The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1803-06-01 00:00:00

• poREIGN 'INTELLIGENCE. FROM THE FR , NCH PAPERS. PA tts, MAY 25. The declaration of the KING of F.Not.aNn has :tot appeared. It is accompanied with a volume of papers of 145 folio pages. This volume con tains seventy-two articles, among which ten only are official, and even of these many are insig nificant. S:xey-Ptuo are extracts of letters from the Ministers to their Agents, and from English Agents to their Cabinet, letters which have doubtless been fabricated by the Chancellrrie agreeably to the will of Ministers. Those Notes which are the most important, and the most proper for sliewing to the English people the proceeding of the• French Government, and true spirit of the negotiation, hare b-en careftll4 suppressed ; and what appears the last degree of shamelessness, and even of folly, is that in the Note of I a:rd Whit worth, dated the 10th of May, and given in p Age 11C. of the Official Papers of London, the most cs senti.,l passage is onlitted, with an inGd,lity which could not escape censure." The .K,nitcur then proceeds to give, in a •louble eclumn, copies cf the Note, in its original state, and as it has been printed by Ministers. The dif ference between them consists in some expressions, which are applied to the proposition made by Tal leyrand, on the 10th of May.—lt then proceeds to say: K This infidelity," continues the Afrti:tur, com mitted for the purpose of concealing a false allega tion which can no longer be sustained, required the commission of another. The English Ministers have, consequently, suppressed the Note transmitted in answer on the 12th of May, which Note was of the following tenor : " TAMS, MAT 12. et The undersigntl ha: it t i charge to acquatat ho Excel lency Lord SVhitworth, Ambassador from his raitanntc Ma jesty, that the Fist Constil having proposed, in his Note of the 14th of tihs month, that the Wand of Malta should be pleed yt the hands of one of t!. , : three guamnteeing Powers, Russia, Austria, or Prussiii, it vo mid not be sdficieht to set that pro position as.th., to argue uhi the refcsal which his Nfajesty the ri»peror of R1138 . a mien make, of reerising this trust, since the intentions of their . I .qa.jesties the Emiprur of Gainany ar.d the Ring of PCUSb . ,,a '441 remain to be !moan " That bts,:les the aseett.on contaln- in his Excellency's larate, deed . iOth of this month, and which is carrefs-d iu these terms, from the rcfusal of his Majesty the Emperor of 11111.(44 to accede to it; h entirely contrary to the guarantee vikieh Lis Impcial Majivy formally offered, with the slight alterations which the First Consul ins& no difficulty of adopt lug, and which I.e knows that the English rsl.nisuy ransed, rr editating, beyond doubt, even then, the strange pretension f retaining Malta. " That, further, this assertion is also iu abaolute olspos thin Its the assuradces which the First Consul hes received from r , :- tersbur g ll, since th Ntessa r of his Majesty has beet known there, ank which have just been rtnewe I is nim by au au 'heath: coinmunie:•tion, which Count do Marcua yesterday gave of the ittentions oc his Ctirrt. " It hace re•ttfts, that it is impossible to reowile the last wommunTettien mad? by his Exec le.iey Lad Whitworth, with the fre.h rimirmiti.in, which firs just beet o: etedispc: , itit :s of his ISfalesty the Emperor of Russia, and tut .• rt:inot but b. supyrisarl, tha . bis Britannic tlaje.;ty, virto.ri b•tter inform•vl, wtti, of himself, li,sc un tnne to sauslig ti bt givcii to hr; Lacd aaey, instructi.ins. d.fferent from those witch :le has communicated, in the na.ne of his Government. (Sig.•ed) "C. M. TALLEYRAND." •" Yet the En l4 li,h nation calls itself free, and the Parliament represents the nation . . . . ! " The whole of this prodnaion is translating, sand it shall be inserted in this Journal, far nothing ough t to be concealed from the French people. 44 If they have hid the impudence t) suppress the most important notes, and to mutilate those of which Cie original is in the hands of our Government, what reliance can be placed on details of conversa:ion re_ lated by English agents, and altered by the English Ministry to suit their or.•n interests ? " It would be difficult to conceive the spirit of madness which has fur several months a6tuattcl the Cabinet of London. It, no doubt, believes that we have neither ink nor arms. " But what does the Cabinet of London care for the opinion of Europe and that of posterity ? The Parliament will have agreed to its Address ; many of the Members will have been animated by lying reports. This is all that the English Minis rers desire." These observations are followed by a communi e:ition to the great constituted auth:"rities of the dif- I !:-c•rit proclamations issued by his Majesty with res. rta to the renewal.of hostilities, add the whole con cludes with these remarks : " Thus has the English Government commenced hostilities by the run of one or two miserable mer chant vessels, which, under the, faith of treaties, • were peaceably on their voyage off our own coasts. It has committed thi, isa of hostility without a decla ration of war, without any of the formalities ac know lesiged and agreed upon between civilized nations, and