632 State Papers relative tothe late Negociation with France. 
Caufe of Freedom had extended itfelf over» 
Juch alarge number of People, He, however, 
was ready to confefs, that from the great loffes 
the Dutch Republic had fuftained in its Colo- 
nies, and particularly from the weak manner 
in which they had defended them, it could 
not be expected that Hrs Majrsty would 
eonfent to a full and complete reftitution of 
them, and that it was reafonable that fome 
Should be facrificed; and he afked me if 
could inform him how far our views extended 
on this point? I faid I had reafon to believe, 
“that what Hrs Majesty would require would 
‘be poffeffions and fettlements which would not 
add either to the power or wealth of our In- 
dian Dominions; but only tend to fecure to 
us their fafe and unmolefted poffeffion. You 
sean by this, faid M. DELAcRot1x, the Cape 
and Trincomale? I faid they certainly came 
wnder that defcription; and I faw little pro- 
_ {pect of their being rettored to the Dutch. M. 
DeELAcRorx launched forth on thisinto a moft 
Jabaured differtation on the value of the Cape 
of Good Hope, which he did not confider at 
ali as a fort de relachey but as a poffeffion 
which, in our hands, would become one of 
the moft fertile and moft productive Colonies 
in the Eaft; and, according to hig eftimation 
of it, he did not feruple to affert, that it 
would ultimately be an acquilition of infinitely 
greater importance to England thanthat of the 
Netherlands to France; and, if acquicfced in, 
fhould be reckoned as a full and ample com- 
penfation forthem. He added, § If you are 
amafters of the Cape and Trincomale, we fhall 
held-our fettiementsin India, -and the Ifands 
of France and Bourbon, entirely at the tenure 
ef your will and pleafure; they will be ours 
only as long as. you choofe we fhould retain 
them. Yau will befole mafters in India, and 
ea thall be entirely dependent upon you.’’ 
i repeated to him, that it was as means of de- 
fence, not of offence, that thefe Poifeffions 
would be infified on} and that, if the matter 
was fairly and difpafionately difcufied, he 
would find that they afforded us a great addi- 
tional fecurity, but no pe! pewer of 
attack, even if we were difpofed' to difturb 
the peace of that Hartt the world. If thefe, 
wand perhaps fome few other not very material 
Settlements belonging te the Dutch, were to 
be inifed upen, and if he would be pleafed 
to enumerate all we thould fill have te reftore 
to them, while they had nething to reftore to 
‘Pueland, it-was EN {thle uct to confider the 
zerms on which firs.Ma pest propofed Peace 
to Holland a: generous and hbcral. 
~ NT) Decacrorik was not at all difpofed to 
agree with me on this point; and {aids Hol- 
Yand, fitipt of thefc poivefions, would be-ru- 
jned. He then held out, but as if the idea 
had juf croffed his mind, the pofibility of 
unidemni fying the Dutch for their loffes in In- 
dia, by giving them a’Tract of Territory to- 
wards the Meufe (I could not find out whe- 
ther he nicant Aix-la+Chapellc, Liege, or the 
©ountries of Juliers ayid Berg), and hinted, 
#hat if this was not to be done, ap edditjonal 
[ Dee. 
Sugar Ifland might, perWaps, be ceded to the 
Dutch Republic. I t6ld him alt this might/ 
become a fubject of future difcuffion; and E- 
conceived, that if we could agree upon the 
more Eyer points, the Treaty would not 
break off on thefe fecondary confiderations. 
Our converfation had now been extremely 
long, and M. DeLacro1x ended by faying, 
that although he had taken upon himfelf to 
enter with me thus far upon the fubje@, yet I 
muft not confider any thing he faid as binding, 
or as pledging the Republic, till fuch time as 
he had laid the Papers I had given him be= 
fore the Directory; and, in *rder to do this- 
with more accuracy, he again aiked me, Whe- 
ther in his Report he was to ftate the dif-: 
uniting Belgium from France as a /ize qua non 
from which H1s MAJESTY would not depart ? 
Ireplicd, it moft certainly was 9 /ixe qua non 
from which His Majesty would not depart ; 
and that any propofal, which would leave the: 
Netherlands annexed to France, would be 
attended with much greater benefit to that 
Power, and lofs to the Allies, than the pre- 
fent relative fituation of the Belligerent Pow- 
ers could entitle the French Goyernment to 
expect. 
M. DeLacroix repeated his concern at the 
peremptory way in which I made this affertion, 
and afked, whether it would admit of no modi- 
fication >—lI replied, If France cauld, in a Cons 
tre-frojet, point out a practicable and adequate 
one, ftill keeping in view, that the Nether- . 
lands muft not be French, or likely again to fall 
into the hands of France, fuch a propofal might 
cerjainly be taken into confideration. 
M. DeLacro1x by no means encouraged me 
to explain mfclf more fully ; he repeatedly faid 
that this difficulty relative to the Netherlands 
was one which c*.ld not be overcome. 
Juft as I was taking leave of him, he begged 
me to explain what was meant by the woras in 
the Memoire (A) in’ the fourth paragraph, be- 
ginning de s*entendre mitueliement fur ves Moyens 
aaffiuver, and ending at leurs /s offeffions refpedlines, 
I told kim, it referred to the d-ttrudtive fyftem 
adopted by France in the Weft Indies, and went 
to exprefs a with, that the two Powers fhould 
agree on fome general and uniform fy{tem of in- 
ternal Police in the Settlements there, which 
would contribute .to the fecurity of thefe Pof- 
feMions to the refpective Countries, and at the 
fame time to the happinefs of every defcription 
of in} abitants in thei. 
M. DELacrorx, a little hurt at my expref- 
fion relative to the fy{tem adopted by France, ‘en- 
deavoured to recriminate upon us3 but-he ended 
by faying, that they fhould certainly be ne 
to concur in anv arrangement relative to the N 
groes, which did not militate againit the sein 
ciples of their Conftitution. Here our rata 
ended, and as, daring the whole couurfe of it, [ 
bore in my mind the pofbility, that although 
this our firit might be the only favourable op- 
portunity I fhould ever have. of {peaking on the 
general principles on which His Majesty 
was difpofed to treat, I endeavoured, by ad- 
ye Ting RIOUE OF lefs to almoft every point in my’ 
Inttructiony, 
