204 ANNUAL REGISTER. 1797. 
/— confequently, thé, propofition 
made tothe King of a general and 
gratuitous reftitution as an indif-" 
penfable preliminary, would necei- 
farily impute to his Catholic Ma- 
jefty, and to the Batavian Republic, 
difpofitions farlefs pacific than thofe 
which animate the French Repub- 
lic. 
That, moreover, in confequence 
of what paffed in the firft confe- 
rences, Lord Malmefbury has al- 
ways thought himfelf entitled to 
expect that the King his mafter 
would find a compenfation for the 
facrifices he was ready to make for 
peace, by retaining a part of his 
. conguefts; and he was the lefs able 
to forefee any obftacle, on account 
of the fecret articles of the treaties 
which bind the French Republic, as 
the principle of compenfation was 
acknowledged by a formal and po- 
fitive declaration, made in the name 
of the Executive Directory, and 
communicated in an official note, 
dated the 27th of November, 1796; 
a declaration poiterior to the com- 
pletion of ihofe treaties, 
_It was, therefore, in order to re- 
move, as much as pofiible, every 
difficulty that, in the project of a 
treaty, which Lord Malmetbury has 
delivered to the miniiters. Plenipo- 
tentiary of the French Republic, the 
alternative was left to France to- 
fettle this compenfatien on its own 
poflefions, or on thofe of its allies ; 
but the abfolute refufal of this al- 
ternative appears to do away the 
only pofiible means of conciliating 
every intereft, and of arriving at an 
honourable, juft, and permanent 
e€ace. 
Lord Malmefbury, perfuaded that’ 
fuch canjci be the intention of the 
French government, Aoepes that,, 
in; conféquence of the reafons 
herein ftated, a condition will not. 
be infifted upon, to which his Bri- 
tannic Majefty can by no means 
confent. 
He again requefts the Minifters 
Plenipotentiary of the French Re- 
public to accept the affurances of 
his high confideration. 
(Signed) Maxmessury. 
Lifte, 24th July, 1797. 
(No. 27.) 
Extra of a Difpatch from Lord 
Malmefoury 10 Lord Grenville, dated 
Lifle, Sunday, Auguft 6th, 1797. 
My Lord, 
I fully expected, when I receiv- 
ed the inclofed note on Friday, 
that the ¢onference propofed was 
to acquaint me with the inftruc- 
tions the French Plenipotentiaries 
had received from the Direétory, 
on the note I had given in near a 
fortnight ago, as an anfwer.to that 
in which the reftitution of the 
whole of his Majefty’s conquefts 
from each of his enemies is requir+ 
ed as an indifpenfable preliminary 
to all negotiation. I was therefore 
furprifed and difappointed when I, 
had taken my place at the confe- 
rence, to hear from the.French 
Plenipotentiaries that the letters 
they had received that morning. 
from Paris did not bring any {peci- 
fic reply to my laft note, but only _ 
went to inform them that the Di- 
rectory had taken the fubject irito 
their moft ferious confideration, 
and would acquaint them as foon as 
pofible with the refult. ’ 
1 could not avoid exprefling my 
concern and furprife that there ex- 
ifted any hefitation whatever in the; 
mind of the Directory on a point 
which, although a very important, 
was certainly a very fimple one :— 
That 