has followed the odious principles of a public law created by itself alone, and which are barbarous in every point of view. " It is with reludiance that the Government of the Republic has seen itself compelled, in order to make -reprisals, to &dart prisoners of war all the English =rolled in the Militia *ho are in the French terri- tory: " It will leave to England the task of commenc ing every thing that is illiberal ; but the French peo ple are bound to as towards England as England ads with respea to France. A different conduit has been too long held out to Europe. It is specifically that which has authorized England to constitute for herself A public right, to which she is at present so habituated, that every anion of just reciproLity ap pears to her an injustice." I IVE BODY. PRESIDENCY OF C. RENAUD LASCOURS. sii•Ttm: or MAY 23. The Counsellors of State Emery, Berlier, and Na jac were introduced. The first spoke as :)11,.)ws : " The view of the negotiation which har. been •:üb mitted to you, has enabled you to appreciate the sincerity of the wishes which the Covemment has never ceased to express for the maintenance ut peace. The First Consul has made, for the preser vation of this inestimable blessing, every sacrifice that appeared to him consistent with the Majesty of the Great Nation, of which he is the chief. Lord M'hitworth carried with him the hope of an accom modation, but the passions which agitate the British Cabinet have extinguished the last gleam of hope, and the Cabinet ha; shewn itself insensible to the vice of reason, and deaf to the cry of humanity. France, therefore, will not make war, but she will accept and support it with the energy which she has already displayed. The English Administration has caused French ships' passengers, and other citizens on board them, to be seized, without a previous de claration of war. They have ordered the execution of this a& of perfidy, unheard of in the annals of po lished nations, even before the French Ambassador had quitted English ground. The elreCts of the Proclamation of the King of England, have caused astonishment and dismay among his subjects, and excited astonishment and fury among the French. it is then true that England has made war upon us. In this new crisis Government will not be wanting to the nation, and the nation will not be wanting to the Government. he ar7ression has commenced on the part of England. The reprisals ought to fol io«• immediately. The Orator then communicated the following decree : Art I. Pt is prescribed to every Commander of the sprvlrnns or Naval Divisions of the Republic, Ca?tains of ships and other vessels of war, to attack NU thase'of the Kine of I...ngLisni, as well as vhips belonging to his sublets, to seize them, and bring them into the ports of the Republic. 11. Cominionoas shag be delivered to the owlia7s of French ;irivareers who shall require it, and who 11l ty b Ai a situation to ustoin them, conforming in rez.ird to the said i.rivatecrs to the ea ;sting I.tws and regulations. 111. Al: the English enrolled in the militia between•the ag of Eighteen awl Sivty, or who hlldfl from ill Britannic Majesty, now Ia Futter!, idtall iiinitivl,A.l7 con tit atad pris.niers of war, to answer for th e't • • !‘. t • Re. pu' he tbho May have been detained and made prim:3nel by the ve..4: 1 5 or siii.jects of his Britamii.: Majesty before the declare, tiara of war. The Min:sters an. charg.sd each as far as c , incerned wish th exe.:utian of the yrzsent Decree, which shall be insetted i:: the litolet • n of I .aws. (Sigurd) BONAPARTE. Ti:.! First Consul Br the First Co.isul. Thu S..cr try of S•Ate (Signed) 11. B. MAR ET. The President answered, " Citizens Counselkr s Of State, the French people are too great; too confi dent in their strength, in the energy and wisdom of their Government, and in the genius of the Chief of the Republic, to entertain the least fear from the war to which they are challenged. France will know how to repel it with the manly vigour of a warlike nation. The Legislative llody will always give the examples of firnmess, with which the dig nity and justice of our cause inspire it. Citizens Counsellors of State, be our organ to Government ; assure it, that we shall be always ready to second h. in every measure in which our assistance shall be required." The Legislator I)::vismes spoke after the Presi dent.- a' The cry of indignation and vengeance, which the conduct of an ambitious and proud Govern ment has excited, shall resound through all France. The rowers of the Continent will second that ntrous impulse, which has been produced among us by an aEt of perfidy, that forms a striking contrast with the religious execution of our engagements. This odious reilaaion of a treaty, broken almost as soon as it was signed, will not remain unpunished ; a treaty in which the interests of the two rivals were wisely balanced, and in which humanity was de lighted to behold the solemn and real pledge of the peace of the world. Yes, I swear by. the honer of a people as brave as loyal, the blood which is go ing to be shed, will fill upon the aggressor; and that nation, which does not suffer an equal, shall descend from a rank for which nature never intended it. Proud of their numerous squadrons ; of their fleets, which