Your Majesty will only see in this overture my sincere desire to effectually contribute to a general pacification, by a prompt step, free and untrammeled by those forms, which, necessary, perhaps, to disguise the apprehensions of feeble states, only prove in the case of strong ones, the mutual desire to deceive. France and England, by abusing their strength, may for a long time yet, to the misery of all other nations, defer the moment of their absolute exhaustion; but I will venture to say that the fate of all civilised nations, depends on the end of a war which envelopes the whole world. signed BONAPARTE. The British Government did not quite see it, but considered that the claws of the French eagle required yet more cutting. They had been partially operated on at the Nile, and at Acre. Italy was no longer under French rule. Suwarrow’s victories had severely crippled the French, who were, besides, very weak financially. Add to this, that there were 140,000 Austrians gathering along the Rhine. But still it was judged they were yet too sharp for the peace of Europe. The answer from the English Court, Vex’d Nap, according to report: ’Twas to the Minister address’d, It being candidly confess’d That there appear’d not the least cause To break through ceremonial laws; In this his Majesty agreed, Peace was desirable indeed, If that his Majesty were able T’ obtain one permanent and stable; But that at present there was poor hope For England, and indeed for Europe, Till France her lawful princes own’d The Bourbons--whom she had dethron’d. This, really, was the tenor of Lord Grenville’s reply, dated January 4, 1800, which is far too long, and uninteresting, to reproduce. Gillray caricatured this letter of Napoleon’s (February 24, 1800) in ‘_The Apples and the Horse dung, or Buonaparte among the Golden Pippins_; from an old Fable. Explanation.--Some horse dung being washed by the current from a neighbouring dunghill, espied a number of fair apples swimming up the stream, when, wishing to be thought of consequence, the horse dung would every moment be bawling out, “Lack-a-day, how we apples swim!” _See_ Buonaparte’s “Letter to his Majesty,” and Mr. Whitbread’s “Remarks upon the Correspondence between Crowned Heads.”’ Although Gillray did not choose a very savoury subject to illustrate his caricature, yet there is much humour in it. CHAPTER XX. BATTLE OF MARENGO--DEATH OF DESAIX--SAID TO HAVE BEEN ASSASSINATED--NAPOLEON’S LOVE FOR HIM--SOUP KITCHENS AT PARIS--LAVISH EXPENDITURE OF NAPOLEON’S GENERALS.