The National Register.
London, England, 1813-12-19 00:00:00

DECLARATION OP THE AWED POWERS.

This important document, issued at Frankfort on the Ist
inn in reply to the appeal made by the french Senate in be-
half of peace, on passing the last conscription law, will be
round in another part of our columns. It displays, on the
part of the Allied Powers, a degree of moderation, which
cannot fail to counteract the efforts of NAPOLEON to per-
:mask his subieets that their national existence is threatened.
.•
Had the manifesto of the first coalition been similar to this,
the spirit of the French people would never have risen to
such a height, as to over flow the boundaries of France, and to
spread 3 lavoy and desolation over the whole European con-
tinent. Taught by twenty )ears of reverses and calamities,
of bitter and hopeless anguish, no sooner does the dawn of
liberty once more break on a reviving world, than the Allies
awaken to wisdom as well as to exertion. Their former im-
prudence roused a lion, by whose rage their power, their
greatness, and their independence were devoured. They
now see the policy of lulling him asleep by gentle demeanour,
instead ofexci t log his vengeance by loud menaces, conscious
Thai. their triumph will be the more certain. Hence the liberal
and advantageous overtures made by them, not oily to France,
as a nation, but to NAPOLEON as an Emperor. Hence
their new recognition of his title, and the offer of confirm-
ing to him an extent of ten itory, " which, under her kings,
France never knew." They relied too firmly on his un-
bending pride and insatiable ambition, not to expect that
the most favourable terms they might propose would be re-
jected as degrading, and that he would accept of no peace
but that which should lay Europe. in chains at his feet.
Hence they thought it not only safe, but politic. to proffer
conditions of unequalled generosity and magnanimity. They
would answer two ends. They would plainly show to the
French nation, that if. she were invaded, it was because her
oppressor would not make a most honourable and advanta-
geous peace, and that the spirit of resistance ought to he di-
rected against him, who alone subjected her to the evils of
invasion, and not against the Allies, by whom they were re-
luctantly inflicted. They would also tend to deceive NA-
POLEON Wins( if into a false estimation of his perils, which,
by reviving his bold hopes, would lead him most effectually
to his own ruin. Astonished at the liberality of the All ies,he
would consider it as a proof of their weakness, and the more
conciliatory their disposition would seem, the less wails' he be
inclined to accept of their concessions. It is on these grounds,
and with these views alone. we are convinced, that the Allies
have issued a declaration which holds out offers of aggrandise-
ment to France at the hour of her disastett,otherwise totally in-
explicable on principles 'of soond policy. We have, there-
fore, no doubt that nothing could more seriously disappoint
their hopes than to find that NA POl EON'S spirit had so far
been humbled by his reverses, as to agree to make peace on
time terms proposed. At the same time, we have yet no
sufficient authority, to announce his rejection of these con
ditions, though mentioned by some of the daily papers. It
cannot certainly be inferred from this Declaration, which
would have stated such an important fact, and made it the
ground of a fifth aypoai to arms; to punish -NA POL EON'S