of the prefent war, have raised to a pitch hitherto unequalled the naval glory of the country. Gentlemen of the house of commons, I have directed the eftimates for the enfuing year to be laid before you. The fate of the war, joined to the happy confequences of our recent fuccefs, will, I truft, admit of fome diminution of expenfe, confiftently with the vigorous efforts which our fituation indifpenfibly requires. In confidering what may be the best mode of defraying long diftinguished us among all the nations of Europe. Thefe bleffings can only be preferved by inculcating and enforcing a due reverence and obedience to the laws, by re...... preffing with promptitude every attempt to disturb our internal tranquillity, and by maintaining inviolate that happy conftitution which we inherit from our ancestors, on which the fecurity and happiness of every clafs of my fubjects effentially depend. King. Moft gracious fovereign, We, your majesty's most dutiful and loyal fubjects the lords spiritual and temporal, in parliament affembled, beg leave to return your majefty our humble thanks for your majefty's most gracious fpeech from the throne; and to exprefs to your majefty the juft fenfe which we entertain of your majefty's paternal anxiety for the welfare of your fubjects, manifested in the earneft defire expreffed by your majefty for the reftoration of peace on fecure and honourable terins. the heavy expense which will ftil Address of the Houfe of Peers to the be unavoidable, you will, I am perfuaded, bear in mind that the prefent crifis presents every motive to animate you to the most effectual and fpirited exertions; the true value of any temporary facrifices which you may find neceflary for this purpofe, can only be eftimated by comparing them with the importance of fupporting effectually our public credit, and convincing the enemy that, while we retain an ardent defire for the conclufion of peace on fafe and honourable terms, we poffefs the means, as well as the determination, to fupport with vigour this arduous conteft, as long as it may be neceffary for maintaining the fafety, honour, and independence of thefe kingdoms. of My lords, and gentlemen, After the experience I have had your loyalty and attachment to me, and of your anxious regard for the interefts of my fubjects, I have only to recommend to you a perfeverance in the fame principles and conduct.' The events of every day muft more and more imprefs you with a juft fenfe of the bleffings which we derive from our civil and religious establishments, and which have fo We return your majesty our humble thanks for the communications which you have directed to be laid before us; and we affure your majefty, that we fall proceed, without delay, to the confideration of thofe measures which the circuftances of the prefent crifis require; and that, while we participate with your majefty in the concern which your majefly feels at the failure of your earneft endea. vours to procure for your people the bleflings of peace, we are fully confident, from the uniform tenour of your majefty's conduct, that every flep has been taken by your majefty which could tend to accelerate that object; and that it is to the unwarrantable pretenfions and inordinate ambition of the enemy, and, above all, to their inveterate animofity against thefe kingdoms, that the long delay and final rupture of the negotiation are to be afcribed. We intreat your majesty to be. lieve that, impreffed as we are with the neceffity and the magnitude of the contest in which we are engaged, as well as of the value of the interefts which we have at stake, no exertions will be wanting on our part to enable your majefty to profecute the war with vigour, until a more just and pacific fpirit fhall prevail on the part of the enemy; and to employ, in the defence of every thing that is dearest to us, thofe means and refources which the prefent fituation of our country holds out. We affure your majefty that we reflect with peculiar fatisfaction on the public fpirit which has been difplayed by your majefty's fubjects, and on the conduct by which your majefty's troops, of every defcription, have aequired fresh claims to our esteem and admiration. We are particularly defirous of embracing the earlieft opportunity to offer to your majefty our warm and heartfelt congratulations on that fignal and decifive victory which has crowned the feries of fplendid fucceffes obtained by your majefty's fleets over all our different enemies in the course of the prefent war; a victory no lefs important in its confequences, than glorious in the circumftances by which it is diftinguished. We are deeply fenfible of the manner in which your majesty is pleafed to express your gracious acceptance of our best endeavours to testify by our conduct our anxious regard for the interefts of our country, and our invariable attachment to your majesty's perfon and government. Senfible of the bleffings which, under your majefty's paternal care, are derived to us from our civil and religious establishments, and which diftinguifh