sistently with the due protection and security of your own island, to his Majesty's land and naval forces under the command of Major-general Sir David Baird and Sir Home Popham, in any operation in which you may be required by them to assist. We are your loving friends London, C. GRANT. (Signed) GEORGE SMITH. Note H. The Senior Officer of His Majesty's Ships, Rio de la Plata. (By the Ardent.) SIR, Admiralty-office, 23d September, 1806. I AM commanded, by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, to inclose, for your information, a copy of his Majesty's order in council of the 17th instant, regulating the trade with Buenos Ayres and its dependencies. At the Court at the Queen's Palace, the 17th Sept. 1806: Present, The King's Most Excellent Majesty in Council. WHEREAS the capital city, town, and fortress, of Buenos Ayres, and its dependencies, have been conquered C 1 by his Majesty's forces, and the territory forts of the same are delivered up to his Majesty, and the same are now in his Majesty's possession; his Majesty is thereupon pleased to order and declare, and it is hereby ordered and declared, that all his loving subjects may lawfully trade to and from the said capital city, town, and fortress, of Buenos Ayres, and its dependencies, including therein all and every the territories belonging to or forming a part of the government of the same, in British ships, owned by his Majesty's subjects, and navigated according to law, or in ships bona fide belonging to any of the subjects, or native inhabitants, of the said city, town, or territories, such native inhabitants being peaceably resident within the same, and under the obedience of his Majesty's government there; and that such trade shall be subject to the same duties, rules, regulations, conditions, restrictions, penalties, and forfeitures, to which the trade to and from his Majesty's colonies, plantations, and islands, in the West Indies and South America, is or shall be subject by law, except as hereinafter specified. And his Majesty is further pleased to order and declare, and it is hereby ordered and declared, that all commodities being the growth, produce, or manufacture, of the said city, town, and fortress, of Buenos Ayres, and its dependencies, including therein all and every the territories belonging to or forming a part of the government of the same, or which have been usually exported therefrom, shall be permitted to be imported into any of the ports of the United Kingdom, in British ships, owned by his Majesty's subjects, and navigated according to law, or in ships bona fide belonging to any of the inhabitants of the said city, town, or territories, such native inhabitants being peaceably resident within the same, and under the obedience of his Majesty's government there; and that such commodities shall be subject to the same duties, orders, regulations, restrictions, conditions, penalties, and forfeitures, as articles of the like sort are subject to, coming from his Majesty's colonies, plantations, or islands, in the West Indies or South America. And whereas information has been received, that the commander of his Majesty's forces, to whom the said city, town, and fortress, have surrendered, has reduced the du ties on importation into the same from about thirty-four and a half per cent, ad valorem, to ten per cent, ad valorem, and two and a half per cent for the consulate or municipal duties, making in the whole twelve and one-half per cent, on all articles imported into the said place and its dependencies, in British ships, owned by his Majesty's subjects, and navigated according to law, or in ships bona fide belonging to any of the subjects or native inhabitants of the said city, town, or territories, such native inhabitants being peaceably resident within the same, and under the obedience of his Majesty's government there:- His Majesty is thereupon pleased to order and declare, that the said reduced duties shall be continued to be levied, and no other, on all articles so imported, with the exception of German linens, which are to continue to be subject to the same duties as were paid thereon before the conquest of the said place by his Majesty's arms, until his Majesty's pleasure shall be further signified. And it is hereby further ordered, that it shall not be lawful for any slave or slaves to be landed, imported, or brought into the said city, town, and fortress, of Buenos Ayres, and its dependencies, including therein all and every the territories belonging to or forming a part of the government of the same, as aforesaid; upon pain that all slaves so landed, imported, or brought, together with the vessels bringing the same, or from which the same shall be landed, and their cargoes, shall become forfeited to his Majesty, his heirs and successors.-Provided always, that this prohibi tion shall not extend to the several cases of slaves bona fide employed in navigating any ships trading to or from the said place; or of slaves bona fide employed as domestic slaves, and coming into the said place with their masters; or of slaves in any manner employed in his Majesty's naval or military service. And the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury, and the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, are to give the necessary directions herein, as to them may respectively appertain. (Signed) W. FAWKENER. Note I. Note from Lord Lauderdale to M. Talleyrand, dated Paris, September 19, 1806. THE undersigned Plenipotentiary of his Majesty the King of Great Britain, in answering the official note of his Excellency the Minister for Foreign Affairs, dated the 18th instant, which has been received to-day, begins by remarking, that he purposely abstains as much as possible from all observation upon those points contained in it, which are foreign to the immediate object in question. By this means, he will avoid discussions of a nature to lead him to forget that tone of moderation which it is his duty to observe in the whole course of his mission. He will thus maintain the line of conduct which is conformable to that love of peace, which characterises all the proceedings of the King his master. "When the undersigned reflects, that he came to Paris, "authorised to conclude peace upon terms understood to "have been proposed by France; that notwithstanding the "refusal of his Imperial Majesty of all the Russias to ratify "the treaty signed by M. d'Oubril, and the splendid suc ❝cesses obtained by his Majesty's arms in Spanish America, "he was authorised to give assurances (as he had the ho nour of doing to his Excellency the Minister for Foreign 'Affairs) that the demands of his Court, in its own favour, "would not in consequence of these successes be materially "increased; the undersigned had reason to be surprised. "at finding his Government charged with manifesting an 'imperious and exaggerating disposition." He is not less astonished, that his Excellency, in replying to a note in which Lord Lauderdale had the honour of explaining distinctly to him that the conditions pointed out by his Excellency Baron de Budberg were in substance what would be insisted upon by Great Britain in favour of Russia, should have thought it necessary to reprobate so strongly conditions proposed by M. de Novosiltzoff under totally different circumstances, and of the nature of which the undersigned is entirely ignorant. Nevertheless, after the explanations given by the undersigned to his Excellency the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and the declaration made by him to his Excellency, that the undersigned is not authorised to negotiate otherwise than so as to ensure the conclusion of a peace with Great Britain and with Russia at the same moment; and, after having received, in the official note of yesterday's date, assurances that the French Government does not refuse the admission of an article, the design of which shall be to provide for this indispensable object, the undersigned will make no difficulty in resuming the conferences with their Excellencies the French Plenipotentiaries, as soon as their Excellencies shall be duly authorised for this purpose. The undersigned has the honour, &c. |