STATE PAPERS. 
Letter from the Minister of Foreign 
Affairs in France to the National 
Convention. 
Paris, Oct. 1st, 1792. 
Citizen President, 
ANNOUNCED to the National 
Convention that overtures for a 
negotiation had been made in the 
name of the King of Prussia to 
General Dumouriez. J mentioned 
at the same time that decision of 
the executive power which ordered 
the generals to listen to no pro- 
posals until the armies of despots 
had first evacuated the land of li- 
berty. The proposals of the King 
of Prussia were however remark- 
able, as they contained a precise 
acknowledgement of the national 
authority, and of the quality of re- 
presentative of the nation in ex- 
ternal relations, which had been 
attached formerly to the political 
existence of the constitutional King. 
Another acknowledgement, no Jess 
remarkable, was, that the ancient 
order of things destroyed by the 
will of the nation since 1789, was 
contrary to the happiness of the 
people. 
Suchan unexpected acknowledge- 
ment, spontaneously made, without 
any previous negotiation, might in- 
cline us to think that the enemy’s 
armies are in the greatest distress. 
There are, however, other motives 
equally pressing, which make them 
think of peace—a kind of truce 
was agreed upon—General Dumou- 
riez took advantage of it to collect 
and properly dispose the different 
bodies which were to be joined to 
his army. He made in quietness 
and with silence all those move- 
ments which were necessary to give 
him a superiority, by his situation, 
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313 
and to confine the enemy ifi theirs. 
While he was thus preparing for 
his military plans, frequent com- 
munications, which could not but 
be advantageous to liberty, were 
established between the two armies. 
General Dumouriez embraced this 
opportunity of exchanging prisoners 
of war.—The cartel agreed on with 
the Prussian generals was formed 
according to the Jaws decreed by 
the National Assembly, The emi- 
grant prisoners were not included 
in it; and the Duke of Brunswick 
did not even persist in a remon- 
strance, which he had made in their 
favour. 
A conference on this occasion 
took place between the Duke of, 
Brunswick, Count de Luchesini, 
minister of the King of Prussia, and 
Lieutenant Colonel Adjutant-Ge- 
neral Thouvenot, who was charged 
with conducting the exchange of 
prisoners. In this conference the 
Duke of Brunswick expressed him- 
self almost in the following terms :—= 
As our nations are not formed to 
be enemies, might not some means 
be devised for accommodating mat- 
ters in an amicable manner? We 
are in your country: it is desolated 
by the inevitable misfortunes of 
war; we know that we have no 
right to prevent a nation from giv- 
ing itself laws, and from tracing out 
its internal government—we do not 
wish it—we are only interested for 
the fate of the King. Assure us 
that a place will be assigned to him, 
in the new order of things, under 
any denomination whatever, and his 
Majesty the King of Prussia will re- 
turn to his own states, and become 
your ally. 
The moderation of this language, 
from a man who signed the mani- 
festos already published, and to Ore 
the 
