I HAVE the honour to acquaint you, that the union of Cortica to the crown of Great Britain is finally and formally concluded; and

it is with the most fincere fatisfaction that I find myself enabled to affure you, that no national act was ever fanctioned by a more unanimous proceeding on the part of those who were authorized to do it, or by a more universal approbation, amounting, I may fay, to enthufiafm on the part of the people.

I have already had the honour of tranfmitting to you a copy of the letter addreffed by his Excellency my Lord Hood and myself to his Fxcellency General Paoli, dated the 21ft of April. I have the honour to inclofe to-day a copy of the circular letter, addreffed by General Paoli to his countrymen, referring to that which he had received from us, an Italian tranflation

of which was annexed.

Letters of convocation were foon after iffued for the affembly of the General Confult, to be held at Corte on Sunday the 8th of June, and were fo framed as to procure the most general reprefentation known in this ifland, every community, which is the smallest territorial divifion, having fent its reprefentative, and the state of property being fuch, that although none but landlords were electors, every man, almoft without exception, has voted.

The letters of convocation fet forth the occafion of their being called together; and the minutes of election in every community ex.

preffed the general nature of the measure to which the deputies were authorized to confent, fpecifying diftin&tly the union of Corfica with Great Britain, and the tender of the crown to his Majefty.

I have the honour to inclofe copies of these proceedings.

The deputies met at Corte in fufficient numbers to conftitute the affembly, on Tuesday the 10th of June. Some days were employed in verifying their powers, and determining controverted elections; after which they chofe General Paoli as their prefident, and Mr. Pozzodi Bargo and Mr. Mufelli, their fecretaries.

On Saturday the 14th inftant General Paoli opened the affembly by an excellent and eloquent fpeech, ftating concifely the principal events which had occurred, and the principal meafures adopted by himself fince the feparation of the laft general confult in May 1793; the occafion of their prefent convocation, and the leading points on which their deliberations fhould turn.

The affembly voted unanimoufly their thanks to General Paoli, and a full and entire approbation of all he had done, by virtue of the powers formerly vested in him by the general confult of 1793.

They then, ift, declared unanimously the feparation of Corfica from France:

And 2dly, with the fame unanimity, and with the strongest demonstrations of univerfal fatisfaction and joy, voted the union of Corfica to the crown of Great Britain.

A committee was then appointed to prepare the articles of union, and to confider the proper mode of tendering the crown to his Majefty.

It was declared that all who came should have voices; and, in fact, feveral perfons of character and talents, who were not even members of the affembly, were admitted to the deliberations, and took a fhare in the difcuffion

of the committee.

The articles underwent in the committee a very full, free and intelligent difcuffion, fuch as would have done honour to any affembly of public

public men in any country, and fuch as ftamped the refult with the fanction of a deliberate and informed, as well as a free and independent affent.

The report was voted with unanimity in the

committee.

It was prefented to the affembly on Thurfday the 17th, and on that and the following day was opened, and most ably and fully expounded to them by Mr. Bozzo del Bargo. It was adopted with unanimity and with univerfal applaufe; and two copies of the act of union were figned by every member of the confult.

On Thursday the 19th of June I received a deputation from the affembly, prefenting to me a copy of the act of union, and inviting me to return with them, that the crown might be tendered to his Majefty by the affembly itself, in the most folemn and authentic form.

I accompanied the deputation; and, in prefence of the affembly, received from the prefident, his excellency general Paoli, in the name of the people, the tender of the crown and fovereignty of Corfica to his Majesty.

His excellency's addrefs to me is contained in the minutes.

After addreffing the affembly in a manner which appeared to me fuitable to the occafion, I pronounced, in his Majesty's name, the acceptation of the crown, according to the articles contained in the act of union.

I then took, in his Majesty's name, the oath prefcribed," To maintain the liberties of Cor"fica, according to the conftitution and the "laws."

The prefident then took and administered to the affembly the oath of allegiance and fidelity; after which I figned and fealed the acceptation annexed to both copies of the act of union, one of which I have now the honour to transmit.

The following day (yesterday) Te Deum was fung in the cathedral, accompanied by the difcharge of artillery; and prayers were offered up for his Majefty, by the name of George the Third, King of Great Britain and Corfica. In the evening the town was illuminated, and the people demonftrated their loyalty and joy by every means in their power.

The affembly has voted, this day, an address to his Majefty, expreffive of their gratitude, loyalty and attachment; and have deputed four refpectable gentlemen to prefent it to his Majefty in London.

I cannot conclude this difpatch without of fering my very humble congratulations on the fortunate termination of this important and interesting affair, at once advantageous, as I truft, to the contracting parties, honourable to his Majefty, and gratifying, in every view, to his royal feelings, as well as thofe of his British fubjects.

