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strengthened the ties by which they were united. Their reciprocal intereft is therefore so intimately connected and interwoven, and their determination so firm, that it would be impoffible to obstruct the operations of one of them, without forcing the others most warmly to embrace bis cause. Of this defeription is especially the situation of her Imperial majesty with respect to the king of Great Britain; so that in cafe of need, her Imperial majefly would be obliged to affift and fupport him to the utmost extent of her power, but fortunately fach connections fubfift between his Catholic majesty and the king of Great Britain, in confequence of feveral treaties renewed in the year 1793, as can never cease to be dear to his Catholic majesty, and neither the conveniency nor usefulness of which can have been lessened by a change of affairs produced by the molt imperious circumstances.

This important confideration, in addition to that which proceeds from the favourable difpofition of his Catholic majefty towards the common caufe, cannot but render her Imperial majesty perfectly eafy with refpect to the conduct which his Catholic majesty is likely to prwtue. Her Imperial majesty is of opinion, that it will be both candid and fincere, and it would be painful for her to fuppofe, that in any cafe whatever, his Catholic majefty could favour measures, tend ing to obstruct and oppose the avowed purposes of the three allied

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of a conference you are to request of the Prince of Peace.

(Signed) COUNT OSTERMAN.

The Anfower of bis Excellency the Prince of Peace 10 M. de Bulzow, dated Santa Cruz, March 17, 1796. 1 HAVE received your letter of the 22d of Februrry, with a copy of the dispatch, which you, Sir, have received from your court by the last courier from London, and must return you in answer, that the King, my master, bas with much pleasure learned the friendly terms, in which, on the part of her Imperial Majefty, he has been acquainted with the clofe alliance concluded with the courts of Vienna and London, which cer tainly cannot have been the refult of the circumstances which existedin Poland, at the time when the forces of her Imperial Majesty might have been employed at a point, where all those monarchs who united for the preservation of their existence, and the mutual fupport of their rights, rallied. At that period, the King, my mafter, gave the strongest proofs of his grief at the misfortunel of a beloved coufin, and foreiaw that his dominions were drawing near that univerfal corruption, which refults from madness without bounds. He waged war against tyrants, but was unable to leaгц who they were, for he did not know, following the capricious diftates of their levity, who were the good Frenchmen that defended the cause of their king. He was only able to difcern, that but a few, victims of their sense of ho.. nour, were his true adherents, who followed him to the grave. The defire of the King, my mafter, was, however, so earnest, that: powers, he prosecuted the most vigorous and most expensive war. There was no fovereign but the King endeavoured to prevail upon, by the most advantageous proposals, to join his Majesty; notwithstanding this request was addressed to the Empress at different times, fince the last months of 1791, and during the year 1792, by M. de Galvez, Spanish minifter in Russia, and M. de Zinowief, who refided in the same quality at Madrid, but especially in October 1792, and December 1793, when M. de Amat, then Spanith chargé d'affaires at Petersburgh, and foon after M. de Oris, minifter of his Catholic Majefty, had long conferences on this subject, the former with count Ofterman, and the latter with count Besborodko. Notwithstanding all this, there did not exist the least circumftance which promised an active co-operation on the part of the Empress, nor does it appear that the occupation of Poland could have prevented her from co-operating in favour of the common caufe. It was under these circumstances that the King, my master, no doubt from fear and apprehenfion of finifter consequences for his kingdom, resolved to make peace, convinced, that if he were left without assistance in the war, that fupport, which might be promifed him for the attainment of peace, would prove still lefs efficacious. This is the true fituation of Spain, and his Catholic Majefty obliges himself to fulfil whatever he has promised for the benefit of the common caufe, in which at the same time he must, for the future, decline participa

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notwithstanding the ill-founded tion in any measure, which has no hopes held out by the combined certain and confiftent object.

(Signed)

THE PRINCE OF PEACE. Note fent by Baron de Budberg, Chargé d'Affairs from Russia, at Stockholm, to the Foreign Ministers, relative to the non-admission of M. de Schwerin, who went to Petersburg for the Purpose of notifying the marriage about to take place between bis Swedish Majesty and the Princefs of Mecklenburg Schwerin.

