The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-12-27
Qbe etnguirsr.
RICHMOND, 27!h DECESfDEsP.
AFFAIRS OF EUROPE

Ton on the fca or the victories of Bonaparte7
on the continent; the fpecious pre,ests or the
rea! incentives of the war; the imprefiions.
which 1t may produce upon the fate Of Europe
or OF the United States. are too mighty to
be gratped by the mott agacious ftatefman.
What can the Emperor of Aufria or. his bro
Their OF France propofe TO acco~p.i;l, by this
Improbable conteR What isle.ly TO i've its
Icatafrophe! What changes is il 10 produce
in the balance Of power in EUROPE, G. its forms
OF. government What imprs5lions, in coa
Junction with the Brififh fiiccef,es at f.a, up.
on the interefts of the only patton on earth,
| which atpires not to corqneft which facrcd!y1
refpeets the rights Of Europe; and in whole
| welfare we feel m,iit anxioas and undivided
concern? Thefe are oueitiors, which cannot
be too carefully pondered but where is the
man who pof1efies;he materials for a profound
inre!tigation, or that prophetic fpirit, which
catches fuch events before they arif,- & difcrrns
effects IN their mot diaani caufes? Every arri-
val from Europe tranfmits US new aud unex-
petted intelligence. Every day and alrno;t eve
ry hour !i,its tie conrie Of events And where,
maywe ak, isthe man, whocan pretend from
| the 'hape aud dimeniions of a pafiinr cloud, to
calculate its phafes for fome future hour Is.
IT we retrace the hiffory of the few paft
months, we perceive nothing but nyfery i'm
the diplomatic movements OF Europe. Con
trary TO the rational expectations of every im-
partial itatefnan, the Emps-ors Of Autt,ii ami
Kuiila have hecoIe party in the var. Is there
any, who will dare to decypher the intrirucs
OF their cabinets and the iecret Objects, which
they have in view? Was il from the charms
and intrigues of fome Brittle, attrefs, who fcu-
red ON the Theatre at Petersburg, that the En-
pcror Alexander like his nfane father, has been
Periuaded to unihrathe the fword of defrueti-
on! q, was il fome other accident fome O.
Their paii,on, equally contemplate in itfe,f, but
equally fatal in its consequences, wherever tn,
fate OF nations is entrntrd to the blind iud.-
ment OF one man the affuion OF 4 elafs of
water upon the fp!endid pstticoat of lady,
j or tie frown of a ccurter; that the Coilacs
have poured from their native haunts upon the
!piains of Germany? Was it from the more TO
lid argument Of fubfidy and gold, GA which
Bonaparte harps with &, much dexterity in his
I addrehte to his troops, that the cabinets ofVi-
emma and Peteriburg have given up their fub-
Ijcets to the devaRations of war? Was it fome
more fplendid and fubfantial object; fome
one that will net melt away under the touch
ottimc iuch As the acqniiition of Swedii}l Po-
merania the chance or rounding off her DO
lin territories blythe addition of GaIiicia or ex
Itending her frontier 10 the Hcllcfpont, that has
tcondntted RulIia into The mia OF Europe {;
&m'Y we believe it to be a fact, accordinsto the
iHedged declaration Of General Mack, thar 60 the
,
hut was compelled TO it by Ruili4 ~ Or are
we at liberty. from what we know of the mo-
narchs and the prevailing ipirit Of Europe, to
afiigp more honorable motive for the coa-
lition whicn has been lately formed 1t NAV
hr, that alarmed by the previous ufurpations
OF bonapartc at home and among foreign ma
Tons ronfcions of the nerefity which his f.
Itu9tion impofed upon him Of dazzling his new.
tubieas by the fplendid profpce of extend
,ug their territory and their fame, and like the
Patris ians Of old Rome, of ,livrrtiDg the ewes of
his people fr''m his own. hollow prctenfions to
fcme acIuifition that would tickle their friyo-
lous vanity: perhaps alarmed, too, for the fafe-
ty OF their own dominions, the courts of Au-
tria and Rullia deemed it neceHary, at fuel, a
cribs, to fep between the ambition of Boaa-
parte and the falvaton or Europe. The crifis
a: which they came forward for The conf,,n,ma
ton al this political crulade, teems, indeed. in
One point of view, to fuoDort this honour,ble
explanation of their motives. I, was at TINE
when tne eriops of Bonaparte were encamped
on the !hIres ut the Engliih charmed, ready, to
all appearance, to effect their deficient upon G.
Britain; nation which, whatever NAV he
thought of the oppreflions Of its own people or
It's encroachments upon the rights of the fas,
IS tn be regarded AZ 4 counterpoif. to the actual
powe! OF the French, or the advancing frength
;of Ruiiia. Had Bonapare fucceeded in the
conquef of Britain, her navy, her wealth, her
ldihant pohtflions, united to his own, unrlS
have continued force difficult ts be refiied
by the coalitions of Europe, anil welded b. a
man of gigantic ambition. Is it then to reGft
this impending danger, that Aultria and Roffia
are now fighting undcr the banners Of the poll
teal crois of Europe Is this to be the hononr
able motive fcneJ for the recent coalition or
NUT we go back to the fecret motives, which
Bonaparte has Aligned to them 1.-THE influence
OF INC gold OF England, and the ambition of
Ruaia?
This queftion, about the real caufes of the
rrelent coalition. is all-important in the hiftory
of the war. If Ruffia and Auftria and PrufIia,
have gone into the CONTEXT, for the f,ke of re-
fitting Bonapartt's ambition, and of fecur;ng
the Balance of Power, they will fcarcey Law
down their arms before thefe o,jeG9s are ac-
comp'l.hed. Bonaparte mutt relinquilh his
dciigns upon England, his fecret influence in
4 Holland and Switzerland, and his iron fceptre
IN Italy;-he mnff at leaf content tn BE- fllorn of
fome of his beams, before the terms of pacifica-
lion can be pleaihg To the coalition. But If
this coalition has been ha;ched in the iu.ercftcd
views Of all or of one of the combined powers !;
If Rnfa has goge into the war for no other ;,::r.
Dofe than to fee how much fe may make out
oft if int RET and not virtue is the cement Of