The true foundation and bafis of this tranfaction has refted on the confidence infpired by his Majefty's princely virtues, and the exalted reputation enjoyed throughout the world

by the British nation for every honourable and generous quality. The people of Corfica have, on one hand, done homage to thofe virtues, by confiding and tendering, even folicitoufly, the fovereignty of their country to his Majefty; they have, on the other hand, heightened the value of that confidence, by evincing that it comes from men who have rejected, with horror, the poifonous and counterfeit liberty of France, without being ignorant or careless of a well-ordered and conftitutional freedom.

His Majefty has acquired a crown; those who bestow it have acquired liberty. The British nation has extended its political and commercial sphere by the acceffion of Corfica: Corfica has added new fecurities to her ancient poffeffions, and has opened fresh fields of profperity and wealth, by her liberal incorporation with a vaft and powerful empire.

This dispatch will be delivered to you by Mr. Patriconi, a young gentleman of this country, who has ferved with diftinction throughout the war, under the orders of general Paoli, and particularly in the fieges of Bastia and St. Fio

GEN. PAOLI TO HIS COUNTRYMEN.
Furiani, May 1, 1794.

Moft dearly beloved Countrymen,·

THE unabated confidence with which you have honoured me, and the folicitude I have ever had to promote your interefts and to enfure your liberty, pre cribe to me the obligation of ftating to you the prefent fituation of public affairs.

You remember how many cruel and treacherous arrangements were made by the three commiffioners of the French convention, who were fent over to our ifland; and in what manner they attempted to concentrate the powers of government in a finall number of their fatellites, deftined to be the inftruments of thofe violences and cruelties, which were to be exercifed againft all well-meaning perfons, and against the nation at large.

The unjuft decree which ordered my arreft, and my transfer to the bar of the affembly, was the first attempt directed by them against your liberty. You unanimously declared yourselves, and humbly remonftrated against an act defigned to facilitate the execution of your enemy's plots: Finally, you, in a general affembly, de

clared

clared your indignation at this act of injuftice; and you adopted, at that moment, fuch refolutions as were confiftent with your dignity and with the public welfare.

I accepted, as a distinguishing proof of your confidence, the commiffion you were pleafed to confer upon me, for providing, in thofe critical circumftances, for the maintenance of your fafety and liberty: anxious that you fhould not be expofed to any danger, unless indignation and neceffity demanded you to refift, I tried every means which prudence and moderation fuggefted to me at that time; but neither your just reclamations, nor my innocence, were fufficient to recall to fentiments of rectitude and human.ty a violent and fanguinary faction, irritated by the noble refiftance you had made, and refolved to accomplish your deftruction; for which purpose the fubverfion of the government was ordered, and the members of it profcribed, conjointly with any other zealous patriots. The nation was declared in a state of rebellion; orders were given to reduce it by force of arms, and to treat it with the bloody rigour of revolutionary laws.

Roufed by thefe caufes; by the endless fucceffion of deftruction and ruin, which characterizes, the conduct of those perfons who exercife the powers of government in France, and by the deftruction of all religion and of every form of worship, enforced and proclaimed among the people with unexampled impiety, every Corfican felt the neceffity of feparating from the French, and of guarding against the poifonous influence of their errors.

The acts of hostility committed by the French, and thofe Corfican traitors who have taken refuge in the garrifons of Calvi, St. Fiorenzo and Baftia, compelled us to repel them by force of arms. I have feen, with infinite fatisfaction, during the courfe of a whole year, that your ancient bravery and attachment to your country were not in the leaft diminished. In various encounters the enemy have been defeated, although numerous and fupported by artillery: You have treated the prifoners, taken in the heat of battle, with generofity; whilst the enemy have, in cold blood, maffacred our prifoners, who were fo unfortunate as to fall into their hands. In all these agitations we have kept ourselves united, and exempt from the horrors of licentioufnefs and anarchy; a happy prefage of your future fate, and an irrefragable proof that you are deferving of true liberty, and that you will know how to preferve it unfullied by licentioufnefs and diffentions.

In fuch a ftate of things, a becoming diffi. dence made me, nevertheiefs, apprehend that the enemy would increafe in force, and attempt to carry into execution the deftructive plans they had formed against you: Under thefe circumftances I felt the neceffity of foreign affiftance; and, in conformity to your general wifles, and to the public opinion and univerfal expectation, I had recourfe to the king, and to

the generous and powerful nation which had, on other occafions, protected the remains of our liberty; a measure dictated by the public fafety, and which I took only when every conciliatory offer had been obstinately rejected, and every hope of obtaining moderation or justice from the French convention was extinct.

His Britannic Majefty's arms have made their appearance in your fupport; his ships and troops are employed with you to drive from our country the common enemy, and the blood of Britons and Corficans is conjointly shed for the liberty of this ifland. Our enterprise has already been crowned with happy events, and draws near to a fortunate completion.

This pleafing afpect of affairs has determined me to turn my thoughts to the most efficacious means of establishing a permanent freedom, and of fecuring our inland from the various events which, till this moment, have kept us in agitation.