serve them for ramparts ; of their gold, of which they exaggerate the power, the English have said in their hearts, 6 the land belongs to him who is master of the sea.' This mastic, of which a great example has already proved the falsehood. a • nation which has &heist that nothing is impoisihie to it, will refute. Eternal hatred to the nation that would' aspire to dominion over every other ! I say further—evil to the nation that should succeed in the atteitspt ! It would find, in its own greatness, the principle of its dissolution. Convinced saf this truth, France herself has set bounds to her successes, and her enemies have obtained more froM her moderation, than they had a right to exped from their triumphs. But, if Oiere were a nation for which fortune reserved the dangerous advantage of supremacy, with which of the two would it be most likely 'to continue ? I it with a nation which is de, sirons of purchasing, at any price, a colossal great ness, has no other basis for it except a fragile credit, or rather with one which is rich in all the means of prosperity, has also the peculiar genius for turning them to advantage, with a nation in whose bosoms are fomented the destrudive seeds of troubles always ready to break out ; or, rather, of one whose admi nistration, wise and strong enough to rally all spirits, inspire all hearts, and dircd every wish to one ob jed ; of a nation, whose fortune and valour are attached to an element which is the emblem of in constancy, or rather of one whose courage knows no obstacles, and seems to think it play to arrive at glory by unusual ways. Frenchmen, you Lave fought ten years for your liberty, and you have ce mented it by prodigies. Your single independence is not now the question. A proud Cabinet, in at tacking you, menaces the independence of the whole world. Assuredly the war which you arc going to maintain, is no less necessary, honourable, and just, than the preceding one, and the issue of it will be such as your invincible courage promises, guided by a hero who has made a compad with vi Cory. I hear it said, that Rome and Carthage are going a second time to decide, by fate of arms, the destinies of mankind. How income& is this simile, in which some superficial minds indulge ! Rome onl;,..•ombated for herself; but it is the cause of all natio.'e that you are going to defend. Every pretence of war was greedily seised by the Roman senate, to whom all equilibrium was insupportable; and your Government, iospired with moderation, has exhausted, for the maintenance of peace, every,. means that the digeity of the nation could al low. Rome finally destroyed her rival, because she wished to enslave the world : you, on the contrary, who look to a more noble glory, you only desire to put a curb upon an ambition, which is the more culpable as it does not resped the most sacred obli gations, and faithful to the principles of a wise and generous policy you shew•ed, desire that there should always be a Counterpoise to your power, and object of emulatiop for your virtue. I move, that the Le gislative Body shall form itself into a Secret Com mittee, to hear the report of its commission, which it has charged to pre scot to it the plan of an address to Government." The Tribunes were cleare 1 •at half past five ; the Secret Committee rose, after having appointed a de putation of twenty-five members, to congratulate tlae First Consul upon the wi,dcm and firmness which he has displayed upon the present important occasion. The next siting sv;ss Lard for Wednesday last. TRIBUNATE. SITTING OF THE 9TH PRIARIAL, (Tits MAY.) In the name of a special Committee Data made a report on the official pieces of the Negotiation with Eogland. Ni lien the Erst cry of war was heard, every one cast his eyes around him, and beheld Eurcpe in full possession of peace. The Allies of Fran,:e alone had cause to com plain. The Batavian Republic still expelled the restitution of the Cape of Good Hope, Turkey that of Egypt, and France demanded the evacuation of Malta, and the acknowledgment:of its dependance. It is rot, however, among us that the first cry of war is raised. It issued from the bosom of a na- tion which has given rise to such %veil-founded com plaints. We learnt that there were Negotiations without knowing that new interests remained to be regulated, and we have just seen that the issue is an insulting provocation. must then enter into a severe examination of the complaints' of France and England, follow the condua of the Negotiation, and observe what will be the result of the war to - both nations. llere the orator referred to the early part of the revolution. He represented France as attacked by foreigners, who threatened to invade it ; those same foreigners promised their support to a family which had long governed Trance, while they carefully re mained at a distance from that country, from which places were taken in their n.me, exciting refugees, who marched in their train, and abandoned them after their defeat. In the midst of this dispropor tioned struggle, the French Armies were command ed by Generals, enemies of the revolution, and every thing seemed to predia approaching dcstrudion and total defeat. If any one had raised his voice in the midst of these difficult circumstances—if he had said to you, do' not despatr of your preservation of your Ir li betty, there are litig Mitt men in those oincuitl . tanks—they will eondliet lout otrAes to viadrpi-- .they will- recover the limits of yr'nr territory, you .. 