to enter and pafs our faid German dominions; but on the contrary immediately to ftop, 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 affiftance of the military for that purpofe; to which all our civil officers are moft carefully to attend, as all thofe who thall be guilty of any neglect fhall be called to a fevere account for the fame.

Pro Memoria, or Note, delivered by the Pruffian Directorial Envoy 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 majefty fets upon that confidence, which his co-ftates in the circle of Franconia have teftified by the letter of the 13th of May, of the prefènt year. Immediately after the conclufion of peace at Bafle, his majefty apprifed the circle of Franconia of the measures which he was also about to take for the welfare and fafety of this circle, though that juftice has not been done to his endeavours, which his majefty could claim: though the underfigned envoys have not yet received the definitive declaration demanded in their notes of the zd and 9th of May, his majefty 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 mat ters, and thereby to convince it of the generous extent which his ma

jefty is ftill 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 prefervation of its conftitution, and the return of peace, are publicly manifeft, and univerfally acknowledged by the Germanic empire. The most recent occurrences, after the paffage of the Rhine by the French army, have probably, by this time, juftified the advantages, and the value of those. endeavours, with the ftates of the they have, no doubt, convinced all empire, as likewife their motives: majefty firove to make his co-states Germany, with what ardour his 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 fafety of Germany. In confequence of thofe patriotic fentiments, and steady principles, his majefty, notwithstanding the filence of the ftates, and relinquithing all other confiderations, has procured refpect to the line of demarcation, ftipulated in the additional convention of the 17th of May. In confequence of these fentiments, his majefty has hitherto generously granted the folicited protection to all his co-ftates, and their dependants, who fought refuge in his territories.

But now the time is come, in which general and uniform mear fures ought to be taken, in which the king muft pofitively know, how far it is intended to make ufe of his patriotic fentiments, how far he may unfold his partiality to his co-itates in this circle, and his care for their fafety. The even

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tual declaration of his ferene highnefs the hereditary prince of Hohenlohe, commander in chief of his majefty's troops, destined to obferve the line of demarcation, proves, that his majesty is inclined to fet no other bounds to his noble endeavours, but fuch as the fentiments of his co-ftates thall please to trace out. His highnefs, the commander in chief, is ready to draw that cordon on the line of demarcation, and for its fafety, refpecting which the annexed fupplement contains a full explanation. The underfigned envoy of his majefty is now come to the point of requiring a definitive declaration of the circle of Franconia; whether or not it be intended, on the part of the circle, to make ufe of the king's generous offers ? To provide afterwards farther for the faid cordon, for the troops of which, who will find their own provifions, nothing but quarters will be required, though the fafety of the territories of the ftates be their fole deftination. The open, generous, and magnanimous, plain, and difinterested manner, in which his majesty marks his conduct, even in this cafe, will furely be every where answered by the fentiment of its full value and by thankfulnefs, as it is in other refpects fuperior to each and all equivocation. The experience which the circle has hitherto had of the king's patriotifm, of his attachment to the conftitution of the empire and the circie, of his care for the tranquillity of his co-itates and their territories, the dangers which threaten thefe in the viciffitudes of the occurrences of the war, and the duties for the fafety of their poffefúions and fubjects, may now dictate

to the circle and its ftates their decifion. The urgent relations of the time, and the measures which depend on it, render it unavoidable, to expect peremptorily, and once for all, the faid definitive declaration inclufively till the 7th inftant. His majefty is far from forcing the effect of his efforts for the welfare of Germany, and his protection upon the circle; but his majefty owes it to the facrifices and labours, which he till now continued, for the profperity of Germany-his majefly owes it to his dignity, to make himself in a moment fure of the fentiments of the circle. Should the circle of Franconia, contrary to the fenfe of its letter of the 13th of May, addreffed to his majefty, not deem it proper to make ufe, in the focial union, to which his majefty himfelf belongs, of the meafures propofed for its fafety, or to declare itfelf pofitively upon it within the faid period, his majefty muft renounce, with regret, the execution of his patriotic intentions, and confine himself to measures of fafety for his own territories, and to that protection which his majefty has hitherto granted to thofe ftates who claimed it by name, and not deny it to thofe who may yet claim it, till the expiration of the abovementioned period. Then it will no longer depend upon his majetty to alter any of the meafures taken for that purpofe; his majefly will fee its cordial intereft, if the circle of Franconia, againft all events, will find means in another manner to provide for its own tranquillity and fafety, and for that of its dependants.

But his majefty could then no farther, fingly or wholly, take any

fhare in it, and would be obliged to leave it entirely to those of his co-ftates, who fhall not have made any ufe of his majesty's offer, how they fhall effectually fecure themfelves, their fubjects and property, against all danger; his majefty will zealously continue his good offices for the restoration of the general tranquillity of Germany; and tranquillize himfelf in the confcioufnefs of his pure intentions for all the fatal confequences of a too great and fuppofed fafety, or of the non-acknowledgment of the purity of the faid intentions; and while his majefty in the face of all Germany, gives, by this declaration, a freth and unequivocal proof of his Germanic patriotism; his majefty may alfo 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-fiates and their fubjects the unhappy confequences of the war, and to have fulfilled, in the moft generous and difinterested manner, all the duties incumbent upon him in all his relations as a ftate 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 Auguft in the ufual Form. It is dated, "Vienna, the 29th July."

