STATE PAPERS. 



6h 



feelings and honourable propensities 

 which have at all times been so con- 

 genial to the Spanish character, and 

 which^ in better times, have marked 

 the conduct of its government. His 

 majesty will, on his part, eagerly 

 embrace the first opportunity, thus 

 offered, of resuming a state of peace 

 and confidence tvith a nation which 

 has so many ties of common interest 

 to connect it with Great Britain, 

 and which he has hitherto been 

 ever disposed to regard with senti- 

 ments of the utmost consideration 

 and esteem. 



Letter from the Emperor Napoleon, 

 to I lis jMaj--^'t>j the King of Eng- 

 land., dated 2d J unitary, 1805, 

 and communicated to the Lagisla- 

 tive Bodjj of France on ike 4th of 

 Februarij, 1805. 



Sir and Brother, 

 Called to the throne of France 

 by providence, and by the suffrages 

 of the senate, the people, and the 

 array, my first sentiment is a wish 

 for peace. France and England 

 abuse their prosperity. They may 

 contend for ages ; but do their go- 

 vernments well fulfil the most sa- 

 cred of their duties, and will not so 

 much blood, shed uselessly, and 

 without a view to any end, con- 

 demn them in their own consci- 

 ences? I consider it as no disgrace 

 to make the first step. I have, I 

 hope, sufficiently proved to the 

 world, that I fear none of the 

 chances of war ; it, besides, presents 

 nothing that I need to fear : peace 

 is the V, ish of my heart, but war has 

 never been inconsistent with my 

 glory. I conjure your majesty not 

 to deny yourself the happiness of 

 giving peace to the world, nor to 

 Jeave that-sweet satisfaction to your 



children : for certainly there never 

 was a more fortunate opportunity, 

 nor a moment more favourable, to 

 silence all the passions, and listen 

 only to the sentiments of humanity 

 and reason. This moment once 

 lost, what end can be assigned to a 

 war which all my elforts will not be 

 able to terminate ! Your majesty- 

 has gained more within ten years, 

 both in territory and riches, than 

 the whole extent of Europe. Your 

 nation is at the highest point of 

 prosperity ; what can it hope from 

 war .' — ^To form a coalition tvith 

 some powers of the continent ! — 

 The continent will remain tranquil: 

 a coalition can only increase the 

 preponderance and continental 

 greatness of France. To renew in- 

 testine troubles ? — The times are no ^ 

 longer the same. To destroy our 

 finances ?— Finances founded on a 

 flourishing agriculture can never be 

 destroyed. To take from France 

 her colonies ? — The colonies are to 

 France only a secondary object; 

 and does not your majesty already 

 possess more than you know how to 

 preserve? If your majesty would 

 but reflect, you must perceive that 

 the war is without an object, with- 

 out any presumable resuii to your- 

 self. Alas ! what a melancholy- 

 prospect to cause two nations to 

 fight merely for the sake of fighting. 

 The world is sufficiently large for 

 our^ two nations to live in it, and 

 reason is sufficiently powerful to 

 discover means of reconciling every 

 thing, when the wish for reconcilia- 

 tion exists on both sides. I have, 

 however, fulfilled a sacred duty, 

 and one which is precious to my 

 heart. I trust your majesty will 

 believe in the sincerity of my senti- 

 ments, and my wish to give you 

 every proof of it, &c. 



Napole oa. 

 R r 4; Aiiiteer 



