STATE PAPERS. 



511 



empire belield their power in- 

 creased. 



The British orders in council 

 had overthrown the laws of the 

 commerce of the world: England, 

 whose whole existence is attached 

 to commerce, had thus thrown dis- 

 order into the commerce of other 

 nations. She had contemned all its 

 privileges. The decrees of Berlin 

 and of Milan had repelled these 

 monstrousnovelties. Hollandfound 

 that herposition was a difficultone; 

 her government had not an action 

 sufiBciently energetic; her custom- 

 houses aft'orded too little security 

 topermitthat centre of continental 

 commerce to remain much longer 

 insulated from France. Your ma- 

 jesty, for the interests of your 

 people, and to secure the execu- 

 tion of the S)'stem which you had 

 opposed to the tyrannical act of 

 England, saw yourself compelled 

 to change the fate of Holland. 

 Your majesty, nevertheless, con- 

 stant in your system, and in your 

 desire of peace, gave England to 

 understand that she could not pre- 

 serve theindependenceof Holland, 

 but byrecallingher ordersin coun- 

 cil, or adopting pacific views. — 

 The ministers of a commercial na- 

 tion treated with levity overtures 

 so greatly interesting to its com- 

 merce. They replied, that Eng- 

 land had no power over the fate of 

 Holland. In the illusions of their 

 pride, they misconceived the mo- 

 tives of that measure ; they pre- 

 tended to see in it an acknowledg- 

 ment of the efficacy of their orders 

 incouncil, and Holland was united. 

 Since they would have it so, sire, 

 I think it useful at this moment, 

 and I propose to your majesty to 

 consolidate that union by a se- 

 natus consulta. 

 The annexation of the Hanse- 



atic Towns, of Lauenberg, and of 

 the whole coast from the Elbe to 

 the Ems, is commanded by cir- 

 cumstances. That territory is 

 already under the dominion of 

 your majesty. 



The immense warehouses atHe- 

 ligoland would always threaten to 

 inundate the continent, if a single 

 point remained open to the English 

 trade upon the coast of the North 

 Sea; and if the mouths of the Jade, 

 the Weser, and the Elbe, were not 

 for ever closed against her. 



The British orders in council 

 have totally destroyed the privi- 

 leges of neutral navigation; your 

 majesty can no longer supply your 

 arsenals, and have a sure channel 

 for your commerce with the north, 

 but by means of internal naviga- 

 tion. The repairing and enlarg- 

 ingof thecanalbetweenHamburgh 

 and Lubeck, and the construction 

 of a new canal, which will unite 

 the Elbe to the Weser, and the 

 Weser to theEms, which will only 

 require four or five years' labour, 

 and an expenditure of fifteen or 

 twenty millions, in a country, the 

 soil of which ofiers no physical 

 obstacles, will open to the French 

 merchants a cheap, easy, and safe 

 route. Your empire can always 

 trade with the Baltic, convey to 

 the north the produce of her soil 

 and manufactures, and draw from 

 thence the articles necessary for 

 your majesty's navy. 



The flags of Hamburgh, of Bre- 

 men, and of Lubeck, which at 

 present wander on the seas, de- 

 nationalized by the British orders 

 in council, will share the fate of 

 the French flag, and join with it, 

 for the interest of the common 

 cause, and in re-establishing the 

 liberty of the seas. 



Peace will take place at last ; 



