Prussian minister, Hardenberg, supported the tsar's policy towards
France, but without sharing his ardour.

On the first arrival of the allies in Champagne the tsar had only
induced Metternich to advance by threatening to prosecute the war alone.
After they had gained what appeared to be a decisive victory over
Napoleon at La Rothiere on February 1, negotiations were commenced at
Chatillon. Napoleon insisted on continuing the war during the
negotiations and interposed every possible delay. The allies first
demanded that France should recede within the limits of 1791 and offered
a partial restoration of French colonies, but refused to specify the
colonies which they were willing to relinquish until France should
accept the first condition. To this the French demurred, and on the 9th
the tsar impetuously withdrew his minister. From the 10th to the 14th
Napoleon inflicted a series of crushing blows upon Bluecher's army.
Negotiations were now resumed; they lasted till the middle of March, but
as Napoleon would not surrender his claim to Belgium and the Rhine
provinces they were fruitless, notwithstanding the pacific efforts of
Caulaincourt, the French negotiator. On the 21st Napoleon tried in vain
to detach Austria from the allies by a private letter to the Emperor
Francis, and on March 1 a permanent basis was given to the alliance by
the treaty of Chaumont (definitely signed on the 9th), by which the four
allied powers bound themselves to conclude no separate peace, and not to
lay down their arms till the object of the war should have been obtained
by the restriction of France to her ancient frontiers. Each power was
to maintain 150,000 men regularly in the field, and Great Britain was to
pay the three other powers a subsidy of L5,000,000 for the current year
and a like sum for every subsequent year of warfare. The signatory
powers were to maintain their present concert and armaments for twenty
years if necessary.

[Pageheading: _NAPOLEON'S FIRST ABDICATION._]

After this treaty on March 4 Bluecher united with Wittgenstein and Buelow
near Soissons. On the 20th Napoleon was repulsed by Schwarzenberg's army
at Arcis-sur-Aube, after which he attempted to cut off its
communications by a movement to its rear. In consequence of this
movement the allied armies advanced on Paris, while the Austrian emperor
fled to Dijon taking Castlereagh and Metternich with him.[60] This left
the war to be concluded under the influence of the