STATE PAPERS. 
fage. The infurmountable obfta- 
cles which they threw in the way 
of peace were accompanied with an 
oftentatious profeffion of the moft 
pacific difpofitions. In cutting off 
the means of negotiation they ftill 
pretended to retain the ftrongeft 
defire to negotiate: in ordering the 
King’s minifter to quit their coua- 
try, they profeffed the hope of his 
immediate return to it; and in re- 
newing their former inadmiffible 
and rejected demand, they declared 
their confident expectation of a 
{peedy and favourable anfwer. Yet 
before any. anfwer could arrive they 
publifhed a declaration, announcing 
to their country the departure of 
the King’s minifter, and atiempt- 
ing, as in every former inftance, to 
afcribe to the conduct of Great Bri- 
tain the difappointment of the ge- 
neral wifh for peace, and the renew- 
al of all the calamities of war. The 
fame attempt has been prolonged 
in fubfequent communications, e- 
qually infidious and illufory, by 
which they have obvioufly intended 
to furnifh the colour and empty pre- 
tence of a wifh for peace, while 
they have ftill ftudioufly and obfti- 
nately perfifted in evading every 
ftep which could lead to the fuccefs 
of any negotiation ; have continued 
to infifton the fame inadmiffible and 
extravagant preliminary, and have 
uniformly withheld ali explanation 
either on the particulars of the pro- 
pofals of peace, fo long fince deli- 
vered by his Majefty’s minifter, or 
on any other terms on which they 
were themfelves ready to conclude: 
and this in the vain hope, that it 
could be pofiible by any artifice to 
difguife the truth of thefe tranfac- 
_ tions, onthat any exercife of power, 
however defpotic, could prevent 
id fuch fa€ts from being known, felt, 
and underftood, even in France 
itfelf. 
To France, to Europe, and to 
the world, it muft be manifeft that 
the French government (while 
they perfift in their prefent fenti- 
ments) leave his Majefty without 
an aliernative, unlefs he were pre- 
pared to furrender and facrifice to 
the undifguifed ambition of his ene- 
mies the honour of his crown and 
the fafety of his dominions. It 
muft be manifeft, that, inftead of 
fhewing, on their part, any inclina- 
tion to meet his Majefty’s pacific 
overtures on any moderate terms, 
they have never brought themfelves 
to ftate any terms (however exor- 
bitant) on which they were ready 
to conclude peace. They have 
afked as a preliminary (and in the 
form the moft arrogant and offen- 
five) conceffions which the compa- 
rative fituation of the two countries 
would have rendered extravagant 
in any ftage of negotiation; which 
were directly contrary to their own 
repeated profeffions; and which, 
neverthelefs, they peremptorily re- 
quired to be complied with in the 
very outfet; referving an unlimited 
power of afterwards accumulating, 
from time to time, frefh demands, 
increafing in proportion to every 
new conceffion. 
On the other hand, the terms 
propofed by his Majefty have been 
ftated in the moft clear, open, and 
unequivocal manner. The difcuf= 
fion of all the points to which the 
relate, or of any others which the 
enemy might bring forward as the 
terms of peace, has been, on his 
Majefty’s. part, repeatedly called 
for, as often promifed by the 
French Plenipotentiaries, but to 
this day has never yet been obtain- 
ed. The rupture of the negotia- 
2 tion 
