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 MEMORABLE 
 
 EV*ENTS liN PAU18, 
 
 IN 1814.
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTRD BY J. MOVES, TOOK'S COURT, CHAN( ERV LANE.
 
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 A NARRATIVE 
 
 OF 
 
 MEMORABLE EVENTS IN PARIS, 
 
 PRECEDING THE CAPITULATION, AND DURING THE OCCUPANCY 
 OF THAT CITY BY THE ALLIED ARMIES, 
 
 IN THE YEAR 1814; 
 
 BEING EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 THE JOURNAL OF A DETENU, ' 
 
 WHO CONTINUED A PRISONER, ON PAROLE, IN THE fKENCIl 
 CAPITAL, FROM THE VEAR 1803 TO 1814. 
 
 ALSO, 
 
 ANECDOTES 
 OF BUONAPARTE'S JOURNEY TO ELBA. 
 
 THE DFATII OF EVEBV MAN DEPRIVES THE WORLD OF SOME IXKORM.XTrOM WHICH COULD 
 NO WHERE ELSE (IE PROCURED." — Wntdliam. 
 
 LONDON 
 
 PRINTED FOR THE EDITOR, BURTON STREET; 
 
 SOLD BV 
 
 LONGMAN, REES, ORME, BROWN, AND GREEN, PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
 M.DCCC.XXVm.
 
 TO 
 
 THE RIGHT HONOURABLE 
 
 LOl.^D FRANCIS LEVESON GOWER, 
 
 ^c. 4f- 4<-. 
 
 AS A MEMORIAL OF RESPECT 
 
 THE ZEAL AND TALENTS MANIFESTED IN PARLIA!\IENT, 
 AND IN ADMIRATION OF THE ABILITIES 
 
 KVIXCKD IV 
 
 HIS LORDSHIP'S LITKKAUY PRODUCTIONS; 
 
 THIS VOLUME 
 
 IS INSCUIUKU 15V 
 
 THE EDITOH. 
 
 An, 1 1. .■), l«-2({.
 
 A 1) D 11 F. S S, 
 
 II V 
 
 THE EDITOH, 
 
 The Editor of the present Volume had the manu- 
 script presented to him by an old and confidential 
 friend, who has been a resident at Paris ever since 
 the year 1803, and whose principal injunction was, 
 that it should be faithfully and correctly conveyed 
 to the world through the medium of the Engllsli 
 press. — The laudable and insatiable avidity with 
 which that friend sought information on every 
 subject of art, science, literature, and the po- 
 .litical state of nations, led him to visit France, 
 cScc. during the short peace of 1802-3. He was 
 returning to England, and had reached Calais, 
 .when the peevish arrete of Buonaparte (22d May 
 1803) was forwarded to that port, commanding 
 the arrest of all Englishmen. Instead, there- 
 fore, of revisiting his native home, and imparting 
 to his friends the result of his inquiries, ob-
 
 yiii ADDRESS. 
 
 servations, and researches, he was detained as a 
 prisoner ; but, as a particuhir favour, from in- 
 timacy with some of the savans of Paris, he was 
 allowed to return to that city, in place of being 
 sent to Valenciennes, where many other English 
 detenus were consigned. The fortunes of war and 
 conquest at length released him from military 
 confinement, as stated in page 9G of this narrative. 
 During the whole of this captivity he was fortunate 
 enough to enjoy a friendly and familiar intercourse 
 with many eminent persons of the French capital. 
 He was also honoured in having frequent inter- 
 views with the empress Josephine, in her domestic 
 and private station. This was a favour which few 
 others possessed, and, of course, afforded a familiar 
 insight into many circumstances which were never 
 proclaimed to the world. To one who has been 
 in the habit of keeping a regular daily journal, 
 from infancy, of all events, interesting traits of 
 character, and circumstances connected with art, 
 science, and literature, — such an opportunity, 
 and such eventful occurrences, were calculated 
 to awaken more than common curiosity and in- 
 terest, and he availed himself of it by preserving 
 a faithful record of all the memorable transactions
 
 ADDUKSS. IX 
 
 whicli occurred in the French metropolis for 
 upwards of twelve years. The scenes delineated 
 in the following Journal, so kept — the charac- 
 teristic anecdotes which it imparts of national 
 manners — of personal incidents — of the savage 
 and murderous scenes of warfare — of the dis- 
 tracted state of alarm in some, and of indif- 
 ference in others — of the successive events of 
 infuriated conflict and slaughter, contrasted by 
 ])ompous triumphant processions, and rapid tran- 
 sition to gaiety and pastimes — of the expulsion of 
 a warrior, emperor, and despot, from his throne, 
 and the exaltation of an exiled, artful king to 
 the sovereignty of a nation, — cannot fail of creat- 
 ing the alternate emotions of curiosity, sympathy, 
 and interest. Had the Journalist originally cal- 
 culated on giving publicity to his narrative, he 
 would have sought for, and obtained further de- 
 tails ; he would have worked up his pictures to a 
 higher degree of finish, — to more vivid effects of 
 light and shade, — to more skilful grouping, — 
 and to more powerful and palpable expression. 
 But his chief object was to preserve slight, though 
 faithful sketches of passing events ; and these
 
 X ADDRESS, 
 
 would have rcnvaincd undisturbed in his own port- 
 folio but tor the advice of a few friends, and from a 
 knowledge that much misrepresentation had gone 
 abroad respecting many public persons and sub- 
 jects, which are legitimate objects of history, and 
 of which his Journal preserved authentic records. 
 
 To the professional Critic the Editor has to say 
 a few words ; because he is desirous of protecting 
 his friend against misunderstanding or erroneous 
 inferences. The ensuing Journal is printed ver- 
 batim from the Author's copy, he being scrupulous 
 as to names, dates, phrases, and facts : and it 
 will not escape the keen eye of the experienced 
 critic, that the writer has neither aimed at ele- 
 gance nor eloquence of diction ; but, on the 
 contrary, betrays occasional carelessness of style. 
 Accustomed as he has been, for many years, to 
 French society, French literature, and to express 
 his ideas in that language, it is not surprising that 
 he should forget or confound a little of his own. 
 
 Parts of the following Journal have already 
 api)eared in the London Magazine for 1825; but 
 these are nuich enlarged, have been corrected in 
 many passages, and very considerable additions are
 
 ADDRESS. XI 
 
 now made. Had the Author deemed it c;cpedient 
 to review the statements of other writers on the 
 same time and events, he would have been led 
 into lengthened disquisition and comment, and 
 must have impeached the accuracy of representa- 
 tions in many of his own countrymen, as well 
 as of the French, Russians, and Austrians, all of 
 whom have published their respective accounts 
 .and opinions of one of the most eventful years of 
 modern times. 
 
 The Journalist invariably distinguishes between 
 what he lieard and what he saw ; and in noting 
 information on the authority of others, he has exer- 
 cised the greatest caution, collecting and sifting it 
 with the most scrupulous care. The French, in 
 their love of display and indifference to accuracy, 
 and in their inordinate vanity, are witnesses not 
 always to be relied on, without the utmost caution 
 and strictest examination. 
 
 On many of the facts here detailed, the Paris 
 papers preserved a studied silence, while other 
 transactions were related in precise contradiction 
 to the truth. Several of the notes were furnished 
 by persons of high diplomatic authority, who were 
 actors in the great scenes described, and the me-
 
 xii ADDRESS. 
 
 moranda were committed to paper at the time of 
 communication. 
 
 As this Journal was kept solely for the amuse- 
 ment of the Author, and to aid his recollection of 
 facts, without any view to publication ; there 
 was, consequently, no motive for mistatement or 
 for misrepresentation. 
 
 Such parts of the narrative as were printed in 
 the London Magazine were translated into French, 
 and appeared at Paris, during seven successive 
 months, in the Revue Britannique for 1826, with- 
 out a single contradiction of any of the numerous 
 anecdotes it contained. Other journals, belonging 
 to both parties, also cited it, and pronounced it to 
 be a valuable addition to the history of a period in 
 which no one was allowed to publish such ac- 
 counts in Paris; and few, indeed, in that city, 
 ventured even to commit to paper the occurrences 
 they witnessed. 
 
 The following paragraph appeared in the 
 Etoile, Mars 2, 1826 : — 
 
 " Les ^diteurs de la Revue Britannique viennent 
 de publier le septieme num^ro. On y remarque 
 le journal d'un Anglais, prisonnier de guerre a 
 Paris pendant les quatre premiers mois de 1814.
 
 ADDRESS. xiii 
 
 Ce journal est rcmpli de particularites curicuses 
 siir les <!^v^nemens ;\ jamais m^morables de cette 
 ^poque, qui a pi<^c6d^ et amen6 la restoration." 
 
 In the Courier Francais, 2 Juillet, 1826, was 
 the following notice : — 
 
 " Le cahier onzieme de la Revue Britannique 
 vient de paraitre, et n'est pas moins int^ressant que 
 les pr^c^dens ; pout-etre m^me il fournit encore 
 plus d'alimens a la curiosite. L'article, * Journal 
 d'un Anglais, prisonnier de guerre k Paris pendant 
 les quatre premiers mois de 1814,' renferme une 
 foule de documens et d'anecdotes piquantes sur 
 cette ^poque, la plus remarquable du si^cle. Si 
 le r<!icit en acquiert beaucoup d'int^ret pour les 
 lecteurs de la Grande Bretagne, il doit en avoir 
 bien d'avantage en France, puisqu'il nous pr6- 
 sente, dans leur vrai jour, les hommes de notre 
 pays qui ont eu le plus d'influence sur ce grand 
 ^v^nement." 
 
 In closing this Address, and reflecting on the 
 contents of the volume to which it is prefixed, 
 I cannot help regretting that the writer has not 
 allowed me to place his name in the title-page. 
 His reasons are to this effect : — ** I am not 
 an author, nor do I aspire to this honour. In
 
 xiv ADDRESS. 
 
 printing the present narrative, I have been more 
 seduced by the entreaty of friends than by any 
 prospect of fame or profit : the latter I entirely 
 forego, and the former I have no right to expect. 
 Perhaps I might have secured a fair portion of 
 both, with several of my literary friends, had 
 my predilections led me to this department of 
 study, — but circumstances have impelled me 
 rather to be a spectator than an actor in the 
 ever- varied drama of life. The fine arts and 
 the sciences have claimed much of my time and 
 attention, and have afforded me rewards by the 
 endless pleasures that ever accompany them." 
 
 As the ensuing Journal details many anec- 
 dotes and facts respecting public characters, — 
 not always creditable to the respective parties, — 
 the writer considers himself responsible for the 
 veracity of every statement, and will be ready 
 to substantiate the same through the medium of 
 the Editor, or in any respectable literary journal. 
 
 J. BRITTON, 
 
 April 5, 1828. Burton Street, London.
 
 ANALYTICAL 
 TAIiLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 EVENTS OF JANUARY 1814. 
 
 State of Paris in January 1814. — Demand for gunpowder, 3. — 
 Survey of Paris for fortifying it, 4. — Buonaparte and Talley- 
 rand, 5. — Allies pass the Rhine in different places, 6. — Con- 
 sultation at Aix-la-Chapelle, 7. — French newspapers admit that 
 100,000 of the allied troops were assembled on the Rhine, 8. — • 
 Buonaparte assembles the national guard, and manifests state 
 finesse, 9. — Quits Paris to join the army, 10. — Battle of 
 Brienne ; removal of the English prisoners who resided in 
 Paris, 11. — State prisoners in Vincennes and La Force, 12. 
 
 EVENTS OF FEBRUARY 1814. 
 
 Removal of prisoners from Paris, 13. — Destruction of secret 
 papers, 14. — Fear of trusting the national guards with arms; 
 secretion of muskets ; duke of Rovigo and Napoleon, 15. — 
 Plot to assassinate Buonaparte, 16. — Anecdote of Napoleon ; 
 battle of La Rothiere, 18. — Approach of the allied armies; 
 battle of Champ-aubert, and secretion of property ; new medal 
 struck, 19. — Want of muskets, 21. — Pledging property, 22. — 
 Asylums for the wounded, 23. — State of the Hospitals, 24,25. — 
 Announcement of the victory of Champ-aubert, 26. — The armies 
 engage inNanges, Provens, and Montereau, 27. — Arrival of allied 
 generals in Paris, 28. — Russian and German prisoners paraded 
 through Paris, 29. — Sympathy towards them, 30, 31. — Arrival 
 of a large mass of papers from Holland ; sitting of the munici- 
 pality, 32.
 
 XVI CONTENTS. 
 
 EVENTS IN MARCH 1814. 
 
 Inefficiency of hospital room; wounded refused admittance; 
 dead bodies in the Seine, 37, 38. — Mode of taxation in France, 
 39. — Want of money ; review of the Parisian national guards, 40. 
 — Approach of the allies, 41. — Explosion of the French powder- 
 magazine ; rapid approach of the allied army, 42. — Peasantry 
 flying into Paris, 43. — Report of an action at Claye, 44. — 
 Retreat of the French on Paris, 45. — Hypocritical finesse of 
 Cambaqeres, 46. — Account of the battle of Claye; national 
 guard under arms, 47. — The Silesian army crossed the Marne ; 
 order from Napoleon, 48. — Removal of Napoleon's treasures, 49. 
 — Closing of the Museum, 50. — Address to the Parisians by le 
 Roi Joseph, 51. — Cannon firing from the battery at La Villette, 
 52. — The allies approach Paris, 53. — Order to unpave the streets, 
 and use the stones in assailing the allies, 54. — Marshal Moncey 
 visits the different posts, 55. — The allied army enter Paris, 56. — 
 Situation of ditto, 57. — Article in the Moniteur relative to 
 ditto. 58. — Retreat of the empress Josephine, 61. — Cannonading 
 of Paris, 63. — Reconnoitring the armies, 65. - Attack of the 
 allies, 67. — The amount of troops collected to defend Paris, 74. 
 
 — Slaughter of the Russians, 75. — Capitulation offered, 79. — 
 The allies arrive at Neuilly, 81. — Polytechnic scholars; killed 
 and wounded, 82. — Cross given to them by Louis XVIII, 84. 
 
 — French army flying into Paris, 85. — The allied monarchs, &c. 
 advanced to Butte St. Chaumont ; the allies repulsed twice at 
 Belleville; killed and wounded of French, 86. — Departure of 
 the wife of Joseph Buonaparte for Blois; evacuation of Paris, 
 87. — Appeal to the people, 88. — Wounded French crawling in 
 the streets, 91. — Number of the allies and French killed, 93. — 
 Destruction of the flags of war, 94. — Mild manners of the Rus- 
 sians, 96. — Conversation with a Russian officer, 97. — Wood-cut 
 of a medal given to Russian soldiers who h^d been in the 
 Moscow campaign, 99. — State of besieging army, and threat of 
 the emperor of Russia, 100. — The white cockade mounted, 101. 
 — Vive le roi! 102.— Royalists, 103. — Entry of the allies, and 
 m Ts of the Russians, 105. — The pompous procession, 107. —
 
 CONTENTS. xvii 
 
 Manners of the e;ran(l duke Constantino, 1 08. — His figure and face, 
 109. — Residence of tl»e monarchs, 110. — Attempt to pull down 
 Napoleon's statue, 111. — Address in favour of royalty, 113. — 
 Capitulation of Paris; its shojjs, 115. — Emperor of Russia's 
 declaration, 117. — The streets occupied by the armies, 119. — 
 Conference between the emperor of Russia and the deputies of 
 Paris, 121. — Talleyrand and Nesselrode, 123. — Proclamation of 
 prince Schwartzenberg, 125. — Disposition of the allied armies, 
 127, — A council respecting the fate of France, 128. — Pro- 
 visional government formed, 129. — Exertions of Viscomte Sos- 
 thenes de Rochfoucault to restore the Bourbons, 131. — Debates 
 and tumultuous proceedings, 133. — Sacken's proclamation, 134. 
 
 EVENTS IN APRIL 1814. 
 
 Monarchs visit the Opera, 136. — Newspapers contain notices 
 of the state of Paris, 138. — Gouvernernent provisoire and dcche- 
 ance of Napoleon, 140. — Review of field of battle, &c. 142. — 
 The state of some houses in Paris, 146. — Restoration of the 
 Bourbons effected by M. Bellart, 148. — Cossack camp, 151.— 
 Russian encampment, 153. — German camp, 154. — Gardens of 
 the Tuilleries and Rue St. Honore crowded with loungers and sol- 
 diers from all the north of Europe, 155. — Palais Royal, and 
 placards, 157. — A bridge built in haste, 158. — Assembly of the 
 corps legislatif, 159. — Effects of successive governments, 161. — 
 Letter from the emperor Alexander, 161. — Bust and colossal 
 statue of Napoleon taken down, 165. — Order of provisional 
 government, 166. — Tyrannic order of Buonaparte, 168. — State 
 of disbanded troops, 169. — Grand procession and religious 
 ceremony, 170. — Diseases of Paris, 172. — Entry of Monsieur, 
 174. — Opinion of the Prussians, and conduct of the king of 
 Prussia, 177.- Monsieur and the allied monarchs at the Opera, 
 179. — Caulincourt and the emperor of Russia, 181. — Entry of the 
 emperor of Austria into Paris, 182. — Empress Josephine, 183. — 
 Her death, 184. — Her pedigree and funeral procession, 185. — 
 Meeting of emperor of Russia, king of Prussia, &c. 186. — Due
 
 xviii CONTENTS. 
 
 de Bcrri arrives at Paris, 187. — ConHict at the Palai^ Royal 
 between Russians and French, 188, 
 
 EVENTS OF MAY 1814. 
 
 Louis XVllI at Chateau of St. Ouen, 189. — Procession to 
 Paris, 190. — Review at the Tuilleries, 191. — Affray between the 
 French and Austrians; orders to put a stop to, 192. — Duchess 
 of Angouleme visits her parents' grave, 193. 
 
 EVENTS OF JUNE 1814. 
 
 Peace proclaimed ; gates of Paris delivered to the national 
 Sjuard, 194. — Emperor of Russia and king of Austria leave Paris, 
 195. — Dissatisfaction of the French; ordonnance for the ob- 
 servance of Sundays and holydays, 196. — Procession of Fete 
 Dieu, 197. 
 
 SECOND PART OF EVENTS. 
 
 JOURNEY OF NAPOLEON FROM TROYES TO ELBA, 
 AND REGENCY AT BLOIS. 
 
 Napoleon, general Belliard, and marshal Marmont, 201. — 
 Inspection of Marmont's army, 202. — Napoleon assembles the 
 marshc.ls and generals, 203. — Resolution to take Paris, 204. — 
 Opposed by the officers, 205. — Act drawn up by Napoleon, 
 207. — Amount of his troops, 208. — Resigns the command of 
 the army, and conference with marshal Ney, 209. — Plot to 
 assassinate Napoleon, 210. — Copy of orders read at De Mau- 
 breuil's trial, 213. — Further particulars respecting his trial, 
 progress, &c. 225. — Napoleon and M. Lamezan, 227. — Pro- 
 hibitions to the Publicist from the minister of police, 229. — 
 Napoleon's wish to retire to England, 232. — His interview with 
 the Russian and Prussian commissioners, 234. — His opinion of
 
 CONTENTS. Xix 
 
 the English, 235. — His departure for Elba, 23G. — His speech, 
 237. — Further particulars relative to the voyage, up to 264. — 
 Napoleon and major Vivian, 266. — Baron Fleury de Chaboulon 
 and Napoleon, 269. — Resolution of Napoleon to quit Elba, 270. 
 —Quits Elba, 271. 
 
 THE REGENCY AT BLOIS. 
 
 Decree for taking young men for the army, 273. — Marie 
 Louise and her son quit the palace of the Tuilleries,274. — Diffi- 
 culty of obtaining lodgings, 275. — Buonaparte's intention to march 
 against Paris, 277.— Proclamation at Blois, 280. — Enthusiasm of 
 the people at Nismes, 1815, and their ferocious conduct in 1816, 
 282. — Attempt of Jerome and Joseph to seize and carry off 
 the empress, 283. — Conversation between Napoleon and Jerome, 
 and anti-majestic countenance of the latter, 282. — Order for the 
 distribution of 45,000,000 francs, 286.— Ministers retire from 
 Blois to Paris, 287.— Servants refuse to obey the empress, 288.— 
 The emperor of Russia visits Marie Louise, 289. — Her presents 
 to Isabey and others: her character, 290. — Her pregnancy, 
 ceremony at accouchement, 291.— Buonaparte's anxiety and 
 conduct, ibid. 
 
 I CONCLUDING KEMAKKS KY THT: EDITOR, 2'.V.i.]
 
 MEMORABLE EVENTS. 
 
 MOVEMENTS OF THE ALLIED ARMIES, 
 
 AND STATE OF PARIS: 
 JANUARY 1R14. 
 
 ToM'Auns the end of January 1814, the dreams 
 of power, security, and reliance on the omnipo- 
 tence of their arms, which the French had so 
 long- indulged, vanished before their increasing 
 dangers. Apprehensions that the invading- army 
 would arrive at Paris were manifested by several 
 of the inhabitants packing up their most valuable 
 effects, and sending them into those parts of 
 France where it was least probable the enemy 
 would penetrate ; while, at the same time, many 
 of the inhabitants of villages, farms, and country- 
 houses in the environs, brought their furniture 
 into the metro))olis, for greater security. Waggons 
 and carts, thus laden, were daily seen on the Boule- 
 vards, and on all the roads approaching the capital. 
 Even the duke of Rovigo, minister of police, sent 
 his daughters, and the most valuable part of the 
 furniture of his hotel in the Rue Cerutti, to the 
 
 B
 
 2 EVENTS AT PARIS, JANUARY 1814. 
 
 neighbourhood of Toulouse. The Parisians of 
 every class laid in, to the full extent of their 
 circumstances, stores of flour, rice, vetches, white 
 beans, potatoes, salt pork, red herrings, &c. — (Salt 
 beef and biscuit are unknown at Paris.) — The 
 bakers also received orders from the police to lay 
 in a stock of flour. One day, at the commence- 
 ment of February, the demand for potatoes was 
 so great at the March6 des Innocentes, that a 
 measure (the decalitre) rose from the usual price 
 of six sols, to forty : but this produced a con- 
 siderable supply the next day, when they fell to 
 the usual price. 
 
 Notwithstanding the exertions of government 
 to ** nationalise the war,'' the greatest indifference 
 was evidently felt by the middle and lower classes, 
 now that their vanity was no longer gratified by 
 conquest for themselves and insult to others. Every 
 artifice was resorted to by the police to arouse the 
 slaves of its power from this apathy : one of these 
 was the attempting to recall to the minds of the 
 people (what they had been for fourteen years 
 labouring to destroy) the energy they had mani- 
 fested during the republic. Towards eff'ecting 
 this object, verses in praise of the emperor, 
 adapted to the long-proscribed Marseillois hymn, 
 were performed on barrel-organs, or sung in every 
 street : but the revolutionary slang was ill adapted 
 to the praise of imperial power, and produced a 
 tridy ludicrous effect. During the twelve years
 
 DEMAND FOR GUNPO^VDF.R. 3 
 
 of my residence in France, I never had listened 
 to this piece of music, and only once (in 1803) 
 heard " Ca ira," in passing an obscure wine-shop 
 near the Place de Gr^ve. But all would not do : 
 the whole class of young men had grown up 
 imbued with the egotism of slaves, the true test 
 of a despotic government. Napoleon, on his return 
 to Paris at the end of 1813, found the greatest 
 penury and confusion in every department of the 
 state. France was without arms or ammunition 
 wherewith to refit the wreck of the army, which 
 returned exhausted by fatigue, want, and disease. 
 All was shut up in Dantzic, Hamburgh, Mag- 
 deburgh, and other German fortresses occupied 
 by the French powers. Gunpowder was or- 
 dered to be made with the utmost despatch. A 
 rapid but dangerous method of pulverising the 
 ingredients by means of loose cannon-balls in a 
 large cylinder having a rotatory motion, being 
 proposed by a young coxcomb named Champie, 
 was instantly approved by the emperor, contrary 
 to the advice of the officers who superintended 
 the administration of powder and saltpetre : the 
 consequence was, that almost as soon as this 
 scheme was put in practice, the powder-mill at 
 Essounes, containing eight thousand pounds of 
 powder, blew up. 
 
 Though by the decrees of the 9th of October 
 and the 17th of November, 1813, five hundred and 
 forty thousand fresh troops were ordered to join the
 
 4 EVENTS AT PARIS, JANUARY 1814. 
 
 army, yet Napoleon never could bring more than 
 fifty thousand men into the field during the whole 
 of this campaign. Artillery was the chief means 
 he employed ; and considering the want of artil- 
 lerymen, it is wonderful to think the advantage 
 the emperor obtained by them, in covering the 
 w^eakness of his infantry. The latter were com- 
 posed of conscripts, torn from their homes before 
 they had arrived at the age of manhood. 
 
 When the arrival of the allies at Paris was 
 deemed probable, the surrounding heights were 
 visited by engineers, with a view to having them 
 fortified. From their report, the council of de- 
 fence drew up a plan, by which it was proposed 
 to throw up earthworks on the hills, communi- 
 cating by trenches with the gates of the city. 
 This project the emperor rejected, and, accord- 
 ing to a plan of his own, ordered strong palisades 
 to be erected in front of the barriers, and the city 
 wall adjoining, to be pierced wnth loop-holes. 
 This insignificant method of defence evinced his 
 opinion that the enemy would only attempt a 
 rush by a few light troops. The carrying this 
 plan into effect was taken by Napoleon from the 
 department of the minister of war, and given to 
 the minister of the interior to be executed by 
 the corps of engineers of the jwjits et chaussees. 
 Notwithstanding those precautions, few persons 
 would openly acknowledge that the enemy would 
 dare to attack the capital : it might be so sur-
 
 BUONAPARTE AND TAM-EVllANl). 6 
 
 rounded as to have all supplies of provisions cut 
 ott". A paper was stuck, at the base of the column 
 in the Place Vendomc, on which was written, 
 ** Passez vite, il va tomber." 
 
 At the beginning- of January, an officer, in con- 
 versation with Talleyrand, said that he could not 
 comprehend what was going on, alluding to the 
 confusion which then reigned in every branch 
 of the government, when Talleyrand replied, 
 " C'est le commencement du fin."* 
 
 A short time before the emperor's departure 
 for the army, Savery, duke of Rovigo, comte 
 llegnaud de Saint Jean d'Angely, and Talleyrand, 
 were with him in his closet. Napoleon address- 
 ing the latter, said, *' I think for my own security 
 I ought to send you to Vincennes ; your conduct 
 
 * Abbe de Pradt, in his Recit Historique sur la Restauration 
 de la Royaute en Fiance, le 31 Mars 1814, (Paris 1816) writes: 
 " Every where was seen a decided spirit to rid themselves of the 
 present domination. All coincided in this desire: an atmosphere 
 of conspiracy hovered over the whole city ; and, as is the case in 
 all popular conspiracies, what was every body's secret was con- 
 sequently the best kept : no traitors ; and though so many bab- 
 blers, no informers. For many years no one had dared to sport 
 with the power of Napoleon : every one considered himself most 
 happy when he supposed himself unnoticed or forgotten : now, 
 though he was as much, and even more feared tlian ever, yet 
 every one gave vent to the most hazardous discussions and 
 perilous forebodings. All said, * This will not continue; the cord 
 is too much stretched ; it will soon be over.' This was the text 
 and finale of every conversation in Paris." — (p. 3'2.)
 
 6 EVENTS AT PARIS, JANUxiRY 1814. 
 
 is very equivocal, and you are either related to, 
 or in habits of intimacy or correspondence with, 
 my greatest and most dangerous enemies :" 
 (meaning the Bourbons and those who had fol- 
 lowed them). Talleyrand replied, that by re- 
 maining in his service he gave the strongest 
 proof of devotion to his person. Rovigo and 
 Regnaud both vindicated Talleyrand ; and though 
 they succeeded in calming the emperor's anger, 
 most probably failed in lulling his suspicions. 
 
 January 3d. — • Price of stocks, — 5 per cents, 
 50 francs 50 centimes — 51 francs. Bank actions, 
 690 francs. 
 
 6th. — The passage of the Rhine was an- 
 nounced in the Journal de V Empire, in a despatch 
 from the prefect of the Roer, dated Aix-la-Cha- 
 pelle, 2 o'clock, a.m., saying that the allies had 
 passed the Rhine on the 1st, but had been 
 beaten, and lost three hundred men : on the 3d 
 they passed at Mulheim in eleven little boats, 
 but were driven back by the garrison of Cologne, 
 leaving sixty prisoners ; only a few were sol- 
 diers, the rest consisted of landwehrd and chil- 
 dren. The same day, at 11 o'clock, they 
 crossed between Weiss and Rodenkircher, but 
 were repulsed. 
 
 M. de la Doucette, who at this time was pre- 
 fect of the department of the Roer, afterwards 
 told me, that so little did he apprehend the 
 allies would venture to pass the Rhine, that
 
 AIX-LA-CHAPELLE. 7 
 
 when, on the evening of the 1st of January, one 
 of his police spies inf«)rmed him that an officer, 
 just arrived at Aix-la-Chapelle from Neuss, had 
 asserted the fact in a public coffee-house, he 
 instantly sent for the gentleman and expressed 
 to him the anger and astonishment he felt at his 
 having dared to assert so improbable a circum- 
 stance ; adding, that it was only from respect to 
 his colonel that he did not send him to prison. 
 The officer, however, persisted in the truth of his 
 intelligence, having been an eye-witness of the 
 event, which was confirmed a few minutes after- 
 wards by the arrival of a gens-d'armes with a 
 despatch addressed to the military commander- 
 in-chief at Aix-la-Chapelle, who being absent 
 and at some distance. La Doucette convened the 
 council of the prefecture and the captain of the 
 gendarmerie, whom he considered next in mi- 
 litary rank to the commandant, by whom the 
 despatch was opened ; and its contents, on being 
 read, struck the assembly with consternation, as 
 it contained the details of the affair. La Dou- 
 cette copied the despatch and sent off the ori- 
 ginal by express to Paris : he forwarded a copy, 
 with an apology for having opened it, to the 
 commandant. 
 
 9th. — The imperial decree, dated the 8th, for 
 calling out the national guard, was inserted in 
 the Monitcur, of this day. 
 
 11th. — Journal dc C Empire published a letter 
 from Cologne, dated the 5th, mentioning an
 
 g EVENTS AT PARIS, JANUARY 1814 
 
 attempt of the allies to pass the Rhine, but 
 affirming that they were driven back, except 
 about twenty prisoners, who were such miserable 
 objects as to excite the laughter of all who saw 
 
 them. 
 
 14th. — The same newspaper inserted a letter 
 from Langres, admitting that from Mulhausen to 
 Schelstadt there were sixty thousand troops of the 
 allies. 
 
