That the Rhine fhould form the boundary between the French and German empires had been affented to, in the fecret articles of the treaty of Campo Formio, was no fecret. The whole of Bavaria, beyond the Inn, was to be the compenfation for this ceffion. Bavaria was to receive, in return, a part of Suabia and certain ftates in Franconia. No doubt was entertained of the good understanding that exifted, on this point, between France, Pruffia, and Auftria. That the fyftem of fecularization, which was to make up the respective loffes, had been previously agreed on among these three refpective powers: but the deputation of the empire were not prepared to make, at once, fo great facrifices. The French plenipotentiaries reprefented, that the ceffions, on the left bank of the Rhine, were of no great confequence, as an addition of territory to fuch a republie as France, while the boundary of the Rhine was eftablished by nature, and would equally conduce to the tranquillity of both empires. The deputation of the empire, on the contrary, ftated, that, by giving up the left fide of the Rhine, and the indemnities propofed, thirtyone fecular and thirteen ecclefiaftical ftates of the empire would be fubjected to loffes, which amounted to upwards of eleven hundred fquare-miles; the population of which was upwards of three millions of inhabitants. France had drawn from this country, fince the beginning of the war, in requifitions and contributions, more than eighty millions. For fertility and fituation, it was one of the firft provinces of Europe. The French plenipotentiaries, not, probably, difcouraged by this laft argument,

perfifted in their firft propofitions, from which, they declared, they would never depart. France, they faid, demanded the left fide of the Rhine, not fo much for the purpole of aggrandizement as for that of fecuring to the republic a determinate and fecure frontier. The deputation was ftill indifpofed to make fo large a facrifice. But, on the third of March, 1798, the deputation, in a note of the third of March, agreed to a ceffion of half the territory demanded; and this they did in confideration that the French government, according to the declaration of its minifters plenipotentiary, had no view of ag grandizement, and that its principal object was to procure natural and determined limits for both France and the empire. As a line of demarcation, of this kind, they propofed the Rhine and Mofelle, leaving to the French government the choice between the countries of the empire, fituated beyond the Rhine, on the right bank of the Mofelle; or thofe on the fame fide of the Rhine on the left. But, in confenting to fuch an important ceflion, they declared, it would be abfolutely neceffary to make every poffible provition to alleviate the condition of those states of the empire, of the nobles, and other members of the Germanic body, who, by fuch a difpofition, would fuftain very confiderable loffes. Nothing, in the way of negociation, on equal terms, could have been more reafonable than this propofition, which, in the ftyle of common business, was a fair divifion of the difference. But the French plenipotentiaries peremptorily declared, that the boundary of the Rhine was a bafis of negociation from which the re[K4]

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tions, they would content themfelves with moderate indemnities. These two points, the ceffion of the left fide of the Rhine, and the principle of fecularization being agreed on, the deputation of the empire requested to be informed of the total amount of the loffes to be indemnified, and what other pretentions the French had to ftate. The principal of thefe, fpecified in a note, delivered by the French minifters, on the 3d of May, were, that the navigation of the Rhine fhould be common to both nations; the fuppreffion of the right of tolls; the equalization of cuftom-duties on both fides the river; that all the iflands in the Rhine fhould be left in poffeffion of the republic; that the navigation of the rivers, which empty themselves into the Rhine, and alfo that the navigation of the great rivers of Germany, particularly the Danube, fhould, in like manner, be free to both nations; to retain poffeffion of the fort of Kehl, and, to a certain extent, the territory adjacent; to demolish the fortrefs of Ehrenbritftein, which was ftill held in clofe blockade; and Caffel, as forming a part of the fortifications of Mentz, already given up to the republic, to remain likewife in its poffeffion. The amount of these and other propofitions was, in fact, to open a free entrance for the French troops into Germany, in cafe of war, and the extenfion of the principles and intrigues of the republic. in times of peace, by the command of the whole internal navigation of Germany and Hungary, from the Rhine, even to the Euxine and Baltic. But thefe, inordinate as they were, did not define and limit the full extent of the demands of the republic, which ftill rofe on every

conceffion. The French plenipotentiaries, July 19th, faid," The firft object of the negociation, was the ceffion of the countries fituated on the left bank of the Rhine. Then followed the mode of indemnity, by the means of fecularization. But the determination of these questions did not preclude the confideration of others. There were other propofitions which they had to make, which were nothing more than the natural effect of the progreflion of ideas; a fucceffive difplay of a regular plan, which they had already announced. Of thefe propofitions the principal were, an immediate abolition of the tolls, and ftaple duties, and alfo of the corporation of boatmen, who were in the poffeffion of certain privileges, inconfiftent with the perfect freedom of navigation; and that in the treaty of peace a fpecial claufe might be inferted, by which a ftipulation fhould be made for the ceffion of Frickthal, and that all the rights which the German empire might claim on that territory, fhould be relinquifhed to the French republic. On the note containing these fentiments and propofals, the deputation of the empire obferved, that the negociation would never attain a fixed point, if the conditions of peace, already agreed on, should be continually interrupted by new propofitions.

