The Sun. — London, England, 1806-12-12 00:00:00

1' attack on the States which compose it, whether more or less powerful. " I should not have less regret than ydur Excel-. lency at this discussion ,lieing finished. Provided we shall be able to aEt in such a Manner that . nobody can reproach us for being wanting in good faith to an Ally that, .from every .consideration, .deserves' an entire ccuafidence on, our part,. we shall be content ; and the more so, because we know that an honour able peace would be no less conformable .to the wishes of Russia than. to those: of France and Eng . land. I have the honour to be, `.`‘ C. J. Vox." (No. 10.) `f SIB, " I write two words to you, to inform you that I sm perfe&ly satisfied with the wishes that you lave 'again expressed for peace. Lord Yarmouth besides has my entire confidence. Every thing which he shall mention to you, you may consider as proceed ing from myself. Time presses. Accept my best wishes. " C. J. Fox." " London, 14111 Tune, 1.130." No. i I. is the Powers given to Lord Yarmouth, written in the Latin language. No. 12. is the Translation of the same. They dif fer in nothing from the usual Powers given on these occasions. , • • • (No. 13.) " The undersigned Plenipotentiary of his Britan 'Die Majesty thinks it necessary, before he enters upon the negotiation a&ually pending between bis Sovereign and the Court of France, briefly to retrace the circumstances which have produced it. In the mean time, he considers it as becoming that frank- - ness and 'sincerity, Which, as Plenipotentiary of his Britannic Majesty, he is determined to pradise; to deelare that the principle which France herself ori ginally proposed, is the only basis on which he can - consent to negotiate, as well as to define the nature • of the discussion on which' he is ready to enter. • " The strong and energetic language which the French Government employed, three months since, to express its desire of peace, while it inspired his Majesty with, a confidence in the sincerity of the Court of France, caused no small degree of regret.. that the proposition to treat with him, and separately from his Allies, appeared to prevent both France and Englan'd from profiting of this favourable disposition of their respedive Governments, as it would be im possible for his Britannic Majesty, unless he swerved from that good faith which he has always manifest ed, to treat otherwise than in conjunction with his Ally t he Emperor. of Russia. " Since that time, when his Majesty found that intervening circumstances, which it is not necessary to detail ie this place, allowed him to engage in a separate treaty, it was with great pleasure that he received the proposition to treatgenerally, on the basis of the uti possidetis, to be scrupulously oh served, except in the case of Hanover*, which it is proposed should be ceded to his Majesty without any reserve. This proposition, it is true, was not in a direa way, nor by the channel of any accredited Minister; its authenticity, however, could not admit of the ' " Independent of the authority which it received from the character of the person employed to coin municate it, it appeared to be in perfed agreerrient with that which has been previously offered. The (Emperor does not entertain a wish for any of the possessions of England.' Sitch an avowal made at the very beginning of the correspondence between the two Courts, was the natural prelude to such a proposition. ". H is Majesty regarded the cession of Hanover as a proof of the spirit of justice in which the propo eition had been conceived, because this tleaorate, though it v.eis occupied upon a supposed identity of Interests and measures, passed, in of ea, flir nothing, in the diflhrences.which occasioned the present war; and lie viewed, in the principle till then recognised as the general bast; of negotiation (a basis particular .ly adapted to the relative situation of the two parties), what he considered to be a proof, that France was as sincerely disposed as Great Britain to put an end to ,au order of things equally prejudicial to the interests of the two countries. .f‘ In ilia, it appeared to his Majesty to be the . only principle on which the negotiation could he :brought to an happy conclusion. From the nature • ':of those interests in which the respective parties participated, it could not be expeaed that a satisfac tory arrangement could be made, in the way of re • ciprccal