cette conceffion va auffi loin qu'elle peut aller, et qu'en admettant qu'aucun navire armé ne fortira des dits ports, ils laifferoient ces ports réellement dans le même état où ils fe trouvent dans ce moment-ci, même dans un état moins favorable, puifque le moment n'est peut-être pas bien éloigné où les forces Britanniques n'empechèront pas ces vaiffeaux de fortir. Tout ce que le Citoyen Otto pourra accorder à l'égard de cet article, c'eft qu'aucune munition navale ne puiffe être importée par mer dans les ports de Toulon et de Breft, mais il doit infifter que les frégates et corvettes puiffent en fortir librement. Si cette conceffion donne à la France l'avantage de communiquer efficacement avec fes colonies, il est l'equivalant de celui que l'Angleterre rêtire de l'armistice pour fon commerce, qui, à l'ombre de cette convention, pourra fe porter dans toutes les parties du monde fans être inquiété par les corfaires François. Que fi l'on vouloit encore en appeller à une comparaison entre l'armiftice continental et la trève maritime, cette comparaison seroit entièrement au défavantage de la France. Sur le continent, les armées Françoifes et Autrichiennes jouiffent réciproquement de la même liberté de prendre en de çà de la ligne de démarcation les pofitions qui leur paroiffent les plus avantageufes; par l'armiftice maritime au contraire, l'Angleterre conferve feule le droit de difpofer de fes efcadres tandis que les vaiffeaux de ligne François reftent dans leurs ports, et ne peuvent entrer dans aucune combination hoftile contre la Grande Bretagne. 3. L'article 6 du nouveau projet touchant les troupes Angloifes qui pourront être debarquées en Italie, a été confideré comme une prétenfion nouvelle de la France, puifqu'elle n'en avait fait aucune mention dans fon premier projet; mais cette prétenfion (fi elle peut-être appellée ainfi) n'eft que la fuite naturelle d'une conceffion également nouvelle faite par la France, en offrant de comprendre dans l'armiftice les alliées de la Grande Bretagne. Il feroit en effet impoffible de faire jouir le Roi de Naples des avantages de cette trève, et lui laiffer en même tems la faculté de fe renforcer et de preparer de nouveaux moyens d'attaque contre la république. Le Citoyen Otto doit fe borner à ces obfervations qui lui paroiffent les plus importantes. D'autres objections qui lui ont été faites, et qui ne portent en grande partie que fur la rédaction de la convention projetée, pourront être facilement lévées. (No. 41.) Tranflation. CITIZEN Otto having obferved, in the remarks made to him by Mr. Hammond, three points only which appear to him Gg 2 to to be really of a nature to retard the conclufion of the propofed armistice, referved them for future confideration, and an anfwer in writing. After having maturely reflected upon the object of the maritime truce, upon the actual pofition of France and of her enemies, upon the influence which this negotiation must have with regard to a general pacification, he feels it his duty to make the following obfervations upon the difputed points: 1. The fourth article, in granting 10,000 rations per diem to the garrifon of Malta, has not only in view the effective troops of the republic, but all the perfons attached to the garrifon, and even the inhabitants of the place. The Citizen Ötto does not think that it is poffible to diminish that quantity; nevertheless, in order to remove, as much as poffible, the objection which has been flated to him, and to accommodate himself as much as poffible to the manner in which the fubject is viewed by the English government, he confents to limit that estimate to the first month, a period neceffary to afford to the respective commiffa. ries the means of agreeing upon the amount which may be neceffary for the fupport of the garrifon of the place. The fecond point contained in the fourth article, refpe&ting the liberty of difpatching fix frigates to Egypt, appears to have given ftill more uneafinefs than the preceding one, and has given rife to a more animated difcuffion. Upon this fubject Citizen Otto cannot avoid again remarking, that, if the French government propofed to affimilate the places in Egypt to thofe of Ulm and Ingolstadt, it could only do fo, and has, in truth, only done fo, from the analogy that there is between thefe places with refpect to the blockade; for, in every other refpect, the comparison is inexact; in fact, nobody is ignorant that the places of Egypt are not, like Ulm and Ingolftadt, in want of being victualled, fince they cannot be prevented from drawing from the furrounding countries all the fubfiftence they require; that, befides, thofe places are not blockaded in fuch a manner as to make it probable that they should fall into the hands of the enemies. By that comparison, therefore, it could only be meant that there thould be granted to the places blockaded by the forces of the enemies. advantages analogous to thofe which have been granted to the places in Germany, which advantages can only be ascertained by the fpecial ftipulations of the convention which it is propofed to conclude. The free paffage of fix frigates cannot add any confiderable ftrength to the army of Egypt; it will only ferve to prove to that army that the French government takes an intereft in its fate, until it fhall be definitively fettled by a treaty of peace. In reviewing the circumftances which have followed the capitulation figned by Sir Sidney Smith, Citizen Otto cannot perceive the impropriety of fuch an arrangement, relatively relatively to the Porte, and he fees, with regret, that the obfervations made to him by Mr. Hammond do not offer any adequate motive for relinquishing that demand; the acquiefcence in which can alone eftablish any kind of analogy between the places of Egypt and thofe of Ulm and Ingolstadt. 