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they confidently flatter themfelves then, that the French plenipotentiaries will accede to it. The plenipotentiaries of the deputation of the Empire prefent, Electors, Princes, and States, recommend themfelves for this effect to the Imperial legation.

Subftance of the Vote of Auftria in the Sitting of the 20th September.

THE most unhappy events of nine ages have not injured the Germanic body fo much as the ceffions made within the last nine months, on the left bank of the Rhine, by the deputation of the Empire. By thefe, France acquires a population of more than two million of fouls, an annual revenue of more than nine millions, and the finest and most fertile part of Germany, besides the inestimable advantages offered by the Rhine, in a military and commercial point of view. The majority of the deputation has, moreover, confented to the demolition of the fortrefs of Ehrenbreitstein, upon the conditions declared in the conclufum of the 7th of Auguft, and has alfo fhown a difpofition, contrary to the adopted principle of the Thalweg, to cede the important island of St. Pierre, near the right bank of the Rhine. All this clearly fhows that the deputation has not continued in a wavering state, and that Germany has made many facrifices. The delegates of Auftria therefore require that every place on the right bank of the Rhine, and every thing appertaining thereto, fhould remain to the German Empire.. As to the debts, they will readily accede to whatever the deputation fhall further determine on this fubject. With refpect to the emigrants, they must remark, that thofe who abandoned their homes, driven by the diftreffes of war, at a time when the feparation or ceflion of these countries was not thought of, have no right to be fubjected to the French laws on emigration. They alfo recommend it to the deputation to intercede with the French minifters for the unfortunate inhabitants of the bifhoprics of Bafle, Liege, and Strafbourgh, and all others fimilarly fituated.

Subftance of the Note of the French Minifters of the 3d October, in Anfeuer to the Conclufum of the Deputation of the Empire of the 22d September.

THE French minifters congratulate the deputation on its return to the true intereft, to the real and preffing want of Germany, a peace with France. The grand ftep taken for this purpose after the ceffion of the left bank of the Rhine, is that of the island of St. Pierre, and the demolition of Ehrenbeitstein. The moment is come of determining, by decifive acts, the alternative of peace or war. It would not have delayed it fo long,

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if it had confidered the influence of French principles in cafe of a rupture. The Executive Directory have thown a condefcending dignity, and a moderation unexampled, on the part of a victorious power; they will fupport that character, by restoring the territories of Kehl and Caffel. This is the price at which the deputation must accede to the following articles:

1. The delimitation of the courfe of the Rhine and its iflands, and the liberty of the navigation of that river.

2. The fuppreffion of the toll of Elsfleth, upon the Wefer, as being a restraint on our commerce with Bremen; and the confervation of their political existence and constitutional independence to the cities of Bremen, Hamburgh, and Franckfort.

3. Liberty to establish bridges, purely commercial, on two points of the Rhine.

4. The renunciation of every demand contrary to the French conftitution in favour of the immediate nobility.

5. The article of debts shall remain as it is. But the republic will charge itself with fuch of them as are for the particular advantage of the countries become French.

6. The laws on emigration fhall not be applicable to the countries now ceded to France, nor to Mentz; but they shall be in full force in the united countries.

7. The republican troops fhall repafs to the left bank of the Rhine, immediately after the pacification. Until then, they are to remain in their prefent pofition.

8. The Empire fhall confent to the ceffion of Frickthal, and of all the places in that country, and in those belonging to the Italian republics.

9. The French republic, and thofe of Italy, fhall renounce, on their part, all pretenfions to the remaining countries in Germany. They fhall treat feparately on the fubject of the particular engagements contracted by France with the German Princes during the war.

10. Befides the demolition of Kehl and Caffel, the Empire muft undertake not to erect any fort or entrenched camp at a less diftance than fix kilometers, or three thoufand toifes, from the right bank of the Rhine.

If thefe conditions fhould not be accepted without delay, the conditional promife of reftoring the territories of Kehl and Caffel fhall be null and void. Such a rejection would fhow the Empire wishes for war.

Note delivered by the Prussian Minifter to the French Legation. THE underfigned minifter plenipotentiary of his Majesty the King of Pruffia has feen with peculiar fatisfaction, from the last note of the plenipotentiary citizens minifters of the French republic,

