a great share even in the re-taking of Mentz. Notwithstanding the well-founded immunities of his houfe, his majefty has given in Auftrian Flanders, and in the country of Brifgaw, the first useful example of arming the inhabitants; and, at the first propofition of organizing a feparate army of the empire, he immediately furnished an extraordinary contingent of 37,000 men. This conduct merits confideration the more, in that the other ftates, who take hold of every pretext to refufe their contingents, if they had been in the place of the Imperial court, and poffeffed of fuch an exemption, acknowledged by the emperor and the empire, and folemnly maintained upon every occafion, would have regarded the demand of fuch a fuccour, under the name of a contingent, as an infraction of their rights, as members of the Germanic body. The putting on foot fuch numerous armies, the great expence of maintaining them with the current coin of the empire, the events of the war which have fucceeded each other with fuch rapidity and changes of fortune, have required immenfe fums, which it was neceflary to fend from the hereditary states into foreign provinces; and, to fupply this, his majefty has facrificed, with an unexampled generofity, his own revenues, the voluntary fubfidies of his faithful fubjects, and his individual abilities. To thefe facrifices ought to be added others equally great and diftreffing. His Imperial majefty, befides his numerous contingent, has kept up a confiderable force from Bafle to Philipfbourg, for the general defence of the empire. He has even employed, for the protec tion of the Germanic body, 20,000 men, as ftipulated in the treaty with his Pruffian majefty, notwithstanding the important fervices which thofe troops might have rendered in defending his own poffeffions in the Low Countries. He ftill under takes, however, to fupply them with bread and forage. Another facrifice, of no lefs importance, and of greater prejudice to his majefty's hereditary itates, is, the Imperial court has not applied to the court of Great Britain, its faithful ally, to oblige the 62,000 Pruffians, fubfidized by the mari time powers, to march into the Low Countries. According to the exprefs terms of the treaty, thefe troops were at the difpofal of thefe powers, and to act in fupport of the common caufe. They would have been employed to the greatest advantage in the Low Countries, and by co-operating with the allied armies, might have averted the calamities which have taken place. Thefe extraordinary efforts; thefe grievous and irreparable facrifices which have not been feconded with energy and alacrity, can only pro tract for a fhort period the last me lancholy blow, which the empire has too much reafon to apprehend, from the conqueft of the provinces on the banks of the Rhine, and on the other fide that river. However, as his majefty's ftates are in fact drained of their men and money, by the favourable, as well as by the adverfe occurrences of this deftruetive war, the extreme remedy muft now be reforted to, in order to prévent the annihilation of our troops, fhould we be inclined still to parry off the mortal blow, which threatens the fubverfion of the constitution and government of Germany. The 1 1 The enemy, availing themselves of the perplexed ftate of public affairs, incrcafe their exertions in all quarters, and feem determined to prevent the defection of the armies, depreffed by a series of fatigue and defeats. Their progrefs has been fo rapid, and their army fo formid able, that the Imperial and royal court will be unavoidably obliged to withdraw its troops, and to ftation them within its own frontiers, if the empire does not think proper to oppose to the irruption of the French an adequate force, and to co-operate with his majesty at this awful and momentous crilis. His majesty's folitary efforts would be fruitless, if he were to attempt to cover the frontiers from Bafle to Luxembourg; and it cannot be denied, that an army, exhausted by fatigue, without opportunity of recruiting itfelf, re, ceiving afliftance from no one, and at a distance from home, ought to make an effort to reach their own country, where they would be better furnished with neceflaries, and fupported by the faithful inhabitants of the Imperial and royal ftates. It would appear at least equitable to hazard his last effort in defence of his own dominions, when we have before our eyes the melancholy truth, that, with the moft upright and fympathetic intentions, it is impoffible to protect his friends and neighbours. The fpiritual and temporal communities of the fuperior and lower clafles are ftill poflefled of treasures which remain untouched, but which might be beneficially applied. The people of property of every defcription have a credit, which they ought to lend to raife great fums of money, to complete that, which the houfe of Auftria, after fuch an im menfe influx of money into the em pire, only drawn from its own