698 Official Papers relative to the Negotiation rciih France. 



fant are the liopes of ronqiieft in that quar- 

 ter, wliklk were fo much relied upon in one 

 oj' tlie notes prelciittd to your Loiciihip hy the 

 French pknipotentiaries. 



Lord Yarrroiuli h.ij been uniformly in- 

 ftrufled to infift on this demand as a Jine qua, 

 tttn condition of all arrangements lor peace. 

 On the refufal of France to accede to this 

 c4aim, his Lord/hip had aftually, in piirfu- 

 ancf »f thofc inlTuftions, demanded his psff- 

 joits, and it was not in tiie fraalltit degree 

 •lepuvtcd from or relaxed until a defire was 

 cxprefl'eJ In him by M. d'Oubril, that this 

 jfOve)nn:eM would li(ten to piopofals for an 

 ttiuivaknt ti) be pivcn for Sicily. In lom- 

 pli;in\:e with the i'urpoferi wiflies of his ally, ' 

 and on that ground alone, his M.ijefty con- 

 fei-lcd to entcrtuin the confidcLition of fuch 

 an etjuivalent, but none has ever been fug- 

 geftcd that a;'pearcd !it all likely to meet the 

 jult cxpcdations which his Sicilian MajeRy 

 Mould havf been entitled to form on that head. 

 And his M.ijelty has now the (atishi^tion of 

 learning, that the fcntiments of his ally have 

 ID fact never been ditterent from his o«n on 

 this point ; and that the prefervalion ot Sicily 

 is confiCertd in Rullia, as well as in England, 

 as a jull conjilion of any peace with France. 

 On both thtle grounds, thtrefure, both on 

 the principle adopted for his own negotiation, 

 and on th'j ground of his determin.ition not 

 to feparate himfelf from Rulfu, bis Majcfty 

 thinks it abfolutcly neccflary to malnluln this 

 point with the fame lirmncfs which he liaJ 

 originally manifclUd rcfpetting it. 

 CcJ/y of a Dijpiitcbjrcni the Ejrl cf Lauderdale 



to Eurl Sfeiicer, diiled Farii, Sijt. 18, IbOC. 



—Recemed &//. 1,'S. 

 My LoRn, 



On IMonday, about five o'clocl.-, M. Tal- 

 leyrand called, and though I was very ill at 

 the time, I relolvcd to admit him. He fat 

 upwards of half an hour. The outline of 

 his convcrfation confifted in his exprelling a 

 defire t) have a full commnnic.tion with me, 

 in liis alfuring me that '.f the dirticulties, in 

 lefpeft of form, could be got over, he did 

 not think the o! jeftions to the terms would 

 be niatcriul, and that, where peace was feri- 

 oufly in view, as it was v\ichthem, it figur. d 

 as an i bjcdl of luch importance asto give a dif- 

 pofition to accommodate about conditions: in 

 a word, that he had little doubt that he and 

 1 would arrange the hufinefs. 



On my par;, 1 Haled, that I was afraid he 

 proceeded en the fuppofition thatl inigiit give 

 way ill fome of the points in tjuclHon, which 

 1 thought it fair to aiTure him aC once was im- 

 po/liblc. 1 ftatcd to him generally tl-o de- 

 mands 1 was to make or, the pait of J*ng!..nd, 

 which v\oul<) no way v.iry iVom the terms we 

 had originaiiy ujvlciilood to have been pro- 

 ofed; and that Ijc inull expect I Wi)uld '«• ;is 

 jiofii ivc in relation tu the cuiiditions lor Ruifia, 

 with which he v/as acquainted, as 1 (hoak! lie 

 with refpf£t to any point more peculiarly of 

 IkiLiib inltre.'l. I tilcii rhought it ri^iit to 



introduce the fubie£l of my having no powers 

 from Rufiia, oblervin; that, although there 

 might be fome irregularity in thisrnooeof- 

 procccding, yet that, under all the circuni- 

 ftances ot the prefent cafe, it feemcd unavoid- 

 able, becaufc the principle and feelings of liis 

 Majefty would never permit him to think of 

 treating, but in fuch a manner as might iii- 

 fure to the court of Peterfburgh an honourable 

 peace, at the moment that |)eace iliould be 

 concluded between England and France; and 

 that unlefs I could be allowed to Itale the 

 objefts of Rullaa, this could be haidly ef- 

 fefted. 



He afTured me that they would wave aU 

 objedtions with ret;ard to form, and that they 

 would he pertcftly ready to hear me on the 

 fubjedl of a treaty of peace with Ruflia ; his 

 objeiftion to my propofal being founded, not 

 on the circumftance of my wanting powers 

 from Rufiia, but on the very unufual propofal 

 of concluding a treaty, which, when figned, 

 was only to take place in a certain event. I 

 mentioned to him tiiat the fame thing had iieen 

 done at Paris in 178-.i, when Air. Ofw.ild 

 concluded a treaty of peace with Dr. Franklin 

 and Mr. Adam. 



During the whole of this converfation, T 

 had gone even out of my way to repeat to him 

 the ncccliity of his laying his .iccount with 

 my adhering rigidly to the terms 1 had detail- 

 ed ; and ytt he left me with luch exprelTions 

 as could not fail to create a belief, that he in- 

 tended to accede to my propoiitions. 



(Signed) Lauderdale. 



Copy of a N'jfe from the Ear\ of Lauderdale 



to M. Ti'lUyrjnd, dated P^ris, Seftember 



lyh, i8o6. 



The underfigned, plenipotentiary of his 

 Britannic Majefty, loft no time in tranlmit- 

 ting to his court the communication which 

 his Excellency the Miniftcr for foreign Af- 

 fairs made to him on Thurfday the 4th in- 

 ftant; and he now haftens to reply to thdt 

 communication, by informing his Excellency 

 of the line of conduit his Majefty has thought- 

 proper to diredt him to purfuc under the pre- 

 fent circunr.ilancts. 



His Britannic Majefty ever anxious to 

 maintain the intimate connedtion and alliance 

 which fubfill between his Majefty and the 

 Emperor of all the Ruffias, naturally finds 

 in the recent condudl of his illuftriuu^ ally, 

 and in the proofs which he has lately afforded 

 or tiie interelt which he takes in the welfare 

 of (ireat Britain and in the general happi- 

 nefs of Europe, additional n:otives not to 

 feparate, in any cafe, his iiiietefts from thofe 

 of the court of St. Peterlburgh. 



It is liOt, however, the intention of his 

 Majefty to carry this principle further than 

 the Earl of Yarmouth was inftrucled to cjiry 

 it by Mr. Fox, in his Lordihip's comtr.unica- 

 tions with the French government. There 

 is nothing to prevent the interefis of Great 

 Britain «nd oi Franct tiQVU being ueaied fepa- 

 rate ly 



