The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-05-21 00:00:00

LON DON,
SATURDAY, MAY Ql.

Yesterday we received Park papers of Tue(day
last, which notice an offer, on the part of the Em-
peror of RUSSIA, to mediate betiveen this Country
and the French Republic. An explanation upon
this subject was demanded yesterday evening in the
House of Commons, and Lord Hiwnliseuev very
candidly admitted, that " in the very last moments
of the Negotiation, a Messenger had arrived from
St. Pctcrsburgh with dispatches, the purport of
which were, that the Emperor. of RUSSIA, 6°lo
not wishing to interfere in the differences between
England and France, would not withhold his ine-
diaivn if necessary ;" but his Lordship added, that
there was nothing in these dispatches which tended
to bring the Negotiation between the two countries
to any distind point, and that they would, if attended
en, be produdive of an injurious delay, and there-
fbre could not alter the determination of the British
Cabinet. His Lordship also removed any expecta-
tion of an amicable adjustment through the medium
of Mr. TA L. SOT and M. PORT A, LIS, the Secretaries '
of the respedive Embassies, by ascoring the House, '
that neither of them remained twin:- I for the con-
tinuing the Negotiation, but for other accessary pur-
poses.. He at the same time said, there was no official
intelligence of Mr. Tst.aoT having left Paris, nor
did he know that M. PORT A LIS had left London.
His Lordship further informed the House, that
when Lord Win wo AT u was upon his journey from
Paris, he received an unauthenticated proposition
for an arrangement, by which England was to re-
tain possession of Malta for a certain number of
years, allowing France, during the same time, to
occupy Tarentum and the Castle of Otranto, which
would give her the command of the Gulf of
Venice, an offer which, he said, was not admis.
sible, as it could not be acceded to consistent
with good faith, or the interests of the itish Go.
vernment. A conversation also took place in the
House of Lords relative to the offer of Russia to
mediate between this Country and France, in which
Lord PELHAM expressed himself nearly to the same
effeEt as Lord Ham: rsnu ItY. The Debate on
Monday in the House of Commons Will be one of
the most interesting in the history of Parliament.
In the Lords, we understand, the question will be
divided. The cause of his MAJESTY against France
will meet an unanimous support; :Jut the conduit of
Ministers, in their management of that cause, will
meet with opposition.

The Freya, ('apt. Viounkr, from Ceuta, with
wine and brandy, for Amsterdam, is taken by the
Fuca; Gun-vessel, and sent into Dover.
The S per Cent. Consols left oil yesterday at sf)j.
-
At the last meeting of the Society of Antiqua-
ries, in Somersec•place, the Rev. GEORGE MA ex-
it aim. 1). D. Dean of York, and JOHN SPENC2I
Satra' Eq. M. P. F. It. S. were elated mem-
bers ; and the 'knowable M. CAHRTEN ANGER,
member of the Royal Society of Sciences in Nor-
way, v<-as chosen honorary member of that So-
ciety.
It appears from an account laid before the House
of Commons, that the net produce of the perma-
nent taxes of Great Britain, for the year ending
the sth of April, 1802, amounted to 2£,596,1981.
and for the year ending the sth of April, 1803,
.288,112,1101 L . , . . • • .•..
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