_14th._--Messengers in. Immediately on L.’s arrival he presented to the F. Governt. a short recapitulation of what had already passed during the negotiation, recalling to their recollection that the principle on which the E. Governt. had consented to treat was the _uti possidetis_, and reminding them how much this had been forgotten and departed from in their late demands, and concluding with the alternative, either to resume the uti possidetis as the principle of the Treaty, or to send him passports to return to England.[229] Three days elapsed before any answer was given to this note. General Clarke proposed that the business should be carried on by conversations, and not by written notes, which was refused. He also cavilled at some expressions in L.’s note, but at length presented a note couched in rather a high tone, complaining that when the Treaty was far advanced, and that Ld. Yarmouth was on the point of signing, L. should have been sent over to make inadmissible pretensions and to disappoint the hopes which all Europe had conceived of peace. The _uti possidetis_ could not be the basis of the Treaty, unless the Emperor were to be replaced in the possession of Fiume, Treviso, and of all the conquests which he had renounced by the Peace of Presburg. Upon this L. sent for his passports. Three days were employed in sending from one office to another to obtain them, without success. _M. de Lima_ (the Portuguese) called upon him, and implored in the most earnest manner that he would not break off the negotiation, as this would leave Portugal and Spain exposed to certain and immediate destruction. No effect being produced by this manœuvre, and L. persisting in his demand of passports, a 2nd note was sent, expressed in much more civil and moderate language, and tho’ _denying_ that the _uti possidetis_ had ever been admitted as the basis of the Treaty, and declaring that without great modifications it was inadmissible, but concluding with these words, ‘Mais l’Empereur l’adopte puisqu’il le trouve.’ It is remarkable that in this note the word _adopte_ was substituted in the Emperor’s own handwriting, in place of _accepte_ or _admet_. And in the date, the 11th had been inserted instead of the 7th, which had been the original date, so that the note had been detained some days, in hopes of Lauderdale’s yielding. On receiving this, L. addressed a note to the French Governt., in which, without taking any notice of the contents of theirs, he declared he could not go on with the negotiation, unless he had an explicit assurance from them that he should have passports at any time within half an hour, for himself or couriers, whenever he should chance to demand them. This note produced a very civil answer from Talleyrand, ascribing to accident entirely the blame of the former delay, and assuring him that it was in no respect owing to any want of civility to him. Lauderdale returned a second note, in answer