vues du Roi mon maître, en terminant la délimitation des États respectifs, et du choix qu'elle avait fait à cette fin de M. de Bernieth, je n'ai pu voir, d'un autre côté, qu'avec la plus sensible douleur, que Votre Excellence par l'observation qui termine cette même lettre détruit les espérances qu'elle a fait naître, en établissant en fait que la frontière décrite par le traité de Vienne du côté d'Aix la Chapelle est dénaturelle et inadmissible pour la Prusse, et conclut de-là que c'est aux Commissaires des Pays Bas à faire l'avance de procédés conciliatoires.

Votre Excellence voudra bien me permettre de mon côté d'observer:

Que le traité de Vienne du 31 Mai, 1815 a été négocié et signé par le premier Ministre de Prusse, et ratifié par sa Majesté Prussienne;

Qu'un instrument politique aussi solennel, aussi récent, ne saurait être déclaré inadmissible pour la Prusse, sans ébranler jusqu'aux fondemens le droit public des nations;

Que ce même traité a été signé par les Cours de Vienne, de Petersbourg, et de Londres;

Que ces Cours étant parties contractantes, sont par-là même garanti de son exécution;

Que ce n'est pas la valeur des stipulations de ce traité qui est soumise au travail des Commissaires délimitateurs, mais, au contraire, l'exécution de ce traité qu'ils doivent remplir;

Que si du côté de sa Majesté Prussienne on trouve que des arrangemens de limites pourraient être avantageux aux parties interessées, c'est à elle à manifester ses désirs et ses

vues.

Ceux du Roi mon maître tendent uniquement à observer ce qui a été solennellement signé à Vienne, et c'est pure condescendance, bonne amitié, et relation de famille, qui peuvent engager sa Majesté à recevoir les ouvertures qui pourront lui être faites.

Je croirois manquer d'égards pour le Gouvernement de sa

Majesté Prussienne, si je n'étois pas persuadé que la loyauté lui fera reconnaître la justice d'exécuter ce à quoi il s'est engagé, il y a naguères sept mois, et je ne saurais m'empêcher de nourrir l'espérance que la présente discussion se terminera de gré à gré, sans aucune intervention des autres parties contractantes.

Votre Excellence me permettra encore une réflexion. La remise des enclaves de Huissen, Malleure, Le Lismers avec la ville de Sevenaer et la seigneurie de Wehl, n'ont absolument rien de commun avec l'ouvrage de la délimitation: et la fixation des limites dans les districts de Ryfwaerd, Lobith, et de tout le territoire jusqu'à Kekerdom, et celui qui concerne les ouvrages hydrotechniques lui est également étranger. Voici, cependant, près de sept mois encore qu'elle a été procrastinée; et je manquerais essentiellement à mon devoir, si je ne réclamais de l'équité de Votre Excellence l'exécution des promesses solennelles que son Altesse le Prince de Hardenberg m'a fait parvenir, que ces enclaves seraient remises au Roi mon maître immédiatement.

J'ai l'honneur, &c.,

Pour copie conforme,

R. W. C. de NAGELL.

Le Secrétaire du Ministère des Affaires Etrangères,

A. le CLERQ.

Mr. B. Frere to Lord Castlereagh.

Constantinople, January 10, 1816.

My Lord-I am inclined to attribute much of the illhumour manifested by the Ottoman Ministers at the Treaty of the 5th of November to their apprehensions respecting the designs of the Allied Courts, in regard to the four continental districts mentioned in my public despatch of this date.

1 Mr. Frere, formerly Ambassador to the Spanish Government, both before and after the emancipation of Spain from the French yoke, was at this time his Majesty's representative at Constantinople.

VOL. XI.

K

For it is not possible to suppose that they could have expected that the Islands themselves should be replaced under their protection, or that they would have preferred seeing them under that of Austria or Russia rather than of Great Britain.

