Star. — London, England, 1805-10-04 00:00:00

FRANCE. CONSERVATIVE SENATE, SEPT.ts. tomes OF THE RECIPROCAL CONDUCT OF ?EPIC, AND •USTRIA, SINCE THE PSACE OF Luesviit.e, kEAD BY THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN RELATIONS. 44 All Europe knows, that during the war, in the midtt even of the moft fignal and decifive fuccefies, the Emperor of the French never eeafed to with for peace; that he often offered it to his enemies ; that after having reduced them to the condition of receiv ing it as a benefaftion, he granted it to them upon I terms which they dared not to espeft, and which I Tendered his moderation no lets confricuous than his victories. He is fenfible of the full value of the glory acquired by arms in a juft and neceffary war ; but there is a glory more calm, and dear to his i heart ; his firft with, the conftant end of all his efforts, have ever been the tranquillity of Europe, the re pole and happinefs of nations. this end had been attained—the Emperor omitted nothing to make it lalting. It would Rill continue, if the encreafing profperity of France had not brought it to a period. It was at firil altered by the artful matures, and af terwards broken by the open perfidy of the Cabinet of St. James's. But peace reigned at leaft on the Continent—through thevain and falfe pretexts under which England fought to filcher herfelf, Earope alit,: difcovered her real motives. "England was afraid of beholding the French Co- lonies, which had been, and which might become fo fiourifhing, rife from their ruins, and grow up again, as it were out of their afhes; jealoufy witted to Rifle or at leall to arreft in its progrefs the induftry of France, revived by peace—it cherifhed the filly defire to drive the French flag from tbofe teas, in which it had hitherto appeared with diffindlion, or at leaft to reduce it, fo as that it could no longer appear there bat in a Rate of degradation, unworthy of the rank which France holds amongft nations. But the :no• live, of England did not terminate there ; the was urged on by that infatiable avidity, which makes her covet the monolopy of she commerce and induftry of all nations ; by that unbounded pride, which induces her to look upon herfelf as miftrefs of the feas, and which is the only foundation of the extraordinary defpotifm which (he exercifes upon them. 44 The caufe then that France had to defend, was the caufe of Europe, and it was natural to fuppofe, that neither the intrigues of England, nor the gold which the held forth to all thofe who might be dif pofed to be fubfervi ent to her ambition, nor her de ceitful promifes, could engage in her quarrel any of - the Continental Powers. No pne of them, in fait, appeared difpofed to accept either her propofitioos or her recommendations. 44 At cafe refpedting the difpofitions of the Conti nent, the Emperor turned all his thoughts to the ma ritime war, for which every thing was to be created. Fleets were built ; ports were excavated ; camps ' were formed on the chorea of the ocean • te Empe ror had affembled there all the forces of his empire ; and his troops forming themfelves under his inipec lion for operations altogether new, were preparing for new triumphs. 44 England perceived the dangers with which the was menaced. She *withed to obviate them by crimes. Affaflins were thrown upon the coaft of France.— The Englifh Minifters to neutral Powers became the agents of a warfare, infamous as atrocious, of a war fare of confpiracies and affaffinations. 44 The Emperor law into thefe pitiful confpiracies, he treated them with contempt, and was not thereby prevented from offering peace on the fame terms which he had before propofed. • " So much generofity could not affuage, nay, i teemed even to augment the frenzy of the Cabipet : of St. James's. Its anfwer (hewed clearly that it t would not think of peace, till the hope fhould beer t tinguiffied of deluding the Continent with blood and carnage. But it was fenfible, that to accomplifit filch a deign, the affociation in its views of a Power, by his pofition, almoft as unconnected with the Conti nental tyflem as England, would not be fufficient— • that not having any thing to ape& from raffia, whole fentiments were too well known, its expefta tion would be vain, as long as Aultria %mild remain faithful to her neutrality. " Maria, which had twice experienced, at the end of two difallrous wars, at the time of . the 'trea ties of CampoFormio and of Lnneville, the generofity i that France was difpofed 16 thew towards a van quilled enemy, did not by any