1S6 



ANNUAL llEGISTER, 1805, 



cause, had her policy, within the 

 course of the present year, bcrn 

 other than narrow, urivvise, and, we 

 •will add, deceitful. Since her early 

 separation from the first confcderacv 

 against republican France, she had 

 maintained a cautious, selfish, but 

 strict neutrality. During the wars 

 ■which had ensued, she was not 

 averse from contemplating, with 

 pleasure, the straits to which her 

 lival, Austria, was reduced ; and the 

 promise which such an event as the 

 lowering of that power held forth, 

 of her gaining a predominancy in 

 the Germanic body, was too great a 

 temptation to her, not to persist in 

 the same line of conduct. ]t may 

 also be supposed that the customary 

 intrigue of the French nation availed 

 itself of the well-known profligacy 

 of the court of Berlin, to maintain 

 3 party there, ever ready to forward 

 its views and interests. But to 

 ■whatever causes the conduct of 

 Prussia was owing, it is equally cer- 

 tain that it was calculated to pro- 

 duce the utmost benefit (o the ob- 

 jects of Bonaparte, while, at the same 

 time, profiting of the disturbed state 

 ©f the neighbouring powers, her 

 own commerce and revenue were 

 improving rapidly, her armies nu- 

 merous and well-appointed, and in- 

 dustry and prosperity were to be 

 found diffused in every direction 

 throughout her dominions. Such 

 ■was the smiling aspect of the aRiiirs 

 of Prussia at the commencement of 

 the year. 



It will readily be pr^^sumed that 

 the powers now allied against 

 France, and determined upon lak- 

 ing the field, considered with much 

 an.xicty the probable conduct of 

 Prussia in the aj)proaching cam- 

 paign, and that every effort which 

 could be made, by diplomatic in^ 



dustry and skill, was employed (a 

 determine her to take a i)art in the 

 new coalition, or at least to secure 

 a continuance of her neutrality. 

 The ministers of Austria, Russia, 

 and England, at the court of Ber- 

 lin, were not slow to point out tha 

 danger to what remained indepen- 

 dent in Europe, from the restless 

 spirit of encroachment, by which 

 the rul?r of the French nation was 

 constantly actuated, or to amplify 

 th(^ probabilities there existed of 

 entire success, should Prussia join 

 her arms to those pf the new confe- 

 deracy. In vain, however, was every 

 art of persuasion to move the cold 

 and selfish councils of the court of 

 Berlin, to take any part, save that 

 of putting the troops upon a war 

 establishment, filling the magazines, 

 and providing the different corps 

 with camp equipage : thus main- 

 taining a neutrality indeed, but an 

 armed and a suspicious one ; ready 

 to act on either side, as interest and 

 opportunity should suggest. When 

 hostilities were inevitable, and the 

 Austrian and Russian forces had be- 

 gun to move, the emperor Alexan. 

 dcr made an effort, in person, to 

 prevail upon the king to adopt a 

 more generous and noble, perhaps 

 a wiser part, but although the for- 

 mer was received at Berlin with 

 every demonstration of personal re- 

 spect and esteem, and with a splen- 

 dour and consideration worthy of 

 his exalted rank and character, the 

 imperial guest was, however, equally 

 unsuccessful with the ntinisters of 

 the allied powers, and he was ob- 

 liged rapidly to return, baffled and 

 disappointed, to place himself at the 

 head of his armies, then advancing 

 in aid of Austria. 



But in the course of the cam- 

 paign; an event o«eured whidi had 



it 



