STATE PAPERS. 
tion of war, and would oppose it 
with all his forces.” 
~ The same minister, after receiv- 
ing orders, found the Chargé des 
Affaires of his Majesty the Empe- 
ror, in a number of representations, 
making known, in the most express 
manner, that the King was invaria- 
bly pursuing the same line with his 
Apostolic Majesty ‘respecting the 
affairs of France. The event has 
shewn how little the hope of ‘the 
King, as to the effect he promised: 
from these energetic declarations, 
was well-founded; but at least the 
party whose furious determinations: 
have brought on hostilities, can ne- 
ver have any pretext on account of 
their ignorance of his Majesty’s in- 
tentions. And it is particularly the 
general: principles publicly ' mani- 
fested by the two National Assem- 
blies, principles which attack all go-. 
vernments, and endeavour to shake 
them in their bases, that France has 
to blame for the effusion of human 
blood, and the evils which the pre- 
sent circumstances have“ already 
- brought, and may in future bring, 
upon her. / z 
jesty by ties of a close anddefensive 
etlieh his Prussian Majesty can- 
not act contrary to his engage- 
ments, and remain 4 quiet spectator 
of the war declared against this so- 
vereign. He has not then hesitated 
to recal his minister from Paris, and 
to act with vigour in defence of his 
ally.—As a principal member of the 
Germanic corps, he is further obli- 
gated by his relations in this quali- 
: ty, to march to the succour of his 
| eo-estates against the attacks they 
| have already experienced, and with 
| which they are daily threatened.— 
It is thus, under the double connec- 
tion of ally of his Apostolic Majesty 
~ United with his Apostolic Ma-: 
227 
and a powerful state of the em- 
pire, that his Majesty takes up arms; 
and it is the defence of the ‘states 
of this monarch and of Germany, 
which forms the first aim of these 
armaments.—But the-King would 
but imperfectly fulfil the principles 
he hereby’ professes, if he did not 
extend the -efforts of his arms “to! 
another sort of defence whicly his: 
patriotic sentiments equally impose’ 
on him as:a duty. 
Every body knows how the Na- 
tional Assembly of France, contrary 
to the most sacred laws of the Droit 
des Gens, and against the express 
tenor of treaties, have deprived the: 
German princes of their incontes- 
tible rights and possessionsin Alsace 
and Lorraine, and the reclamations: 
which a number of these princes’ 
themselves have published. Thede-: 
liberations and arrets of the Diet of: 
Ratisbon on this important matter, 
will also serve to furnish all those 
who wish to be informed, with the 
most convincing proofs of the in- 
justice of the proceedings «of the’ 
French !government in this) res- 
pect, which has not hitherto pro- 
posed to grant a full indemnity to 
the aggrieved parties; but, adopt- 
ing a peremptory language and 
threatening measures, only offered 
indemnities entirely insufficient 
and inadinissible. It is worthy of 
the King and his august ally to have 
justice rendered to these oppressed 
princes, and thereby to maintain 
the faith of treaties, the sole basis of 
union and reciprocal confidence be- 
tween people, and the essential 
foundation of their tranquillity and 
welfare. 
It is, in short, a last design of the 
armament of the King, more exten- 
sive still than the former, and not’ 
less worthy of the sage and well-in-’. 
2 tended 
