Imperial majefty, and of the empire, may eventually infure to both a full indemnity, and a general and honourable peace. To his majefty remains the just confolation, and permanent glory, of having, on his part, made fuch facrifices to the defence and fafety of the emperor, in the prefent awful crifis, as certainly few flates in Europe, or members of the Germanic body, could, without much hefitation, have refolved upon. Berlin, March 13, 1794. Count Goltz, the Pruffian ambasador, at the diet of the German empire, on the 7th of April, 1794, de clared, in the name of the fovereign his mafler, THA HAT his Pruffian majefty, in confequence of the repeated wishes of the ftates of the empire, and the negotiations which are going forward between him and the court of Great Britain, has at laft yielded to continue his troops in their prefent pofition for the protection of the empire, and this only in the confidential expectation, that the eftates will speedily proceed to deliberations upon the measures for procuring to his majesty the means of maintaining thofe troops, for the future, for the protection of the empire, against a powerful enemy. name of his majesty the emperor, as chief of the Germanic corps, the court of Berlin has refolved to declare, that the king would never refufe doing his duty as a member of the empire; but that in the cafe in which he now is effectively called on, he will conduct himfelf after the example of the other electors and illuftrious co-eftates, proportionably to his obligations, according to the Germanic conftitution and the ancient usage. To the above declaration the baron Hochfieller verbally added, 1. The greater part of the army, under command of field-marshal Mollendorff, will defer their march into the Pruffian dominions, and remain in the places of the Lower Rhine, until farther orders. 2. This delay of the return of the Pruffian troops to his majesty's dominions, however, is eventual, and will certainly ceafe as foon as the hopes of his majefty vanish with refpect to the fubfidies which he claims from the fix anterior circles. 3. His majesty wishes that the states of the fix anterior circles might affemble, and deliberate provifionally upon the queftion, whether meafures were to be taken for the purpofe of providing for, and maintaining, the army of his Pruffian majefty, for the protection of the empire. 4. There is no time to be loft; if his majefty once fhould give decifive orders for the army to return to his dominions, no remonftrances upon that fubject would any longer be liftened to. 5. His majefty has to add, to the demands already fpecified in his de claration to the directors of the Р treafury treafury of the empire, the juft claim of 1,800,000 rix-dollars, the expences for the fiege of the fortrels of Mentz. Proclamation published by the emperor, at Bruffels, April 17, 179k. UROPE has, during five years, of fuch a fyftem, fhall be punished by imprifonment. 3. The aflociations, known un der the titles of clubs and literary focieties, as well as every other fimilar affemblage of men, whatever i's denominations may be, thall be bound to inform the fifcal counfellors of the object of their fociety, and the names of thofe who compole it, for the purpose of obtaining EUROP cate in writing a confent from the faid the calamitous of the wretched kingdom of France; the evils of which, increafing daily, do not as yet hold out a profpect of their termination. The impious faction which tyrannizes over that kingdom, to maintain its monftrons fyftem, has at once attacked, under the fpecious pretext of reform, religion, the conftitution of the flate, and all the bafes of focial order, which this,faction has haftened to deftroy, fubitituting in its place a pretended equality, abfoJutely chimerical. Refolved invariably to maintain the religion and the conftitution which have for ages conftituted the happiness of the Belgic provinces, we are defirous, by a rigid law, to fupport the public wifhes, fo ftrongly and generally pronounced by the horror the whole country has difplayed at the French revolutionary Tyflems. The undermentioned articles follow the preamble in: the ufual form: fifcal counfellors, which fhall, however, be merely provitional. Every act of difobedience to be punished by a fine of one hundred crowns. This claufe to extend to all the ci• ties, towns, and villages, of the Imperial Netherlands. 4. Thofe who fhall lodge infermations against fuch as are guilty of the above-named crimes and exceffes, thall have a recompenfe, proportioned to the magnitude of the difcoveries they hall make. For the crimes mentioned in the firit article, this recompenfe fhail not be lefs than 1000 crowns. And, 5. Informing accomplices fhall have the fame recompenfe, with forgivenefs, unlefs they fhall have been the chief and principal abettors. Addrefs to the inhabitants of the Netherlands. The emperor and king, EVEREND fathers in God, no 1. All perfons, whether foreign-bles, dear and liege vaffals, ers or inhabitants, who fhall, by confpiracies or plots, attempt to introduce or propagate, in this country, the above fyftem, fhall be confidered as guilty of high treafon, and punished with death. 