fested aggressions," why can they not be traced in the official notes or dispatches of its Ministers?It is then, clear, that the irritation of the English government takes its date from the very moment it was called on to execute the treaty of Amiens, in a point that counteracted its projects of ambition. It is clear, that it has now no other charge against France; it is clear, that all those which precede it, were mere amplifications of office, a vain display of blustering declamations and diplomatic bathology,deemed necessary to draw the attention of the public from the real object of the rupture.

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"Peace to consent to abandon and to restore
"to the Order of St. John the island of Malta,
་ on condition of its independence and neu-
"trality. But a further condition which must
"necessarily be supposed to have had consi-
"derable influence with his Majesty in in-
"ducing him to make so important a conces
"sion, was the acquiescence of the French
"government in an arrangement for the secu
"rity of the Levant, by the 8th and 9th Arti-
"cles in the treaty, stipulating the interests of
"the Turkish Empire, and the independence
"of the Ionian islands."

It will here be necessary to recall to our recollection the 10th Article of the treaty of Amiens, which we shall transcribe entire:

"The islands of Malta, Gozo, and Comino, shall "be restored to the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, "to be held on the same conditions on which it pos"sessed them before the war, and under the follow"ing stipulations:-1. The Knights of the Order, "whose Langues shall continue to subsist, after the "exchange of the ratification of the present treaty, are "invited to return to Malta, as soon as the exchange

(15.) "Under these circumstances, the Order "of St. Jelin, cannot now be considered as "that body to which, according to the stipula“tions of the treaty, the island was to be res"tored; and the funds indispensably necessary for its support, and for the maintenance of "the independence of that island, have been "nearly, if not wholly, sequestered. Even if" shall have taken place. They shall there form a "this had arisen from circumstances which it "general Chapter, and proceed to the election of "was not in the power of any of the contract'66 a Grand Master, chosen from among the natives ing parties to the treaty to control, his Ma- "of those nations which are to preserve their "jesty would nevertheless, have had a right "Langues, unless that election has been already "to defer the evacuation of the island by his "made since the exchange of the preliminaries.-forces, until such time as an equivalent ar- "It is understood that an election made subsequent "rangement had been concluded for the pre- "to that epoch, shall alone be considered valid, "servation of the independence of the Order "to the exclusion of any other that may have taken "and of the island. But if these changes have "place at any period prior to that epoch.-2. The "taken place in consequence of any acts of "governments of the French Republic, and of "the other partics of the treaty; if the French "Great-Britain, desiring to place the Order and government shall appear to have proceeded" island of Malta in a state of entire independence upon a system of rendering the Order whose "with respect to themselves, agree that there shall "independence they had stipulated, incapable" not be in future either a French or an English "of maintaining that independence, his Ma- "Langue; and that no individual belonging to "jesty's right to continue in the occupation "either the one or the other of these powers shall "of the sland, under such circumstances, will "be admitted into the Order.-3. There shall be "hardly be contested. It is indisputable, "established a Maltese Langue, which shall be sup"that the revenues of the two Spanish Langues" ported by the territorial revenues, and commerhave been withdrawn from the Order by his "Catholic Majesty; a part of the Italian "Langue has in fact been abolished by France," "through the unjust annexation of Piedmont "and Parma, and Placentia, to the French ter"ritory. The Elector of Bavaria has been in"stigated by the French governinent to se"questrate the property of the Order within "his territories; and it is certain, that they "have not only sanctioned, but encouraged "the idea of the propriety of separating the "Russian Langues from the remainder of the "Order. As the conduct of the governments "of France and Spain, have, therefore, in ❝ some instances directly, and in others, indi"rectly, contributed to the changes which "have taken place in the Order, and thus de"stroyed its means of supporting its inde"pendence, it is to those governments, and "not to his Majesty, that the non-execution "of the 10th Article of the treaty of Amiens must be ascribed.-Such would be the just ❝conclusion, if the 10th Art. of that treaty "were considered as an arrangement by itself. "It must be observed however, that this Ar"ticle forms a part only of a treaty of peace, "the whole of which is connected together, "and the stipulations of which must, upon a "principle common to all treaties, be con"strued as having a reference to each other. "His Majesty was induced by the treaty of

"cial duties of the island. This Langue shall have "its peculiar dignities, an establishment and a mansion-house. Proofs of nobility shall not be necessary for the admission of Knights of this Langue; "and they shall be moreover admissible to all of"fices, and shall enjoy all privileges in the same "manner as the Knights of the other Langues. At "least half of the Municipal, Administrative, Civil,

