Page:English Historical Review Volume 35.djvu/584

576 from them is in contradiction with that of Bois-le-Comte. In the first place Chateaubriand as well as La Ferronays was on confidential terms with the tsar. Diiring the latter part of the congress, after Montmorency left to make his unsuccessful attempt to win over the authorities at Paris to the Veronese plan of joint diplomatic action in Spain, Chateaubriand established a considerable intimacy with Alexander. They certainly discussed the Spanish question, and Chateaubriand must therefore have been at least as well supplied as Bois-le-Comte with any information Alexander could give on the subject, whilst he was also, as charge d'affaires of the French mission, in close communication with Wellington himself. Yet his contemporary letters represent Wellington as violently opposed to anything the allies suggest in connexion with the Spanish problem.

Moreover, had Wellington during the congress shown any disposition to fall in with Mettemich's views, it would be safe to suppose that there would be some reflexion of the fact in Metternich's own correspondence. To that consummate but exceedingly vain diplomatist, agreement with his own opinions was the proof of wisdom, whilst stupidity meant action contrary to his views. But as late as 2 December he wrote to Neumann, the Austrian representative at the court of St. James, that Wellington had not a diplomatist's most indispensable qualities, that he had of course never expected ' des nuances delicates et recherchees ' from the duke, but that he had been quite unprepared for the inefficiency with which the said duke had conducted affairs at Verona, and, most suggestive of all, he instructed Neumann to find out if the ' ligne plus acerbe ' taken by England at Verona were to be ascribed to Wellington's instructions, or — which he evidently expected to be the case — ^to Wellington's own attitude. It is obvious from this that Metternich considered that the cajolery which he speaks of in another letter had been in this case thrown away, and it is further obvious that he had not met vnt as much success in sounding Wellington as has been suggested. Now, 2 December is late in the history of Verona. Had Wellington shown any signs of coming into line with Austria during November Metternich would probably have given some intimation of the fact in this letter to London of