STATE PAPERS. 



427 



things induced him to imagine that 

 he should dictate a peace in Mos- 

 cow, should cripple the Russian 

 power for half a century, and then 

 return victorious. When the mag- 

 nanimous constancy of the emperor 

 of Russia, the glorious deeds of 

 his warriors, and the unshaken fide- 

 Jity of his people, put an end to 

 this dream, it was too late to repent 

 it with impunity. The whole 

 French army was scattered and 

 destroyed : in less than four months 

 we have seen the theatre of war 

 transferred from the Dnieper and the 

 Dwina, to the Oder and the Elbe. 



This rapid and extraordinary 

 change of fortune was the fore- 

 runner of an important revolution 

 in all the political relations of 

 Europe. The confederacy of Rus- 

 sia, Great Britain, and Sweden, 

 presented a point of union to all 

 neighbouring states. Prussia, 

 whom report had long declared 

 determined to risk all, to prefer 

 even the danger of immediate po- 

 litical destruction to the lingering 

 sufferings of continued oppression, 

 seized the favourable moment, and 

 threw herself into the arms of the 

 allies. Many greater and smaller 

 princes of Germany were ready to 

 tlo the same. Every where the 

 ardent desires of the people anti- 

 cipated the regular proceedings of 

 their governments. Their impa- 

 tience to live in independence, 

 and under their own laws, the sen- 

 timent of wounded national honour, 

 and the hatred of a foreign do- 

 minion, broke out in bright flames 

 on all sides. 



His majesty the emperor, too 

 intelligent not to consider this 

 change of affairs as the natural and 

 necessary consequence of a pre- 

 vious violent political convulsioni 



and too just to view it in anger, 

 was solely bent upon securing, by 

 deep-digested and well-combined 

 measures, the real and permanent 

 interest of the European common- 

 wealth. Already, in the beginning 

 of December, considerable steps 

 had been taken, on the part of the 

 Austrian cabinet, in order to dis- 

 pose the emperor Napoleon to 

 quiet and peaceable policy, on 

 grounds which equally interested 

 the world and his own welfare. 

 These steps were from time to 

 time renewed and enforced. Hopes 

 had been entertained that the im- 

 pression of last year's campaign, — 

 the recollection of the fruitless sa- 

 crifice of an immense army, the 

 severe measures of every descrip- 

 tion that would be necessary to re- 

 place that loss — the decided disin- 

 clination of France, and of all those 

 nations connected with her, to a 

 war, which, without any prospect 

 of future indemnification, exhaust- 

 ed and ruined her internalstrength, 

 — that, lastly, even a calm reflec- 

 tion on the doubtful issue of this 

 new and highly imminent crisis, 

 would move the emperor to listen 

 to the representations of Austria. 

 The tone of these representations 

 was carefully adapted to the cir- 

 cumstances of the times, serious as 

 the greatness of the object, mode- 

 rate as the desire of a favourable 

 issue, and as the existing friendly 

 relations required. 



That overtures flowing from so 

 pure a motive should be decidedly 

 rejected, could not certainly be 

 foreseen : but the manner in which 

 they were received, and still more 

 the striking contrast between tho 

 sentiments entertained by Austria 

 and the whole conduct of the em- 

 peror Napoleon, to the period of 



