manner unworthy of republicans and Frenchmen. I announce to the army, that they will be fent to the depots of their corps, and that they shall neither participate in the dangers nor the honours of the fecond expedition.

EMANUEL GROUCHY, General of Division. Head Quarters, Breft, 12 Nivofe (Jan. 1.)

The Marquis Del Campo to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Citizen Minifter,

THE amicable reception at Toulon of the Spanish squadron, as well as the public marks of efteem and intereft which the inhabitants of Toulon evinced upon the occafion, were extremely well calculated to excite the fenfibility of his Catholic Majesty.

As foon as he was informed of them, he directed me to tranfmit, without delay, to the French government the fincere expreffions of his gratitude; and I haften to acquit myfelf of this order with fo much the more pleasure, inafmuch as the generous fentiments of his Catholic Majefty, which I entreat you to convey to the Executive Directory, are new and fure pledges of the union which happily fubfifts between the two powers.

Permit me, citizen minifter, to profit of this occafion, and renew my affurances of the most perfect confideration. MARQUIS DEL CAMPO,

Paris, Jan. 3.

From the Ecclefiaftical Eftates, December 24. In confequence of the Letter written by General Buonaparte to Cardinal Maffei, requesting him to perfuade his Holiness to recommence pacific Negotiations to prevent the March of the French Armies against his Territories, the Court of Rome published the following Anfwer by the above-mentioned

Prelate:

General,

HAVE taken the trouble to lay your letter at the feet of his Ho, linefs. The Sovereign Pontiff entrusted with that authority upon earth, which is evident by the example which Jefus Chrift and his faithful fubjects have afforded to the whole world, has continually had the prefervation of the peace and unity of Christendom nearest at heart, and has made fuch facrifices as an unbounded toleration only could have fuggefted.

When France was firft agitated by the unhappy events which have oppreffed her during seven years, he was grieved to the foul; but still did not forget that, according to his vocation, he was the Father of Christendom.

3

When

When he obferved his children falling into the greateft errors, he was perfuaded that he ought to make ufe of mild measures only to reclaim them, in hopes that it would pleafe the Disposer of all Things, to remedy their blindness, and bring them back to just and equitable principles.

His Holiness accordingly rejected every worldly confideration, making the most important facrifices to obtain a peace between France and the ecclefiaftical eftates.

Your government has been blinded by the fuccefsful progrefs of its armies in Italy, and in confequence of an intolerable abuse of of its good fortune; it has not contented itfelf with fhearing the fheep while living, but afterwards wifhed wholly to devour them.

The French government demands that the Pope fhould facrifice his own foul, and thofe of the people entrusted to his care; it demands the total deftruction of the principles which constitute the gofpel, the fubftance of Christianity, morality, and churchdifcipline.

His Holiness, deeply mortified at thefe intolerable demands, withdrew to feek Divine affiftance, and to invoke the good pleafure of the Almighty to elighten him with directions how to demean himself under fuch unpleafant circumftances. Undoubtedly the Holy Spirit was then given to the Pope, to remind him of the conduct of the martyrs; but, fince all his efforts to bring the Directory to a more reasonable way of thinking were fruitless, it was neceffary that the court of Rome fhould prepare for war. Europe is now to decide upon its motives.

The death, General, with which you endeavour to terrify us, is the commencement of eternal life to the righteous, as well as the final period to the tranfitory and apparent profperity of the ungodly, and the beginning of their torments, unless they are already produced by remorfe of confcience.

It is granted that your army is formidable, but you yourself know it is not invincible. Againft it we fhall oppofe our ftrength, our firmnefs, and, above all, that confidence, infpired by a juft caufe, with the divine affiftance which we hope for.

We are well perfuaded that infidels and modern philofophers ridicule every kind of fpiritual affiftance; but if Providence fhould now blefs the use of thefe means, your armies, no doubt, will have a woeful experience of their efficacy.

I perfectly agree with you, that your war with the Pope will not be attended with much honour to yourself; but relative to the little danger you expect to meet with, our confidence in God does not permit us to fuppofe that any danger will attach to us, but to you and your army exclufively.

I now return to the principal object of your letter. You defire peace-it is what we wish for with ftill greater energy. Grant

us

us fuch equitable terms as may be convenient for us and our faithful allies, and you will find both parties ready to fubfcribe to them: the Pope, on his part, will make any conceffions which do not militate against his duties to obtain that tend. We believe, General, that perfonally you are inclined to thofe principles of juftice and humanity which actuate perfons of efteem; and it will always be the greatest pleasure to me to unite my efforts in cooperating in the wholefome work of pacification.

(Signed)

MAFFEI.

General Bouonaparte to General Rufca, upon the Infurrection of
Carfagnana and Ferrara.

