S UATE. ED BA Pie, RS: 
oat on this occafion. But as 
e {poke very vaguely, and in gene- 
ral aed I did ot choofe ee 
him for an explanation, as I con- 
fider it more judicious to avoid dif- 
cuffions on feparate and collateral 
points, and not to enter into nego- 
tiation till the whole can be brought 
under deliberation at once. 
What paffed on the 12th was ra- 
ther more interefting. The return 
of Mr. Wefley afforded me a very 
natural opportunity of expreffing 
the impatience with which an an- 
{wer to my laft note was expected 
by my court ; that three weeks had 
now elapfed fince its tranfmiffion, 
and that although I by no means 
wifhed to infinuate that due atten- 
tion had not been paid to fo very 
important a fubject as that on which 
we were treating, yet I could not 
‘but greatly lament, that day after 
day fhould be allowed to pafs away 
without our proceeding at all in the 
great bufinefs for which we were 
met. One of the French minifters 
faid, that it was impoffible I could 
lament this delay more than they 
did; that they had already declared 
to me that it was occafioned by a 
with not to create but remove dif- 
ficulties; and they could affure me 
pofitively, that the French govern- 
ment had no other object in view, 
and that I fhould find, when once 
we began fairly to negotiate, we 
fhould proceed very rapidly. 
I replied it was indeed very ma- 
terial to make good the time we 
had loft. The French minifter 
anfwered, you would not call it 
time loft if you knew how it was 
employed. On my expreffing, by 
my manner, a with to be informed, 
he went on, by faying, we will not 
{eruple to tell you, though we feel 
we ought not yet to do it officially, 
207 
that we are confulting with our al- 
lies; that we have communicated 
to them all that has paffed here; we 
have ftated, that unlefs they mean 
to continue the war, they mut re- 
leafe us from our engagements, and 
enable us, to a certain degree, to 
meet your propofais. 
The conference of to-day is this 
moment over. One of the French 
Plenipotentiaries informed me, that 
he had received this morning a let- 
ter from the Prefident of the Di- 
rectory, affuring him, that, in four 
or five days they would receive 
their final inftruétions ; and he add- 
ed of himfelf, that he trufted thefe 
would be fuch as would enable us 
to continue our work without any 
further interruption. I faid, I 
hoped thefe inftru@ions would be 
in fubftance a counter project, as I 
did not fee how any thing thort of 
one could enable us to proceed fo 
rapidly as he defcribed. He agreed 
with me entirely, and affured me, 
that both he and his colleagues had 
repeatedly ftated the neceility of a 
counter project being fent them; 
and he obferved, that he really 
thought the French government 
might have forefeen every thing 
which had paffed, and been pre- 
pared with one; and that this would 
have faved a great deal of valuable 
time. As I could not myfelf have 
faid more, I readily gave a full af- 
fent to what I heard. 
(No. 30.) 
Extrad of a Dijjatch from Lord Gren- 
ville to Lord Malmefoury, daicd 
Downing-fireet, Auguft 19, 1797. 
AN expreffion mentioned in one 
of your Lordfhip’s laft difpatches to 
have fallen from one of the French 
Plenipotentiaries, leads to ‘the pre- 
fumption 
