Fowle's New Hampshire Gazette And General Advertiser

The Court of Versailles is certainly underhand thwarting the Emperor in all his views; a sure proof that notwithstanding the family compact, the old animosity between these rival powers will again break out, and probably in a very short time. We have lately seen what measures they, in concert with the King of Prussia, have taken for disconcerting his scheme for humbling the Dutch, and obtaining a free navigation of the Scheldt for ships of all nations to enter his port of Antwerp. Disappointed in this, he has, in concert with the Empress of Russia, turned his views towards Turkey! but here too he finds the same obstacles from the same quarter. The French interfere in their late assumed character of Righters of Wrongs and Mediators, or rather Arbiters of Europe, saying to every state; 'hitherto shalt thou come, and no farther.' and are secretly spiriting up the Turks, not only to prevent further encroachments, but even to attempt the recovery of their late losses. But can it be supposed that a Prince of the Emperor's high spirit will suffer himself to be thus curbed, and confined by his brother in-law; or that he will tamely submit, after all his trouble, all his immense expenditure, to relinquish every plan he has adopted, and thus not only expose himself to the ridicule of Europe, but submit to the mortifying degradation of being dictated to by France?--It would be an absurdity even to imagine it. Aut Caesar, aut nullus will be the motto: and the time is probably not far distant when these haughty potentates, if they do not agree on a division of the spoils, will, like Octavius and Anthony of old, set the world in arms. It is however hard to say, whether their friendship or enmity will be attended with the most fatal consequences to the rest of Europe, which will in either case have reason to lament that two such monarchs lived at one time.