self authorized, after the concessions they had just made, to refuse them time to consider how much further they might go? and whether I might not reasonably entertain hopes that, with a little time, the dif. ferences which appeared now to separate us might vanish?

On receiving such a remonstrance, I thought it impossible not to agree to a renewal of the conference; and, after some conversa. tion, Thursday was fixed for the day of our meeting.

No. XLV.

Extract from a Dispatch from Earl Spencer to the Earl of Lauderdale, dated Downing-street, Sept. 4th, 1806.

Downing-street, Sept. 4th, 1806.
My Lord,

I am commanded by his majesty to inform your lordship that he is pleased to approve entirely the conduct you have held, in the circumstances detailed in your last dispatches, and to express his majesty's satisfaction in the good effect which appears to have resulted from it.

It is proper, however, to remark, that as the French plenipotentiaries have not bound themselves as yet by any written note, nor have, even in conversation, agreed to replace the negotiation on its true basis; the present appearances of greater facility on their part, may probably arise only from their desire of keep ing your lordship at Paris, till the answer from St. Petersburgh shall be received; an object which your lordship's last note had shewn them they could no longer accomplish

without some departure from the ground on which they have hitherto stood.

If the Russian treaty shall not be ratified, his majesty is then, (as I have already observed to your lordship) replaced, with respect to the emperor of Russia, in the same situation as before the signature of M. d'Oubril's treaty; but with the additional tie, which the two courts would in that case feel from the fresh proofs each will have given to the other, of a steady adherence to the system of alliance: and it will then be necessary that our peace shall be so far made dependent on that of Russia, as is pointed out in the instructions originally given to lord Yarmouth.

Since the above was written, we have received the important intelligence contained in the in dorsed papers, copies of which I have thought it necessary to forward to you, without a moment's delay, for your information; the case is already provided for in this dispatch, and in the present state of our information on the subject, I have nothing to add to what is above stated. A few days will now probably put us in possession of the further views and intentions of Russia, to which reference must of course be had in every succeeding stage of the negotiation; and as I shall lose no time in transmitting to your lordship such fresh instructions as these may give rise to, so we shall be anxious to hear as soon as possible from you, what effect this event may produce on the disposition of the French government. 3 D 3

No. XLVI.

Treaty.

cellency the minister for foreign affairs, induce them to hope that a like delay will, on no occasion whatever, again take place.

After having maturely considered the note of their excellencies the plenipotentiaries of the French government, the undersigned have to remark, that the British government, far from pretending to "exact from the French government every restitution which may suit their convenience, without being bound to make any restitution to France," never expressed any other wish than that of treating with the French government on the basis which was proposed to them by France herself; as it is expressed in the note of lord Lauderdale, viz. "to treat generally upon the basis of uti possidetis, which was to be scrupulously observed, except in the case of Hanover, which was proposed to be ceded to his Britannic majesty with all its dependencies."

They must also observe, that if it were possible to mistake the result which would necessarily follow from this principle, the verbal discussions which took place on the 9th instant, between the French plenipotentiaries and the undersigned, leave no room for doubt, whether the propo-ition thus laid down was perfectly understood by those plenipotentiarics. The undersigned have therefore only to repeat, that they cannot, consistently with the instructions of their government, do otherwise than insist upon the previous recognition of this principle. It is on this condition alone that they are authorized to continue the negotiation.

As soon as this principle shall be agreed to, the undersigned will be ready to proceed to the discussion of

the other points mentioned in the note of lord Lauderdale.

It only remains for the undersigned to add, that if the French government expresses a disposition to adhere to the proposal, such as his Britannic majesty understands it to have been made by them, they shall congratulate themselves as on a most fortunate event; an event which promises, (according to the expression of Mr. Fox, quoted by their excellencies,) 66 a peace honourable for the two nations, and at the same time of a nature to insure the future tranquillity of Europe."

(Signed) Lauderdale. Yarmouth.

No. XXXVII. Extract from a Dispatch from Mr. Secretary Fox to the Earls of Landerdale and Yarmouth, dated Downing-street, August 14, 1806. Downing-street, August 14, 1806. MY LORDS,

The messenger, Basilico, arrived here early this morning, with the dispatches with which your lordships had charged him; and, although it appears most probable, that, before he can again reach Paris, your lordships will be no longer there, yet, as there is still a possibility, from the last note from the French plenipotentiaries, that the negotiation may proceed on the basis pointed out for it by your instructions, it has been judged proper that no time should be lost in redispatching him, in order that you may be apprised of his majesty's full approbation of the tenour of the different notes which have been delivered on your part since the earl of Lauderdale's arrival at Paris. As no other point but that of the ge

neral basis of negotiation has yet been brought into discussion, nothing need be added to the former instructions, by which the course of any further discussions that may take place is still to be entirely guided.

No. XXXVIII.

Copy of a Dispatch from Mr. Secretury Fox to the Earls of Lauder. dule and Yarmouth, dated Downing-street, August 14, 1806. Downing-street, August 14, 1806. My Lords,

His majesty's servants have observed, from the dispatches received this day, that some insinuation has been thrown out by the French government, of a disposition on the part of this country to gain some unfair advantage by the employment of two plenipotentiaries in the present discussions. That government has since taken the obvious mode of counteracting this advantage (if any such there was) by naming, on their part also, a second plenipotentiary. But, the king's government is desirous, while it adheres steadily to the substance of those points which are thought fit to be insisted on for the honour and interest of his majesty's crown, to leave no pretence for cavils as to the form in which these discussions are carried on. The advantage which was to be looked to from the personal share which the earl of Yarmouth originally had in these transactions, as the bearer of the overtures made by France, has now ceased ; and, while his lordship has, on the one hand, properly recorded his decisive testimony as to the reality of these overtures, and as to the exact terms of peace so

offered, the French government has, on the other hand, not only refused to adhere to those offers, but has expressly declared, that they never can even have entered into their thoughts. * Jamais il n'a pu venir dans la pensée de sa majesté l'empereur des François Roi d' Italie de prendre pour base de la né gociation l' uti possidetis."

