STATE  PAP.E/RS. 
but as a national retaliation for 
what was published im the French 
papers—secondly, that what was 
officially published here, was by no 
means so in England—and, thirdly, 
that although the government pos- 
sessed a control over the press in 
France, the English government 
neither had, nor could have, unless 
they purchased it at the same price, 
any whatever in England. Upon 
this, he endeavoured to prove to 
me, that there were papers in Eng- 
land attached to different parties, 
and went over their names and sup- 
posed conneétion with great preci- 
sion; and that, consequently, his 
majesty’s ministers might so far con- 
trol those, at least, which depended 
upon them, as to prevent their in- 
serting that abuse which must be 
considered as having their+sanction. 
I endeavoured to explain to him 
what the influence was, which he 
supposed ministers to possess in 
England ; that it amounted to no- 
thing more than a preference which 
your lordship, for instance, might 
give to one paper rather than to 
another, by sending to it any arti- 
cles of news which it might be wish- 
ed to make public; but that your 
_ lordship’s influence went no far- 
ther ; and that, if the editor of such 
a paper conceived it more for his 
interest to continue to write after his 
own fancy, and uncontrolled, than to 
_ be the publisher of such occasional 
articles, in that case, all influence 
_ was at an end. I told him, that if 
he had remarked any abusive article 
_ im any paper of such a description, 
it was natural and fair to conclude, 
that it did not depend upon govern- 
ment:to prevent it. Tie persisted in 
_ his opinion, that his majesty’s mi- 
 nisters might keep certain papers in 
_ order, as L did, in assuring him, 
683 
that, until the first consul could so 
far master his feelings, as to be in- 
different to the scurrility of the 
English prints, as the English go- 
vernment was to that which daily 
appeared in the French, this state 
of irritation was irremediable. € 
told him, however, that 1 would re- 
port the substance of this commu- 
nication to your lordship, although 
I could assure him that your lord- 
ship could add nothing to the expla- 
nation which had been given, and in 
such detail, by Mr. Merry from your 
lordship. 
M. Talleyrand, with great so- 
lemnity, required of me to inform 
him, and this by the express order 
of the first consul, what were his 
majesty’s intentions with regard to 
the evacuation of Malta. He again, 
on this occasion, made great profes- 
sions of his sincere desire to sct 
aside every thing which could inter- 
rupt the good understanding be- 
tween the two governments ; adding, 
that it was absolutely necessary that 
the French government should know 
what it was meant to do, when that 
clause in the treaty of Amiens, 
which stipulates the cession of Mal- 
ta, should be fully accomplished. 
He said that another grand master 
would now be very soon elected ; 
that all the powers of Europe, in- 
vited so to do, with the exception 
of Russia, whose difficulties it was 
easy to remove, and without whom 
the guarantee would be equally 
complete, were ready to come for- 
ward ; and that, consequently, the 
term would very soon arrive, when 
Great Britain could have no pre- 
text for keeping longer possession. 
1 informed him that I would report 
his conversation to your lordship, 
and would have the honour of com. 
municating to him your lordship’s 
answer 
