I am happy to find myself in a situation to correspond directly with your excellency.-I have the honour to be, with sentiments of high consideration, &c.

COUNT N. DE ROMANZOFF.

No. XI.—Letter from M. de Champagny to Mr Canning. Paris, Oct. 31, 1808.

SIR,-His majesty the emperor, my master, having left Paris, I am not willing to wait his orders to acknowledge the receipt of the letter which your excellency did me the honour to write to me on the 28th of this month, and which I received this morning, as also of the official note which was annexed to it. I shall lose no time in forwarding these papers to his imperial majesty; and, as soon as his intentions shall be made known to me, I shall hasten to send another courier to your excellency.-I am, with the highest consideration, &c. CHAMPAGNY.

No. XII.-Letter from Count Nicolas de Romanzoff to Mr Canning. Paris, 16th (8th) Nov. 1808.

SIR,-I transmit to your excelleney my answer to the note of the 28th October, which you were pleased to address to Count de Tolstoi ; and I hasten to seize this fresh opportunity of renewing to your excellency the assurances of the high consideration with which I have the honour to be, &c.

COUNT N. DE ROMANZOFF.

No. XIII.-Note.

The undersigned minister for foreign affairs of his majesty the emperor of all the Russias has the honour to reply to the note of the 25th of October, signed by Mr Canning,

secretary of state for foreign affairs to his majesty the king of Great Britain, and addressed by his excellency to the Russian ambassador at Paris:

That the admission of the sove

reigns in alliance with England to a congress cannot be a point of any difficulty, and that Russia and France consent to it. But this principle by no means extends to the necessity of admitting the plenipotentiaries of the Spanish insurgents. The emperor of Rusia cannot admit them. His empire, in similar circumstances,

and England can recollect one particular instance,—has always been true to the same principle. Moreover, he has already acknowledged the king Joseph Napoleon. He has announced to his Britannic majesty that he was united with the emperor of the French for peace as well as for war; and his imperial majesty here repeats that declaration. He has resolved not to separate his interests from those of that monarch; but they are both ready to conclude a peace, provided it be just, honourable, and equal for all parties.

The undersigned sees with pleasure, that, in this difference of opinion respecting the Spaniards, nothing presents itself which can either prevent or delay the opening of a congress. He derives his persuasion in this respect from that which his ded to the two emperors, that he is Britannic majesty has himself confiwith those who have taken up arms bound to no positive engagement in Spain.

After fifteen years of war, Europe has a right to demand peace. The interest of all the powers, including that of England, is to render it general: humanity commands it; and such a desire, surely, cannot be fo

reign to the feelings of his Britannic majesty. How can it be that he alone can withdraw himself from such an object, and refuse to terminate the miseries of suffering humanity!

The undersigned consequently renews, in the name of the emperor his august master, the proposal already made, to send plenipotentiaries to any city on the continent which his Britannic majesty may please to point out; to admit to the congress the plenipotentiaries of the sovereigns in alliance with Great Britain; to treat upon the basis of the uti possidetis, and upon that of the respective power of the belligerent parties: in fine, to accept any basis which may have for its object the conclusion of a peace in which the parties shall find honour, justice, and equality.

The undersigned has the honour to renew to his excellency Mr Canning the assurances of his high consideration. Count de RomanzoFF.

No. XIV. Letter from M. de Champagny to Mr Canning. Paris,

.28th Nov. 1808.

SIR, I have the honour to transmit to your excellency the answer which I have been commanded to make to the note which accompanied your letter of the 28th of October last. I have the honour to be, with the highest consideration, &c. CHAMPAGNY.

No. XV.-Note.

The undersigned has laid before the emperor, his master, the note of his excellency Mr Canning.-If it were true that the evils of war were felt only on the continent, certainly there would be little hope of attain ing peace.

The two emperors had flattered

themselves that the object of their measure would not have been misinterpreted in London. Could the English ministry have ascribed it to weakness or to necessity, when every impartial statesman must recognize, in the spirit of peace and moderation by which it is dictated, the characteristics of power and true greatness? France and Russia can carry on the war so long as the court of London shall not recur to just and equitable dispositions; and they are resolved to do so!

How is it possible for the French government to entertain the proposal which has been made to it, of admitting to the negociation the Spanish insurgents? What would the English government have said, had it been proposed to them to admit the catholic insurgents of Ireland? France, without having any treaties with them, has been in communication with them, has made them promises, and has frequently sent them succours. Could such a proposal have found place in have been, not to irritate, but to ena note, the object of which ought to deavour to effect a mutual conciliation and good understanding!

England will find herself under a strange mistake, if, contrary to the experience of the past, she still entertains the idea of contending successfully upon the continent against the armies of France. What hope can she now have, especially as France is irrevocably united with Russia?

