The National Register.
London, England, 1814-12-11 00:00:00

DEC. 11.

no one was qualified to impose upon it. It was the intention of the
Powers by whom it was more especially summoned, to retain
merely the general direction of the course of the business, without
infringing upon the rights of individual and completely indepen•
dent parties. By the personal presence of so many Monarchs,
Cabinets, and Plenipotentiaries of the greater and smaller Courts,
those impediments which distance and delay so often oppose to the
oaceessfal issue of complex negociations were obviated, and the
European Powers assembled•on one and the same theatre, recipro-
cally preseuttd, to the essential facilitation of business, a multitude
of points of maim' and means of negocia►ion, which, in their
state of seperation, never could have existed. The first European
Comte, availing themselves of this state of things, entered under
the auspices of one or more impartial mediators into direct negoci.
ations; and, at the same tune, the principal German Powers as.
sembled to deliberate upon the fundamental laws of the Federative
Constitution of the German States, announced in the Treaty of
Paris.

" The present state of the affairs of Congress', according to the
best accounts that I have been able to procure, is as follows:
" The central point, for the general conduct of hasiness, is com-
posed of the ei,rlit Powers who signed the Treaty of Pahl—Russia,
Prussia, Austria, England, France, Stveden, Portugal, and Spain,
'lnc Ministers of whom it consists have appointed the Chief Au-
at..ian Plenipotentiary to preside at their Meetings.
The German FoderaCve Con,titutlon is planned by the Plenipo.
tetniaries Awuria, Prussia, Bayeiia, Hanover, and Wirtemberg, and
ivill, it is underst9od, be speedily discussed by them, in conjunction
with the other German Courts. By means of the Constitution, &t.
vigned for it, Germany will agsin become a distinct political body,
and consolidated within itself and perfectly formed fur all purposes, fo-
reign and domestic, it will be, by i!s situation in the ruiust of the
riviliz-d world, the key-stone of a political edifice that I,hould afford to
all the States of Earope a permanent guarantee of their security and
re pose.
" The negneintians in regard to the future fate ()film Duchy of War-
ea mt. are cnrried on immediately between Austria, Russia and Prussia,
under the mediation of England.

" The yet nodetermined territorial arrangements in Germany are a
priocipal subject of the tvgociations between the Ministers of the
Poser; interested in theat. This business is kept distinct from the de-
liiheratmns on the future political Constitution of Germany.
" The affairs of Sxitzerland ore prosecuted with the deputies of the
Confederacy, under the mediation of the principal European Powers.
" Fur .lie settlement of such questions as yet remain undetermined in
Italy. there are its many different negociatiuns on foot us there arc par.
ties interested.

• 'f The Powers engaged in these negociations reserve the publication
of the results, which cannot lay claim to the definitive validity, ex-
cept in connection with the wh-le, :ill the final arrangement of all the
matters at issue, under the general guarantee of the Powers that have
taken part in them."

FRANCE.

The .important intelligence has arrived of the appointment
of Marshal SOUR to the Ministry at War. This is one of the
first military appointments of elevated rank, for the occupy
lion of which a celebrated French General of the Ecolc Na-
poleon has been chosen : connected with this,- it appears
that engineer officers have been busily employed in inspect-
ing the Flemish fortresses, and it is said a body of. troops is
collecting in Alsace. All the prisoners are said to have been
marched immediately to their depivs, and a considerable
army, of not lets than 250,000" men, is stated to be ready for
the field. These are troops of the first order. They are
composed of Sachet's corps, the corps' left in Germany, and
the prisoners from England and i; ussia.• The former officer
is appointed to the command in Alsace, now the greatest
command in France ; apd, as this step is said to be to give
weight to the representations of Talleyrand at Vienna, we
may soon expect to hear-of the appearance of a large body of
troops in Alsace and Champagne. However, we trust that
this will be averted by a return of that pacific disposition to
the breasts of the Allied Sovereigns that prevailed before
they went to 'Vienna. •

• The following are extracts from private letters
D F.C.- Q.—The order for iccruiting .the French
army, which-1. aianounced to you some flays ago, has,

fit

understand, been put into immediate execution. It will be
recollected, that in the reorganization of the army in the
course of last summer, an immense number of old soldiers.
as well as conscripts received permission to retire to their
families; but were to hold themselves in readiness to re-as-
semble, and join their regiments on the first summons. The-
Measure above alluded to, therefore, cannot properly be
considered a new levy, being only a rccal of such a propor-
tion of the furloughs granted as would notke an addition to
the troops on active service of 80,000 men. One h,lf of
these have already joined their corps. On the specific ob-
jects of this increase of force on the part of the Ft.encli
Government, it would be vain to speculate. The meaning-
of it must be referred to the negociations of the Congress ;
and it is perhaps designed to influence in some degree their
issue. It is quite familiarly talked of at Palk, that the
reason why M. Talleyrand has not appeared to interest him-
self with so much warvinth on the fate of Flanders as on tint
of Poland and of Saxony, is the perfect conviction enter-
tained by France that she can take possession of the Nether-
lands whrn she please..T, and that it would be both Superfluous
and imprudent to make a premature parade of anxiety about
that which she is a',le and resolute to seize upon at some
future day.

Drc. 3.—An event of some importance his occurred
within these few hours, in a change of the head•; of three
leading departments of the French ministry. Tu begin with
the first in point of consequence, ~,ether we regard the
office itself, or the hands to which it is now entrusted. (:e..
neral Dupont, who held, ever since the King's arrival, the
administration of the war department, was never popular
with the army since his surrender in Spain. Geiieral Du-
pont also has necessarily been the organ of all the reforms.
and reductions in the composition,of the army, which, how-
ever unavoidable on the part of the government, with a view
both to politics and to the state of the finances, have pro-
duced not a little irritation and discontent. Besides, the
complaint was very general, that the service did not go on ;
that obstructions were daily accumulating; and no decisive.
arrangements making to stop the progress of these twofold
evils—the unpopularity and imbecility of the Minister. The
King, therefore, determined at once on a change that should
operate effectually cn the morale of the troops, as well as on
the case of the public service. 1-le nominated Marshal Soult
as successor to Dupont. Soult's conduct in Bretagne has
wined him the esteem of his Sovereign. lie has the entice
confidence of the troops. As a man of general ability, he
tanks, perhaps, foremost of all the French officers; though
he is more distinguished for
.extent than accurac) of mind,
and notwithstanding his. fine organization of the South of
Spain, his adminivtrative talents are said to lee inferior to
those of Suchet, who divides the suffrages of the well-in-
formed persons here, with regard to his fitness for the %Var.
Department. The Duke of Dalmatia is not supeosed to
consider Tallevrand with much respect.
!Amongst the mischievous rumours set afloat in Paris, was
one that the King was likely to be attackssl on Thursday or
ht idav last, either on his way to the Odion, or during the
performance at that theatre. The Duke of Ragusa (Captain
of the guard in waiting) thought it the wisest part to take
some precautions. The military on duty %vete, therefore.
doubled, and the most unremitting vigilance exercised in all
quarters—but it soon was discovered to be a false ahrm.