180 
LON 
Alexander, at this moment, held in his hand'the balance 
of Europe, the fate of many nations; their condition, 
whether as independent Rates, or as fubmiffive provinces 
of a great and domineering empire, probably for many 
centuries! Into whichfoever of the fcales the czar fhould 
throw his weight, that mult inevitably preponderate. To 
confirm and fix the refolution of Alexander was a matter 
of the lall importance, and what Bonaparte did not think 
it prudent to commit to the agency of any of his minif- 
ters. He determined to have a perfonal interview with 
the emperor of the north ; on whofe mind it would ap¬ 
pear he was perfectly confident he fhould maintain an af- 
cendant. The place appointed for a meeting and con¬ 
ference between Alexander and Napoleon, was Erfurth, 
a city in the circle of the Lower Rhine, belonging to the 
eleftorate of Mayence. Here they met on the 27th of 
September. Each was attended by a very numerous and 
brilliant fuite; and kings, fovereigu princes, and other 
perfons of high diftinftion, came day after day to do ho¬ 
mage to the great Emperor of the Welt. Among others 
who attended Alexander, were his brother the grand duke 
Conftantine, whom it was the policy of Bonaparte to flat¬ 
ter with the hope of reigning at Conftantinople; count 
Romanzow, and the two counts Toltfon, one of whom 
was the Ruffian ambafi'ador at Paris. The fuite of Bona¬ 
parte' was compofed of Berthier, Talleyrand, Caulincourt, 
Champagny, Maret, the principal writer of official reports, 
and the generals Lafnes and Duroc, all of them bearing 
their new titles of princes, dukes, and counts, and in fliort 
all the Raff-officers belonging to the French army can¬ 
toned in Bavaria. The kings and fovereign princes of 
Germany waited for the molt part on Bonaparte in per- 
fon. The AuRrian general, count St. Vincent, arrived at 
Erfurth, on the 28th of September, with an apology from 
the emperor of Aultria for not attending the conference, 
and no doubt the ItrongeR and moR lincere alfurances of 
friendlbip towards both the French and Ruffian emperors. 
Count St. Vincent was clofeted a long time with Bona¬ 
parte. Great was the pomp and ceremony, and fplendid 
the feaRs and other entertainments, that took place on 
the occafion of this imperial and royal convention. The 
little town of Erfurth was aRonilhed to witnefs a magni¬ 
ficence that might have been admired at Paris. The firft 
dinner wuts given by Bonaparte. Napoleon and Alexan¬ 
der held their conferences every day at ten o’clock. Thefe 
being over, they rode out together, either in the fame car¬ 
riage or on horfeback, to take a view of the adjacent coun¬ 
try. In one of thefe rides, Alexander confented to tra- 
verfe, together with Bonaparte, the whole field of Jena, 
the burying-ground, or grave, it niay be called, of the ally 
to whom he had fworn eternal friendlhip over the allies 
of the great Frederic. Bonaparte little thought that one 
day this very emperor and the king of Prulfia would in¬ 
vade his “ (acred territory,” and threaten the eafiern pro¬ 
vinces of France with an army of 200,000 men. 
It was the great objeft of Bonaparte, in the conferences 
and convention at Erfurth, to conciliate the good will 
of all parties there, that he might be enabled, having 
-fecured quietnefs in his rear, to bear with all his dilpole- 
able force on Spain and Portugal. Infigrrificant as the Ger¬ 
man powers had become, combinations might be formed 
by which they might diltrefs him greatly in the prefent 
moment. Any concefilon, therefore, that would fecure 
their connivance at his projects in the wefi, it would be 
prudent in him, in the prefent circumftances, to make ; 
fully aware that, if he lucceeded in Spain, it would be an 
eafy talk again to reduce the countries in Germany which 
he now occupied. But, at the fame time that lie found 
himfelf under the neceliity of recalling his troops from Ger¬ 
many, he wilhed to hide as much as polfible the vveak- 
nefs therein implied, and avert the defigns to which a full 
conviction of that weaknefs might give birth. He there¬ 
fore dextercully contrived to give the withdrawing of his 
troops the appearance of being the refult of a negociation ; 
ssi act of favour to the fovereigns of Ruifia and Prulfia. 
