with the new Helvetic republic, which they created, thofe territories and fiefs of the empire fituated in Switzerland, and, overturning it by the vileft machinations, they carried throughout Helvetia the deftructive torch of their revolution to the frontiers of Germany. The French government, always true to the fpirit of the revolution, was 'conftantly occupied with plans to deftroy the political relation of the empire with Italy. Amidft the negociations for peace, it ftrove to trengthen its formidable power by new abettors and alliances, and by a levy of 200,000 men. In fhort, the French government, in all its political relations with the empire, without examining the evils it hath caufed, and in defiance of the truce and negociations for peace, only fought to render its condition the worft poffible, by the numerous evils it committed.

,Even this ftate, however quiet, could only be confidered as a state of war; yet, from a humane difpofition for peace, reprefentations were the only arms oppofed to the domineering arrogance of the French directory, which had, however, no other effect (as their rafh plans had hitherto fucceeded) than the perpetration of fresh acts of injustice and violence. No other arguments are wanting to confirm thefe facts than the facts themselves, viz. the orders given to repair the fortifications of Ehrenbreitftein; the fupplying that place with provifions, by extorting them from the neighbouring fubjects of the empire; and the avowed will of the French government, feriously declared, to keep poffeffion of that fortrefs, against the law of nations, and in contempt of folemn conventions

the occupation of Manheim, and the difarming of the garrifon; the prevention of the exercife of their official functions, which was only proviforily granted to the magil trates of that city, by way of revolutionary prelude to the bold menaces made by the French plenipotentiaries, in an official note of the 3d October, last year, to introduce the deftructive principles of France into Germany-the memorable, but not diffembling letter, of the French executive directory, addreffed in the fame revolutionary fpirit to the French commander-inchief, Jourdan, on the 15th of March, 1799; the rapid advancing of the French troops, by feveral directions, into the very heart of Germany, even without giving due notice of the truce with the empire being broken off, and with a vifible violation of the laws of armiflice:the fummons fent, in the most fingu lar expreffions, on the 1ft of March, to the imperial fortrefs of Philipburgh, to furrender, and with violent and fhocking threats againft its commandant, for him to give up the fortrefs from terror: the immoral written invitation to treason against the emperor and the empire, addreffed to the civil magifirates, on the 14th of March :-the batteries raised close to the fortrefs, and the unjuft attempt made to feize the fortrefs by offers of fubordination:-the exciting of all Germans to rebellion againft their lawful chief, contained in the horrid proclamation of Bernadotte, together with feveral other occurrences of the fame pernicious tendency, remarked in the imperial decree of commiffion, of the 4th of April, of the prefent year:-all thefe are deeds of fuch a nature, as to combine all the attributes of an

actual ftate of warfare; and which can never be reconciled by fmooth profeffions of pacific intentions, and by unnatural and contradictory difcriminations of ideas.

The war therefore actually exifts against Germany by facts-war! the fole terrible work of the ambitious, revolutionary, and all-confounding politics of the French government. And the late political relations of the German empire with Italy and Switzerland, would be irretrievably loft; the ftandard of revolution would already he hoisted in a great part of the German empire, as it has been in other fubjugated ftates and provinces, and the brighter profperity of Germanic freedom be perfecuted by the ungrateful French fyftem of liberty and equality, had not the prudence and heroifm of the imperial generals, and the victorious armies, put a stop to the incurfions of the daring enemy. Thus, while hoftilities have been renewed, and the profpect of a fuccefsful negociation of peace, fo much defired by the empire, is vanished, the former ftate of warfare between the Germanic empire and France actually exifts; and, according to the public declarations, forced from the empire by this ftate of war, it must still combat, at the highest price, for the inviolability of the deareft treaties, for religion, property, the main

