United States oracle and Portsmouth advertiser — Portsmouth, N.H., 1803-07-30 00:00:00, page 2

Ine honor to call to the recollection
of his Excellency, Lord Whitworth
that he was charged to fpecify by a
note, which was remitted to him on the
12th Floreal,that the First Consul was
as little to be worked upon by menaces
as by injuries, and that he was ready
to overlook the neglect of forms, of
which a parallel is not to be found in 1
the hiftory of any nation, in circumstan
ces of equal Importance.
That the Island of Lampedofa did
not belong to France ; that it was un
der the Sovereignty of a foreign power,
gnd that- with refpe&to the wish of his
Brittannic Majesty to have possession of
it, the First Consul had no right to fpe
cify, either his consent or refufal.
That the independence of the order
and the Isle of Malta was the refuk of
an especial article of the Treaty of A
miens: that the First Consul is not com
petent to take, in this refpe&, any new
determination, without the concurrence
of the two other contrasting powers to
the Treaty, His Majesty, the King of
Spain, and the Batavian Republic.
That the Independence of the Island
of Malta had been guaranteed by His
Majesty the Emperor of Germany, and
that the ratifications of his guarantee
were exchanged ; that their Majesties
the Empe-or of Ruflia and the King of
Prussia had guaranteed the indepen
dence cf the Order & Ifleof Malta, that
these guarantees were demanded of these
Powers, by England as well as by
France ; that it was the duty of the
First Consul to accept of them, that the
First Consul could notin consequence
give ear to any proposition, relative to
the Independence of the Order of the
Island of Malta, without previously be
ing apprized with refpef t to this Inde
pendence, of the intentions of the Gov
ernments, whichhad authentically guar
anteed it.
That a small corp's of French Troops
W4s still, at the time of the message,
Rationed in Holland, in virtue of a con
vention concluded Between that Repub
lic & France ; and that the First Consul
had not the lead hesitation in faying, he
would cause Holland to be evacuated,
the moment the Ripulations of the
Treaty of Amiens wefe cairied into
effed, on the part bf England.
T&t'nisnot^ which, in expressions and
ex^itude, and above all in the preci
sion of its motives breathed nothing but
justice; peace and moderation. His Ex
cellency, Lord Whitworth, replied, by
a peremptory demand of passports ;
stating at the fame time, that he inten
ded leaving Paris on Wednesday, the
4th of May, at five o'clock in the mor
fin^
The French Government deeply feels
the contrast which a determination, so
absolute, presents to the character of
decorum, of justice and of Conciliation,
which in all circtimftarices, arid princi
pally in the lad, it has made a point of
giving to all its meafares—Neverthe
less, it deemed It incumbent upon it
felf to make a Sacrifice to the Intereds
of Humanity. It whs riot willing to
abandon till the last moment all hopes
of Peace,and the underlined transmit
ted to his Excellency, Lord Whitworth
a new Note, in which France made the
offer to give its alTent,that Malta should
be placed under guardianship of one of
the three guaranteeing powers, viz.
Austria, Russia, and Pruflia.
This proposition appeared to Lord
Whitworth himfelf such as ought to
fatisfy the pretension of his Court ; he
suspended his departure, and received
the Note ad referendum.
At the fame time the Amba/Tador
of the Republic, at London, being ap
prized of the demand, which his Excel
lency Lord Whitworth, had made at
Paris for his passports to return to Eng
land, received orders to ' hold himfelf in
readiness to depart. He accordingly
demanded his passports which were in
stantly granted.
~ The mezzeo fermino, proposed by the
French Government, was a deviation
from the letter of the Treaty of Ami
ens : but it had the double advantage
to assimilate, to the greatest degree pos
sible, with iisfririt, that is to fay, to
place Malta in the Independence of the
two nations, and to offer this guarantee
so much insisted upon, and which
the British Minister pretended constitu
ted tlre sole objeft of its alarms.
The British Government comprehen
ded the force of these reasons, and the
unhappy fatality which induced it to
war, offered to it no other reply, than
a falfe allegation. The 21st of this
month Lord Whitworth transmitted a
note, in which he declared, that Russia
had refufed to accede to what was re
quired of her.
