rious populace is in poffeffion of different parts of his habitation, where the feditious break every thing they meet with; that the ambaffador, the fecretaries of legation, the officers and French citizens who were with him, are obliged to retire to an apartment, where, with the difpofition that characterizes French republicans, they await the event. The ambaffador can no longer remain in an unhofpitable city, where they violate in fo frightful a manner the principles that unite nations, the rights of people confecrated by the respect of all civilized perfons: he requires his Imperial Majesty's minister for foreign affairs to fend him the neceffary paffports for himself and for all the Frenchmen who are to go with him. The fending of this paffport ought to be haftened fo much the more, because the crowd, on the point of breaking into the room where the French citizens wait for it, drew back only at the moment in which fome fervants were obliged to ufe fire-arms against them. BERNADOTTE. (Signed) P. S. This laft note which the ambaffador of the French republic destines for M. de Thugut, is fufficiently marking in its object for him not to perceive that it is the third which will have been addreffed to him, without any reply having followed the two first. Reply of M. de Thugut, 13th April 1798. IT is with infinite pain that the minifter for foreign affairs has learnt the disorders which are the subject of the notes which the citizen ambassador of the French republic has addressed to him this evening. The minifter will make an exact report to his Imperial Majefty, and he doubts not that he will feel much difpleasure. The citizen ambaffador may be perfuaded, that no means fhall be neglected to examine into the events of this evening with all the rigour prefcribed by juftice, and with the fincere intereft which the Austrian government will ever attach to the cultivation of the amity fo happily re-established between the two powers." (Signed) THE BARON DE THUGUT. Note addreffed by the Ambassador Bernadotte to the Emperor. HIS Imperial Majesty cannot fail to have been informed of the exceffes commited against the embaffy of the French republic. Three fucceffive notes have been addreffed by the ambaffador to M. Baron de Thugut, to announce to him the beginning and progrefs of the tumult. He has feen all the period of danger elapfe without receiving any answer; and it was not till three in the morning that he received at length a note very little calculated to to fulfil his expectation. So extraordinary a conduct places the - ambaffador of the French republic in the fituation of inviting his Imperial Majefty to cause the different notes fent to his minifter for foreign affairs to be laid before him. It is with regret that he entreats his Imperial Majefty to obferve, that among the number of his reclamations is the demand of paffports, of which he is forced to make ufe to go and receive the orders of the govern ment to which he has the honour to belong. In removing from this refidence he fhall carry with him the confolatory certainty of having neglected nothing to convince his Imperial Majesty of the pacific and amicable difpofitions which the French government entertains with regard to him. Another motive of fatiffaction is derived from the perfuafion, that his Imperial Majesty is deeply afflicted by the attack directed against the reprefentative of a friendly government; and that all the meafures which the circumftances required would have been immediately adopted, if the intentions of his Inperial Majelly had been faithfully fulfilled. The ambalfador hopes that the future will confirm this opinion in a fignal manner, and that a juft reparation will prove to the Executive Directory of the French republic, that his Impérial Majefty forms wilhes as fincere as they do for the maintenance of good understanding between the two nations. BERNADOTTE, 25 Germinal (14 April). (Signed) Anfwer of the Imperial Minifler, Count Colloredo, to the above Note. THE minifter of the cabinet, Count Colloredo, has the honour, in obedience to the orders of his Imperial Majesty the Emperor, to fignify to the citizen ambaffador of the French republic, that his Majefty has heard, with much uneasiness, of the exceffes and diforders committed in the preceding night; that his Majefty was no fooner informed of them, than he sent proper orders both to the commandant of the troops and the minifter of police; and from their known zeal there can be no doubt of his intentions having been fulfilled, as far as circumftances would permit; that the Emperor hopes the citizen ambaffador will not perfift in the steps he mentions, but will confider the inconveniencies likely to arife from any report of a difagreement between the two powers; a report which the departure of the ambaffador from Vienna could not fail to excite; that his Majesty has ordered the Count de Saurau and Baron Degelman to repair, in the courfe of the day, to the citizen ambalador, in order to furnith lights upon, and to verify all the facts, and to remove ali juft motive of complaint on his part, to the fatisfaction of all parties. The Emperor, in commanding the underfigued to testify thefe fentiments to the ambaffador, has alfo directed him to add his affurances of his Majefty's unalterable refolution to preferve the friendship and good understanding fo happily established between the two powers; a refolution, the fincerity of which is placed beyond all doubt, by the punctuality with which his Majetty has complied with all the ftipulations of the treaty of Campo Formio. The undersigned entreats the citizen amballador to accept the affurances of his high confideration. COLLOREDO. Proclamation iffused at Vienna on the 14th May 1798. HIS Majesty the Emperor has received, with the utmost fatif faction, the various proofs of loyalty and attachment manifested by the good citizens of this metropolis on fo many occafions fince his acceffion to the throne; and thefe proofs are the more pleafing to his paternal feelings, as they were always attended with love of order, propriety of conduct, and a peaceful demeanour. For the first time, his Majefty learned yesterday, to his great difpleasure, that foine inhabitants of this capital, deviating from the path of lawful order, and led aftray by an illjudged zeal, allowed themfelves to commit feveral acts of violence in the houfe of the French ambailador, and to disturb the public tranquillity and peace. His Majesty expects that from this moment no well-difpofed citizen, either