HISTORY: OF EUROPE. 460 
‘ment evinced a disposition to treat. 
A step surely extraordinary, as the 
latest advices from lord Whitworth, 
- announced that the object of Bona- 
' parte was to delay the event of a 
rupture, because not prepared to 
cominence hostilities ; and that, on 
_ the subject of Malta, he would not 
hear of any compromise. By pro- 
posing, therefore, fresh terms of 
_ treaty to France, it afforded to that 
power, the delay which was so es- 
sential to its views, without the’least 
~ probability of being successful on 
any essential point connected with 
the views of Great Britain. The 
proposition to the French govern- 
ment, for a perfect accommoda- 
tion of all existing differences, was 
as follows :—Malta to remain in 
perpetuity in the possession ot his 
Britannic majesty, by whom the 
knights of St. John were to be in- 
demnified; Holland and Switzer- 
_ land to be evacuated by the French 
forces; the island of Elba to be 
confirmed to France by bis majesty ; 
and the king of Etruria was to be 
~acknowledged ; as were the repub- 
lics of Italy and Liguria, provided 
an arrangement were made tn Italy 
for the king of Sardinia. But this 
proposition was not to be offered, if 
the French government persisted in 
its requisition of the evacuation of 
Malta by the English troops, and 
that it professed a disinclination to 
afiord adequate satisfaction, on the 
points of complaint, so often urged 
_ by the government of England. 
_ After a considerable degree of 
x 
stipulation not perfectly consistent 
with the independence of the island 
of Malta, could be entertained for 
amoment; but that the first con- 
sul had no objection to make a par- 
ticular convention, for the~ doing 
away the remaining causes of dis- 
satisfaction, existing between the 
two governments. 
While France thus strongly mark- 
ed her decision and firmness, the 
indecided and wavering spirit of the 
“nglish couneils became still more 
apparent. On the 13th of April, 
fresh instructions were given to lord 
Whitworth, that “ by way of saving 
the point of honor to France, the 
civil government: of the island of 
Malta, should be given to the order 
of St.John, the Maltese enjoying 
therein the privileges which were re+ 
served to them by the treaty of 
Amiens; and that the fortifications 
of the island should be garrisoned in 
perpetuity, by the troops of his ma- 
jesty. But if neither of the two 
propositions, already detailed, were 
agreed to on the part of France, 
that then his lordship might propose 
the occupation of the island fora 
term of not less than ten years, pro- 
vided that his Sicilian majesty could 
be induced to cede the island of 
Lampedosa, for a valuable censi- 
deration. At the end of that pe- 
riod, Malta was to be surrendered 
to the mhahitants, and'’declared an 
independent state ; and an arrange- 
ment was to be made in the interim, 
for the establishment of ‘the order 
of St. John, in some other part of 
_ discussion, in which the precrasti- 
er 
_ hating disposition of the French go- 
- vernment was strongly manifested, 
and which lasted until the 9th of 
- April; on the part of the latter it 
was formally declared, that uo 
Europe.” 
On the same dav, a strong rer 
monstrance and demand of satislac- 
sion, was forwarded to Paris, in’a 
separate. dispatch, on the extra- 
ordinary and unprecedented con- 
i Mrs 
auc 
