Chapter 27 - The Bell Rings on Round 2 of the Quasi-war - July 1812
London, House of Lords
Former First Lord of the Treasury, Lord Liverpool, had been surprised at the ease of the Peace. Granted, it was not a true peace treaty, more of an armistice. However, the effect was the same. Only a handful of French (Pondicherry), Dutch (Java) and Spanish (Manila) colonies were to be returned to their care. As best Liverpool could determine, this was done as much to remind France and her allies how easily they could be taken away. The British domination of the sea was total, at least for the moment.
The official peace was being signed but, with the armistice and the resultant resumption of trade, the British economy had rebounded from the shock of losing Ireland.
Unfortunately, that would do poor Henry Addington, Lord Sidmouth, any good. The poor fellow had made the best deal he could and was trying to justify it before the House of Lords. The British electorate demanded that Ireland be reconquered at once. Neither the French nor the Irish intended to allow this to occur. They wouldn't even discuss payments on confiscated property, claiming the English had stolen the land centuries ago, why should Ireland pay when taking it back.
The massive gains made by the British Empire came to nothing compared to this terrible blow. Ireland was a dagger at the heart of Britain. The nation, exhausted, must recover her resources in the peace and then attempt to regain the island under better circumstances. Given the general enthousiasm held by the majority of the Irish populace for this new government, he had no idea how Britain could impose her domination in the future. Too much had changed, the illusian of Irish fealty to the house of Hanover was permanently broken. However, the hordes of Anglicans fleeing Ireland and landing upon English docks demanding to know where the hell the army was could not be silenced.
The nation would continue to demand a reconquest of the Emerald Isle, whether or not that was possible or even in Britain's true long term interests.
In the end, the nation would go where the nation would go. Liverpool continued to sit as poor Addington rambled on. The fellow wouldn't last long. Liverpool would be back in office by the end of the year, he was quite certain.
The Treaty of Amsterdam would be signed, yielding but not yielding Ireland.
But the war was hardly over, no matter the silencing of the guns.
Paris
King Joseph Bonaparte of Portugal, Regent of France, was getting greatly sick of his relatives. First Pauline's constant rants regarding her brother handing her the "pitiful" Duchy of Lucha for a throne. Then the woman refused to take up the throne anyway, preferring Paris and her lovers. Her husband, newly elevated Duke Charles Leclerk of Lucha, was more than happy to leave the bitch behind and get the hell away from her with his children in tow. Joseph could hardly blame the poor man. Nearly a decade in polar exile, then be forced to come back to Pauline. Joseph suspected the man would prefer to go back to Quebec than deal with his wife again.
Lucien had proved no easier to deal with. Arguing with Napoleon over divorcing his wife and accepting one of Napoleon's political marriages, Lucien had fled France years earlier for America, only to be captured by a British ship and settled in some comfortable English village for the duration of the war. Lucien had scandalized his family and would only return to France upon Joseph's word that he would not be asked again to divorce his wife. Joseph didn't give a damn and offered the traitor the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, provided he kept out of the elder brother's hair. This offer was gratefully accepted and Lucien duly returned. Of course, Pauline bitched about her traitor brother being given a bigger Duchy than her. Joseph told her to shut up.
In exchange, Maria the Mad and her inbred family were released from internment and shipped to Britain. Fine, let the Brits deal with her. She can socialize with the Prince of Orange and all the other exiled former European monarchs. Portugal remained under the French and Spanish thumb and would from now on.
The peace with the British was harsh, but, in all reality, France hadn't lost much. Their primary Indian colony of Pondicherry was returned, though Britain could no doubt snatch it again on a moment's notice. The Indian Ocean was effectively a British lake. France managed to maintain a hold on Canada, San Dominigue, Guadeloupe and Martinique, for what those were worth. No much, given the defacto end of slavery. Largely run by mulatto juntas, they didn't produce much in sugar revenues these days but at least offered the opportunity for depositing French (and allied) criminals in an environment that they deserved. There remained thousands of petty criminals, royalists and traitors to deal with. Far better to exile them than to return to Madame Guillotine.
France had given up their rights to Louisiana, Guyana, their African trading stations (worthless without slavery) and some of the smaller Indian stations. The defeat of Spain, which had lost much of its Empire to revolution, and the Dutch Republic, which lost most of its Empire to the British and Americans, hardly mattered to Joseph.
France remained supreme, Joseph's power unassailable in Western Europe. He just hoped he dropped dead before his little half-Austrian bastard nephew reached age to ascend to the throne. He put up with one Napoleon superceding him. He had no desire to witness it again when "Emperor Napoleon II" turned 18.
At least Tallyrand kept the Austrian bitch silent.
Some days it was just hard to be Joseph Bonaparte.
Washington DC - November 1812
Though the returns had not fully been tabulated, it was apparent that President Burr had won reelection on the back of his bold alliance with the Federalists. The "Union Party" had won over two-thirds of Congress, the rest split between the divided remnants of the northern and southern Federalist and Democratic-Republican Parties.
The southerners were already speaking of uniting into one bloc. There remained a handful of "Anti-Slavery" congressmen in the western districts, more intent on battling the long entrenched eastern plantation owners whom had dominated southern politics for generations than any true hatred for slavery. Burr suspected these men would eventually fold back into the southern gentry just as the holdouts in the north would see reason and join the Union Party.
The division of the nation may prove problematic in the long run, though Burr's policy of containment was working. Jackson had broken the handful of Slaveowners in the Floridas, assuring continued "Free" Status. Tennessee had rejected a state constitutional change attempting to reopen the state to slavery. The last of that state's (and Kentucky and Deleware's) slave would be freed by the end of the decade. Louisiana's territorial legislature had grudgingly agreed to free all slaves as a prerequisite to statehood. The date had been set for full manumition by 1814, with the expectation of statehood in 1816. Indiana and Tejas would likely be eligable to join the union at that point as well.
Burr had summoned his Cabinet, including the future ones like Rufus King and John Quincy Adams, to discuss the nation's future and celebrate their impending victory. With America expanding westwards at an astounding rate (more than tripling her territory in a mere two generations), Burr had etched his name along side Washington and Adams as men whom made their nation great.
The gentlemen of America clinked their wine goblets in merry good cheer, unknowing that the nation's problems were only just beginning. Opinions had hardened, sharp divisions formed. Expansion came with new challenges, enemies they could not imagine on that cold winter evening in 1812. Within a generation, America would be faced with conflict on all sides and the future of great nation President Burr envisioned would face her greatest test yet.
The End.
Thanks, all, for your time, attention, compliments and feedback!
I think I may take a few days off and then start up a new TL for Quasi-War III once I figure out what direction I want to take with it. I get so wrapped up in these TL's that I neglect my amateur novels at home. Since really long TL's are tough for new readers to catch up on (Burnished Rows of Steel would take weeks to read!), I will start a seperate thread and add links to Quasi-War I and II.
Have a good weekend.