Judicial, and other employments depending on "the Government, shall be filled by inhabitants of "the islands of Malta, Gozo, and Comino. 4. The "forces of his Britannic Majesty shall evacuate the "island and its dependencies, within three months "from the exchange of the ratifications, or sooner "if possible. At that epoch it shall be given up to "the Order in its present state, provided the Grand "Master, or Commissaries, fully authorized accord"ing to the statutes of the Order, shall be in the "island to take possession, and that the force which "is to be provided by his Sicilian Majesty, as is "hereafter stipulated, shall have arrived there.—

5. One half of the garrison, at least, shall be al"ways composed of native Maltese; for the re"mainder, the Order may levy recruits in those "countries only which continue to possess the "Langues. The Maltese troops shall have Maltese "officers. The commandership in chief of the "garrison, as well as the nomination of the offi"cers, shall pertain to the Grand Master, and this right he cannot resign even temporarily, except in favour of a Knight, and in concurrence with

"the advice of the Council of the Order-6. The "independence of the ifles of Malta, of Gezo and "Com no, as well as the present arrangements, "shall be placed under the protection and guarantee of France, Great-Britain, Austria, Spain, "Russia, and Pruss a.--7. The neutrality of the "Order and of the island of Malta, with its de"pendencies, is hereby proclaimed.-8. The ports "of Malta shall be opened to the commerce and "the navigation of all nations, who shall there pay equal and moderate duties: these duties "shall be applied to the maintenance of the Mal. "tese Langue, as specified in paragraph 3, to that "of the civil and military establishments of the "island, as well as to that of a general Lazaret,

open to all colours.-9. The States of Barbary are excepted from the conditions of the pre"ceding paragraphs, until, by means of an arrange"ment to be procured by the contracting parties, "the system of hostilities, which subsists between "the states of Barbary and the Order of St. John, "or the powers possessing the Langues, or con"curring in the composition of the Order shall "have ceased.-10. The Order shall be governed "both with respect to Spirituals and Temporals, "by the same statutes, which were in force, when "the Knights left the isle, as far as the present treaty does not abrogate them.-11. The regu"lations contained in the paragraphs, 3, 5, 7, 8, "and 10, shall be converted into laws and perpe

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"tual statutes of the Order, in the customary mian66 ner; and the Grand Master, or, if he shall not "be in the island at the time of its restoration to "the Order, his representative, as well as his successors, shall be bound to take an oath for their "punctual observance.-12. His Sicilian Majesty "shall be invited to furnish 200 men, natives of his states, to serve as a garrison in the different for"tresses of the said islands. That force shall re"main one year, to bear date from their restitution "to the Knights; and if at the expiration of this "term, the Order should not have raised a force

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sufficient, in the judgment of the Guaranteeing "Powers to garrison the island and its dependen"cies, as is specified in the 5th paragraph, the Neapolitan troops shall continue there until they "shall be replaced by a force deemed suthic.ent by

"the said Powers.-13. The different Powers de

"signated in the 6th paragraph, to wit, France, "Great-Britain, Austria, Spain, Russia, and Prussia, "shall be invited to accede to the present stipu

"lations."

only the concurrence of the contracting per ers in order to its execution.-There i, however, one exception in the fourth p ragraph, and that exception is clearly ex pressed: the island shall not be evacuated by the English troops, but on the arrival of the Grand Master or Commissaries fu authorized according to the statutes of the Order, and of the Neapolitan troops. Here we find the positive clause of the encuation of Malta united to two conditional clauses. But the exception establishes te rule, and is the clearest evidence, that the evacuation of Malta by the English carnet be connected with a third hypothesis. The two conditions just cited entered necessary into the sense and object of the negotiation, and, for this reason, were inserted in the fourth paragraph. The preamble of the a ticle declares, in an absolute manner, that the order shall be master of Malta; the se cond paragraph declares, in an absolute ma ner, that the order and island of Malta shall be in a state of entire independence of Trance and of England. It is therefore necesty, in a manner equally absolute, that these conditions, the presence of a commistry of the order, and of the Neapolitan trocidotined for the provisional protection island, and the order of Malta, should realized, in order to the execution of a preamble and the fourth paragraph. Ba neither in the nature of things, nor by t contexture of the 10th article, can the ca cuation and independence of Malta be c nected with any other conditional paragrap of this article. The two governments agreed that Malta should be restored to the order. One renounced the rights acquired by t treaty made with the order; the other, t rights attained by conquest; and, in order that these sacrifices might not experience the least obstacle, and the smallest possible de lay, they made the act of restitution to pend wholly or one power, and took care to interest that power in the restoration e the order, by stipulating, in the preamble, for the preservation of its individual rights. In the same spirit of foresight have they pre vided, in the 4th and 10th paragraphs, against the alternative, that the grand master shoud not be elected, or that he could not repr to the island, to receive it from the British

