and that such their omission and neglect have been highly injurious to the public interests. 4th. Resolved-That the principal circumstances which have, in the judgment of his majesty's ministers, rendered it impossible to execute the tenth article of the treaty of Amiens, must have been known to his majesty's ministers, either before, or very soon after, the exchange of its ratifications; which exchange took place on the 21st of May. That, nevertheless, no steps appear to have been taken, until the 17th of February last, towards obtaining, by discussion or explanation with the French government, the removal of this most important difficulty. That, so far from taking any such steps, his majesty's ministers made repeated applications to that government during the whole of the last summer, to accelerate the execution of the article, in its present hape, by co-operating with his majesty in inviting other powers to guarantee it. That, in consequence of those applications, the guarantee of Austria was actually obtained in the month of August; and that of Russia was jointly solicited by the British and French ministers at Petersburg, so late as the 25th of November last; many months after his majesty's ministers well knew that the execution of the said article was utterly impracticable. That this conduct, alike inconsistent with wisdom, dignity, and good faith, was no less detrimental to the interests, than prejudicial to the character, of the British nation; inasmuch as the favourable opportunity for negotiating on this subject, while his majesty was still in possession of his other conquests, was thereby lost, and the discussion reserved to a period when a recourse to arms constitutes the only means by which his majesty can resist the unreasonable demands of the enemy, and support the just cause of his people. 5th. Resolved-That it appears to this house, that, on the 10th of October last, counter orders were dispatched by his majesty's government, revoking the orders before given for the surrender of the Cape, and of the other conquests then held by his majesty; and that the final order, by virtue of which his majesty's forces actually evacuated the Cape, was not sent till the 17th of November last. 6th. Resolved-That, on the said 17th of November, the hostile spirit of France had (in the judgment of his majesty's ministers) already been manifested for more than six months, by "one continued series of aggression, violence, and insult," for which, "neither reparation nor redress" had, down to that moment, ever been obtained. That the offensive principle had already been distinctly advanced of excluding his majesty from all concern in the affairs of the continent. That the Spanish and other priories had already been withdrawn from the order of Malta; Piedmont, Parma, Placentia, and Elba, had been unjustly annexed to France; Swisserland had been attacked and subjugated; and the tardy and unsupported remonstrance of his majesty's government, on that subject, had been treated with indignity and contempt. The territory of Holland was at that very moment still occupied by the armies of the French, and its internal administration still controlled by their interference : and and the French government itself was then actually engaged in the pursuit of those plans and measures for the subversion of the Turkish empire, to which his majesty's declaration has referred, as constituting, on their part, an unquestionable violation of the treaty of peace. That the conduct of his majesty's ministers, in directing, under such circumstances, the final surrender of the Cape, without making any attempt previously to explain or arrange the numerous points of difference and complaint which then actually subsisted between the two governments, was in the highest degree impolitic and dangerous; was in direct opposition to the sense they had themselves manifested of their own duty, by their former orders on the same subject; and has, in the event, proved essentially detrimental to some of the most important interests of his majesty's dominions. 7th. Resolved-That by these instances of misconduct, in the most important concerns of the country, his majesty's ministers have proved themselves unworthy of the confidence of this house, and incapable of administering with advantage the public affairs, in a crisis of such unexampled difficulty and danger. The official Correspondence between nization of the order of Malta, hav No. 2. Sir. In answer to your letter of yes. terday, in which you communicate to me the nomination, by the first consul, of general Vial to be minister plenipotentiary of the French republic, to the order of Saint John of Jerusalem; I have the honour to inform you, that the king has been pleased to appoint sir Alexander Ball, to be his majesty's minister to the order. Sir Alexander Ball will shortly proceed to Malta, and will be instructed to concert with general Vial the necessary measures for carrying into effect the arrangements relative to that island, which are stipulated in the 10th article of the definitive treaty of peace. No. 1. I have the honour to be, &c. 23, 1802. My lord, The 10th article of the treaty of Amiens, which fixes the new orga No. 3. Extract of a Dispatch from Lord St. dated dated St. Petersburgh, April 23, 1802. I hope very soon to be enabled to re-dispatch your lordship's last messenger with the answer of this go vernment to the communications which I have made to them, in obedience to his majesty's commands, respecting the 10th article of the treaty of Amiens. In the mean time, I must not conceal from your lordship that there is great reason to fear that his imperial majesty will decline taking part in the proposed joint guarantee of the posses. sions and new constitution of the order of Malta. No. 4. Extract of a Dispatch from Lord St. Helens to Lord Hawkesbury, dated St. Petersburgh, May 7, 1802. I have reason to hope that the first impressions that had been produced here by certain parts of the arrangement relative to Malta have been removed, and that his imperial majesty may even be ultimately induced to guarantee the whole of that arrangement, provided that the steps which have been taken towards the election of a new grand master, according to the mode suggested by this court, be considered as fulfilling what is required on that head by the latter part of the paragraph of the 10th article of the treaty of Amiens, and consequently that no new election for that office is to take place in the manner pointed out by the former part of the same stipulation. No. 5. Dispatch from Lord Hawkesbury to Mr. Merry, dated June 5, 1802. Sir, I informed you, in my dispatch No. 10, that M. Otto had made an official communication to me that general Vial was appointed by the first consul, minister plenipotentiary to the order of St. John of Jeru salem. Sir Alexander Ball has been in consequence invested with the same character by his majesty. He will proceed immediately to Malta, and he will receive instructions to concert with general Vial the best means of carrying into complete effect the stipulations contained in the 10th article of the definitive treaty. By the paragraph marked No. 1 in that article, it is stipulated, "The knights of the