HISFORN) OF .EDROPE. 
the wishes of the first consul. All 
this happened in October. Long 
before this time, ministers knew, 
that the execution of the 10th arti- 
cle of the treaty of Amiens, relative 
to Malta, had become utterly im- 
possibie. ‘The declaration very 
justly states, that the treaty of Aimi- 
ens, and every part of that treaty, 
was founded on the assumption of 
the state of possession, and engage- 
ments actually subsisting at the 
moment of the signature of the 
treaty. The practice of ministers 
forms a singular contrast with their 
theory. Ow that very principle, 
they knew that the articles respect- 
ing Malta could not ite executed, 
The revenues of that order, the 
independence of which, it was the 
professed ohject of the treaty to 
secure; and on the existence oi 
which revenues, that independence 
existed; were known to be confis- 
‘gated, in fact, before the conclusion 
of the peace, or immediately after. 
In the Madrid Gazette, of the 27th 
of April, 1802, it is stated, that 
the king of Spain had annexed to 
the royal domain the Langues and 
possessions of the order of Malta, 
within his dominions : and yet, with 
‘this fact known, and avowed in every 
newspaper in Europe, we see minis- 
ters, trom the May following, down 
to the breaking off the negotiation, 
_ pestering every power on the conti- 
nent with applications to guarantee 
_ the execution of an article, which 
they knew could not be executed, 
Nay, onthe 25d of August, lord 
Hawkesbury writes to M. Otto, to 
inform him, that his majesty is 
_ ready to carry into effect the article 
-Fespecting Malta, the moment the 
other powers of Europe had guaran- 
yh its execution: anarticle which 
165 
had been framed with a view to the 
actual pessessions and siivation of 
the power,whose interest that treaty 
was to provide for, and which pos- 
sessions and situation were com- 
pletely changed since the conclu- 
sion of that treaty. That change - 
ministers use as an excuse for their 
not evacuating Malta; but it also 
was a fair excuse for the other pow- 
ers not to guarantee the treaty. It 
was a fair reason for forming a new 
arrangement for Malta; byt it 
could not be a reason for employing 
a whole summer in persuading ether 
powers to do what you had retused 
to do, because subsequent events 
had rendered it impossible. As to 
Switzerland, the ambitious projects 
of France with respect to th: it Couns 
try were well known before Novem- 
ber: all that happened which made 
it necessary for this country to in- 
terfere in its iate, had happened be- 
fore November; nay, at the very 
time ministers weie gravely as- 
suring the. country, that they saw 
no prospect whatever of a renewal 
of hostilities, Mr. Moore was en- 
gaged at Constance in negociations, 
which, if the situation of Europe 
liad allowed of their being carried 
to the extent, his instructions au- 
thorized, must haye ended in a 
renewal of hostilities, prior to the 
time to which I have so often al- 
luded; and every complaint which 
we now urge as a cause of war 
against France, for its insolent and 
hostile interference in the adminis- 
tration of our laws, and its auda- 
cious attack on the liberty of our 
press, existed in its full forge. On 
the 7th of August M. Otto writes 
that insulting letter to lord Hawkes: 
bury, in which, in the name of the 
first consul, he insists upon a stop 
M3 being 
