The Paget Papers.

Letter from the Hon. Arthur Paget (Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the King of the two Sicilies) to Lord Grenville.

Source: Paget, Right Hon. Sir Augustus B. Paget, G.C.B. The Paget Papers, Diplomatic and other Correspondence of the Right Hon Sir A. Paget. G.C.B., 1794-1807, 2 Vols. Longmans, Green and Co. New York 1896. Vol 1.  Pages 299-300.

Vienna, 31st Decr, 1800.

I have the Honour to enclose the Copy of a Note I have received from the Russian Minister with my Answer, which will I trust be approved of by Your Lordship. Nothing more has passed officially between us upon that subject.
An overture has been made by the Emperor of Russia to H.S.My, inviting Him to declare without reserve what are his views with respect to Peace, and at the same time offering to mediate for Him. In answer to this Communication, H.S.My has ordered His Minister at Petersburg to give a fair and unreserved statement of His situation and the nature of His Engagements towards His other Allies, which do not allow him to separate Himself from the Common Cause. This Answer which amounts to a refusal of the offer made by the Emperor of Russia, is as Your Lp will imagine, couched in terms the most flattering to His Imperial Majesty.
Independent of the above overture which cannot be considered as particularly friendly to the Powers engaged in the contest, I can plainly discover that the E. of Russia is not quite satisfied at the predilection shown by this Court to its present System of Alliance, and among other things the Mission of the Marquis de Gallo at Vienna is a circumstance to which He shows himself to be not quite indifferent. In general I have some reasons for thinking that His Imperial Majesty would wish to assume a certain tone of Authority at this Court, which however will under no circumstances be submitted to.
It is now generally understood that the Prince Royal and General Acton wlll set out for Naples about the 20th Inst. A Neapolitan 74 Gun Ship and a Frigate are here to convey them.-I have, &c.,

(Signed)               Arthur Paget.

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