The guaranteeing powers being three
in number, if Russia had given a refu
fal,ftill there remained the Emperor of
Germany and the King of Prussia. Eut
how Was it potfble for Russia to make
known its sentiments on the fubje& of
new proportions, and which had been
made only a few days ? It was in the
knowledge of England that Russia and
Prussia had proposed to guarantee the
independence of Malta, with some
flight modifications, and that the French
government had willingly accepted of
the said guarantee, and that judging of
the genius,the eonfiftency,& the fidelity
to his engagement, which charaderize
the Emperor Alexander, there was not
the smallest doubt that he would accept
of the prop^ ition which had be^n rca.de
to him ; but providence, which takes
a pleasure in confounding bad faith,
caused ar the fame hour, nay, even at
the fame instant in which Lord Whit
worth transmitted his note, a Ruffian
courier to arrive, acdreffed to the ple
nipotentiaries of that power, as well at
Paris as at London, by virtue of which
his Majesty the Emperor of Ruffiaman
ifefted with a most marked and pecu
liar energy, the pain he experienced on
learning the resolution of his Brittannic
Majesty to retain the island of Malta ;
he renewed the assurance of his guar
antee,and made it known,that he would
accept the demand of his mediation;
which had b^ea made by the First Con
sul, if the two powers had reccurfe to
it. The undesigned hastened, on the
2%d,t0 apprize Lord Whitworth, by a
note, of the error into which his court
had been led, not doubting,that as this
was the only obje&ion which it had
made to the project presented, the mo
ment that it was acquainted with the
reiterated and positive declaration of
Russia, it would use all possible dili
gence to adhere to the delivering up
of Malta into the hands of one of the
It is required that the French gov
ernment ihould consent to give an if
laad which does not belong to it ; that
it Ihould itfelf commit, even to its own
' injury, a violation of a solemn treaty,
underline pretext that England Hands
in need of z new guarantee against her ;
that it Ihouid be wanting in all the re
gard due to the other contrasting pow
ers, by delhoying, without their con
sent; th? article which, with rcfped to
themselves, was difcufkd longer than
any other at the period of the confer
ences ; that it Ihould be equally want
ing in the regard due to the guaran
teeing powers, in consenting that'an if-
Idnd, which they wished to be indepen
dent, Ihould remain for ten years under
the authority of the Britilh crown :
that it fhotild take away from the order
of Malta the sovereignty of the Rate
which had been restored to it, and that
this sovereignty be tranferred to the in
habitants $ that by this spoliation, it
would give offence to all the powers,
which had faftioned the re-eftablilhment
of this order, which had guaranteed it,
and which,in the arrangements of Ger
many, had assured to its indemnities
for the losses it had experienced.
Such is the basis of the ultimatum,
which presents a series of pretensions al
ways increasing in the fame proportion,
as the government of the Republic dis.
plays its moderation. At the firft,Eng
land gave its consent to the preserva
tion of the order of Malta, but wanted
to fubjed this order and its Rates to
the British authority.
At present, and for the fame time,
the abolition of the fame order is de
manded, and that it ffiould be consent
ed to in the space of thirty-fix hours.
But, were the definitive conditions
proposed equally as conformable to
the treaty of Amiens, and to the inter
ests of France, as they are contrary to
them,the simple form ofthefe demands,
the period of thirty-fix hours prefetib
ed for giving an answer, cannot leave
any doubt as to the determination of
the French government. No, never
will France recognize in any govern
ment the right of annulling by a fingU
a& of its pleasure, the stipulations of a
reciprocal engagement. If (he has per
mitted that under appearances which
denounced direct menaces, a verbal ul
timatum, of seven days should be pre
sented to her, an ultimatum of thirty-fix
hours, and treaties concluded, without
being negociated, Rie could have no o
ther motive, than to recal the Britilh
government by the example of her mo
deration ; but the cannot consent to any
thing, which compromise the intercfts
of her dignity, and her power.
The undersigned is therefore charged
three powerful guarantees. What then
mull have been the aftoniihment of the
undersigned, when Lord Whitworth,
without entering into any explanation
or seeking to contradid or difeufs the
declarations made to him by the under
signed, made known by a note written
oil the fame day, that by his instruc
tions, he had received orders to depart
within thirty-fix hours after the delive
ry ofhis last note, and repeated his de
mand for his passports. The undersign.
ed was obliged,in consequence, to cause
them to be delivered to him immedi
ately.
Would the Englifli ambaSTador have
conducted himfelf in a different man
ner, if the French government had been
besieged in a place battered in breach,
and that the point in question had been
—not the most important interests of
the BritiSh cabinet, for these eight hun
dred years,but ofa Ample capitulation ?
The commencement of the negoci
ations was preceded by armaments
pompcufly announced. Every day,
every hour the signal was given for the
re-commencement of hostilities.
