STAEFE PAPERS. 
erisis ; that I had hoped the French 
government, actuated by the same 
generous motives, would have aéted 
in the same manner; that it might, 
by pursuing a contrary line of con- 
duct, gain stilla few days; but I 
og ‘ 
tTaust declare, that, in a yery short 
time, I should have to communicate 
_to him those very terms from which 
his were so wide, but to draw 
nearer to which was, perhaps, the 
‘object of his negotiating, iu the form 
of an ultimatum, which would at 
_least have one good effeét, that of 
bringing the matter to an issue, and 
the certainty even of war was pre- 
ferable to the present state of inde- 
cision. 
To all [ could say, M. Talley- 
rand objected the dignity and honour 
of the first consul, which could not 
admit of his consenting to any thing 
which might carry with it the ap- 
pearance of yielding to a threat. I 
told him that it never could he ad- 
mitted that the first consul had a 
right to act in such a manner as to 
excite jealousy and create alaem in 
every state of Europe, and when 
asked for explanation or security, 
Say that it was contrary to his‘ho- 
nour or his dignity to afford either. 
Such arguments might, perhaps, do, 
when applied to some of those go- 
vernments with which France had 
been accustomed to treat, or more 
properly to diétate to, but never 
could be used to Great Britain ; 
that his majesty had a right to speak 
freely his opinion, and possessed 
also the means, whenever he chose 
to employ them, of opposing a bar- 
rier to the ambition of any indivi- 
dual, or of any state, which should 
be disposed to threaten the security 
of his dominions, or the tranquillity 
_ of Europe. 
Our conversation concluded by M. 
Vou. XLY. 
721 
de Talleyrand’s assuring me that he 
would report the substance of it to 
the first consul in the evening, and 
that, probably, he should have oc- 
casion to see me on the following 
day. 
I have the honour to be, &e. 
(Signed) Whitworth. 
The Right Hon, Lord Hawkesbury, 
Sc Sc. &c. 
No. 62. 
Dispatch from Lord Whitworth to 
Lord Hawkesbury, dated Paris, 
April 25, 1803. 
My lord, 
The conversation I had“on Sa- 
turday morning with M. Talleyrand 
has produced nothing from which I 
can draw a more favourable con- 
clusion, as to the result of the ne- 
gotiation, than when I last ad- 
dressed your lordship. He told me, 
that although he had seen the first 
consul the night before, he had no- 
thing to add to what he had com~ 
municated to me on Friday ; that 
the first consul was determined not 
to give his consent to our retaining 
Malta, either in perpetuity or for 
a term, although, of the two, he 
would prefer the former, as the less 
repignant to his feelings; that he 
was therefore ordered to repeat the 
proposal he had lately made me, 
of acceding to our demand of Lam- 
pedosa, or any of the neighbouring 
islands ; and that, as our object was 
to obtain a settlement in the Medi- 
terranean, he imagined that which we 
had ourselves pointed out would an- 
Swer every purpose we might have 
in view. But, at all events, the 
first consul neither could nor would 
relinguish his claim to the full exe- 
cution of the treaty of Amiens. To 
this I could only repeat what I fad 
already said to him on the inade- 
8A quacy 
