190] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



an unequal proportion of the pub- 

 lic burdens would be laid upon 

 them, for the relief of the here- 

 ditary states. As much inconve- 

 nience arose from the prolongation 

 of these disputes, the courts of 

 justice being in the mean time 

 shut, and the expenses of the diet 

 continually augmenting, it was at 

 length agreed that Hungary should 

 pay within two years, 24 millions 

 of florins in bills of exchange ; de- 

 liver mto the imperial magazines 

 four millions of measures of grain, 

 of different sorts; and submit to 

 an extraordinary impost of two 

 florins for each quintal of salt 

 during three years. 



After the Emperor of Austria 

 had consented to form a family 

 union with the French Emperor, 

 nothing less could be expected 

 than that their political systems 

 would partake of tlie same con- 

 cert. The treaty, therefore, be- 

 tween the two courts, of which 

 mention has been already made, 

 could excite no surprise ; and as 

 the Austrian limited the succour 

 given to Napoleon, in his war with 

 Russia, to the contingent specified 

 in the terms of the agreement, no 

 particular hostility against that 

 power on his part could be infer- 

 red. It is not to be doubted that 

 Austria, as the third military power 

 on the continent, must alwaj's 

 view with an eye of jealousy the 

 predominance of either of the 

 other two; but her past humilia- 

 tion by France, and the vast re- 

 sources, and overbearing ambition 

 of its Ruler, must naturally disin- 

 cline her to contribute to the ag- 

 grandisement of an empire already 

 so dangerous to the independence 

 of Europe. The Austrian army 

 under Price Schwartzenberg ap- 



pears, indeed, to have taken tt» 

 part in good earnest ; and if the 

 accounts communicated by its 

 commander are to be credited, it 

 fully maintained the reputation of 

 its valour and discipline ; but how 

 far the Emperor Francis will think 

 himself bound to persist in his 

 alliance, should the face and for- 

 tune of Europe put on a new as- 

 pect, time and events alone can 

 determine. 



With respect to the rest of Ger- 

 many, its dependent kings and 

 insignificant princes, so few traces 

 remain of its separate existence, 

 that nothing has occurred histori- 

 cally to distinguish the Germanic 

 body from the general mass of sub- 

 jects and satellites which swell the 

 train, and are linked to the desti- 

 nies, of the French Emperor. If 

 any thing of a national spirit still 

 exists in that part of Europe, it 

 must be impatient to liberate itself 

 from such a state of degradation ; 

 but without some rallying point, at 

 which the scattered force of a mar- 

 tial people may be concentered, it 

 will be vain to expect any effectual 

 resistance to a power which has 

 the art of making division the in- 

 strument of mutual subjugation. 

 Such a point was once afforded by 

 Prussia; but the sovereign of that 

 country must exert much more 

 vigour than has hitherto appeared 

 to belong to his character, before 

 he can shake off the fetters which 

 at present hold him as a state pri- 

 soner in his own dominions. 



Of the remainder of Europe, 

 Sicily has presented the principal 

 object of curiosity, at least, if not 

 of interest. It was impossible 

 that such a divided rule, in one 

 island, as that of a foreign court on 

 one hand) and a foreign army on 



the 



