(No. 19.) NOTE. THE only motive which could lead this court to entertain the difcution of a propofal fo unusual in itself, and fo difadvantageous to the interefts of Great Britain, as that of a maritime truce to precede negotiation, is the defire of contributing to facilitate the conclufion of a general peace; and the termination of the armiftice on the continent, by the act of the French government, would put an end to all inducements to such a measure on the part of this country. The neceflity of receiving the King's commands, on the projet communicated by M. Otto, muft prevent the undersigned from tranfmitting any reply to that paper before Sunday next. It is therefore for M. Otto to determine whether he will not think it proper immediately to write to his government, to remark, that if France has proposed an armiftice with Great Britain for the purpose of its leading to general negotiation and peace, that object can only be attained by at leaft fuch a prolongation of the continental armiftice as will allow the time required for receiving the answer to the propofal made here. Downing Street, Sept. 5, 1800, (Signed) GRENVILLE. (No. 20.) Thursday Evening, Sept. 4, 1800. CITIZEN Otto prefents his compliments to Mr. Nepean, and, according to his defire, enclofes a fketch of the treaty pro pofed by his government. Monfieur, (No. 21.) Londres, 18 Fruct. An 8 (5 Sept. 1800). J'AI reçu la lettre que vous m'avez fait l'honneur de m'adreffer pour me prevenir que fa Majefté avait jugé convenable de nommer provifoirement M. Grenville pour prendre part aux négociations eventuelles de Luneville. Ce choix ne pourra qu'être très-agréable au gouvernement Français. Lorfque le réfultat des communications actuelles aura rendu néceffaire le voyage de M. Grenville, je lui remettrai le paffeport que j'avais déjà demande, et je fuis chargé de donner au nom de mon gouvernement toutes les affurances que M. Grenville pourra defirer pour la promptitude et l'inviolabilité de fa correfpondance. Quant à M. Garlike, il fera très facile de lui envoyer directe ment ment à Berlin le paffeport qui lui fera néceffaire. J'en ferai la demande à mon gouvernement. Les arrangemens à prendre dans le cas d'un congrès eventuel pour que les miniftres refpectifs arrivent à peu près dans le même tems dans le lieu des conférences, font tellement conformes aux procédés ordinaires en pareil cas, qu'ils ne feront point negligés. La proximité de Paris me donnera la facilité de donner au miniftère Britannique tous les renfeignemens qu'il pourra défirer à ce fujet, bien avant le tems où il pourroit les recevoir de Vienne. J'ai l'honneur d'être, Monfieur, Capt. George. Votre très-humble et obéiffant ferviteur, (Signé) OTTO. Sir, Tranflation. (No. 21.) London, the 5th Sept. 1800 (18 Fruct. Year 8). I HAVE received the letter which you have done me the honour to addrefs to me, acquainting me that his Majefty had thought proper provifionally to appoint Mr. Grenville to take part in the eventual negotiations at Luneville. That choice cannot fail to be very agreeable to the French government, As foon as the refult of the prefent communications thall have rendered the journey of Mr. Grenville neceffary, I fhall deliver to him the palfport for which I had previously applied; and I am directed to give, in the name of my government, every affurance which Mr. Grenville can defire refpecting the promptitude and the inviolability of his correfpondence. With refpect to. Mr. Garlike, it will be very easy to send to him directly to Berlin the paffport neceffary for him, and I thall request it of my government. The arrangements to be taken in the cafe of an eventual congrefs, in order that the refpe&tive minifters may arrive about the fame time at the place of the conferences, are fo conformable to the ordinary proceedings in fimilar cafes, that they will not be neglected. The proximity of Paris will afford me the facility of giving to the British miniftry every information which it may defire upon that fubject, long before it could procure it from Vienna., I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) Отто. (No. 22.) LE fouffigné a reçu à 4 heures après-midi la note que fon Excellence Lord Grenville lui a fait l'honneur de lui adreffer. Elle lui a paru d'une fi haute importance qu'à la même heure il l'a tranfmife à fon gouvernement par un courier extraordinaire. efpère qu'elle arrivera affez-tôt pour produire l'effet que fon Excellence a eu en vue, et fi elle fert à prolonger pendant quelques jours les armistices du continent, il fe félicitera beaucoup d'avoir été à même d'y contribuer." I prie fon Excellence d'agréer l'hommage de fa refpectueufe confidération. Hereford Street, 19 Fructidor, An 8 (6 Sept. 1850). (Signé) Orro. Tranflation. THE underfined received yesterday, at four o'clock in the afternoon, the note which his Excellency Lord Grenville did him the honour to addrefs to him. It appeared to him to be of fuch high importance, that at the fame hour he tranfmitted it by an extraordinary meffenger to his government. He hopes that it may arrive in time to produce the effect which his Excellency has had in view and if it ferves to prolong for a few days the continental armistices, he will congratulate himself very much on having had it in his power to contribute thereunto. He begs his Excellency to accept the homage of his respectful confideration. Hereford Street, 19 Fruct. Year 8. (6th Sept. 1800). (No. 23.) NOTE. LORD Grenville prefents his compliments to M. Otto, and fends herewith the official anfwer to his laft communication on the fubject of an armistice, together with the counter-projet therein referred to. He requests M. Otto to accept the affurance of his high confideration. Downing