244 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1863. 
unworthy of the subjects of France, 
should be placed in the imperial 
seat of the illustrious family she 
had cast out:, and he. found him- 
self, atthe moment, when disgrace 
and infamy should have been his 
bitter portion, in the government 
of a mighty kingdom, and the 
arbiter of the destinies of Eu- 
rope! 
, In _ this elevation it would 
not be consistent with his char- 
acter, to suppose, that the scene 
of his late disasters, and the humi- 
liation of his army, were forgotten, 
Every motive that might be sup- 
posed to influence the man, were 
now superadded to the thirst of do- 
minion in the monarch; and the 
reconquest of Eeypt, and its annexa- 
tion to his empire, became one of the 
greatest objects of his ambition. 
Malta, in the possession of the Eng- 
lish, opposed however an impassable 
barrier to his designs; and it was 
therefore the whole scope and ten- 
dency of the article of the treaty of 
peace, which provided for the fu- 
ture government of that island, to 
dispossess Great Britain thereof, and 
place it in such a situation as might 
render itan easy or certain acquisi- 
tion, whenever a proper opportuni- 
ty presented. ; 
Ilaving this clue to his conduct, 
on an examination of the stipula- 
tions of the 10th article of the 
treaty of Amiens, it will be found, 
that the posztive provisions of it are, 
that Great Britain shall evacuate the 
island in three months; and shall 
restore it to the order, represent- 
ed by the grand master, or a proper 
commissioncr, appointed for the 
purpose, provided that a garrison 
of 2000 Neapolitan troops should 
have arrived to garrison the island, 
Thus much of the treaty, it wag 
the object, as it was the interest of 
Bonaparte, to fulfil; but that por- 
tion of it, on which so much of its 
future security depended, namely, 
the guaranty of, Austria, Prussia, 
Russia, and Spain, was.expressed 
conditionally, it being proposed by 
the last stipulation, of the article, — 
that those powers should be invited 
to accede to the arrangement ; and 
this, it certainly was not, for the 
reason above given, the intention of 
France to accelerate; depending, 
therefore, on the difficulties which 
she had either caused by the alien- 
ation of the property of the order, 
or those she could create by her 
influence to protract the guarant 
of Prussia and Spain; she trusted 
to the pacific dispositions of the 
English government, under all the 
circumstances of the case, for the 
execution of the former part of 
the treaty, which we have distin- 
guished as positive ; and for the 
deferring -to . future. discussion, 
all that was conditional and se- 
condary. How far the French go- 
vernment were warranted in thei 
expectations, will appear from th 
negotiations which took place upon 
the subject, previously to the ré- 
newal of war: anda_ perusal of 
the following pages will. enable ou 
readers to decide whether it were 
owing to the vigour and firmness 0 
the British councils, or to the provi 
dential coincidence of wnforeseen fo: 
reignand domestic occurrences, tha 
the French flag is not at this mo 
ment flown in triumph over th 
towers of Valetta. \ 
On the 23d and 24th of Ma 
nearly two months subsequent t 
the signature of the treaty of peac 
the governments of France an 
Englan 
