With this confidence, the underfigned, by fupreme command, has the honour to make known to you, &c. &c.

[Here follow two articles, fpecifying the fupplies to be granted, for three months longer, in flour, oats, hay, and straw, for the Pruffian, Hanoverian, and Brunfwick troops, at two different periods, viz. the 15th inftant, and the Ift of April. In order to fecure the fub. fiftence of the troops in future, the ftates of Northern Germany are to meet in convention at Hidelfheim on the 20th inftant, or to fend Plenipotentiaries to regulate the quotas of fupplies, in neceffaries or in money, for as long as the war may laft.]

As thofe deliberations (in convention at Hidelfheim) will preclude all fubjects not effentially and directly relating to the maintenance of the troops, the underfigned will lofe no time to terminate them with the utmoft fpeed, and not to detain the Plenipotentiaries a moment longer than fhall be neceffary from following their other affairs. The flattering confidence with which the underfigned has hitherto been honoured in the late negotiations, makes him equally confident that his zeal and activity will be entirely depended upon in that bufinefs. He has only moft urgently to request that, for the fake of difpatch, the states may furnish their Plenipotentiaries with full inftruc

new ones, but that the neceffary refolutions may be taken, not only for the farther fubftantial regulation of the maintenance, but for the obligatory affent to the fame to the end of the war.

The underfigned has it likewife in command to request, that their Excellencies the Plenipotentiaries may arrange matters in fuch a manner as not to quit the convention till the ftate of affairs fhall permit its fufpenfion or conclufion, fince the gradual departure of many Plenipotentiaries has formerly occa fioned a precipitate fufpenfion of the first convention, which has been highly prejudicial to the dif patching of bufinefs. His Majefty will alfo confider the fulfilment of this with, and the infallible meeting of the convention, according as it is expected to meet, as a gratifying proof that his ferene co-states with to do juftice to his efforts and facrifices.

And the underfigned alfo looks forward for the defired anfwer ref pecting the fourth fending of fupplies, before the expiration of the prefent month; and hopes to have the honour and pleafure to fee again their Excellencies the Plenipoten-, tiaries at the fecond opening of the convention, on February 20. (Signed) Донм. Halberstadt, Jan. 4, 1797.

Citizens,

HE director-general of the

been thus plainly notified, in order

the

the Meufe and the Rhine, having the entire administration of thofe countries, could not fee without the greateft furprite the order of the Royal Chamber of War and Domains

of Wefel, and of the regency of Emmerick, dated the 29th of December (O. S.), which forbids the cutting down of wood fold, under the penalty of reftitution and reprifal.

We fhould be effentially wanting in the discharge of our duties and obedience, if we fuffered other authorities to interfere in the administrative affairs of our cantons, without having previoufly received a formal order from our fuperiors. You have seen several times ordinances emanating from thofe authorities; you have feen alfo that the French government has not, on that account, difcontinued the direction of Pruffian as well as of other countries. Do not doubt that they will still continue it; you will, perhaps, be convinced of it when you fhall pay attention to the manner in which the ordinances have been communicated. We appeal to the members of those chambers, if a foreign authority were to intimate orders to them, would not they fay, with reafon, "We have a fovereign; it is only to him that we owe obedience;" and would not they continue their functions without paying any attention to the order? We are therefore, determined, citizens, to maintain with firmnefs all the operations undertaken, or to be undertaken, in the name of the government which we reprefent, and to punish exemplarily all those who fhall fhew any difobedience in any manner whatever. But you have already given us fufficient marks of your obedience to make us believe that VOL. XXXIX.

we fhall not be forced to have recourfe to fuch extremities.

(Signed) WASSEINEL. SEIDA

Declaration published by the Pruffian Government at Wefel

THE Royal Chamber of War and Domains has learned, with furprife, from feveral quarters on the other fide of the Rhine, that the French agents infift not only upon the payment of the first inftalment of the contribution of 3,000,000, but that a fixed number of men are alfo to be put in requifition, to cut down the wood deftined to be fold. And whereas an edit, publifhed by the King's fupreme command, in that part of the country, declares fuch a proceeding unlawful, and contrary to the treaty of peace concluded at Bafle; the Magiftrates of Xanten can by no means be farther authorifed to make payments of a fimilar defcription, and to do actions directly in oppofition to his Majefty's Royal intention. There is no doubt but the French agents, upon a maturer investigation of the matter, will be of the fame opinion; and the magiftrates of Xanten need to be the lefs afraid of compulfion by military execution, which would render the French agent refponfible, fince we are informed that the orders of the Directory at Paris, purporting that the Royal Pruffian provinces fhall be exempted from all farther requifitions and contributions, are already arrived at Aix la Chapelle. (Signed)

SEIMBURGER,
VON BERNOTH,
WULFING.

Done at Wefel, in the Royal
Chamber of War and Do-
mains, January 6th, 1797.
Provifory

Art. I. ON the 1ft Germinal, of the fifth year of the Republic (March 21, 1797) all the French adminiftrations, under what denomination foever they may have been organized, shall entirely ceafe their functions. In order to replace them, and examine their operations, there fhall be created an intermediate commiffion of five members, one of whom shall be perpetual prefident. The commiffon fhall refide at Bonn.

