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happy moment when the views of the French government shall approach nearer to those which it had been supposed to entertain. It is in order to prevent the possibility of such a misinterpretation, that we think it incumbent on us to assure your excellency, that a step which would have the effect of causing any obstacle to the renewal of the negotiation, would be very far from our intention, though, from the reasons which we have detailed, we find our. selves obliged to put an end to our mission.

It only remains for us to assure your excellency, that if, fortunately for both nations, it should happen that we have been mistaken in the inference which we have drawn from the silence of the French plenipotentiaries, we will wait during a reasonable time for the explanations which thefr excellencies may have to communicate to us. In order, however, to prevent the repetition of a demand, as painful for us to make, as it would be for your excellency to receive, in case the negotiations should not have a favourable issue, we request you to furnish us with the necessary passports for us and our suite, to be made use of according to circumstances.

We have the honour to renew to your excellency the assurances of our high consideration.

(Signed)

Lauderdale.

Yarmouth.

Third Inclosure (C.)-Is a copy of a note from M. Talleyrand to the earls of Lauderdale and Yarmouth, dated August 10, 1806. Unimportant.

Fourth Inclosure (D.)-Is a copy

of a note from general Clarke to

the earls of Lauderdale and Yarmouth, dated August 16, 1806. Unimportant.

No. XL.

Copy of a Dispatch from the Earl of Lauderdale to Mr. Secretary Fox, dated Paris, August 17, 1806.Received August 22.

Sir,

Paris, August 17, 1806.

I take the opportunity of lord Yarmouth's return to England, to inform you that in consequence of his majesty's pleasure signified in your dispatch of the 14th instant, I this morning wrote to his excellency the minister for foreign affairs, stating to him, that lord Yarmouth had his majesty's permission to return to England; and that his majesty had been graciously pleased, in the event of the negotiation proceeding, to confine the future management of it solely to me.

About eleven o'clock, M. de Champagny and general Clarke paid me a visit of ceremony; lord Yarmouth happened to be with me at the time; and we mentioned to them the change that had taken place, and shewed them the note which I was just about to dispatch, and a copy of which is enclosed.

The object of the visit was merely, to ask the plenipotentiarics, and the gentlemen attached to the mission to dine with M. de Champagny to

morrow.

Nothing whatever was said that related to the negotiation, and I be̟lieve no answer will be given either to the note of the 11th, or to the note sent to the minister for foreign affairs on the 14th, till the emperor's return from Rambouillet, which, they informed me to-day, was uncertain. The mode in which I have mentioned

mentioned to the minister for foreign affairs his majesty's permission to lord Yarmouth to return to England seemed to me calculated to afford as little opportunity as possible to the French government to cavil about a change of form in the mission.

I think it proper to add, that in doing this, every facility was afforded by lord Yarmouth, who in the handsomest manner desired me on this, as on other occasions, to consider only what I thought most ad. vantageous for the publie service.

I have the honour to be, Sir, &c.
Lauderdale.

Inclosure in No. 40.-Is a copy of a note from the earl of Lauder dale to M. Talleyrand, dated August 17, 1806, announces lord Yarmouth's intention to return to England with his majesty's assent, and lord Lauderdale's remaining.

No. XLI.

Extract from a Dispatch from Mr.
Secretary Fox to the Earl of
Lauderdale, dated Downing-street,
August 23, 1806.
Downing-street, August 23, 1806.
My Lord,

The contents of your last dispatches do not appear to require any particular answer, and this messenger is sent back only that you may be enabled to keep us regularly in formed (so long as you shall still continue at Paris) of the state of the negotiation there.

If, on the arrival of any intelligence of the decision of Russia not to ratify without the consent of this court, the French government should increase their offers in order to separate his majesty from the emperor of Russia, your lordship is on

all such occasions to observe, that it is M. d'Oubril's treaty alone that has released his majesty from the obligation not to separate in sub. stance his treaty from that of Russia; an obligation to which his majesty had determined scrupulously to adhere, and from which, even in point of form, he had departed no farther than he had learnt to be the wish of Russia herself. Should, therefore, M. d'Oubril's treaty not be ratified, the two courts would revert to their former situation, with the additional bond of union which would result from the mutual proofs they would thus have afforded to each other of their resolution to adhere invari ably to the spirit and principles of their alliance.

