The New Hampshire Gazette

Foreign NEWS.

LATE AND IMPORTANT

[By the ship Martha, Capt. Babcock, arrived at Boston on Thursday, in 35 days from London.—Papers to the 2d October.]

French State Papers.

Proclamation for re-commencing Hostilities.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORY.

Proclamation of the Executive Directory to the French Nation, to the end that the French Armies may be complete and ready to march by the 15th of Vendemiaire next, Oct. 6.

The 18th Fructidor [Sept. 4] imposed silence on the orators of London, who were stationed in Paris. After that very memorable day, the English Ambassador proceeded to explain himself in a positive manner as to the first object of his legation, etc. off on return for England. On the other side, Austria suffers herself to be directed by the Cabinet of St. James's, which labours incessantly to distract Europe and foment troubles on the Continent. The Emperor thwarts the will of his States and that of his Court: he resists the Peace of which his subjects are in need, and confines himself exclusively to preparations for war. His armaments apprise us of what we ourselves have to do.—If the generous loyalty which urged us to subscribe to the articles of Leoben is abused; if, speaking constantly of Peace, nothing is breathed but war, the French Nation, which merely speaks of war, because it is desirous of peace, must put itself in a condition to support its dignity: and the valour of its armies must recover its advantages. It is more especially essential fully to convince the enemy, that there is no longer in France but one and a sole party, but one sentiment, but one interest, that of a sovereign nation, which is sensible of its greatness, and which wishes to preserve its liberty. The Executive Directory is swayed by no other motives than these.—The Constitutional law authorises us to provide for the safety of the State. It is pleased to make you the judges of the reasons which determine it to employ this sacred right. Your enemies who are not able to resist your courage, have endeavoured to subdue you by stratagem. They deceived you by the show of negotiation—If they had been sincerely desirous of what they appeared to seek, peace would be now concluded. The Executive Directory hastened to stop the progress of the French armies. It gave itself up with sincerity to the hope of the good understanding which dazzled its sight; and enjoyed, in idea, the means it was about to possess of causing liberty to be beloved, and of procuring for France as great a proportion of happiness in peace as she had acquired of glory in war. But after, having obtained this interruption in the progress of our victories, what did our enemies wish? To gain time, to foment among you intestine divisions, and to take the advantage of what would result from them, to cause Frenchmen to massacre each other, until they should be enabled to fall on the remnant of population, to divide among themselves the shreds of a country thus divided, and to blot out France from the list of nations. Republican good faith could not have suspected this snare of the policy of Courts; you must, however, have seen, Citizens, whether this plan was not faithfully followed up; the majority of your public Functionaries composed the auxiliary army which fought in the bosom of France for your most cruel enemies. They had called hither swarms of those barbarous Emigrants who are bent on tearing in pieces the vitals of their country, and of those fanatical priests who are skilled in kindling up every where the murderous zeal of homicidal piety. The national tribute no longer resounded unless with the voices of the deputies of Austria and England calumniating your defenders, insulting your generals, employing themselves in paralysing your Government, and reducing it gradually to the absolute nullity which corresponded so well with their Royal instructions, and with the views of their constituents. At length the veil is torn off; the partizans of the foreign Courts are no longer the organs of the national will, the helm of the Republic is in the hands of the republicans; and the people of France have French Representatives. Citizens, in these circumstances, what course ought your Magistrates to pursue? Animated by a sincere desire to give to France a peace worthy of her, that is to say, a solid peace, agreeable to her interests, and conformable to her engagements, how are they at this time to repulse the pretensions and elude the frauds of the Cabinet of London? How are they to put an end to the indecisive tardiness of the Cabinet of Vienna, and to free Austria herself from English influence, the only real obstacle to the peace of Europe? There is but one mode. Since your enemies, in feigning to negotiate hold themselves in a hostile state, their example forces you again to take up arms, and absolves you, by anticipation, from all the calamities which in their territories, are about to be the inevitable result of the rupture of the truce. Ah! if war be a scourge which cannot be too much detested, but the horror of which shall on those by whom it was provoked, if humanity revolts against those who shed blood, who plunder cities, and lay provinces waste without a necessity; if the author of an iniquitous war be responsible for the death of the men who are killed for the destruction of the cottages which are burned, for the loss of commerce which ensues, for the provisions which are destroyed for the violences, disorders, and crimes,
which are committed with arms in the hand: if those who feed on the horrors of war entered into without pretext, and without reason, are ferocious monsters, unworthy of the name of men, not merely enemies of the countries which they cause to be laid waste, but of the whole human race:—you who have for six years been forced to fight for your independence! you, on whom certain perfidious men endeavored to bestow the fatal gift of a civil war! you, who, conquerors and triumphant, laid down your arms to propose and hear the words of peace! you will not have to dread the imprecations, the legitimate anathemas which nature and justice address to your enemies. In returning, against your will, to the bloody contest from which you had drawn yourselves, you may protest in the face of the whole world what your intentions have been, and call on heaven to witness the justice of the cause you are about to defend. Thus, then, Citizens, again take up your arms, without ceasing to be desirous of peace. Your Government perseveres in offering it on the conditions which appear to it to be meet and compatible. Perhaps the warlike appearance you are about to resume, will suffice to obtain a consent to these conditions: but if they should be refused, you will maintain the honor and the laws of the Republic. It is in the name of the nation, it is to fulfil its will to secure its rights, and to preserve its glory, that the Executive Power recalls to their standards all the soldiers of the country who have withdrawn from them on any cause whatever. The Executive Directory accordingly enjoins its Commissioners stationed in the departments, to cause to be executed without delay, and without restriction, the laws of 4 Frimaire and 4 Nivose, of the fourth year, together with the resolutions of 4 Ventose, and the subsequent ones, and so cause all the soldiers and requisitions whatever, who are now at their homes, to join by the 15th Vendemiaire (Oct. 6.)—Frenchmen, it is necessary that at this epoch your armies should be complete, that they should be ready to march, and that their awful and terrible aspect should instantly command that glorious Peace, which for six months past ought to have been the fruit of their triumphs. The Executive Directory resolves, that the above Proclamation shall be printed, solemnly published, and fixed up in all the Communes of the Republic, by its Commissioners stationed at the central Departmental Administrations; and the War Minister shall take all the necessary measures for its speedy execution, of which he shall give an account every three days to the Directory.

(Signed)

REVEILLIERE LEPEAUX, President,

LEGRAND, Secretary General.