GRENVILLE PLANS TO RECOVER PRUSSIAN AID. 
41 
could be much more wisely spent in an attack on the French colonies 
recently acquired by the treaty of peace with Spain.* Windham, the 
determined advocate of the French nobility, appealed to Grenville, 
urging that it would be dishonorable for England to desert those 
whom she had encouraged to insurrection, and folly to withdraw the 
assistance already pledged.f Grenville became at once the champion 
of the royalists, J and was indeed at the moment concerting with Wick 
ham a great royalist movement from Switzerland.§ Accordingly he 
opposed that part of Pitt’s plan which involved the discontinuance 
of royalist efforts within the borders of France, and although Pitt still 
thought that the Count of Artois should be informed of the possibility 
of a treaty of peace between England and the Directorate, || he yielded 
to Grenville’s insistence and the preparations for renewed risings were 
continued J Windham had written to Grenville on October 11: 
“ We shall really risk something more than injury to a cause which 
includes all other causes, if, as long as we maintain the war, and till we 
formally apprize the Royalists that they must no longer count upon 
our support * we do not continue to afford them all such 
assistance as we cannot show to be actually out of our power. ’ ’ ** 
Grenville strongly supported this view, and it was his reference to 
Pitt of Windham’s letter, together with a statement of his own entire 
approval, that persuaded Pitt to yield. 
A second incident, contemporaneous with the proposal of peace made 
to France and indicating Grenville’s expectation of the continuance of 
hostilities, was the initiation of a plan by which he hoped that Prussia 
might be induced to renounce her neutrality and to reenter the war. 
As early as December, 1795, Elgin was instructed by Grenville to 
sound the Prussian government on the idea of resuming hostilities 
with France, but Elgin’s reply was unfavorable,ff and it was not until 
February, 1796, that the matter was again taken up. On February 8, 
at the very time the Cabinet approved the note addressed to Bar- , 
thelemy, a proposal was made by Grenville to seek a renewal of the 
Prussian alliance. The Cabinet adopted the suggestion, although it 
involved a decided departure from England’s previous line of policy, 
* Pitt to Chatham, Aug. 3, 1795. Stanhope, II, 349. 
f Windham to Grenville, Oct. 11, 1795. Dropmore, III, 137. 
% Buckingham to Grenville, Aug. 9 and 17, 1795. Ibid., 95, 99. Windham to 
Grenville, Aug. 16, 1795. Ibid., 98. 
\ Wickham to Grenville, Sept. 6, 1795. Ibid., 129 ; also Wickham, I, 155-225. 
|j Pitt to Grenville, Oct. 16, 1795. Dropmore, III, 140. 
Pitt to Grenville, Oct. 18, 1795. Ibid ., 141. 
** Ibid., 138. 
ft Elgin to Grenville, Dec. 26, 1795^ Ibid., 163. 
