756: 
place since the negotiation was en- 
tered upon and nearly brought to a 
conclusion, in concert with his ex- 
cellency the earl of Yarmouth. 
The undersigned avails himself of 
this opportunity to assure their ex- 
cellencies the earls of Lauderdale 
and Yarmouth of his high considera- 
tion. 
(Signed) Clarke. 
Fifth Inclosure (E.) . 
Copy of « Note from the Earls of 
Lauderdale and Yarmouth, to Ge- 
neral Clarke, dated August 9, 
1806. 
(Translation. ) 
Paris, August 9, 1806. 
The undersigned plenipotentiaries 
of his Britannic majesty cannot 
allow themselves to enter into a de- 
tailed consideration of the official 
note, dated the Sth August, which 
has just been delivered to them on 
the part of his exceilency general 
Clarke. From the manner in which 
the different points, which form the 
subject of this note are treated, it 
would be impossible for them to dis- 
cuss them with that calmness and 
that regard to propriety, which the 
character with which their sovereign 
has invested them, demands. But the 
subject of this note is of a nature, so 
general and so foreign to the object 
under discussion, that it would be 
perfectly useless to take it into con- 
sideration at the present moment. 
The undersigned, the earl of Lau- 
derdale,. far from thinking that the 
manner of discussing in writing the 
fundamental points of a negotiation 
can in any shape encrease the diffi- 
culty of coming to an understanding, 
is on the cdntrary of opinion that he 
already perceives evident proofs ef 
its utility, imasmuch as the official 
uote presented by him since his ar- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
rival has brought the negotiation to 
an unequivocal issue, and has put an 
end to those misunderstandings, 
withovt doubt real, which kave 
taken place, and which never could 
have occurred if the same method 
had been adopted at the commence- 
ment of the negotiation. 
The undersigned, the earl of Yar- 
mouth, finds himself compelled to 
recur to the manner in which it has 
been stated to him, that he landed 
at Calais invested with a public cha- 
racter to treat for peace, He only 
came to give in person and viva voce 
the answer to a communication that” 
he had been requested to make to 
the English government, founded 
upon the basis of the wéz posszdetis, 
in conformity with the following 
words of his excellency M. Talley- 
rand ; *¢ We ask nothing from you ;” 
accompanied with positive assur- 
ances that the restitution of the pos- 
sessions of his majesty in Germany 
would meet with no opposition. 
The same sentiment also recurs in 
the letter from M. Talleyrand to 
Mr. Fox of the first of April in 
these terms: ‘* The emperor covets 
nothing that England possesses.” 
The earl of Yarmouth feels him- 
self under an equal necessity of not 
passing over in silence the remarks 
made by his excellency general 
Clarke, on the subject of the delays 
of the negotiation, and of the fre- 
quent communication by messen- 
gers. The answers of his Britannic 
majesty have ever been frank and 
prompt; and if the number of mes. 
sengers has been considerable, if 
can only be attributed to motives 
foreign to the wishes of his majesty. 
Vhe undersigned the earls of Lau- 
derdale and Yarmouth, can by.no 
means subscribe to the opinion held’ 
out by his excellency general Clarke 
in 
