Brief remarks on the character

As an army officer and colonial governor, Sir Robert Wilson (1777–1849) was closely involved in the battles and the diplomacy of the Napleonic Wars (1806-1814). He had opportunities to observe the Russians closely, being present at Eylau in 1807 (after which he was awarded the cross of St. George by Alexander I), afterwards serving in St. Petersburg. In 1812 he accompanied Sir Robert Liston, the newly appointed ambassador to the Porte, to Constantinople with instructions to assist the negotiations for peace between Turkey and Russia.