 18th. — The law which fixed the rate of in- 
 terest in civil cases at 5 per cent, and at 6, in 
 commercial concerns, was suspended until Ja- 
 nuary 1, 1815; and in the interim, every person 
 was at liberty to obtain what interest he could. 
 
 It was stated in the Journal de f Empire, 21st, 
 that the allies had left several important fortified 
 places in their rear. 
 
 22d. — Official news of the army first appeared 
 in the Aloniteur, in which it was said that the 
 Silesian army had crossed the Rhine on the 1st 
 of January, in four divisions, amounting to fifty 
 thousand men ; also that prince Schwartz en- 
 berg had entered Switzerland on the 20th of 
 December. The positions of the allied army are 
 stated, and their number estimated at one hun- 
 dred thousand men, exclusive of those in Brabant. 
 
 23d. Sunday , — The officers of the national 
 guard received orders to attend at the palace of 
 the Tuilleries, in the Salon des Mar6chaux. 
 Nearly nine hundred assembled, in new uniforms, 
 and formed on each side of the apartment, but
 
 NAPOLEON'S FINESSE. 9 
 
 were wholly ignorant of the cause. The emperor 
 |)assed through, according to custom, as he went 
 to mass in the chapel, and was saluted with the 
 cry of " Vive I'cmpereur !" On returning, he 
 walked round the room, and then placed himself 
 in the middle. At this moment the empress 
 entered, accompanied by the countess de Mon- 
 tesquiou. This lady, and not the empress, as 
 was said in some of the newspapers, carried the 
 king of Rome in her arms. The family walked 
 round, and advancing into the middle of the 
 apartment, the emperor, in a firm tone of voice, 
 said, — that a part of the territory of France was 
 invaded — that he was going to put himself at 
 the head of his troops, and hoped, with God's 
 help and the valour of those troops, to drive the 
 enemy beyond the frontiers. Then, taking the 
 empress in one hand and the king of Rome in 
 the other, he continued, " but if they should 
 approach the capital, I confide to the courage of 
 the national guard the empress and the king of 
 Rome;" then correcting himself, he said, with a 
 voice of emotion, " my wife (uid child.''' 
 
 This produced the wished-for effect : several 
 of the officers stepped from their places and 
 approached nearer to him ; a considerable num- 
 ber were in tears, and among that number were 
 many who were far from being admirers or 
 willing supporters of the imperial government, 
 but who were impressed by the scene. The
 
 10 EVENTS AT PARIS, JANUARY 1814. 
 
 next day the whole was considered as a theatri- 
 cal display, got up by Buonaparte. 
 
 24th. — I saw the emperor, about ten o'clock 
 in the morning, standing in the snow, in the court- 
 yard of the Tuilleries, reviewing some troops. This 
 evening count Real had a private audience with 
 the emperor, who said, *' he quitted Paris in per- 
 fect security, the empress Marie-Louise being 
 affectionate and mild as a virgin ; but were she 
 a Marie Antoinette, he would not have left her 
 there at this crisis." Real said, *' Yet, if in the 
 course of the campaign, a corps of twenty-five 
 or thirty thousand men should succeed in eluding 
 the French army, and make a dash upon Paris, 
 how am I to act?" Napoleon answered, ** the 
 inhabitants would rise and defend the capital." 
 Real replied, he was sure that the Parisians, so 
 far from meeting the enemy *' les armes aux 
 bras," would receive them ** les armes aux 
 pieds." This frank assertion, from a man of 
 Real's character, and who, from his situation in 
 the police, was so capable of knowing the public 
 opinion, very much displeased the emperor, who 
 said that he did not expect such an answer from 
 him. 
 
 25th. — At three o'clock in the morning Na- 
 poleon quitted Paris, to join the army. General 
 Bertrand was in the carriage with him. At 
 eleven o'clock at night he arrived at Chalons- 
 sur-Marne.
 
 STATE OF ENGLISH PRISONEES. 11 
 
 27tli. — The emperor was present at a slight 
 skirmish at St. Dizier. 
 
 30th. — Battle of Briaine, by which, from the 
 official account published, the public hope was a 
 little raised. 
 
 On the 10th of January an order from the 
 minister of war arrived at Verdun to remove the 
 English prisoners, eleven hundred in number, of 
 all ranks, exclusive of children, to Blois, and to 
 clear Verdun by the 13th. Seventeen days after 
 they had arrived at Blois, they were not deemed 
 sufficiently distant from the allied army, and 
 were ordered to Gueret, the principal town of 
 the department of La Creuse, which contained 
 three thousand three hundred inhabitants. The 
 first detachment left Blois on the 17th, and the 
 last on the 19th of February. 
 
 The intended removal of the English detenus 
 who resided in Paris was rumoured among them, 
 from hints at the war-office, about the 20th of 
 January ; and on the 28th and following days, 
 circular letters were sent to them to attend at 
 the prefecture of police. On presenting them- 
 selves there, their permission to remain at Paris 
 was taken from them, and a passport delivered 
 for Blois or Tours ; and this was nine days after 
 those who had arrived there from Verdun had 
 been sent to Gueret. The clerks were far more 
 civil than they had been on similar occasions, 
 but said there were to be no exceptions. The day 
 of departure was not, as was usual in such cases.
 
 15 EVENTS AT PARIS, JANUARY 1814. 
 
 specified ; they were only told to quit the capital 
 as soon as possible. Many, however, subsequently 
 obtained permission of the minister of police to 
 remain. At the particular request of the em- 
 press Josephine, I was among the number ; and 
 others delayed their departure until the enemy 
 occupied the country about Orleans, which ren- 
 dered their departure impossible. 
 
 M. Paulze, auditor of the council of state, 
 who was on a mission in the western depart- 
 ments of France, received directions in January 
 to superintend the arrangements of the castles at 
 Saumur and Angers, on the banks of the Loire, 
 for the reception of the state prisoners then 
 confined in the keep (cIo?iJon) of the castle of 
 Vincennes, near the capital, and in the prison of 
 Laforce, at Paris. There were at this time 
 twenty-seven state prisoners in the dungeons of 
 Vincennes : among them were M. de Boessular, 
 for being an agent of Louis xviii. ; the bishops 
 of Ghent and Tournay ; Abb6 d'Astros, premier 
 vicaire- general of Paris; Abb^ Perrault; and 
 Messrs. Latumierre and Charette, for shooting at 
 M. de Segur, in a revolt of the gardes d'honneur 
 at Tours. The celebrated Spanish general, Pa- 
 lafox, had undergone five years of the most 
 rigorous confinement in this castle. His prison 
 name was Mendola ; and he was told that if he 
 divulged his real name even to the turnkeys, he 
 would instantly be put to death. The Spanish 
 generals, Zajas, Lardezabel, Delia Rocca, Blake,
 
 PAIJTSIAN XKWSI'APF.nS. 13 
 
 Charles O'Donnel, Abrad, a Spanish officer, and 
 Mina, the nephew of" the celebrated Espoz-y- 
 Mina, cardinals Dipietre, Gabrielle, Oppozone, 
 baron Kolli, employed by England to try to 
 effect the escape of Ferdinand VII. from the 
 chateau of Valency, and baron d'Aurvech Stein- 
 fels, of Baden, had been seven years inmates of 
 the same prison. 
 
 The state prisoners were removed from Paris 
 the first week in February, in twelve carriages, 
 guarded by as many gens-d'armes. They were 
 seen by the English prisoners, then at Blois, as 
 they stopped to dine in that city. 
 
 EVENTS OF FEBRUARY 1814. 
 
 The 7icwspape?'s, in every stage of the revolution, 
 were the base organs of calumny and persecutors 
 of every unfortunate person proscribed by the 
 state. It was very common to see them pouring 
 forth the most vindictive slander against persons 
 in one day's paper, whom they had indiscri- 
 minatingly praised the preceding. Flatterers 
 and sycophants to every new minister and new 
 order of things, they by turns became panders 
 to tyranny and eulogists of faction and terror.
 
 14 EVENTS AT PARIS, FEBRUARY 1814. 
 
 At the beginning of this month, those basest of 
 all the functionaries of despotism, — the ordinary 
 censors of the jiewsjxipers, not being deemed by 
 government sufficiently conversant with its inten- 
 tions to be intrusted with the revisal of the articles 
 on politics and the army intended for insertion, — 
 a special commission of five persons, Etienne, 
 Pelline, Jay, Desrenauds, and Tissot, was formed, 
 with a monthly salary of a thousand francs each, 
 and charo-ed with the fabrication of articles cal- 
 culated to excite the passions and deceive the 
 understandings of the people. The mask of 
 patriotism has been one of the most distinctive 
 characteristics of the French Revolution, to be- 
 guile and cajole the populace. 
 
 M. Desmarest, secretary of the haute police, in 
 consequence of orders from the duke of Rovigo, 
 began this month to destroy the secret papers of 
 this important department of the French cabinet, 
 consisting of private examinations of the victims 
 of its suspicion, reports made by the higher order 
 of spies, and information given by those of the 
 fashionable circles who volunteered this honour- 
 able office ! Most of these latter now crowded 
 the closet of the secretary in the greatest tribula- 
 tion, lest, in the event of the expected change 
 in the government, or the arrival of the allies, 
 the documents furnished by them should fall into 
 other hands. It was with the greatest difficulty 
 they could be tranquillised by the assurance that
 
 ALARMS OF GENERA I- HULLIN. 16 
 
 every vestige of Ihcir baseness had been con- 
 sisrned to tlie flames. 
 
 M. de Talleyrand was accustomed to entertain 
 evening whist parties : these he now relinquished, 
 lest he should incur the suspicion of their being 
 made subservient to political purposes. 
 
 General HuUin, the commandant-en-chef of 
 the first military division of France (in which 
 Paris is situated) and of Paris, who, from the 
 first advance of the allies in France, had been 
 much dejected, apprehending that all was over 
 with the existing government, and aware of the 
 general detestation in which it was held by the 
 citizens of Paris, was fearful of trusting the 
 national guards with arms. To prevent this, he 
 industriously collected and secreted all the muskets 
 which he was able to discover, and muskets 
 were at this time with great difficulty procured 
 even for the regular army, — such had been the 
 losses and destruction in the last campaign. 
 Marshal Moncey, duke of Conegliano, major- 
 general of the national guard, sent for general 
 Hullin, and ordered him to deliver up these arms. 
 At first he denied having any, and, ultimately, 
 evaded the surrender. Even to the last the 
 national guards were, with few exceptions, only 
 provided with fowling-pieces. 
 
 The duke of Rovigo, in obedience to Na- 
 poleon's orders, wrote every night a long fimiiliar 
 letter to him, containing all the intbrmation he
 
 16 F.VENTS AT PARIS, FELRFARY 1814. 
 
 received in the course of the day relative to 
 public feeling, and all the Parisian gossip he 
 could pick up by means of his spies. It was 
 the rough draught which he was required to send, 
 that from the faults and erasures which occurred 
 in hasty composition, Napoleon might better be 
 enabled to judge what were the minister's im- 
 pressions at the moment. At this time it ap- 
 peared to be the general opinion that Buonaparte 
 must be got rid of, and the imperial government 
 overthrown, — that every class of society was 
 tired of the war, the conscription, &:c., — that 
 peace must be obtained, no matter by what means, 
 or to what extent the sacrifice. Desmarest, one 
 evening, said to the duke, " What can you say 
 to the emperor; for who would venture to in- 
 form him of the truth ?" " Look there," replied 
 Rovigo, handing him the letter which he had just 
 finished. Desmarest, to his astonishment, read: 
 " I can give you no hope : you are lost ; and if 
 a cannon-ball does not carry you off, I cannot 
 answer what will be your end ; such is the feeling 
 of disgust and hatred for the government, and 
 such the wish for your destruction by every rank 
 and class, that there can be no safety for you, 
 or chance of preserving the government." 
 
 The duke of Rovigo, who was far from pos- 
 sessing the necessary talents or powers of mind 
 for his official situation, which he obtained and 
 kept by the most absolute devotion to the caprices
 
 THE EMrEUOn'S LIFE THREATENED. 17 
 
 of his despotic master, was at this time daily 
 surrounded by the wily Talleyrand and liis party, 
 Tabbc de Pradt, the baron de Marguerite, and, 
 above all, Bouriennc. One of these crafty emis- 
 saries was constantly with him, lulling or divert- 
 ing his just suspicions, and duping him, whilst 
 he vainly imagined they were sincerely serving 
 him from personal admiration. Of their ma- 
 noeuvres the minister was repeatedly warned 
 by the sagacious secretary, Desmarest. Napo- 
 leon's power was laughed at even in the pre- 
 sence of Kovigo himself, and this at the latter 
 end of 1813. In one of the letters he wrote to 
 the emperor, Rovigo expressed a wish to remain 
 at Paris, in the event of the allies arriving, as 
 he was personally acquainted with the emperor 
 of Russia ; but Napoleon refused, saying, if he 
 did, *' the hypocrite Alexander would send him 
 to Siberia." 
 
 Towards the latter end of February, mar^chal 
 Lefevre, due de Dantzic, being at the imperial 
 head-quarters, a friend of his, a general of brigade, 
 declared to him, that a party of superior officers 
 were so thoroughly weary of the long continu- 
 ance of the war, and so convinced that Napoleon 
 would not make peace, that they had resolved to 
 assassinate him. The old mareehal, in a violent 
 passion, told the general, that unless he returned 
 in twenty-four hours, and swore that he and 
 his band had relinquished their daring plot, he 
 
 c
 
 18 EVENTS AT TAR IS, FEBRUARY 1814. 
 
 would denounce them to the emperor. The 
 officer came at the appointed time, and affirmed, 
 that neither he nor his party would relinquish 
 their purpose ; and so far from dreading the threat 
 of denunciation, they rather wished he would in- 
 form Napoleon. The mar^chal instantly waited on 
 the emperor, and communicated what had passed. 
 *' They are mad," was the only reply which 
 the lately all-powerful Napoleon dared to make. 
 This remarkable anecdote (so completely con- 
 formable to the French melo-dramatic character) 
 I heard from more than one person to whom 
 Lef^vre had mentioned it. 
 
 The manifested public opinion underwent a 
 total change after the battle of Brienne on the 
 4th of February, and that at La Rothiere on the 
 1st of February. Napoleon, in his bulletin, pre- 
 tended to treat the latter as an affair of his rear- 
 guard, saying there were but few prisoners taken 
 on either side ; but the French lost sixty-seven 
 pieces of cannon, and seven thousand men, three 
 thousand of whom were taken prisoners. In this 
 hard-fought battle, which took place in a marshy 
 plain during a snow-storm, the only skilful 
 manceuvre was by Blucher effecting his junction 
 with the grand army. It was line to line, man 
 to man, the weaker falling beneath the bayonets 
 of the stronger : but the idea of Napoleon's invin- 
 cibility then received its death-blow, for he had 
 been completely beaten, and on his own ground.
 
 SECRETIXC; or PROrEUTV. 19 
 
 The approach of the allied army towards Paris 
 was then known, and it was even expected to 
 reach the capital in the course of the next ten 
 days. To have doubted this, or the inability to 
 resist them, would have made a person suspected 
 of being in the pay of the police ; and every one 
 seemed ready to humble himself before the ap- 
 proaching enemy. A greater number of persons 
 than usual visited the Museum of the Louvre, to 
 take a farewell look at the pictures, not doubting 
 that the allies would imitate the example of the 
 French, and carry them all away. A considerable 
 number of the more wealthy inhabitants of Paris 
 employed carpenters, joiners, and masons, in 
 making hiding-places for their plate, money, and 
 ]X)rtable articles. But no sooner did the news 
 arrive of the battle of Champ-aubert, which was 
 fought on the 10th, and a column of prisoners 
 was exhibited to the versatile and sanguine Pari- 
 sians, than a paroxysm of confidence was excited ; 
 and the universal cry was, that " not one of the 
 insolent invaders would re-cross the Rhine." 
 
 M. D6non, under whose direction the govern- 
 ment medals were struck, was anxiously v.'aiting 
 for some event to commemorate ; and no sooner 
 had the battle of Champ-aubert afforded a pre- 
 text for exultation, than he ordered a medal to 
 be executed to designate the state of France at 
 that moment. On the obverse was the head of 
 Napoleon ; on the reverse an eagle, erect, having 
 a most ridiculous Bobadil air ; above his head was
 
 20 EVENTS AT PARIS, FEBRUARY 1814. 
 
 a star, his claws on a thunderbolt, and on one side 
 the sign Pisces, on the other a small figure of a 
 flying Victory with a wreath in her hand. The 
 legend fevrier. mdcccxiv. This was the only 
 medallic record of that memorable campaign. 
 
 Outworks before the fifty-two barriers, or gates 
 of Paris, began to be erected on the 1st of February. 
 This defence consisted simply of palisades, of about 
 a foot diameter, and nine feet in height, securely 
 driven into the ground, enclosing a space before 
 the gates of the city, forty or fifty feet wide, by 
 about thirty feet, in the direction of the entrance. 
 These enclosures had a strong gate, which, before 
 the principal barriers, had embrasures for cannon 
 on each side of it; the palisades being sufficiently 
 asunder to allow the passage of small-arms. For 
 the construction of these works, only capable of re- 
 sisting cavalry, many of the finest and largest oaks 
 of the Bois de Boulogne were felled. On the 8th 
 they were finished ; and on the 16th, M. Casimer 
 de Mortemart, officier d'ordonnance to the emperor, 
 arrived at Paris from the army, charged by Napo- 
 leon to visit each of the barriers, and draw up a 
 descriptive account of the nature and form of the 
 defence erected before it ; which having completed 
 in three days, he returned to the imperial head- 
 quarters. 
 
 I called on count Real, on the 1st of this 
 month, with my friend Lebreton, perpetual se- 
 cretary to the fourth class of the Institute, 
 and heard a curious conversation between them,
 
 WANT or All^NIS. 21 
 
 ill which the old republican. Real, stern and 
 manly as his character was, did not attempt 
 to conceal his anxiety at the hopeless pro- 
 spect w^liich the war presented, and at the 
 impossibility of obtaining a supply of muskets 
 for the newly-raised troops. ** What silly boast- 
 ing," said the count, *' that the Paris manufac- 
 tories daily turn out twelve hundred muskets. 
 Why, if they could, that number would not be of 
 any positive value. We, who want five hundred 
 thousand at this moment, have not five thousand ; 
 and in ten days the allies may be at the gates of 
 Paris." They discussed the merit of an invention 
 that had been offered, by which it was proposed 
 to make gun-barrels by twisting a strip {ruban) of 
 iron round a cylinder, and, after welding the edges 
 together, withdrawing the cylinder; by this de- 
 vice the time employed in boring was intended 
 to be saved. This invention, though much ad- 
 mired at the time, did not meet with final appro- 
 bation. 
 
 The Orifiamme, an opera in one act, produced 
 by order of government to excite popular feeling 
 against the invasion, was brought out at the Great 
 Opera this evening. The house was very much 
 crowded. 
 
 Price of stocks this day, 5 per cents, 51 francs ; 
 bank actions, G05 francs. 
 
 I was at Malmaison on the 3d, and witnessed the 
 removal of the most valuable pictures and Etruscan
 
 22 EVENTS AT FAIUS, FEBllUAKY 1814. 
 
 vases, with a view to their conceahiient, in the 
 event of the entrance of the allied forces. Con- 
 stantine, the keeper of the picture gallery, was 
 present, and directed such alterations to be made 
 in the arrangement of those which remained, as 
 to prevent any suspicion of the removal which had 
 taken place. 
 
 The ex-empress, Josephine, remained in the 
 gallery nearly the whole morning, indicating, ap- 
 l)arently with her usual calmness, the pieces she 
 wished to be secreted, without venturing to con- 
 jecture what would be the fate of those which 
 were suffered to remain. 
 
 About the 5th, the pass-port office at the pre- 
 fecture of police was daily thronged with ladies, 
 who, fearing the arrival of the enemy, hastened 
 to quit Paris with their children, and take refuge 
 in Normandy, Touraine, and in the western parts 
 of France. Thirteen hundred pass-ports were 
 delivered in one day. 
 
 Many persons pledged their effects at Mont 
 de Pi6t6, as a security from their being losers 
 should Paris be pillaged. To put a stop to this 
 motive for pledging, from the 15th, however 
 valuable the article offered, only twenty francs 
 were lent upon it. The estimated value was, 
 however, inserted in the duplicate, that, if acci- 
 dcnlalli/ lost, the real amount might be returned. 
 
 Bills were stuck up about Paris on the 
 loth, containing an invitation from the prefect
 
 ASYLU^IS rOR THE WOUNDED. 23 
 
 of the department of the Seine to the inlia- 
 ])itants of Paris, to furnish the hospitals with 
 six thousand bedsteads, eight thousand straw- 
 mattresses, seven thousand mattresses, six thou- 
 sand bolsters, eighteen thousand sheets, eight 
 thousand blankets, twenty-four thousand shirts, 
 twelve thousand caps, half a pound of lint 
 and one pound of linen rags with each bed, 
 and money to purchase cooking-vessels. This 
 was solicited for the newly-established military 
 hospitals, accompanied with a threat, that, if not 
 complied with, the sick would be quartered upon 
 the inhabitants. Previously to this notice, most of 
 the females in the higher and middling classes 
 employed their leisure minutes in the tedious 
 process of unravelling rag to make lint for the 
 wounded : — woven lint being unknown in France. 
 This was the evening occupation at almost all the 
 houses I frequented ; and I saw at Malmaison the 
 empress Josephine herself and all her ladies thus 
 employed. 
 
 The prefect of the department of the Seine 
 gave orders to establish an hospital, pro tempore, 
 in the newly-constructed and not yet finished 
 slaughter-houses at the top of the Rue Roche- 
 chouart, and that in the Rue Pepini^re. The 
 clerk of the works, Clochard, instantly visited 
 the place to make arrangements. Beds were 
 accordingly placed in the ox-stables, slaughter- 
 houses, cart-houses, &c.: glass windows were put 
 in the place of the luffer-boards.
 
 24 EVENTS AT PARIS, FEERUARY 1814. 
 
 One of the slaughter-houses was converted 
 into a kitchen and a tisanerie (a place for pre- 
 paring infusions of herbs, &c.) A room in the 
 upper story was set apart for the soldiers' knap- 
 sacks, a pharmacy was established, and the offices 
 of the clerks were fitted up for officers' bed-rooms. 
 These works were begun on the 10th, and on the 
 18th, twelve hundred wounded French soldiers 
 were placed therein. 
 
 All the disgusting imagery of war was now 
 displayed within the walls of the capital. In 
 consequence of the military hospitals being found 
 insufficient to receive the immense numbers of 
 sick and wounded which continued to arrive, 
 either from the army, or from the evacuation of 
 the military hospitals on the frontiers, now in 
 possession of the allies, the city patients were 
 driven from the hospitals, and replaced by the 
 soldiers from the army; while those thus driven 
 out were obliged to return to their small and 
 crowded homes in the populous fauxbourgs, — thus 
 spreading contagion and misery in those abodes 
 of wretchedness. 
 
 The Salpetriere was the asylum for indigent, 
 aged, infirm, and insane females : these miserable 
 objects were driven from the wards they inhabited, 
 and forced into the workshops of that extensive 
 establishment, and the wards were filled with the 
 sick and wounded military. From the middle of 
 February to the end of March, seven thousand six 
 hundred and nine persons were brought into this
 
 STATE OF HOSPITALS. 2 
 
 r. 
 
 hospital from the army ; the greater number of 
 tliem labouring under typhus and chronic diar- 
 rhoea, resulting from bad, or rather the almost 
 total want of, nourishment. Such was the con- 
 fusion in the administration of the hospital, that 
 there was no wood for fuel, nor even charcoal for 
 heating the tisanes, which, from the severity of 
 the weather, were frozen. The broken windows 
 remained so : this, though it saved many of those 
 attacked with fever, killed the pulmonary patients. 
 Numbers of raw conscripts died of consumption, 
 before they had been a month on service, and 
 without having received any medical assistance. 
 Contagion raged to such a degree in the Sal- 
 petri^re, that, out of six physicians and surgeons 
 who attended there, three died ; and Dr. Esparon, 
 from whom I received this information, attri- 
 buted his preservation to taking an additional 
 (juantity of strong coffee. All those who sorted 
 the clothes of the dead soldiers died; as did also 
 the man who fumigated the wards with chlorine. 
 The wool of the mattresses was neglected to be 
 washed ; this also contributed to propagate the 
 contagion, which was so much dreaded, that the 
 drivers of the cabriolets and fiacres could not be 
 induced to approach the hospital with a fare. 
 
 There were, at this time, from eighteen to 
 twenty thousand sick and wounded soldiers, from 
 Napoleon's army, within the walls of Paris. 
 
 During the whole of the month of February, the
 
 26 EVKNTS AT PARIS, FEBRUAllY 1814. 
 
 streets were filled with soldiers and raw con- 
 scripts, whose route to join their regiments lay 
 throuah Paris. Government not havins^ made 
 any provision for their subsistence, they were 
 under the necessity of begging in the streets. 
 People fed, and even lodged them, from mere 
 compassion. On the 7th of February, a court- 
 martial sat at Meaux to decimate those wretched 
 beings (termed traineurs), who, sinking from inani- 
 tion and sorrow at being torn from their families, 
 were unable to join their regiments with the 
 required celerity. I saw the judgments, with 
 the names of those who were shot, stuck up 
 against the walls of the metropolis. 
 
 11th. — The national guard began their ser- 
 vice at the Hotel de Ville, and at all the barriers ; 
 at five o'clock in the afternoon the cannon an- 
 nounced the victory of Champ-aubert, the bulletin 
 of which was afterwards read at the theatres. 
 
 12th.' — King Joseph Buonaparte reviewed the 
 grenadiers of the national guard, for the first 
 time since their being called out, in the court 
 yard of the Tuilleries. On this occasion, the little 
 king of Rome was dressed in the uniform of the 
 national guard. 
 
 I was this day at the Theatre de I'Op^ra Co- 
 mique, at the first representation o^ Bayard aAIeziers 
 • — a piece written by order of the police, to excite 
 public spirit. It was announced for representa- 
 tion ten days sooner ; but on account of the ad-
 
 ALLIKD AKMV NlLVll PARIS. 27 
 
 vancc of the allies, Gavaudan, the actor, waited 
 oil the minister of police, to know if it should 
 appear. The minister replied, " Ce n'est pas le 
 moment." On the 5th, a paragraph was inserted 
 in the JouduiI dc Paris, saying that Bayard a 
 Aleziers, which was intended to have been per- 
 formed that day, was postponed on account of the 
 indisposition of the three principal performers. 
 On the first successes of the French arms it was 
 brought out, and received with great applause. 
 
 13th, Sunday. — A beautiful, calm, mild day. 
 I walked with mademoiselle D. along the skirts 
 of the Plain de Grenelle, and beheld innumerable 
 marks of bullets on that part of the wall near to 
 which the military executions took place of the 
 unfortunate victims of the jealousy and despotism 
 of the imperial government. In a few places 
 a cross had been traced on the wall, and also the 
 name of the unfortunate being who there had 
 ceased to exist. While indulging in this melan- 
 choly gratification of curiosity and sympathy, we 
 were aroused by the distant sound of artillery, 
 in a south-east direction, and afterwards learned, 
 that at this time the hostile armies were engaged 
 in the neighbourhood of Nanges, Provens, and 
 Montereau. In the evening I was at the Theatre 
 de rOp^ra Comique, where, in the middle of a 
 scene, Veyrat, the inspector-general of the police, 
 in full uniform, came abruptly on the stage, ac- 
 companied by an actor, to whom he gave the
 
 28 EVENTS AT PARIS, FEBRUARY 1814. 
 
 IniUetin to read of the battle of Montmirail, that 
 took place on the 11th. 
 
 16th. — The arrival oi general Alsujief, who 
 had been taken on the 10th at Champ-aubert, 
 was announced previously in the newspapers to 
 take place this day. He entered Paris by the 
 fauxbourg St. Martin. At half-past twelve I saw 
 him on the boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, accom- 
 panied by prince Pottaroski and colonel Reiden. 
 They were on horseback, in an undress, with tra- 
 velling caps : one had an order round his neck. 
 Six gens d'armes, with drawn swords, conducted 
 them by so slow a pace, that more than an hour 
 was employed in going from the barrier of Pantin 
 to the ^tat-major in the place Vendome. The 
 spectators near me gazed on them in silence, and 
 seemed ashamed of this contemptible attempt to 
 humiliate officers of their rank : and some few 
 expressed their fears lest the emperor of Russia 
 should retaliate such an insult. But in the rue 
 Napoleon,* and in the place Vendome, some mis- 
 creants, who were suspected of being hired for 
 the purpose, hooted them, and, pointing to the 
 bronze column, cried '* Vive la Colonne !" alluding 
 to the report industriously spread by the govern- 
 ment, of its being the intention of the allies to 
 destroy all monuments of art and trophies of vic- 
 tory. While the mob at Paris were exulting at 
 
 * Now rue de la Paix.
 
 IIUSSIAN AND GERMAN PllISONERS. 29 
 
 the sif^ht of these prisoners, anotlier crowd had 
 assem])led, whh totally different feelintrs, not four 
 miles from them, round the park of artillery and 
 heavy baggage of the dukes of Bellune and 
 Reggio, which had been driven to Charenton by 
 the enemy, who also, this and the two following 
 days, had occupied the town and palace of Fon- 
 tainebleau. 
 
 17th. — The national guard was under arms 
 at the barrier of Pantin before eight o'clock in 
 the morning, to receive the prisoners taken at 
 Champ-aubcrt. The Boulevards were thronged 
 by two o'clock. At four, a column of about 5000 
 Russians and Germans was paraded along the 
 Boulevards, preceded by French drums and gens 
 d'armes on horseback, and guarded on each side 
 by a file of national guards, who were now for 
 the first time seen on duty. The papers had 
 boasted that there would be 15,000. This show, 
 like the indecent display of yesterday, was re- 
 ceived by the people in a very different manner 
 from that which the government intended or ex- 
 pected. The multitude assembled to see them 
 pass evinced the greatest pity ; and money and 
 whatever eatables could at the instant be pro- 
 cured were freely bestowed, even by the poorest 
 persons. Those who passed on the 18th were 
 still better treated, as the peo])le had time to 
 provide for them. On both days a considerable 
 quantity of bread was thrown from the windows.
 
 30 EVENTS AT PARIS, FEBRUARY 1814 
 
 JMademoiselle Bourgoin, the celebrated actress of 
 the Theatre Francais, manifested her gratitude for 
 the liberality she had received in Russia, and her 
 pique at an affront her personal charms had re- 
 ceived from Napoleon, while she was mistress to 
 Chaptat, his minister of the interior, by attend- 
 ing on the Boulevards with her carriage full of 
 provisions, which she distributed. Mademoiselle 
 Regnault, of the Th6itre de I'Opera Comique, 
 did the same, as did also her friend Boyeldieu, 
 the musical composer, who had likewise been 
 greatly patronised in Russia. 
 
