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tron focial order, and promoting the happiness of nations. Your brother, the Emperor Jofeph, when fcarcely feated on the Imperial throne, impreffed on the general mind throughout his vaft dominions, a philofophic movement which made fuperftition tremble to its deepest foundations, and prepared the introduction of several ufeful changes in every branch of adminiftration; and this head of the Empire was proud to boaft of having drawn his information and his knowledge from the philofophical writers of France. Leopold, his and your brother, Madam, exhibited, in very çircumfcribed dominions, the most illuftrious examples to the imitation of great empires; and France may well claim the right of thinking that she was not inactive or unanxious in promoting the good which mankind has derived from the economical principles adopted by that Prince, who took a pleasure in bearing her this honourable teftimony.

Thefe recollections, Madam, are the only ones which I fhall find deeply engraven on your heart. The ambassador of the French republic entertains a hope that the pacific communications which he has juft made, will drown the remembrance of prejudices that arose from events ill related in France itself, and still more disfigured by all the tongues that have repeated them in Europe: by partaking in these truly auguft fentiments with your husband, you will render yourself still more dear to his heart, and you will concur, Madam, in perpetuating between two nations, a peace which may influence, in more than one respect, the peace of all the other nations of Europe.

BE

PROCLAMATION.

Petersburgh, May 15.

E it hereby known to all whom it may concern, to all Europe, and the whole world, that his Imperial Ruffian Majefty, Paul I. has ordered the following proclamation to be iffued by me, Prince Alexander Befborodko, firft minifter and chancellor of his Imperial Majefty:

In confequence of the notification of the Executive Directory of the French republic, of the 23d of Nivofe, in the 6th year, importing, "That if any fhip be fuffered to pass through the Sound with English commodities, of whatever nation it may be, it shall be confidered as a formal declaration of war against the French nation;" his Imperial Majefty, Paul I. has been graciously pleased to order twenty-two fhips of the line, and two hundred and fifty gallies, under the command of Admiral Krufe, and M, de Litta, Knight of Malta, to proceed to the Sound, to protect trade in general against the manifeft oppreffion of the Diiectory, as fuch a proceeding is evidently contrary to the rights of

M 2

nations.

nations. His Ruffian Majefty gives his Imperial word to protect the freedom of trade with all his power, both by fea and land, which he hereby requires the diplomatic corps to make known and proclaim.

Meffage from the Executive Directory to the Council of Elders, of the 24th May.

Citizens Representatives,

ENGLAND has hazarded a new expedition, which has ended only in its difgrace.

On the morning of the 19th of May, an English fleet appeared before Oftend, and bombarded that city violently. Protected by the fire of the fleet, their boats difembarked 4000 men, who took poffeffion of the thore, threw up batteries there, and attempted to blow up the fluices of the Sas de Sleyken, and the gates of Oftend. The enemy fummoned the place to furrender within half an hour. The garrifon confifted only of thirty men. "You fhall never

become masters of the port which is entrusted to me," faid the brave commander, Mufcar, " until my garrifon and I fhall be buried in the ruins." Republicans are unable to confine themfelves to defenfive operations. On the 20th, at break of day, 300 men only of the 46th and 94th demi-brigades, conducted by Keller, commandant of the fquare of Bruges, marched to the English column. They attacked with an ardour and an intrepidity which partook of the nature of a prodigy :-the courage of republicans always increafes in proportion to the number of their enemies. The entrenchment thrown up against them foon gave way; and after two hours fighting, the English, being entirely routed, threw down their arms. The bombardment which had recommenced, ceafed; from 1500 to 1800 prifoners were taken: eight pieces of cannon, two howitzers, and a great number of mufkets of the enemy, remain in our power. The reft of the enemy re-embarked with precipitation, having lost a great number of men, who were drowned in their attempting to escape.

The commandant of the British artillery was killed: one of their major-generals had his thigh taken off; another, together with 800 officers, as well fuperior as inferior, are prifoners. In fhort, the troops who had been difembarked were, according to the accounts of the prifoners themfelves, the flower of the English army: they had been selected for the occafion; and among them were four companies of the guards, and the whole regiment of the Prince of Wales.

You will hardly reprefs your, indignation, citizens reprefentatives, at learning that the plans of the enemy were feconded by

traitors

traitors at Öftend. The cries of "Long live King George! Brave English!" were heard there; the national cockade was infulted, and the arms of the volunteers employed in manning the batteries, for want of artillerymen, were broken by fome traitors. These atrocious acts fhall not remain unpunished; but it cannot be denied, that the flow progrefs of the ordinary tribunals is infufficient to the punithment of those who fhould be struck down with the rapidity of the thunderbolt. You will confider, citizens reprefentatives, of the propriety of declaring, by a law, that the traitors who by any means give encouragement, during an attack, to the enemies of the republic, fhall be tried by a military commiffion.

The Directory invites you to take this meffage into your earliest confideration.

(Signed)

MERLIN, Prefident.

PROCLAMATION.

LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY.