he reditary dominions, is no longer able to afford by itself, It is only by fuch an influx of money, that the ftanding armies can be fupplied with what is most neceflary for their prefervation, that the fortreffes can be put in a proper ftate of defence, and that the males, who are to haften to the frontiers, will be fupported, The undersigned minifter plenipotentiary is charged by the empe for and king moft folemnly to declare, in his Imperial majesty's name, that, if the Imperial royal court is abandoned at this decifive crifis, it will not be able to fave the empire; but it will confole itself with the idea of having done all that could poffibly be done for the country; and that the Imperial court will be obliged to make it refponsible, before God and to pofterity, for all thofe misfortunes that will then unavoidably crush the provinces of the Germanic empire, and for the mifery which may then spread infections all over Europe, by the propagation of principles of anarchy; nay, the Imperial court will make refponfible thofe who, by neglect, by inactivity, or even by mercenary private views, fhall have omitted confcientiously to exert themfelves for the general prefervation. pire, containing an exhortation to the following effect. 1. HAT vigorous measures and increase the army of the empire to triple the number of troops of which it confifted hitherto, which shall be effected in the fpeedieft manner poffible, that the reinforcements fhould arrive at the army on the 1ft of February next. 2. That all the ftates of the em pire, who have already troops upon an established footing, fhould in thefe prefling and dangerous times march them immediately to join the grand Imperial army for the defence of the empire. 3. That his Imperial majefty expects that no ftate will fhew, from individual intereft, or from other falle principles, any backwardness against contributing to the general defence of the empire. His majefty would never have manifested any fufpicions refpecting this point, if unfortunately experience had not fhewn him, that from the time the increase of the army had been determined to be of triple the number of the former establishment, that the measure has not yet been accomplished to this day. His Imperial majefty, however, from the confidence he placed in the princes who are invefted with the directions of the circles, hopes that they will take the moft vigorous measures to enforce the recruiting of the army of the empire. The circles of the empire having received, early in November, the preceding circular letter from the emperor, relative to the real performance of their contingents for the Support of the army of the empire. Count Schlick, the emperor's minifter with the circle of Franconia, alfo prefented a memorial to the affembly of that circle, in fub to the circle of the Upper Rhine, on the 16th of Auguft; and containing complaints of the enormous extrac tion of fpecie which has been made from the hereditary states of Auftria for the countries of the empire, and of the fcarcity of money which ne ceffarily refults from this, even for the pay of the Imperial army; be caufe, the circles not having provi ded either for the fubfiftence of that army, or the regulation of the price of neceffaries, thofe neceffaries either fail entirely, or cannot be procured for the troops under an enor mous price. Thefe circumftances neceffitate the propofition which is the object of this memorial, made in the name of the Imperial court to the circle of Franconia. "To put the fubfiftence to be furnished by the country into speedy requifition, according to the exifting neceflity.-To accept in return an indemnity, regulated according to the medium price for the laft ten years; the payment to be made in notes, inftead of money, which it is abfolutely impoffible to furnish at the prefent moment." The circle of Franconia immediately commenced its deliberations upon this propofition; but, at the fame time, teftified its defire to fee an end to this ruinous and bloody war; in which refpect, it is feconded by the other circles of the empire, particularly that of the Upper Rhine; which, on the 14th of November, fent the strongest and moft preffing reprefentations to the emperor and to the king of Pruf fia, note. HIS IS Pruffian majefty feconds the request of his Imperial majefty, fince both courts, after having indefatigably continued the war, and made immenfe facrifices, have a right to require of the other ftates, that they do oppofe with all their might the datiger which increafes every day, and to furnish without delay every thing that Ger-manic good fense and spirit deem requifite. Meanwhile, his majefty the king of Pruffia cannot but fignify, that the Imperial court laid a falie conftruction on the treaty for a fubfidy between Pruffia and England; who, though the pledged herfelf to pay the fubfidy, has no right to difpofe at her own pleasure of the Pruffian army, which is forthwith to remain to