19th of May laft, namely, that the empire fincerely wished and defired the return of peace, expressed in all the feveral approbations directed t› his Imperial Majesty, under the condition only of its being a juft and honourable peace, founded upon the indivifibility or the empire, and the prefervation of the conftitution. It proceeds: "His Imperial Majefty finds in this declaration, containing the basis of a peace, principles agreeable to the maxims laid down, by a patriotic acquiefcence, and in those maxims fo near a confonance with his own ideas, of the duty which, as head of the empire, he took upon him on the capitulation of his election, as to make no manner of objection in giving his confent to the faid approbation of the empire, in the alledged measure, as well as the formula prefcribed." His Imperial Majefty, continues this decree, has neceifarily retarded the communication of his refolution upon the last approbation of the empire until now, for no other reafons, than previously to learn in what manner the French government had received the overtures of peace made to them in the name of the empire, in the month of July, and of which an account had only arrived at Vienna on the first of O&ober laft. That the propofal made to France, as well as the answer of the committee of public welfare itself upon it, fhall be immediately laid before the diet, from the contents of which it will evidently appear, that France is difinclined to meet the German empire in putting a period to a war forced upon it; and its invariable refolution to enter upon no negotiation whatever with the German empire for the present.. That the French declaration evidently proves, that France had an intention of protracting the war until the thought herself.enabled to lay before the German empire for fignature, the conditions of peace in a dictatorial manner, to the eternal difgrace of the German name, which intention is undeniably confirmed by fpeeches delivered in the National Convention by Roberjot and others, concerning the union of Belgium with France, the incorporation actually decreed thereupon of the Burgundian, and a great part of the Weftphalian circle of the empire; and lastly, by the French army croffing the Rhine, by which mafterpiece, their further intentions upon the union of the whole of the left fhore of the Rhine with France, and the fixing of the course of that river as their boundaries, were to have been enforced and established. That in the mean time, under the protection of the Almighty, the victorious arms of his Imperial Majefty, according to his deliberate command, "of hazarding every thing for the falvation of Germany," the plans of the enemy have moft happily been defeated, and Germany fortunately faved from a crifis abounding with the greatest danger. That That the victories obtained by Field-Marshal Count de Clairfayt, by which the mortal blow aimed at Germany had been prevented, irrefragably prove, that the enemy, although fuperior in numbers, and their armies protected by the most tremendous entrenchments, are not invincible to German courage, and the German arts of war. That nothing remains, therefore, according to the peculiar conclufum of the empire, and the nature of affairs, but to force and accelerate a juft and equitable peace, equally and earnestly defired by the head, as well as the ftates of the empire, with fword in hand; to perform which act, his Imperial Majesty calls upon the whole empire, in the name of their country and conftitution, in the name of all the ftates deprived of their dominions, and upon the rest of the members of the empire, in the most presfing manner, to chufe between the difmemberment and the preservation of the empire; between its convulfion and its tranquillity; between its diffolution and its fecurity; between its ignominy and its honour. December 7. In confequence of the conclufum of the diet, with respect to peace, empowering the head of the empire to make the first overtures, his Imperial Majesty applied to the court of Denmark; the vice-chancellor of the empire transmitted to M. St. Saphoren, ambaffador of his Danish Majefty at Vienna, a note dated the 25th July 1795, in which he informed him of the refolution of the diet, and of the wishes of his Imperial Majefty, officially requefting his interference; in a fubfequent note (the 31st July) the vice-chancellor communicated to the ambaffador the decree of the imperial commiffion iffued with refpect to the conclufum of the diet. The court of Denmark having agreed to this ftep defired by his Imperial Majefty, the following notes were in confequence written. Note of the Count de Bernstorff, Minister of State of his Danish Majefty. THE with of the empire to effect a general and conftitutional peace with France is well known, and likewife the grounds on which they are defirous it fhould be negotiated. For this purpose they have unanimously addreffed the Emperor to entreat him to take charge of the negotiation.. His Imperial Majefty readily confented; and as the interests of the empire are infeparable from thofe of its head, they confider his interests are equally united with those of the states of the empire. In order to come to an understanding with France, his Imperial Majefty thought the most natural way was to apply to fome VOL. III.-PART ii. M neutral neutral power, attached to the pacific fyftem, and requested the King of Denmark to take upon himself the task, and tranfmit to the National Convention his with that a congrefs might take place, where the minifters of the two parties at war might affemble, in order to treat and fettle upon the terms of peace; and his Imperial Majefty proposes for that purpose the city of Augsbourg (the fecurity of which will be guaranteed) as that which, from its geographical fituation, appears to him the most eligible. He fubjoins a wish that France would come to an explanation on the fubject, as foon as its importance, and the benevolent intention of the propofition feem to demand, and likewife, that the inhabitants of the countries occupied by the contending powers may feel the advantages of the first advances towards peace, in order, at least, during the continuance of the negotiations to be exempted from military requifitions, and from other evils infeparable from a state of actual hoftilities. His Danish Majefty has liftened with pleasure to his request. He tranfinits with confidence this propofition of his Imperial Majefty, made in his capacity as head of the empire, and accompanies it with