DON. 
A negotiation was entered into at Erfurth, tinder the me¬ 
diation of Alexander, in confequence of which Napoieon 
engaged to evacuate the Prulfian territory as foon as the 
contributions (liould be paid up, which he gracioufiy re¬ 
duced to'one-third of their total amount; and he wrote 
a letter to the queen of Prulfia, with his own hand, in 
which he promiled her the completion of all her wilhes. 
He alfo relaxed in the feverity of his reltriCtions and im¬ 
ports on the commerce of Holland. 
Another notable effect of the meeting at Erfurth was an 
offer of peace on the part of Ruifia and France to the 
Britilh government. A flag of truce, with two officers, 
one a Frenchman, the other a Ruffian, arrived on the 
21 It of OCtober at Dover. The Frenchman, by orders 
of lord Hawkelbury, who happened then to be at Walmer- 
caltie, was detained. The Ruffian meffenger was allowed 
to proceed, on the 22a, to London. 
It was thought to be the objeft of Bonaparte, in this 
overture, to lull the Britilh government into a negleCt 
or delay of fending aliiftance to Spain, and to excite a dif- 
truR of England in her allies, it was propoled to his 
Britannic majefty, to enter into a negotiation for a general 
peace, in concert with his majerty’s allies; and to treat ei¬ 
ther on the balls of uti pojidetzs, or on any other baits con¬ 
fident with juftice. The king of Great Britain profefled 
his readinefs to enter into fitch a negotiation in concur¬ 
rence with his allies ; in the number of whom he compre¬ 
hended the Spanifh nation. In the reply returned by 
France, the Spanifh nation was defcribed by the appella¬ 
tion of the “ Spanifh infurgents;” and the demand, for ad¬ 
mitting the exifling government of Spain as a party to 
any negotiation, was rejected as inadmiilible and infulting. 
A declaration, therefore, by his majefty, was publilhed 
on the 15th of December, concluding as follows: “His 
majefty deeply laments an iffue by which the fufferings of 
Europe are aggravated and prolonged. But neither the 
honour of his majefty, nor'the generofity of the Britilh 
nation, would admit of his majeity’s contenting to com¬ 
mence a negotiation by the abandonment of a brave and 
loyal people, who are contending for the prelervation of 
all that is dear to man, and whole exertions in a caule fo 
unqueltionably juft his majefty has folemnly pledged 
liiml’elf to fultain.” 
We mult now turn our attention, and fix our eyes, 
on the banks of the Tagus, where w e (hall w itnefs the fame 
hatred of the French, and the lame defire of ihaking 
off the Napoleonian yoke, manifefting itfelf in ail the 
Lufitanian provinces; we (ball find the Portuguefe pa¬ 
triots going hand in hand, and having the lame objefV 
in view, with thole of their neighbouring and kindred 
Spaniards.—The inhabitants ol Lilbon, overawed by the 
army of Junot, had been reftrained at firft from exprefl- 
ing their joy, otherwife than in private and confidential 
converfation. The public voice of Portugal was firft 
heard at Oporto. This town, befides the circumltance of 
being fituate at a confiderable distance from the force 
under Junot, poffeffed another advantage. It had fieen 
occupied by about three thouland Spanilh troops, who,’be- 
fore their departure to join the patriotic llandard in Spain, 
took the French general under whofe orders they were, 
and all his Raff, priloners, and delivered up the government 
of the city to Louis d’Oliveda, who had filled that office 
before the arrival of the French. The treachery of this 
man, his attachment to the French, and the meafures he 
took for reftoring the authority of the French, roufed the 
indignation and rage of the people to fuch a pitch, that 
he found it impoffible to avert their threatened vengeance 
otherwife than by yielding up his authority. They rofe, 
on the 18th of June, in one body; broke open the depots 
of ftores; and, having l'upplied themfelves with arms, pro¬ 
ceeded to deitroy every veftige of French power, and to 
imprifon every perfon fufpected of being in their interelt. 
The bilhop of Oporto, who, with molt of the other prieits., 
had been inceffaiu in his efforts to roufe the pcopie to 
arms, was appointed governor of the city, and the moll 
vigorous 