order, whose langues shall continue to subsist after the exchange of the ratifications of the present treaty, are invited to return to Malta as soon as that exchange shall have taken place they shall there form a general chapter, and shall proceed to the election of a grand master, to be chosen from amongst the natives of those nations which prescrve langues, if no such election shall have been already made since the exchange of the ratifications of the preliminary articles of peace." The object of this paragraph was, that, in the event of an election hav ing taken place subsequent to the exchange of the ratifications of the preliminary articles of peace, and antecedent to the conclusion of the definitive treaty, that election should be considered as valid; and though no mention is made in the article of the proclamation of the emperor of Russia, soon after his accession to the throne, by which the knights of the order were invited to assemble, and to proceed to the election of a grand master, the stipulation in question evidently referred to the contingency of an elec tion taking place on the continent in consequence of that proclamation. You will inform the French government, that his majesty is ready to consider the election which has lately taken place at St. Petersburgh, under the auspices of the emperor of Russia, to be valid, according to the stipulation of the 10th article. His majesty has no other object in the whole of this transaction, than that the 10th article of the treaty may be fairly executed, and that the arrangement may be carried into complete execution with as little difficulty as possible. As the 13th paragraph in the 10th article stipulates that the governments of Austria, Russia, and Prussia, should be invited to accede to the arrangements respecting Malta, it is desirable that the French government should instruct, without delay, their ambassadors or ministers at Vienna, Petersburgh, and Berlin, to make, conjointly with his majesty's ministers at those courts, an official communication, desiring the accession of those powers to the arrangements relative to Malta in the definitive treaty, by which it is provided, that the independence of the island and the other stipulations shall be under the guarantee of those powers, in conjunction with his majesty, the French government, and the king of Spain. I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) Hawkesbury. Anthony Merry, Esq. &c. &c. &c. No. 6. Extract of a Dispatch from Mr. Merry to Lord Hawkesbury, dated Paris, June 17, 1802. I have now the honour to trans1 mit to your lordship, inclosed, copy of an answer which reached me last night, (though dated eight days back) from the French minister, to the note verbale which I delivered to him, containing his majesty's propositions respecting the execution of some points of the arrangements relative to Malta, contained in the 10th article of the definitive treaty of peace. You will find the entire acquiescence of this government to those propositions expressed in a very satisfactory manner. Note Verbale from Mr. Merry to M. Talleyrand, referred to in No. 6. His Britannic majesty's minister plenipotentiary has the honour to transmit herewith to citizen Talleyrand, minister for the foreign affairs of the French republic, the note verbale of the communication he has been ordered to make to him by his government, who are desirous that the proposals it contains may be acceptable to the French government; and they may be assured that the British government, in making these proposals, have no other object in view than to facilitate, in the casiest manner, the execution of the treaty of Amiens, and to act in this respect in perfect harmony with the French government. Mr. Merry has the honour to renew, on this occasion, the assurances of his high consideration for M. Talleyrand. (Signed) Paris, 8th June, 1802. Ant. Merry. The citizen minister for foreign affairs will find inclosed a list of the suffrages obtained from several priories of the order of St. John of Jerusalem, for the election of a grand master, which has been received from St. Petersburgh by the British government, government, with the notice that these priories have agreed amongst themselves, that his holiness the pope shall select (pro hac vice), from amongst the candidates therein specified, the person who is to fill the post of grand master. His Britannic majesty on his part is willing to consider an election so made as valid, according to the stipulations of the 10th article of the treaty of Amiens. His majesty therefore is ready to acknowledge, in quality of grand master, the person whom the pope shall think proper to fix upon, from amongst the names contained in that list. His majesty has no other end in view in this than to see the 10th article of the treaty of Amiens duly fulfilled, and the arrangement it contains executed with as little difficulty as possible. Note from M. Talleyrand to Mr. Merry, referred to in No. 6. The undersigned, minister for foreign affairs, has the honour to transmit to M. Merry, his Britannic majesty's minister plenipotentiary, his answer to the note verbale which he addressed to him on the eighth Prairial. He doubts not that his majesty's ministers will see in this answer a new proof of the constant dispositions of the first consul to come to an agreement with the English government, for the securing and facilitating the execution of the respective clauses of the treaty which has re-established peace between the two states. The undersigned has the honour to renew to M. Merry the assurance of his high consideration. (Signed) Cha. Mau. Talleyrand. Paris, 20th Prairial, Year 10. [The minister for foreign affairs of the French republic, has received the communication which has been made to him by his Britannic ma It is stipulated by the 13th pa. ragraph of the same article, that the Austrian, Russian, and Prussian governments, shall be soli-jesty's minister plenipotentiary, of cited to accede to the said arrange ment. The British government is of opinion, that it might be proper for that of France to send without delay instructions to their ministers at Vienna, Petersburgh, and Berlin, to make, conjointly with his Britannic majesty's ministers, a communication to those powers in which they should be invited to accede to the arrangement respecting Malta, by which the independence of the island, and the other stipulations relative thereto, are placed under the protection and guarantee of those powers conjointly with their Britannic and Catholic majesties and the French republic, the list of the candidates nominated by the votes of the different priories to the grand mastership of the order of Malta; and he has submitted to the first consul the proposal concerted between the priories of the order, and approved by his Britannic majesty, of submittng (pro hac vice) to his holiness the choice among the proposed candidates. The first consul had no other object, in whatever relates to the order of Malta, than to see the 10th article of the treaty of Amiens duly executed, and to remove all the obstacles which might render that execution tardy or difficult. He moreover desires equally with his Britannic majesty, that France and England |