6
hagen to demand an explanation, on the affair of ⟨the⟩ Freya frigate, the magnanimous Paul had a ⟨conſtant⟩ look out kept from the maſt head of a war ship ⟨at⟩ Cronſtadt, leſt our fleet ſhould ſurprise him in Petersburgh, intending on their coming in fight to ⟨retreat⟩ into the country.
No wonder that the cunning Buonaparte ſhould avail himſelf of the chance of ſetting so whimſical ⟨a⟩ man at variance with his beſt friends; with ⟨thoſe⟩ whoſe commerce had been advantageous to Ruſſia ⟨in⟩ a very great degree; and who, as we ſhall ſhew too(illegible text) Russian produce, which they might have had at home.—No pains were ſpared to cajole Paul and gain his favour. Couriers followed each other in quick ſuccesſion from Paris to Peterſburgh. Plans were ⟨formed⟩ to draw the whole North of Europe into a quarrel ⟨with⟩ us; and as there is never a difficulty in finding a ⟨bone⟩ of contention with thoſe who are bent on differing ſo they eaſily found one; and the inconſiſtent Paul, ⟨the⟩ sworn enemy of regicides and democracy, with Sweden and Denmark in his train, caught by the deceitful lures of Buonaparte, seemed anxious to lend all ⟨their⟩ might to work our ruin.
CHAP. II.
PAUL, who had made himſelf Grand Master ⟨of⟩ the Malteſe order of St. John of Jerusalem wiſhed to poſſeſs the iſland alſo. And when ⟨it⟩ ſurrendered to this country he propoſed a plan to the Britiſh court for to give it up, but before an anſwer could reach him, Buonaparte had been beforehand, and with the effrontery of a Frenchman offered to reconquer and give it to him. This offer, which a child might have ſeen the impoſſibility of his fulfilling, was greedily accepted by Paul. Peace with the French Republic was concluded by him, and notwithstanding of a poſitive treaty existing between the two nati-
