12 CAUSES INVOLVING FRANCE AND ENGLAND C II A P. I. Effect of the iiieasuie at St Peters- burg. Count Nes- selrodu's sorrow. The Czar's determina- tion to re- taliate with his Black Sea fleet. the peace of the city, but to the whole of the Allied squadrons. AVheu the tidings of this hostile measure reached St Petersburg, they put an end for the time to all prospect of peace ; and even Count Nesselrode, who had hitherto done all lie could venture in the way of resistance to his master, now declared with sorrow that he saw in the acts of the British Government a 'settled purpose to ' liumiliate Russia.' He spoke in sorrow ; and his thoughts, it would seem, went back to the times when he had sat in gi-eat councils with Wellington. ' He spoke,' says Sir Hamilton Sey- mour, ' with much feeling of the liorrors of war, ' and particularly of war between two powerful ' countries — two old allies like England and ' Eussia — countries which, whilst they might be ' of infinite use to one another, possessed each the
- means of inflicting great injury upon its antago-
' nist ; and ended by saying that if, for any ' motives known to him, war should be declared ' against Russia by England, it would be the most ' unintelligible and the least justifiable war ever
- undertaken.' *
The Czar received tidings of the hostile de- cision of the maritime Powers in a spirit which, tliis time at least, was almost justified by the pro- vocation given. In retaliation for what he would naturally look upon as a bitter alfrout, and even a.s a breach of treaty, he determined, it would seem, to have vengeance at sea, whilst vengeance
- ' Eastern Papers,' part ii. p. 180.