restitution, by the . restoration of their re , speaive acquisitions; while, on the other hand, the principle of the uti possidetis naturally presented it ; seil as offering ; the means of putting an end to the unfortunate hostilities between the two nations, - both of which. are in possession of extensive and im portant conquests, both as to territory and influence : France on the Continent of Europe, and Great•Bri-, tame in the other parts of the world: " This fast appeared still more striking to his Ma jesty; on 'considering that both nations had assumed an aaual possession in their - respective acquisitions, • which could not experience any material alteration from the continuance of the war : the superiority of the pa% al force of Great Britain being, according • to all appearances, no less firmly established on' the , sea, than that of the army Of France on the Continent of Europe, " It was under the impression which those reflec tions naturelly.produced, that - hiS Majesty most wil lingly accepted the proposition thr treating on the new, principle of the uti possidetis, with the reserva tion due to, the subsisting connexion with the Fmpe - ror of Russia ; and as a proof of his sincerity, he made choice of the person by whom the communica tion had been made, to announce the alacrity with ' which he acceded to the basis proposed for the.cdn elusion of a treaty. The Undersigned is by no means disposed to conceal the satistedion his Majesty has derived from the pleasing prospea of speedily re storing the blessings of peace to his subject; on just and equitable principles,' and which are conformable to the honour 01 his crown ; nor of the regret he experienced when, at the very Moment his 'Majesty had acceded to the principle offered for'his accept ance, t hat principle was strldeiily abandoned by the de tumid to evacuate and restore Sicily—a demand which - let; not been modified in any other way than by pro _leas of indepnity to his Sicilian Majesty, which were eqnally, insufficient and i " This demand, so incompatible with the avowed principles on Which the two p irties -treated, would have justified the putting an immediate conclusion to the negotiation ; but. the anxiety of his Majesty the King of Great Britain and Ireland to concur with 'his ally the 'Emperor of Russia, and to ensure to his slibjeds . the blessings of lieace, induced:ll4n to re ceive every other new proposition which might be made to procure to his Sicilian Majesty, in exchange for Sicily, a real and satisfaCtory equivalent.. No pro- , - position of this nature having been yet made, the Undersigned declares, that he cannot consent to treat on any other principle than the uti. possidetis, as ori ginally proposed to his Sovereign by the-court of France. In. the mean time, he expresses his wish that it may be perfectly understood, that the adoption . of this principle will not prevent him from listening to any proposition for a just and satisfadory indem nification to his Sicilian Majesty for the cession 'of Sicily 5 . nor. from accepting any proposal for an ex.• change of territory between the ContraCting Parties, on principles of justice, and such as may tend to the reciprocal advantage of the two countries. " The Undersigned conceives, that since the uti possidetis has been proposed by the Court of France,' peace has been concluded between France and the EMperor of Russia, and consequently that the rela tive situation between the two countries is no longer the same. On the contrary, he- must also observe, that since that time France has acquired new advan tages by the comprehensive changes which she has made in the constitution of the ermanic -Empire— an arrangement, the anticipation of which had been submitted to the Court of Great Britain 'as a power= ful . ,motive for the immediate conclusion of peace on the*basis of the uti possidetis. If,• then, this princi ple appeared just and reasonable before, - it cannot fail at present, according to its own views of the ob je&, to be still more favourable to the interests of France than of the British Empire. • ' " The Undersigned thinks it necessary to observe that although France may look forward to other ac•-• quisitions on the Continent of Europe, his Majesty the King of Great Britain and Ireland may with equal justice have similar views in other parts of the world,. and which will be of infinite importance to the com merce and strength of his empire ; and consequently, that