of those countries on that part of the Ohio which have been heretofore contested.

2. The line propofed to fix the bounds of Louifiana cannot be admitted, because it would comprise in another part, on the fide of the Carolinas, very extenfive countries and numerous nations, who have always been reputed to be under the protection of the King, a right which his Majefty has no intention of renouncing; and then the King, for the advantage of peace, might consent to leave the intermediate countries under the protection of Great Britain, and particularly the Cherokees, the Creeks, the Chicafaws, the Chactaws, and another nation, fituate between the British fettlements and the Miffiffippi.

III. The King refers to the third article of the Uitimatum of England concerning the ceffion of Senegal and its dependencies, as well as the island of Goree, in the most ample manner, as expreffed in the faid article; and his Majefty renews the declaration which has been made by Mr. Stanley, that if the Court of France would suggest any reasonable expedient to provide themselves with negroes, which may not be too detrimental to the interefts of the British fubjects in Africa, he will willingly enter upon a difcuffion of this fubject.

IV. The important privilege granted by the 13th article of the treaty of Utrecht, under certain limitations and restrictions, to the subjects of France, for fishing and dryin their cod-fish on a certain part of the banks of Newfoundland, has not heen refused by Great Britain, but connected with a reciprocal fatisfaction on the part of France, with regard to the indifpenfable object of Dunkirk, which the King has required, and still requires: it is therefore on condition, that the town and port of Dunkirk fhall be put in the condition it ought to have been in by the last treaty of Aix la Chapelle, that his Majefty consents to renew to France the privilege of fifhing and of drying their fifh by virtue of the treaty of Utrecht, upon the aforefaid diftrict of Newfoundland.

As to the demand which his Moft Chriftian Majesty has farther made, that his fubjects may fish in the gulph of St. Lawrence, as alfo to have a port there without forti fications, and fubject to the infpection of England, as proVOL. III. Î

pofed

pofed on the part of the D. de Choifeul in his conferences, with Mr. Stanley on that head, which port fhould merely ferve as a fhelter to the fishing boats of the French nation which fhall land there: the King, to manifeft to his Moft Chriftian Majefty, and to the whole world, the fincerity of his intentions with regard to peace, will confent,

1. To grant the French fubjects the privilege of fishing in the gulph of St. Lawrence, upon this exprefs condition, that is to fay; That the faid French fubjects fhall: abstain from that particular fishery on all the coafts appertaining to Great Britain, whether on the Continent or on the islands fituated in the faid gulph of St. Lawrence, which fishery the proprietors only of the faid coafts have conftantly enjoyed and always exercifed; faving always the privilege granted by the 13th article of the treaty of Utrecht, to the fubjects of France, to fifh and dry their cod-fifh on a part fpecified on the banks of Newfoundland, which privilege is propofed to be renewed to France as aforefaid.

2. The King will confent to cede to his Majesty the isle of St. Pierre, with its port; which ifle, with respect to that part of Newfoundland fituate between the bay of Placentia and the bay of La Fortune, ftands east-fouth-eaft, and its port opens towards the north-eaft, the interior part of which port is called Bourgway; the ifland of St. Pierre, which the King is willing to cede, is divided by a little ftrait from another ifland, known by the name of Maquelon or of Michelon, which lies to the north of the faid ifle of St. Pierre.

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To the ceffion of the faid ifle, as above mentioned, his Majefty annexes four indifpenfable conditions:

1. That France, on no pretence, nor under any denomination whatever, fhall erect any fortifications, either in the faid ifle, or in its port, and that the fhall not keep any troops there, nor maintain any military establishment whatever.

2. That the faid ifle and the faid port fhall only serve as a fhelter for the fishing veffels of the French nation, and that France fhall not fuffer the veffels of any other

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nation whatever to partake of the convenience of this fhelter for the fishing boats.

3. That the poffeffion of the ifle of St. Pierre, as aforefaid, fhall not be conftrued in any cafe to confer, tranfmit, or participate in any manner whatever, the leaft right or power of fishing or of drying cod-fifh in any part of the coast of Newfoundland, beyond the district expreffly ftipulated and fixed for that purpose by the 13th article of the treaty of Utrecht, that is to fay, a Loco Cape Bonavifta nuncupato, ufque ad extremitatem ejufdem Infulæ feptentrionalem, indeque ad Latus occidentale recurrendo ufque ad Lacum Pointriche appellatum.

4. That in virtue of the ceffion of the faid ifland as aforefaid, an English Commiffary fhall be allowed to refide there, and the commander of the British fquadron at Newfoundland fhall be at liberty from time to time to infpect the said ifle and the said port, to fee that the ftipulations above expreffed are punctually obferved.

