STATE 
what the undersigned yesterday 
declared verbally, therefore, he 
~has the honour now to repeat it 
-in writing. He then declared, that 
all that he could do, out of respect 
to the Powers whose Plenipoten- 
tiaries were assembled yesterday 
evening, was, that he must leave 
to his own Court the decision in 
relation to the communicated 
‘treaty, and till then, cannot sub- 
scribe it. 
1. Because his instructions for- 
bid him to subscribe any agree- 
ment contrary to the immediate 
and complete restoration of the 
three Duchies of Parma, Piacenza, 
and Guastalla, as he had the ho- 
nour to make known to Prince 
Metternich in a note of the 3rd of 
April, which has remained un- 
answered, and which has not been 
imparted to Congress, contrary 
to the express wishes therein set 
forth. 
2. Because, while Spain has 
desired of Austria, in its own 
name, the restoration of Tuscany, 
and subsidiarily of Parma, and 
while besides his Catholic Ma- 
jesty takes an immediate interest 
in the fate of his Majesty the 
King of France, even had the un- 
dersigned not been summoned, 
like the Plenipotentiaries of other 
powers who signed the treaty of 
Paris, and admitted to the Con- 
gress. of Vienna, in no way could 
the Plenipotentiaries of Austria, 
Britain, &c. legitimately decide 
respecting the fate of Tuscany 
and Parma, without this concert. 
And certainly it will be impossible 
to persuade any man that that can 
‘be called entering into negotiation 
between two powers, when the 
‘Plenipotentiary of the one is 
PAPERS. 389 
merely invited to adopt that which 
the mediating powers have irre- 
vocably fixed with the other, and 
which is then made the formal 
article of a treaty. 
3. Because, among the great 
number of articles of which the 
treaty consists, there is only a 
small number, respecting which 
information was given in the con- 
ferences to the Plenipotentiaries 
of the eight powers who signed 
the peace of Paris, and as all these 
Plenipotentiaries are reciprocally 
equal, and the Powers whom they 
represent equally independent, it 
cannot be admitted that a part of 
them have the right of deciding 
and concluding, and the rest of 
them only that of subscribing, or 
refusing subscription, without an 
cpen contempt of the most essen- 
tial forms, without the most ma- 
nifest subversion of all principles, 
and without the introduction of a 
rew law of nations, to which the 
Powers of Europe cannot submit 
without ipso facto renouncing their 
independence, and which, how- 
ever general it may become, shall 
never be so-on the other side of 
the Pyrennees. 
The undersigned requests his 
Highness Prince Metternich, in 
his capacity of President of the 
Congress, to lay this note before 
the other Plenipotentiaries, and 
to permit its insertion in the Pro- 
tocol of conferences. 
He embraces this opportunity 
of renewing to his Highness the 
assurance of his high considera- 
tion. 
(Signed ) 
P. M. Gomez LABRADOR: 
Fienna, June 5, 1815. 
