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Imperial Majefty orders, that all well-difpofed foreigners, or fuch as are engaged in actual bufinefs, fhall receive every accommodation, both on their arrival and during their ftay in the hereditary ftates; but that proper precautions thall be taken to prevent the entrance or stay in these states of all perfons of doubtful and improper characters, and fuch as have no real bufinefs. With this view his Imperial Majesty directs, that no perfon, of whatever rank he may be, fhall enter the Auftrian states without a pass, for the obtaining of which foreigners fhall apply to the principal ftate chancery, or, in a foreign itate, to the nearest Auftrian minifter, refident, or conful, and, with the exception of perfons generally known or of diftinguished character, fhall apply, furnithed with proper teftimonies of their perfonal circumstances, character, and butinefs.

Addrefs of General Murat to the Neapolitan and Roman Refugees. Head-quarters at Florence, April 18, 1801. Neapolitans and Romans,

YO

OU have long groaned at a distance from your country: you are now about to return to its bofom. Tufcany, which, during your misfortunes, has afforded you an hofpitable reception, now finds its faculties exhaufted. The refources which remain in that country are scarcely fufficient to fupply the wants of the French army. It is, therefore, my duty not to let any burdens prefs on it, except thofe which are abfolutely inevitable. You could not, without indifcretion, continue to demand of it that assistance which you are not in want of. I cannot, without injuftice, compel them to afford you fuch assistance.

Return towards your country, which calls you. It is fo gratifying, after a long abfence, again to fee one's native land! Do not apprehend that you will be liable to unjust perfecutions: the French government has not forgotten that it enjoyed your confidence, and in its treaties with your governments it watched over your interefts with folicitude. Its ftipulations at once protected your property and your perfons. The protection of the Great Nation is not a vain fecurity; live, then, with tranquillity under fuch a fhelter.

Neapolitans, the eighth article of our treaty with your king is thus conceived.

His Sicilian Majefty alfo agrees, that all thofe of his subjects, who would not have been purfued, banifhed, or forced to expatriate themselves voluntarily, but for the circumstances relative to the refidence of the French in the kingdom of Naples, fhall be permitted to return freely into their country, and fhall be reinftated in their poffeffions. His Majefty likewise promises, that

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all perfons, at prefent detained for the political opinions they have manifefted, fhall be immediately restored to liberty.

Romans, a great number of your companions have already returned to their homes; the Holy Father, after having granted them paffports, has caufed affistance to be afforded to them; it treats them with a parental kindness; with that benevolence commanded by the religion of which it is the head, and which diftinguishes its perfonal character.

Neapolitans and Romans, do not, therefore, any longer be under the finalleft apprehenfion; but, at the fame time, in the name of your own intereft, forego all refentment.

MURAT.

Proceedings at the Diet at Ratisbon in Completion of the Treaty of Luneville.

Letter from General Laborie, delivered on the 22d of February 1801, to a Magiftrate of Ratisbon.

Head-quarters at Salzbourgh, Feb. 20, 1801. THE HE General in Chief of the army of the Rhine, at the defire of his Royal Highnefs the Archduke Charles, willing to secure, as much as depends upon him, to the general affembly of the Empire the most perfect liberty, has confented to the neutralization of the Imperial city of Ratifbon. The French troops which are there in garrifon thall be withdrawn. The city fhall be given up to its own garrifon, to its own police, in fuch a manner that neither the troops of the French republic, nor those of his Majesty the Emperor, fhall be cantoned nearer than at the diftance of a German mile, at least, in the vicinity of that city. A pallage is referved for the French troops through that city, but without a right of being lodged in it. The faid evacuation and neutralization fhall take effect from the moment the city and bifhopric of Ratifbon fhall have paid the monthly contribution up to this day, that is, for four months.

The General of Brigade, Chief, par interim, of the Staff.

(Signed)

LAHORIE.

Imperial Decree, of the 25th of February 1801, to the General Diet of the Empire at Ratifbon.

THE plenipotentiary of the French government, in referring himself fpecially to the example of the negotiations of Raftadt, and to thofe of Baden, in the year 1714, has propofed, in the moft precife manner, to the plenipotentiary fent by his Imperial Majefty to Luneville to negotiate a peace, that his Imperial Majesty should ftipulate at the fame time for the Empire, and fign

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the treaty in his quality of Supreme Chief. The importance of this propofition, the different confiderations which coincide with it, demand, on the part of the Chief of the Empire, the most mature confideration; and his Majefty cannot hesitate to make known immediately, by a letter under his hand, the ftate of things, and his refolution, to all the Electors, as well in their quality of Electors as of Princes, and to the principal Princes of the Empire. This letter contains the expreffion of the fentiments and principles. of his Majefty, and he tranfmits a copy of it to the general Diet of the Empire, in the firm confidence that every appearance of unconftitutional Views will vanith, upon the just and mature examination of the contents of this letter. In confequence of the example of the negotiations of Raftadt and Baden, to which the French plenipotentiary referred, the treaty, of which a copy is fubjoined, has been concluded. This fame example, proposed for a rule, guaranties fufficiently the right of co-operation of the States of the Empire in every thing which concerns the peace, although, in the treaty fubmitted to the Diet, no claufe, affuring thefe legitimate rights, has been inferted, as it was formerly done in that of Raftadt. The motives which have induced his Imperial Majefty to conclude this peace, will determine, by their force, the Electors, Princes, and States, to accelerate, as much as lies in their power, the ratification of the treaty of peace, which is fubmitted to them; the more so, as the French government has made to depend, on the prompt approbation of the Empire, the enjoyment of the first fruits of the peace, to wit, the release from all requifitions of war, and the departure of the armies which are upon the territory of the Empire. His Majefty awaits with the greateft impatience the conclufum which should be adopted for this purpose, &c.

