Nuremberg, August 16. Submiffion of the Imperial City of Nuremberg to the King of Pruffia. OUR magiftrates have, under the prefent circumstances, applied to the Pruffian Minifter of State, Baron Von Hardenberg, teftifying to his excellency the general wifh of the citizens to live in future under the beneficent laws of his Pruffian Majefty. His excellency did not hesitate to intercede for us with the French commander in chief, General Jourdan, to obtain a fixed contribution in lieu of all requifitions, which has been granted accordingly until the pleasure of the French Directory fhall be known. In other refpects, Baron Von Hardenberg made answer to our deputies, that it was beneath the dignity of his fovereign to take advantage of our prefent fituation, that his Majefty would defer making known to us his real fentiments till we fhall be fully at liberty to announce our wishes according to the forms of our prefent conftitution. WE STATE PAPER. When we E FRANCIS II. by the grace of God, &c. &c. affumed the government of this monarchy, we felt it extremely grievous to find ourselves involved in fo hard a war as the prefent: great as our grief was, equally great was our with of procuring a fpeedy and lafting peace to the country. Every body must be convinced, that all the powers and means poffible to men have hitherto been ufed for that purpofe; and it is highly painful for us, that our paternal folicitude, added to fo many patriotic contributions of our faithful fubjects, and the valour of our troops, fo repeatedly proved, could not, as yet, bring it fo far as to effect a peace, honourable and not injurious to the monarchy-nay, that it rather feems to be our peculiar destiny, to be obliged, to our continual mortification, to behold the enemy constantly approach nearer to our German herditary dominions, and efpecially to the frontiers of our beloved kingdom of Bohemia. In order, therefore, to protect this kingdom, in the fafeft and most perfect manner, from all hoftile attacks, and it being, in other refpects, no longer poffible to conquer folely with the army now exifting, and to keep from off the frontiers of our kingdom of Bohemia an enemy like the prefent, who, from day to day, arm the major part of their nation, and lead them against us ;-we caufed feveral plans to be laid before us, having for their tendency the particular fecurity of the faid kingdom of Bohemia; and though we discover in every part of them patriotic benevolence-yet we thought proper to give the preference and our approbation to the estab lifhment lifhment of a national militia, particularly from the confideration of its combining with the defence of the country, effectual and ready for every emergency, all poffible indulgence to the inhabitants. We do hereby ordain ;- 1. That the measure of a national militia, for the particular defence of the kingdom of Bohemia, be immediately put in force, and that for this purpose every 20th head be enrolled out of the population of the whole country. 2. That the men thus enrolled be immediately trained in the ufe of arms, and in every branch of the fervice for which they are destined, and to which end the ftaff of the Bohemian general officers fhall appoint the commiffioned and non-commifliohed officers. 3. In order that the men, during fuch exercife, may be kept as near as poffible to their places of refidence, the places of rendezvous fhall be marked out in fuch a manner, in the different circles, that each perfon enlifted fhall only have to repair to fome place little diftant from his own abode. 4. The men enlifted fhall, during their abfence from home. on account of their being exercifed, receive the fame treatment as the foldiers actually ferving in the field. 5. Should there be any occafion for calling any of the men thus kept in readnefs into active fervice, they are to repair to the rendezvous pointed out to them, there to wait the farther orders of their commanders. 6. Their fole deftination is to cover the frontiers of the country, or to be employed within its limits; but they are by no means to serve against the enemy abroad. 7. We will not only grant to thofe men, as long as they fhall continue under arms, full pay and provifions in the fame manner as the troops ferving in the field, but we alfo order, 8. That thofe who thall diftinguifh themfelves by their valour on proper occafions, filver and gold medals thall be granted, in the fame manner as to the real foldiers, and they shall every where wear them, as honourable marks of fervices rendered to their country, and enjoy at the fame time the annual penfion during life. 9. All thofe who fhall ferve in this militia, fhall be for ever after confidered as peculiarly meritorious, and where equity will permit, all due preference fhall be given, and every poffible indulgence fhewn to them. We rely, therefore, on the tried fidelity of all our Bohemian fubjects, and on that love of their country fo particularly their own, that they will voluntarily and readily fubmit to these our orders, and that every individual, whether high or low, will ufe his utmost exertions, in conjunction with thofe of his King, to defend the kingdom from every hoftile invafion; the more fo, as the the prefent moment is moft dangerous to the religion and property of every citizen in this kingdom; and as the welfare of every one of them requires that he fhould help, with all his ftrength, to defend his family and the country, we alfo place the greatest dependence on the patriotic zeal and readinefs of our Bohemian fubjects in this measure of defence, fince, as it has been stated already, the term of fervice is but of fhort duration, and only neceffary in the prefent emergency, both to defend the country, and to protect their own property, wives, and children, and fince by fo doing, they will not only give the promised reward, but likewife render themfelves worthy of the reputation of faithful fubjects and real friends to their country, befides gaining, in addition, the