ad two interviews at Frankfurt
with Baron St. Aignan, a brother-in-law of Caulaincourt, and formerly
the French envoy at Weimar. The Austrian Minister assured him of the
moderation of the allies, especially of England, and of their wish for
a lasting peace founded on the principle of the balance of power.
France must give up all control of Spain, Italy, and Germany, and
return to her natural frontiers, the Rhine, the Alps, and the
Pyrenees. Lord Aberdeen, our ambassador to Austria, and Count
Nesselrode, the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs, were present at
the second interview, and assented to this statement, the latter
pledging his word that it had the approval of Prussia. Aberdeen added
his assurance that England was prepared to relax her maritime code and
sacrifice many of her conquests in order to attain a durable peace. To
these Frankfurt overtures Napoleon charged Maret to answer in vaguely
favourable terms, and to suggest the meeting of a European Congress at
Mannheim. The effect of this Note (November 16th) was marred by the
strange statement--"a peace based on the independence of all nations,
both from the continental and the maritime point of view, has always
been the constant object of the desires and policy of the Emperor
[Napoleon]."[388]

Metternich in reply pointed out that the French Government had not
accepted the proposed terms as a basis for negotiations. The new
Foreign Minister, Caulaincourt, sent off (December 2nd) an acceptance
which was far more frank and satisfactory; but the day before he
penned it, the allies had virtually withdrawn their offer, as they had
told him they would do if it was not speedily accepted. They had all
along decided not to stay the military operations; and, as these were
still flowing strongly in their favour, they could not be expected to
keep open an offer which was exceedingly favourable to Napoleon even
at the time when it was made, that is, before the support of the
Dutch, of the Swiss, and of Murat was fully assured.

It may be well to pause for a moment to inquire what were the views of
the allied Governments, and of Napoleon himself, at this crisis when
Europe was seething in the political crucible. Had Metternich the full
assent of those Governments when he offered the French Emperor the
natural frontiers? Here we must separate the views of Lord Aberdeen
from those of the British Cabinet, as represented by its Foreign
Minister, Lord Castlereagh: and we mus