142 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



was far from enitcrtaining any plans 

 for further ags;raiuiisc'moiit, or of in- 

 fringement on tile inde])endence of 

 the Italian states, thought proper to 

 assume the title of king of Italy, and 

 to accompany this measure M'ith 

 throats and military preparations.' 



' This did not prevent the court of 

 Austria from concurring in the pa- 

 cific overtures made by Russia and 

 England, but at tiie very moment 

 when the requisite pa'^sports were 

 transmitted to the ncgociator for 

 that purpose, fresh attacks were 

 made on the political existence of 

 other independent states in Italy — 

 an encampment of 30,000 men, in 

 the plain of Marengo, was speedily 

 folloucd by another of 40,000 on 

 the frontiers of the Tyrol and the 

 Austrian Venetian provinces.' 



' ilis majesty thus found himself 

 under the necessity of providing, 

 without delay, lor his own safety. 

 This was the cause of his present 

 armament. The emperor armed not 

 with ho^t;lc views ; he armed not to 

 operate a diversion against a landing 

 in Englaird ; he armed for the main- 

 tenance of the pface existing between 

 him and Franct-, for those stipula- 

 tions without wUich this peace would 

 become illusory, and to attain that 

 •just equipoise which is calculated to 

 secure the balance and permanent 

 tranquillity of i'^iirope.' 



This paper concludes with a de- 

 claration that Austria was ready to 

 enter into a riegoiciation, in conjunc- 

 tion with Russia, for maintaining the 

 peace of the continent on the mo?t 

 moderate terms compatible witli the 

 general tranquillity and security ; 

 that whatever should be the issue of 

 the negociations, even should hosti- 

 lities commence, they pledged them- 

 selves to abstain, from Ctery inter- 

 ference with the internal concerns of 



France, or to alter thesta'cof the 

 existing relations in the German 

 empire, and to defend, to the utmost 

 of their power, the integrity oY the 

 Ottoman Porte. And finally, that 

 the sentiments of England were con- 

 formable to those expressed in the 

 above paper. 



Bonaparte, who had til] now ap. 

 p.uently devoted his entire atten- 

 tion to the maturing of his projects 

 for the invasion of Great Britain, 

 immediately, upon the receipt of this 

 note, which was sufficiently expla- 

 natory of the intentions of Austria, 

 resolved to march, without delay, his 

 whole military force, in orde^ ^o dis- 

 jierse and destroy the combination 

 which he perceived was formed 

 against him. Promptitude in his 

 operations he considered the more 

 necessary, in as much as the Russian 

 troops, which were intended to co- 

 operate in favour of Austria, had 

 not yet passed their own frontier. 



Wc have already observed, that Bo- 

 naparte, in the view of over-running 

 the British empire, had assembled 

 the principal part of his forces op- 

 posite to the English coast, and had 

 maintained their military establish- 

 ment complete, so that he possessed, 

 on the shortest emergency, an army 

 ready to undertake any oirensive 

 operations, and perhaps it was a re- 

 lief to him to find an opportunity 

 of giving activity to troops, which 

 had, during the preceding two years,' 

 remained stationary. 



His first step was to reinforce 

 his army in Italy: he then dismantled 

 his llotilla at Boulogne; caused the 

 major part of his troops, in Holland 

 and in Hanover, to march, by the 

 most rapid movements, ^nd the most- 

 direct routes, to meet the Austrians,' 

 wlio were collected on the Danube, 

 and 60,000 men were decreed to be 



raised, 