 The officers, whose melancholy dignity excited 
 universal admiration, marched at the head of the 
 column, and almost all the men were clothed in 
 long, loose, coarse, brown great-coats, with the 
 number of the regiment on their shoulders. The 
 Russians wore boots of Russia-leather, the power- 
 ful odour of which being new to the Parisians, 
 they believed it emanated from the Russians 
 themselves. Some had cloth caps, none had 
 hats ; but most of them were without any covering 
 on their heads. Some few had preserved their 
 knapsacks and camp kettles. Several were 
 wounded, and their skins covered with encrusted 
 and darkened blood. The Russians were of verv 
 
 ft/ 
 
 dark-brown complexions, and their hair was cut 
 quite close to the head. I saw two women among 
 them. The column took twenty-seven minutes 
 passing. They had come that morning from
 
 SYMPATHY TOWARDS PRISONKKS, 31 
 
 Clayc, Villeparisis, Livry, and the smaller villages 
 of that neighbourhood : a general rendezvous for 
 these divisions was at Pantin, from whence they 
 were marched in one column to Versailles, where 
 they arrived between ten and eleven at night, and 
 were shut up in the Ecuries du Roi, a large 
 building on entering the Place d'Armes, not having 
 had any thing to eat the whole day, nor until the 
 next morning, after which they continued their 
 route. At half-past nine o'clock they passed 
 through St. Cyr, on their way to the western part 
 of France. 
 
 It was said that many of these prisoners had 
 been taken long anterior to the battle of Chanip- 
 aubert : it certainly manifested to the government 
 that the people of Paris had no animosity against 
 the allies, notwithstanding the crafty means 
 employed to excite it. Indeed, much of the 
 humanity shewn by the better classes was sys- 
 tematic, and intended to evince their attachment 
 to the cause of the allies. 
 
 The newspapers asserted, that 7000 of those 
 who passed through on the 18th were Austrians, 
 taken at Nangis on the IGth, and that they en- 
 tered Paris by the barrier of Charenton. Some 
 prisoners, indeed, were brought in by that barrier, 
 but no Austrians were among them ; and the head 
 of the column which arrived by the barrier of 
 Pantin halted in the Champs Elys6es for these 
 to come up. Tlie whole column, in which there
 
 32 KVENTS AT PARIS, FEBRUARY 1814. 
 
 might be GOOO, went to Versailles, where they 
 slept. The Parisians classed them all under the 
 term Cossacks, though there was not a single 
 Cossack among them. Some of the Germans, on 
 hearing this epithet from almost every mouth, ex- 
 claimed, Nein, nein. 
 
 During the rest of the month, small detach- 
 ments of prisoners were almost daily seen passing 
 along the Boulevards ; some only guarded by pea- 
 sants, armed with bludgeons. 
 
 20th.- — A paragraph in the Journal de V Empire 
 announced that a girls' boarding-school had given 
 two cotton nightcaps to the mairie of the third 
 arrondissement: such was the real paucity of 
 patriotic feeling, that the trifling display of it in 
 the gift of two cotton nightcaps was considered 
 to be worthy of record ! 
 
 Immense packing-cases full of stamped paper 
 continued to arrive for some weeks from Holland 
 and those parts of Germany which had been re- 
 conquered, and from the departments of France 
 invaded by the allies. The different receivers- 
 general and distributors of stamps hastily tum- 
 bled the contents into packing-cases, without 
 order, or even care. Thus every department of 
 the government was in disorder and confusion. 
 
 26th. — An extraordinary sitting of the muni- 
 cipality of Paris was held at the Hotel de Ville, 
 to receive the municipal councils of the numerous 
 towns which had been occupied by the allied
 
 AKSURDITY OF REPORTS. 33 
 
 armies. These councils were ordered to attend 
 at Paris, with detailed accounts of the distresses 
 which the respective towns had experienced from 
 the armies. A long series of official articles sub- 
 sequently appeared in the Moniteu7\ and were 
 promptly copied into other journals, detailing the 
 miseries and horrors occasioned by the invaders, 
 and the threats they proclaimed against the 
 Parisians. 
 
 These accounts of the wanton barbarity and 
 lawless outrages committed by the allied troops 
 were uniformly followed by an appeal to the 
 people, who were exhorted to rally round their 
 emperor, their hero and father — ^who had so 
 often led them to victory, and rendered France 
 pre-eminent amongst all the nations of the earth. 
 The absurdity of those articles surpassed belief; 
 and instead of inflaming the public mind against 
 the allies, led to the conclusion, that nothing 
 short of an overpowering necessity could have 
 caused their countrymen to become the victims of 
 such flagrant atrocities. True wisdom would 
 dictate submission to that physical force which it 
 was worse than useless to resist, and the aban- 
 donment of the cause of that individual who ap- 
 peared to be the chief personal object of attack. 
 
 Where Bernadotte, the crown prince of Sweden, 
 could be ? was a question which excited consider- 
 able interest among the ancient nobility; and also 
 freat curiosity among all ranks of people, whatever 
 
 D 
 
 g«
 
 34 EVENTS AT PARTS, FEIiRUARY 1814. 
 
 were their political sentiments. It was deemed 
 highly probable that he had crossed the Rhine, 
 had joined the allied army, and was then engaged 
 in combating Napoleon ; but, notwithstanding he 
 was the general subject of inquiry, still his real 
 situation was unknown at Paris. On the 12th of 
 February he was at Cologne, whence he pub- 
 lished a proclamation to the French people, 
 stating that the sovereigns did not form their 
 alliance to make war upon the nation, but to force 
 the government to acknowledge the independence 
 of other states. He never alluded to the Bour- 
 bons. This proclamation did not reach Paris. 
 The hopes of the royalists on the crown prince 
 were founded on M. Alexis de Noailles, who sought 
 refuge in Sweden, being appointed his aide-de- 
 camp. M. de Noailles was nephew of the prince 
 de Poix, and the duchess dowager de Duras, and 
 was related or allied to many of the ancient no- 
 bility. He had been imprisoned at La Force by 
 Napoleon. 
 
 A proclamation, pretending to be from the 
 crown prince, was secretly handed about at 
 Paris, inviting the French to enter under the 
 dominion of their ancient princes. The royalists 
 were so far the dupes of this proclamation, and to 
 the report of his being at Laon, that in one of their 
 secret meetings they deputed two persons to en- 
 deavour to gain access to him. Messrs. de Gain- 
 Montaignac and Vinchon de Quemont quitted
 
 ROYALISTS AND CROWN I'RINCK. 35 
 
 Paris lor that purpose on the 9th of March. On 
 the evening of the r2th they arrived at La Ft^re, 
 and had an interview with general Bulow, who, 
 to their utter astonishment, informed them that 
 the crown prince, so far from being at Laon, as 
 was believed in Paris, was at Liege, from whence 
 he did not appear inclined to advance. The next 
 day they obtained an interview with general 
 Gneiseneau, who advised them to address them- 
 selves to the emperor of Russia ; but though the 
 general facihtated their journey, yet the difficul- 
 ties they had to encounter were greater than they 
 chose to risk, and they returned without seeing 
 Alexander. Arri\nng at Paris on the 20th of 
 March, they waited on Messrs. Fitzjames and 
 Bruno de Boisgellin, who were much surprised 
 to learn that Bernadotte was not the very soul 
 of the coalition. They brought a letter from the 
 prince Wolkensky, major-general to the emperor 
 of Russia, to Talleyrand, and at night made a 
 report of their mission to the royalist assembly. 
 While these imagined that Bernadotte was zealous 
 in the cause of legitimacy, the Napoleonists be- 
 lieved with greater reason he was manoeuvring on 
 his own account, and that he entertained oreat 
 hopes of being called upon by the French to 
 succeed tlieir emperor. 
 
 27th. — I saw a line of about twenty ^V/rrt'* 
 and nearly forty carts, filled with wounded French 
 soldiers, arrive at the newly fitted-up military 
 hospital at the top of the Rue Rochechouart.
 
 36 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 EVENTS OF MARCH 1814. 
 
 Coloured prints, representing grim-looking mon- 
 sters in uncouth dresses, (for which the artists had 
 no authority), and in the act of committing every 
 excess, entitled " Cossacks," were exposed for 
 sale at all the print- and book-stalls in Paris. 
 
 On one occasion, during this month, I saw a 
 superior officer, recently wounded, borne on a 
 litter by infantry, and escorted by cavalry along 
 the Boulevard des Italiens ; and, a few days after- 
 wards, another under similar circumstances. 
 
 4th. — Price of stocks, — 5 per cents, 53 francs 
 73 centimes; bank actions, 710 francs. 
 
 8th. — On entering Paris by the Versailles 
 road, at theBarri^re des Bons-hommes, this evening, 
 between seven and eight o'clock, a sentinel of the 
 line stopped me, and said I must go into the corps 
 de garde, and shew wlj papier s. On my instantly 
 acquiescing in this unusual order, and putting my 
 hand to my side-pocket, the officer of the national 
 guard. said, " Cela suffit," and I passed on; and 
 not having spoke a word, my being an English- 
 man was unsuspected. Between the barrier and 
 the bridge were two pieces of cannon, a second 
 range of palisades, and a sentinel. 
 
 15th. — This evening, between six and seven 
 o'clock, I saw about thirty sick and wounded sol- 
 diers lying in the street at the bottom of the Rue
 
 THE SEINE FILLED WITH DEAD liODIKS. 37 
 
 Rochechouart. Tlicy had been brought from Brie 
 in carts ; and on arriving at the hospital at the 
 top of the street, were refused admittance, for 
 want of room. The country people-who had been 
 put in requisition to convey them to Paris, brought 
 them to this spot, turned them out of their carts, 
 and there left them, hastening away, lest they 
 should be seized to carry bread to the army. 
 Frequently those who had been pressed to convey 
 the wounded for only five leagues, were detained 
 fifteen, and even twenty, days from their homes, 
 in consequence of fresh requisitions. The in- 
 habitants, however, particularly the poorer classes, 
 were very humane, and administered every suc- 
 cour in their power, and also received many of 
 them into their dwellings, until they could be 
 removed to the different hospitals. 
 
 23d. — A letter appeared in the Moniteur, 
 signed by J. J. Leraux, doyen de la Faculte de 
 M^decine ^ Pans, Chaussier, and Percy, profes- 
 seurs a la Faculte, respecting the state of the waters 
 in the Seine, which the public apprehended were 
 deleterious, in consequence of the number of dead 
 bodies thrown into the river. This fear they en- 
 deavoured to remove, by assuring the people that 
 the continued fluctuation and change of water 
 destroyed all putrescence, and that the fluid was 
 consequently harmless. The number of dead 
 bodies seen, cither floating down the river, or 
 stranded on the banks, was immense, and exhi-
 
 38 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 bited an appalling spectacle. Many idle people 
 in the neighbourhood of Melun, Corbeil, and 
 Choissy le Roi, were engaged the whole day look- 
 ing over the parapets of the bridges, to witness the 
 bodies that floated down the Seine in countless 
 numbers. 
 
 This was immediately after the battle of Mon- 
 tereau, when the dead were thrown into the river, 
 to avoid the labour and expense of interment. 
 Many others were also committed to the stream 
 from the hospitals at Nogent, and other towns on 
 the banks of the Seine. Hundreds of the wounded 
 and diseased soldiers were packed together in 
 large barges, without awnings or other protection, 
 and exposed to severe frosts, — in consequence of 
 which numbers perished, and were thrown over- 
 board. 
 
 26th. — The distant roaring of artillery having 
 more than once been heard at Paris, every sound 
 of cannon near the capital excited alarm. To 
 remove all fears, and ascribe such sounds to one 
 cause, it was this day announced in the newS' 
 papers, that the artillerymen of the line and the 
 national guard would daily practise with artillery 
 at Vincennes. 
 
 A considerable number of the workmen out of 
 employ daily loitered on the boulevards about 
 the Porte St. Martin, as it was by this road that 
 waggons and carts, laden with the wounded French, 
 and detachments of prisoners, arrived . The passing
 
 :NrODE OF TAXATION. 39 
 
 of couriers to and from the army, the departure of 
 reinforcements ahiiost every hour, produced fresh 
 objects to excite or stratify curiosity. Triflint^ 
 as this circumstance may appear, it proved that 
 the pohce were conciliating the lower orders : for 
 1 had never before witnessed assemblies of this 
 kind in Paris ; nor, indeed, had they been per- 
 mitted for many years, however insignificant the 
 persons, or harmless the motives which induced 
 them to collect together. Yet from the beginning 
 of March they were tolerated, and their numbers 
 increased until this day, when, as soon as groups 
 were formed, the national guard ordered them to 
 disperse; and the people, having assembled merely 
 to occupy their idle time, and share in the excite- 
 ment and incidents of the hour, instantly obeyed. 
 
 Price of stocks, — 5 per cents, 46 francs, 35 
 centimes; bank actions, 615 francs. 
 
 In France, taxes are paid monthly ; if other- 
 wise, it is in consequence of a private arrangement 
 with the collector. During February, the amount 
 of taxes suifered little diminution in the mean 
 daily receipt, which for the city of Paris is seventy 
 thousand francs ; the whole annual produce being 
 twenty-five millions of francs. In the month of 
 March, not more than from two to three hundred 
 francs per diem could be obtained. 
 
 All classes of persons shewed the greatest 
 reluctance to part with their money. Few work- 
 men or artisans were employed, and those few
 
 40 KVENTS AT PAllIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 could not obtain wages. So great was the stag- 
 nation of trade, that shopkeepers were eager to 
 sell their goods considerably under prime cost. 
 Money became so scarce, that many pei^sons were 
 obliged to send their forks and spoons to the mint 
 to be coined. There was a premium of forty 
 francs for fifty pieces of twenty francs in gold ; 
 all persons were desirous of hoarding. 
 
 Sundaij, 27th. — I was present at a review of 
 the Parisian national guards, to the number of 
 nearly thirty thousand, by Joseph Buonaparte, in 
 the court-yard of the Tuilleries. About twelve 
 thousand were armed with second-hand muskets, 
 carbines, and fowling-pieces ; and wore new uni- 
 forms. Those Vv^ho could not thus equip themselves 
 were armed with a pike only, which was dignified 
 by the name of lance, and had a tricoloured pennon 
 hanging to it. There were also about two hundred 
 and fifty cavalry of the line, and a considerable train 
 of artillery, of which several pieces were worked 
 by the Polytechnic scholars. The troops were 
 under arms at nine in the morning, and the review 
 continued until three. The court-yard of the 
 Tuilleries, and Place Carousel, Quai du Louvre, 
 Place Vendome, Rue Castiglione, and Rue de 
 Rivoli, were entirely filled with troops, which 
 successively defiled before the " roi Joseph." 
 The day was very fine, and the environs of the 
 palace were crowded with spectators, who all 
 exulted at the sight of so many new uniforms,
 
 REVIKW IN PARIS. 41 
 
 and expressed their wishes that the enemy could 
 only behold them — little doubting but that the 
 terror of the allies would equal the self-admira- 
 tion of the French. To render this show more 
 dazzlini^ to the Parisians, general Ornano lent 
 the national guard two thousand muskets be- 
 lonu^ing to the arsenal of the imperial guard, but 
 upon the express condition that they were to be 
 returned the next day. The position of the allies 
 was totally unknown to the Parisians, who little 
 thought they were then crossing the Marne, 
 within twenty-five miles of Paris. 
 
 At night, however, the flying French troops 
 announced to the inhabitants of Claye, Ville- 
 parisis, Livry, &c. that the enemy w^ere closely 
 in pursuit of them. 
 
 The head-quarters of the sovereigns was at 
 Coulomiers, and Blucher's at La Ferte-sur-Jouarre. 
 
 In the afternoon, the corps ofYorke andKleist 
 began to cross the Marne at Triport, three miles 
 above Meaux, by a bridge which general Mufflin 
 threw across the river ; and at Germigny FEv^que, 
 one mile higher up. A trifling resistance was 
 made by the national guard. General Mufflin, 
 quarter-master-general of the Silesian army, told 
 me there was a smart aflair at Triport. About 
 nine in the evening, some French cavalry gal- 
 loped through Meaux, evidently routed, but gave 
 no warning to the inhabitants of the enemy's 
 approach.
 
 42 EVKNTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 During the night, a cannonading was heard 
 at Meaux : the alhes entered that city between 
 twelve and one in the morning ; and, at about three 
 in the morning of the 28th, the whole neighbour- 
 hood was thrown into the greatest alarm by a 
 tremendous explosion of the French powder maga- 
 zine, situated at the entrance of Meaux from Paris. 
 This was done without any warning having been 
 given to the inhabitants of the town. Several 
 adjacent houses were thrown down by the con- 
 cussion, and most of the windows in the city were 
 broken, though no lives were lost. A large house, 
 which had formerly been an inn, was, at the 
 beginning of March, converted into this powder 
 magazine. Early on the preceding day, the 
 French began to remove the powder in boats 
 down the Marne ; but the rapid approach of the 
 allied army prevented its being entirely carried 
 away; they therefore blew it up, to prevent its 
 falling into their hands. The advanced guard 
 arrived at Livry at nine in the evening, harassed 
 by the Cossacks, by one of whom a French lancer 
 was dreadfully wounded at eleven o'clock, within 
 a quarter of a mile of the village, which is at the 
 ninth borne, or thousand toise-stone, from N6tre 
 Dame at Paris :^ — equal to eleven English miles 
 and a quarter. 
 
 28th. — In the Journal de Paris, this day, 
 under the head of "Paris:"- — '* King Joseph 
 passed in review yesterday 15,000 troops of the
 
 TEASANTRY FLYING INTO PARIS. 43 
 
 line, ini))ciTcil guard, cavalry, and infantry, and 
 20,000 national guards of Paris, with their artil- 
 lery. The troops depart for the army au prcmkr 
 jourr 
 
 In the Monitcur, dated Paris, the 27th : — • 
 
 NOUVELLES DES ARMEES. 
 
 " Doulevcnt, 25 Mars, 1814. 
 
 *' Le quartier-g^i^ral de rempereur est ici. 
 L'ai'in^e Fran^aise occupe Chaumont, Brienne. 
 Elle est en communication avec Troyes, et ses 
 patrouilles vont jusqu'a Langres. De tout c6t6 
 on rem^ne des prisonniers. La sant6 de sa ma- 
 jest^ est tres-bonne." 
 
 Price of stocks, — 5 per cents, 45 f. 50 c. ; 
 45 f. 75 c. ; bank actions, 555, 565. 
 
 Before day-break, the terrified population of 
 the country between Meaux and Paris came 
 pouring into the capital, with their aged, infirm, 
 children, cats, dogs, live-stock, corn, hay, and 
 household goods of every description. The boule- 
 vards were crowded with waggons, carts, and 
 carriages, thus laden, to which cattle were tied, 
 and the whole surrounded by women on foot. 
 The distress of these poor refugees was augmented 
 by being forced to pay the octt^oi at the gates of 
 Paris, for which many were obliged to sell part 
 of their stock at the barriers, to obtain what, they 
 hoped, would be security for the rest, — the right 
 of taking it within the walls ; thus displaying to tlie
 
 44 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 inhabitants of Paris a picture of the effects of 
 war, far different from that which they had been 
 accustomed to look upon. According to general 
 report, the Cossacks, — a term by which all the 
 allied troops were designated, — had burnt Meaux, 
 and were rapidly advancing without interruption : 
 yet all this had little effect on the staring Pari- 
 sians, whom the country people reviled for apathy 
 and cowardice, in not rising to repel the enemy. 
 I went up the Rue Faubourg St. Martin, at half- 
 past three in the afternoon : the peasantry, still 
 arriving in vast numbers, reported, that at twelve 
 o'clock there had been a sharp action at Claye, a 
 village fifteen homes (eighteen and three-quarters 
 English miles) from Paris; but of the result I could 
 obtain no account. Near the church of St. Lau- 
 rent, I met about fifty prisoners taken in that 
 contest; some were sinking from toil and loss of 
 blood, their unbound wounds were still bleeding, 
 and, to increase their misery, all were crowded 
 into one cart. The country people whom I now 
 questioned, agreed that the enemy were at Claye, 
 where an action had taken place ; some said they 
 had advanced to Villeparisis (which was the fact, 
 where a severe conflict occurred in the streets, 
 with much bayoneting, man to man, and in 
 which two hundred of the French were killed) ; 
 others said that they were driven back ; some, that 
 there were forty thousand; others, only twenty 
 thousand ; and some averred that they did not
 
 FllENCn RETREAT TO PARIS. 45 
 
 exceed six thousand. I walked out of Paris by 
 the barrier of Pantin, on the Meaux road, which 
 every one was now allowed to do, without being 
 subjected to examination of pass-ports or cartes de 
 surety, as had been the case at all the barriers for 
 some days previously : few profited by this, and 
 still fewer had curiosity sufficient to urge them to 
 proceed above a quarter of a mile. All soldiers 
 who attempted to enter the barriers were put 
 under arrest. I saw about forty of these lying 
 on the ground near the barrier, under guard, 
 awaiting to be conducted to the etat - major. 
 Within the palisades were two small field-pieces 
 and some Polytechnic scholars on duty. On the 
 sides of the road to Pantin were the French 
 cavalry, infantry, and artillerymen, reposing, with 
 cannon, tumbrils, &c. Several had lighted fires, 
 and were cooking, and all waiting for orders, 
 having had rendezvous given them here after the 
 buttle at Claye, which some said lasted until 
 nearly two o'clock ; others, that it was over at half- 
 past twelve. That they had been repulsed and 
 dispersed, was very evident. Among them I ob- 
 served some of the cavalry which I had seen re- 
 viewed the day before. 
 
 I breakfasted this morning at the duchesse 
 
 de C 's, in the Rue de Lille (now Bourbon). 
 
 An event, which part of the family had just 
 witnessed at the church of St. Thomas d'Aquin, 
 engrossed the whole of the conversation. The
 
 46 EVENTS AT PAUIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 devotion of the con^es^tion having been dis- 
 turbed by the great central doors of the church 
 being suddenly thrown open, and that cowardly 
 sycophant, of infamous reputation, the arch- 
 chancellor Camba^eres, who had never been pre- 
 viously known to attend this his parish church, 
 was ushered in, full dressed in white, and with 
 all the homage of ecclesiastical pomp, — -priests, 
 with sacring boys, swinging incense. Being thus 
 conducted to the place of honour, he began a 
 Novenna.* Whether '* monseigueur'" continued 
 this series of supplication at Blois, I could not 
 learn. The interest which this pompous display 
 of faith excited, prevented attention to the mighty 
 events that were passing on the other side of the 
 city, and of which, till my arrival, they were 
 wholly ignorant. 
 
 In the evening I went to the cafe Lecuy, and 
 there met Gautherot, the historical painter, and 
 Lenard, who had been that morning as far as 
 Villeparisis, and had there witnessed the retreat of 
 the French, and also saw the allies take possession 
 of the heights above that village, (which is only 
 twelve bornes, or sixteen English miles, from the 
 capital). They were slowly advancing. 
 
 This day the Silesian army, with their bands 
 
 * A Novenna is a series of prayers continued during nine 
 days, for the obtaining of certain favours, under the invocation 
 of any particular saint, or addressed immediately to God.
 
 BATTLE OF CLAYE. — ROI JOSKPH. 47 
 
 playing at the head of each regiment, crossed the 
 Marne at Triport. General Muftiin was repairing 
 the bridge at Meaux, which was not rendered 
 passable until evening. The battle of Claye proved 
 to have commenced at ten o'clock. The allies 
 attacked and drove in the rear-guard of the 
 French ; but they rallied and repulsed the enemy, 
 who returned in such numbers as to overpower 
 the French, many of whom were killed in the 
 streets of Claye. The whole was over at two 
 o'clock. Blucher established his head-quarters 
 at Plessis Belleville, and forbade the adjacent 
 village of Ermenonville to be occupied by any 
 part of his army, out of respect to the spot where 
 J. J. Rousseau died and was buried. 
 
 Tuesday, 29th. — The national guard was this 
 morning under arms in every part of Paris. The 
 barriers and all the military posts in the interior 
 of the city were delivered up to them by the troops 
 of the line, who bivouacked without the walls. 
 The " roi Joseph " visited the heights about 
 noon ; but was prevented from proceeding far, as 
 they were occupied by the allies, of w^hose force 
 he returned as ignorant as when he set out. 
 Thus was the safety of the metropolis confided to 
 a man whose want of intellect and inexperience 
 in war was not even compensated by personal 
 courage ; and this was not the result of dire neces- 
 sity, but of Napoleon's own combinations. 
 
 The influx of the surrounding population con-
 
 48 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 tinued to pour into the city for refuge and pro- 
 tection ; but of the situation, or force of the allied 
 army, every one appeared marvellously ignorant ; 
 nor did its approach excite any great conster- 
 nation in the thoughtless Parisians. The pea- 
 santry, after depositing their property, auginented 
 the number of stupid gapers on the boulevards, 
 along which, at ten o'clock, some artillery, tum- 
 brils, and small detachments of cavalry, passed 
 towards the Fauxbourg St. Antoine. The lugu- 
 brious sound of the tumbrils, rolling along the 
 pavement, harmonised with the foreboding aspect 
 of affairs. 
 
 I went this morning to the Museum of the 
 Louvre, where I found nearly the usual number of 
 artists : some of them were quietly copying the 
 pictures ; but many were looking from the win- 
 dows into the court-yard of the Tuilleries at the 
 preparations for the departure of the empress, 
 Marie- Louise. 
 
 Napoleon had sent orders to the arch-chan- 
 cellor, that if the allies approached Paris, the 
 empress regent, the king of Rome, the council 
 of the regency, ministers, senate, &c. should re- 
 pair to the banks of the Loire ; vainly flattering 
 himself, that, should a party hostile to him be 
 formed in Paris under the sanction of the allies, 
 not having the seal of the empire to affix to 
 their acts, they would not be valid. The empress 
 and council of the regency wished to remain at
 
 CoySTKIlNATION AT TTIK TUir.LEllIF.S. 4'J 
 
 Paris; but on Cambaccres producing the im- 
 perial mandate, all lurtlier remarks ceased. 
 
 It is the general opinion, even among the most 
 strenuous partisans of the Bourbons, that had the 
 empress remained, whatever might have been the 
 fate of Napoleon, there w^ould have been no 
 movement in behalf of the royal family ; and the 
 little band of royalists finding no support, would 
 have pined away neglected and despised. 
 
 At day-break, the disorder which had reigned 
 all night in the Tuilleries was exposed to the 
 public. The window-shutters being opened, the 
 wax lights in the chandeliers were seen expiring in 
 their sockets. The ladies of the court were disco- 
 vered running from apartment to apartment ; some 
 were weeping, and in a state of distraction ; whilst 
 servants were hurrying from place to place in like 
 confusion. At half after six, fifteen fourgons, 
 escorted by cavalry, left the palace. It was after- 
 wards known that these carriages contained the 
 amassed treasures of Napoleon. Sentries, sta- 
 tioned in the court-yard, prevented any of the 
 spectators approaching this part of the palace. 
 At eight o'clock the travelling carriages were at 
 that entrance of the Tuilleries near the Pavilion 
 de Flore, and arrangements were making for de- 
 parture. A little before nine, an officer came to 
 the door from the interior with fresh orders, in 
 consequence of which the carriages were taken 
 
 £
 
 60 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 across the Place Carousel back to the stables. 
 Cambaceres arrived ten minutes after nine; and 
 a few minutes after, a servant galloped to the 
 stables, the carriages returned, the preparations 
 for the journey were continued and partially com- 
 pleted, and at half-past ten the empress Marie 
 Louise, in a brown cloth riding-habit, with the 
 king of Rome in one coach, surrounded by 
 guards, and followed by several other coaches, 
 with attendants, quitted the palace ; the spec- 
 tators preserving the most profound silence. They 
 proceeded along the quay under the garden-wall : 
 to this first cavalcade succeeded other carriages 
 with the domestics, and the state coach covered 
 up. This scene occupied the whole day and 
 until seven in the morning of the 30th. Even 
 after the capitulation of Paris was signed, several 
 waggons, laden with large packing-cases, were 
 driven from the palace. 
 
 The empress slept this night at the palace of 
 Rambouillet; the 30th, at Chartres; the 31st, at 
 Chateaudun ; at Vendome on the 1st of April; 
 and from thence, by a very bad road, and after a 
 laborious journey, arrived at Blois on the 2d, at 
 five in the afternoon. Immediately after the de- 
 parture of the empress, all persons were turned 
 out of the Museum, and the doors were closed. 
 I then went to the Fauxbourg St. Martin, where 
 I saw the following address on the wall : —
 
 ADDllKSS TO THE I'AUISIANS. 51 
 
 " Li: KOI JOSKPH, 
 
 ** Licutcnant-gincral de VEinpcreur, Commandant-cn-chcf de la 
 Garde Nationalc, aux Citoi/cns de Paris. 
 
 ** Citoyens de Paris, — Une colonne ennemie 
 s'est port(^e sur Meaux. Elle s'avance par route 
 d'Allemagne ; mais Tempereur la suit de pres, 
 i\ la tete d'une armc^e victorieuse. 
 
 ** Le conseil de r^gence a pourvu a la surete 
 de rimperatrice et da roi de Rome. Je reste 
 avec vous. 
 
 " Armons-nous, pour d^fendre cette ville, ses 
 monumens, ses richesses, nos femmes, nos enfans, 
 tout ce qui nous est cher ; que cette vaste cit6 
 devienne un camp pour quelques instans, et que 
 Tennemi trouve sa honte sous ses miirs, qu'il 
 esptJre francliir en triomphe. 
 
 " L'empereur marche a notre secours. Se- 
 condez-le par une courte et vive resistance, et 
 conservons Ihonneur Francais. 
 
 Paris, le 29 Mars, 1814. (Sign(i) '* JoSEPH." 
 
 The fauxbourg was thronged with people : 
 about two o'clock the guard cleared it, and no 
 person was afterwards allowed to pass. I met 
 a fellow-detenu, (Mr. L.) and walked with him 
 out at the barri(^re Poissonuiere, and ascended 
 the eastern side of Montmartre ; but on the exten- 
 sive plain which we commanded, from thence, by 
 our elevation of about two hundred and fifty feet.
 
