686 
founded ; and the right which natu- 
rally arose from that principle, of 
interference on our part for the pur- 
pose of obtaining satisfaction or 
compensation, for any essential dif- 
ferences which may have arisen in 
the relative situation of the two 
countries. I imstanced the cases, 
beginning with Italy and concluding 
with Switzerland, in which the ter- 
ritory or influence of France had 
been extended subsequent to the 
treaty of Amiens. 
I represented to him, that this 
principle of compensation had been 
fully and formally admitted by the 
French government, in the course 
of the negociation at Amiens. I 
then told him, that notwithstanding 
the indisputable right which his ma- 
jesty might have derived of claiming 
some counterpoise for such acquisi- 
tions, instructions would have been 
given me; by which I should have 
been empowered to declare his ma- 
jesty’s readiness to carry into effect 
the full intent of the 10th article of 
the treaty, .if the attention of his 
majesty’s government had not been 
roused by the official publication of 
colonel Sebastiani’s report to the 
first consul. It was useless to re- 
capitulate the particulars of this very 
extraordinary report; but I appeal- 
ed to him whether it was not of a 
nature, exclusive of the personal 
allusions it contained, to excite the 
utmost jealousy in the minds of his 
majesty’s ministers, and to demand 
on their part every measure of pre- 
caution. L concluded with the dis- 
tinct declaration, that it was impos- 
sible for his majesty to enter into 
any further discussion relative to 
Malta, unless he receives satisfac- 
tory explanations on the subject of 
the first consul’s views. 
M. de Talleyrand, in his reply, 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1803. 
did not attempt to dispute the drift 
of my argument. He admitted, 
with an aifected tone of candour, 
that the jealousy we felt on the 
score of Egypt, with a view to our 
possessions in India, was natural. 
But he could not admit that any 
thing had appeared, in the conduct 
of the French government, in justi- 
fication of the alarm we expressed. 
After repeating what he had said ‘to 
mein a former conversation, on the 
subject of Sebastiani’s mission, 
which he asserted to be strictly com- 
mercial, he expatiated, at great 
length, on the sincere desire of the 
first consul to maintain inviolable 
the peace which had been so lately 
concluded ; adding, that the situa- 
tion of the French finances was 
such, that were not this desire of 
peace in the first consul an effect of 
system, it would be most imperi- 
ously diétated to him, by the total 
impossibility in which this country 
found itself of carrying on that ex- 
tensive state of warfare, which even 
a partial rupture would naturally 
lead to. He expressed great sur- 
prise, therefore, that any suspicion 
should attach, when the means of 
disturbing the public tranquillity 
were, as must be well kiiown in 
England, so completely wanting ; 
and desired to know what was the 
nature and degree of satisfaction 
which his majesty would require. 
On this I told him, that I could not 
pretend to say by what means those 
apprehensions, which the conduét 
of this government had raised in 
England, were to be allayed; but 
I could assure him, that, in the dis- 
cussion of them, we should be ani- 
mated solely by a sincere desire to 
be convinced of the truth of his as- 
sertions, since on that depended the 
peace aml happiness of Europe. 1 
took 
