NAPOLEON'S OVERTURES FOR PEACE IN 1814 VANSITTART (Nicholas, 1766-1851, from 1823 1st Baron Bexley, Politician)

Autograph Letter Signed 'N.V.' to Lord AUCKLAND, (William Eden, 1745-1814, from 1793 1st Baron, Politician and Diplomat), saying that "the anxiety which for some days we have felt on account of the firing on the French Coast is at last dissipated", since in fact "no such firing took place. The Moniteurs", the semi-official organ of the French government "of the 9th 10th & 11th [February 1814] ... bring no military news but great accounts of the cordiality between Castlereagh & Caulincourt", (General Armand de Caulaincourt, 1773-1827, Napoleon's envoy for peace terms at Châtillon-sur-Seine), on the other hand "it is reported in the City that a telegraph account has reached Dunkirk mentioning the defeat of Genl. Blucher with the loss of 6000 prisoners. This may be a mere fabrication, but if true would prove that preliminaries were not signed on the 11th when the action is said to have taken place", there is however "no reason to conclude that the allies have met with any severe reverse", 3 sides 8vo., with Vansittart's engraved portrait in his heavily embroidered robes as Chancellor of the Exchequer (1812-1823) from the European Magazine for 1st May 1817, the letter no place, no date, but February the engraving a little browned at edges

The Châtillon-sur-Seine, was the scene of the abortive conference between the envoys of Napoleon and the Allies, opening on 9th February 1814. Napoleon scribbled on his instructions to Caulaincourt 'Ne signez rien', and proceeded to gain some of best successes against the advancing Prussians. Many of the high army officers beggened Caulaincourt to secure peace terms, but Castlereagh's insistence that France resume her 1792 frontiers made it impossible for Napoleon to agree. The conference broke up on 19th March 1814. By the following month all this had changed.

Item Date:  1814

Stock No:  56116      £175

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