him in precisely similar terms to O'Meara at St.
Helena. Those plans were defeated by the suspicions and vigilance of
Lord Nelson; by his habit of acting promptly upon his suspicions; by the
alacrity with which the Admiralty of the day obeyed his warnings; by the
prescience of Lord Collingwood; and by the consequent intercepting of
the combined French and Spanish fleets off Ferrol by Sir Robert Calder,
in July, 1806. The moment this happened, Napoleon saw that his game--so
far at least as England was concerned--was at an end; and fertile in
resources, he immediately carried out the second part of his programme.
Then followed, as we know, the campaign of Austerlitz, the treaty of
Presburg, the war with Prussia, and finally the battle of Jena, in
October, 1806.

BERLIN DECREE.

Ever bent on humiliating and crippling the resources of England,
Napoleon on the 1st of November, 1806, issued his memorable "Berlin
Decree," containing eleven clauses, of which this country formed the
exclusive topic. By it, all trade and correspondence with the British
Isles was prohibited; all letters and packets at the post office,
addressed to England, or to an Englishman, or "written in English," were
to be seized; every subject of England found _in any_ of the countries
occupied by French troops or those of their allies, was to be made
prisoner of war; all warehouses, merchandise, and property belonging to
a subject of England were declared lawful prize; all trading in English
merchandise forbidden; every article belonging to England, or coming
from her colonies, or of her manufacture, was declared good prize; and
English vessels were excluded from every European port.[10] This
outrageous "decree" Bonaparte imposed upon every country that fell under
the iron sway of his military despotism.

[Illustration:
NAPOLEON FORTY-EIGHT HOURS AFTER LANDING.

"Ha, my little Boney! what dost think of Johnny Bull now? Plunder Old
England, hay? Make French slaves of us all, hay? Ravish all our wives
and daughters, hay? O, Lord help that silly head! To think that Johnny
Bull would ever suffer those lanthorn jaws to become King of Old
England's Roast Beef and Plum Pudding!"]

[Illustration:
JOHN BULL OFFERING LITTLE BONEY FAIR PLAY.

BONAPARTE--"I'm a-coming! I'm a-coming!"

JOHN BULL--"You're a-coming!
If you mean to invade us, why make such a route?
I say, Little Boney,--why don't you come out?