HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
trafic of the Prussian provinces for 
Hanover had excited at first, subse. 
quent events had notallayed. “very 
day had brought the news of some 
fresh encroachment on the part of 
France, of some new insult or 
mortification to Prussia. The young 
officers, inflamed with military 
ardor, were eager to distinguish 
themselves against the conquerors of 
Austria. The old generals, who 
recollected the glorious days of 
Frederic II. forgot their age and 
infirmities, as well as the immense 
changes since that time both in 
France avd Prussia, and joined in 
the cry for war. Prince Lewis 
of Prussia, who had.a few 
years before been called the Prus- 
sian duke of Orleans, took the 
lead in inspiring these. sentimzuts, 
and diffusing them among the young 
men of his rank. The queen, young, 
beautiful and amiable, listening to 
her indignation at the atrocities, 
usurpations and insults of France, 
and jealous of her husband’s honour 
and reputation, joined in the same 
cause. The ministers, weak and 
unprincipled, hated and despised, 
were unable to resist the torrent, 
which hurried the Prussian mo- 
narchy to destruction. 
These ministers, as destitute of 
wisdom as of probity, as incapable 
of profiting by experience as of 
acting a fair or honourable part, 
had, in the mean time, been engaged 
in another criminal negotiation with 
Bonaparte, and had been again out- 
witted by his superior craft and 
artifice. The peace of Presburg 
had left the forms of the Germanic 
constitution entire, and from some 
of the articles of that treaty it 
appears doubtful, whether the 
165 
French'emperor entertained thoughts 
at that time of the speedy subver- 
sion, to which it was afterwards 
condemned. ‘The residence of his 
troops in Germany, occasioned by 
the unlucky aflair of Cattaro, pro- 
bably suggested, and the prospect of 
peace with Russia certajnly matured, 
a design suitable to his restless mind, 
of destroying what remained of 
that ancient structure, and cf grect- 
ing in its room a new confederation 
of princes, at the head of which he 
should himself he placed. This 
project seems to have been already 
conceived in the beginning of June, 
and early in July the details of the 
plan were settled; but it was re- 
solved not to publish them, in case 
peace could be obtained.* On the 
10th of that month the Russian 
plenipotentiary, D‘Oubril, had his 
first conference with general Clarke, 
who was appointed to negotiate 
with him on the part of France. 
The true character of the Russian 
minister was soon discovered. No 
obstacle, it was foreseen, would be 
opposed by him to the new arrange- 
ments proposed in Germany. ‘The 
plan of confederation was, there. 
fore, definitively settled without 
delay, and signed on the 17th of 
July by princes and ministers, who 
were scarce allowed time to read 
the deed to which they affixed their 
signatures. + 
The members of this confedera. 
tion were the emperor of the French, 
the kings of Bavaria and Wirtem- 
berg, the archbishop of Ratisbon, 
the elector of Baden, the duke of 
Berg, the landgrave of Hesse Darm- 
stadt, the princes of Nassau-Weil- 
burg, and Nassau-Usingen, of Ho- 
henzollern-Hechingen, and Hoher~ 
* Dispatch from lord Yarmouth to Mr. Fox, July 9, 
~ ¢ Lord Yarmouth to Mr. Fox, July 19, 
M 3 gollern. 
