ite the alliance of Indian sovereigns opposed
to Great Britain. On his appearance at Pondicherri, the British
commander prepared to seize him, but he escaped to the Mauritius, which
he put in a state of defence, and made a basis for attacks on British
commerce which lasted from 1803 to 1811.

[Pageheading: _CAUSES OF MISTRUST AFTER AMIENS._]

Ireland also was visited by political spies, passing as commercial
agents. It may not be easy to say how far Emmet's rebellion, to be
recorded hereafter, was the result of these visits. At all events a
letter fell into the hands of the British government, addressed by
Talleyrand to a French agent at Dublin, called Fauvelet, directing him
to obtain answers to a series of questions about the military and naval
circumstances of the district, and "to procure a plan of the ports, with
the soundings and moorings, and to state the draught of water, and the
wind best suited for ingress and egress". The British government
naturally complained of these instructions, but Talleyrand persistently
maintained that they were of a purely commercial character.[7] It is, of
course, true that these preparations in view of a possible recurrence of
hostilities, however obvious their intention, were not in themselves
hostile acts. Still, they were just grounds for suspicion, and, with our
retrospective knowledge of Napoleon's later career, we may seek in vain
for the grounds of confidence which had made the conclusion of a treaty
possible. Great Britain was guilty of more direct breaches of the peace
of Amiens. Russia refused her guarantee for the independence of Malta,
and the British government was therefore technically justified in
retaining it. No similar justification could, however, be alleged for
the retention of Alexandria and the French towns in India. These
measures were, as will be seen, defended on broader grounds of public
policy. Not the least of the causes of discontent with the new situation
was the refusal of Napoleon to follow up the treaty of peace with a
commercial treaty. He had even retained French troops in Holland, and
thus shown that he meant to close its ports against British commerce.
The hope of a renewal of trade with France had been a main cause of the
popular desire for peace, and had reconciled the British public to the
sacrifices with which the treaty of Amiens had been purchased. It soon
became clear that further concessions would be made the price of a
commercial treat