Nov.] 



CHRONICLE. 



159 



of their very particular con- 

 sideration. 

 (Signed) " Metternich. 



" Castlereagh. 



" Wellington. 



" Hardenberg. 



<* Bernstorff. 



" Nesselrode. 



" Capo d'Istria. 

 " Aix-la-Chapelle, Nov.i, 1818." 



Copi/ of the Note of M, the Duke 

 of Richelieu, in answer to that 

 of the Plenipotentiaries of the 

 Courts of Austria, of Great 

 Britain, of Prussia, and of 

 Russia. 



" The undersigned, Minister 

 and Secretary of State to his 

 Most Christian Majesty, has 

 received the communication 

 which their Excellencies the 

 Ministers of the Cabinets of 

 Austria, of Great Britain, of 

 Prussia, and of Russia, did him 

 the honour of addressing to him 

 on the 4th of this month, by 

 order of their august Sovereigns. 

 He hastened to make it known 

 to the King his master. His 

 Majesty has received with real 

 satisfaction, this new proof of 

 the confidence and friendship of 

 the Sovereigns who have taken 

 part in the deliberations at Aix- 

 la-Chapelle. The justice which 

 they render to his constant cares 

 for the happiness of France, and 

 above all to the loyalty of his 

 people, has deeply touched his 

 heart. Looking back to the 

 past, and observing that at no 

 other period, no other nation has 

 been able to fulfil with a more 

 scrupulous fidelity, engagements 

 such as France had contracted, 

 the King has felt, that it was 

 indebted, for this new kind of 



glory, to the influence of the 

 institutions which governs it; 

 and he sees with joy, that the 

 consolidation of these institu- 

 tions is considered by his august 

 Allies to be no less advantageous 

 to the repose of Europe, than 

 essential to the prosperity of 

 France. Considering that the 

 first of his duties is to endeavour 

 to perpetuate and augment, by 

 all the means in his power, the 

 benefits which the complete re- 

 establishment of general peace 

 promises to all nations ; per- 

 suaded that the intimate union of 

 governments is the surest pledge 

 of its duration ; and that France, 

 which could not remain a stran- 

 ger to a system, the whole force 

 of which must spring from a 

 perfect unanimity of principle 

 and action, will join the associa- 

 tion with her characteristic frank- 

 ness ; and that her concurrence 

 must add strength to the well- 

 founded hope of the happy 

 results which such an alhance 

 must produce for the benefit of 

 mankind ; his Most Christian 

 Majesty most readily assents to 

 the proposal made to him of 

 uniting his councils and his 

 eiforts with those of their Majes- 

 ties the Emperor of Austria, the 

 King of Great Britain, the King 

 of Prussia, and the Emperor of 

 all the Russias, for the purpose 

 of accomplishing the salutary 

 work which they have in view. 

 He has, therefore, authorized the 

 undersigned to take part in all 

 the deliberations of their Minis- 

 ters and Plenipotentiaries, for the 

 object of consolidating the peace, 

 of securing the maintenance of 

 the treaties on which it rests, and 

 of guaranteemg the mutual rights 



and 



