676 
vernment, on each of the successive 
operations which should take place. 
The undersigned embraces this 
opportunity to present to his ex- 
cellency lord Hawkesbury, the ho- 
mage of his respectful considera- 
tion. 
(Signed) Otto. 
His Excellency Lord Hawkesbury, 
&c. &c. &c. 
No. 15. 
Note from Lord Hawkesbury to M. 
Otto, dated August 23, 1802. 
The undersigned has the honour 
to acknowledge the receipt of Mr. 
Otto’s note of the 21st instant. 
When the Neapolitan government 
notifed to Mr. Drummond, the 
king’s minister at Naples, that the 
two thousand troops which his Si- 
cilian majesty had selected to serve 
in Malta, were ready to proceed to 
their destination, that gentleman 
declined taking any step to facilitate 
their embarkation, till he should re- 
ceive intelligence of the arrival of 
sir Alexander Ball in that island, and 
till he should be informed that the 
commander in chief of the British 
forces had made suitable prepara- 
tions for their reception. By the 
last advices from Malta it appears, 
that sir Alexander Ball had arrived 
there on the tenth of last month, 
and that, after having conferred with 
gencral Fox upon the subject, he 
had written to Mr. Drummond, that 
there was no impediment whatever 
to the immediate reception of the 
Neapolitan troops, and that their 
quarters would be prepared accord- 
ingly ; the undersigned has the honour 
to state this to M. Otto as the most 
satisfactory answer which he can 
give to his note, It is probable, 
therefore, that the troops of his Si- 
eilian majesty are already embarked 
and on their passage; but to pre- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1803. 
vent the possibility of any unneees~ 
sary delay or misconception, the most 
explicit instructions will be imme- 
diately forwarded to Mr. Drum- 
mond on this subject. 
With respect to the other points 
in M. Otto’s note, the undersigned 
can only repeat what he has before 
stated to him, that his majesty is 
most sincerely desirous to see all the 
stipulations of the 10th article of 
the definitive treaty carried into ef- 
fect with the utmost punctuality, 
and with the least possible delay. 
With this view he takes this oppor- 
tunity of observing to M. Otto, that, 
by the very last dispatches from the 
English ambassador at St. Peters- 
burg, the French minister at that 
court had not eyen then received 
any instructions from his govern- 
ment relative to the steps to be 
taken in concert with lord St. He- 
lens, for inviting the emperor to be- 
come guarantee of the’ provisions 
and stipulations of the article in 
question. The French minister. at 
Berlin was in the same predicament. 
The undersigned, therefore, requests 
that M. Otto would have the good. 
ness to represent these circumstances 
to his government, and to urge them, | 
if they have not already done it, 
to transmit, without delay, to their 
ministers at those courts, the ne- 
cessary instructions for bringing 
this part of: the business to a con- 
clusion. 
The undersigned requests M. Otto 
to accept the assurances of his high 
consideration. 
(Signed) Hawkesbury. 
Downing Street, August 23, 1802. 
No. 16. 
Extract of a Dispatch from Mr. 
Merryto Lord Hawkesbury, dated 
October 3, 1802. ; 
As soon as the Helvetic govern- 
ment 