II. The ancient conftitutions, ufages, cuftoms, laws, and contributions, fhall be re-established at the above mentioned period, for the Pruffian provinces on the left bank of the Rhine. Their magiftracies, chambers of juftice, and finances, fhall refume, with full right, their functions. The clergy of all orders fhall remain in the entire poffeffion of their property; and no wood fhall, under any pretence, be felled, without a fpecial and explanatory order from the commander in chief of the French army, called of the Sambre and Meufe; be it however obferved that, until farther orders, the authority of the Republic is the only one that ought to be acknowledged in the conquer'ed countries.

III. The intermediate commiffion fhall appoint a commiffioner with the Pruffian administrations, whofe functions fhall be to watch over the execution of the orders given, either by the commander in chief or by the commiffion, to receive and tranfmit to the commiflion the requests, either of the adminiftrations or private individu

als; as likewife all the inftructions he may happen to obtain, and to give information to the government refpecting the conduct adopted by fome of its former agents in the conquered countries.

IV. Immediately after the inftallation of the magiftracies, which fhall be certified by an authentic act (proces verbal) the chamber of finances of the Pruffian provinces fhall order the agents of the former adminiftrations to give a detailed account of their operations, which it fhall examine and forward to the intermediate commiffion, with fuch remarks as it shall think proper to add thereto.

V. The new magiftrates fhall correfpond with the intermediate commiffion on fuch matters as relate to their administration; they fhall addrefs to the commiffion all the juft requests which they may deem proper to form, and give every month a minute account of their conduct.

VI. The produce of the taxes of the faid Pruffian ftates, of which the mode of collection fhall without delay be fixed, as well as the arrears due on the forced loan, fhall be thrown, without any deduction, into the cheft of the paymafter-general of the army, who will give proper receipts.

VII. By virtue of the execution of the preceding article, no requi-, fition in money or provifions fhall be made in the Pruffian provinces. Should, however, the events of the war, or other circumstances, render neceffary a fupply of provifions or cattle; or fhould the want of fpecie oblige the perfons paying contributions to acquit themselves in articles of daily confumption, the provifions fhall be received at the prices

hereafter

hereafter mentioned, and in defalcation of the taxes, namely, a quintal of wheat, nine livres; a quintal of rye, barley, or fpelt, fix livres; a fack of oats, of fix Parifian bufhels, fix livres; a quintal of hay, two livres five fous; a quintal of ftraw, one livre; a pound of meat, four fous fix deniers.

VIII. The members of the magifterial corporations, and the bailiffs, who, for any caufe whatever, may have transferred their refidence to, or preferved the fame on the right bank of the Rhine, are authorised and invited to refume their charges. In cafe of the demife of any member of the chambers, tribunals, or bailiwicks, the intermediate commiffion is authorised to appoint to the vacant places, perfons recommended as proper objects by the magiftrates, who are to be immediately reinstalled.

Thefe prefents, corroborated with the feal of command, and delivered to the deputies of the Pruffian provinces, have been refolved at Cologne, the 22d Ventofe, 5th year of the Republic (March 12, 1797.)

The General commanding in chief the army of the Sambre and Meufe, charged by the Executive Directory with the general adminiftration of the conquered countries. (Signed) LAZARUS HOCHE. Promulgated at Wefel, March 18, 1797.

Edict published at Berlin. Frederic William, by the Grace of God,

King of Pruffia, &c. &c. HAVING understood that the Aulic Council of Vienna have adopted, without ever confulting us, different measures, on the re

queft of one party, and wholly to the advantage of the complainants, by which they have attacked us and our rights, and diffuaded our fubjects from performing thofe obligations which they have contract ed on oath with us, and have even formally fummoned thofe of the Equeftrian Order not to regard us as their Sovereign, the measures which they have adopted, by printing and circulating them, to mislead our fubjects, are,

1ft. A mandate of the Aulic Council, dated March 17th, 1797, on the subject of the claims of the fovereignty of Brandenbourg against the bishopric of Etchftadt. 2d. A conclufum of the Aulic Council, of the 23d March, concerning the pretenfions of the fovereignty of Brandenbourg against the Equestrian Order in Franconia. 3d. Idem, of the 8th of April, and against the imperial town of Welleinbourg. 4th. Idem, March 5th, &c. against the Elector of Cologne, as Grand Mafter of the Teutonic Order. 5th. Idem, May 9th, &c. against the imperial town of Nuremberg.

Confidering what the laws of the empire prefcribe, we can by no means regard, nor will regard, thefe meafures as legally valid and obligatory, but, on the contrary, we muft confider them as real encroachmènts on our rights of fovereignty, and peculiarly prejudicial: we, in confequence, therefore, folemnly and feriously, by the prefent patent, advife and forewarn all thofe of the Equestrian Order who have hitherto belonged to the canton of the Equestrian Order of the empire, as alfo all other perfons whose fovereigns belong to the Equestrian Order, or are neighbouring princes, not to fwerve in the leaft degree

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