302] 
ing been informed of this extent of 
our boundery, affured the king, my 
matter, without the leaft delay, of 
the purity of its intentions in this 
refpect, and added, * That it was 
extremely forry that the repeated 
orders iflued to prevent the fubjects 
of Ruffia from violating, in the 
imalleft degree, the territory’ be- 
longing to another power, fhould 
have been difobeyed.” 
. That the ftate of the poffef- 
Bons and exclufive commerce on the 
fea coaft of the Southern Ocean, as 
it exifted in the time of Charles IT. 
had heen acknowledged and defined 
anew by all the nations of Europe, 
and more particularly by England, 
in the eighth article of the treaty of 
Ueeciu 
‘ 4. That notwithftanding the juft 
title he has to a prefervation of 
his ancient rights, the king my maf- 
ter has approved of the conduct of 
the viceroy of Mexico, who, in con- 
fequence of his general orders and 
initructions for the prefervation of 
peace with every power, took upon 
himfelf to releafe the veffels feized 
in. the port of Nootka, upon a fup- 
pofition that the conduct of their 
captains was a confequence of their 
total ignorance with refpect to the 
legitimacy of the rights of Spain on 
thofe coats. 
It isin confequence of the defire 
of his Catholic majefty to preferve 
peace to himfelf, and to eftablith 
the general tranquillity of Europe, 
that he has taken the fteps you will 
obferve in the faid extract, and that 
he has commenced an amicable and 
direé&t negotiation with England, 
which he will finith with Mr. Fitz- 
herbert, the new ambaflador fent 
from that court to the court of Ma- 
‘drid. We are in hopes that the con- 
fequences of this negotiation will be 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1790. 
favourable; but, at the fame time; 
we muft employ all the neceflary 
means to make it fo. 
An immediate and exaé& accom- 
plifhment of the treaty figned at Pa- 
ris, the 15th of Auguit 1761, under 
the title of the Family Compa@t, be- 
comes an indifpenfable preliminary 
to a fuccefsful negotiation. It is in 
confequence of the abfolute neceflity 
which Spain finds of having recourfe 
to the fuccour of France, that the 
king, my matter, orders me to de- 
mand exprefsly what France can do 
in the prefent circumftances to affift 
Spain, according to the mutual en~ 
gagements ftipulated by the treaties. 
His Catholic majefty defires that the 
armaments, as well as other proper 
meafures to fulfil and realize thefe 
facred engagements, be immediately 
put in execution. He charges me to 
add farther, that the prefent ftate of 
this unforefeen bufinefs requires a 
very {peedy determination, and that 
the meafures which the court of 
France fhall take for his affiftance, 
fhall be fo active, fo clear, and fo 
pofitive, as. to prevent even the 
{maileft ground for fufpicion. Other- 
wife his moit Chriftian majefty muft 
not be furprifed that Spain fhould 
feek other friends and different allies 
among all the powers of Europe, 
without excepting any one, upon 
whofe affiftance fhe can rely in cafe 
of need. 'The ties of blood and per- 
fonal friendfhip which unite our two 
fovereigns, and particularly the re- 
ciprocal intereft which exifts be- 
tween two nations united by na~ 
ture, fhall be refpected in all new 
arr angements, as fer as circum~ 
ftances will permit. 
This, fir, is the pofitive demand 
which I am obliged to make, and in 
coniequence of which I hope his mol 
Chrifian majeily will immediately 
take 
