194 ANNUAL REGISTER, 179%. 
1 authority is ftill exifting; Third- 
y, That they might be fuppofed to 
apply to conventions and ftipula- 
tions, in direct contradiction to 
their prefent form of government; 
and he quoted the convention of 
Pilnitz in particular. I was about 
to reply to him, and I truftin a way 
that would have done away his ap- 
prehenfions on .this point, when 
another of them interpofed, by fay- 
ing, That their fincere and only 
defire was that the treaty we were 
now entering upon might be fo 
framed as to fecure permanently 
the object for which it was intend- 
ed; that no article likely to pro- 
duce this end might be omitted, 
nor any doubtful one inferted; but 
that the whole, as well with regard 
to the paft as to the future, might 
be fo clearly and diftinétly expreff- 
ed, that no room for cavil might be 
left. This he affured me, in the 
name of his colleagues, was all that 
was meant by their objection to 
renew fo many treaties in which 
fuch various interefts were blended, 
and fo many points difcuffed foreign 
to the prefent moment. Their re- 
newing them ina lump, and with- 
out examining carefully to what we 
were pledged by them, might in- 
volve us in difficulties, much better 
to be avoided. I replied, that I 
admitted moit certainly all that he 
faid, and that it was with this view, 
and on this principle folely, that 
the renewal of thefe treaties was 
propofed by his Majefty; and that 
if he recollected (as he undoubtedly 
did) the different wars which were 
terminated by thefe treaties, and 
the many important regulations fti- 
pulated by them, he would admit 
that the allowing them to remain 
in their full force was fimply an 
acknowledgement of the tenure by 
which almoft all the fovereigns of 
Europe, and particularly the French 
Republic, held their dominions up 
to this day. That thefe treaties 
were become the law of nations, 
and that infinite confufion would re- 
fult from their not being renewed. 
He replied, that our object was 
evidently the fame; that we only 
differed as to the manner. Ithought 
the renewing thefe treaties in tote 
would the beft contribute to it; 
while they were inclined to think, 
that extracting from them every 
thing which immediately related to 
the interefts of the two countries, 
and ftating it in one article, was 
more likely to attain this defirable 
obje&. The French minifter a- , 
gain repeated, that their firft with 
was, that the treaty we were now 
making fhould be clear, diftinét, 
folid, and lafting, and fucha one as 
could not, at any future period, be 
broken through without a manifeft 
violation of good faith. And I a- 
gain repeated, that nothing could 
be fo confonant to my orders, or 
the intentions of my Royal Mafter. 
One of the French Plenipoten- 
tiaries was difpofed to dwell on his 
objections, which were, that thefe 
treaties were figned when France 
was a monarchy, and that any re- 
trofpeét to thofe times implied a 
fort of cenfure on their prefent 
form of government :—but this was 
arguing on fuch weak ground, and 
fo incapable of being ferioufly main- 
tained, that I, to avoid fuperfiuous - 
contradiétion, was very willing to 
let it pafs unnoticed. After a good 
deal of very conciliatory, and even 
amicable difcuffion, in which, how- 
ever, neither party gave much way 
to the other, it was propofed by 
them that we fhould return home, 
to meet again as foon as was con- 
venient, 