Vienna, February 21, 1801.

Letter from his Imperial Majefly to the Electors, Princes, and States of the Empire.

THE plenipotentiary of the French government has made to the minifter plenipotentiary whom I have fent to Luneville to negotiate a peace with the French republic, the decided propofition, that, in the treaty to be concluded, I fhould ftipulate allo for the peace of the Empire, in my quality of Supreme Chief. The Imperial plenipotentiary knew, that the right and co-operation of the Electors, Princes, and States of the Empire, in the objects relative to peace, was fixed in a precife manner by the fundamental laws of the Germanic empire: that alfo my Imperial authority was reftricted upon that point by the laws of the Germanic conftitution, unless I should have previously received full powers, particularly from the Empire, to treat in its name. VOL. XI.

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This confideration, as well as others, entirely oppofite to the faid propofition, was not received, as my plenipotentiary had a right to expect, from its force and conftitutional evidence. On the contrary, the propofition has been infifted upon by express reference to the example of the negotiations for peace at Raftadt and of Baden, in 1714, and its admiffion has been demanded in a manner fo preffing and determined, that the negotiations would have been entirely broken off, if my plenipotentiary, after having in vain exhaufted reprefentation, had not at laft confented, by referring alfo to the negotiations of Raftadt and Baden. My perplexity was very great, in my quality of Supreme Head of the Empire, when I learned from my plenipotentiary this state of things, and I confidered it a duty of the higheft importance to reflect upon it maturely. The idea of approving the step taken by my plenipotentiary, and in confequence of that approbation of beginning to treat for the peace of the Empire, although I had it not by any means in contemplation to withhold the treaty from the examination and ratification of the general Diet, was in conflict in my mind with my juft refpect for the rights and attributes of the States of the Empire. But, on the other fide, the confideration of the melancholy fituation in which a confiderable part of Germany now is, that of the ftill more unhappy fate with which the fuperiority of the French threatens the Empire, fhould peace be longer deferred; in fine, a regard to the general with and univerfal anxiety foon to enjoy the bleffings of peace; all thefe motives combined together, Arongly perfuaded me not to difapprove of the acquiefcence of my minifter in the demand of the French plenipotentiary: in confequence therefore of the declaration made by my plenipotentiary, approved by myself, I refolved (fuch being the pofture of our affairs) alfo to determine the conditions of a peace for the Empire. Your enlightened and well-known wifdom induces me to believe, that moft probably, if under the preffure of fimilar difficulties, you would have adopted a fimilar line of conduct.

I feel fome confolation in acquainting you by the present with the true fate of affairs, and with the refolution which I have taken; 1 alfo derive a fiill greater confolation from the conscioufnefs of the purity of the motives by which I am actuated (motives which are juftified by feveral declarations made by the Diet, and more particularly by the Imperial decree of the 19th May 1795), according to which it cannot appear to have been my intention to encroach on the rights of the Imperial States. And when the treaty of peace fhall be fubmitted to the Electors, Princes, and States, and to the general Diet, you have the most perfect and confolatory conviction, that in the negotiation of that treaty I previously took every measure and precaution conformably to the

above-mentioned example of the negotiations of Raftadt and of Baden in 1714) to fecure the rights of the States of the Empire.

Refult of the Conference held at Ration, in the Hall of the College of Princes, dictated by the Directory of Mentz, on the 6th Ventofe (25th February 1801).

IT has been decreed, in the name of the three Colleges,

1. That the protocol fhould be opened in ten days, that is, on the 16th Ventofe (March 7), in order to deliberate respecting the ratification of the treaty of Luneville.

2. That the Directory of Mentz fhould be requested to dif patch a courier to acquaint the Imperial minifter at Vienna with the foregoing resolution.

3. That after the example of the manner in which the full powers were made out the 15th of December 1797, for the deputation at Raftadt, it fhould be proposed to the Imperial minister at Vienna to authorize the principal commiffary of the Emperor at Ratifbon to ratify the treaty of peace, not only in the name of the Empire, but also to expedite the conclufum, by which the Diet will ratify the treaty of Luneville, directly to Count Cobentzel, at Luneville.

4. That the Directory of Mentz fhall communicate to the principal commiffary, in the ufual manner,. the refult of the prefent conference, and requeft him to obtain from his Imperial Majefty the neceffary powers to fulfil the object it has in view.

5. To make the general Directory of the Pofts refponfible for every delay that may obftruct the expedition of the eftafettes, which fhall this day be tranfmitted to all the States, acquainting them with every thing that has been determined upon,

Decifion made at Ratifbon, on the 25th of February 1801, by the Dict of the Empire.

Union of the three Colleges in Conference, 25th February 1801. 1. THAT the protocol fhall be opened in ten days, that is, on the 7th of March.

2. That the Directory of the Empire fhalf be requested to communicate that event by an eftafette to the minister of the Empire.

3. That after the example of the diftribution of full powers of the 15th December 1797, there fhall be given to the minifter of the Empire the power, that the principal Imperial commillary fhould not only be provided with fpecial full powers for the ratification of the fpeedy decifion of the Empire; but farther, that, for the greater expedition, the ratification fhould be fent at once, directly from hence, to the Imperial and Royal plenipotentiary at Luneville.

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