640 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



lawfully for the English troops. In 

 several instances the routi-s of the 

 indiTiduals which have been debauch- 

 ed have been traced, and the pea- 

 sants who had given them lodgings, 

 and served them as guides, have been 

 discovered. It is my duty, gentle- 

 men, to communicate this informa- 

 tion to you, in order that you may 

 announce to the inhabitants of the 

 electorate, and principally to thella- 

 noverian officers, sub-oflicers, and 

 soldiers, that every individual suspect- 

 «.'d of being concerned in these recruit- 

 ments will be arrested. I must also 

 observe to you, that special commis- 

 sions have been formed lor the purpose 

 of obtaining Information relative to 

 this subject, councils of war will also 

 Le established, to punish with death, 

 conformably to our laws, all the ac- 

 complices of the English in these in- 

 stances. As it appears that the agents 

 of (he English government cannot 

 fulfil their mission, without being 

 assisted by persons of rank, and 

 principally by magistrates, or other 

 persons in office, I have determined 

 the punishment which shall bs in- 

 ilicted on those thus oifemling. — 

 Every person in oiiice, or magistrate, 

 who shall tolerate in his district 

 foreigners, or other persons who re- 

 cruit or debauch the soldiers, siiall 

 be arrested, imprisoned, and sent 

 , out of the country. Every inhabi- 

 tant q( the electorate, whatever may 

 be his rank, who shall be suspected 

 of taking any part, either directly 

 or indirectly, in such recruitments, , 

 shall be delivered over to a military 

 commission, and puni'shed according 

 to the French laws. — I charge you, 

 gentlemen, to communicate this l.'t- 

 ter to the diftercnt authorities of the 

 country, in order that those whom 

 it concerns may be informed of it. 

 These measures must prove to \ou. 



that I rather wish to preveni primes 

 than to punish them. 



JVofe presenled to the Diet by M, 

 Baclier^ the Frevr.h Clnrgi d' Af- 

 faires at Rr' • -■ Dated Sept. 1 1 , 

 '1805. 



Under the present circumstances 

 of affairs, when the movements of 

 the house of Austria menace the 

 continent with a new war, his im- 

 perial nfajesty the emperor of the 

 French, king of Italy, judges it ne- 

 cessary to make known, in a frank 

 and solemn declaration, the senti- 

 ments by which he is animated, in 

 order to enable his cotemporaries 

 and posterity to judge with a true 

 knowledge of the case, in the event 

 of the war taking place, who has 

 been the aggressor — It is with this 

 view, that the undersigned, charge 

 d'affaires of his imperial majesty, 

 the emperor of the French, to the 

 Cierman diet, has received orders to 

 l)resent a faithful exposition of the 

 principles by which his imperial 

 majesty, the emperor, has been uni- 

 formly actuated in his conduct to- 

 wards Austria. — Every thing which 

 that power has done contrary to the 

 spirit and letter of treaties, the em- 

 peror has hitherto permitted. lie 

 has not complained of the immediate 

 extension of territory on the right 

 side of the Pave, against the acquisi- 

 tion of Lindau, against all the other 

 ac([U!sifions made by him in Suabia, 

 and » hich, subsequently to the treaty 

 of Lunovllle, have materially altered 

 the relative situation of the neigh- 

 bouring slates in the interior of Ger- 

 many ; against those, in fine, which 

 continue at the iiresent moment the 

 subject of negotiation with different 



princeSj 



