im 
PARIS. 
the heart of France. Their fuccefs, however, was but 
of fhort duration : France foon expelled them from her 
invaded territory, and maintained he.r independence. 
The powers of Europe muft then have observed, that,, 
whatever had originally led to this refult, the govern¬ 
ment of France was changed defufto and de jure, and that 
it belonged to the French people to inftitutefuch form of 
government for themfelves as was beft fuited to the cir¬ 
cumstances of the times. 
“ In this State of things, every tie was diffolved be¬ 
tween France and the Bourbons; between the Bourbons 
and the otlier fovereigns of Europe. The family-com- 
pa£t, the treaty of personal guarantee, w'as cancelled by 
the influence of circumstances: in a political fenfe, the 
Bourbons were no more. The independence of France, 
under the new government of her choice, was then ac¬ 
knowledged by the very powers who at prefent compofe 
this Congrefs. On the 5th April, 1795, the Treaty of 
Bale was Signed between France and Pruflia: on the zzd 
July, fame year, another Treaty was Signed at Bale, be¬ 
tween Republican France and Spain. The latter power, 
'on the 7th June in the following year, concluded a 
Treaty of Alliance with the Executive Directory. The 
Courts of Sardinia and Naples Signed, in the courfe of that 
fame year, the firft on the 15th May, the other on the 
10th October, a Treaty with that fame Republican Go- 
veynment. The Pope, the minor Slates of Germany and 
Italy, folemnly acknowledged alfo the new government 
of France. Auftria figned tire Treaty of Campo Formio 
with the Diredtory, and that of Luneville with the FirSl 
Conful. England, by the Treaty of Amiens, ift Odt. 
jSoi, Spain by that of 27th March, 1S02, Ruflia by that 
of 8th Oft. 1808, acknowledged fucceffively the Confular 
Government, which proclaimed a General Peace on the 
iSth Brumaire, 10th year of the Republic. 
“ The aft which railed the altars again, and gave peace 
to the Gallican Church, which brought back morality, 
checked falfe doctrines, and fubftituted the true belief in 
their lieu ; the Concordat, in a word, of which the be¬ 
neficial effedts will long be felt by religion, put the feal, 
as it were, to thofe tranfadtions of ftate-poiicy, by which 
a government different from that of the ancient monarchy 
was Solemnly recognifed by all Europe. Who at that 
time fufpedted the princes of the Houfe of Bourbon of 
entertaining rights of fovereignty over France? That 
which has perished, can it rife again? If thefe princes 
had no legal rights then, what rights can they have now ? 
The French people unquestionably enjoyed the plenitude 
of their rights under the Confular Government; at that 
period, when, to give greater Stability to institutions which 
had put an end to the evils of the Revolution, and to 
give to Europe a pledge of that Stability, the French 
people bellowed on the FirSt Conful, Bonaparte, the con¬ 
sular power for life. The new organization of the State, 
in harmony with the genius of its firft magistrate, was 
confolidating itfelf daily, and it would have accomplished 
the molt fanguine wishes of the French people, were not 
the life of man limited to a fmall number of years. To 
imprefs thefe new institutions with a frefli character of 
permanency, to make them correfpond with the govern¬ 
ments of the other States of Europe, the Nation fubftitu- 
ted for the ConSular Power the Imperial Power, which it 
rendered hereditary in the family of Napoleon Bonaparte. 
The citizens of the towns, the communes, and the fmalleSt 
hamlets, covered with their names the registers, wherein 
the question of the erection of the Empire, and of the 
election of Napoleon Bonaparte, was fubmitted to them. 
He was elected and proclaimed with acclamations. He 
received the oath of allegiance from his fubjedts. The 
temples refounded with thankfgivings from the People 
to the Divinity. The clergy, m the holy office of the 
mats, prayed for his perfon and for his family; and foon 
the venerable Chief of Christendom came, in perfon to 
confecrate, in the Metropolitan Church, a power which 
the Emperor Napoleon had till then only held from the 
hands of the people. 
