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ed characters composing your majesty's present government, we have perfect confidence, that, under your majesty's direction, the national strength will be augmented, its resources improved and preserved, and the utmost energies of a free, loyal, und united people will be called forth into action; so that, with the blessing of divine Providence, this country may keep fast its liberties and independence, and may maintain its due rank among the nations of Europe.

Permit us to assure your majesty of our firm co-operation, in every measure which may be deemed essential towards resisting any unrea. sonable petensions on the part of your majesty's enemies, and for enabling your majesty to restore to your people the blessings of peace, on such terms as may be consistent with the honour, dignity, and safety of these realms.

Signed, by order of the court,

Henry Woodthorpe.

The following is his majesty's most gracious answer:

"I thank you for your loyal and dutiful address. I receive with the highest satisfaction your assurances of loyalty and attachment to my person and family, and you may rest assured that I have no other object in view, in the measures adopted for the administration of my government, than to maintain the honour and dignity of my crown, and the union, the happiness, and the essential interests of my people."

Prussian Proclamation for excluding

British Trade, &c.

By a treaty concluded between his Prussian majesty and the emperor of France and king of Italy, it

has been stipulated that the ports of the German Ocean (the North Sea) and the rivers which empty themselves in it, shall be shut against British shipping and trade, in the same manner as was practised whilst Hanover was occupied by French troops. The Prussian troops, therefore, have orders to refuse entrance to all British ships which may attempt to enter such ports and rivers, and to order them back. Measures will also be taken to prevent English goods from being landed and transported.

Given at Head-quarters, Hanover,
28th of March, 1806.
(Signed)

Schulenberg.

Prussian Patent.

We, Frederic William, king of Prussia, &c. &c. make known and declare as follows:

The wish to secure our faithful subjects, and the neighbouring States of the North of Germany during the war, and to preserve and confirm the duration of the blessings of peace, was at all times the intention of our indefatigable endeavours. These wholesome measures were made known, upon some recent oecasions, as the object of our late patent, dated January 27th, 1806, according to which the Electoral States of Brunswick Lunenberg in Germany, were taken possession of by our troops, when the administra. tion of the same passed into our hands. But in consequence of the exchange of the electorate of Hano. ver, in consideration of the cession of three of the provinces of our monarchy, and for the permanent tranquillity of our subjects, and the neighbouring states, we have found it indispensibly necessary to enter

into and conclude a convention with his majesty the emperor of the French and king of Italy; and as the electoral states of the house of Brunswick, situated in Germany, were obtained by the emperor Napoleon by right of conquest, we hereby declare, that the rightful possession of the territory of that house has passed over to us, in consideration of the cession of three of our provinces, and is now subject to our power only; consequently, from the present time, the govern ment and the administration of these countries, will be administered simply in our name alone, and under our supreme authority.

We therefore call upon all persons, whatever may have been the functions assigned them, to execute those functions only in our name, and under our authority.

Count Schulenberg Kehnert, and the commissioners who are attached to him, expect no less than that all the prelates, the burghers, and the inhabitants in general, will obediently conform themselves to the order of things, which a new era has rendered necessary for their tranquillity and well-being; and in so doing, they will afford his majesty a proof of their devotion to their country.

So, on our part, nothing shall be neglected to confirm them in the persuasion of our paternal affection, and our sincere wish to render them happy. (Signed)

April 1, 1806.

Frederick William. Schulenberg. Haugwitz.

Order in Council for detaining Prussian Ships.

At the Court at the Queen's Palace, the 5th of April, 1806, present the King's Most Excellent Majesty in Council.