The letter and spirit of every part of this article agrees on one point, which, both with regard to the order of Malta, and the respective interests of France and England, is the most important of all-that within three months from the exchange of the ratifications, the island of Malta shall be evacuated by the British forces, and that the order shall remain sovereign, and independent of any of the contracting powers.-This article consists of thirteen paragraphs; and this division, ex-officers. Such were the positive and absolute pressly and numerically marked, indicates that they are distinct, and totally independent of each other. Some of these paragraphs are conditional; others absolute. Of the former description are, necessarily, those which speak of the concurrence of the powers not contractants to the treaty. Of the latter, are, necessarily, those which require

views of the two governments, relative to the order of Malta. But this order being feeble, dispersed, and without a chief, it be came their duty, at the same time, to turn their attention to the changes which circumstances had rendered necessary, both in its constitution and its future interests. For this purpose they decreed the accessory clauses

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relative to reforms deemed beneficial, and to "diately re-installed, and its chief residence political guarantees the most capable of pro- "restored to it. In short, the order of curing to the order security, prosperity, and "Malta is menaced in its possessions by soconsideration. These clauses are to be found" vereigns, to whom the invasion of the in the paragraphs 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 11, and 13 "island of Malta has become either an obof the Xth article. But none of these clauses"ject of encouragement and imitation, or a essentially interest the existence of the order." motive for now endeavouring to plunder Langues may be established or suppressed; "the order of a rich portion of her terri the order may be more or less rich; its exist-"tories. Is this danger, then, a reason for ence may be guaranteed by a greater or less "taking advantage of those acts of violence number of powers: these hypotheses effect," which this unfortunate order is in dread of in no degree whatever, the essence of the" experiencing? And, because it is poor, re-establishment of the order in its chief place" and runs the risk of becoming more so, of residence, and, still less, can they alter" is it generous to seek to add to the meathe force of the engagements which the two sure of its miseries, by plundering it of its powers have contracted on their own part, "subjects, its fortresses, its ports, and its and on the part of each other. This theory" title of sovereignty." Such would have of right is so plain, that nothing but the been the language of the minister of the most notorious bad faith could render an ex- King of England, had it been intended in position of it necessary. Nothing, too, but the privy council to establish, on grounds of the most bare-faced ambition can dispute the justice and good sense, the determination his truth of its conclusions. Let us suppose, Britannic Majesty had entered into. for a moment, that on this point the conduct of England had been sincere and disinterested; what would have been her language? "The powers who are to guarantee the "10th article of the treaty of Amiens have "delayed giving this guarantee; it will ar"rive quite as soon after as before the eva"cuation. Is this guarantee, in some re"spects, incomplete? We will negotiate to "obtain one without modification; or else "the contracting powers will yield to the " modifications demanded. In short, the guarantee, such as is wished for, can it not "be obtained? Well! the order shall exist under the guarantee of the contracting 66 powers, and those who have not acceded "to the demands stipulated in the 6th and

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(16.)" His Majesty has, however, since "learnt, that the French government have en"tertained views hostile to both these objects; "and that they have even suggested the idea of

a partition of the Turkish empire. These "views must now be manifest to all the world, "from the official publication of the report of "Colonel Sebastiani, from the conduct of that "officer, and of the other French agents in "Egypt, Syria, and the Ionian islands, and "from the distinct admission of the First Con"sul himself, in his communication with Lord "Whitworth. His Majesty was, therefore,

warranted in considering it to be the deter"mination of the French government to v.o"late those articles of the treaty of peace, "which stipulated for the integrity and inde"pendence of the Turkish empire, and of the. "Ionian islands, and consequently he would "not have been justified in evacuating the "island of Malta, without receiving some "other security, which might equally provide "for these important objects. His Majesty "accordingly feels that he has an incontesuble

13th paragraphs of the 10th article, are "too generous and too just ever to attach "the security of an order, in the re-esta"blishment of which, their wishes and their claim, in consequence of the conduct of "kind offices have as much contributed as "France since the treaty of peace, and with "reference to the objects which made part of "the consent and the inclinations of the "the stipulations of that treaty, to refuse, "contracting powers." With respect to the "under the present circumstances, to relinclauses relative to reforms, her language "quish the possession of the island of Malta." would have been this: "the order in electThe war of the English government has "ing the grand master since the treaty of two alledged pretexts. The former we have "Amiens, the Emperor of Russia in autho- already analyzed; the latter is an affected in"rizing this nomination, the sovereign pon- quietude as to the fate of the Ottoman em"tiff in concluding this election, have im- pire. We shall next examine the declared "plicitly adopted the reforming paragraphs. motives of this inquietude. In the first "Will a more direct discussion of these place, the English government "learnt that "clauses give birth to difficulties in their the French entertained views hostile to the inte"execution? These difficulties shall be ex-grity of the Ottoman empire;" and these views, "amined, explained, and either adopted or say they, "must now be known to all the "rejected. It little imports the tranquillity world." By what means has the English go"of the world, whether the changes in the vernment learnt that France entertained such "statutes of the order be few or many; but views? And on what evidence does it assert, "it highly imports the honour of England, that these views were known to all the that this order should exist, be imme-world? The declaration is silent on this

