244 
authorized to convey to Monfieur Baithelemi, 
the defire of his court to be made acquainted, 
through him, with the difpofitions of France 
in regard to "he fubjeé& of a general pacification. 
He therefore requefts M. Barthelemi to tranf- 
mit to him in writing (and after having made 
the neceffary enquiries) his anfwer to the fol- 
lowing queftions : 
1. Is there the difpofition in France to open 
@ negociation with his majefty and his allies for 
the re-eftablifhment of a general peace, upon 
juit and fuitable terms, by fending, for that pur- 
pofe, ~inifters to acongrefs, at fuch place as 
may hereafter be agreed upon ¢ 
2. Would there be the difpofition to commu- 
nicate to the underfigned th» general grounds of 
a pacification, fuch as France would be willing 
to propofe, in order that his majefty and his 
allies. might thereupon examine, in concert, 
whether they are fuch as might ferie as the 
foundation of a negociation for peace ? 
3. Or would there be a defire to propofe any 
other way whatever, for arriving at the fame 
end, that of a gencr] pacification ? 
The underfigned is authorized to receive from 
Monfieur Barthelemi the anfwer to thefe quei- 
tions, and to tranfmit them to his court: but 
he is not authorized to enter with him into any 
negociation or difcu‘fion upon thefe fubjects. 
(Signed) W. WIcKHAM. 
Berne, March 3, 1796. 

Note tranfmitied to Mr. Wickham, by M. Bar- 
thelemy, Mdarch 26, 1796. 
The underfigned, ambaflador of the French 
republic to the Helvetic Body, has tranfmitted 
to the executive directory the note which Mr. 
Wickham, his Britannic majefty’s minifter ple- 
nipotentiary to the Swifs Cantons, was pleafed 
to convey to him, dated the 8th of March. He 
has it in command to anfwer it by an expofition 
of the fentiments and difpofitions of the execu- 
tive directory. 
The directory ardently defires to procure for 
the French republic, a juft, honourable, and 
{olid peace. The ftep taken by Mr. Wickham 
would have afforded to the directory a real fatif- 
faGion, if the declaration itfelf, which, that 
minifter makes, of his not having any order, 
or any power to negociate, did not give room to 
doubt of the fincerity of the pacific intentions 
of his court. In fa&, if it was true, that Eng- 
Yand began to know her real interefts, that fhe 
wifhed to open again for herfelf the fources of 
abundance and profperity; if fhe fought for 
peace with good faith; would fhe propofe a 
congrefs, of which the neceffary refu't muft be, 
to render all negociation endlefs? Or would fhe 
confine herfelf to the afking in a vague manner, 
that the French government thould point out any 
other way whatever, for attaining the fame ob- 
jects, that of a general pacification ? : 
Is it that this ftep has had no other obje& 
than to obtain for the Britifh government the 
favourable impreffion which always accompanies 
the firft overtures for peace? May it not have 
Negociations for Peace. 
[April 
been accompanied with the hope that they 
would produce no effec 2 
However that may be, the executive direcs 
tory, whofe policy has no other guides than 
opennefs and good faith, will follow, in its ex- 
planations, a conduct which fhall be wholly 
‘conformable to them. Yielding to the ardent 
defire by which it is animated, to procure peace 
for the French republic, and for all nations, it 
will net fear to declare itfelf openly. - Charged 
by the conffitution with the execution of the 
laws, it cannot make, or liften to, any propofal 
that would be contrary tothem. The conftitu- 
tional a¢t does net permit it to confent to any 
alienation of that, which, according to the ex- 
ifting laws, conftitutes the territory of the re- 
pub ic *. 
_. With refpec to the countries eccupied by 
the French armies, and which have not been 
united to Frances they, as well as other interefts, 
Dolitical and commercial, may become tne fub- 
ject of a negociation, which will prefen: to the 
directory the means of proving how much it 
defires to attain {peedily to a happy pacifica- 
tion. - 
The direftory is ready to receive, in this ree 
{pect, any overtures that fhall be just, reafon- 
able, and compatible with the dignity of the 
republic. (Signed) BARTHELEMY. 
Befle, the 6th of Germinal, the 4th year of 
the French Republic (26th of March, 1796.) 
NOTE. 
The court of London has received from its 
minifter in Switzerland, the anfwer made to 
the queftions which he had been charged to ad- 
drefs to Monfieur Barthelemy, in refpeét to the © 
opening of a negociation for the re-eftablifhment’ 
of general tranquillity, 
This court has feen, with regret, how far the 
tone and fpirit of that anfwer, the nature and 
extent of the demands which it contains, and 
the manner of announcing them, are remote 
from any difpofition for peace, _ 
The inadmiffible pretenfion is there avowed, 

** The. countries which, by the exifting laws in — 
France, confiitute the French territory, are, 
rt. France, as it ftood-at the commencement. 
of the war. 
2. The French colonies in the Weit Indies, 
fill occupied by France. 
3. The iflands of France and Mauritius. 
4. Martinico and Tobago. 
5. The whole ifland. of St. Domingo. 
6. Pondicherry, Chandenagore, Mahé, Cari« 
cal, and the other French eftablifhments is 
India. 
7. Avignon, and the county Venaiffin. 
8. Principality of Montbeliard, and bifhopric 
of Porentru:. 
g. Savoy, Nice, and Monaco. 
ro. Auftrian Flanders and Brabant, and ee- 
nerally whatever belongs to the emperor on this 
fide tite Rhine. 
z1. Maeftricht, Venlo, and Dutch Flande 
iz. Tpe bifhopric of Liege, —eesEDITOR: 1 
. 
' 
