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Article MONTHLY CHRONICLE. ← Page 13 of 20 →
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Monthly Chronicle.
powers , which were in their hands , were as extensive as any could be , and it did hoi depend cm me to give them more or less latitude ; but that in fact their Question went not to the extent of rny full powers , but to require of me to declare the nature of my . instructions ; and on this point they certainly would forgive me if I did not speak out til ! such time as the circumstances of the Negotiation called upon me to do it . ' ' The French Minister strove to prove to me , what he had before attempted , that the claiming a riht of enquiry into the nature of the discretionary authority
g confided in a Minister , by no means implied an intention of requiring of him to act up to it to its utmost limits . I observed , if no such intention existed , why in * t stituie the enquiry ? and if it did exist , why not say so at once ? - —He said , what we now ask is little more than a matter of form ; when you have given us your * answer , we shall follow it up by another step , which we are ordered to take , t said , my answer was given two months ago ; that , although I was ready to give : it them again , and in writing , as one to their note , yet , as it could not be different , I did not see why they should not proceed immediately to the other step , by
which I was told the question was to be followed up . It would be premature , said the French Minister ; but in drawing up your answer , do not forget the force of the arguments I have used , or in your report to your Court , the assurances we . , have given of the earnest wish of the Directory to terminate the war . I replied , that I still must maintain , that from the manner in which they thought , proper to define full powers , I could see no distinction between acknowledging the power and admitting the principle ; and that the question itself could not be ' put with any other intention —( Your Lordship will obsetve , from the subsequent ,
notes which passed between ' us , that I was perfectly grounded in this assertion : ) that in my reports , they might be fully assured f should act up to thatconciliafory spirit , which , from the earliest period ofthe Negociation , had always decided my conduct ; and that , inauspicious as appearances were , I certainfy would be
careful not to make them look hostile . At the word hostile , both the French Plenipotentiaries were most warm in their protestations , that nothing could be less so ; that the idea of the Negociation breaking off was as far from their thoughts as their wishes . I said , that although I heard this with pleasure , yet I could not avoid adverting to facts ; and that , when instead of an answer , and the favourable answer which I had every reason to expect , I received only the repetition of a demand , which had been already satisfied two months ago ; I certainly could not think this a good omen . If it did not bode an immediate rupture of
the treaty , it assuredly did not announce a near and successful termination of it . The above mentioned Minister persisted I was mistaken ; that the business would end speedily ; that speed was their wish , and speed with peace for its object . 'On breaking up our conference , I said , that I took it for granted we should meet , again at the usual hour , on Sunday . He said , that it perhaps might not be necessary , but that they certainly would let me know in time ; and this conveyed to , me the first idea of what has since taken place .
' I inclose your Lordship the note A , I received in this conference from the French Plenipotentiaries , and the answer B , which I made to it yesterday morning at 10 A . M . 'At 6 . P . M . the note C was transmitted to me ; to which at S P . M . I returned the answer D by Mr . Ross , whom I sent in order that he might bring me the passports I asked for ; but at a quarter before 10 P . M . Derche , Secretary of the French Legation , delivered to me the paper marked E ; and this morning at 9 A . lied the note which that marked
M . I rep by F , immediately produced G . ' The , notes sent me by the French Plenipotentiaries speak for themselves ; and it is unnecessary to enter info any reflections on them . I am willing to hope that the answers I have made were such as became the situation in which I stand , the jmportanceof the cause intrusted to me , aad the steady but temperate conduct which the spirit of my instructions injoin me to hold . ' It was my wish to give every opening to the French Plenipotentiaries to recal the violent step they had taken ; and , if possible , to convince them of its ex-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Monthly Chronicle.
powers , which were in their hands , were as extensive as any could be , and it did hoi depend cm me to give them more or less latitude ; but that in fact their Question went not to the extent of rny full powers , but to require of me to declare the nature of my . instructions ; and on this point they certainly would forgive me if I did not speak out til ! such time as the circumstances of the Negotiation called upon me to do it . ' ' The French Minister strove to prove to me , what he had before attempted , that the claiming a riht of enquiry into the nature of the discretionary authority
g confided in a Minister , by no means implied an intention of requiring of him to act up to it to its utmost limits . I observed , if no such intention existed , why in * t stituie the enquiry ? and if it did exist , why not say so at once ? - —He said , what we now ask is little more than a matter of form ; when you have given us your * answer , we shall follow it up by another step , which we are ordered to take , t said , my answer was given two months ago ; that , although I was ready to give : it them again , and in writing , as one to their note , yet , as it could not be different , I did not see why they should not proceed immediately to the other step , by
which I was told the question was to be followed up . It would be premature , said the French Minister ; but in drawing up your answer , do not forget the force of the arguments I have used , or in your report to your Court , the assurances we . , have given of the earnest wish of the Directory to terminate the war . I replied , that I still must maintain , that from the manner in which they thought , proper to define full powers , I could see no distinction between acknowledging the power and admitting the principle ; and that the question itself could not be ' put with any other intention —( Your Lordship will obsetve , from the subsequent ,
notes which passed between ' us , that I was perfectly grounded in this assertion : ) that in my reports , they might be fully assured f should act up to thatconciliafory spirit , which , from the earliest period ofthe Negociation , had always decided my conduct ; and that , inauspicious as appearances were , I certainfy would be
careful not to make them look hostile . At the word hostile , both the French Plenipotentiaries were most warm in their protestations , that nothing could be less so ; that the idea of the Negociation breaking off was as far from their thoughts as their wishes . I said , that although I heard this with pleasure , yet I could not avoid adverting to facts ; and that , when instead of an answer , and the favourable answer which I had every reason to expect , I received only the repetition of a demand , which had been already satisfied two months ago ; I certainly could not think this a good omen . If it did not bode an immediate rupture of
the treaty , it assuredly did not announce a near and successful termination of it . The above mentioned Minister persisted I was mistaken ; that the business would end speedily ; that speed was their wish , and speed with peace for its object . 'On breaking up our conference , I said , that I took it for granted we should meet , again at the usual hour , on Sunday . He said , that it perhaps might not be necessary , but that they certainly would let me know in time ; and this conveyed to , me the first idea of what has since taken place .
' I inclose your Lordship the note A , I received in this conference from the French Plenipotentiaries , and the answer B , which I made to it yesterday morning at 10 A . M . 'At 6 . P . M . the note C was transmitted to me ; to which at S P . M . I returned the answer D by Mr . Ross , whom I sent in order that he might bring me the passports I asked for ; but at a quarter before 10 P . M . Derche , Secretary of the French Legation , delivered to me the paper marked E ; and this morning at 9 A . lied the note which that marked
M . I rep by F , immediately produced G . ' The , notes sent me by the French Plenipotentiaries speak for themselves ; and it is unnecessary to enter info any reflections on them . I am willing to hope that the answers I have made were such as became the situation in which I stand , the jmportanceof the cause intrusted to me , aad the steady but temperate conduct which the spirit of my instructions injoin me to hold . ' It was my wish to give every opening to the French Plenipotentiaries to recal the violent step they had taken ; and , if possible , to convince them of its ex-