1803. ] 
Corre/pondence between 
VI. It is alfo the natural confequence of all 
this, that the Firft Conful fhould fenda freth 
force into Italy, in order to occupy, in cafe 
of neceflity, the pofititn of Tarentum. 
VII. England arming, and arming with fo 
much publicity, will compel France to put 
her armies on the war eftablifhment, a ftep 
fo important as cannot fail to agitate all Eu- 
rope. 
The refult of all thefe movements will be, 
to irritate the two countries {till more. 
France will have been compelled to take all 
thefe precautions in confequence of the Eng- 
lifh armaments; and, neverthelefs, every 
means will be taken to excite the Englifh na- 
tion by the affertion, that France meditates 
an invafion. The whole Britith population 
will be obliged to put themfelves under arms 
for their defence, and their export trade will, 
even before the war, be in a ftate of ftagna- 
tion throughout the whole extent of the coun- 
tries occupied by the French arms. 
The experience of nations, and the courfe 
of events, prove, that the diftance between 
fuch a ftate of things and aétual hoftility, is 
unfertunately not remote. 
As tothe differences, of which mention is 
made in his Britannic Majefty’s Meflage, we 
know not of any that we have with Eng- 
land ; for it cannot be imagined that a ferious 
intention can have exifted in England of evad- 
ing the execution of the Treaty of Amiens 
under the protection of a military armament. 
Europe weli knows that itis poffible to at- 
tempt the difmemberment of France, but not 
to intimidate her. 
No. 43. 
My Lord, Paris, March 14, 1803. 
The mefienger Mafon went on Saturday 
with my difpatches of that date, and until 
yefterday, Sunday, I faw no one likely to 
give me any further information, fuch asf 
could depend upon, as to the effe& which his 
Majefty’s Meflage had produced on the Firtt 
Contul. At the Court which was held at the 
Thuilleries upon that day, he accofted me, 
evidently under very confderable agitation. 
He began by afking me if I had any news 
from England? 1 told him that-I had receiy- 
ed letters from your Lordfhip two days ago. 
He immediately: faid, ‘¢ And fo you are de- 
termined to go to war ?”?—<‘* No!” I replied, 
** we are too fenfible of the advantages of 
peace.”"=—** Nous avons,” faid he, ** déja 
fait la guerre pendant quinze ans.” Ashe 
feemed to wait for an anfwer, I obferved 
only, ** C’en eft déja trop.” —~** Mais,” faid 
he, ‘* vous voulez la faire encore quinze an- 
neées, et vous m’y forgez.”? 1 told him that 
was very far from his Majefty’s intention. 
He then proceeded to Count Marcow and the 
Chevalier Azara, who were ftanding together 
at a little diftance from me, and faid to them, 
** Les Anglois veulent la guerre, mais s*ils 
font les premiers atirer l’epée, je ferai le 
dernier & laremettre. Ls ne reipe€tant pas 
Jes traités. i faut dorénavant les couverir de 
MonTHLY Maga. No. Itoi. 
Great Bratain and France. 469 
crepe noir.” He then went his round. Ina 
few minutes he came back to me, and refum~ 
ed the converfation, if fuch it can be called, 
by fomething perfonally civil to me. He 
began again: ** Pourquoi des armeémens ? 
contre qui des mefures de precaution? Je 
n’ai pas un feul vaiffeu de ligne dans les ports 
de France: mais fi vous voulez armer, 
J'armerai aufli; fi vous voulez vous battre, 
je me battrai aufli. Vous pourrez peut-étre 
tuer la France, mais jamais lintimider,”— 
“© On ne voudroit,” faid I, 6¢ni Pun ni 
Pautre. On voudroit vivre en bon intelli- 
gence avec elle.”—** I] faut donc refpecter 
les traités,”’ replied he 3; ‘* malheur a ceux 
qui ne refpeétent pas les traités 5 ils en feront 
refponfable a toute |’Europe.’” He was too 
much agitated to make it advifeable for me 
to prolong the converfation ; 1 theiefore made 
no anfwer, and he retired to his apartment, 
repeating the laft phrafe. 
It is to be remarked, that all this pafied 
loud enough to be overheard by two hundred 
people who were prefent ; and I am perfuad- 
ed that there was not a fingle perfon who did 
not feel the extreme impropriety of his con- 
duét, and the total want of dignity, as weil 
as of decency on the occafion. 
' WHITWORTH. 
Right Honourable Lord Hawfkefbury. 
NOTE. 
No. 45. 
The underfigned, his Majefty’s Principal 
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, has 
laid before the King the note of his Excel- 
lency the French ambafiador of the roth 
inftant. 
In obeying the commands of his Majefty, 
by returning an official anifwer to this note, 
the underfigned feels it neceflary for him to 
do little more than repeat the explanations 
which have been already given on more than 
one occafion by himfelf verbally to General 
Andreoffi, and by Lord Whitworth to M. 
Talleyrand, on the fubject of the note, and 
of the points which appear to be connected 
with it. Hecan have no difficulty in afluring 
the French ambaffador, that his Majefty has 
entertained a meft fincere defire that the 
Treaty of Amiens might be executed ina full 
and complete manner; but it has not been 
pofible for him to confider this Treaty as 
having been founded on principles different 
from thofe which have been invariably ape 
plied to every. other antecedent treaty or con- 
vention, namely, that they were negociated 
with reference to the actual fla’e of poffeffion 
of the different parties, and to the treadies or 
public engagements by which they were bound 
at the time of its conclufion; .and that if 
that ftate of poffeffion ani of engagements 
was fo materially altered by the aét of either 
of the parties as to affect the mature of the 
compact itfelf, the other party has a right, 
according to the law of nations, to interfere 
for the purpofe of obtaining fatisfaction or 
compeniation for any eflential difference 
35 which 
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