something personally civil to me. He then began again, 'Why these
armaments? Against whom these measures of precaution? I have not a
single ship of the line in the French ports; but if you wish to arm, I
will arm also; if you wish to fight, I will fight also. You may perhaps
kill France, but will never intimidate her.' 'We wish,' said I, 'neither
the one nor the other. We wish to live on good terms with her.' 'You
must respect treaties then,' replied he; 'woe to those who do not
respect treaties; they shall answer for it to all Europe.'"

Too much stress has been laid upon this incident, so characteristic of
Napoleon's studied impetuosity. Little more than a fortnight later he
received the British ambassador with courtesy. Overtures now succeeded
overtures, and much was expected on both sides from the influence of the
Tsar Alexander, to whom France suggested that Malta might be ceded.[12]
At the last moment, a somewhat more conciliatory disposition was shown
by the French diplomatists; and the British government was blamed by its
opponents, alike for having failed to break off the negotiations earlier
on the broadest grounds, and for breaking them off too abruptly on
grounds of doubtful validity. But we now see that national enmity,
fostered by the press on both sides, rendered friendly relations
impossible, and that, even had Napoleon been willing to refrain from
aggressions, peace was impossible. On May 12, two months after the
king's message, Whitworth, having presented an ultimatum, finally
quitted Paris. A few days later an order was issued for the detention of
all British subjects then resident in France, and justified on the
ground that French seamen (but not passengers) were liable to capture at
sea. On June 10 Talleyrand announced the occupation of Hanover and the
treatment as enemies of Hanoverian soldiers serving under the King of
Great Britain. Meanwhile, on May 16, the rupture of peaceful relations
was announced to both houses of parliament; on May 18 war was declared,
and in June volunteers were already mustering to resist invasion.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] So Vansittart himself, in Pellew, _Life of Sidmouth_, i., 371.
Southey and Captain Mahan have erroneously supposed that Vansittart
accompanied the naval expedition and was sent by Parker in the frigate
from the Skaw.

[2] _Annual Register_, xliii. (1801), chapter i. The average price of
wheat in 1800 was 112s. 8d. the quarter, whereas the highest annual
av