he cannot, consistenly with the'interests of his people, or the honour of his crown, negotiate upon any principle of inferiority, either declared or sup posed. He cannot treat upon any other footing than the presumption that a continuance of hostilities is equally disadvantageous to both parties. There can be no reason whatever to suppose that the conquests which his Majesty proposes to keep by the peace could be taken from him by the War, and the Under signed must presume, the best proof that can he given of the.equity of the basis on which it is propos ed to treat, must be found in the circumstance, that they were offered by France, on the opening of the communication which has produced. the mission wherein his Sovereign .has employed bim conjointly with Lord Yarmouth. " Paris, Aug. 6, 1806." " LAUDERDALE." (No. 14.) " The Undersigned, Minister Plenipotentiary of his Majesty the Emperor and King of Italy, has laid before the eves Qf his Government the Note sent yesterday ny has r, xceliency Lord Laucteruaic, rte nipotentiary of his Britannic Majesty. His Majesty the Emperor and King of Italy could not but be painfully atiefled to see that a ne- - gotiation, which has already been the obje& of so many conferences—which has occasioned the dis patch of so many couriers on botli sid'eS—which was, in short, concluded to its maturity, should sud denly have taken a retrograde course, so a, even to present obstacles not in the nature of the stipula tions, but even in the very basis on ichich the tie got iation was. opened.. " The Court orFrance has constantly refused to admit in the same negotiation the Courts of Eng land and of Russia ; and whatever desire his Majesty the Emperor and King may have to see the general -peace soon . established, there is no *consideration .which could have induced him to Violate this princi ple of his. policy, Besides,. the negotiations. that France had commenced at St. Petersburgh, bad con, vinced his Majesty- the Emperor and King that the English Cabinet were under a delusion as to the nature of their connexions with Russia. " After many months discussion, the Cabinet of London yielded upon that point, and his ExCellency the Earl of Yarmouth . arrived publicly at Calais, and then at Paris, to treat about peace. He 'had, from his arrival in that capital, conferences with his Ex cellency the Minister for Foreign Affairs, after hav ing previously informed him that he was duly au thorized by his Government. " Since that epoch, Russia has concluded its peace with France. The Undersigned has - been named Minister Plenipotentiary to treat with the P,lenipo tentiary of his Britannic Majesty; and the first step was an exchange of his powers with those of his Excellency the Earl .of Yarmouth, whom he had a' right to believe, as• his full powers txpress, autho rized to treat, conclude, - and sign a definitive Treaty between France and the United Kingdom of Great. Britain and Ireland. " Very frequent conferences, the greater part of ,them for many hours, have since taken plaCe be tween the two Plenipotentiaries, who being of good faith on both sides, applied themselVes to smooth all difficulties; and laid aside every thing which could tend to irritation, or to embarrass or retard useless ly, the progress of the negotiation. " Instead of exchanging Ntes,more or less'skill ful, but w hich , remove from, rather than, approach, the object to be obtained—instead of commencing those controversies in ‘vriting,Which are not less pre judicial to humanity than open hostilities, and which prolong the miseries of nations—and, aboVe all, in stead of negotiating a peace in the manner that war is made,' the Plenipotentiaries managed with frank nesS the conferences, in which his. Majesty the Em peror and King granted all that he could grant, with out losing siglit of the dignity of his crown, his love for his people, and the interest of his Allies. " Never will' his Majesty be reduced to other sa-, orifices. e Does not the course taken by his Excellency the Earl of Lauderdale, the new Plenipotentiary of his Britannic Majesty, appear to announce, that a multitude of notes would not be sufficient even for the two Governments to understand one another Ai,a is there ‘not eviiently a dang•er;, that pursting such course, of which the abuse has been so mani fest in our time, that they will : ..11derstand otreano ther sfill less than they do at present If there is no other wish