Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1807-02-24
liz IL Gents Single. I

htHS.
SIRE,
A fourth coalition is formed. In less
! than a month it has been crushed, in less
than a month Prussia has seen her army.
her strong palaces, her capital, and her
| provinces fall into the power of your ma
1 jesty; and now she asks for peace. In the
I preceding coalitions each enemy Of France,
! from the moment it was conquered, also
| demanded and obtained peace. We hone
( that these individual and successive paci-
! fcations would conduct 70 a general peace
honorable and certain. Thrice has this
hope been appointed-thrice has expe-
rience proved that in following the same
system of moderation and generosity,
France would be constantly deceived.
Each coalition destroyed, produced a new
coalition, and France has been menaced
with an eternal war.
The French empire has arrived at de-
gree of power and greatness beyond even
the ambition ofyour majesty. Attacked on
all sides by a fury uneXampled and expos
ec to the alternative of pcrishing or con-
quering, France has fought only for its SAL
walton; and victorious, victory has only
| served to make her moderation more con-
! spicuous. She has destroyed those only who
wished to destroy her. She had made i'm.
mense conquests, of which she retained but
fed with still less, If the blind passions
which ragged round her had not forced her
to increase in order to preserve her power.
Now that she is attacked the fourth time
with the same spirit of hatred and the same
views of destruction, your majesty has no
other object than T. recover that Which is ins
dlspensible 10 the prosperity ofyour people.
Butitis an object which can only be obtain
ed by proiiting of all the greatness YOUR
advantages, * BY rcserying your conquest.
as objects of compensation in the arrange
ments OF general peace. Two powers.
the enemies of the repase of Europe, have
united to perpetuate discord and war. The
I objects Of their ambition are different. but
! similar hatred animates them AGAINST
France, because they know that France
VIII always be opposed to the ACCOMPLISH
ment OF their pernicious designs CONT
nualiy occupied with seeking TO raise enc
mics AGAINST her, they employ for this eff
{ feet all kind of q ~tisCes, intrigues, ncnaccs.
carres5eS, corruption and calumny and
while they aspire to invade, tn oppress and
to subject every one, tits France whom
they accuse of such intentions.
( England pTetends 10 the exclusive nayi-
( CATION OF the ocean--shc arrogates 20 her
self the monopoly Of all commerce, and a.,
! INDUSTRY, and wherever the ire sisti,Ie
/ ''HSS vi NNNH'H mas bJiI!,Ct rance 10 inter-
I pose in the afflirs other weaker neighbors,
and to interfere for their repose, England
has given the signal for accusations and
complaints. At first she sounded the alarm.
/ and because some cities or some countries.
which had been subject for ages TO The in
/ HuenCe of France, and still submitted. She
| represented France as mcnacing the indie
pcndcnce of the larger states Was II on
( these small states, which had for ages been
! submissive toher influence, and had been
| drawn into her sphere of faction was itnot
on the contrary on larger states, at ali times
| considered principals in Europe, that En-
| gland exercised her violence, when the pow
/ crs OF the North, which were united to de-
fend the eternal principles Of neutrality,
were forced to subscribe to her monstrous
pretensiOns and 90 sacrifice with their own
| interests the dearest interests of France
Then was the independence of nations not
only menaCed, it was attacked, violated.
and rs far rs it depended on England, ami
J hilated. Of what use was it that England
had been obliged to acknowledge, by the
J convention Of Petersburg, few Of those
/ principles, which neither her seductions
nor her menaccs had caused 70 I've aban-
doncd. Immediately afterwards she OPEN
| iytrod them under foo,, or eluded them. by
! abusing IN the most tvranuical manner the
/
cording to common sense, or to treaties.
| only apply to places invested and I'm dan
ger Of berg taken She pretended to ex.
! tend it 70 harbors, 20 the mouths OF rivers,
( To whole ceases. to an empire. Certainly
I France was never invested or in danger Of
being taken By England yet thr whole Of
! rance was declared Iva q state Of blockade.
I Did not England, by thus acting, lcul!, bro
claim that she acknowledged no law That
treaties toher were nothing-that she adj
mitted 10 other right than that Of force:
and that she counted as legitimate whate-
yer she could do with impunitv.
! The government Of Russia, instead ofbe-
/ ing occupied exclusively with the care Of
| Improving her immense estates, and of ex-
! plating by tho benefits . n wise LEGISLATION
and patcrnal administration the crime il
was guilty oftowar3s nation. indeDendsrt.
ancient, numerous, illrstrious, and worthy
Of a better fate, covcrts and mcnaccs with
destruction the vast and superb empire Of
the Ottomans. The same arihccs which
/ 1t employed against Poland, il now EMPLOYS
against Turkey. IL brcathes throurhout
the provinces n spirit of sedition End re-
volt--it cTcites, it arms, It sustains the
Scryiaus against the Porte. II rencws in
the Norca ,hC attempts which it unsuc-
ceesfullv made in f179. Wallachi7 and
Mod7via we're governed by two chiefs, un-
f9ithlul and trcachcrous The Porte had
q u