HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
was disposed to peace, but that it 
was determined to keep the Rhine 
for the boundary of France. «‘ And, 
my lords, he added, it has power 
to do it, and you have not the 
power to prevent it. “You must, 
therefore, either make peace upon 
thes¢ terms, or persist in the war, 
which is certain ruin. I therefore 
move your lordships, 
_ That a humble address be pre- 
sented to his-majesty, humbly to 
represent to his majesty, that, in the 
present most critical and alarming 
situation of the country, this house 
holds it to be its bounden duty 
to apprise his majesty of his own 
danger, and the ruin and con- 
fusion which threaten the whole 
Nation, 
«« That the shock, which has been 
lately given to public credit, must, 
any order, any power, to negociate, did not 
In fact, if it was true, that England began to know her 
pacific intentions of his court. 
[161 
from the peculiar nature of our 
commercial system, deprive us of 
those means whereby we were en- 
abled to hold so high a rank among 
the nations of the world, unless the 
country is speedily relieved from 
‘its present enormous expenditure, 
and its future prosperity insured, by 
an immediate, sincere, and lasting 
peace. 
«« That this housebegsleave, hnm- 
bly to represent to his majesty, that 
upon a considerate and impartial 
review of the whole of the late 
negociation, this house sees, with 
concern, that that negociation was 
broken off by the conduct and d« 
mand of his majesty’s ministers, and 
not by a want of disposition for 
peace on the part of France. 
«‘ That in answer to the impolitic 
note, delivered by Mr. Wickham, 
give room to doubt of the sincerity of the 
_ real interest ; that she wished to open again, for herself, the sources of abundance and 
prosperity; if she sought for peace with good faith, would she propose a congress, of 
which the necessary result must he to render all negociation endless? or, would she 
pacification ? 
confine herself to the asking, in a vague manner, that the French government should 
point out any other way whatever, for attaining the same object—that of a general 
Again, my lords, (No.7.) extract from the register of the decrees of the executive 
directory : 
* The executive directory, npon consideration of the Note, addressed to the minister 
for foreign affairs, by lord Grenville, dated Westminster, September 24, 1796, 
wisning to give a proof of the desire which it entertains to make peace with Eng- 
land, decrees as follows : The minister for foreign affairs is charged to deliver the ne- 
+ cessiry passports to the env; of England, whoshall be furnished with full powers, not 
only for pteparing and negociating the peace between the-French republic and that 
power, but for concluding It definitively between them.” 
And, again, my lords, (No. 15.) 
*« The executive directory sees, with pain, that, atthe moment when it had reason 
’ to hope for the speedy return of peace, between the French republic and his Britannic 
Majesty, the proposal of lord Malmesbury offers nothing but dilatory or very distant 
" means of bringing the negociation toa conclusion. 
“ Nevertheless the executive directory, animated with an ardent desire of putting a 
_ Stop to the scourge of war, and to prove that they will not reject any meazs of recons 
»  Ciliation, declare, that as soon as Jord Malmesbury shall exhibit to the minister for 
) foreign affairs, sufficient powers, from the allies of Great Britain, for stipuluing for 
? their respective interests, accompanied by a promise, on their part, to subscribe to what- 
_ €vershall be concluded in their names, will hasten to give an answer to the spec.fic pro 
# positions which shall be submitted to them, and that the difficulties shall be removed, 
_ @sfar as may be consistent with the safety and gignity of the French republic,” 
the 
Vir. XXXIX. (M] 
