The National Register.
London, England, 1809-01-22 00:00:00

E NATIPNAL REGISTER..

56

T;

connected by ties of the closest alliance, and by stipulations
which unite their counsels for peace as well as for war.

To Spain his alajesty is not yet bound by any formal.instru-
pent ; but his Majesty has, n the face'of the world, contracted
with that nation engagements not less Sacred and not less bind-
ing upon his M:ijesty',; mind than the most solemn treaties.. His.
Majesty therefore assumes thatl in an overture made to his Nla-
jesty for entering into negociations for a general peace the re..
lotions subsisting between his Majesty and the Spanislrbiontirchy•
have been dit•tinctly taken into consideration, and that the
vernment acting in the name of his Catholic Majesty, Ferdinautl
the Seventh,,, is uncterstood to be a party to any negoci4tion in.
Which his Majiisty is invited to engage,.
(Signed) • GEORGE CANNING.

Count de nomanzotr tn•. Mr. Secretary fiaaning, dated Paris,
28th' Nov. 1808. • Received December 6th.

. • NOTE. • •
The tinclergliniql. Arirtister for Foreign Affairs of his-Majesty
the Emperor of all 11-.0 Ruffilas, has the honour to reply 'to the
isilv of the With Oc ,Her, siinied by Mr. Canning, Secrefary of.
State' for Foreign Wffair; to t: is Majesty 'the king or (114 at
fain. and addressed by. his Excelfehey the Russian • Atribaisagr 1
,Paris ;—That the admission of the Sovereigns in Alliance
With England, to a •Congress.catinei be a point of any difficujiy,
in that-403sta And it i'anee cottsitif to. if. "'But this principle.'
by no.thelinsiitetitls.tO *the nceessity of .admitting the Plenipo-
lentiarl,s, of the parilsh insurgents: • The Emperor of Russia
cannot admit theitn 114 Etdplrp, in-similar circumstances,—
and erip' rrec Ilea one particular instance,—itas always
been tree !ci
.1 he smile ciple. Moreover, he has already lc,
khowtedz,ed "the Kin!. .Joseph Napoleon. fie has announced,to.
Rritanaie hdljesty, that he was united With fhe. Emperor of
the French for peace as well as for war; and his. Imperial.
jelly here r-peats thaf declaration.. He is resolved 'ant to sepa-.
rate his !ti:er,•sts' from tifoie of that MonarCh ; but they areboth.
ready to :tonclaile 'a pedal* provided it be just, honourable, and
egital !Or all. parties. • •

• . •

The undersigned sees with pleasure, that, in this difference of
opialow respecting the Spaniards, nothing presents itself which
can either prevent or delay the opening of a Congress. He de-
ri his persuasion in this respect, from that which his Britannic
Majesty has himself confided to the two Emperors, that he is•
bound by no positive engagement with those who have taken
up arms in Spain. After fifteen years of war, Europe has a'
right tademand pare.. The interest of all the Powers, includ-
ing that of England, is to render it general. Humanity cam=
funds it; and such a desire, surely, cannot be foreign to the fee.
ins of his Britannic Majesty. How can it he, that he alone
can withdraw himself from such an object, and refuse to tenni-
pate the miseries ofsuffering humanity ?
•
The undersigned consequently renews, in the name of the Em-
peror his august Master, the proposal already spade, to *IP?
Plenipotentiaries to uny city on the Continent, which his Bri-
tannic Majesty may please to point out; to admit to the Congress
the Plenipotentiaries of the Sovereigns in alliance with (:rest
Britain to treat upon the basis of the uti posstdetis, and upon
that of the respective power of the belligerent parties: In fine,
to accept any basis which may have for its object the conclusion
Of a peace; in which all parties shall find honour, justice. and
equality. The undersigned has the honour to renew to his
xceJiency Mr. Canning the assurances of his high consider-titian.
•(Signed) COMA NICHOLAS DE ROMANZOFF.
M. de Champagny to Mr. Canning.—Norn.
The undersigned.has laid before the Emperor, his Master, the
note of his Excellency Mr. Cannin•. If it were true that the
evils of war. were felt only on the Continent, certainly there
._ would be little hope of attaining peace. Thetwo Emperors hatd '
flattered themselves that the object of their measure would not
have been misinterpreted in Landon. Could the English Minis-
try have ascribed it to weakness or necessity, when every im-
partial statesman must recngnolle in the spirit of peace and mo-
deration by which it is dictated, the characteristics of power
mid true greatness I France and Russia can carry on the war so
long as the Court of London shall not recur to just and equitable
dispositions, and they are resolved to do so,
now is it possible for the French Government to entertain the
proposal which has been made to it, of admitting to the Nego-

• .-.:

JAN; -29. a

ciatlon the Spanish insurgents. What would the English Go!"
vernment have said had it been proposed to them te:ldmiethe Cal
tholic insurgents of Ireland ? France, Aiittolit having any, ;frets;
ties with them, has been in Communication with then): lute made
them promises, and has frequently sent them succours. Could
such a proposal have found place.in a note, theObje”OfWh:ich
ought not to* have been to irritate, but to:endeiVeur to effect to.
mutual conciliation art&good underistandinj? England will landherself under a strange mistake, if, contrary. to 'the esperietire
of the past, she still entertains the ichqt of ronfendingStie.cessftilly,
upon the Continent, against the artnieS of Fiance, What hope
can she now have .especially as France is' irreVocabl,y 'nuked
with Russia: The undersigned is camtrindeeto repetif. "the
preposal, to admit to the negotiation all the Allies of the
King of En land ; whether it be the Kingfwho reigns in the
13razils ; whether it, be the King 4rtin. reigns in Sweiten; "or
whether it.be the King; who reigns in ; *anti to take fur:Aim
basis of the negociatiOn the uti possi.-reiis. -Ile is ceinmattstedle
express the hope that, pot losing-sight Of the intSvirable results
Of the force of States, it will be remembered; that iletrwtflkosettMt
Powers there isjno solid peace, but that-which i*.itt ii,ts sfrtine'Cilne
equal a;-:.ihonourable for all p:lrties. 'the undersi..:ned roGlests
his 14c.-liency Mr. Canning to accept theassuranceß eift.h is sitigh-
est conbideration. (Signed) *CttAattlAGN.v.

or:r RI AL .4.N4:).T. • .• •
• • Dated Foreign Ailice, 9th Dee. 1808.
• The undersigned, his .Majesty's Principal Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs, has laid before- the•Ning•ftis—Master, the
,note transmitted to him by his,'Exoelleney the Count Nit-holas
de Romanzoff, Minister for Coreigir Atfaimof his Majesty the
Emperor of all the *Rtissias, dated on the 10-•. ii of November,
The King learns with nstottiithment and regret, the expectation
nhich are:•ars to have been entertained ill/4 his .Ilajeky'shottld
consent to commence a negociation for general peace by the
previous abandonment of the Cause of the Spanish nation, and
°flit° legitimate monarchy of Spain, • i retie fereneett) ttnitantypa—
tion which has no parallel in the history or thv.-worx.

His Majesty had hoped that the participation of the Emperor
of Russia in the overtures made to his Majesty, :would hare af-
forded a security to his Alajesity against the proposal of,u;enn4ii
lion, so unjust in its effect, and- so fatal in its example. Nor
can his Majesty conceive by what obligation of duty pr. 4. 10,
terest, or by what ,prinril:lo. o‘' Rusoao.p4ilicy, his *lmperial
Majesty can have found " himself conip,•lled to acknosi ledge 'the
right, assumed by France, to d^pose•and. imprison triendis So-
vereigns, and forcibly to transfer to
.herself the allegiance, bf
loyal and independent nations. If these be ioiteed the princi-
ples to which the Emperor of Russia has inviolably tutached
himself; to which his Imperial Majesty has pledged
.the.
sacter.and resources of bis Empire; which he has united himself
.wita France to establish by war, and to maintain. in peace,
deeply does his Majesty lament' a determination, by. which the
u fte ring s .of Europe, must be aggravated and prOlougcd'.but pot
to his Majesty is to be attributed the contiouunce of ;he cala-
mities of war, by .the disappointment of all hope of wk:a
peace as would be compatible with justice and with honour, .
The undersigned, &c:, • •
(Signed) GEGRGE CANNING:
OFFICIAL NOTE.

•
Dated Foreign Office, Dec. 9, ISO.
The undersigned, his Majesty's Principal Secretary of 'State
rot-Foreign Affairs, has laid before the King, his Master, the
Note transmitted to him by his Excellency M. de Chainpagny,
hied 49th NOvember.—He is especially commanded by his Ma-
-.sty to abstain from noticing any of those lOpics and expres-
.nus insulting to his Majesty, •to his Allies, and to the Spanish
mien, with which the Official Note teanensittect by M. de
C:!anpagny Majesty was desirous to have
tre•ited fur a peace which might have arranged the re-
sue. live interests of all the Powers engaged •in the war
on }Awl pies of equal justice ; and his Majesty sincerely regrets
that this doire of his Majesty is disappointed. But hie Majes-
ly is determined not to abandon the cause of the Spanish cation,
ond of the legitimate Monarchy of Spain , and •the •pretensions
of France to exclude from the vegeciation the•Ceuiral and Su-
preme Government, acting in the name of his Catholic Majesty
Ferdiband VII. is one which his Majesty could Dot admit,
without acquiescing in an usurpation which has no parallel is
the history of the world.--'The oadersigued, dec.
.

(Signed)

Gro. CANNINGic