The undersigned, minister for foreign affairs, has laid before his majesty, the emperor, king of Italy, the note which his excellency the earl of Lauderdale, minister plenipoten tiary from his Britannic majesty, did him the honour to address to him on the 26th of this month.

His majesty, after having, from a desire of peace, listened to every proposition which could have rendered it durable, and of reciprocal advantage to the two contracting powers, and to their allies, will see with pain the rupture of a negotiation, to which his own disposition had led him to hope a more favourable conclusion. If the English cabinet is resolved to forego the prospect of a peace, and, if his Britannic majesty's minister plenipotentiary must depart from France, his majesty still flatters himself, that the English cabinet, and lord Lauderdale

will, when they shall measuretheextent of the sacrifices which he was disposed to make, in order to facilitate the return of a sincere reconciliation, be convinced that his majesty, in order to promote the happiness of the world, would not hesitate between any advantages, in comparison with those to be expected from peace, and that the desire to insure its benefits to his people, could alone have determined his paternal heart to make sacrifices, not only of self love but of power, more considerable than even the opinion of the English nation could have pointed out in the midst of a war, in which he had obtained constant advantages, without any mixture of reverse. If, how ever, it is the destiny of the emperor, and of the French nation, still to live in the midst of the wars and tumults, which the policy and influence of England have raised, his majesty, having done every thing to put a stop to the calamities of war, finding himself deceived in his dearest hopes, relies on the justice of his cause, on the courage, the affection, the power of his people. At the same time calling to mind the dispositions which he has expressed throughout the negotiation, his majesty cannot see but with regret, that England, who might have strengthened and confirmed her vast power by the blessings of peace, the want of which is felt by the present generation, and by the English people, as well as all others, willingly suffers the most favourable opportu nity of concluding it to pass by:The event will disclose whether a new coalition will be more disadvan tageous to France than those which have preceded it. The event will also disclose, whether those who complain of the grandeur and ambi3 E 2

tion

tion of France, should not impute to their own hatred and injustice, this very grandeur and ambition of which they accuse her. The power of France has only been increased by the reiterated efforts to oppress her. Nevertheless, whatever inferentes for the future may be drawn from the examples of the past, his majesty will be ready, should the negotiations with England be broken off, to renew them in the midst of any events. He will be ready to replace them on the basis laid in concert with the illustrious minister whom England has lost, who, having nothing to add to his glory, except the reconciliation of the two nations, had conceived the hope of accomplishing it, but was snatched from the world in the midst of his work.

The undersigned has the honour to inform his excellency the carl of Lauderdale, that M. de Champagny has been authorised to deliver to him the passports which he has demanded.

The undersigned is desirous of renewing to his excellency the earl of Lauderdale, the assurance of his high consideration. (Signed)

Ch. Mau. Talleyrand,
Prince of Benevento.

received late last night the note which his excellency the minister for foreign affairs, did him the honour to address to him on the first of this month.

The undersigned, learning that his excellency M. de Champagny is authorised to grant him the passports which he has demanded, and which he is on the point of receiving, cannot refrain from observing to his excellency the minister for foreign affairs, in answer to his note, that he has some difficulty in imagining from what circumstances his excellency has been able to infer, "that the British government have resolved to forego the prospect of peace."

The undersigned was sent to France to negotiate a peace, at a time when the illustrious minister, to whom his excellency has paid so just a tribute of praise, presided over the department for foreign affairs. This great man then acted under the full conviction, that he had received from France an offer of peace on the basis of uti possidetis, with the sole exception of Hanover and of its dependencies, in favour of his Britannic majesty. And, notwithstanding the success of the arms of his Britannic majesty, as well in Italy as on the continent of South America; and the refusal of his majesty the emperor of all the Russias to ratify that treaty, which in the eyes of the French government, was equivalent to the most splendid victory; not one new pro. position has been advanced on the part of his majesty, incompatible, with the principle which was at first proposed by the French government, through the channel of the earl of Yarmouth, as the basis of the negotiation. It is not, surely,

from

from such conduct that the inference can be drawn," that the British government have resolved to forego the prospect of a peace."

Are the conditions which the undersigned was ordered to propose as the basis of a peace between his majesty the emperor of all the Russias and the French government more of a nature to have given rise to this suspicion? Quite the reverse. If a solid and durable peace was the object of the two powers, these were ⚫ such conditions as justice and expediency demanded. Justice; because certainly nothing could be more equitable than to grant to his Sicilian majesty and to the king of Sardinia a compensation for their immense losses on the continent. Expediency; because in order to insure the duration of peace, such an arrangement of boundaries as may prevent disputes must always be preferable to that which furnishes to one of the parties the means and advantages of attack. It was on this principle that the proposed evacuation of Dalmatia and Albania by the French troops, naturally suggested itself.

If, therefore, the undersigned has received orders to demand his passports, and to depart from France, it is certainly not because his sovereign wishes to renounce peace, but because his majesty finds himself obliged to do so; the French govern. ment not having consented to all the conditions which were comprised in the proposals originally made by them to his Britannic majesty, and having moreover rejected, as the basis for the treaty with Russia, the just and reasonable conditions which the undersigned was authorised to propose.

