the ports of France and Holland, and recommending the adoption of such measures as might be consistent with the honour of his crown and the security of his dominions. A subsequent interview between Lord Whitworth and Buonaparte, instead of healing, appears to have widened the breach; and His Lordship's prompt and dignified repression of the usurper's intemperate address before a full court, and all the foreign ministers, is celebrated throughout Europe. particulars will be found in the following dispatch:

:

The

Paris, March 14. 1803.

"My Lord, "The messenger, Mason, went on Saturday with my dispatches of that date; and until yesterday, Sunday, I saw no one likely to give me any further information, such as I could depend upon, as to the effect which His Majesty's message had produced on the First Consul. At the court which was held at the Thuilleries upon that day, he accosted me evidently under very considerable agitation. He began by asking me if I had any news from England? I told him that I had received letters from Your Lordship two days ago. He immediately said, 'And so you are determined to go to war? No (I replied), we are too sensible of the advantages of peace. Nous avons (said he) déjà fait la guerre pendant quinze ans.' As he seemed to wait for an answer, I observed only, C'en est déjà trop.' Mais (said he) vous voulez la faire encore quinze années, et vous m'y forcez.' I told him that was very far from His Majesty's intention. He then proceeded to Count Marcow, and the Chevalier Azara, who were standing together at a little distance from me, and said to them, 'Les Anglois veulent la guerre, mais s'ils sont les premiers à tirer l'epée, je serai le dernier à la remettre. Ils ne respectent pas les traités. Il faut dorénavant les couvrir de crêpe noir.' He then went his round. He then went his round. In a few minutes he came back to me, and resumed the conversation, if such it can be called, by something personally civil to me. He began again: Pourquoi des armémens? contre qui des mesures

de precaution? Je n'ai pas un seul vaisseau de ligne dans les ports de France; mais si vous voulez armer, j'armerai aussi ; si vous voulez vous battre, je me battrai aussi. Vous pourrez peutêtre tuer la France, mais jamais l'intimider.' • On ne voudroit (said I), ni l'un ni l'autre. On voudroit vivre en bonne intelligence avec elle.' Il faut donc respecter les traités (replied he); malheur à ceux qui ne respectent pas les traités; ils en seront responsable a toute l'Europe.' He was too much agitated to make it advisable for me to prolong the conversation; I therefore made no answer, and he retired to his apartment repeating the last phrase.

"It is to be remarked, that all this passed loud enough to be overheard by two hundred people who were present; and I am persuaded that there was not a single person who did not feel the extreme impropriety of his conduct, and the total want of dignity, as well as of decency, on the occasion.

"I propose taking the first opportunity of speaking to M. Talleyrand on this subject.

"I have the honour to be, &c.

" WHITWORth.

"The Right Honourable Lord Hawkesbury, &c."

Lord Whitworth, on his first interview with M. Talleyrand, remonstrated against the insult offered to him, as alike offensive" to his public and private feelings." He added, that he had repaired to the levee "to pay his respects to the First Consul, and present his countrymen, but not to treat of political subjects; and that unless he had an assurance from him that he should not be exposed to a repetition of the same disagreeable occurrences, he should be under the necessity of discontinuing his visits to the Thuilleries." Similar remonstrances were also made in the King's name, by order of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; but Malta again became the bone of contention, and projets innumerable were formed, presented, and debated, relative to the possession of that important island. At length the English minister, in cons

sequence of positive orders from his Court, delivered in his ultimatum ;* and declared, that if no convention on this basis was signed within a week, he had received instructions to terminate his mission, and return to London. As the Court of the Thuilleries would not accede to this, it was proposed by Talleyrand, as a mezzo termino, to relinquish Malta to Russia; but difficulties occurred in respect to this plan, and Lord Whitworth demanded the necessary passports for his departure. These were at length obtained, although not without great difficulty, and after three successive messages; on which His Lordship left Paris, May 13. 1803. From this moment every idea of peace vanished; and in the course of three days an order of council was issued for reprisals, which, of course, produced a new war.

Thus the embassy of Lord Whitworth was suddenly terminated; and whoever considers the peremptory instructions from his Court on the one hand, and the resolute determination of the First Consul on the other, will allow that the ablest negociator could not have prolonged the armed truce (for it does not deserve the name of a peace), which had subsisted between the two countries from March 27. 1802, when the

1. The French Government shall engage to make no opposition to the cession of the Island of Lampedosa to His Majesty by the King of the Twe Sicilies.

"2. In consequence of the present state of the Island of Lampedosa, His Majesty shall remain in possession of the Island of Malta until such arrangements shall he made by him as may enable His Majesty to occupy Lampedosa as a naval station; after which period the Island of Malta shall be given up to the inhabitants, and acknowledged as an independent state.

"3. The territories of the Batavian republic shall be evacuated by the French forces within one month after the conclusion of a convention founded on the principles of this projet.

4. The King of Etrurria, and the Italian and Ligurian Republics, shall be acknowledged by His Majesty.

5. Switzerland shall be evacuated by the French forces.

"6. A suitable territorial provision shall be assigned to the King of Sardinia in Italy.

"SECRET ARTICLE. His Majesty shall not be required by the French Government to evacuate the Island of Malta until after the expiration of ten years. *Articles 4, 5, and 6, may be entirely omitted, or must all be inserted.

treaty of Amiens was signed, to May 10. 1803, when a renewal of hostilities ensued.

After an interview with the cabinet ministers in London, Lord Whitworth repaired to Knowle, where for some years his lordship chiefly resided, rendering himself exceedingly popular by his attention and politeness to all descriptions of persons. His native county, in the course of the war, furnished large bodies of volunteers and yeomanry, and he himself was not wanting in his exertions to encourage their patriotic efforts. No sooner was the country menaced with a descent, than he raised and clothed, at his own expence, the Holmesdale battalion of infantry, composed of 600 men; and he frequently repaired to their head-quarters at Maidstone to inspect their condition.

On March 2. 1813, Lord Whitworth was made a lord of the King's bed-chamber; on the 14th of June following he was created a peer of Great Britain, by the title of Viscount Whitworth, of Adbaston, in the county of Stafford; and in August succeeded the Duke of Richmond as viceroy of Ireland. At the enlargement of the Order of the Bath in January, 1815, he was made one of the twelve Civil Knights Grand Crosses; and November 25. that year, was advanced to the dignities of Baron Adbaston and Earl Whitworth. He resigned the lieutenancy of Ireland in September, 1817, when Lord Talbot was appointed to succeed him.

The noble Earl's decease took place at Knowle, after only three days illness, on the 13th of May, 1825.

His Lordship's loss is universally lamented by his neighbours, and especially by the poor, to whom he was a sincere, active, and judicious friend. It was his habit and delight to employ, in occupations suited to their strength, poor old men and women about his house, garden, park, and farm. In this useful charity he spent some thousand pounds a year; and the aid privately rendered to objects of compassion in other ways by the earl and his consort were extensive. He was an amiable and kind-hearted man in all the relations of private

life, and was considered by all who knew him; one of the best examples of an English nobleman.

From the "Public Characters," and the "History of the Wars of the French Revolution," the materials of the foregoing memoir have been principally derived. We have also looked at "The Gentleman's Magazine," and "The Monthly Magazine."