us from among all the nations of Europe; and perfuaded that these bleffings can only be preferved by inculcating and enforcing a due reverence and obedience to the laws, and by repreffing with promptitude every attempt to disturb our internal tranquillity,it fhall be the first object of our attention to contribute, by every means in our power, to the maintenance of that happy conftitution which we inherit from our ancestors, and on which the fecu. rity and happiness of every class of your majefty's fubjects effentially depend. ANSWER. My Lords, I thank you for this loyal, dutiful, and affectionate address. In a crifis of fo much import ance to the fecurity and happiness of every clafs of my subjects, it is a great fatisfaction to me to know that you entertain a just sense of the nature, magnitude, and neceffity of the conteft in which we are engaged; and that I may rely with confidence on your fupport in my fixed and unalterable determination to maintain to the utmost the laws, liberties, and religion of my peo ple, and the dignity, honour, and independence of my kingdoms. The The humble Addrefs of the House of Moft gracious fovereign, We, your majesty's moft dutiful and loyal fubjects, the commons of Great Britain, in parliament affembled, beg leave to return your majefty our humble thanks for your moft gracious fpeech from the throne, and for the communication of the declaration, and the other papers refpecting the negotiation with France, which your majefty has been graciously pleased to direct to be laid before us. Permit us to affure your majefty, that we shall not fail to apply our felves, with the utmost diligence and attention, to the confideration of the measures which the present crifis requires; but we cannot refrain from expreffing, at the earliest moment, our firm determination to afford your majesty the most effectual fupport in refifting every unwarrantable pretenfion, and checking every attempt dictated by inordinate ambition on the part of those with whom we have to contend. We entertain a firm perfuafion that all your majefty's faithful fubjects feel as they ought the value of the bleffings which they are struggling to preferve, and will not fail, in every fituation, to fupport your majefty in defence of their effential interefts, with the zeal, magnanimity, and courage, worthy of a great and free people: and we muft, at the present moment, obferve, with peculiar fatisfaction, the proofs afforded of our means and internal refources in the flourishing state of the revenue, induftry, and commerce of the country. With the utmoft gratitude we acknowledge the fenfe which your majefty expreffes of the public fpirit 1797. which has been fo eminently dif played by your people, and of the conduct of your majefty's troops of every defcription, which has juftly entitled them to the additional efteem and admiration of their country. And we most heartily congratu late your majefty on the fignai and decifive victory with which providence has rewarded the exertions of your fleet under the command of admiral lord Duncan; an event which has crowned the repeated maritime fucceffes obtained over all our enemies, and has, indeed, afforded a brilliant addition to the numerous and heroic exploits which, in the course of the prefent war, have raised to the highest pitch the naval glory of the country. It will afford us great fatisfaction to find that any branches of our expence will admit of reduction, confiftently with the continuance of thofe vigorous efforts which must be neceffary for our fafety, and which, at all events, cannot fail to be attended with heavy expence. In confidering what may be the best mode of defraying it, we fhall, undoubtedly, bear in mind the nature of the prefent crifis; and, in eftimating the value of any temporary facrifices, we fhall not lofe fight of the infinite importance of fupporting effectually our pubic credit, and of convincing the enemy that, while we join in your majefty's anxious defire for the conclufion of peace, on fafe and honourable terms, we poffefs the means, as well as the determination, to fupport with vigour this arduous conteft, as long as it may be rendered neceffary, for maintain. ing the fafety, honour, and independence of these kingdoms. We beseech your majesty to believe that our loyalty and attachment to your majefty, and our anxious regard for the interefts of (e) your your fubjects, will enfure our perfeverance in that line of conduct which may best preserve the advantages refulting to your people from your majefty's aufpicious go vernment. The bleffings which we derive from our civil and religious establishments have long been deeply imprinted on our minds; and we cannot but feel more and more, from the events of every day, how much they diftinguish us among all the nations of Europe: we hall never be unmindful that they can only be preserved by inculcating and enforcing a due reverence and obedience to the laws, by repreffing with promptitude every attempt to difturb our internal tranquillity, and by maintaining inviolate that