Nxmn IMPORTANT STATE PAPERS, Relative to the Commencement of the Negotiations of PEACE WITH FRANCE Translation. [No. I.] No. 8, Hereford-ftreet, le 6 Frue. An. 8, August 24. " My I Old, " However scrupulous I may have hither to bf.cn to follow hi all refprtts the path traced for my official communications with the ministry of his majesty, yet the secrecy and dilpatch requitue for those which form the filbjeft of the sncloi'ed note, appear to uie 'o jiUUfv a more direfl communication 1 flatter myfrlf therefore,that youi excellen cy will not dilapprove of the (l«p I now take of communicating to yon without any in verven'inn, the intentions of the French government refpe&ing the overtures which been made to it by Baron 1 hugut. " If his majesty should accept the propo sition contained in the inclosed note, I beg, my lord that you would appoint, as Coon as polTiblc, the person who lhall be employed to treat with we ; and who, without doubt, will,be guided in this important negotiation by that spirit of conciliation which alone can contribute to the reiloration of peace and good ufidertlanding between the two government j " I have the honor to be, with the mof Cunfideration, My 1 r rds, your axcellency'* Mod humble, and Mod obed't ferv't [Signed] OTTO.' T i anflatton [No. 2.] To hit Excellency Lord Grenville, Secretary of State for the Department ot Foreign Affairs. *< His Imperii! Majeity having communicated to thc/gorerpment of the French Republic a Nora from Lord Minto, Envoy extraordinary aud Miniver i'le nifotendary of his nrajefty the King o» Great Britain, at the Court of Vienna, from which Note it appear that the desire of his Britannic majesty »» to foe a termination of the war which divides France and j England, the is fpcedily authorised to demand from his majesty's ministry further explana tions refpe&ing the propiiition which has been tranf- | mitted by the court of Vienna | and, at the feme | time, a& it appear* imppllib'.e that at the moment when Austria and England rake a co.Ti.non ihare in ; the r.egochtions, France Jhould find herfelt under a suspension of arms with Auliria, and a continuation ftf hoftilitiea with England, the underligued is, in like manner a to pr~,urc * ««*«'« arnatlttce be o-cluded bet"ec. the armies and rhe fleets of (he wo .ua'.e*, adopting, w-th reipedt to '.he places which are besieged ar.d blockaded, raen furei analogous to tho«c which have taken place in Germany, relative to Ulni, t'hulipsburg, ai 1 ia golftadt. u The unde. figne*l has received from his government the powers iVr ntjjociatiiig and concluding this general arniiilice. lie begs his Lord Grenvtjie to lay thi» note before his Britan nic Majcity, and to tranlnut to hun his Shicfty 's answer. (%nea) " OTTO." London, the 6th True, Ann. 8. (Aug. 24, 1800, (No 3) Downing-ftreet, Augull 2S, 1800. " Sir, " I aui to request that you will endeavor, as soon as yen can to fee M. Oito and to atk him from me, whether he has an objection to deliver ta you, (caled up tor Hie, the pa pers to which his last communication re fers,at Jii« doing to will expedite his rec eiving the anlwer to it. " Y»u will, at the fame time, apprize him that you are not informed •ftlie par ti tulars of that commu»icauon, «r of its tendency , and that you have been charged to make this enquiry, in order to avoid drawing any attention to it, (Signed) GRENVILLE. Commiflioner George. (No. 4) TRANSLATION. M. Otto's Full Powers. 1 Buonaparte, First Consul of the French Repub lic, in virtue of the 40b article of the Oonft ution, gives to the eitteen Otto, commiflary of the govern ment tor the exchange of prisoners in fcngfand, power to propose, to content to, and to Ggn, confor mably to his inrtru&ions,a general armistice be tween the French Republic and his majelty the king of Great Britain. (Signed) By the First Confal, BUONAPARTE. (Signed) The Sec'ry of State, H. B. MARET. 9 Done at Paris, at the PaUce of Government the id Fruftidor, year 8 of the Republic.' No 5. Co-taim, a letter from lord Greaville to commiflioner George, of the tranfpurt Board desiring he would wait on monf. Vtto and enclosing him the heads of a canverfation which he wiilied hi hi to Jkold with the French comm.liar j. (No. 6.) Minute instructiont to Captain Georgt. August 2S; 1600. " 1. Todeclare that the Note presented at Vienna by Lord Minto contains the ex prellioß of his Majesty's, fentimenta, and that the King is icady to att in conformity to it. " 2. To enquire whether any answer ha been returned by the French Governmen to th« propolal contained in M. Thugut' letter to M. Talleyrand respecting a place tor the meeting of Plenipotentiaries to cany on joint negaciation ; or whether M. Otto is authorised to agree with this government on the point, agreeadly to the fugjettioß eentaised in M. Thngut's letter. 