Official Papers relative to the Negotiatioyi with France. 685 



tion of the appointment of General Clarke to 

 treat on the part ot France, (a copy of which 

 rhave the honor to inclofe, marked A) pre- 

 ceded by a private communication from M. 

 Talleyrand, faying, that the Ruflian peace 

 being figned and the feafou of the year fa- 

 vourable to the accomplilTimcnt of the ulte- 

 rior views of France, no :irrangement, which 

 might remove for fomc weeks or even months, 

 a definitive treaty could now take place. 



I anfwered the official note (marlied A.) 

 with one, a cop^ of which I inclofe, (mark- 

 ed B.) 



Ill the evening, General Clarke propofed a 

 conference for the following morning, at 

 wliich we flwuld mutually exchange our 

 Jull pov.-ers. We accordingly did foj and 

 I have the honor to inclofe (marked C.) a 

 copy of thofe of General Clarke. 



This conference began by an hiftorical reca- 

 pitulation of what had prcvioofly pafied, Ge- 

 neral Clarke faying, he had not yet received 

 his final inftruclions on all tiie different points 

 in difculiion :, it was therefore agreed to ad- 

 journ tlie conference to this day, \vhen each 

 fhould come prepared with a memorandum of 

 the intentions of his government, founded on 

 what had already, pali'ed : General Clarke at 

 the fame time declaring that a feparate peace 

 with Riiil:a was to be confidered equal or fu- 

 Jierior, in the prtfeiit circumftanccs of the 

 world, to any great fuccefs ia war, and confe- 

 quently as entitling France to terms m»ch 

 more advantageous than thofe to which flie 

 would have fubfcribed fome days ago. This 

 was accompanied by fome aiumadverfions 

 apon the conducl of Rufiia, to whicli I could 

 only anlVer, that 1 felt it my duty to abilain 

 from any remark, and ihould, therefore, be 

 entirely filent upon that fubje£l ; but that I 

 could ad'ure him that if an intention exifted 

 of making any change in the great points up»n 

 whicli we had had fuch pofiiive, though cer- 

 tainly not official, aflurances, namely, his 

 Majelly's German dominions, Malta and the 

 Cape, I mull: confider the negotiation as flop- 

 ped 'In limine, and that there would remain 

 «nly for me to return to England, and ac- 

 quaint the King that mo peace confiftent with 

 his Majcfly's honor or that of tlie country, 

 could be made. General Clarke reverted to 

 his want of full inilnictions, and promifed to 

 meet me properly prepared, tlie next day. 



At three o'clock this day, 1 again met Ge- 

 neral Clarke, when I read a paper, a copy of 

 which I have the honour to inclufc (marked 

 D-), containing the ab(lra£t of what I liad 

 always ftatcd to be the bafis and terms on 

 which his M.ijefty could alone confent to 

 treat. I did not, however, deliver it to him, 

 confidering it merely as the heads of paft con- 

 verfations. 



General Clarke then faid, that as it was 

 impolhble I could be prcp.ircd witli the alTent 

 of his Majefty to the arrangement propoled 

 by Rullia lor Iiis Sicilian Majclly, on which 

 the terms rniglit much depend, 1 Q-.uit conii- 



iVlo^Ti^LV Mai;., No. 15ii. 



der the communication he made as not ftriftly 

 official in point of form but as depending 

 only on that circumftanc; to make it fo. 



General Clarke proceeded to ftate, that, in 

 the fituation France wao in at this moment, 

 the i'^mpcror would feel autho-ifed to w th- 

 hold fome oi' the great points; but that hav- 

 ing repeatedly faid to the contrary, though 

 not in an official manner, he would abide bj 

 it. 



General Clarke firft converfed about hi> 

 Majcfty's Gc! man dominions. On this fub- 

 ject, by fecr:t articles, any thing his Majef- 

 ty thinks right may be ftipulated : by the 

 public article, the promife not to objcft to 

 fome acquifition of territory to be made by 

 Pruffia. I flopped General Clarke here to fay, 

 that his Maje!ty never could confent to the 

 King of Pru:lia's obtaining the Hans Towns. 

 General Clarke faid, that it was Fulda, Hoya, 

 and fome other trifling principalities, over 

 which it w.is propofed to extend the fove- 

 reignty of his Prulfian Maje^y, but that the 

 independendence and prefent ftate of the Hans 

 Towns rtiould not be meddled with. 



On the fubjetSl of Malta— Malta, Gojo, 

 and Conino in full fovereignty to his iMajefty, 

 with a claufe in the article, declsratory of 

 the diil'oiution of the Order, and that t!ie two 

 powers " no longer ieco-;iife the exiftence of 

 it.". Some pc.nfions for the chevaliers and 

 others, havi.ig " real rights in the idand " 

 This not to extend to any foreign comman- 

 deries of the order, or to any cl.airn not local. 



The Cape in equal full fovercigntv ; as a 

 condition it is dellred, " that there Ihould be 

 eftabliihed there a free port" to all n-tionsf 

 either the port itfelf declarL'd fo, or a part 

 appropriated to that pu'pofe. 



On the fubjeft ot' t!ie maintenance of the 

 integrity ol iTie territories and polle'Iions of 

 the Sublime Porte, General Clarke propofed 

 an article, a copy of which I have the honour 

 to fend (marked E ), J told him the ufual 

 full claufe would be fufficient ; he perfi{tc4 

 that 1 fhould fend it for his Majefty's conH- . 

 aeration. 



To the ufual full claufe of the integrity of 

 the territories and poffellions of his Molt Faith- 

 ful Majelty, General Clarke weighed upon a 

 propofed addition of the words " in cvcr^ 

 part oi the world ;" and when alked rbr ex- 

 planation, faid, he thought his Britannic .Ma- 

 jefty might occupy fome of his Moii Faithful 

 JVIajelty's foreign pciTellions. 



The integrity of his Svvodifli Majjfty's do* 

 minions in the ufual manner. 



Having difiiiiffed thefe points. General 

 Clarke ftated the demands of France : — Pon- 

 dicherrj, St. Lucie, Tobago, Surinam, Go- 

 rcc, Dcmarara, Bcibice, Elfequibp. 



The recognition in the ufual words', " is 

 recognized," of the difJercnt branches of the 

 reigning family; of the Elcrtors of B.vvaria 

 and V.'irtemberg as Kings ; of the new Dukrs 

 of Clevcs, B.<den, and iXimftadC. 



In Jifcwfling fgt many haurj the^'e dennndj, 

 * * i III. vet 



