STATE PAPERS. 
"both the interest and the duty of the 
two governments, by a mild and a 
temperate conduct, gradually to al- 
lay these feelings, and not, on the 
contrary, to provoke and augment 
them, by untimely irritation on their 
part, and by ascribing proceedings 
like those above noticed, to causes 
to which they have no reference.— 
His majesty has thus fully and 
frankly explained his sentiments, 
and the ground of his conduct. .He 
is sincerely disposed to adopt every 
measure for the preservation of 
peace, which is consistent with the 
honour and independence of the 
country, and with the security of 
its laws and constitution. But the 
French government must have form- 
ed a most erroneous judgment of the 
disposition of the British nation, 
and of the character of its govern- 
ment, if they have been taught to 
expect that any representation of a 
foreign power will ever induce them 
to consent to a violation of those 
rights on which the liberties of the 
people of this country are founded. 
I have the honour to be, &c. 
(Signed) Hawkesbury. 
Anthony Merry, Esq. 
No. 14. 
Note from M. Otto to Lord Hawkes- 
bury, dated August 21, 1802. 
General Vial, minister plenipo- 
tentiary of the republic at Malta, 
having set out for his destination, 
about the 20th of July, it is to be 
presumed, that he will soon be in a 
condition to enter into a concert 
with his Britannic majesty’s minis- 
ter plenipotentiary, on the evacua- 
tion of Malta, and of its dependen- 
cies. 
The three months, in which this 
evacuation should have taken place, 
are expired ; and it being the inten- 
669 
tion of the two governments, that 
the execution of the treaty of 
Amiens should experience the least 
possible delay, the first consul would 
have been desirous that the two 
thousand Neapolitans, who are rea- 
dy to depart, could have been trans- 
ported, at an early period, to the 
island of Malta, to be in readiness 
whenever the evacuation shall be on 
the point of being effected. 
It appears, nevertheless, that Mr. 
Drummond, the English minister at 
Naples, has not been authorized by 
his government to facilitate this 
transport; and that the motive al- 
ledged by that minister was, that 
the stipulations, which ought to pre- 
cede the evacuation, not being ful- 
filled, that evacuation could not yet 
take place. ; 
In communicating the above de- 
tails to his excellency lord Hawkes. 
bury, his Britannic majesty’s princi- 
pal secretary of state for the foreign 
department, the undersigned is di- 
rected to observe, that the sending 
the two thousand Neapolitans to the 
island of Malta cannot but be con- 
sidered as a preliminary step, in or- 
der to accelerate the evacuation, as 
soon as the necessary measures shall 
have been taken by the respective 
plenipotentiaries ; and that it does 
not in any manner prevent the sub- 
sequent concern on the details of 
the evacuation, conformably to the 
clauses of the treaty of Amiens. 
The undersigned is moreover 
directed to request the British mi- 
nistry to give general instructions to 
his majesty’s plenipotentiaries at 
Naples, and at Malta, that the eva- 
cuation, and the other conditions of 
the 10th article, may be executed 
without obstacle, and without these 
plenipotentiaries conceiving them- 
selves obliged to refer to their go- 
yernment, 
