626 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804 



the head of a nation great enough, 

 strong, and brave enough, to obtain 

 as your right an absolute neutrality. 

 You have constantly commanded 

 nie not to suffer, that conspiracies be 

 framed in any part of our immense 

 territory, against any existing go- 

 Ternment; and already, during the 

 short space of time elapsed since I 

 have been entrusted with the ad- 

 ministration of the police, have I 

 repeatedly annulled machinations 

 which threatened the king of Na- 

 ples and the holy see ; I have pur- 

 sued as far as Strasburgh the forgers 

 of Vienna bank notes. All these 

 fafts have proved how sincere your 

 ■wish is to secure established govern- 

 ments against every kind of propa- 

 gandas and plots. Why should you 

 not have the right to demand an 

 entire reciprocity from the states 

 of the Germanic empire ? Why 

 should Munich, Stutgard, Etten- 

 heim, and Friburgh, have the right 

 of remaining the centre of the con- 

 spiracies, which England never ceases 

 to form against France and Helve- 

 tia ? These objects deserve your 



utmost solicitude, citizen first con- 

 sul, and I dare to tell you so, be- 

 cause this privilege belongs to the 

 chief of justice, and the most seri- 

 ous attention in this respedt forms 

 part of your first duties. It may 

 be obic(4ed, I know, that England 

 as a friendly power has a right to 

 send ministers to the ekrtors of 

 Bavaria, Baden, and VVirtcmburgh. 

 But English diplomacy is composed 

 of two sorts of agents, whom all 

 the conlinent well know how to 

 distinguish. Such ministers as Corn- 

 wallis and Warren, are never ac- 

 credited but for honourable mis- 

 sions, to maintain a good under- 

 standing between nations, and to 

 jegulatc the grand interests of po- 



licy or of commerce ; whilst the 

 Wickhams, the Drakes, and th« 

 Spencer Smiths, are known through- 

 out Europe as the artificers of 

 crimes, whose cowardice is protect- 

 ed by a sacred chara6ter. I will 

 say more ; the presLUce of these 

 contemptible agents is very mortify- 

 ing to the princes in friendship with 

 France ; and the courts of Munich 

 and Stutgard cannot support, with- 

 out disgust, Drake and Spencer 

 Smith, whom numberless reason* 

 render suspected of a very diU'crcnt 

 mission from that which is announc- 

 ed by their official title. In con- 

 sequence of the demand that } ou 

 have made of them, the eleflots of 

 Bavaria and Wirtemburgh have dri- 

 Ten from their states the impur* 

 remains of the French who are ene- 

 mies to their country, and Avhose 

 hatred has survived the calamities 

 of civil war, and the pardon which 

 you have granted them. Let thenr 

 equally drive away these artificers 

 of conspiracy, whose mission has 

 no other object but to reanimate 

 the intestine dissentions of France, 

 and to sow fresh discord on the con- 

 tinent. Ought not our neighbours 

 to suffer an equal alarm with our- 

 selves at the return of political trou- 

 bles, and of all those horrors of 

 war which can be profitable only to 

 that nation which is the enemy of 

 every other ! I demand in the most 

 earnest manner ; — and every duty I 

 owe you, citizen first consul, im- 

 pels me to make the request, that 

 the cabinet may take such elfeftual 

 measures, that the Wickhams, th« 

 Drakes, and the Spencer Smiths, 

 may not be received by any power 

 in friendship with France, what- 

 ever may be their title or character; 

 men Avho jireach up assassination, 

 and foment domestic' troubles ; the 



agent* 



I 