2. All thofe who by words or writing hall favour the propagation dear and well-beloved: by our royal difpatch, of the 30th of April last, we announced to you the motives which induced us to have recourse to your zeal; the motives which our commifioners have face difclosed to you, concern yourfelves as much as they they concern us.--Since that period the mals of the enemy, which has precipitated itfelf on Belgium, rendering your danger more preffing, it becomes more necellary to employ all the means in your power, and to check the operation of that mafs by all the force which it is poffible to collect and combine. Our armies have fuffered, and ftand in need of a large number of recruits; and although we have feen, with as much fatisfaction as gratitude, the facrifices which you have evinced a wish to make, in order to excite our fubjects to enter into voluntary engagements, we cannot conceal from you that, as this reource has been hitherto unproductive and unavailing, our army will perhaps be no longer in a condition to employ, against an enemy who makes fuch efforts to invade thefe provinces, that refiftance and thofe offenfive measures which have hitherto preferved them. It would be fuperfluous to recal to your recollection, that hitherto our hereditary states have furnished the major part of thole who have defended you, and undoubtedly our Belgic provinces, fo flourishing, fo populous, and fo intereffed in the fuccefs of the war, which, unhappily, may be attended with their annihilation and total rain, will not be backward in furnishing men to affift in the defence of those pro vinces It is at the prefent moment, while the period is not yet elapfed, that we address ourselves to you for an object more important even than that contained in our dispatch of the 30th April; we demand for our army, from all the provinces, a levy of men, and we are perfuaded that, penetrated with the neceffity of fa tisfying fo juft a demand, you will only paufe on the mode of carrying it into execution. We do not he fitate to propofe to you, that which is moft conformable to reafon, to juftice, and to the general interests and exigencies of the moment, viz. An equitable affeffment on all the diftricts, each of which fhall be directed to furnish one man in every hundred, as far as regards its general population, and five men in every hundred capable of bearing arms. It is to this demand that we immediately expect your confent, and your moft efficacious concurrence, leaving, however, to your choice the best means of fatisfying it; at the fame time informing you, that this extraordinary levy is fo neceffary, and fo preffing, that if in the execution of it you ftand in need of our fovereign authority, we are difpofed to grant it to you in the moft extenfive manner. You have, it is true, offered fe¬veral times to raise fome new corps, but we have confidered that it would take too much time to organize them, and to train them to the military exercife and evolutions; while, on the other hand, men mingled among foldiers will immediately render us that fervice which we expect from them. You cannot diffemble-your future existence depends perhaps on the speedy execution of fuch an increase of force you fee your enemies multiply at all points of your frontiers, while our armies moulder away by our victories, and by thofe glorious contefts which they are forced fo frequently to maintain.-Befides, the efforts that you will make in this refpect, cannot be a grievous burden on a Pa country country fo populous, and on a nation formerly recognized as brave and warlike! Given at our head-quarters, at Thefe are the watchwords that will organize you; and your zeal and your courage will never deceive our hopes. (Signed) FRANCIS. Exhortation of the prince of Saxe Co The last paper iffued by the Aufirian government, exhorting the people of the Auftrian Netherlands to rife in a mass, was dated Bruffels, June 23, 1794, and concludes thus: THE HE emperor's armies are ftill intire: victory has often crowned their glorious efforts; but they are wearied by continual battles; and, perhaps, the inactivity of the Belgians may diminish their ardout, when they fee that it is not felt by the nation they are defending. Á rapid march into the enemy's territory presented profpects more brilliant; but glory was facrificed to your fafety. Powerful re-inforce ments are expected; but the danger, though momentary, is urgent; you have no time to lofe. The general arming, to which we invite Belgium, implies neither a regular incorporating with the army, nor taking up arms for any length of time, nor even a difficult war; for difciplined and courageous