all we should still have to restore to them, while they had nothing to reftore to England, it was impoffible not to confider the terms on which his Majesty proposed peace to Holland as generous and liberal.

M. Delacroix was not at all difposed to agree with me on this point, and faid, Holland, stripped of these poffeffions, would be ruined. He then held out, but as if the idea had just crossed his mind, the poffibility of indemnifying the Dutch for their loffes in India, by giving them a tract of territory towards the Meuse, (I could not find out whether he meant Aix la Chapelle, Liege, or the countries of Juliers and Berg) and hinted, that if this was not to be done, an additional fugar ifland might, perhaps, be ceded to the Dutch Republic. I told him all this might become a fubject of future difcuffion, and I conceived, that if we could agree upon the more effential points, the treaty would not break off on these secondary confiderations. Our converfation had now been extremely long, and M Delacroix ended by faying, that although he had taken upon himfelf to enter with me thus far upon the fubject, yet I muft not confider any thing he said as binding, or as pledging the Republic, till fuch time as he had laid the papers I had given him before the Directory; and in order to do this with more accuracy, he again afked me, whether in his report he was to ftate the disuniting Belgium from France as a fine qud non from which his Majesty would not depart. I replied, it moft certainly was a fine quâ non from which Lis Majefty would not depart; and that any propofal which would leave the Netherlands annexed to

France, would be attended with much greater benefit to that power, and loss to the allies, than the prefent relative fituation of the belligerent powers could entitle the French government to expect.

M. Delacroix repeated his concern at the peremptory way in which I made this affertion, and afked whether it would admit of no modification? I replied, if France could, in a contre projet, point out a practicable and adequate one, ftill keeping in view that the Netherlands muft 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 myfelf more fully; he repeatedly faid, that this difficulty relative to the Netherlands was one which could not be overcome.

Just as I was taking leave of him, he begged of me to explain what was meant by the words in the memoire (A) in the 4th paragraph, beginning de s' entendre mutuellement sur les moyens d'assurer, and ending at leur poffeffions respectives. I told him, it referred to the deftructive system adopted by France in the West Indies, and went to express a wish, that the two powers should agree on fome general and uniform fyftem of internal police in the settlements there, which would-contribute to the security of these poffeffions to the respective countries, and at the fame time to the happiness of every description of inhabitants in

them.

M. Delacroix, a little hurt at my expreffion relative to the system adopted by France, endeavoured to recriminate on us; but he ended by by saying, that they should certainly be willing to concur in any arrangement relative to the regroes, which did not militate against the principles of their constitution. Here our conference ended, and as, during the whole course of it, I bore in my mnd the poffibility, that although this, our first, might be the only favourable opportunity I should ever lave of speaking on the general principles on which his Majesty wasdifpofed to treat, I endeavoured by adverting more or less to almost every point in my instructions, to enable M. Delacroix (if he reports faithfully) to ftate to the Directory what I faid, in such a manner as to put it out of their power to mifconceive what were his Majesty's intentions, to remove all poffibi lity of cavil on this cafe, and to bring them to a clearans diftinct anfwer, whether they would agree to open a negotiationon the principle of the status antebelum, or on one differing from itonly in form, not in fubstance. hope in attempting to do this I did not, in the first instance, conmit myself, or difcover more of ry inftructions than it became met do; and that in the conversation with M. Delacroix nothing esaped me which might, at fome surequent period, hurt the progress of the negotiation. I have, I baeve, given this conference nearly erbatim to your lordship; and I was particularly anxious to do this orrectly and minutely, as well tht you may judge on the propriety of what I faid myself, as that mat M. Delacroix faid to me my be accurately known, and reniin on record.

It must, however, be remembered (as I obseved in the begin

ning of this dispatch) that he spoke for himself, as minifter indeed, but not under the immediate instructions of the Directory, and this confideration will take a little away from the fingularity of some of the positions he advanced. I confefs, my Lord, from the civility of his manners, and from his apparent readiness to difcufs the fubject, the impreffion 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 so 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 firft proposals; and I was not a little furprized 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 asked M. Guiraudet whether he was informed of its contents, and this led to a short conversation on them. I told him that both the demands were so 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 scarcely felt myself authorised to depart from what was, I believe, an invariable rule. That as to the fecond demand, made in so peremptory remptory and unprecedented a way, I could, without much hefitation, 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 some time, but nothing passed at all worthy remark. I told him I should 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 struck 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 say, and I hope that in the enclosed answer B, (which I fent yesterday morning at twelve o'clock) to M. Delacroix, I fhall be found to have adbered as closely 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 speed, I shall fo foon have it in my power to say the little which remains to fay relative to this sudden, though perhaps not unlooked-for, close to my miffion, that I need not trefpaís further on your lordship's patience.

