yet undecided, the Austrian Ambassador in London transmitted to his Majesty's Ministers a proposition from the Emperor, offering "his amicable mediation" for effecting a peace between the belligerent powers; promising at the same time" his interposition and good "offices," and "inviting the Cabinets of

Petersburgh, of Berlin, and of the Thuil"leries, to adopt the same conciliatory views, and to enter into negotiations "for a peace; in which the essential re"lations of all the parties interested,

should, as far as it is practicable, be "combined."*

The answer of Mr. Canning "accepts,

so far as his Majesty is concerned, the "offer of his Imperial Majesty's media"tion, subject only to the condition "of a like acceptance on the part of all

*Note of Count de Starhemberg, 18th April,

1807.

"the other powers who are engaged in "the present war.”*

Such is the answer in Mr. Canning's Letter; but in the official note of the same date, by which it is accompanied, it is said, that "to such negotiations, "whenever the consent of the other

parties interested in them shall be obtained, the King will willingly ac"cede; and his Majesty will lose no "time in communicating with such of "those powers as are connected with "him by the bonds of amity and con"fidential intercourse, for the purpose "of ascertaining their views; and if "those views shall be favourable to his Imperial Majesty's proposal, of concerting with them the mode in which such negotiations should be opened, and "of agreeing upon the principles which (according to the suggestion of his

แ

66

*Note of Mr. Canning to the Count de Starhemberg, 25th April, 1807.

Imperial Majesty) it might be expe"dient previously to establish, as the basis and foundation of a general dis"cussion and arrangement."*

From this answer, it is reasonable to suppose that the Austrian Ambassador would expect that some steps should immediately have been taken by the British Ministry to consult the allies of this country, and to obtain their determination on the propositions which he had made. The adoption of further measures rested entirely on the result of this previous inquiry, whether the views of the allies of Great Britain were favourable to his Imperial Majesty's proposal; and if so, but not otherwise, the proposed discussions might proceed. The ministry had thus taken the further prosecution of this business wholly out of the hands of Austria, and had informed the

*Official Note of Mr. Canning to the Count de Starhemberg, 25th April, 1807.

Ambassador that they would lose no time in consulting with their allies. He must therefore naturally have expected to learn the result of these consultations: Did they ever actually take place? If so, was the determination of Great Britain and her allies ever communicated to Austria?-No evidence of any such circumstances appears to have been laid before the public-In justification of this apparent neglect, it has indeed been asserted, that the important changes which soon afterwards took place in the affairs of Europe prevented any progress being made towards the proposed negotiation. But it must be recollected, that these changes did not occur till the battle of Friedland on the 14th of June, nearly two months after the propositions made by Austria. The intermediate period, a period of no inconsiderable extent, when the object in view is no less than the pacification of Europe, was therefore open for the purpose of consulting our allies, and availing ourselves of the friendly interposi

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tion of Austria; but not a single line has been produced by Ministers to shew that this interval was improved by them to any such pacific purpose.-It appears indeed that copies of the corres pondence between Mr. Canning and Count Starhemberg were transmitted to Mr. Adair, the British resident at Vienna, and that Mr. Canning afterwards informed the Earl of Pembroke, then on a mission to that Court, that "his Majesty had accepted of the medi"ation of Austria, subject only to the "condition of its being equally accepted

by all the other powers principally engaged in the war;" but in what manner that nobleman was to act in consequence of such information, we are at a loss to discover. Certainly, there could be no occasion to dispatch a special en voy to Vienna to inquire into the pacific dispositions of Austria, who had herself made the proposal for a negotiation; and it is therefore probable that his Lordship's mission was rather of a