198 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1%97. 
Plenipotentiaries on the fubject of 
the note in queftion, the prefident 
of that miffion informed your Lo: d- 
fhip, that it was not intended to 
reat all compenfation for the im- 
menfe extent of reftitution de- 
manded from his Majefty, and for 
the other obvious circumi{tances of 
difadvantaze to this country in the 
fituation of Europe, as refulting 
from the war; and even added, 
that he and his colleagues would 
eventually bring forward propofals 
6n this head for the deliberation 
of the King’s government. It ap- 
peared poflible that fome advantage 
might perhaps arife to the great 
object of peace, from grounding on 
this declaration a further proceed- 
ing, fuch as might afford to the 
Directory (if they are fo difpofed) 
the means of replacing the negoti- 
ation on a more practicable foot- 
ing. — With the view therefore of 
Jeaving nothing untried which can 
contribute to reitore peace on any 
fuitable terms, his Majefty has been 
pleafed to direét that your Lord- 
Ship fhould for that purpofe afk an- 
other conference wiih the French 
Plenipotentiaries. In this confe- 
rence your Lordfhip will remark 
in fuch ferms as the occafion muft 
naturally fuggeft to you‘upon the 
indefenfible {pirit and tendency of 
the demand now made by France. 
You will obferye that France, treat- 
jng in conjunction with her allies, 
and in their name, cannot, with 
any pretence of juftice and fairnefs, 
oppofe her treaties with* them as 
an obftacle in the way of any rea- 
fonable propofal of peace in which 
they are to be included. ‘In‘a fe- 
parate negotiation, to ‘which they 
were not parties, fuch a plea might 
erhaps have been urged ;* but in 
That cafe France would haye’been 
bound to offer, from her own 
means, that compenfation which 
fhe did not:think herfelf at liberty’ 
to engage to obtain from her allies. 
And fuch was, in fact, as your 
Lordfhip muft remember, the prin- 
ciple on which his Majefty offered 
to treat laft year, when he was real- 
ly bound by engagements to Auf- 
tria, fimilar to thofe which are now 
allesed by France. But it never 
can be allowed that France, Spain, 
and Holland, negotiating jointly 
for a peace with Great Britain, can 
fet up, as a bar to our juft demands, 
the treaties between themfelves, 
from which they are at once able 
to releafe each other whenever 
they think fit. : 
You will further remark, that 
even if, contrary to all reafon, fuch 
a principle could for a moment 
have been admitted on our part, 
fill even that principle, inadmiffi- 
ble as it is, could only apply to 
public treaties, known to thofe 
who agreed to be governed by 
them, and not to fecret articles, 
unknown even to the French Ple- 
nipotentiaries, or concealed by one 
of them from the knowledge of the 
others. 
You will add in explicit, though 
not offenfive terms, that the whole 
of this pretence now fet up by 
France is inconteftably frivolous 
and illufory ; being grounded on a 
fuppofition of a ftate of things di- 
reétly contrary to that which is 
known really to exift; it being 
perfetly notorious that both Spain 
and Holland, fo far from wifhing to 
continue the war, were compelled 
by France to engage in it, greatly 
againft their own wifhes; and to 
undertake, without the means of 
fupporting it, a conteft in which 
they had nothing to gain, and eve- 
Bh eae ry 