THE Empress having given orders to M. the Count d'Oftermann, to acquaint the Swedish ambassador, that the mission of M. de Schwerin not being agreeable to her Majesty, he could not be admitted; the chargé d'affairs (M. de Budberg) has received orders to declare that the motive of this refufal was founded as much on the unfriendly proceeding of the Regent, as on the principles of his political conduct with regard to Ruffia. Both the one and the other being diametrically oppofite to those ties of affection, of friendship, and of good neighbourhood, which originally have been the basis of this fort of miffions, and which have never been adopted between courts that were not united by fimilar ties, or being fo, have not taken care to cultivate and fulfil the duties of them. That this was the fituation, as to Ruffia, in which Sweden had been placed, fince the Duke de Sundermania, who holds the reins of government, not content with having formerly infulted her Majesty the Emprefs, in endeavouring to furprize her by infidious and delusive overtures and propositions, entered into public treaty with the French afsembly, with those men who folemnly

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folemnly infulted the memory of the late King, by erecting a monument to the memory of his execrable asiassin. That ber Majefty the Empress was neither ignorant of the motive nor the object of those treaties. That it was notorious that the Regent had recently received from the French a fum of money to be employed in armaments, and that he was now in full negotiation with them for a treaty of alliance, the principal ftipulations of which are directed againft Ruffia; so that her Majesty the Empress had every reason to expect an approaching rupture on the part of Sweden, unless the King's coming of age, (which, happily for the repose of that kingdom and of the north, was an event not far distant,) should put a stop to it, and thereby avoid this lamentable extremity.

Tenor of the Letters of Convocation addreffed by the King of Pruffia, as Duke of Magdebourg, and of the Duke of Brunswick, as Co-Director of the Circle of Lower Saxony, to the different States destined to enjoy the • Advantages of the Neutrality.

We, by the Grace of God, Frederic William, King of Pruffia, &c. Charles William, Duke of Brunswick, &c.

THE apprebenfion of a speedy opening of a new campaign with France, and the new dangers to which Germany will be exposed by the chance of a war that has already been so fatal to her, have determined us, the King, in confequence of our folicitude and patriotic attachment, and in confequence of the pacific relations which we maintain with France, to distribute as much as poffible to our co-eftates of the north, the ineftimable bleffing of repose and security

from the troubles and misfortunes of war; that is to say, as far as these states will on their part accord with our intentions, which are of general utility. To this end negotiations have already been entered into with the French government, relative to a new line of neutrality, and in order to be able with the more efficacy to afsure that neutrality, and to afford protection and fafety to the states comprised within it, we, the King, are ready to march a confiderable army; and we, the Duke, have also taken a resolution to reinforce that army with our troops, the Electoral Court of Brunswick Lunenburg having also manifested the fame intentions. These combined, troops being therefore to protect the neutrality of the north of Germany, it is as just as it is abfolutely indispensable, that they should be provided and provifioned by the ftates which shall enjoy this advan-. tage, and that each, individually, should haften in proportion to its means, to procure them the necef. fary provifions. But this object requires on account of the urgency of circumstances, the most speedy. difpofitions. The most proper means for attaining this end is by the convocation of a common and extraordinary assembly of all the Upper States of the Circles of Lower Saxony, with the States of the Lower Rhine and of Weftphalia, as well as of the other States that shall be comprised in the line of neutrality, in order that we may be able to deliberate upon this fubject, and to regulate the diftribution of the maintenance of the troops upon an equitable footing, proportioned to the faculties of each. flate; for on the fspeedy furnishing. of the objects necessary for this

maintenance will alone depend the maintenance of the common fafety of the north of Germany."

Thofe, therefore, whose territory is comprised in the faid line of neutrality, and which, confequently, will enjoy the benefit of this protection, being principally implicated in this cafe, we have, in our quality of Prince and Director of the Circle of Lower Saxony, addrefled to them conjointly the present Letter of Convocation, in order to unite them to affemble, by their deputies, furnished with the neceffary inftructions on the 20th of the month of June, in the town of Hildeshein. We have no doubt that they acknowledge, in its full extent, the urgency of the cafe, and of the actual conjunctions, as well as of the importance it is to procure to the north of Germany security and repose; and that in confequence they will adhere and contribute every thing that can attain the common end, fufficiently in time to avoid being surprised by danger.

We, the King, shall depute to the common affembly of the States, our intimate Counsellor Von Dohm, directorial minitter to the Circle of the Lower Rhine and Westphalia, and plenipotentiary to the Electoral court of Cologne, furnished with neceffary powers; and we entreat, very amicably, this affembly to give from this time faith and confidence to all that he may propose on our part, upon the subject of the affairs in question.