The protection of the King of Great Britain, and a political union with the British nation, of which the prosperity and power, uninterrupted for ages, are to the universe proofs of the excellency of its government, have appeared to me to accord with the happiness and safety of Corfica. The univerfal opinion on this head, evinced by the unreserved inclination you have shewn, and ftrengthened by your gratitude for benefits received, appears fortunately to concur with mine. I have therefore made the proper overtures to his Majesty the King of Great Britain, with a view to establish this defirable union.

With a fatisfaction never to be erafed from my mind, I now behold our wishes anticipated, and our hopes realized. The memorial which has been tranfmitted to me by their excellencies the admiral commanding the fleet and the minifter plenipotentiary of his Majefty, affords us the opportunity of establishing this union in the manner beft adapted to the benefit of both nations, and to the honour of his Majetty. I cannot better make known to you their excellencies' fentiments than by a faithful translation of their memorial.

The nature of the prefent address does not permit me to enlarge upon the benefits of this union, which tends to conciliate the most extenfive political and civil liberty with perfonal fecurity. You are convinced of thefe truths, and will regulate your conduct accordingly: I nevertheless will avail myfelf of this opportunity to declare to you, that, in taking the English conftitution for your model, you will proceed upon the most folid principles that philofophy, policy and experience, have ever been known to combine for the happiness of a great people, referving to yourfelves the power of adapting them to your own peculiar fituation, cuftoms and religion, without being expofed hereafter to the venality of a traitor, or to the ambition of a powerful ufurper.

A matter of fuch importance ought nevertheless to be difcuffed and agreed to by you in a general affembly, at which I entreat you

to

I beseech you to imprefs yourselves with the great importance of the affairs on which you have to determine; and, on that account, let it be your care to felect perfons of zeal and acknowledged probity, as much as may be in your power; reputable heads of families, interested in good government and the profperity of the country. Let moderation and propriety of conduct prevail in your affemblies, that no perfon among you may have the mortification to remark any diforder in the most happy mo. ment which has occurred in the courfe of our revolutions, and in paffing the most important act of civil fociety. In the mean time, let every man fuggeft whatever he may conceive the most useful to the country, in order to communicate his opinion to the nation, legally represented and affembled.

Corfica is now juftly regarded by foreign powers as a free nation; her refolutions will, I hope, be suitable to her fituation, and dictated by wisdom and by a love for the public good.

With respect to myself, my dearly beloved countrymen, after having devoted every mo. ment of my life to your happiness, I fhall efteem myself the happieft of mankind, if, through the means I have derived from your confidence, I can obtain for our country the opportunity of forming a free and lafting government, and of preferving to Corfica its name, its unity, and its independence, whilft the names of the heroes who have fpilt their blood in its fupport and defence, will be, for future generations, objects of noble emulation and grateful remembrance.

but being fenfible that their own efforts might be infufficient to contend with France, or other powerful nations, who might undertake hoftile attempts against them, and confiding implicitly in the magnanimity and princely virtues of his Britannick Majesty, and in the bravery and generofity of his people, they were deftrous of forming a perpetual union with the British nation, under the mild and equitable, government of his Majefty and his fucceffors, for the better protection, and for the perpetual fecurity and prefervation of their independence and liberties; and your excellency having, on thefe confiderations, folicited, in the name of the people of Corfica, his Majefty's present affiftance, and his royal protection in time to come, we took the fame into our most serious confideration; and knowing his Majesty's gracious and affectionate difpofition towards the Corfican nation, and his readiness to contribute in every way, which is confiftent with justice and the interefts of his fubjects, to the happinefs of that brave people; and being invested with fufficient powers for that purpofe, we determined to comply with your request, and have accordingly furnished the aid of his Majefty's nayal and military forces in the Mediterranean, towards expelling the common enemy from the island of Corfica.

We have fince been honoured with more fpecial powers and authority to concert with your excellency and the people of Corfica, and finally to conclude, on his Majefty's behalf, the particular form and mode of relation which fhall take place between the two nations.

It is with the moft lively fatisfaction we acquaint your excellency, that we have it in command from his Majefty to affent, on his part, to fuch a fyftem as will cement the union of our two nations under a common fovereign, and, at the fame time, fecure for ever the independence of Corfica, and the preservation of her ancient conftitution, laws and religion."

With whatever fatisfaction his Majesty has graciously atfented to propofitions which promife, perhaps for the first time, not only to afford to this ifland the prefent bleffings of tranquillity and peace, and a fudden increase of profperity and wealth, but also to establish its national independence and happiness on a however, determined to conclude nothing withfecure and lafting foundation; his Majefty is, out the general and free confent of the people of Corfica.

We therefore request your excellency to take the proper steps for fubmitting these important matters to their judgment; and as the small number of the enemy, at prefent invested by the British and Corfican troops, and which must foon either be deftroyed or yield to fuperior* force, can no longer give any uneafinefs to this country, but the freedom and deliverance of Corfica is in effect accomplished, we beg leave to fubmit to your excellency, whether it may not be defirable to take the earliest measures

for terminating these interesting concerns, and T

for