190 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



ous a6ls of intrigue and interfer- 

 ence, to which their Aveak govern- 

 ments but too much exposed them. 



We l^^ve seen, ho\\ever*, that, 

 Tinawed by such immensity of 

 power, the magnanimity of Russia 

 did not slumber. In pressing for 

 Ihe CTCCution of a treaty, which had 

 for its objefts the guarantee of the 

 independence of Naples, and that of 

 procuring an indemnity to the king 

 of Sardinia for the loss of his domi- 

 nions, he had at once increased the 

 fcitter enmity of the French ruler, 

 Mid acquired the confidence and 

 admiration of whatever yet remain- 

 ed independent in Europe, Mho 

 saw, in this generous and noble 

 condudl, a principle of action, 

 which might, at a future moment, 

 check the strides towards universal 

 monarchy of the restless Corsican. 

 The fruits of the line of conduct 

 which the emperor Alexander had 

 thus chosen, were perceptible in 

 some uneasy movements on the part 

 of France, and Mere not unuseful 

 to the cause of England, as it oc- 

 casioned the removal to Italy of 

 toan)'- of those battalions, Mhich sta- 

 tioned at Boulogne, were to form a 

 part of the invading army destined 

 to conquer Great- Britain. 



At the commencement of the pre- 

 sent year, Austria appeared active- 

 ly employed in repairing the losses 

 which her armies had sustained in 

 the late war, and in placing her mi- 

 litary establishments on the best 

 possible footing. The Germanic 

 empire had, at this period, been for 

 some time agitated in consequence 

 of some very arbitrary measures re- 

 sorted to by the elector of Bavaria, 

 to oppress the equestrian order in 

 his territories in Franconia, acquir- 



ed by the indemnities. That body, 

 considering itself under the imme- 

 diate protection of the head of the 

 Empire, appealed to the emperor 

 of Germany, m ho immediately in- 

 terfered, and sent a most dignified 

 and energetic remonstrance, in the 

 capacity of its supreme chief, to 

 the court of Munich; and also, 

 at the same time, assured the eques- 

 trian order of his support, by 

 ulterior means, against the elector. 

 There could be little doubt but that, 

 in this proceeding, the elector had - 

 either been secretly stimulated by 

 France, or else had relied, m ith con- 

 fidence, on the support of that 

 power in any aggressive proje6l he 

 might form, which should tend to 

 the diminution of the influence of 

 Austria; but, to his utter disap- 

 pointment and mortification, a short 

 period had only elapsed, after the 

 delivery of the imperial declaration 

 in favour of the order, when the 

 French embassador to the Bavarian 

 government expressed the displea- 

 sure of the first consul, at the con- 

 duct of the eledtor towards the head 

 of the German empire ; which, of 

 course, terminated the affair. In 

 the whole of this transaction, as 

 well as upon the seizure of Ober- 

 haus, by the Bavarian troops,which 

 occurred the year before, Austria , 

 evinced a sufficient share of energy 

 and decision, to convince France, 

 that her spirit M'as not so broken, 

 nor her consequence at so low an 

 ebb, as to alloM' herself to be in- 

 sulted with impunity. Bonaparte 

 had, in these instances, certainly en- 

 deavoured to ascertain hoM' far that 

 pOMer Mould bear the attempt to di- 

 minish her weight and consequence 

 in the Germanic body, without har- 



* Chapter 11. 



ing 



