victims in the dominions of the grand feignior, however great and juft the national refentment on that account may have been, has not given rife to any reprifals; when the congrefs at Raftadt, peaceable and respected as long as the French armies were near it, fhall be compared with the congrefs thrown into confufion, and diffolved on the approach of the Auftrians; when the voluntary departure of M. M. de Lehrbach and de Metternich, protected by French paffports, fhall be compared with the premeditated affacre of the minifters of the republic: thefe different contrafts, already fo odious, will become ftill more difhonourable for Auftria, by the comparifon which must be made between its fatellites, whole co wardly ferocity is a fubject of aftonishment even to the people of the north, who have been called upon to co-operate with them, and the agents of the government of England, who, though it is the most effential enemy of the French government, and the most determined to injure it, have recently given proofs, at Conftantinople, that they understand the law of nations, and fet a value on preventing the violation of it. Is it poffible then, that any people, that any government who may not have abjured every principle of civilization and of honour, can heftate for a moment to declare itself in favour of good faith against perfidy; in favour of continued moderation againft unmasked ambition; in favour of abused confidence against atrocious and premeditated crimes? It is therefore with the juft hope of being attended to with effect, and of obtaining, for the illuftrious victims who have been immolated at Raftadt, a deep regret; for the French republic an honourable approbation, and an union of execra tion against Austria; that the executive directory now addresses this folemn appeal to the confcience and honour of every people and of every government, accepting, thus early, as a pledge of the generous determination which will be formed by them, the particular indignation which has been expreffed with fo much energy at Raftadt by all the members of the congrefs, and at Paris by the ambaffadors and minifters of friendly or neutral powers. The executive directory decrees, that the preceding manifesto shall be tranfmitted to all governments, by the minifter of the foreign department; that it fhall be printed in the bulletin of the laws, and folemnly read, publifhed, and affixed in all the communes of the republic, and be inferted in the orders of all the armies. (Signed) May 7. Barras, prefident. La Garde, fec.-gen. Imperial Aulic Decree to the German Diet, respecting the late Cataftrophe near Rafiadt. HIS imperial majeky received, sult, the melancholy intelligence, in a report figned by the margrave of Baden himfelf, that the French minifters plenipotentiary, fent to the congrefs of peace with the empire, were ftopped late in evening of the 28th of April, on their departure in the night from Raftadt (against which they had been advised by feveral different perfons), at a fmall diftance from the faid city, by a troop of people drefled dreffed in the imperial military uniform; and that the minifters Bonnier and Roberjot, were murdered, by many cuts of fabres, but that the minifter Jean Debry, who efcaped from death only by a happy accident, had been much wounded, and all of whom were robbed of a great part of their effects. His majefty is fcarcely able to exprefs, by word, the great fhock his fentiments of juftice and morality have received, and the whole force of impreffion of abhorrence, which has been excited in him, on the firft account of this act of barharity committed on the territory of the German empire, upon perfons whofe inviolability was under the fpecial guarantee of the right of nations; nor can his majesty exprefs the indelible impreffion which this difafterous catastrophe has left in his revolted mind, which always entertains the most inviolable refpect for the dignity of man, for morality, and the facred principles of the law of nations. It is not by illiberal fufpicions and raflı conjectures, not by calum nious imputations and partial reports of audacious fictions, nor by the paffionate fallies of a depraved heart, and the licentious fabrications of foreign and domeftic editors of public journals--it is not by inimical reprefentations, calculated for an increase of power, for exactions of money, or for other fecret defigns, nor by the furious fpeeches in conventions, and vindictive proclamations to the French nation and all other states-but only by a confcientious, fair, and impartial inquiry, inftituted according to the prefcription of the laws, and conducted with every juridical rigour, that the horrid act may be traced in all its circumftanees, its authors and accomplices be truly discovered, and the imputation of the offence be properly fixed, both in a subjective and objective view. To this end the most eligible di rections and orders have accordingly been given; and his imperial majefty doth at the fame time moft folemnly declare before the general diet of the empire, of the whole public of Germany and all Europe together, that nothing fhort of the moft perfect fatisfaction, regardless of all other confiderations, fhall gratify the juft feelings of the chief of the empire, refpecting him whom the impartial fentence of avenging juftice may pronounce guilty. But it is alfo the will of his majefty the emperor, that the manner in which this melancholy event happened, an event which his majesty confiders in various respects as a national concern of Germany, be not only examined with the moft confcientious impartiality, and that the moft perfect fatisfaction be given; but his imperial majefty farther cherishes the moft lively with, and feels himfelf partly and most urgently induced to it by the domeftic and foreign opinions encroaching upon the legal inquiry whofe decifion is thereby prejudged; that even the poffbility of a fufpicion of any connivance be removed, fo that in this refpect no fort of blame, owing to a want of the most deliberate attention, fhall be attributed either to the chief of the empire himself, or to the empire collectively taken. In order to accomplish this defign moft effectually, the general diet is hereby charged, upon mature deliberation, to appoint deputies of their own, who are to be present at the inquiry which has been opened, and and to advise every thing with a patriotic and noble franknefs as to the fteps, which are to be taken as foon as poffible, with regard to whatever the the importance of fo unheard-of and detestable an event may, in its wisdom and prudence, feem to require: and thus farther to convince the whole impartial world, by giving its conjoint advice, that both the emperor and the empire are animated with the fame uniform fentiments for the execution of the most rigorous juftice, and the granting of the moft perfect fatisfaction, and by an equal and just abhorrence of fo ruthlefs and infamous an act, as well as by an equal