STATE PAPERS. 
tion, that peace so ardently desired 
‘should not be concluded, but 
“agreeably to the Sons ttstion, ina 
‘most perfect and invariable concert 
between the emperor and the 
states, 
'_ The resolutions of the diet of the 
22d of December, 1794, and of 
july last year, become laws of the 
empire in virtue of our Imperial 
functions, very pointedly attest this 
‘reserve ; and the same spirit serves 
as a foundation to the full powers 
_and authorities for peace, which 
have been submitted for our ac- 
_ceptance, in virtue of the resolu- 
tion of the diet of the 7th of Oéto- 
ber, 1795, as well as for the annex- 
ed instructions to the deputies of 
the empire at the congress for 
peace ; instruétions which essenti- 
ally proceed upon the re-establish- 
“ment of peace, just, honourable, 
stable, permanent, and common to 
the whole empire, and which have 
»pointedly and expressly as their ob- 
je& the maintenance of the empire 
upon the footing on which it stood 
before the misunderstandings which 
arose with France, under the spe- 
cial recommendation to observe an- 
cient treaties, ; 
After having thus expressed, in 
a manner equally constitutional and 
-agreeable to the interests of the 
Germanic empire, its sentiments 
with regard to the re-establishment 
of peace, the general diet, full of 
respectful confiience in our pater- 
nal,solicitude for the comman ad- 
vantage of Germany, entreated us 
to negotiate, as well in our own 
“mame as in that of.the Germanic 
boy, the preliminaries oi peace. 
e were very well dispos-d to aét 
agreeably to these desires ; but the 
Sequel proved that the sa dis st 
bell ec of public safety, by which 
{285 
the foreign affairs of France then 
were governed, had very different 
views from coming to an amicable 
understanding with the empire, for 
the purpose of putting an end toa 
war into which the empire had been 
forced, and thus to reconcile them- 
selves with suffering humanity by 
sicrificing to peace their passion of 
conquest. 
All Germany has seen the an. 
swer of the comiittee of public 
safery, the contents of which were 
ordered to be published by our de- 
cree of the 1gth of November last. 
This piece coniains the most mani. 
fest proofs of the decided repug- 
nance ot France to listen to the pa- 
cific overtures desired by the em- 
pire, and of the clear determination 
of this power not to engage in im- 
mediate negotiations, till finding 
herself jn a situation imperiously to 
dictate the conditions of peace. to 
the empire, she could, to the eter- 
nal shame of the German name, 
leave her no other part in this mea- 
sure but a passive subscription of 
the treaty. Lhe empire being thus 
convinced of the refusal of the 
French government to make a suit- 
able return to the overtures which 
had been made, it had no other 
resource leit but that foreseen by 
the resolution of the 22d of De- 
cember, 1794, to assume an atti- 
tude wh.ch should oblige the ene. 
my to grant.that peace desired by 
the head ani by the members of the 
Gerinanic body under. the condi- 
tions ‘announced in the. resolutions 
of the diet. 
The directory, however, which 
has succecded the committee of pub- 
hie s.fety in the management of 
foreign affairs, has mot . adopted. 
more moderate sentiments. We 
find; on the contrary, in all their 
attions, 
