7890 
sieur Talleyrand called on me ac- 
cording to the appointment which I 
announced to your lordship in my 
last dispatch. I immediately per- 
ceived, that his plan was to exhibit 
extreme civility, which no one knows 
better how to execute. 
' After some time spent in compli- 
ments, and in condolence on the 
great loss the world had sustained, 
he told me, that as I insisted on an 
answer in writing, one was prepared, 
which contained a declaration con- 
sonant to what he supposed me to 
wish on the two most material 
points. First, that the emperor 
was willing to admit of an article 
being introduced to answer the ob- 
jects I had in view in relation to 
Russia, and to instruct his plenipo- 
tentiaries to hear me with respect to 
the interests of that power. Se- 
condly, that France would be ready , 
to make great concessions for the 
purpose of obtaining peace. 
After some conversation, all 
‘tending to impress me with the idea 
that peace was their main object, 
and that they were even ready to 
make any sacrifice to secure it, he 
produced the paper to which he had 
alluded (marked A.) ; and which I 
had at first understood he meant to 
transmit tome when he should go 
home. 
Before he opened it, he looked at 
me, andsaid, that there was a mix- 
ture in it of what, perhaps, I should 
not like, but that 1 must take the 
evil with thegood. He begged that 
I would allow him to read itthrough 
without interrupting him. When 
he had finished, I said that T should 
of course send such an answer as I 
thought becoming and proper. I 
told him, and, [ trust, with perfect 
temper and seeming indifference, 
that the most important thing for 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1806. 
me to know was, whether these 
concessions would be to the extent 
of allowing us to retain what they 
had originally proposed? He an- 
swered that the emperor would 
leave every thing open to the pleni- 
potentiaries. 
On his going away I felt myself 
So extremely fatigued, in conse- 
quence of ‘ihe weak state in which 
my late illness has left me, that I 
was obliged to lie down and recruit 
my strength before I could turn my 
mind to the formation of what Icon- 
ceived to be a proper answer to his 
note. I trust your lordship will 
approve of the answer I have sent, 
acopy of which I have the honour 
of inclosing, (marked B.). My ob- 
jectin framing it, was to facilitate 
as much as possible the immediate 
progress of the negotiation, and, at 
the same time, to Jet the government 
of France féel that I was alive to 
what, in point of dignity, belonged 
to the plenipotentiary of his Bri« 
tannic majesty. 
I have, &c. 
(Signed) Lauderdale. 
First Inclosure (A.) ; 
Copy of a Note delivered by M. 
Tulleyrand to the Earl of Lauder- 
dale, dated September 18, 1806. 
( Translation.) 
Paris, September 18, 1806. 
The undersigned, the minister for 
foreign affairs, has laid before his 
majesty the emperor, king of Italy, 
the note which his excellency the 
earl of Lauderdale, minister pleni- 
potentiary from his Britannic ma- 
jesty, did him the honour to address 
to him on the 13th of this month. 
His majesty the emperor and king 
sees with regret that the negotiation 
seems to take every day a retrograde | 
course, and heis at a loss to discover 
what 