 52 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 there was no appearance of troops. From the 
 edge of a wood, on the heights between Raincy 
 and Montfermel, which, beginning at Claye, (a 
 market town,) command and skirt the high road 
 to the capital, we saw smoke, and distinctly 
 heard the sound of artillery. Whilst exercising 
 our conjectures on the position of the armies, to 
 our great astonishment, at ten minutes after four, 
 we heard and saw three cannon fired in suc- 
 cession from a battery at La Villete, constructed 
 where the canal de I'Ourcq crosses the road at 
 the northern extremity of the village, in the pass 
 between the vertical escarjDment of the Butte 
 St. Chaumont and Montmartre, and at less than 
 a mile from the walls of the city. We could not 
 ascertain the cause of the firing, but afterwards 
 learned it was at some eclaireurs, who had ad- 
 vanced to the farm of Rouvry, on the left of the 
 road from Paris to Pantin. The heights from 
 which we saw the firing were then occupied by 
 the allies, who were cannonading the rear of the 
 French in their retreat upon Paris. There were 
 about twenty persons, whom curiosity had drawn 
 to the same spot on which we stood. We instantly 
 returned to Paris, apprehending that the barriers 
 might be shut. In coming down the fauxbourg 
 Poissoni^re, we saw an aide-de-camp arrive at 
 marshal Marmonf s, in the Rue de Paradis. 
 
 The proclamation of roi Joseph was selling, for 
 a sou, on the boulevards, where groups of people
 
 THE ALLIES AITROACII PAKIS. 53 
 
 were assembled. Much agitation now prevailed — 
 the Hight of tlie empress caused considerable alarm. 
 Many loudly expressed their discontent at the 
 national guard, for permitting her to leave Paris, 
 as they entertained a dastardly hope that her pre- 
 sence would preserve them from the vengeance of 
 the allies. For the first time, I heard the people 
 openly dare to vent complaints against the em- 
 peror, as the sole cause of the impending calamity; 
 but I witnessed no patriotic feeling to repulse the 
 enemy. At dusk, a train of very large waggons, 
 laden with sacks of ammunition-bread, passed 
 along the Boulevard des Italiens, to the westward : 
 thus the situation of the rear of the army could 
 no longer be concealed. As night came on, the 
 varying rumours increased. Between seven and 
 eight o'clock, St. Denis, and even Clichy, were 
 falsely reported to have been taken ; but of 
 Romainville, a village within three miles of the 
 gates of Paris, being occupied by the enemy, 
 which it had been for more than two hours, I did 
 not hear a word. Of the situation of the allies, 
 or of their numbers, all seemed ignorant : few al- 
 lowed them to amount to 20,000 : 30,000 was the 
 greatest number I heard named. M. Gustave 
 (now duke de Coigny), who in the Moscow cam- 
 paign lost his arm, had been aide-de-camp to 
 general Sebastiani, rode out to the advanced posts 
 in the morning, and returned with a report that 
 there were not more than 30,000 of the allies.
 
 54 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 M. Lebreton, the secretary of the fourth class 
 of the Institute, told me he called in the evening 
 on the duke of Rovigo, at the hotel of the minister 
 of police, Quai Malaquais, and found him playing 
 at billiards with count Real, and conversing at the 
 same time on the situation of things. Rovigo, 
 though he had ridden that morning towards Ville- 
 parisis, did not believe there were more than 
 40,000 of the allies marching against Paris ; and 
 Real maintaining that there were only 30,000, 
 urged the minister to publish an ordinance, com- 
 manding the inhabitants of Paris, under pain of 
 death, to unpave the streets, and carry the stones 
 into the upper rooms ; that those who remained 
 in the houses, even the women, might throw them 
 on the enemy, and also to fire upon them from the 
 windows. The duke said it could not be done. 
 
 At the Theatre Feydeau there were only three 
 persons in the pit when the curtain drew up, nor 
 at any time during the evening were there more 
 than twenty in the house. 
 
 About nine o'clock I went to the caf6 de Lecuy, 
 where I met lieutenant Prot, who had just arrived 
 at Paris with marshal Marmont's corps, which, 
 in conjunction with that of marshal Mortier, 
 having fought on the 25th at Bussy-l'Estree, 
 between Arcis-sur-Aube and Chalons, and been 
 beaten, were compelled to retreat by cross-roads, 
 pursued by the allies, and obliged to abandon 
 all their artillery, ammunition, and baggage. The
 
 DISTIIACTING ORDERS. 55 
 
 remains of these corps were then entering Paris 
 by Charcnton bridjie. 
 
 Marshal Moncey visited the different posts of 
 the national guard, on horseback, about dusk, 
 attended by an aide-de-camp. At the post in the 
 Rue de Provence, near the end of the Rue Cerutti, 
 the soldiers turned out to receive him. He 
 addressed them, saying that the enemy was ad- 
 vancing, and he would not conceal that there was 
 some danger, but the troops under the walls of 
 the capital would hold them in check ; that the 
 emperor was coming, and they must remain firm 
 at their posts. Marshal Marmont, duke of Ragusa, 
 informed me, (May 30, 1814,) that when at 
 Rheims, after the battle of Craone, he received 
 orders from the emperor Napoleon to make a 
 junction with marshal Mortier, duke of Treviso, 
 and march to Paris to protect the city. On their 
 arrival at Fismes, they received counter orders to 
 proceed by forced marches to Chalons ; but on 
 arriving at Vertus, they obtained information that 
 it was in possession of the allies, whose position 
 and motions, combined with those of other divi- 
 sions of the allied army, rendered it evident to 
 him that they were rapidly moving on Paris. He 
 was therefore desirous of marching directly to the 
 capital. This the duke of Treviso opposed, al- 
 leging that the sudden appearance of their corps 
 would greatly alarm the inhabitants. Marmont 
 replied, '* Will, then, the arrival of the enemy
 
 56 EVENTS AT PAllIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 frighten them less?" After the affair of Bussy- 
 TEstree, on the 25th, the marshals continued 
 their retreat. On arriving at Rosay, Marmont 
 was of opinion that they should advance to 
 Meaux, to defend that passage of the Marne, 
 which point they might gain before the allied 
 army; but as Mortier persisted in directing 
 his march to Melun, he was under the neces- 
 sity of following him, and thence arrived at Paris 
 on the 29th, at four o'clock in the afternoon. He 
 immediately visited the heights of Belleville, — 
 a situation which he had never before studied as 
 a military position. 
 
 Finding part of the ground much intersected by 
 garden walls, and deeming it advantageous that 
 openings should be made in them, to facilitate 
 the motions of the troops and artillery, he waited 
 on the minister of war in the evening, to request 
 that he would give the necessary orders; but 
 not obtaining an interview with him, left a mes- 
 sage to that effect with his secretary. However, 
 the next day he found that not a stone had 
 been removed. 
 
 During the evening and night, his corps, to 
 the number of 2600 men, and that of the duke of 
 Treviso, consisting of 7000, arrived at Paris. 
 
 The grand army passed the Marne this morn- 
 ing at day-break, and established their head- 
 quarters at Claye. Blucher marched on; and 
 moving to the right, fixed his head-quarters at
 
 SITUATION or THE AIJ.IED ARMIES. 57 
 
 Aiinay. General Mufflin, qnarter-master-general 
 of the Silcsian army, told me lie lodged at ma- 
 dame de Tessiers' cluiteau, and Blucher in the 
 village, where they arrived at six in the evening. 
 In consequence of the emperor of Russia having 
 sent word to Blucher not to advance too rapidly, 
 in order that both armies might be united, and 
 the attack upon Paris made general, the bivouac 
 of Langeron's corps v^^as disposed between Da- 
 martin and Bourget, and extended nearly from the 
 extremity of one town to that of the other. Mufflin 
 iiaving made this disposition, he despatched an 
 officer to prince Schwartzcnberg, who was at 
 Claye ; but the guide giving him the slip on the 
 way, prevented his arrival at head-quarters until 
 after midnight.* The orders he there received were, 
 to advance immediately and attack; but again 
 losing his way, instead of returning at one o'clock, 
 as was calculated, he did not reach Aunay until 
 nearly six. Mufflin then sent orders to Langeron 
 to advance and attack Montmartre, and instantly 
 moved forward upon La Villette, by Aubervilliers. 
 Langcron's corps marched towards St. Ouen and 
 Clichy, but where, in consequence of the evasion 
 of the guide, it could only arrive in the middle of 
 
 • The distance from Aunay to Claye is only ten English 
 miles, and chiefly consists of an open plain, through which the 
 canal d'Ourcq is conducted. Part of it is occupied by the 
 forest of Bondi, in which not only the guide might easily make 
 his escape, but the stranger lose his way.
 
 58 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 the day. The principal attack was made by the 
 corps of York and Kleist, at La Chapelle and 
 La Villette, and where general Mufflin himself 
 was. 
 
 The following article in the Mouiteur, which 
 was the only intelligence of the situation of the 
 armies, was published this day : — 
 
 '* Nouvelks des Anntes. — Le 26 de ce mois, sa 
 majeste I'empereur a battu, a St. Dizier, le general 
 Witzingerode ; lui a fait deux milles prisonniers ; 
 lui a pris des cannons, et beaucoup de voitures de 
 bagages. Ce corps a ete poursuivi tr^s-loin." 
 
 The following is the only article which ap- 
 peared in any of the newspapers respecting the 
 state of France, at the very gates of the capital. 
 
 " Journal de Paris, Avril 29. 
 
 " Depuis trois heures du matin de la journ6e 
 de hier, un grand nombre de troupes, infanterie 
 et cavalerie, sont parties de Paris pour I'armee. 
 Hier, vers cinq heures du soir, un detachement 
 de prisonniers de guerre est arriv6 a Paris par 
 la barri^re de Pantin. Au moment oii il passoit 
 sur les boulevards int^rieur du nord, un train 
 considerable d'artillerie, suivant les memes boule- 
 vards, se dirigent sur Meaux. 
 
 " Les compagnies du centre de la garde na- 
 tionale de Paris ont commence avant-hier a faire 
 usage des lances nouvellement fabriqu^es : on y 
 adapte une petite oriflamme, indiquant le numero 
 des legions.
 
 TELEGllAPII AT ^lOXTMARTRE. 59 
 
 " S. A. le Prince arcliichancelier de Tcmpirc 
 a assiste hier a Tasscmblce du scnat." 
 
 Such was the degraded prostitution of the 
 press, and such the credulity of its readers. 
 
 The keeper of the telegraph on the tower of 
 the church at Montmartre told me, that at twelve 
 o'clock this day the inspector of his post ar- 
 rived in great haste and fright, and ordered him 
 instantly to dismount the telegraph, and to take 
 the two telescopes into Paris, saying that some- 
 thing might occur in the night. 
 
 At niij:ht he saw the bivouac fires of the allies 
 on all the heights from Damartin and Vaujours 
 along the forest of Bondi, until hid by the bois 
 de Romainville. 
 
 There were only some artillerymen, but no 
 troops on Montmartre this night. He first heard 
 the cannon in the direction of Meaux on the 27th, 
 in the evening. 
 
 The price of stocks this day, — 5 per cents, 
 45 f. 23 c. ; 45 f. ; 45 f. 23 c. ; 45 f. ; 45 f. 10 c. ; 
 45 f. Actions in the bank of France, 550 f. ; 
 540 f.; 530 f.; 520 f. ; 515 f.; 520 f. 
 
 The grand army, under the command of prince 
 Schwartzenberg, crossed the Marne at Meaux and 
 Triport, and, excepting the corps ofWreden and 
 Sacken, who were left to secure the passage of 
 the river at Meaux, advanced upon Paris by the 
 high road. 
 
 Prince Schwartzenberg sent a flag of truce
 
 60 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 from his head-quarters at Claye to general Corn- 
 pens, offering terms for the evacuation of Paris ; 
 but roi Joseph, to whom the general forwarded 
 the despatches at Paris, would not listen to them. 
 At a little before three in the afternoon, the last 
 three vedettes of the French cavalry which re- 
 mained at Sevran were recalled by an officer; 
 they were pursued to Livry. The whole of the 
 morning the inhabitants of Livry and the adjacent 
 villages continued removing their live-stock and 
 furniture, with which, and the cavalry, artillery, 
 tumbrils, and baggage of the retreating French 
 army, the road was rendered almost impassable ; 
 and, to increase the confusion, the enemy, who 
 were masters of the heights which commanded the 
 road, cannonaded them, particularly between the 
 eighth and ninth home, where it is unsheltered 
 by wood. About four in the afternoon, the allied 
 army arrived by the high road at the fifth borney 
 and there dividing by the village of Baubigny, 
 which is half a mile from the road, their right 
 advanced towards St. Denis, and the left ascended 
 the heights above Noisy le Sec. At five, a swarm 
 of Cossacks rushed unexpectedly on the few in- 
 habitants of Romainville that had remained there, 
 supposing that some of general Com pens' corps 
 would either occupy that village or pass through 
 it in their retreat, and that till then they were in 
 safety. The poor people took to flight, but some 
 were first rifled. The enemy arrived in great
 
 kli(;ht or the empuess .losEriiiNE. 6\ 
 
 numbers on this ))lateau, which extends from 
 Rosory to tlic butte St. Cliaumont, and not only 
 occui)ied the village all night, but even the villa 
 of the senator-general de Vallence, son-in-law of 
 niadame de Genlis, at the entrance of the wood 
 which is between it and Belleville. The next 
 morning the French took possession of this wood, 
 tilled it with their sharp-shooters, and advanced 
 towards the village of Romainville. 
 
 The empress Josephine quitted Malmaison for 
 her domain at Navarre, in the department de 
 I'Eure, near Evreux, at half after two o'clock in 
 the afternoon, having waited nearly an hour for 
 the arrival of a bag of money from Paris to defray 
 the expenses of her journey. There were three 
 carriages ; and the first six leagues were per- 
 formed with her own horses, the remaining four- 
 teen leagues with those of the post. Constantine, 
 the keeper of her pictures, was at Malmaison 
 when she set off, by whom she sent a letter to 
 the minister of police. At Navarre, mademoiselle 
 de Comonde told me, she was joined by her 
 daughter, the queen of Holland. In public she 
 preserved her habitual calm and amiable man- 
 ners : but she passed the night at her window 
 and on a terrace in the garden, eagerly listening 
 for the approach of a courier charged with her 
 future destiny, of which, as well as what had 
 taken place at Paris, all in the chateau remained 
 ignorant for a week.
 
 62 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 Mademoiselle de Comonde, demoiselle d'hon- 
 neur to the empress Josephine, told me she was 
 in the carriage with the empress on the journey 
 to Navarre, and that as Josephine adored her son 
 Eugene Beauharnois, his position caused her the 
 greatest uneasiness. She always continued to 
 love Napoleon, whom she saw for the last time 
 just before he set out for Moscow. She some- 
 times went from Malmaison to Paris after dark 
 to see queen Hortensia, w^ho resided in the Rue 
 Cerutti. 
 
 This extraordinary separation from Napoleon, 
 who, it is well known, always entertained for 
 this fascinating woman, his divorced empress, 
 the most constant affection, was attributed at 
 court to the protest and interference of the 
 empress Marie Louise. 
 
 Wednesday, 30th. — I was awakened at half 
 after six by a single drummer of the national 
 guard going round beating to arms, and at the 
 same moment heard the roaring of cannon in 
 the direction of Belleville. It was a mild, gray 
 morning. On looking out, I saw numbers of my 
 neighbours of both sexes, with their night-capped 
 heads out of window, and in a state of semi- 
 nudity, which produced a very singular eftect. 
 The third battalion of the second legion of the 
 national guard was forming in the street* before 
 
 * Rue Cerutti, now d'Artois.
 
 CANNONADING OF PARIS. 63 
 
 the house of the chef de bataillon, count Alex- 
 andre de Laborde, and where they were receiving 
 ball-cartridges. Regnaud de Saint Jean d'Angely, 
 the chief of the second legion, was riding about 
 on a prancing cream-coloured charger, blustering 
 and giving orders. 
 
 Mr. L called, and we walked as far as 
 
 the fountain on the Boulevard de Bondi ; but 
 there was no appearance of military on that side 
 of the Butte St. Chaumont and Belleville : we 
 therefore proceeded thence by the Rue des Vin- 
 aigriers to a field behind the hospital St. Louis, 
 but we could only see a vedette : a heavy can- 
 nonade was heard to the north and east, appa- 
 rently very near to us. A few people had col- 
 lected in this field, and amongst them I observed 
 a hawker crying bread and brandy, " Prenez la 
 goutte, cassez la croute," with as much uncon- 
 cern as at a fair. The national guards at the 
 adjoining barrier would not suflTer any one to 
 pass. We crossed to the upper part of the 
 Fauxbourg St. Martin, where several of the fiacres 
 were collecting by the police-ofiicers, who had 
 put them in requisition for the service of the 
 wounded. From thence we descended the faux- 
 bourg, where no one out of uniform was allow^ed 
 to loiter. The military were, by order, forcing 
 the inhabitants to shut their porte-cocheres and 
 shops. When we arrived on the boulevards.
 
 64 KVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 many persons were assembled out of curiosity ; 
 but no patriotic energy, no consternation, or any 
 tendency to it, was evinced : the people appeared 
 almost every thing but what might be expected 
 they would or ought to be. The grisettes were 
 running about giggling and laughing : small par- 
 ties of soldiers under arms were moving in different 
 directions. Some national guards were conducting 
 three prisoners of war to the etat-major, one of 
 whom had just been wounded; a few of the 
 people proposed killing the prisoners, but those 
 who openly commiserated them were the most 
 numerous. 
 
 I breakfasted with Mr. L at nine o'clock. 
 
 The cannonade nearly ceased from nine to half- 
 past ten, when it became very brisk. After 
 
 breakfast we called on the princess de C 
 
 and Miss d'A — — , whose court-yard was full of 
 cows belonging to some country people. We 
 then went to the Rue de Clichy : the third bat- 
 talion of the second legion, consisting of three 
 hundred national guards, were marching up this 
 street, with drums beating, headed by counts 
 Regnaud de St. Jean d'Angely and Alexander 
 de Laborde, on horseback ; the former looking 
 very pompous, and the latter grave ; the major 
 part of the privates with rolls, buns, or pieces 
 of bread stuck upon their bayonets, affecting to 
 imitate the regulars carrying their ammunition-
 
 RECONNOITERING TIIK ARMIES, C5 
 
 bread vvlicn on a march ; but none seemed to 
 take an interest in the battle.* Arriving at the 
 barrier, they halted. We waited some time to 
 see if they would go out ; but observing no such 
 disposition, and being unable to get through the 
 ranks so as to gain the chemin-ronde, we re- 
 turned, and went by the Rue du Rocher to the 
 barrier of Mousseaux, when we found that none 
 but military were allowed to go out of Paris. 
 Thence we went to the Rue Cisalpine, wishing 
 to get into Mousseaux gardens, in which was 
 a post of national guards ; but a sentry, at the 
 corner of the Rue de Courcelles, prevented us 
 from approaching the entrance to the gardens. 
 We therefore returned to the large field behind 
 Tivoli gardens, in which, from the barrier of 
 Clichy to that of Mousseaux, a subterraneous 
 aqueduct was constructing, parallel and near to 
 the wall of Paris. The earth thrown out formed 
 a bank sufficiently high to enable us to look over 
 the wall, and command a view of the western part 
 of the plain of St. Denis, from Clichy to St. Ouen, 
 and to the right of Montmartre, Belleville, Menil- 
 montant, and Mont Louis, beyond which we were 
 prevented from seeing by the houses in the Rue de 
 
 • Three or four of the first of these, who went out voluntarily 
 in the plaiu of St. Denis, were killed a few hours after. There 
 were two other battalions at the barrier: fifty of these, and 
 thirty of the third, and a few others, went out into the plain ; 
 but count de Laborde told me it was perfectly voluntary, 
 
 r
 
 66 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 Clichy. We determined to remain on this spot, 
 calculating that the allies would attempt to turn 
 Montmartre, and that from this position we 
 should be enabled to see the manoeuvre. At this 
 time we could only see three or four soldiers at 
 the west summit of Montmartre. At about 
 twelve o'clock the cannonade slackened, and the 
 musketry was rarely heard ; but at half-past one 
 the firing became general along the whole line on 
 the heights, extending beyond Mont Louis from 
 the Butte St. Chaumont. From between Menil- 
 montant and Belleville the cannonade appeared 
 very brisk among the trees. A house was on fire 
 at Belleville, the smoke of which ascended far 
 above that of the artillery, and was, by its black- 
 ish-brown colour, easily distinguished from the 
 white smoke of gunpowder.* Towards three 
 o'clock the firing almost ceased in that direction. 
 
 About one o'clock, nearly an hundred national 
 guards, preceded by their pioneers, marched out 
 of the barrier of Clichy as volunteers, taking the 
 St. Denis road, but quitted it at the first turning 
 to the left ; then moving to the right we lost sight 
 
 * This house I afterwards saw : it is situated at Belleville, 
 in the Rue St. Denis, No. 136, to the left on going out of the 
 Rue de Romainville, forming the right-hand corner of the Rue 
 Thiery. It was a ladies' boarding-school, and the fire was occa- 
 sioned by the shell from a howitzer breaking through the roof 
 and exploding. It was considerably damaged, and was not 
 repaired until September 1815.
 
 ATTACK ON I'AIUS. 67 
 
 of them behind the Clichy road, at the base of 
 Montmartre. About half an liour after, we per- 
 ceived a few stragglers of the allied cavalry on 
 the Chemin de la Revolt,* and in the cross-road 
 which ])ranchcs from it near the park of St. Ouen 
 to Clichy, towards the latter of which they were 
 advancing, exchanging some pistol-shots, at the 
 same time, with the French horse. Shortly 
 afterwards, four regiments of the allied infantry, 
 arriving by the same road, made their appearance 
 on the plain between Clichy and St. Ouen, over 
 which the sharp-shooters of both armies were 
 thickly scattered. Those of the French consisted 
 of national guards. Some women and country- 
 people were seen running across the fields from 
 Clichy, which we shortly afterwards saw was in 
 the possession of the allies, who, advancing by 
 the road from that village to Montmartre, began 
 to fire from a cannon and a howitzer. Another 
 cannon and a howitzer, placed on the summit 
 of the westernmost windmill, returned six or 
 seven shots, and at the same time the French 
 opened two pieces from the elevated part of the 
 same road, where it intersects that from St. Denis 
 to the barrier. The white appearance of the 
 smoke, contrasted with the deep blue of the hills 
 
 * The Chemin de la Revolt goes from the Porte Maillot, in 
 the Bois de Boulogne, to St. Denis, leaving Clichy and St. Ouen 
 to the left.
 
 68 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 of Montmorency and the lowering sky, produced 
 a grand effect. Shortly afterwards, the cannon 
 belonging to the allies ceased firing. That part 
 of the battle which we could distinguish extended 
 from the village of Clichy until it was hid from 
 us by the rising ground of the road from Clichy 
 to Montmartre, and that of St. Denis. From 
 behind this ground, occasionally a dragoon ap- 
 peared, leading off his wounded horse. Though 
 what I saw did not fully come up to my idea of 
 the tumult of a battle, yet the novelty of the 
 scene — the roaring of the artillery — the noise of 
 the shot and shells rushing through the air — the 
 evident progress of the allies — and the vain con- 
 fidence of my fellow-spectators, who, blinded by 
 vanity, considered it as a trifling affair — the hope 
 that a few hours would end my captivity — all 
 tended to render the present moment that of the 
 highest excitement and deepest interest I had 
 experienced in my life. 
 
 One man only seemed deeply and silently to 
 feel the humiliation of his country. Many looked 
 on with apathy, and some with satisfaction ; but 
 of the immense force of the enemy, all were igno- 
 rant. In general, it was believed to be but 
 inconsiderable ; for even at half-past three, I 
 heard a fellow, in answer to the remark that the 
 firing increased, say, " lis jouissent de leur reste ; 
 ils seront bientot nos prisonniers." 
 
 The stables and woodstack of a house at Les
 
 NATIONALGUARDS REPULSE THE FllENCII SOLDIERS. 69 
 
 Batij:^nolcs, just without the ])aiTier of Clichy, 
 were set on fire by a shell from a howitzer ; but 
 after burning some time, the pioneers of the 
 national guard succeeded in extinguishing it.* 
 
 A horse, with his hind leg dangling by a 
 sinew, was brought into the field where we were, 
 to whose misery a national guard humanely put 
 an end with a musket-ball. 
 
 At three o'clock we walked to the barrier of 
 Clichy, and saw about fifty French cavalry and 
 artillerymen come in with a cannon, a howitzer, 
 and some tumbrils, pretending they were bringing 
 in dismounted pieces, and going to fetch ammuni- 
 tion ; but as one of the national guards remarked 
 that the pieces were uninjured, and as, at the 
 same time, a considerable body of cavalry and 
 infantry was attempting to crowd into Paris, the 
 guard posted at the barrier would not let those 
 who were already within proceed, and with great 
 difficulty effected the shutting and barring of the 
 gates of the palisades against those who were 
 without. We returned to our former station, and 
 had scarcely reached it, when a considerable 
 number of French cavalry and infantry, fugitives 
 from the battle, rushed in at the barrier of 
 
 * The house belonged to M. Robin, the notary, and is 
 situated in the first turning to the right on the St. Denis road : 
 it is No. 2, and is remarkable from having a hexagonal Belvidere 
 on the top. Damage was done to the amount of three thousand 
 francs.
 
 70 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 Mousseaux, and endeavoured to penetrate into 
 the city. The national guard stopped them, 
 and succeeded in forcing some of the infantry- 
 out. A fresh body of national guards arrived, 
 by the Rue du Rocher, with drums beating: few 
 of them were in uniform or armed ^vith muskets, 
 having, in general, only pikes with a tricolor 
 pennon. But the fortune of the day was now 
 decided : the national guards, who were without 
 the walls, returned in disorder. One of them told 
 us that the French troops of the line were running 
 from all their posts, and that the road on the 
 other side of the wall was strewed with the 
 muskets they had thrown away. In this they 
 had been imitated by the national guard, as I saw 
 several without arms, though in uniform. The 
 allied cavalry were now advancing by the fields 
 from Clichy : a squadron of French went to meet (j 
 them. We were in expectation of seeing a 
 charge ; but when they were within about two 
 hundred yards of each other, the French coolly 
 wheeled about, and came leisurely back, the 
 allies continuing as slowly to advance; but not 
 even a pistol-shot was exchanged. At four 
 o'clock we saw the inhabitants of Montmartre 
 running down the old road by the Poirier-sans- 
 pareil, and a few minutes after, two squadrons of 
 French cavalry followed ; but before they were 
 half-way down, our eyes were caught by the sight ' 
 of sharp-shooters of the Silesian army appearing \
 
 niENCII ARTILLERY TURNED UPON PARKS. 71 
 
 in rapid succession, and as they gained the various 
 points of tlie summit, opening a quick, scattered 
 fire upon tlie fugitives, who returned a few sliots 
 in their flight. This, from the irregularity of the 
 ground, and the steepness and winding nature 
 of the road, had a most picturesque and scenic 
 effect. Montmartre was immediately covered by 
 the allies, who, from the different terraces, opened 
 a terrible fire of musketry on the troops which 
 were crowding in at the barriers. 
 
 At twenty minutes after four, the artillery 
 abandoned by the French on the summit of Mont- 
 martre, was turned upon Paris, which the enemy 
 began to cannonade. One ball passed just above 
 our heads, and plowed up the earth close behind 
 us. The boys scrambled for it ; but the other 
 spectators scampered away towards the streets. As 
 there were several national guards on the bank on 
 which we were, it is probable that this ball was 
 fired at them, as all the succeeding balls passed 
 into Paris. One man was mortally wounded in 
 a house in the Rue St. Nicholas, near the Rue 
 du JMont-blanc, and was taken to the hospital, 
 where he died. A shell from a howitzer burst 
 in the gardens of the Hotel -Tellu son. Rue de 
 Provence : another fell on Mr. Greffulhe's garden 
 of the Pavilion de la Boissiere, Rue de Clicliy. 
 A cannon-ball knocked down a chimney of a 
 house in the Rue Basse du Rempart, No. 8, and 
 fell in the garden of the Hotel dc Gontaud-Biron.
 
 7-^ 
 
 EVENTS AT PAIIIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 I afterwards saw a window-frame which had been 
 shattered, in the Rue St. Martin, opposite the 
 junction of the two roads to Bourget and to Bondi. 
 The porter of a house in the Rue Fontaine-au-Roi, 
 Fauxbourg de Temple, was killed at his door by 
 a cannon-ball, and doubtless many others I did 
 not hear of. We returned by the Rue du Rocher. 
 Some national guards, who came in with us, loudly 
 complained of having been abandoned by the 
 troops of the line. Three or four ladies were 
 going up to the barrier in search of their hus- 
 bands, who were in the national guard. We 
 attempted in vain to persuade them to turn back, 
 as we believed the allies were on the point of 
 rushing into the city. In our way homewards, 
 
 we again called on the princess de C , who 
 
 informed us that she had just heard from M. 
 d'Herboville, formerly prefect of the department 
 of the Rhone, that there was a capitulation going 
 on, which was shortly afterwards confirmed to me 
 by M. Laffite, my banker, whom I met in the Rue 
 Cerutti. As I passed the Rue de Clichy, I saw 
 the inhabitants barricading the lower end with 
 carts, ladders, furniture, logs of firewood, &c. 
 apprehending that the enemy were coming in. 
 
 The firing ceased about five o'clock, with the 
 exception of now and then a distant and random 
 shot. At this time I took a few turns on the 
 boulevards, which were crowded with people, 
 all seemingly ignorant of the fate of the day.
 
 SUSPENSION OF AKMS. 73 
 
 The French army was filing mournfully to 
 the Champs Elysees, and all were in a silent, 
 sulky mood, strangely contrasting with their 
 usual animation and loquacity. Some cavalry, 
 who were drunk, had got off their horses, and 
 wanted to quarrel with, and sabre the bystanders. 
 They bivouacked in the Champs Elysees, the 
 Place Louis XV., and in the Rue de Rivoli, until 
 they evacuated Paris during the night. 
 
 I observed two soldiers conducting a Russian 
 prisoner to the ^tat-major in the Place Vendome. 
 
 I returned to Mr. L , in the Rue Trudon, 
 
 to dinner. From every information we had been 
 able to collect, we were induced to believe that 
 there was only a suspension of arms until nine 
 o'clock at night, unless the terms of a capitulation 
 should then be agreed upon ; and for that hour 
 we anxiously waited. 
 
 At dark, we saw, from the upper windows of 
 the house, Montmartre covered with the blazing 
 watch-fires of the Silesian army, and which dis- 
 tinctly shewed the soldiers bivouacking around 
 them. 
 
 Messrs. B and T came in to tea. I 
 
 returned home, and remained till late at my 
 window, gazing at the fires on Montmartre, en- 
 joying a beautifully serene night, and the delight- 
 ful emotions of satisfaction and hope resulting 
 from this eventful day. Not a carriage or a per- 
 son was to be heard in the streets, and the stillness
 
 ?4 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 (more awful from its contrast with the preceding 
 tumult) was only broken at intervals by the 
 distant sounds of music in the allied camp. 
 
