HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
England to give up Malta, agrec- 
ably sto the conditions of the 
treaty of Amiens: ‘The emperor, 
who eagerly wished: for the resto- 
ration of peace, would probably 
have been glad that England could 
by any theans ,yhave been induced 
to execute that article which re- 
spected the island of Malta’ The 
British government had however 
most imprudently rested the war 
entirely upon the possession of that 
‘island. The great and continu- 
ally increasing aggrandizement of 
France; the violence and outrages 
committed by her, daily, against the 
independence of every nation in 
Europe; and her continued insult: 
and injury to Great Britain,were all 
‘to be forgiven, if she would consent 
that the latter power might retain 
the possession of Malta, It was not 
at all surprising therefore that the 
nations of Europe evinced the most 
_ profound indifference upon the sub- 
ject of the island of Lampedosa, or 
even of that of Malta, There were 
but three nations in the world that 
would have wished to be troubled 
with the possession of cither, namely, 
England, France, and Russia, Toany 
of these nations the possessionof the 
latter island would be an important 
object, as the means of increasing 
or establishing their powerin the 
Mediterranean: and Russia having 
evidently wished and demanded 
the possession of Malta for herself, 
it could not be expected that she 
‘would ‘be very sanguine in her 
efforts to procure it for England. 
As therefore England had em- 
barked in war, on a ground in 
which the continental powers could 
feel no interest; and as. it was 
evident that the neutral nations 
would be obstructed ang «cramped 
S wid 
tg 
327 
in their commercial relations, as_ 
well in the prosecution of this as in 
every former war ; it was natural 
for them to wish that a peace might 
be concluded upon any terms; and 
as Bonaparte professed solely to 
desire the execution of the treaty 
of Amiens; they were content to 
allow him to occupy Hanover as 
the means of compelling Great 
Britain to fulfil her engagements, » 
and which must necessarily bring 
about that tranquillity so much the 
desire of Europe. 
The real views of France, how- 
ever, were soon more perfectly de- 
veloped. The army of Hanover 
was but the advanced guard of that. 
vast force which, she could rapidly 
‘move into the heart of Prussia, or 
any northern nation that should 
resist her will.. The armies at 
Boulogne and in Holland were ih 
reality as formidable to the north 
of Europe, asto England. In Italy 
her armies had entered the king- 
dom of Naples, occupied all the 
strong places on its eastern coasts, 
and levied contributions through- 
out the whole country: at once a 
most flagrant violation of direct 
treaty with that power, but also a 
manifest insult to Russia. F'rom the 
moment that Bonaparte had ascer- 
tained that nething was to be ap- 
prehended from either Austria or 
Prussia, he evinced the greatest in- 
difference towards the court of Pe- 
tersburgh; and it has been even said 
that he behaved with marked in- 
attention and incivility to jts am- 
bassador,-count Markoff. With 
respect to his solemn engagements 
formerly entered into with that 
power, he paid to them not the 
slightest regard, It had been agreeq 
by treaty between Russia and 
Y 4 Frantg:. 