means pay the tame i religious obfcrvance to treaties, as France. I " Notwithflanding the formal flipulations of thefe treaties, the debt of Venice was not ditcharged ; it was even declared extinguifhed. The Emperor was aware, that his fubjeCts of Milan and Mantua,"ex perienced a denial of juftice, and that the Court of Vienna had liquidated none of their demands, in contempt of the folemn engagements which it had entered into. He was aware that the commercial re i lations of his kingdom of Italy with the hereditary :: States, were fobjeft to obltruftions, and that his fob jells of France and Italy found in Aultria a very CI 4 ferent reception, from that which . a Rate of peace a itave them a right to expeft. i 44 In the dittribution of the indemnities in Ger many, Aultria had been treated with a partiality . • that ought to crown all her wilhes, and furpals even her expectations. Yet her condua (hewed that It the was far from being fatisfied. She alternately em ployed arts and menaces to procure from the petty Princes the allion of fuch poffeflions at tufted her. Thus it was that (he had acciaired "Linclau on the Lake of Conflance, and the lice of Menau in the • fame Lake, which placed in her hands one of the keys of Switzerland. She obtained the ceffion of Altkoufen from the Teutonic Order, which made her mikes of an important poll, the port of Rhi nau. She had enlarged her territory by a number of other acquifitions, and was meditating trent ones. As a meads of aggrandizement, the wat not afraid to employ evident uffirpations, which the fought to conceal under legal forms. • " Thus it was that, under colour of a right para mount, (a right which the had renounced by a trea ty) and the exercife of Which was incompatible with the execution of the recefs of the Germanic Empire, the appropriated to herfelf tome polliffions, which the iffefted to confider in a Rate of difherifnn, and with • out legal proprietors, though the recefs had formal ly difpofed of them towards the divifion of the in ‘ &mucks: By thefe means the difappointed many l illika4 Princes of thofe poffeflions which it bad bcetr thoncht jug 16 atgit theist, toiler pretence of this fame tight paramount, which, fo far as regarded the Swifs, the called the right (d'lreameration), the carried off considerable funs frc m Switzerland. She reveller ed the Fiefs of a ne4 ; llbooring Prince in Bohemia, under pretence cf compenlations due to the Elcaor of Salt zburg, of which, contrary to every right, the claimed to be tole a: bitrets. She perfifted, with me naces, to keep recruiting panics in the Bavarian pro. vinces, in Franconia, and Snabia, and interrupted, by every means in her power, the Confcription for the Ele9oral Army there, abufing the prerogatives formerly granted to the head of the German empire 1 for the common benefit of the States compofing it, and now fallen into difilfe. She revived them, in order to interrupt the exercife of their fovcreignty by the neighbouring Princes, in thofe poffeffions which fell to their lot in the divifion, and to deprive them of the increafe of influence in the Diets, which ought to relish from thefe poliellions. " The recefs of the Empire, a confequence and ful filment of the Treaty of Luneville, had for its ob jeet, exclutively of the divifion of the indemnities, to eftablith, by means of this diftribution itfelf, in the South of Germany, an equilibrium, which might enfure its independence t and to prevent thole eventual caufes of mifunderftanding and war which an imme diate contarft between the territories of France and Auftria might frequently give rife to. Such was the view of the Mediators, and of the German Empire ; fuch was the view of jußice, of reafon, of an humane policy, and conformable to the true interefts of Auf tria " Thus Auftria reverfed what the reeds had fo wifely eftablifhed, when, by her acquifitions in Sua bia the weakened the barrier between France and the principal States of the South of Germany, and when, by a combined fyftem of fecineftrations, pretenfions, careffes, and menaces, the was inceffantly aiming to fecure to herfelf an exclufive, univerfal, and arbitra ry influence over that part of the German Empire. — She therefore evidently violated the exilling treaties, and every one of her a&s may be confidered as an in fra/lion of the peace. Since Inc rupture of the trea ty of Amiens, Maria had, an more than onc oCca. lions, fnewn a partiality to England. She had recog nized by her Os the pretended right of blockade, which the Cabinet of St. James's has dared to arro gate, and