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R A " Ouri are th PUn of fair dellghtfal Peace, . 's v J If i - "Uawarp'd by. Party Rage, to live like BrotheA ' j j Monday, July 18, .3 . , " C ' ' Nq.-, 196. Vol, IV. The following is.tht Declaration made by the King of England, on breaking up of the late Negociation-Stf'hh France, and which may be confidered as an Apology for, and a Declaration of War. DECLARATION. .... His Majefty'searneft endeavours for theprefervation of Peace having failed of fuccefs, he entertains the fulleft confidence that he fhall re ceive the fame fupport from his Par liament, and that the fame ?zeal and fpirit will be manifefted by hi& peo ple, which he has experienced on every occafion when thehoriour of his Crown has been attacked, or the efiential intereft of his Dominions have been endangered. J)uring the whole courfe fthe ncgociations which led to the pre liminary and definitive treaties of Peace between his Majefty andnhe French Republic, it was his Ma jefty's fincere defire, not only; to put ?n end to the hoftilities which fubfi lied between the twocountries, but to adopt fuch mcafuress and to concur in fuch propofitions, : as might mod effect, ually i contribute to confolidatethe general tranquili ty of Europe. The lams motives by which his Majefty was actuated 'during the negociation for Peace, have fince invariably governed his condua. Asfoon as the. treaty of Amiens was concluded his Majefty s cou'ts ware open to the people of France for every purpofe tof legal redrefs ; all fecjueftrations were ta ken oft" their property ; all prohibit tions on their trade which had been impofed during the war were remo ved, and they were placed, in eve ry refpeft, cn the fame footing with regard to commerce and. intercourfe as the inhabitants of any other ftate in amity with his Majefty, with which there exifted noltreaty of commerce.. -'-' ' . To a fyftem of conduft thus open liberal, and friendly, the proceed i ings of the French government af ford the molt linking contra u The prohibitions which had been placed on the commerce of his Ma je fly's Tubjefts during the war have been enforced with increafing ftrift.r nefs and fevcrity : Violence-has been offered in feveral inftances to to their veffels and their property ; and, in no-cafe, has jufiice been af fordvd to thofe who may have been aggrieved inj confequence of. iuch afts, nor has any fatistaclory. anfwer been given to the repeated reprefen tations made by his Ma jelly's minif tcrs or ambaffadors at Paris. Under fuch circurnftances, when his Ma jelly's fubjefts were not fuffered to eniov the common advantages of peace within the territories of the j French republic, and. the countries dependent upon it, the French go vernment had recourfe to the extra crdinary meafure of fending oyer t this couutry a number of perfons or the profe (Ted "purpofe of refiding in the moft : conftdcrable feaport towns of Great-Britain and Ireland,, in the character of commercial agents or conful s. Theie perfons could have nor pretenfions to be acknow ledged in that character, as the right of being fo acknowledged, as' well as all the privileges attached to fuch a fituation, could only be derived from a commercial treaty; and as no treaty of that defcnption was in existence between his Majefty and the. French republic, , . There was confequently too much icafon tofuppofe, that the real ob jeft of their million was by no means of a commercial nature, and this, fufpician was confirmed, riot only by the circumftance. that fome f them were miliary .men,' but by t h ftual difcoyery that feveral of them were furnithed with inftruc tions to obtain the foundings of the harbours, and to procure military furveys of the places where it was , intended they mould refide. His Majefty felt it to be his duty to prevent their departure to their re fpeftive places of deftination, and leprefented to the French govern ment the neceflity of withdrawing them ; and it cannot be denied that the circurnftances under which they weie fent, and the inftruc tions which were given to them, ought .to be confidered as decifive indications of the difpontion and Intentions of the government by "Whom thev were employed; The conduft of the French, go sat refpeft tp- . the commercial intercourfe between the if two countries, mult inercrorc dc confidered as ill fuited to a Rate of peace, and their proceedings in their more general political relations, as well as in thofe1 which immedi ately concern his Majefly's Domin' ions, appear to have been aUoge ther inconfillent with every princi ple of good-faithj moderation, and jullice. .His. Majefty had i ent er- n .1 r I tained Hopes, in conlequence ot the .repeated afiurances arid profef fions of the French government, that they might have been induced to adopt a lyftem of policy which, if it had not infpired other powers with confidence, migfnt at leaflbave allayed theirjealoufies. If the French government had really appeared to be aftuated by a due attention to fuch a fyftem , if their aifpofitions Had proved to be efientially pacific, allowances would have been made for the fituatioh in which a new go vernment muft be placed 1 after fo dreadful and extenfive a convulfion as. that which has been