STATE PAPERS. 



633 



so daringly meditated and followed 

 up, within his states, under the 

 mask of a sacred character. — I 

 should in vain endeavour to express 

 to you, Citizen minister, how deep- 

 ly 1 deplore the outrage resulting 

 from the transaction against the re- 

 spectable functions which I exercise. 

 It impresses me, however, with the 

 strongest sense of your attention, 

 in informing me of the justice done 

 by the first consul to the sentiments 

 of all those who have the honour of 

 being accredited near his person. 

 I shall ever be ambitious to obtain 

 his approbation, as a flattering re- 

 compense for my zeal, and as the 

 most honourable means of meriting 

 the regard of my sovereign. 



(Signed) Cetto. 

 Paris, March 26, 1804. 



Ansuer of the 3Ihiister of the Li^ii- 



rian Republic. 

 Citizen Minister, 



The communication, which by 

 order of the first consul, you have 

 done me the honour to make me 

 of the letters and authentic papers 

 of the correspondence in Fra'ice of 

 ]Mr, Drake, his Britannic majesty's 

 minister at the court ol Munich, 

 has caused so great .in astonishment, 

 that I have hardly recovered from 

 it. — I trust, without such con- 

 vincing proofs, it was hardly pos- 

 sible to conceive that a person re- 

 presenting at a respectable court 

 his sovereign, could debase the most 

 honourable functions with which a 

 man can be invested, in making 

 them the instruments of fomenting 

 ind organizing secret and perfidious 

 plots, which tended to nothing less, 

 than to overturn, if possible, the 

 republic, to replunge. Krance into 

 all the horrors of internal divisions, 

 iind tu vvcrwhclui ]:]urop« with 



those misfortunes which would ine- 

 vitably have succeeded this fatal re- 

 volution in France. — Everyman to 

 whom, by his government is con- 

 fided the honour of representing 

 it at foreign courts, ought to be, 

 as well as myself, justly irritated 

 by the proceedings of Mr. Drake, 

 and to denounce him to Europe, 

 as unworthy of being counted a- 

 mong the number of those persons 

 called by their government to exercise 

 the sacred functions of diplomacy. 

 — This sentiment ought to be gene- 

 ral, especially among the distin- 

 guished members of the diplomatic 

 corps, who have the honour of 

 being accredited near the first con- 

 sul, to whom, I pray you, citizen 

 minister, to submit the particular 

 expression of the profound grief 

 which I have felt, from the com- 

 munication which you have deigned 

 to make me in his name. — My go- 

 vernment, to whom I have trans- 

 mitted your letter, with the report 

 of the grand judge, and the an- 

 nexed papers, will take, I doubt 

 not, a lively interest in this event, 

 and will always be watchful in case 

 the enemies of France and its allies 

 should ever attempt to disseminate 

 in Liguria, criminal insinuations, 

 they may produce no other effectj 

 than to cover with shame the per- 

 fidious men who shall dare to spread 

 them. 



(Signed) Ferreri. 

 Paris, March ^6, 1804. 



Ansxcer of the Envoy of the Republic 



of I/UCCU. 



I have had the honour of receiving 

 the letter which your excellency 

 addressed me, under the date of 

 3 Germinal, and the copy of the 

 report presented by the grand judge 

 to the first causul, on the conspi. 



racy 



