1805.] State of Public Afairs in Auguft^ 1805. 



177 



tiia, the States of A''enice, the kingdom of 

 pies, Switzerland, and liolland, would ftill 

 have been fubjeiSt to her dominion. The 

 real boundaries of France are the Rhine and 

 the Adige. Did not the French penetrate 

 beyond the Adige and the Rhine ? Were 

 they prevented by force of arms from taking 

 the Suiza and the Drave as their boundaries? 

 Or did they not forego lliofe boundaries from 

 a generous moderation ? It is in the natural 

 courfe of things that men fucli as WoroiizofF, 

 Thugiit, and Acton (to whom Europe gives 

 little credit for capacity, while it afcribes to 

 them hatred againft every thing that is great 

 and liberal, and who have fold their con 

 fcicnces for Englifh gold), (hauld exert all 

 their influence to reproduce the calauutics of 

 war. The profperity of nations has occa- 

 (innedthc lots or the diiuiinition of their cre- 

 dit ; and this, too., is fortunate ibr Princes. 

 There are fome who have ceal'ed to reign iu 

 confcquence of lifteuing to their counfcls. 



" The calamities of a Continental war 

 would fall neither upon Ruffia nor England, 

 jnafmuch as the fcene of action woutil be in 

 Germany or Italy. What intereft then can 

 the French, the Italians, and Ihe Germans, 

 take is the njediation of Powers winch 

 would employ the luouient when they were 

 engaged iu the moll fanguinary attacks on 

 each other to arconipUIh the duwnlall of the 

 Turkilh and Perfian Empires ; the conftaut 

 policy of the Northern Sjates b;is been to 

 provoke wars from which lhe> theinfclves 

 had nothing to dread. Thus it was thnt Ca- 

 tharine for feveral years permitted Auftria 

 and PruUia to carry on the war, itill proniif- 

 ing them affiftance, which, however, could 

 not prevent the French armies from appear- 

 ing before the gates of Vienna Thus it was 

 that ihe late Emperor of Pvuflia extended the 

 calamities of war by furnifliing Auftria with 

 auxiliaries, at a time when Auftria would, 

 without them, have acquired many advan- 

 tages ; — auxiliaries, however, who, upon 

 the firlt reverie, trod back their fteps, and in 

 the middle of a campaign left their allies to 

 fuftain alone all the prelfnre of war, which 

 they had proiuifcd to fliare in common with 

 them. 



" In a word, France and RufTia can gain 

 nothing by a mifuaderftanding ; they can in- 

 fli'rt on each other no injury by a war ; and 

 whatever may be the policy sf either, there 

 is nothing iu which they can find fo much 

 advantage as in maintaining a good undcr- 

 ftandiug with each other. Wc have already 

 declared, and once more repeat it, that if 

 llullia evacuates the Uofphorus, Caucafus, 

 Pliafis, (jeorgia, &c. France will accede to 

 any arrangcmeiils which can be riipiired 

 with refpett to Italy. Hut, unfortuualely, it 

 is too well known, that no one finds pleafure 

 in facrifices of this nature : and hence 

 France inuft be allowed to Indemnify hcrfelf 

 fo as to coinpcnfatc lor fuch advantages as 

 lire obtained by ihe other powers. 



Mof.THLv Mac. N6. 133. 



"As to England, the Treaty of Amiens is 

 ftill in force. It was concluded after a deli- 

 berate and long inveftigation of tl>e recipro- 

 cal luterefts of the two States ; it was broken 

 unexpectedly, and upon idle pretences. Re- 

 eftablilh that Treaty, and both States are at 

 peace. But if England requires new condi- 

 tions— if (he willies to en<^er into a difcufilon 

 refpeCting the :rantiers of France on the fide 

 of Italy — let her give to France a thare of 

 the Mahratta territory ; let her, in fhoit, 

 adopt niHxinis confilleut with the indepen- 

 dence of the other Powers. 



" But the Englifli will perhaps fay, ' II is 

 better to link than to conlent t.'jat the flag 

 Ihall protect the cargo — IJiat a veffel, for 

 whatever Ihe contains, or whatever is done 

 on board her, Ihall be accountable only to 

 the Sovereign of the ^tate to which Ihe be- 

 longs — '.hat tfie Indies (Tiall ceafe to be our 

 properly, or that any other Piwer wliatlo- 

 ever ihtil have a right to (hire «il!i us in our 

 fuper- -nty in the Indies !" Do not yo;i 

 then e.xpccl that France Ihull enter into dif- 

 cnffions with you upon points which do not 

 concern you, or do you confent to enter into 

 difcullioiis with her upon points which in- 

 volve the facred intereits of all nations.'— 

 France duly appreciates the advar.tages of 

 peace ; but fne will carry on the war as long 

 as it (hall be nccelfary towards maintaining 

 the honour of her flag, and the preponde- 

 rance which it has acquired ; and until Ihe 

 hasobtaincd the aliurance, that in whalcvfr 

 quarter of the world a Frenchman may ifcoMr 

 hiiufrlf, lie fhall not have occallun to blu:Ti 

 in confpquence of the ihfults and arrogant 

 ali'umptions of the Englilli." 



At prefent tliets is every appearance of 

 a Continental war, in which R'idii and 

 Aiiliria wil iini:e their refpei'tive fores 

 ag<inll Fiance. This may divert B-na- 

 parte fr m the project o*' invaii ng ihcle 

 Icingdo'ns, for which grtat prepiia'ions 

 have been made on t'^e oppofite cialf.— 

 Whatever opinions iiid;vidiials mav f jrm 

 relpeitnig the thieatene.l attack, tbcre is 

 no doubt that the Adminiftra'ion ji:dge 

 it wife and prudent to be p;oviiied aoa nil 

 the blow. They h .ve, in conftqucnce, 

 direfled every vckinieei-corps in tiie ki'g- 

 dom to be ready at a momcnr''s warmr.g 

 to march towaids the fcene of atlion. 



The foil wing Circular L.tter has been 

 fent to the riitferent Viduntccr-coi'i'S 

 throughout the kingdonn : 



Sin, ■^■t%-4 8, laoj. 



In coiifequence of intelligence received 

 by GoviTiimunt of the embarkation of larpo 

 bodies of troops in Holland, of a fleet of 

 men of war being ready to fail from ihene, 

 and of the in>ri'altd preparations oi the 

 French at Moiilngus and its neighhoinbnod, 

 I Lave received orders kom His Tloval 

 Z lliahucf. 



