HISTORY OF EUROPE. 173 
the hopes of being able to accom- 
-plish with greater facility the fa- 
vourite object of his heart—a ge- 
neral and permanent peace. ‘The 
period, however, at which he was 
at length called to his majesty’s 
councils, was peculiarly unfavour- 
able to such an immediate overture 
to the French government asin any 
other circumstances he would no 
doubt have wished to resort to.— 
The recent successes of the French 
had been so signal and decisive, that 
an overture would have appeared 
an acknowledgment of weakness 
rather than a desire of pacification. 
Sufficient time had scarcely elapsed 
since the battle of Austerlitz and 
treaty of Presburg, to ascertain the 
feelings of the Russian government ; 
and in addition to the difficulty of 
speculating upon the impressions 
which the late calamities might 
have produced on that distant 
eourt, a change of administration 
was expected in that capital; any 
decided step, therefore, without 
previous cencert with the new mi- 
nisters at Petersburg, might become 
the cause or the pretext for some 
estrangement of that cabinet. In 
this predicament Mr. Fox seems to 
_ have determined on making no di- 
rect overture to France, till some 
event might give rise to it, or at 
least till the views and wishes of the 
court of Petersburg had been fully 
ascertained, and the form, object, 
and nature of any negociation pre- 
viously concerted with that cabinet. 
But the French goyernment, per- 
haps, sincerely desirous of putting 
an end to hostilities, or possibly de- 
luded by an idle hope that Mr. 
Fox’s strong inclination to peace 
would betray his prudence, and 
*. Feb; 
lead him to measures, that would 
impair the stability of the connec. 
tion between Russia and England, 
availed itself of the first opportu- 
nity of making direct overtures for 
a@ negotiation. ‘The circumstances 
from which they arose, are too sin- 
gular in themselves, aud too honour- 
able to the English minister and na 
tion, to be passed over in silence- 
About ten days after Mr. Fox 
came into office,* he received a let- 
ter from a person calling himself 
Guillet de la Gevrilliére, stating that 
he was arrived at Gravesend with 
out a passport, and requesting Mr. 
Fox to send him one, as he had very 
lately left Paris, and had something 
to communicate, which would give 
Mr. Fox satisfaction. On receiving 
this letter, Mr. Fox gave orders 
through sir Francis Vincent, under 
secretary of state, to Mr. Brooke 
of the alien office, to send for the 
man from Gravesend, and a private 
interview having been solicited, to 
bring him on his arrival in London 
to Mr. Fox’s house in Arlington- 
street, instead of taking him to the 
foreign office. In consequence of 
these orders, the Frenchman was 
next morning carried to Mr. Fox’s 
house, and, there admitted by him 
aloneinto his closet; when after some 
unimportant conversation, he proe 
ceeded to the object of his journey, 
which was to inform Mr. Fox that 
a plan had been entered into for the 
assassination of Bonaparte, and a 
house hired at Passy, from which it 
could be carried into effect with cer. 
tainty, and without risk. Surpriz- 
ed and confounded with the auda. 
city of the villain, in making him 
the confident ef so execrable a de- 
sign, Mm Fox, without enquiring 
14. 
further 
