and confequence, was not in the cafe of requiring reftitutions for it felf; but France having made large acquifitions on the allies of Great Britain, the objects of the negociation feemed, of courfe, to be the compenfations that France might expect, for the restitutions it would make. To this propofal of the English ambafiador, it was replied by the directory, that the acceffion of other powers to a bufinefs, which he was authorised to transact separately between Great Britain and France, would effentially retard the progress of the negociation, as he had no commiffion from thofe allies to act in their behalf. But that to prove their readiness to embrace every means of reconciliation, they would confent, on his procuring credentials to that purpose, from thofe allies, to take into confideration any specific proposals he should lay before them. This answer was accompanied with explicit infinuations, that the intention of the British ministry was, by the semblance of a general negociation, to prevent other powers from making their particular propofals, and, at the fame time, to induce the English nation to fupply the government with the means of continuing the war, from a perfuafion that the French had refused to make a peace. The British minifter's reply was, that he had not been commiffioned to enter upon a feparate treaty; that Great Britain proposed to make a common cause in this tranfaction with its allies, and that to wait for powers from thefe, before any difcuffions on the fubjects to be propofed thould take place, was perfectly unneceffary. 10 The directory rejoined, by taking notice, that the refpective fituation of France, and of its remaining enemies, ought to be duly confidered in the demands of the latter for reftitutions. The ftrength of these had been diminished by their loffes, and the defertion of their affociates, who had not only abandoned the coalition, but were now become the allies of France, or observed a strict neutrality. Thefe, it was infinuated, were circumftances very unfavourable to the reftitutions hinted at by the British negociator. After a variety of farther affertions and replications on both fides, the directory at length agreed to the principle laid down by lord Malmbury, and required a fpecific mention of the compenfations he had alluded to. He replied, by propofing the reftitution of what had been taken from the emperor, and peace to be negcciated with him for the empire, as its conftitutional head: the acceffion of Ruffia to the prefent treaty; and Portugal to be included in it, without any demands of indemnity by France. In return for the conceffions, Great Britain confented to restore its conquests in both the Indies; provided however it received an equivalent for that portion of the island of Hifpaniola, ceded by Spain to France. The reftoration of the prince of Orange, to the Stadtholdership of the Seven United Provinces, was alfo required, in confideration of which Great Britain would refore most of its acquifitions from them. To these outlines of the pacification proposed, the directory anfwered, by requiring the whole of his demands to be ftated to them in twenty-four hers. To this peremp tory tory requifition he replied, that it precluded at once all farther negociation: that, if they difapproved of his propofitions, or refufed to take them into confideration, they ought. to bring forward their own, that he might lay them before his conftituents. But he received no other answer, than that they could liften to no terms inconfiftent with the conftitution, and the engagements formed by the republic. It was fignified to him, at the fame time, that being obliged to confult the British miniftry, previonfly to all replies and communications, it evidently appeared that his powers were inadequate to the conducting of a treaty, which might, if the British miniftry were inclined to pacific measures, and determined to treat on their prefent plan, be as well forwarded by an epiftolary correfpondence. Lord Malmbury's, they farcaftically obferved, was a negociation of couriers and meffages. This republican rudeness ftrongly marked the fubversion of the French monarchy. His refidence therefore in Paris being totally unneceffary, they ordered him to depart in forty-eight bours. This injunction was notified to him on the twentieth of December. ftances greatly favoured the French, exclufively of their fuccefles in Italy. The German princes and states, . alarmed at the reaffumption of its former loftinefs of style by the court of Vienna, on the expulfion of the French from the empire, were confirmed in their adherence to Pruffia, as a counterbalance to the power of Auftria. Both the court of Berlin and Peterburgh had united, on this occafion, in efpoufing their caufe. Thus, though the emperor continued fiedfaft in his engagements with England, ftill the union formed againft him in the empire, diminifhed confiderably his importance. Spain too, at this period, was in league with France, and preparing a formidable armament against England. The councils of the Batavian republic, the new ftyle of the Seven United Provinces, were fo firmiv interwoven with thofe of the French republic, that a re-establiment of their former government was become inadmisible in any treaty. Notwithstanding thefe manifold advantages, numbers in France did not contentedly fee the dimiffion of lord Malmbury,-thinking that poffibly a fairer opportunity of.concluding