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A

COLLECTION

OF

STATE PAPERS,

RELATIVE TO THE

WAR against FRANCE

Carried on by GREAT BRITAIN and the several
other EUROPEAN POWERS:

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PRINTED BY Assignment from THE ASSIGNEes of
JOHN DE BRETT,

FOR JOHN STOCKDALE, PICCADILLY.

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PREFACE.

HIS Volume, the Eleventh and laft, completes our Collec

THIS

tion of State Papers, relative to the late eventful and extenfive war against France. Among the peculiar circumstances which have fwelled it to a more than ordinary fize, is the great length of time which it embraces, being a space of nearly eighteen months. The winding up of such a war, by separate negotia tions with the various powers involved in it, has also rendered that period peculiarly productive of the fpecies of diplomatic papers, which are of all others the most interesting, and most permanent in their importance. Under this head are comprised treaties, armiftices, and conventions, which will be found more numerous in this than they have been in any preceding volume. In this Volume the Convention of the Northern Confederacy holds a very prominent station. Great pains have, therefore, been taken to collect every state paper upon the fubject, and to present it to the reader in the most correct shape.-The Convention of El-Arish has also excited much political difcuffion; we have confequently collected with care, all the papers published by the French and British Governments refpecting it.—In this part of the contents will therefore be found the whole process, from the late confufion to the order that at prefent prevails in Europe, and the political relations of peace and amity now fubfifting between all the late belligerent powers.-The value of authentic documents, which constitute the substance of the diplomatic history of fuch events, would be perhaps a fufficient recommendation of A 2

the

the prefent Volume to general notice. It is not, however, the only one. The official documents, under the various other heads, are alfo of extreme importance, and many of them have never been published in this country. Among thofe which appear now for the first time in an English drefs, are many of the papers connected with the Diet of Ratifbon.-The French official papers also, published by the French government, have been hitherto fubmitted to an English reader only in a mutilated and extremely imperfect state.-The decline of the war has neceffarily rendered the London Gazette accounts of it a lefs prominent feature than in fome of the previous volumes. This is another advantage which it poffeffes; for, however neceffary the official accounts of the military operations may be to the completion of the work, as an whole, they have been always considered the least important part of the contents, in relation to the immediate principle upon which it was undertaken.-These are the only shades of difference between the present Volume and those which have preceded it, if we except a flight departure in the arrangement, by placing in an Addenda, a few papers which were received too late for infertion in their proper place.

LONDON, June 2, 1802..

ADVERTISEMENT,

MR. STOCKDALE, Publisher of the prefent Volume of the State Papers, begs leave to imprefs on the minds of those Gentlemen who are in poffeffion of the Work, that it has become his property, folely, by purchase from the Affignees of John De Brett, and that he is in no wife answerable for the fidelity of its contents.

He deems it most indispensably his duty to submit this caution to the Public, as fome of the papers in the preceding volumes. appear to have been altered and garbled in order to favour certain principles hoftile to the British Minifters. Thus much the Publisher thinks it proper to obferve, that his Readers may be guarded against placing too great reliance on any papers or remarks which may appear prejudicial to British interefts; at the fame time, fubject to this allowance, the Collection may be confidered valuable, as it is the only publication of the kind.

PICCADILLY, 3d June 1802.

HISTORY

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