er, who burst into angry abuse of the "libel," and
bemoaned the lack of able men to support him both in a wise foreign
policy and in such internal reforms as the abolition of serfdom, which
he was determined to accomplish. Moreover, Napoleon's conduct was such
as to produce serious uneasiness. So far from evacuating Prussia,
French troops still occupied all her harbor towns, and menaced the
Russian frontier as if their commander were a foe and not a friend.
The agreement made with Kalkreuth for the gradual withdrawal of the
French army from Prussia was held to be null, for the Prussians could
not raise the indemnity of a hundred and fifty million francs computed
as the direct cost of the war. To this was added the fact that no move
was made toward the dismemberment of Turkey. The Emperor of the French
had seized and fortified Corfu, but in a preliminary armistice between
Russia and Turkey, due to his intermediation, not a word was said
about the Danubian principalities; although the Russian troops were
still in Wallachia, it was clear that French influence was daily
growing stronger at Constantinople, and might grow strong enough to
thwart the Czar's plans entirely.

Such were the disquieting considerations which finally brought to a
climax the relations of Russia with England. On October twenty-sixth,
Lord Leveson-Gower, the English ambassador, received a note from Count
Rumianzoff to the effect that twice Russia had taken up arms for
England's advantage, and had in vain solicited even such cooeperation
as would seem to have been in Great Britain's own interest. She had
not even asked, said the writer, for reinforcements, but merely for a
diversion, and had been chagrined to see that her ally, so far from
maintaining the Czar's cause, had instead, like a cold observer of the
bloody theater where war had been kindled at her behest, despatched
expeditions on her own behalf to seize Egypt and to attack Buenos
Ayres. After all this the Czar had still offered his mediation, but in
vain: Great Britain had replied by an act of unheard-of violence,
despoiling an ancient and dignified monarchy. Could the Czar apologize
for such a deed? It was insulting to expect it. After reciting these
grievances and asserting the principles of the armed neutrality, the
paper announced a rupture of all diplomatic relations until reparation
should be made to Denmark.

War was formally declared by Russia on November seventh, and England
retort