HISTORY OF EUROPE. 157 
eritical situation of their affairs, to 
have delayed an instant longer than 
was necessary for collecting ~ its 
forces, to commence hostilities 
against the French. Instead of such 
prompt and vigorous measures, with 
that irresolution and indecision of 
character, which is the surest mark 
of incapacity for great affairs, the 
advisers of his Prussian majesty 
negociated, when they shonld have 
acted, and chose for their negociator 
aman without firmness, capacity or 
resources, slow and dilatory in 
business, narrowand perplexed in his 
understanding, of a character at 
once liable to the impressions of 
fear, and open to the insinuations 
of flattery, and of opinions diame- 
trically opposite to the system, 
which he was now sent to enforce. 
Haugwitz repaired to the head 
quarters of the French army, and 
had- an audience of Bonaparte on 
the 28th of November, at which 
the latter manifested a disposition to 
accept the Prussian mediation, but 
annexed conditions to his assent, 
which the king of Prussia could not 
admit. Whilethe negociation.was 
thus protracted, the battle of Aus- 
terlitz was fought, the armistice 
concluded, and the coalition dis- 
solved. 
The Prussian troops had taken 
the field and begun their march to 
the scene of action, when the news 
of the armistice stopped their pro- 
gress. Unwilling to embark alone 
in a contest with a victorious army, 
elated with its double triumph over 
the soldiers of Austria and Russia, 
the court of Berlin had again 
recourse to negociation. Major- 
general von Pfubl was dispatched 
to the French head quarters, with 
instructions to signify, that Prussia 
was now ready to accept the pro- 
positions which she had formerly 
rejected, and with orders to add, 
‘¢ that his Prussian majesty would 
consider the occupation of Hanover 
by French troops, as an act of 
hostility.”* But, previously to the 
arrival of von Pfuhl at the place of 
his destination, Haugwitz had signed 
a definitive treaty at Vienna,+ by 
which Prussia, from being the friend 
and ally of the coalesced powers, 
and almost the open and declared 
enemy of France, became the ally 
of the latter, the guarantee of her 
conquests in Germany, and her 
associate in the spoils of the van- 
quished and bafiled coalition. How 
this extraordimary change was 
brought about, is yet unexplained. 
We have yet to learn, whether 
Haugwitz was gained by flattery, 
or terrified by threats into so 
scandalous an abandonment of the 
trust reposed .in him. We have 
been merely told, that ‘‘ the French 
emperor proposed to him a treaty 
in which was stipulated, on the one 
side, a mutual guarantee of pos- 
sessions, the inviolability of the 
Turkish territory, and the ratifica- 
tion of whatever should be con. 
cluded at Presburg; and, on the 
other, the annexation of Hanover 
to Prussia, in return for the cession 
of three provinces ;’+ and that a 
treaty to that effect was signed by 
* Hardenberg’s note to lord Harrowby, Dec. 22. 
- answer tothe observations of the Moniteur of March 21st, 
“% 
dated Berlin, April 8, 1805. 
¢ Prussian manifesto, Erfurt, Oct.9, 1806. 
eount 
