ficial PupefS rchitite to the Negotiation :i:it/i France. 6S7 



thority) is on the eve of undergoing a great 

 thange. This cannot be averted but by a 

 peace with England ; but ftill lels can we al- 

 ter, for any other conhdera.ion, our inten- 

 tion of invading Portugal. The army de- 

 ftined for that purpofe is already afl'enibling 

 at Bayonne. This is ,for the determination 

 of Great Britain." 



But 1 confefs the point of all others the 

 nioit decifive in inducing me to produce n-.y 

 full powcj-s, was the Un^^uane held refpecting 

 Prullia. 



" PrulTia demands from us a declaration 

 refpefting Hanover; we cannot conlcnt 

 wantonly to lofe the only ally France has had 

 fince the revolution: the declaration ones 

 made, " we cannot re' raft." Would you 

 liave us break entiieiy with Pruflia, when we 

 cannot even fay that Great Britain will nego- 

 tiate with us? Are you here only with or- 

 ders to delay our mcalures till t'se lealon ot 

 the year makes exertion impollible, or can 

 you treat ? If fo, i< not the alfurancc we give 

 you that Hanover, Malta, and the Cape, ih.'.U 

 not be conteiled, fufficienc to induce you to 

 do fo ? Mult we lay Lcrore the Britiih Go- 

 vernment our exatt terms, before they will 

 even avow negotiation wiili fo great a power 

 as that of France ? or CxM we execute our 

 other projefts, as we did thofe in Holland 

 and Naples ?' 



Undoubtedly, Sir, converfations of this fort, 

 confirmed even as they were by the events 

 palling under my eyes, lould never have in- 

 iluceil me to commit \\h Majcfty's confiden- 

 tial fcrvants upon any point upon which I had 

 not received their inlhuitions, and which left 

 no time lo receive them; but I did not think 

 myfeltat liberty to /hift from inyfelf the re- 

 fponfibilily thus thrown v,\on me, at the nlk 

 of feeing Portugal and Switzerland iliare the 

 fame fate which Germany iias jult experien- 

 ced, anil Hanover confirmed to 1^1 uliia, until 

 fueh time as his IMajclly's arms Ihould reco- 

 ver the poiTcfficn of it. 



The mode of proceeding of thi? govern- 

 ment left me no alternativL-. Either to avosv 

 negotiation, or ihut up every uj-'camg to it, 

 was my only option. 



I felt that 1 pledged Ids Maje.f > to nothing 

 cxce;<t the faft of negotiation, already pri- 

 vately known to every court in tuiupc. 



I caretully forljorc giving any v. ntten pa- 

 per, IT admitting even the I'onibility of any 

 otiier bafis than that of mi ffjfi'.lttii. 



I have afccrtained the real extent of the 

 prctenfions of Kr.ince ; and 1 did conlider my- 

 leli- to h.ive prevented a great evil at fmall 

 cxpencc, by having given time to yourfelf 

 and his MajeftyN other confidential fcrvants, 

 to provide by the tuvtlier inliruitions you 

 might judge proper, for the intercll ot the 

 powers, thub, for tiie moment at lealt, faved 

 fro.-n the grafp of France. 



1 have the honour, Sec. 



Va«mou rii. 



Cofy of 3 note from the Fat 1 of Leadirjiih to 

 M. 7.Mcyrarid, itattii Paris, Jiugufi 5, iSOO. 



The Eail of Lauderdale, appointed by his 

 BrittJtmic M;!icsty, pleniputentiary to the 

 court of France, hns the honour to inform 

 his excellency the minlrtcr for foreign affairs 

 of his arrival at I'aris. and at the fame time 

 to requcll he will have tlie gooJnefs to inform 

 him at wh;it hour lie may call upon him. 

 Cclyof a D'l'p-'tcb from the Earls of Lautkr' 



dak and Tarmonth io Mr. Secretary Fax, 



dated Pans, yiugust 9, \iM6.Sc((fv^d 



J:'!uji 13. 

 Sir , 



We have now to inform you, that Loi-d 

 Lauderdale having exhiiiited his powers, 

 and delivered a copy in the curtomary form, 

 our firl^ meeting with General Clarke, the 

 Plenipotentiary of the French government, 

 took pace at liis houfc, on Thurfday, 7th 

 August, at noon. 



Our converfation commenced by General 

 Clarke's oblerving that, as Lord Lauderdale 

 had juft arrived from Lomlon, with full Jn- 

 ftiuftions from his M.ijclVv, he had probably 

 fomething new to conimuriicate. 



Lord Lauderdale in fublfance replied, th:it 

 it vias his wi(h, before interineddling with 

 the negotiation now pending, diliinftly to re- 

 cal to the recoUeftion of General Clarke vhat 

 had already paiTed between his Majcily and 

 the government of France, and at once pre- 

 cifely to rtate the only looting on which his 

 M.ijcfty could confent to trtat. To effect 

 thisobjcrt, he informed General Clarke, that 

 he had prcparida note (marked A.) which he 

 begged to deliver to him as official. 



General Clarke read the note twice with 

 great attention, and atlcrv.ards placed it in 

 Ins portfolio, faying that he mult take it ad 

 rcfcicniivm. 



Very little pafTed at this meeting fullici- 

 ently interelling to merit being detailed; the 

 General objected to the jiraftice he apprehend- 

 ed Lord Lauderd lie meant to introduce of con- 

 dueling the negotiation by writing; and f.dd 

 he was afraid the Empeioi would regard it as 

 a tr.eans of cndlefs delay, if a note was to be 

 delivered upon every inftgnificant queftion 

 which it might he ni-ccfl"iry to difeufs. The 

 reply confilted merely in ll.ning the drltinftion 

 hctvvixt delivering a written note tor the pur- 

 pofe of at once bringing to a point the balls on 

 whicii tlie ncgjliation was to be condufcted, 

 and lefcrtiiig on every trivial occafion to that 

 pradlice. The firll, it w is contended, muil 

 accelerate; the latter, it was admitted, would 

 delay the negotiation, and it would be there- 

 fore carefully avoided, as it was his MajeiVy's 

 wi(h that no delay Ihould take place. 



General Cl.irke, with fometiiinf like an 

 infmuation that an unfa'r advantage was taker» 

 by the government of Great Biitain, announ- 

 ced that, as there had been two plcnipotcjiti.i. 

 rics appointed by Ins Majelly, it wasthcEtn- 

 pcror's inti-ntion to Jo the fame, and th.>t 

 4 S '<i the 



