the question, whether the funda mental maxim of the inviolability of the territory of the confedera tion, be not the first and most important of all the bases of the public prosperity? Whether it be agreeable to the high wisdom of the confederated kings and princes never to allow a passage to foreign troops, though even disarmed, without the consent of the entire confederation? And, finally, if it be not also conformable to the dignity of independent sovereigns, that the representatives at the diet of Frankfort, engaged in assuring domestic tranquillity, should neither send ministers to, nor receive them from foreign courts; a right which is naturally reserved to each of the august kings and sovereigns, and not to a meeting of their plenipo

tentiaries.

"If the diet of Frankfort should hereafter apply to his majesty the emperor of the French and king of Italy, as protector, to obtain his guarantee of such an inviolability of the territory of the confederation, we may be allowed to entertain a hope that this favour, one of the first importance, will not be refused on the part of that great man, who has known how to respect the inviolability of one of the most important countries in the world, notwithstanding the obstacles which appeared to oppose

it.

The prince primate submits these observations to the kings, princes, &c. &c. associated in the confederation of the Rhine, and will always feel happy if his zealous disinterestedness can deserve their confidence and approbation.

CHARLES.

Aschaffenburgh, Sept. 18, 1806.

FOR REMITTING THE MOUTHS OF THE CATTARO TO THE RUSSIANS AND MONTENEGRINS.

Copy of a letter from the marquis de Ghisilieri to M. de Zanino, an officer of the regiment of Thurn, and communicated by that officer to his comrades, by desire of the marquis de Ghisiiieri.

Castelnovo, 6th March, 1806. Sir,-As in the difficult circumstances in which I have found my. self placed, nothing could lie nearer my heart than not to decide any thing which could displease so brave and so estimable a garrison as that of Cattaro, and as besides, according to what lieutenant d'Esembergh has informed me, I have reason to fear that I have not entirely accomplished my object, I avail myself of the personal knowledge which I had the happiness to have of you, sir, to make to you amicably two observations only, and to beg of you to communicate them also to your comrades.

1st. It is not to the summons of a power at war with our august master, and still less at the demand of the Montenegrins, with whom I have not even entered into treaty, but only to the reiterated summons of a Russian commandant that I have taken the resolution of withdrawing the troops of his majesty from this province; and consequently it is only by the express wish of a court in friendship and alliance with our own, and against which superior orders are very precise, not to use other means than those of declarations and protests, and never any measures of armed defence.

2dly. I have not entered into any capitulation with the Russian commandant, which I should never

have concluded without the consent of the army; but I have simply confined myself to making the necessary protests and declarations, to leave no room of complaint against our court by the French, and to insure the respect due in all circumstancesto the flag and troops of his majesty.

According to these very clear observations, you will yourself see, sir, that the part which I have taken is a measure altogether political, and the only one which circumstances permit, and not a measure in any respect military; which ought to tranquillize yourself and your brave comrades respecting every consequence which you might apprehend from it, to the disadvantage of your reputation, already too well ensured among the army and the public, to be implicated by a measure wholly foreign to military affairs.

By my readiness to enter with you and for you, with all the officers, into such details, you will judge of the value which I affix to your esteem and good will, and two lines in answer, which may be directed to me, to the care of the imperial consulat Ragusa, will give me much pleasure. I am, with perfect respect, yours, &c.

(Signed) GHISILIERI.

Copy of a letter written by the marquis de Ghisilieri to general Molitor, governor of Dalmatia and Albania.

Zacortaz, 9th March, 1806. General-The same motives of prudence which induced me to prccede the troops destined to occupy the mouths of the Cattaro, under the necessity of ordering the troops of my august master to be withdrawn, not so much to avert new dangers from a brave garrison, who

desired nothing better than to fight, as to preserve from pillage and total rum a province, which is already the property of his majesty the em peror of France and king of Italy.

The fury with which the Montenegrins, raised in a mass by their chief pontiff, menaced the provinces, and the enthusiasm entertained, in common with them, among the inhabitants of the mouths of the Cattaro, by the sectaries of the Greek religion, who form threefourths of the population, had for some time alarmed the government, when a Russian squadron, which came to anchor at Porte Rose, the 27th ult. in the evening, contributed further to paralyse the little means that might be employed to frustrate the projects of the Montenegrins. The days of the twenty-eighth of February and the first and second of March were employed in inundating the province by some thousands of Montenegrins, reinforced by the inhabi tants of Zuppa, Commoni, and Pastrovicchio; and when this horde was already in motion to attack the forts guarded by Austrian troops, the commandant of the Russian squadron summoned, the 3d March, the governor of Cattaro to give up all the forts, or to declare himself the enemy of his majesty the emperor of all the Russias, and he next day reiterated to me the same summons, in the peremptory terms of half an hour, always according to the principle, that the mouths of the Cattaro were already French territory, from the day that the delay of two months fixed for their occupation by the French troops were expired. At a moment so pressing, persuaded as I was that the valour of the garrison would not have been sufficient against a number of Montenegrins;

infinitely

infinitely superior, nor against the fire which the squadron might have made upon the forts, and likewise persuaded that the devastation of the province would have been the consequence of my refusal, I thought it my duty to yield to the force of circumstances, and not to have recourse to violent means, after having in vain exhausted those of persuasion and protests; and by such a conduct I saved to my august master brave troops, and preserved for yours, general, the mouths of the Cattaro in a flourishing

state.