armies fupport you; and the auguft brother of our mafter, the accustomed organ of his fentiments in your favour, will guide your efforts, and march at your head. Merely to arm, is at once to deftroy the audacity and the hopes of the enemy. Religion, confiitution, property, the fovereign who wears you all in his heart, who came among you without guards, who trufted himfelf to your love, who efteems you bourg. German brothers and friends, OUR valourous armies have juft quitted the fertile plains, in which they have fuftained the moft fevere combats, during three bloody campaigns, for the prefervation of your property, the repofe of your lives, the fecurity of your fields, the maintenance of your religion, the happiness of your children, the riches of your flourishing provinces, and to fave thofe provinces from ruin and complete annihilation→→ plains in which they maintained, at the expence of their blood, which has flowed for three fuccef five years, the glory of their arms, by the generous facrifice of their lives and of their means; while they facrificed thofe dearest ties, which attach men of diftant nations, not lefs than yourselves, to their homes, and to their country; and while they voluntarily renouneed all the domeftic happiness they had a right to expect. The inexhauftible refources of a nation in a state of furor, which fports with the life and happiness of man, with religion, with the duties, with the bands of civil fociety; its innumerable cohorts which are led to Daughter by their tyrants, and who, by lavishing their blood, purchase the fleeting fhadow of an imaginary liberty; the inactivity of a blinded people, who would not liften to the approach of danger any more than to the paternal voice of of their good prince; the fecret practices, which we hardly know by what name to call, of feveral of their ambitious reprefentatives, men in whom this very people fee, now too late, and abhor, the authors of their unbounded and unceasing mifery. All thefe caufes have forced our armies to retreat to your fron tiers. It is there that they are now pofted, weakened, but not vane quifhed; fatigued by an unequal conteft, but not humbled by difcouragement, nor fubdued by def pair. It is there that they form, as it were, an advanced wall of defence for the Germanic liberty; to act as a rampart for your religion, your laws, and your families. The Meufe is the line of feparation between the total lofs and the pre fervation, between the overthrow and the maintenance of all thefe; between mifery and happinefs. Rife then, German brothers and friends! On you will depend the making it poilible for your deliverers to live or die for your defence, I myself, a German prince, full of folicitude, not lefs for the fafety of my country, than the prefervation of my warriors, I call upon you. Procure us fubfiftence, bring us provifions from your magazines.-Think that in forwarding to us thefe painful fuccours, you fecure at the fame time your approaching harveft. -Share with us your favings.-To obtain what we want, employ the treasures of your churches. Give your utenfils and vafes of filver to the emperor, for the pay of your defenders. You will receive receipts for the payment in due form, and you will be paid intereft for the pecuniary aids you have thus procured. Replace the refources - of Belgium, which have been cut off from us, and now flow for our enemies. Nurfe and relieve, with a folicitude full of charity, our fick and wounded. Rife, courageous inhabitants of the fair countries of the Rhine and the Mofelle! Arm yourfelves, ye valourous men! Line your rivers and your defiles! Accompany our convoys! Watch over our magazipes! Rife by thousands, and fight with us for your altars, for your habitations, for your emperor, for your liberty! We will not lead you, beyond the rivers of your country! We will not depopulate your provinces; but you will fecure the pofitions at our backs, and you will guard your own confines, Affuredly, German citizens, we are not deceived with refpect to you; we have repofed our confidence in the good fenfe of Germans; we truft to the hearts and the blood of the German nation. For three years your emperor has borne the heavy burden, and diftant nations have fought for your defence. You yourfelves muft fee, that your turn to take arms is now come. Then I, as commander-in-chief of a faithful, approved, and courageous army, promife, in the name of my troopsTo fpare you, we will obferve a rigorous difcipline; for your happinefs, we will fhed the last drop of our blood; as we have fought for you, we will die for you; and never fhall the free, the happy Germany, bow down the head beneath the feel of the guilloting. Never hall her peaceful habitations exchange their generous morals, their tranquil fimplicity, their guardian laws of property, their copioling religion, for the licentiouinefs, the calumniating fpirit, the legalized P3 lyftem |