including that of searching American merchantmen for British-born
sailors, and impressing them at the will of British naval officers.
These grievances ultimately led to a war between Great Britain and
America in 1812. The continental system, however, did not long remain so
complete as in the beginning of 1808. Junot's expedition to Portugal had
led to a French occupation of that country before the end of 1807. The
conquest of Portugal was followed, as we shall see later, by a partial
conquest of Spain. This threw the Spaniards back upon the British
alliance and afforded an opportunity for the liberation of Portugal, so
that from May, 1808, Great Britain once more had a large seaboard open
to her commerce. The early success of the Spanish resistance to France,
and other events in the peninsula hereafter to be recorded, encouraged
Austria to arm again; and on the news of the capitulation of the French
army at Baylen in July, she pushed forward her preparations with
redoubled energy. A national movement arose simultaneously in North
Germany, but the Prussian government dared not head it so long as
Russia remained faithful to the French alliance.

[Pageheading: _NAPOLEON AT ERFURT._]

Notwithstanding a peremptory declaration from the tsar after the seizure
of the Danish fleet, Russia had nothing to gain by war with Great
Britain. She was bound to France by the prospect held forth to her at
Tilsit of the conquest of Finland and the partition of Turkey, but she
was inwardly desirous of peace with Great Britain. Napoleon, on the
other hand, saw in the partition of Turkey an opportunity of striking at
India, and had actually given orders for naval preparations to be made
in Spain, when all thought of eastern conquest had to be postponed owing
to the success of the Spanish patriots. After a conference between
Napoleon and the tsar at Erfurt a secret convention was signed on
October 12, by which France sanctioned Russian conquests in Finland and
the Danubian provinces, and Russia recognised the Bonaparte dynasty in
Spain and promised to assist France in a defensive war against Austria.
The two powers despatched a joint note to Great Britain inviting her to
make peace, on the principle of _uti possidetis_. Canning replied that
he was prepared to negotiate if his allies, especially Sweden and the
Spanish patriots, who were at that time in actual possession of almost
the entire country, were included in the peace. On November 19 Na