3. To express, in that cafe, that cjtber ot the places named by Mr. Thugut would Gazette be agreed to by his Majesty, and a proper person for minilYer on his,Majefty's part to meet the plenipotentiaries of Anftria and Fmrite, provided that the French Govt in rnent is willing to enter into l'ufficient en. gagements for the frredora «f dueft com munication by couriers with fucli plice of negotiation. " 4 1 hat with refpe£t to the propo sals of an armistice, the king would fee with great fatisfa&ion, the moment when he could with propriety adopt auy measure the immediate effeft of which would be to put a stop, at for a time to the calamities of war : but that an armis tice, as app.ying to nc.val operations, has at no period ever been pgreed in between G. Britain and France, during the course of their negociations for peace, or until the preliminaries have been aciually signed— That it cannot, therefore, be considered us a step necessary to negotiation ; and that from the dil'putes to which its executien must unavoidably be expe&ed to gi»e rife, it might more probably tend to obftru&than to facilitate the luccefs of tliofe sndeavors which the two parties might employ for the restoration of peace ; That the ciicumftanees of a naval war ire obviously not such as to admit of such equal arrangements as are eaftly ellablilhed with regard to military operations when iufpended by fuLh an agreement : That it appears, therefore* at all event 6 premature to enter even into the difcutfion of this question, until, from the course of the ne goci itisns it {hall more clearly appear how far they are likely to lead to a latisfa&arjr iflue ; And that no decision could in any cafe be taken here on such a fubjeft uulefs the French government bad previously explain ed ia what manner it is conceived thai the prin ciples ot the regulations adopted in the Germa nic armi(tice, with reflect t« blockaded towns, can be applied to the naval ports and arsenals of France, fa as (o carry ionu fide into executi on, as to the refpe&ive maritime forces, the ob jects which those stipulations have a view with refpeft to the military pofuions occupied by ike two armies." No. 7, contains a letter from Commiffioser George to Loray again c mujeucc about ihyt time, llioitlri the propolcd arrhiflice be pulitively refuted on the pjrt of his Mjjef ty. H' farther oblerved, thai is long as humi lities on ihe continent are carried on, {here can be ao firm balis which to ground tirgoeiation, as every change on either liJe vi»uli) occalion a new mbjeft ol'difcuilion. " M. Otto farther remarked, thai if a gene ral armiiticc Ihould be agreed on he is autliori zed to ea'er into any fecuMtjr that may be iho'r neceflary For the commerce of Great-Britain; and that the grrat importance of thij fiibjett ■bliges him to enquire whether he is to hive a written answer on the fubjft of the general ar~ mtll.ee, or whether He is to coi.ft.lcr the present verbal communication as definitive against it. (Signed) " R. O£*RGE. " Right Out, Lord Crcoville." (No. 8 ) I -I Dawoinc-ftrrci. Auf. i«. ißex "MR, 71 " Ai M, Oito (xprefltrt id jron a dcfirg <• rt~ cciTe in • riling 'he Mf« me, and I immediately trans mitted ihem to Dover, by an extraordinary me^Tenger. " 1 cannot but he extremely flattered by the approbation which his Majesty's governmeni lias been pica led to give to the mode which I adopted for my political communications That which your excellency proposes to mi-, combines-the double advantage of d fpatch and of secrecy, and 1 thai I fallow it as' 4 ften as or- •fibe United Stated By C. P. Wayne, No. 6j, Soi^Pi^i^j^reet. PHILADELPHIA, SATURDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 2 J, 1800, (Signed) " GRENVILLE. ders from ray government fliall afford me an opportunity of profiting by it. I liave the honor te be, sec» " OTTO." No. ij. TRANSLATOR. ~ NOTE. " His Excellency, Lord Grenville, having been pleased fd inform the urderfign ed of the intention of -Jih majesty t» feud a plenipotentiary to Luneviile, in order to rake a (hire