6i26 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



had received in the communication 

 of so remarkable and important a 

 report : and stating, that pursuant 

 to the practice of the senate on po- 

 litical questions, this subject should 

 be referred to a special commission. 

 — Messrs. Barthelemy, Cacault, He- 

 douville, and his excellency marshal 

 Pcrisnon and ]\I. Francois deNeuf- 

 chatcau, president of the senate, 

 were named as commissioners. 



M. Segui-\^ Speech in the Legislative 

 Bodji of France, upon the Subject of 

 the Overtures of Peace to England. 

 Dated 4th FeL 1803. 



Gentlemen. — His majesty the em- 

 peror has wished yo;i to be made 

 acquainted, by an official communi- 

 cation, with recent facts, interesting 

 to our political situation. His ma- 

 jesty, ever since he has been raised 

 to the imperial dignity, has been of 

 opinion, that this situation, and the 

 circumstances which plact il I)im in it, 

 mightnalurally lead him to entertain 

 hopes of peace. The enemy, unde- 

 ceived with respect to the vain hopes 

 tvhich heliad founded on the chances 

 of an elective power, found hiu'.^Mf 

 in asitnation which ought to dispose 

 him tolisten to n^ore moderate coun- 

 sels, Tlu^ emperor has done wSiat 

 Gen. lioiia parte did before the cross- 

 ing of the Drave ; what the first con- 

 sul did before he was forced to com- 

 bat at Marengo ; he has written to 

 his Britannic niajes-ty the letter which 

 I am about to read to you. (H(re 

 he read the letter of the emperor.) 

 This letter, gentlemen, (continued 

 he), was suitable to the dignity of a 

 power which relies on its strength, 

 yet will not abuse it ; the character 

 of the emperor uot permitting the 



suspicion of weakness. To this 

 letter the British minister returned 

 an answer not suitable to overtures 

 90 frank and so pacific, but an an- 

 swer, the terms of which, at least, 

 when compared with those employed 

 in the year 8, in other circumstances, 

 do not olfend against decorum : and 

 permit us to hope for communicati- 

 ons of more utility. It is as follow : 

 (Here he read the letter of lord Mul- 

 grave.) The letter and the answer 

 would have remained among the se- 

 crets of government, like all iireli- 

 minary acts, the object of which is to 

 lead to etfective negotiations, if the 

 message ('speech) of the king to his 

 parliament had not called for its 



publicity. This message, which an- 

 nounces that pacific communicatiorts 

 had been made on the part of France, 

 is full of acrimony, accusations, and 

 reproaches. An insulting pity is 

 feigned for a generous nation which 

 has been suddenly attacked in the 

 midst of peace, and whose ships, 

 sailing under the protection of trea.i 

 tics, have been seized, pUlaged, and 

 destroyed. Yet astonishment is pre- 

 tended that she should not have 

 humbled herself by explanations 

 with an enemy who has treated her 

 as a robber, ami that she has applied 

 to hostilities by a declaration of war. 

 It also announces connexions, a cor- 

 respondence, and confidential rela- 

 tions with the powers of the conti- 

 nent, to insinuate the idea of a coa- 

 lition which does not exist, and 

 which it will be impossible to realize. 

 — France is too great to condescend 

 to return invectives ; she owes to an 

 ally, cruelly injured, not an useless 

 pity, but the most constantand faith- 

 ful support. -France has not an 

 enemy on the continent ; she has 

 no discussion with any continental 

 powcFj which can attach ii to the 



war 



