The further advance of the French towards the north could hardly have failed to afford such an opportunity.

Neither could this be executed, to all appearance, without involving the necessity of proclaiming the independence of Poland; thereby giving a character of mortal rancour to the war with Russia, and, in all likelihood, calling Austria once more into the field.

Under such circumstances the minds of Napoleon and Alexander were equally disposed towards negotiation: General Bennigsen sent, on the 21st of June, to demand an armistice; and to this proposal the victor of Friedland yielded immediate assent.
In truth over and above the parsimony of the court of St.James in regard to subsidies, the recent conduct of the war on the part of England had been so ill-judged, and on the whole so unfortunate, that the Czar might be excused for desiring to escape from that alliance.
Almost the only occasion on which the character of the British arms had been gloriously maintained, was the battle of Maida, in Calabria, fought July the 4th, 1806--when Sir John Stuart and 7000 English soldiers encountered a superior French force under General Regnier, and drove them from the field with great loss.

This was one of those rare occasions on which French and English troops have actually crossed bayonets--the steadiness of the latter inspired the former with panic, and they fled in confusion.

But this occurrence, except for its moral influence on the English soldiery, was of small importance.