4e ANNUAL REGISTER, I79i.. 



mate dieni to new efforts against 

 the Frencl). He described them 

 as a people infuriated with false 

 ideas of freedom, sporting with the 

 lives and happiness of men, tearing 

 aspuder the binds of civil society, 

 and lavishing their blood at the 

 command ot their tyrannical ru- 

 lers. He reproached the people 

 of the Netherlands for refusinc; to 

 listen to the call of their Sovereign, 

 and neglecting, from a criminal in- 

 fatuation in favour of the enemy, 

 to co-operate against him in defence 

 of their country. He required of 

 the Germans inliabiting the left 

 banks of the Rhine, an immediate 

 contribution of provisions and of 

 money for the supply of his army ; 

 he insisted at the same time on 

 their taking np arms and defend- 

 ing their cotintry against the 

 Trench; and after ixuhetically re- 

 questing them to comply with his 

 demands, he concluded bv threat- 

 ening, that if, like the people of the 

 Austrian Netherlands, they should 

 now sutler themselves to be misled 

 by secret seducers, he should be 

 obliged to pass the Rhine ancl to 

 leave them a prey to their ene- 

 mies j but would at the same time 

 deprive them, without scruple, of 

 what the eneniy,wcre it left in their 

 bands, would convert to his own 

 subsistence. 



The Emperor now probably 

 desp:iired of being able to retrieve 

 his aff.urs in the low countries > and 

 \vas no less fearful that the enemy 

 had in contemplation to invade his 

 Gernvin posscsbio is. Actuated by 

 these consideiations, he warned the 

 Circles of the Upper Rhine to pre- 

 p;ire the mosc vigorous resistance to 

 the French, if they were inclined 

 lo preserve their countrv from 

 iuhugaii^n: He informed ihem 



that his treasures were exhausted,) : 

 and that he was unable, singly, ttf ) 

 defray the charges of a war against 

 France. He complained with 

 great bitterness that, notwithstand- 

 ing the most ample subsidies he had 

 received from the British court, 

 tlie King of Prussia's effortshad not 

 been adequate to his promises. I 

 He stated that unless the empire 

 united vigorously with him for itar ,. 

 common support, he should be 

 uiider the necessity of recalling 

 his troops (o the defence of his 

 own territories : the enemy now 

 being so active and successful, and 

 their nu.nbers so immense, that he' 

 tntist concentrate all his force, itf 

 order to oppose them with an/ 

 hope of success. He concluded 

 by reminding them, that they 

 ought, in a state of so much exi- . 

 gency, to have recourse to tliose 

 resources which yet remained un- 

 employed in the hands of eecle- 

 siastits as well as seculars. Thifr 

 memorial was dated the 17th of 

 August. 



The wisest heads in the Austrian 

 councils began seriously to appre- 

 hend that a pacification was neces- 

 sary ; and that, as little hope re- 

 mained of turning the tide of war, 

 the sooner it was terminated the 

 more advantageous terms might be 

 procured ; whereas, should it conti- 

 nue and the enemy still retain his . 

 superiority, the most calamitous is- 

 sue might justly be expected. 



These reflections appeared to be 

 so well founded, that tliey alarmed 

 all those who were not resolved to' 

 prosecute the war at all events. 

 Most of the German princes were 

 desifous of terminating it. The 

 grandeur and interest of the Hoiase 

 of Austria were rather invidious 

 objects to them ; ai;d the depression 



