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 must also distinguish between the
Emperor Alexander and his Minister, Nesselrode, a man of weak
character, in whom he had little confidence. Certainly the British
Cabinet was not disposed to leave Antwerp in Napoleon's hands.

"This nation," wrote Castlereagh to Aberdeen on November 13th, "is
likely to view with disfavour any peace which does not confine
France within her ancient limits.... We are still ready to
encounter, with our allies, the hazards of peace, if peace can be
made on the basis proposed, satisfactorily executed [_sic_]; and
we are not inclined to go out of our way to interfere in the
internal government of France, however much we might desire to see
it placed in more pacific hands. But I am satisfied we must not
encourage our allies to patch up an imperfect arrangement. If they
will do so, we must submit; but it should appear, in that case, to
be their own act, and not ours.... I must particularly entreat you
to keep your attention upon Antwerp. The destruction of that
arsenal is essential to our safety. To leave it in the hands of
France is little short of imposing upon Great Britain the charge
of a perpetual war establishment."[389]

Thenceforth British policy inclined, though tentatively and with some
hesitations, to the view that it was needful in the interests of peace
to bring France back to the limits of 1791, that is, of withdrawing
from her, not only Holland, the Rhineland and Italy, but also Belgium,
Savoy, and Nice. The Prussian patriots were far more decided. They
were determined that France should not dominate the Rhineland and
overawe Germany from the fortresses of Mainz, Coblentz, and Wesel. On
this subject Arndt spoke forth with no uncertain sound in a
pamphlet--"The Rhine, Germany's river, not her boundary"--which proved
that the French claim to the Rhine frontier was consonant neither with
the teachings of history nor the distribution of the two peoples. The
pamphlet had an immense effect in stirr