The life of Napoleon Buonaparte, emperor of the French. By Sir Walter Scott.

LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 515
nunciation of Don Quixote against their customers. demanded also an -immense expenditure, and dimiThese magnates only saw that the ruler of France ished, of course, the power of the F rench Emperor
wished them to submit to great commercial distress to carry on the war on'the frontiers of Russia. A
and inconvenience, in order to accelerate his plan'conclusion bf these wasting hostilities would have
of ruining Great Britain, after which achievement'rendered him tar more formidable with respect t(a
he might find it a more easy undertaking to destroy'the quality, as well as the number, of his disposable
their own natural importance as a European power, forces, and it seemed the interest of Russia not to
by re-establishing Poland, and resuming the fertile wait till that period should arrive.
provinces on the western boundary; thusleading the Thle same arguments which recommended to
Russian cabinet, if the French interest should re- Russia to chuse the immediate moment for resistmain paramount there, by:a very disadvantageQus ing the extravagant pretensions of France, ought, in
road to a still more disastrous conclusion. point of prudence, to ha.ve induced Napoleon to
There was, besides,'spread though'the Russian desist from urging such pretensions, and to avoid
nation generally, a sense that France was treating the voluntarily engaging in two wars at the same
their emperor rather on'the footing of an inferior. time, both of a character decidedly national, and
It. is a thing entirely unknown in diplomacy, that'to only one of which lie could give the influence of
one government should pretend a right to dictate to Ihis own talents and his own presence. His best
another, who'is upon terms -of equality, the con- and wisest generals, whom he consulted, or, to
ditions on which she should conduct her commerce;:speak more properly,'to whom he opened his parand the assuming such a right, seconded by -threat- pose, used various alrguiments to induce:him to alter,
cuing language in case ol non-cormpliance, has been or'at'least defer, his resolution. lHe himself healways held a legitimate cause of war. Indeed, sitated for molre than la year,' and was repeatedly
the opinion that the French league disgraced the upon'the point -of settling'with'Russia the grounds
Russian nation, plunged their country into elibar- of'disagreement betwixt them'upon amicable terms.
rassments, and was'likely to occasion still'farther The reasons of complaint, on the part of the czar,
misfortunes to then, became so general,'that the were four in number.
emperor must have paid some attention to the I.'The alarm given to Russia by the extension
wishes of his people, even if his own friendship with of the Grand Duchy of'Warsaw'by the treaty of.
Bonaparte had not been cooled by late occurrences. Schoenbrunn, asif it were destined to be the central
The alliance with Austria was of a character,part ofan independent'state, or kingdom, inPoland,
calculated toalarm Alexander. Russia and Austria,,to which those provinces of -that dismembered'though they had a common interest towithstand the country, which had become part of Russia, were at
overpowering strength of Bonaparte, had been in some convenient time to'be united. -On this point
ordinary times always rivals, and sometimes enemies.' the czar demanded an explicit engagement, on the'It was the interference of Austria, which, upon part of the French Emperor, that'the kingdom of
several occasions, checked the progress of-the Rus- Poland should not be again established. Napoleon
sians in Turkey, and:it was Austria also which | declined this form of guarantee, as it seerned to en-'formed a "barrier against the increase of their power'gage llim to warrant Russia against an event which
in the south of Europe. The family connexion, mnight happen without his co-operation; but he of-'therefore, formed by Bonaparte with the house of fered to pledge himself that he would not favour'Hapsburg, made him still more formidable to Rus-'any enterprise %Which should, directly or indirectly,
sia, as likely to embrace the quarrels and-forward lead to the re-esta-blishment of Poland as an inde-:the pretensions of that power against the czar, even pendent state. Tlhis modified acquiescence in what
if France herself should have none to discuss with was required by Russia fell considerably short of'him. whit the czar wished; -for the stipulation, as at
But there was no need to lhave recourse to renmote first:worded, would have amounted to an engagecauses of suspicion. Russia had, and must always ment on the part of France to join in -opposing any'have had, direct and immediate cause of jealousy,'step towards Polish independence;'whereas, acwhile France or her emperor claimed the:per- cording to the modification which it received at:nianent right of thinking and deciding for her,:as Paris, it only implied that France should remain
well as other nations, in the relations of commerce neatter'if such an attempt should take place.
and others, in which every independent'state is' II. The wrong done by including'the Duchy of
nlost desirous of exercising the right of deliberating:Oldenburg, though guaranteedby the treaty of Tilsit
for herself. This was the'true state of the case. to its prince,:the czar's near relative and ally, in
To remain the ally of'Bonaparte, Alexander nmust the territory annexed to France, admitted of being
have become his vassal; to attempt to be inde-: compensated by an indemnification. But'Russia
pendent of him, was to make him'his enemy; and it desired that this indemnification should be either
can be no wonder that -a'sovereign so proud -an'd the City of Dantzic, or some equally important ter-:powerfuil as the'czar, chose rather "to'stand the ritory, on the frontiers of the Grand Duchy of Warhazard of battle,'than diniinish -the lustre, or corn- saw, which might offer an additional guarantee
promise the independence, of his ancient crown. against the apprehended enlargement of that state.
Thetime, too, forresistance, seemed as;favourable'France would not -listen to thlis, though she did -not
as Russia could ever expect. The war of'Spain, object to compensation elsewhere.
though chequered in -its fortune, was in no respect III. The third point in question, was'the degree
near a sudden end.'It occupied two hundred and to which the Russian commerce'with'England was
fifty thousand ofthe best and oldest French roops; to be restricted. Napoleon proposed to grant some
t