Street, Sept. 7, 1800. (No. 24.) NOTE. THE underfigned has had the honour to lay before the King the official aufwer of the French government which he received from from M. Otto on the 4th inftant; and alfo the projet of an ar miftice communicated on the fame day. The fpirit of that answer is unhappily, but little confonant with thofe appearances of a conciliatory difpofition which had before been manifested. If it be really practicable in the prefent moment to restore permanent tranquillity to Europe, this object must be effected by very different means than those of fuch a controversy as that paper is calculated to produce. Some reply is, however, indifpenfably neceffary to the affertions there advanced, which if now paffed over might hereafter be confidered as admitted. The articles which an Auftrian officer, charged with no fuch commiffion, was perfuaded to fign at Paris, do indeed appear to his Majefty little calculated to terminate the calamities of Europe. But whatever be the tendency of the conditions which the French government has there fpecified, there can be no pretence for representing them as preliminaries concluded by Austria or annulled by the intervention of his Majesty. The engagements by which the courts of London and Vienna have agreed not to treat except in concert with each other, were concluded before there was any queftion of thefe pretended preliminaries of peace. And the first intimations which his Majesty received of their fignature were accompanied by the express declarations of his ally, that they were wholly unauthorized, and must be confidered as abfolutely null. The French government could indeed expect no other determination to be taken by his Imperial Majefty. The want of all powers or inftructions for fuch a treaty, on the part of the Auftrian officer, was at the time diftinctly notified by him to those who treated with him, and is declared even on the very face of the paper which he figned. With refpect, therefore, to the fuppofed demand of his Majesty to be admitted to thofe negotiations, nothing more is neceffary to be faid. The note delivered to M. de Thugut by Lord Minto, fufficiently explains the part which his Majefty is really difpofed to take in any negotiation which may be regularly fet on foot for general peace. The King has always been perfuaded that the refult of fuch a negotiation can alone effectually re-establish the tranquillity of Europe. Experience has confirmed this opinion; and it is only from the conviction of its truth that his Majefty has now been induced to wave his ftrong objections to the firft propofal of a naval armiftice, and to enter into the difcuffion of the conditions on which it may be established. His Majefty, judging from the experience of fo many former negotiations, confiders fuch an armiftice as in no degree likely VOL. X. Bb either either to expedite or, facilitate an arrangement of the direct interefts of Great Britain and France. He views it in no other light than as a temporary advantage which it is propofed to him to yield to his enemy, in order to prevent the renewal of continental hoftilities, and thereby to contribute to the conclufion of a general peace. And on this ground, notwithstanding the many disadvantages which he is fenfible must result to this country from fuch a meafure, he is refolved to give to his allies and to all Europe this new pledge of the fentiments by which he is actuated; provided that his enemies are disposed to regulate the conditions of fuch an armistice, as far as the nature of the cafe will allow, in conformity to the obvious and established principle of fuch arrangements. This principle is, that the refpective pofition of the two parties fhould remain during the continuance of the armiftice fuch as it was at its commencement; and that neither of them thould by its operation acquire fresh advantages or new means of annoying his enemy, fuch as he could not otherwife obtain. The difficulty of doing this with the fame precifiou in the cafe of naval operations, as by land, has already been adverted to in a former note; and it conflitutes a leading objection to the measure itself. But the French projet, inftead of attempting to remove or lef fen thefe difficulties, departs at once, and in every article, from the principle itself, although exprefsly recognised and studiously maintained in the continental armiflice which is there referred to as the foundation and model of this tranfaction. It is propofed, in effect, that the blockade of the naval ports and arfenals of the King's enemies fhould be raised; that they fhould be enabled to remove their fleets to any other ftations, and to divide or to collect their force as they may judge most advantageous to their future plans: the importation both of provifions and of naval and military ftores is to be wholly unreftrained. Even Malta and the ports of Egypt, though exprefsly ftated to be now blockaded, are to be freely victualled, and for an unlimited period, in dire contradiction to the ftipulations of the German armistice refpe&ting Ulm and Ingolftadt, to which places it is nevertheless profeffed to affimilate them: and this government is expected to bind itself towards the allies of France even before any reciprocal engagements can be received from them; while, at the fame time, all mention of the King's allies is, on the other hand, totally omitted. To a propofal fo manifeftly repugnant to justice and equality, and fo injurious not only to his Majefty's interefts, but also to those of his allies, it cannot be expected that any motive fhould induce the King to accede. The counter-projet which the undersigned has the honour to tranfmit to M. Otto contains regulations in this refpect more nearly |