produced by the; French revolution. But his Majefty has- unfortunately had too much1 reafon to obferve and to la ment that the lyftem of violence, aggreftion, and r aggrandizement, which cherafterized the proceed ings of the different governments of France during the war, j has been continued with as little; difguife fince : its ' termination. - They have coninued to keep a French army in Holland againft the will, and in defiance of the remon (tran ces of the Batavian government. and id' repugnance to the letter -of three folemn treaties.. They hayr. in a- period of peace, invaded '.he territory, and violated thejindepen dence of the Swifs nation, in defi ance ofthe treaty of Luneville, which had ftipulated the indepen dence of their territory, and the right of the inhabitants to chufe their own form of government. They have annexed to the domi nions of France, Piedmont, Parma, and Placsntia, and the Illand of Elba, without allotting any provi fion to the King of Sardinia, whom they have defpoiledof the mo ft vaa luable part of his territory, though they were bound, by a folemn en gagement to the Emperor of PvUiTia, to attend to his interefts and to provide , for his eftabbfhment. ' It may indsed, with truih be aliened, that the period which has elafped fince tha ccnclufion of the defin tive tteaty3 hss been marked with one continued feries of aggreftion, violence, and infult on the part of the F.ench government, . In the month of October laft his Majefty was induced, in.conlcl quence ot the earnelt iolicitation of the Swifs nation, to make an ef. Brt, by, a reprefentation to the French Qpvernmentj toavert the, evils which were then impending over the country. This reprefen tation was couched in the moft temperate terms; and meafurcs were taken by his Majefty for afcertain. iug, under the circurnftances which then exifted, the" real fituation and wifhesof the Swifs Cantons, as yell as the fentiments of the Cabinets of Europe. His Majefty learned, however, with . the utmoil regret, that no difpofition of; counteract thefe repeated infractions of trea. ties and acts of violence was mani fefted by any of the powers moft immediately, interested in preven ting them and ht5, Majefty there fore felt that, with relpet to thefe objefts, his ftngle efforts could not be expefted to produce "any confi derable advantage to thofe in whofc favour they might be exerted. It was about this time this time that the French Government firft diftinftly; advanced the principle, that his Majefty had no right to complain of the conduft, or to in. eetfere with the proceedings of France, on anypaint which did not form a part of the flipulations of the treaty of Amiens--That treaty Was unqueftionably founded on the fame Drinciotes is everv other antecedent treaty or convention, on the affump tion of the ftate of poftesfion and of engagements fub filling at the time of its -onclufion ; and , if that Mate of po Hellion and of engagements is matcriaUy affected by tbe voiun tary aft of any of the parties, fo as fd prejudice? the cbndition 9a wrinprt irie otucr paxiyr cnicicu tuup may be confidered as operating vir tually as a breach of thetreaty itfelf, and as giving the party aggrieved a right to demand ftisfactiorj or com penfation for aoy fiibflantial diffe- rence which fuch afts may have af fefted in their relative fituations ; but whatever maybe the principle on which the treaty may be confidered- as founded, there is indifpu tably a general law of nations, which though liable to be limited or re strained by conventional laws lsante cedent to it, an4 is that law or rule of conduft to which all fovereigns and ftates has been accuftomed to appel, where conventional law $ admitted to have been fiient. The treaty of Amiens, and everv other treaty, in providing for the objefts to which it is particularly directed, does not therefore alfume or imply an indifference to all other objefts which are not fpecified in its flipu lations, much lefs does it adjudge them to be of a nature to be left to the will and caprice of the violent and the powerful. The Jufiice of the caufe alone is a fufiicient ground to warrant the interpofition of any of fche powers of Europe in the dif ferences which mav arife between other ftates, and the application and j extent of that juft interpofition is to be determined folely by corifider,. ations of prudence. Thefe princi ples can admit of no difputc ; but if the nCHr and extraordinary pre tention advanced by the French Go vernment, to exclude his Majefty from any right to interfere with refpeft, to the concerns of other powers, unlefs they made a. fpecific p.irt of th ftipulations of thetreaty o-f - ,2ins. v as t h at w h i ch i t : w a s comb! io- maintain, thofe powers vvtiu.'c' have right, at leaft to claim the v-'Micfii of this principle, in every cfe of difference between tha two countries. : The indignation of all Europe mufh furely the be excited by the declarations of the French Government; that in the event of hoftilities thefe very powers who were no parties in the treaty of A miens, and who were not allowed to derive any advantage, from the remonftrances of his Majefty in their behalf, are neverthelefs to be made the victims of a war which is 11 1' . r r . 