HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



143 



raised, by conscription, to recruit the 

 armies. 



These measures were accompanied 

 by a note, presented by the French 

 minister to the diet of Ratisbon, 

 stating, that the conduct of Austria 

 njenaced a new war; that that power 

 had extended her territory, on tlie~ 

 right side of the Pavia, and made 

 acquisitions inSwabia, subsequently 

 to the treaty of Luneviile, which 

 had materially altered the relative 

 situation of the neighbouring states 

 of Gerraanj^ ; that the debt of 

 Venice had remained undischarged, 

 contrary to the spirit and the letter 

 of the treaties of Campo Formio 

 and of Luneviile, and that the peo- 

 ple of Milan and Mantua had, con- 

 trary to formal stipulations, been 

 denied justice to their demands; that 

 Austria had recognized the right of 

 blockade arrogated by England; 

 that the French emperor had eva- 

 cuated Switzerland, and had kept in 

 Italy only a sufficient number of 

 troops to maintain the positions 

 which they occupied, at the extre- 

 mity of the peninsula, in order to 

 protect the commerce of the I/Cvant, 

 and to insure an object of compen- 

 sation, which might determine Eng- 

 land and Russia to evacuate Corfu. 



That his operations had been 

 solely directed to the re-establish- 

 ment of theecjuilibrium of commerce, 

 and the equal right of all flags upon 

 the sea. For this ])urpose, he had 

 collected his forces upon the borders 

 of the ocean, far distant from the 

 Austrian frontiers, and had em- 

 ])loyed all the resources of his em- 

 pire to construct fleets, to form his 

 mariue, and improve his ports; that, 

 at this moment, Austria rises from a 

 Btatc of repose, ])laces her forces on 

 the war establishment, sends one 

 army into the states of Italy, and 



another into the Tyrol, makes new 

 levies of cavalry, forms magazines, 

 strengthens her fortresses, terrifies, 

 by her preparations, the people of 

 Bavaria, Swabia, and of Switzer- 

 land, and manifests an intention of 

 making a diversion favourable to 

 England, and more injurious to 

 France than would be a direct cam- 

 paign, and an open declaration of 

 war. Austria has professed that she 

 had no hostile i;itcntion against 

 France : — against whom then arc 

 these pccparations directed ? Are they 

 against the Swiss ? Are they against 

 Bavaria ? Or are they directed 

 against the German empire itself? 

 His majesty the emperor of the 

 French declares that he will con. 

 sjdcr as a formal declaration of war 

 against himself, every aggression 

 against the German body, and espe- 

 cially against Bavaria; he will never 

 separate the interests of his empire 

 from those of the princes of Ger- 

 many who are attached to him. 



To this note Austria replied, ' that, 

 so far from causing any interruption 

 to a goneral peace, that she had of- 

 fered her mediation, which had been 

 refused by France, but that France 

 wished not for peace, for that situa- 

 tion is not peace, but more destruc- 

 tive than actual war, in which a single 

 power, already too formidable by its 

 greatness, continues alone armed, 

 and is prevented by no ojiposition 

 from occupying with its troops, and 

 oppressing and subjecting one indc- 

 dent state after another.' 



' To put an end to this state of 

 things was the true object of the 

 arming on the part of Austria and 

 Russia, and that the two courts were 

 ready to prove the disinterestedness 

 of their views, by entering into any 

 negociation founded on principles of 

 justice and moderation, and that 



it 