of the negociations which shall be en tered upon, as soon as the necefftry paffporrs fliall have been transmitted by the French government, and as foeii as afluranee fhal.l have been given refpecling the free corres pondence of this Plenipotentiary with his court and with the cou-.tries belonging to the allies of his inajelly, the undersigned imme diately dispatched an extraordinary messen ger in order to communicate these dispositi ons to his government. " 1 lie conciliatory and humane sentiments 'which have had an influence in producing this decision of the cabinet, are a happy prefagc of the re-efWblilhment of good harmony be tween two count net which, from the genius the talents, and the indullry of their people are so flrongly inttrefled in cherishing the a ts and the enjoyment of peace. It is with a view to attain more speedily this end, l'o ardently delired by all Europe, that the un dersigned was directed to submit to the Bri ti(h government tlie projedt of a maritime truce; but the Ministers of his Majesty having judged that it would be premature to enter even upon the discussion of tbis ob ject, it is his duty to refpett tW motives which appear to them .to militate against tuch a negotiation, although lie may have had every re a (on to hope that the adherence of his Majesty to that proposal might have become the pledge of the continuance of the two aimiftices concluded in Germany and Italy; the French government not being able to consent for any length of time, to facrifice the advantages afforded to it by its military position upon the continent, without the afluranee of an analogous facrifice on the | part of Great Britan. " If through the imperious force of circum ftanees, the refultof the negociations of Lu neviile (hould be fubjefted to the future for tune of war, it is to be presumed that there fpeftive inllrutflions and deliberations would no longer have for a bads a state of things konwn and ippreciated\>n all fides, and that the pacific dispositions rnanifefted by the bcl- ligereat powers, would not produce eflefls as prompt and salutary as might have been hoped for from a general truce. ' The apprthenfions of the undersigned, relative to the probable renewal of hostilities in Germany and Italy, notwithltandiog the negociations, which, in concert with his majesty, (hall be commenced at Luneville, are confirmed- by the order which he has re ceived - t,a -&Kci£ an xai*u/pr before the of September. (Signed) " OTTO." Hereford-Jlreet, Aug. 30, 1800." N°. 13.) Downing Street, Sep. 2, 1800. " SIR, " I am desired that you will apprise Mr. Otto that the king has-been pleaied eventu ally to -make choice of Mr. Grenville to re present his majesty at Luneville, and of Mr. Garlike, now his majesty's secretary of lega tion at Berlin, to ait as his majesty's Secre tary to Mr. Grenville's mission. It will therefore be neceflary that a leparate passport for Mr. Oarlike Ihould be fumifhed by the French Govenment, such as will enable him to proceed diredlly from Berlin to Lune vrlle. You will add, that it will be matter of convenience to his majesty's government, and to Mr. Garlike personally, if that pass port instead of being sent through London, were tranfmilted through the French mipifter at Berlin, to the Earl 'of Carysfort, his ma jesty's minister at that court. " I wllh you further to remark to M. Ot to, that it is ufuaj in the opening of Negocia tions for peace, that such previous explanation Ihould take place as may enable the refpefiivet Mini Iters to arrive nearly at the fame time a the place of Nogociation ; and that as the communication on this point may be received here so much sooner from Paris than fram Vienna, his Majesty's Government would with to be informed, through you, of the pe riod which may be fixed for the arrival of the Austrian and French plenipotentiaries at Lu neville, in order that no delay may take place on his Majesty's part in the opening of the Negociation. I am. &c. (Signed) " GRENVILLE." "To Captain George." (Nb. 14.) Translation. Hereford-Jlreet, Sept. 4. " Mr Lord, " Mr. George not being yet returned from Margate, whither- he has conveyed his fami ly, I hope that your excellency will not dis approve of transmitting to you direftly the very important communications which I re ceived this morning by an extraordinary cou rier. I should add. that if his Majesty con sents to the propqfed Arpiiftice, lam direct ed to deliver the pafipolt, and to give all the assurances demanded for the plenipotentiary who (hall be appointed. I have the honor to be, &c. " OTTO." ' (No. 15.) Translation. Note. " The undesigned having commu nicated to his government the Note dated the 29th of August, forwarded to liim by his Excellency Lord Grenville, is dire&ed to submit to him the following observations: " Preliminaries of Peace had been con cluded and signed between his Imperial Ma jesty and the French RepupJic. Th« inter- a?