Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1811-10-31

diminished the Prussian territory one half {:
augmented that Of saxony to dy6blc it's for
mer extent and elevated it t2/6ie royal dig
nifty; rcin$hccl the new fa(Grativc systen,
with the nfmarchy of Wea6halia, and push
cd ed the the e2nteas0n of,Nhine to tho-hores
The American rcsfi-r, to obNin pretty
accurate notion of fhis confederation of the
Rhine, may Suppose the present FScnch en-
lperor to be the President of United sIurope.
and he will not be much in error. The Ba-
lance Qf' Poorer, which existed before the
French Revolution, was system such as we
may suppose these States would be without Il
General Government, in which the chief OBJ
Iect was to prevent any ore state rising to
|preponderacy hence, under that system the
continent or Europe was scene of wars un-
dertaken tpr.the preservation OF the Balance
OF Power, via of negotiations to adjust it.
Napoleon, in framing the fcslcrative system,
makes Fra6e the head OF the confederation
and himselDhe Chief. Il is upon this plan
that Bonaparte ATTEMPTS to regulate the com
rcrcial code Of the European continent, as
the government of the United States regulates
the trade of the several states that compose
the union; with this material difference, how
ever, that i'll Europe, the head of the confc-
dcracy is imperial, Ill the branches monar-
chal, and the system entirely the result of
force; whilstin America the head and men,
bers ofthe confederation are republican, and
the system ri the general government the re-
suit OF SUBSTITUTION voluntarily adopted and
maintaineSby all the States of the Union.
It wouldTe premature to cnumeratc the
component PITS of the present French en-
pire, for it issstill liable TO the changes which
the prevailing war must eventually produce.
Suffice it to say that the French Revolution
which terminated the Capetian race broke
ont in 1889, that it lasted with great turbu-
lence and much vicissitude till 1899, when
Napoleon Bonapartc was chosen first consul !;
that the same man was, in 1904, crowned en-
pcror of the French by his armies; and that
he has, during the existing war, which COM
mencedfin 1908, gained many brilliant victo-
ries, SUI ued&5r conciliated all the powers of
contineH (drope, except Spain, whose So
ye YER he tS decHye (; from Madrid
ed in subjugating Spain and Portugal, (the
royal family of the latter having been com
PEELED to fly for refuge to Brazil in South A.
| merica,) and that the English, in conjunction
with the Spaniards and Portuguese, are OPP
posing to him all the military forces of their
| respective countries. At the time am writ
ing (Oct. 1917 appearances are strongly in
favor of q subjugation of the country by the
French.
The Emperor Napoleon has instituted eve
ry thing anew; A new criminal and civil
code, new titles of nobility, new organization
| of the armies, of the finances; and he propa-
| gates new ideas of sovereignty and of obedi-
ence The forms of legislative body are
preservedsbut his government is, essentially,
military despotism. Among other institu-
| tions, he has established twenty-five hcredi-
| tary duchies, twelve whercofare in the Veneti-
| an country, namely, l. Dalmatia 3. Istria 3.
| Fruli 4. Galore; S. Belluno; 6. Conegliano !;
z. Trov o; s. Feltri; 9. Bassano; 10. Viceu-
| "a; 11.Padua; IL. Rovigo. There arc three
| duchies in Parma, six in the kingdom of Ma
| pies; and one in Massa-Carrara. All these
| duchies are endowed with domains, and one
| fifteenth of the revenues of the provinces
| where they are situated is appropriated TO
! them.
The Historians Of France are, Gregory of
| Tours, who left an ecclesiastical and pro-
| phane history from the establishment of chris
| tianity among the Gaus to the year 595 his
narrative is simple, credulous, without me-
| thod or order, and his style is that of his
| century ::'he is considered the father Of French
history.t. Frederegaire, author Of a Chron-
Gle (undfP taken by order of Childebrand, bro
| Their of Charles Martel) of a very barbarous
style and method, but precious for its anti
| quty. Marculfe, a monk, who left two books
| OF collections OF general and local acts of the
sovereigns of France. Eginhart, secretary
| and son-in-law of Charlemagnc, the most
polished writer of his time, has left detail
ed life of that prince, and Annals of France
from 741 to 500. Adon, who wrote a uni
versal chronicle from the creation Of the
world to S7s. Nithard, who has left the his
tory of the civil wars of Eouis-le-Debonnaire
Abboa, who wrote in Latin verse the relati-
on Of the siege of Paris by the Normans
| Regimen, who died in 915, left Chronicle OF
his own time, particularly esteemed for that
part which relates to Germany. Almoin,
who wrote a history of France in five books,
full ofawnnders and fables. Fulbcrt, whose
epistleA Ngitten in good style, throw much
light orAh4 events of his own time: he died
in i028& vile Hardouin has written with
modesty and candor the taking Of Cohstan-
tinople by the French in 1904. Joinville, who
wrote the life and reign Of ST. Louis Gull
laume de Nangis, who wrote the life of ST
Louis & his son, & died in 1902. Froissard,
who left a Chronicle of the principal affairs
of Europe from 1926 to 1900, much esteem
ed; he was poet as well as an historian
Monstrelct, who continued the chronicle oil
Froissard, to 1852. Jean luvenal dcs Ursins
has left the history of Charles VI. from l. CSC
to 1922, and is considered partial to the Or
leans party. Philip n Comminae,who wrote
memoi upon the hi&pry ofEouis II. and
Charld I'll from 146Ako 9s, which are