The prefent decree shall not be printed at this time.

HIS Britannic Majefty defiring, as he has already declared, to contribute, as far as depends on him, to the re-establishment of public tranquillity, and to enfure, by the means of juft, honourable, and folid conditions of peace, the future repofe of Europe; his Majefty is of opinion, that the beft means of attaining, with all poffible expedition, that falutary end, will be to agree, at the beginning of the negotiation, on the general principle which fhall ferve as a bafis for the definitive arrangements.

The firft object of negotiations for peace generally relates to the restrictions and ceffions which the refpective parties have mutually to demand, in confequence of the events of war.

Great Britain, from the uninterrupted fuccefs of her naval war, finds herself in a situation to have no reftitution to demand of France, from which, on the contrary, fhe has taken establishments and colonies of the higheft importance, and of a value almoft incalculable.

But, on the other hand, France has made, on the continent of Europe, conqueffs to which his Majefty can be the lefs indifferent, as the most important interefts of his people, and the moft facred engagements of his crown are effentially implicated

therein.

The magnanimity of the King, his inviolable good faith, and his defire to reftore repofe to fo many nations, induce him to confider this fituation of affairs as affording the means of procuring for all the belligerent powers juft and equitable terms of peace, and fuch as are calculated to enfure for the time to come the general tranquillity.

It is on this footing, then, that he purposes to negotiate, by offering to make compenfation to France, by proportionable reftitutions, for thofe arrangements to which the will be called

пров

upon to confent, in order to fatisfy the juft demands of the King's allies, and to preferve the political balance of Europe.

Having made this firft overture, his Majefty will, in the fequel, explain himfelf more particularly on the application of this principle to the different objects which may be difcuffed between the respective parties.

It is this application which will conftitute the fubject of those difcuffions, into which his Majefty has authorized his minifter to enter, as foon as the principle to be adopted as the general bafis of the negotiation is known.

But his Majefty cannot omit to declare, that if this generous and equitable offer fhould not be accepted, or if, unfortunately, the difcuffions which may enfue, fhould fail to produce the defired effect, neither this general propofition, nor thofe more detailed which may refult from it, can be regarded, in any case, as points agreed upon or admitted by his Majefty.

(Signed)

MALMESBURY, Minifter plenipotentiary from his Britannic Majefty.

Paris, O. 24, 1796.

No. 15.

Extract from the Regifler of the Deliberations of the Executive

Directory.

THE Executive Directory orders the minifter for foreign affairs to make the following anfwer to Lord Malmesbury :

The Executive Directory fees with pain, that at the moment when it had reafon to hope for the fpeedy return of peace between the French Republic and his Britannic Majefty, the propofal of Lord Malmesbury offers nothing but dilatory or very distant means of bringing the negotiation to a conclufion.

The Directory obferve, that if Lord Malmefbury would have agreed to treat feparately, as he was formally authorized by the tenor of his credentials, the negotiations might have been confiderably abridged; that the neceflity of balancing with the interefts of the two powers thofe of the allies of Great Britain, multiplies the combinations, increases the difficulties, tends to the formation. of a congrefs, the forms of which it is known are always tardy, and requires the acceffion of powers which hitherto have difplayed no defire of accommodation, and have not given to Lord Malmesbury himself, according to his own declaration, any power to ftipulate for them.

VOL. V.

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Thus,

Thus, without prejudging the intentions of Lord Malmesbury; without drawing any conclufion from the circumftance of his declaration not appearing to accord with his credentials; without fuppofing that he has received any fecret inftructions which would deftroy the effe of his oftenfible powers; without pretending, in fhort, to affert, that the British government, have had a double object in view-to prevent, by general propofitions, the partial propofitions of other powers, and to obtain from the people of England the means of continuing the war, by throwing upon the Republic the odium of delay occafioned by themselves; the Executive Directory cannot but perceive, that the proposition of Lord Malmesbury is nothing more than a renewal, under more amicable forms, of the propofitions made last year by Mr. Wickham, and that it prefents but a diftant hope of peace.

The Executive Directory farther obferve, with regard to the principle of retroceffions advanced by Lord Malmesbury, that fuch a principle, prefented in a vague and ifolated manner, cannot ferve as the bafis of negotiation; that the first points of confideration are, the common neceffity of a just and solid peace, the political equilibrium which abfolute retroceffions might destroy, and then the means which the belligerent powers may poffefs-the one to retain conquests made at a time when it was fupported by a great number of allies, now detached from the coalition; and the other, to recover them at a time when those who were at first its enemies, have almoft all, become either its allies, or at least

neuter.

