604 
nity exalted, or his title improved, 
in being surrounded by monu- 
ments of art, which record not 
less the sufferings of his own II- 
lustrious House, than of the other 
nations of Europe ? If the French 
people be desirous of treading 
back their steps, can they ration- 
ally desire to preserve this source 
of animosity between them and 
all other nations; and, if they 
are not, is it politic to flatter 
their vanity, and to keep alive the 
hopes which the contemplation of 
these trophies are calculated to 
excite? Can even the army rea- 
sonably desire it? The recollec- 
tion of their campaigns can never 
perish. They are recorded in the 
military annals of Europe. They 
are emblazoned on the public mo- 
numents of their own country; 
why is it necessary to associate 
their glory in the field with a 
system of plunder, by the adop- 
tion of which, in contravention 
of the Jaws of modern war, the 
Chief that led them to battle, in 
fact, tarnished the lustre of their 
arms ? 
If we are really to return to 
peace and to ancient maxims, it 
cannot be wise to preserve just 
so much of the causes of the past ; 
nor can the King desire, out of 
the wrecks of the revolution, of 
which his family has been one of 
the chief victims, to perpetuate 
in his house this odious monopoly 
of the arts. The splendid collec- 
tion which France possessed pre- 
vious to the revolution, aug- 
mented bythe Borghese collection, 
which has since been purchased 
(one of the finest in the world), 
will afford to the king ample 
means of ornamenting, in its fair 
proportion, the capital of his em 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1815. 
pire; and his Majesty may divest 
himself of this tainted source of 
distinction, without prejudice to 
the due cultivation of the arts in 
France. 
In applying a remedy to this 
offensive evil, it does not appear 
that any middle line can be 
adopted, which does not go to re- 
cognize a variety of spoliations, 
under the cover of treaties, if 
possible more flagrant in their 
character than the acts of undis- 
guised rapine, by which these re- 
mains were in general brought 
together. 
The principle of property re- 
gulated by the claims of the ter- 
ritories from whence these works 
were taken, is the surest and 
only guide to justice; and per- 
haps there is nothing which would 
more tend to settle the public 
mind of Europe at this day, than 
such an homage on the part of 
the King of France, to a prin- 
ciple of virtue, conciliation, and 
peace. 
(Signed) CasTLEREAGH. 
Answer of the Plenipotentiaries of 
France, to the Propositions of 
the 20th September. 
The undersigned Plenipoten- 
tiaries of his Most Christian. Ma- 
jesty forthwith laid before him 
the communications which were 
made to them in the conference 
of yesterday, by their Excellen- 
cies the Ministers Plenipotentiary 
of the four united Courts, re- 
specting the definitive arrange- 
ment, as bases of which their 
Excellencies have proposed : 
1. The cession by his Most 
Christian Majesty of a. territory 