And what is this ultimatum that is
presented to the French government,
and requires to be signed in the couife
of a day ?
to declare to his Excellency Lord
Whitworth, that any communication,
the sense and the forms of which do not
accord with the usages observed among
the great powers, and with the princi
ple of the most perfect equality between
one date and the other, can no more
be admitted in France.
That nothing could oblige the French
government to difpbfe of countries
which do not in the least appertain to
her, and that it never will recognize
the right of England to violate in any
point whatever the treaties into which
that power has entered with France.
Finally, the Undersigned repeats the
proposition of placing Malta under the
guarantee of one of the three powers,
and aS to every other obje&, foreign to
the treaty to Amiens, he renews the
declaration, that the French govern
ment is ready to open a negociation on
these points.
If the English government gives the
signal of war, nothing will remain to
the Republican government, but to
confide in thejuftice of her cause, and
in the God of armies.
The Minfer fir Foreign Affairs.
(Signed) Ch. M, TALLEYRAND.
LATE FOREIGN NEWS.
By an arrival at Philadelphia.
PARJS, MAY „.
AN Arrete was this day communi
cated by the Consuls to the three
Aflemblies.—lt contains the orders for
embargoing all French and Dutch
Ships :—for issuing letters of marine
and reprisal ; and orders all French
commanders to commence hostilities
against English ships. It also orders
as follows :—
Mr. Fox, in the Commons, before
the publication of the late Rate papers,'
declared, “ If the honor of this country
has been insulted, I do not hesitate
to fay, that a re-commencement of hos
tilities should be immediately resolved."
The case being made out, Mr. Fox will
fuppoit the war with his usual energies.
Accounts from the Hague, lay,
" I hat the French army assembling
near Nimeguen, [in Guilderland]
though oftenliblydeftined for Hanover,
is er camped on the fame foot, where,
in 1688, William the 111. encamped
before he invaded England. Frenchem
iffaries have been taking accounts of all
the vessels, &c. in Holland, as well as
the number of our seamen.—But our
sailors are attached to the Prince of O
range, and hate the French ; and have
already begun to defers I repeat, that
" 3. All English enrolled in the Mil
itia,and not less than eighteen,nor more
than sixty, or bearing His Britannic
Majefly's cornmiffion, who are now
in France, shall be immediately made
prisoners of war, to answer for the citi
zens of the Republic made prisoners by
British ships or fubjefts before the dec
laration of war."
The arrete is followed by d charge,
that the English have committed hostili
ties without any declaration of war, and
without anv of the forms required for
nations, following the odious principle
of a public right set up for, themselves
alone.
The English here are ordered to ap
pear within 24 hours, before the Co
mmandant ; who will fend them to Foh
tainbleau.
The 5 per cents have fallen to 47L
—— 0-
LONDON, MAY 2fr
Our advices from Hamburg, of May
20th, Hate “ that in the event of a War
the French will take possession of Ham
burg,and,he whole of the Lower Elbe.
A letter from a contyiercial house in
Berlin, to one of the firß refpeftability
in Hamburg, advises, that the king of
Pruflia has promised a free paflage
through his States to the French army
defined for that purpofc."
O - MAY 78.
The squadron under Sir Roger Cur
tis, arrived yesterday at Portsmouth,
from the Cape of Good Hope.—Yes
terday at noon, they captured a French
Indiamah valued at 100,cool.
The proceedings lad night in the
Iloufe of Commons, were particularly
interesting. Mr. Fox made his prom
ised motion for an address to His Ma
jesty to avail bimfelf of the proffered
mediation of Russia to fettle the differ
ences between this country and France :
and in the course of difeuffion which
ensued, Lord Hawkefbury candidly Ra
ted the readiness of His Majesty's Min
ißers to explain their views to the
Court of Peter ^urg, and readily to ac
cept the mediation of that power. But
his LordEip repeated what he had men
tioned before, that no direct or precise
offer had been made on the part of Ru
ssia; it was merely of the Rightest spe
cies of assurance of mediation. It
was, however admitted, that, in the
mean while, that the cohteft into which
we have again been obliged to enter,
should be prosecuted with vigor, until
views of mediation (hall have been real
ized ; and in consequence of Lord
Hawkefbury's candid Statement, Mr.
Fox withdrew his motion—After Mr.
Fox had withdrew his motion in the
House of Commons, he went over to
the Treasury Bench, and (hook hands
with Mr. Addington and Lord Hawkef
bury.
