STATE 
in the canse of so many misfor- 
tunes. 
But not content with this, we 
shall soon see in what manner the 
politics of France, assured that she 
had now no enemy to fear, believing 
that she had annihilated Austria, 
forming a judgment of Russia with 
equal ignorance and rashness, and 
blinded by the apparent tranquillity 
of Prussia, she atlength threw off 
the mask; and despising forms 
which she had hitherto sometimes 
.Tespeéted, openly trampled on all 
treaties and all rights. Three 
months after the signing of the 
treaty with Prussia, all its articles 
were violated. 
The treaty had for its basis the 
status quo of the moment in which it 
was concluded, also the guarantee 
of the German empire and its states, 
according to the constitution then 
established. ‘This truth arises not 
only from the nature of things ; 
the treaty had also expressly pre- 
scribed to the two powers their du- 
ties. The relations in which the 
peace of Presburg had left his ma- 
jesty the emperor of Austria, were 
guaranteed to him; consequently 
also theimperial crown of Germany, 
and the rights conneéted with it. 
The existence of Bavaria, and con- 
sequently the relations which had 
connected it for so many centuries 
to the empire, were likewise con- 
firmed by the same common gua- 
rantee. Three months after, the 
confederation of the Rhine over- 
threw the Germanic constitution, 
deprived the emperor of the antient 
ornament of his house, and placed 
Bavaria, and thirty other princes, 
under the tutelage of France. 
But is it necessary to appeal to 
treaties, to form a just judgment of 
‘this extraordinary event? Previous 
PAPERS. 805 
to all ‘treaties, nations have their 
rights ; and had not France sported 
with the sanctity of an oath, this act 
of unexampled despotism would 
exasperate every mind. ‘To deprive 
princes who had never offended 
France, and to render them the 
vassals of others, themselves the 
vassals of the French government ; 
to abolish, with a stroke of the pen, 
a constitution of a thousand years 
duration—which long habit, the 
remembrance of so many illustrious 
periods, and so many various and 
mutual relations, had rendered dear 
to such a number of princes— 
which had so often been guaranteed 
by all the European powers, and 
even by France herself—to lay 
contributions on the cities and 
towns in the midst of profound 
peace, and leave the new possessions 
only an exhausted skeleton — to 
abolish this constitution without 
consulting the emperor of Germany, 
from whom a crown was wrested, 
or Russia, so lately become the 
guarantee of the German League, 
or Prussia, interested intimately in 
that Jeague, thus arbitrarily dissolv- 
ed—No: wars and continued vic. 
tories have sometimes produced 
great and remarkable catastrophes ; 
but such an example in time of peace 
was never before given to theworld. 
The king commiserated the un- 
fortunate princes, who suffered by 
these transactions: but he pitied 
not less those who had suffered 
themselves to be hired by the hope 
of gain; and he would reproach 
himself, should he increase their 
unhappiness by judging them with 
too great severity. Deluded by the 
reward of their compliance; pro. 
bably, forced to obey commands 
which admitted of no opposition ; 
or, if surprised into consent, suftici- 
ently 
3F3 
