i 
HISTORY OF EUROPE 
stipulation. So early as the 95th 
of May, 1802, Mr. Merry notified 
to the French minister, that ‘* His 
majesty had, in conformity to the 
14th article of the definitive treaty 
of peace, taken off the sequestra- 
tions upon the property of Frerich 
_ citizens in his dominions; ard ex- 
_ pressing that he did not doubt but 
that the French government would 
be equally teady to render the same 
justice to such of his majesty’s sub- 
jects as have property in France.” 
_ The very reasonable request con- 
tained in the latter part of this no- 
tification, was reiterated twice or 
thrice by the same person; with 
what effect;we shall best learn from 
an extract of lord Whitworth’s dis- 
patch from Paris to lord Hawkes- 
bury, dated Paris, 10th May, 1803. 
_ * With regard to the numerous me- 
_ morials and representations, which 
_ Thave had to make to this govern- 
ment, in behalf of those of his ma- 
jesty’s subjects; who have suffered 
by the detention and confiscation 
of their vessels and property in 
French ports; and by the seques- 
trations which took place during 
the war; I have only to observe 
- that they have; with the exception 
_ of one ‘or two instances, remained 
unanswered !”’ Under circumstan- 
ces at once so injurious and insult- 
ing did the British government still 
persist in a pacific and submissive 
demeanour; far from resenting 
such conduct, or requiring a speci- 
fic satisfaction for those multiplied 
wrongs, it contented itself with 
making new elforts to conciliate ; 
and by removing all prohibitions 
on the trade of France, which had 
been imposed during the war, and 
_ placing her people in every respect 
_ 0 the same footing, with regard to 
° 
227 
commerce and intercourse, 4s the 
inhabitants of any other state in 
amity with his majesty, shewed a 
disposition which could not be mis- 
taken, of preserving inviolable the 
peace it had made, under every 
circumstance the most humiliating ! 
But while evety step of the 
French republic manifested the 
intention of embarrassing and 
straightening the commerce of 
England; under the pretext of 
a retewal of the arftangements 
which formetly subsisted between 
both countries; she devised a 
project, fraught with equal artifice 
atid malignity, the object of wltich 
was to establish in. every port of 
the united kingdom a privileged 
spy, undet the name of a com- 
mercial agent, whose ostensible 
business it was to watch over the 
interests of her trade and naviga- 
tion, but whose toncéaledand more 
important commission extended to 
the making inquiries into the state 
of the commerce of each port; the 
number of vessels entered and. 
cleared out thereof; the course of 
exchange; the state of the neigh= 
bouring manufactures and fairs; 
with a variety of similar inquiries, 
manifestly tending towards that mi- 
nute species of information so re- 
quisite to the establishment of arivas 
lity in commercial importance, now 
become the avowéd object of the first 
consul. This however was not all: 
each agent was farther required to 
“* furnish a plan of the ports of his 
district, with a specification of the 
soundings for mooring vessels;” and 
if no such plan could be procured; 
then “‘ to point out with what wind 
vessels could come in and go out, 
and what the greatest draught of 
water, with which they could enter 
Q2 thereip, 