\ * - * « > . Daily Advertiser. vention of Lord Minto, who demanded that England (hould be admitted to take part in the Negociations, prevented their ratification by his imperii! Majesty. >' The suspension of arms which hid taken place fulel* in the hope of a tpeeJy Peace between the hmperer and the Republic ought then to cease, and will !« fa A cease on the 04th Fruit ul or, ii:b of September fine* France had fierificed to th« H. Pr 'lone the imme&fe advantages which Yi&ofy had feeored to her. I " The intervention of England, renders the ques tion of Peace so complicated, that it iiimpoflifcle for 'he French Government to prolong farther the Ar mistice upon the contiaent. unless his Brittannic Majtlr wi l consent to render it common to the three powers. " If then the Cabinet of St. James's de sires to continue to make acommon canfe with Austria, and if its desire to take part in the Negociation be sincere, his Britannic Majes ty will not hesitate to adopt the proposed Ar mistice. " But if this Arrniftice be not concluded before the 24th Frudlidor, nth Sepkhofti lities will have been renewed with Austria, and the First Consul will no longer be able to confse t, with regard to that power, to any but a feperate and complete Peace. " In order to fatisfy the explanation de manded relative to the Arrniftice thq under signed is direfled to acquaint Lord Grenville that the places which it is proposed to assimi late to those of Germany, are Malta and the maritime towns of Egypt. " If it fee true that a long fufpenCon of arms between France and England, .would appear unfavourable to his Britannic Majcfty, it is no left fe,—that an arrniftice prolonged upon the continent would be eflentially alf advantageous to the French Republic; so that at the fame time that the naval arrniftice would be to the French government a pledge of the zeal which would be employed by En gland in promoting the re-eftablilhment of peace, the continental arrniftice would be one also to ihe British government of tha sinceri ty of the efforts of France: afid as the pofi tipn of Austria would no longer admit of her not diligently seeking for a conclusion, the three powers would have, in their own pri vate interests, decisive reasons for confentins without delay to the facrifices which may be reciprocally neceflary in order to bring about an early conclusion of a general and solid peace, such as may answer the with and the hope of the whole world. (Signed) OTTO." " Hcrtford-Jlrcet, Sept. 4, 1800." [No. 16J » Dawning firett, Srpt. 4, isoo. " Sir, 11 It appearing by a note received this day from M Otfco, that the French g vernment has determi ned to make the continuance of the armitHce be tween Authia and France, and the commencement cf thr Hcgoeiatir-na for pe*ce, dependent on Che COQ clufiost of an armistice wkh this country, it is judged proper, in order that the ultimate decision oh ij im portant and extensive aqueftion, may be taken with the fulleft knowledge of all the considerations by which itf;ughtto be governed that you ihould fre M O Co, and inquire of him, whether [as his note of the joth ult. appears to intimate] he is furnithed with a ProjcCt of a Treaty or Naval Truce 5 and in that cale whether fee is willing tc comtnunicaie it to you for the information of his majesty's govern rr.ent. " X ou further enquire, Whether he is empowered and inftru&ed to include in furh treaiy, his majesty's allies. " And laitly, if hisprojedt Ihould con tain no article applicable to the question of moving the French and SpaniOi Uups now in Brelt, to any other (lation in or out Europe, yt.u will enquire, Whether M. Otto is authorised to enter into negocia tion for the purpose of including preuer' stipulations oh that fubjedt in any treaty of the nature which his government has pro p.ifid. lam &c'. (Signed) "GRENVILLE." " Evan t-eapean Sifq." (No. 17.) London Sept. 4. 