It was indeed
universally and hourly expected. But the king of Prussia, a little
before these last events, got wind of the alliance on the carpet between
France and the two empires: he awaked to the situation in which
that would place him: he made some application to the court of St.
Petersburg, to divert the Empress from the proposed alliance, and
supplicated the court of London not to abandon him. That court had also
received a hint of the same project; both seemed to suspect, for the
first time, that it would be possible for France to abandon the Turks,
and that they were likely to get more than they had played for at
Constantinople: for they had meant nothing more there, than to divert
the Empress and Emperor from the affairs of the west, by employing them
in the east, and, at the same time, to embroil them with France as
the patroness of the Turks. The court of London engaged not to
abandon Prussia: but both of them relaxed a little the tone of their
proceedings. The King of Prussia sent a Mr. Alvensleben here, expressly
to explain and soothe: the King of England, notwithstanding the cold
reception of his propositions by Grenville, renewed conferences here
through Eden and the Duke of Dorset.
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