France. These terms, so far
as the nature and extent of the Austrian assistance to France were
concerned, had been sketched by Metternich to the British agent, Nugent,
as far back as November, 1811, and they were accepted by France in a
treaty of March 16, 1812.[54] Austria was to provide an army of 30,000
men to guard Napoleon's flank in Volhynia. In return France guaranteed
the integrity of Turkey, and secretly promised a restoration of the
Illyrian provinces to Austria in exchange for Galicia, which was to form
a part of a reconstituted Poland. Elsewhere Napoleon's negotiations were
unsuccessful. In January he fulfilled his threat of occupying Swedish
Pomerania, but it had no effect on Swedish policy, and when in March he
offered Finland and a part of Norway as the price of an alliance, his
terms were rejected and Sweden allied herself with Russia. On April 17
Napoleon made overtures for peace with Great Britain, offering to
evacuate Spain and to recognise the house of Braganza in Portugal and
the Bourbons in Sicily, if the British would recognise the "actual
dynasty" in Spain and Murat in Naples. The offer was certainly illusory.
"Actual dynasty" was an ambiguous phrase, but would naturally mean the
Bonapartes. Castlereagh declined to recognise Joseph, but declared his
readiness to discuss the proposed basis if "actual dynasty" meant a
recognition of Ferdinand VII. in Spain. Napoleon was enabled to say that
his offers of peace had been rejected, and made no answer to
Castlereagh.

Russia in her turn had to conciliate the Porte, Sweden, Persia, and
Great Britain. The Turkish negotiations were prolonged, and it was only
in May that the treaty of Bucharest was signed, by which Russia gave up
all her conquests except Bessarabia. Sweden had offered Russia her
alliance in February. She was prepared to surrender Finland to Russia on
condition that Russia should assist her in the conquest of Norway. A
joint army was to effect this conquest and then make a descent on North
Germany, threatening the rear of the French army of invasion. The
adhesion of Great Britain was to be invited. On April 5 an alliance
between Russia and Sweden was signed on the terms suggested. This was
followed on August 28 by the treaty of Abo, which was signed in the
presence of the British representative, Lord Cathcart. By this treaty
Russia was to assist Sweden with 30,000 men and a loan, Sweden undertook
to support Russia's claim, when it should be