warned in time of every fpccies of danger, to circulate the alarm, and to be in a condition even to repel and punish aggreflion when the danger fhould have made its appearance. Finally, it is the experience and the fuccefs of thofe difpofitions, during four years of a war the most bloody of which modern hiftory has preferved the remembrance. We proceed to the accufations, which the executive directory have made again ft certain magiftrates and private perions of our canton and of the other flates of the Helvetic body. So vague an accufation, and of fuch a kind, is probably without example. The moral perfon of the fovereign in republics is manifefted only by refolutions emanating from the council of the ftate, and not from the particular opinions of individuals; and whatever be the difference of opinion amongst the latter, there is a firft opinion, which is as general as it is eflential and fundamental; it is the love of our country, and the deep and univerfal conviction, that neutrality is the bafis of our political exiftence. It unites all minds, all counfels, all governments. We invite the executive directory to confider here only the affembly. We are to be gained by proceedings of juice, benevolence, and friendhip; our hearts are to be alienated by indefinite reproaches and random fufpicions. What if these fufpicions fhould perhaps be founded only on documents, dictated by men, whofe reprehenfible views either of vengeance or malevolence, of ambition or cupidity, fhould have led them to exaggerate what is infignificant, to blacken what is innocent; and to disguise what our political actions in their true point of view would difclofe ? Finally, the executive directory render us refponfible for the fatal effects which may refult from military operations. Governments, we know, are refponfible for the faults which they commit with the intention of violating their duties. But tranquillifed by our principles, and proud of the fente of the purity and equity of our measures, we accept this ref nfibility. We are one for all in the bofom of our councils, and it is in the fame fenfe that we rely not only upon all our own refources, but upon all the members of the Helvetic confederation Refponfibility can only alarm thofe who, breaking the ties which have united for feveral ages the two nations, thould prepare evils of which human prudence cannot calculate the iffue to their authors. Very different fentimonts have animated your excellency during the courfe of your painful million. The executive directory have teftified in the renewal of your credentials their juft and honourable fatisfaction. We have no doubt that they will receive with, favourable difpofitions the anfwer which we have the honour to addrefs to your excellency, after having deliberated in concert with the Helvetic reprefentitives. We pray God to take you into his holy and powerful keeping. (Signed) The burgomafters and council of the city and canton of Baile. Bafle, April 9, 1796. Letter of M. Barthelemy, Ambaffad from the French Republic, to the Canton of Bofle, 25th Floreal, (May 9) 1796, Fourth Year of the French Republic. Magnificent Magnificent Lords, THE orders of the executive directory of the French republic oblige me to recall the attention of your honourable canton to the circumftances and motives which dictated the declaration of the directory, I was charged to tranfmit to you, on the 16th of germinal Jaft. The answer you have made has not been fuch as was expected. Charged with the care of the defence of the territory of the republic, and of its glory, the executive directory was bound to look forward to events, and to render abortive, by denouncing to you, the projects of the enemies of France, and of its republican conftitution. It was bound to invite you to take measures capable of removing its apprehenfions, and making its neutrality refpected; and it has demanded of you what were these measures. If the terms of its declaration were fevere, it was because the object of it was ferious: it was because experience of the attempts and projects of our enemies, already more than once denounced, gare it reafon to conceive inquietude and fufpicion. It was becaufe pofitive reports announced, that these projects were about to be renewed. It was because it was then neceffary to be certain, as to the more than equivocal fentiments of many of the Helvetic flates, fome of whom had not dreaded to throw a doubt on the existence of the French republic, by refusing to pronounce on the acceptance of the credentials of its ambaffador, and deferring the epoch of their determination by infulting and ridiculous delays. When a government fo powerful as that of the French republic is thus unacknowledged; when this neglect is founded on the regard which is thought due to criminal fugitives, whose whole proceedings tend only to harafs their country, against which they are in a permanent confpiracy, while their measures tend only to involve in their fall the states blind enough to be mifled by them; when the Swifs Cantons, the ancient allies of France, dare to hold a conduct fo reprehenfible, is it very furprising that the executive directory fhould, for a moment, withhold the aspect of kindness, to affume towards you that of inquietude? There are ftill other confiderations, on which I believe I need not enlarge here. They are, doubtless, painful, and belong to the guarantee, that the French republic expects to find in the fentiments and affections of the governments and people of neutral ftates. Such are the views which have animated and ftill animate the executive directory. They expect from you, with the least delay, a frank and amicable explanation, capable of diffipating the doubts and reviving in our government the fentiments of good will. has given me orders for my ultimate conduct, in cafe that your an, fwer fhould not fulfil this end. It clared for a neutrality, to preferve which has fince that time been the conftant object of our cares, of our zeal, and of our folicitude; and no facrifice has been avoided for maintaining it in proportion to the dangers to which it was in certain epochs expofed. Nothing afflicts us more profoundly, than when the fidelity of our conduct and the purity of our intentions feem to be doubted, fince thefe form the moft folid bafis of our happiness, independence, and tranquillity. We pray your excellency to affure your government that we shall never depart from the principles that have been tranfmitted to us from our predeceffors, and that our greatest ambition is to convey the depofit unimpaired to thofe who fhall fucceed us. This is the firft duty of our fituations, and the true means of conciliating the confidence and the gratitude of our fellow-citizens. It is however, neceffary to obferve, that fince our letter of the 9th of April, we have not confined ourselves to mere wishes for the maintenace of our neutrality. Our uneafinefs relative to this object having been communicated to the minifter of his Imperial majefty, he has written to