No. XLII.

Copy of a Dispatch from Lord Las derdale to Mr. Secretary For, dated Paris, August 25, 1805.— Received September 3.

Sir, Paris, August 25, 1806. In my dispatch of the 16th instant, I had the honour of transmitting to you a copy of a letter sent by lord Yarmouth and myself, on the 14th instant, to the minister of foreign affairs.

I have now to inform you that my desire to combine with firmness the utmost degree of forbearance that appeared to me consistent with the character with which his majesty has been pleased to invest me, induced me patiently to suffer the silence of the French government, without remark, from the 14th till the 22d, when I transmitted to the minister for foreign affairs a note, of which I have the honour to inclose you a copy, marked (A.)

No notice having been taken of this note by his excellency, I have

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SIR, The undersigned, minister plenipotentiary of his Britannic majesty, finds himself under the necessity of recalling to the attention of his excellency the minister for foreign affairs ;

1st, That in the morning of the 12th instant, a note, signed by the undersigned and the eari of Yarmouth, and dated the 11th, was transmitted to his excellency general Clarke, in which the undersigned observed, "The British government, far from pretending to exact from the French government every restitution which may suit their convenience, without being bound to make any restitution to France, never expressed any other wish than that of treating with the French government on the basis which was proposed to her by France herself; as it is expressed in the note of lord Lauderdale, viz. to treat generally upon the basis of uti possidetis, which was to be scrupulously observed, except in the case of Hanover, which was proposed to be ceded to his Britannic majesty, with all its depen. dencies. They must also observe, that if it were possible to mistake the result which would necessarily follow from this principle, the verbal discussions which took place on

the 9th instant, between the French plenipotentiaries and the undersigned, leave no room for doubt, whe ther the proposition thus laid down was perfectly understood by those plenipotentiaries.

"The undersigned have, therefore, only to repeat, that they cannot, consistently with the instructions of their government, do otherwise than insist upon the previous recognition of this principle. It is on this condition alone that they are authorized to continue the negotiation."

2ndly, That on the 14th instant, the undersigned, together with the earl of Yarmouth, had again the honour to state in writing to his excellency the minister for foreign affairs, "The silence of their excellencies, the plenipotentiaries, in this respect, gives us reason to presume that we must not, at the present moment, expect such an explanation on their part.

"Impressed with this idea, we desire to put an end to the general expectation of both nations, considering the slight appearance there is of seeing it realized. We feel that the demand which we make, under such circumstances, of passports for our return, may be susceptible of interpretations of a nature to retard the happy moment, when the views of the French government shall approach nearer to those which it had been supposed to entertain. It is in order to prevent the possibility of such a misinterpretation, that we think it incumbent on us to assure your excellency, that a step which would have the effect of causing any obstacle to the renewal of the negotiation, would be very far from our intention, though, from the reasons which we have detailed, we find our

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selves obliged to put an end to our mission."

The undersigned, on finding that no answer was made to these communications, persuaded himself that this delay might proceed from dispositions favourable to the progress of the negotiation, and that he should be at length rewarded by an answer conformable to this expectation; even when he found that no answer arrived, he still persevered in a conduct, which must have incontestibly proved the sincerity of the desire he had evinced, to receive explanations which might enable him to follow up the objects of his mission. But if, so early as the 14th instant, the undersigned, together with the ear! of Yarmouth, found himself obliged to observe to his excellency, the minister for foreign affairs, that he feared, (from the silence of their excellencies, the French plenipotentia. ries) that no answer would be given on the subject; and if, at that period, they thought it incumbent on them to declare the necessity they were under, in pursuance of their sovereign's orders, of demanding passports for their departure, the undersigned has no occasion to remark to his excellency the minister for foreign affairs, how imperiously the fresh delays that have taken place since that date, prescribed to the undersigned the pressing renew. al of this demand.

