s 
252 
venience. The balance of power 
among sovereigns, the work of their 
wisdom, purchased by their trea- 
sures and the blood of their sub- 
jects, which regulates the ambition 
of one by the interest of all ; which 
maintains harmony amidst contend- 
ing passions and jarring interests ; 
and which almostalways terminates 
by well-conducted negotiation, 
such disputes as may be exacted by 
bloody wars, requires for the gene- 
ral interest of Europe, that so con- 
siderable ‘a state as France should 
not be dissolved or withdrawn from 
its political engagements; and yet 
this would be the case, should the 
present revolution be established. 
The decrees* which have deprived 
the King of the right of making 
peace and war, have at once dissolv- 
ed all those treaties which connect- 
ed his Most Christian Majesty with 
all the neighbouring princes. The 
revolution gives to the usurping as- 
sembly the right of renouncing such 
treaties as are contrary to its views, 
while it takes from his Majesty the 
means of supporting those which 
might be beneficial to him. Ac- 
cording to these principles, it has 
no more political ties than those 
which it chooses to approve, and 
it is consequently not bound to any 
of its allies, though all are obliged 
to be faithful to it. Thus the King 
without power, and the nation with- 
out an army, or what amounts to 
the same thing, having no army 
properly disciplined and subject to 
authority, exhibit to their neigh- 
bours, and, above all, to theirallies, 
nothing but the shadow of power. 
The tranquillity of Europe, how- 
ever, depends absolutely on the 
execution of the treaties now sub- 
sisting between the different sove- 
reigns: and those treaties them- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1792. 
selves depend on the stability of the 
constitution of those states which 
contracted them. The displacing, 
and much more the annihilation of 
the counterpoise of the political ba- 
lance, would tend then to disturb 
the peace of Europe, and to revive 
ancient disputes and pretensions, 
now settled, the discussion of which 
again renewed would occasion the 
loss of much blood, and excite the 
tears and regrets of humanity. It 
belongs to the wisdom of sovereigns 
to avert such dreadful misfortunes; 
and it is with this view that their 
Imperial and Royal Majesties think 
themselves obliged, for the general 
tranquillity and safety, and for the 
individual happiness of their respec- 
tive subjects, as much as for the 
real interest of Franceitself, to have 
recourse to arms, in order to pre- 
vent the annihilation of the French 
monarchy, and to destroy there 
every spark of insurrection, which 
might continually threaten and en- 
danger the welfare of all sovereigns, 
and of all nations. 
But yielding to what the honour 
of all crowns and the real interest 
of all people requires, their Majes- 
ties declare to Lurope, that, in the 
just war which they have under- 
taken, they entertain no views of 
personal aggrandizemeat, which 
they expressly renounce ; and to 
France, that they mean not to in- 
terfere with its internal administra- 
tion, but that they are firmly and 
fully resolved, 
To re-establish in it order and 
public security : 
To cause the persons and pro- 
perty of all those who shall submit 
to the King, their lawful sovereign, 
to be protected : 
To punish, in a striking manner, 
all resistance to their arms: 
* Decree of March 22, 1792. 
To 
