S(T AYP E;, BP & PrB, RS: 
teceived by me merely as a matter 
which I would refer to your lord- 
ship. If, however, I can bring the 
matter to an immediate conclusion, 
and without further reference to 
your lordship, on the principle of 
our retaining possession of the for- 
tresses of Malta for a term of years, 
not less than that pointed out by 
your lordship, and with the assur- 
ance that this government will not 
oppose the cession of the island of 
Lampedosa, I shall have great plea- 
Sure in announcing to your lordship 
such a conclusion. : 
I do not enter into detail of the 
conversation which I had the same 
morning with M. de ‘Talleyrand, 
immediately upon my leaving Jo- 
seph Bonaparte, as it differed in 
nowise from what I have above- 
mentioned. He suggested also the 
possibility of coming to an arrange- 
ment on the ground of a temporary 
occupation, and I made him the 
same answer. 
Such is the state of the discussion 
at this moment. I am in expeéta- 
tion of hearing very shortly either 
from Joseph or M. de Talleyrand ; 
and I am not without hopes that 
I may be able to announce to your 
lordship that such an arrangemeut 
is made, as may answer his ma- 
jesty’s expectations, in a very few 
days. Your lordship may be as- 
sured, that I feel the necessity of 
expedition. Were it less urgent, I 
might, perhaps, hope to bring the 
discussion to even a more fayour- 
able issue. 
7 
a 
1 have the honour to be, &c. 
(Signed) Whitworth. 
The Right Hon. Lord Hawkesbury, 
&ce. Sc. &e. 
Inclosure referred to in No. 58. 
His majesty will consent, for the 
V7. 
sake ef preserving peace, that the 
government of the island of Malta 
shall be given to the order of St. 
John; the Maltese enjoying those 
privileges which haye been granted 
on former occasions. ‘The fortifi- 
cations of the island shall be occu- 
pied, in perpetuity, by the troops of 
his majesty. 
No. 59. 
Dispatch from Lord Whitworth ‘to 
Lord Hawkesbury, dated Paris 
April.20,, 1803. 
My lord, 
I had hoped that the first extra- 
ordinary messenger I should have 
occasion to send, would have been 
to announce to your lordship, that 
the differences between the two go- 
vernments were adjusted on one of 
the modifications pointed out to me 
by my last instruétions from your 
lordship. In this expectation I am 
deceived. I saw Joseph Bonaparte 
the night before last, before 1 had 
sealed up my dispatches of. that 
evening to your lordship; but as 
all he said tended only to justify 
the hope I had given your lordship 
in those dispatches, I added nothing 
to them. He assured me, positively, 
that I should hear from M. de Tal- 
leyrand in the course of yesterday 
morning, and that a meeting would 
be appointed in order to settle the 
term of years for which the first 
consul might be induced to consent 
to the cession of Malta. It is true 
that he declared, that, in order to 
gain his consent, it would be ne- 
cessary to hold out the advantages 
which the British government was 
willing to offer in return, meaning 
the acknowledgments of the new 
governments in italy. I told him 
that this offer was made only with a 
view to the possession of Malta in 
perpetuify; 
