¥496.] State Papers relative to the late Negociation with France.. 933 
Jnflru€tions, to enable M. DeLacrosx (if he 
reports faithfuliy) to ftate to the DireCtory what 
I faid, in fuch a manner as to put it out of 
their power to mifconceive what were His M4- 
JEST Y¥’s intentions; to remove all poflibility of 
cavil on this cafe, and to bring them to a clear 
and diftinét anfwer, whether they would agree 
to open a Negociation on the principle of the 
Status ante Bellum, or on one differing from it 
only in form, not in fubftance. I hope, in at- 
tempting to do this, I did not, in the firft in- 
ftance, commit myfelf, or difcover more of my 
[nftruCtions, than it became the to do, and that, 
in the converfation with M. Deracrotx, no- 
thing eftaped me which might, at fome fubfe- 
quent period, hurt the progrefs of the Negocia- 
tion. I have, | believe, given this conference 
neatly verbatim to your Lordfhip; and I was 
‘particularly anxious to do this correétly and mi- 
nutely, as wellthat you may judge on the pro- 
prety of what I faid myfelf, as that what M. 
DeLracrorx faid to me may be accurately 
known, and remain on record. 
It muft, however, be remembered (as I ob- 
ferved in the beginning of this Dilpatch) that 
he {poke from himfelf, as Minifter indeed, but 
not under the immediate inftruCtions of the Di- 
retory ; and this confideration will take a little 
away fromthe fingularity of fome of the pofi- 
tions:he advanced. ~ 
I confefs, my Lord, from the civility of his 
manners, and from his apparent readineis to dif- 
cufs the fubjedt, the impreffion which remained 
on my mind on leaying him was, that the Ne- 
gociation would go on, but be liable to fo ey 
difficulties, and fome of them fo nearly infur 
mountable, that knowing, as I do, the opinion 
of the Directory, I faw little profpeé of its 
terminating fuccefsfully. But I did not expect 
the condu& of the Diie&tory would immediately 
be fuch as to evince a manifeft inclination, and 
even determination, tq break off on the frft 
propofals; and I was nota little furprifed at re- 
ceiving on Sunday, at three, P.M. the inclofed 
Letter (A) from M. Deracrorx :—he fent it 
by the Principal Secretary of his Department 
(M. GuiraupeET) who communicated to me 
the original of the Arréte of the DireCtory, 
of which this letter, abating the alteration in 
the form, is a literal Copy. After perufing it, I 
aiked M. GuirauDeT, whether he was in- 
ee of jts contents, and this led to a fhort 
converfation on them. I told him that both the 
demands were fo unexpected, that I could not 
reply to them off hand; that as to the firft, it 
was quite unufual to fign Memorials which were 
annexed to a Note aétually figned, and that [ 
ferrcely felt myfelf authorifed to depart from 
what was, I believed, an invariable rule. That 
as te the fecond Demand, made in fo peremptory 
and umprecedented a way, si could, without much 
hefitation, fay at once, that it Bait not be com- 
plied with. Monf. Gu:raupzT lamented this 
much, and faid, that this being the cafe, he fear- 
ed our principles of Negocjation would never 
coincide.» [ agreed with him in my expreffions 
of concern. We converfed together afterwards 
for fome time,-but nothing paffed at all worthy 
remark. I told him I fhould fend my anfwer 
the next day. Onrefleéting more attentively on 
the requeft that I would fign the two Memarials 
which I had given in, it ftrack me that the 
complying with it_pledged me to nothing, that it 
was merely gratifying them on a pointinfifted on 
peevifhly, and that the doing it-would put them 
{till more in the wrong. 
As to the ftrange demand of an Ultimatum, it 
was perfectly clear what it became me to fay, 
and J hope, that in the inclofed Anfwer, B. 
(which I fent yefterday morning at twelve 
o’clozk) to M. Detacrotx, J hall be found to 
have adhered as clofely as pofible to the {piric 
of my Inftruétions. 
Yeftérday evening, at half paft nine, M. Gur- 
RAuDET brought me the Note C, to which I 
immediately replied by the Note D. They re- 
quire no comment; and as I intend leaviny Pa- 
ris to-morrow, and travelling with all convenient 
fpeed, I fhall fo foon have it in my power to fay 
the little which remains to fay, eae to thi 
fudden, though perhaps not unlooked-for, clofe 
to my miffion, that I need not tretpats any fare 
ther on your Lordihip’s s patience. 
I have tne Honour to be. &c. 
MALMESBURY.- 
P. S. I thought it would be proper for His 
Majetty’s Minifter at Vienna to receive the ear- 
lieft intelligence of the Negociation being broken 
off ; i therefore-have difpatched a Meflenger to 
Vienna, with a Copy of the feveral Papers which 
have pafied between. me and Monficur Danas 
CROIX fince our conference} 3 and alfo a fucciné: 
account of what paffed.on its... ‘The Metlenges 
left this place to-day at Three, P. M, - 
Right Hon. Lord Grenville, Ge. Ge, 
( No. 33. ) 
Parit, 28th Frimaire (Dec. 18) sth ygar, 
SIR, 
‘The Executive Dire€tory hgs hed the read- 
ing of the Official Note, figned by you, and of 
two Confidential Memorials, without Signatures, 
which were annexed to it, and which you gavg_ 
in tome yefterday. J am charged exprefsly by - 
the Directory to declare tq you, th.t it cannot 
liften to any Confidential Note without a. Se 
ture, and to require of you to give in to me, of- 
ficially, within four and twenty hours, your L~ 
timatum, figned by you. 
Accept, Sir, the affurance of my high conf- 
deration, Cu. DELacRolg. 
CNomaze\s {AY 
Copy. (B.) Paris, 19th Dec. 1796. 
Lord MALMEsSBURY, in anfwer to the Letter 
which the Minifter for Foreign Affairs had the 
goodnefs to tran{mit to him aes the hands 
of the Secretary General of his Department, 
muft remark, that in figning the Ojficial Note, 
which he gave in to that Minifter, by order of 
ie Court, he thought he had complied. with 
all the ufual formalities, and had given the ne- 
ceflaty authenticity to the two Confidential Me- 
morials which were annexed to it. Neverthelefs, 
to remove all difficulties, as far as lies in hig 
power, he willingly age the forms which are 
pointed 
