174 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1S09. 



holds, and forced either to sub- 

 mit to the conquerors, or take re- 

 fuge for a time in the mountains. 

 The mutual jealousy which sub- 

 sisted between the house of Aus- 

 tria and the ruler of France had 

 long been apparent to the whole 

 world. It was generally under- 

 stood, and seriously believed, if 

 we ma)' credit the declarations of 

 the French ministers, that if the 

 Prussians had been the conquerors 

 in the battle of Jena, or the al- 

 lied armies of Prussia and Rus- 

 sia in that of Friedland, the Aus- 

 trians pouring down from Bohe- 

 mia, would have made an effort 

 for cutting off the retreat of the 

 F"rench to the left bank of the 

 Rhine. A long correspondence on 

 the subject of those preparations on 

 the part of Austria, was maintain- 

 ed between the French minister 

 for foreign relations, Champagny, 

 and count Metternich, the Aus- 

 trian ambassador at Paris. The 

 count, according to instructions 

 from Vienna, continued almost to 

 the first hostile step taken by his go- 

 vernment, to protest in ihestrongest 

 terms, accordingto the usual policy 

 of courts preparing for hostilities, 

 that the views of the emperor 

 Francis were wholly pacific. And 

 so, said Buonaparte, they may be, 

 and probably are ; but, he said, 

 that there was a party of hot-head- 

 ed and young men in the Austrian 

 territories that were employed with 

 unceasing industry to foment a 

 spirit of animosity, hatred, and 

 war against France. That this 

 spirit was nourished, not only by 

 conversation in public places, but 

 by the publication of rumours in- 

 jurious to France in newspapers in 

 different parts of the Austrian em- 

 peror's dominions, and some of 



them even at Vienna. And it was 

 the decided opinion of Buonaparte, 

 that although both Francis II. and 

 those most in his confidence should 

 be averse to war with France, yet 

 if the movement given to public 

 opinion and pubhc spirit in the 

 Austrian empire should not be sin- 

 cerely and vigorously checked and 

 repressed by some contrary move- 

 ment and impulsion, the general 

 voice of that misguided and abused 

 country would sooner or later in- 

 volve in its rapid current both the 

 emperor and all his court, and 

 precipitate them to inevitable ruin. 

 This salutary counteraction was to. 

 be effected only by a general dis- 

 arming, and every possible encou- 

 ragement to the pursuit, not of 

 arms, but all the good arts of 

 peace. What was Austria afraid 

 of, that she had carried her w'ar 

 establishment to such a monstrous 

 extent beyond what it used to be, 

 or was at all necessary in a time 

 of peace? He reminded the 

 court of Vienna of his former 

 moderation ; and, he added, in 

 which it is probable in itself and 

 rendered more probable by what 

 has since appeared, he was per- 

 fectl)' sincere — that it was no part 

 of his politics to overthrow, or 

 greatly to humble the house of 

 Austria. If the presence of the 

 French troops in tiie garrisons of 

 Silesia gave anj' alarm, they should 

 be withdrawn; if French encamp- 

 ments in any part of Germany gave 

 uneasiness to the emjieror Francis, 

 they should he broken up. In short, 

 it appears to have been with an ex- 

 traordinary degree of earnestness 

 and anxiety that Buonaparte set 

 himself to incline the Austrian 

 government to remain at peace. 

 The Austrian ministry, ftill pro- 

 testing 



