STATE PAPERS. 



225 



Sir Sidnet/ Smith to CitizeuPoussiel- 

 gue,Administrator-generaloflhe 

 Finances. 



On board the Tigre, 

 March 8, 1800. 



I Lost not a moment to repair to 

 Alexandria as soon as I could 

 complete the provisioning of my 

 ships, in order to inform you in de- 

 tail of the obstacles which my supe- 

 riors have opposed to the execution 

 of the convention such as 1 thought 

 it my duty to agree to, not having 

 received the instructions to the 

 contrary, which reached Cyprus on 

 the 22d of February, bearing date 

 the 10th of January. 



A s to myself, I should not hesitate 

 to pass over any arrangement of an 

 old date, in order to support what 

 took place on the 24th and 31st of 

 January ; but it would be only 

 throwing out a snare to my brave 

 antagonists, were I to encourage 

 them to embark. I owe it to the 

 French army, and to myself, to ac- 

 quaint them with the state of things, 

 which, however, I am endeavouring 

 to change. At any rate, I stand 

 between them and the false impres- 

 sions which have dictated a pro- 

 ceeding of this kind; and as I know 

 the liberality of my superiors, I 

 doubt not that I shall produce the 

 same conviction on their minds that 

 I feel my self, respecting the business 

 which we concluded. A conversa- 

 tion with you would enable me to 

 communicate the origin and nature 

 of this restriction ; and I propose 

 that you should proceed on board 

 an English frigate to the comman- 

 der-in-chief in the Mediterranean, 

 who has newly arrived, in order to 

 confer with him on the subject. 



I depend much on vour abilities 



Vol. XLII. 



and conciliatory disposition, which 

 facilitated our former agreement, 

 in order again to support my rea- 

 sonings respecting the impossibility 

 of revoking what has been formally 

 settled after a detailed discussion and 

 a mature deliberation. I then pro- 

 pose, sir, that you should come on 

 board, in order to consult on what 

 is to be done in the difficult circum- 

 stances in which we are placed. I 

 view with calmness the heavy re- 

 sponsibility to which I am subject ; 

 my life is at stake — I know it ; but 

 I should prefer an unmerited death 

 to the preservation of my existence, 

 by exposing both my life and my 

 honour. 



I have the honour to be, with per- 

 fect consideration and high esteem, 

 sir, your very humble servant, 



(Signed) Sidney Smith. 



Letter from Citizen Poiissielgue to 

 Lord Keith. 



On board the Cotistatice, 

 13 Germinal {Jp7'ilig.) 



My lord, 



AT the moment of quitting 

 Egypt to return to France, in 

 virtue of the convention signed at 

 El-Arisch, I learned at Alexandria 

 the obstacles which your orders had 

 raised to the execution of that con- 

 vention, although it had already 

 been partly carried into eiFect, with 

 that good faith which the candour 

 of the contractingparties must have 

 inspired. 



1 resolved to proceed directly to 

 you, my lord, to request you to re- 

 voke your orders. I wish to ex- 

 plain to you all the motives that 

 should induce you to adopt this 



Q 



