HISTORY 
thés of thé definitive treaty were in 
a course Of execution, so should 
that of the 10th have been put in 
a similar train, had not the appeat- 
ance of the report in question, im- 
oe his majesty’s intentions.” 
éerhaps however, as the présent 
object of the British cabinet was to 
procrastinate; such subjects were 
now first broached, in order that 
should thé demanded explanation 
be given, those causes might then 
with a better grace be adduced as 
greund of farther discmsion and 
delay. 
On the Sbinninteation of the 
subject matter of these instructions 
to the French minister of foreign 
affairs’ at Paris, M. Talleyrand de- 
manded of ‘lord Whitworth what 
were the nature and degree of the 
Satisfaction which his Britannic 
Majesty required for the alleged 
offence (which however the former 
disclaimed on the part of his go- 
vernment all intention of giving, 
and declared that the mission of 
Sebastiani was purély commercial !) 
on this head the English ambassa- 
dor was totally unprepared to give 
any categorical answer, and the 
conference was suspended: but on 
the same day* lord Whitworth was 
invited to a personal interview. with 
the first consul, which took place 
at the Thuilleries three days after- 
ward. In the course of this impor- 
: tant conversation, (the minute par- 
b ticulars of which will be found in an- 
_ other portion of this work) the first 
f- consul deported himself with temper, 
and anapparent wish to preserve cor- 
“tliality and a good understanding on 
his own terms, between the two 
countries. He spoke more than two 
OF EUROPE. 
hours, diffusely upon every subject 
connected with the object in dis+ 
pute, and the rélative positions of 
France aad England, Tle depre- 
cated the idea of a te-comimence- 
ment of war, but added, that if it ~ 
were inevitable, He Would put the | 
only means of offence he had in ex- 
261 
ecution, this was'a descent upon 
England ; a project, the danger and 
dificuity attendant on, he was 
well aware of, yet ‘which he was 
determined to aitei inpt ; and that 
‘the means of executiog it were to 
be found in an army of four hun- 
dred and eighty thousand men, 
which should be immediately com- 
pleted. He again reiterated the 
causes of Compleat which had been 
furnished by the court cf England, 
§ 5 given by us at length in. Mi 
tto’s angry FemOOLTE EE) and in- 
sisted that to preserve the usual re- 
lations of peaceand amity between 
the countries, they must all be 
done away. On the subject of 
Malta, his expressions were - as 
strong as can weil be conceived: 
he said he would never in any event 
allow it to remain in the possession 
of England, in whosé hands he 
would rather seé the principal su- 
burb of Paris! Upon lord 
worth’s allusion to the aggrandize~ 
ment of, and influence guined by, 
France since the treaty of Amiens, 
the first consul abruptly pet an end 
to this part of the discourse, by 
saying, ‘“€ I ‘suppose you mean 
Piedmont and Switzerland —those 
were triiles, which must hace been 
foreseen whilst the negotiation was 
pending,” atid on which at THAT 
HouR LorD WuirwortTH HAD 
Not THE RIGHT TO QUESTION 
7 
© The 18thwf Feb, Vide Official Correspondence, 37 and 38,“ State Papers.” 
$3 Aim! 
* 
Whit- | 