As the present convention refers for the description of the Seven Islands and their dependencies to the Treaty of 1800, and the four districts above mentioned were by that treaty ceded to the Porte, I understand them not to be comprised in the United States now established. One of them, however, (Parga) was conquered from the enemy, and is still occupied by British arms, and the Turkish Government will be naturally very anxious for its restoration, which, I believe, if I were authorized to hold it out, would do away much of the difficulty which I seem likely to meet with in obtaining their

accession.

Your lordship's silence, however, upon this point, will make me cautious not to give any opinion upon the subject; but, if asked for an explanation, I shall confine myself to a reference to the treaty, as containing all that I am authorized to say upon it; and endeavour rather (as far as it can be done without compromising his Majesty's Government) to let them feel the claim which might be brought forward; in case it should be intended to make use of this point for some future negociation.

In the treaty with Russia, by which these districts were annexed to the Ottoman territory, stipulations were made to protect the inhabitants and their property from the oppression and rapacity of their new masters; and I believe many of the islanders have possessions there, and are therefore interested in the renewal of these stipulations, if it be designed to confirm the former cession. Whilst, therefore, on the one hand, these places seem not to be comprehended in the late convention, it appears, on the other, improbable that they should be meant to revert to their former owners, without something more

specific than the mere silence of the treaty with respect to their destination.

These are the considerations which have determined the conduct which I mean to pursue. It will be a great satisfaction to me to find that they are not erroneous; and I trust that your lordship will excuse the liberty I take in mentioning the difficulty which has thus presented itself to my mind, and which, perhaps, I have magnified by endeavouring (through my anxiety to promote them) to see further into the intentions of his Majesty's Government than it was necessary for the present that I should do.

I have the honour to be, &c.,

B. FRERE.

The Hon. F. Lamb to Lord Castlereagh.

Munich, January 13, 1816.

My dear Lord-I have the honour to enclose to your lordship a copy of a private letter to Lord Stewart, in writing which, I hope your lordship will be persuaded that I was animated only by the most sincere desire to neglect no means of bringing this very unpleasant negociation to an amicable conclusion. The detail contained in it relative to the Count Capo d'Istria was received in confidence from Count Pahlen, with whom he passed some hours on his passage through this town for St. Petersburgh. The Austrian Chargé d'Affaires here assures me that he and M. de Wacquant have urged the policy of concession to their Court, but he does not give me much reason to expect that their representations will produce any effect.

I also enclose a copy of a letter to Lord Clancarty, with which I should not have thought of troubling your lordship, if he had not informed me that he had sent home his letter to me of the 4th January, to which mine is an answer. I have less apology to make to your lordship for troubling you with it, as it contains some points which I should otherwise have been forced to lay before your lordship in another form.

If your lordship should not be satisfied with the note to Count Montgelas, let me request you to recollect the difficulties which always attend the combining a joint representation. The instructions of the Prussian Ministry are considerably stronger than mine or those of Count Pahlen. He is not confined to amicable representations; and it was only by obtaining the omission of several sentences which he wished to insert, that we could succeed in avoiding all language which might bear a hostile interpretation. This was my principal object, as it will always be in your lordship's power to strengthen the interference, if you should deem it expedient, and as I am convinced that a change in the policy of this Government can only be arrived at by the determination of the three Courts to support the line they have adopted, and not by the strength of the language employed by their Ministers.

The Russian and Prussian Ministers have agreed with me to demand a conference of M. de Montgelas, in order to take advantage of the concluding sentence of his Note, by desiring him to state what are the expedients which Bavaria will admit of, in order to reconcile the existing differences. As Austria has already made repeated propositions, it appears equally regular and reasonable that Bavaria, if she is really animated with a desire to conciliate, should, in her turn, propose a basis of negociation. I have no expectation that it will either be such a one as Austria will accept, or as, under our instructions, we can propose to her: but we may thereby succeed in throwing the difficulty upon Bavaria; and, if her propositions are unreasonable, the case of Austria will be strengthened, and a better ground of argument prepared than, I think, we at present possess.

I believe that the real object of Bavaria, if she cannot obtain a diminution of the cessions claimed by Austria, is the acquirement of the northern part of the grand-duchy of Baden, by which Würzburg and Aschaffenburg would be connected with the transrhenane provinces. The territory thus obtained