extraordinary proceeding with of the English. The undersigned are equally charged by the Executive Directory to demand from Lord Malmesbury an answer in the courfe of the day. They request. him to accept the affurances of their high confideration. calmnefs and temper; and, notwithstanding the deep and poignant concern I must feel at an event which I fear will remove all probability of an immediate pacification, I trust that in the expreffion of this fentiment I have not used a language unbecoming the character with which I am invefted, or the greatness of the Sovereign and country whole dignity and interests it is my primary duty to confult and maintain. I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) TREILHARD. Lifle, 29th Fructidor, 5th year of No. 43. (A.) No. 44. (B.) Note from the French Plenipotentiaries to Note from Lord Malmesbury to the French Lord Malmesbury. THE underfigned Ministers Plenipotentiaries of the French Republic, commiffioned to treat of peace with England, have the honour to affure Lord Malmesbury, Minifter Plenipotentiary of his Britannic Majefty, that the French government wishes as fincerely, as ftrongly as ever, a peace defired by the two nations: but, unable to conclude any other than fuch a peace one as is founded on the laws and on the treaties which bind the French Republic, perfuaded that, to arrive at this end, it is neceffary to explain itself with entire franknefs, and defirous of giving to the negotiation the greateft rapidity, the Executive Directory has expreffly charged the underfigned to demand of Lord Malmesbury whether he has fufficient powers for reftoring, in the treaty which may be concluded, to the French Republic and to its allies, all the poffeffions which, fince the beginning of the war, have paffed into the hands Plenipotentiaries. THE underfigned Minister Plenipotentiary of his Britannic Majefty, receives with great fatisfaction the expreffion of the fincere defire for peace, which the Ministers Plenipotentiaries of the French Republic announced to him yesterday in the name of their government. He has the honour to affure them that the King his mafter is animated with the fame defire, and has no thing more at heart than to put an end to the calamities of the war. With regard to the question which the Minifters Plenipotentiary of the French Republic addressed to Lord Malmesbury, concerning the extent of his full powers, he confiders himself as having already given the most unequivocal anfwer upon this fubject, in the two notes which he delivered to their predeceffors on the 15th and 24th of July. However, to avoid all misunderftanding, he renews the declaration which he made yesterday; that is to fay, that he neither can nor ought to to treat upon any other principle than that of compenfations: a principle which has been formally recognised as the bafis of a treaty equally juft, honourable, and advantageous to the two powers. Lord Malmesbury requests the minifters Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to accept the affurances of his high confideration. (Signed) MALMESBURY. Life, Saturday, Sept 16th, 1797, 10 A. M. No. 45. (C.) Note from the French Plenipotentiaries to Lord Malmefoury. THE Minifters Plenipotentiaries of the French Republic, commiffioned to treat of peace with England, No. 46. (D.) Plenipotentiaries. Have the honour to acknowledge Note from Lord Malmesbury to the French the receipt of the answer of Lord Malmesbury to the note which was prefented to him in the conference of yesterday. It appears from this anfwer, and from the two notes of the 15th and 24th of July, to which it refers, that Lord Malmesbury has not powers for agreeing to the reftitution of all the poffeffions which his Britannic Majefty occupies, whether from the French Republic or from its allies. In confequence, while they reiterate to Lord Malmesbury the moft pofitive affurances of the fentiments of the French government, the underfigned apprife him of a decree of the Executive Directory, which fignifies that, in cafe Lord Malmesbury fhall declare himself not to have the neceffary powers for agreeing to all the reftitutions which the laws and the treaties which bind the French Republic make indifpenfable, he shall be required to return, in four-and-twenty hours, to his court, to afk for THE undersigned Minifter Ple nipotentiary of his Britannic Majefty has the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the note of this day, which has been sent by the Minif ters Plenipotentiary of the French Republic. Whatever regret he may experience at feeing the hope of a fpeedy conciliation thus deftroyed, he can return no other answer to a refufal fo abfolute to continue the negotiation on grounds which appeared to have been already agreed upon, than by demanding the neceffary paffports for himfelf and his fuite, in order that they may set off within the four-and-twenty hours, and return immediately to England. He requests the Minifters Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to accept the affurances of his high confideration. (Signed) MALMESBURY. Life, Saturday, Sept. 16, 1797, 8 P. M. No. No. 47. (E.) nipotentiary of his Britannic Ma Note from the French Plenipotentiaries to jefty has the honour to acknowledge Lord Malmesbury. THE underfigned Minifters Plenipotentiary of the French Republic, coinmiffioned to treat of peace with England, have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Lord Malmesbury's anfwer to the note which they addreffed to him this day. They think it right to obferve to him that he does not appear to have feized the real meaning of their note; that it by no means contains a refufal to continue the negotiations, but, on the contrary,, the means for giving them activity, and for following them up with a fuccefs no lefs defirable to the two nations, than it would be flattering to the minifters charged with the conduct of them. The French government is fo far froin entertaining the intentions which the note of Lord Malmebury appears to impute to them, that the Minifters Plenipotentiary of the French Republic have received no order to quit Lifle, after the departure of the Minifter Plenipotentiary of his Britannic Majefty. The Minifters Plenipotentiary of the French Republic request Lord Malmesbury to accept the affurances of their high confideration. (Signed) TREILHARD. BONNIER. By the Minifters Plenipotentiary, the Secretary General of the Legation, DERCHE. Lifle, 30 Fruclidor, 5th year of the Republic (Sept. 16, 1797.) No. 48. (F.) Note from Lord Malmesbury to the French THE underfigned Minister Ple the receipt of the note which the Minifters Plenipotentiary of the French Republic tranfmitted to him yesterday, through the hands of the Secretary General of their legation. He