The undersigned is commanded to repeat the proposal, to admit to the negociation all the allies of the king of England; whether it be the king who reigns in the Brazils; whether it be the king who reigns in Sweden; or whether it be the king who reigns in Sicily; and to take for the basis of the negociation the uti

possidetis. He is commanded to express the hope, that, not losing sight of the inevitable results of the force of states, it will be remembered, that, between great powers, there is no solid peace but that which is at the same time equal and honourable for all parties. The undersigned requests his excellency Mr Canning to accept the assurances of his highest consideration. CHAMPAGNY.

No. XVI.-Letter from Mr Canning to Count Nicolas de Romanzoff Dec. 7, 1808.

the legitimate monarchy of Spain, in deference to an usurpation which has no parallel in the history of the world. His majesty had hoped that the participation of the emperor of Russia in the overtures made to his majesty would have afforded a security to his majesty against the proposal of a condition so unjust in its effect, and so fatal in its example.

Nor can his majesty conceive by what obligation of duty or of interest, or by what principle of Russian policy, his imperial majesty can have found himself compelled to acknow

to depose and imprison friendly sovereigns, and forcibly to transfer to herself the allegiance of loyal and independent nations.

which I have the honour to acknow

ledge the receipt. I seize with avidity this opportunity of renewing to your excellency the assurances of the high consideration with which I have the honour to be, &c.

GEORGE CANNING.

No. XVII.-Official Note, Dec. 9.

The undersigned, his majesty's principal secretary of state for foreign affairs, has laid before the king, his master, the note transmitted to him by his excellency the Count Nicolas de Romanzoff, minister for foreign affairs of his majesty the emperor of all the Russias, dated on the 16-25th of November. The king learns with astonishment and regret the expectation which appears to have been entertained that his majesty should consent to commence a negociation for a general peace by the previous abandonment of the cause of the Spanish nation, and of

If these be indeed the principles to which the emperor of Russia has inviolably attached himself; to which his imperial majesty has pledged the

character and resources of his empire; which he has united himself and with France to establish by war, to maintain in peace, deeply does his majesty lament a determination by which the sufferings of Europe must be aggravated and prolonged: but not to his majesty is to be attributed the continuance of the calamities of war, by the disappointment of all hope of such a peace as would be compatible with justice and with hoGEORGE CANNING.

nour.

No. XVIII.-Letter from Mr Canning to M. de Champagny, Dec. 7. SIR, I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency's letter of the 28th of last month, and of the official note therein inclosed. As soon as I shall have received the king's commands upon the subject of that note, I shall not fail to transmit to your excellency,

by an English messenger, the answer which his majesty may command me to return to it.

I have the honour to be, with the highest consideration, &c.

GEORGE CANNING.

No. XIX.-Official Note, Dec. 9. The undersigned, his majesty's principal secretary of state for foreign affairs, has laid before the king, his master, the note transmitted to him by his excellency M. de Champagny, dated the 28th of November.

He is especially commanded by his majesty to abstain from noticing any of those topics and expressions insulting to his majesty, to his allies, and to the Spanish nation, with which the official note transmitted by M. de Champagny abounds.

His majesty was desirous to have treated for a peace which might have arranged the respective interests of all the powers engaged in the war on principles of equal justice; and his majesty sincerely regrets that this desire of his majesty is disappointed.

But his majesty is determined not to abandon the cause of the Spanish nation, and of the legitimate monarchy of Spain; and the pretension of France to exclude from the negociation the central and supreme government, acting in the name of his catholic majesty, Ferdinand VII., is one which his majesty could not admit, without acquiescing in an usurpation which has no parallel in the history of the world. GEORGE CANNING.

No. XX.-Letter from Count Nicolas de Romanzoff to Mr Canning. Paris, 1st (13th) Dec.

SIR,-The messenger which I had

dispatched to your excellency is returned to this place, and has brought me the letter which you did me the honour to write to me on the 7th of December. Some hours afterwards, the messenger whom your excellency has sent to Paris delivered to me, from your excellency, a letter without date, which was accompanied by a note, dated the 9th of December. I shall transmit the whole for the information of the emperor my master. I avail myself of this opportunity to renew to your excellency the assurances of the high consideration with which I have the honour to be, &c,

COUNT N. DE ROMANZOFF.

No XXI.-Letter from M. de Champagny to Mr Canning. Paris, December 13.

SIR, I have the honour to accellency's letter of the 9th instant, knowledge the receipt of your extogether with the official note that accompanied it. I shall lose no time in laying this note before the emof this opportunity to renew to your peror my master. I avail myself excellency the assurances of the high

consideration with which I have the honour to be, &c. CHAMPAGNY.

No. 42.-Rupture of the Negociation between England, France, and Russia.-Declaration.

The overtures made to his majesof France have not led to negociaty by the governments of Russia and tion; and the intercourse to which those overtures gave rise being terminated, his majesty thinks it right thus promptly and publicly to make

known its termination. The conti

nued appearance of a negociation, when peace has been found to be utterly unattainable, could be advantageous only to the enemy. It might