“question originated. 
HLS TORY OF: cE UR OPE. 
latter had even saved lord Whit- 
worth the mortification of descending 
all at once, from the condition of 
a perpetuity to that of a term of ten 
years (agreeably to his instructions) 
by a hint ofa similar nature, which 
he dropped i in the course of a conver- 
sation with his lordship: but when 
any of the proposed modifications 
were submitied to the first consul, 
his answer was undeviatingly, the 
absolute necessity there existed of 
the English evacuating the island in 
every event or contigency. 
On the last mentioned date (May 
the 2d) however, a specific answer 
from the French government was 
given to all the articles of the final 
propositions of the English court. 
_ With respect to Lampedosa, the first 
consul alleged that as it did not 
belong to Rearice, he could neither 
eechde to, nor refuse the desire of 
the acquisition of that island by his 
Britannic majesty. That as the 
_ demand made respecting Malta by 
the court of England would materi- 
ally alter a formal disposition of the 
treaty of Amiens, it should previ- 
ously be communicated to the king 
of Spain and the Batavian republic, 
who were contracting partics to that 
treaty—anud that by a parity of 
reasoning all the contracting parties 
were bound to submit it to the em- 
perors of Germany and Russia, and 
the king of Prussia, as the guaran- 
teeing powers to the 10th article of 
the peace.—That this concert, the 
first consul was willing to admit, 
but certainly would not propose, as 
it was not from him the objections 
to the execution of the article in 
And finally 
that so soon as the stipulations of 
the treaty of Amiens were executed 
in every quarter of the globe, that 
271 
then, Holland should be evacuated 
by the French forces. 
As the project to which this reply 
was given,\was, to use the diplomatic 
phrase, communicated tothe French 
minister as the ultimatum of the 
English government, the complete 
rejection of its terms, should certain- 
ly have been decisive on lord 
Whitworth’s farther residence’ in 
Paris; on its receipt therefore in 
the form of an. official note, his 
lordship, with many expressions of 
regret at the unhappy termination 
of the negociation, applied for the 
necessary passports to accclarate 
his departure from France. Bona- 
parte, whose object it certainly was 
not to come to an immediate rup- 
ture, or who was inclined in good 
faith to obviate as much as in him 
lay any. difficulty respecting the 
principal cause of the discussion ; 
announced to the English ambassa- 
dor on the evening of the same day 
on which the latter had demanded 
his passporis, that the French go- 
vernment had a communication. of 
the greatest importance to make to 
him, on the following morning. The 
proposition so made was certainly 
one of considerable moment, norcan 
in this instance any blame be rea- 
sonably imputed to lord Whitworth, 
that he still farther delayed his de- 
parture from the French capital un- 
til he should have obtained upon it 
the sentiments of his government. 
The first consul, after deprecating 
in the strongest terms the conse- 
quences of a renewed warfare be- 
tween England and and France, pro- 
fessing his own inclination to preserve 
the terms of that peace inviolably, 
which had restored the tranquillity 
of Europe; accuses the English go- 
vernment of the having pursued a 
course 
