6S2 Official Papers relative to the Negotiation with France, 



lately in form, tut in fubftancc, in concert 

 with eacli olhtr. And here you will recol- 

 left that this vcrycircumftancc wa? cnnvafTcd 

 in your former converfations with M. Tal- 

 leyrand, when that miniiler cxprc.Ted hini- 

 felf clearly fliat there would be no objec- 

 tion on the part of France to fuch pre- 

 concert. 



Ihc refult of what I have ftated -to your 

 Lordlhip is thii li>, that Sicily is a fine tjua 

 ran ; on ^vhich fuhjeft if tlie French minitter 

 recedes Irnm his former aniwer, it is in vjin 

 that any further dlfcuffioii Aould take place. 

 It is clearly 'vithiu his firll opinion delivered 

 to your Lordfnip : it is clearly within his laft 

 defcription of jjlaccsi which arc recijiroi' illy 

 polTcfTed bj the tuo countries and cannot 

 in all probability be recovered by war. 

 - If, according to the hope conceived by 

 your Lordlliip, this mutter Oiould be ar- 

 ranged, you may open ymr full powers; 

 ftating at the fame tiifte the determination of 

 this court not to come to any final agree- 

 nient without the confent of RufTia. You 

 will of courfe again mention the queflions of 

 ]N';iples and Illiia. If we could attain, either 

 ef them, it would be well ; hut if we can- 

 rot, your Lordfllip will not ftate thefe points 

 as concluilve rcufons tgainft agreeing on pre- 

 4iminaiy articles, provided fuch .irticles be 

 confidered as provifional, and lubjedl to the 

 approhacion of Rnlfia. 



Wiih regard to the mode of provifional 

 agreement, two fugseft tliemfelves to my 

 mind : The one, to lend the agreement we 

 Hull have entered into, either to Pcteriburgb, 

 or to (bme authorized agent of the Emperor 

 Alexander, at Vienna, Paris, or elfeuhere, 

 tor his approbation j the other, to copy the 

 preceJent aJcfd by Lord LanJfdowne and 

 Uoftor Franklin in the year l/ti'i. At tiiat 

 t'me a provifional treaty was figned by t.he 

 pleiiipotentiaiies of Great Britain and tlie 

 Vnited States of America, with the rcferva- 

 ♦ioii, th.Tt the laid treaty fnould nut have ef. 

 ■fedt till a peace ftiould be agreed upon be- 

 •twcen Frame and England. Of thefe two 

 modes T fliould prefer the hitter. 



It does not appear that there has been any 

 eonverfation between your Lordfllip and M. 

 Talleyrand on a point whicli was mentioned 

 to you, and which appears to be of conlidera- 

 blc importance; I mean, the future adminion 

 of Rulliaand Sweden to become parties in a 

 definitive treaty. I do not fay that this i:. a 

 ; point that muft be determired upon previous 

 to your ie'tling the bi:fis propofed ; but it is 

 one which Ihould not be loft fig! t of, but, on 

 the Contrary, urged as tar as poiiiblc. 



£xlrafi frtm a diffauh from the Earl r.J 

 . Yarmouth to Mr. Sirretary Fox, dated Parh, 



jlj'ly> '/» l^f <J Ricetved July 4:h. 



Six, 



I hid the honor to receive, on Saturday 

 nig.it, the fall. powers with which it h&s 



graciouJly pleafed his IMajefty to entruC. ne, 

 and your difpatch of the 26th of June. 



I waited upon M. Talleyrand nr,xt morn- 

 ing, and llated to him in tiie ftrongeft Man- 

 ner the impoflTibility of my converfini; any I'li- 

 thcr upon the general outlines of peace, un- 

 til he ihould return to the former groun^!, 

 and confidcr Sicily in its true and real fitua- 

 tion, namely, a ftate not conquered by 

 France, or likely to be fo, and coming moft 

 ftridlly within the m.eaning of his own words j 

 that it had been clearly exprefl'cJ by him, and 

 repeated to you in the firft inftance, that 

 F'lance did not inteud to maice Sicily in ob^- 

 ilacle to peace. M. Tal'cyrand anfwereil 

 that whilftthe war continued, and till terms 

 were actually agreed upon, oh:ingc of circum< 

 ftanccs were always to be Confidered as reafonj 

 for partial change of terms; that Bonaparte 

 had been but lately convinced of the. facility 

 of taking Sicily at fome future period of the 

 war ; but, that above all, he felt more and 

 more its abfolute neceffity to make Naples 

 and the neighbouring territories tenable : that 

 had any confidential overture been made three 

 months ago, they would have been ready to 

 fettle the quellion of Naples in the manner 

 mo'i fatiifaftory to Great Britain ; the fame 

 a month later with regard to Holland. Thofe 

 fubjeds v\ere now arranged, and the Emperor 

 would confider any retrograde nieafurc as 

 equivalent to abdication. I obferved to that 

 miniller, that however much good faith may 

 be neceflary in every tranfaflion of the world, 

 yet that being more peculiarly fo, when a 

 communication is made fecretly and verbally, 

 I had a right to be douldy farprizcd at any 

 change of ground. He delcnded himfelf by 

 his former argument about altered ciicum- 

 ftances, and faid, that when no change of 

 difpofitlon was manifeftcd towards Great Bri- 

 tain herlelf, as to the rcftoration of Elanovcr, 

 or the pofl'ellion of Malta and the tape, he 

 thought we might fufler theni to poflefs 

 theinfeives of a part of the ftates of their ene- 

 my, necelTary to the tenure of the reft, which 

 no confideration would now induce France to ' 

 reftore. 



M. Talleyrand then aficcd, whether I hai 

 any powers. I tuld him that I inuii decline 

 anfwering that queftion, until he ihould in- 

 form me that there would be no fuitlier cjif- 

 culfion about Sicily ; but that he migiit eafily 

 drav.' a conclufion that I had, from the ho. 

 nouiable manner in which Great Britain en. 

 deuvouved t:> remove every obrtaoic not in its 

 own nature infurniountablc. 



The minifter then mentioned his beujg 

 obliged to go to St. Cluud, and alked, what I 

 faid ; I aiifu-crcd " tiiat I was ordered to con- 

 tinue no conveilation till I Ihould be inform, 

 ed that this new demand, changing entirely 

 the propofed bafis, fhouldbe urged no more. ' 

 He appoiiitsd next morning for me t» receive 

 an anfwer. 



I accordingly returned to the office yefter- 

 day B■.or^.i.^g, when M. I'liliynai rereatecj 



th? 



