210 
Lordfhip on the 14th infant, will 
not, I fear, furnith very inierefting 
materials for a difpatch. . Our con- 
ference of this morning was prin- 
cipally employed in what T have re- 
lated in my other difpatch; but 
the French Plenipotentiaries af- 
fured me, that by Thurfday, or, at 
the lateft by Saturday, they expect- 
ed to receive their long-expected 
meflenger. 
(No. 34.) 
Pxiva4of a Difpatch from Lord Malmef- 
bury to Lord Grenville, dated Lifle, 
dug. 29, 1797. — 
Tam extremely forry to be forced 
to announce to your Lordfhip, that 
eth delays occur in the progrefs 
of the negotiation. 
The French Plenipotentiariesin- 
formed me at our conference yef- 
terday, that the Jaft anfwer from 
Holland was fo unfatisfactory, that 
the Directory had ordered the Mi- 
nifter for Foreign Affairs to return 
itto the Dutch Minifters at Paris; 
that the Dutch Minifters could not 
take upon themfelves to alter it in 
the way the Directory propofed, 
but had been obliged to refer to 
their'government for new orders ; 
and that therefore, fuppofing no 
time to be loft in deliberation on 
this fubjeét at the Hague, it would 
be at leaft a week from to-day be- 
fore any farther account could be 
received here. After lamenting 
this unexpected procraftination of 
our bufinefs, I expreffed a wifh to 
kuow what’ the Dutch anfwer, had 
been, what objections the Directory 
had made to it, and the alteration 
they were defirous it fhould under- 
¢o. One of the French Plenipo- 
tentiaries faid it had not been com- 
‘Mmuni¢ated to them, but that he un- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1707. 
derftood it was complexe, lonche, 
feu fatisfarfante:—That the Directory 
expected it fhould be clear arid dif- 
tinét, and fuch an one as would en- 
able them to fend fuch inftimctions 
here as would allow us to go om 
with the negotiation in a way to re- 
cover the time we had loit. 
(No. 35.) 
EXTRACT of a difpatch from 
Lord Malmefbury to Lord Gren- 
ville, dated Sept. 5, announcing 
that the Directory had declared, 
that in their meflage of 19th Auguft 
to the Councils, they meant no 
reflection upon the Britifh govern- 
ment. 
(No. 36.) 
Extraét of a Difpatchfrom Lord Malmef~ 
bury to Lord Grenville, dated at. 
Lifle, 9th Sept. 1797. 
Ineed not fay that the two con- 
ferences which have been held fince 
I difpatched the meffenger Brooks, 
were not likely, under the prefent 
circumftances of this country, to 
afford any thing extremely impor- 
tant or interefting. In that of, 
Thurfday the 7th, one of the French 
Plenipotentiaries began, on my en- 
tering the room, by announcing a 
wifh that the great event: which had 
taken place at Paris, fhould not in- 
terrupt for a long time our negotia- 
tion, or deftroy the pleafing prof- 
pect we had of its foon terminating 
fuccefsfully; and from his manner 
I clearly faw he meant to convey 
the idea that it was his opinion it 
would not. I endeavoured to dif- 
cover whether he fpoke in confe- 
quence of any private intelligence 
he had received from Paris, or 
fimply from his own private judge- 
ment; andI found it was entirely 
from, 
