Page:The Great problems of British statesmanship.djvu/45

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Great Problems of British Statesmanship
25

he could hope to hold Prussia and Austria in awe and to attack, or at least to threaten, England in India. Russia's support could best be secured by promising to her explicitly, or at least implicitly, the possession of Constantinople and by making her believe that she was not interested in the fate of the other European States, that their enslavement by Napoleon was no concern of hers. In December 1805, while he was at war with Russia, Napoleon significantly said to Prince Dolgoruki, the Czar's aide-de-camp, who had been sent to him, according to the Prince's report of the 23rd of that month, published by Tatistcheff:

Que veut-on de moi? Pourquoi l'empereur Alexandre me fait-il la guerre? Que lui faut-il? Il n'a qu'à étendre les frontières de la Russie aux dépens de ses voisins, des Turcs surtout. Sa querelle avec la France tomberait alors d'elle-même. … La Russie doit suivre une tout autre politique et ne se préoccuper que de ses propres interêts.

While, in vague words, Napoleon promised to Alexander the First the possession of Turkey, he endeavoured to raise the Turks against the Russians. On June 20, 1806, Napoleon dictated, in his characteristic abrupt style, the following instruction for the guidance of General Sebastiani, the French Ambassador in Turkey, which will be found in Driault, 'La Politique Orientale de Napoléon':

1. Inspirer confiance et sécurite à la Porte, la France ne veut que la fortifier.

2. Triple Alliance de Moi, Porte et Perse contre Russie.

7. Fermer lo Bosphore aux Russes, fermer tous les ports, rendre à la Porte son empire absolu sur la Moldavie et la Valachie.

8. Je ne veux point partager l'Empire de Constantinople, voulût-on m'en offrir les trois quarts, je n'en veux point. Je veux raffermir et consolider ce grand empire et m'en servir tel quel comme opposition à la Russie.

In 1806 Napoleon made war upon Prussia. In October of that year the Prussians were totally defeated at Jena