The Negotiations for the Peace of the Dardanelles, in 1808-9

failed of its effect, and in December he set sail for England. It so happened, that on my reaching Malta on my way home in March, I found there Captain Stewart of the Sea-Horse, whose station was in the Archipelago, and who had arrived but a few hours before me with a proposal from the Pacha of the Dardanelles to resume Sir Arthur Paget's negociation. Captain Stewart of course lost not a moment in setting sail for Malta, thinking it might be possible to overtake Sir Arthur; but he was already gone. Sir Alexander Ball, who was anxious that the opportunity should not be lost, proposed to me on this to put myself in Sir Arthur's place, and return with Captain Stewart to the Dardanelles. That of course was impossible, as I had no commission. It occurred to me, however, that it might be possible to manage this business in such a way as to give the two countries the benefit of peace until we could hear from home; that as the commanders-in-chief of all op-7 posing forces are empowered to agree to a suspension of hostilities, and as I was in possession of the terms on which my Government was ready to make peace with Turkey, I had but to offer my services to Lord Collingwood to go up to the Dardanelles as his clerk, or in any capacity he might think fit to send me, and to settle the terms of an armistice according to the instructions of which I had a copy. The two Governments would then have only to turn the armistice into a treaty, and the thing was done without losing time, and risking an opportunity not easily perhaps to be recovered: as the event proved this afterwards to be.

I authorised Sir Alexander Ball, therefore, to submit my proposal to Lord Collingwood, of whom I requested at the same time, in case of his not approving it, a passage to England in any ship he might be sending home; and I wrote to Mr. Canning to tell him what I had done.

Not liking to stay at Malta until answers should arrive to these letters, I went to Sicily to wait for them. Early in May the Superb arrived at Palermo with orders to take me to England. On inquiring of Captain Jackson (who commanded her) whether Lord Collingwood had sent any answer to my letter containing the proposal above-mentioned, he told me that he had not seen his Lordship; that immediately after the fleet had been joined by the Ambuscade (by which my letter was sent), his signal was made to come to me at Palermo, and give me a passage home. There was nothing more to be said, so I embarked with him, and reached London in the month of May.

With what feelings I arrived will be understood by those who consider that, from the date of my letter to Mr. Canning of the 10th of July in the preceding year until the day on which I knocked at his door in Bruton Street, I had not heard one word from him either of praise or of blame; and that during this interval, I had taken upon myself many important acts, for which, if they were blameable, I had no right to count upon his partiality towards one so openly opposed as I was to the Government of which he made a part.

But Mr. Canning had many generous qualities. I remember his once saying in the House of Commons that his foreign policy was contained in one word — England." He saw that, with all my defects, I had served England faithfully and zealously, and all party differences were forgotten the moment he saw me.

Our conversation was therefore short, and to the purpose. On receiving my letter from Malta, he had instantly sent me full powers to open a negociation for peace with the Porte, but the frigate which brought them out crossed the Superb on her voyage home. He now proposed to me to return, and open the negociation. My answer was, that as he was aware of my party principles and engagements, he must give me leave first to consult my friends. Canning complied without hesitation, and the result was that I accepted the mission under an express agreement, that after having made the peace, I should be at liberty to return home, and resume my seat on the Opposition benches of the House of Commons.

Mr.

He then asked me what instructions I wished to take out in addition to those which he had sent to Sir Arthur Paget. It will be seen by my Vienna letters, that before my departure from thence, some hope had presented itself of breaking up the French and Russian alliance, the chief basis of which, as Count Stadion had informed me, was the pursuit of a common system in the affairs of European Turkey. I knew that some angry discussions on other points had already taken place at Paris between Count Tolstoy and the French Government, and it appeared to me that if, after settling our own concerns with

the Porte, a peace could be effected between that Power and Russia without French intervention, there would be a fair chance for Europe of dissolving that unnatural but most formidable compact. I proposed, therefore, to Mr. Canning to add a clause to my instructions, directing me to become the mediator of such a peace, without referring home for specific powers, if an opportunity for making it should occur. He readily adopted the suggestion, and added the requisite clause.

But this was not all. It will be seen by the same letters that I had not left my post without establishing a correspondence through which our friendly intercourse with Austria might be resumed whenever it could be done without danger to her. On my way home I had learned at Gibraltar the gallant resistance begun by Spain to the French invasion; and soon afterwards we heard that fresh exactions and aggressions were provoking the Austrian Government to stand up once more against her tyranny. Mr. Canning was of course anxious to seize this opportunity of re-establishing, if possible, our relations with Austria, and he authorised me to make the attempt through the channel which was open for it. I wrote in consequence to Count Stadion the letter which will be found in page 6. of the present publication. It was too early to propose the measure directly, so it was done under cover of an invitation to assist us by his good offices in our impending negociation with the Porte.

* Mission to Vienna, p. 265.

CONTENTS

ог

THE FIRST VOLUME.

To MR. CANNING.