Letters from Hamburg Rate, that
the Senate had made application to the
Court of Berlin,for its protection ; but
no aniwer had been received. Bona
parte, in one of his gulls of ballon has
declared,that unless all intercourse with
Great. Britain is prohibited he will oc
cupy Hamburg with his troops, over
run Portugal,and annex it to the Spah
jlh Monarchy ; and form another Ital
ian Republic out of Naples.
Bonaparte has intimated to the pet
ty Powers dependent on him, that
France will not admit of their neutral
ity in the war ; they must either be al
lies or foes., Holland, Portugal,Spain,
Liguria, Cifalpinia, ahd Etruria, will
be involved in a contest with a power
which is nobly (haggling for their lib
erties. We trust it is not pbffible that
Russia, Auttria, and Prussia will fubn.it
to the exercise of a power, which would
not only be unjust and oppressive in its
immediateoperation,but which if fuffer
ed to prevail must (hortly prove fatal to
the general independence of Europe.
Bonaparte has twice of late publicly
spoken bn the fubjed ofhis menaced in
vafibn of this kingdom. England, and
not Ireland, he has declared to be his
object of Attack, as success in the former
would ensure the fall of the latter,
while, although victorious in the lat
ter, the former might Rill refill and
bafle his enterprize. He talks of fend
ing his army hither in row-boats dur
ing a calm, when our fliips cannot aft,
a measure for which England is better
situated than Ireland. That the Chief
Consul is fufficiently enthusiastic to un
dertake such a projea, is very credible ;
that he will be beaten should he attempt
it, is very certain. Our fleets, aftive,
enterprizing, and vigilant, ensure us
protection from the insult of invasion;
but should it by any accident reach our
fheres, can any man be so loft to the
proud and generous feelings of a Bri
ton, or so ignorant Qf our internal pow
er as to dread the irfue ?
Our merchants have been for tome
time withdrawing their property from
Hamburgh.
Algiers has demanded of our Court
180,000 dollars for 18 Raves, who es
caped from Oran.
Brett harbor is so closely blockaded,
that no veflel can enter it.
Eighteen fail of the line are ordered
to be prepared at Bred, for service.
A report prevails, that the Duke of
Kent has been takeh on his way fiom
Gibraltar.
Difpatcbes were sent off on Saturday,
containing definitive orders to our Am
bassador, to demand an explicit decla
ration of the intentions of the Batavian
Republic.
my intension is not to create alarm ;
but vigilance, and vigor, activity and'
unanimity, are absolutely necefTary to
counteract the designs ofa Man who
believes in no other 'Providence but For
tune, and who hitherto, even in his
most desperate enterprises, has never
ceased to be its favorite. Remember,
that if one army should really attack
Hanover,thereare already in this coun
try, in Brabant, in and on the Rhine
upward of 110,000 men, which are
augmenting every day with frefh troops.
C . MAY 2 ^
By Bonaparte's tyrannical edift of
the 23d, he attempts, it seems, to justi
fy himfelf by the law of Nations, which
he asserts gives him a right to seize the
persons of British fubjedsid his territo
ries, because we have taken ships, and
made French fubjefts prisoners without
a previous declaration of war.—Where
did the Consul learn the Law of
Nations? In some of his new fangled
classes of the National Institute ?
A formal declaration of war is not ne
cessary. Ihe recal of Ambassadors is
a fufficient declaration of war, and
proves that two countries are from the
moment to be considered as in a Rate
of war. In future, foreigners will be
unwilling to visit France ; tor they will
have no guarantee,that the customs and
usages of civilized nations will be ex
tended to them, or that their persons
will be refpeded.—The arbitrary pow
er of the First Magistrate may in a mo
ment consign them to periffi in the dark
recedes of the Temple, or to rot in the
damp dungeohs of the Conciergerie.
—^
- -MAY 29..
The recent overtures of France for
the renewal of peace, obviously refuit
from the unprepared date of the gov
ernment to engage in war ; after two
years of insult and aggression, it were
folly to doubt its hoftiiity ; yet without
foregoing the advantage of the mo
ment, our Ministers have determined
not limply to leave open the door of
negociation, but to promote,by all con
tiHcrit facility, every intercourse which
Lay tend to accommodation.<
Reports founded on this fa&, and
some communications which the Span
ish, Dutch and Ruffian Ambassadors
have recently made, has occasion
ed a rife of three per cent in the flocks.
This rife, although thus ascribed to re
ports of peace, we believe to have been
occasioned by speculations in the mar
ket; conceiving, as we do, that there
does not exist, at the present moment,
the flighted probability of an imme
diate peace.
The Earl of Yarmouth, is among!
the English detained in France.
