fo atrocious when unjust, that every friend of humanity thould endeavour to avoid it; and the establishment of a pacific fyftem ought to be the first policy of a wife and enlightened nation.

2dly, Because peace is always for the intereft of the common people in all countries. And Great Britain and France, from their peculiar fituation, have an evident intereft to remain at peace with each other. 3dly, Because it is a well-known fact that the people in France are in general extremely defirous to maintain and ftrengthen, between that country and this, the bonds of amity and friendship. And ever fince the overthrow of defpotifm in France, the commonalty in that nation have such irresistible weight,

that we might reft affured, that as peace with Great Britain is for the intereft, and is the wifh of the people in France, it would therefore be the conftant object of their government, if not first provoked by our minifters, by fuch acts as the fending away the French ambassador, and exprefsly refufing to acknowledge their new government.

4thly, Because the old defpotic and deteftable government in France, from its fecrecy, its perfidy, treachery, and reftlefs ambition, has been the fatal cause of many wars in Europe for feveral centuries paft. Therefore, any affiftance given on the part of our government to any power in Europe that is endeavouring to restore that tyrannical form of government in France, is injurious to the true interefts of this country. And the people of France have, moreover, as juft a right to enjoy civil liberty as ourselves.

5thly, Because a war with France is at present most impolitic, extremely dangerous to our allies the Dutch, hazardous with respect to the internal peace, and external power of this country, and is likely to be highly injurious to our commerce, which is the great fource of our wealth, naval ftrength, and profperity; and any material interruption to the trade, manufac tures, and induftry of this king. dom, may, at this time, be attended with confequences the most fatal. The war may, therefore, prove to be a war against our commerce and manufactures, againft the proprietors of our funds, against our paper currency, and against every defcrip. tion of property in this country.

6thly, Because every man of feeling muft exceedingly lament

the

the numerous taxes and oppreffive burthens already borne by the people of this kingdom, and alfo the prefent high price of various neceffary articles of life; and if an unwife fyftem of policy be purfued, it muft inevitably increase thofe burthens, and eventually put thofe neceffaries of life beyond the reach of the laborious part of the community.

And 7thly, Because these miffortunes ought the more to be deprecated, as it clearly appears that it would ftill be most easy to avoid them, if our minifters were to prefer a mild, just, and pacific system, to the horrors of war, carnage, and devastation.

TH

HE underfigned ambaffador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of his Britannic Majefty haftens, in confequence of the exprefs orders of the king, to lay be fore your high mightineffes copies of all the papers which have been exchanged from the 27th of December laft, to the 20th of this month, betwixt lord Grenville, his Britannic majefty's fecretary of ftate, and M. Chauvelin.

The king, high and mighty lords, is in the firm perfuafion, that the fentiments and principles expreffed in the name of Great Britain, are perfectly congenial with thofe

which animate your republic, and that your high mightineffes are difpofed to concur fully in those measures, which the actual crisis of affairs requires, and which are a neceffary confequence of these sentiments and these principles.

The circumftances which have involved us in this crifis are too recent, and the conduct of the king too well known, to render it neceffary for the underfigned to enter at this time into any long details.

It is not yet above four years fince fome unfortunate individuals, affuming to themselves the name of philofophers, had the prefumption to think themselves capable of establishing a new fyftem of civil fociety. And in order to realize this reverie of their vanity, they thought it became them to overturn and deftroy all the received notions of fubordination, manners, and religion, which have been hitherto the fafety, the happiness, and the confolation of mankind. Their plans of deftruction have succeeded but too well; but the effects of this new fyftem, which they have wifhed to introduce, have only served to demonftrate the futility and wickedness of its contrivers.-The events which have fucceeded each other with fo much rapidity, fince its beginning, fur.... país in atrocity all that has yet appeared in hiftory. Property, liberty, fecurity, life itself, have been facrificed to mifguided paffions, to the spirit of plunder, to hatred, and the moft cruel and unnatural ambition. The annals of mankind do not prefent an epocha, where, in fo fhort a space of time, fo many crimes have been committed, fe

many misfortunes have been occafoued, fo many tears have been fhed; in short, at this time, thefe horrors appear to have come to their full extent.

During all this period, the king furrounded by his people, who en joyed by Divine Providence an unexampled profperity, could not view the misfortunes of others without feeling fentiments of pity and indignation. But true to his principles, his majefty could not allow himself to intermeddle in the internal affairs of a foreign nation. He has never deviated from that fyftem of neutrality which he first adopted. This conduct, which the king has feen with pleasure obferved equally by your high mightineffes, the good faith of which all Europe has acknowledged, and which ought to be respected above all other titles, has not been able to put his majefty, his people, and this republic, out of the reach of the most criminal and dangerous defigus.