a beneficial peace, would not recur The events of war had Thus ended a negociation, of which no hopes had been entertain-hitherto been fo much more profed, from the manner in which it perous than could be expected, that commenced, and was carried on. they ought to have been improved, Politicians thought that too much while their influence was in full was demanded of the French, and ftrength from their being recent, that they were difpofed to grant too and the fortune of the fate foul! little. The truth was, that neither not have been committed to the the Britib, nor the French, govern- future contingencies of war, the ment, were fincerely difpofed to chances of which were fo uncertain peace, though a fhew of pacific and precarious. inclinations was neceflary to both, in order to preferve any tolerable degree of popularity, and even to the endurance of their fway among their respective nations. Circum ( In order to fcreen themselves from thefe ftrictures, which moft people deemed not ill-founded, the directory published an elaborate apology for their conduct, wherein. they they endeavoured to criminate that of the Britif miniftry in the late negociation. They enumerated the conquefts and victories of the French, the glory they had obtained, the connections they had formed, and the treaties they had concluded. They reprefented that miniftry, as infifting upon the diffolution of every honourable and beneficial tie they had contracted. Every advantage was to be given up, and the enemies of the republic replaced on the fame footing as before the war, and completely enabled to renew it with the likelieft profpect of fuccefs. France, in a word, was to renounce its honour and its reputation, as well as its dearest interests, and tamely forego all thofe claims to which the triumphs obtained by its arms had given it fo reasonable and inconteftible a right. The apology concluded with menaces' to England, and exhortations to the people of France, to perfevere unremittingly in the profecution of the war, which could not fail to terminate gloriously for the republic, and to the merited humiliation of a foe, that prefumed to dictate conditions to a state that had impofed its own terms on every other member of the coalition. This addrefs, by the directory, fo well calculated to operate on the national vanity of Frenchmen, and a vulgar paflion for falfe glory, proved fatisfactory to the majority of people: but many remained unconvinced of the propriety of their conduct, and appealed to the multiplicity of untoward events that had befallen the arms, and the enterprizes of the republic, during the courfe of the present year. Thefe had certainly met with fevere checks. Exchifively of their expulfion from Germany, the French had been very unfuccefsful in the Weft Indies, and throughout the whole of their tranfmarine fettlements. The colony of St. Domingo, the most valuable of any to France, and the former fource of its commercial profperity, was in a flate of confufion, that baffied all the efforts continually made to reflore it to any order. The blacks and the mulattoes were now become its rulers, and the ancient proprietors in moft parts of it, entirely ruined. Their eftates were in the hands of their former flaves, who lorded it every where with that barbarity, which is the ufual concomitant of uncivilization. As they were armed, their numbers made them irre fiftible. They chose their own commanders, and' in a fhort time threw off all fubjection to government, and took forcible poffeffion of a large portion of the fouthern diflricts, where they declared themfelves a free and independent people. The French commiffioners were unable to reduce them, and with no fmall difficulty preferved the fovereignty of the republic in the northern parts. In addition to thofe diforders, several of the principal places in the ifland were in poffeffion of the English, who had been called in by the planters, to protect them from the tyranny of the French commiffioners: in confideration of which they had tranfferred their allegiance from France to Great Britain. But neither the French nor the English feemed, at this period, in a fituation long to retain the dominion of that illand. The emancipation of the flaves, by the government in France, had excited a fpirit of difobedience in them, which, gradually matured into mutiny and rebellion, had produced a revolution, by which they were become mafters of the country. The ftrength of the Englifh, on the other hand, never had been fufficiently confiderable to effect any real progrefs in the reduction of this valuable ifland. Continual difeafes, of the moft deadly kind, had fwept away the reinforcemenis fent from England, almost as faft as they arrived. Never, in fact, was the folly of committing European troops to thofe fatal climates fo dreadfully evinced as in the prodigious mortality, that unceasingly attended this fruitlefs and deftructive expedition. The reports brought over to the French government, of the real state of St. Domingo, convinced them, that, while the war lafted, it would be utterly out of their power to reeftablish their authority in that colony. Some perfons indeed fcrupled not to predict, that, in the prefent, circumftances of affairs in those parts of the world, this would never be accomplished. The negroes and mulattoes were become fo intelligent in the European methods of attack and defence, that they were completely adequate, by