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town alone; which, however refpectable, is at the prefent time not only ifolated from the reft of France, but has alfo, for the benefit of the whole kindom; as well as her own particular fafety, contracted recent and facred connections with another power.

In every point of view, it must at leaft be evident, that the Minifters of his Britannic Majefty are wholly incompetent to decide on these objects, without having particularly confulted their Courts, and received the neceffary powers.-All they can do, to fecond the praife worthy zeal of the inhabitants of Toulon, confifts in fubmitting, without delay, this interesting object to the wisdom of his Majefty, and to wait his orders.

Being unauthorised, until fuch orders are received, to com promife his Majesty with refpect to the Regency of France, we are ftill lefs able to confent to the propofition made us, to call the Count of Provence to Toulon, there to exercife the functions of a regent; because this could not be done, without depriving his Britannic Majefty, before the ftipulated time, of that authority, with which he has been entrusted at Toulon.

These reasons, however, by no means oblige us to oppofe the defire which the inhabitants of this town may feel, to lay their homage at the foot of this Prince, and to exprefs all thote good wishes, which his perfonal endowments ought to infpire, of which his birth-right may claim."

Anfwer of D, Langara, the Spanish Admiral, to the fame reques made by the Toulonefe,

I

HAVE read, with the greatest pleasure and fatisfaction, the loyal fentiments expreffed by the Toulonefe, through the organ of their Sections, to acknowledge the Count de Provence as Regent of France, and to fend a deputation to invite him to Toulon; not only on account of the favourable opinion which his arrival would produce in this country, but also, because his prefence would accelerate the re-establishment of a Monarchical Government, and greatly promote the caufe of Louis XVII. in whofe happiness the King, my mafter, is fo much con cerned.

I have acquainted his Catholic Majefty with your loyal intentions; and I think it will be proper to wait his Royal pleafure with respect to this object, which, however, cannot prevent you from fending a deputation to Monfieur; that so just a proof of the loye and zealous attachment of the Toulonefe for the facred perfon of their lawful Sovereign, Louis XVII. and of the obedience they devote to him who is to reign during his minority, may be no longer retarded,”

PAPERS

Papers Relative to Neutral Powers.

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SIR-MY BROTHER,

Confidential Letter from the King of the French to the King of England. Paris, May 1. SEND this letter by M. Chauvelin, whom I have appointed my Minifter Plenipotentiary at your Majefty's court. I embrace this opportunity to exprefs to your Majefty, how fenfible I am of all the public marks of affection you have given me. I thank you for not having become a party to the concert formed by certain powers against France. From this I fee you have formed a better judgment of my true interefts, and a more correct opinion of the state of France. Between our two countries new connections ought to take place. I think I fee the remains of that rivalship which has done fo much mifchief to both, wearing daily away. It becomes two kings, who have diftinguished their reigns by a conftant defire to promote the happiness of their people, to connect themfelves by fuch ties, as will appear to be durable, in proportion as the two nations fhall have clearer views of their own interefts. I have every reafon to be satisfied with your Majefty's ambaffador at my court. If I do not give the fame rank to the minifter whom I have fent to yours, you will nevertheless perceive, that by affociating in the miffion with him M. de Tallerand, who by the letter of the constitution, can sustain no public character, I confider the fuccefs of the alliance in which I wish you to concur, with as much zeal as I do, as of the highest importance. I confider it as neceffary to the ftability, to the refpective conftitutions, and the internal tranquillity of our two kingdoms; and I will add, that our union ought to command peace to Europe.

I am your good Brother,

(Signed)

Lours.

Tranflation of a Note delivered by Monfieur Chauvelin to Lord Grenville, May 12th 1792.

TH

HE underfigned Minifter Plenipotentiary of His Majesty the King of the French, is ordered by his Court to tranfmit to his Excellency Lord Grenville, Secretary of State to His Britannic Majefty for the department of Foreign Affairs, the following note;

The King of the French, in fending a Minister Plenipotentiary to London, has especially charged him to commence his miffion by manifesting to the British government the powerful

002

reafons

reasons which have determined France to a war with the King of Hungary and Bohema. He has thought that he owes this manifeftation to the purity of the intentions which animate him, as well as to the laws of good neighbourhood, and to the value which he attaches to every thing which may maintain confidence and friendship between two empires, who have at this moment, more than ever, reafons for drawing near each other, and uniting themselves together.

Having become King of a free nation, after having fworn to fupport the conftitution it has given herself, he cannot but deeply feel all the attacks defigned against that conftitution; and his probity alone would have induced him to prevent and combat

them.

The King has feen a great confpiracy formed against France, the agents of this league concealing, under an infulting pity for him, the preparations of their defigns; and His Majefty has had the grief to count among them Frenchmen, whofe fidelity ap peared to be guaranted by fo many powerful motives and private ties.

The King has not been fparing of the means of persuasion to bring them back to their duty, and to break this threatening league, which fupported and ftrengthened their guilty hopes. But the Emperor Leopold, the promoter and declared leader of this great confpiracy, and after his decease Francis, King of Hungary and Bohemia, have never fincerely anfwered any of the candid and reiterated demands of the King.