us, by order of the emperor, that certainly he had not the leaft thought of acting, nor of permitting the emigrants to act against the cantons, in any manner which might difturb the tranquillity of their territory. We have prepared our fignals and our alarm guns, which, on account of the armistice and the winter feafon, had been neglected; and it is generally known that by these means a very great force can be affembled in a few days. We have exercifed our troops, and they are ready to march on the first fignal. They will be added to the contingents of the other cantons which affemble in our's, and are directed to redouble their vigilance in the pofts confided to them. The reprefentatives of the Helvetic body, deputed to us for confidering the ftate of affairs, for acting in the name of the whole confederation, and informing their constituents of every danger which may approach our ftates, allow no means to elcape them of confolidating the repofe of the common country. We have written to our co-allies, to remind them of the treaties which unite us, and we have received the unanimous affurance that all are ready to fly to our affiftance and defend our frontiers. We conclude, by praying your excellency to tranfmit thofe details to the directory; and, above all, to fortify them against the exaggerated reports that an excess of zeal may have occafioned. Official Note, tranfmitted by Mr. Wickham, Minifter Plenipotentiary from his Britannic Majefty to the Senate of Berne, the 26th of June, 1796. MAGNIFICENT AND POWER- IN confequence of the refolution agreed to and published by your ftate, refpecting all the French indifcriminately who have taken refuge in your country, feveral of the heads of families of these unforturate victims to their attachment to the ancient laws of their country, have addreffed themselves to me, to obtain the means to repair to England, where they hope at last τα to find repofe, and a fecure afylui against the cruelty of their perfecu tors. It is with extreme concern, magnificent lords, that I find myfelf obliged to refufe their requeft, and to declare to all of them that I cannot grant a paffport to any of them until I have received orders from my court. I think it neceffary, magnificent lords, to communicate to you my refolution upon this fubject, in order that the perfons, to whom it relates, may not be fufpected of any neglect or tardinefs in obeying the ordonnance made refpecting them. God forbid that, in taking fuch a refolution, I fhould pretend to fet bounds to the munificence of my fovereign, or the generofity of his fubjects, which I hope will exift as long as the monarchy itself. We have always, magnificent lords, a confidence that our means will be increased by divine favour, in proportion as they are employed in aflifting the unfortunate. But it is my duty, in this unforefeen cafe, to take no fteps without having previously communicated to my coutt all the circumftances which have preceded, accompanied, and followed this measure, and entreated his Majefty to give me the most diftin&t orders for the regulation of my conduct in all that relates to this bufinefs. I do not hesitate to avow that I have not been without hope that the delay, which might be caused by my refolution in the execution of the order against those who have alfo this delay may lead thofe perfons, who have urged this meafure, to think deliberately both upon its nature and the confequences which may enfue from it. Whatever may be the event, magnificent lords, in adopting and communicating this refolution to your lordships, if I can be the means of faving any one of those refpectable families from exhauft ing their laft resources in taking a long and dangerous voyage, I fhall think that I have performed my duty to my God and my king; and I dare antwer, that whatever may be the affection and friendship which the king, my master, (after the example of his auguft predeceffors) feels for your lordthips, thefe fentiments must be much ftrengthened, when I fhall have laid before him a fresh act of your's of that generous and enlarged humanity which forms the diftinguifhed character of his reign, and which our two nations have formerly exercifed to the unhappy refugees from that fame country. With the fincereft wifhes for the profperity and happiness of your ftate, I am, Magnificent and powerful lords, W. WICKHAM. 2. A full and entire abrogation of all the fentences pronounced by the revolutionary tribunals, and the fincere and loyal abjuration of all public and perfonal vengeance paffed against any individual whatever. Such perfons fo profcribed, may reft affured of an inviolable afylum in the bofom of the union of all the citizens, for which we now labour, and of which we thall give an example.-This furely thall be pronounced by the nation, as the first article of the preliminaries upon which that union fhall be founded. 3. A fincere mutual return, and inviolable attachment of both parties thus united in the three fundamental principles, already confecrated by our primitive laws, and the prefent conflitution; namely, political equality, removal from public offices, and the feparation of powers. 4. The citizens who have hitherto expreffed a diflike to the revolution of 1792, declare, "That with refpect to the new legiflation, now in a ftate of formation, they will confine themselves in demanding that a more moderate application hould be made, with respect to the removal from office, and the feparation of the powers, than that which exifts at prefent; as alfo the re-establishment of the forms of our ancient government, which are not incompatible with the three fundamental principles announced above. The citizens attached to the revolution of 1792, acknowledge that thefe demands accord with the true interefts of the republic, and receive that declaration with pleasure; they confider it as inviolable and facred, and declare, on their part, that they will formally adhere to it. 5. The affembly decree, that this addrefs fhall be printed, made public, and fent to the fyndics and adminiftrative council, defiring, that, in their wifdom, they will inceffantly confider of the means adapted to the public intereft, and of folemnly confecrating the reciprocal engagements contained therein. (Signed) L. A. CONSTANTINE Geneva, 31, Auguft, 1795, Official Note of Count Bernstorff, Da nifh Minifter of State. THE fyftem of liis. Danith Majefty, uninfluenced by paffions and prejudices, is merely governed by reafon and truth, and conftantly fuch modifications are adopted as are rendered both juft and unavoidable by the obvious change in the pofture of public affairs. So long as no other than a revolutionary government exifted in France, his majefty could. not acknowledge the minifter of that government; but now that the French conflitution is completely organized, and a regular government established in France, his majefty's obligation ceases in that refpect, and M. Grouvelle will therefore be acknowledged in the ufual form. For the reft, this flep remains |