STATE PAPERS. 
of nations foreign to these quarrels ; 
which suspends the progress of hu- 
man discoveries; which arms indi- 
vidual against individual, delivers 
the goods of the peaceable mer- 
chants to pillage, and devotes those 
who defend them ; such is the ho- 
nourable object of the proposition 
which the King makes to his Britan- 
nic Majesty. The King does not 
consider it in relation to the parti- 
cular interest of the French nation. 
His Majesty knows that the advan- 
tages whichit presentsmust be much 
greater for a people essentially ma- 
ritime, and whose relations of com- 
merce and colonial possessions ex- 
tend, so to speak, from one pole to 
the other, than to a nation chiefly 
agricultural, like France. This is 
not therefore a combination dictat- 
ed by that rivalship of power, nor 
by that mercantile rapacity, which 
have so long deluged Europe with 
blood; it is a great measure of be- 
neficence, of justice, and humanity, 
which has been suggested by the 
general interest of nations, by mo- 
rality, and by policy itself, well un- 
derstood. This wish, worthy of 
his Majesty, and of the free nation 
which has formed it, is not less wor- 
thy of the prince to whom it is ad- 
dressed, and who, as much by his 
personal character as by his position 
and political influence, seems des- 
tined to realize it. Already in the 
treaty of navigation and commerce 
of the 26th Sept. 1786, France and 
Great Britain have renounced this 
odious trafficin every quarrel which 
should be foreign to them; and at 
present, in the war which France is 
183. 
forced to maintain against Austria) 
for the defence of her independ- 
ence and her liberty, the two belli- 
gerent powers have spontaneously 
resolved to Jeave a free course to 
maritime commerce. Let this re- 
solution, adopted by the two inte- 
rested powers, become the basis of 
a new law among nations, which’ 
will strengthen the bonds which 
unite them, and diminish their mo- 
tives of division and rupture; and 
leta law, undertaken against liber- 
ty, give new strength to those ties 
of concord and peace which-ought 
to hold together the human trace, 
and insure its felicity. : 
The King of the French commu- 
nicates with a just confidence to his 
Britannic Majesty these reflections, 
which appear equally consistent 
with the sentiments of justice and 
humanity, with his pacific disposi- 
tions, and with the well understood 
interests of commerce and naviga- 
tion. His Majesty will not dissem— 
ble, that the present state of Europe 
may present some obstacles to the 
speedy accomplishment of this sa- 
lutary measure ; but he also knows 
that the concurrence of Great Bri- 
tain must add great weight to his 
recommendations, and how much 
it may accelerate their effects; he 
therefore requests his Britannic 
Majesty to. communicate to him 
his views, or the means the best 
adapted for procuring so great a 
benefit to Europe.* 
The Minister Plenipotentiary 
of France, 
(Signed) F, Cuavuveti. 
Portman-square, July 25th, 1792. 
* This note isnot to be fuund in the correspondence laid before parliament, It 
was published by order of the National Convention, among other papers, under 
the title of “ Exposition of the Conduct of the French nation towards the English 
People.” 
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