ple. Justly sensible of the state of pre-eminence, in which it has pleased the Almighty to support us, for so many ages, amongst the nations of Europe, I rely with confidence, that, under the continuance of his divine protection, the exertions of my brave and loyal subjects will prove to the enemy and to the world, that an attempt to subvert the independence, or impair the power of this United Kingdom, will terminate in the disgrace and ruin of those by whom it may be made; and that my people will find an ample reward for all their sacrifices, in an undisturbed enjoyment of that freedom and security, which, by their patriotism and valour, they will have preserved and ensured to themselves and their posterity.

Resolutions moved by Earl Fitzwilliam, in the House of Peers, on the 2d of June, 1803, on the conduct of Ministers*.

1st. Resolved-That it appears to this house, from the declaration issued by his majesty, on the 18th instant, and laid before this house by his majesty's command, That the conduct of the French republic towards this country, during the whole period which has elapsed since the conclusion of the definitive treaty of peace, is considered by his majesty's ministers as having exhibited "one continued series of aggression, violence, and insult," and as necessarily creating a "thorough conviction" of a system deliberately adopted by France, for the purpose of degrading, vilifying, and insulting his majesty and his government."

2d. Resolved-That his majesty's ministers having, throughout the whole period, from the definitive

treaty of peace to the breaking out of the present war, neither communicated to parliament any knowledge of the sense which they now appear to have entertained respecting the conduct and system of France, nor any regular information of the particulars on which the same was founded, or of the steps taken by his majesty's government thereupon, have thereby withheld from this house the necessary materials for the due and full discharge of its constitutional functions; and that, by encouraging throughout the country an unfounded security and confidence in the permanence of peace, they have embarrassed and perplexed our commerce; have deceived the expectations, and unnecessarily harrassed the spirit of the people; and have materially increased and aggravated the difficulties of our actual situation.

3d. Resolved-That it was the duty of his majesty's ministers to make timely and adequate representations against all such acts as have, in their judgment, constituted a series of systematic aggression, violence, and insult," on the part of France.

66

That, by dignified and temperate remonstrances, followed up with consistency, and sustained with firmness, either the course and progress of such acts would have been arrested without the necessity of recurring to arms, or the determination of the French government to persist therein would have been distinctly ascertained, before his majesty had proceeded so far, both in the reduction of his forces, and the surrender of his conquests.

That this essential duty appears to have been, in a very great degree, neglected by his majesty's ministers,

and

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 go. vernment during the whole of the last summer, to accelerate the execution of the article, in its present shape, 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

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 Jerusalem. 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 preserve 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 having 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.

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 easiest 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 inciosed a list of the suffrages obtained from several priories of the order of St. John of Je rusalem, for the election of a grand master, which has been received from St. Petersburgh by the British government,