I have the honour to be, &c.
(Signed) MALMESBURY.

No. 31. Paris, 28th Frimaire, SR, (Dec. 18,) 5th year. THE Executive Directory has heard he reading of the official note signed by you, and of two confidentia memorials without fignatures, which were annexed to it, and which you gave into me yesterday am charged expressly by the Diretory to declare to you, that it caumt listen to any confidential report without a fignature, and torequire of you to give into me, oficially, within four and twenty lours, your ultimatum, figned by you

Accept, Sir the affurance of my high coufideraion. (Signed) CH. DELACROIX.

Ν. 32.

had complied with all the usual formalities, and had given the necessary 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 refolution of the Executive Directory, and haftens to send to the minifter for foreign affairs the two memorials figned by his hand. With respect to the positive demand of an ultimatum, Lord Malmefbury obferves, that insisting on that point in so peremptory a manner, before the two powers shall have communicated to each other their respective pretenfions, and that the articles of the future treaty shall have been fubmitted to the discussions which the different interests which are to be adjusted, necessarily demand, is to shut the door againft 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 state and progress of the negotiation may admit, and that he will not fail to enter into the discuffion of the proposals 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 spirit of conciliation which correspond with the juft and pacific sentiments of his court.

Lord Malmesbury requests the minifter for foreign affairs to accept the affurances of his high confideration.

No. 33.

foreign affairs is charged by the Executive Directory, to answer to I ord 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 conftitution, 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 negotiation, which renders his prefence at Paris useless; the underfigned is further charged to give him notice to depart from Paris in eight and forty hours, with all the persons who have accompanied and followed him, and to quit as expeditioufly as poffible, the territory of the Republic.

The undersigned 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 basis laid down in the present note, by the reciprocal channel of couriers.

(Signed) CH. DELACROIX. Paris, 29th Frimaire (19th Dec.) 5th year of the French Republic, one and indivisible.

He

He requests the minister for foreign affairs to accept the affurrances ofhis high confideration. Paris, 20th December, 1796.

Credentials of Lord Malmesbury.
GEORGIUS R.

GEORGIUS Tertius, Dei gratia Magnæ Britanniæ, Franciæ, et Hiberniæ Rex, Fidei Defenfor, Dux Brunavicenfis et Luneburgenfis, Sacri Romani Imperii ArchiThefaurarius 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 stabiliri poffit; cumque, eâ de caufa, virum quemdam tanto negotio parem noftrâ ex parte plena auctoritate ad hoc tam magnum onus conficiendum munire decrevimus, sciatis igitur quod nos fide, industriâ, ingenio, perfpicacia, et rerum ufu fi delis et dilecti confiliarii nostri 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 speciale (itu tamen ut generale speciali non deroget nec à contra), pro nobis, et nottro nomine, cum miniftro vel miniftris, commiffariis vel plenipotentiariis Reipublicæ Gallicæ pari auctoritate fufficienter inftructo vel inftructis, cumque miniftris, commiffariis, vel plenipotentiariis

aliorum principum et statuum, quorum inter effe poterit, fufficienti itidem auctoritate inftructis, tam fingulatim ac divisim, quam aggregatim ac conjunctim, congrediendi et colloquendi, atque cum ipfis de pace firmâ et stabili, sincerâque amicitiâ et concordia quantociès reftituendis, conveniendi et concludendi; eaque omnia quæ ita conventa et conclusa fucrint, pro nobis, et in roftro nomine fubfignandi; fuperque conclufis tractatum tractatusvevel alia inftrumenta quofquot et qualia neceffaria fuerint, conficiendi, mutuoque tradendi, recipiendique omniaque alia quæ ad onus fupra dictum feliciter exequendum pertinent tranfigendi, tam amplis modo et forma ac vi effectuque pari, ac nos si intereffimus, facere et præstare poffemus, spondentes et in verbo regio promittentes nos omnia et fingula, quæcumque a dicto noftro plenipotentiario tranfigi et concludi contigerint, grata, rata, et accepta omni meliori modo habituros, neque passuros unquam ut in toto, vel in parte à quoniam violentur, aut ut iis in contrarium eatur. In quorum omnium majorem fidem et robur, præfentibus manu noftrâ regià fignatis, magnum noftrum Magnæ Britanniæ figillum appendi fecimus. Quæ dabantur in palatio noftro Divi Jacobi die decimo tertio menfis Octobris, anno Domini millenimo septengentefimo nonagesimo sexto, regnique noftri trigefimo fexto.

Translation of the Credentials given to Lord Malmesbury.

George Rex. GEORGE, by the grace of God, king of Great Britain, France and Ireland,