59^ 



State of Public Affairs in Ocfobe)', 1 806. [Nor. I , 



fcy 3 treaty with Ruffia, to put the King of 

 6ar<linia in (lofTeflion of indemnities in Italy. 

 Infteafl of fulfilli-ig that obligation, (he made 

 iierfell' miftrefs of evsry ohjeft wliich could- 

 have been fevviceablc towards that indemnifi- 

 tation. 



Portugal widied to maintain her neutra- 

 lity, but l-crtug.il was compelled to puj"- 

 chafe by gold the deceitful fccurity of a few 

 Bioments. 



The Porte, who had not forgotten the 

 invafion ot Syria and Egypt, was the only 

 pOAcr remaining in Europe which had not 

 been fubje£icd to the arbitrary pioceedmgs of 

 f ranee. 



But to thcfc afts of I'io'ence, a fyftem of 

 abul'e end injury remained Kill to bo added. 

 A journal, which procLiimed itklf the voice 

 of government, was chofcn as a chronicle of 

 the attacks inceflantly madeupon evijry crown- 

 ed head. 



Pruilia could be no ftranger to any of thcfe 

 general ac*s of oppreflion. Many of them 

 were nearly connec'^ed with her fubllantial 

 jnterells ; clpecially as the wlfdom of that 

 fyftem which c<:nfiders the ftatcs of Europe as 

 members of tl;e fame family, calls upon each 

 of them for the defence of all j and that the 

 unbounded aggta.ndizement of one ftate cx- 

 fofcd the reft to danger, was fulficiently ma- 

 nifeft to experience. 



6lill it i'l moft eflentially neccflary to re- 

 yrefent in what manlier the conduct of France 

 ■was calculated to ojicrale in its immediate rc- 

 lat on to Prulfia. 



It wtre funeifluous to enumerate all the 

 pood oflices rendered to Napoleon by Prulfia, 

 P. u Ilia was the firft power that acknowledged 

 him- No prumiles, no menaces had been 

 able to (hake the King's neutrality. Every 

 thiny that the duty of a gooj neighbour could 

 prefcribc was iT.oft amply afforded during a 

 period of fix years. Pruilia cftccmed a valiant 

 HUtion which aUo had learned, on its part, 

 to relped Fruflia botli in w.ir and peace; and 

 flic did juUice to the genius of its chief. But 

 the remembrance ot thefe times is no longer 

 retained by Napoleon. 



Frulfia had permitted the territory of Ha- 

 pover to be invaded. In this ihe had counte- 

 nanced an adt of irjulhcc j therefore «as it 

 ]ier firft view to remedy it. She otl'ered her- 

 ftlf for it inftcad of England, under the con- 

 dition that the.latter ihould cede it. It muft, 

 houever, at leaft be lecuUeC'.ed, that thus a 

 boundary was prefcribeJ to France, which (he 

 ihouhl not pa's. iSapoleen folcmnly pledged 

 himleU not: to con-promife the neutrality of 

 tl'.e northern iUtes ; to exercil'e no violence 

 towards any"t)f them j and, in particular, not 

 to increale the number ot troops in the Elec- 

 torate of Hanover. 



Scarcely had he r.greed to thefe ftipulations, 

 than he broke them. Every one is acquaint- 

 ed with the violent manner in which Sir 

 George Rumbold wasfcized j everyone knows 

 rliat the Hanfu Tovi-n* wej^ -Md umler cosir- 



tribution, under the appellation of loans, not 

 by any means for their intereft, but cxaftly 

 in the fame manner as if France had been at 

 war with them. For the firft of thefe injuries, 

 his Majefty contented himfelf with accepting 

 an inadequate fatisfac'tion. Of the fecond 

 he took no cognizance, being prevented by 

 the apprehenfion'. and rcprefentations on the 

 part of the Hanfe Towns. His Majefty, on 

 his part, did not fcruple to make any facri- 

 fice, as tlic piefervation of peace was the 

 deareft wifh of his heart. 



The patience and fuf^'crance of every ether 

 court were exhauftcd fuoner than that of hi» 

 Majefty. — War again broke out on the 

 continent — th>; fitustion of the King, with 

 refpeft to his duty, was more difficult than 

 ever. In order to prevent France from aug» 

 menting her troo])S in Hanover, he had pro- 

 mifed to futfer no attack to be made on that 

 territory. The Ruffians and the Swedes were 

 preparins; for an attack upon the French. 

 From this period, the wlple burden of the 

 contiaiit between France and Pruliia weighed 

 upon the latter only, without producing to 

 her the lead advantage ; and, by a fir.gu'lar 

 concatenation of circumftances, it fcemed 

 that Prulfia, who only wifted to remain im- 

 partial and neutral, could no longer purfuo 

 her former fyitcin, except to the prejudice of 

 the allied powers. Every advantage which 

 rcfultcd from this fituation of affaTrs was on 

 the fide of Fr-.nce ; and the King was daily 

 threatened with a collifion, not lels formida- 

 ble to him, than decifively favourable to the 

 plans of Napoleon. 



V/ho cnuld have thought that the very 

 moment when the King had given to the 

 French government the (trongeft proof of his 

 determination, and a Angular example of the 

 faithful fulfilment of engagements into v.'hicli 

 he had once entered, (hould be chofen by 

 Napoleon to do the King the moft, fenfibla 

 injury .' Wlio does r.ot remember the viola- 

 tion of the territory of Anfpach, which took 

 place on the 3d of Oftober, in the laft year, 

 notwithftanding the remonftraiice of the pro- 

 vincial sdminiftration, and of his Majefty'n 

 miniiler .'' 



This contcft bfetween that moderation 

 which pardons every thing — that integrity 

 which remains true to its engagements to the 

 lal'i, on the one part ; and the abufe ot [lOwer, 

 the infolence infpired by deceitful fortune, 

 and the habit of only reckoning on this for- 

 tune, on the other, continued feveral years, 

 'J'he King declared to the French government 

 that he conlidered all his connexions with it: 

 as diiiblved. He placed his armies on a foot- 

 ing fuitable to circumftances. He was now 

 fully convinced, that no pledge of fecurity 

 remained for the neighbours of France, but a 

 peace eftabliihed upon firm princifiles, and 

 guaranteed by all the powers in common. 



His Majefty offered the allies to be the 

 mediator in negociations for fuch a peacCy 

 ?nJ to lupgoi:t them with all his tgice. It 



