308] 



A TOPOGRAPHICAL 



distance from me, and said to them, " The English wish for war ; 

 but if they be the first to draw the sword, I shall be the last to 

 sheath it. They have no regard for treaties. We must henceforth 

 cover them with shame/' He then went his round. In a few 

 minutes he came back and resumed the conversation, if such it 

 can be called, by something personally civil to me. He began 

 again, " For what reason are these armaments ? Against whom are 

 these measures of precaution ? I have not a single ship of the 

 line in the ports of France ; but if you will arm I shall arm like- 

 wise ; if you will go to war I shall go to war also. You may per- 

 haps be able to destroy France, but never to intimidate her." 

 ' We do not desire,' said I, ' either the one or the other : we 

 wish to live in good understanding with her/ It is requisite to 

 pay regard to treaties/' replied he, " woe to those who pay no 

 regard to treaties : they will be responsible for it to all Europe." 

 He was too much agitated to make it advisable for me to prolong 

 the conversation, I therefore made no answer ; and he returned to 

 his apartment repeating the last phrase. It is to be remarked, 

 that all this passed loud enough to be overheard by 200 people 

 that were present ; and I am persuaded that there was not a sin- 

 gle person who did not feel the extreme impropriety of his con- 

 duct, and the total want of dignity as well as of decency on this 

 occasion." All attempts at conciliation between the Governments 

 of England and France proved abortive. Andreossi received his 

 passports, and quitted England on the 16th of May. On the 13th 

 of the same month, Lord Whitworth demanded his passports, and 

 arrived in London on the 19th, his Majesty's declaration of war 

 having been issued on the preceding day. The First Consul, with 

 a degree of mean perfidy unknown in former wars between civilized 

 states, detained all those persons who were so unfortunate as to 

 trust themselves in the French dominions after the departure of 

 the British Ambassador. The number of English thus detained 

 as prisoners in France, Italy, and Holland, was estimated at 7500, 

 among whom were several Generals, Colonels, and officers of all 

 ranks. Thus commenced the " long ten years' war," that termi- 

 nated in the downfal of Buonaparte, and the re-establishment of 

 the Bourbon dynasty, after an exile of nearly twenty-five years. 



Creations. TZ*r on Whitworth, of Newport-Pratt, March 21, 1800 ; Viscount 

 Whitworth, of Adbaston, 1812 ; and Earl Whitworth, Sept. 30, 1815. 

 Arms. Argent, a bend, Sable, in the sinister chief point, a garb, Gules, 

 t. Out of a ducal coronet, Or, a garb, Gules. 



