$96) 
thought it dealing fairly and ho-. 
nourably to ftate what they had re- 
ceived from the Direétory in the 
very words in which it came to 
them: that they fhould be forry if 
the declaration they had been di- 
reéted to make me, fhould be of a 
nature to interrupt, much lefs to 
break off the negotiation; that it 
was the fincere wilh of the Direct- 
ory that the negotiation fhould 
proceed -and end fuccefsfully ; and 
that, far from flitting the door to’ 
further difcuffions,' they were per- 
feétly ready to hear any propofals 
we had to make, and’ only wifhed 
that thefe propofals fhould be, if 
offible,: fuch: as were compatible 
with their moft facred engagements. 
J repeated what I had faid, that no 
door was left’open if -his Majefty 
was in limine to-reftore every thing ; 
and that a peace omthefe conditions 
would not be heard of by the 
country. 1 obferved;’ that ‘imme+ 
diately on leaving them, TI fhould 
difpatcha meflenger; but-what that 
mefienger carried would ‘moft ma- 
terially affect the progrefs and iffie 
of the negotiation 5 I therefore de- 
fired. to know whether;*in confe- 
quence of what I had heard frorn 
them, I might confidet the ftvidt and 
literal meaning of :the declaration 
not to be adecided negative (which 
it certainly. feemed to imply) on all 
compenfation whatever to be made 
tohis Majefty, but that propofals 
tending to this;effec would ftill be 
liftened to. Qne sof them anfwer- 
ed, ‘Certainly; and if they fhould 
be found fuehas it will be impoffi- 
ble forus to admit, we will, on our 
fide, bring forward) others for your 
court to deliberate on.’”’ Under this 
affurance, which at leaft, to a cer- 
-tuin degree, qualifies the declaration 
‘tach itfelf from the *enga 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 2797. 
of yefterday, I broke up the confe- 
rence. 
No. 20. (A.} 
Note from the French Plenifotentiaries to 
Lord Malnefbury. 
THE Minifters Plenipotentiary 
of the French Republic have tranf- 
mitted to their government the 
projet of the treaty, and the note 
relating thereto,’ which were deli- 
vered to them the 20th of the pre- 
fent month, by the Minifter Pleni- 
potentiary of his Britannic Ma- 
jefty. They have juft received 
frefh communications and orders, 
which require that they fhould 
make the following declaration to’ 
Lord Malmefbury. — There exifts 
in the public ‘and fecret treaties, 
by. which the French Republic is 
bound to its allies, Spain and the 
Batavian Republic, articles by which 
the three powers ‘refpectively gua- 
rantee the territories poffeffed by 
each of them before the war. The 
French government, ‘unable to de- 
gements 
which it has contracted by thefe 
treaties, eftablithes, @s @n:indifpen- 
fable preliminary of the negotiation 
for peace with England, the con- 
fent of ‘his Britannic’ Majefty to the 
reftitution” of all the’ poffeffions 
which he occupies,’ not only from 
the French Republic, “but ‘further 
and formally of thofe of Spain and 
the Batavian Republic.” In confe- 
quence, the underfigned Minif- 
iters Plenipotentiary: requeft Lord 
‘Malmetbury to explain himfelf with 
‘fegard ‘to ‘this reftitution, and’ te 
confent to it, if he is fufficiently 
authorized to do fo; if not, and in 
ithe contrary cafe, to fénd a mef- 
{enger to his court, in order to pro- 
I cure 
—— 
