Subftance of the Edit published by his Holiness, on the Reception which bis Subjects ought to give to the French.

HIS Holiness enumerates to them a variety of motives which ought to induce them to respect and treat the French with the utmost kindness, fuch as "the principles of our holy religion, the laws of nations, the interefts of the people, the will of their fovereign," &c.

He affures them that the ceffation of hoftilities is the immediate gift of God; and reminds them of the neceffity of parting with a fmall portion of their worldly riches for the fecurity of the reft, and, what is of more importance, for the prefervation of the Catholic religion. He admonishes them not to listen to any perfidious infinuations tending to difturb the public peace; and declares, that whoever shall infult by words or actions, in the flighteft manner, the French commiffioners, their agents, or domeftics, fhall be punished with death, their goods confifcated, and their families pronounced infamous, as in cafes of treafon against the state.

Those who shall by their harangues, writings, or counfels, provoke infults against the French, thall be liable to the fame punishment.

Such as fhall be fpectators or participators in proceedings of the above description, and fhall not denounce the traitors before the ordinary tribunals, fhall be condemned to ten years flavery in the galleys. Such informants as can establish the fact of an infult, fhall receive a reward of 500 ducats on conviction of the offender. The tribunals fhall proceed against perfons under an accufation of this fpecies of treafon in the most summary manner allowed by the criminal jurifprudence of the country.

July 15.

Manifefto, or Declaration of the Queen of Portugal, against the Republic of the United States of the Netherlands.

WHEREAS the Portuguese envoy extraordinary with the Republic of the United States of the Netherlands, has, in his report of the 15th of June, tranfmitted to her majefty the copy of a letter which he received from the committee for foreign affairs of the Republic, in which has been notified to him the fixed refolution of abstaining from all political communication with him, as representative of her majefty, the Queen of Portugal, till the conclufion of a peace with the French Republic.

Befides which, the faid envoy ultimately fignifies in his letter, that all commercial tranfactions had alfo been fufpended: her majefty has therefore refolved, under the prefent circumstances, to fufpend in a like manner, on her part, all commerce with the

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States

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States General of the Netherlands, to prohibit her fubjects all tranfactions, or mercantile connections, with the subjects of the Republic, and to forbid them all navigation to the harbours of the faid ftates.

Her Majefty has been farther pleafed to ordain, that all tranfactions in the interior of her dominions with the fubjects of the United Provinces be fufpended; and that their capitals fhall, under no pretence, be carried out of the kingdom.

The departure of all Dutch fhips, which are in the harbours. under the dominion of her Majefty, is alfo entirely stopped, because there they must remain under embargo till further orders. That this refolution may reach the knowledge of every one, and be put in force, it has been publicly pofted up.

The fecretary of the tribunal of Commerce,

(Signed) RICOBONO GOMES DE CARVALHO, Lisbon, July 19, 1796.

THE above manifefto was revoked two days after it was issued; and the Portuguese minifter, M. Pinto, tranfmitted a letter on the 23d of July upon the fubject to the Dutch ambaffador at Lisbon, citizen Geldemeefter. In this letter M. Pinto declares, "that the embargo laid on the Dutch fhips in the Portuguese harbour had been taken off, that her majesty the Queen of Portugal, withed for nothing more than to preferve peace and friendship with the Batavian Republic; that the hoped there fubfifted no other caufe of difagreement between both ftates, and that the Dutch government would obferve reciprocity with regard to the commer cial connections; and that the temporary embargo had been oc cafioned by the measures manifefted in Holland against Portugal, and her Majefty thought it very ftrange that Portugal fhould not have been confidered like other friends of France who were at peace with the Batavian Republic."

Proceedings of the Diet of Ratisbon.

Ratisbon, July 7• BARON Gemminger, minifter of the Duke of Brunfwick, has received orders from his fovereign to notify, conjointly with the ambaffadors of the electors of Brandenburgh, and other German princes, to the Auftrian minifters refident here, by 'a note, the meafures concerted for the fafety of the northern parts of Germany. The declaration further expreffes, that it is the -wifh of his ferene highnefs the Duke of Brunfwick, like that of

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his Pruffian Majefty and the King of Great Britain, that his Im perial Majefty will approve of, and honour with his approbation, thofe measures of felf-defence which are quite conftitutional and relate to felf prefervation; fince they correfpond with the paternal and imperial fentiments of the Emperor.

July 18. s

The minifter of the Elector of Saxony fignified last week, that his moft ferene highnefs, his master, having fulfilled all his duties as a prince of the empire, not having confented to any feparate negociations, but had frequently, in conjunction with the majority of the Germanic princes, urged his wifh for a speedy and acceptable peace to the court of Vienna, and now requested the prompteft overtures for a pacification, by means of a deputation of the Empire, agreeably to the decree of the imperial diet, enacted last year. His moft ferene highness declared the profperity. of Germany, and his co-eftates, to be the fole object of his folitítude.

Ratisbon, Aug. 1.

