4-6 THE INFLUENCE OF GRENVILLE ON PITT’S FOREIGN POLICY. 
sition, Pitt and Fox, were to join hands in a great, friendly coalition 
whose patriotic unanimity should terrify France and so secure an 
honorable treaty.* * * § The rumors of coalition were without foundation, 
but those prophesying a renewal of overtures to France were shortly 
realized in a Cabinet decision, for on September 2 it was agreed that 
an offer should be made through the medium of Wedel, the Danish 
minister at London, and in a letter to the King^Grenville outlined the 
terms that might reasonably be expected if the negotiations were suc¬ 
cessfully concluded.! These were : to give to France Savoy, Nice, and 
all of the Rhenish conquests not belonging to Austria, and all French 
colonies captured by England ; to restore to Holland all colonies except 
the Cape, Ceylon, and Cochin ; to secure for Austria the status quo a?itc 
bellum ; but if France absolutely refused to return the Netherlands, and 
Austria was willing to accept the Bavarian exchange, England would 
consent to the transfer, provided the new ruler of the Netherlands was 
not too closely bound to France. 
The details of this plan are of interest as determining just how far 
Pitt was ready to go in order to secure peace. Grenville, discouraged 
at the outlook for the allies, was in entire harmony with his chief X 
and seems to have yielded momentarily his personal convictions. 
Events soon revived his hopes, for immediately after the message had 
been forwarded through Wedel news was received of the retreat of 
Pichegru and Jourdan before the Austrian army under the Archduke 
Charles, while Thugut notified Grenville that Russia would place 
60,000 men in the field against France if a small English subsidy were 
granted.§ Bentinck wrote from Holland that he was nearly positive 
that a new and secret treaty had recently been signed between France 
and Prussia. || If this were true, there was little likelihood of the 
adoption of a peace policy by the government of France. The influ¬ 
ence of these events on English foreign policy was immediate. It was 
still determined to continue overtures to France, but at the same time 
greater vigor was displayed in preparing for war. Russia was offered 
the island of Corsica and was promised a small subsidy, and Austria 
* Halliday to Charlemont, Aug. 7, 1796, and Charlemont to Halliday, Sept. 12, 
1796. Charlemont MSS., II, 278, 283. 
t Dropmore, III, 239. 
X George III to Grenville, and Pitt to Grenville, Sept. 4, 1796 ; and Pitt to Gren¬ 
ville, Sept. 5, 1796. Ibid., 242. 
§ Russia voluntarily proposed to Austria August 21, 1796, to put this force in the 
field. Sybel, IV, 321^. Thugut referred it to Grenville on September 10. Drop- 
more, III, 246. Thugut had no knowledge at the time of the English offer to 
t France through Wedel, but was hopeful that the Russian offer would wean Gren¬ 
ville from his scheme of a Prussian alliance. 
y || Bentinck to Goddard, Sept. 13 and 20, 1796. Ibid., 250, 253. 
