e negotiator of Luneville. At Amiens, the position of the British
government was compromised from the first by its renewed insistence on a
point which had been omitted from the preliminary treaty, namely, the
compensation of the Prince of Orange. This demand was accompanied by an
endeavour to obtain compensation for the King of Sardinia. Joseph
Bonaparte, on the other hand, entrenched himself behind the letter of
the treaty, and acknowledged no further obligation. Any additional
concession to Great Britain could only be purchased by British
concessions to France. Other difficulties arose over the question of
Malta, the payment for the maintenance of prisoners, and the inclusion
of allies as parties to the treaty.

[Pageheading: _CORNWALLIS AT AMIENS._]

On the first of these questions the French would appear to have aimed
throughout at reducing the knights to as impotent a position as
possible. The British, on the other hand, ostensibly desiring to see the
strength of the order maintained, were chiefly interested in securing
its neutrality. At the time of the signature of the preliminary treaty,
Russia was the power that seemed to Great Britain the fittest guarantor
of the independence of the knights. On the refusal of Russia to accept
this position, Naples appeared to be the next best alternative, but it
was eventually agreed to substitute for the guarantee of a third power
the obviously futile guarantee of all the powers. Neither party foresaw
that the impossibility of obtaining such a guarantee was destined to
leave the whole clause about Malta inoperative. After much dispute over
the future constitution of the order, France proposed to obviate the
chief source of difficulty by the demolition of the forts. This plan
commended itself to Cornwallis, but was rejected by the British
government. By the end of December it was agreed that a Neapolitan
garrison was to occupy the islands provisionally, until the new
organisation should be established. Great Britain proposed that this
garrison should be maintained at the joint expense of Great Britain and
France. It did not occur to the British government to propose any
guarantee for the preservation of the property of the order, and this
omission ultimately proved material. The question of including allies in
the treaty was less complicated. France preferred a number of separate
treaties so as to keep the British interest in Europe at a minimum.
Great Britain, on the other h