The Paget Papers.

Letter from Lord St Helens to the Hon. Arthur Paget (Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of Austria).

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 2.  Pages 45 - 48.

From Lord St. Helens to the Hon. A. Paget.

St. Petersburg, 16 March 1802.

I thank you very cordially, my Dear Sir, for your two letters of the 6th and 8th March, which arrived yesterday morning. I observed (for the first time) that the Seals of both of them as well as of all their enclosures had undergone the fiery ordeal of some Imp of the Vienna State Inquisition, and I own that the circumstance has given me much concern : for tho' neither of your Packets contained a single syllable that we cd have wished to conceal from the Austrian Government, the being subjected to this sort of eaves-dropping is extremely unpleasant ; and no less inconsistent with that liberal confidence which ought to prevail in the mutual dealings of two Courts that are so closely connected, and have so much reason to rely on each other's political views and sentiments. I mention this however merely to put you upon your guard, and not by way of suggesting any remonstrance upon the subject ; which I think had better be spared : and I have accordingly abstained from touching upon it to the Count de Sauran. This goes by a Neapolitan messenger : and I have therefore reason to hope that you will receive it at first hand.
I am pretty well assured that these last Dispatches to Count Sauran relate almost entirely to the old story of the German indemnities : with regard to which it appears that the Court of Vienna now acquiesces entirely in the plan proposed from hence ; and the present object therefore is to engage the Russian Ministers to recommend it to the 1st Consul, and in such terms as may induce him to adopt it, by evincing the fixed resolution of the Empr their Sovereign to oppose any arrangement less favourable to the Interests of the House of Austria. In fact this has already been clone ; and tho' Ct Cobentzl seems to think that M. de Marcoff's* conduct in the business has been somewhat lukewarm, the truth really is that he has exerted himself in it to the utmost, tho' to very little effect or purpose, the Chief Consul having intimated to this Court, as he had before done to that of Vienna, that they have been reckoning without their Host in supposing that France would blindly acquiesce in a plan so ill-suited both to her own convenience, and to the views and interests of Prussia : and that he is therefore preparing to bring forward a scheme of a very different description ; the particulars of which will be disclosed when he shall have adjusted certain other points of business that he considers as more immediately pressing, namely his Treaty with England, and the arrangements now depending in Switzerland and Italy. I can assure you that this is the sum and substance of the communications brought by a Messenger from Ct Marcoff who arrived here two days ago ; and you are too well acquainted with the temper of this Court to suppose that it can easily brook such cavalier treatment, or a tone so replete with arrogance and conscious superiority. Accordingly I can plainly perceive that the Russian Ministers are seriously bethinking themselves of embodying such a league of defence amongst the leading Powers of Europe† as may effectively blunt the Thunders of this self-created Jupiter : and I think it by no means impossible that they may bring forward a plan for that purpose in the course of the coming summer. It is however at present merely in embryo, and it would be advisable therefore that you shd say nothing on the subject to Ct Cobentzl till you hear from me further -more especially as tho' England would probably be disposed to take part in such a system of union, (on her being assured that its duties and burdens would be more equitably apportioned than in the late coalitions), it seems by no means advisable that she should take a leading share in its original promotion. I am very much obliged to you, my dear Sir, for your French Bulletin, which is by far the best that I have hitherto seen, and I should therefore be glad if you would continue to send it me as occasions may offer ; or even by the post, if you should yourself have no objections to that mode of conveyance from motives of delicacy towards the Austrian Govt. I observe that this Journal, like all the other French Papers of every description, is very bitter upon poor Marcoff : ‡ and indeed it seems pretty evident that a variety of stories to his prejudice have been purposely trumped up with the view of procuring his recall, or inducing him from disgust to a voluntary resignation of his Employment. His superiors have however now determined to support him, which I am the better pleased to observe as in case of his removal he would probably be succeeded by a far less trust-worthy person, videlicet, the Baron de Krudener ; who amongst his other bad qualities has that of being Anti-Anglican j'usqu' au bout des angles. From your description of M. Italinski he certainly would be by far the fittest man that the Empr could have for the post in question ; and your suggestion concerning him shall certainly not be thrown away ; tho' I am afraid that he is not yet of a sufficient calibre to be a candidate for an employment of that magnitude. By the way, Mr. Drummond writes me word that Genl Borordin has applied to succeed him in his present post : but I imagine that this is a mistake, as I have not heard that there is any intention of removing him.
I am rejoiced to hear of the reconciliation between Lord Elgin & Tamara : and the more so as (between ourselves) their bickerings had very near produced a serious misunderstanding between the respective Governments. §
With regard to the affair of Malta, it seems to have been settled in as far as concerns the negotiations at Amiens agreeably to the plan proposed from hence, and tho' I have not yet heard who is to he the new Grand Master of the 0rder in virtue of the conge d'élire which has been delegated to the Pope, I believe that Hompesch's re-establishment is quite out of the question.
You will be glad to hear that the Court of Sweden, after having exhausted every resource and every subterfuge of procrastination and tergiversation, have at length agreed to accede to the Convention of St. Petersburgh, ¤ and the different instruments are now transcribing and will be signed the day after tomorrow. Tho' this business hardly deserves the name of a Negotiation, I never was engaged in one that put either my patience or my temper to so severe a trial. Adieu my Dr Sr, &c.

St H.

* He was charged with the negotiations concerning the indemnities.
† This took form in 1801, when Alexnder, influenced by the Abbé Piatoli, despatched Novossiltzow to Pitt, suggesting a supreme Christian court for Europe. The plan of Piatoli was the germ which ultimately developed into the Holy Alliance.
‡ He had been sharply reprehended by Bonaparte in January.
§ Lord Hawkesbury had made formal complaints of intrigues of Russia at the Porte.
¤ Sweden signed the Convention of June 17, 1801, on March 30, 1802. The trade of the Baltic was thrown open to the English.

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