As July wore on and brought no peaceful overtures, but rather a tightening of Napoleon's coils in Saxony, Bavaria, and Illyria, the Emperor Francis inclined towards war.

As late as July 18th he wrote to Metternich that he was still for peace, provided that Illyria could be gained.[338] But the French military preparations decided him, a few days later, to make war, unless every one of the Austrian demands should be conceded by August 10th.

His counsellors had already come to that conclusion, as our records prove.

On July 20th Stadion wrote to Cathcart urging him to give pecuniary aid to General Nugent, who would wait on him to concert means for rousing a revolt against Napoleon in Tyrol and North Italy; and our envoy agreed to give L5,000 a month for the "support of 5,000 Austrians acting in communication with our squadron in the Adriatic." This step met with Metternich's approval; and, when writing to Stadion from Prague (July 25th), he counselled Cathcart to send a despatch to Wellington and urge him to make a vigorous move against the south of France.

He (Metternich) would have the letter sent safely through Switzerland and the south of France direct to our general.[339] With the solemn triflings of the Congress we need not concern ourselves.