STATE PAPERS. 



431 



peace : it was intended as prepa- 

 ratory to this, to draw up the pre- 

 liminary articles of the future trea- 

 ty, to pave the way by a long con- 

 tinental armistice to a more ex- 

 tended and durable negociation. 

 Had the principle upon which 

 Austria advanced been other than 

 this, neither Russia nor Prussia, 

 bound by the strongest ties to 

 England, would certainly ever have 

 listened to the proposals of the 

 Austrian cabinet. 



After the Russian and Prussian 

 courts, animated by a confidence in 

 his majesty highly flattering to the 

 emperor, had already declared 

 their concurrence in the proposed 

 Congress under the mediation of 

 Austria, it became necessary to ob- 

 tain the formal assent of the em- 

 peror Napoleon, and to determine 

 upon what principles the negocia- 

 tions for peace were to be carried 

 on. For this purpose his imperial 

 majesty resolved, towards the end 

 of the month of June, to send his 

 minister for Foreign Affairs to 

 Dresden. The result of the mis- 

 sion was, a Convention concluded 

 upon the 30th of June, accepting 

 the mediation of his imperial ma- 

 jesty in the negociation of a gene- 

 ral, and if that could not be ef- 

 fected, of a preliminary continen- 

 tal peace. The city of Prague was 

 fixed upon for the meeting of the 

 Congress, and the 5th of July for 

 the day of its opening. In order 

 to obtain a sufficient time for the 

 negociation, it was determined by 

 the same convention that the em- 

 peror Napoleon should not give 

 notice of the rupture of the armis- 

 tice, which was to terminate on 

 the 20th of July, at that time ex- 

 isting between himself and Russia, 

 till the 10th of August ; and his 



majesty the emperor took upon 

 himself to obtain a similar decla- 

 ration from the Russian and Prus- 

 sian courts. 



The points which had been de- 

 termined in Dresden, were here- 

 upon imparted to the two courts. 

 Although the continuation of the 

 armistice was attended with many 

 objections, and with much serious 

 inconvenience to them, the desire 

 of giving to his imperial majesty 

 another proof of their confidence, 

 and at the same time to satisfy the 

 world that they would not reject 

 any prospect of peace, however 

 confined it might be, that they 

 would not refuse any attempt 

 which might prepare the way to 

 it, overcame every consideration. 

 The only alteration made in the 

 Convention of the 30th of June 

 was, that the term of the opening 

 the Congress, since the final regula- 

 tions could not so soon be deter- 

 mined, should be deferred until 

 the 12th of July. 



In the mean time his majesty, 

 who would not as yet abandon all 

 hopes of completely terminating, 

 by a general peace, the sufferings 

 of mankind, and the convulsions 

 of the political world, had also re- 

 solved upon a new attempt with 

 the British government. The em- 

 peror Napoleon not only received 

 the proposal with apparent appro- 

 bation, but even voluntarily of- 

 fered to expedite the business by 

 allowing the persons to be dis- 

 patched for that purpose to Eng- 

 land, a passage through France. 

 When it was to be carried into 

 effect, unexpected difficulties arose, 

 the passports were delayed from 

 time to time, under trifling pre- 

 texts, and at length entirely re- 

 fused. This proceeding afforded a 