 Marshal Marmont, duke of Ragusa, arrived 
 on the heights of Belleville a quarter before four 
 in the morning. But the allies beginning the 
 attack at a little after four, he had no time to 
 make any dispositions. 
 
 The following is the statement he gave me of 
 the total amount of the forces collected for the 
 defence of the capital. His army and that of 
 marshal Mortier, joined to the troops previously 
 before Paris, under general Compens, amounted 
 to between fifteen and sixteen thousand men, 
 consisting of — cavalry, rather more than three 
 thousand ; infantry, thirteen thousand ; artillery 
 in the battle, eighty. To these may be added 
 twelve thousand national guards, being all that 
 had arms. Of the number of troops the allies 
 had to oppose to him, he, as well as every 
 one else, was totally ignorant when the battle 
 began. 
 
 About six thousand troops bivouacked within 
 the walls of Paris, near the barriers of the Faux- 
 bourg St. Martin. They sallied forth at half- 
 past six in the morning. The empress's dragoons 
 going towards Belleville, and the Cossacks Fran- 
 Ipais to Les Vertus. They came in again about 
 twelve o'clock. 
 
 The cannonade and firing of musketry at the
 
 Al'l'llOACII AND SLAUGHTER OF THE PllUSSIANS. 75 
 
 Butte de St. Chaumont and the Pie St. Gervais, 
 was terrible from eight till half-past nine o'cloek. 
 
 The Prussian guards halted on the night of 
 the 29th at Villeparisis. At nine o'clock this 
 morning, intelligence was brought them that the 
 allies had been repulsed near Paris. The Prus- 
 sians instantly set forward, and ran nearly the 
 whole way to Pantin. Having reposed there a 
 few minutes, they again advanced with the 
 utmost rapidity, and were soon exposed to so 
 destructive a fire from the artillery, at open 
 batteries, on the heights of Belleville and the 
 Butte St. Chaumont, that nearly two thousand 
 were left dead on the field. This, a Prussian 
 officer told me, was the first time of their going 
 into action during the campaign. 
 
 Colonel Paixhans, of the artillery, commanded 
 the batteries at Belleville and the Butte St. 
 Chaumont. The cannon of the former were 
 served by raw conscripts, and not, as was gene- 
 rally believed, by the Polytechnic scholars. 
 The allies advanced by the road from Pantin, 
 and forming under the shelter of some houses, 
 rushed forward. When a certain number had 
 become exposed to the fire of the French bat- 
 teries, these were opened upon them with most 
 destructive effect ; many were swept down, and 
 the rest retired behind the houses, where they 
 formed again, and again advanced. The battery 
 of the Butte St. Chaumont, which was more
 
 76 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 considerable, and worked by the artillerymen of 
 the navy, opened a tremendous fire, and threw 
 them into confusion. The French cavalry and 
 infantry then charged and drove them back 
 towards Pantin, where they remained inactive for 
 some time. About one o'clock, colonel Paix- 
 hans saw three immense columns of troops, — one 
 crossing the plain St. Denis from Aubervilliers 
 towards Clichy; a second moving slowly along 
 the high road from Pantin ; a third advancing by 
 the Bois de Romainville, apparently with the 
 intention of turning his batteries ; but of this he 
 was under no apprehension, knowing the wood 
 was full of French sharp-shooters. Some time 
 afterwards, to his utter astonishment, and without 
 having heard a shot fired, he found the sharp- 
 shooters of the allies so close upon him, that he 
 was obliged to abandon his cannon, and retreat 
 into Paris, where, on arriving, he observed with 
 surprise, those troops reposing on the boulevards 
 on whose defence of the Bois de Romainville he 
 had calculated. General Michel, of the imperial 
 
 guard, told M that he headed the troops 
 
 which drove the allies back to Pantin. One of 
 the houses behind which the allies formed, was 
 almost knocked to pieces by the French balls, 
 though it was large and of three stories. From 
 the third mile-stone to the entrance of Pantin, all 
 the trees on each side of the road were shattered 
 by cannon-balls and pierced by bullets ; in one
 
 CANNON BALLS AND lUJLLETS. 77 
 
 tree I counted the marks of seventeen, and the 
 smallest number was five : several of these 
 musket-bullets I saw sticking in the trees on the 
 17th of April. The master of the plaster kiln at 
 the foot of the Butte St. Chaumont told me that 
 thirty-four cannons were dragged up the steepest 
 part of that hill on the 29th, and that there were 
 four pieces at the base : these latter were spiked 
 and abandoned, at two o'clock on the 30th. 
 M. Casimir de Morteinart,* orderly officer to the 
 emperor, informed me that he was at the Maison- 
 rouge, a little villa at the north-east base of 
 Montmartre, with Joseph and Jerome Buona- 
 parte, neither of whom stirred out, nor had the 
 sun-blinds opened, until half- past one o'clock, 
 when, accompanied by their suite, consisting of 
 about thirty persons, they descended to the outer 
 boulevards, and went round by the walls to the 
 Bois de Boulogne. M. de Mortemart followed, 
 supposing they were going to another post, but 
 on their taking the road to St. Cloud, he quitted 
 them and returned home. The minister of war, 
 the duke of Feltre, had been with them in the 
 course of the morning. 
 
 M. Edouard Hocquart, an officer in the na- 
 tional guard, told me he was at Montmartre, and 
 on horseback. Joseph Buonaparte arrived there 
 at seven in the morning, and went to La Maison- 
 
 * Now duke de Mortemart.
 
 78 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 rouge, out of which he never stirred until he ran 
 away. He sent M. E. Hocquart about eight 
 o'clock to the dukes of Treviso and Ragusa, to 
 know the state of the battle. The former was 
 then between the basin of the Canal de I'Ourque 
 and the Bourget road, having on his right the 
 canal and a battery of cannon, which was 
 keeping up a heavy fire. The duke said he was 
 in a good position. He then went to Marmont, 
 whom he found on the heights near Montreuil, 
 with some squadrons of cuirassiers with him. 
 Marmont said his positions were beginning to be 
 forced, that the allies were masters of the Bois 
 de Romainville, shewed him the distant country 
 which was blackened by their advancing troops, 
 and told him to inform the king that he must 
 send him some reinforcements, as he could not 
 hold out. M. Hocquart said, " It is so long 
 since you have seen me, that probably you do 
 not remember me : I am the grandson of madams 
 Pourat." Marmont took him by the hand, saying, 
 *' Ah, mon ami ! nous nous renouvelons connais- 
 sance dans un f moment." Hocquart re- 
 turned to the king, and reported what Marmont 
 had said. Joseph exclaimed, " Des renforts, oil 
 veut-il que je les trouve." This was about half- 
 past one ; a few minutes after, Joseph asked him 
 if his horse was a good one ; on his replying in 
 the affirmative, he said, " then follow me ;" and 
 he went to Blois by Versailles and Rambouillet.
 
 FLAG OF TRUCE. 79 
 
 Marshal Marmont sent, about two o'clock, to 
 general Conij)ens, who commanded the advanced 
 guard between La Villette and Pantin, ordering 
 him to send a trumpet (flag of truce) to pro- 
 pose a capitulation. Four were despatched ; 
 one only, M. Quelin, chef-d'cscadron, and his 
 aide-de-camp, arrived at the allies' head-quar- 
 ters ; his sword was taken from him by those 
 who took him. On the armistice being pro- 
 posed, the emperor of Russia replied it was not 
 his wish to do any injury to the city of Paris, as 
 it was not the French nation on whom he made 
 war, but the emperor, Napoleon : the king of 
 Prussia added, not even against him, but his 
 ambition. The emperor said, it was with great 
 concern he had that morning seen several co- 
 lumns of national guards march out of Paris ; 
 but concluded with assuring him, that not a 
 soldier of his should enter the city in a hostile 
 manner. Quelin made an apology to the emperor 
 for appearing before him without his swordj 
 stating the manner it was taken ; but although 
 Alexander insisted it should be found and de- 
 livered to him, yet he never recovered it. The 
 sovereigns sent two officers back with M. Quelin, 
 to agree upon the capitulation, which was drawn 
 up at five o'clock, at La Chapelle, in the second 
 house to the left on going out of the barrier 
 St. Denis ; it is the an^le of the street. The
 
 80 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 following inscription was painted on the front in 
 the succeeding May : — 
 
 " Au Petit 
 
 Jardinet 
 
 L'an 1814 
 
 Ici le 30 Mars (Jour 
 
 a jamais prospere) 
 
 Pour le bonheur 
 
 de Notre Nation 
 
 La plus Sage 
 
 Capitulation 
 
 Aux Fran^ais 
 
 Rendit un Pere 
 
 Thourout 
 
 Md. de Vins 
 
 Traiteur." 
 
 General Savery, duke of Rovigo, minister of 
 police, came on horseback, about noon, to the 
 barrier de I'Etoile, and urged the national guard 
 to defend it, as the emperor was coming to the 
 relief of Paris. He ordered the trees on each 
 side of the road to be cut down, so as to fall 
 across the way and obstruct it. This was exe- 
 cuted on the first tree at the north side of the 
 road ; that which corresponded on the south was 
 only half cut through ; and at the fifty-second 
 tree, or about three hundred yards down the 
 road, three trees were felled on each side. At 
 about half- past three, the allies appeared on 
 the road near the entrance to the Bois de 
 Boulogne.
 
 OCCUPATION OF MONTMAKTRK. 81 
 
 The allies arrived at Neuilly at four o'clock, 
 but were prevented from passing the bridge tliat 
 evening, by the resistance which was made by 
 about forty grenadiers of the imperial guard, 
 posted on the left side of the river. I afterwards 
 saw their bullets sticking in the trees by the side 
 of the road, and the marks of the musket balls of 
 the allies on the opposite side of the bridge. 
 
 The duke of Mortemart told me he was on 
 Montmartre at twelve o'clock, when there were 
 not any troops of the line, and only a few na- 
 tional guards, pompiers, and maimed invalids, near 
 two pieces of artillery (the only ones he saw), 
 placed at the western extremity of the summit. 
 In tlie plain of St. Denis were some squadrons of 
 cavalry, each consisting of one hundred and thirty 
 men. At the extremity of La Villette, where the 
 canal crosses the road, was a battery of cannon. 
 
 Sixty national guards were posted m Mous- 
 seaux gardens. At two o'clock there were not 
 more than two hundred national guards at Mont- 
 martre, of which C 's eldest son was one. 
 
 The allies advanced in regular platoons. 
 
 There were only eight pieces of artillery (six 
 cannon and two howitzers) on Montmartre, though 
 there were more than one hundred in the Champ 
 de Mars, which were not used. A battery of 
 twenty- eight cannons was formed by order of 
 general Abbeville, in the Vincennes road, near 
 the entrance of the wood. It was commanded by 
 
 G
 
 82 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 major Evain, of the artillery ; pointed by the 
 artillerymen of the old imperial guard; and 
 worked by the Polytechnic scholars (61^ves de 
 I'Ecole Polytecnique), who, to the number of two 
 hundred and seventy, were posted there. This 
 battery was attacked at eleven o'clock by the ca- 
 valry of the allies ; and not being protected either 
 by cavalry or infantry, those who were defending 
 it were forced to fly. Their muskets having been 
 taken from them to give to the national guard, 
 they were only armed with short swords. Their 
 artillery and tumbrils were drawn by post horses, 
 and by those used for towing barges up the Seine, 
 and conducted by drivers as unaccustomed to the 
 service as the horses were to the noise of artillery, 
 or the rumbling of tumbrils. The horses took 
 fright ; most of the cannon and tumbrils were 
 overturned ; and thus dragged, soon broken. Ge- 
 neral confusion ensued; six of the pieces were 
 taken by the allies; seven of the scholars were 
 taken prisoners, forty wounded, and their two 
 drummers killed by pistol-shots, of which some 
 thousands were fired by the two regiments of 
 Hulans, with whom they were engaged and con- 
 fusedly mixed. The rest of the cannoil were 
 abandoned, and the scholars retired under the 
 protection of two batteries, near the barrier du 
 Tr6ne, which immediately opened a fire of gi'ape- 
 shot; and, at the same time, a company of cui- 
 rassiers charging the allies, enabled the Poly-
 
 rOLYTECHNIC SCHOLARS. 83^ 
 
 technic scholars to retake their pieces, and brinji; 
 them close to the barrier, where, uniting them 
 witii those already there, they continued to fire 
 grape-shot the rest of the day. They remained 
 ignorant of the capitulation until ten at night, 
 and then first learned it by the order brought for 
 their return to the school. Orders came in the 
 night for them to march to Fontainebleau ; but 
 only one hundred obeyed : two hundred and 
 thirty escaped, and remained with their friends in 
 Paris. 
 
 At Fontainebleau a proposal was made to 
 incorporate them with the troops of the line, 
 which M. Durivau, inspector of their studies, pre- 
 vented by producing the imperial decree, that in 
 case of being obliged to quit Paris, they were to 
 repair, as well as the persons who composed the 
 different officers of government, to Rennes in 
 Brittany. He then marched them to Orleans, 
 and thus saved them. 
 
 During the battle, sixty of them remained at 
 the school waiting for orders. These had re- 
 turned on the evening of the 29th, having been on 
 duty from the early part of Monday morning. 
 
 It was reported currently at Paris, that the 
 guns which these young men worked were obliged 
 to cease firing for more than two hours from want 
 of ammunition. This was not true; but some of 
 the tumbrils were furnished with cartridges (gar- 
 go usses) of a calibre too large for the pieces.
 
 84 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 '* But this," according to M. Antoine Lebriin and 
 M. de Montferrand, who furnished me with all 
 the information relative to their fellow-students, 
 " was attributable to the precipitation with which 
 the tumbrils were loaded." 
 
 M. Francais was the only scholar who was 
 killed : he lingered seven months with the wounds 
 he received on that day. 
 
 A short time after his return, Louis XVIII. 
 yielding to public opinion, conferred some crosses 
 of the legend of honour on these young gentle- 
 men, whose conduct on this day was the subject 
 of general admiration ; but instead of giving one 
 to the unfortunate M. Francais, and to those who 
 were engaged on the Vincennes road, they were 
 bestowed on those who remained at the school 
 the whole of the day. 
 
 Comte Regnaud de St. Jean d'Angely, chef 
 of the second legion of the national guard, arrived 
 on horseback, with orders to Count Alexander de 
 Laborde, at four in the morning. In the middle 
 of the day, being at the Barri^re de Clichy, he 
 ordered those of the national guard who chose, 
 to go and reconnoitre without the barriers in the. 
 plain of St. Denis : Count Alexander de Laborde 
 himself went out with these volunteers, who really 
 were volunteers. 
 
 But Regnaud, who had been swaggering and 
 blustering the whole morning, said he could not 
 accompany them, as he must obey the orders of
 
 rilKNClI ARMY ri.YlNG. bo 
 
 tlu' minister, and follow the government. He 
 then set ofi", j)ursiied by the hootings of the na- 
 tional guard. His conduet was so severely cri- 
 ticised by the ])ublic, that he read a justification 
 of it at the Institute, of which he was a member: 
 this, however, only made bad worse, and gave 
 consistency to what was before only a surmise. 
 
 AlK)ut half-past two o clock, or a quarter be- 
 fore three, G — • — saw a considerable body of 
 I'rench cavalry galloping into Paris by the Rue 
 Uochechouart, to all appearance escaping from 
 
 the field of battle ; and at three, V saw 
 
 artillery brought in at the barrier Rochechouart; 
 at four, a confused flight of cavalry came down 
 the street. In the evening, two conscript sentinels 
 were posted near the barrier to prevent the inha- 
 bitants from approaching it and holding communi- 
 cation with the allies. 
 
 At a cpiarter after three, Miss J M 
 
 observed from her window, in the Rue Charonne, 
 the French cavalry gallop down the Butte St. 
 Chaumont, which they had occupied all the 
 morninGT, when they were instantly replaced by 
 those of the allies, who formed into much closer 
 ranks. A few minutes after, she saw the national 
 guard quit the burial-ground of Pcre de la Chaise, 
 from which they had been firing through loop-holes 
 in the wall. But there had been a complete 
 route of cavalry down the Rue de Charonne, 
 about a quarter of an hour before, which was
 
 86 EVENTS AT PAKIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 preceded by artillery that came from La Villette, 
 and had been obliged to make the circuit of the 
 walls, not having found it possible to effect an 
 entrance at any other barrier. At night she saw 
 the allies' cavalry round the bivouac fires on the 
 Butte St. Chaumont. 
 
 At four o'clock, the emperor of Russia, the 
 king of Prussia, and prince Schwartzenberg, had 
 advanced to the Butte St. Chaumont. 
 
 The south side of the foot of Menil-montant 
 was occupied by the allies at four o'clock, Le- 
 fevre, the restaurateur, told me that some French 
 dragoons were skulking in his court -yard the 
 whole of the day, instead of joining the battle. 
 The firing did not entirely cease at the ex- 
 tremities of the engaged line until past six in the 
 evening. 
 
 The allies were twice repulsed at Belleville, 
 the French being protected by garden-walls. A 
 Russian colonel, attached to prince Schwartzen- 
 berg's staff, said that the loss of the allies was six 
 thousand. A Russian account of the battle states, 
 that the Russians lost one hundred officers and 
 seven thousand rank and file. 
 
 The loss of the French was about three thou- 
 sand troops of the line, and sixty killed and one 
 hundred and fifty wounded of the national 
 guards : * among the killed was Fitzjames, the 
 
 '* As stated to the writer by count Alexander de Laborde.
 
 EVACUATION OF PARIS. 87 
 
 celebrated ventriloquist, who kept a coffee-house 
 in the Palais Royal, and who was killed at the 
 foot of Montinartre. 
 
 The Prussian guards sustained a very great 
 loss in the battle. Fifty-seven Prussian othcers 
 were wounded or killed. 
 
 About half-past one o'clock, news was brought 
 to the Luxemburg Palace that the king of Prussia 
 and his staff were taken prisoners. This was the 
 signal agreed upon for the wife of Joseph Buo- 
 naparte to fly. She immediately entered her 
 carriage and set off for Blois. 
 
 M. Frederic Cuvier, brother of the celebrated 
 comparative anatomist, as national guard, was on 
 duty at the barrier des Gobelins, from the 28th 
 at night, until the 31st in the morning. During 
 the battle, officers of the line came round to the 
 barriers, informing those who were there that the 
 em])erer was at the battle. At five in the after- 
 noon, they came and said the enemy were re- 
 pulsed, and the king of Prussia taken prisoner. 
 But at seven in the evening, the evacuation of 
 Paris began, and continued, without intermission, 
 the whole night. The men appeared greatly de- 
 jected; and those whom Cuvier questioned, though 
 ignorant of the force of the allies, yet asserted 
 they had been sold to them. 
 
 At the prefecture of police, the architects at- 
 tached to that establishment were in waiting by 
 order of the prefect, lest accidents should even-
 
 88 EVENTS AT PARIS, MAllCH 1814. 
 
 tually happen to the city from the explosion of 
 shells. At ten o'clock in the morning, the follow- 
 ing appeal to the passions of the people was laid 
 on the desks of the different offices of the prefec- 
 ture, and police-officers were sent into the streets 
 to distribute them ; which they had scarcely begun 
 to do when an order came to recall them. They 
 were even taken from the persons who had them, 
 and burned, together with several official papers 
 from the bureau of the first division. Thousfh 
 this appeal w^as reprinted in one of the news- 
 papers a few days after, yet very few persons 
 had seen the original. I never saw but one. It 
 is printed on both sides of a duodecimo size : — 
 
 '* Nous laisserons-nous piller ! Nous laisserons- 
 nous briiler ! 
 
 " Tandis que Fempereur arrive sur les derrieres 
 de I'ennemi, 25 a 30,000 hommes, conduits par un 
 partisan audacieux, osent menacer nos barri^res. 
 En imposeront-ils a 500,000 citoyens qui peuvent 
 les externiiner ! Ce parti ne Tignore point, ses 
 forces ne lui suffisaient pas pour se maintenir 
 dans Paris. II ne veut faire qu'un coup de main. 
 Comme il n'aurait que peu de jours i\ rester parmi 
 nous, il se haterait de nous piller, de se gorger 
 d'or et de butin ; et quand une armee victorieuse 
 le forcerait a fuir de la capitale, il n'en sortirait 
 qu'a la lueur des flammes qu'il aurait allumees. 
 
 " Non ! nous ne nous laisserons pas piller !
 
 rilENCH APPEAL TO THE PEOPLE. 8V 
 
 nous nc nous laisserons pas bruler ! Defendons nos 
 biens, nos femmes, nos enfans, et laissons le terns 
 ;\ notre brave arni6e crarriver pour an(^antir sous 
 nos niurs les barbares qui venaient les renverser! 
 Ayons la ferme volont6 de les vaincre, et ils nc 
 nous attaquerons pas ! Notre capitale serait le 
 tombeau d'une arm(^^e qui voudrait en forcer les 
 portes. Nous avons en face de I'ennemi une 
 armce considerable ; elle est commandee par des 
 chefs habiles et intrepides ; il ne s'agit que de les 
 seconder. 
 
 " Nous avons des canons, des baionettes, des 
 piques du fer. Nos fauxbourgs, nos rues, nos 
 maisons, tout pent servir a notre defense. Etab- 
 lissons, s'il faut, des barricades ; faisons sortir nos 
 voitures et tout ce qui pent obstruer les passages ; 
 cr^nelons nos murailles, creusons des fosses, mon- 
 tons a tons nos etages les pav^s des rues, et 
 Tennemi reculera depouvante. 
 
 " Qu'on se figure une armee essayant de tra- 
 verser un de nos fauxbourgs au milieu de tels 
 obstacles, a travers le feu croise de la nious- 
 queterie qui partirait de toutes les maisons, des 
 pierres, des poutres qu'on jeterait de toutes les 
 crois^es ! Cette arm^e serait detruite avant d'ar- 
 river au centre de Paris. Mais non ! Le spectacle 
 des apprets d'une telle defense le forcerait de 
 renoncer k ses vains projets, et elle s'eloignerait 
 a la hate pour ne pas se trouver entre Tarm^e de 
 Paris ct Tarmee de rempereur."
 
 90 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 Three of the enemy's spies were brought to 
 the prefecture of police, from whence they were 
 sent to the etat-major. 
 
 A quantity of papers was burnt at one o'clock 
 in the minister of war's court-yard, Rue de Lille, 
 (now Bourbon). 
 
 The iron gates to the Palais Royal garden 
 were locked the whole day; all the shops and 
 lateral entrances were shut, as were also most 
 of the other shops in Paris. 
 
 During the battle, the Boulevard des Italiens 
 (now Coblentz) and the Cafe Tortoni were thronged 
 with fashionable loungers of both sexes, sitting, 
 as usual, on the chairs placed there, and ap- 
 pearing almost uninterested spectators of the 
 number of wounded French and prisoners of the 
 allies which were brought in. The wounded 
 French officers were carried on mattresses. This 
 astonishing instance of want of deep feeling was 
 confirmed to me by many persons. A black flag 
 was displayed on all the hospitals, that the cannon 
 should not be directed against them. About two 
 o'clock, a general cry of " Sauve qui peut" was 
 heard on the boulevards from the Porte St. Martin 
 to Les Italiens : this caused a general and con- 
 fused flight, which spread, like the undulations of 
 a wave, even beyond the Pont Neuf. In a short 
 time, however, the panic subsided. This was 
 confirmed to me by several persons who expe- 
 rienced it at dift'erent places, from the boulevards
 
 JIUMOLUS: — DYING SOLDlJiltb. 9t 
 
 to the other side of the river ; but of the cause I 
 could never obtain any satisfactory information. 
 One story was, that two Austrians had dashed 
 into Paris by the barrier St. Martin, and galloped 
 to the boulevards, where they were killed. The 
 other, that a Polish lancer, who was drunk, had 
 galloped down the Fauxbourg Montmartre, as far 
 as the boulevards, crying " Sauve qui peut," and 
 that he was there shot. 
 
 During the whole of the day, several wounded 
 French soldiers crawled into the streets of Paris, 
 and there laid down to die. Favart saw one, who 
 had moved as far as the Rue de I'Universite, Faux- 
 bourg St. Germain, and was there lying on the 
 pavement : one of the by-standers asked him if he 
 wished to be carried any where ? All he requested 
 was, to be allowed to die quietly, which he did a 
 few minutes after. Several were supported by 
 their comrades, and some even carried on their 
 
 backs. Mrs. G saw many brought down the 
 
 Rue Rochechouart in the afternoon. 
 
 At about four o'clock, the duke of Rovigo set 
 off for Blois from the hotel of the minister of 
 police, Quai Malaquais, and went up the Rue de 
 St. Peres at full gallop, in a caliche, with his wife, 
 followed by a second caleche, and escorted by 
 about twenty gens d'armes d'elites. 
 
 Comte Alexander de Girardin arrived at Paris 
 at three in the afternoon, announcing the emperor s 
 speedy arrival, and exhorted the people to rise in
 
 92 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 a mass. After seeking in vain le roi Joseph and 
 the minister of war (who were on their way to 
 Blois), he went to Talleyrand, then to his own 
 house, and at midnight quitted Paris to return to 
 Napoleon, whom he met at la Cour de France. 
 
 Comte Alexander de Laborde was without the 
 walls at five o'clock, with several of the national 
 guards ; the gates of the palisades being fastened, 
 they were obliged to assist each other to clamber 
 over, the Cossacks and troops looking on, but not 
 offering the smallest interruption. 
 
 The inhabitants of the remote parts of Paris 
 remained ignorant of the capitulation all the 
 evening. Miss M told me, that in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the Rue de Charonne they were not 
 acquainted with it when she retired to rest. 
 
 The king of Prussia's head-quarters this night 
 were at the chateau of M. de Meze, at Vertgalant, 
 between Livry and Villeparisis, where he slept. I! 
 
 Marshal Marmont informed me, that Joseph 
 Buonaparte, having sent him an order to capitu- 
 late when he should consider all defence useless, 
 and perceiving a column of 25,000 fresh troops of 
 the enemy advancing on his left, he sent four 
 officers with flags of truce, to try to penetrate to 
 the head-quarters of the allied sovereigns. 
 
 About three o'clock in the afternoon, at the i 
 
 extremity of Belleville, he was so closely pressed i 
 
 upon by the enemy, that eleven men were killed ! 
 
 by the bayonet near his person. In this extremity, I
 
 NUMREllS OF THE OPPOSING AimiES. 93 
 
 and beiiif]^ cut off from assistance, he forced his 
 way with forty men through tlie streets of Belle- 
 ville. At this moment the officer who had suc- 
 ceeded in penetrating to the head-quarters of the 
 allies, returned with the flag of truce, accompanied 
 by two of their officers, and the capitulation was 
 soon afterwards concluded. The duke also in- 
 formed me, that the allies lost 10,000 men and 
 the French 4000. He likewise said, the emperor 
 of Russia told him that the allies had 210,000 
 men between Meaux and Paris, and that it was 
 their belief that 50,000 French troops were assem- 
 bled to defend the capital.* 
 
 Marmont further observed, that there never 
 was a more foolish attack made than that of the 
 allies, as they might have entered Paris on the 
 side of the Bois de Boulogne without resistance. 
 
 The Mojiiteur of this day was a full sheet ; but 
 no notice was taken of the war or the army. 
 Nearly four columns and a quarter were occupied 
 by an article on the dramatic works of Denis, and 
 three columns by a dissertation on the existence 
 of Troy. The theatres announced as usual. 
 
 Between eleven and twelve o'clock, Favart saw 
 a squadron of carbiniers near the Porte St. Martin, 
 going to the battle ; they met about fifty or sixty 
 prisoners who had just been taken. The car- 
 
 • General Mufflin told me there were about 80,000 of the 
 allies opposed to the French. ^
 
 94 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 biniers, full of spirits, boasted to the by-standers 
 that they would soon bring in more ; but about 
 half- past one o'clock, he saw them returning 
 quite dispirited. 
 
 During the battle, the president and governors 
 of the bank of France assembled at the bank, and 
 ordered the copper-plates of their notes to be de- 
 stroyed ; and such was their consternation, that 
 they were preparing to burn all the notes when 
 the news of the capitulation arrived. 
 
 The colours and standards taken by the French 
 in their different wars, and which decorated the 
 Chapel of the Invalids, were, on the approach of 
 the allies, taken down and packed up for the pur- 
 pose of removal ; but on the night of the capitu- 
 lation, in consequence of an order left by the 
 minister of war, these memorials of triumph over 
 public virtue, over the faith of treaties, and over 
 the rights of nations, were unpacked and burnt 
 in one of the court-yards of the hospital. The 
 sword and scarf of Frederic, king of Prussia, which 
 were suspended from the centre of the arch lead- 
 ing from the nave to the dome of the chapel, were 
 destroyed at the same time. 
 
 Towards evening, several ambulances came 
 down the Rue Rochechouart full of wounded 
 French, and one cart was laden with the slain. 
 
 In the evening of the 31st, about thirty 
 wounded Russians, prisoners, who probably had 
 been brought to the etat-major, in the adjacent
 
 INSPECTION OF THE ALLIED ARMY. 9^ 
 
 Place Vcndome, laid themselves down under the 
 arcades of the Rue Castiglione. General Scott 
 lodged in the house, and an English medical 
 man who was dining there dressed their wounds ; 
 the Misses Scott made lint, and the pavement was 
 covered with straw: he left them about eleven 
 o'clock. The next morning they were gone, but, 
 as not one of them could speak French, it was 
 not ascertained how they came there. The French 
 were very humane to them. 
 
 31st. — A fine morning; Mr. T , a fellow- 
 detenu, called upon me at half- past six. We 
 walked to the Barri^re Montmartre, which we 
 found shut, and proceeded thence to the Barriere 
 des Marty res, which was open, with national 
 guards posted at the entrance. Passing through, 
 we found the allied army; and feeling ourselves 
 under their protection, considered our detention 
 of eleven years to be at length terminated.* Near 
 the barrier, a Russian band of music was playing, 
 and a group, composed of a few French of both 
 sexes, and some soldiers of the allies, were quietly 
 listenino^ to it. Close to this, several horses, killed 
 in the battle, were lying, upon which some of the 
 listeners were seated. We walked up Mont- 
 martre : the streets were filled with Russian, 
 
 * The decree of the French republic, signed by the first 
 Consul, Buonaparte, constituting all the English then in France 
 prisoners of war, is dated 2 Prairial, an xi. (22d May, 1803); 
 the number then detained was between nine hundred and a 
 thousand.
 
