1803. 
No. 56. 
Downing fireet, April 13, 1803. 
My Lord, . ; 
His Majefty has obferved, with great fatisfac- 
tion, the admiffion by the French Government: 
of the juftice of his claim to fome compenfation 
in confequence of the increafed power and in- 
‘fluence of France, fince the period of the con- 
clufion of the Definitive Treaty. 
Although, under the circumftances of your 
converfation with M, Talleyrand, and particu- 
Tarly after the ote verbale which he gave to 
jou; it might have been expedient that you fhould 
dive deferred prefenting the project contained 
in my difpatch, No. 7, in the form of a project, 
itis defirable that you fhould communicate with- 
out delay in fome mode or other, the couatents 
of that project, for the purpofe of afcertaining 
diftincétly whether the conditions are fuch as to 
induce the French Governmentto give way upon 
the queftion of Malta- Thefe conditions appear 
to his Majefty fo well alculated to fave the ho- 
nour of the French Government on the fubject 
of Malta—if the queftion of Malta is principally 
confidered by them as a queftion of honour—and 
at the fame time hold out to them fuch impor- 
tant advantages, that the fuccefs of the propofition 
is at leait worth trying, particularly asthe refult 
of it might be productive of the moit eafy means 
of adjufting the moft material of our prefent 
differences. 
With refpeét to the affertion fo often advanced 
and repeated by M. Talleyrand in your laft con- 
verfations, of the non execution of the Treaty 
of Amiens relative to Malta, I have only io 
obferve again, that the execution of that article 
is become impracticable from caufes which it 
has not been in the power ef his Majefty to con- 
trol. That the greateft partof the funds affigned 
to the fupport of the Order, and indifpentably 
neceffary for the independence of the Order and 
defence of the ifland, have been fequeftrated 
 fince the conclufion of the Definitive Treaty, 
in dire&t repugnaace to the fpirit and letter of 
that Treaty; and that two of the principal 
powers who were invited to accede as guarantees 
_ to the arrangement, have refufed their acceffion, 
except on the conditions that the part of the 
arrangement which was deemed fo material 
relative to the Maltefe inhabitants fhould be 
entirely cancelled. The conduét of-the French 
Government fince the conclufion of the Defini. 
tive Treaty, gives his Majefty a right, which 1s 
now at length admitted by themfelves to de= 
mand fome compenfation tor the paft, and fe~ 
curity for the future. Such compenfation could 
never be confidered as obtained by the poffeffion 
of an ifland, which would entail a very heavy 
expence on this country ;—and the degree of 
fecurity which would be provided by thefe 
means, would only be fuch as his Majefty, under 
the prefent circumftances, is entitled to demand. 
I obferve in the cre verbale of Monfieur 
Talleyrand, he makes ufe of the expreffion, the 
independence of the Order of Malta. If this is 
meant to apply to the Order exclufively, his 
Majefty would be willing, for the prefervation 
of peace, that the civil government of the ifland 
fhould be given to the Order of St. John; the 
Maitefe enjoying the privileges which were fti- 
)pulated in their favour in the Treaty of Amiens ; 
Montury Mag, No. for. 
Correfpondence between Great Britain and France. 
477 
and that, conformably to principles which have 
been adopted on other occafions, the fortifications 
of the ifland fhould be garrifoned for ever by 
the troops of his Majetty 
In the event of either of thefe propofitions 
being found unattainable, his Majefty might be 
difpofed to confent to an arrangement by which 
the ifland of Malta would remain in his poffeffiom 
for a limited number of years, and to wave in 
confequence his demand for a perpetual occupa~ 
tion, provided that the number of years was not 
lefs than ten, and that his Sicilian Majefty could 
be induced to cede the fovereignty of the ifland. ° 
of Lampedofa for a valuable confideration. If 
this propofition is admitted, the ifland of Malta 
fhould be given up to the inhabitants at the end 
of that period, and it fhould be acknowledged as 
an independent ftate. In this cafe, his Ma- 
jefty would be ready to concur in any arrange= 
ment for the eftablifhment of the Order of St, . 
John in fome other part of Europe. 
You will not refuie to liften to any propofition 
which the French Government may be difpofed 
to make to you with a view to an equivalent 
fecurity for thofe objects in regard to which his 
Majetty claims the poffeffion or occupation of 
Malta; but the three propofitions to which I 
have above alluded, appear, at the prefent mo- 
ment, to furnifh the only bafis for a fatisfa¢tory 
arrangement; and you will decline receiving 
any propofition which does not appear to you to 
offer advantages to his Majefty as fubftantial ag. 
that which I have laft ftated. 
It is very defirable that you fhould bring the 
negotiation to an iffue, if poffible, without re! 
ferring to his Majefty’s Government for further 
inftructions, after the receipt of this difpatch ; 
and if you fhould be: of opinion, that there is no 
hopes of bringing it to a favourable conclufion, 
you may inform M. Talleyrand of the necefhity 
you will be under, after a certain time, to leave 
Paris. HAWKESBURY.- 
Lord Whitworth. “ 
No. 57. 
My Lord, Paris, April 18, 1803. 
I did not fail to put into immediate execution 
the inftructions contained in your Lordfhip’s 
difpatch (No. 55}, on the fubject of the libel 
inferted by the French Minifterin the Hamburgh 
Gazette. I reprefented the outrageous and 
unprecedented conduct of M. Rheinhardrc in 
fuch-terms as it deferves ; and fairly declared to 
M. de Talleyrand, that, until fatisfaction fhall 
be given to his Majefty for the indignity which 
has been offered him by the French Minifter in 
his official character, there could be no poilibility 
whatever ot bringing the prefent difcuffion to an 
amicable iffue. 
that the French Government faw the conduct 
of M. de RKheinhardt in the fame light as his 
Majefty’s Minifters, and that they could not be 
more furprifed than the Firft Conful had been 
at feeing fuch an article inferted by authority 5 
that an immediate explanation had been ree 
quired of M. Rheinhardt, five days ago, and if 
his conduct had been fuch as had been repre~ 
fented, he would, doubtlefs, feel the effect of 
the Firlt Conful’s difpleafure; and that, ia the 
mean time, I might inform your Lordfhip that 
he was completely difavowed. I told M. de 
Talleyrand, that, as the infult had been public, 
3Q it 
M. de Talleyraad affured mey © 
ee 