all the fervour which can be inspired by the most ardent defire to fee humanity confoled by the return of peace. Copenhagen, Aug. 18, 1795. A. P. DE BERNSTORFF. Anfwer of the Committee of Public Safety of France to the Note of M. de Bernfiorff. The Emperor having requested to the King of Denmark to intimate to the French government his wifh relative to a negotiation, in order to treat in the name of the empire for peace with the French Republic, his Danish Majesty has tranfmitted by the Count de Bernstorff to the under-figned a minifterial note, dated the 18th Auguft (old ftile) which contains the propofitions of the Emperor, not only for the formation of a congrefs to be held in the city of Augfbourg, but even for a previous fufpenfion of hoftilities in favour of thofe countries of the empire occupied or menaced by the armies of the, Republic. The committee of public fafety of the National Convention having the direction of the exterior relations, in answer to the above note, have ordered the underfigned to declare to Count de Bernstorff, That the Republic will not confent to the proposed truce; that the French government will take no fteps to appoint a congress till peace be completed. The only queftions will be to regulate and fecure all its advantages to thofe powers, who have taken a fhare in this cruel war. The committee of public fafety are of opinion that a congrefs cannot properly have any other object: On that account they remain invariable in their refolution, which, appearing likewife to be the best calculated to put a speedy end to the calamities of war, cannot but be conformable to the wishes of the whole empire, and particularly to the principles profeffed by the Danish government. Copenhagen, 21 Vendemiaire (Oct. 13) 4th year of the French Republic, One and Indivifible. PH. GROUVELLE. The following Report on the Death of the Dauphin was prefented on the 9th of June, 1795, from the Committee of General Safety, by Seveftre. FOR OR some time the fon of Capet was ill of a fwelling in his right knee and in his left hand. He loft his appetite, and a fever feized him. The celebrated Deffault, the furgeon, was appointed to fee and attend him. His probity and his talents were a fufficient pledge to us that he would neglect none of those duties which humanity demands from us. Nevertheless the diforder increased, and began to affume a more serious aspect. On the 16th Prairial, Deffault died. We immediately appointed the Citizen Pelletan, a physician of acknowledged ability, and the Citizen Demanger, head furgeon of the hospital of Health, to attend the boy. The bulletin of yefterday, at eleven o'clock, announced very dangerous symptoms, and at half past two o'clock in the afternoon we received an account of the death of the fon of Capet. The committee of general fafety have directed me to communicate this event to you, and to move that the proces verbaux, which I hold in my hand, fhall be depofited in the national archives. Decreed. Report on the Chouans, prefented by Doulcet, from the Committee of Public Safety, on the 16th of June. THE convention, by recalling into the bofom of the Republic the inhabitants of the departments of the west that have been mifled, had a right to rely upon their fidelity; this hope has not been fulfilled; and it appears that a part of the chiefs of the Chouans confented to the pacification only for the purpofe of weaving more fecretly and furely new hoftile projects; but the genius of liberty was awake, and discovered to us the correfpondence which they had entered into with the English; on the one part the traitors stopped the communications between the country and the towns; and on the other they gave intelligence to the English, who by these means intercepted our convoys. It is eafy to prefume that they were not ftrangers to the commotion of the ift Prairial; they kept themselves in readiness to profit of it; the chiefs have been taken up; but we must put weak men upon M 2 their their guard against the perfidious fyftem of the emiffaries of the chiefs; and we muft alfo difplay fuch an impofing appearance as is neceffary to reprefs the feditious. I am directed to propofe, that, 1 1. The Deputies Mathieu, Guernot, and Bodin, shall be sent to the armies of the coafts of Breft and Cherbourg, and to the furrounding departments. 2. That the committee of public fafety fhall be empowered to give to these representatives the neceffary instructions. Decreed.. Proclamation of General Hoche to the Army and Inhabitants on the Coafts contiguous to Breft. t YOUR courage, my fellow-citizens, is no longer fettered; you have it in your power to humble thofe enemies who have infulted and worn out your patience, and who have contemned the national clemency. You meet these infamous, difpirited, and but half men. The Chouan chiefs have violated the oath of fubmiffion and allegiance to the French Republic. Heaven, the avenger of crimes, has granted that the object of their machinations fhould be fruftrated. They have been fruftrated. March, Frenchmen, at the word of command, with your wonted courage, against the hordes of rebels; difperfe and difarm them; but be not lavish of their blood, for too much has already been spilt. Let your conduct infpire the rebels and robbers with confternation, and the peaceful citizens with confidence in your protection. Credulous and deluded peasants, view the abyfs of calamity to which thofe perfidious chiefs have conducted you, and to whom many of you furnished an afylum, and divided with them that morfel you earned with the sweat of your brow for the support of your families. Mark how they fport with the most facred of all obligations, the folemnity of an oath! How they impofe upon your fimplicity! How they have blafted your hopes! These ambitious chiefs delight in rapine and murder, and you can have no difficulty in detecting their selfish and fanguinary principles. They carried on a traitorous correfpondence with the English, your natural enemies. They brought down upon your heads the fcourge of a difaftrous war. They delineated to the English the weaker parts of our coafts, where, by eluding the vigilance of our troops, they might make a defcent and invafion on our country. They contracted with the English for your poffeffions, your liberty, and your lives, and had even received money in advance for them. Through the medium of England they hoped to enflave you, and to bend your necks under the yoke of feudality, from which you were emancipated at the dawn of the revolu |