“782 
* discussion, immoderate pretensions, 
and ambiguous proposals, wide of 
that tone of frankness and ‘dignity 
necessary to conduce to areal re- 
conciliation, would only have the 
effect of producing more irritation, - 
and would be unworthy of both 
nations. France does not pretend 
to dictate either to Russia or to Eng- 
Jand, but she will be dictated to by 
neither of these powers. Let the 
conditions be equal, just, and mo- 
derate, and the peace is concluded ; 
but if an imperious and exaggerating 
disposition is evinced, if pre-emi- 
nence is affected, if, in a word, it 
ismeant to dictate peace, the em- 
peror and the French people will 
not even notice these proposals. 
Confiding in themselves, they will 
say,asa nation of antiquity answered 
its enemies, ** you demand our arms, 
come and take them.” 
The undersigned, minister for fo- 
reign affairs, has the honour to re. 
new to his excellency the earl of 
Lauderdale the assurance of his high 
consideration. 
(Signed) 
Ch. Mau. Talleyrand, 
Prince of Benevento. 
Second Inclosure (B.) 
Copy of a Note from the Earl of 
Lauderdale to M. Talleyrand, 
dated September 19, 1806. 
( Translation.) 
Paris, September 19, 1806. 
The undersigned plenipotentiary 
of his majesty the king of Great 
Britain, in answering ‘the official 
note of his excellency the minister 
for foreign affairs, dated the 18th 
instant, which has been received to 
day, begins by remarking, that he 
purposely abstains as much as pos. 
sible from all observation upon those 
points contained in it, which are 
foreign to the immediate object in 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806, 
question. By this means, he w 
avoid discussions of a natyre to le 
him to forget that tone of moder: 
tion which it is his duty to observ 
in the whole course of his mission. 
He will thus maintain the line of 
conduct which is conformable to 
that love of peace, which character- 
izes all the proceedings of the kin 
his master. 
When the undersigned refleéis, 
that he came to Paris, authorized to 
conclude peace upon terms under- 
stood to have been proposed by 
France; that notwithstanding the 
refusal of his imperial majesty of all 
the Russias to ratify the treaty 
signed by M. @’Oubril, and the 
splendid successes obtained by his 
majesty’s arms in Spanish America, 
he was authorized to give assurances 
(as he had the honour of doing to 
his excellency the minister for fo- 
reign allairs) that the demands of 
his court, in its own favour, would 
not in consequence of these suc- 
cesses, be materially increased ; the 
undersigned had reason to be sur- 
prised .at finding his government 
charged with manifesting an ‘* impe- 
rious and exaggerating disposition.” 
He is not less astonished, that his 
excellency, in replying to a note in 
which lord Lauderdale had the ho. 
nour of explaining distinctly to him, 
that the conditions pointed out by 
his excellency baron de Budberg, 
were in substance what would be 
insisted upon by Great Britain in 
favour of Russia, should have 
thought it necessary to reprobate so 
strongly conditions proposed by M. 
de Novosiltzoff under totally differ. 
ent circumstances, and of the nature 
of which, the undersigned is entirely 
ignorant. 
Nevertheless, after the explana 
tions given by the undersigned to his 
excellency the minister for foreign 
affairs, 