2. The fifth article of the new projet differs, in feveral respects, from that of the counter-projet of the British miniftry; but it differs much more ftill from the firft projet which Citizen Otto had the honour of prefenting, inafmuch as it admits that no fhip of the line now at anchor in the ports of Brest and Toulon fhall go out thereof during the continuance of the armistice. The French government is of opinion, that this conceffion, and more efpecially in the prefent feafon, goes as far as it can go, and that by admitting that no armed veffel fhould go out of the faid ports, they would leave thofe ports really in the fame ftate in which they are at prefent; indeed in a ftate even lefs favourable, fince the time is perhaps not far off when the British forces will not prevent thofe veffels from going out. All that Citizen Otto can concede, with regard to this article, is, that no naval stores fhall be imported by fea into the ports of Toulon and Breft; but he must infift upon the free egrefs of frigates and floops. If this conceffion give to France the advantage of an effectual communication with her colonies, it is an equivalent to that derived from this armistice to the commerce of England; which, under the protection of this convention, can extend itself to all parts of the world, without being molefted by French privateers. That, befides, if a reference were made to the comparison between the continental armistice and the maritime truce, that comparison would be found to be entirely to the disadvantage of France. Upon the continent, the French and Austrian armies reciprocally enjoy the fame liberty of taking, within the line of demarkation, thofe pofitions which appear moft advantageous to them: by the maritime armistice, on the contrary, England preferves alone the right of difpofing of her fquadrons, whilst the French fhips of the line remain in their ports, and cannot enter into any hoftile combination against Great Britain. 3. The fixth article of the new projet, refpecting the English troops which may be allowed to land in Italy, has been confidered as a new pretenfion on the part of France, fince he had made no mention of it in her first projet; but this pretenfion (if it can be called fo) is only the natural confequence of a conceffion alike new, made by France, in offering to include in the armistice the allies of Great Britain.-It would indeed be impoffible to allow the King of Naples to enjoy advantages from this truce, and to leave him alfo the power of reinforcing and of preparing fresh means of attack against the republic. Citizen Citizen Otto confines himself to thefe obfervations, which he deems of most importance. Other objections which have been made, and which, in great measure, relate to the form of drawing up the propofed convention, might be eafily obviated. (No. 42.) NOTE. Downing Street, Sept. 26, 1800. MR. Hammond is directed to acquaint M. Otto that the obfervations contained in his note this day, received by Mr. Hammond, have been laid before his Majefty's government. The King's fervants regret that M. Otto's inftructions are not fufficiently extenfive to enable him to furnish the means of accommodation on those points which prevent the conclusion of a naval armistice. The only object which his Majefty has had in view in this difcuffion has been repeatedly ftated, as well as thofe confiderations which appear to him neceffarily to limit the extent of the conceffions which it is poffible for him to make in this respect. In It is not conceived that any advantage can arife from a new statement of the fame topics, efpecially as it is not doubted that M. Otto, in his report of the different arguments ftated by Mr. Hammond in their conference, will bring them in the fulleft manner under the confideration of his government. offering thefe conceffions, his Majefty has given a ftrong proof of his willingness to make a confiderable facrifice of the parti cular interests of this country in order to facilitate thofe negotiations for general peace in which he has expreffed his readinefs to concur. He ftill perfeveres in the fame difpofitions, and will be willing to join in any proper fteps to be taken for that purpose. M. Otto. (No. 43.) Monfieur, Hereford Street, le 6 Vendemiaire (28 Sept. 1800). J'AI reçû la note, que vous m'avez fait l'honneur de m'adres fer le 26, et je me fuis empreffé d'en tranfinettre le contenu à mon gouvernement, de même que les obfervations renfermées dans la pièce que j'ai l'honneur de vous renvoyer ci-joint.. Le ministère de fa Majefté a rendu juftice à mes intentions en fe perfuadant que j'enverrois en France un compte detaillé et J'AI reçû la lettre que vous m'avez fait l'honneur de m'adreffer ce matin pour me demander la fubftance par écrit de la communication que j'ai été chargé de vous faire, vû que l'importance.de l'objet dont il s'agit vous fait craindre de n'avoir pas complètement faifi le fens de cette communication. Je m'empreffe en conféquence de vous en adreffer le refumé. Les dernières notes echangés et plufieurs evènemens importans, qui ont complètement changé les bafes fur lefquelles devoit s'éta blir l'armiftice propofé, ayant mis un terme à la négociation entamée, j'ai eu l'honneur de vous informer, que nonobftant les circonftances qui s'oppofent à la conclufion d'une trève maritime, le Premier Conful eft invariablement difpofé à recevoir les ouver tures qui pourront être relatives à une négociation particulière entre la France et la Grande Bretagne, et que le mode d'une pareille ouverture dépend entièrement du choix de fa Majefté; que lorfque le Roi jugera à propos d'envoyer pour cet effet un plénipotentiaire à Paris, je fuis autorifé non feulement à y confentir, mais à lui remettre le paffeport néceffaire: que fi d'une autre côté fa Majefté préfère que les négociations préliminaires foient entamées à Londres il me fera envoyé pour cet effet des pouvoirs Speciaux. J'ai l'honneur d'être avec une haute confidération, Monfieur, &c. M. Hammond, Sous Sécrétaire d'Etat. Отто. (No. 46.) Tranflation. Hereford Street, 16 Vendemiaire, Year 9 (Oct. 8, 1800). Sir, I HAVE received the letter which you did me the honour to addrefs to me this morning, requesting that I would acquaint you, in writing, with the fubftance of the communication which I have been directed to make to you, the importance of the object to which it relates rendering you apprehenfive left you fhould not completely have feized the meaning of the communication; I haften, therefore, to tranfmit the fubftance of it to you. VOL. X. Hh The |