The Sun.
London, England, 1806-12-11 00:00:00

Howecer, rrutsia, who pretencL to

lave so many ,!
• '

other grie.vances.to set forth, looks on this as'a gros.;
affront, a decisive reason. His Prussi3u Majesty
appears determined to plunge his, whole nation into
the horrors of war, .because a small 'corner of the ter-

, .
ritory, far removed from his States, was.trodden by
the horses of the Vrenth Army t and he then "de-
clares. to France that all his engagenients with her are
'dissolved. ire mak" his a.rn ty take not attitude suit-
-
ale to fircuinstances—."

It may, be readily seen why the King' of Prussia
suddenly becomes so ticklish Upon his neutrality:
till then he had l*n secretly .plcased at the losses of
a paramount, whom' lie chose to look upon as a
rival Power he had sincerely laboured fof the hu,
miliation of Austria. _But now he trembled at the

- .
ascendant which fifteen years .of .unjust Wats and
glorious viaories had given the French Power.—
Yet who-should think ~that, in' the midst of , the
exaggerations of his
.anger, and notwithstanding
the conviaion which the cabinet of Berlin had,
of its impoitance, its usual policy could have got
,the,better of that injustice which it thought it could
not wash away but in-rivers of French blood ? At
the moment when it was thought he was marching
to the field of battle, he qlfers, says the Manifesto,
to the coalesced to Ge the organ of Peace. But from
the habit of a constant contradiEtion between what
he does, and what he declares, he secretly sub-
scribes, on the 3d of Novemher, avngagement to
unite his forces to those of the Russians and Ans.-
trians.

This engagement was certainly a great political
error; but -there are , circumstances in which even
errors themselves announce courage, and in which,
like certain reverses, they are not without honour.—
No dourn'„ bad this engagement been faithfully per-
.fored, had Prussia immediately marched her army
-forward, Trance !eight have complained of so great
,a lightness in her engagements, of so quack and un.
founded an, irritation, and of so sudden a change ;.
but at least it was a frank war,. and courage would
have decided it. However, the. King of, -Prussia
was ciecumspeet. The dangers which he atill,saw in,
the execution of his -vengeance, moderated .his. im-
patience. The grand viaorious army marched against
Vienna, but- another French army then menaced
-Franconia, and whatever weight Prussia may wish
to attach to the 'resolution which she might have
taken, the fate of France did not'at that time de-
pend on her policy. , I
Thus her usual prudence got the better. There,
again appeared this time iu the midst of the Bellige-
rent Powers, Only an • Ambassador . instead of an,
*army e and this Ambassador, the witness of a deci-.
sive victory, arrived there only to sign an alliance,
and witness the Treaty of Presburgh.
Hitherto Prussia had nothing personal to alledge
. against Fiance, .but the passege over the ten itery. of
Anspach, 'She made herself in words the champion
of those who asked of her anions ; she presented
.herself upon the stage when there were, no more'
aaors,. She wished to affeit an overawing part; but
she met with the mortification of being disavoWed by
ail, the Powers in a part whiCh did not suit her. 'lt
ill became her indeed to attempt to diEtate laws when
she would not fight, and to plead for those whom,
ahe retU,ed to defend. 1
After this wavering condu&, she, however, reaped
great advantage from a quarrel into which she had •
net entered, and from a peace decided only by vle-
tory. She offered and exchanged_ three small Pro-,
vinces of her dominions agaiest.a permission to take
. . -
Hanover, long since the objet of her desires, and
which lay so convenient to her hand. She dares not
avow it atahis day„ ; slave passes lightly, as over live
cinders, over this concession, which she wished for.
and, solicited, and :upon which France -never stipu-
lated any thing further than a kisser faire (let her
do it). However, Prussia dire&ly got the country ad-
.
.ministered in her name ; she every where set up her
arms; she raised taxes and exercised all the privileges ,
of sovereignty... By this . tad alone she was at war
-with England, as by her pretensions upon Swedish
Pomerania, she bad formed against _Sweden. From'
the friend of Frauce, , Prussia was become her Ally,
and had promised to support her interests. She was to
begin by shutting-her Ports against the eternal ene-
mies of France. But at the moment when every thing
tommanded her to 'have at length a frank and de-
cided 'policy, Prussia assumed, to the great-astonish-
ment ofEurope, a still more equivocal and hypocri-
tical attitude. Her ports were blockaded, armies
were drawn up in presence of each other, and did
not yet know whether.they were at War..

After eN.ercising for several months the rights-of
Sovereignty of Hanov'er, the King of -Prussia began
'to testify to' the King of England that he regretted
}is being forced to keep his patrimony. At present
be seems to wish only for a temporary possesvion, and
we shall soon see that the most violent of griev-
nces is, that England proposed peace to France
upon the basis .of this very restitution which the

.LoNDoN : Printed by RICIIARD 11A 'tills, Of No, 4, Martlett.c6urt, Bow-street •" and published by'.. ILLI Am Aami G R SCRIPPS, Qt. South Nlo;toh.,t.e_.s,i,r...r,u, r-square;
At the Sur;-Ovitc it, No. t.; tratici-; where AdverlisemOits; Orders for the•Pifpr,. Leiters-for the- k;ditttr,•&:c. (pcst-poid). lutist Is: add restc,...