176 



State b/ Public Jfairs in Augujl, 1805. [Sept. i; 



That the Empire of the Mahrattas was anni- 

 tilatert ? That England has doubled lier 

 power in India, and that no Kuropean fliip 

 can fail in thofe feas ? Did he think tliat 

 France would give up her commerce with 

 India for ever r Did he alfo fee, that that 

 commerce alone was not the main point ; 

 that Eogland iias obtained that point winch 

 Catharine never would fuifer, by her cannon 

 at Copenhagen ; that, what France never 

 ■will allow, was obtained of Ruffia, by Nel- 

 fon, ill the Gulph of Finland ; that fmce 

 that Treaty, io contrary to tl\e rights of 

 which even the nations the leaft bold are jea- 

 lous, various interpretations have been made 

 of the right of blockade ; that whole rivers 

 have been blockaded ; that Cadiz was block- 

 aded, even when our fquadrous were maf- 

 ters in the Streights ; that Venice is block- 

 aded, although no Englilh has been feen 

 there for fix months paft, and that no neutral 

 vefl'el was feen there neither during lix 

 Tiiouths ; the effects of a llrange connivance 

 in other Powers ? At Venice, 'J'riefte, Lif- 

 bon, and in the northern ports, all Ihipments 

 for Genoa were ftopped from the moment 

 that port was declared in u ftate of block- 

 ade. 



" Did that rienipotenliarj' come to fay, 

 that rmllia had procured the liberty of the 

 Indies, and of the European commerce in 

 India ; the recognition ol' the univerfal fove- 

 reignty of the leas ; the renunciation of all 

 the interpretations concerunig the right of 

 cf blockade, henceforth limited to countries 

 attacked, or in danger of being taken, and 

 (in the true fenfe of the word to blockade) 

 furrounded on all fides ? Did he at the 

 fame time come to demand, that the Crown 

 of Italy fliould be placed on another head, 

 4.nd to require thefurreiider of fome parts of 

 tlve territory on the other fide of the Alps ? 

 If this was the cafe, he fliould have been 

 \\elcome ; he would have met with no ob- 

 ftacles, and his undertaking would have been 

 crowned with fuccefs. 



" But if he, approving what England 

 coes, recognizing her right to feurch all 

 fiiips, to place whole kingdoms in a ftate of 

 blockade, applauding the immcnfe increafe 

 of her power in India, came to reprefeiit to 

 France, that ilie ought to evacuate Parma 

 and Genoa, and renounce llie Crown of 

 Italy ; then it would appear that it was evi- 

 dently intended to opprefs France ; then it 

 v.ould be France which they would wifli to 

 bring bark to thofe timca when Poland was 

 jiartitioned without its own confent, when 

 means were found to terrify a degenerate 

 race, to deprive it of the confcioufnefs of 

 it* worth, and even of the will of oppofing 

 the oppieffiou. France has arms, courage, 

 and armies ; yea, of whatever nature the 

 coalition Ihall be which the Eiiglifli Minifters 

 may tind means to lorm, France, though re- 

 gretting tlie intluence of Englilh jgold on the 

 Cootifleut, will dilTulvc the "Ordiuu-kuot as 



well as the two preceding; As often as the.r. 

 ftiall ftep in between both to reduce England' 

 wilhiri equitable and decent hounds, no fa- 

 crifije will be too hard for France ; bqt If- 

 they will lay the whole weight upon her, Ae 

 will fee in thole, intentions nothing but }ia- 

 tred, envy, and infult ; and one rauft be 

 very ignorant in calculating the power and- 

 ftate of affairs, to hqpe to fucceed always. 



" Poland has been partitioned ; France 

 muft have for it Belgium and the Banks of 

 the Rhine. The Crimea has been occupied, 

 the Caucafus, the Mouths of the Phafis, &;c. ; 

 France mull: have a compenfation in Europe ; 

 The principles of felf prefervation require it. 

 " Is a General Congrefs of Europe wilhed 

 for ? Well. Let each Power place ut the 

 difpofal of that Congrefs the conquefts 

 which file has made within the laft fifty years ; 

 re-eftablifli Poland, reftore Venice to its Se- 

 nate, Trinidad to Spain, Ceylon to Holland, 

 and the Crimea to the Porte ; withdraw to a 

 diftance from the Phafis and the Bolphorus ;. 

 give up Caucafus and Georgia ; let the 

 Porte, after fo many difafters, take a littla 

 breath ; let the dominion of the Mahratta, 

 and the kingdom of iVIyfore, be re-eftablifli- 

 cd, or no longer remain the e-u:lufive proper- 

 ty of England— then ihall France recede 

 within her ancient boundaries, and in fo do- 

 ing, France all'uredly will not be the greateft 

 lofcr. Whence then this furious outcry, this 

 fummons to a crilfade againft a Power which 

 for the laft fifty years has derived lefs ad- 

 vantage than any other from the revolutions 

 of States, and the changes which have taken 

 place in every part of the globe, and which, 

 uniloriiily victorious, has retained nothing of 

 her conquefts but what was neceflary to form 

 an equitable compenfation ? 



" Eurojje had fuftained feveral dreadful, 

 fhocks ; focial order revived ; the Peace of 

 Amiens re-eftabfilhed the general fyflem.— 

 A feeble Miniftry, an unexampled arro- 

 gance, have kindled the flames of war anew, 

 and expofed the peace of all nations to a 

 ftate of uncertainty. The Continental Prince 

 who /hall firft join in this projctt of general 

 fubverfion, who Ihall firft give the fignal for 

 war, will be anfwerable for all the calamities 

 which may enfue from it, and fubjecl him- 

 felf to the merited curfe of the exifting ge- 

 neration. 



" It is the opinion of every intelligent 

 perfoii, that the refult of a war on the Con- 

 tinent can have no olher tendency than to 

 increafe the power of France. They are 

 alfo perfuaded that /he will not always have 

 the weaknefs, from a pure leeling of gene- 

 rofity, and the vain hope of (iromoting the 

 happinefs of mankind, and the peace of the 

 whole world, to evacuate numerous and po- 

 pulous conquefts. 



" It is the fafliion at prefent to invcigU 

 againft the ambition of France ; had Ihe, 

 however, been difpofed to retain the territO'^ 

 lics coa<iU9red by her wuis, tUe half of Auf- 



■ tna^ 



