458 
peace. These expences are increased by those 
of your military organization. Your men are 
paid wich money—you have clothed a part of 
them, and foundthem with arms, Thiscah- 
not be done but at great expence ; and yet you 
confess yourselves the sad state of your 
finances. Your exchange, which has been 
for a long time low, has fallen still lower ; 
yourcommerce has decayed. Is it then with- 
out an object that you have bid defiance to all 
such difficulties? Do not say that you were 
foreed to think of your own security. Con- 
fess that all our relations have been friendly. 
You know that I ask for nothing and want . 
nothing, and that I even consider the main- 
tenance of your power under present circum- 
stances, as very necessary to the European 
system and the prosperity of France. . I have 
put my troops in camp, inorder to keep them 
in good discipline and activity. They do not 
encamp in France, because it costs too much. 
They encamp in foreign countries, where it is 
not so dear.’ My camps are scattered about. 
Wot one of them threatens you. I should 
have had no camps, if I had had projects 
against you And I was so very pacific, that 
I dismantled the fortresses of Silesia. I should 
certainly not have had those camps, if I had 
thought they would have given you any un- 
easiness. Asingle word from you would have 
been enough for me; and Iam ready to break 
up all of them, if it is necessary for your 
quiet.” 
6¢ Mf. Von Metternich having observed that 
there had .been no movements of troops in 
Austria, the Emperor replied, ¢ You deceive 
yourselves; you remove your troops from 
places, where they could be without the least 
expence: you send them to Cracau, that if 
necessary you may be able to menace Silesia. 
Your whole army is collected together, and 
has taken a military position. In the mean 
while what do you want? Do you mean to 
alarm me > You won’t succeed in that. Do 
you think the circumstances are favourable to 
you? You deceive yourselves. My policy 
was open before you because it is honest, and 
because I feel my own strength. I shall take 
100,000 of my troops from Germany, in order 
to send them into Spain, and I still have 
enough remaining to oppose you. You arm 
e=I will arm too; and if it is mecessary, I can 
spare 200,000 men. You will not havea sin- 
gle power on the Continent in your favour. 
The Emperor of Russia, I can almost venture 
to speak for him in his name, will urge you 
to be quiet. -Heis already little pleased with 
your connections with the Servians. He, as 
well. as I, may feel offended by your prepara- © 
tions. He knows that you have designs upon 
Turkey. You pretend that I have such my- 
self, I declare that that isfalse, and that I 
want nothing from Austria or Turkey. 
‘« Nevertheless your Emperor does not wish 
for war! Ibelieve it. I reckon upon the pro- 
mise he made when we had our interview to- 
gether. He can have no feelings of revenge 
State of Public Affairs in May. 
[June 1; 
against me. J had possession of his capital; I 
occupied the greater part of his provinces. He_ 
had all back again. I did not keep Venice for 
myself, merely that I might not leave any 
ground of dispute, any occasion for war. Do 
you think that the vanquishers of the French, 
in gase they had heen in possession of Paris, 
would have acted with the same moderation ? 
No: your Emperor does not wish for war, 
your government does not desire it. The 
principal men of your country do not seek for 
it; and yet the movements which you have 
occasioned are such, that war will take place 
inspite of you and myself. You have caused it 
to be believed that I have demanded provinces 
of you ; and you have roused in the breasts of 
your people a national and generoussentiment, 
which I am far from depreciating 5 they have 
run into extravagancies and flown to arms. 
You have issued a proclamation with a coms 
mand not to talk about war 5 but the procla- 
mation was equivocal, and people said it was 
merely- political, and while your measures 
were opposed to your proclamation, they be- 
lieved your measures, and not at all your-pro- 
clamation. Hence the insults offered by a 
troop of your new militia te my ¢onsul:ag, 
Trieste. Hence the murder of three of my 
couriers, who were on their way to Dalmatia. 
If there are any more of such insults, war ia 
ineyitable; for you may kill us, but cannot. 
insult us with impunity. It is so that the 
authors of the troubles of all Europe inces- 
santly excite war. Itissothey provoked the 
war by the insult. offered to Genera] Berna 
dotte. 
«< You are drawn by various artifices intoa 
situation contrary to your wishes. The En- 
glish and their partisans induce you to take 
to these false measures. Already they rejoice 
in the expectation of once more lighting up 
the flame of warinEurope. Their funds have 
risen 50 per cent. in consequence of the ime 
pulse which they have communicated to Eu- 
rope. It is they whomI blame for all this 5 
they are the cause that no Frenchman can go 
to the baths of Bohemia without subjecting 
himself to insult. wee . 
‘ How can you permit such licentiousness ? 
Do you meet with any examples of such con- 
duct in France? Are not your travellers, 
your consuls, treated with respect and distinc= 
tion? The slightest injury done them would 
be punished in the most exemplary manner. 
I repeat it, you are hurried along in spite of 
you: the ferment which has been improvi- 
dently excited in the minds.of your people, — 
the intrigues of the English partisans, and of 
certain members of an order of knighthood, 
who have carried with them, into the midst of 
you, all the bitterness of vexation andrevenge 
—all tend to involve you in a war. The 
Emperor of Russia will perhaps prevent this 
result, by declaring to you, ina positive man 
ner, that he is averse to it; and that he will be 
against you. But if it is to his interposition 
only, that Europe is indebted for the continu- 
ance 