THE town of Carrara, a part of Carfagnana, and particularly
the town of Caftelnuovo, are in a ftate of rebellion. The
miferable infurgents have fuffered themselves to be feduced by per-
fidious agents, who are over-running Italy, to excite the people to
revolt, and to involve them in all the horrors of war. You will
proceed to Caftelnuovo, with a moveable column; you will di-
rect the chiefs of the rebels to be fhot; you will fend twenty hof-
tages to Milan; you will order the houfe of the Duke of Modena's
confeffor, who is the author of the rebellion, to be destroyed; you
will erect upon the fite of it a pyramid, with this infcription;
"The punishment of a prieft, who, abufing his facred miniftry,
preached revolt and affaffination." You will affemble the magif-
trates, the chiefs of the different convents, and all the rectors; you
will tell them from me, that as long as the minifters of religion
fhall be influenced by true principles, as the Cardinal Maltei, the
Archbishop of Bologna, and the Bishops of Pavia and Modena,
who, by their wisdom, and the purity of their morals, recall to
mind the firft ages of the church, I fhall refpect them, their pro-
perty, and their customs, as long as they contribute to public tran-
quillity, and to the general good; but when the facred nature of
their miniftry fhall become in the hands of difaffected perfons an
inftrument of difcord and of civil war, I will treat them without any
refpect; I will deftroy their convents, confifcate their property,
and punish perfonally the rectors and curates of villages, who fhall
have demeaned themfelves ill.

You will afterwards proceed to Carrara, and from thence to Leghorn, where you are to join the garrifon of that place, and the moveable column, which you will find at Bologna, under the command of General Lanus, to defend the coafts of Tuscany from all invafion on the part of the English. (Signed)

Milan, Jan. 7,

BUONAPARTE.

The

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The Commiffion of the National Affembly for Foreign Affairs, reprefenting the People of Batavia, to Citizen Noel, Minifier Plenipotentiary to the French Republic.

Citizen Minifter,

WE

E perform a very pleasant task, Citizen Minister, in communicating to you the intereft which your note of the 14th Nivofe, fifth year of the French republic, has excited in the National Convention, representing the people of Batavia, by which you communicate to them officially the rupture of the negotiations opened between the French government and the British ca

binet.

The National Affembly has recognised, in the faithful conduct which the Executive Directory has obferved in that negotiation, the dignity of a great nation, which knows how to vanquish her enemies, but which defires to put a stop to the disasters of war in a manner confiftent with her glory and her real interests; and its negotiations, by affording the first example of a publicity fo proper to infpire confidence towards the government, which feels that its measures need not be covered with the veil of myftery, fet alfo to Europe a ftriking example of greatnefs, and love of peace.

The National Affembly has feen with a lively fatisfaction, but without aftonishment, the fidelity of the French government in the obfervance of a treaty which fo happily fubfifts between the two republics. It was never alarmed with regard to the defigns of the English negotiator, perfuaded that all the propofitions which might be contrary to the engagements of France, would be rejected by the Executive Directory.

The National Affembly has likewife feen, with fatisfaction, the happy concurrence in opinion between the two governments, teftified to it by the pleafure the French government felt in hearing of the decree by which the unity of the republic is declared to be the bafis of the conftitution, which will be fubmitted for acceptance to the people of Batavia. This teftimony will ferve to make it redouble in zeal to haften its important labours, and to contribute thereby, as much as depends on it, to render the Batavian nation happy in herfelf, ufeful to her allies, and formidable to her enemies.

We have already given orders to our minifter with the French republic to exprefs our gratitude to the French government, but we are too well aware of your zeal in contributing to cement more and more the union between the two republics not to deem it a pleasure to entreat you to become, in a like manner, the organ of our fentiments with the Executive Directory, and to affure it, that the Batavian republic, deeply moved at the conduct which her ally never ceafes to obferve towards her, ought to acknowledge

knowledge them fuperior in power and means, but cannot yield. to it in zeal and defire of contributing, as much as its prefent enfeebled state will permit, to their mutual welfare.

Greeting and fraternity!

(Signed) J. H. STOFFENBERG, Jun. HUGO GERERS,

J. B. BECHLER,

A. J. DESITTER,

W. A. DE BEVERS.

Hague, Jan. 6, 1797, third year

of Batavian liberty.

Letter from the Extraordinary Deputies of the French commercial Towns to the Minifter of the Finances.

YOU have defired, Citizen Minifter, that we should give you our opinion on the utility of banks in general, and on the poffibility of establishing one at this time in France.

All private banks, like any other copartnership of a few individuals, depend folely upon the perfonal credit of those who form them, and are neceffarily circumfcribed both in their object and in their operations. We have therefore confidered these questions only as they relate to an establishment in fome degree national, which, by its extent, might render important fervices to commerce, give facility to the application of the refources of govern. ment, and afford all the advantages which ought to be expected from it.

The circumftances under which fuch establishments are formed, must always have an influence upon the mode of their organization, and that fyftem which might appear proper to be followed in our present fituation, would not perhaps offer the fame advantages at a more diftant period, even though the proposed measure of creating a bank fhould now be thought proper to be adopted.-This confideration has determined us to direct our attention folely to the probability of the fuccefs to be expected in establishing a very extenfive national bank.

It ought first to be obferved, that there are two kinds of banks; banks which are merely depots, and banks of circulation.

The former are merely the cafhiers of the merchants, who place their money in them, and who draw upon them for their payments. These banks facilitate mercantile tranfactions, by accelerating the payments of creditors; but far from augmenting the mafs of the circulating medium, they tend to concentrate it in a few hands; and, under this view of the fubject, it cannot be wifhed that a bank of this kind fhould be eftablished.

VOL. VI.

C

Circulating