tenance of focial order and conftitution, the honour, dignity, liberty,

the electors, princes, and states, and deems himself entitled to expect from them, in the facred name of their common country and conftitution, and by virtue of the manifold affurances given, that no state of the empire will recede from the most confcientious execution of the duties which are impofed against the common enemy, by the very nature of the ancient Germanic confederation, the ancient pofitive ftatutes, and the conclufums of the empire, promulgated fince the prefent war has been declared; efpecially that conclufum of the empire which relates to the augmentation of the armament to a quintuple; and, in conformity to which, his majefty the king of Sweden has lately declared himself, in his quality as a ftate of the empire, to the diet, with as much cordiality as generofity, to revive German patriotifm in general. It is equally urgent and proper, and the particular wifh of his imperial majelly, that the diet do direct its deliberations towards granting a fufficient number of Roman months to defray the expense of the war, and that it do accelerate, as much as poffible, its approbation, to be tranfinitted to the chief of the empire.

HE emperor, king of Hungary

His imperial majefty, therefore, places his confidence, as chief, in

two Sicilies, having taken into confideration the rapidity with which events have fucceeded to each other for fome time, the urgent neceffity of providing against the baneful confequences of new troubles which

$ 2

might

might agitate Europe and Italy in particular, their imperial and Sicilian majefties, united befides by the ftrictest ties of confanguinity, have thought fit to concert with each other in this fituation, mèafures relative to the maintenance of the public tranquillity, and the common fafety of their people and ftates. For this purpose their majefties have named as plenipotentiaries, that is to fay, his majesty the emperor, baron Thugut, grand crofs of the royal order of St. Stephen, minifter of conferences of his imperial and royal apoftolic majefty, his commiffary-general and minifter plenipotentiary in Italy, Dalmatia, &c.; and his Sicilian majefty, D. Ottavio Mormile, duke of Campochiara and of Caftelpagano, marquis of Repalimofano and d'Albidona, lord of Feudi Valleroberto, Coppone and Santangeloradaginofa, knight of Malta, noble Neapolitan, actual gentleman of the chamber and an officer in the fervice of his majefty the king of the two Sicilies: who,after having conferred with each other, have agreed to the following articles: I. There fhall be between the two fovereigns a close and indiffoluble alliance, which fhall have for its object the common defence of their people and their states, againft all hoftile aggreffion.

II. In confequence of this alliance, and to prevent being furprifed by unforeseen events, the two high allies fhall keep on foot, each on his part, until a continental peace, and the complete re-establishment of public tranquillity, a determinate number of troops, conftantly provided with every thing neceflary for entering upon a campaign, and always ready to march, at a moment's notice.

III. Conformable to the preced-ing article, the emperor promises to keep on foot, until a continental peace, and until the period when tranquillity fhall be folidly re-establifhed in Italy, a corps of at least 60,000 effective men, always dif pofable, in his new poffeffions in Italy and the Tyrol. The king of the two Sicilies, on his part, fhall maintain until the fame period on the frontiers of his kingdom next to the Auftrian poffeffions in Italy, a corps of at least 30,000 effective men, always prepared to act, at the first order for that purpose.

IV. In confideration of the great difference between the land-forces, which the two powers bind themfelves to employ, as neceffity fhall require, for the fupport of the common caufe, his Sicilian majefty farther undertakes, until fuch time as the affairs of Italy fhall have affumed a ftable and tranquil fiate, to keep three or four frigates cruifing in the Adriatic fea, for the purpofe of clearing it of Barbary cruifers and other pirates, or to ferve in any other operation interefting to the common advantage, and parti cularly for convoying and facili tating the paffage of provifions and other articles, which his imperial majefty, in cafe of a new rupture, may draw by fea from his other ftates, for the fupply of his army in Italy.

V. The moment that the one or the other of the two high contracting parties fhall be attacked in his prefent poffeffions, upon the first advice which it fall give to its ally of the commencement of hofti lities, the latter fhall, without the leaft delay, caufe its troops to advance, for the purpofe of acting again the power which, by un-4

juftly

justly attacking one of the two contracting parties, fhould be confidered as having become the enemy of the other.

VI. It is by active and vigorous diverfions, that the two allies fhall principally apply themfelves to the reciprocal fupport which is the object of this defenfive alliance. Should the events and the danger in which one of the two high,contracting parties fhould find itfelf involved, require it, the other party thall not confine itself to the number of troops ftipulated in the third article, but fhall augment them; and in this cafe the emperor fhall increase his corps to 80,000, and the king of the Two Sicilies to

40,000 effective men.