according to which, a fimple declaration of the Englith Admiralty is fufficient to put under interdia all the coatis of a valt empire ; the had fuf fered, without remonftrance or complaint, the neu trality of her flag to be continually violated, to the detriment of France, againft whom all the violences offered to neutral flags were evidently &rated. All thefe Gas were known 4o the Emperor : many of them excited his folicitude. Thefe were real griev ances—they would have been jutt motives for war ; but for the love of peace, the Emperor even A ttained from all complaint, and the Court of Vienna received from him only new teftimonies of deference. He had made a law for himfelf to avoid every thing that could give offence to Auftria. When called by the withel of his people of Italy, he repaired to Mi. lan, troops were affembled, camps were formed. with the fingle view of mixing military pomp with reli gious and political folemnities, and of prefeating the Sovereign Majefly in the mid'R of that fplendour that pleafes the eyes of the people. The Emperor will allow that he had alto Tome pleafure itf teeing his companions in arms re•alembled in the places, and on the very (pots which were confecrated by their victories ; but wifhing to prevent the uneatinefs of the Court of Vienna, if it were poffible that Court could feel any on the occalion, he caufed that Court to be allured of his pacific intentions, by declaring, that the camps which had been formed would be railed after Tome days, and this promife was cleat) , fulfilled. Aultria anfwered by proteflations equally friendly and pacific, and the Emperor quitted Italy with the Pleating hope that the peace of the Continent would be prelerved. But how great was his aftonithment, when, fcarcely arrived in France, while at Boulogne battening the preparations for an expedition which he was at length on the point of carrying into effea, he received from all parts the intelligence, that a ge neral motion pervaded all the forces of the Auftrian Monarchy ; that they were advancing by forced marches on the Adige, in the Tyrol, and on the banks of the Inn, that thofe abfent on furlough were recalled, that magazines were forming, that arms were manufaanring, that levies of horfes were rail. ing, that they were ereOing fortifications in the de. files of the Tyrol and about Venice, and that every thing was doing which announces and is charaaerif tic of an impending war. The Emperor could not of firft believe that Auftria ferioufly wilted for war. That the wither! •to incur new hazards and to con demn to new calamities her people, fatigued by fo many reveries, and eihaulled by fo many facrifices. Having had it twice in his power to deprive the Houle of Auftria of half its hereditary Rates, far fi om diminilhing its power, he had increafed it. If he could not count on its gratitude, he thought he could rely on its faith. He had given it the high. eft mark of confidence it was poffible for him to give. in leaving his continental frontiers ungarrifoned and difarmed. He believed it incapable of abufing this confidence, becanfe he would have been fo himfelf. Theft arc furpicions which canntt enter into gene rous hearts, ncr find place in refleaing minds. The Emperor took pleafure in confirming hfrnfelf in his favourable prefumptions, and he did not fear to thew to what point he &fired to fee them eftablithed. The Court of Vienna omitted nothing to prolong the it. lufion. It multiplied pacific declarations ;it proteft ed on its religious attachment to treaties ; it autho rized its Ambaffador to make the molt alluring de clarations ; it fought, in fine, at well by plaufible explanations as formal denials, to diffipate the fufpi cions its meafures may have given rife to. Still, the hotlile preparations redoubling every day in extent and activity, became more difficult to be juflified. The Emperor ordered that Count PHII;IP DE Co sawrzeL, Ambaflador of the Court of Vienna, ttionld be invited to hell' conferences, and that the correfpondence of the diplortiatic and commercial agents of his Majelly fliould be communicated to him. For four fuccellive days M. de Corsa rztt waited on the Minifler of Foreign Relations, Mho placed before his eyes the difpatches previoutly re ceived, and thofe which arrived ftrecellively from all parts of Germany and Italy. The Cabinets of Eu rope will find in their archives few examples of fimi lar communications made in circumft antes in which .. ~.1 .. fufpicioi was fo natural. The Emperor tank} not give a more convincing proof of his good faith—he could not carry fincerity or delicacy farther. 