724 
was of yesterday evening.. This 
morning a person came to me, whom 
I suspect of being employed. by the 
first consul, for the purpose of 
ascertaining my sentiments, and told 
me that 1 should, in the course 
of the day, receive a letter from 
M. de Talleyrand, drawn up under 
the inspection of the first consul, 
which, alihough not exattly what L 
might wish, was, however, so mo- 
derate as to aflurd me a well-grownd- 
ed hope, and might certainly be suf- 
ficient to induce me to delay, for a 
short time, my departure. I told 
him that it would be a matter of 
great satisfaction to me to perceive 
a probability of bringing the nego- 
tiation to a favourable issue; and 
that I should be extremely sorry to 
spoil the business by any useless 
precipitation. But it must be re- 
collected, that [ acted in conformity 
to instructions ; that those instruc- 
tions were positive ; that by them I 
avas enjoined to leave Paris on Tucs- 
day next, unless, in the intermediate 
time, certain conditions were agreed 
to. Having received no letter ia 
- the course of the day, about four 
@clock I went to M. de Talley- 
rand; I told him that my anxiety 
éo Jearn whether he had any thing 
favourable to tell me, brought me 
to him, and in case-he had not, to 
recal to his recollection that Tues. 
day was the day on which | must 
leave Paris, and to request that he 
would have the necessary passports 
prepared for me and my family. He 
appeared evidently embarrassed, and 
alter some hesitation observed, that 
he could not suppose I should really 
go away; but that, at all events, the 
first consul never would recal his 
‘ambassador. To this I replied, his 
majesty recalled me in order to put 
an end to the negotiation, on the 
ANNUAL*REGISTER, 
1803. 
principle that even aétual war was 
preferable to the state of suspense 
in which, England, and. indeed ‘all 
furope, had been kept for so long 
a space of time. 
From the tenor of his conyersa- 
tion, I should rather be led to think 
that he does not consider the case 
as desperate. Upon my leaving 
him he repeatedly said, J’ai encore 
de 2 Espoir. 
Saturday Evening. 
P.S. This day has passed without 
any occurrence whatever. The letter 
in question has not yet arrived. 
No. 65. 
axtrack of a Dispatch from Lord 
Whitworth to Lord Hackesbuy, 
dated May 2, 1803. 
Another day has passed over with- 
out producing any change. I deter- 
minted to go myself to M. de Talley- 
rand, and to deliver, instead of send- 
ing,-the inclosed letter. I told him 
that it was-with great reluétance that 
I came to make this last application 
to him. That I had long since im- 
formed him of the extent of the term 
which had been assigned for my stay 
at Paris, and that as I had received, 
to this moment, no answer whatever 
to the proposal 1 had repeatedly 
made, I could no longer delay re- 
quiring him to furnish me with the 
necessary passports for the return of 
myself, my family, and the re- 
mainder of my mission, to England. 
Upon this 1 gave him the letter, a 
copy of which I inclose, and, on 
reading it, he appeared somewhat 
startled. He lamented that so much 
time had been lost; but said that 
enough remained, if I was autho- 
rised to negotiate upon other terms. 
I could of course but repeat to him, 
that I had no other terms te pro- 
Poa and that, therefore, unless _ 
the 
