1803.] 
Such was nearly, as TI can recolleé&, the 
purport of this conference. 
It mutt however be lifer ves that he did 
not, as M. Talleyrafid had done, affe& to at- 
tribute Colonel Sebaftiani’s mifiion to commer- 
cial mctives only, but as one rendered neceflary, 
in a military point of view, by the infraction 
by us of the Treaty of Amiens.’ 
WHITWORTH. 
P.S. This cenverfation took place on 
Friday laft, and this morning I faw M.'de 
Talleyrand. He had been with the Firft 
Conful after I left him, and he affured» me 
that he had been very well fatisfied with the 
ranknefs with which J had made my obfer- 
vations on what fell from him. I told him, 
that without entering into any farther detail, 
what I haa faid tothe Firft Conful amounted 
to an affurance,. of what I trufted there 
could be no doubt, of the readinefs of his 
Majefty’s Minifters to, remove all fubjets of 
difculhon, where that could be done without 
violating the laws of the country 3 and to 
fulfil tri€tly the engagements which they 
had contraGted, in as much as that could be 
reconciled with the fafety of the State. As 
this applied to Malta and Egypt, he‘gave me 
to underftand, that a proje@ was in contem~ 
plation, by which the integrity of the Turk- 
ith empire would be fo effectually fecured as 
to de away every caufe of doubt or uneafi- 
‘nefs, either with regard to Egypt or any part 
of the Turkifh dominions. He- could’ not 
then, he faid, explain himfelf farther. Un- 
der thefe circumftances, no one can expect 
that we fhould relinquith that affurance 
which we have in hand, till fomething equal- 
ly fatisfa€tory is propofed and adopted, 
No. 39. 
Downing frect, February 18, 1803. 
My Lord, 
Your Excellency’s difpatch, of February 
21, has been received, and laid before — 
King. 
I have great fatisfaction in communicating 
to you his Majefty’s entire approbation of the 
able and judicious manner in which you ap- 
pear to have executed the inftru€tions which 
I gave you in my difpatch of the oth’inftant. 
The account you have given of your inter- 
view with the Firft Conful is in every shay 
important. 
» It is unneceflary for me to remark on the 
tone and temper in which the fentiments of 
the Firft Conful appear to have been expretied, 
or to offer any obfervations in addition to 
thofe fo properly made by your Excellency at 
the time, upon feveral of the topics which 
were brought forward by the Firft Conful in 
the courfe of your converfation; I fhall, 
therefore, content myfelf with referring 
your Excellency to my difpatch to Mr. Mer- 
ry, of Auguft 28, 1802, in which the fub- 
jects of the complaints of the French Go- 
vernment, refpeéting the freedom of the 
prefs, the emigrants, &c. are particularly 
difeuffed, J cannot however avoid noticing, 
Correfpondence between Great Britain and France. 465 
that nothing approaching to explanation or 
fatisfa€tion is ftated to have b-en thrown out 
by the Firft Conful, in anfwer to the juft re- 
prefentations and complaints of his Majetty, 
in confequence of the unwarrantable intinua- 
tions and charges contained in Colonel Sebaf- 
tiani’s Report again his Majefty’s Govern- 
ment, the Officer commanding his forces in 
Egypt, and his army in that quarter: but 
that, on the other hand, the language of the 
Firft Conful has tended to ftrengthen and 
confirm the fufpicions which that publication 
was peculiarly calculated to excite. 
I fhall now proceed to give you fome far- 
ther -inftru€tions on the language which it 
may be proper for you to hold refpeéting the 
charge which has been advanced againft his 
Majefty’s Government, of their unwilling- 
nefs to fulfil:the Treaty of Amiens. The 
Treaty of Amiens has been in a courfe of ex- 
ecution, on the part of his Majeftv, inevery 
article in which, according to the fpirit of 
that Treaty, it has been found capable of 
execution. There cannot be the leaft doubt, 
that Egypt is at this time completely evacus 
ated. The delay which had arifen in the 
evacuation of Alexandria was owing to acci= 
dental circumftances, the particulars of 
which were explained to you in my difpatch 
of the 30th November laft ; and I had every 
reafon to believe, from the communication ¥ 
had with General Andreofh on the fubje&, 
that'the French Government were perfe@ly — 
fatisfied with the explanation which he was 
authorized at the time to’ give them refpea~ 
ing it. 
With regard to that actiele of the Treaty 
which relates to Malta, the ftipulations con- 
tained in it (owing to circumftances which it 
was not in the power of his Majefty to con- 
trol) have not been found capable of execu- 
tion. The refufal of Ruffia to accede to the © 
arrangement, except on condition that the 
Maltefe /angue fhould be abolithed; the 
filence of the Court of Berlin, with refpe& 
to the invitation that has been made'to it, 
in confequence of the Treaty, to become a 
guaranteeing Power; the abolition of the 
Spanifh Priories, in defiance of the Treaty, 
to which the King of Spain was a party 5 
the declaration of the Portuguefe Govern- 
ment, of their intention to fequeftrate the 
property of the Portuguefe Priory, as form- 
ing a part of the Spanith /ancue, unlefs the 
property of the Spanifh Priorics is reftored to 
them 3 the non-eleétion of a Grand Matter : 
thefe circumftances would have been fuffici- 
ent, without any other fpecial grounds, to 
have warranted his Majefty in fulpending the 
evacuation of the ifland, until fome new ar- 
rangement could be adjufted for its fecurity 
and independence. But when it is conlidered 
how greatly the dominion, power, and in- 
fluence of France have of late been extended, 
his Majefty muf& feel, that he has an incon- 
teftable right, conformably to the principles 
on which the Treaty of Peace was negotiated 
and 