esteem, the love, and grace of their King for ever. Done at Vienna, Auguft 21, 1796. Subftance of the Meffage of the French Directory to the Council of Five Hundred, on the Number of Troops to be kept in Time of 3 Fructidor, (20 Auguft.) Peace. IN this meffage the Directory take an enlarged view of the former military establishment, comparing it with what it is to be in future. They admit, as fo many weak points, that they have fuffered much from their inferiority in point of cavalry, an augmentation of which beyond the former peace establishment they confider as indifpenfable. Their flying artillery, which has contributed fo much to their fuccefs, they ftate to be as yet far removed from perfection. It is neceffary, they fay, both from the analogy which it bears to the impetuofity with the French character, and from its adoption by the enemy, that every attention fhould be paid to its improvement. Their fortified places, they add alfo, have been fuffered, under the old regime, to fall into decay, and yet they have often faved France, as in the inftances where they fo happily retarded the enemy at Thionville, Lifle, and Dunkirk, Maubeuge, Landau, Cambray, and Perpignan. To repair these completely, they therefore confider as the leaft expenfive mode of preventing future wars. The new establishment of the army, however, they are of opinion may be lowered confiderably beneath the former ítandard, and for thefe reafons: 1. The addition of territory does not very fenfibly add to the opening of the frontier, and the new frontier is more easy to defend. 2. The fuppreffion of the privileged corps, and the abolition of ufelefs places, will reduce very confiderably the annual expence. 3. Twenty-five thousand men, to be maintained by the Batavian Republic, will answer the double purpofe, they fay, of protecting their territory and defending our northern frontier, without adding to the expences of that ally. In fine, confidering that in a republican ftate every man is born a foldier, and that of the whole mafs every perfon can be fucceffively opposed to the force of an enemy, the Directory is of opinion that the peace establishment of the army may with fafety be reduced to 170,000 men, not including the troops of Holland. The maintenance of this force they estimate at 100 millions of livres. But in this annual expence is comprifed the augmentation of the cavalry, the improvement of the light artillery, and the repair of the fortified places. This force and this expence are arranged according to the following eftimate: This is offered as the minimum of the peace establishment. The Directors recommend, however, an addition of twenty millions to be expended in perfecting the military art.-They add, that the ftate owes alfo much to its defenders, and many years must elapfe before they can expect to arrive at an habitual peace. To meet these emergencies, they propofe a gradual diminution as follows: ift year after peace 2d ditto 3d ditto 4th ditto 150 millions. 140 ditto 130 ditto 120 ditto They ftate, in the conclufion, that the army of Italy, which was at first of great expence to the Republic, now is abundantly provided, and even fends fupplies to the treasury. It is the fame with the armies in Germany, Thefe fucceffes, they infer, withVOL. V. N out out any doubt, muft foon be crowned by the attainment of an honourable peace. Meffage from the Executive Directory to the Council of Five Hundred, on the Fructidor 6th, (August 23d.) Read in a Secret Committee. CITIZENS LEGISLATORS, THE Directory can no longer leave you ignorant of the afflicting details which they receive from all parts relative to the fituation of the troops ftationed in the interior of the Republic. For feveral months paft has their conftancy been put to the test by the most painful privations; and bewailing their diftrefs, the Directory have admitted more than once that refignation with which French foldiers forget their wants, when thole of their country are put before their eyes. As long as the Directory could flatter themfelves with feeing the end of fo critical a fituation in the amelioration of the finances, they propped up the courage of the troops by hopes, and shut up in their own bofom all uneafinefs; but the evils are too great to be any longer concealed; and however painful fuch a disclosure may be, it is impoffible any longer to deny it to the alarming circumstances by which it is exacted. Pay, that facred debt of the Republic to thofe who devote themselves for her, has not been made for feveral months, regardlefs of the urgent requefts of government; the treasury could not fecure that part fo interefting to its fervice, and the penury of its means ought alone to be reproached. All the bargains are fufpended by the impoffibility under which the treasury labours to fulfil the engagements made with contractors; provifions begin to be exhaufted, and their remains no hope of renewing them; every where almoft one has been forced to have recourfe to requifitions; but this measure, the use of which is always fatal, furnished but infufficient refources, and to execute them is dangerous above all in thofe departments, while civil war has only left to agriculture great ravages to repair. In feveral parts of the Republic, the fubfiftence of the troops was compromifed; the diftributions were rarely made in the proportions determined by the law, and often were they fuppreffed for feveral days; the fervice of the magazines, which has only been fupported till now by the officers of that branch, is on the point of failing in all the departments. In fhort, this is the confeffion moit painful to the Directory. There are hofpitals where it has been found neceffary to deny the fick foldiers the nutriment neceffary for the recovery of their health. Difcouraged by the diforganization of all branches, of the fervice, the officers ábandon their pofts, to fly from the complaints which perfecute them, and which they are unable to answer. In feveral places, funds defigned |