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firm, that it would be impoffible to obftruct the operations of one of them, without forcing the others moft warmly to embrace his caufe. Of this defcription is efpecially the fituation of her Imperial Majefty with refpect to the King of Great Britain; so that in cafe of need, her Imperial Majefty would be obliged to affift and support him to the utmost extent of her power; but fortunately fuch connections fubfift between his Catholic Majefty and the King of Great Britain, in confequence of feveral treaties renewed in the year 1793, as can never ceafe to be dear to his Catholic Majefty, and neither the conveniency nor ufefulness of which can have been leffened by a change of affairs produced by the moft imperious circumstances.

This important confideration, in addition to that which proceeds from the favourable difpofition of his Catholic Majefty towards the common caufe, cannot but render her Imperial Majefty perfectly eafy with refpect to the conduct which his Catholic Majefty is likely to purfue. Her Imperial Majefty is of opinion, that it will be both candid and fincere, and it would be painful for her to fuppofe, that in any cafe whatever, his Catholic Majefty could favour measures, tending to obftruct and oppofe the avowed purposes of the three allied courts.

You, Sir, will adopt the moft proper means officially to communicate to the miniftry of his Catholic Majefty the honour of this difpatch, and to make it the fubject of a conference you are to request of the Prince of Peace.

(Signed)

COUNT OSTERMAN.

The Anfwer of his Excellency the Prince of Peace to M. de Bulzow, dated Santa Cruz, March 17, 1796.

I HAVE received your Letter of the 22d of February, with a copy of the difpatch, which you, Sir, have received from your court by the last courier from London, and must return you in anfwer, that the King, my mafter, has with much pleasure learned the friendly terms, in which, on the part of her Imperial Maj fty, he has been acquainted with the clofe alliance concluded with the courts of Vienna and London, which certainly cannot have been the refult of the circumftances which exifted in Poland, at a time when the forces of her Imperial Majesty might have been employed at a point, where all thofe monarchs who united for the prefervation of their exiftence, and the mutual support of their rights, rallied. At that period, the King, my master, gave the strongest proofs of his grief at the misfortune of a beloved coufin, and forefaw that his dominions were drawing near that univerfal corruption, which refults from madnefs without bounds.

He

He waged war against tyrants, but was unable to learn who they were, for he did not know, following the capricious dictates of their levity, who were the good Frenchmen that defended the caufe of their king. He was only able to difcern, that but a few, victims of their fenfe of honour, were his true adherents, who followed him to the grave. The defire of the King, my my mafter, was, however, fo earneft, that notwithstanding the ill-founded hopes held out by the combined powers, he profecuted the most vigorous and moft expenfive war. There was no fovereign but the King endeavoured to prevail upon him, by the moft advantageous propofals, to join his Majefty; notwithstanding this request was addreffed to the Emprefs at different times, fince the laft months of 1791, and during the year 1792 by M. de Galvez, Spanish minifter in Ruffia, and M. de Zinowief, who refided in the fame quality at Madrid, but efpecially in October 1792, and December 1793, when M. de Amat, then Spanish chargé d'affaires at Petersburgh, and foon after M. de Oris, minifter of his Catholic Majefty, had long conferences on this fubject, the former with Count Ofterman, and the latter with Count Belborodko. Notwithstanding all this, there did not exift the leaft circumftance which promifed an active co-operation on the part of the Emprefs, nor does it appear that the occupation of Poland could have prevented her from co-operating in favour of the common cause. It was under thefe circumftances that the King, my mafter, no doubt from fear and apprehenfion of finifter confequences for his kingdom, refolved to make peace, convinced, that if he were left without affiftance in the war, that fupport, which might be promifed him for the attainment of peace, would prove ftill lefs efficacious. This is the true fituation of Spain, and his Catholic Majefty obliges himself to fulfil whatever he has promifed for the benefit of the common cause, in which at the faine time he muft, for the future, decline participation in any meature, which has no certain and confiftent object. (Signed) THE PRINCE DE LA PAZ.

Edict of his Majefty the King of Naples and the Two Sicilies, addreffed to his Subjects.

We, FERDINAND IV. by the Grace of God, &c. &e. SINCE the time when peace was interrupted in Europe, we redoubled our care to preferve the public tranquillity, and to put the ftate in a fafe condition of defence. We were, therefore, difpofed to augment our land and fea forces, and to raife a confiderable hoft of brave warriors on the frontiers of this kingdom. We afterwards put ourselves at the head of our courageous troops, firmly refolved to ufe all the means in our power, and even to

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facrifice our royal perfon. These effective preparations, added to lawful and becoming fteps to obtain peace, give us hopes that our dominions will forthwith enjoy tranquillity. At the fame time we ought not to conceal, that in order to gain the proposed end of our defigns, it is abfolutely neceffary to double the said preparations for the defence of the ftate, and the acceleration of a lafting and honourable peace, and to ftation a ftill greater force than the prefent on the frontiers of our kingdom. We address ourfelves to all claffes of our beloved fubjects, and hereby do require them to contribute with all their power to the speedy augmentation of the army ftationed in cantonments. We expect, amongst others, that the brave young men who have enrolled themselves for the defence of religion, the throne, and the country, will now repair without delay to the frontiers, in order to put themfelves under our immediate and perfonal command, with their brave comrades; and we hope that in confequence of this, other volunteers will, in greater number, repair to the cantonments, that we may bring together a formidable army, and be enabled to fecure the fafety and tranquillity of the state, either by a permanent peace or by brilliant victories.

