to enter and pass our faid German dominions; but on the contrary immediately to stop, order back, take up, and remove from our dominions, or deliver them to the next garrifon, for their removal beyond the frontiers, and in cafe of need, to request the assistance of the military for that purpose; to which all our civil officers are most carefully to attend, as all those who thall be guilty of any neglect shall be called to a severe account for the fame.

Pro Memoria, or Note, delivered by the Pruffian Directorial Envay to the States of the Circle of Franconia, affembled at Nuremberg.

THE epoch has appeared, in which his majesty the king of Pruffia can publicly denote the value which his majesty sets upon that confidence, which his co-states in the circle of Franconia have teftified by the letter of the 13th of May, of the present year. Immediately after the conclufion of peace at Bafle, his majesty apprised the circle of Franconia of the measures which he was alfo about to take for the welfare and safety of this circle, though that juftice has not been done to his endeavours, which his majesty could claim: though the undersigned envoys have not yet received the definitive declaration demanded in their notes of the 2d and 9th of May, his majesty has nevertheless weighed the various coincident confiderations, and is refolved to devote farther his care and attention to the welfare of the circle, regardless of all other matters, and thereby to convince it of the generous extent which his ma

jesty is still inclined to give to his relations and duties, as director of the circle, or convocating prince, and as co-ftate. The facrifices of the king, and his continual efforts for the welfare of Germany, for the preservation of its constitution, and the return of peace, are publicly manifest, and univerfally acknowledged by the Germanic empire. The most recent occurrences, after the passage of the Rhine by the French army, have probably, by this time, justified the advantages, and the value of those endeavours, with the states of the empire, as likewife their motives : they have, no doubt, convinced all

Germany, with what ardour his majefty ftrove to make his co-ftates feel, as much as it depended on him, and in moments of the most imminent danger, the effects of his zeal for the welfare, the tranquillity, and safety of Germany. In confequence of those patriotic fentiments, and steady principles, his majesty, notwithstanding the filence of the states, and relinquishing all other confiderations, has procured respect to the line of demarcation, ftipulated in the additional convention of the 17th of May. In consequence of these sentiments, his majesty has hitherto generoufly granted the folicited protection to all his co-states, and their dependants, who fought refuge in his territories.

But now the time is come, in which general and uniform mea fures ought to be taken, in which the king must positively know, how far it is intended to make use of his patriotic fentiments, how far he may unfold his partiality to his co-states in this circle, and his care for their fafety. The evenS4 tual

share in it, and would be obliged to leave it entirely to those of his co-ftates, who shall not have made any use of his majesty's offer, how they shall effectually secure themfelves, their subjects and property, againft all danger; his majesty will zealoufly continue his good offices for the restoration of the general tranquillity of Germany; and tranquillize himself in the confciousness of his pure intentions for all the fatal confequences of a too great and fsupposed safety, or of the non-acknowledgment of the purity of the said intentions; and while his majesty in the face of all Germany, gives, by this declaration, a freth and unequivocal proof of his Germanic patriotism; his majesty may also expect from all Germany, and from the circle of Franconia in particular, the juftice to have done all that depended on him, to avert from his co-ftates and their fubjects the unhappy consequences of the war, and to have fulfilled, in the most generous and disinterested manner, all the duties incumbent upon him in all his relations as a state of the empire.

(Signed) JULIUS COUNT SODEN. L. F. CHR. SCHMID.

Nuremberg, October 5, 1795.

Imperial Decree of Ratification concerning the Opening of Negotiations for a Peace between the Empire and France, published 21st of August in the usual Form. It is dated, "Vienna, the 29th July."

This memorable decree first states the different points set forth in the advice given by the Empire

of the 3d of July, and then continues to observe as follows:

HIS Imperial majesty, above all, returns his warmeft acknowledgments to the electors, princes, and states, for the grateful fentiments they have expressed towards his majesty for his fincere and zealous endeavours to promote the welfare of the empire. As chief of the Germanic body, he feels peculiar fatisfaction to find, that in the second section of the advice of the empire, it has been declared to be the conftant with and firm refolution of all its members to obtain a general peace for the empire, in an unimpaired and unalterable junction of all the states of the empire with its fupreme chief, as foon as poffible, in a folid and conftitutional manner. It is moreover declared, that the full reftitution of its territory, and security of the Germanic constitution, shall form the basis of a treaty of peace, according to the fundamental principles laid down in the advice of the empire of the 22d December last year, and approved of by his majesty, with respect to the attainment of a reasonable, just, and honourable peace. This defire and resolution (for according to the fundamental laws of the German conftitution, in all matters concerning a peace or war of the empire, its fupreme chief can neither be feparated from its members, nor the latter from the former) is the true and praiseworthy expreffion of conftitutional, generous, and patriotic sentiments, and the conftitution of Germany may still fubfift for a long series of years, if the electors, princes, and states, fenfible of their duty, and animated by patriotism and public fpirit, remain faithful to the sentiments thus folemnly declared. His majesty having frequently proved, and but very lately declared in the court decree of the roth of May, his inviolable attachment to the German conftitution, and his ardent zeal for the preservation of all its parts, rights, and members, it would be in open contradiction with his own declarations and actions, if he did not readily and fully approve and ratify the aforefaid second section, which so perfectly agrees with his paternal fentiments and duties, as chief of the empire.

His Imperial majesty farther declares, that he is ready to take upon himself the required first introduction of pacificatory negotiations, which, as far as it relates to the place where the congress is to be held, has been entirely left to his Imperial majesty's own judgment and difcretion. In order as much as poffible to accelerate the conclufion of a peace to the empire, pursuant to the with of the diet, his Imperial majesty, in his quality of chief of the Germanic body, has for this purpose already taken the neceffary fleps, of the result of which he will not fail in due time to inform the diet, as well as the place where the negotiations for peace are to be carried on. The question, whether, without any prejudice to the future negotiations of peace, it will be poffible to obtain an armistice, can hardly be decided, before the faid negotiations are actually set on foot, and in pursuance of the imperial decree concerning the advice of the empire of the 22d of December, a probable prospect opens to btain a reasonable, just, and ho

nourable peace; whence, and indeed in every poffible cafe, there arises the cruel neceffity, that the electors, princes, and states, conformably to their duty and own declarations, do not neglect, but persist in their united and conftitutional means of defence, until Germany has obtained the bleffings of a general peace for the empire. Meanwhile, the diet may rest affured, that if his Imperial majefty should be able, on behalf of fuffering humanity, to obtain from the prefent rulers of France, who seem to have adopted more moderate fentiments, a modification or temporary pause of hottile requifitions and devasiations, he will not fail to make, for that purpose, the necessary proposals.

As to the rest, bis Imperial majesty is of opinion, that hitherto no political relations exift, which urge the neceffity of accepting a mediator, although cloathed with all the neceffary requifites in point of skill, prudence, fincerity, and impartiality; nor does his majefty fee the neceffity of accepting the mediation of a third person. If the German empire, the first in point of rank, and mighty and powerful in its chiefs and its members, is with true German spirit united for a grand and momentous purpose, there is no doubt but it poffefses sufficient authority and power to obtain a reasonable, just, and honourable peace. But as the diet, according to the plurality of votes, finds a peculiar fatisfaction in feeing his majesty the king of Pruffia co-operate for that purpose, his Imperial majefty, provided, however, that it does not tend to the prejudice either of the imme diate negotiations for peace between

the