I think we are exceedingly lucky that was decided well before Napoleon, but then again he did have to deal with the French who apparently only understand the rule of "one" fairly easily.
BTW a Marlborough packet was 30 miles across and 60 miles longways which in an old '47 that would 'bounce' almost as much as it would 'leap forward' each RPM was the same consonant in minutes. It was a good place to catch on the moby dicks.
cheers tet.