The National Register. — London, England, 1815-08-27 00:00:00

TUE NATIONAL REGISTER; 559 STATE PA PERS. R EPORT . To the king on the Situation of fiance, and on the Relation, with the Foreign Armies, ly Fouche, Minister of the Ge- ntral Police. " SIR,E,—The devastation of France is . at its teight. Every thing is ruined, wasted, and destroyed, as if we had neither to hope for peace nor composition. The inhabitants fl hefoic undisciplined soldiers—the forests are filled with unhappy beings, who seek in them a last asylum—the crops are perishing on the ground ; in a short time despair will no longer listen to the voice of any authority, and this war, un der taken for the triumph of moderation and justice, will equal in barbai ity those deplorable and too celebrated in vasions, the memory of which is handed down in *history Nvith horror. " The Allitd Powers have ton loudly proclaimed their doctrine to allow us to doubt of their . magnanhnity. What advantage can be derived from so many useless eyils ? Shall there be no longer any bond of connection between the tn-. Cons ? Do they wish to retard* the reconciliation of Europe with France ? One of the views of the Sovereigns seemed to be to secure the government' of yobs Majesty, and yet its authority is incessantly compromised 'by the state of impo tency to which it is sawed by them. Its power is even rendeted odious by the evils of which it seems to be the ac complice, because it is unable to prevent them. Your Ma jesty signed, as ally, the treaty of the `lath March, and yet the most direct war is carried on against you. " The Sovereigns are acquainted with the degree of intel ligence posseised by the French : no reasoning, no descrip tion of faults, no kind of proptiety escape the penetration of that people; though humiliated by necessity, they resign themselves to it with courage. The only evils which they cannot suppport, are those which they cannot comprehend. Ilas not your Majesty done every thing for the interest of the Powers and for peace which depended on your efforts? Buonaparte has nut only been dispossessed, but he is in the. bands of the Allies; his family is equally in their power, as it is within their territories. The Chambers have been dis solved. Soon there will be no men in public functions but t!:ose who may be depended on, and friends to peace. " The Buonapartists were dreaded, though none of them Gan any longer be dangerous. Your Majesty, however, has or. this subject granted every thing that could be granted or rs.r ; oired by way of example. " If, after vanquishing France, they pretend that it ought still to be punished, this language, which ought not to have been expected after the promises of the Sovereigns, requires that they should weigh well all the consequentes: For what do they wish to punish us ? Is it to expiate the ambition of o:ie man and the evils which it has produced ? We Were our.: selves the first victims, and we have twice delivered Eu rope from them. It is not in foreign countries, but in Trance, that terror has constantly troubled -his repose, not withstanding his power. - , _ . " lie was never able to render the war national: instill• merits are hot accomplices, Who does not know that the person who exercises tyranny finds always in the multitude a hdlicient force to make himself obeyed ? We arc even reproached with his successes : they were gompensated by a number of reverses. What image did the announcement of his victories hold up to us, but that of the conscriptions which perished and closed their ho r t career, reply to utak; new conscriptions. which were again to be 'flowed down in kattie I W c were saved, like the lea of .won 17 t h e rdroc wourpings and the ;Awe calamities. AUG. 21. " The army is submissive to your Majesty, but it still exists. We ought to explain ourselves •on this subject without any reserve. What remains of the army is now only attached to peace and the public tranquillity. Its state of re-union, far from . being an evil, prevents the evil from extending. • The return of the soldiers into the bosom of the people will be attended with no danger when the conclusion of the war shall allow the people the means of resuming their occupa tions and their habits, but before that time, and so long as the fermentation is not extinguished nor obedience establish ed, the.mingling the soldiers with the citizens, would he only throwing new inflammable matter into the flames. " It is grievous to think, that this state of things originates in the ertor of:Sotne Cabinets, in the judgements f:rtned by thein on the situation of Fiance. The fulfilment of all their desires depends on themselves alone. There are no sacri fices to which an enlightened people will nut readily submit when they see the object for which they are exacted, and finding them the means of avoiding greater calathities. Such is the disposition, such the wish of every Frenchman. " But if they, on the other hand, wish to obtain prepara tory measures for unknown plans, they demand a thing im possible. There is no such thing. as blind obedience in Prince. The Powers have not yet published any of their designs ; no one knows what idea he ought to entertain of the Government, of the authority of your Majesty, or of the future. " Anxiety and suspicion are at their height, and every thing appears a subject of terror in the midst of this ob scurity. But a single word would change every disposition; there would no longer be an obstacle to any measures, if they made a part of a general plan which should altogether afford some conciliation to obedience. " Let the Sovereigns then deign to explain themselves.. Why will they persist in refusing this act of justice? Let them deign to bring forward all their demands as so many conditions of the repose of tge nations, and let our concession to their views make part of a reciprocal treaty, and there will no longer he any difficulties. " The Sovereigns do not, perhaps, auLdcientlY reMark. tbd circle of embarrassments and obstacles in which they place both us and themselves. We require good order to second, them, and their explanation to re-establish good order. Are they desirous of sacrifices which require reparations and prompt obedience ? It is only requisite for this purpose, that the 'authority of your Majesty should be full and entire; nothing is possible, nothing can be executed, if peace does not exist in reality, at least provisionally, .and far from being in a state of peace, we experience all the calamities-of war. " Let the sovereigns bestow at least some attention to their own interests. When every thing shall be ruined and devasta(Cd around their armies, how will they fiud means of subsistence? . h there no danger in dispersing, .the troops All arms will not be taken away, and arms of all sorts are. murderous in the hands of despair. With respect to warl;ke contributions, what new sacrifice. can be demanded whet e every:thing has already been destroyed by the soldier i With respect armed force, when once discipline is relaxed, it'is not ea!ily re•established. Germany is far from expecting, after a glorious cam paign, to receive back her soldiers, corrupted by a spirit of licentiousness, rapine, and pillage. " This war ought to have been in every respect, distin guished from others, instead of imitating and surpassing in • Fonce the excesses against which the - Sovereigns tool( up arms—rW ill their glory even be satisfied t Qu olir part wo . have done whatever they desired ; and on their part every thins which had been announced to the world is (tailed* ~,...~W