“ What was then wanting to the legitimacy of his 
Crown ? Had he not received it from God and his coun¬ 
try ? in other terms, from divine right and from national 
right? 
“Europe adopted thefe principles, and, Napoleon af- 
fumed the rank affigned to him among fovereigns, by the 
extent and power of his empire. Auftria acknowledged 
the Emperor Napoleon on the 26th December, 1805, by 
the Treaty of Prefburg. The Fovereigns of Bavaria and 
Wurtemberg were his allies ; the fame treaty raifed them 
to the Royal Dignity. On the nth December. 1807, the 
Eledtor of Saxony received, by virtue of the Treaty of 
Pofen, concluded with Napoleon, the title of King. Did 
Europe difpute the legitimacy of thefe titles,emanated from 
the Imperial Power and from France ? Pruffia acknow¬ 
ledged the French Empire and the Emperor Napoleon, by 
the Treaty of Tiifit, July 9, 1807. The Emperor of 
Ruflia preferved his army, amounting to about 200,000 
men, by virtue of this fame treaty, which acknowledged, 
not only the French Empire and the Emperor Napoleon, 
but alfo the exiftence as Kings of the Princes of the Im¬ 
perial Family. Finally, the treaties of 14th of Odtober 
1809, and 6th January 1810, between Sweden and France, 
complete the adts of external policy, which confolidate 
the dynafty thus feated on the throne of France. All 
continental Europe, indeed, was the ally of the Emperor 
Napoleon. 
“ The family-alliances of the Emperor Napoleon with 
the mod auguft fovereign houfes, tended to confolidate 
the Social compadl as eftabliShed in France. His Strongly- 
cemented institutions enfured the Stability of the mo¬ 
narchical form of government he had reftored; they op- 
pofed an invincible barrier to theinvafion of the demo¬ 
cratic fyftem. The Revolution of France has taught 
nations to look too clofely into what pafies in the Cabi¬ 
nets of Princes. 
“ It was under the guarantee of the Constitution of 
the French Empire, under that of the treaties and of the 
alliances of foreign fovereigns, that I became theconfort 
of Napoleon. It was under thofe fame guarantees that 
Prince Charles-Francis-Napoleon, born of our union, 
grounds his claim to the French throne, which claim the 
princes aftembled at this Congrefs have fo often acknow¬ 
ledged to be legitimate. 
“A fatal war broke out. The Emperor Napoleon 
was overcome, You, fovereigns aftembled in Congrefs, 
arrived in his capital at a moment when, favoured by dis¬ 
order, a confpiracy manifested itfelf in favour of the 
princes of the Houfe of Bourbon. You might have dic¬ 
tated to Napoleon in his capital fuch terms as were cal¬ 
culated to reftore a due balance between powers; and 
you would thus have consolidated institutions, whence 
arofe the common Strength and the common fafety. This 
treaty would have been faithfully obferved; we have a 
full confidence thereof. Influenced by a generous hope 
of putting a fpeedier end to the evils of war, and of /pa¬ 
ring the effufion of blood, you put afide the rights of the 
Emperor Napoleon; you treated with thofe princes to 
whom the confpiracy had given the crown. What luftre 
could finch princes (lied upon royalty ? The Emperor 
Napoleon at the head of an army, not numerous, hut 
brave and faithful, might have defended his crown; but 
to fpare his fubjedts a civil war, be had already refolved 
to abdicate in favour of his fon. Such was his determina¬ 
tion manifested to the Allied Powers by the Dukes of Ta- 
rentum, Vicenza, and the Prince de la MoSkowa; which 
determination thofe powers viewed at firft in its right 
light, that is, as calculated to Secure the tranquillity of 
Europe. Events, which it belongs not to us to charac¬ 
terize, caufed thofe juft refolutions to be revoked. The 
Emperor was obliged to Sign an unconditional abdication on 
the nth of April, 2814; on that fame day he fubfcribed 