The undersigned must at the same time add, that, not being able to persuade himself, that in case an unfavourable answer had been intended, his excellency the minister for foreign affairs, would have so long deferred the adoption of the only alternative, namely, the sending passports, he does not even now give up the hope of a renewal of the

proposal, such as the ministers of his Britanic majesty understood it to have been made on the part of the French government, since it is thus alone that the expectation of both nations can at last be realized. Eres if these hopes should not be well founded, the undersigned will never regret a delay which has afforded him the opportunity of manifesting, in an unequivocal manner, the sincere desire of a solid and honourable peace, which his majesty his never ceased to entertain, and of which his majesty has given the most convincing proof, in authorizing the undersigned to negotiate on the basis proposed, in the first instance, by France. It is with this view that the undersigned has borne so long a state of uncertainty, without making the least observation on the unac countable delay.

The undersigned, in now request. ing his excellency, the minister for foreign affairs, to transmit to him provisionally, and for the purpose of being made use of in the cases already pointed out, passports for himself and his suite, conceives that he has adopted the only means for preventing the necessity he might otherwise find himself under (if he was forced to repeat this demand) of accompanying it by representa tions, such as would be authorised by the law of nations, and by the dignity of his sovereign. (Signed)

Lauderdale.

Second Inclosure (B.) Copy of a Note from the Earl of Lavderdale to M. Talleyrand, dated August 25, 1806.

(Translation.)

Paris, August 25, 1806. The silence still maintained by their excellencies the French plenipotentiaries,

potentiaries, as well as by his excelTency the minister for foreign affairs, after the official note delivered by the undersigned and the earl of Yar. mouth on the 11th instant, after the letter addressed to his excellency, -the minister for foreign affairs, on the 14th instant; and after the official note of the undersigned, dated the 22d instant, appears clearly to announce, that the French govern. ment has abandoned every wish for peace, on the conditions which they themselves had, in the first instance, proposed; and which the undersign. ed has uniformly declared to be the sole basis on which he was authorised to negotiate with that government.

In this state of affairs, the under. signed cannot flatter himself with the possibility of any advantage resulting from the prolongation of his stay at Paris; he feels, too, that farther delay would necessarily give to both nations, and to all Europe, reason to believe, that peace, the object of their desires, is on the point of being concluded, at the very moment when all reasonable hope of attain. ing it, appears to be completely at an end.

The undersigned, strongly in pressed with this idea, finds himself obliged to terminate his mission, by making to his excellency the minis. ter for foreign affairs, the formal demand of passports for his return into the presence of his sovereign.

At the same time, and in conformity with the spirit of conciliation, which has constantly characterised his whole conduct since his arrival at Paris, the undersigned, at the moment when he feels himself obliged by his instructions to demand his passports, cannot resolve to prevent the possibility of a communication

on the part of the French government, of a nature to enable him to carry on the negotiation, although from the continued silence of that government, he can scarcely retain hopes of so favourable an issue.

It will not, therefore, be until the morning of Wednesday the 27th instant, that the undersigned will have the honour of calling on his excellency the minister for foreign affairs, for the purpose of making a formal and definitive demand of the necessary passports for himself and suite. He has only to add, that the passports which he proposes to demand, will be for his immediate return, and not to be made use of according to cir cumstances, as he lately demanded them, Lauderdale.

(Signed)

No. XLIII. Copy of a Dispatch from the Earl of Lauderdale to Mr. Secretary Fox, dated August 29, 1806.-Received September 3.

SIR,

Paris, August 29, 1806.

At

In my last dispatch, dated August 25th, I had the honour of stating to you the detail of the negotiation till the afternoon of that day. eleven o'clock at night, I received from the plenipotentiaries of France a note, intimating their desire of having a conference on the subject of the note written by lord Yarmouth and myself, on the 11th of the month. Of this, as well as of the answer agreeing to the proposal, I have the honour to inclose copies, (marked A. and B.)

On the 26th, at the hour appointed, I went to the office of the minister of the interior, where I found M. de Champagny and general Clarke, the two plenipotentiaries of

the

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