bnt to create documents which may afterwards be shewn to the Parliament of Great Bri tain, his Majesty the Emperor feels no such necessi ty. It is peace which he desires: - that peace equal ly honotlrable to France, to Great Britain, and their Allies, which the assiduous and mutual labour of the.respeclive Plenipotentiaries had made acceptable to the two Governments. " Nevertheless, to skew to the eyes of all his love for justice and the sincerity of his pacific stliti, • meats, and that it may be truly known to whom every hindrance to the,prOgress of the negotiation ought to be attributed, his Majesty the Emperor and King has deigned e to permit the .Undersigned to dis cuss' here the main question relative to ei the basis of this negotiation, already. advanced, and upon the point of being terminated. " In the letter written to his Excellency Mr.FOX, on the Ist April, by hts Excellency the French Mi nister tbr Foreign Atfairs, that Minister announces, that his Majesty the Emperor and King adopted en- 7 tirely the principle laid dOwn in the digpatchof hic Excellency Mr. Fox, of the 26th of March, and pre sented as the basis of-the negotiation, that the, pro posed peace ought to be henOurable for the two CotirtS, and for their respeCiive In his letter of the 2d of June, to his,Excellency. Mr. Fox, his Excellency,the Minister for- Foreign Al-- fairs went still farther. He proposed, in the name of his Majesty the Emperor and King, to establish for basis two fundamental principles; the first taken from the letter of Mr. Fox, of the 26th of March, to wit, that the-two States should have for their object, that the .peace should be honourable for them and, for their . respthive Allies, .at the same time that the peace should be of such a .nature, as to secure, as far as they could, the future repose of Europe.. The second principle was, a recognition in favour of both Powers, of the . right of interference and guarari tee, both for Continental and maritime affairs.' " Such were the basis adopted by the British GO; ivernment, and 'agreed to' by it. It never could have come into the contemplation of his Majesty the Em peror and King, to take for the basis of the negotia tion the uti possidetis. If such had been his ideas, . he would have kept Moravia, a part of Hungary, Styria, Carniola, Croatia, the whole of Austria, as well as its capital ; Trieste'. and Fiume, and the shores surrounding them, would-be now under his power, as well as Genoa and Venice; moreover, Osnaburgh, and all the mouths of the great rivers in the North of Germany, would be subject, to hiS Empire ; and certainly then his Majesty might, without any diffi culty, leave the Cape, Surinam, Tobago, St: Lucie, - Pondicherry. &c. in the liana of his Britannic Ma jesty. As to Sicily, even upon that hypothesis, his Ma jesty the Emperor and King would not have left it to his enemies , but his .Majesty would have thought' only that the conquest of. that Island ought to have preceded the opening of the negotiation'; and while Prussia and Russia . have • guaranteed and recognised the changes which have taken place in the Kingdom Of the Two Sicilies, was it to be presumed that Eng land could have been able to prevent the conquest of Sicily, which is only separated from the Continent by a canal of less than 2000 toises ? Liwt tlic cape and Surinam, and other Dutch Possessions, could be detached defini tlvely from the Kingdom of Holland, is it not cer tain that its incorporation with the French Empire would have been the necessary consequences of the refusal of England to restore to it its- Colonies ? What - means would there be, in fact; to preSiffe:a Nation Which had nothing but debts, and from which the 'entire absence of commerce, wouhkre move every means of payment ? Whatever their Excellencies the Plenipotentiaries of His Britannic -lajesty may alledge, it is impossible that they should not be convinced, that it is a thing extremely lifferent for Great Britain to see the Texel, and the mouths of the . Rhine and Meuse, subjea . iO the • French custom-house laws, and to seethem subject to those of the Dutch . . Thus, then,. without the restitution of its Colonies, Holland would, of neL cessity, become a Province of the Frendh Ertipire ; in accepting the- Crown of Holland, -Prince Louis forMally declared his intention of renouncing it, if the Dutch Colonies should not •be restored at the general peace. • • • " Let Hanover, moreover, become