Done at Naples, September 12, 1796.

Subftance of a Decree published at Lisbon.

ON the 20th of September, 1796, a decree was published at Lisbon prohibiting the admittance of the privateers of the belligerent powers, or the prizes made by them, men of war, frigates, or any other fhip of war, except in cafes of extreme neceffity or diftrefs.

Declaration delivered to the Magiftrates of Nuremberg on the 29th of September, 1796, by the Pruffian Minifter, Baron Von Hardenberg, relative to the Propofal of its being united with the King's Dominions.

THE underfigned has the honour, in the name of the King, his moft gracious mafter, to declare to the moft worshipful the magiftrates and burghers of the city of Nuremberg, that the proof of confidence and attachment which it gave to his Majefty, by the voluntary offer of fubmitting to his fceptre, made in fo folemn and decided a manner, has been received by his Majefty with true pleafure and grateful approbation, and will be efteemed in its full value; but that his Majefty, according to the fituation of matters, cannot as yet refolve himself to accept of that voluntary fubVOL. V.

miffion

miffion, and to ratify the annexed agreement of fubjection and exemption, but that his Majefty will nevertheless find fufficient motives in that unequivocal mark of the confidential attachment of the city, to make it experience, by preference, his favour and benevolence, and is already prepared to do every thing in his power to promote the welfare and fafety of the city; while his Majefty, after a farther developement of circumftances and events, will alfo never have any objection to answer as much as poffible to the farther wishes of the city.

The faid minifter delivered a fimilar declaration to the cities of Weiffenberg and Windtheim.

Reply of Buonaparte in October, 1796, to the Entreaties of the Inhabitants of Reggio that they might be armed and fight for the French. BE encouraged, brave inhabitants of Reggio, organize yourfelves, fly to arms. It is time, at length, that Italy alfo fhould be comprehended among the free and powerful nations. Do you fupply the example, and merit the gratitude of pofterity.

ORDER OF COUNCIL.

At the Court at St. James's, the 12th of October, 1796, prefent, the King's Moft Excellent Majefty in Council.

WHEREAS his Majefty has received intelligence, that fome fhips belonging to his Majefty's fubjects have been, and are detained in the port of Genoa; his Majefty, with the advice of his privy council, is thereupon pleafed to order, and it is hereby ordered, that no fhips or veffels belonging to any of his Majesty's fubjects be permitted to enter or clear out for Genoa, or any port within the territory of the republic of Genoa, until further orders: and his Majelly is further pleafed to order, that a general embargo, or ftop, be inade of all Genoefe fhips or veffels whatsoever, now within, or which hereafter fhall come into any of the ports, harbours, or roads, within the kingdom of Great Britain, together with all perfons and effects on board the faid fhips and vellels; bat that the utmost care be taken for the prefervation of all and every part of the cargoes on board any of the faid fhips, fo that no damage or embezzlement whatever be fuftained.

And the right honourable the lords commiffioners of his Majesty's treafury, the lords commiffioners of the Admiralty, and the lord warden of the Cinque Ports, are to give the neceffary directions herein as to them may refpectively appertain.

(Signed)

W. FAWKENER.

Manifefte

Manifefto of Spain against Great Britain.

Madrid, October 11.

HIS Majefty has tranfmitted to all his councils a decree of the following tenor:

One of the principal motives that determined me to make peace with the French Republic, as foon as its government had begun to affume a regular and ftable form, was the manner in which England behaved to me during the whole of the war, and the juft miftruft which I ought to feel for the future from the experience of her bad faith, which began to be manifefted at the most critical moment of the first campaign; in the manner with which Admiral Hood treated my fquadron at Toulon, where he was employed folely in ruining all that he could not carry away himself; and afterwards in the expedition which he undertook against the Island of Corfica-an expedition which he undertook without the knowledge, and which he concealed with the greateft care from Don Juan de Langara, while they were together at Toulon.

This fame bad faith the English minifter has fuffered clearly to appear by his filence upon the fubject of all his negotiations with other powers, particularly in the treaty concluded on the 19th. November, 1794, with the United States of America, without any regard to my rights, which were well known to him. I remarked it again in his repugnance to the adoption of my plans and ideas which might accelerate the termination of the war, and in the vague reply which Lord Grenville gave to my ambaffador, the Marquis del Campo, when he demanded fuccours of him to con tinue it. He completely confirmed me in the certainty of his bad faith, by the injuftice with which he appropriated the rich cargo of the Spanish fhip le Sant Jago, or l'Achille, at firft taken by the French, and afterwards retaken by the English fquadron, and which ought to have been reftored to me according to the convention made between my Secretary of State and Lord St. Helens, ambaffador from his Britannic Majefty: afterwards by the detention of all the ammunition which arrived in the Dutch thips for the fupply of my fquadrons, by affecting always different diffi culties to put off the reftitution of them. Finally, I could no longer entertain a doubt of the bad faith of England, when I learnt the frequent landing from her fhips upon the coafts of Chili and Peru, in order to carry on a contraband trade, and to reconnoitre the thore under the pretence of fishing for whales, a privilege which he pretended to have granted her by the convention of Nootka. Such were the proceedings of the British minifter to cement the ties of friendship and reciprocal confidence, which he

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