HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



139 



eel kingdom, and to France a most 

 important territorial acquisition, 

 Bonaparte returned to Paris, where 

 hf arrived on the 12th of August, 

 and WnS receired on the road and in 

 hia rap'al with demonstrations of 

 '] • grtatrst personal attachment of 

 i po'ple, and of their entire ap- 

 oi.i'ion of his conduct. 

 \\ hether it w?re tliat these great 

 3 r ; geme'its having been completed 

 to hi> p rfrdt sari'faction, that he 

 no'\ >r riously meditated the invasion 

 of the British islands ; or that, 

 aware of the necessity there would 

 be of sp''cdily employing the whole 

 of his disposable force upon '.he 

 continent; the emperor had hard- 

 ly returned to his capital, when he 

 repaired to the encamped army at 

 i30ulogne,for the purpose of review 



iti, as well as to inspcft the 

 means by whicli it was to pass the 

 narrow seas. Having sstisfied him- 

 self of the efficiency and excellent 

 appointment of this vast body of 

 troops, not less at that moment than 

 1 15.000 disciplined soldiers, without 

 counting upon the cavalry or ar- 

 tillery, he again proceeded to Paris, 

 where the threatening aspedt of 

 aflairs required his immediate pre- 

 sewce. 



From the tenor of the official 

 publications which appeared in the 

 course of last year, on the part of 

 those powers who could, with 

 safety to themselves, openly remon- 

 strate against the dnily aggressions 

 and increasing ])reteusions of the 

 chief of the French nation, it might 

 have been expedted, that, cro long, 

 further efforts would be made to 

 assert the independence of Europe, 

 and set bounds to his ambition. 



In fa6t, early in the present year, 

 (11th of April) a treaty of con- 



cert, between his majesty and the 

 emperor of Russia, was signed at 

 St. Petersburgh,* whereby, after 

 observing that the state of suf- 

 fering in which Europe was placed 

 demanded speedy remedy, the 

 contrafcting parties mutually agreed 

 to consult upon the means of put- 

 ting a stop thereto, v.ithout waiting 

 for further encroachments on the 

 part of the French government. In 

 this view, they agreed to en'. ploy the 

 most prompt and most clhcacious 

 means to form a general league of 

 the states of Europe, and in order to 

 accomplish the end proposed, to col- 

 Icct together a force which, independ- 

 ently of the succours furnished by his 

 Britannic majesty, might amount to 

 500,000 effective men, and to cm- 

 ploy the same with energy, in order 

 either, to induce or to compel the 

 French government to consent to 

 the re-establishment of peace, and 

 of the balance of Europe. 



The obje6t proposed to be cffeft- 

 cd by this league was the evacuation 

 of the Hanoverian territory and 

 the north of Germany. 



The establishment of the inde- 

 pendence of the republics of lioilaud 

 and Switzerland. 



The re-establishment of the king 

 of Sardinia, in Piedmont, with as 

 large an augmentation of territory 

 as circumstances would permit. 



The future security of the king- 

 dom of Naples, and the complete 

 evacuation of Italy, the island of 

 Elba included, by the French 

 forces. 



The establishment of an order of 

 things in Europe, which might etfec- 

 tually guarantee the security and 

 independence of the different states, 

 and present a solid barrier against 

 future usurpations. 



His 

 Vide State Papers. 