VII. The generals of the two armies fhall correfpond with each other, for the purpofe of combining the refpective operations in the manner moft fuited to the common

good, and to the fuccefs of the ar

mies of both allies.

VIII. As the two corps of the contracting parties ought mutually to aid each other, principally by the means of diverfions, calculated to divide the forces of the enemy, each of the two high allies fhall provide for the maintenance and fupport of his own troops; and fhould unforeseen circumstances oblige the refpective troops to join, for certain operations, the two generals commanding fhall amicably concert the mode of fecuring, for thefe troops, the means of fubfiftence.

IX. The two allies finding themfelves at war with a power, in confequence of a hoftile aggreflion, on its part, against one and the other of the two contracting parties, they fhall not be at liberty to

lay down their arms, except with common confent; and neither of them fhall enter into a negociation, for a particular or feparate peace, without having obtained the con fent of its ally, exprefs and in wri ting, and efpecially without having ftipulated in favour of its ally, for the entire reftitution of every part of its territory which the enemy may have feized during the war.

X. The prefent defenfive con, vention fhall be ratified by the two courts, within the term of fix weeks, or fooner, if it can be done. The exchange of the ratifications fhall be made at Vienna in the ufual form. In faith of which; we, the plenipotentiaries of his imperial majefty, and his Sicilian majefty, have figned the prefent act, and thereunto put our feals with our arms.

Done at Vienna, 19th May, 1799.

energetic protection which it has afforded the empire. It has been refolved, befides, in conformity with the confiderations ftated in

the decree of the committee, to make the following declaration:

The empire, in the full conviction that it is placed anew in a ftate of war, in confequence of the hoftlities exercifed by France againft Germany, during and fince the negociations of Raftadt, and which are every day pufhed farther; that confequently all the resolutions taken by the diet, fince the war has broken out anew, resume at this day all their force; and thefe decifions impofe on each state of the empire the ftrict obligation of contributing with the greatest zeal to the defence of the country furrounded with dangers, of making the moft vigorous efforts, of laying afide all private confiderations, and fparing no facrifice; that in execution of meafures prefcribed by thefe decifions of the diet, every member of the empire fhall haften with patriotic zeal to raise to a quintuple the contingent which it ought to furnifh, to the end that, by an energetic cooperation, all the enterprifes and efforts of the enemy may be arrested, and that the exertions of the empire, combined with thofe of its lupreme chief, may lead to a peace, juft, honourable, and lafting, which they have not yet been able to obtain, notwithstanding the ardour with which it has been fought on the part of the empire. For the attainment of this great end, the empire grants 100 Roman months for the expenfes of the war, to be paid at three equal terms of fix weeks each, from the date of the day when his imperial majefty's ratification fhall be published.

THE underfigned minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic do make this formal declaration to the deputation of the empire, that if the diet of Ratisbon fhould confent to the entry of the Ruffian troops on the territory of the empire, or if even it does not effectually oppofe it, the march of the Ruffian army through the German territory will be regarded as a violation of neutrality on the part of the empire; that the negociation at Raftadt will be broken off; and that the republic and the empire will then be in the fame relative fituation in which these two powers were, previously to the figning of the preliminaries at Leoben, and the conclufion of the armiftice.

To this declaration, dictated by the importance of the circumftances, the underfigned add with pleasure the exprefs affurance of their government, for the tranquillity and fatisfaction of the empire, both of the fincere defire it has that an incident fo unforeseen as that which is the object of this note, and which might become fo deftructive of the tranquillity of the interior of Germany, may not take place to deftroy the hopes, almoft realized, of a perfect reconciliation, and of a perpetual peace between the two nations.

No one can be deceived as to the motives and the aim of the cabinet of Petersburgh: the deputation of the empire particularly is too well acquainted with the affairs of Europe, not to perceive clearly that Rullia, after having promoted the war fix years, without taking

a part