^80G.] ': Stale vf Puhllc Affairs in October, 1 SOff: 



389 



-to the juftlce of his caufe ; to Che refources 

 and bravery of his people; to the fidelity or 

 his allies; and, above all, to the protedlion 

 and fupport of the Divine Providence. 



In contributing to the great eftbrts which 

 fuch II conteft muft unavoidably require, his 

 fait!'.ful and affedtionate fubjeiVs will not for- 

 get that all thuir deareft interefts are at itakc; 

 that no facrifices they can be called upon to 

 make, are to be compared with the certain 

 difgrace and ruin of yielding to the injurious 

 pretenfions of the enemy ; that with the in- 

 violable maintenance of the good faith and 

 public honour of their country, its prof- 

 jierity, its ftrcngth, and its independence, 

 are elTentially connected; and that, in aliert- 

 ing the riglits, and upholding the dignity 

 al the Britilh S^mpire, they deiend the moll 

 powerful bulwark of the liberties of man- 

 kind. 



PRUSSIA. 



Tlie die is Ciiit between "France and 

 Pnil'lia. Tlie King of Pi'ullici and tiSe 

 Jbi-dijaiit Kmperor of tlie French loft 

 riieii- capitals, and placed themfelvcs at 

 the head of tiieir refpettive armies, about 

 the fame period Tiie French aUbniblcd 

 in inyriuds in Fianconia, and on the 

 frontiers of Saxony ; and the Kins: "f 

 Pruffia brought together at leail 200,000, 

 pear Weimar anil Jena, 



It was the obvious policy of the Prufllans 

 to rei'ufe their riglit ; and with all their 

 iijrces to prevent llieir left from being 

 turned. Any perlon who views in a map 

 the course of the Saal, will perceive that, 

 if the French became inaliers of the eaft- 

 crn lide of that river, Drefden and Berlin 

 ■were expofed, and the PrulUan army cut 

 prt" from its allies and all its refources. 



Bon;iparte required no capacity above 

 that of an ideot to induce him then to 

 force the Prullian left wing ; and in this 

 lie was permitted ealily to fucceed ; the 

 Uiitive Germans lullering parties of only 

 thirty or forty French to advtknce twenty 

 piilcs into the rear of the PrulUan army. 

 As i()on as the French had, by forced 

 inarches, and with little or no obltruction, 

 jjot poHeflion of the ealtern lide of the 

 ijaal, and of the country behind the 

 ^ I'rulli.in army, titc latter began to retreat, 

 and after a bloody conflidt on the 14th, 

 fucceeded in forcing a palFage towards 

 Magdeharg, leaving Prulfia and Saxony 

 at tlie mercy of the French. 



With means fo mifmaiiaged, is it to 

 bo wondered that \.he Ji'oi^7-gr iif niunkind 

 iuccceds as he docs in overturning em- 

 pires } 



Previoully to the comroencement of 

 Jiodiiities, his PinlVian Majidly ili'iied the 

 (')llowiiig aiimuitcd appeal to the nations 

 *if Europe ; 



As his Majefty the Kin^ of Pruffia has 

 taken up arms for the defence of his people, 

 he thinks it neceilavy to lay before them, ani 

 all Europri, the circumftances which have im- 

 pofed this duty on his Majefty. . 



The politics of Fiance have been the 

 fcourge of humanity during the lait fifteea 

 years. Thnfe men who, in rapid fiiccelTioiij 

 have been at the head ot aifairs in that coun- 

 try, li.iveoiily fouglit the means af their do- 

 minion in war, and the guarantee of their 

 cxirtence in the wretchedneis of the people, 

 may be viewed without aftonilhrneiit. But 

 the introduilion of a vc.julur government, to 

 which the farr.e neceffity could not be imput.^ 

 ed, gave new life to the hopes of the friends 

 of peace. Napoleon, invefted wiJi the fu» 

 preme power, viitorious, furrounded by wealcr 

 er ftates, triendly-difpofed governments, or 

 conquered and cxhaufted rivals, had it in hi* 

 power to perform a better part. For the 

 greitnefs ot France, nothing more remained 

 tor him to do ; for her happincfs, every thing 

 was in his power. 



It is p.iinful to be compelled to fay, tlwt 

 French politics ftiU remained the fame. An 

 infatiable ambition was Hill the ruling paliion 

 of France. She made ufe of arms and of 

 treaties with the fame view. The peace of 

 Amiens was fcarcely concluded, be ore the 

 fignal for the firft afts of violence followed.' 

 Holhnd and Switzerland, two independent 

 ftates, were compelled to accept a comtitution 

 which converted them into French provinces* 

 The renewal of war was the conlequence. 



Peace, however, ftill continued upon the 

 continent. Tlie German empire had pur- 

 chafed it by incalculable facrifices. In the 

 midftof this peace, neveithelefs, the Freupl» 

 troops invad^'d tiie Eleilorate of Hanover; a 

 country which iiad no concern in the war be- 

 tween France and England, while the ports 

 of Germany were (hut againft the Britlih flag ;, 

 and the better to etTedt her objeft, France 

 took poUeliion of Cuxhavcn, and the terri- 

 tory or u free ftate, which was lliil moie a 

 llranger to the war than Hanover, 



In the midfl of this peace alfo, the fame 

 troops, a few months after, violated the Ger- 

 man territory, in fuch u manner as to wound 

 the honour of the nation ftill deeper. The 

 Germans have never avenged the death of the 

 Duke d'Engliien ; but the remembrance of 

 that event v.'ill never be extinguilhed among 

 them. 



'i'he treaty of Lu.neville guaranteed the in. 

 dependence of the Italian republic. In fplte 

 of tlie moll pofitive promiles, did Napoleon 

 place the iron crown of Italy upon his own 

 hesjd. Genoa was incorporated with France: 

 Lucca was very near fliaiijig the lame fate. 

 Only a few months before had the Kmperor, 

 on a folenm occafion— an occuUon which im- 

 pofed very important duties upon him — de- 

 clared belorc his people and before all Europe, 

 that iie vwiilicd not to extend the limits of 

 hi$ territory. Bcftdcs, Fiunce wa; bound, 



