▁Britain ' s ▁French ▁amb assador , ▁Bon ap arte ▁threatened ▁war ▁if ▁Mal ta ▁was ▁not ▁ev acu ated ▁and ▁imp lied ▁that ▁he ▁could ▁have ▁already ▁ret aken ▁Egypt . ▁The ▁exchange ▁left ▁Whit worth ▁feeling ▁he ▁was ▁given ▁an ▁ult imat um . ▁In ▁a ▁public ▁meeting ▁with ▁a ▁group ▁of ▁diplom ats ▁the ▁following ▁month , ▁Bon ap arte ▁again ▁pressed ▁Whit worth , ▁imp lying ▁that ▁the ▁British ▁wanted ▁war ▁since ▁they ▁were ▁not ▁u ph old ing ▁their ▁treat y ▁oblig ations . ▁The ▁Russian ▁amb assador , ▁Ark adi y ▁Ivan ov ich ▁M ork ov , ▁reported ▁the ▁encounter ▁back ▁to ▁St . ▁Petersburg ▁in ▁stark ▁terms . ▁The ▁implicit ▁and ▁explicit ▁thre ats ▁contained ▁in ▁the ▁exchange ▁may ▁have ▁played ▁a ▁role ▁in ▁Russia ' s ▁event ual ▁entry ▁into ▁the ▁Third ▁Co al ition . ▁M ork ov ▁also ▁reported ▁rum ours ▁that ▁Bon ap arte ▁would ▁se ize ▁Hamburg ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁Han over ▁if ▁war ▁was ▁renew ed . ▁Although ▁Alexander ▁wanted ▁to ▁avoid ▁war , ▁that ▁news ▁apparently ▁forced ▁his ▁hand ; ▁he ▁began ▁collect ing ▁troops ▁on ▁the ▁Balt ic ▁coast ▁in ▁late ▁March . ▁The ▁Russian ▁foreign ▁minister ▁wrote ▁of ▁the ▁situation , ▁" The ▁intention ▁already ▁expressed ▁by ▁the ▁First ▁Cons ul ▁of ▁striking ▁blow s ▁against ▁England ▁wherever ▁he ▁can , ▁and ▁under ▁this ▁pre text ▁of ▁sending ▁his ▁troops ▁into ▁Han over ▁[ and ] ▁Northern ▁Germany ... ▁entirely ▁transform s ▁the ▁nature ▁of ▁this