222 
so great a contrast, that it saves the 
trouble of making any further ob- 
servations.—The court of Vienna 
even used its best endeavours for 
causing the other German princes, 
neighbours of France, to adopt a 
similar behaviour. By this means 
the apparent moiives of its menac- 
ing preparations disappeared. In 
order to continue them, a fresh 
pretence of grievance and reproach 
was required. It was found in the 
existence of a concert between the 
late Emperor and several powers, 
for maintaining the public tranquil- 
lity and honour of the crowns. 
The real circumstances of that 
concert were completely known to 
all Europe. All the world knew 
that it was caused through the vio- 
Jences offered to his Most Christian 
Majesty, followed by the imprison- 
ment of that monarch; that, on the 
first hopes of his having recovered 
the essential degree of liberty, safe- 
ty, and command, which is requisite 
for putting the seal of legality on 
the constitutional laws of a monar- 
chical state, the said concert, from 
an active one, such as it was, was, 
through the representation of the 
court of Vienna, changed into a 
passive one, which was no longer 
to be put into activity by measures, 
unless France should fall again into 
the same state of disorder and po- 
pular violence, which, according 
to the notions of all states from 
time immemorial, represent a state 
of anarchy. The moderation of 
thepowers that formed this concert, 
was thus conformable to the equity 
of their principles. The most sim- 
ple ideas of a monarchical govern- 
ment entitled them to an union for 
assisting the lawful King of France, 
and securing from its utter ruin a 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1792. 
form of government, whose basis 
being acknowledged and confirmed 
as inviolable by the new constitu- 
tion itself, could not be hurt with- 
out the event of a manifest insur- 
rection taking place. 
On the other hand, these powers 
were obliged, for their own safety, 
to oppose the introduction of a sys- 
tem of anarchy, to propagate the 
pernicious principles of which, in 
all the states of Europe, the most 
dangerous means were then em- 
ploying. In short, the maintenance 
of public tranquillity required their 
eventual union, in case one or other 
of them should be attacked ; and it 
was chiefly relative to these last 
motives of the concert of powers, 
that the court of Vienna, being at- 
tentive with good reason to the 
French warlike preparations and 
threats of an invasion, thought pro- 
per to remind France of the exist- 
ence of such concert, in order to 
exhort it not to provoke all the 
sovereign foreign princes, by vio- 
lences against one or other of them. 
Nothing, therefore, is plainer 
than the injustice of the reproach 
of attacking the independency and 
safety of the French nation; where- 
by this concert of the most consi- 
derable powers of Europe, was in- 
jured, and which they do not fear 
of producing anew, although the ] 
very shade of misunderstanding and 
error concerning the nature of this 
concert has been dispersed by the 
declarations of the court of Vienna. 
It mentioned in it the very terms 
of the remonstrances which were 
determined by its actual opening in 
the month of July, 1791, and the 
eventual adjournmenttill the month 
of November following. 
From this it appeared in the most 
convincing 