a province of France e let Trieste, Flu meeind -their territories, be come hi like,manner provinces of the kingdom of Italy : and let Great Britain keep in . cOMpetltition the Cape, Surinam, Malta, Pondicherry, &c. France will consent.to it ; and the great principle of ti"ti sidetis shall be applied in the whole .extent, both . , present. and for the future. " Let the new Minister Plenipotentiary of . his Britannic Majesty find in the history of the world, a negotiation concluded between two great - nations, on the principle of uti passidetis. Let him examine whe ther the uti possidetis 'does not rather belong to an . armistice than to a peace ? It is impossible not to say, that in proposing to France the uti possidetis, especially in - the present circumstances, they must 7have formed a strange idea of the charaeler of 'the Emperor Napoleon ; and they must have supposed him reduced to a singular degree of humiliation and distress. --" But, ,in demanding the uti possidetis, his Excel lency the Earl of Lauderdale, Plenipotentiary of his Britannic Majesty, without having any regard to the principles which he advances, wishes, nevertheless; to change the entire destiny of a ,Continent2l tia 7 tion, which furnished to England 25,000'111er), anA Which supplied her with a part of those means which she displayed in the seven years war, andeven in the war . oithe French Revolotion against the-artniess of the North. Thus, 'then, they wisli the uti pass/de/is to deprive France of all her commerce and establish ments, and to rpin her Allies ; but they wish to vio late the principle of the uti possidetis, to oblige France to renounce its engagements; to break its treaties ; and, in short, to dissolve its_whole"Continental sys tem. Is not this, to propose peace a thousand times more disastrons:than the longe4 war, and conditions capable of excitii;g.the indioatiou Of every French man ? shall France have conquered 'all .the Pw.vers hired by England, during the 'continuance of the three Coalitions, to see imposed upon it con ditions as uniyst as they are. dishonouri,ble, in spite of the moderation and eucrosity that she has she . , qis tx - Cellehey, - Mr. Fox, hilshiedselfpropwie . (L that the peke M30131(t he honou6ble fir the two 3 f Cautts, and tor their Tespeaive " His Mliesty the tmperc,r and' King cannot regard the' peace - as ItOnourable, if by one. of the conditions of it he is to loSe a single subje& ; and, ' 'however small niay be the importance of the Colony of Tobago, it is soilicien't that it was a part of the.. French Empire, when his Majesty took the reins of Government, to prevent his Majesty from ever sigtt log a treaty in which shall be contained the alienation of that Colony, or of any, other which belongs to' him in the same manner. NO "reasonable Eogfl h- man could ever flatter himself to the contrary4. , ana in his present situation, his Majesty .would lOse, if he consented to it, the esteem of every brave and generous man; even among 11:.S'enernies. " The Undersigned is charged to declare, that hij • Majesty . the Emperor and King esteems the' very idea of a negotiation on the basis of rife uti pamicietis; as a di.4hOhour. It is so much the more contrary td his principles, as his Majesty has restored his con= quests, and be would reign over a population double of that which.is now subjea to him, if 'at the of the peace that he made at the expiration. of those different coalitions, "he had taken for his only "princi pies the uti possidetis.. " The Undersigned is also charged to declare, that! the only bAis of negotiatioir' which hiS Majesty the Emperor,. and, King ,will adopt, are those proposed' impart by Mr.. Fox, and in part conviineo in tue ;et-) ter addre'sSed to him 'on ti 'c,cl;iii 'June' by tile NI:-, nister of. Foreign AtUrsi, and r,eferred to in,iiie;t2tli; paragraph of the present i\lot,L " Majesty the Emperor and ('r,7 -not , require from Great Brit.iin any thug covary to he interests of her Allies:: .he ought then to expeet, that they...would not_requii-e of him any t wing contrary ito the interests of his own.. 7 77 Undersign4imliarged to add, tiklit bee 1. fers to all which ~a been prepared by thi!nivitual efforts of hii Eidelletitylhe:Earl of Yarmouth, ai'd of the Undersigned. " If the peace is not restored, it is not France4.llt can be •accused , of having changed; but Eugland, although the peace between Vrance.and aussia,and other events unfavourable