646 



ANNUAL REGISTER, ISD5. 



to be beli'ered, that he will expose 

 hiraseli to fresh injuries. It belongs 

 to the emperor Alexander to judge 

 which alternative appears most ad. 

 vantageous for him ; whether to per- 

 sist in a system, to the adoption of 

 ■which he was moved by foreign in- 

 fluence, or to return to more mode- 

 rate, more just, and wiser senti- 

 ments, lie has a greater interest 

 in returning to them, than France 

 has to lead him back thereto. This 

 alteration must be the result of his 

 own consideration, and cannot form 

 an object of any kind of negotiation. 

 — As to England, his majesty made 

 an attempt, eight months ago, to 

 incline her (o peace ; which attempt 

 Europe knew how tp appreciate, 

 and which would not have been in 

 vain, if England had depended solely 

 upon her own resources ; but, from 

 the answer returned by the cabinet 

 of St. James's, it was clear that it 

 "would not think of a peace, till it 

 had lost every hope of setting the 

 continent in flames, and of covering 

 Italy with blood and carnage. With 

 this intention, and with this inten- 

 tion alone, it called upon the inter- 

 position of Uussia. The cabinet of 

 Vienna is too enlightened not to 

 perceive this, though the projects 

 and motives of England were not 

 known to it, from the pressing soli- 

 citations, and from the ofter of sub- 

 sidies with which she has constantly 

 besieged the court of Vienna, to 

 induce it to take up arms. It can- 

 not be hoped that such a power will 

 listen to the advice of moderation 

 and justice. It would even be use- 

 less to speak to it of its interest, 

 which ought to be dearest to it. 

 Blind passions induce it to mistake 

 those interests. The voice of per- 

 suasion would' avail nothing ; but 

 that which the good offices of Aus- 



tria cannot induce England to do, 

 Austria can oblige her to do. She 

 needs neither exertions nor me- 

 naces for this purpose, but merely 

 to observe a very simple process, 

 which will convince England of her 

 impotence. — England knows, and 

 has more than once declared, that 

 Russia alone cannot afford her any 

 assistance^ and that a diversion will 

 be of no use to her, as long as 

 Prussia and Austria will not co- 

 operate Avith her. — Prussia has de- 

 clared, at all times, that she will in 

 no case enter into any hostile pro- 

 ject against France. Let the em- 

 peror of Austria make the same de- 

 claration, and the British cabinet 

 will immediately feel its own inter- 

 est, as it is no longer deceived by 

 unfounded imaginations, and in- 

 formed by the opinion of the most 

 enlightened people of that country; 

 it will immediately see the necessity 

 of returning to the stipulations of 

 the treaty of Amiens, and she will 

 find her happiness in this necessity. 

 Then the emperor of Germany will 

 not only have a claim upon the gra- 

 titude of the emperor of the French, 

 but he will have effected more for 

 his own advantage than if he had 

 gained ten battles against France ; 

 for au immediate consequence of the 

 peace would be the performance of 

 the obligation which his majesty the 

 emperor of the French has taken 

 upon himself, and which he renews 

 with pleasure, of separating the 

 crowns of France and Italy. — If on 

 the other hand, Austria, by indeci- 

 sive measures, leave a doubtful and 

 uncertain opinion; if thereby she 

 authorises the assertions of the En- 

 glish ministry, that shte belongs to 

 a coalition ; if she continues to keep 

 72,000 men in Italy, the emperor 

 will be obKged to believe that she 



gees 