defend Germany in that quarter where his Pruffian majefty will deem it most expedient, or wherever the allied powers have agreed, or will agree, with Pruffia to let it act. Conclufum of the circle of Franconia, addreffed to their majesties the em peror and the king of Pruffia, for the purpose of obtaining a peace, or at least a speedy truce; agreed to in November, 1794. YONSIDERING the most dan CONS gerous turn which the present war against France has taken, in feveral events which fucceeded each other; confidering the moft imminent danger which is more and more approaching, with rapid ftrides, the frontiers of the circle of Franconia; confidering farther, not only the affictive apprehenfions which his Imperial majefty has reiterately manifefied, that it might happen, that the augast house of Auftria would find itself so much weakened, as to be under the neceflity of retreating to its own frontiers, without being capable any longer to fave the territories of the Germanic empire; and that his majefty the king of -Pruffia has likewife recalled a confiderable number of his brave troops from the theatre of war, to protect his own dominions, and fignified that, according to circumftances, the remainder might alfo be withdrawn; and, confidering the internal concerns of this circle, render the repofe and the momentary re-establishment of this circle at least neceflary at this prefent period; the general circle, by virtue of a repeated propofition of his most serene highnets the prince of Saxe Cobourg Saalfeld, and of Saxe Meningen, as a venerable co-state, on the part of Henneberg Roembild, has unanimoufly refolved: 1. It is underfood of itfelf, and there can be no doubt in this refpect, that there is by no means any defign to encroach upon the deliberations of the empire in general, upon the important queftion-how the country, under the dangerous circumstances which have occurred, fhall fave itfelf, not to lose fight of the necelary order which ought to take place agreeable to the conftitution, and with relation to the whole empire? 2. But whereas, it cannot be unlawful or fufpicious to any fingle tate of the empire, and lefs full to the conftitutional union of a whole circle, whofe union has for its original and primitive end, the public fafety, in cafe of the inoft urgent neceffity; and when its deliverance and confervation are at flake, to have recourt to the fupreme chief of the empire, as likewife to the principal co-lates and the refpective powers, in order mott humbly to fupplicate his majefty, by a refpect ful reprefentation as well of the interior concerns of this circle, as on account of the danger conftantly increafing from without, to take fuch convenient and efficacious meafures as his majefty hall judge proper; through which, by means of a previous truce, the ceflation of hoftilities, and an ever defirable peace may be, as much as pollible, ob tained. 3. Afterwards to intereft in the fame manner his Pruffian majefty, as a fublime co-state of the empire, and particularly this circle, to cooperate to this end by an active affiftance, and to favour the delired effect, particularly to folicit him, with equal refpect and urgency, not to withdraw his brave troops, at leaft as far as it concerns the conftitutional exigency of the political ftate of the empire and the circle, from the defence of the Germanic domains, at the moft critical and muft dangerous moment, but to continue generously to employ them with their whole force, wherever they fhall be wanted. 4. Farther to expedite, with all poffible difpatch, this propofition to his Imperial majefty, by means of an eftafette, and to tranfmit a copy thereof without delay, befides a memorial for the information of his excellency count Von Schlick, privy counfellor and minifter of his Im perial majefty; and to transmit to the Pruffian minifter, refident here, the letter of folicitation to his Pruffian majefty, accompanied by a copy, with a requeft to expedite the laid letter as foon as poffible. 5. To commence a fincere. and focial correspondence, on this im portant bufinefs, with the circles of the empire, namely, the electorates of the Rhine, Upper Saxony, Bavaria, Suabia, and the Upper Rhine, by communicating to them this prefent refolution of the circle, as likewife the above-mentioned letters of folicitation to their Imperial and Pruflian majefties. 6. Finally, not to be diffuaded by the meafures taken by these prefents, for purfuing most eagerly the conclufions of the empire, and the lawful re-establishment of its political fiate; and from continuing, without delay, the preparations of defence, in order to remain always faithful to all duties, which ought to be more and more acknowledged in a fituation of affairs like the prefent, for the fake of felf-prefervation, as likewife for the general and local relations of the state. The following is the anfuer of the king of Pruffia to the reprefentations of the circle of the Upper |