nations. It is doubtlefs unneceffary to make any reserve with refpect to any particular demands of fums of money, moveable goods, or other payments to which fome states may be bound with regard to the French republic. The prefent fubject only relates to the German Empire, and by no means to particular engagements which may have been contracted, and which in their nature have no reference to the Empire. The minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic can perceive no well-founded objections that can be made to thefe demands, which are equally moderate and proper. They expect a speedy answer. The time for delay is past.

Raftadt, 14th of Floreal (May 3), 6th year of the French republic.

(Signed)

TREILMARD.
BONNIER.

Conclufum of the Deputation of the Empire at Rafladt on the 14th of May, being an Anfwer to the Demands made by the French Plenipotentiaries in their laft Note.

THE deputation of the Empire has feen with pleasure, in the laft note of the minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic of the 3d of May, that the republic was convinced, as well as the deputation, of the neceffity of eftablishing the mafs of loffes, before any determination was made refpecting the mass of indemnities; which, after the previous declarations of the deputation, were to be limited as much as poffible. But, on the other hand, the deputation were much afflicted at finding, against their expectation, in that note, fresh pretenfions, and fuch, that their mafs furpaffes, even with refpect to the Empire, the facrifices to which they have been forced to confent, and which they have confidered as the most grievous and the greatest by which the Empire could purchase peace; pretenfions which, befides, would evidently detroy the future fafety of Germany.

The deputation of the Empire are about to communicate to the minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic all the reafons founded in the nature of things, which oppofe their adhering to thofe demands; they will alfo reply in a detailed manner to the reft of the contents of the faid note, full of confidence as they are in the moderation and juftice of the French government. They are convinced that the French minifters themselves will find thefe reafons and details fo evident, that they will on their fide approximate to the propofitions of the deputation, and thereby operate a speedy conciliation, which has been fo long the object of the defires of Germany, and for the facilitating of which the deputation of the Empire have refolved to make fuch painful fa-crifices.

To follow in fome measure the order obferved in the laft note of the French minifters, it will firft be neceflary to develope the manner in which thofe minifters exprefs themfelves relative to the left bank of the Rhine. They will recollect that in the note of the 11th of March, the deputation acceded to the basis of peace, by which the courfe of the Rhine fhould form the limit between the two ftates, only with the refervation that there fhould be an understanding upon the modifications contained in the eighteen articles of the note of the 3d of March, and that the two other previous conditions of the note of the 11th of March should be admitted. Thus, in confenting finally to admit the course of the Rhine for a limit, it was neceflarily understood that (conformably to the principles which have in all times conftituted the basis of treaties between people) the river thould belong in common to the two nations which it divided, or that an ideal line thould form the frontier between them. The deputation of the Empire, faithful to this principle of the right of nations, in the eighteen articles tranfmitted on the 3d of March, have not only accepted the middle of the courfe of the Rhine for a limit, as has been the custom in the ancient treaties of peace; but they have befides propofed, in a more precife manner, that the 18th article of the peace of Ryfwick, and the 6th article of the peace of Baden, hould be admitted as a bafis in the ulterior negotiations. But the minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic, in their notes, fpeaking of the fixing of the future limits between Germany and France, have only made a general mention of the Rhine and its courfe; and in the note of 22d Pluviofe (February 10), they have faid formally, the ceffion of what is beyond the Rhine, that is the bafis.

The minifters plenipotentiary have not altered their language in the fequel, when the deputation, to prevent all misunderstanding, remarked formally in their ulterior communications, that by the course of the Rhine, they could only understand the middle of the Rhine. Moreover, this acceptation was admitted in the note of the 25th Ventofe (March 15). The deputation, therefore, cannot perfuade themselves that the minifters plenipotentiary had it not in view, on their fide, to take the middle of the Rhine as a limit between the two nations; and they were confequently the more aftonished that, by their laft note, they demand for the French republic all the ifles of the Rhine. The greater part of thofe ifles belong to the neighbouring communes, who make ufe of them as common property: fome of them also belong to private perfons. Towards the middle of the Rhine, feveral families poffefs them by title of fief, and the smaller je t are in the clafs of appurtenances to the princes. A great number of these ifles are inhabited, and confift of woods, meadows, and cultivated grounds; and, taken together, they would form a

very confiderable object. In feveral places, particularly on the fide of the right bank, it would be impoffible to collect the fafcines neceffary to conftruct and keep up epis upon the banks, if the ifles of the Rhine, with their woods, were loft to the right fide. This object, then, is of great importance to Gerinany, and the lofs of all these ifles would, in a commercial, territorial, and military point of view, be a very effential aggrandizement to the French republic. However inclined the deputation may be, by their known principles, to yield to France fuch of the ifles as may be on her fide, it ought nevertheless to be eftablifhed, as a referve, that the ifles which are on the right fide fhould remain under the dominion of the Empire, and the fovereigns whofe eftates are in the neighbourhood; adding, formally, that private property, and their limits upon the ifles on both fides, thall remain inviolable. In the places where the river does not change, or feldom changes its bed, that is, towards the middle of its courfe, and particularly on the Lower Rhine, that line of demarkation would have no inconvenience. But on the Upper Rhine, the Thalweg, or, properly fpeaking, the navigable part of the Rhine, has determined that line of fovereignty; and by the direction of this Thalweg the limits from Huninguen to the Palatine countries have been fixed, in more recent times, between French commiffioners and thofe of the ftates of the Empire: fo that the property of the inhabitants of the right bank, upon the ifles which, by the changing of the Thalweg, fall on the left fide, would pafs under the French dominion; and, on the other hand, that which would fall on the right fide would pafs under the dominion of Germany. It would then be neceffary to determine refpecting the ifles fituated on the left fide of the Rhine, and which have not hitherto belonged to the French republic, whether the middle of the courfe, or the Thalweg, fhall form the line between Germany and France. In the first cafe, the ideal line of demarkation will interfect feveral of the ifles, and then it would be more juft that, in the detailed arrangements adopted upon the fubject, thefe ifles fhould be ceded wholly, alternatively, to one or other party.

