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

LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 19
not in,thle slightest degree-to alter the relations ofamity to France. But what bait could Napoleon hold out
to a state which she considered as having adopted the to bring back an alienated friend.? He, might, inattitude of an enemy towards her, merely from corn- deed, offer to assist Bernadotte- i., regaining tihe pro,pulsion too powerful to be, resisted., This modera- vince of Finland, which, by, the conniv.atce of Nation on the part of Great Britain, did not prevent poleon, had been conquered by Russia.. But the
Sweden from feeling all the evils of the anti social Crown Prince concluded, that, to, enter: into a war
system of Bonaparte. Her commerce was reduced with the view of recovering Finland, would occasion
to a mere coasting-trade,, and her vessels skulked expenses which the country, could not afforl, and
from port to port, exposed to the depredations of which the acquisition, of Finland cou!ld not conDanish and French privateers,, who seized upon and pensate, even supposing it sure to be accomplished.
confiscated upwards of fifty Swedish ships, under Besides, the repossession of Finland would engage
pretence of enforcing the non-intercourse system. Sweden in perpetual disputes with Russia, whereas
The Prince Royal applied for redress at the court the two. nations, separated by the Gull' of Bothnia,
of Paris; but although vague promises were given, had at present no cause of difference. On the other
yet neither were the acts of piracy discontinued, nor hand, by siding with Rulssia in the great contest
any amends made for those daily conmmitted. The which was impending, Sweden might expect the
Bar-on Alquier, who was the French envoy at Stock- assistance of that empire, as well as of Britain, to
holon, used, according to Bernadotte's expression, achieve from Denmark, the ally of France, the
the language of a Roman proconsul, without remem conqvtes.t of her kingdom of Norway, which, in its
berinlg that he did not speak to slaves. geographical situation,, lay so conveniently for
When asked, for example, to state categorically Sweden, and afforded her the whole range of seawhat Napoleon expected from. Sweden, and what he coast along the western shores of Scandinavia. It
proposed to grant her in return, Alquier answered, is said that the Prince Royal offered to Napoleon
that " the emperor expected fiomn Sweden compli- to enter into a leagule, offensive and defensive, with
ance in every point conformable to his system; after France, providing Norway as well as Finland were
which it would be tile enough to inquilre into what added to his dominions; but the emperor rejected
his Imperial Majesty might be disposed to do in the terms with disdain. The whole alleged negoftvour of Sweden." tiation, however, has been disputed and denied.
On another occasion, the French envoy had tlhe So soon as Bonaparte found there was no hope of
assurance to decline farther Intercourse with the conciliating the Prince Royal, which indeed he
Crown Prince on the subject of his mission, and to scarce seems seriously to have attempted, he prodesire that some other person might be appointed ceeded, without waiting for the ceremony of deto communicate with him. There can hbe no doubt, carting war, to strike against Sweden the most
thit, in this singular course of diplomacy, Baron severe, or rather the only blow, in his power. In
Alquier obeyed his master's instructions, who was January, 1812, General Davoust marched into Swedetermined to treat the Prince Royal of Sweden, dish Pomerania, tile only possession of Sweden
emancipated as he was from his allegiance to France south of the Baltic Sea, seized upon the country and
by letters patent from the Imperial Chancery, as if its capital, and proceeded to menace the military
he had still been his subject, and sering'in his occupation of Prussia, so far as that country was
armies. Napoleon went so, far as to say, before his no.t already in the hands'of France..
courtiers, that he had a mind to make Bernadotte Receiving no satisfaction for this aggression,
finish his lessons in the Swedish language in the Sweden, 24th Marchl 1812, signed a treaty with
Castle of Vincennes. It is even said, that the Russia, declaring war against France; and proposeraperor thought seriously of putting this threat into ing a diversion, with a joint force of twenty-five or
execution, and that a plot was actually formed to thirty thousand Swedes, together with fifteen or
seize the person of the Prince Royal, putting him on twenty thousand Russians, upon some poinlt of' Ceboard a vessel, and bringilng him pirisoner to France. I many. And the Emperor of Russia betaxe bound,
Bat lie escaped this danger by the information of an either by negotiation or military co-ol)eration, to
oflicer named Salazar, folmelly an aide-de-camp of unite the kingdoms of Norway to that of' Sweden,
Mar,'mont, who conlveyed to the prince tinely infor- and to hold the Russian arnmy, wu hich was at present
mutiton of the outrage which was intended.4 - in Finlanld, as disposable for that pui pose. Thus.
Wtith so many causes of'll itual'anilmosity between was the force of Sweden, rendered yet more conFrance and Sweden, all arising out of' tie impolitic siderable by the highl military character of its
vehemence by which Bonaparte endeavoured to present chief, thrown into the scale against Ftrance,
drive, rather than lead, the l rince Royal into the to whom, brat for the passionate and impolitic chameasures he desired, it can hardly be s!ipposed that racter of Napoleon's proceedings towards lier, she
the last would neglect ally opportunity to assert mnight, in all probability, have remained the same
his independence, and his resoluition not to submit usefil and faithful ally which she had been since
to asuperiority so degrading in itself, and so un- the alliance of Francis I. with Gustavus Vasa.
graciously and even untlrcifillly exercised. No reason can he discovered for insulting Sweden
Such was the state of matters betwixt the two at the precise moment when her co-operation would
countries, when, fiom the apprt.achiing war with have been so usefill, excepting the animosity of
itassia, the assistance of Sweden became essential Napoleon against a prince whom he regarded as an
aoncient rival before the 18th Brumaire, and now as
~ see Appendix, No. 6 —-Reflections on the conduct of a contumacious and rebellious vassal. A due regar' d
Napoleon ioward.m the Pince Roa of Sweden." to the honour and interest of France, would have
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