'The Ambaffador from Vienna took a view of the molt waive, the molt incantellible documents, which, from all parts announced the fpeedy breaking out of a war, always preparing though fo fludioutly con cealed. What anfwer could he make ?Up to that moment peace had been loudly profefTed by his Court at Paris and at Vienna ; but on all its frontiers war was at length openly organized. The Emperor, however, was unwilling to reject all hope of accom modation. He perfuaded himfelf that Außria may have been led away by foreign fuggetlions, he re• folved to do every thing to bring her back to a fenfe of her true interefts. He repretented to herithat if the did not with for war, all hor preparations were without an cobra, inafmnch as all her neighbours were at peace—that therefore the was uncontcioufly, and coattail to her intention, tenting the caufe of England, by making in her favour a diverlion not lets powerful. nor lefs injurious to France, than a de clared war would be. 46 If the wifhed for war, he made her fee its pro. bable confequences. Superior to all the contidera tions, which are bars only to weaknefs, be did not diffemble that he dreaded war—mot that after to many battles fought in the three parts of the old world he could fear dangers ‘ fo often braved and fo often furmounted—but he feared war on account o f the blood it caufes to be foaled, on account of the fa erifices without number it irmlt colt to Europe ; and in confequenee of a love perhaps excel:Gee for peace, he conjured Auttria to delta from preparations which in the prefent (tate of Europe, and in the particular fituation of France, could be confidered only as a declaration of war, and as the refult of an agree ment made with England. Still further, he &fired that (imaax rcprefentationt fhould be addreffed to the Court of Vienna by all its neighbours, who, though bangers to the canfe of the war, whatever tit* caufe may be, had to fear being the victims of it. The conduct of the Court of Vienna weakened the hope every day. Far from defiding from its pretentions, it increafed them. It terrified by its ar maments the people of Bavaria and Suabia. It gaie the people of Helvetia reafon to dread feeing ra- Tithed from them the repofe which the aft of media tion bad reßored to them. All invoked France as their fu?port, as the guarantee of their rights. How. ever, it diffembled Rill, and as a pledge of its pea * intentions, it offered a fort of intervention which it is difficult to charaaerife, but which, confi. dering only its apparent object, could be regarded only as idle and puerile. The Emperor pf Raffia had canted paffports to be demanded for one of his Chambeilains, whom he had an intention of fending to Paris. The Emperor knew not what were the views of the Cabinet of Peterfburgh, they had never been communicated to him—but alsrqs ready to feize on every thing that could contribute to an ap protimation, he bad granted the laaffports without delay and without eoplanation. All Europe knows what was the reward of his deference. The Empe ror learned afterwards, by indirect ways, and alto by the reports that were circulated through Europe on the &Net% that the defign of the Court of Ruffia had been, to try by means of parleys to introduce at Pa ris a very grange fyttem of negotiation, by means of which the would at the fame time havetipulated for England, from whom; as the laid, the had full powers, which proves how much England was fore of her,' and have negotiated on her own account.— So that while nominally a mediator, the would have been in fat a party, and that by two different titles. " Such was the end of the intervention Raffia had projeaed, and a hich the had& renounced, without doubt becaule reflection suede het 'feel the inconveni ence of it. But it was precifely this fame Interven tion which the good offices of Atalriii had for their object to re-produce. It was not likely that France fhould have Coffered herfelf to be placed in a fituation in which her real enemies, under the plaufible 'mane of mediators, dared to flatter thettifelve's with int poling on her a hard and intuiting law'; but the Ca binet of Vienna, perhaps without' hoping that its good offices would be accepted, found a great advan tage in offering them, that of abating France for a longer time, making France lofe time, 'and gainlng time itfelf. At length, thrOwing off the malk, Aaf tria has, in a tardy anfwer, manifefled by her lan gnage what the had announced by her preparations. To the reprefentations