April 22.

ROYAL PRUSSIAN EDICT. Frederick William, by the Grace of God, &c.

WE have fignified to the ambaffador of the French republic, Caillard, by a note from our ca

binet ministry, that we will permit fuch national Frenchmen, who refide in our dominions as our teamporary fubjects, (subditi temporarii) and who have real right to the protection of the French nation, and with to preserve those rights, to get their names infcribed in a register which will be opened for that purpose by the faid ambaffador, but in fuch a manner, that all those fubjects thall, the fame as before, remain our temporary fubjects, (Subditi temporarii) that they likewise shall fubmit to our laws, ordinances, and jurifdiction, and not make the leaft pretentions to any immunities granted by the law of nations only to ambatfadors, and the perfons actually belonging to embaflies.

We have further given orders to inform the faid Caillard, that the national Frenchmen, qualified as above, are at liberty to wear the French national cockade in our dominions, but the wearing of the said cockade is hereby rigidly forbidden to all other perfons. therefore refults from these premises:.

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1. That the wearing of the cockade thall be confined to Frenchmen of the afore-mentioned description, together with the ambaffador, and the perfons belonging to the embafly.

2. That national Frenchmen shall all be entitled to have their names registered, the regiftering to relate only to their connection with France, and to leave them fubject, as before, to our laws, ordinances, and jurifdi&ion; as our temporary fubjects.

3. That all persons belonging to the French colonies eftablished in our dominions; farther, all French. men in our service, by oath of allegiance

HARDENBERG.

allegiance and duty, even if they By his majefty's most gracious do not belong to the above-menti- and special command. oned colonies; as likewise all those in general who are described by this article as our perpetual fubjects, (Subditi perpetui) shall not have a right to have their names infcribed in that register, or to wear the French national cockade. Berlin, 16 July.

Declaration of the King of Pruffia, put against the Gates of the City of Nuremburg, July 5.

HIS majesty the king of Pruffia, our most gracious Lord, makes known by this public notice to all magisterial persons, burghers and subjects, and most graciously declares, that in taking poffeffion, by virtue of the judgments of the Aulic council of the empire, given in the years 1583 and 1587, respecting his territorial fovereignty, as far as the gates of the Imperial city of Nuremburg-all private property shall remain inviolate: no perfon be opposed in the exercise of his well-acquired rights and privileges, but that he rather shall be protected therein by his Majefty; and every poffeffion shall quietly remain in the enjoyment of all territorial and feudal imposis and duties.

His Majefty will only exercife the rights of fovereignty to him be. Jonging, and grant farther to the inbabitants of the suburbs of Nuremburg, his fovereign affurance, that they and those who belong to thein, shall be exempt from all military duty and levy.

In other respects, every one is hereby cautioned to demean him felf quietly and calmly, and to thew the more respect to the military, as they will observe the best difcipline, on their part, and avoid every excess.

Anspach, July 3d, 1796. Nuremberg, August 16. Submission of the Imperial City of Nu remberg, to the King of Pruffia.

OUR magiftrates have, under the present circumstances, applied to the Pruffian minister of ftate, Baron Von Hardenberg, teftifying to his excellency the general with of the citizens to live in future un

der the beneficent laws of his Pruffian majesty. His excellency did not hesitate to intercede for us with the French commander in chief, general Jourdan, to obtain a fixed contribution in lieu of all requifitions, which has been granted accordingly until the pleasure of the French Directory shall be known. In other respects, Baron Von Hardenberg made answer to our deputies, that it was beneath the dignity of his fovereign to take advantage of our present situation, that his majesty would defer making known to us his real fentiments till we shall be fully atliberty to announce our wishes according to the forms of our present constitution. Declaration delivered to the Magiftrates of Nuremberg on the 29th of September, 1796, by the Pruffian Minifter, Baron Von Hardenberg, relative to the Proposal of its being united with the King's Dominions. THE undersigned has the honour in the name of the king, his moft gra, cious master, to declare to the most worshipful the magiftrates and burghers of the city of Nuremberg, that the proof of confidence and attachment which it gave to his majesty, by the voluntary offer of fubmitting to his fceptre, made in fo folemn and decided a manner, has been received by his majesty

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