 96 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 Prussian, and German soldiery, forming part of 
 the Silesian army, but mostly Russians; some 
 sleeping, some bedecking themselves, others 
 shaving their comrades or waxing their mus- 
 tachios. Most of them had a sprig of box in 
 their caps, and a piece of white linen bound 
 round their left arms : the latter had been worn 
 about three weeks, and was adopted to distin- 
 , guish the allied army among themselves, as the 
 variety of uniforms in the different corps had 
 occasioned many fatal mistakes. A dead body, 
 half stripped, was lying by the side of the old 
 road, near the Poirier-sans-pareil, probably that 
 of the last Frenchman killed yesterday on his 
 flight into Paris. The vast old gypsum quarry, on 
 the left of the road, was full of soldiers sleeping 
 among piles of arms. The summit of the moun- 
 tain was covered with troops, and on every part 
 were the remains of watch-fires, made with vine- 
 props, and surrounded with empty bottles. We 
 were struck with the quiet manners of the soldiers, 
 and the mild physiognomy of the Russians. No 
 one paid the least attention to us, although we 
 were the only persons who ventured so far among 
 them. Never was any assemblage of men gazed 
 on by me with greater interest. I felt indebted 
 to them for my deliverance from captivity : they 
 had revenged their country, and raised the 
 continent of Europe from the degraded state to 
 which it had been subjected for so many years. 
 These troops, a few hours before, had been the
 
 PAULEY WITH A RUSSIAN OFFICER. 97 
 
 furious and terrible agents of destruction ; but of 
 tills not the smallest vestige was now apparent in 
 their manners, nor was there the least appearance 
 of exultation from victory. Descending, on the 
 north side of the mountain, we saw three or four 
 dead soldiers in the field below the well, also 
 some dead horses. About half a mile further in 
 the plain was an open battery of artillery and a 
 camp, forming the most picturesque assemblage 
 of figures I ever beheld. The Russian cannon 
 and carriages have inscriptions on them in Rus- 
 sian characters, and their colour, as well as that 
 of the tumbrils, is bright green. The lids of the 
 latter form angles of about 45 degrees with the 
 sides. There were several cannon and tumbrils 
 which had been taken from the French, with 
 " Liberte, Egalite," on them : the gun-carriages 
 and tumbrils of the French are lead colour; their 
 roofs are flat segments of circles. So strikin<>- 
 was the novelty of the scene, that even the most 
 trifling and minute circumstances forcibly attracted 
 my attention. We made acquaintance with a Rus- 
 sian orticer of rank, who spoke excellent French ; 
 and who, when he knew that we were En<2- 
 lish prisoners, was most cordial, and affably com- 
 municative relative to the events of the campaign. 
 fie told us that " Napoleon* was moving upon 
 
 • General MufHin told me, that on the '2'id ol' Marcli a 
 French courier was taken by the Cossacks between Vitry le 
 
 H
 
 98 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 St. Dizier, and that the corps of Witzingerode had 
 been left to look after him ; but that, if he at- 
 tempted to return upon Paris, he would be 
 received by Sacken's corps, which formed a re- 
 serve to guard the passage of the Marne, at 
 Meaux. Nothing, however, was to be appre- 
 hended from the French army, which was almost 
 destroyed by recent disasters." The quantity of 
 artillery which had fallen into the hands of the 
 
 Fran^ais and Sezanne, bearing a letter from Napoleon to Marie- 
 Louise, in his own hand-writing, but so badly written as to be 
 nearly illegible. Towards the conclusion, the emperor said he in- 
 tended to approach his fortresses, and that he was now moving 
 towards St. Dizier; the latter word, of so much importance to 
 decipher, was so badly written that they were several hours in 
 making it out. The letter was, the same day, sent to Blucher 
 at Nismes, who forwarded it to the empress with a letter in 
 German, saying, that as she was the daughter of a respectable 
 sovereign who was fighting in the same cause with him, he had 
 sent it to her ; and that, as he was in the rear of her husband's 
 army, should other letters fall into his hands, she might rest 
 assured they should be regularly forwarded. On the 24th, 
 the head-quarters of Blucher's army was at Chalons; that of 
 the grand army, with which the two sovereigns were, at Vitry le 
 Franqais, having marched from Arcis-sur-Aube : the junction of 
 those two armies, and the discovery that Napoleon was on his 
 march to St. Dizier, led to the determination of proceeding 
 immediately to Paris, which had been discussed on the foregoing 
 day. The 25th, Blucher's army, at La Fere Champenoise, beat, 
 cut to pieces, and made prisoners, the divisions of generals Pactod 
 and Amey, and took such a quantity of ammunition, that it 
 enabled general Mufflin to fill all the tumbrils of the Silesian 
 army. On the 26th, Blucher's army arrived at Montmirail.
 
 KUSSIAN ARMY. 
 
 99 
 
 allies he described as immense; " but notwith- 
 standing all, the war (he said) is not yet over; — - 
 we have just sent off troops after the army which 
 has evacuated Paris." He wished us to believe 
 tliat the whole glory of the campaign was due to 
 the Russians, speaking of the Prussians only as 
 interesting from their misfortunes. Of the French 
 he spoke with the greatest contempt, lie did 
 not expect that the allied sovereigns would make 
 their entry into Paris this day. The different 
 orders with which he and the other officers were 
 decorated having excited our attention, he ex- 
 plained them to us. One medal interested us 
 highly ; it was that given to every person who 
 had been in the Moscow campaign : it is of silver, 
 suspended by a sky-blue riband. On one side is 
 a triangle in the midst of rays, and in the centre 
 is the eye of Providence ; beneath, the year 1812. 
 On the other side, in Russian characters, is a 
 motto, importing — "Not unto us, O Lord! 
 
 NOT UNTO us, BUT UNTO ThY NAME BE THE 
 
 (iLORY." Literally it is — Not u.s, )iot us, but in 
 His jKuiic The following^ is a fac-simile. 
 
 O
 
 100 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 We returned by the new road, under the 
 wind-mills, along which artillery, pointed towards 
 Paris, was ranged from one extremity to the 
 other. These were dragged up yesterday evening, 
 immediately on the allies obtaining possession of 
 the hill. I was afterwards informed by baron 
 Mufflin, quarter-master-general of the Silesian 
 army, that the emperor of Russia had given 
 orders that, if the capitulation was not ratified by 
 midnight, Paris should be cannonaded ; but upon 
 Mufflin asking if he should " bien allumer la 
 ville?" he replied, " No; it is only to frighten 
 them into terms, by shewing that we are masters." 
 As shells were not to be thrown into the city, no 
 howitzers were planted, but fifty twelve-pounders 
 were so placed as to command every part of 
 Paris. Posterity will scarcely credit the fact of 
 such a numerous invading army arriving within 
 ten miles of Paris, while the inhabitants of that 
 metropolis, up to the very moment of their appear- 
 ance, were ignorant of the impending danger. 
 
 Bands of music were playing — officers were 
 going the rounds : one seemed of very high rank, 
 from the general demeanour towards him ; another 
 general (a Russian) in full uniform, on horseback, 
 accompanied by an aide-de-camp, we saluted as 
 he passed, and said we were English ; this the 
 aide-de-camp translated, as the officer did not un- 
 derstand French. He instantly gave us his hand 
 in the most polite and hearty manner.
 
 THE WHITE COCKADE. 10) 
 
 We brcaktiistcd at Mr. L 's, and tluii 
 
 went with liini. Miss L , Mademoiselle de 
 
 A , and Mr. D , to the garden of the 
 
 Tuilleries, but found the gates locked. Walked 
 on to the Place Louis XV — it was a quarter 
 j)ast ten o'clock — a few national guards were 
 there, and about a hundred persons, of whom ten 
 or twelve, at most, had white cockades in their 
 hats. M. du Dresnay,* M. Guerry de Maubreuil, 
 and M. de Vauvineux, were of the number. We 
 inquired of a poor-looking elderly man, who, as 
 well as several others, had only a bit of white 
 rag in his hat in lieu of a cockade, what all this 
 meant? He told us that Louis XVIIL had just 
 been proclaimed, but by whom he did not know. 
 Some of those who had assumed the cockade had 
 the air of saying: " This have we done; will 
 any of you follow our example, or dare to prevent 
 us?" but upon a trifling dispute occurring at a 
 few paces from us, most of those who had white 
 
 • M. du Dresnay is a native of Brittany ; when very young-, 
 he emigrated with his fiither to England, He afterwards told 
 nie, that the preceding evening he agreed with M. de Maubreuil 
 to meet early in the morning, and attempt a royalist movement. 
 They went on the Place Louis XV at seven in the morning, 
 and at eight o'clock put up a white cockade, promising to stand 
 by each other, and never to take it out. M. du Dresnay was 
 accosted by M. de Choisseul Praslin, colonel of the national 
 guard, and desired to take out his white cockade, but the 
 former refused, saying, as now every one could speak his 
 opinion — this was his.
 
 102 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 cockades, or bits torn from their pocket-hand- 
 kerchiefs, in their hats, hastily took them out. 
 M. de Choisseul Praslin, in his uniform of the 
 national guards, drew one gentleman, who had 
 a white cockade, from the crowd, and appeared 
 as if trying to dissuade him from espousing the 
 Bourbon cause, but without success. We left 
 the place, and just as we reached that end of 
 tlie Rue Royale next the boulevards, we saw 
 M. Finguerlin, the banker, and four other gentle- 
 men, with white cockades, on horseback, ride 
 into the mairie of the first arrondissement in the 
 Fauxbourg St. Honor6, followed by about fifty 
 persons on foot. They remained there about five 
 minutes, and, on coming out, waved their hats 
 and shouted, " Vive le roi ! Vive Louis XVIII ! 
 Vivent les Bourbons ! A bas le tyran !" This was 
 echoed by the people and by the national guard 
 posted there, some of whom at the same time 
 tore the tri-coloured pennon from their pikes, 
 and trod it under foot. At this moment a band 
 on foot appeared : at its head I saw M. Edouard 
 (now duke) de Fitzjames, in the uniform of the 
 national guard, M. Thibaut de Montmorency, 
 M. Gillet, and M. de Mortfontaine, all with 
 white cockades, vociferating, " Vive le roi ! Vive 
 Louis XVIII ! Vivent les Bourbons !" They 
 proceeded up the boulevard, followed by a few 
 of the rabble, shouting. We also saw M. Louis 
 de Chateaubriand, on horseback, courageously
 
 ROYALISTS. 103 
 
 j>all<)|)in^^ al)()ut alone, crying, " Vive le roi!" 
 This young gentleman's father, the brother to 
 the anther, was guillotined during the revolution. 
 Another group, composed of three gentlemen, one 
 of them with a brace of horse-pistols in his belt, 
 rode about crying, " Vive le roi!" and joined 
 the first party, which was now increased to about 
 a dozen persons, and had made two standards 
 by fastening a white pocket-handkerchief to a 
 walking-stick. Among them was M. Archam- 
 baud Pcrigord, brother of Talleyrand, and M. de 
 Maubreuil, who had divested himself of his cross 
 of the lesfion of honour, and tied it to his horse's 
 tail. They continued parading the boulevards 
 as far as the Rue Montmartre, followed by a 
 few persons on foot, shouting, "Vive le roi! 
 Vivent les Bourbons ! A bas le tyran !" A few 
 English bludgeonmen w^ould have suppressed 
 this apparently futile revolt. Several of the 
 bystanders appeared not to understand what was 
 meant, or who the Bourbons were ; others be- 
 held it with indifference, some with the fears of 
 jiuonaparte's revenge, and many with contempt. 
 Indeed it really was a pitiful display; for so 
 little support did the partisans of royalty receive 
 from the surrounding multitude, that even the 
 ])rincipal ])crformers appeared to have much 
 ditiiculty in exciting themselves to continue tlieir 
 hazardous undertaking. No one, however, mo- 
 lested them, nor did I hear a single cry of Vive
 
 104 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 Tempereur! or in favour of liberty. About half 
 a dozen of the allied officers came in pairs, or 
 with a single soldier as an orderly, and rode 
 along- the boulevards. By twelve o'clock the 
 boulevards were crowded with people of every 
 class, all appearing in high spirits, and anxious 
 only for the new show that was expected. The 
 number of white cockades slowly increased ; 
 many of them were only bits torn from white 
 handkerchiefs, and some even of paper ; for, as 
 none of the shops were open, riband could not 
 be procured. 
 
 Ten minutes after twelve, Veyrat, in his uni- 
 form of inspector-general of the police, on a 
 cream-coloured charger, and accompanied by the 
 only two gens d'armes I saw during the day, 
 passed along the boulevards without noticing the 
 white cockades, or the Bourbon cavalcade, con- 
 sisting of sixteen or eighteen persons, and which 
 had continued riding up and down until the 
 trumpets of the allies were heard, when it pre- 
 ceded the triumphal entry of the conquering 
 army, who reached the Boulevard des Italiens 
 at twenty minutes after twelve. It was opened 
 by a band of trumpeters, succeeded by cavalry, 
 fifteen abreast. The Russian officers spoke in 
 the mildest manner to the spectators, requesting 
 them to make way, as there was no line of troops 
 to keep it, and announced that the emperor 
 Alexander was on a white horse, and would come
 
 ENTRY OF THE ALLIES. 105 
 
 after the third reiJi;iment. A most gorgeous as- 
 seinhhigc then appeared, composed of the emj)er()r 
 of Russia, the king of Prussia, prince Schwartzen- 
 berg, the hetman PhUoff, general Mufflin, lord 
 Catheart, lord Burghersh, sir Charles Stewart,* 
 and the numerous staff of the victorious armies, 
 on the finest horses, and in the most splendid 
 uniforms. The emperor was in green, with gold 
 epaulets ; in his hat was a bunch of pendant 
 white feathers, similar to those of a cock's tail : 
 he smiled and bowed very courteously. The 
 king of Prussia, who looked grave, was in blue, 
 with silver epaulets, and rode on the left of the 
 emperor. Prince Schwartzenberg was on the 
 right. Lord Catheart, in scarlet regimentals, 
 his low, flat cocked-hat forming a striking con- 
 trast to all the others. Sir Charles Stewart was 
 covered with orders, and conspicuous by his fan- 
 tastic dress, evidently composed of what he 
 deemed every army's best. As soon as the 
 conquerors appeared, the people began to 
 shout, "Vivent Jes allies! Vivent nos lib^-ateurs ! 
 A bas le tyran ! Vivent les Bourbons!" The 
 officers received, in the most courteous manner, 
 the salutations, or rather cajoling supplications, 
 which all classes, and the fair sex in particular, 
 poured upon them. One of the Russians, smiling, 
 said, " Vous voyez que nous ne mangeons pas 
 
 *■ Now marijuess of Londoiulerry.
 
 106 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 des hommes," alluding to the articles in the 
 French newspapers. When the sovereigns ar- 
 rived, the acclamations redoubled ; but to the 
 occasional cries for the restoration of the Bour- 
 bons, Alexander made no answer, and appeared 
 to take no notice, though in his manner he was 
 highly gracious. The officers around him re- 
 peatedly cried out, " Vive la paix !" To the 
 shout of " Vivent nos lib6rateurs !" one of them 
 replied, " Nous esp6rons Tetre." This magni- 
 ficent pageant far surpassed any idea I had 
 formed of military pomp, and lasted, with one 
 short interval, until ten minutes after four o'clock. 
 The cavalry were fifteen abreast, the artillery five, 
 and the infantry thirty. There probably passed 
 along the boulevards 45,000 troops : I did not 
 hear any conjecture that there were more than 
 50,000 or less than 35,000. All the men were 
 remarkably clean, healthy, and well clothed : 
 their physiognomies strongly indicated the coun- 
 tries of which they were natives. A great variety 
 of form was displayed in the helmets of the 
 cavalry, some of which nearly approached the 
 antique in beauty and in shape. The bands of 
 music were very fine. The precision with which 
 the infantry marched was universally admired : 
 most of them wore a piece of white linen round 
 their left arm, and a sprig of box or laurel in their 
 caps. A considerable number of the Russians 
 had the medal of the campaign of 1812, and there
 
 I'DMPOUS I'llOCESSION AND PARADE. 107 
 
 were few of the officers vvho were not decorated 
 witli more than one order. This splendid pro- 
 cession was closed by horses, led by dirty livery- 
 servants, and a considerable number of clumsy, 
 dirty travelling carriages, mostly empty, though in 
 some there were a few officers of distinction, either 
 sick or wounded. The people, astonished at the 
 prodiixious number of troops, repeatedly ex- 
 claimed, '* Oh, how we have been deceived!" 
 Just below the Madelcne, the grand duke 
 Constantino, brother to the emperor of Russia, 
 quitted the procession, and placed himself by the 
 side of the road, to inspect the troops as they 
 continued their march. M. de St. Blancard 
 Gontaut, and a few others of the ancien regime, 
 were standing near him, with whom he entered 
 into conversation, affably naming the different 
 regiments as they passed. In one of the Russian 
 corps he remarked that there were many " Mo- 
 hammedans," and mentioned the province whence 
 thev came, but which I could not hear. Of 
 another he said, '* Those are the men who fought 
 so desperately at Pantin, and were very near 
 forcing the barrier of Paris." Of another, " There 
 is the regiment you were told was cut in pieces." 
 This was succeeded by one which the French 
 bulletins announced to have been annihilated. 
 '* Now," said he, in a sarcastic manner, " men 
 who were killed never return ; and yet there they 
 arc. Look at the tine appearance of these men.
 
 108 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 who have bivouacked for these six weeks." He 
 stopped one of the officers as he passed, and, 
 presenting him to the bystanders, said, " There 
 is the hero who beat Vandamme." The officer 
 bowed and blushed. This condescension en- 
 couraged one of the common people to ask him 
 if it was true that Vandamme was sent to Siberia? 
 He rephed, " No; he is at Moscow." Another 
 asked him if Moreau was really dead ? He re- 
 plied, " Does any one doubt it ?" As the people 
 crowded forward, he very civilly requested them 
 to get out of the way of the horses, and not to 
 push one another ; then, seeing some men place 
 themselves before a woman, he told them he 
 thought the French were more gallant. The 
 rabble, who were unaccustomed to this kind of 
 treatment, were enchanted with it, and vented 
 the most bitter execrations on the government 
 for deceiving them in every circumstance relative 
 to the allies. As the regiments passed, he stopped 
 several of the officers, to shake hands with them : 
 they at the same time kissed a gold medal of the 
 emperor which hung at his breast. He smiled 
 and nodded to several of the common soldiers, 
 crynig, " Brave! brave!" They returned a most 
 risible grimace, expressive of their delight at the 
 distinction shewn them. M. Sosthenes de Roche- 
 foucault rode up to him, and spoke for a few 
 moments. The duke received what he said with 
 evident coldness and indifference ; and M. de
 
 GRAND DUKE CONSTANTINE. 109 
 
 Rochcfoucault rode away, much hurt. He after- 
 wards told me, that on the mob, at his insti- 
 gation, fixing the cords about the statue of Na- 
 ])oleon, on the column in the Place Vendome, he 
 ajiprouched the duke Constantine, and informing 
 him what he had done, requested a guard, to 
 prevent any miscliief that might ensue. The 
 duke received him very coldly; and answered, 
 that not having received any orders, he could not 
 grant what he asked. The grand duke paid the 
 greatest attention to minutiae of uniform : a sword- 
 knot untied, the sack of corn which the horse- 
 soldiers carried behind them hanging a few inches 
 too low, or the smallest derangement in any part 
 of their accoutrements, was instantly perceived 
 by him, and the neglect noticed. When his own 
 regiment of cuirassiers came up, he put himself 
 at its head and went forward, joining his brother, 
 who, with the king of Prussia and the generals-in- 
 chief, were on the north side of the road in the 
 Champs Elys^es, near the Elys^e Napoleon, 
 seeing the army defile off. The grand duke 
 Constantine is tall, stout, well made, with a 
 fair complexion ; his jn'ofile is scarcely human, 
 his nose that of a baboon ; he is near-sighted, 
 contracting his eyes when looking attentively, 
 which are covered with uncommonly large, light, 
 bushy eyebrows ; his voice is hoarse and husky ; 
 he has a rough, soldier-like manner, and is sar- 
 castic, yet affable.
 
 no EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 M. de St. Blancard Gontaut gave me a bit of 
 white riband, which I put in my hat, not with 
 any intention of espousing the cause of legiti- 
 macy or that of the Bourbons, but as a symbol of 
 revolt against the despotism of Buonaparte. 
 
 The procession having closed, I walked on to 
 the Place Louis XV, and there met the sove- 
 reigns, surrounded by the generals-in-chief and 
 their staff, all on horseback, returning from the 
 Champs Elysees. The emperor of Russia was 
 giving his hand in the most unreserved manner 
 to the shouting populace, who, unrestrained, 
 pressed around him. The emperor then went to 
 the Hotel de I'lnfantado, at the corner of the Rue 
 St. Florentin, the residence of M. de Talleyrand, 
 prince of Benevento, and there established his 
 quarters ; the king of Prussia's were at Eugene 
 Beauharnois, formerly Hotel de Villeroi, Rue de 
 Lille, now Rue de Bourbon, No. 82. The street 
 was suddenly crowded by officers and cavalry, 
 all of whom took the greatest care not to hurt 
 those persons who unexpectedly became inter- 
 mingled with them. Having with some difficulty 
 extricated myself from the horses, I went along 
 the Rue de Rivoli, and arriving at the Rue 
 Castiglione, saw a man mounted on the acro- 
 terion of the column, in the Place Vend6me, 
 attempting, with a large hammer, to break the 
 colossal statue of Buonaparte off at the ancles. 
 The little Victory which it held in the left hand
 
 COLUMN AND STATUE OV BUONAl'ARTK. 1 1 1 
 
 had already been thrown down, as this work was 
 begun about tliree o'clock. A ladder, placed in 
 the gallery above the capital, gave access to the 
 statue, round the neck of which a rope was 
 fastened, reaching to the ground. After the man 
 had continued hammering for some time, the mob 
 below made some ineii'ectual efforts to pull it 
 down. Two men again attacked with hammers 
 the ancles of the statue : while they were thus 
 employed, a fellow mounted on its shoulders, sat 
 upon the head, amused himself with pulling the 
 jackdaws' nests out of the crown of laurel, and 
 throwing theui to the mob below ; then getting 
 forward, committed an insult of the most of- 
 fensive and indecorous nature upon the face of 
 the august Napoleon;* and remounting on the 
 head, he waved a white handkerchief, and cried, 
 ** Vive le roi !" These feats were encouraged 
 by the shouts and clapping of the surrounding 
 multitude. Another rope was brought and fixed 
 
 • At this time the following inscription was on the pedestal 
 of the column: it was removed the 25th January, 1816: — 
 
 " NEAPOLIO. IMP. AVG. 
 
 MONVMENTVM. BELLI. GERMANICI. 
 
 ANNO. MDCCCV. 
 
 TRIMESTRI. SPATIO. DVCTV. SVO. PROFLIGATI. 
 
 EX. AERI, CAI'TJ. 
 
 OLORIAE. EXERCITVS. MAXIMI. DICAVIT." 
 
 Among^ the pieces of captured brass, above thirty culverins, 
 of ihe finest cinque-cente work, that were preserved in the 
 arsenal at Vienna, were melted to enter into the composition of
 
 112 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 to the statue ; to the lower extremities of the 
 ropes several others were fastened to facilitate 
 the united efforts of the mob, who, after making 
 several vain attempts to overthrow the statue, 
 desisted at night -fall. I then approached the 
 column ; the keeper, who was within the iron 
 railing which surrounds it, told me that (" on dit") 
 all this was doing by order of the emperor of 
 Russia. A large pitcher of wine was on the 
 steps, glasses of which a man was offering with 
 great civility. A sans-culotte, after drinking, 
 said — " See what it is to be treated by gens 
 comme il faut ; they provide glasses, while that 
 canaille, who are now kicked out, suffered us to 
 drink as we could." The general belief was, 
 that this attempt to pull down the statue of 
 Napoleon was made by order of the allies : no 
 one appeared to feel any indignation, and most 
 certainly the greater number of those assembled 
 were pleased. M. de Maubreuil was the person 
 
 this monument. M. Gerard, one of the twenty-six sculptors 
 employed in making the clay models for the bas-reliefs which 
 cover it, assured me that every one of these ancient culverins 
 was better worth preserving as a work of art than the whole of 
 the column. They were adorned with battles, trophies, and 
 rich armorial bearings of the finest chiseling; and yet Denon, 
 who, as sole director of the execution of the column, might 
 have saved them, or prevented their being melted, passes for a 
 man of taste ! The statue of Napoleon, ten feet seven inches 
 English in height, in an ancient Etruscan dress, was the work 
 of Chaudet.
 
 ADDKKSS IN FAVOUR OF THE KING, 113 
 
 will) excited the mob to the deed, although 
 M. Sosthenes de Rocliefoucault arrogated to him- 
 self tlie merit of it : he did, iiowever, distribute 
 luoney, as well as M. de Maubreuil. While this 
 was going" forward, a few gentlemen in company 
 with a group of ladies, M. Leopold de Talmont, 
 aide-de-camp of the minister of war, and another 
 gentleman and two ladies, in a second group, 
 were standing in the Rue Castiglione, near the 
 Rue St. Honore, with white cockades in their 
 hats. Each party had a printed address in favour 
 of the king, which they read aloud by turns, at 
 an interval of a few minutes ; and at the con- 
 clusion of every reading attempted to raise a 
 shout, by crying " Vive le roi ! Vivent les Bour- 
 bons !" in which the by-standers but feebly joined. 
 However, not even the smallest symptom of oppo- 
 sition was evinced. 
 
 The following is a copy of the address : — ■ 
 
 " AUX IIABITANS DE PARIS. 
 
 " Ilabitans de Paris ! — L'heure de votre d^li- 
 vrance est arriv^e ! vos oppresseurs sont pour tou- 
 jours dans limpuissance de vous nuire : 
 
 " VOTRE VILLE EST SAUV^e! 
 
 " Rendez graces a la Providence! adressez en 
 suite d eclatans temoignages de votre reconnois- 
 sance uux illustres monarques et ;\ Icurs braves 
 arm(jes, si lachement calomni^es ; c'est i\ eux que 
 
 1
 
 114 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 vous devrez la paix, le repos, et la prosp^rite dont 
 vous futes privies si long-temps. 
 
 " Qu'un sentiment, etouffe depuis tant d'annees, 
 s'echappe, avec les cris mille fois repet^s de Vive 
 le roi ! Vive Louis XVIII ! Vivent nos genereux 
 li berate 11 rs ! 
 
 " Que i'union la plus touchante et I'ordre le 
 plus parfait regnent parmi nous, et que les tetes 
 couronn^es qui vont honorer vos murs de leur 
 presence, recues comme vos sauveurs, reconnais- 
 sent que lesFran^ais, et surtout les Parisiens, ont 
 toujours conserve, au fond de leur ame, le respect 
 des lois et I'amour de la monarchic. ' 
 
 " Paris, 31 Mars, 1814." 
 
 One of these gentlemen came up to me, and, 
 looking at my bit of white riband, said — ■'' Sir, 
 I suppose you know that there is to be a meeting 
 of those persons who are determined to support 
 that noble cause, at No. 45, Rue Fauxbourg St. 
 Honore, and where we hope that you will attend." 
 In the mean time the officers of the allied army 
 were riding about, some apparently in search of 
 lodgings, others to gratify their curiosity ; some 
 had a few soldiers in their suite, but all took the 
 greatest care not to incommode the people, going 
 at a foot-pace, and requesting leave to pass in the 
 most courteous manner. One of them observing 
 my white riband, bowed and exclaimed — " Ah, 
 la belle decoration !" All these officers had a
 
 CAl'ITULATION ()¥ PARIS. ll^ 
 
 white piece uf linen round their left arms : this 
 symbol misled several persons in the course of 
 the day with regard to its object and intent. I 
 heard M. Leopold de Talmont ask his companion, 
 if he was sure that this white scarf signified 
 attachment to the Bourbon cause? observing at 
 the same time, that he began to entertain some 
 doubts about it. The shops in the Rue St.Honore 
 were shut, from fear of pillage ; but there was not 
 the smallest disturbance of any kind, although 
 the streets were thronged with people of all 
 classes, and also with the allied officers. A very- 
 small number of copies of the following Notice 
 were stuck up — the only official publication of the 
 capitulation, the news of which did not penetrate 
 into several parts of the Fauxbourg St. Jacques 
 until the middle of the day : — 
 
 " PRKFECTURE DE POLICE. 
 
 ''Paris, le 31 Mars, 1814. 
 
 " Citoyens de Paris! — Les (^'vcnemens de la 
 guerre out amene a vos ])ortes les armees des 
 puissances coalisees. 
 
 " Leur nombre et leurs forces n'ont pas per- 
 mis a nos trou[)es de continuer la defense de la 
 capitale. 
 
 " Le marcchal qui la commandait a du faire 
 une capitulation : il Ta fait fort honorable. 
 
 " Une plus longue resistance eut com prom is 
 la surete des personnes et des proprietes.
 
 116 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 ** Elle est aiijourd'hui garantie par cette capi- 
 tulation, et par la promesse de sa majesty I'em- 
 pereur Alexandre, qui a donn6 ce matin au corp 
 municipal les assurances les plus positives de sa 
 protection et de sa bienveillance pour les habitans 
 de cette capitale. 
 
 " Votre garde nationale demeure charg^e de 
 prot6ger vos personnes et vos propri^tes. 
 
 " Restez done calmes et tranquilles dans ce 
 grand evenement, et montrez dans cette occasion 
 le bon esprit qui vous a toujours signales. 
 
 (Sign6) '* Le Baron Pasquier, 
 
 " Prefet de Police. 
 
 "■ Le Baron Chabrol, 
 
 " Prefet du Dcpartement de la Seine." 
 
 After dining I walked in the Palais Royal ; all 
 the shops were shut, to protect the property, ex- 
 cept Mothers, the glover's, which was crowded 
 with officers making purchases. The coffee-houses 
 were all open, excepting Lemblin's, and thronged 
 with officers of the allied armies (mostly Rus- 
 sians), national guards, and other citizens of Paris, 
 among whom the greatest harmony and convi- 
 viality reigned : the war seemed to be forgotten, 
 and every person appeared only emulous which 
 should make the most clamour. I went to the 
 Caf6 de la Rotonde, where the greatest numbers 
 were assembled. I found captain Baker and 
 his wife, Americans of my acquaintance, drinking
 
 DKCLAUATION Ol' THE EMPKllOU Ol' RUSSIA. 117 
 
 puiu'li witli some Russian officers, wliosc invita- 
 tion toj(*in them 1 accepted. One was a Cossack, 
 covered with orders ; the other was a general, 
 named Macdonald, of Irish parents, but now in 
 the service of Russia, a very friendly, agreeable 
 man, speaking good French, but not a word of 
 English. He advised me to lay aside my white 
 riband, hinting, that the intentions of Alexander, 
 with regard to that cause, were not positively 
 known, and that whether the allies could hold 
 Paris was extremely doubtful. We afterwards 
 walked in the garden, and remarked that none 
 of the more elegant cyprians made their appear- 
 ance ; but there was an inundation of grisettes, 
 who expressed great discontent at the decorous 
 manner in which the allies conducted themselves. 
 Going out of the Palais Royal, I saw the emperor 
 Alexander's Declaration, which had just been 
 stuck up in the Rue du Lycee. 
 