Whereas his majesty has received advice that his majesty the king of Prussia has taken possession of various parts of the electorate of Hanover, and other dominions belonging to his majesty, in a forcible and hostile manner; and has also noti fied that all British ships shall be excluded from the ports of the Prussian dominions, and from certain other ports in the north of Europe, and not suffered to enter or trade therewith, in violation of the just rights and interests of his majesty and his dominions, and contrary to the established law and practice of nations in amity with each other; his majesty, with the advice of his privy council, is thereupon pleased to or der, as it is hereby ordered, that no ships or vessels belonging to any of his majesty's subjects, be permitted to enter and clear out for any of the ports of Prussia, until further or der; and his majesty is further pleased to order, that a general embargo or stop be made of all Prussian ships and vessels whatsoever, now within, or which hereafter shall come into any of the ports, harbours or roads, within the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, together with all persons and effects on board. the said ships and vessels; but that the utmost care be taken for the preservation of all and every part of the cargoes on board any of the said ships and vessels, so that no damage or embezzlement whatever be sustained; and the right honourable the lords commissioners of his majesty's treasury, the lords com. missioners of the admiralty, and the lord warden of the Cinque Parts, X x 3

are

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are to give the necessary directions the impressions inflicted by the sufherein, as to them may respectively ferings of this unfortunate period. S. Cotrell.

appertain.

Proclamation.-Francis II. Emperor of Germany, &c. &c.

I have given peace to my good and faithful people. My resolutions have united with their wishes. I renounced all hopes of a change in the fortune of war, to banish with promptitude all the dangers and sufferings to which my flou rishing country, and even the heart of the monarchy, my capital and residence, were exposed. The sacrifices are great, and they were with difficulty wrung from my heart; but they could not stand in competition with the welfare, the domestic and civil welfare of millions. For these I made the sacrifice; and I expect my indemnification in the blessings which are promised to my people by the return of peace. I know no other happiness than that of my people; and no glory superior to that of the father of these people, who in loyalty, unshaken fidelity, and disinterested love to their sovereign and their country, give place to no nation in Europe. The fair fame of their national character has exacted an unwilling tribute of esteem, even from the enemy; but in my heart they have fixed a monument which time itself will not be able to destroy. Under these emotions I returned to my residence, in the circle of my loyal and estimable citizens and inhabitants, and to the resumption of the direction of my affairs. The wounds inflicted by the war are deep several years may be necessary to heal them, and to obliterate

The administration of the state has greater, and duties more difficult than ever, to fulfil; and they will fulfil them: but they have, at the same time, stronger claims than ever upon the co-operation of all classes, for the laudable purpose of restoring the vigour of the interior, by disseminating the true culture of the mind, and animating the national industry in all its branches, through the restoration and increase of the national credit; and by these means to establish the monarchy upon that basis which the variable fate of the states of Europe has rendered necessary. Every moment of my life will be directed to this object, and devoted to the improvement of the welfare of the noble and good people, who are dear to me as the children of my affection. United by the mutual obligations of reciprocal confidence, and the cordial love of my subjects, I shall only beHieve I have done enough for Austria, as a prince and a father, when its prosperity is again secured ; when the sufferings of the citizens are forgotten, and nothing remains alive but the remembrance of my sacrifices, your fidelity, and your exalted and unshaken patriotism.

Vienna, Feb. 1, 1806.

Francis.

The President's Message to the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America.

At a moment when the nations of Europe are in commotion, and arming against each other-when those with whom we have principal intercourse are engaged in the general

contest,

contest, and when the countenance of some of them towards our peaceable country, threatens that even that may not be unaffected by what is passing on the general theatre, a meeting of the representatives of the nation, in both houses of congress, has become more than usually desirable. Coming from every section of our country, they bring with them the sentiments and the information of the whole, and will be enabled to give a direction to the public affairs, which the will and the wisdom of the whole will approve and support.