A considerable number of troops
have been recently marched into Calais,
or quartered along the adjacent coatt.
The report was generally accredited a*
Calais, that the chief command of all
the forces in that part of the republic
had been given to General Maffena,
whole arrival from Faris was daily ex
pected. Maflena has during the last
jwo years been boasting in Paris of the
facility with which he could invade
England, and many curious conversa
tions, some warm debates oil the fab
jed have occured between him and Eng
lish gentlemen into whose company he
has occasionally fallen. Heis one of
the most dalhing, at the fame time a
yar icious Generals in the French ser
vice. He would, no doubt, be very
happy to levy contributions on Lon
don. 0—
CAPTURES —BY THE BRITISH.
Two French transports, full of troops
have been taken in La Baye d'Augne
me.
Lord Nelson has sent in a rich (hip
from Surrinam. Sir Sidney Smith
has sent in a rich merchantman. The
Diamond has lent in another Surrinara
(hip, and the Pigmy, a French Eaft-In
diaman.
Five brigs attempting to escape
from Brett harbor have all' been cap
tured. Three of them had naval stores
on board.
The Reunion, homeward bound
EaR-Indiaman, of 800 tons, valued at
100,000/. has been sent in by Sir Ro
ger Curtis's squadron.
Le Vigilant, from Port-au-Prince,
laden with sugar and coffee, has been
sent in by the Resolution.
The Hazard brings an account, of
the capture of a French frigate. She
Was watching the moth ns of the Chan
nel Fleet, off Brest harbour, when Ad.
Cornwallis willing no doubt that she
Ihould have a nearer view of it, sent a
frigate alter her. She fireda few (hot
and (truck. Admiral Cornwallis has
14 . fail of the line with him.
Our poR letters continue to announce
to us successes of our tars.
PARIS. MAY 21. .
Telegraphic Djfpatch. -The Mari
time Prefer at Brett announces, this
day, that two English frigates have ta
ken two French (hips in the Bay of
Audierre.
The Garnet Roop has sent in the
Dutch ship, the Fador, Hoppex, a
French brig, from Martinique for
Havre, and a Dutch ship from Deme
rara.
may 31.
Mr. Talbot, Lord Whitworth's fe
cretary, has been detained in France
Yesterday morning,the Aukland pack
et was lent, as a flag of truce, with ans
wers to his dispatches. She returned
in the afternoon, and reports that tbr
two packets detained (ihe Prince of
Wales and Nancy) were to be liberat
ed. As Mr. Talbot did riot come in
the Aukland, it is presumed he is no:
Suffered to return to his country.
Mr. Liston, our Ambassador at the
Hague, has not, as reported, been con
fined ; but the Consular degree extendi
to Holland. Mr. East, the Mehengcr;
and the crews rs three English packets?
have been confined.
Dispatches, we underhand, have teed
feut to Holland, to recall Mr. Liftop:
M, Schimmelpennick, will of corirlc
depart immediately. It is supposed, A
Message will be sent to Parliament to
morrow announcing the order of Let
ters of Marque against the Dutch.
Spain mult obey the demands cf
France ; but Bonaparte will attempt tc
delay our hostilities against her for the
purpose of enabling her to bring home
her treasures and galleons. His Majes
ty's Minifters,however will fee through
this artifice,and we have no doubt will
order all Spanilh (bins to be detained
and sent into British ports. The rich
Manilla squadron put into Table Bay;
as Sir Roger Curtis was leaving the
Cape. It confits of a ship of the line
and four , frigates, all laden with bill,
lion, to the amount, it is said, of four
millions sterling.
Mr. Tierney has been appointed Trei
furer of the Navy, in the room of Mr;
Bragge, Mr. T. will certainly be a
molt valuable acquisition.
An army, called the “ Array of Hrs
ver,' has been colleded at Coverden.
Private accounts from Paris, fat
“ Orders have been sent for the French
troops in Italy, to occupy Ancona, C
vita, Vecchia, Tarentum, and othe(
ports of the Mediterranean. At th'
fame time, instructions were forward
ed to all the French Agents in Italy;
to infill upon the sequestration of al!
English property."
Another attempt has been made b,
the French Government to renew the
Negociation. A new proposition w^
on Wednesday presented by the Dutch
Ambassador to Lord Hawkefbury j
but it was of so inadmiffibie a defcrip
tion, as to be instantly rejected.
^firia is forming a cordon 6645,'
troops on the frontiers of Italy ; a:/
Gen. Murat has demanded'reinforc
ments. — The demand to occupy Sichi
with French troops has been refufedi
third time.