Nevertheless, the Executive Directory, animated with an ardent defire of putting a stop to the fcourge of war, and to prove that! they will not reject any means of reconciliation, declare, that as foon as Lord Malmesbury fhall exhibit to the minister for foreign affairs fufficient powers, from the allies of Great Britain, for ftipulating for their refpective interefts, accompanied by a promise on their part to subscribe to whatever fhall be concluded in their names, the Executive Directory will haften to give an answer to the fpecific propofitions which fhall be fubmitted to them, and that the difficulties fhall be removed, as far as may be confiftent with the fafety and dignity of the French Republic.

(Signed)

A true copy.

L. M. REVELLIERE LEPEAUX, prefident.

By the Executive Directory.

(Signed)

A true copy.

The minifter for foreign affairs,

LAGARDE, fecretary general.

CH. DELACROIX.

By the minifter.

The fecretary general,

J. GUIRAUDET.

No.

No. 16.

NOTE.

THE undersigned has not failed to tranfmit to his court the anfwer of the Executive Directory to the proposals which he was charged to make, as an opening to a pacific negotiation.

With regard to the offenfive and injurious infinuations which are contained in that paper, and which are only calculated to throw new obstacles in the way of the accommodation which the French government profeffes to defire, the King has deemed it far beneath his dignity to permit an answer to be made to them on his part in any manner whatsoever.

The progrefs and the refult of the negotiation will fufficiently prove the principles by which it will have been directed on each fide; and it is neither by revolting reproaches wholly destitute of foundation, nor by reciprocal invective, that a fincere wish to accomplish the great work of pacification can be evinced.

The underfigned paffes, therefore, to the first object of difcuffion brought forward in the anfwer of the Executive Directory ;-that of a separate negotiation, to which it has been fuppofed, without the smallest foundation, that the undersigned was authorized to accede.

His full powers, made out in the ufual form, give him all neceflary authority to negotiate and to conclude the peace; but thefe powers prefcribe to him neither the form, the nature, nor the conditions of the future treaty.

Upon these points, he is bound to conform himself, according to the long established and received cuftom of Europe, to the the inftructions which he fhall receive from his court; and accordingly he did not fail to acquaint the minifter for foreign affairs, at their first conference, that the King his master had exprefsly enjoined him to listen to no propofal tending to separate the interests of his Majefty from thofe of his allies.

There can be no question then but of a negotiation which fhall combine the interefts and pretenfions of all the powers who make a common caufe with the King in the prefent war.

In the courfe of fuch a negotiation, the intervention, or, at leaft, the participation of thefe powers will doubtless become abfolutely neceffary; and his Majefty hopes to find at all times the fame difpofitions to treat, upon a just and equitable basis, of which his Majefty, the Emperor and King, gave to the French government fo ftriking a proof at the very moment of the opening of the prefent campaign.

But it appears, that the waiting for a formal and definitive authority on the part of the allies of the King, before Great Britain and France begin to difcufs, even provifionally, the

A a 2

principles

principles of the negotiation, would be to create a very useless delay.

A conduct wholly different has been obferved by thofe twe powers on almoft all fimilar occafions; and his Majefty thinks, that the beft proof which they can give, at the prefent moment, to all Europe, of their mutual defire to put a ftop, as foon as poffibie, to the calamities of war, would be to fettle, without delay, the bafis of a combined negotiation, inviting, at the fame time, their allies to concur in it, in the manner the most proper for accelerating the general pacification.

It is with this view that the underfigned was charged to propofe at first, and at the very commencement of the negotiation, a principle, which the generofity and good faith of his Majesty could alone dictate to him-that of making compenfation to France, by proportionable reftitutions, for the arrangements to which the will be to confent, in order to fatisfy the juft pretenfions of the King's allies, and to preserve the political balance of Europe.

The Executive Directory has not explained itfelf in a precise manner, either as to the acceptance of this principle, or as to the changes or modifications which it may defire to be made in it; nor has it, in fhort, propofed any other principle whatever to anfwer the fame end.

The undersigned, then, has orders to recur to this point, and to demand, on that head, a frank and precife explanation, in order to abridge the delays which muft neceffarily refult from the difficulty of form which has been started by the Executive Directory.

He is authorized to add to this demand the exprefs declaration, that his Majesty in communicating to his auguft allies every fucceffive ftep which he may take, relative to the object of the prefent negotiation, and in fulfilling, towards thefe fovereigns, in the most efficacious manner, all the duties of a good and faithful ally, will omit nothing on his part, as well to dispose them to concur in this negotiation, by the means the most proper to facilitate its progrefs, and infure its fuccefs, as to induce them always to perfift- in fentiments conformable to the withes which he entertains for the return of a general peace, upon juft, honourable, and permanent conditions.

Paris, November 12, 1796.

(Signed)

MALMESBURY.

No.