After being wearied by delays and vague anfwers, the impatience of the French increasing daily by new provocations, those Princes have fucceffively avowed the coalition of the Powers against France. They never juftified themselves for the part they had taken in it, or for that they were ftill taking. Far from thewing themselves difpofed to diffolve it by their in fluence, they have fought to connect it with facts, which in the first place were foreign to it, and upon which France has never refused doing juftice to the interested parties. And, as if the King of Hungary were defirous of confecrating the perpetuity of the attack he makes on the fovereignty of the French empire, he has declared that this coalition, equally injurious to the King and to the Nation, could not ceafe until France-bould remove the ferious causes which had given rise to it, that is to fay, fo long as France, jealous of her independence, would not give up the imallest point of her new conftitution.

Such an anfwer, preceded and fupported by preparations moft evidently hoftile, and by an ill-concealed protection of the rebels, muft have appeared to the National Affembly, to the King, and to all France, as a manifeft aggreffion; for it is commencing war to announce that troops are affembled and

called

called in all quarters, in order to conftrain the inhabitants of a country to alter the form of government which they have freely chofen, and fworn to defend.

Such is the fenfe and, as it were, the fubftance, of all the evasive answers of the Emperor and King of Hungary's Minifters, to the fimple and candid explanations which the King res quired of them.

Thus the King faw himself forced into a war, which was already declared against him; but, religiously faithful to the principles of the conftitution, whatever may finally be the fate of arms in this war, France rejects all ideas of aggrandizement, She will preferve her limits, her liberty, her conftitution, her inalienable right of reforming herfelf, whenever she may think proper: fhe will never confent that, under any relation, foreign Powers fhould attempt to dictate, or even dare to nourish a hope of dictating laws to her. But thiş yery pride, fo natural and fo juft, is a fure pledge to all the Powers, from whom fhe fhall have received no provocation, not only of her con ftantly pacific difpofitions, but also of the refpect which the French will know how to fhew, at all times, for the laws, the cuftoms, and all the forms of government of different nations.

The King, indeed, wishes it to be known, that he would publicly and feverely difavow all thofe of his agents at foreign Courts in peace with France, who fhould dare to depart an inftant from that refpect, either by fomenting or favouring in furrections against the establifhed order, or by interfering in any manner whatever in the interior policy of fuch States, un, der pretence of a profelytif, which, exercifed in the dominions of friendly powers, would be a real violation of the law of

nations.

The King hopes that the British Government will fee in this expofition the incontrovertible juftice, and the neceffity of the war, which the French nation maintains against the King of Hungary and Bohemia; and that he will moreover find in it that common principle of liberty and independence, of which. they ought not to be lefs jealous than France. For England is free likewife, becaufe fhe determined to be fo; and affur edly the did not fuffer other powers to attempt to compel her to alter the conftitution fhe had adopted, to lend the fmalleft affiftance to rebellious fubjects, or to pretend to interfere, under any pretence, in her interior difputes.

Perfuaded that His Britannic Majefty is not lefs ardently defirous than himself of feeing the good understanding and union between the two countries confolidated and ftrengthened, the King demands, that, conformably to the 4th article of the treaty of navigation and commerce of the 26th September 1786, His Britannic Majefty fhall remind all his fubjects of Great

Britain

Britain and Ireland, and publifh it in the accuftomed manner, in those two kingdoms, and in the islands and countries dependant upon them, an exprefs prohibition to exercife again France, or against the fhips of France, any hoftility, by cruizing on the feas, or to take out any patent, commiffion, or letters of reprizals, from the different Princes or States who are or fhall be at war with France; or to make ufe, in any manner, of fuch patents or commiffions.

The King requires befides, that all the articles of the aforefaid treaty, which relate to the cafe of one of the contracting powers being at war, and especially the 3d, 16th, 24th, 39th, 40th, and 41ft articles, fhall be punctually oblerved and executed, in the fame manner as His Majefty is determined to ac on his part, refpecting all the ftipulations of this treaty.

The Minifter Plenipotentiary of France,

CHAUVELIN.

London, 12 May 1792,

4th Year of French Liberty.

Tranflation of a Note from Lord Grenville, to Monfieur Chauvelin, dated May 24th, 1792.

THE HE under-figned Secretary of State to the King has had the honour of laying before his Majesty the official note which Monfieur Chauvelin tranfmitted to him the 15th inftant. He has orders to testify to that Minifler how truly fenfible His Majefty ever is to the proofs of friendship and confidence which he receives on the part of his Moft Chriftian Majefty, and with how much fincerity he returns them by fentiments perfectly reciprocal.

His Majefty could not learn without the deepest regret that a war has broken out between His Moft Chriftian Majefty and His Majesty the King of Hungary and Bohemia. This fentiment is equally infpired by his love for humanity, by the inte reft he takes in the maintaining the tranquillity of Europe, and by his fincere wishes for the perfonal happinets of Their Moft Christian and Apoftolic Majefties, and for the profperity of their dominions. In the prefent circumstances he thinks it right to abftain from entering into a difcuffion of the motives and the steps on each fide which have brought on a rupture fo afflicting to a fovereign, the neighbour and friend of the two belligerent parties.

Confining himself, therefore, to expreffions of the wishes he will never ceafe to form for the fpeedy and permanent reeftablishment of peace, he does not hefitate, however, to give to His Molt Chriftian Majefty the dire& and pofitive affurance

of

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