of France the has antwered by acenfatiOns. She has made heifelf the apologia of England, and announcing that the was opening her States to two Rutlian armies, the avowed openly the concert that alas between her and Ruffle, in favour of England. This anfwer of the Court of Vi. tuna, full at•once of injurious allegations, of mena ces, and of craft, tended naturally to excite the in dignation of the Emperor; but thinking that through thofe intuits and threats he had a glance of fonts ideas which permitted him to hope, that an arrange ment would be (till puffible, the Emperor made his natural pride yield to confiderations all powerful over his heart. The intereft of his people, that of his allies, and of Germany, which was going to be come the theatre of war ; the define too, of doing a thing agreeable to a Prince, who, repelling with an honnurahle conftancy the intinuattons, the inflances, the offers fo often repeated of England, and thole the had feduced, had (hewn himfell always ready to contribute by his good offices, either to the re dials ment or the maintenance bf peace ; all there motives led the Emperor to makes his jolt iefleaions. He determined to demand of the Court of Vienna expla nations, which thould make known the hafts upon which negotiations could be carried on. He ordered the Minitter of Foreign Relations to prepare a note to this effect. The courier who was to be the bearer of it was on the point of letting out, when the Emperor was informed of the invalion of Bavaria. The Elec tor bad been fummoned to join army to that of Auntie, and, as if his anticipated refufal to make common caufe with Außria, from which lie never received but evil, again!! France, from wh:ch he never received but good, could have been to the Court of Vienna a jult motive for war, the Aultrian army, without any previous declaration, in contempt of the duties which his fituation of Emperor of Ger many impofes on the Emperor of Auftria, in con tempt of. the Germanic Con ft itution , of ;11e- Ger manic Empire kW; in contempt, in tine, of all the molt leered rights, patted the Inn, andaaver-run Be. in profound peace. • varia .1 pro. 6 4 After fuck an ad of the Cou:t of Vienna, the Emperor mild have no longer any thing to demr.n.l of it. It became evident, that even this Canyte;, propofed, with a tone fo imperious, and with view , , fo vifibly hostile to France, was but a new fulre for its good faith ; that Atifiria, nrsvocahly deterntin,l on war, would not return to it; pacific iders, and that the was not even tree to return to them. 'the courfe of exchange at all places proved evidently, that a part of the fums granted to the EnglA Ili stiffer, to anfwer his purpofes on the Continent, had reached its dedinatioe ; and the Power which bad to bartered its alliance, could no longer fpare tlic blood of its people, the price of vi:lich it had received All limber explanation with the Cunt of Vienna having thus become imppflible, the appeal to arms i, the only refource compatible with honour. L:: England applaud herfelf for having at length fauna allies ; let her rejoice that blood is about to flow ovt - the Continent; let her flatter herfelf that her bloo will be (pared; let her hope to find safety in tf.-, dikord of other States ; her joy skill be of fort dt ration; her hope will be vain, and the day is not fii diflant when the rights of nations will at length he avenged. The Emperor, obliged to repel an unjult aggreffion, which he had in vain exerted himfelf to. prevent, has been obliged to fitipend the execution of his &It defigns. He has withdrawn from the borders of the ocean thole veteran bands fo oftesa victorious, and he marches at their head. He will not lay down his arms till he has obtained full and entire fatisfaCtion, and complete fecurity, as well for his own dotninions as thole of his allies." CAUSES OF THE DECREE OF THE SENATE FOR RAISyNt, EIGHTY THOUSAND CONSCRIPTS, PRESENTED TO THE CONSERVATIVE SENATE, MY REGNAULT, (Di ST. JEAN ANGELT). " Sire, the eagles of your armies were about to aro& the teas ; the violators of the Treaty of Amiens, tor mented by remorse, agitated by fear, were on the point of being punifhed by your juftice ; but a few days more, and the liberty of the feat might have been conquered for the world, even in the very feat of the tyranny of the leas. There is another ad of per jury, which calls your Majefly to frefh combats. In fpite of fait)) pledged at Luneville, the Emperor of Germany threatens the French Empire. He is marching againft your frontiers both his own and the Ruf f ian