Batavians,

SINCE it is but too manifeft that the revolution which the victorious arms of the French effected in the year 1795, has been either openly counteracted or fecretly undermined by thofe whom you have chosen to fupport and confirm it; fince the unity and indivifibility of the fovereignty of the people, the confolidations of the debts of the provinces, the equality of the civic rights and duties, the abolition, in this refpect, of all diftinctions between ranks and stations, and laftly, the entire feparation of the church from the state, have been continually, fome in a more and others in a lefs open manner, the apples of difcord in the present times; fince the voice of truth and the welfare of the whole people have been obliged to yield to error, and provifional or perfonal felf-intereft; and fince, laftly, the conftant clathing of oppofite and contradictory principles, has enfeebled all the branches of political adminiftration, and threatens to render perpetual the unfettied and uncertain state of revolution; it must certainly be the wifh of all, that a powerful, fteady, and well-adjufted authority, fhould at length put an end to all thefe uncertainties, divifions, and contradictory principles, prevent their deftructive confequences, and eftablish a wife form of government, founded on the acknowledg ment of the great truths above mentioned, and confirmed by justice and prudence.

You flattered yourselves that these principles would be restored on the 22d of January laft, and in whatever light you might at first view the events of that day, you were willing to excufe the

irregularity

irregularity of the proceeding, from the state of affairs, and the necellity of the circumstances, and to support the authority of the new intermediary adminiftration, the conftituent affembly reprefenting the Batavian republic. You only required proof that the events of that day were not the acts of a faction, but the triumph of true principles, tending to promote the welfare of the people.

Under thefe conditions you were willing to place unlimited confidence in the intermediary administration, and tranfinit the names of your patriots with unbounded gratitude to the latest pofterity.

Such, Batavians, was your generous and noble conduct; but foon it appeared that the spirit of the new intermediary adminitration had no tendency to render all former differences forgotten, by juft and generous meafures. Soon it appeared, that, inftead of a restoration of principles, you had obtained a change of perfons, by a revolution fimilar, in that refpect, to all the former which your commonwealth had fuffered during more than two centuries, but much more dangerous than them all, fince, by the precipitation and ignorance of the authors of it, every thing was overturned, and the country rendered a prey to anarchy and tyranny, in a manner of which its hiftory affords no example. Not merely were the heads of the federative ariftocratic administration excluded from the direction of affairs, but ignorance and disguised selfintereft contrived to render fufpected almoft every perfon of abilities and merit in the country. Worthy men, and even fuch as had continually declared themfelves the friends of the principles. now established, and who had been conftantly devoted to the interefts of the people, but who had fhown too much spirit to be flaves of a faction, or idolize individuals, were excluded both from the provincial and general adminiftrations, which were filled with men whofe conduct had rendered them contemptible in the eyes of the nation, or who, at leaft, had no other merit than that of being the blind fupporters of a faction.

There is not a more certain fign of the approaching fall of a ftate, than when juftice is publicly violated. Exiles return fecretly into the country-fentences which had been pronounced against offences, and profecutions against perfons accused, were annulled. At the fame time the feekers after offices, a race of men deftructive to every nation, thrust from their places a great number of upright and able men throughout the whole country; and the order to remove thofe who were unfit to remain in their pofts and employments, was enforced in the most arbitrary

manner.

Such, Batavians, were the proceedings of fome anarchifts, who every where flocked together, and who were favoured by the majority of the members of the conftituted affembly, and by the

executive

executive power, either because these latter were weak enough to promise themselves a durable fupport from them, or because they had not fufficient ftrength to oppofe them; they fo far extended their influence, that many of thofe who had been members of the laft national affembly, and who had fhown themfelves devoted to the principles of the revolution, whofe only offences were, that they would not, without your previous affent, annul the federative government fanctioned by the national affembly, were declared to have loft the conndence of the people, and to be deprived of their right of voting.

The meafures of fafety, as they were called, fhould have had for their object the annihilation of all factions, without diftinction but they were, for the most part, carried into execution in fo partial and arbitrary a manner, that the whole nation was rendered adverse to the order of things. All freedom of speech was taken away, and many refolutions too evidently flowed from the corrupt fources of revenge and private intereft. The motto of unity and indivifibility fhould have united the whole nation, and excited all to combine and facrifice their individual advantage for the general good of the country; but in fuch a manner were thefe terms employed, as to transform them into a perfect tyranny; and the tranfaction of the 22d of January, by the ignorance and precipitation with which it was conducted, became the object of general contempt, averfion, and ridicule.

At length, Batavians, the conftituent affembly prefented to you the plan of a conftitution for your acceptance, and from that time began an avowed disregard of the established principles; the fpirit of the intermediary administration was no longer disguised, and your grievances reached their utmoft height.

Faithful Batavians! the principles themselves had not been in danger, had the new executive directory, eftablished by the conftitution, been chofen as that conftitution prefcribes. Would the conftitution have been lefs freely accepted, had the meeting of the primary affemblies not been fo long delayed? Was it neceffary that emiffaries, fuch as the men before mentioned, should be employed on this occafion? Was it neceffary to entrust to them the dangerous power of depriving citizens of the right of voting? Was not this a violent attack on the fovereignty of the people, not justified by the urgent neceffity pleaded in fome other cafes? And as if all this were not fufficient, the injury offered to the infulted fovereignty of the people, on the 4th May last, was ftill greater. Then, after the acceptance of the conftitution, and when the will of the people had been exprefsly declared, with refpect to the manner in which their reprefentatives in their legiflative body should be chofen, the majority of the members of the conftituent affembly, by their own authority alone, declared them felves the legislative body of the Batavian people, leaving

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