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926 
admiflible, his Majefty, from the 
fixed refolution to avail himfelf of 
every chance of bringing the nego- 
tiation to a favourable iflue, directed 
that an opening fhould {till be left, 
for treating on reafonable and equal 
grounds, fuch as might become the 
dignity of his crown, and the rank 
and {tation in Europe in which it 
has pleafed the Divine Providence 
to place the Britifh nation. 
This temperate and conciliatory 
conduct was ftrongly expreflive of 
the benevolence of his Majefty’s 
intentions; and it appeared for 
fome time to have prepared the 
way for that refult which has been 
the uniform objeé& of all his mea- 
fures. Two months elapfed after 
his Majefty had unequivocally and 
definitively refufed to comply with 
the unreafonable and extravagant 
preliminary which had been de- 
manded by his enemies. During 
all that time the negotiation was 
‘continued open, the: conferences 
were regularly held, and the de- 
mand thus explicitly rejected by 
one party was never once renewed 
by the other. It was not only a- 
bandoned; it was openly difciaim- 
ed; affurances were given in direct 
contradiction to it. Promifes were 
continually repeated, that his Ma- 
jefty’s explicit and detailed propo- 
fals fhould at length be anfwered 
by that which could alone evince a 
real difpofition to negotiate with 
fincerity, by the delivery of a coun- 
ter-project, of a nature tending to 
facilitate the conclufion of peace; 
and the long delays of the French 
government in executing thefe 
promifes were excufed andaccount- 
ed for by an unequivocal declara- 
tion, that France was concerting 
with her allies for thofe facrifices 
en their part, which might afford 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1797. 
the means of proceeding in thenes . 
gotiation. Week after week pafled ~ 
over in the repetition of thefe fo- 
lemn engagements on the part of 
his Majefty’s enemies. His defire: 
for peace induced him to wait 
for their completion with ananxiety | 
proportioned to the importance of 
the object; nor was it much to ex- 
pect that his minifter fhould at 
length be informed what was the. 
extent and nature of the conditions 
on which his enemies were difpofed 
to terminate the war. 
Tt was in this ftage of the bufi- 
nefs that, on the 11th of September’ 
the appointment of new Plenipo- 
tentiaries was announced on the 
part of France, under a formal pro-- 
mife that their arrival fhould facili 
tate and expedite the work of peace- 
To renew,\in a fhape ftill more: 
offenfive than before, the inadmif= 
fible demand {fo long before brought 
forward, and fo long abandoned,’ 
was the firft a& of thefe new mef-: 
fengers of peace. And fuch was: 
now the undifguifed impatience of 
the King’s enemies to terminate alk 
treaty, and to exclude all profpect 
of accommedation, that even the 
continuance of the King’s Plenipo- 
tentiary at. the appointed place of 
negotiation was made by them to 
depend on his immediate compli- 
ance with a condition which his 
court had, two months before, ex- 
plicitly refufed, and concerning 
which no further difcuffion, hed 
fince occurred. His reply was fuch: 
as the occafion required; and he 
immediately received.a pofitive and 
written order to depart. from 
France. 
The fubfequent conduc of his 
Majefty’s enemies has aggravated 
even this proceeding, and added. ° 
frefh infuit to this unexampled out- 
ae < rage. — 