public, that, induced by the strong reafons urged by the deputation of the Empire, they have given up their claim of the territories of Kehl and Caffel; and that they reftricted themselves, with fome modifications, to the boundary of the left bank of the Rhine. The King cannot but exprefs his approbation of this conceffion of the French Directory, which is of fo much confequence to the future tranquillity of Germany; but in the fame note there are objects relative to which his Majefty finds his juft expectations disappointed. Of this kind, among others, is the circumftance that the old courfe of the Rhine, in the middle of the tracking or navigation way, fhall be ftrictly held to be the boundary on each fide, by which all the declarations contained in an official note from his Majefty's minifter, of the date of the 19th of June, are difregarded. As fuch a claim muft militate against the wishes and interefts of his Majefty, the undersigned is convinced that the minifters plenipotentiary of the republic, when they confider the reafons alleged in the above-mentioned Pruffian note, will not refufe to yield to them. He grounds this hope on the known circumftance, that the Rhine anciently bore the name of the Waal. Another point, confiderably connected with this, is the courfe of the Rhine oppofite Wefel. The underfigned has repeatedly had the honour to obferve to the French legation, of what importance it is to the town and fortress of Wefel, that the ifle of Buderich, which is formed by a canal, which fo directs the course of the Rhine that it leaves the island to the right, fhould remain to the Empire, that the water-works which are neceffary to the existence of the town and fortress of Wefel may be properly maintained. Should the full powers of the minifters of the French republic not be fufficiently extensive for them to accede to the reprefentations of the underfigned on this fubject, he requests that they will tranfmit the prefent note to the Executive Directory, accompanied by a favourable statement. The love of peace and humane difpofitions, which actuate the minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic, and which they have fo lately manifefted, encourage the underfigned in the pleasing hope, that, to haften the conclusion of peace, they will not only efpóufe with zeal the reprefentations relative to the two points above-mentioned now fubmitted to their mature confideration; but that they will not refufe to admit further modifications and conceffions, relative to various other points in their note, of the utmost confequence to the most important interests of the German nation.

Raftadt, Oct. 8, 1798.

Answer

Anfwer of the French Minifier to the Note of the Pruffian Minifier, of the Date of the 8th of October, relative to the Boundary on the Lower Rhine, and the Ifle of Buderich.

THE underfigned minifters of the French republic have received the notes of the Pruffian plenipotentiary of the date of the 18th Vendemiaire (Oct. 9). They had tranfmitted with the ut moft difpatch to their government the note received from the Pruffian legation, on the 1ft Metfidor, relative to the fame object. They communicated the verbal anfwer they received, ftating, that the French government found it impoffible to accede to the with of his Pruffian Majefty: the undersigned cannot, therefore, undertake to tranfmit to the Directory demands, relative to which it has expreffed itfelf fo explicitly in the negative; wherefore they muft confider this object as determined. His Pruflian Majefty and the minifters plenipotentiary are too juft to find any thing in the application of an acknowledged principle, to which the republic has made fo great facrifices, that can weaken the good underftanding or friendly relations, the maintenance of which between the two ftates the Directory has fo much at heart. The minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic exprefs with pleafure their high confideration for the minifter plenipotentiary of his Pruffian Majefty.

Rafladt, the 22d Vendemiaire (08. 13).

BONNIER.
JEAN DEBRY.
ROBERJOT.

Reply of the Pruffian Legation to the Note of the French Minifters of the 13th October.

THE underfigned minifters plenipotentiary of his Pruffian Majefty have received, the 13th of this month (22d Vendemiaire), the note which the citizens minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic addreffed to them in reply to that of the 8th of this month.

The contents of that reply have obliged the undersigned to the following explanations. The citizens minifters there affure them, that they have not failed to make known to the members of the King's legation, the verbal reply they had received upon the object of the note of the Pruffian miffion of the 1ft Mefhdor (19th June), and the impoffibility in which the French government were placed to accede to the with of Pruffia.

The underfigned know nothing of a verbal reply which might have been given them by the citizens minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic, upon the above-mentioned note of the Pruf

fian legation. They could not fuppofe that the infinuations. made to fome of their members occafionally, and by way of converfation from individual to individual, could be wifhed to be confidered as fuch. This mode of explanation has been formally declared by the French legation as not being to be regarded as official, the French legation being indivifible.

But in cafe even that a verbal reply fhould have been given to the undersigned, respecting their note of the 19th of June, they could not regard as peremptory the conclufions drawn by the citi zens minifters plenipotentiary of the republic.

They make known in their note of the 13th of October (22d Vendemiaire), that they cannot take upon them to reproduce to the Directory demands upon which they have declared themselves in a negative manner, and in a way to make them consider the object in queftion as terminated.

The franknefs with which the underfigned have made it a rule to open themselves upon every occafion to the minifters plenipotentiary of a power friendly to the King their master, shall still in this note be the guide of their conduct. Faithful to this principle, they will not diffemble to the minifters plenipotentiary of the republic, that they could not but be much furprised to find, in the paffage before cited, expreffions which appear to them to contain a formal refufal to convey to the Directory their note of the 8th of this month, a note, whofe object is not only the article stated in an anterior note of the 19th of June, but which, befides, includes other important objects, to which the King and the Empire attach a fufficiently confiderable intereft; a note, in fhort, which contains reiterated moft amicable affurances of his Majefty towards the French republic.

The undersigned are inclined to believe, that in any cafe the citizens ministers of the republic to the congrefs will not refuse to convey to the knowledge of their conftituents the demands. which fhall be addreffed to them on the part of the undersigned, who negotiate in the name of the King their master.

They obferve befides, that should even their demands appear to the legation of the republic to be objects terminated, that judgment cannot be looked upon by the underfigned as without appeal. In the courfe of all negotiations, cafes prefent themselves, in which, on one fide or the other, ulterior difcuffions are judged inadmiffible. It happens, however, that, after reiterated reprefentations, important modifications, and fometimes abfolute renunciations, are admitted.

The undersigned will not renounce the hope that the Executive Directory of the republic will find in their juftice ulterior expla nations upon the object of the note of the 19th of June, worthy of all their attention.

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