690 Ofjicial Papers relative to the Negotiation with France. 



the two governments, which have led to the 

 million wirh which his Sovereiijn h.Ts been 

 plcal'cJ^ to entruft him conjointly with the 

 i-drl ol" Yarmouth. 



(Signed) Lavderdale. 



f'^py ?/ " Note from Central Clarke to the Eurh 

 cf LawlcrJuU Jtid Turnuiutb, dated Farii, 

 .iuguji 8, l!i06. 



The undcrfigncd Miniiler Pli;ni|iotentiary 

 ot his M;ijcfly the Emperor ot the French, 

 King ot Italy, has laid before his government 

 the note tranfmitted yc!>crday by his Excel- 

 lency Lord Lauderdale, Plenipotentiary trum 

 his Sritaunic Majelly. 



His Maji.lly tiie Kmperor of the French, 

 Kin^ ot' Italy, could not iec \vithout pain, 

 that a negotiatron whieii hac already been the 

 fubjeft otfomuch dilcufliou, which lias occa- 

 lioned the dil'ivitcliing ot fo many mcflengers 

 hy both parties, which waa in a word already 

 brought to maturity, ihould iiave fud.ienlv 

 tiilten a retrograde direilion, lo as to prcfciit 

 obllacles founded, not in the nature ot" the 

 ftipulations but on the very ground on which 

 that negotiation was commenced. 



The court of France has conltantly rc'ufed 

 to admit in the I ime negoriaticn, the courts 

 of England and Ruiha, and whatever defire 

 his Majerty the Emperor of the French, King 

 Ot Italy, may have, to fee a general peace 

 iliortly re-elbbliihcd, no confideration tould 

 induce him to violate that princrpU ot his 

 policy. The negotiatiors which France had 

 commenced at Feterlburgh, had moreover 

 convinced his Majelty the Emperor of the 

 French, King of Italy, that the Englifli ca- 

 binet deceived itfelf with refped to'tl.t na- 

 ture of its relations with Ruiha, 



After fcveral montlis of difcuflion, the 

 cabinet of London yielded this point, and his 

 Excellency tlie Eirl of Yarmouth arrived 

 publicly at Calais, and afterwards at Paris, 

 tor the purpofe of treating tor peace. He 

 h.id conferences with liis Excellency the Mi- 

 nilter for Foieign Arfsirj i.nmcdiatclv art.r 

 his arrival in this capital, having piev!ou;'iy 

 made known to liim that he was duly auiho- 

 lUed by his government. 



Since th.it period, Riiflla has concluded her 

 peace with France. The undcr!i^-ned has 

 been atlpuinted Minifter Plenii'Otentiary to 

 ne_'otiate with the Plcripotontiarv of' his 

 Britannic Majelly, and the rirlt Itep was an 

 exchange of 1 is powers with thofe of his 

 Excellency the Earl of Yarmouth, whom he 

 was bound lo believe, as is exprefi'ed in his 

 Excellency's full powers, authorized to nrgo- 

 t'ate, Conclude, and fign a dtfinitive treaty 

 bet-.Neen France and the United Kingdom of 

 Great Britain ar.d Ireland. 



Very frequent con.'on nccs, moft o\ tliem 

 of fcveral hours, have fini.e talcn place be- 

 tween tlie two Plenipotentiaries, who, with 

 good faith on both fides, endeavoured to do 

 away the difficulties, and put afide every 

 thins that could have tended to irritate thei'r 



minds, or to cmbarrafs and unnecefTarily re- 

 tard (he progrefi of the negotiation. 



Inftead of tranfmitting to each other notes, 

 more or left ingenious, but which rather re- 

 move than approximate the objedt which it 

 is wiiTied to aft.iin ; inftead of beginning 

 .thofe written contruverfics, which are not 

 Icfs injurious to humanity than open hoftili- 

 ties, and which prolong the miferies of na- 

 tions j inftetid, above all things of negotia- 

 ting peace in the fame manner in which war 

 is Ciiricd on, the Plenipotentiaries had free 

 conferences, in which bis Majefty the Empc 

 ror and King granted all which he could 

 grant without lollng fight of the dignity of 

 his crown, liis love for his peoijlc, and the 

 interell of bis allies. 



His M.ijefty will never be reduced to make 

 further ficrilices. 



Does not tlic method taken by his Excel- 

 lency the Earl of Lauderdale, the new Pleni- 

 potentiary on the part of his Britannic Ma- 

 jcf>y, appear to announce that a multitude of 

 notes will not be futficient even to bring the 

 goveinir.ents to an undcrftandiiig ? And is 

 not a ri/k evidently incurred, by adopting 

 fuch a method, the aoufe of which has been 

 lo ir.anifert in our rccolleftion, of being ftill 

 further from a good underftanding than we 

 have hitherto been ? If, on the contrary, it 

 is only wifhed to form documents which may 

 hereafter be prefented to the parliament of 

 Great Britain, his Majefty the Emperor and 

 King has no limilar inducement; it is peace 

 that he defires; a peace equally honourable 

 for France, for Great Britain, and for their 

 allies, which the mutual and afliduous labour 

 of the refpciftivc Plenipotentiaries Ihall have 

 rendered acireptiblc to bcth governments. 



Ncverthchfs, tliat his love of jufticc, and 

 the lincf rity of his pacific fentiments may be 

 manifeft to every one, and that it may be 

 truly known, to whom .ill hindrance to the 

 progrels of the negotiation ought to be attri- 

 buted, his Majelfy the Emperor of tlu' French 

 has deigned to permit the underl'igncd to dif- 

 culs here the vain queftion relative to the 

 bafis of this negotiation, which was already 

 advanced, and on the point of being termi- 

 nated. 



In the letter written to his Excellency Mr. 

 Fox, on the 1ft of April, by his Excellency 

 the French Minifterior Foreign Aft'.iirs, tiuc 

 iViniiUr declared that his I\Jajefty the Em- 

 peror of the French entirely adopted the prin- 

 ciple let forth ill the difpatch o.' his Excl- 

 lency Mr. Fox, of the t'fith March, and of- 

 fered as the balls of the nego'iation : " 'I iiat 

 the propofcd peace ought to be honourable 

 for the two courts, and for their refpective 

 allies." 



In his letter of the Cd June to his Exccl- 

 Kncy Mr. Fu>«, his Exci-lxiicy the Minifter 

 fur Foreign Affairs went dill further; he pro- 

 pofed in the name of his Majtfty the lOmperor 

 of the Ficnch, King of iialy, to eftablifli as 

 a balis two tundamenul principks, the firft 