directly or indirectly, will encourage any further affemblage, but, on the contrary, will exert himself to the utmost extent of his abilities to restore order and tranquillity. But if, contrary to this expectation, any inhabitants of this city fhould attempt again to difturb the peace of their fellow-citizens, the fame fhall be profecuted and punished according to the utmost rigour of the law. Copy of a Letter from Citizen Bernadotte, Ambassador from the French Republic to the Court of Vienna, to Citizen Bacher, Minifter at Ratisbon. Vienna, 24th Germinal ( April 14), 6th Year. THE violent attack on the French embaffy, of which the Papal government gave the firft example, has been repeated at Vienna. I had caused a small tri-coloured flag to be displayed, before my hotel, to fupply the place of the arms of the republic, which I had not yet procured. About seven o'clock in the evening a riotous mob, the blind inftruments of fomne defigning perfons, collected under my windows, and uttered violent threats and execrations againft the national colours. I went down, and endeavoured to perfuade them to difperfe, but without effect. Some Some perfons, who called themfelves agents of the police, by their inactivity in opposing them, in fact induced them to stay, and feemed to promife them impunity. They foon proceeded from threats to open acts of violence. An armed force, more than fufficient to reftrain the rioters, or even to difperfe them, remained mere fpectators of the mifchief they did; and their inertness contributed to increase the fury of the multitude. The rioters now broke open the doors of the house, and forced their way into the court-yard, fhouting, "Death, and deftruction to the French!" Death we indeed expected, but our laft moments would have been terrible to our affailants, for we were determined to fell our lives dear. Three of thefe ruffians attempted to force their way up the stairs; but three pistol shots from my attendants punished them for their temerity. This oppofition, which they probably did not expect, fomewhat damped their Courage, and they wreaked their vengeance on the carriages and other effects in the court-yard, which they fuppofed to be ours. At laft, after we had been left five hours exposed to the fury of these banditti, a detachment of cavalry, which had long been there, was ordered to act, and foon cleared the court-yard and adjoining places of the mob. As the rights of nations, and the honour of the French republic, have been thus fcandaloufly infulted in my perfon, and The Auftrian government did not appear willing to make fuitable compenfation, I propofe to-morrow to leave Vienna and repair to Raftadt, there to wait the further orders of the Directory. In the mean time I flatter myself, that a breach between the two nations will not be the neceffary confequence of this fhameful tranfaction; and that Francis II. when he is more fully informed of all the circumstances, will give that fatisfaction to the French republic which it has a right to require. Health and fraternity. BERNADOTTE. The Ambafador of the French Republic refiding in the Cifalpine Republic to the two Councils of the latter Republic. Citizens Legiflators, Milan, 15th Fructidor (Sept. 1). YOU cannot be ignorant of the state of disorganization and debility under which your country now labours: neither can you be ignorant of the dangers with which it is threatened. A conftitution too frequently violated to be able still to retain any power, or to affert and maintain the rights of citizens; a government deftitute of means, equally impotent to do what is good, or to prevent what is evil; a ruinous and ill-concerted adminiftration; a military establishment of no efficacy, though of immenfe immenfe expense; finances moft fhockingly difordered and exhaufted; no republican inftitutions; no plan of public inftruction; no coherency; no uniformity in the code of the civil laws : every where symptoms of infubordination, want of fpirit, and dilapidations left unpunished; in a word, the moft frightful and accomplished anarchy: fuch is the picture now exhibited by the Cifalpine republic. Injurious fufpicions circulated with activity in order to spread falfe alarms; calumniating accufations brought against the best citizens, in order to render them odious, or to alienate their affections; weak men led aftray by the advice of the perfidious, who encourage and propagate error; the enemies of liberty fecretly fomenting inteftine broils; cabals and parties affociating together. at the inftigation of a few parti fans of fedition; these parties continually menacing and provoking each other; civil war on the point of being kindled in your towns: fuch are the dangers, fuch the calamities that must foon reduce your country to defolation and ruin. Your friend and ally, the French republic, could not perceive the gaping of this abyfs without horror and alarm; already the anxiety of the French government, eager to close that abyfs, had difcovered the means of giving a new exiftence to the Cifalpine republic, by bottoming its liberties on a more folid bafis; but nice even to a fcruple, it wished that you yourselves should adopt the means of falvation. It is in order to fulfil thefe intentions, Citizens Legislators, that I have here called you together; that I have exhibited the deplorable fituation of your country, and that I have invited you, with a fraternal zeal, to difcover the best means of faving and rendering it more happy. As the reprefentative of an allied power, and warmed with the fpirit which animates the French government, I only undertook merely to hint fuch advice as is generally given by one friend to another. It appeared to me, that it was your duty alone to adopt the meafures which are fo urgently called for in the prefent alarming crifis, by the fafety of the people whose deftiny is entrusted to your hands. You are well acquainted with the dangers of your fituation; you have acknowledged the extent and magnitude of the evils which I have pictured out to you; you have approved the falutary meafures which I fuggefted, and nevertheless you have refused to put them into practice. You did not imagine yourselves to be vefted with fufficient power to enable you to fecure the liberty of your fellow-countrymen, and to confolidate their happiness; in vain did I cite the examples of the French nation and of its reprefentatives, amidst the memorable events that have founded or faved the French republic; in vain did I affure, that every thing VOL. VII. becomes ૦ ૧ |