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

(No. 8.)

" SIR,

" Paris, tune 2, 1806.

" I have shewn to the Emperor the • last letter
your Excellency did me the honour to write me.—
I can only repeat to you, under his Majesty's or-
ders, that to treat with you on the footing of your
alliance with Russia would be to place us in a situa-
tion of restraint and humiliation to which we have
never been exposed—no Power can flatter itself that
it can di&ate to France either the conditions of a
peace, or a mode of negotiation not sanaioned by
established custom. To require either the one or
the other would be to derogate from the French
character, and no more could be expected if you had
already invaded Belgium with an English Army,
and were prepared to penetrate into Picardy by the
mouths of the Somme.

" Ought I to repeat to you, Sir, that his Majesty
is sincerely desirous of peace, when on all occa-
sions in which the negotiation has been interrupt-
ed, this disposition has been manifested ? Is it ne-
cessary fur me to say, that the pro!ougation of the
war- has never been injurious to the honour and
glory of France ; or to affirm that, in time of peace,
a great nation can, in no way, more wisely employ
its forces than in preserving its relative dignity with
rcspat to its neighbours ? France would not deny
to you the right you enjoy of chusing and preserV-

(so. 9.)

" SIR,

" Downiq-street, June 14, 1306;

" I have received, some days ago, the dispatch of
your Excellency, dated the 52c1 of the present month.
I do not conceive how, in treating with Russia and
us conjointly, you have to recognize the principle of
the alliance between her-and us. At most, you only
recognize the fat. Still less can I divine how this
mode of treating. supposes you in• any state of infe-
riority. We by no means pretend to impose upon
France either the conditions of Peace, nor a mode of
negotiating contrary to its usages. In 1782, an epoch
which your Excellency cites in your dispatch, we •
did not consider ourselves in a state of degradation :
no-.-ertheless, when M. De Vergennes told us it was
necessary, for the honour of his Court,- that we
should treat with her conjointly with Holland and
Spain, we adopted, without thinking we degraded
ourselves in any manner, the mode to which that
Minister appeared to attach so much value. Your
Government wishes sincerely for Peace : here it is
equally desired, and I may nevertheless say of Eng-
land, what your Excellency says of France, that dui
prolongation of a war has never been prejudicial
either to its glory or its greatness : perhaps it has to
its real permanent interests, but equally so to those
of France.

" As to whatever there is of secrecy in our treaty
of alliance with Russia, your Etcellency is too en-
lightened not to acknowledge, that as far as regarded
the war and the propositions to be made to Prussia
and Austria, the secrecy was necessary. All that is
over. To as in concert for the purpose of obtaining
repose fin Europe in the first place; and for preserv-
ing it afterwards, is the principal, and, I may say,
the only ohje& of our. connexion.
" After the frank manner in which you disavow the
intention that has been wrongfully imputed to you,
with respeEt to what regards our Continental con-
nexions, there can no longer exist the slightest doubt
upon this most essential objeEt; and it wourd be more
distressing, that difficulties, which regard the form
more than the substance, should cause a war to con-
tinue which the two Governments wish to terminate.
Let us come to what your Excellency proposes. The
form which took place in the Administration of the
Marquis of Rockingham, is the more present to my
recollealion, as I then had the same post with which
his Majesty has been lately pleased to honour me.
Let France and England change positions, and it is
precisely what I have proposed. We then treated
with France and her'Allies. Let France now treat
with us and our Allies. The basis offered in your
second proposition, are perfeEtly confo:mable to the
views of our Government; it being well understood,
that while we mutually acknowledge our respective
rights of intervention and guarantee for the affairs of
Europe, we agree also mutually to abstain from every

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."