. 1 PREFACE. HIS Volume, the Eleventh and last, completes our Collec TH 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 fuch a war, by feparate negotiations 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, armistices, 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 subject, and to prefent it to the reader in the moft 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 respecting it.—In this part of the contents will therefore be found the whole process, from the late confufion to the order that at present 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 conftitute the substance of the diplomatic history of such events, would be perhaps a fufficient recommendation of |