: 
STATE PAPERS, 
French liberty, .has contriyed to 
entangle her rivals in a’war which 
exhausts them, in order to make 
herself mistress of Poland, and so 
open to her the gates of Germany ? 
I know it may be said, with some 
foundation, that the Russian em. 
pire is a Colossus with feet of clay-; 
that in it corruption has preceded 
maturity ; that the slavery which 
exists in it deprives its force of all 
solidity, and its resources of all 
energy ; that its extent is immense, 
but partly desert ; that it is proud 
but poor; that it is already too 
vast to be governed; that by ex- 
tending itself it accelerates its own 
dissolution; and thatevery conquest 
it makes is a step toward its ruin. 
I admit these truths; but this 
giant, before he perishes, will crush 
you; it is upon your ruins that he 
must fall ; he will not dismember 
himself till after you are ravaged, 
dispersed, and annihilated. Danes, 
Swedes, Germans, Prussians, Ot- 
tomans, think of this! time flies, 
the thunder rattles; Wienna be- 
trays you; the Muscovite torrent 
is augmenting; Attila is once 
more advancing, and if you do 
Not unite in time to arrest this 
destructive scourge, you are un- 
done. . 
You are taught to fear France. 
What a strange error: if your 
" government be wise, and founded 
on true principles, why envy us? 
if-from its nature it be as dis- 
astrous, as you are told, why dread 
a people that carries in its own bo- 
som a source of weakness or of 
agitation, that must prevent it from 
meddling with you?—the con- 
stancy of our efforts, the duration 
of our sacrifices, the permanence 
of our victories, do they not de- 
monstrate beforehand the stability 
Vor, XXXVII, 
193 
of treatics that may be made with 
us ?—Are not changes of system, 
by a great nation, necessarily more 
rare than the changes and caprices 
of ministers, of mistresses, and of 
favourites? ah! our interests are 
commen, What signifies it, that 
we have outstript you in the careet 
of liberty ! what signify our con. 
stitution and our laws, our prin. 
ciples and our opinions! policy 
commands you to unite with us, 
and to march with equal pace 
against the enemies that threaten 
us. When it is dinned in your 
ears, that it is neither safe nor ho- 
nourable to treat with us, trans- 
late’ this language into its true 
meaning, and learn that Austria 
says—* fight, that I may regain 
my provinces ;"* and now that 
England does not urge you to fight, 
but in the hope you will prevent 
us from opposing her maritime 
conquests ; finally listen to Russia, 
mark her very words: ‘¢ fight, ex- 
haust yourselves, lavish all your 
blood, and all your treasures, that 
I may, without obstacle, quit my 
deserts, and spread my warlike 
population over your fertile terri. 
tories.’” , 
Oh, ye politicians of Europe, 
who boast of wisdom so exalted, of 
penetration so profound, how is it 
possible, that you have not yet 
lifted up the veil which hides from 
your eyes the Machiavelian politics 
of the English goyernment!—How 
is it ye do not see to what degree 
it abuses you, and what a game it 
makes of all-it professes to respett ! 
That government accuses us of im- 
morality ; and when, by an armed 
neutrality, the robbery of neytral 
commerce was to be repressed, it 
was the only civilized government 
which unblushingly, opposed the 
oO measure 