I flatter myself that, in this respect, the part which I have taken will not merit the disapprobation of his majesty, my august master, and will not excite the smallest complaint on the part of the French government; which will be the most pleasant recompense for the troubles of every kind which I have suffered, and even the dangers which I have run these last days. I have the honour, &c. (Signed) GHISILIERI.

Note to the marquis de Ghisilieri.

The undersigned commissarygeneral of his majesty the emperor of the French and king of Italy, has had the honour to receive from the marquis de Ghisilieri, commissary-general of his majesty the emperor of Germany and Austria, the answer to his note of the 21st of March; in which he announces to the undersigned, that he has dispatched that note to his court; and that he further refers to the answer given to general Molitor respecting the same grievances.

The undersigned hastened to ask of general Molitor the answer spoken of by the marquis de Ghisi

lieri; it is dated the 9th March, 1806, from Zacortaz.

In that answer, the marquis de Ghisilieri makes known that the garrison of Cattaro wished only to fight; the undersigned is so much the more persuaded of it, that he positively knows that protests have been made by the officers of the regiment of Thurn, against giving up the forts to the Russians, that some officers were put under arrest for that protest, and that generally all the officers and soldiers of that regiment testify their indignation at having given up the forts of the mouths of the Cattaro to a small number of Russians, who would not have made the smallest resistance against the regiment of Thurn, composed of 1,500 men.

But notwithstanding all these protests, the forts of the mouths of the Cattaro were given up to the Russians by order of the mar quis de Ghisilieri.

The undersigned has the honour to beg of the marquis de Ghisilieri to inform him, whether he has acted in this circumstance by his own authority, or in virtue of superior orders; for it is essential that he should make known to his court the reasons for which the Austrian commandant and the marquis de Ghisilieri have peaceably allowed entrance, and a residence in the ports of the mouth of the Cattaro, to the armed squadron of a power at war with that to which they were to have given up the forts, and to whose generals they gave no information.

It is also important that the undersigned should inform his court of the motives on which the mouths of the Cattaro have been ceded to the Russians, instead of being given up to the troops of his majesty the emperor of the French and king of

Italy, conformably to the treaty of Presburg.

The reason given by the marquis de Ghisilieri, in his letter to general Molitor, of the 9th of March, cannot be admitted. He there says, that it is to preserve to his majesty the emperor of the French and king of Italy, the mouths of the Cattaro in a flourishing state, that he has given them up to the Russians and Montenegrins.

But only two days after their surrender, the Montenegrins sacked and pillaged the houses; and those very inhabitants which the marquis de Ghisilieri represents as in accord with the Montenegrins, armed themselves and marched against them, and even killed several.

The same inhabitants stretch their arms to the French, and bit terly complain that they have been given up to their most cruel

enemies.

The undersigned expects with impatience an answer from the marquis de Ghisilieri, and persists in the demands which he made in his note of the 21st March. He conceives the marquis de Ghisilieri must be invested with the necessary powers to comply with them, since he had that of commanding the garrison of Cattaro, notwithstanding its protest, to give up to the Russians the forts of the mouths of the Cattaro.

He has the honour to give him the assurance of his great respect. (Signed) AL. LAURISTON. Zura, 25th March, 1806.

ROYAL DECREE.

Louis Napoleon, by the grace of God, and the constitution of the kingdom.

We have decreed, and do decree as follows:

1806.

1. Till further orders be given, no vessel shall be suffered to depart from any of the ports of our kingdom, without our special authority; which, however, shall not be grant ed by us till sureties be given that the lading shall not be discharged in any of the enemy's ports. The authority for the departure of any vessel shall be signed by our own hand.

2. Every ship that enters any of our ports shall be detained, without any possibility of liberation, but by special authority from us, signed by our own hand.

3. All fishing vessels going out or coming into any port, shall, before their departure, and after their arrival, be examined by the officers of justice, and the commissioners of convoys and licences.

4. No fishing vessel shall be allowed to depart before the commanders of the same shall make oath, that they will have no voluntary understanding or communica tion whatever with any ship or vessel, and they shall likewise be bound to give information of any person sailing therein.

5. The directors and other persons employed at the post-offices are made responsible for any letters coming from or going to England. They shall immediately transmit them to the minister of justice and police.

6. Our ministers are charged with the execution of the present decree, as far as regards their respective departments. The ministers of marine, finances, and of justice, shall transmit to us daily an account of their proceedings.

Given at our palace of the
Hague, Dec. 15, 1806, and
in the first year of our reign.
(Signed) Louis.
(S).

PUBLIC

March 22, 1806.

An act for settling a pension on admiral lord Collingwood.

An act for duties and draw backs on goods to and from Ireland. An act for settling drawbacks

on sugar.

An act for punishing mutiny and desertion, and for better pay ment of the army.

An act for regulating the marine force while on shore.

An act for allowing the exportation of grain &c. to his majesty's forces and garrisons.

An act to indemnify persons having omitted to qualify themselves for employments.

An act to continue and amend an act for executing a treaty of commerce and amity with America.

An act to permit for a time the exportation of wool to the British plantations in America.

An act for the militia service for the year 1806.

An act for the militia service of Ireland for 1806.

An act to extend the provisions of an act, enabling the subjects of foreign states to enter his majesty's

service.

An act to suspend prosecutions under certain acts relating to the woollen manufacture.

An act for allowing the Green land ships to complete their men. An act for rendering the payment of creditors more certain and expeditious in Scotland.

June 9.

An act to provide for payment

An act for encouraging the manufacture of thread-lace in Great Britain.

An act for regulating the mode of taking up regular ships for the service of the India company.