insisted in their previous interviews; his own desire of peace, and the obstacles interposed by Spain. "If the war is to be continued," he said, "I shall leave no stone unturned in order to carry it on with vigour. I shall seek alliances everywhere; I shall offer territorial cessions and commercial advantages in every direction in order to gain allies for England and to stir up a Continental war. Let the King of France reflect on the consequences. In one way or another I am determined to put an end to the present crisis. I have told the King and the Cabinet that as an English Minister I have only three courses before me, to make war à outrance, to conclude a peace, or to resign." Rayneval expressed his cordial wishes for the second alternative. "I cannot," he wrote to Vergennes, in reporting the result of his interviews before he started on his return to France, "sufficiently express my satisfaction at my reception by Lord Shelburne and the marks of confidence shewn me by him. They are the result of his friendly disposition towards France. They leave nothing to wish for, and I hope will have no slight influence on the negotiation. … Lord Shelburne is not ignorant of the suspicions which have been and probably still are entertained in France as to his straightforwardness, and he feels them the more, in proportion as he believes that he has not deserved them. I venture to be of the same opinion, and if I say so, it is because I consider that my personal acquaintance and conversations with Lord Shelburne have placed me in a position to know him perfectly. Unless I am entirely mistaken he is a Minister of noble views and character, proud and determined, yet with the most winning manners. He takes a broad view of affairs and hates petty details. He is not obstinate in discussion, but you must convince him; still, in more than one instance, I have observed that sentiment more than reason has influenced his mind. I may add that his friends and entourage do him honour. There is not an intriguer or doubtful character among them. A man such as I have described is not ordinarily either false or captious, and I venture to say that Lord Shelburne is neither the one nor
