306 
this was) 4 just motive for war, all 
Europe would long since have un- 
dertaken a crusade against Great 
Britain. Itis in our constitution, 
it is in our laws, itis in our declara- 
ration of rights itself, that the chiefs 
of nations may find our principles, 
and the foundation of our conduct. 
The King of the French has the 
new constitution engraven upon 
his heart; it bas his firm attach- 
Ment; it has his best wishes; his 
conduct wi!l be invariable; and the 
open sincerity of his negotiation 
May be reliedupon. Such is that 
persuasion with which you ought to 
inspire thenew King and his minis- 
ters, which ought to deprive them 
of every motive of war. 
The head of a great free nation, 
the King, will do every thing con- 
sistent with his dignity to avoid a 
war founded cn motives so unjusti- 
fiable. If circumstances, or the 
blind infatuation of the chiefs of 
other nations, compel him to de- 
fend-himself, he will present to the 
French nation the negotiations 
which he shall have made, in order 
to produce peace, and will derive 
from it the resources and energy 
necessary to carry on war. 
A concert of powers is evidently 
formed against France. This con- 
cert can hardly exist beyond the 
present moment, because it strikes 
at the root of order and sound poli- 
cy. It cannot remain; it must ne- 
cessarily cease either after or during 
the war. In either case, the head 
of the house of Austria will remain 
alone exhausted of men and money. 
All danger of hostility would cease, 
on receiving a frank and open de- 
claration on the part of the court of 
Vienna, and a mutual disarming 
would instantly take place. 
The pretext of the necessity of a 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1702. 
large body in the Low Countries, 
to prevent the spirit of revolution 
from spreading there, is by no 
means a sufficient motive. The 
more troops are assembled in these 
five provinces, the more will the 
inhabitants be harrassed, oppressed, 
and excited to insurrection. | Ar- 
mies cannot restrain a people when 
they wish to be free. The more 
force is opposed, the greater ener- 
gy rises, till it becomes fury which 
cannot be resisted. Genoa may af- 
ford an example to the house of 
Austria. This small town routed a 
whole army. 
The French revolution affords an 
example still more striking. Allow 
the Belgic provinces to be happy, 
and to maintain their constitution, 
and they will remain in tranquillity. 
The court of Vienna well knows 
who have excited the Belgic dis- 
turbances. It knows well that the 
Constituent Assembly rejected the 
Belgic provinces, because their the- 
ocratic revolution was the reverse 
of ours. 
To their new allies they are in- 
debted for this bad piece of service ; 
and if they should no longer inter- 
fere in the affairs of Flanders, pro- 
vided it enjoyed a good govern- 
ment, the ordinary garrisons would 
be sufficient for its security. The 
diminution of the troops ia this 
province is then necessary to prove 
the good intentions of the king of 
Hungary, as well as the expulsion 
of all the emigrants who are con- 
vened in arms from the Austrian 
dominions. This example would 
influence the inferior sovereigns of 
the Germanic league; in a short 
time the assemblement of troops, 
suspicions of hostilities, would cease 
on both sides; all the menaces 
and preparation of war will disap 
pear, 
a 
EE 
ee Te te ee 
