406 ANNUAL OREGISTER, 
empire may be considered quite 
decomposed, and reduced to utter 
insignificance, as a political body, 
since the ties which should connect 
its lesser states to the acknowledged 
head of that once august union, 
are now virtually dissolved. 
No circumstance could evince 
more clearly the power that Bona- 
' parte had, and meant to retain over 
Germany, than the invasion and 
occupation of Hanover. Austria 
and Prussia contented themselves 
with demanding explanation upon 
those points ; to which the answer 
of the French government was, 
that it was solely the possessions of 
the king of England which were at- 
tacked, but that ih other pojnts the 
integrity and independence of the 
German empire should be respect- 
ed. The emperor of Germany 
affected to be content with this ex- 
planation, as he was in no condition 
to war with France about Hanover, 
a country which had preserved its 
neutrality when he and the Ger- 
than empite, were in the greatest 
difficulty and danger. The king 
of Prussia also, Whatev er discontent 
he might feel, professed also to be 
sutisfied: that monarch well knew, 
. that the first consul would by no 
means abandon his plan, on ac- 
count of any remonstrances he 
could make, and he therefore did 
‘not chuse to irritate him by a fruit- 
Jess opposition. It must however 
have been very g galling to that mo- 
nareh to find, that the power -of 
France had so soon stripped Aim of 
the title, which, while it suited the 
convenience of ‘Bonaparte, he was 
‘pleased to allow him, that of ‘* Pro- 
-tector of the north of Germany.” 
From the moment that the French 
a@ymy had entered Hanoyer, he per- 
- 
1803. 
ceived, as did the lesser states of 
the empire, that there was no power 
at hand to rescue the latter from 
the grasp of France. In vain .did 
the imperial city of Hamburgh ap- 
peal to his protection, and to that 
of the head of the’empire, when 
the French occupied Cuxhaven, 
and had demandéd a considerable 
loan from them: no relief was ob- 
tained, or evén a remonstrancé 
issued, upon that unwarrantable 
proceeding. 
Thus circumstanced, the govern- 
ment of Denmark was the only 
neighbouring power which displayed 
the. slightest spirit. .The Prmce 
Royal speedily collected an army of 
30,000 men in Holstein, and took 
vigorous measures to defend his ter~ 
ritorics ; but when he found that 
Prussia had acquiesced in the en- © 
croachments of France, and that the 
official journal of Bonaparte had be- 
gun to threaten Denmark herself in 
unequivocal terms;unless she imme- 
diately dispersed the army of Hol- 
stein; the Prince Royal found him- 
self (though reluctantly) compelled 
to submit. to the imperious and 
over-ruling necessity of the case, 
and his German states were again 
placed on a peace establishment. 
Although Russia was infimately 
conrccted with the interests of the 
north of Europe, and must doubt- 
less have felt much displeased at 
the advance of the French army, 
and the violation of the Germanic 
empire, of which she was the gua, 
rantee; yet the emperor Alex ander 
was so pacifically disposed as not to 
consider that aggression of France, 
as an immediate ground of ~var.— 
Bonaparte had solemnly alleged, 
that he only occupied Hanover, 
in order to induce the king of 
England 
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