602 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1815. 
satisfy what they owe to the se- 
curity of their own subjects. 
But it would be the height of 
weakness, as well as of injustice, 
and in its effects much more 
likely to mislead than to bring 
back the people of France to 
moral and peaceful habits, if the 
Allied Sovereigns, to whom the 
world is anxiously looking up for 
protection and repose, were to 
deny that principle of integrity 
in its just and liberal application 
to other nations, their Allies (more 
especially to the feeble and to the 
helpless), which they are about, 
for the second time, to concede 
to a nation against whom they 
have had occasion so long to 
contend in war. 
Upon what principlecanFrance, 
at the close of such a war, expect 
to sit down with the same extent 
of possessions which she held 
before the Revolution, and desire, 
at the same time, to retain the or- 
namented spoils of all other coun- 
tries? Js it, that there can exist 
a doubt of the issue of the con- 
test or of the power of the Allies, 
to effectuate what justice and 
policy require? If not, upon 
what principle deprive France of 
her late territorial acquisitions, 
and preserve to her the spoliations 
appertaining to those territories, 
which all modern conquerors 
have invariably respected, as in- 
separable from the country to 
which they belonged? 
The Allied Sovereigns have per- 
haps something to atone for to 
Europe in consequence of the 
course pursued by them, when at 
Paris, during the last year. It is 
true, they never did so far make 
themselves parties in the crimi- 
nality of this mass of plunder, 
as to sanction it by any stipula- 
tion in their Treaties ; such a re- 
cognition has been on their part 
uniformly refused ; but they cer- 
tainly did use their influence to 
repress at that moment any agi- 
tation of their claims, in the hope 
that France, not less subdued by 
their generosity than by their 
arms, might be disposed to pre- 
serve inviolate a peace which had 
been studiously framed to serve 
as a bond of reconciliation, be- 
tween the nation and the King. 
They had also reason to expect, 
that his Majesty would be advised 
voluntarily to restore a consi- 
derable proportion at least of 
these spoils, to their lawful 
owners. 
But the question is a very dif- 
ferent one now, and to pursue 
the same course under circum- 
stances so essentially altered, 
would be, in the judgment of the 
Prince Regent, equally unwise 
towards France, and unjust to- 
wards our Allies, who have a 
direct interest in this question. 
His Royal Highness, in stating 
this opinion, feels it necessary to 
guard against the possibility of 
misrepresentation. 
Whilst he deems it to be the 
duty of the Allied Sovereigns, 
not only not to obstruct, but to 
facilitate, upon the present occa- 
sion, the return of these objects 
to the places from whence they 
were torn, it seems not Jess con- 
sistent with their delicacy, not to 
suffer the position of their armies 
in France, or the removal of these 
works from the Louvre, to be= 
come the means, either directly 
or indirectly, of bringing within’ 
their own dominions a single ar 
ticle which did not of- right, at 