If these reasons evidently prove how important it is for Germany, that the exact middle of the Rhine fhould form the limit between the two nations, the French legation will judge to what point the deputation of the Empire must have been difagreeably ftruck by the new pretenfions contained in their laft note, that the forts of Kehl and Caffel (the latter has never been confidered as a dependence of the fortrefs of Mentz), as well as fifty acres of ground oppofite the old bridge of Huninguen, with the roads neceffary to reach it, should be ceded to the French republic; that the bridge between the two Brifacs fhould be re-established, and the fortrefs of Ehrenbreitftein razed.

In their note of the 8th Pluviofe (28th January), the French minifters, to explain the reafon of demanding the Rhine for a

limit,

limit, made ufe of the following expreffions: "The fafety of the republic requires the limit of the Rhine: the tranquillity of the Empire folicits in a ftill ftronger manner thofe limits." They afferted, at the fame time, that this demand "refted upon a much more imperious motive, a motive common to the two powers, that of providing, by invariable limits, for their future tranquillity."

In the note of the 15th Pluviofe (13th February), the limit of the Rhine is called a juft bafis, fuitable and useful to the two States and in the note of the 2d Ventofe (20th February), a fuitable and neceffary bafis, which guarantees the future tranquillity of the two ftates. The note of the French ministers of the 14th Ventofe (March 4) agrees upon this point with the preceding after having spoken of the Rhine as the basis of peace, it is formally added-Convenience, juftice, neceffity, have demonftrated it in the preceding notes, the common intereft of the two nations, &c. And when afterwards the deputation of the Empire, in their note of the 5th April (16th Germinal), had repeatedly demanded, that the French minifters fhould declare that they would make no ulterior demand upon the Empire, it was answered, under date of the 19th Germinal (April 8): "Upon the fecond propofal contained in the note of the 21st Ventofe (March 11), the minifters plenipotentiary declare, that they have already explained themselves in a manner to fatisfy every reafonable mind, when they faid, that in the courfe of the ulterior difcuffions they would refufe nothing that fhould be juft, and fhould accord with the common intereft of the two nations:" which fuppofes alfo, that they would only make fuch demands as would be admiflible.

From thefe declarations it could not be imagined that the propofition to establish the Rhine as a limit, could have any other object than that of rendering that limit invariable, of preventing thereby all the inconveniences to which frontiers not marked by nature are expofed (note of the fecond Ventofe, Feb. 20); to infure in a better manner tranquillity for the future, and to operate the common advantage of the two nations. The propofitions which have just been made to the deputation are wholly oppofite to thefe views, which could alone have determined them to accede to the first basis of peace; the Rhine would thereby ceafe to form the limit; there would be, on the right fide of the river, feveral points of contact which would be eminently injurious to the maintenance of tranquillity. Finally, if they confider in the demands made the ceffion of the ftrong places, the proportion between France and Germany becomes ftill more unequal. The left bank of the Rhine, protected by the most important fortrelles, oppofes an impenetrable barrier to all hoftile attempts which might be made. The repofe and fafety of Germany, on the contrary, would be

continually expofed. Points fortified upon the right fide would make it fear a neighbour continually ready to attack it, would destroy its military integrity, and fetter its independence, upon the maintenance of which the French government thinks that it is conformable to its politics to fet a value: the more fo, as the demolition of fort Ehrenbreitftein is demanded, as well as the re-establishment of the bridge between the two Brifacs, with fifty acres of ground on the right fide, oppofite to the old bridge of Huninguen; yet the first of these bridges has been fuppreffed by two treaties of peace. With refpect to the deftruction of Ehrenbreitftein no equivalent is offered, and confequently this latter object cannot be confidered as a thing in which regard has been had to the common intereft of the two nations.

All the reasons that have been adduced are, without doubt, ton evident for the French minifters plenipotentiary not to recognise the validity of them, and to unite with the deputation, in order that the Rhine may form in future the line of feparation between the two ftates, and that neither of the parties may extend their domination to the oppofite fhore. This principle being established, the deputation are entirely difpofed to agree upon the refervations, means, and precautions, by which the two contracting parties may remain tranquil relative to their respective fafety. This is, with out doubt, the most moderate propofition that a nation can make, which, after an unfortunate war, feeks in peace no other happinefs than its future tranquillity. The deputation of the Empire, on their fide, are ready to liften to all other propofitions that may be looked upon as the natural effects of the establishment of the limit of the Rhine, and of the dominion in common of that river. The propofition of a towing-way being a disposition respectively useful, which can make no change with regard to property, jurifdiction, and fovereignty, will confequently experience no difficulty in the execution, according to the neceffity and poflibility of the cafe. The deputation confider as equally fuitable, and in conformity to the 18th article of the treaty of Ryfwick, and the 6th article of the treaty of Baden, the propofition refpecting the keeping up of the river and the affurance which follows it is fo much the more agreeable, as buildings upon the water on the left bank of the Rhine, would be injurious in different places to the countries on the right bank, whofe foil is lefs elevated. It is understood alfo for this reason, that the private perfons in poffeffion of land fhall preferve the faculty of being able to form dykes, and make other difpofitions to prevent their property from being inundated, provided thefe works hurt not the courfe of the river nor the navigation. But as in feveral parts of the right bank ftones are entirely wanting, and other materials neceffary for water buildings, and as the left bank, on the contrary, poffeffes them in abundance, both parties thall be entitled to fupply themfelves