In this state of things, the king's servants are not aware of any benefits that would be likely to result to his majesty's service from imposing on lord Yarmouth any further duty in this respect; nor do they wish that any such ground for cavil as I have before alluded to, however unfounded it would be, should be left to the enemy.

They have, therefore, submitted it as their humble advice to his majesty, that, in case of the continuance of the negotiations, the French minister should be informed, that they will henceforth be conducted by the carl of Lauderdale alone, the earl of Yarmouth having obtained his majesty's gracious permission to return to England; but that, his majesty does not, on his part, make any objection to lord Lauderdale's treating with both the persons who have been named by the French goverument for that trust:-A proof perfectly decisive, in all its parts, that no unfair advantage, such as the French government appears to apprehend, can have been in the king's contemplation.

I am, &c.
C. J. Fox.

No. XXXIX.

Copy of a Dispatch from the Earl of Lauderdale to Mr. Secretary Fox, dated

The note to the plenipotentiaries of the French government, dated the 11th, of which a copy marked (F) was sent in my dispatch of the 11th instant, was delivered early in the morning of the 12th, as you will see from the inclosed receipt (marked A.)

No answer having been received, it was thought proper, on the 14th, to send to his excellency the minister for foreign affairs, a letter, of which a copy is also inclosed (marked B.)

No answer to the official note transmitted to the plenipotentiaries of the French government on the morning of the 12th, has yet been given; and general Clarke, upon whom lord Yarmouth and I waited this morning merely for the purpose of shewing him a mark of attention, informed us, that it was in the possession of the emperor, who had not as yet signified his pleasure on the subject.

At one o'clock we received a note from M. Talleyrand (marked C.), and nearly at the same time another (marked D.), from general Clarke.

Copies of both these are herewith

transmitted.

I think it evident from what ge. neral Clarke says, that no communication will be made for two days.

There is perhaps nothing sufficiently important to authorize my sending a courier. Indeed, my prineipal motive for doing so is to quiet the anxiety which you naturally feel from receiving no information for so many days, concerning the

state of a transaction so important in its consequences.

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

First Inclosure (A.)-Is a copy of a receipt, dated August 12, 1806. Unimportant.

Second Inclosure (B.) Copy of a Note from the Earls of Lauderdale and Yarmouth to M. Talleyrand, dated August 14,

1806.

Sir,

(Translation.) · Paris, August 14, 1806. 2 o'clock, P. M.

We think it our duty to acquaint your excellency, that early in the morning of the 12th instant, we transmitted to their excellencies the French plenipotentiaries, a note in answer to that of their excellencies received on the 11th instant. In this answer, we endeavoured again to set forth the points which appeared to us to require, in some form or other, a previous explanation, to authorize us, in conformity to our instructions, to purse the present negotiation.

The silence of their excellencies the plenipotentiaries in this respect, gives us reason to presume that we must not, at the present moment, expect such an explanation on their part.

Impressed with this idea, we desire to put an end to the general expectation of both nations, considering the slight appearance there is of seeing it realized. We feel that the demand which we make, under such circumstances, of passports for our return, may be susceptible of interpretations of a nature to retard the

happy

happy moment when the views of the French government shall approach nearer to those which it had been supposed to entertain. It is in order to prevent the possibility of such a misinterpretation, that we think it incumbent on us to assure your excellency, that a step which would have the effect of eausing any obstacle to the renewal of the negotiation, would be very far from our intention, though, from the reasons which we have detailed, we find our. selves obliged to put an end to our mission.

It only remains for us to assure your excellency, that if, fortunately for both nations, it should happen that we have been mistaken in the inference which we have drawn from the silence of the French plenipotentiaries, we will wait during a reasonable time for the explanations which thefr excellencies may have to communicate to us. In order, however, to prevent the repetition of a demand, as painful for us to make, as it would be for your excellency to receive, in case the negotiations should not have a favourable issue, we request you to furnish us with the necessary passports for us and our suite, to be made use of according to circumstances.

We have the honour to renew to your excellency the assurances of our high consideration. (Signed)

Lauderdale.

Yarmouth.

Third Inclosure (C.)-Is a copy of a note from M. Talleyrand to the earls of Lauderdale and Yarmouth, dated August 10, 1806. Unimportant.

Fourth Inclosure (D.)-Is a copy of a note from general Clarke to

I take the opportunity of lord Yarmouth's return to England, to inform you that in consequence of his majesty's pleasure signified in your dispatch of the 14th instant, I this morning wrote to his excellency the minister for foreign affairs, stating to him, that lord Yarmouth had his majesty's permission to return to England; and that his majesty had been graciously pleased, in the event of the negotiation proceeding, to confine the future management of it solely to me.

About eleven o'clock, M. de Champagny and general Clarke paid me a visit of ceremony; lord Yarmouth happened to be with me at the time; and we mentioned to them the change that had taken place, and shewed them the note which I was just about to dispatch, and a copy of which is enclosed.

The object of the visit was merely, to ask the plenipotentiaries, and the gentlemen attached to the mission to dine with M. de Champagny to

morrow.

Nothing whatever was said that related to the negotiation, and I believe no answer will be given either to the note of the 11th, or to the note sent to the minister for foreign affairs on the 14th, till the emperor's return from Rambouillet, which, they informed me to-day, was uncertain. The mode in which I have mentioned