'will recover your prosperity within, and you will commane. peace to Europe combined against yon. Certainly, if any one had presumed to hold such language, would he not have been treu'ed like . a madman ? Yet I have only stated what it the his tory of yourselves. Our enemies soon perceived that the calculations of hatred are always false, and that it is always folly for foreigners to interfere in our civil discords. It therefore no longer became a question df disputing with the French people, the right of Citing its des tinies, and of forcing it to descend from the first rank among nations. The events which succeeded with astonishing rapidity, loudly called for a man capable of ruling, and assuring to France the result of its long and glorious efforts. That rain appeared, glory named him, and the voice of the French people is ever obedient to the call ("glory. Called to the supreme Magistracy, his first thought was to put a period to his military glory, and to pacify Europe. The orator adverted t ) the first overtures which were made by Bonaparte for the re-establish ment of peace between France and England. He cited the answer of the Cabinet of London, in which, after having expressed that Europe would see with pleasure the ruins of the French Gcmernment re stored to the hands of the family, who had so long procured peace within, and ieTeEl from abroad. hi 9 Britannic Majesty avowed, that he attached to that event alone, the possibility of a solid and durable pacificator. "'1 hough in this Note, continued the orator, att attempt-was made to apologize for the war, rather than to afford the means of terminating it ; the First Consul proposed Preliminaries, they were re jefted; and no Negotiation could be opened. The battle of Marengo was an answer to every thing, and subsequent events have proved how incere were the dispositions manifested at a later period in the Ca binet of London. Since then the English Ministers,. in the correspondence relative to the Armistice, ex hausted all those means which proved the desire of renewing war, rather than of putting a period to its ravages. '1 he battle of llohenlenden again operated as an answer to every thing. The treaty of Luneville was concluded, and one cannot too mu ch applaud the prudence of him who direded the Ne gotiations, and that spirit of conciliation which over came so many obstacles, and produced such happy results. "Let us proceed to the periods which folldwed the Treaty of Amiens. It* represents the British Go vernment tolerat:ng the disgusting injuries cf mis erable writers, and the scandalous libels of a few ',homeless men, reeking from assassinsuiOns, and authorizing, with a sort of affeetation, some rei . e. gees to wear, insultingly, marks of clistinaion, which Jid not exist, and throwing them on our shores with defamatory libels, pretended commissions, and ma chines of destru6tion: " Those who gate such commissions, said he, wer e not the ancient Ministers of the Gospel worthy of that sacred character, they are rebels who wish to .revert peace from entering into their consciences, 171,1 who, after having invoked the authority of their chief in revolt, disregard him when he commands submission. " The Reporter referred to the complaints alleged by England, and shew•ed the injustice of them. If we may believe, said he, these domineering Island. ers, you can no longer establish peace among your neighbours ; consummate an exchange without Eng land claiming the right of having a guarantee for its possession—;: guarantee which she now requires, only because she thinks you are not in a condition to resist her. Thus she traces around you the narrow circle of Popilius, but Popilius was a Roman, and the King did not command a million of brave men; but if this impudence, excess of impudence and pride is extraordinary, what is still more so, is the moderation, the excess of moderation, which con trast with it in the whole course of the negotia tions—a moderation which is the result of calmness and force—Tribunes let us imitate it. " In a note of the Britannic Minister, the King of England complains of offensive allegations con tained in the report of Colonel Sebastian'. This re port is but a necessary reparation, and such as the French army 1 4 a right to expeet from the ells gusting calunt.cs, the low injuries, and the out rageous accusations contained in the work of An English Officer, and of which the reception of Co lonel Sebartiani in Egypt is an answer. " England complains of the part we have taken in the differences of Switzerland. Certainly Swit zerland has dearly paid for the advantage of plc telling herself. Civil war was kindled in her bosom, the blood of her Citizens flowed ; every benefit of the reign of the law was disregarded. What was the result of that mediation against which they rail That of stopping the effusion of bleed, restoring repose to . the Citizens, and giving to that. country a fit constitution for which it sighed, and which alone could protea it. " England argues against our incrcaseuf trrritory m I . • ~, ,