STATE PAPERS. 



2J7 



Imperial court foresaw and pre- 

 dicted, has taken place : the time 

 for speculating upon possible dis- 

 asters is past J and the imminent 

 dangers with which we are sur- 

 rounded demand the most prompt 

 and efficacious measures; unl«ss we 

 wish to renounce at ortce the wel- 

 fare of the empire, and abandon 

 againtotheusurpation of the French, 

 the territories and provinces of the 

 empire, from the mouth of the 

 Rhine to its source. 



The present war involves in it 

 the fate of our constitution, our re- 

 ligion, and oar properties. The 

 Imperial court has more than once 

 represented, with energy to its allies 

 and co-estates of the empire, that a 

 powerful nation, to which all means 

 ■were alike, which set at defiance 

 every law of religion and morali- 

 ty, must inevitably triumph, if other 

 nations did not unite their forces, 

 and prepare themselves to make in 

 time a vigorous resistance. 



The Imperial court did not fail 

 to observe, that it could not alone 

 defend the empire. It is not only 

 during this bloody war and the 

 course of its fluctuating events, that 

 the Imperial court has submitted 

 these reflections to the empire ; but 

 even before the commencement of 

 a war, which the court of Vienna 

 did every thing to avoid, it did not 

 fail to make known to the states 

 which demanded its protection, that 

 the enterprize was full of danger, 

 and that the resources of the house 

 of Austria were limited. 



Upon the first explosion of this 

 terrible war, a proposal was made, 

 for putting at least the frontiers in a 

 stale of defence and security : during 

 the last interre^Jium, an association, 

 and a stiict union of the anterior 



circles, proportioned to the danger* 

 were proposed, because these pro- 

 vinces were most exposed to the 

 devastation of the enemy ; because 

 the resolutions of the whole empire 

 would require time, and the distant 

 states, by means of their complicated 

 forms, would save themselves as 

 long as possible from any active co- 

 operation. Although this proposal 

 was generally admitted to be proper 

 as well asconstitutional,yet, through 

 certain formalities, it has failed of 

 its effect. 



The house of Austria was flatter- 

 ed that after the election of the em- 

 peror, grand and energetic measures 

 would be adopted by the whole em- 

 pire ; but in the mean time, from 

 the above prudent precautions be- 

 ing neglected, those provinces were 

 left totally defenceless, when it was 

 found necessary to remove the body 

 of Imperial troops commanded by 

 count d'Ei back; the consequence 

 was, that Mentz fell into the hands 

 of the enemy, a misfortune of which 

 the magnitude may be estimated, 

 when we consider that almost the 

 whole of a second campaign was 

 spent in attempts to retake it. 



On the declaration of war several 

 ofthe states represented the extreme 

 urgency of public affairs, and re- 

 solved that without losing a single 

 moment in preparation, an Imperial 

 .irmyshouldbe regularly constituted. 

 In order to carry this resolution into 

 effect, his Imperial majesty permit- 

 ted his contingent to join the allied 

 powers. But the want of money 

 equalling thisaccession to theirforcc, 

 it was agreed, that the slates of the 

 empire which could not raise and 

 equip soldiers, should furnish their 

 contingents in specie, according to 

 a very moderate computation. 



The 



