STATE PAPERS. 
undersigned must declare that he 
cannot consent to treat upon any 
other principle than that of the 
uti possidetis, as originally proposed 
to his sovereign by the court of 
France ; at the same time he is desir- 
ous it ce ould be well understood, that 
the adoption of this principle will 
‘not prevent him cither from listen- 
ing to any just and adequate in-! 
-demnification to his Sicilian majesty 
} for the cession of Sicily, or from 
accepting any proposition for the 
exchange of terfitory between the 
two contracting parties, upon just 
and egual principles, such as may 
tend to the reciprocal advantage of 
the two countries. 
- The undersigned is well aware 
that since the uti possidetis was 
_ proposed by the court of France, 
peace has been concluded between 
Dance and the emperor of Russia, 
and that, in consequence, the rela- 
' tive situation of the two countries 
is no longer the same; but, on the 
other hand, he must also observe, 
_that since that time France has ac- 
* quired fresh advantages in conse- 
“quence of the extensive changes 
which she has made in the constitu. 
tion of the German empire; an 
arrangement, the preventing of 
_which was represented by France to 
the court of Great Britain as a pow- 
erful motive for the immediate con- 
‘clusion of peace on the basis of wté 
 possidetis. \f then this principle 
‘formerly appeared just to France, it 
cannot fail at present, according to 
her own views of the subject, to be 
_ more favourable to her interest than 
_ The undersigned thinks it, at the 
same time, necessary to observe, 
hat although France may have other 
_Mnportant views upon the continent 
of Hurope, his majesty the king of 
M 
75k 
Great Britain and Ireland may very 
fairly form views in other parts of 
the world of infinite importance to 
the commerce and to the power of 
his empire, and consequently that 
he cannot, conformably with either 
the interests of his people or the 
honour of his crown, negotiate upon 
any principle of inferiority either 
avowed or supposed, He can treat 
upon no other footing than the sup- 
position, that the continuation of 
hostilities is equally disadvantageous 
to both parties. There can be no 
reason to suppose that the conquests 
which his majesty proposes to re. 
tain by the peace can be wrested 
from him by war; and the under. 
signed is persuaded that the best 
proofof the equity of the conditions, 
upon which he proposes to treat, is 
to be found in the fact, that they | 
were proposed by France herself 
at the first opening of the eommu- 
nications between the two govern. 
ments, which have led to the mission 
with which his sovereign has been 
pleased to entrust to him conjointly 
with the earl of Yarmouth. 
(Signed) Lauderdale. 
Second [nclosure (B) is a copy of a 
note from General Clarke to the 
Earls of Lauderdale and Yar- 
mouth, dated August 8,1806, un- 
important. 
Thitd Inclosure (C) is a Copy of a 
note from M. Talleyrand to the 
Earls of Lauderdale and Yar. 
mouth, dated August 8, 1806, 
stating the appointment of M, de 
Champagny. 
Fourth Inclosure (D.) , 
Copy of a Note from General Clarke 
to the Earls of Lauderdale and 
Yarmouth, dated August, 8, 1806. 
(Trans- 