their numbers, their dexterity in the ufe of arms, and their knowledge of the country, to refift any force that could be brought against them, and to maintain their independence in fpite of all attempts to reduce them. The extent of the island was fuch, that it could only be fubdued by a hrge military force; and experience had fhewn, that it was impracticable to preferve the lives and health of Europeans long enough, after they had been landed, to carry a deligo of this nature into effectual execution. Warned by the fate of their Weft Indian colonies, the rulers of France VOL. XXXVIII. did not think proper to enforce the decree for the emancipation of flaves in their Eaft Indian fettlements. The commiffioners that had been fent to the ifles of France and Bourbon, to execute this decree, had been expelled by the inhabitants. On their return to France, they made heavy complaints of the treatment they had received; but the directory, taught by experience, readily admitted the excufes of the colonifts, who, profeffing a due attachment to the republic, had, however remonftrated against the policy of the decree, and requested leave to qualify its execution, fo as to prevent the mischiefs that would flow from an immediate compliance with it. The danger of exalperating the people of fo diftant a fettlement induced government to abftain from coercive meafures, and to liften favourably to their reprefentations. In the mean time, the hoftilities carried on by the military and naval forces of Great Britain in the Weft Indies, against the French and their allies, had been accompanied with fuccefs. The island of Grenada, chiefly inhabited by French plan ters, who had, in a great meafure, through ill ufage, been driven into rebellion, was, after a long and fanguinary conteft, obliged to yield to the conduct and valour of general Nichols, and the troops under his command. He had contended with a variety of difficulties, and met with obftinate refiftance, during the whole courfe of the year 1795; but, in March, 1796, he obtained a complete victory over the infurgents, who were compelled to lay down their arms, and fubmit to the mercy of the British government. Lucia was reduced in like manner, In May following, the Ifle of St. [0] by by general Abercromby, after defeating and taking prifoners a very confiderable body of French, who did not, however, furrender themfelves without a vigorous defence. In the preceding month, liquibo ard Demerary, two Dutch fettlements of great importance, were taken poffeflion of by a body of troops, commanded by general Whyte. The only advantage gained at fea, by the French, in the courfe of this year, was at Newfoundland, where a vaft amount of property, in warchoufes and other buildings, and in merchandize and fhipping, was deftroyed, in the month of Auguft, by admiral Richery, after he bad efcaped from Cadiz, where he had been compelled to take refuge many months, from the British fquadron, fent in queft of him. He had the good fortune to return fafe to France, after his expedition, without the lofs of a fhip. This fuccefs was amply counterbalanced, by the capture of a Dutch fleet of fhips of war and tranfports, deftined for the retaking of the Cape of Good Hope; which had been reduced, in the preceding year, by a British naval and military force, under the command of admiral Elphinstone and general Clarke, It failed, in March, from the Texel, and was to have been joined by a French fquadron, at the expence of the Dutch. Deftitute of this ex-pected aid, it was attacked by the British fquadron, under admiral Elphinftone, who captured the whole; confifting of three fhips of the line, three frigates, and other yeffels of inferior fize. About two thoufand troops were on board the fquadron. This event took place in the courfe of Auguft. The Dutch fettlements, in the ifland of Ceylon, with Malacca, Cochin, and Chinfura, in the end of 1795, and beginning of 1796, were alfo taken poffeflion of by the British troops without refiftance. The reduction of thefe places, particularly of the Cape and Ceylon, though the poffeffions of our ally, the ftadtholder, whom we had taken under our protection, infpired an unufual degree of joy and exultation, not only in the generality of the British nation, but into adminif tration, and perfons in their confidence, who now began to drop hints, which have been fo often repeated, of coercing the trade of the world, of reftraining it within Britifh channels, and of the com mercial advantages of naval-war, without interruption, and without end. A fecretary of ftate faid, in the houfe of commons, "I would be glad to fee the minifter who fhould dare to give up the Cape of Good Hope on any account." This was fomewhat in the fame fpirit with the refolution of the French government, to incorporate, in all poflible cafes, the Auftrian Ne therlands with the territories of the republic. The poffeffion of the Cape and Ceylon, particularly the harbour of Trincomale, a fure afylum to fhips in all feafons, was accounted, by thofe who thought in this manner, fuch a compaction of the maritime dominion of Great Britain as the arrondiffement of the French empire, by the natural boundaries of feas, rivers, and mountains. As, on the one hand, it was faid, a kingdom may be united by local pofition, but divided internally by mountains, moraffes, and deferts, which enable the inhabitants of particular diftricts to refift government, and |