In taking a view of the state of our country, we, in the first place, notice the great affliction of two of our cities, under the fatal fever which, in latter times, has occasionally visited our shores. Providence, in his goodness, gave it an early ter mination on this occasion, and lessened the number of victims which have usually fallen before it. In the course of the several visitations of this discase, it has appeared that it is strictly local, incident to cities, and on the tide waters only, incom. municable in the country either by persons under the discase, or by goods carried from diseased places ; that its access is with the autumn, and it disappears with the carly frosts. These restrictions, within narrow limits of time and space, give security even to our maritime cities, during three-fourths of the year, and in the country always. Although from these facts it appears unnecessary, yet to satisfy the fears of foreign nations, and cautions on their part not to be complained of in a danger whose limits are yet unknown to them, I have strictly enjoined on the officers at the head of the customs, to certify with exact truth, for every vessel sailing for a

foreign port, the state of health res specting this fever which prevails at the place from whence she sails. Un-" der every motive from character and duty to certify the truth, I have no doubt they have faithfully executed this injunction. Much real injury has, however, been sustained, from a propensity to identify with this endemic, and to call by the same name fevers of very different kinds, whichhave been known at all times, and in all countries, and never have been placed among those deemed conta gious. As we advance in our know. ledge of this disease-as facts develope the source from which indivi duals receive it-the state authorities charged with the care of the public health, and congress with that of the general commerce, will become able to regulate with effect their respective functions in these departments. The burthen of quarantines is felt at home as well as abroad; their eflicacy merits examination. Although the health-laws of the states should be found to need no present revisal by congress, yet commerce claims that their attention be ever awake to them.

Since our last meeting, the aspect of our foreign relations has considerably changed. Our coasts have been infested, and our harbours watched by private armed vessels, some of them without commissions, some with illegal commissions, others with those of legal form, but committing piratical acts beyond the authority of their commissions. They have captured, in the very entrance of our harbours, as well as upon the high seas, not only the vessels of our friends coming to trade with us, but our own also. They have carried them off under pretence of legal adjudication; but not daring to ap

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proach a court of justice, they have plundered and sunk them by the way, in obscure places, where noe vidence could arise against them; maltreated the crews, and abandoned them in boats in the open sea, or on desert shores, without food or covering. These enormities appearing to be unreached by any control of their sovereigns, I found it necessary to equip a force, to cruize within our own seas, to arrest all vessels of these descriptions, found hovering on our coasts, within limits of the gulph-stream, and to bring the offenders in for trial as pirates.

The same system of hovering on our coasts and harbours, under co lour of seeking enemies, has been also carried on by public armed ships, to the great annoyance and oppression of our commerce. New principles, too, have been interpolated into the law of nations, founded neither in justice, nor the usage or acknowledgment of nations. According to these, a belligerent takes to itself a commerce with its own enemy, which it denies to a neutral, on the ground of aiding that enemy in the war. But reason revolts at such an inconsistency, and the neutral having equal right with the belligerent to decide the question, the interests of our constituents, and the duty of maintaining the authority of reason, the only umpire between just nations, impose on us the obligation of providing an effectual and determined opposition to a doctrine so injurious to the rights of peaceable nations. Indeed, the confidence we ought to have in the justice of others, still countenances the hope, that a sounder view of those rights will, of itself, induce from every belligerent a more correct observance of them.

With Spain our negociations for a settlement of differences, have not had a satisfactory issue. Spoliations during the former war, for which she had formerly acknowledged herself responsible, have been refused to be compensated, but on condi tions affecting other claims, in no wise connected with them. Yet the same practices are renewed in, the present war, and are already of great amount. On the Mobile, our commerce passing through that river, continues to be obstructed by arbitrary duties and vexatious searches. Propositions for adjusting amicably the boundaries of Louisiana, have not been acceded to.While, however, the right is unsettled, we have avoided changing the state of things, by taking new posts, or strengthening ourselves in the disputed territories, in the hope that the other power would not, by a contrary conduct, oblige us to meet their example, and endanger conflicts of authority, the issue of which may not be easily controlled. But in this hope we have now reason to lessen our confidence.

Inroads have been recently made into the territories of Orleans and the Mississippi; our citizens have been

seized, and their property plundered, in the very parts of the former which had been actually delivered up by Spain, and this by the regular officers and soldiers of that government. I have therefore found it necessary, at length, to give orders to our troops, on that frontier, to be in readiness to protect our citizens, and to repel by arms any similar aggressions in future. Other details, necessary for your full information of the state of things between this country and that, shall be the subject of another communication. In

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