136] 
were also required from the cities of 
Francfort, Wurtsburg, Bamberg, 
.and Nuremberg, together with an 
immense quantity of other articles, 
for the subsistence and clothing of 
the French armies. 
But the terror which their arms 
had spread every where, superseded 
all considerations but that of de- 
precating their hostility upon any 
terms. After general Moreau’s pas- 
sage of the Lech, the elector of 
Bavaria, thinking himself no longer 
secure, made overtures to that officer 
forapacification. This, indeed, had 
been done by every prince and city 
that had not been able to resist him. 
The diet itself of the empire, 
convened as usual at Ratisbon, par- 
took of the universal consternation. 
Tn asitting, held on the 30:h of July, 
for the purpose of consulting on the 
situation of affairs, the deputies of 
the princes and states of the empire 
came to the determination of open- 
ing a negociation for peace with 
France.’ All the members of the 
diet acceded toit, except the depu- 
ties from Austria ani Bohefnia, who 
ascribed the ‘disasters of the war to 
want of union among the states of 
the empire, and their backwardness 
to second their chief, the emperor, 
in the common detence of their 
country, 
But the dangers apprehended 
from the French, appeared greater 
than that of opposing the desire of 
the emperor. A decree was passed 
by the diet, seriously to remonstrate 
to him, that, in the present circum- 
stances of the empire, it was neces- 
sary, conformably to the wish of its 
divers members, to put an end to 
a war that had been so calamitous, 
and no longer to defer the conclud- 
ing of a peace upon reasonable con- 
ditions. 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1796. 
Not content with this address to 
the emperor, they looked upon the 
Situation of the dict as so precarious, 
that they commissioned deputies to 
‘repair to the French armies, to sti- 
pulate with the generals for the se- 
curity and proteétion of the diet, 
and of the public documents and 
archives in its custody, and for the 
neutrality of Ratisbon itself. 
In this extremity, the archduke 
resolved to make a resolute attempt 
to extricate the diet and the empire 
at once, from the humiliating con- 
dition to which they were reduced. 
He was at this time so hard pressed 
by Moreau, that he hardly could 
judge which of the two difficulties 
required his attention the most: that 
of opposing this formidable advers 
sary, or of hastening to the succour 
of Wartensleben. 
Jourdan had invariably maintain- 
ed his superiority over him: and 
pushing him, from post to post, wag 
now advanced within a day’s march 
of Ratisbon. No time was, there~ 
fore, to be lost in marching to his 
assistance. This was become the 
more indispensible, that a strong 
division of Jourdan’s army, under 
general Bernadotte, an active and 
enterprising officer, had been de- 
tached, with otders to proceed im- 
mediately to Ratisbon. 
This circumstance determined ‘ie 
archduke. Leaving a powerful bo- 
dy to observe the motions of Mo- 
reau, hé speeded towards the Da- 
nube, which he crossed on the seven- 
teenth of August, at Ingolstadt, with 
the intent of throwing himself be- 
tween Ratisbon and the French di- 
vision that was approaching it. 
On that very day general War- 
tensleben’s army was attacked in its 
encampment at Sultzback, by soit 
0 