THE progrefs of the French has induced the imperial diet fuddenly to dictate a memorable advice of the empire for the acceleration of peace. On the 30th ult. an extraordinary feffion of council was held, which was opened by the electoral directory of Mentz with the following intimation:

Several embaffies having expreffed a wifh that the prefent urgent concerns of the war be taken into confideration, agrecably to the inftructions which they received, and that ways and means be confulted for putting a speedy end to this war, the directory of Mentz would not be wanting to give an opportunity for delibe

ration.

All the envoys, without waiting any farther inftructions from their courts and conftituents, voted, and almoft every vote was for the acceleration of peace. The archducal, Auftrian, and electoral Bohemian vote, deviated, however, in feveral refpects from the other votes, and was to the following purport:

Vote of the Emperor as Archduke of Auftria and Elector of Bohemia. The prefent difafters of the war have chiefly arifen, becaufe the well meant admonitions of his majefty, the Roman Emperor, to make common and well-connected preparations of defence in due feafon, have not been fufficiently attended to; nor have the most recent conclufa, after the first fruitlefs overtures for peace, as yet been put in force, all which has enabled the enemy to turn every favourable incident to promote their progrefs, fupported by

their numbers. A firm and fincere union of all the states to preferve the Germànic conftitution, is therefore the only efficient remedy to bring the enemy to more equitable fentiments, and to a fimilar readiness to make peace, and from that conftitutional concord alone the accomplishment of a fo much defired general, equitable, and just peace, can be with confidence expected. That his majesty the Roman Emperor wishes nothing more than to put an end to the burdens of this heavy war, his Majefty has already proved. His Majefty's wifdom merits likewife the most perfect confidence that no refource of obtaining a fuitable peace shall be left untried, and no favourable opportunity for it neglected.

The following advice of the empire, refpecting a speedy overture for peace, was drawn up on the 30th ult. and immediately fent to Vienna.

Advice of the Empire.

The prefent fituation of Germany having been taken into confideration, and formerly debated upon, all the three colleges of the empire have deemed and refolved:

That the wifh repeatedly manifested of terminating the ruinous war, which is ftill profecuting, by means of an acceptable peace with France, be again laid before his Imperial Majesty, with the moft refpectful confidence in his Majefty's paternal care for the empire, and that his Majefty be most urgently and seriously requested, agreeably to the advice of the empire already given with regard to that object, to accelerate it in his wifdom, by those means and overtures which are the most proper, and to realize the Speedy negociation by adding the deputation of the empire in the peace to be thus concluded.

Besides this advice of the empire, it was also refolved to fend the envoys of Wurtemberg, Bamberg, and Wurtsburg, Barons Seckendorff and Grofs, as deputies to the French generals. They left this place on Saturday night, the Count de Bernstorff, belonging to the Pruffian legation, having preceded them thither, at the request of the Pruffian, Swedish, Danish, and Heffian embaffies. As far as we know thofe two deputies are charged to obtain of the French generals neutrality, and fafety of perfons and property, as well for the diet of the empire, its archives and officers, as for the imperial city of Ratifbon, and its inhabitants.

In the conference on Thurfday laft fome envoys declared, that if a neutrality could not be obtained, it would be best to adjourn the diet. The majority of the envoys would not however agree to this, but propofed other meafures of fecurity, upon which they conferred with the principal imperial commiffion, as likewife with the city, whofe magiftrates were charged to iffue an order for all the French emigrants to quit it.

WE

Ratisbon, August 6. WE have not yet learnt what fuccefs the deputations of the diet to the French generals has met with. All we know of it is, that the French general of divifion, Klein, has affured the Pruffian counsellor of legation, Count Bernstorf, that the deputies will be fuccefsful in their negociations. Should they not be able to obtain a complete neutrality for the diet and our city, the deputies are inftructed to negociate for paffports for the ambassadors on their way to and from this city, for their archives and fervants, as well as for the fecurity of the inhabitants and their property.

Ratifbon, Auguft 7.

THE deputation which the envoys at the diet, for the fake of their individual as well as the general fafety, and on account of the neutrality of the diet, had fent to General Jourdan, feems not to have had the good effect we expected from it, because both the deputies, Meffrs. Von Seckendorf and Grofs, are returned already. General Jourdan feems unwilling to take, this bufinefs wholly upon himself, and is faid to have referred it to the directory at Paris, where the court of Berlin will probably intercede in behalf of the diet. Mean time the French draw nearer to this city.

Summons to the Commandant of Mantua from the General Staff.

Head-Quarters, Caftiglione, 4th Thermidor, July 22. The General of Divifion, Chief of the Staff, to the Lieutenant-General of the Troops of the Emperor, commanding in Mantua.

Marmizolio, 30th Meffidor, July 18. THE general in chief of the army of Italy charges me, Sir, to write to you, that, attacked on all fides, you are not in a ftate long to defend the city of Mantua; that an ill-timed obstinacy would wholly ruin that unfortunate city; that the laws of war imperiously prescribe the furrender of the city; and that if, contrary to his expectations, you fhall make a long refiftance, you will be refponfible for the blood which you will ufelefsly fhed, for the deftruction and misfortunes of that noble city; and which will force him to treat you with all the rigours of war.

(Signed)

BERTHIER.

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