510 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



learned to know France and your 

 majesty, was put at the head of 

 affairs in England. This man of 

 genius comprehended the situation 

 of the two countries. He perceived 

 that it was not in the power of any 

 state to compel France to retro- 

 grade ; and that the true policy 

 consisted in arresting her progress. 

 He perceived, that by the success 

 obtained over the third coalition, 

 •the question was changed; and 

 that it must no longer be thought 

 of contesting with France the pos- 

 sessions that she acquired by vic- 

 tory ; but that it was necessary, by 

 a speedy peace, to prevent those 

 new acquisitions wiiich the conti- 

 nuation of the war would render 

 inevitable. This minister did not 

 conceal any of the advantages 

 which France derived from the er- 

 roneous policy of England; but 

 he had in view those which she 

 might still acquire. He thought 

 that England would gain much, if 

 none of the continental powers lost 

 more. He directed his policy to 

 disarm France, and to have the 

 Confederation of theNorth ofGer- 

 raany recognized in opposition to 

 the Confederation of the Rhine. 

 He perceived that Prussia could 

 only be preserved by peace ; and 

 that on the fate of that power de- 

 pended the system of Saxony, of 

 Hessia, of Hanover, the fate of the 

 mouths of the Ems, of the Jade, 

 of the Weser, of the Elbe, of the 

 Oder, and of the Vistula, ports 

 necessary for the commerce of 

 England. Like a great man. Fox 

 did not deliver himself up to use- 

 less sorrow for the rupture of the 

 treaty of Amiens, and losses 

 henceforth irreparable ; he wish- 

 ed to prevent greater, and he sent 

 lord Lauderdale to Paris. 



The negociations began, and 



every thing led to hope that they 

 would have ended happily, when 

 Fox died. From that time they 

 languished. The ministers were 

 neither sufficientl)enlightened nor 

 temperate to perceive the neces- 

 sity of peace. Prussia, excited by 

 that spirit which England infused 

 into all Europe, put her troops in 

 march. The imperial guards re- 

 ceived orders to set out ; lord 

 Lauderdale appeared terrified at 

 the consequences of the new 

 events that were preparing. It was 

 proposed to sign the treaty ; that 

 Prussia should be included in it, 

 and that the Confederation of the 

 North of Germany should be re- 

 cognized. Your majestj', with 

 that spirit of moderation of which 

 you have given such frequent ex- 

 amples to Europe, consented. — 

 The departure of the imperial 

 guard was delayed for some days, 

 but lord Lauderdale hesitated ; he 

 thought it necessary to send a 

 messenger to his court and that 

 messenger brought him an order 

 to return. In a few days after 

 Prussia no longer existed as a 

 preponderating power. Posterity 

 will consider that period as one 

 of the most decisive in the his- 

 tories of England and of France. 

 The treaty of Tilsit put an end to 

 the fourth coalition. 



After some further uninterest- 

 ing remarks, the report proceeds 

 thus : — 



The fifth coalition broke out, 

 the new events of which again 

 turned outadvantageoustoFrance. 

 The only ports by which Eng- 

 land preserved an avowed com- 

 munication with the continent, 

 together with the Illyrian pro- 

 vinces, passed under the power 

 of your majesty by the treaty 

 of Vienna, and the allies of the 



