in Russia and the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs. Acting upon his secret instructions given above, Caulaincourt prevaricated and at first refused to consider the question of Constantinople because that position was strategically too important to be rashly disposed of. Being anxious to dispossess the Turks, largely for reasons of humanity, Alexander then proposed to make Constantinople a free town. According to Caulaincourt's report of March 1, 1808, the Czar said to the French Ambassador, 'Constantinople est un point important, trop loin de vous et que vous regardez peut-être comme trop important pour nous. J'ai une idée pour que cela ne fasse pas de difficultés, faisonsen une espéce de ville libre.'
The question arose what equivalent could be given to France if Russia should take Constantinople. At the second conference, which took place on March 2, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs suggested that France should occupy Egypt, stating, 'La France a toujours desire l'Egypte. Sous le règne de l'impératrice Catherine, elle nous avait fait proposer par l'empereur Joseph II de nous laisser aller à Constantinople si nous lui laissions prendre l'Egypte.' The question of Constantinople itself had to be tackled. On March 4 the French Ambassador, speaking, of course, without authority, offered Constantinople to Russia, but claimed at the same time the Dardanelles for France. In other words, he suggested that although Russia might possibly be allowed to occupy Constantinople, France ought to dominate that town by the possession of the Dardanelles! Not unnaturally, the Czar, who was apprised of these demands, refused even to consider that suggestion.
In course of time, the real intentions of Napoleon were revealed to Russia. The Czar recognised that Napoleon had fooled him and had used him as a tool. The Alliance was followed by a breach between the two monarchs, by Napoleon's defeat in 1812, and by his downfall.
The most important documents quoted in these pages show conclusively that the Russian expeditions against
