lly, Napoleon. But to
abandon him, if he remained obdurate, was, after all, but an act of
treachery to an individual who had slight claims on Austria, and whose
present offer was alike immoral and insulting. Four days later
Metternich notified to Russia and Prussia that the Emperor Francis
would now proceed with his task of armed mediation.[291]

Austria's overtures for a general peace met with no encouragement at
London. Her envoy, Count Wessenberg, was now treated with the same
cold reserve that had been accorded to Lord Walpole at Vienna early in
the year. On April 9th Castlereagh informed him that all hope of peace
had failed since the "Ruler of France" had declared to the Legislative
Body that _the French Dynasty reigned and would continue to reign in
Spain, and that he had already stated all the sacrifices that he could
consent to make for peace_.

"Whilst he [Napoleon] shall continue to declare that none of the
territories arbitrarily incorporated into the French Empire shall
become matter of negotiation, it is in vain to hope that His
Imperial Majesty's beneficent intentions can by negotiation be
accomplished. It is for His Imperial Majesty to consider, after a
declaration in the nature of a defiance from the Ruler of France,
a declaration highly insulting to His Imperial Majesty when his
intervention for peace had been previously accepted, whether the
moment is not arrived for all the Great Powers of Europe to act in
concert for their common interests and honour. To obtain for their
States what may deserve the name of peace they must look again to
establish an Equilibrium in Europe."

Finally, the British Government refused to lend itself to a
negotiation which must weaken and distract the efforts of Russia and
Prussia.[292]

For the present Napoleon indulged the hope that the bribe of Silesia
would range Austria's legions side by side with his own, and with
Poniatowski's Poles. Animated with this hope, he left Paris before the
dawn of April 15th; and, travelling at furious speed, his carriage
rolled within the portals of Mainz in less than forty hours. There he
stayed for a week, feeling every throb of the chief arteries of his
advance. They beat full and fast; the only bad symptom was the refusal
of Saxony to place her cavalry at his disposal. But, at the close of
the week, Austria's attitude gave him concern. It was clear that she
had not swallowed the bai