[The Life of Napoleon I (Volume 2 of 2) by John Holland Rose]@TWC D-Link bookThe Life of Napoleon I (Volume 2 of 2) CHAPTER XXV 5/36
He died on September 13th. French historians, following an article in the "Moniteur" of November 26th, have often asserted that the death of Fox and the accession to power of the warlike faction changed the character of the negotiations.[89] Nothing can be further from the truth.
Not long before his end, Fox thus expressed to his nephew his despair of peace: "We can in honour do nothing without the full and _bona fide_ consent of the Queen and Court of Naples; but, even exclusive of that consideration and of the great importance of Sicily, it is not so much the value of the point in dispute as the manner in which the French fly from their word that disheartens me.
It is not Sicily, but the shuffling, insincere way in which they act, that shows me that they are playing a false game; and in that case it would be very imprudent to make any concessions, which by any possibility could be thought inconsistent with our honour, or could furnish our allies with a plausible pretence for suspecting, reproaching, or deserting us." It is further to be noted that Lauderdale stayed on at Paris three weeks after the death of Fox; that he put forward no new demand, but required that Talleyrand should revert to his first promise of renouncing all claim to Sicily, and should treat conjointly with England and Russia.
It was in vain.
Napoleon's final concessions were that the Bourbons, after losing Sicily, should have the Balearic Isles and be pensioned _by Spain_; that Russia should hold Corfu (as she already did); and that we should recover Hanover from Prussia, and keep Malta, the Cape, Tobago, and the three French towns in India; but, except Hanover, all of these were in our power.
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