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 the 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*