. Bernadotte, the first phase, 1763-1799. passports and his tricolours, althoughhe left behind him a quarrel which had all the appear-ance of a casus belli. Thugut himself was undernotice to quit. As the result of Bernadottes repre-sentations, he had been replaced as head of theForeign Office by Count Cobentzel, who had beensummoned to Vienna from Rastadt for that purpose. A number of the foreign ambassadors andministers at the Court of Vienna signed a declaration,laying the blame for the riot upon Bernadottes impru-dence. It was pointed out that it was not the customfor ambassadors in Vienna
. Bernadotte, the first phase, 1763-1799. passports and his tricolours, althoughhe left behind him a quarrel which had all the appear-ance of a casus belli. Thugut himself was undernotice to quit. As the result of Bernadottes repre-sentations, he had been replaced as head of theForeign Office by Count Cobentzel, who had beensummoned to Vienna from Rastadt for that purpose. A number of the foreign ambassadors andministers at the Court of Vienna signed a declaration,laying the blame for the riot upon Bernadottes impru-dence. It was pointed out that it was not the customfor ambassadors in Vienna to hoist flags, and thatno French ambassador under the ancien regime hadever done so/ Bernadottes answer to the charge ofinnovation was, from his point of view, a sufficientone, namely, that he was acting in accordance withhis instructions. The accounts of the incident, which were pub-lished in England, came principally from Viennesesources. In some of them the ambassador was repre-a Masson, 204; Dry, ii. 417. b Moniteur, 10th May General Bernadotte, Soldier the picture by Hilaire Le Dru. To face page 318. april 1798] WAS BERNADOTTETO BLAME? 319 sented as having provoked the riot in order to find anexcuse for retreat from an uncongenial post. Misre-presentations and exaggerations were indulged in onboth sides. For example, unfounded charges ofintoxication were levelled by the Austrians againstthe ambassador and his staff, and by the Frenchagainst the rioters. Both sides were drunk, but notwith wine. They were blinded by passions, whichwere symbolised by the tricolour flag, and were in-flamed by five years of hate and of conflict. Much has been said from different standpoints asto the cause of this emeute. The truth appears to bethat the affair was unpremeditated on both sides, andarose out of a bizarre and incongruous position of an ambassador of the French Republicin Vienna was an impossible one. The wisest andmost experienced of diplomats
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