RUSSIA IN EUROPE. 139 



Adriatic, which was to have been delivered to the French, was taken. 

 by a Russian force. Suddenly, however, a change took place in the 

 policy of the Russian cabinet, and in violation of the treaty with Great 

 Britain, a peace was concluded at Paris. Immediately after this hos- 

 tilities commenced between France and Prussia. The emperor of 

 Russia now repented of the hasty measure, which he had adopted 

 perhaps in a moment of despondency, at seeing himself left alone to 

 struggle against the triumphant arms of France. Ready to embrace 

 every opportunity which afforded the slightest probability of giving a 

 check to the overgrown power of Napoleon, he concluded a treaty 

 with Prussia. The Russian troops, however, were not brought into 

 the field before the battle of Jena had decided the fate of their allies. 

 A small army of 4000 men, commanded by general Benningsen, then 

 crossed the Vistula, but immediately upon ascertaining the great 

 superiority of the enemy, they fell back upon their reinforcements, 

 which were advancing under Buxhoven. The command of the army 

 was now given to general Kamenskoi, who advanced to Praga, where 

 he was attacked and defeated. Another battle was fought on the 

 26th December in the vicinity of Pultusk. Both sides claimed the 

 victory, but the Russians thought it prudent to retire. Peace be- 

 tween France and Prussia terminated the campaign. 



Tiie next spring Russia exerted herself to renew the contest. On 

 the 25th of January, a battle was fought at Mohrungen, the beginning 

 of which was highly favourable to the Russian arms ; but the French 

 general Dupont arriving with considerable reinforcements, turned 

 the fortune of the day, and Bonaparte was again victorious. Another ' 

 and more severe engagement took place on the 7th and 8th of Febru- 

 ary at Eylau, and the Russians were once more driven from the field. 

 On the 21st of May Dantzic surrendered to the French. The Rus- 

 sian army, reinforced with 60,000 men, at the head of which was the 

 emperor in person, accompanied by the archduke Constantine, again 

 advanced. They retook several important posts, and on the 5th of 

 June gained a considerable advantage over general Ney. But upon 

 the approach of Bonaparte with his main army they retired towards 

 Tilsit. After a number of minor engagements, in which the Rus- 

 sians suffered considerably, they were overtaken on the 14th at Fried- 

 land, by the French grand army. Here one of the warmest contested 

 battles was fought which modern Europe has witnessed. It raged 

 without intermission from five in the morning till seven at night, when 

 the Russian columns began to give way, and were finally driven 

 from the field. In many of these engagements the French were 

 double, and in all of them greatly superior, in point of numbers to 

 the allies. The treaty of Tilsit was signed on the 7th of July, 1 807, 

 and the French troops retired from the north to excite fresh tumults 

 in the south of Europe. 



While Russia was involved in a war with France, she was obliged 

 to keep up a considerable force on the side of Turkey. In Decem- 

 ber, 1805, the Porte issued a declaration of war, and put her troops 

 in motion. The Russians, anticipating the rupture, had already over- 

 run the province of Moldavia and entered Wallachia, and before the 

 close of the year they were masters of these two provinces, and also 

 of Bessarabia. The Servians had also revolted and beaten the Turks 

 in several engagements. 



In the treaty of Tilsit, France guaranteed to Russia the possession 

 of the Swedish territory in Finland ; and the war which now com- 



