Such were his words, with which his actions at first corresponded.
Sebastiani demanded a passage through Turkey for an army of 25,000
French, which he was to command, and which was to join the Ottoman army.
An unforeseen circumstance, it is true, deranged this plan; but Napoleon
then made Selim the promise of an auxiliary force of 9000 French,
including 5000 artillerymen, who were to be conveyed in eleven vessels
of the line to Constantinople. The Turkish ambassador was at the same
time treated with the greatest distinction in the French camp; he
accompanied Napoleon in all his reviews: the most flattering attentions
were paid to him, and the grand-equerry (Caulaincourt,) was already
treating with him for an alliance, offensive and defensive, when a
sudden attack by the Russians interrupted the negotiation.

The ambassador returned to Warsaw, where the same respect continued to
be shown him, up to the day of the decisive victory of Friedland. But
on the following day his illusion was dissipated; he saw himself
neglected; for it was no longer Selim whom he represented. A revolution
had just hurled from the throne the monarch who had been the friend of
Napoleon, and with him all hope of giving the Turks a regular army, upon
which he could depend. Napoleon, therefore, judging that he could no
longer reckon upon the assistance of these barbarians, changed his
system. Henceforward it was Alexander whom he wished to gain; and as his
was a genius which never hesitated, he was already prepared to abandon
the empire of the East to that monarch, in order that he might be left
at liberty to possess himself of that of the West.

As his great object was the extension of the continental system, and to
make it surround Europe, the co-operation of Russia would complete its
development. Alexander would shut out the English from the North, and