298 
solution of the problem in the con- 
sideration of those circumstances of 
effervescence and explosion which 
necessitated this measure of the 
French ministry, and in the princi- 
ples and avowed designs of the per- 
sons who have brought on those cir- 
cumstances of violence. All Eu- 
rope is convinced, as well as the 
Emperor, that the persons distin- 
guished by the denomination of the 
Jacobin Party, willing to excite the 
nation to ‘an armament, and then 
to a rupture with the Emperor, af- 
ter making the assemblings in the 
territories of Treves a pretext for 
the first, are now searching to draw 
pretexts of war by means of expla- 
nations which they have brought 
on with his Imperial Majesty, in a 
manner and with circumstances v1- 
sibly calculated to make it difficult 
for that prince to reconcile in his 
answers the pacific and amicable 
intentions which actuate him, with 
the feeling of his dignity wounded, 
and his repose endangered, by the 
fruits of their maneeuvres. The 
chancellor of the court and the state 
doubts not, however, that the an- 
swer transmitted by his orders to the 
Imperial chargé des affaires at Pa- 
ris, and of which the ambassador 
will see the contents in the sub- 
joined copy, will be judged by 
France, or at least by the rest of 
Europe, as perfectly proper in the 
present state of things. 
On one hand, the explanations 
demanded are there given with the 
greatest candour, the motives of the 
Emperor’s proceedings explained 
by incontestable facts, and the whole 
evidenced by the very words of his 
transactions, which he sees himself 
forced to produce, in order to con- 
vince the French nation how ca- 
lumnious are the imputations, in 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1792. 
which the liberty has been taken of 
taxing the Emperor with unjust at- 
tempts against the sovereignty, the- 
independence, and the safety of 
France, in concerts and alliances 
tending to interfere in its govern- 
ment, and to overturn and change 
by violence its constitution ; and 
that, on the contrary, his Imperial 
Majesty has not passed one step 
beyond the line of conduct marked 
out to him by his character of ally, 
of friend, and of neighbour, and 
imposed upon him by the most le- 
gitimate solicitude for the mainte- 
nance of public tranquillity. On 
the other hand, the Emperor be- 
lieves it his duty, for the welfare of 
France, and also because he is au- 
thorized in so doing by the provo- 
cations and by the dangerous se- 
cret practices of the Jacobin par- 
tv, to expose and denounce pub- 
licly a pernicious sect as the ene- 
mies of the Mest Christian King, 
and of the fundamental principles 
of the present constitution, and as 
the disturbers of peace and public 
repose. Will the illegal ascendan- 
cy of this sect bear it up in France 
over justice, truth, and the safety 
of the nation ? This is the question 
to which all others are now re- 
duced. But whatever may be the 
result, the cause of the Emperor is 
that ofall other powers; and if he 
feels pain from the present state of 
things, yet it is only in consequence 
of his sentiments and his concern 
for his Most Christian Majesty,and 
for a kingdom and nation in friend- 
ship with Austria, that the chan- 
cellor of the court and the state is 
induced to abstain from entering 
upon the subject of the differences 
between France and the Germanic 
empire, with which he is not im- 
mediately concerned. He should 
wish 