 " DECLARATION. 
 
 " Les armies des puissances allies ont occupe 
 la capitale de la France. Les souverains allies, 
 accueillant le voeu de la nation Francaise, 
 
 " lis declarent : — ■ 
 
 " Que si les conditions de la paix devoient 
 renfermcr de plus fortes garanties, lorsqu'il s'agis- 
 soit d'enchaincr Tambition de Buonaparte, elles 
 doivcnt ctre plus favorables, lorsque, ])ar un rctour 
 vers un gouvernement sage, la France ellc-meme
 
 ]18 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 ofFrira Tassurance de ce repos. Les souverains 
 proclament en consequence, qu'ils ne traiteront 
 plus avec Napoleon Buonaparte, ni avec aucun 
 de sa famille ; qu'ils respectent rint^grit^ de I'an- 
 cienne France telle qu'elle a exist^e sous ses rois 
 legitimes ; ils peuvent mcme faire plus, parce- 
 qu'ils professent toujours le principe que, pour 
 le bonheur de VEurope, il faut que la France soil 
 grande et forte. 
 
 ** Quils reconnoitront et garantiront la consti- 
 tution que la nation Franj^aise se donnera. lis 
 invitent, par cons^^quent, le senat a designer sur- 
 le-champ un gouvernement provisoire qui puisse 
 pourvoir aux besoins de I'administration, et pre- 
 parer la constitution qui conviendra au peuple 
 Francais. 
 
 ** Les intentions que je viens d'exprimer me 
 sont communes avec toutes les puissances allies. 
 
 (Sign6) ** Alexatstdre. 
 
 ** Par S. M. I. le secretaire d'etat, 
 
 " CoMTE de Nesselrode." 
 
 " Paris, 31 Mars, 1814, trois heurs apres-midi." 
 " Imprimerie de Michaux, Imprimeur du Roi." 
 
 Went to the Caf(6 des Arts, and from thence, 
 at about half-past ten, with Favart and Gautherot 
 the painters, walked across the Place Carousel, 
 which was covered with baggage-waggons ; the 
 horses were not unharnessed, but the drivers were 
 fast asleep under them; and such was the state of
 
 STKKiaS OF TAllIS OCCUPIKD liV llIK AJLMIKS. 110 
 
 security tliey a])i)arently felt, tliat not a sentinel 
 was to be seen in all the place. Along the (juai 
 of the Louvre were cavalry slee|)ing in the same 
 state of incautious and presumed security. The 
 barracks of the Quai Buonaparte were filled with 
 Russian cavalry and infantry. Under the walls 
 of the quai, on the banks of the river, a con- 
 siderable body of Russian soldiers were bivouack- 
 ing ; round the blazing fires many were sleeping — 
 some washing their linen, others cooking. Several, 
 entirely naked, were cleansing themselves, some 
 of whom were occupied in the following curious 
 manner: — they were holding their shirts over the 
 Hames, at the same time turning them rapidly 
 round to prevent their catching fire ; the inflated 
 and scorching shirt was then suddenly rolled up, 
 with a view to destroy its minute and many- 
 legged inhabitants. Having amused ourselves 
 for some time with this curious and picturesque 
 scene, we returned by the same way we came, 
 and passed through lines of sleeping soldiers on 
 the quai, and waggoners on the Place Carousel. 
 Not a light was to be seen in any of the apart- 
 ments of the palace of the Tuilleries ; and there 
 were no persons moving in the deserted streets, 
 excepting a few patrols of the allied horse. 
 But on the Boulevard des Italiens there was a 
 considerable number of Russian forage-carts laden 
 with hay, and escorted by Cossacks, going to the 
 westward.
 
 120 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 The senate was sitting during the battle. 
 The twelve mayors of Paris and the council of 
 the department of the Seine were assembled at 
 the Hotel de Ville. The prefects of the depart- 
 ment and the police were riding about the city, 
 and visited the two marshals who commanded at 
 the battle. 
 
 At a little after six o'clock, the mayors not 
 having received any communications from the pre- 
 fects, and the rumours of a capitulation having 
 reached them, sent a deputation to marshal Mar- 
 mont ; he was at dinner when it arrived : he told 
 them he had capitulated for the army only, and 
 they must do what they could for the city. In 
 consequence of this, eight of the mayors and 
 municipal council of Paris; the baron Chabrol, 
 prefect of the department of the Seine ; the baron 
 Pasquier, prefect of police ; together with count 
 Alexandre de Laborde and M. Tourton, who went 
 by order of marshal Moncey, commandant of the 
 national guard of Paris (he having quitted the 
 capital to meet the emperor), jointly representing 
 the national guard, having associated with the 
 municipal body at the Hotel de Ville, left Paris 
 at ])etween one and two in the morning, accom- 
 paniec^ by colonel count Orlow and another officer, 
 who had been delivered to marshal Marmont as 
 hostages for the capitulation. They proceeded 
 from the marshal's house to the H6tel de Ville 
 about midnight, having been there from the time
 
 EMrEROll OF RUSSIA AND DKPL'TIES. 121 
 
 the capitulation was first drawn up. They arrived 
 at four o'clock at the Chateau de Bondi, the 
 emperor of Russia's head-quarters, who was then 
 sleeping. While waiting his levee, tea was served 
 them, and the duke of Vicenza (Caulincourt) 
 arrived from Najioleon. At seven o'clock the 
 deputation was admitted to the emperor of Russia, 
 when it otiered the city of Paris to his modera- 
 tion, and the hospitals, the Hotel de Ville, and 
 public establishments, to his protection. He re- 
 ceived them in the most courteous manner, saying 
 that he expected to have seen them the preceding 
 evening. They replied, that they had not been 
 informed in time what had been then done. The 
 emperor observed, that there was no necessity for 
 their coming in the night, as the morning would 
 have been time enough. He began a discourse by 
 stating, that Napoleon had wantonly invaded his 
 empire, and that a righteous judgment had brought 
 him to their walls. The baron Thiboneau, sub- 
 governor of the bank of France, and also one of 
 the council of the department of the Seine, soli- 
 cited a safeguard for the bank. The emperor 
 replied, it was unnecessary, as the whole city 
 was under protection ; that he had no enemy in 
 Paris, and only one in France ; and assured the 
 deputation, that not a soldier of his army should 
 enter the city until the deputation returned. He 
 entered into conversation with them : he asked 
 M. Barthelmy if he knew where M. dc Talleyrand
 
 122 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 was, and how he was inclined to act on this occa- 
 sion. — M. Tourton then requested of Alexander, 
 that the national guard should continue the ser- 
 vice ; to which he agreed. About eight o'clock 
 they withdrew, affected even to tears with grati- 
 tude for a reception so different from what they had 
 expected. Caulincourt was then admitted to the 
 emperor, who refused to listen to any proposition, 
 and declared he would not make peace with 
 Napoleon. The duke of Vicenza's troubled coun- 
 tenance, on coming out, betrayed the failure of 
 his mission, Alexander was so taken up with 
 the idea of his triumphal entry into Paris, that 
 he could think of nothino- else. All that Caulin- 
 court could obtain was the promise that he would 
 see him again. 
 
 Count Alexandre de Laborde informed me, 
 that on the arrival of the deputation, M. Nessel- 
 rode, with whom he was previously acquainted, 
 took him into the recess of one of the windows, 
 and there questioned him respecting the state of 
 public opinion in Paris, and what was to be done; 
 or rather, what the French intended to do. He 
 replied, that before he could answer that, he 
 expected him (Nesselrode) to tell him, upon his 
 honour, the number of troops the allies had in 
 France. Nesselrode said, there were 150,000 
 before Paris, and that 50,000 were with the 
 emperor of Austria. Laborde, upon this, said, 
 that the talent of France was for the regency and
 
 TALLEYRAND AND NESSKLRODE. 123 
 
 the new interests of the kini^^cloni ; ])ut that tlic old 
 nobility and the sahm of Paris were strenuously 
 for the Bourbons, unconditionally ; that the mass 
 of the population would only receive the Bourbons 
 with a limited monarchy ; but that if they were 
 desirous of obtaining more ample information, he 
 advised them to consult M. de Talleyrand, — he 
 being the ))erson most conversant on this subject, 
 as the statesmen (hommes d'etat) habitually met 
 at his house. Upon this, Nesselrode asked if Tal- 
 leyrand was in Paris : M. de Laborde replied, that 
 he was on the preceding evening, but that Napo- 
 leon had ordered him to go to Blois. Nesselrode 
 immediately despatched M. de Laborde to Talley- 
 rand, desiring him not to quit Paris, and, in case 
 of his refusal, to detain him by force ; at the same 
 time ordering the count de Dunow, aide-de-camp 
 to prince Walkonski, major-general of the emperor 
 of Russia, to accompany him, that he should not 
 be impeded at the outposts. The emperor of 
 Russia sent another messenger, that he should 
 take ujj his quarters at M. de Talleyrand's : this 
 had been previously arranged by the duchess de 
 Courland. M. de Laborde and count de Dunow 
 returned to Paris on horseback, followed by a 
 Cossack (the first that entered the city). They 
 met on the road the duke of Vicenza (Caulin- 
 court\ with an agitated look, who, having quitted 
 Napoleon at the Cour de France, was galloping 
 to the cnqjcror of Russia's head-quarters; they
 
 124 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 bowed in passing, but did not speak. M. de 
 Laboide arrived at Talleyrand's a few minutes 
 after seven in the morning, and found him in his 
 dressing-gown. Upon communicating what had 
 passed at Bondi, and adding that he had on the 
 Place Vend6me a battalion of the national guard* 
 devoted to him, Talleyrand told him to go into 
 the drawing-room, and make the same communi- 
 cation to those he found there, and then ask abb^ 
 Louis what he was to do. In the drawing-room 
 he found abb6 Louis, monsieur de Pradt, arch- 
 bishop of Mechlin, and the due de Dalberg, who 
 had been there about two hours, to whom M. de 
 Laborde communicated the nature of his visit. 
 M. Louis pulled out a white cockade, and said, 
 *' Take that." This, however, the count declined 
 accepting for the purpose of offering it to the 
 national guard. 
 
 Count Dunow breakfasted with M. de Laborde, 
 and then returned to head-quarters, with M. de 
 Talleyrand's acquiescence to the emperor of 
 Russia's desire that he should remain at Paris. 
 
 From twelve at night until five in the morn- 
 ing, large parcels of official papers were brought 
 from the office of the etat-major to the Place 
 Vendome, and burnt before the door. 
 
 Early in the morning, before the barriers were 
 open, the soldiers of the allied army climbed up 
 
 * The third of the second legion.
 
 SCinVARTZENBLllCl'S I'ROCLAMATION. 125 
 
 the palisades of the barrier Roeheehouard, to look 
 into Paris : they threw the following proclama- 
 tion, by prince Schwartzenberg, over the wall, 
 and through the iron gates : — 
 
 " HABITANS DE PARIS' 
 
 " Les armies allies se trouvent devant Paris. 
 Le but de leur marche vers la ca])itale de la France 
 est fonde sur Tespoir d'une reconciliation sincere 
 et durable avec elle. Depuis vingt ans, TEurope 
 est inondee de sang et de larmes. Les tentatives 
 faites pour niettre un terme k tant de malheurs 
 out (:t^' inutiles, parcequ'il existe, dans le pouvoir 
 ra^me du gouvernement qui vous opprime, un 
 obstacle insurraontable a la paix. 
 
 " Les Souverains allies cherchent, de bonne 
 foi, line a II tori te mlutaire en France, qui puisse 
 c^menter Tunion de toutes les nations et de tons 
 les gouvernemens avec elle. C'est k la ville de 
 Paris qu'il appartient, dans les circonstances ac- 
 tuelles, (racceltrer la pair du monde. Son voeu 
 est attendu avec Tinterc^t qui doit inspirer un 
 si immense r^sultat ; qu'elle se prononce, et d^s 
 ce moment Tarm^e qui est devant ses murs de- 
 vient le soutien de ses decisions. 
 
 " Parisiens ! — Vous connaissez la situation de 
 votre patrie, la conduite de Bourdeaux, Toccupa- 
 tion amicale de Lyon, les maux attires sur la 
 France, et les dispositions v(l'ritables de vos con- 
 citoyens. Vous trouverez dans ces exemples le
 
 126 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 terme de la g-uerre ^trang^re et de la discorde 
 civile : vous ne sauriez plus le chercher ailleurs. 
 
 " La conservation et la tranquillity de votre 
 ville seront I'objet des soins et des mesures que 
 les allies s'ofFrent de prendre avec les autorit^s et 
 les notables qui jouissent le plus de I'estime 
 publique. Aucun logement militaire ne p^sera 
 sur la capitale. 
 
 *' C'est dans ces sentimens que VEiirope eii 
 armes devant vos murs s'adresse a vous. Hatez- 
 vous de r^pondre a la confiance qu'elle met dans 
 votre amour pour la patrie, et dans votre sagesse. 
 
 (Sign6) 
 
 " Le Marechal Prince de Schwartzenberg, 
 " Le commandant-en-chef des armces allies." 
 
 While the guards of the emperor of Russia 
 w^ere entering Paris, in grand parade, the Silesian 
 army moved by the outer boulevards, crossed the 
 Seine by the bridge of Jena, opposite the Champ 
 de Mars, (this purposely on account of the name, 
 as general Mufflin told me,) to the entrance from 
 Orleans, where they took their position across the 
 road, having on their left the steep valley through 
 which the little river of the Bievre runs. At the 
 same time the Austrian army marched over the 
 bridge of Austerlitz, and took up their position 
 on the Fontainebleau road, on the same line, and 
 having the valley and river on their right. This 
 position of the armies, general Mufflin said, was
 
 EMl'KUOK or RUSSIA AT TAI.l.KYUAND'S. 1_>7 
 
 excellent : for should Napoleon arrive by either 
 ol' these roads, to join the army which had 
 evacuated Paris, and marcli upon the city, the 
 army on the road by which he arrived was to fall 
 back and give battle, while the other branch of 
 the army was to take him in the rear. A similar 
 plan was afterwards executed with success at 
 Waterloo. 
 
 After the guard had defiled before the em- 
 peror of llussia, and MufHin had conducted the 
 emperor to Talleyrand's, he returned to Mont- 
 martre, where Blucher had remained indisposed 
 the whole day with what was said to be a com- 
 plaint in his eyes, and did not enter Paris till 
 two davs afterwards. The fact was, that the ex- 
 citation of the late events had temporarily affected 
 his mind. When the emperor of Russia arrived 
 at Tallevrand's, he retired with him into his 
 closet, where they remained for some time. Tal- 
 leyrand was frightened, and hesitated to avow his 
 wish for the rejection of Napoleon and the restora- 
 tion of the Bourbons ; but the emperor encouraged 
 him, by saying that he had sufficient force to 
 overcome any army that Buonaparte might oppose 
 to him, and that he was determined not to treat 
 with Bu()na|)arte nor any of his family. 
 
 Talleyrand requested permission of the em- 
 peror to introduce abbe de Pradt and abbe Louis. 
 This being granted, a council was held, at which 
 the king of Prussia, prince Schwartzenbcrg, the
 
 128 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 due de Dalberg, Messrs. Nesselrode, Pozzo de 
 Borgo, the princes Liclitenstein, de Talleyrand, 
 de Pradt, and Louis, formed a semicircle, and 
 Alexander walked to and fro. The restoration 
 of the Bourbons was urged by the French. Tal- 
 leyrand spoke first, but in his usual icy, cautious 
 manner ; abbe Louis next, who was followed by 
 de Pradt. Alexander replied, that however it 
 might be his wish to restore the Bourbons, yet 
 he must own, that though he had been three 
 months in France, he had no-where perceived the 
 slightest manifestation of such a feeling ; nay, so 
 far from it, that only six days ago, at Fere Cham- 
 penoise, some thousands of raw troops, just taken 
 from the plough, allowed themselves to be cut in 
 pieces in the cause of Napoleon, when a cry in 
 favour of the Bourbons would have saved them. 
 Abb6 de Pradt replied, that he could not expect 
 them to declare against a man with whom he 
 condescended to treat, though he had a halter 
 round his neck. Alexander asked the meaning 
 of those words, to which de Pradt replied, that he 
 had just seen the people put a rope round the 
 neck of the emperor's statue in the Place Ven- 
 dc>me, — a circumstance of which Alexander was 
 then ignorant. After some discussion, the em- 
 peror of Russia agreed not to treat with Napo- 
 leon, and, at the suggestion of abbe Louis, nor 
 with any of his family. De Pradt told me he 
 retired into a corner of the apartment, with Roux
 
 HESTORATION OV TUK BOURBONS. 129 
 
 Laboric, a lawyer, and a creature of Talleyrand's, 
 to whom lie dictated the emperor's declaration, 
 which was hastily written with a pencil, and 
 shewn to Alexander, who approved of it. Mi- 
 dland, who was in waitini^, caused it immediately 
 to be i)rinted, putting under the name of the 
 emperor, '* imprimeur du roi," and two hours 
 afterwards it was stuck up in Paris. 
 
 The formation of a government, pro tempore, was 
 agreed upon, its members named, and de Pradt 
 liad the mortification to find he was not among 
 those nominated. The restoration of the Bour- 
 bons resulted from this council ; for Mufflin told 
 me, that on their march, the Bourbons were never 
 thought of: all they intended was, the overthrow^ 
 of Buonaparte. 
 
 Sir Neil Campbell, in a conversation on the 
 9th of February, 1819, informed me that the king's 
 proclamation at Hartwell was brought to the allied 
 army by Monsieur. Sir Neil first saw it in the 
 hands of Wreden, who received it from Schwartz- 
 enberg : he shewed it to him in a mysterious 
 manner, and as a secret. The intentions of the 
 allies either not being fixed, or at least being 
 unknown, he obtained it for ten minutes, and 
 went into a stable, where he copied it with a 
 black-lead pencil : he had two or three thousand 
 copies printed at Provins. When obliged to fly 
 from that town, he, in going through IMormans 
 early in the morning, and closely pursued by the 
 
 K
 
 130 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 French, took a bundle of them out of his holsters, 
 and hung them on the hooks of a butcher's shop. 
 
 The Austrian commandant tore down the 
 Hartwell proclamation at Dijon, where it had 
 been stuck up. 
 
 The allies most certainly had formed no plan 
 of what they were to do on arriving at Paris. 
 
 The report that their ammunition was ex- 
 pended at the battle of Paris is not true. 
 
 A considerable number of allied troops, who 
 had not complete uniforms, marched round the 
 outer boulevard, and entered Paris after dark ; 
 for none in loose brown great-coats were in the 
 triumphal entry, while all those quartered in the 
 barrack on the quai opposite the Tuilleries were 
 so dressed. 
 
 Viscomte Sosthenes de Rochefoucault, son 
 of the due de Doudeauville, and son-in-law to M. 
 Matthieu de Montmorency, told me that he, 
 mounted on horseback, accompanied by M. Talon, 
 and followed by two servants, distributed some 
 white cockades as they proceeded, in different 
 directions, to join the Bourbon party on the boule- 
 vards. When the sovereigns were stationed on 
 the north side of the Champs Elys^es, to review 
 their troops, he rode up, and solicited them to re- 
 store the Bourbons. At the same time a number 
 of persons of the ancien regime, who had sur- 
 rounded the sovereigns, made the same request. 
 To such extent did the admiration of the allies
 
 STATUE OF NArOI.KON. 131 
 
 extend, that the coiutcssc Pcrijj^ord got up behind 
 a Cossack ; but though the sovereigns, and par- 
 ticuhirly the emperor of Russia, received them 
 ill the most gracious manner, yet they gave no 
 answer to their demand, and M. Sosthenes de 
 Rochetoucault said, it was evidently not their in- 
 tention to restore the king : then, addressing him- 
 self to the generals who surrounded the emperor, 
 he asked what could be done to influence the 
 emperor. One of them replied, that it was not 
 the intention of the emperor to force any govern- 
 ment on the French people, and that it rested 
 with them to declare their wishes. Sosthenes 
 then addressed the bystanders; but, said he, the 
 people preserved " le plus niorne silence." Sos- 
 thenes then said to the general, this silence must 
 be attributed to fear ; but if the sovereigns 
 will declare that they will not treat with the 
 '* Usurper," the people will no longer hesitate in 
 proclaiming their sentiments. He proposed to over- 
 throw the statue of Napoleon from the column of 
 the Place Vcndome. The aide-de-camp of Alex- 
 ander seized this idea as excellent. Sosthenes 
 liien mounted his white horse and haranirued 
 the i)e()ple, (he is a man of engaging manners, an 
 agreeable though not a powerful voice, a hand- 
 some j)erson, no talent, but considerable Fraicli 
 energy,) and at the same time distributed some 
 ])ieces of w-r//^/ among them : they followed him to 
 the Place Vendome, forced open the bronze door
 
 132 EVENTS AT PARIS, MARCH 1814. 
 
 in the pedestal of the column, and procured 
 cords. Meeting with resistance from one indivi- 
 dual only, who was soon overpowered, they be- 
 gan to fix the ropes. He rode to the grand duke 
 Constantine, to inform him of what he had done, 
 and to request a guard to prevent any mischief. 
 His reception has been already stated in a pre- 
 ceding page. 
 
 In the evening, M. Sosthenes de Rochefoucault 
 went to the meeting at M. de Mortfontaine's, in 
 the Fauxbourg St. Honor6, who presided ; but 
 all was noise, tumult, and clamour — each assert- 
 ing his services, his claims, the epoch of his 
 emigration, or boasting how he had betrayed, 
 under pretence of serving, the usurper : at last 
 Sosthenes jumped on a table, and exclaimed that 
 they were losing time, and that the only thing 
 they had to do was to send a deputation to the 
 emperor of Russia, praying him to restore their 
 legitimate king, and offered to make one of the 
 number. This was agreed to, and three other 
 persons were added, M. Ferrand, M. Ceesar 
 Choiseul, and the third he i>aid he had forgotten. 
 In going out of M. de Mortfontaine's, he met 
 M. de Chateaubriand, and induced him to go 
 with them. They arrived at the emperor's at 
 nine o'clock, who had retired to rest : they were 
 received by M. Nesselrode. M. de Chateau- 
 briand would wot speak — M. Ferrand could not — 
 Sosthenes, therefore, announced the business ;
 
 TUMULTUOUS ASSEMBLY. 133 
 
 but tliey (lid not offer any written address to the 
 emperor. Nesselrode replied to this effect: — 
 
 " Je qiiitte h Tinstant I'empereur Alexandre, 
 et c'est en son noni que je vous parle. Retournez 
 vers cette assemblee, et annoncez a tous les 
 Francais que Tempereur, touch6 des cris qu'il a 
 attendu ce matin, et des voeux qui lui ont ^t6 si 
 vivement exprim^s, va rendre la couronne k celui 
 i\ qui seul elle appartient. Louis XVIII va 
 nionter sur son trone." 
 
 They then returned to the meeting, and were 
 received with acclamations. A scene of tumult 
 and confusion ensued, all desiring to be heard, 
 or at least to speak. There was no means of 
 dissolving the meeting: at last it occurred to 
 M. Talon to extinguish the lights, and this alone 
 forced them to separate. 
 
 The Moniteur of this day was only half a 
 sheet, and that did not contain a single word 
 relative to the army, or of foreign news. The 
 articles announced the payment of the funds, 
 judgments respecting the claims of individuals by 
 the grand judge, four columns of poetry, and a 
 tour in Italy. The theatres were announced as 
 if they were open ; and contained the following 
 notice from the Hospice Civile : — 
 
 " Le conseil des hospices de Paris invite les 
 habitans i\ faire le plus promptement possible vue 
 de Turgence en leurs municipalites respectivcs de 
 nouveaux envois, aussi abondans qu'ils pourront
 
 134 EVENTS AT PARIS, MAECH 1814. 
 
 de linge k pansemens, charpie, draps, chemises, et 
 autres objets de fournitures utiles aux blesses." 
 
 The only evidence by which a state different 
 from the usual one of Paris might be suspected 
 from the journals was, that no price of stocks 
 was mentioned. M. Sailliant de Juiney appeared 
 at nine in the morning in the Place Vend6me 
 with a white cockade in his hat. 
 
 Morin, who had formerly been administrator 
 of the army, with two others, were arrested by 
 the national guards in the Rue Montmartre, for 
 wearing white cockades. About nine o'clock 
 they were conducted to the Mairie of the third 
 arrondissement. The national guard tore their 
 cockades out of their hats, and trod them under 
 foot. The marquis de la Grange immediately 
 went to general Plateau, prefect of the palace 
 to the king of Prussia, who had already come 
 into Paris, and had given orders to set the men 
 at liberty. The marquis de la Grange presented 
 Morin this day to general Sacken, the newly 
 named governor of Paris, who issued the follow- 
 ing order : — ■ 
 
 "■ Ordre de son Excellence le General-en-chef^ Gou- 
 verneur 7mlitaire de la Place de Paris, le Baron 
 Sacke?i. 
 
 " Tons les journaux qui s'impriment a Paris 
 sont des ce moment mis sous la police de 
 M. Morin, qui ne fera rien imprimer, et qui ne
 
 CENSORS OF THE JOURNALS. 135 
 
 laissera ricn imprimcr, sans que les dits joiirnaux 
 et autres papiers public's nc me soient repr^scntes 
 et souniis a nion aj)prubation. 
 
 " Tons les airens et toutes les aiitoiites ob- 
 tempcrcnt aux ordres de M. JVluriii pour cet 
 objet de police et d'imprimerie. 
 
 " Paris, le3\ Mars, 1814. (Sign^) ** SaCKEN." 
 
 Morin named the following censors : — De 
 Mersan, for tha Journal des Debuts; Salgues, for 
 the Journal de Paris; Michaud, for the Gazette 
 de France; and ordered them to announce that 
 the white cockade had been assumed, and that 
 the allied armies had been received with re- 
 iterated shouts of " Vive le roi ! Vivent les 
 Bourbons !" 
 
 EVENTS OF APRIL 1814. 
 
 w4;;W/ 1st. — At eight o'clock in the morning I 
 went to the Place Vendome. The ropes still 
 remained atHxed to the statue of Buonaparte, 
 but a sentinel of the national guard was placed 
 at the foot of the column to prevent any further 
 attempts to pull it down. The gates of the Tuil- 
 leries gardens continued locked. Some few shops 
 in the Rue St. Honor6 were open ; and a con- 
 siderable number of officers of the allied army 
 was strolling about, each Russian followed by
 
 136 EVENTS AT PARIS, APRIL 1814. 
 
 one or more light cavalry, armed with pikes 
 fourteen or fifteen feet long. 
 
 The declaration of the emperor Alexander, 
 which had been stuck up in different parts of 
 Paris, was read by the people with great eager- 
 ness, and many of them were copying it. The 
 proclamation of prince Schwartzenberg was also 
 stuck up, but that of the emperor of Russia 
 excited the greatest sensation. 
 
 Walked in the garden of the Palais Royal, 
 and afterwards in the streets of Paris. Officers 
 of the allied army, and many of the soldiers, were 
 every where seen gazing about ; but still, few 
 shops were open. Those who wore white cock- 
 ades were often insulted, and some of the national 
 canards tore them out of the hats of the wearers. 
 In the course of these rambles, I saw the emperor 
 Alexander on foot, with four or five attendants, 
 on the Quai Voltaire. Most of the shops in 
 the Rue Thionville (now Dauphine) were open. 
 The theatres opened this evening. At Feydeau, 
 instead of the Theatre Imperiale de TOp^ra 
 Comique, " Th6atre de FOp^ra Comique," was 
 printed at the head of the bill. But at the 
 Opera " Academic Imperiale de Musique" the 
 usual title remained. The emperor of Russia, 
 the king of Prussia, prince Schwartzenberg, and 
 a great number of officers of the allied army, 
 were at the opera this evening. They were 
 received with enthusiasm by the crowds at the
 
 SOVF.llEICNS AT THE TIIKATUE. 137 
 
 theatre. Between the acts, the air of " Vive 
 Henri IV !" was performed, the words of which 
 were loudly called for. Lays came forward, with 
 a paper in iiis hand, and sung the following 
 impromptu to that air: — 
 
 " Vive Guillaumc 
 
 Et ses guerriers vaillans ! 
 
 De ce royaume 
 II sauve les enfans. 
 
 Par sa victoire 
 II nous donne la paix, 
 
 Et compte sa gloire 
 Par ses nombreux bicnfaits. 
 
 " Vive Alexandre ! 
 Vive ce roi des rois ! 
 
 Sans rien pretendre, 
 Sans nous dieter des lois, 
 
 Ce prince auguste 
 A le triple renom, 
 
 De heros, de juste, 
 De nous rendre un Bourbon." 
 
 The ladies in the boxes threw white cockades 
 into the ])it, whicli were received with accla- 
 mations. Le Triomphe de Trajan had been an- 
 nounced, but the emperor of Russia desired it 
 might not be performed ; modestly disclaiming 
 the incense of this celebrated piece. The Vestal 
 was performed. 
 
 The overthrow of the insignia of Buonaparte, 
 whicli decorated his box, was loudly called for 
 by the audience ; but as this would have inter-
 
 138 EVENTS AT PARIS, APRIL 1814. 
 
 ruptcd the performance, a cloth was thrown over 
 them. 
 
 Price of stocks this day : — 5 per cents, 49, 
 50, 51; actions de la banque de France, 640, 
 G80, G75. 
 
 The following paragraph appeared in the 
 Moniteur : — 
 
 *' Avis. — Le public est pr6venu, que le d6part 
 des courriers de la poste aux letters aura lieu 
 aujourd'hui comme a I'ordinaire." 
 
 Caulincourt having solicited an audience with 
 the emperor of Russia, he was admitted between 
 three and four o'clock, while Talleyrand was at 
 the senate. 
 
 The great change which had taken place at 
 Paris was made known in those parts of France 
 where the newspapers could penetrate, by the 
 insertion of prince Schwartzenbergs proclama- 
 tion ; and the following was inserted in the Mo- 
 7iiteur of this day : — 
 
 " Copie (Tune Note, en date de Z\ Mars, 1814, 
 addressee par le Comte de Nesselrode a M. le 
 Baron Pasquier, Prefet de Police: — 
 
 " Par ordre de S. M. I'empereur mon maitre, 
 j'ai riionneur de vous inviter, M. le Baron, a faire 
 sortir de prison les habitans de Coulomiers, 
 JVE. M. de Varennes et de Grimberg, detenus a 
 Sainte Pelagic pour avoir empech^ de tirer sur les 
 troupes alli^es dans riut^rieur de leur commune, et
 
 rilOCLAMATIONS liY THE RUSSIANS. 139 
 
 avoir sauv(^ ainsi la vie dc Icur concitoyens ct leur 
 |)rc)j)rict(!'s. 
 
