STATE PAPERS. 
tion: secondly, to the terms which, 
under the present circumstances of 
the two countries, it is proper to 
ask. 
To this distinction I conceived it 
to bethe more necessary for me to 
attend, because 1 thought it fegu- 
lar and proper to address what I had 
to say on the first point to the mi- 
nister of foreign affairs, whereas 
the plenipotentiaries of France, 
should the government authorize 
them to proceed, seemed the pro- 
per channel of communication on 
the second. 
In pursuance of this idea, I im- 
mediately wrote a note, a copy of 
_ which (marked A.) I inclose, ad- 
ss 
dressed to M. Talleyrand, which 
I sent by Mr. Goddard in the 
evening, as I was myself confined to 
bed. 
On Monday, about five o’clock, 
M. Talleyrand called, and though ! 
was very ill at the time, I resolved 
to admit him. He sat upwards of 
half an hour, The outline of his 
conversation consisted in his expres- 
sing a desire to have a full commu- 
nication with me, in his assuring me 
that if the difficulties, in respect of 
form, could be got over, he did not 
think the objections to the terms 
_ would be material, and that, where 
_ was impossible. 
peace was seriously in view, as it 
was with them, it figured as an ob- 
_ ject of such importance as to givea 
disposition to accommodate about 
conditions: In a word, that he had 
little doubt that he and I would ar- 
range the business. 
On my part, I stated, that I was 
afraid he proceeded on the suppo- 
sition that I might give way in some 
of the points in question, which I 
thought it fair to assure him at once 
I stated to him ge- 
nerally the demands I was to make 
777 
on the part of England, which would 
no way vary from the terms we had 
originally understood to have been 
proposed ; and that he must expect 
I would be as positive in relation to 
the conditions for Russia, with 
which he was acquainted, as I should 
be with respect to any point more 
peculiarly of British interest. I then 
thought it right to introduce the 
subject of my having no powers 
from Russia, observing that, ale 
though there might be some irregu- 
larity in this mode of proceeding, 
yet that, under all the circumstances 
of the present case, it seemed una- 
voidable, because the principle and 
feelings of his majesty would never 
permit him to think of treating, but 
in such a manner as might insure to 
the court of Petersburgh an ho- 
nourable peace, at the moment that 
peace should be concluded between 
England and France; and that un- 
less | could be allowed to state the 
objects of Russia, this could be 
hardly effected. 
He assured me that they would 
wave all objections with regard to 
form, and that they would be per- 
fectly ready to hear me on the sub- 
ject of a treaty of peace with Russia: 
his objection to my proposal being 
founded, not on the circumstance of 
my wanting powers from Russia, 
but on the very unusual proposal of 
concluding a treaty, which, when 
signed, was only to take place ina 
certain event. I mentioned to him 
that the same thing had been done 
at Paris in 1782, when Mr. Oswald 
concludéd a treaty of peace with Dr. 
Franklin and Mr. Adam. 
Daring the whole of this conver- 
sation, 1 had gone even out of my 
way to repeat to him the necessity 
of his laying his account with my 
adhering rigidly to the terms I had 
detailed ; 
