HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



161 



mimon. lie has certainly got rid 

 ©f one formidable opponent, but 

 be has created many others, who 

 only wait for a favourable oppor- 

 tunity to declare themselves. Un- 

 fortunately for mankind, he has 

 such nuraerous accomplices in guilt, 

 whose fortunes, and perhaps ex- 

 istence, depend upon the uphold- 

 ing his authority, and who are per- 

 fectly in possession of the means of 

 governing that ignorant and abjedt 

 people, namely, by severity and 

 corruption, and having those means 

 completely in their hands, that it 

 will require more than an ordinary 

 course of CTents, and a prodigious 

 reverse of fortune, to shake his 

 power. 



This unjustifiable proceeding ex- 

 cited a general, but, in many cases, 

 a smothered indignation. Russia, 

 however, came forward with that 

 openness and intrepidity which so 

 Avell became her. His imperial ma- 

 jesty, conformably to that magna- 

 nimity which has long characterized 

 the court of St. Petersbiirgh, took 

 the earliest opportunity of testifying 

 the lively interest which he took in 

 the fate of this unfortunate prince : 

 and a spirited remonstrance upon 

 this inhuman transaction, \vas ad- 

 dressed to the French minister for 

 foreign aftairs, through M. Oubril, 

 his imperial majesty's charge d' 

 affaires at Paris.* A note was like- 

 wise presented on the 6th of May, 

 at the diet of Ratisbon, hy the Rus- 

 sian minister resident there; where- 

 in the princes of the empire are 

 called upon to demand satisfaction 

 for this unparalleled violation of 

 the neutrality of Germany. + 



But it did potseem expedient to 

 most of the powers to whom this 



exhortation was addresed, to take 

 up the subject with that earnestness 

 which their dignity and indepen- 

 dence seemed to demand. So that 

 a step undertaken by Prussia, from 

 such just and noble motives, termi- 

 nated in a feeble and fruitless cor- 

 respondence. It had, however, the 

 eft'ecSl of producing a note from the 

 French government, composed with 

 so little management as to aggra- 

 vate, instead of palliating the of- 

 fence complained of. And, as it 

 gave rise to a most animated and 

 able discussion on the part of Rus- 

 sia, Ave think it necessary to cite 

 the most striking passages. 



This note observes that the influ- 

 ence of the enemies of France has 

 prevailed in the cabinet of St. Pe. 

 tersburgh, and that the good un- 

 derstanding between the two coun- 

 tries is thus endangered. That the 

 emperor of Germany and the king 

 of Prussia, most concerned in the 

 fate of Germany, had understood 

 that the French government were 

 authorised in arresting, at two lea- 

 gues from the frontier, French re- 

 bels, who, from their conduct, had 

 placed themselves out of the protec- 

 tion of the law of nations. That 

 the first consul had no account to 

 render to the emperor of Russia, 

 on a point which in no Avise con- 

 cerned his interests, but if the in- 

 tention of his imperial majesty were 

 to form a new coalition, what need 

 Avas there for empty pretences ? 

 why not a6t openly ? That the first 

 consul knoAvs no man who could 

 intimidate France, — no man Avhoin 

 he would permit to interfere in the 

 internal concerns of the country. 

 It is required that France should 

 employ the most efficacious means 



* Vide State Papcis. p. Ci-2. 

 Vol. XLVI. M 



f \'ide Stale Papers, p. 654. 



to 



