642 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804 



Rtiss/an Chargc-iV Affairs, Mr. 

 Oubril; relative to the Occur- 

 rences at Etteiiheiin, zclicre the 

 Duke D''Eiighuien was seized. Da- 

 ted Paris, April ^0, 1804. 



According to the orders which 

 the midersigiied Chargo-d'ASairs of 

 his imperial majesty the emperor of 

 all the Riissias has received trom his 

 court, he hastens to inform the mi- 

 nister of the French republic, that 

 his illustrious master has learned, 

 v/\th equal astonishment and con- 

 cern, the event that has taken place 

 at Ettenlicim, the circumstances that 

 have attended it, and its melancholy 

 result. The concern of the empe- 

 ror on this occasion is the more live- 

 ly, as he can by no means reconcile 

 the violation of the territory of the 

 elector 01 Dadcn to those principles 

 of justice and propriety which are 

 held sacred among nations, and are 

 the bulwark of tlieir reciprocal rela- 

 tions. His imperial majesty finds in 

 this act a violation of the rights of 

 nations, and of a neutral territory, 

 which, at least, was as arbitrary as 

 it was public ; a violation, the con- 

 sequences of which are difficult to 

 estimate, and which, if considered 

 as admissible, must entirely annihi- 

 late the security and independence 

 of sovereign states. If the German 

 empire, after the misfortunes it has 

 suftered, which have made it sensibly 

 feel the necessity of tranquillity and 

 repose, must still be in fear for the 

 integrity of its territory, could it 

 have been expected that this should 

 have originated on the part of a go- 

 Terument which has laboured to se- 

 cure to it peace, and imposed on it- 

 leif the duty of guaranteeing its con- 

 tinuance. All these considerations 

 have not permitted the emperor to 

 pass ovttc in silence this unexpected 



event, which has spread consterna- 

 tion through all Germany. His im- 

 perial majesty has held it to be his 

 duty, as guarantee and mediator of 

 the pe ice, to notify to the states of 

 the empire, the manner in which he 

 views an action which endangers 

 their security and independence, — ■ 

 The Russian resident at Ratiabon 

 has, in consequence, received orders 

 to deliver in a note to the diet, and 

 to represent to it, and to the head 

 of the empire, the necessity of r*. 

 monstrating to the French govern- 

 ment against this violation of the 

 German territory. His imperial 

 majesty holds it in like manner to 

 be his duty to notify his sentiments 

 directly to the French government, 

 by the undersigned, as his majesty 

 is assured, that the first consul will 

 hasten to attend to the just remon- 

 strances of the German political bo- 

 dy, and feel the pressing necessity 

 of taking the most adtive measures 

 to relieve all the governments of 

 Europe from the alarm he must 

 have occasioned to them, and put 

 an end to an order of things too 

 dangerous to their safety and future 

 independence. 



The undersigned hereby fulfils the 

 commands of his illustrious master, 

 and avails himself of this opportu- 

 nity to communicate to the citizen 

 minister for foreign atfairs, the as- 

 surance of his high esteem. 



JVci/d transmitted bi) the French Mi- 

 nistcrjor Foreign Relations to the 

 Imperial Russian Cliarge d^Af- 

 f aires, dated May 1 6th, 1804, 

 and signed Ch. Muu. Tallei/rand. 



I have laid before the first con- 

 sul the note of the 20th of April, 

 which you did me the honour to 



transmit 



