648 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



dited, that the French cabinet could 

 (to maintain its erroneous principle) 

 deviaie so far from every requisite 

 decorum, and the regard due to 

 truth, as to allege examples which 

 Tj-ere altogether improper to be 

 mentioned ; that it shoiilu, in an of- 

 ficial document, recal even a father's 

 death to the recollection of his illus- 

 trious son, in order to wound his 

 tender feelings ; and that it should 

 (contrary to all truth and to all pro- 

 bability) raise an accusation against 

 another government, whom France 

 never ceases to calumniate, merely 



because she is at war with it. 



France has endeavoured in vain to 

 justify herself by the most extraor- 

 dinary surmises and suggestions, but 

 they cannot alter the state of the 

 present q'lestioii. nor can they be 

 made to justify with efivct an arbi-, 

 trary act, which annihilates the 

 leading, and hitherto undisputed, 

 principles of the law of nations, it 

 is not, by any means, necessary to 

 analyse the whole contents of (he 

 note from the citizen minister for 

 foreign affairs, in order to be con- 

 vinced that it is evasive and unsatis- 

 factory, if the object be considered, 

 which the emperor proposed, Avhcn 

 he, in the course of last spring, 

 caused tlie notes to be delivered at 

 Paris and at Ratisbon ; it is also evi- 

 dent, from the said French note, 

 that the French government rather 

 wished to increase the emperor's just 

 indignation, since its only object in 

 that note is, in an indecent manner, 

 to avoid the important question 

 proposed, instead of ofl'oring a can- 

 did investigation of it. — The emperor 

 is, however, superior to (he emo- 

 tions of personal resentnunt. lie 

 has principally at heart the well-be- 

 ing and tranquillity of Europe : he, 

 therefore, docs not hesitate to make 



a last effort for the preservation, if 

 possible, of a friendly intercourse 

 with France. His majesty's sole 

 wish is, that peace may revive in 

 Europe ; that no person may assume 

 any authority whatsoever over any j 

 other state ; and that the French 

 government do acknowledge an " 

 equality of rights for inferior states, 

 but who are not less independent 

 than France. Russia, it cannot be 

 »too often repeated, entercains not 

 the least inclination for war, nor can 

 she be benefited by it ; her conduct 

 will alone be influenced by the pres- 

 sure of circumstances. She may, 

 however, justly presume, that the 

 French administration entertains 

 such an opinion of the Russian go- 

 vernment, .1'; to be convinced that 

 the hitler will not remain an idle or 

 indifferent spectator of any new en- 

 croachments. His majesty the em- 

 peror of Russia is not himself intlu- 

 •Ticed by fear, nor does he wish to 

 direct its operations to the minds of 

 others. It is his desire to preserve 

 his former relations with France, 

 but upon no other ground than that I 

 of perfect equality. The first con- 

 dition is, tliat the terms mutually 

 agieod upon shall be sacredly ful- 

 f\l\cd, and on this condition only can 

 the two states, after what has hap- 

 pened, Ciijoy their former' relations 

 of good will and amity. The un- 

 dersigned has been ordered to de- 

 clare, that he cannot prolong his 

 stay at Paris, unless (he following 

 demands are previously granted: — 

 1. That, conformably to the 4th 

 and 5th articies of the secret con- 

 vention of the nth of October, 

 1801, the French government shall 

 order its troops to evacuate the 

 kingdom of Naples ; and when that 

 is done, that it shull engage to re- 

 spect the neutrality of that king- 

 dom, 