and dutiful refpect to morality and the facred principles of the law of tion of the country, are acknow ledged debts of the Helvetic republic. IV. On the contrary, they declare as national goods all the goods belonging to the ci-devant ftate of the Grifons, and generally all the funds, which, according to the law of the 3d of April, 1799, on the difference between goods of the ftate and goods of the communes, are in the clafs of national goods. V. Rhetia fhall conftitute a canton of the Helvetic republic, under the denomination of the canton of Rhetia. VI. From the day that the prefent treaty of union fhall have received the fanction of the executive directory and legiflative councils of the Helvetic republic, the people of Rhetia fhall enter into the enjoy ment of all the rights and privileges which the Helvetic conftitution fecures to every Helvetic citizen; and they, on their part, bind themselves, from the fame day, to the fame impofts, and generally to the faithful obfervance of the fame duties of citizen, without the leaft exception, in like manner as all Helvetic citizens. So concluded under the reserve of the fanction of the executive directory and legislative councils of the Helvetic republic, one and indivifible. At Coire, 21ft April, 1799. In the name of the executive directory of the Helvetic republic. Commiffioners of government, Sghwaller. Herzog. Prefident of the provifional go vernment, Spzegher. Note Secretary-general,. Otto. Note tranfmitted by the Sublime Porte to the Ambassador from the Republic of Holland. THE HE prefent government of France, entirely difregarding every law of nations, having adopted as a principle to attack all powers without diftinction, whether friends or enemies, and every where to diffeminate difturbance and confufion, in confequence of this principle fecretly prepared the means to fubjugate Egypt, the most valuable province of this fublime empire, and which is the gate of the two facred and revered cities, Mecca and Medina. In vain was it officially declared, that if fuch a project were engaged in, it must inevitably produce a fanguinary war between every Muffulman nation and France; the republic ftill perfifted in its bafe defign, fuddenly attacked, and Egypt was plunged into confufion and anarchy. The fublime Porte has, in confequence, found itself under the abfolute neceflity of repelling fo by force, as it had previously and folemnly declared to the directory all thefe facts; and the meatures taken by the fublime Porte to refift thefe unjuft and fhameful proceedings are of public notoriety. The republic of Holland is the ancient friend of the sublime Porte; no cloud until the prefent day had ever overcaft this friendship on either fide; and it is certain, that the Dutch, who maintain a very lucrative commerce with the Ottoman empire, have always endeavoured, during the time of their independence, to render themfelves agreeable to the fublime Porte. But, fince the entrance of the French into Holland, two parties have arifen, who have fubmit ted to the French-the one volun tarily, and the other by force. The former of thefe, under the phantom of a perfidious alliance, have feized on the maritime force, and all the revenues of the country, which they employ to ruin, and plunge it into the moft difaftrous condition. Holland is, therefore, now deprived of its independence, and reduced beneath the yoke of the five French directors, like the provinces of France; its inhabitants are, in fact, become their fubjects. The fublime Porte is, without doubt, animated with the defire of maintaining its ancient friendship with this republic: but it is evident, 'that the reafon above alleged renders it improper that the ambaffador of Holland fhould continue to refide near it. He is, therefore, hereby enjoined to quit this refidence within a week, and informed, that the ancient amity and most perfect good understanding will be re-eftablished between the fublime Porte and the republic of Holland, as foon as the latter fhall be feparated from the French, a feparation which will promote its true interests, and restore it to its former dignity. 1 fented to the invafion of its own ter- Note fent to the Spanish Charge ritory. Can you entertain any doubts but that the only object of the directory in fending you to a remote country was to banifh you from France, and to plunge you into an abyfs of dan. the truth, you have invaded the territory of Egypt, and are made the inftruments to violate treaties of the most folemn kind, muft you not at tribute this to the perfidy of your directors? Egypt muft however be freed from fo iniquitous an invafion, and vaft armies are now in march, and the fea is covered with formidable fquadrons, for the attainment of that object. Thofe among you, of whatever rank they may be, who wish to extricate themselves from the imminent peril to which they are expofed, are called upon to fignify their intentions, without delay, to the commanders of the land and fea forces of the allied powers. They may be confident of a fafe conduct to whatever place they may be defirous to proceed, and they fhall receive paff ports to protect them on their voyage from the fquadrons and cruiters of the allied powers. Let them then haften to take advantage of the benignant difpofition of the fublime Porte, and let them confider it as a propitious occafion for extricating themselves from the horrible gulf into which they have been precipitated! Done at Conftantinople, the 1799. From the royal printing-office, 7 d'Affaires, Don Jofeph de Boligni, on the 1st of October, 1799, ordering him to leave Conflantinople, HOUGH Tevery fit is the maxim of enemies to remain within its territories, yet I (the grand feignior) confided in the treaties of amity which your fovereign had promised not to interrupt by any public action, I have, therefore, not only fuffered you to remain within my dominions, but even to refide in the heart of my metropolis, in the capacity of a public reprefentative: but you could not keep within bounds; you have not merely obeyed the commands of your king, but you have gone beyond them, by manifefting too much in favour of the enemies of my ftates and of good order. Though I was acquainted with your behaviour and your fentiments, yet I thought my moderation would ferve you as an example; but, on the contrary, you have only been a spy of the French, and found fault with every thing that was done on our part again the general disturbers of public tranquillity. This was not all; you have not only given inftructions to your agents to act as fpies, but alfo to fupply the enemy of the whole world with provifions from our dominions. I cannot, therefore, fuffer you to remain any longer in my capital and in my dominions, for which reason I have ordered my Sublime Porte to acquaint you, by this prefent decree, to quit my capital within a fortnight, and to communicate it to your fovereign, that he may become acquainted with your behaviour. Prote |