IS05.] 



State of Public /{fairs in October, IS96. 



393 



l*rin»e, n»r tlie declaration, tv/cnty times 

 feriMCe-'J, that the King could not defert the 

 rights of his brocher-in-lavv, coulJ prevent 

 liij being added to the heap of viftims. He 

 •W2S the firft who was dei)ri\ td of his paternal 

 property. Eight days befove he had received 

 from t!ls Emperor a letter, cexidoling with 

 him in the cuftomary forms, on the death ot 

 ■his father, a«d wifhing him joy on his un- 

 difturbed fucceffion to the ftates of his 

 hodfe. None of thefe circumftajices are 

 unimportant; each throws .1 light on the 

 wtiole.. 



Cleves had been allotted to Prince Murat. 

 Scarcely become a fovereign, he wilhed like- 

 wife to be a conqueror. His troops took pof- 

 fcltvon of the Abbies of EfTen, Wcrden, and 

 F.Uen, under the pretext that tliey appcr- 

 tiiined to the duchy of Cleves, thougli they 

 ■were entirely territories newly acquired, and 

 ttiere whs not tlte (liadow of a connexion be- 

 tween them and the ceded province. Great 

 labour was employed, in vain, to give even 

 a Colour to this outrage. 



Wefel was to belong to the new Duke, not 

 to the Emperor Napoleon. The JCing had 

 never Tefolvrd to give up the laft fortrcfs on 

 •the Rhine into the power of France. With- 

 out a word by way of explanation, Wefel 

 vas annexed to a French department. 



The exilling ftate of the Auftrian mo- 

 narchy, and of the Porte, had been mutu- 

 .ally guaranteed. The Emperor Napoleon 

 certainly wilhed that PrufTia Ihouid be bound 

 by this guarantee, for in his hands it was an 

 inftrument which he might employ as fuiied 

 ^is politics, a pretext for demanding ficri- 

 ficcs, in ft contcd which liis ambition might 

 occafion. He himfelf, however, did not ob- 

 ferve it longer than it contributed to his in- 

 tereft. Ragufa, though under the protedtion 

 ©f the Porte, was taken pnlTciirioa of by his 

 troops. Gradifca and Aquileii were wreiled 

 from Audria, under nearly the fame prclexts 

 Nvhich had been employed when the French 

 feizcd thetiirce abbeys. 



In all political proceedings, it wa-s natur- 

 ally taken for granted, that the new ftates 

 formed by France were ftates in the proper 

 (cnie of the term, and nut French provinces ; 

 but it coft tlie cabinet of St. Cloud only a 

 Wdrd to deprive them of tlieir independence. 

 The appellation of " The Great Empire" 

 W»s invented, and that empire was immedi- 

 ately only furrounded svitli vafials. 



Thus there was no trace of the treaty left, 

 yet Prulfia procceiled to (liuc her ports againft 

 England, and Itill confidcred berfelf as hav- 

 ing obligations totullil. 



The Emperor at length informed his Ma- 

 j«fty, that it was his pleafure to diflialve the 

 Ccruan empire, and form a coufcdei-ation of 

 the Rhine, and he recommended to the King 

 tocftiiblifha limilar confederation in the north 

 •f Germany. This was according to his 

 cuftomary policy, a policy wiiich had long 

 been crowned with fucccfs i at ch« nivment 



M«^fT«tY Mac, 4\». W5>. 



of the birch of any new projcfV, to throve 

 out a luie to thofe courts whicli m^tiht occa» 

 fion difficulties in the execution of fuc.H pro- 

 jeft. The King adopted the idea of fueh a 

 con'cderation, not that the advice he receiv- 

 ed made the leaft impreftion on him, but be- 

 caufe, in faiS, it was rendered necedary by 

 circumfl.inces ; and becaufe, after tlie fccef- 

 fion of the princes who had acceded to the 

 Cort 'ederation of the Rhine, a clofe unioa 

 between thofe of the north became more than 

 ever the condition of their fafety. The Kiny ' 

 took meafurcs toeftablilh this league, but on 

 other principles than thofe of the model pre- 

 fented to him. He made it his pride to 

 colledl the laft of the Germans under hU 

 banner j but the rights of each he left un- 

 impaired, and honour alcne was tlie bond of 

 tlie league. 



But could France advife the King to any 

 meafuie which fhould be productive of advan- 

 tage to Pruffia. 



We (hall foon fee what Is to be expected, 

 when France makes pro effions of favour. 



In the firit place, care had been taken t» 

 introduce into the fundamcnial ftatute of the 

 Confederation of the Rliine an article which 

 contained the germ of all future innovations. 

 It provided, that other princes ihould be re- 

 ceived into tliis confederation, Ihould they 

 delire it. In this manner, all rel.:tion» iji 

 Germany were left indeterminate ; and as 

 the means were (till referved to detacli and 

 annex to this league the weaker ftates, either 

 by ppomifes or threats, it was but too proba- 

 ble that in time this confederation would be 

 ettcnded into the heart of the PrulTian mo- 

 narchy. 



And that this might no longer remaia 

 doubtful, but be manifert: to every one, the 

 firft -ittempt \v3s immediately made. Fortu- 

 nately it was made on a prince who knows 

 not fear, and who con(iders indepenJence as 

 t'le higheft objeft of his anjbition The 

 French minifter'at CafTel invited the .Eleftor 

 to throw himfelf into the arms of his maftcr. 

 PriUlia, it was alledgcd, did nothing for her 

 allies ! It is true Napoleon knows how to 

 m.mage his better j and every one fees that 

 Spain and Hi Hand, the Kings of Wirtcm- 

 berg and Bavaria, have to thank their alii • 

 ance with him for peace, independence, and 

 honour. — PrulTia did nothing lor her allies. 

 Napoieon, on the contrary, would rew.ird the 

 accefTion of the Elector by an enlargement of 

 his territory. 



And this was exercifed towards an ally, and 

 at the very moment when the King vfss ad- 

 vifed to be an alliance, of which Hefl'e 

 was to form the firft bulwark; endeavours 

 were made to detach from him a prince whoi» 

 family connexions, iilliances, ;(.nd relations 

 of every kind, united in the clofcft manner t* 

 his jMijeity's perfon. 



But even thefe lioftile iteps were not fu/R- 

 cicnt.— Does any one widi to know what wa» 

 Ute iiJie by which, it waA hopeJ tji gam the . 

 %.ii £le<n«t 