troops—the broken remains of thofe whom your Majesty vanquithed, or fent home unranfomed. " Your army, Sire, formed of the fame legions which conquered the Auftrians and the Ruffians, cotopteted by French citizens, taken from every clafs and quarter of the empire—your army, whofe ftrength la increafed by the nature of its compofilion, whofe devotion to your perfon doubles its energy— your army, which knows how to feel and think, as it knows how to fight, whore indignation will, if pot: fible, increale its valour—your army is fufficient to fight and conquer, and the diverfion fo dearly paid for by England, will only have the effect of retard ing her humiliation, and changiag the fcene . of your brit triumphs. But if, while preparing, on the one band, to combat Great Britain, and confiding, on the other, on the fidelity of your al lies, perhaps trotting to the plain fentiment of their intereds, which, at any rate, (Mould have counfelled them m neutrality, your lajefty has not increaft ed your army, and have not prepared, by extraor dinary . levies, for a fuceetfive recruitment .I—diffe rent circumftances demand different meafures,--. In the years which followed the peace, as in thofe which followed the war, your Majesty has only called for the fame number of conferipts : you withed to leave as many as poffiblc for' the purpofes of agri cultute and the arts. At prefent, Sire, your wit: dom requires that the French youth fhould prepare to pay their country the whole debt, and even before the period when the would otherwife have called for the payment of it. The Orators of your Council demand your order to the Wife Men' (Sages) of the EMpire, to arm a more confiderable part of the tkrength of the nation ; and to order a levy of eighty thOutand conferipts for the year t 806. Several rea fons gave combined to make it the duty of the Se nate fo decree this mature. It is true, that the raiding of the conscription has been ordered up to the prefent time, by the Ades orthe Legiflative Body. " The propofition °feted to the Senate, will not diflnrb the order, nor deßroy the Wage heretofore followed ; it'will'only form an exception, which cir cnrultances jullify. Arid fit-ft, when his Majefly is at a diftance, leading his le.pona to victory, prudence prefcribis his - preparing, before he quits the centre of his empire, all the' means of fuccefs which his wifdomlias conceived. The delays neteffark for the convocation - of the Legiflative Body, would retard chide meafures, the quick execution of which, now become neceffiary, is guaranteed by the intervention of the Senate. Secondly, the alteration of the Kalendar pro longs the exercife feu' the year 4, which will be the fame as that of 1806, until the 13th of January, .18:17, and it will Confift of fifteen nionths. Hence refults the necetlity of a change in the pet iod of con fcription for the' year le. Following the plan of the divifion of the year; winch France has _Off aboliffied, this confeription ought only to include thoie young men, who will have attained, on the 22d of Scptem ber, tBos (the )all day of the year tab the age of zo. " Sire, your Majelly has declared in your Council, that your armies are already sufficiently iirung in men and arms, and that they priffefs all the means of tri umphingover the unexpected attack and the ill-advifed perfidioufnefs of your enemies'. A league m: re [ward tons and more formidable, was formerly ellablithed againd France; and the allied armies, increafed and swollen like the waves in the temped, were broken, like them, againfl the mounds that our battalions, un der your guidance and protection, have oppofed to them. The cold and 'blind fentiment of paffive obedi ence will carry the troops to-the fight that our enemies will collat. The enlightened and ardent fentiment of love of their country, and of their Monarch. will pre cipitate the French foldiers into the midtl of dangers. " The Chiefs of the Foreign Powers and Armies, having feparate interefts, unite for a moment by trea ties, to quarrel afterwards on their execution. — Though they agree in their Cabinets, they feldoia agree in the Camp, and Rill more rarely do their ge nerals agree with.each other in the field of battle.—e In France, on the contrary, in the Council and in the • Army, one fpirit unites all minds, fizes all interetic, cotmelts all the farces, plans all the refources, create , all the means, forefecs all the difficulties, has all th: affeidions at difpofal, directs all the movements, pre- . pares every fuccers . 4 and this fpirit is a compound ot