The National Register.
London, England, 1815-04-30 00:00:00

271

THE NATIONAL

defection pernicious to the interests o the Confederacy ?
and would not the French armies be once more able to
choose their field of action, instead of being reduced to
defend their own wasted country? It is wrong, therefore,
to fancy that we enter upon this contest either with a full
prospect of success, or even with a certainty of carrying it
ell. in France. The struggle, we repeat, will be tremen-
dous, and may be extensive in its sweep. It will bring
into question the political existence of all those who will
epgage in it, for the conqueror, whoever he be, will not
allow the subdued to start again and threaten his future
Kenrity. If it surpasses in bloodshed and devastation all
tie.' sanguinary and destructive contests which we have
iiitlierto witnessed, whether it ultintately causes regene-
rated Europe to rise in the majesty of freedom, or re-
places and rivets the chains of slavery on her hands, it will
at least yield this negative good fo mankind) the long re-
pose of exhaustion.

A Flanders mail arrived on Sunday night, which brings
full c,nfirmation of the commencement of hostilities in
Italy, and of B battle between "the Neapolitans and Aus-
trians, in which the latter claim the advantage, and assert
they made 5/00 prisoners. It was the Austrian General
Who was opposed to Murat., The official buillctin,
published by the Austrians, says, that he had orders to retreat
on the approach of the Neapolitans. however, on arriving
at I'anaro, it stated —" that he thought it not becoming
the honour of the Austrian arms to contintre his retreat
,without fighting." The action took place on the 4t* inst.
-on the peat road leaning to Modena; it was merely with
the advance of Mnrat's army, and the arrival of the main
hods' of the enemy, induced the Austrian General to con-
tinue, his retreat. He arrived at Carpe on the sth; but no
notice is taken of his subsequent movements. The Aus
t, jai) Commander in Chief in Italy, Field Marshal Frimont,
ha. noticed the affair in a General Order to the troops, in
which he accuses Murat of violating the Law of Nations,
in having commenced hostilities without a previous Decla-
claration of War.

The Ilasnhsergh Correspondent, received by the above
'Mail, contiins an animated Proclamation, signed at Vienna
on the 7th, by the King of Prussia. It commences by call-
ing his subjects to alms, to combat for the freedom of the
country. It mentions that a perfidious conspiracy has
brought hack to France the man who for ten years together
brought down upon the world unutterable misery, who, in
defiance of his abdication, which lie declared voluntary, was
Dow at the head of perjured soldiers, whose desire to render
war eternal, again threatens the repose of Europe. The
Proclamation observes, that France itself wants the aid of
the Prussians. The Decree of September the 3d, 1 8 14, is-
s...ed at Berlin, for the general arming of the people, is or-
dered to be executed throughout ell the Prussian dominions.
The King promi.es to lead his armies into the field, and to
share their dangers as he did in the memorable campaigns
of 1 I:3 avid 18 14.

The. Princess of 'Vales arrived on the 26th of March at
C.enoa. Her Royal Highness was saluted by the guns of all
!lie ships in the port, and those on the ramparts. Lord
Bentinck and the Sardinian Governor, Count des
Geneis, soon after wards uaited upon the Princess. Her
lloyal Highness had not left Genoa on the Sd of April.
A new 74 gun ship, called the Defence, was launched at
Chdtlhuo, on Tuesday..

FRENCH PAPERS.

ACT ADDITIONAL TO THE CONSTITUTIONS OF THE EMPIRE..
Napoleon, by the grace of God and the Constitutions, Emperor of the
French, to all present and to come greeting.
Since we were called, fifteen years ago. to the government of the
State by the wishes of France, we endeavoured, at various times, to
improve the constitutional forms, according to the wants and desire. •
of the nation, and profiting by the lessons of experience. The con-
stitutions of the empire were thus formed of a series of acts which
were sanctioned by the acceptance of the people. It was then our
object to organise a grand federative European system, which we
had adopted as conformable to the spirit of the age, and favourable
to the progress of civilization, In order to attain its completion-
and to give it all the extent and stability of which it was suseepti- •
ble, we postponed the establishment of many internal institutions,
more particularly destined to protect the liberty of the citizens.
Henceforward our only object is to increase the prosperity of
France, by the confirmation of public liberty. Hence results the
necessity of various important modifications of the constitutions, the
senatus•consulta, and other acts which govern this empire. Fur
these causes, wishing, on the one baud, to retain of the past what
was good and salutary, and on the other, to render the constitutions
of our empire in every thing conformable to the national wishes and
wants as well as to the state of peace which we desire to maintain
with Europe, we have resolved to propo;:e to the people a belies of
arrangements tending to modify and improve its Constitutional
Acts ; to strengthen the rights of citizens by every guarantee, to
give the representative system its whole extension, to invest the in-
termediate bodies with the desirable respectability and power- to
nr•e word, to combine the highest degree of political liberty and iu-
di vidual security, with the force and centralization necessar) for
causing the independence of the French people to be i•espectt d by
•orciguers, and to the dignity of our crown. In consequence, the
fiillow ing articles, forming an act supplementary to the constitutions
of the empire, shall be submitted to the free and solemn acceptance)
of all citizens throughout the whole extent of France

REGISTER. APRIL3O
•
• 104EIGN INTELLIGENCE.