For three weeks the emperors remained together at Tilsit, and then they separated devoted friends.  Turkey had for some time been disposed to regard France as its protector against the encroachments of Russia, and was disposed to enter into friendly alliance.  By the treaty of Tilsit, Russia consented to make peace with Turkey, and also to exert all her influence to promote peace between France and England.  The efforts of Alexander not being successful in this respect, he broke off his connection with Great Britain, and became still more intimately allied with France.  The British ambassador, Lord Gower, was informed that his presence was no longer desired at St. Petersburg.  The second bombardment of Copenhagen, and the seizure of the Danish fleet gave occasion for Alexander to declare war against England.  The war, however, which ensued between the two countries, amounted chiefly to a cessation of trade.  England, protected by her fleet, was invulnerable; and Napoleon and Alexander both agreed that the only possible way of compelling England to assent to peace, was to shut her out from commerce with the rest of Europe.  This was the origin of the famous continental system, by which it was endeavored to force the belligerent islanders to peace by cutting off their trade.

Alexander called upon Sweden to unite in this confederacy against England.  The Swedes declined.  Alexander overran the whole of Finland with his troops, and in 1809 it was permanently annexed to the Russian empire.  Just before this event, in September, 1808, Napoleon and Alexander held another interview at Erfurth.  The loss of British commerce was almost as great a calamity to Russia as to England, and the Russian people murmured loudly.  England wished to arrest the progress of democratic ideas in France by restoring the rejected Bourbons to the throne.  In these views the nobles of Russia sympathized cordially, and they were exasperated that Alexander should allow personal friendship for Napoleon to interfere with the commerce of their country, and with the maintenance of aristocratic privilege in Europe.  The Russian nobles had nothing to gain by the establishment of free institutions in France, and the discontent with the measures of Alexander became so general and so loudly expressed that he began to waver.

The only hope of Napoleon was in combining Europe in a league which should starve England into peace.  He watched the vacillating spirit of Alexander with alarm, and arranged the interview at Erfurth that he might strengthen him in his friendly purposes.  Alexander was by the most solemn pledges bound to be faithful to this alliance.  He had attacked Napoleon and had been conquered; and the southern provinces of Russia were at the mercy of the conqueror.  Under these circumstances the treaty of Tilsit was made, in which Alexander, in consideration of benefits received, agreed to cooeperate with Napoleon in that continental system which seemed vital to the safety