V. The propofition of an alternative fuggefted by the court of France, in relation to the ifles of Tobago, St. Lucia, Dominica, and St. Vincent, commonly called Neutral Islands, is by no means admiffible. The King, however, from a principle of moderation, continues his inclination to agree to an equal partition of the said four iflands, to be ascertained in the future treaty between the two Crowns.

VI. The King confents to restore to his Most Christian Majefty,

1. The important conqueft of Belleifle, with the artillery, &c. which was therein at the time of taking the faid ifland.

2. His Majefty likewife agrees to restore to the Moft Chriftian King the fertile and wealthy island of Guada loupe, with that of Marigalante, with the artillery, &c. which was therein at the time of taking the faid iflands.

VII. The inland of Minorca fhall be restored to his Britannick Majefty, as likewife Fort St. Philip, in the condition it stood, and with the artillery therein, &c. at the time of taking the said island and fort.

VIII. As to what regards the reftitution and evacuation of the conquests made by France over the King's allies in Germany,

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Germany, and particularly of Wefel and the other territories of the King of Pruffia, his Majefty perfifts in his demand relative to that subject in the 7th article of the Ultimatum of England; it being always understood, that all the places belonging to his Majefty's allies in Germany fhall be reftored, with the artillery, &c. found in them at the time of taking the faid places.

IX. With regard to the fuccour to be afforded to the King of Pruffia on the part of the British crown, as an auxiliary, after the conclufion of the feparate peace between Great Britain and France, his Majefty remains in the fame inflexible refolution, which he declared at the first overture of the prefent negociation, that he will never defift from giving conftant fuccour to the King of Pruffia, as an auxiliary, with efficacy and good faith, in order to attain the falutary end of a general pacification in Germany. With this view, his Majefty, far from propofing to leave France at liberty to fend armies into Silefia, without being limited to the number ftipulated in her actual engagements with the Court of Vienna, (a circumstance not to be found in any part of the Ultimatum of England) has uniformly declared, as the 13th article of the faid Ultimatum profeffes, that Great Britain and France shall be at liberty to fupport their refpective allies as auxiliaries, in their particular conteft for the recovery of Silefia, according to the engagements entered into by each

crown.

The King declares, at the fame time, that his Majesty has neither the intention nor the authority to take upon him to inhibit and forbid any foreign troops from entering into the fervice and pay of the King of Pruffia, however his Majefty might be inclined to confent not to furnifh, but by means of fubfidy, thofe fupplies which Great Britain fhall judge convenient to grant his Pruffian Majefty, in purfuance of her engagements.

X. With regard to the captures made after the commencement of hoftilities, and before the declaration of war, the King continues of opinion, that fuch a demand on the part of France is neither just nor maintainable, according to the most inconteftible principles of the rights of war and of nations.

XI. Con

XI. Concerning the evacuations of Oftend and Nieuport, the King cannot but refer to the most exprefs and irrevocable ftipulation of the most folemn treaties, and expreffed in the 11th article of the Ultimatum of Great Britain, as alfo to his declaration relative to that subject: and his Majefty relies on the fincerity of the declaration on the part of France; that is to fay, that the intention of his Moft Chriftian Majefty never was to keep poffeffion of the aforefaid places after the return of peace."

XII. In regard to the ceffation of hoftilities, the King perfifts, in every refpect, in the fame intentions declared in the 12th article of the British Ultimatum.

XII. As to what concerns the French Eaft-India Company, he can only refer to the 9th article of the Ultimatum of England, with regard to which no disagreement seems to fubfift.

XIV. As to the prifoners of war, the two Courts feem to agree perfectly on that head.

The Court of France cannot but perceive from this anfwer, the fincerity of his Majefty's intentions, as well as the moderation which directs his Majefty towards the means of reconciliation with the Moft Chriftian King.

Signed

H. STANLEY.

The D. de Choifeul had feveral conferences with the English Minister on the subject of this anfwer; but Mr. Stanley, in those conferences, as well as through the whole course of the negociation, did not appear to be authorised by his Court to come to any agreement with refpect to the difficulties which occurred, nor even to elucidate those obfcurities which occurred in the English anfwers, and particularly in the 9th article of the laft anfwer from the Court of London. As this Minifter was confined to the letter of the answer given by his Court, this circumstance abfolutely put a stop to all eclairciffement on these points, and took away every expedient for removing the obftacles of the negociation. It was judged proper in France, in order to obviate thefe difficulties, to fend a new memorial to England, as a final answer to the