The undersigned has received with real satisfaction the general

assurances of the disposition of the French government to renew the negotiation at a future period, as expressed in the official note of his excellency the minister for foreign affairs. He has seen with no less pleasure, that the tone and the moderation observed in this commu nication correspond with the sentiments which accompany them. On this subject his excellency may rest assured, that the French govern. ment, could not in any way express a stronger desire to see an end put to the calamities of war, than that which his Britannic majesty will invariably feel, whenever peace can be concluded on conditions compa tible with the honour of his crown and the interests of his subjects.

But

The undersigned ought here to conclude the official answer which he has thought necessary to make to the note of his excellency the minister for foreign affairs. he cannot pass over in silence one part of this note, where his excellency wishes to convey the idea that the British government seems no longer disposed to act on the same principles which directed the conduct of the great man whom England has lately lost. The undersigned, without being authorised to mention this subject, nor even to introduce it in an official paper, trusts in the known goodness and indulgence of his sovereign, when he allows himself to make the following observations on this subject.

During twenty-six years of intimate and uninterrupted connection with Mr. Fox, the undersigned as much as any one, has had an opportnnity of confidentially learning the sentiments of that celebrated man. From his knowledge of them, he is impressed with the strongest conviction, that no minister could give to 3 E 3

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the instructions of which he was to be the organ, a more perfect assent, or concur more effectually in their execution, than Mr. Fox would have done, in giving to the undersigned on the part of his Britannic majesty, such orders as the undersigned has in fact received, under circumstances in which peace (on the just and equitable conditions which had been proposed to that minister) would have appeared to him impracticable.

How much would this opinion have been strengthened in the mind of that minister, on perceiving the French government refuse the just demands of that illustrious ally, who, by his fidelity to his Britannic majesty, has deserved, on the part of the king, that his interests should be as dear to him as his own.

The undersigned has the honour to acquaint his excellency the minis ter for foreign affairs, that he this morning applied to his excellency M. de Champagny for his passports. At the same time, he requests him to accept the assurance of his high consideration. (Signed)

No. LVI.

Lauderdale.

Extract from a Dispatch from Mr. Arbuthnot to Mr. Secretary Fox, dated Buyukdéré, August 25, 1806.-Received September 29. It was yesterday settled at the Porte, that the present hospodars of Moldavia and Wallachia should be recalled, and that prince Charles Callimaki, the first dragoman of the Porte, should be named to the government of Moldavia, and prince Alexander Suzzo to that of Wallachia; at the same time Mr. Bano Hanchyry was appointed dragoman in the room of prince Callimaki.

The term of the continuance of the hospodars in their governments shall from henceforth be fixed at seven complete and entire years, to date from the day of their nomination, and if they are not guilty of any open offence, they shall not be displaced before that term is expired; if they do commit an offence, during that time, the Sublime Porte will inform the minister of Russia of the circumstance; and if, after due examination is made into the affair on both sides, it shall appear that the hospodar has really committed an offence, in that case only his deposition shall be allowed.

No.

No. LVII.

Extract from a Dispatch from Mr Arbuthnot to Mr. Secretary Fox, dated Buyukdéré, Sept. 29th, 1806.-Received Nov. 9th.

Buyukdéré, 29th Sept. 1806. Sir,

On the 18th of this month the dragoman of the Porte communicated to Mr. Pisani*, for my information, a note which had been presented by the French ambassador, a copy of which I have herewith the honour to inclose.

(Inclosure.)

Note presented by the French Ambassador at the Porte, to the Reis Effendi.

(Translation.)

Pera, Sept. 16th, 1806. The undersigned general of division, ambassador of his majesty the emperor of the French, king of Italy, has the honour to lay before his excellency the Reis Effendi, the following considerations.

He has been positively informed, although in an indirect manner, that the Russian legation has delivered a note to the Sublime Porte, in which it is said that the emperor of Russia has refused to ratify the treaty of peace signed at Paris by his plenipotentiary. This refusal places Europe in the same situation in which she was six weeks ago, but it unmasks the projects of Russia. This treaty of peace stipulated for the independence of the Seven Islands; a stipulation which removing the Russians from the Mediterranean, where they had established themselves in order to attack the Otto

man empire at various points, could not be acceptable to them.

Ragusa was restored to its independence under the protection of the Sublime Porte: this arrange-. ment rendering it impossible for the Russians to keep up their intelligence with the Montenegrians and with the revolted Servians, was contrary to their views.

Doubtless it is the article which stipulates for the independence of the Ottoman empire, and the integrity of its territory, which has occasioned the rejection of the peace at Petersburgh: Russia then per.. ceived that she could no longer seize provinces of that empire by force of arms, as she seized the Crimea, or extort them from her in time of peace, as she did with regard to Georgia, and the passage of the Dardanelles.

This treaty of peace, in fine, leaving the French in Albania and Dalmatia, placed upon the frontiers of Turkey, her most ancient ally, and her most faithful friend, who would have remained, and will ever remain, ready to defend her. Such are the motives which have led the cabinet of Petersburgh to this refusal. I do not give way to vain declamation; I lay facts before you; I beseech you to weigh them with all the attention to which they are entitled.

If in these difficult circumstances the Porte does not form a true estimate of her dangers and of her force, if she does not form the decision her interests require of her, I shall, perhaps, ere long, have to lament her fate.

The undersigned has received the most positive orders from his ma3 E 4 jesty