——— 
‘issue the object of our labours, as 
expeditiously as possible. 
lam, &c, 
(Signed) C. J. Fox. 
Letter from M. Talleyrand to Mr. 
| Secretary Fox, dated Paris, April 
| 16, 1806.—Received April 19. 
. 
No. VIII. 
| 
(Translation.) 
Str, Paris, April 16, 1806. 
_.I have taken the pleasure of his 
majesty the emperor and, king, 
before whom I lost no time in lay- 
‘ing the dispatch which your excel- 
Jency did me the honour of writing 
to me, under date of the 8th 
instant. 
It appeared to his majesty, that, 
admitting as you do the principle of 
equality, you nevertheless still per- 
sist in requiring aform of negotia- 
tion which cannot accord with that 
principle. When in a discussion 
between two equal powers, one of 
them calls for the interference of a 
third, it is evident that she seeks to 
destroy that equilibrium so favour- 
_ able to a fair and free discussion of 
their interests. It is manifest that 
She is not willing to content herself 
with the advantages and the rights 
of equality. Iam ready to believe, 
sir, that in entering for the last 
time upon this discussion, I shall 
_ succeed in persuading your excel- 
4 lency, that, under no plea and on 
no accouut, should Russia be called 
_ upon to take part in the proposed 
France between England and 
7 
France. 
When the war broke out between 
4 the two countries, Russia was at 
_ peace with France. This war has 
_ produced no alteration in the rela- 
_ tions which existed between her and 
us. She first proposed her media- 
STATE PAPERS. 
713 
tion ; and afterwards, in conse- 
quence of circumstances foreign to 
the war which divides us, a coolness 
arose between the cabinets of St. 
Petersburgh and the Thuilleries ; 
the emperor Alexander thought 
proper to suspend his political rela- 
tions with France; but at the 
same time declared in the most 
positive manner, that it was his 
intention to take no part in the ex- 
isting disputes between us and Eng-~ 
land. 
We do not think that the con- 
duct which Russia has since held 
has in the smallest degree altered 
this determination. She has, it is 
true, concluded a treaty of allianee 
with you ; but it is easy to see from 
what has been made public of this 
treaty, from the object it had in 
view, and still mere from the conse- 
quences of it, that it had no connec- 
tion with the war which has been 
carrying on nearly two years be- 
tween us and England. 
This treaty was an agreement to 
take a partin a war of a different 
nature, more extensive and more 
general than the first. From this 
war the third coalition sprung, in 
which Austria was a principal and 
Russia an auxiliary power. It was 
only in intention that England par. 
ticipated in this war. We have 
never had to oppose her forces in 
conjunction with those of her allies. 
Russia acted only a secondary part 
in it. No declaration addressed to 
France informed us that she was at 
war with us; and it is only upon 
the field of battle where the third 
coalition was destroyed, that we 
have been officially informed that 
Russia was a party to it. 
When his Britannic majesty de- 
clared war against France, he had 
an endin view which he made known 
by 