thinks he cannot an fwer it better than by fubmitting to them, in his turn, the following obfervations. That having already, by his note, dated July 24, and in obedience to the exprefs orders of his court, given an answer to the queftion which is now fo unexpectedly renewed; a queftion that, in appearance, refates folely to the limits of his full powers, which are in the most ample form, but which does in fact require a declaration of the whole extent of his inftructions; and not being authorised to quit the place of his deftination without the exprefs order of the King his mafter, in any cafe except that of the rupture of the negotiation, he could not help confidering a note enjoining him, in confequence of a decree of the Executive Directory, to return to his court in the pace of four-and-twenty hours, as ill calculated to accelerate the conclufion of peace: nevertheless, to answer the affurances of the Minifters Plenipotentiary of the French Republic, and to teftify his defire to feize their real meaning, with respect to which he fhould be very forry to deceive himfelf, he thinks it would be more fatisfactory to meet once more; and if the Minifters Plenipotentiary of the French Republic fhould be of the fame opinion, Lord Malmesbury would propofe that this meeting fhould take place at an earlier hour than ufual, in order that he may have time to take fuch fteps as the refult of their confe rences. Note from the French Plenipotentiaries to THE undersigned Minifters Plenipotentiaries of the French Republic, commiffioned to treat of peace with England, have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the note which the Minifter Plenipotentiary of his Britannic Majefty has tranfmitted to them this morning. Referring to the notes addreffed to Lord Malmesbury on the 29th and 30th Fructidor, and efpecially to the first of yesterday, they agree to the meeting which Lord Malmesbury appears to defire, and propofe the hour of noon. They requeft Lord Malmesbury to accept the affurances of their high confideration. (Signed) TREILHARD. Lifle, ft Complementary Day, 5th year of the French Republic. (Sept. 17th, 1797.) By the Minifters Plenipotentiary, the Sec. Gen. of Legation, DERCHE. (No. 50.) A DISPATCH from Lord Grenville to Lord Malmesbury, dated Sept. 22, affuring his Lordship that his Majefty approved entirely of his conduct during the whole of the negotiation, and caclofing the following note, to be tranfmitted by him (his Lordship being now in London) to the French Plenipoten tiaries at Lifle. (No. 51.) Note from Lord Malmesbury to the French THE underfigned Minifter Plenipotentiary of his Britannic Majefful account of the circumstances ty has rendered to his court a faiththat have interrupted the exercife of thofe important functions which his Majefty had been pleased to entruft to him. His Majefty has deigned to honour with his entire approbation the answers which the underfigned has already made to the extraordinary and unexpected demands which the new Plenipotentiaries of the French Republic addreffed to him immediately upon their arrival at Lifle. But, in order to leave no doubt refpecting the nature and object of this demand, the undersigned has been expreffly ordered to declare, in the name of his court, 1ft. That the full powers with which his Majefty has thought proper to furnish him for negotiating and concluding a treaty of peace, are conceived and expreffed in the moft ample form; authorifing the underfigned fully, and without referve, to fign any treaty upon which he might agree with the French Plenipotentiaries, whatever its nature or conditions might be; conforming himfelf in all cafes to the inftructions which he might receive from his court. 2d. That these full powers have been received and recognifed as fufficient, as well by the Plenipotentiaries with whom he has hitherto treated, as by the Directory themfelves, and that there is confequent ly ly no room for 3d. That the demand of the Directory therefore, in reality refers not to the full powers of the underfigned, but to the extent of his inftructions, of which the Directory could not, under any circumftances, require any communication, further than as the undersigned himself might judge fuch a communication conducive to the fuccefs of the negotiation; and that, very far from being in a fituation to be called up. on for any new explanations whatever, the underfigned had every reafon to expect, from the repeated communications which had been made to him by the French Plenipotentiaries, that he should immediately receive a counter-project, of a nature to facilitate the further progrefs of the negotiation, which had been fufpended for more than two months. 4. That the court of London had good reafon to be ftill more aftonifhed at the fubftance of the new demand made to the undersigned; a demand relating to preliminary conditions which had already been rejected at the very commencement of the negotiation, and from which the French Plenipotentiaries had in effect departed, by a formal notification of the measures which the Directory were in confequence taking for the purpose of coming to fome arrangement with their allies. 5th. That it is therefore only by confenting to treat upon the bafis of the project detailed with fo much opennefs, which was prefented by the undersigned a few days after his arrival at Lifle, or by returning a contre-projet of a conciliatory nature, agreeably to the affurances which he received fo long ago, that it appears poffible to continue the negotiation, which the Plenipotentiaries have fo ftrongly affured him that the Directory did not wifh to break off, notwithstanding the measures lately adopted with refpect to him: a measure which the underfigned forbears to characterize, but which could not fail to produce in this country the impreffion of a difpofition by no means pacific on the part of the Directory. The underfigned is directed to add, that his Majefty would fee with real regret the certainty of the existence of fuch a difpofition, to little compatible with the ardent defire with which he is animated to reftore peace to the two nations; but that if, without having himself contributed to it on his part, he fhould again find himself under the neceffity of continuing the war, he will conduct himself upon every occafion agreeably to the fame principles, doing every thing which can depend upon him for the reeftablishment of peace, but perfifting to defend, with an unfhaken firmnefs, the dignity of his crown and the interefts of his people. The Minifter Plenipotentiary of his Britannic Majefty requests the Minifters Plenipotentiaries of the French Republic to accept the af furances of his high confideration. (Signed) MALMESBURY, London, Sept. 22, 1797. (No. |