For fome months paft, projects of ambition and aggrandizement, alarming to the tranquillity and fafety of all Europe, have been publicly avowed; attempts have been made to fpread, both in the internal parts of England and in this country, maxims fubvcrfive of all focial order; and the abettors of fuch defigus have not been afhamed to give to thefe deteftable attempts, the name of the revolutionary power. Solemn aud ancient treaties, guaranteed by the king, have been broke; and the rights and territory of the republic have been violated.-Ilis majefty now thinks, in his wifdom, that he ought to make preparations pro

portioned to the nature of circum fances. The king has confulted his parliament; and the meafurcs which his majefty had thought proper to take have been confirmed by the unanimous fentiments of a people, who abhor anarchy and irreligion; who love the king and refped their conflitution.

Thefe are, high and mighty lords, the motives of a conduct, the wifdom and equity of which have allured hitherto to the king your concert and your co-operation.

His majefty, in all that he has done, has conftantly ftudied to maintain the rights and fecurity of the United Provinces.

The declaration which the underfigned had the honour to tranfmit to your high mightineffes on the 13th of November laft, and the arrival of a small squadron, destined to protect the rights of the republic, while he was affembling his maritime forces, are fufficient proofs of this. Your high mightineffes have acknowledged thefe intentions of the king, in fo far as his majefty has already acted. They will be found no lefs honourable in the meatures which are preparing. In confequence, his majefty is perfuaded, that he thall continue to experience, on the part of your high mightineffes, a perfect conformity of principles and conduct. This conformity will alone give to the united efforts of the two countries, their necellary energy for their common defence, in oppofing a barrier to the evils with which Europe is threatened, and preferve from every attempt, the fafety, the tranquillity, and the independence of a ftate, the happiness of which your high mightineffes af

fure,

offered himself up a facrifice to God, his father, for us men, how ever unworthy we might be, and acknowledge myself to be among the most so.

I die in union with our holy mother, the catholic, apoftolic, and Roman church, which holds its powers in uninterrupted fucceffion from St. Peter, to whom Jefus Chrift entrusted them; and I believe every thing contained in the fymbol and commandments of God and the church, the facraments and myfteries, as now and ever taught by the Catholic church. I never pretended to fet myfelf up as a judge of the different modes of interpreting the dogmas which agitate the church of Jefus Chrift; but I have always fubmitted, and fhall always fubmit, fhould God grant me life, to the decifions which the ecclefiaftical fuperiors, united with the holy catholic church, have given, or may give, conformably to the difcipline of the church, as followed fince Jefus Chrift. I pity with all my heart, our brethren who may be in error; but I prefume not to judge them, nor do I love them lefs in Jefus Chrift, agreeably to the inftructions of Chriftian charity. I pray God to pardon all my fins, which I have endeavoured fcrupulously to recollect, to exprefs my deteftation of them, and humiliate myfelf in his prefence. Deprived of the affiftance of a Catholic priest, I entreat of God to receive the confeflion which I have made to him, and particularly my profound repentance of having figned my name, although ftrongly againft my will, to inftruments which may be contrary to the faith and difcipline of the Catholic church, to which I have in my heart continued fincere

ly attached. I pray God to receive my firm resolution, should he grant me life, to avail myself as foon as I can, of the miniftry of a Catholic prieft, to confefs all my fins, and receive the facrament of repentance.

I entreat all thofe whom I have inadvertently offended, (for I know not of one wilful offence which I have committed against any one) or to thofe to whom I may have fet a bad and improper example, to pardon the evil which they conceive I may have done them.

I entreat all thofe who have charity, to unite their prayers with mine, to obtain a pardon of God for my fins.

I forgive, from my heart, all those who became my enemies without caufe, and I entreat God to pardon them, as well as thofe, who from falfe or misguided zeal have done me much injury.

I

I recommend to God, my wife and my children, my fifter, my aunts, my brothers, and all thofe who are connected with me by the ties of blood, or otherwise. moreover particularly implore God to caft an eye of mercy upon my wife, my children, and my fifter, who have fo long suffered with me, to fupport them with his grace, fhould I be deftroyed, and as long as they remain in this perishable world.

I recommend my children to my wife. Her maternal tenderness in their behalf I never doubted; but I particularly defire her to make them good and honeft chriftians; not to fuffer them to regard the grandeurs of this world, thould they be condemned to experience them, otherwife than as dangerous and perishable poffeflions, and to

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