S "EVA, T Ey »P As Bi ERAS), 
gagements of his crown are essen- 
tially implicated therein. 
The magnanimity of the king, 
his inviolable good faith and his 
desire to restore repose to so many 
nations, induce him to consider 
this situation of affairs as affording 
the means of procuring forall the 
belligerent powers just and equi- 
table terms of peace, and such as 
‘are calculated to ensure for the 
time to come the general tranquil. 
lity. . 
It is on this footing, then, that 
he purposes to negotiate, by offer- 
ing to make compensation to 
France, by proportionable restitu- 
tions, for those arrangements to. 
which she will be called upon to 
consent, in order to satisfy the 
just demands of the king’s allies, 
and to preserve the pohtical balance 
of Europe. 
Having made this first overture, 
his majesty will, in the sequel, ex- 
plain himself more particularly on 
the application of this principle to 
the difierent objects which may be 
discussed between the respective 
parties, 
It is this application which will 
constitute the subject of those 
discussions, into which his ma- 
jesty has authorized his mini- 
ster to enter, as soon as the prin- 
ciple to be adopted as the gene- 
ral basis of the negotiation is 
known. 
But his majesty cannot omit to 
declare, that if this generous and 
equitable offer should not be ac- 
cepted, or if, unfortunately, the 
‘discussions which may _ ensue, 
should fail to produce the desired 
efieét, neither this general proposi- 
tion, nor those more detailed which 
may result from it, can be regard- 
[153 
ed, in any case, as points agreed 
upon or admitted by his majesty. 
(Signed) Matmeuspury. 
Minister plenipotentiary from his 
Britannic majesty. 
Paris, Oct. 24, 1796. 
No; 15. 
Extract from the register of the 
deliberations of the executive di- 
rectory. 
Paris, 5 Brumaire, 5thyear 
of the republic, one and indi- 
visible. 
THE executive directory orders 
the minister for foreign affairs to 
make the following answer to lord 
Malmesbury : 
The executive directory sees with 
pain, that at the moment when it 
had reason to hope for the speedy 
return of peace between the French 
republic and his Britannic majesty, 
the proposal of lord Malmesbury 
offers nothing but dilatory or very 
distant means of bringing the nego- 
tiation to a conclusion. 
The directory observe, that if 
lord Malmesbury would have 
agreed to treat separately, as he was 
formally authorized by the tenorof 
his credentials, the negotiations 
might have been considerably 
abridged; that the necessity of ba- 
lancing with the interests of the 
two powers those of the allies of 
Great Britain, multiplies the com- 
binations, increases the difficulties, 
‘tends to the formation of a con- 
gress, the forms of which it is 
known are always tardy, and re- 
quires the accession of powers 
which hitherto have displayed no 
desire of accommodation, and have 
not given tolord Malmesbury him- 
self, according to his own declara- 
tio, any power to stipulate for them. 
Thus 