1800. " M* Lobd, " Since 1 had the honour of comruitrr cating to your Lorafliip 'he conveifation that had pal Ted between ine and \I. Otto on the lubjeA of the proposal for a Naval Aruiiftice. and the readinefa he had ex. prelTed of fui niO.ing inr with a copy of the Piojeft, I have received from him the m cloled Note and thp Projeft therein refer red to. '• I have the honor to be, 53"c. (Signed) " EVAN NEPEAN. " Lord Grenville." (No. 18.) / TR AMSLATION. project, " 1 There tha'l be a ftifpen (ion of hostilities between the fleets and armies of the French Republic and thafe-ef Great Britain. " 2 Tire fliips ef war and merchant vefitls of each nation lhall enjoy a free na vigation, wi'hout being fubjeft t© any learch, and (hall observe the nlagecftab lifhed previous to the war. " 3. All veffeh ®f either nation, captur ed after the—of Frudtid >r, (hall be restored "4. The places of Malm, Alexandria Btlleifle, shall b» aflimilatrd to the places of Ulm, of Philipfburgli, and of Ingoldltadi ; rjiat it to fayi all neutral or French vessels (hall have pe,million freely to inter ihem in order tofurnilh thein with provisions. " s.The Iqnadrons which bloik:ide Brest Cadis, Toulon, Flulhing, Ihall return into their own) hai-feours, or at least Ihall keep out of fight of the coafi. «* 6. I hree Englilh officers ftiall be dif patched, one direftly to Hie Admiral com manding in she Mediterranean, another to the Co'i mander. of ihr squadron before Malta, the third to the Commander of the fVoLUVB 3C^HJ. _ ■ . ' / ' "ir.T " v ; ';;; "' -- f- •—* *"' ' I ll* bl' Ck»c}e of Alexandria, to -notify to thefij. the prrffnt Aruniflice, and to -convey W them orders to conform thamfelvej. thera unto. I tie said Officers (ball p«f s Arotgh Fiance, in order the more expeditioufly t« arrive it their deftinatioo. "7. tin Catholic Majesty and the B*t*» vian Republic are included in the pre lent A.rmiflice»" * (No. 19.) NOTE. " ' he only motive which could lead thU court to entertain tbe ajfeufiion of a. pro* unufqal .in itfett, and so difadvan* tageous to the interefls of Great Britain, as that ps a maratiaie truce to. precede negociation, is the desire of contributing to facilitate the conclusion ps a general peace , and the termination of the ariniftioa oil the Continent, by the adt.of the French, government, would put an end to all in« ducernentb to luch a tneaiure ott the part of this country: " The necessity of receiving the king 1 # commands on the project communicated I by M. Otto, mud prevent the underjig ! Ed from transmitting any reply to that paper before Sunday ne*t. It is, thcra | fore, for M. Otto to determine whether j he will not think it proper immediately ito write to his government to remark, j that if France has proposed an armifticc I With Great-Britain, for the purpose of its leading to a general negociation for peace, that objedt can ■ nly be attained by at least such a. prolongation of the contiren <* armiltke, as will allow the time required for receiving the afifwer t® the proposal made here. (Signed) « GRENVILLE.'* Downing-ftreet. Sept j, 1800. (No. 20.) «« hurfday evening, Sept. 4, ilotf. " CirisS h Otto presents his compli m nts to Mr. >epean, and according tlei ation. Downing-flreet, Sept. 7, 1800. £No. 24.] NOTE. " The undersigned has had the honor to lay before the king the official answer of the French government, which he received from M. Otto on the 4th inft. and also the projet of aH armistice, communicated on the fame day. " The spirit of that arrfVreris unhappily bjt little consonant with those appearances of a conciliatory difpclttion which had bt foie been nianitefted. If it be really prac« ticable in the prcfent moment to restore permanent tranquili ly to Europe, this eluded by Austria, or annulled by the in*, tervention of his majesty. " The engagements by whieh the Courts of London and Vienna have ag eed not to treat except in concert with each other, were concluded before thrre was any quel tion of those pretended preliminaries of peace. And the firft intimations which his majesty received of their iignatures, were accompanied by the express declaration of his ally, that they were wholly unauthori sed? and mult be considered as abl'olutejy null. " The French government Could indeed expeft lio other determination to be taken by his Imperial Majesty. Ihe want of all powers or inftru&ions for such a treaty, op the part of the Austrian officer, was at the time diftin&ly notified by him to those wh« •**»*> » • >