Official Papers relative to the Negotiation with France. 



697 



produce on the difpofition of the Freflch go 

 vernment. 



Extras from a d'jfatch from the Earl of Lau- 



4trdale to Mr. Secretary Fox, dated Pans, 



September 4t/j, 1306. — Recd-ved Sefttmher 



7th. 

 Sir, 



In my lift difpatch I informed you that in 

 eonfeijuence oi the folicitutrons of the pleni- 

 potentiaries of France, urged in the manner I 

 there Itated to ^ou, 1 had confcnceii to a re- 

 newal of the cor.fctence this clay at three 

 e'clock. 



About half palt two I received from M. 

 Talleyrand a note, a copy ot" which, (marked 

 A-) as well as of my anfwer, (marked B.) 1 

 now inclofe. 



On going to M. Talleyrand's office, I found 

 him jull returntd from St Cloud. He began 

 by informing me that till yefterday they had 

 received no certain inforniatioa from Ptterf- 

 burg ; but th;it the courier who arrived lad 

 night, had brought intelligence that the em- 

 peror had pofitivLly refufed to ratify the trea- 

 ty. He (iated that he liad the emjieror's or- 

 ders to fay that this change of cirtumftances 

 would certainly induce him to make Peace 

 with England on more favourable terms than 

 he would otherwife, liave at prefent confented 

 to ; and further to declare, that as he would 

 find it neccffary to give to his plenipotenti- 

 aries new iiiftruClions, fo he thought it pro- 

 per to communicate this to me, that I might 

 write to my court to receive alio fuch further 

 jnllcudtions as they might think proper to 

 give. 



In anfwer to a queftion which I alked, 

 whether there was any reafon to expe(!'t the 

 arrival of any rniniifer to renew the negotia- 

 tion on the part of Ruffia, he f.iid that no in- 

 formation on that fubjedt had been received. 

 On taking leave I aflTuicd M. Talleyrand that 

 I Ihould report to you the apparent opennefs 

 with which the communication had been 

 made, and that I Ihould difpatch a courier 

 this evening with the information. 

 F.xtraci from a Dijfatcb from Mr. Secretary 



fy^nd/.am to the Eai I of Lauderdah, dated 



Dmvmng-Jireet, September XOlh, 1806. 

 My Lord, 



Your Lordlhip's difpatch of September 4th 

 has not failed to enjiage his iVlajelly's molt 

 ferious attention. The language held by ^1. 

 Talleyrand appears diredled to the obcA of 

 engaging his Alajeily in a feparate negotia- 

 tion, to the exclufion of RuHia ; but the in- 

 terefts both of this country -nd of Europe have 

 always been confidered here as ellentially con- 

 nected with the n)aintenance of tiie ftiicleil 

 union of councils and nieafurtis between his 

 Majefty and the eiuperor of Rulha. It was 

 with deep regret that his Majelty faw the ap- 

 parent violation of this principle in the fepa- 

 rate treaty figned by M. d'Oubril ; and he 

 caiinot but coiilider the (teady and upright 

 fondCft of the empeior of Ruflia on tliac try- 

 ing occafion, as iuipuliiig ou his Majelty a 



frelh obligation not to fcparate his intere(l« 

 from thole of fo honoiable and faithful an 

 ally. 



Your Lordftiip muft therefore in the firft 

 place reprcfent to the French government, 

 that the refufal to ratify M. d'Oubril's treaty, 

 has replaced the tv/o courts in their formex 

 ftate of dole and intimate alliance j and that 

 any attempt on the part of France to fcparate 

 them, mull heruerorth be confidered as 

 hopelefs. She can now form no expectation 

 that fhe can conclude peace with either of 

 them, until the negotiation with tire other 

 Ihall be brought to the fame conclulion. 



In reverting to this rei'olution, his Majefly 

 doesnjt, liov.ever, defne to carry the opera- 

 tion of this principle at all farther than be- 

 fore. He has no objection to its being under- 

 ftood as was exprefl'cd to I-ord Yarmouth in 

 Mr. Fox's letter of the ttith of June, that 

 the two courts Ihall treat leparately in form, 

 but in fubll.aice in concert with each other. 

 In this mode of tre iting, the feparate intercfts 

 of Great Britain and France may as before be 

 feparately dilculTed l)etvvten them. But hit 

 iMaje.ly is determined, as is cxpre.TeJ in the 

 fame difpatch, that he will not come to any 

 final agreement without the confent of Ruf- 

 fia: and that any arrangement of the points 

 depending between him and France is to be 

 confidered as provifion^l, and fubject to the 

 cafe of a like arrangement to be made by his 

 ally. 



With rcfpeft to the feparate interefts of 

 Great Britain, his Majefty adheres to tiie ba- 

 fis originally propofed to him by France, and 

 on which your Lordfhip has fo often had oc- 

 cafiun to infill, tliat of tlie uti {>;JfiJet'i5 for the 

 two powers and their allies in all parts of the 

 world, with the fingle exception of the refti- 

 tution of Hanover, as having been originally 

 3tt.icked on grounds which cannot be de- 

 fended. 



This is the ofier of France as originally 

 made to his Majefty ; it is the demand on 

 which his Majefty ftill thought fit to iufilV, 

 when apparently abandoned by Ruflia ; and 

 his Majefty has no ilelire of encrcallng ic 

 under circumftances, which, according to the 

 avowel 01 France herfelf, entitled hia Majefty 

 to expe6l more tavorable conditions than 

 France has lately been inclined to accede to. 

 The uti J'olfiaitii tiius delcribed, muft how- 

 ever now of neceliity jutludc tne kiugdom of 

 Sicily. 



Every endeavour was made in the outfct of 

 the negotiation to obtiin the rcllitution of 

 Naples to his Sic.lian Maje iy j and the 

 groundi on which it wai thought lit fi.'ully to 

 deliit irom that claim on the part o his Ma- 

 jeily are (htailed in rlie correfponJence of this 

 otnce with Lord Yarm'.iuth and your Lordlhip. 



But the cafe of Sicily was al.vays deemed 

 to be widely ditferent from that of Naples. 

 Our actual occupation of that iflaiid biings it 

 fully within the beiiclt of t'.ie u'ti f/iJ]iJelis. 

 Anj r'.ccjit cvcucs iuve Ihcwn how very dif- 



(Mnt 