charge, and, doubtless, no human sagacity" risk of a war, in which he might, perhaps, can supply the place of such an omission!" be considered as the aggressor, and by which To learn a little sooner, what all the" he should lose more than he could gain, since, world knows" a little later, may be a great 66 sooner or later, Egypt would belong to effort of foresight. But what is here want- “France, either by the falling to pieces of the ing to complete the reader's instruction, is" Turkish empire, or by some arrangement the proof that these designs were known be- with the Porte." Is it possible to play thus fore the time of their public revelation; that audaciously with the good sense of the people these designs are generally known even now; of the 19th century! And is it the nation and, what is of still more importance, that that produced a Locke, a Nepier, and a these designs had ever any real existence. Newton, whose determination to spill her Where are the proofs of this assertion? Not blood, to squander her treasure, to torture in the declaration; for that refers us, with an her industry, and to draw down upon her assurance which we cannot sufficiently ad shores a scourge which, in the course of mire, to the report of Colonel Sebastiani, events, may degenerate into a war of extir and the "distinct admission" of the First mination, is now attempted to be justified! Consul himself, in his communication with From our respect to the First Consul, we Lord Whitworth. Thus instructed, the abstain from catering into the particulars of reader hastens to the official collection, a conversation, the truth and even probabi where he first of all turns to the communica- lity of which is absolutely indifferent to the tions of the First Consul with the British discussion. Whether this letter be written Ambassador, and afterwards to the report of by Lord Whitworth or by ministers, or partly Colonel Sebastiani," which discovers to the by one and partly by the other, the use made whole world the views of the French govern- of it by the framers of the declaration anment." During the course of Lord Whit-swers, by no means, the object they had in worth's mission, did there ever exist a nego- view. It is a mass of inconsistency, abtiation between this ambassador and the surdity, and a total forgetfulness of the reFrench ministry? Would the First Consul spect which governments owe to themselves, have deigned to assist at an official confe- as well as to public opinion. Readers, dis rence? Would there have been a minute of appointed with the perusal of the ministerial these conferences? And would the First dispatch, have no other means of arriving at Consul have authorized the insertion in this the discovery of the pretended designs of minute of what he had been pleased to say? France against the Ottoman empire, than the Had this been the case, there would, we report of Colonel Sebastiani. And here the conceive, have been a regular, authentic English cabinet leaves its readers to them communication. But no; nothing of this selves. Not a sentence is underlined, and sort appears in the official collection. But through the long and varied details of a jour what do we find in it that applies to the as-ney to Tripoly, Alexandria, Cairo, Dami sertion of the English minister? A conver- etta, and Jaffa, must they search for the sation of two hours, comprised in a dispatch traces of those fatal designs, which no offof three pages; an acknowledgment, often cial indication has attributed to them. Vain repeated, of the difficulty of the writer to researches! We find, in the report, that retain and arrange his recollections, a con- Colonel Sebastiani was received every where fession of not being able to confide in his with marks of esteem, of confidence, and memory, and a sentence carefully under- of attachment; that every thing, but the lined, for the purpose of pointing out the conduct of an English officer, and the stay grand mystery and distinct admission of the of the English army in Egypt, completely views of the First Consul against the Otto- answered his expectations; that the name of man empire. This sentence runs thus: the First Consul was blest and revered in the "He now went back to Egypt, and told East; that the French nation was beloved; me, that if he had felt the smallest incli- that the delay of the English was a subject "nation to take it by force, he might have of alarm and discontent: not a sentence, not "done it a month ago, by sending 25,000 a single expression is there in the whole remen to Aboukir, who would have posport, that can, by the most forced inter ❝sessed themselves of the whole country,pretation, be construed into a design of "in defiance of the 4000 British in Alex-France against the Ottoman empire. Of "andria. That instead of that garrison this we may be well assured. For if the "being a means of protecting Egypt, it was most distant allusion to these pretended de"only furnishing him with a pretence for signs could have been traced, the aid of "invading it. This he should not do, what-italic characters would, doubtless, have been ever might be his desire to have it as a co-called in, to designate the points of the re "Tomy, because he did not think it worth the port, on which the attention of the reader

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