1 r anejgea to arue out or tne iame ij featyv9na are, to dc lacrmcea m a ;: con t eft which they net only 1m vc j j not occafion, but which they h,.ve j i that it has been in contemplation to had no means whatever of preven- j! to fequeftrate the property of the tjn ' - . 1 1 Batavian langue, and the intention HisMajcfty judged i moftexpedi- :i13S been avowed of keepings the ent, under the circurnftances which Ru ffian hngues within the domini then affefted Europe,, to abftain j 1 ons of thf Emperor. ' : from a recurrence to hoftilities on jj Under thefe circurnftances the or account of the views of ambition j cv 0f St. John cannot now be con. and afts of aggreftion manifeftedby ! ; c- A.reA as that bod v to which, accor- ggreuion manueltea oy France on the continent; yet an ex perienceof the charafter and difpp.. fition of the. French Government could not fail to imprefs his Majefty with a fenfe ol" the necefiity of in., creafed vigilance in guarding the rightsand dignity of his crown, and protefting the interefts of his peo- W hile his Majeity was actuated by thefe fentiments, he was called i upon by the French Lrovernment j to evacuate the illand of Malta. His Majefty had rnanifefted, from the rhoment of the Tignature of the de finitive treaty,an anxious difpofition to carry 'nto lull enett the itipula-. tions of the treaty of Amiens rcia.' tive to the iftand.' As foon as he was informed that an election of a Grand Mafter had taken place, un der the aufpices of the Emperor of Ruftia.and that it had been agreed. by the, different Priories affembled at St. Peter fburg to acknowledge the. perfon whom the co-Jrt of Rome fhould feleft out of thofe, who had been named by ' them to be Grand Mafter of the Order of St. John, his Majefty propoled to the French government, for the purpofe of a- voidihg'any difficulties which might arife in the execution of the arrange ment,' to acknowledge that eleftion to be valid.; and, when in the month of Auguft the French Government applied to his Majefty to permit the Neapolitan troops to be fent to the iftand of Malta, as - a preliminary meafure for preventing any unrje ceffary delay, his Majefty. con. (ented without hefitation to this propofalj and gave directions for the admifiioh of - ihe. Neapolitan troops iritp the ifladd. :llis. Ma jefty had ihus he wrtisifpoiitidn I wayXf the execution of the treaty I but n the contrary, U facilitate the execution of it by every means tn his twer: His Majefty cannot howeve-admit that "at any pcod, fince theconclufion of the treaty of Amiens t-Frenchgo vernment have had a rigit to .call upon him, in con form itto the ftipulations of that treaty, to withdraw his forces from the ifiad of Malta. - -- At the timeWhen this demand was made by the ench Government, icverai 01 uicsiiBit importani inpu lations of the; arrangements refpec; ting Malta remaned: unexecuted : the eleftion of Grlpd Mafter had hot been carried fnto -ffeft; : The 10th article had ftipulated thaE.the inde pendence of the ift u'd fhould be pBa- ced under the guarahteeand protec - ; tion of G. Britain, France, Auftria, Ruftia, Spain- and I'ruflia. The Emperor of Germany hadaccedsd to J he guarantee, bit only on con dition of a like accefiion -Sn the part of the other powers fp ecAed in th article;- The Emperor af Ruflia "had refufed his acceffion, except on the condition that the Mltei-langue fliould be abrogated and 4hvKmg of PrulTia had given no anfwrer what ever to the application which had been 'jtade to him to accede in the arrangement. - But the fundnntn tal principle upon " the exiftence or of which depended the execution of the vther parts of the article, had been defeated by the'ehanges :which had taken pfece in the? constitution of tjic order $ nee the conclufibn of the treaty of: peace.i It was t the order! of St. John of Jerufekm that his Majefty was, by the firft ftipula tion of the loth article', bound o reftore the iftand of Malta. The" order is defined to: confift of thofe langues which were in exftence at the time of the conclufion of the treay. The three French langues having been I abolifhed,; and Maltefe langue added to the institution, the order confifted therefore, at that time. of the following langues. viz. the la"ngueof Arragon, Caltile, German3, ! Bavaria, and Ruffia. Since the conclufion of the defin'tive treaty, ; the langues of Arragon and Caftile i have been fepartrd from the order j by Spain, a part of the Italian langue I has beep abplifhed by th annexati on of piedmont and Parma to r rarer. There is a (Irons' reafon to believe fidered as that body, to which, accor j ding to the flipulations of the treaty, j the lftind was to be reftnied ; and .the funds! indifpeqfibiy neceuary for its lupport, and for the mainte nance of the independence of the i iftand, have been nearly, if not ! wholly fequeftered. Even if this had arilen from circurnftances which it was not in the power of any of the contracting parties to the treaty to Contro, his Majeftv would nc- verthelefsi have had a riht to defer the evacuation of the iftand by his forces, until lucn time as an equu valent arrangement had been con cluded for the Drefenvation of the independence of the order and the if! rind. But if thefe changes have taken place in confequence