STATE PAPERS. 
ford hopes respecting the future. 
It appeared that the greater part of 
the French nation, struck with the 
evils which they had prepared for 
themselves, were returning to more 
moderate prixciples, began to ac- 
knowledge the necessity of main- 
taining that form of government 
which was alone proper for a great 
state, and to testify a desire of re- 
storing tothe throne that dignity and 
influence which belung to monar- 
chical governments. His imperial 
Majesty was not completely satis- 
fied with these appearances; but 
still he wished, as well as the other 
powers united with him, to try the 
effects of a little longer delay, to 
avoid, if possible, that disagreeable 
extremity to which all powers feel 
themselves now obliged to have 
recourse. A prodigious number, 
however, of faithful Frenchmen, 
banished from their country by 
crimes which they had seen, and of 
which they were the objects, im- 
ploring in vain at. home timid or 
corrupt judges, and laws which, in 
order to oppress them, were made 
to speak or be silent, as might be 
most favourable to the revolution, 
ranged themselves under the ban- 
ner of honour, duty, and fidelity, 
with Monsieur the Count d’ Artois, 
and other princes of the blood, who, 
like them, had been forced to exile 
themselves from their country. 
A new usurping assembly, which 
seemed to pride itself in surpassing 
the excesses of the preceding, dared 
to treat the royal Majesty with still 
eater insults*, added weight to 
is chains, encouraged more than 
243 
ever the effervescence of those po- 
pular societies which domineered 
over him, multiplied the dangers 
around his throne, were incensed 
at the hospitable reception granted 
by foreign Princes to the French 
emigrantst, and insulted, with in- 
tolerable licentiousness, all the so- 
vereigns of Europe. In violation 
of their own laws, and contrary to 
their pretended renunciation of 
making conquests, they invaded the 
Compte of Avignon, the Bishoprie 
of Bale, pretended to set an arbi- 
trary pecuniary valuation on the 
sacred property which they had, in 
Lorrain and Alsace, forcibly taken 
from several princes and states of 
the empire, and were offended be- 
cause the police in all the neigh- 
bourinz countries suppressed those 
inflammatory writings which they 
industriously circulated, and pu- 
nished those missionaries of revolt 
whom they every where dispersed 
to corrupt the people, and to incite 
them to attack private property, to 
dethrone kings, and abolish all re- 
ligions. Their audacity increasing, 
by remaining hitherto unpunish- 
ed, and rendered more violent by 
the moderation of neighbouring 
princes, this assembly, in their de- 
lirium, conceived the project of ex- 
tending their usurpation, and the 
licentious principles of the French 
to the Germanic empire, and, with- 
out doubt, to the whole world. A 
ministry, whom they obliged his 
most Christian Majesty to accept, 
became the organ of their secret 
views, and of views well known to 
all popular societies. 
* Decree of Monday, February 6, 1792, which determines that, in writing to 
the King, the president shall follow the formula adopted by the King in writing te 
the assembly. 
+ Dispatches of Prince de Kaunitz to M, de Flumendorff, February 17, 1792. 
Qz Explana- 
