656 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



it twice in his power to deprive tlie 

 house of Austria of half i(s horodi- 

 tary states, far from diminishing its 

 power, he had increased it. ; If he 

 could not count on its gratitude, he 

 thought he could rely on its faith. 

 He had given it the highest mark of 

 eonfidence it was possiiile for him to 

 give, in leaving his continental fron- 

 tiers ungarrisoned and disarmed. He 

 believed it incapable of abusing this 

 confidence, because he would have 

 been 59 himself. Thcro are suspi. 

 cions which cannot enter into gene- 

 rous hearts, nor find place in rellect- 

 ing minds. The emperor took plea- 

 sure in confirming himself in his fa- 

 vourable presumptions, aud he did 

 not fear to shew to what point he 

 desired to see them established. The 

 court of Vienna omitted nothing to 

 prolong the illusion. It multiplied 

 pacific declarations ; it protested on 

 its religious attachment to treaties ; 

 it authorised its ambassador to make 

 the most assuring declarations ; it 

 sought, in fine, as well by plausible 

 explanations as formal denials, to 

 dissipate the suspicions its measures 

 may have given rise to : still, the 

 hostile preparations redoubling every 

 day in extent aud activity, became 

 more difllcult to be justified. The 

 emperor ordered that count Philip 

 de Cobcntzel, ambassador of the 

 court of Vienna, should be invited 

 to fresh conferences, and that the 

 correspondence of the diplomatic 

 and commercial agents of his majes- 

 ty, should be communicated to him. 

 For four successive dajs M. de Co- 

 bentzel waited on the minister of 

 foreign relations, who ])1aced before 

 hi;> eyes the dispatches previously 

 received, and those Mhich arrived 

 sucsessively from all parts ot Ger- 

 many and Italy. The cabinets of 

 Durops will ^ud iu their archives 



few examples of similar communi- 

 cations made in circumstances in 

 which suspicion was so natural. The 

 emperor could not give a more con- 

 vincing proof of his good faith ; he 

 could not carry sincerity or delicacy 

 farther. The ambassador from Vi- 

 ei\na took a view of the most posi- 

 tive, the most incontestible docu- 

 ments, which, from all parts, an- 

 nounced the speedy breaking out of 

 a war, always preparing, though so 

 studiously concealed. Wliai answer 

 could he make ? Up to that mo- 

 ment peace had been loudly pro- 

 fessed by his court at Paris and at 

 Vienna ; but on all its frontiers wair 

 was at length openly organized, i 

 The emperor, however, was unwil- ^ 

 ling to reject all hope of accommo- 

 dation. He persuaded himself that 

 Austria might have been led away by 

 foreign suggestions ; he resolved to 

 do every thing to bring her back to 

 a sense of her true interests. He 

 represented to her, that if she did 

 not wish for war, all her prepara- 

 tions were without an object, inas- 

 much as all her neighbours were at 

 peace ; that therefore she was un- 

 consciously, and contrary to her in- 

 tention. serving (he cause of England, 

 by making in her favour a diversion 

 not less powerful, nor less injurious 

 to France, than ^declared war would 

 be. — If she wished for war, he made 

 her sec its probable consequences. 

 Superior to all the considerations, 

 which are bars only to weakness, he 

 did not dissemble that he dreaded 

 war : not that after so many battles 

 fought hi the three parts of the old ' 

 world he could fear dangers, so often 

 braved, and so often surmounted; 

 but he feared war on account of the 

 blood it causes to be spilletl, on ac- 

 count of the sacrifices without num- 

 bcr^it must cost to Europe ; and in 



consequence 