happy conftitution which we inherit from our ancestors, on which the fecurity and happiness of every clafs of your majefty's fubjects effentially depend. ANSWER. Gentlemen, I return you my warmeft thanks for this loyal and dutiful addrefs, and for the expreffions of your affectionate attachment to my perfon and government. The affurances of your firm determination to refift, to the utmost, the unwarrant able pretenfions and inordinate ambition of the enemy, afford me the highest fatisfaction at this important conjuncture. They juftify the reliance which I have uniformly placed on the vigour and wifdom of your councils, and leave me no room to doubt that the ftrength and refources of thefe kingdoms will be effectually employed in fupporting our dearest interests, maintaining our happy conftitution, and vindicating the honour and independence of the country. Papers which paffed in the late Nego tiation for Peace at Life, between Lord Malmesbury, Plenipotentiary from the King of Great Britain, and the Commiffioners from the French Directory. Prefented to the House of Commons, by Command of his Majefy, November 3, 1797. (No. 1.) - Official Note. - Lad Grenville to the Minifter for Foreign Affairs of the French Republic. The fignature of the prelimina ries of a peace, the definitive conclufion of which is to put an end to the continental war, appears to afford to the two governments of Great Britain and France a natural opportunity and new facilities for the renewal of pacific negotiations between them: a part of the obftacles, which might have retarded this falutary work, no longer exifting; and the interefts to be treated of being, after this event, neither fo extensive nor fo complicated as they were before. The court of London, always defirous of employing fuch means as are beft calculated to contribute to this object, fo interesting to the happiness of the two nations, is unwilling to omit renewing to the French government the affurance of the continuance of its difpofi tions on this fubject. And the underfigned is authorised to propose to the minifter for foreign affairs to enter without delay, and in fuch manner as fhall be judged the most expedient, upon the difcuffion of the views and pretenfions of each party for the regulation of the preliminaries of a peace, which may be definitively arranged at the future congrefs. As foon as the form of this negotiation fhall have been agreed upon, the British government will be ready (No. 2.)-Official Note.-The Minifter for Foreign Affairs to Lord Grenville. The undersigned minifter for foreign affairs of the French republic, loft no time in laying before the executive directory the note which was tranfmitted to him on the ift of June (O. S.) by lord Grenville, in the name of his Britannic majefty. He is directed to answer it. The executive directory fees with fatisfaction the defire which the cabinet of St. James's expreffes to put an end, at length, to the calamities of war. It will receive with eagerness the overtures and propofals which shall be made to it by the court of England. The executive directory defires, notwithstanding, that the negotiations fhould be fet on foot at once for a definitive treaty. This proceeding appears to the directory preferable to a congrefs, of which the refult must be remote, and which does not correfpond with the ardent defire that it has to reeftablish, as quickly as poffibie, peace between the two powers. (Signed) CH. DELACROIX. Paris, 16 Prairial, 5th Year of the French Republic, one and indivifible. ed, with the greatest fatisfaction, the affurances of the difpofitions of the executive directory to entertain with eagerness the pacific overtures of Great Britain, as well as of its defire to re-establish, as foon as poffible, peace between the two powers. Anxious to contribute to it in every thing which can depend upon itself, the British government will not delay to fend to Paris, or to fuch other place, upon the continent, as may be agreed upon, a minifter, to treat and conclude with the plenipotentiary, who fhall be appointed by the executive directory. The underfigned is directed to defire to know the wifh of the di rectory, as to the place of the negotiation, in order that a fpeedy determination may be taken here upon that fubject; and to request the minifter for foreign affairs to fend him, without delay, the neceffary paffports, to enable the king's plenipotentiary to repair immediately to his deftination. The question of Gening preliminary or definitive artica, will neceffarily depend up gotiations, to which, on the part of on the progrefs and turn of the neGreat Britain, will be brought the moft fincere defire for the speedy re-establishment of peace. (Signed) GRENVILLE. Weftminster, June 8, 1797. (No. 4.)-Official Note.-The Minifter for Foreign Affairs to Lord Grenville. The executive directory of the French republic has feen with fatisGrenville, dated June 8th (O.S.), faction, by the official nota of lord that the court of London fhews itfelf difpofed to fet on foot, without (Q2) delay, |