It was impoffible that two parties could confide in each other, who had agreed to the fecret articles of the treaty of Campo-Formio, and who meafured their rights only by their power. The public articles of that treaty were continually violated by the French. The augmen tation of troops was complained of on both fides. The emperor watch

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ed, with jealoufy, the motions of the French, and the French thofe of the emperor. The negociation was continued, particularly on the part of the former, more from the view of gaining time, and acting according to circumfiances expect ed, or merely contingent, than from any fincere hope or defire of pacification. The plans purfued in Italy and Switzerland prove, that the genius of the republic was ftill bent on war and conqueft: which were not only fuited to the temper of fo great a part of the nation, but which feemed indifpenfably neceffary for the fecurity of the adminiftration and the ftability of government. But, befides this general or national intereft, that all things fhould be left or thrown, as much as poffible, into uncertainty and confufion. The directory, and their agents, were indifputably influenced, in their conduct at Raftadt, by a regard to their own private and perfonal interefts. So profound was the corruption of the rulers of France, at this time, that they did not hesitate to offer their protection to different parties, to fale, at Raftadt, as in other places. From the time that the principle of indemnities and fecularizations was agreed on, they had the oft abundant means of practifing on the hopes and fears, the cupidity, jea fouly, and refentment of states and princes. A kind of lottery was eftablished of principalities, bithoprics, abbacies, and various other acquifitions and exemptions, in which the prizes were difpofed of, chiefly by the favour of the French directory. A principle of the moft flagrant injuftice and rapacity pervaded all ranks and degrees from France, Auftria, and

Pruffia, down to the fmallest imperial city, or other member of the empire,

While the French plenipotentiaries paid fo little regard, on the whole, to the rights of the empire, they affected a particular concern for the interefts of the free imperial cities of Bremen, Hamburgh, and Franckfort. They demanded, that thefe cities might preferve their political exiftence, and be confirmed and maintained in the plenitude of their conftitutional independence. The deputation of the empire, with regard to this point, acknowledged, "that the preservation of thefe, as well as of all the other commercial cities, was highly interefting to the commerce of the whole empire. All thefe free and independent cities, they obferved, formed the third ftate of the empire, and on that account, as well as from their rightfal conflitution, were under the protection of the laws. The deputa-tion of the empire confidered it as an effential duty to attend to the maintenance of the imperial states, and the Germanic conftitution, and to comprehend, in the with exprefed by the minifters plenipotentiary of the French republic, all the ftates and members of the empire in general." The intervention of the French, in behalf of those towns, was not only unneceffary and impertinent, but in the higheft degree violent and imperious. It corref ponded to the fecret efforts of the plenipotentiaries to fow the feeds of jealoufy and difcord among the different flates and members of the empire: particularly to a rumour they were at pains to circulate, that the flourishing cities of Bremen, Franckfort, and Hamburgh, were coveted by certain potentates, from

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whose grasp it was, by the powerful mediation of France alone, that they could be protected. Whether the reports, which were fpread at the time, of money being fent to Paris, for the private pocket of the directory, by all of thofe towns, were well founded or no, it is certain that a formal embafly was fent to the French government, by the ferate of Bremen, to folicit their influence for obtaining the fuppreffion of the ancient toll of Elsflet on the Wefer, as being a very great interruption to its commerce with Bremen. That toll formed a very confiderable part of the revenues belonging to the courts of Oldenburgh, who, in return, had for ages kept up certain embankments which were neceflary for the navigation of the river. The generality of the deputies in the diet of the empire appeared to be perfectly indifferent to the juft rights of Oldenburgh: but they were ftrenaoufly defended by the Auftrian, Hanoverian, and Saxon minifters. And the deputation, in a note of the eighteenth of October, declared, "that as the toll at Elsflet, which had been guaranteed to the counts, now dukes of Oldenburgh, by the tenth article of the treaty of Munfter, was collected in a port of Germany, which had not been taken poffeffion of in the courfe of the war; and, as the deputation of the empire, did not poflefs the power of determining upon this object, it must be left to the French government to conclude, with the ducal houfe of Holstein Oldenburgh, fuch an arrangement as might, in fact, be beneficial to commerce." In another note, dated the twenty-first of November, the deputation farther declared, in reply to the con

tinued demands of the French plenipotentiaries, "That they were not qualified to enter into any engagement on that fubject, inafmuch as the legation of Holftein Oldenburgh had offered to the diet, very ferious reprefentations against any fuppreffion or restriction of the said toll; declaring, at the fame time, in very pofitive terms, that it was not in the power of the duke himfelf to cede an object of fuch importance, without the confent of thofe who had a hereditary right, which was equal to his, to the duchy of Holftein Oldenburgh; particularly the crowns of Ruffia, of Sweden, and of Denmark. The Danish legation had formally acceded to this declaration, which had fince been ftrongly fupported by that of Pruffia." The French plenipotentiaries replied, "That there could not be a doubt but the loffes, refulting from a ceffion of the toll at Elsflet, would be indemnified in the fame manner as all those which the actual pacification fhould occafion.” But the deputation infifted, that as the minifters of Holftein Oldenburgh, of Denmark, and of Pruffia, had repeated, in writing, to the deputation of the empire, their determination to oppose any fuppreffion of the tolls of Elsflet, it would be altogether fuperfluous to enlarge farther on this object. This was deemed ftrong and inexpugnable ground. There was no other than this, or fuch as this, that could be fafelv refted on: no fecurity or protection in the Germanic conftitution. Alt the German ftates and princes therefore, at this time, that had not entered into collufions and fecret agreements with the French republic, was arranged around either the emperor, or king of Pruffia, who

began