1803.}  Corre/pondence between Great Britain and France. 
tran{mit it to your Lordfhip. I lamented 
the courfe which the negociation was taking, 
and that the Firft Conful fhould have fo little 
regard to the dreadful,confequences which 
muft enfue, as to fuffer them to be out- 
weighed by a miftaken notion of dignity. 
And l.added, that notwithftanding the ac- 
quiefcence which he might have met with 
from others, the plea of its being incompa- 
tible with the-dignity of the French Govern- 
ment to give fatisfaétion or fecurity, when 
both might with juttice be demanded, could 
never be admitted by Great Britain, 
M. de Talleyrand heard every thing I 
could fay with the utmolt patience, not- 
withftanding he had nothing fatisfactory to 
fay, and feemed unwilling to break up the 
conference. He conttantly brought forward 
the fame inadmifible propofal, requefting 
that I would at leaft communicate it to your 
Lordfhip, This Itold him I could not re- 
fufe to do, fince every thing which paffed 
between him and me muft of courfe make 
the fubje& of my reports to your Lordfhip. 
I declared however, at the fame time, that 
I fhould not think myfelf by any means au- 
thorized to fufpend the execution of any in- 
ftruétions I might receive, tending to bring 
the negotiation to an iffue, in the expeét- 
ation of any change which fuch a propofal 
might produce. All 1 could do, and that 
I would certainly do, would be to commu- 
nicate the ultimatum, if his Majefty fhould 
think proper to furnifh me with it, confi- 
dentially to M. de Yalleyrand, before I pre- 
fented it offieially to him, as Miniiter for 
Foreign Affairs. He aflured me that he 
fhould confider fuch a conduét-as a further 
proof of my defire to conciliate, and that 
he could not yet forbear hoping that the dif- 
ferences might be adjufted. I repeated that 
if his hope was founded on the expeétation 
of his Majefty’s being induced to recede 
from his demand, it would bé deceiving 
imfelf to cherifh it. : 
The remainder of the converfation turned 
onthe calamities which would follow the 
failure of our endeavour to avoid a rupture. 
He infinuated that Holland, Naples, and 
other countries connected with Great Britain, 
would be the frft victims of the war, I 
afked him whether he thought that fuch a 
conduét would add to the glory of the Firft 
Conful, or whether the falling on the inno- 
cent and defencelefs would not rather tarnifh 
it, and ultimately unite againft him, not only 
the honeft men in his own country, but 
every Government in Europe. That it cere 
tainly would excite more deteftation than 
terror in England, at the fame time that it 
would ferve to imprefs upon us ftill more 
ftrongly the neceffity of omitting no means 
of circumicribing ‘a power fo pernicioufly 
exerted, I could not help adding, that al- 
though no aét of hoftility had a@tually taken 
place, yet the inveteracy with which our 
gommerce, our indufiry, and our credit hag 
® . 
43 1 
been attacked in every part to which French 
influence could be extended, did, in fat, 
almoft amount to the fame, fince it went 
to prove, in addition to the general fyftem 
of the Firft Conful, that his obje& was to 
purfue, under the mafk of peace, the fame 
line of conduét in which the preceding Go- 
vernments had acted. 
I now truft entirely to the effet of the 
ultimatum, which will at leaft convince hing 
that we are in earneft, and that he has no~ 
thing to expeét from protraétion. I fhall 
not, however, as I faid before, make ufe of 
this officially, until I have tried its etfeét 
in a more conciliatory manner. 
. WHITWORTH? 
Rt. Hon. Lord Hawke(bury, 
P.S. Your Lordfhip’s difpatches of the 
23d, with their enclo{ures, were delivered, 
to me by Shaw this evening at nine o’clock, 
I fhall fee M. de Talleyrand to-morrow 
morning; and I truit your Lordfhip wilf 
not difapprove my following the line of 
conduét ] had propofed, and which I have 
mentioned to your Lordfhip, otf informing 
him of the nature of my inftru€tions a few 
hours before I carry them officially inte 
execution. 
No, 63. 
Extra of a Difpatch from Lord Whitworth to 
Lord Hawkefbury, dated Paris, April 27, 1203. 
I avail myfelf of the opportunity of a mef= 
fenger pafling through from Conftantinople 
and Vienna, to inform your Lord{hip of the 
{tate of the negotiation at this moment I 
communicated to M, de Talleyrand the pur- 
port of my inftruéhons of the 23d, yelterday 
at four o’clock.’ He immediately afked me 
if the poffeflion of Malta was {till infifted 
upon. I told him, mott certainly it was; 
and I repeated to him the particulars of the 
terms on which it was yet poffible to con- 
clude the bufinefs. That thefe were, the 
poffeffion of Malta for ten years, during 
which period: the authority, civil and mili- 
pes to remain folely in his Majeity, 
and that, at the expiration of that term, it 
was te be given up to the inhabitants, and 
not to the Orders provided alfo, that his 
Sicilian Majefty fhall be induced to cede 
to his Majefty the 1fland of Lampedofa; that 
Holland fhould be evacuated by the French 
troops within a month after the conclufion 
of a convention by which all thefe provifions 
fhall be fecured ;and that his Majefty would 
confent to acknowledge the new Italian 
ftates, provided ftipulations were made in 
favour of his Sardinian Majefty and of 
Switzerland. 
I no fooner made known thefe conditions 
than M. de Tallcyrand told me it would be 
perfeétly unneceflary to delay the official 
communication; for, as the poffeffion of* 
Malta was itill infifted upon, although for 
a term, the Firft Conful would not confent 
tothem. I accordingly did repeat them to 
him in the manner he defired; whea-he told 
me 
+ 
