^icial Papers relative tv the Negoiiatlon -with France. €89 



BUtes which produced the prefi;n.t \var ; and 

 his Majefty faw in the principle hitlierto ac- 

 knowledged as the general bafis of negotiation, 

 a bafis peculiarly adapted to the relitive fitua- 

 tions ot' the two pjvties, which he confidcred 

 a proof that France was as fincerely difpofed 

 as Great Britain to put an end to an order of 

 things, equally prejudicial to the interelts of 

 both countries. 



In faft it appeared to his Majefty to be the 

 only principle upon which it was probable 

 jhat a negotiation could be brought to a fuc- 

 cefsful ifl'ue. From the nature of the inte- 

 yefts of the parties engaged in it, there was 

 but little hope that any fatisfaftory arrange- 

 ment could be made on the ground of recipro- 

 cal reftitution, by giving up their refpeftive 

 acquifitionsj whilft, on the other hand, the 

 principle of utt fojfideus naturally prefented 

 itfelf, as the mode of terminating the unfor- 

 tunate hoftilities between the two nations, 

 both of whom were in poffeffion of conquefts 

 extenfive and important in point both of ter- 

 ritory and of influence; France on the conti- 

 nent of Europe, and Great Britain in other 

 parts of the world. 



This truth appeared ftill more ftrlking to 

 )i!s Majefty, upon reflefting that the ftate of 

 pofleflion in which the two nations held their 

 refpedtive acquilitions could fcarcely futter any 

 important change by the continuance of the 

 warj the fu])erionty of the naval force of 

 jCreat Britain being, according to all appear- 

 ance, not lefs firmly eftabliflieJ on the fsas, 

 than that of the armies of France on the con- 

 tinent of Europe. 



It was under the impreffion which thefe 

 ideas naturally produced, that his Majefty ac- 

 ce|)ted, without hefitation, the propofal of 

 treating upon the principle of iiti fcjjidetis, 

 with the refervution due to the connexion 

 and the concert that fubfifted with the Em- 

 peror of RusTiu ; and, as a proof of his lince- 

 rilj, his Majefty fixed upon the peifon by 

 whom the communication had been made, to 

 announce the readinef-i with which he had ac- 

 ceded to the halis propoled for the conclufiou 

 of a treaty. ^ 



The iinderfigneJ is by no means difpofed to 

 conceal the fatisfailion his Majefty derived 

 from thefe happy profpefls of fpeedily reftor- 

 ing to hi'i fubjects'tlie blcllings of peuce, upon 

 juft and equitable principles, fucii as were 

 conformable to the honour of his crown j nor 

 the regiet which his Majefty felt, when, al- 

 niofl: at ti.e very moment of his decl.iring his 

 ao'i'ptancc of the propofal that hid been made 

 to him, it was figniiicJ that tins principle 

 was fiiddjnly abandoned by the demand ot the 

 evacuation and c.-lTion of Sicily ; a demand 

 which has hitherto been modified merely by 

 projects of iridemnity for iiis Sicilian Majeily, 

 vvbic" appear to b:; toiaily inadequate and m- 

 admiiTiblo. 



This dcmnnd, fo incompatible with the 

 avowed principUi upon which the two powers 

 yiKit trc:ttin£, wai in itf^Il' ti^^cicac to put 



an end ta the negotiation; butthe anxiety of 

 his Majefty the King df Great Britain and 

 Ireland to concur witli hisally thf Emperor 

 of KufTia, and to fecure to iris fubjefts the 

 bleffings of.peace, induced him to receive anf 

 new propofal for obtainint; for his Sicilian 

 Majefty, in excliange for .Sicily, a real and 

 fatisfactory equivalent, fuch as that fovereign 

 fliould confent to accept. 



No fatisiaftory propofal of this nature hav- 

 ing yet been made, the underligned muft de- 

 clare that he cannot confent to treat upon any 

 other principle than that of the uti pcjjtdetis. 

 as originally propofed to his fovereign bv the 

 court of France: at the fame time he ia defiious 

 it Ihould be well underftooi, that the adoption 

 of this principle will nut prevent him either 

 from liftening tu any juft and adequate indem- 

 nification to hlo Sicilian Majefty for the eel- 

 lion of Sicily, or from accepting any propofi- 

 tion tor the exchange of territory between 

 the two contrafting parties, upon juft and 

 equal piinciplcs, fuch as may tend to theTe- 

 ciprocal advantage of the two countries. 



Tlie underfign^d is well aware tliat finco 

 the ut: f'jjidetis, was propofed by the court of 

 France, peace has been concluded betw'cen 

 France and the Emperor of RufTia, and that, 

 in confequence, the relative fituation of the 

 two countries is no longer tie fame ; but, on 

 the other hand he niuft alio obfcrve, tliat 

 fince th.it time France has acquired freih ad- 

 vantages in confequence of the extenfive 

 changes which fne has made in the confiitu- 

 tijn of the German Empire ; an arrangement, 

 the preventing of which was reprelentcd by 

 France to the court of Great Britain as a pow- 

 erful motive for the immediate conclufion of 

 peace on the bafis of uti f&Jfideiii. If then 

 this principle formerly appeared juft to France, 

 it cannot fail at prefent, according to her 

 own views of the lubject, to be more favour- 

 able to her intereft than to thofe of the Bri- 

 tiih Empire. 



The underfigned thinks it at the fame time 

 neccli'.ry to oLiferve, that, although France 

 may have other important views upon the 

 continent of Europe, his Majefty the King 

 of Great Britain and Ireland may very fairly 

 form views in other parts of the world of in- 

 finite importance to tire commerce and to the 

 power of his empire, and confequejitly that 

 he cannot, conformably with either the inte- 

 refts of his people or the honour of his crown, 

 negotiate upon any principle of interiority 

 either avowed or fuppofed. He can treat upon 

 no other tooting than the fupp ifition that the 

 continuance of hoftilities is equally difadvan- 

 tageous to both parties There can be no rea- 

 foii to fuppofe that the conquefts whicii hit 

 Majefty propofcs to retain by the peace can 

 be wiefted from him by war; and the under- 

 figned is perfuadcd that the heft proof of the 

 equity of the conditions upon wliicli he pro- 

 pofes to treat, is to be found in the fact, that 

 they were propofed by France herf-lf at the 

 fuft opening vf the cununuuicaciojis between 



the 



