National Gazette

STATE PAPER.

Letter of the Helvetic Congress to the king of the French, dated June 11, 1792.

SIR,

THE necessity of preserving our precious country in these critical times, with the same courage and firmness as our ancestors, who, reposing in God, founded our republic, under the protection and visible assistance of the Almighty, has engaged all of us, the Cantons and allied states, maturely to weigh, and to deliberate by our deputies assembled at Frauenfeld for that purpose on the most proper means of preserving the tranquility and peace of our country, and averting the dangers arising to it from abroad.

In consequence of these mature deliberations, we have the honour of addressing to your royal majesty the present letter, with the respect which we owe you. Following the example of our ancestors, we have taken the firm and unanimous resolution to observe with fidelity on our side, the most entire and strict neutrality towards the great powers actually engaged in war, and to support the same by an armed force, as circumstances shall require; for which end we are already fortifying our frontiers, to put them in as secure a state as possible.

At the same time we presume to conceive hopes, that the Principalities of Neufchatel and Valengin, the republic of Geneva, the Val de Munter (Montreal Grandval) as well as the other states of the Bishop of Bale, who are all more or less intimately connected with some of our co-estates, will be as usual, included in the neutrality, and respected on that account as at every former period. In consequence we earnestly demand of your majesty to issue your orders for the troops which are in the territory of Porrentruy to be withdrawn, in order that the confederate territories may be more safe, and may not have reason to fear an invasion on the part of the belligerent powers.

After this formal and solemn declaration of neutrality, we hope, from the generosity of your royal majesty, that you will, upon urgent demand give orders that your troops and armies may not set foot upon the Helvetic territories, that they may not occupy any post, that they may not make any incursion or traverse the country. We take the liberty of asking as before, that you will soon issue the agreeable declaration, which we hope to obtain likewise from his apostolic majesty, the king of Hungary and Bohemia, in consequence of the demand which we have made this day. We will employ all the means in our power to act and observe with fidelity all that is required by a full, loyal, and strict neutrality.

We regard this gracious declaration which we expect from your majesty, as a new proof of your goodness and benevolence towards all the confederation. We beg you would continue to preserve the same dispositions, and pray that the Almighty may maintain the prosperity of your sacred person, and of the royal family, and conduct all events for the general good.

Your majesty's most attached and zealous servants, burgomasters, magistrates, and councils of the thirteen Cantons and United States of Switzerland:

Given and sealed in common with the seal of Zurich, the 11th of June, 1792.