STATE. -PAPERS. 
particularly the paper which. fol- 
lows it, will evidently prove, that 
his Imperial majesty has been dis- 
posed to open in concert the pre- 
liminaries of such a negotiation 
as has been «reed upon by a de- 
cision of the diet; the basis of 
which his Imperial majesty had in 
some measure already paternally 
approved. His Imperia: majesty 
there expressed the most pressing 
request, that he might obtain the 
assistance of his Prussian majesty, 
in order that, together with the 
authority given by the conclusum 
of the empire, the foundation 
might be laid for a negotiation, in 
which all the electors, princes, and 
States might co-operate for a 
speedy treaty of peace for the em- 
pire, according to the principles of 
the treaty of Westphalia; that all 
the states might send their deputies 
with full powers, and with in- 
structions on the materiale pacis, as 
well as on the modum tradtandi, in 
order to prevent all kind of con- 
test according to the principles 
contained in the ancient acts of the 
empire. This end might have 
been obtained, if his majesty thé 
king of Prussia had declared to the 
assembly of the empire, that he 
would employ every means to pro. 
cure to the empire the peace and 
tranquillity which it so ardently 
wished ; particularly whilst, ac. 
cording to the general rumors at 
that time, preparatory dispositions 
had already been made on his part, 
in order to enter into negotiations 
for peace. 
The answer of the Prussian mi- 
nister to the above declaration of 
his Imperial majesty’s minister, 
dated February 26th,* arrived on 
* The two papers here alluded to immediately follow this memorial. 
237 
the 24th of, March at the Impe. 
rial court. If on one hand, in 
this answer, the expression inserted 
in the conclusum of the diet, ap- 
proved by the supreme chief of the 
empire, namely, ‘* that the ge. 
neral wish of the states of the em. 
pire was to obtain a peace, con- 
formable to the fundamental con. 
stitution of the empire,’’ repre. 
sented only a general wish for any 
peace whatsoever; on the other 
hand, ,his Imperial majesty cannot 
discover, in this answer, that dis. 
position of co-operation, or that 
solicitude for the welfare of the 
empire, which he so _ ardently 
wished and expected for facilitating 
and ‘accomplishing the great end 
of pacification. Besides, M. Har- 
denberg, the Prussian minister of 
state, set out from Berlin, on his 
way to Basle, a few days after the 
official note from the court of 
Prussia had been signed, with the 
character of minister plenipoten. 
tiary and with new powers, dated 
February 28th, in order to conti- 
nue and bring to a conclusion the 
negotiations commenced between 
count Goltz and the plenipoten. 
tiary from the French government, 
by means of powers given to the 
count, dated the 8th of December, 
Li04> 
The state of things have now 
taken a different aspe¢t on account 
of this separate peace. His Im. 
perial majesty thinks, in his pa. 
ternal solicitude, and judges it 
necessary, that the ele¢tors, princes, 
and states, in order to accelerate a 
peace for the empire so generally 
wished, should, by the right of co- 
operation granted to them by the 
treaty of the peace of Westphalia, 
and 
