HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



131 



composing the legislative body of 

 the nation, on the very last day of 

 the year. 



After informing this body, that 

 however extensive the preparations 

 for war had been, yet the nourish- 

 ing condition of the country ren- 

 dered it unnecessary to impose fresh 

 burthens upon, or demand new sa- 

 crifices from, his people ; it would 

 have been grateful to him, he adds, 

 at so soienxi an epoch, to see peace 

 feigning throughouttheworld.but the 

 political principles of their enemies, 

 find their recent coitdiict towards 

 Spain, sufficiently make known the 

 difficulty of it. lie had no ambition 

 to exercise in Luropc a greater in- 

 fluence, but he would not sink in 

 that which he had acquired. No 



STATE SHOULD BE INCORPORATED IN 



THE Emtiiie, but he would not sa- 

 fcriflce his rights, nor the ties that 

 attached him to the states which he 

 had created ! 



, In order, however, that neither 

 his own subjects, nor those of the 

 other sovereigns of Europe, should 

 remain in ignorance of his .senti- 

 ments, some short time after, he 

 caused his legislature to beinfoimed, 

 through the medium of the proper 

 functionary, (after dilating tipon 

 the strength, resources, and general 

 prosjjerity of every part of the 

 French em|)irp, the vailour of his 

 troops, his fiotiful^ncein the prowess 

 bf his navy, and the flourishing state 

 of his huaiices,) that, " whatever 

 may be the mOvemenfs of the 

 English, the destiny of France is 

 fixed. Strong in the riches and 

 courage of its defenders, she will 

 faithfully cultivate the alliance of 

 friendly nations. I'rancc will nei- ' 

 thcr merit enemies, nor fear rhem. 

 When England slijll he convinced 

 of the impotence of her efiort-. to 



agitate the continent, when she 

 shall feel that she cannot but lose in 

 a war, without motive or object, 

 that France will never accepx 



OF ANY other CONDITIONS THAU 

 THOSE OF THE TREATY OF AmIENS, 



and never will consent that she shall 

 exercise the right of breaking at 

 pleasure tiiosc treaties, by appro- 

 priating Malta to herself, thea 

 England will really obtain pacific 

 sentiments,— hatred and envy exist 

 but for a time." 



Having thus laid down, with a 

 (one sufficiently confident and deci- 

 sive, the only terms upon which he 

 would accord peace to England, 

 Bonaparte resolved upon a mea- 

 sure, upon which it is not easy to 

 determine whether it should be 

 characterized by the peculiar epi- 

 thet of insolence or folly ! This 

 was, at the commencement of the 

 present year, to address his Britan- 

 nic majesty personally, in a letter 

 written with his own hand, in which 

 he deprecated the further continu- 

 ance of a war, in the prosecution of 

 which so much useless blood was 

 shed, without any view or object 

 whatever ; that he thought it no 

 disgrace to take the first step to- 

 wards conciliation, in a mom.ent which 

 afforded the most favourable op- 

 portunity to silence the passions, 

 and listen only to the sentiments of 

 bumaiiKy and reason, lie adjnreil 

 his majesty hot to deny himself the 

 happiness of giving ])eace to the 

 world, nor to leave tha:t delightful 

 tasit to his children. lie reminded 

 the Ijritish monarch, that the latter 

 had gained more, in the last tea 

 years, both in territory and riches, 

 than the whole extent of Europe; 

 that his country m as at the highest 

 pitch of prosperity, and could only 

 hope to form another ©oalition of 

 K '> 3om% 