This memorable decree firft ftates the different points fet forth in the advice given by the Empire

of the 3d of July, and then continues to obferve as follows: HIS Imperial majefty, above all, returns his warmeft acknowledgments to the electors, princes, and fiates, for the grateful fentiments they have expreffed towards his majefty 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 fecond fection of the advice of the empire, it has been declared to be the conftant wifh and firm re-. folution 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 fecurity of the Germanic conftitution, fhall form the bafis 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 majefty, with refpect to the attainment of a reasonable, juft, and honourable peace. This defire and refolution (for according to the fundamental laws of the German constitution, 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 praifeworthy expreffion of conftitutional, generous, and patriotic fentiments, and the conftitution of Germany may still subfift for a long series of years, if the electors, princes, and ftates, fenfible of their duty, and animated by patriotifm and public fpirit,

remain faithful to the fentiments thus folemnly declared. His majefty having frequently proved, and but very lately declared in the court decree of the 10th 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 fecond fection, which fo perfectly agrees with his paternal fentiments and duties, as chief of the empire.

His Imperial majefty 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 congrefs is to be held, has been entirely left to his Imperial majefty'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 majefty, in his quality of chief of the Germanic body, has for this purpose already taken the neceffary fleps, of the refult 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 queftion, whether, without any prejudice to the future negotiations of peace, it will be poffible to obtain an armiftice, can hardly be decided, before the faid negotiations are actually fet on foot; and in pursuance of the imperial decree concerning the advice of the empire of the 22d of December, a probable profpect opens to btain a reasonable, juft, and ho

nourable peace; whence, and indeed in every poffible cafe, there arifes the cruel neceffity, that the electors, princes, and ftates, conformably to their duty and own declarations, do not neglect, but perfift 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 reft affured, that if his Imperial majefty fhould be able, on behalf of fuffering humanity, to obtain from the prefent rulers of France who feem to have adopted more moderate fentiments, a modifica tion or temporary paufe of hottile requifitions and devaftations, he will not fail to make, for that purpofe, the neceffary proposals.

As to the reft, bis Imperial majefty is of opinion, that hitherto no political relations exift, which urge the neceflity of accepting a mediator, although cloathed with all the neceffary requifites in point of fkill, prudence, fincerity, and impartiality; nor does his majefty fee the neceflity of accepting the mediation of a third perfon. If the German empire, the firft in point of rank, and mighty and powerful in its chiefs and its members, is with true German fpirit united for a grand and momentous purpose, there is no doubt but it poffeffes fufficient authority and power to obtain a reasonable, juft, and honourable peace. But as the diet, according to the plurality of votes, finds a peculiar fatisfaction in feeing his majefty 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 immediate negotiations for peace between

the

Laftly, his majesty repeats once more the declaration fet forth in the imperial court decree of the 10th of May, and which cannot be too often repeated, viz. that the political importance of Germany refts on the clofe and happy union between the fupreme chief of the empire and the electors, princes, and states; and its welfare depends on the inviolability of its fundamental laws. These ought to guide the chief as well as the members. His majefty, who, not only in virtue of his imperial office, but alfo by a folemn compact between him and the electors, is charged with the adminiftration of justice, is therefore obliged, by open and lawful means, to protect the conftitution against all unconftitutional proceedings; left the like prece. dents might in future times be fuppofed to contain a tacit abrogation of laws which are of the greatest importance for the fafety and welfare of the German empire.

Imperial Court Decree, concerning the Separate Treaty of Peace, concluded between the Landgrave of Heffe Caffel and the French Republic;

published at Ratisbon, September 25,

1795

THE diet of the empire declared but very lately in the fecond part of the advice of the 3d July, occafioned by the imperial court decree of the 19th of May, before all Germany and Europe, in the most folemn and pofitive manner.

That it ftill remained the constant wish and firm determination of the empire, in undiffolved and unalterable junction of all the members of the empire, with its chief, by conftitutional means, to obtain a general peace for the empire, and through it the reftoraration of the integrity of its dominions.

The political relations of the Germanic empire, and the preffing urgencies of the prefent pofture of affairs, feemed to require that his majefty fhould anfwer this truly patriotic declaration with the fame clearness and undifguited franknefs which becomes the father of the empire. His majefty, therefore, declared in the court decree of the 29th July, "That the aforefaid conftant with and refolve did not only afford him peculiar fatisfaction in his quality as fupreme chief of the empire, but that also (as according to the fundamental laws of the German inftitution in all matters concerning both the conclufion of a peace and the determination on a war of the empire, neither the fupreme chief could be feparated from the members, nor the latter from the former.) The faid declaration was the genuine and glorious expreffion of conftitutional and patriotic fentiments; and that the Germanic conftitution might fill

flourish