of any j afte of the othef parties to the trea ty ; if the French Government, fhall appear to have proceeded ufj. on 1 fyftem of rendering the. order whofe independence they have fti pulated, incapable of maintaining that indeoeridtnce, his Majefly's right to continue in the qcc upation of the iftand, under fuch circurn ftances will hardly be contefted. It is indifputable that Ihe revenues of the two Spanifi Langues have been withdrawn from the order by his Catholic Majefty ; a' part of the Ita lian Langue has in fa6t been afeolifh ed by France, through the unjuft annexation of Piedmont and Parma, P'acentii, to the French territory; the elector of Bavaria hasljeen in ftigated by the French Government to fequeftrate the property of the order within hs territories ; ! and it ii certain, they have not 'on Jy; fan ft i: pned bat encouraged the idea of ifi propriety opara ting t'he.RiiHa.n' Lanffues: 1 rom he reaindir of the As the conduft of the Govern ments of France and Spain have t herefore, in fome in fiances direeXty in others indireftly, contributed 16 the changes which have taken plac in the order; and" thus ckfttpyed its means of fupporting its indepen dence, it is to thofe governments,! ind rwi to his Majefty, that the non- execution of the tenth article of the treaty of Amiens muft be'afcribed. ' Such would be the juft: conclu fion if the 10th article of that treaty were confidered as an arrangemept fey itfelf. It muft be obferyedj however," 'that this article forms a part only of the treaty of peace the whole of which isconneftedtogether, and the ftipulations of'which tnuft; upon a -principle Common fa all v treaties, be conftriied as having a reference to" each othet.1 ,; . His Majefty was induced by the treaty of peace to confeht to aban don, and reiftore to the order of St Johnf the nahd of Malta, on condi tion of its independence! and ,nua trality. But a further- condition, . vvhich muft neceffarily be fuppbled to havehad Confiderable weightwith his Majefty in inducing him to make fo -important a conCeftiohy was the acquiefcence of the FrenchGoVem- menf in an arrangement for the fe curitypf the Levant, bythe eighth and ninth articles in the treaty fli pulating the, integrity of the Turk ifh Empire, and the independence of the Ionian iflawds. His Majefty has, however, fince learnt that the; 1 French Government ; have enter tained views hoftile to both thefe ob-i jefts ; and they have even fuggefted the idea of a partition of the Turk ifh empire; Thefe yiews muft now be tnanifeft to all tie world, from the official publication of the report of Colonel Sebaftiani ; from the conduft of- rhat officer, ajid of the other French agents in Egypt,- Sy ria, and the Ionian Iflandsy and from the diftinft admifliori of- the Firft Conful himfelf, in his cornw munrcatioh with Lord Whit worth. His Majefty was therefore, warran ted in confidering it to be- the' de termination. of the French Govern ment. to violate thofe articTe'of the 3eay ofpeiee which fti pulled for which ft'pulated for the -integrity and independence of the Turkifii Empire; aod of the Ionian i flan da, and confecucntly he would not have heen. juftified in evacuating the ifundof- Malta without receiving other fecunty, which might eafily provide for thefe important oojeftsi. His Majefty accordingly feels that he has an incOnteftible claim, in confequence of the conduct: of France fince the treaty of peace' and Avith reference to the objefts which made-part of the ftipuhuons of the treaty, to re! ufe under the prefent; circurnftances to relinquifft the pofleftion of the iftand of Malta.. Yet, 'not withftandmg this rignt f clear and io unqueftionable, the Alternative prefentcd by the French Government to his Mjfty, in lan guage the moft peremptory and me nacing. was the .evacuation of Malta, or renewal of ldr. If the views of ambition; and agx grandizement which. have thus been, manifefted by the French Govern ment, fince the conclufion of th5 treaty of Peace, have in foverypar ticular a manner attrafted theattcrr ( ion of h:s Majefty, it has been, equally impoflible not to feel, and not to notice, the repeatedindigni ties which have been offered bv that Government , to his crown, and to h s people. The Report of Col, Sebaftiani contains the moft .'unwarrantable: i n fi n i iayons an d charges again ft his Majefty s Government, againft the olhcer who commanded his forces-' in Egypt, and againft the Britih army in that quarter. This paper . cannot be confidered cs the pubitca. tion of a private individual; it has been avowed, and indeed bears'ev'i dence on the face of it, that it is the official report of ari accredited 2gcn publifhed by the authority of the Governmfnt to which it Was ad- ; dreffed, who thereby have given it ' their ex prefs lanftion. j j This report. had been publifhed a very inort time -wnen , another in, dignity was offered to1 his Count rflr ij hr , he communication f the Fir i Conful' of France to the Legi flat y I Body. Iri this comfnunifcation .. v ;') 4 prefume to afSrinari te tkfasm. :y I if 1 I f!1 l,i (I I n
The Weekly Raleigh Register (Raleigh, N.C.)
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July 18, 1803, edition 1
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