[Footnote 127:  Lord Cathcart’s secret report to the War Office, dated April 22nd, 1807, dealt with the appeal made by Lord Hutchinson, and with a Projet of Dumouriez, both of whom strongly urged the expedition to Stralsund.  On May 30th Castlereagh received a report from a Hanoverian officer, Kuckuck, stating that Hanover and Hesse were ripe for revolt, and that Hameln might easily be seized if the North Germans were encouraged by an English force ("Castlereagh Letters,” vol. vi., pp. 169 and 211).]

[Footnote 128:  “F.O.,” Russia, No. 69.]

[Footnote 129:  “Correspond.,” No. 12563; also “La Mission du Gen. Gardane en Perse,” par le comte de Gardane.  Napoleon in his proclamation of December 2nd, 1806, told the troops that their victories had won for France her Indian possessions and the Cape of Good Hope.]

[Footnote 130:  Wilson, “Campaign in Poland”; “Operations du 3’me Corps [Davoust’s], 1806-1807,” p. 199.]

[Footnote 131:  “Corresp.,” Nos. 12749 and 12751.  Lejeune, in his “Memoirs,” also shows that Napoleon’s chief aim was to seize Koenigsberg.]

[Footnote 132:  “Memoirs of Oudinot,” ch. i]

[Footnote 133:  The report is dated Memel, June 21st, 1807, in “F.O.,” Prussia, No. 74.  Hutchinson thinks the Russians had not more than 45,000 men engaged at Friedland, and that their losses did not exceed 15,000:  but there were “multitudes of stragglers.”  Lettow-Vorbeck gives about the same estimates.  Those given in the French bulletin are grossly exaggerated.]

[Footnote 134:  On June 17th, 1807, Queen Louisa wrote to her father:”  ... we fall with honour.  The King has proved that he prefers honour to shameful submission.”  On June 23rd Bennigsen professed a wish to fight, while secretly advising surrender (Hardenberg, “Mems.,” vol. iii., p. 469).]

[Footnote 135:  “F.O.,” Russia, No. 69.  Soult told Lord Holland ("Foreign Reminiscences,” p. 185) that Bennigsen was plotting to murder the Czar, and he (S.) warned him of it.]

[Footnote 136:  “Lettres inedites de Talleyrand,” p. 468; also Garden, vol. x., pp. 205-210; and “Ann.  Reg.” (1807), pp. 710-724, for the British replies to Austria.]

[Footnote 137:  Canning to Paget ("Paget Papers,” vol. ii., p. 324).  So too Canning’s despatch of July 21st to Gower (Russia, No. 69).]

[Footnote 138:  Stadion saw through it.  See Beer, p. 243.]

[Footnote 139:  “Nap.  Corresp.,” No. 11918.]

[Footnote 140:  Ib., No. 12028.  This very important letter seems to me to refute M. Vandal’s theory ("Nap. et Alexandre,” ch. i.), that Napoleon was throughout seeking for an alliance with Austria, or Prussia, or Russia.]

[Footnote 141:  Canning to Paget, May 16th, 1807 ("Paget Papers,” vol. ii., p. 290).]

[Footnote 142:  Garden, vol. x., pp. 214-218; and Gower’s despatch of June 17th. 1807 (Russia, No. 69).]

[Footnote 143:  All references to the story rest ultimately on Bignon, “Hist. de France” (vol. vi., p. 316), who gives no voucher for it.  For the reasons given above I must regard the story as suspect.  Among a witty, phrase-loving people like the French, a good mot is almost certain to gain credence and so pass into history.]