1303.] Correffondence between Great Britain and France. 
for the fake of removing the prefent diffh- 
culties, £ had the honour to announce to 
you, that in cafe the Firft Conful fhoald not 
eonfent to thefle propolitions, I fhould find 
myfelf under the neceffity of leaving Paris 
in eight days. Weare nearly arrived at the 
end of this period, without my having re- 
ceived any anfwer to this communication. 
It remains for me only, therefore, to obex 
the order of the King. my matter to return 
to him; and for this purpofe f entreat you, 
Sir, to have the goodnefs to furnifh me with 
the neceffary pafiports, WHITWORTH. 
‘M. de Talleyrand. 
No. 66. 
Lord Whitworth to Lord Hawhkefbury, dated 
Paris, Wednefday Merning, May 4, 1803. 
Soon after I had difpatched the meffenger 
the night before laft, with my difpatches 
of the 3d. [ received acommunication from 
M. de Talleyrand, of which I inclofe.a 
copy, the purport of which was fo com- 
pletely fhort of every thing which could be 
fatista€tory, that I did not think myfelt 
authorized to enter into any d@ifcuffion upon 
it} and as early as I could on the following 
morning { returned the anfwer of which - 
the inclofed is a copy. 
After this I concluded, of courfe, that 
there wasan end to the negotiation. I had 
for fome days paft been preparing for my 
departure; every meafure was taken for 
fetting out at four o’clock this morning, 
_ and we were expecting only the paflports 
which I had demanded, for the purpofe of 
erdering poft-horfes. The day and the 
evening pafled without the paffports having 
been fent; and whilft we were deliberating 
‘en the motives of fuch a delay, about twelve 
e’clock at night, a gentleman who was with 
me received a communication, which con-~ 
_ winced me that it was not meant to give 
me my paflports without another attempt, 
and I was, therefore, not furprifed when 
about one o’clock I received the inclofed 
note from M. de Talleyrand. 
In this fituation I am waiting the hour 
ef rendezvous with M. de Talleyrand. 
Firft Inclofure referred to in No. 66. 
The underfigned has reported to the Firft 
€onful the converfation which he had with 
his-Excellency Lord Whitworth on the 6th 
ef this month, and in which his Excellency 
announced, that his Britannic Majefty had 
ordered him to make, verbally, in his name, 
the following demands: 
ift. That his Britannic Majefty fhould ree 
tain his troops at Malta for ten years. - 
2d. That the ifland of Lampedofa fhould 
be ceded to him in full poffeffion. 
3d. That the French troops fhould evacu- 
ate Holland. 
And that if no convention on this bafis 
fhould have been figned within a week, his 
Exceilency Lord Whitworth had orders to 
483 
terminate his miffion, and-to return to Lon4 
‘ don. 
Onthe demand made by the underfipaed, 
that Lord Whitworth would, in conformity 
to the ufage of all ages and of ail countries, 
give in writing what he himfelf called che 
ultimatum of his Government, his Excellency 
declared, that his unftrudtions exprefsly for- 
bad him to tranfmit on this object any writ- 
ten note*, 
The intentions of the Firft Conful being 
entirely pacific, the underfigned difpentes 
with making any obfervation on fo new and 
fo ftrange a mannef of treating on affairs of 
this importance. 
And, in order te giveafrefh teRimony 
of the value whick he attaches to the conti- 
nuance of peace, the Firft Conful has di- 
rected the underfigned to make the follow- 
ing notification in the accultomed Ryle and 
forms, 
As the ifland of Lampedofa does aot bes 
long to France, it is not for the Firft Conful 
either to accede to or to refufe the defire tef- 
tified by his Britannic Majefty, of having this 
ifland in his poffeffion. 
With regard to the ifland of Malta, as the 
demand madé¢ refpe&ing it by his Britannic 
Majelty would change a formal. difpotition 
in the Treaty of Amiens, the Firft Conful 
cannot but previoufly communicate it to his 
Majefty the King of Spain, and to the Bata 
vian Republic, contrafting parties tothe faid 
treaty, in order to know their opinion; and 
befides, as the ftipulations relative to Malta 
have been guaranteed by their Majeftics the 
Emperor of Germany, the Emperor of Ruf- 
fia, and the King of Pruflia, the contraéing 
parties to the treaty of Amiens, before they 
agree to any change in the article of Malta, 
are bound to concert with the guaranteeing 
powers. 
The Firft Conful will not refufe his con- 
cert, but it belongs not to him to propole 
it, fince it is not he who urges amy change 
in the guaranteed ftipulations. 
With regard to the evacuation of Holland 
by the French troops, the Firft Conful tas 
no difficulty in direéting the underligned te 
repeat, that the French troops {hall evacuate 
Holland at the inftant that the flipulations of 
the treaty of Amiens fhall be executed im 
every quarter of the globe. 
CH. MAU. TALLEYRAND. 
Paris, 2d May, 1803. 
Second Inclofure referred to in No. 66. 
The underligned, in anfwer to the note 
which M. de Talleyrand tran{fmitted to him 
yefterday evening. has the honour to obferve 
to him, that the King has had no other mo- 
tive in feeking to accelerate the proceedings 
of the negotiation, than to relieve as foon as 
pollible the two countries the moft interefted, 
ee 
* It however appears that this refufal was 
- felely the att of Lord Whitwerth, 
ané 