to Great: Britain; , oarg taken place siiice the negOtiatioti 'had beCtf - &)itiA mencekand was almost brought to its conclusic;n, an concert with his Excellency the Earl of Yarm• nth. " The Undersigned seizes 'this opportunity of as., suring their Excellencies, the Earls of Lauuerepatet and of Yarmouth, of his high consideration. (Signed) " CLAWKIL." (NO. 15.) " The, 'Undersigned Pienip,,tentiaries of his nri A . tannic Majesty do not think theysho ad allow thetn selves to enter into „a , detailed consideration of dui official note which has been sent to ,tliem, on th Part f nicral Clarke, dated the.artt of g the manner in which the different:different:u'ognst. After f his Ficellency G points that a rc .the subject of .that nciit, ,are Acre; treated, it would be impossible for them to discuss them•with that calmness and that regard due tofin - Ms which the charaaer with which they are clothed by their Sovereign require's. But the . subject of this. noteis - Of a nature:so general, and 'o - foreign to ;the; object immediately in question, that it wo.ikl be ief fectly useless to take it-into consideration at thepre sent time.. _ . . " The.Umiersigned, the Earl of Lauderdale, fir from thinking that the manner of discussing in Avrit ing the fu:ndaK'nental points of a negotiation, :cart* by any means increase the -difficulty of coming tii ao understanding, thinks, on the contrary, that he al ready _porce, ves manifest proofs of its utility in this; the official note presented•by him since his at rival, 11.1..3 led the negotiation to •an unequivocal is sue, and has pitt an end to the misconceptions (no " doubt real. pnes) which have eaken place, and- which could never have existed 'if:the same method had, been, adopted . 'since the commencement df the ne gotiation. .•• _ • " The Undersigned, the tail of YaintOuth, sees himselfobliged to recur to the manner in which it has been given to' be understood .that he has landed ac Calais, clothed :with a public chara&er, to treat abour peace..He has only come over to give, in person and viva-voce, the answer to a communication which he had been requested:to make to the English Goverro. merit, founded upon the basis of the uti from the following words:of his Excellency, M Pe Talleyrand : "We deMand nothing from you ;" which were accompanied , by the positive assurances that the restitution of his Majesty's German posse s- sions would experience ndresistance. The same senti ment is found equally expressed in the letter of M: De Talleyt-and to Mr. Fox, dated the ist of April : " The Emperor has nothing to desire of what England post- SCSS6S - : ' ' • • The Earl of Yarmouth thinks himself equally . bound not to pass over in-,silence fhe remarks made by his Excellency Gen. Clarke on. the subjea'ortlfe delay in the negotiation, and the frequent intercourse by couriers. The answers of his.Brithnnie Majesty - , have always been frank and ready ; and it num .-ber of couriers lias been 'considerable, it can only be p 'a a t cq tr u ib a u it t -ted ble : to O . use with which his Majesty is u . t " The Undersigned, the Lords Lauderdale. and Yarmouth, can by no means concur in the Opinion expressed by General Clarke in his note,' That the. negotiation II ad .been Com fnenced, and almost brought. *to conclusion,' in the Interval which passed between - the period when Lord Yarmouth officially co,ininb pleated. his full powers, and the arrival of Lord Lau derdale. . On the contrary, they con s ider e d th e Negotiation as having; sc i ircely begun. The conversations allukted to Consisted ) , on the part Of the French :Plenipoten tiary, in requiring what the undersigned, Lord Yar mouth, has uniformly declared inadmissible ; and on the pal:: of ,Lord Ya : rthouth, to confine-bimself ,• within the limits of the uti ps.sidetii, as tbe'instruc tions from his Government did not authorize hinito admit any other basis, of *negotiation ; a basis stlg geited, by France, in the - comniuniCation by Lord Yarmouth, and previously announced in M. Talleyrtuas, letter Of the Ist o;,` ApriL " The Linde' LziuderiLle _and Yarmouth, , think it unnecessary to now the reasons mentioned' ()I-Rial n o t t il i t clertte d : h y ,Y Lord La.Atadale, which ihi.l4.lo4,NPliemT . to the t)asis of ut i p , widetis‘piEnpoied b Lluve, as susceptible 'of- a partieuhr ap;Acratlon t). the;te spe,.ti‘e situation.of the two couu:rics. 'lt io them zu:jea of extreme regret, that the expettationand