HWISTORY i0OF. EUROPE 
the negociation, was entirely owing 
to the unreasonableness cf the ene- 
my. They have taken advantage, 
’ he said, of the situation in which 
their great success bas placed them. 
If they should be able to continue 
their successes; if they should, in 
consequence, rise in their demands ; 
there must be great alteration in 
the conduct of ministers, or our 
situation would be deplorable in- 
deed. I cannot help, bere, reflect- 
ing on the period of the Ameri- 
can war. Men used then to say, 
itis not our fault; we are not to 
blame ; it isall owing tothe unrea- 
sonableness of the enemy that we 
do not obtain peace. Infatuated 
and self-abused men! They were 
afterwards, fatally for the interests 
of this country, convinced of the 
folly of their argument, and obliged 
to accept of terms far more against 
them, than they might have ob- 
tained. had negociations been of- 
fered long before they were. 
But, on the other hand, Mr. 
Fox contended that there was a 
great deal of insincerity, artifice, 
and cunning in the conduct of the 
British minister in that business. 
If the British minister had some 
"reason to suspect the sincerity of 
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: 
-the. French directory, had not they, 
at least, equal grounds to enter- 
tain some doubts with respect to 
his views in“the negociation ?— 
When lord Malmesbury, said Mr. 
Fox, in addressing the French mi- 
-nister, so often brings forward his 
profession of high consideration, I 
cannot but smile ; when I recol- 
Ject that lord Auckland was made 
_ apeer, merely because he declared 
that the men who are now ad- 
dressed in such respectful terms, 
*‘ ought to be put under the sword 
ef the law, and because he de- 
[iss 
nounced them as miscreants, and 
traitors to all Europe.” The mi- 
nister, he observed, whatever may 
have been his sincerity in the trans- 
action, was no stranger to the ad- 
vantages that may be derived from 
the idea of a pending -negociation. 
That he now feels those advantages 
nobody will dispute. I know that 
some weeks ago a very confident 
report was circulated, with respect 
to the probability of a peace. It 
would be curious to know how far 
lord Malmesbury, at that period, 
was influenced by any such belief. 
It does not appear, from the papers 
on the table, that, at that moment, 
he could reasonably hope for a suc- 
cessful issue to his negociation. It 
seems dubious, indeed, from the in- 
spection of those papers, whetlier 
lord Malmesbury was not sent over 
merely to shew his diplomatic dex- 
terity ; to fence and parry witli Mr; 
de Ja Croix, in order'to evince his 
superior skill and adroitness in the 
management of argument, and the 
arts of political finesse ; to confound 
the shallow capacity, and superficial 
reasoning of the Trench minister, 
and to make the cause of this coun- 
try the better. Whilelord Malmes- 
bury was employed, thus honour- 
ably, in the display of his talents, at 
Paris, the minister had an useful 
object of policy to answer at home. 
It was found conveniént, for the 
purpose of financial arrangements, 
to hold out the hope of peace, till 
such time .as it was fouid that the 
appearance of negociation might be 
renounced without any unfayour- 
able effect as to the supplies of the 
year,— When the French asked lord 
Malmesbury what terms he was pre- 
pared to propose, he was , unpro- 
vided with an answer. and obliged 
to send to this country for instruc. 
tions, 