 " S. M. desire (^'galement que vous rendiez i\ 
 la liberty tons les individus qui, par attachenicnt 
 ;\ Icur ancien et leur l^-gitimo souverain, ont ht 
 d(!:tenus jusqu'ici. 
 
 " Vous voudrez bien, M. le Baron, fairc in- 
 surer cette lettre dans tous les journaux. 
 
 (Sis^n^) " Le Comte de Nesselrode." 
 
 And also : — 
 
 " Paris, le 31 Mars, 1814. 
 
 ** M. le Baron, — J'ai I'honneur de vous ad- 
 dresser une Proclamation que M. le Marechal 
 Prince dc Schwartzenberg vient de publier, au 
 nom des puissances alli^es. Je vous ordonne de la 
 faire insurer dans tous les journaux, Fafficher aux 
 coins des rues, en un mot, de lui donner imme- 
 diutement la ])lus grande publicite possible. 
 
 " Agreez Tassurance de ma consideration dis- 
 tingu6e. 
 
 (Signe) " Le Comte de Nesselrode." 
 
 " Habitans dc Paris !" &c. Vide page 126. ' 
 
 The Journal dc rEmpirc resumed its former 
 title o^ J our mil ilea Debuts; but only Haifa sheet 
 was published, which contained a very spirited 
 account of yesterday's transactions, written by 
 abb6 de Pradt. 
 
 The senate having been convoked on the 1st
 
 140 EVENTS AT PARIS, APRII. 1814. 
 
 by Talleyrand, as vice-grand-elector, sixty-one 
 senators assembled this day at their palace of 
 the Luxembourg. This meeting, at which Talley- 
 rand presided, (being as usual secret,) was opened 
 by a speech from him, which the abbe de Pradt 
 assured me he himself wrote for the occasion. 
 In this address he called upon the senators to 
 save their country, nor suffer another day to pass 
 without having established an administration 
 which would impart vigour, and give confidence 
 to their oppressed countrymen. 
 
 After divers proposals had been made by 
 several senators, it was resolved that a govern- 
 ment, pro tempore, (" gouvernemetit provisoire ") 
 should be formed, composed of five members, who 
 should be charged with the administration, and 
 who were to present to the senate the project of a 
 constitution suitable to the French people. 
 
 The senate then elected the following persons 
 members of the " gouvernement provisoire:" — 
 M. de Talleyrand, prince of Benevento; the senator 
 comte de Beurnonville ; senator comte de Jaucourt ; 
 the due de Dalberg, conseiller d'etat; M. de Montes- 
 quieu, ancient member of the constituent assembly. 
 
 This being done, several other proposals were 
 agitated. Count Destutt de Tracy told me that he 
 proposed the " decheance'" of the emperor Napo- 
 leon, and the hereditary right established in his 
 family to be abolished. Several senators started 
 up, exclaiming, *' Quest ce que vous faites 1^!"
 
 TALLKVllAND AND PllOVISIONAL GOVKUNMENT. 141 
 
 The venerable metaphysician coolly answered, 
 that his ))roj)osal was only a necessary sequence 
 to what they had just decreed. 
 
 Talleyrand then put De Tracy's proposition 
 to the vote, which was carried by a show of 
 hands. Some of the members declined voting, 
 but no one held up his hand for Napoleon. The 
 secretaries having sneaked away upon the pro- 
 posal being made, the official minutes could not 
 be drawn up ; they came, however, to the next 
 meeting, and the act passed on the 2d of April ; 
 and on the 3d, received the form of a senatus- 
 consultum. The senator Lambrechts was charged 
 with drawing up the preamble (" considcnmt") 
 and by which a noble precedent is established. 
 
 2d. — Early this morning, I observed from 
 my window that part of the Silesian army, which 
 had bivouacked on Montmartre, was breaking up. 
 
 When I went out I found the statue of Buo- 
 naparte, on the column in the Place Vendome, 
 veiled by a large sail-cloth. 
 
 A column of Russians entering the boulevards 
 by the Rue du Montblanc, continued their march 
 to the Pont de Jena, where it crossed the river, to 
 join the army on the south side of Paris. I also 
 saw a second column of allied troops with their 
 bajxufaGfe, coming from without and crossinc^ Paris 
 by the Rue St. Martin. 
 
 Breakfasted with madanie de L ; she told 
 
 me that the battalion of national guards in which
 
 142 EVENTS AT PARIS, APRIL 1814. 
 
 her brother-in-law, M. Titon, a judge in the coiir 
 imperialc, served, had, with the exception of the 
 captain and three privates, come to a secret 
 understanding relative to the Bourbons, and were 
 determined to fight in their cause should Na- 
 poleon march against Paris ; but of whose mo- 
 tions every one was as ignorant as they had so 
 lately been of those of their new masters. 
 
 I afterwards walked up the Fauxbourg du 
 Temple. A Russian guard was posted at the 
 barrier, but the clerks of the octroi still attended 
 for the collection of the usual duties. Proceeded 
 to Belleville, at the entrance of which, in a small 
 field to the left of the road, a Russian bivouack 
 had been established, but which was evacuated 
 this morning. Some people, mostly children, 
 were eagerly engaged scratching the dung-heaps, 
 in search of money and other small articles lost 
 by the soldiers, and, from what I could perceive, 
 were amply repaid for their trouble ; thus ex- 
 plaining to me why so much ancient money is 
 usually found in Roman encampments. 
 
 While thus employed, they were interrupted 
 by a considerable train of small Russian forage 
 and baggage-carts re-occupying the field, and 
 conducted by Russian boors, having the air of 
 perfect barbarians, and at whose approach the 
 French made oft'. Entering Belleville, the ef- 
 fects of war were presented to view in horrible 
 variety. Several dead bodies of the French
 
 BKLLEVILLE, AFTER THE BATTLE. 143 
 
 soldiery, killed on the 30tli, were lying against 
 the houses of the high street, from the middle of 
 which they had been dragged, merely because they 
 would have impeded the carriages ; but no person 
 was employed in removing them for the purpose 
 of interment. Every house had been broken open 
 and pillaged, as all the inhabitants had fled to 
 Paris during the battle; but they had now ven- 
 tured to return, to remove such articles of fur- 
 niture as remained uninjured. The carts used in 
 this business, and those of the Russian forage 
 train, so obstructed the highway, that foot peis- 
 sengers had no means of passing without stepping 
 on the bodies of the slain. This, however, gave 
 them no concern. A large house on the left, at 
 the upper part of the Rue de Romainville, had 
 been used as a prison for the captive French, who 
 were released this morning. At every step I 
 advanced, the number of objects of devastation 
 increased. The walls and houses on the right 
 side of the street, in many places, were pierced 
 through by cannon-balls, some of which had 
 buried themselves on the opposite side. This 
 street terminates at the brow of a hill, and there 
 opens upon the Pr6 St. Gervais. I found this 
 beautiful sjiot, that descends from the heights of 
 Belleville to the plain of Pantin, and till now 
 the j)icture of industry and happiness, strewed 
 with carcasses of men and horses; the kitchen- 
 gardens and extensive plantations ol' lilacs were
 
 144 EVENTS AT PARIS, APRIL 1814 
 
 torn and trampled down, as were the smaller 
 fruit-trees, w^hile the larger ones were pierced by 
 the musketry, or overthrown and shattered by 
 the artillery ; all around bespoke the fury with 
 which the battle had raged, and although many 
 of the dead bodies had been thrown into a 
 neighbouring sand-pit, yet, on the summit of the 
 hill I beheld hundreds nearly stripped, but still 
 unburied. Some of the proprietors of the garden- 
 grounds, where the bodies lay, were digging shal- 
 low holes, into which they thrust the dead, 
 appropriating to themselves their shirts as a 
 recompense for this ill-performed office of hu- 
 manity. The houses and yards of the village of 
 Pre St. Gervais were full of those who had 
 crawled from the tumult of the battle to die. On 
 ascending through groves of fine walnut-trees, 
 with the intervening spaces laid out in vineyards, 
 kitchen, and fruit-gardens, towards the Bois de 
 Romainville, I was struck with horror at the sight 
 of a far greater number of slain. 
 
 The Russian account of the battle says, that 
 such was the loss on both sides, from the ob- 
 stinacy with which this spot was attacked and 
 defended, that the sharp-shooters were obliged to 
 be renewed several times. 
 
 Six or seven French surgeons were searching 
 about for such persons as remained alive, and 
 were employed in dressing their wounds ; while 
 I remained, I witnessed the case of three poor
 
 I-IELl) or BATTLK. 145 
 
 wretches, who liad lingered, unattended, from 
 VV^odncsday, and w^ere tlien again abandoned 
 to all the horrors o(" their situation, no one 
 being employed to convey them to an hospital. 
 During the dressing of a Russian, who was severely 
 wounded on the head, and appeared insensible, a 
 Cossack riding by, drew his pistol from his girdle, 
 and signified, 1)y signs, that it would be preferable 
 to end the misery of his fellow-soldier ; the by- 
 standers, however, demonstrating a different opi- 
 nion, he coolly returned his pistol and continued 
 liis route. The dead were lying stretched out, 
 generally with one of their arms extended; their 
 countenances by no means indicating that they 
 had *' hit the dust,'^ or exhibiting fierce passions. 
 Some, wlio had been killed by artillery, presented 
 horribly mangled remains ; but of the others, with 
 the exce})tion of those whose faces were swollen, 
 tlie countenances were very placid ; and where 
 national physiognomy was not sufHciently marked, 
 the blue dye of their coat having stained their 
 shirts, served to distinguish the French. Many 
 of the Paris ral)ble were engaged in plunder, and 
 in stripping the bodies. As the fire-arms, when 
 perfect, were seized at the gates of Paris, to pre- 
 vent this, they broke tliem ; and the lock, barrel, 
 antl ranuod, were separately carried into the city 
 for sale. The few whom mere curiosity had ex- 
 cited to vi.Nit the field of battle, were obliged lo 
 go in parties for mutual protection, as well from
 
 146 EVENTS AT PARIS, APRIL 1814. 
 
 the fear of the French pillagers as the Cossacks ; 
 but, notwithstanding this, many persons were 
 robbed. 
 
 Returning by the west side of Belleville, in 
 the Rue St. Denis, No. 13G, the right-hand corner 
 of the Rue Thiery, I passed the house I saw burning 
 during the battle. It was a handsome building, 
 and had been a ladies' boarding-school. The fire 
 was occasioned by a shell from a howitzer breaking- 
 through the roof and exploding. All the houses 
 in this district had been pillaged, every door and 
 every shutter being broken open ; but a Russian 
 patrole, going the rounds, drove away the soldiery 
 who were roaming about, seeking the gleanings 
 of pillage. Between the village and the Butte 
 St. Chaumont was a Russian post and a park of 
 artillery. One of the three windmills on this side 
 of the village was destroyed by the cannon-shot ; 
 every thing in the fields was trodden dowqi, and 
 the innumerable empty bottles with which this 
 extensive and elevated plain was strewn, evinced 
 that myriads had bivouacked on it after the battle. 
 The firing of cannon at the Chateau de Vincennes, 
 which still held out, was heard at intervals. 
 
 I returned, at four o'clock in the afternoon, by 
 the Boulevard du Temple, whence, to the Boule- 
 vard des Italiens, a distance of more than a mile, 
 I did not meet twenty persons who had white 
 cockades. At the door of Tortoni's coffee-house, 
 the corner of the Rue Taitbout, I noticed several ;
 
 M. liKLLAllT'S ATTEMP'1\ 147 
 
 but tliis house was a rendezvous of" the Bourbon 
 
 party. 
 
 In consequence of the national |n;-uarcl, and 
 several other persons, w^ith the agents ot tiie 
 police, having yesterday torn the white cockades 
 from the hats of those persons who wore thein, the 
 following Notice was stuck up on the walls, and 
 also inserted in the newspapers: — 
 
 ** Le Gouverneur- general de Paris, baron 
 Sacken, defend exjiress^'ment que personne dans 
 cette ville puisse ^tre inquiete, offens6, et molested, 
 |»ar qui faire ce soit, pour faire d'opinion politique, 
 et pour Ics signes ext^rieurs qui pourroient etre 
 port^-s. " Barov Sackex, 
 
 " Le Gonverneur-gcneral d€ Paris." 
 " Paris, le 1 Avril, 1814." 
 
 The proclamation ** du conseil-g^ieral du d6- 
 ])artement de la Seine et du conscil municipal 
 de Paris," to the inhal)itunts of the capital, was 
 stuck uj) on the walls, and sold in the streets. 
 This energetic production concludes by declaring, 
 that the citizens renounce all obedience to Na- 
 poleon Buonaparte, and expresses the most ardent 
 wish that the monarchical government shall be 
 re-established in the person of Louis XVIII and 
 his legitimate successors ! This inqwrtant pro- 
 ceeding was effected by M. Bellart, an advocate ; 
 who, on the day of the battle, assembled his 
 fannly, and stated tu them that the moment was
 
 148 EVENTS AT PARIS, APRIL 1814. 
 
 arrived to throw oW the yoke of Buonaparte ; that 
 he considered it a duty he owed his country to 
 devote his life to the attempt ; but, as they would 
 all be sacrificed to the tyrant's vengeance if he 
 should fail, he would abandon the design unless 
 he obtained their acquiescence. They all declared 
 it their desire that he should proceed. He ac^ 
 cordingly convened an assembly of the two coun- 
 cils at the Hotel de Ville on the 1st of April, and 
 there proposed his resolutions. M. Gauthier alone 
 supported them. One member dissented, avowedly 
 from fear. The baron Thiboneau, sub-governor of 
 the bank of France, declined on account of per- 
 sonal obligation to the emperor, declaring, at the 
 same time, that he wished well to the undertaking. 
 Four members were absent. After some debates, 
 the members acceded to the resolutions drawn up 
 by M. Bellart, who thus laid the foundation for 
 the overthrow of the imperial government and the 
 restoration of the Bourbons. This decision of the 
 councils influenced the senate, whose determina- 
 tions fixed the wavering disposition of the emperor 
 of Russia, who, as count Alexandre de Laborde 
 informed me, was, even on Friday evening, far 
 from having decided upon restoring the Bourbon 
 dynasty, and, notwithstanding his declaration pub- 
 lished on the 31st of March, was rather inclined 
 to favour the plan for confirming the regency, as 
 he did not place much confidence in Talleyrand. 
 Pozzo de Borgo, his major-general, a Corsican,
 
 IJOL'UBONS OU IJL'ONArAKTK? 149 
 
 wlio was actuated by personal hatred to Jiiiona- 
 parte, principally induced him to espouse the 
 cause of the Bourbons. Nesselrode was for the 
 re,y:ency ; so was the due de Dalberg (member of 
 the government, pro tempore). On the other hand, 
 the partisans of the ancient dynasty, who, by 
 their emissaries, were tampering with Marmont, 
 supplicated Alexander to suspend his determina- 
 tion, confident that Marmont's wavering would 
 jM-oduce a like feeling in the whole army. The 
 |K)int was finally settled by the proclamation of 
 the munici])al councils. 
 
 In tlic evenin"- the kincr of Prussia visited the 
 Theatre de I'Op^ra Comique. Cendrillon was 
 announced, but La Fausse Magie, followed by 
 the Deserteur, were given. The king did not 
 remain until the end of the performance, during 
 the whole of which the audience evinced a strong 
 disposition in favour of the Bourbons. St. Aubin 
 })erfbrmed the part of the Invalide in the Deser- 
 teur : a white cockade was thrown upon the stage : 
 this the house commanded him to wear, which he 
 did during the rest of the evening. In the con- 
 cluding scene, wherein the cry of " Vive le roi !" 
 occurs, the audience joined in it with the greatest 
 enthusiasm. It was at this moment that I entered 
 the theatre ; and at the conclusion of the opera, 
 several pieces, which had been forbidden by the 
 police, were commanded by the audience to be 
 reproduced.
 
 150 EVENTS AT PARIS, APRIL 1814. 
 
 The emperor of Russia having intimated that he 
 wished to receive the officers of the national guard, 
 they assembled this day at the house of the 6tat- 
 major, in the PlaceVendome, to deliberate whether 
 they should on that occasion assume the white 
 cockade; and also if the national guard, who were 
 on duty near the emperor of Russia's person, should 
 wear it. The majority were for the measure; but 
 the two chiefs of the legions of the Fauxbourgs St. 
 Antoine and St. Marceau were of opinion, that great 
 inconvenience might result from proposing it too 
 soon — they therefore waited on the emperor with 
 the tricolour cockade, which was also worn by the 
 sentries. The deputation, which consisted of the 
 twelve chiefs of legions and the four of the staff, 
 was well received by Alexander, who made no 
 observation relative to the cockade or to the state 
 of public opinion. He only complimented them 
 on the order which reigned in Paris by their 
 exertion. They did not wait on the king of 
 Prussia. 
 
 There was not any account of the battle in the 
 Moniteur of this day, but it contained the emperor 
 Alexander's declaration. A supplement appeared, 
 in which the sitting of the senate of the 1st was 
 given, as also those at half-past three in the after- 
 noon and nine at night, for forming a gouverne- 
 ment provisoire. 
 
 3d. — The result of the sittings of the senate 
 on the 1st instant, relative to the formation of a
 
 COSSACK CA.Afr. 151 
 
 gouvcrncmcnt i)rovisoirc ; and of the 2d, pro- 
 nouncing- the forfeiture of the crown by Na})oleon 
 Buonaparte, were inserted in the Jlloiiitciir and 
 other daily papers, together with the address to 
 the French army from the new government ; they 
 were also printed separately, and cried about the 
 streets. No one from fear seemed now to hesitate 
 about declaring against the emperor, though still 
 ignorant of his position. After breakfasting at the 
 Caf<: Anglais with my friend Ampere, professor of 
 mathematics to the Polytechnic school, I took a 
 walk with mademoiselle D. along the boulevards. 
 White cockades were very generally worn, and a 
 stall had been established for the sale of them in 
 the llueVenddme. The old chevaliers de St. Louis 
 had brought forth their long-hidden crosses, and 
 displayed them at their button-holes. The Champs 
 Elysecs, from the Place Louis XV to the Elys^e 
 Bourbon, was covered with military. The Prus- 
 sians bivouacked on the south side of the road 
 with all the regularity of disciplined troops. Li 
 the northern quincunx was the Cossack camp. 
 None of the order — none of the usual pageantry, 
 imposing splendour, or even weapons of a modern 
 army, were here to be seen ; but a confused horde 
 of barbarians from the borders of the Don, the 
 deserts of Tartary, and from the shores of the 
 Caspian, presented itself: time seemed to have 
 rolled ]:)ack, and another age, as well as another 
 state of society and another people, were dis-
 
 152 EVENTS AT PARIS, APRIL 1814. 
 
 played. The supineness in which the greater 
 part of this multitude was now immersed, con- 
 trasted with the energy they had so long evinced, 
 the fatigue so long endured, and the powerful 
 emotions so recently experienced, was most 
 striking. At the entrance of huts, constructed 
 more for the security of plunder than for personal 
 convenience, as they were not high enough to sit 
 upright in, some were botching their variously 
 fashioned grotesque clothes, cobbling their boots, 
 or contemplating their booty ; others offering 
 various articles for sale, such as shawls, cotton 
 goods, watches. See, for which the French were 
 eagerly bargaining, undisturbed by the reflection 
 that they were thus facilitating the pillage of their 
 own country. Some were employed in cooking ; 
 but the major part were wallowing in a state of 
 uncomfortable lethargy, among the offals of ani- 
 mals they had killed, and with which the ground 
 was strewed, and on the accumulated litter of 
 their horses, who were eating the bark of the 
 trees to which they were fastened. Against these 
 trees arms of various descriptions, — lances of pro- 
 digious length, bows and quivers of arrows, sabres, 
 pistols, together with military cloaks, and other 
 articles of dress and rudely fashioned saddlery, 
 were placed and suspended : highly picturesque 
 groups resulted from this confused mixture. The 
 French were strolling about unrestrained and even 
 unregarded by the barbarians, to a degree hardly
 
 RUSSIAN ENCAMPMENT. 153 
 
 conceivable. Bands of hawkers from Paris were 
 orterini,^ gingerbread, apples, oranges, bread, red 
 herrinirs, wine, brandv, and small beer for 
 sale ; the latter appeared to the Cossacks an 
 unpalatable beverage, since, after putting it to 
 their lips, none would swallow it, while oranges 
 were sought for with the greatest avidity by every 
 class of Russians. The altercations which arose 
 about the comparative value of foreign coin with 
 the French money, usually terminated, through 
 the good-nature and indifference of the Cossacks, 
 to the advantage of the hucksters, whose attempts 
 to cheat only produced a grin of good-humour in 
 return. After amusing ourselves for some time 
 witii this singularly interesting scene, we con- 
 tinued our walk over the bridge of Jena to the 
 Champ de Mars. Here, in the avenue, was a 
 Russian encampment, and in the area a consi- 
 derable park of French artillery, which a Russian 
 officer was comj)aring with the inventory, held by 
 a French clerk, who was standing by at the time, 
 and who had delivered it with the guns and ammu- 
 nition. As the tumbrils were laden witli powder, 
 the officer desired the national guard to warn off 
 the spectators, for fear of accidents which might 
 result from nails in their shoes or fire from their 
 tobacco-pii)es. The teole militaire was used as 
 barracks for the Russian soldiers. At Gros- 
 Caillou, a district inhabited chiefly by washer- 
 woinen, linen was hanging to dry : this, while we
 
 154 EVENTS AT PAllIS, APRIL 1814. 
 
 were there, some of the Parisian rabble instigated 
 the allied troops to plunder, that they might 
 afterwards buy it, thinking that their own police 
 had no right to interfere : in this, however, they 
 were deceived ; for no sooner had they possessed 
 themselves of the spoil, than the national guard 
 took them into custody, and conducted them to 
 the prefecture of police. We saw two women 
 and a man who could scarcely walk under the 
 weight of their bundles. From the Champ de 
 Mars w^e proceeded to the Invalids ; when passing 
 before the hotel, mademoiselle D. remarked, that 
 the cannon had been removed from the platform. 
 An old invalid, who overheard her, said sorrow- 
 fully — " Alas ! of what use would they be to us 
 now ? they were used to announce our victories." 
 In every other point, however, the national pro- 
 perty had been respected. Many of these old 
 warriors, who seemed pleased to find themselves 
 once more in the bustle of a camp, were rambling 
 in that of the Germans, which occupied the whole 
 space from the iron gates of the hotel to the river, 
 and formed a curious and varied scene, in the 
 centre of which was a pedestal, supporting the 
 celebrated bronze-winged lion brought from St. 
 Mark's Place, Venice, and which, according to 
 the inscription, was placed as a trophy by order 
 of Napoleon Buonaparte, emperor of the French, 
 the first year of his reign, 1804. '* Sous les yeux 
 des guerriers dont il attest les exploits." Many
 
 DIFFEllENT TllllitS. 155 
 
 liuts had been erected, in which were some very 
 decent and well-dressed German women. On 
 the railed-in grass-plats were some cows be- 
 longini^ to the army, brought from beyond the 
 riffht bank of the Rhine. In the rear were the 
 kitchens and the forge-carts, at which the farriers 
 and armourers were employed in repairing the 
 destructive results of the campaign. In our 
 whole walk we did not perceive the smallest 
 tendency to insolence in any of the allied army. 
 There was, on the contrary, a display of kindness 
 and mildness of manner in the soldiers w^hich 
 discipline alone could never have produced. We 
 returned by the garden of the Tuilleries, which, 
 being re-opened, was crowded by the Parisian 
 Sunday promenaders, many wnth white cock- 
 ades : several women wore them. A Russian 
 soldier and a national guard were posted at each 
 entrance. 
 
 The Rue St. IIonor6 was thronged with 
 people of every description mingled together: 
 inhabitants of all the north of Europe, and the 
 Asiatic subjects of the Russian empire, from the 
 Caspian Sea to the Wall of China, were riding 
 about ; Cossacks, with their sheep-skin jackets, 
 sandy-coloured, shaggy beards, long lances, and 
 the constant appendage to their necks, the 
 kanschuh, which is a short whip, with a hard 
 platted thong of equal thickness throughout; Cal- 
 mucks, and diilerent Tartar tribes, with their flat
 
 156 EVENTS AT PARIS, APUIL 1814. 
 
 noses, little eyes, and dark reddish-brown skins ; 
 Baschkins and Tungusians of Siberia, armed 
 with bows and arrows ; Tscherkess or Circassian 
 noblemen from the foot of Mount Caucasus, clad 
 in complete hauberks of steel mail, perfectly 
 bright,* and conical helmets, similar in form to 
 those worn in England in the twelfth and thir- 
 teenth centuries ; Russian and Prussian officers 
 in full uniform, and most of them decorated with 
 orders. Some of the officers of the former were 
 mere boys, and all of them either wore stays, or 
 else were very tightly girt above the hips ; their 
 breasts were very much padded, and they wore 
 white kid gloves, with their hair very bushy, down 
 to their shoulders. The common soldiers of the 
 Russian infantry wear their hair cut as close as 
 possible. Russian carriages were to be seen with 
 rope harnesses, the bearded coachman holding 
 the reins in both hands, with extended arms, the 
 width of the body asunder, the whip hanging to 
 the right wrist, dressed in a robe, and a broad- 
 brimmed hat, with the crown enlarging towards 
 the top : the postilion mounted on the off horse. 
 Such was the equipage even of baron Sacken, 
 Russian governor of Paris ! 
 
 The Palais Royal was, as usual, crowded to 
 excess, and exhibited a most curious scene, but 
 of another description ; for here the French were 
 
 * This steel mail is brought from Persia and Kubesca.
 
 CilATEAUBUIAND'S I'AMPIH.ET, 157 
 
 placarding: their sentiments, which the assumed 
 right of a free press enal^lcd them to intrude ui)on 
 the public : but to this siiadow of liberty an 
 ephemeral existence only was allowed. The 
 provisional government on the following day 
 decreed, that no such manifestations of public 
 sentiment should be permitted. The sides of the 
 arcades were covered, and rapidly re-covered, 
 with a profusion of ebullitions of vanity, legiti- 
 macy, and abuse of their no longer dreaded 
 emperor : individuals in this manner forcing 
 themselves into notice by giving their votes for 
 the restoration of the long-forgotten Bourbons. 
 Among the most curious were those of Lamarre, 
 a schoolmaster and author of some philological 
 works, and of the celebrated Brissot de War- 
 ville's son, who had been expelled from the Po- 
 lytechnic school by order of Buonaparte, for 
 refusing to vote for his being emperor. 
 
 M. de Chateaubriand's celebrated pamphlet, 
 '* De Buonaparte etdes Bourbons," was announced 
 for publication by numerous large bills, printed on 
 unusually tine paper. Sixteen thousand copies 
 of this work were sold in the course of two 
 months. 
 
 At twelve o'clock at noon an order was sent 
 by the governor to the prefect of Paris, to put 
 all the barges on the river, with the iron cramps, 
 timber, cS:c. in recpiisition, to construct a bridge
 
 158 EVENTS AT PARIS, APRIL 1814. 
 
 over the Seine, just above the barrier of Bercy: 
 this was obeyed. At seven in the evening an 
 order to construct a second bridge arrived, and 
 at midnight a third. These objects were in- 
 stantly procured : the architects and their clerks 
 belonging to the prefecture were on the spot to 
 acknowledge the receipt of the materials. The 
 allied soldiers began on Sunday morning to level 
 the earth on the banks of the river. Two thou- 
 sand pontoniers and soldiers, mostly Bavarians, 
 worked all Sunday night and the whole of Mon- 
 day : on Tuesday morning they relaxed their 
 exertions, and in the afternoon left off, when 
 one bridge was completed and a second was half 
 executed. 
 
 The order for building these bridges, general 
 Mufflin told me originated with him ; for had 
 there been a battle, the passage of troops through 
 Paris would have been productive of great con- 
 fusion, and the removal of tumbrils, laden with 
 powder, would have been attended with great 
 danger : but he was certain that if Napoleon had 
 attacked them, the French army would have been 
 utterly destroyed. 
 
 3d. — The Conservatory Senate, in a senatus- 
 consultum, declared and decreed, 
 
 *' 1. Napoleon Buonaparte est d^chu du trone, 
 et le droit d'h6r6dit6 ^tabli dans sa famille est 
 aboli.
 
 DKCHEANCE OF NAPOLEON. 159 
 
 ** 2. Lc peuple Fran^-ais et rarincc sont dcli^s 
 dii senneiit de fidelity envers Napoleon Buo- 
 naparte. 
 
 " 3. Le present d^cret sera transmis par un 
 message au gouvernement provisoire de la 
 France, envoy^ de suite a tous les departemens 
 et aux armies, et proclame incessaniment dans 
 tous les quartiers de la capitale. 
 
 ** Bauthelmy, le comte de Valence. 
 " Pastoret." 
 
 The corps Koislatif assembled at the inti- 
 mation of the gouvernement })rovisoire. The pre- 
 sident, the duke of Massa, was at Blois with the 
 imperial government. Comte Henri de Montes- 
 quieu, the vice-president, who filled the chair when 
 the former was absent, decUmng on this occasion, the 
 other vice-president, M. Felix Faulcon, took the 
 chair, and reading the arreted of the gouvernement 
 provisoire, announced that the senate had de- 
 clared the dcchcance of Napoleon Buonaparte, 
 which had been voted on the ground that he had 
 violated the constitutional compact: the corps 
 legislatif accordingly adhered to the act of the 
 senate, and acknowledged and declared the de- 
 cheamr of Napoleon Buonaparte and his family. 
 This declaration was signed by those present, to 
 the numljcr of seventy-seven. Comte Henri de 
 Montesquiou, though he voted, would not sign
 
 160 EVENTS AT PARIS, APRIL 1814. 
 
 the resolution. M. Fornier de St. Laray pro- 
 posed to close the list of signatures, that those 
 who had come forward on the first meeting 
 should have the sole merit ; but on this pro- 
 position, the house passed to the order of the 
 day. 
 
 The public were then admitted, and the de- 
 claration read to them. 
 
 4th. — M. Lorris, keeper of the government 
 warehouses in the Fauxbourg Poissonier, re- 
 ceived an order to pack up immediately the 
 triumphal car and the four horses of ham- 
 mered copper, that they might be returned to 
 Berlin, to be replaced on the Brandenbargh 
 Gate, from which they had been taken and 
 sent as spoils to Paris by order of Buonaparte. 
 The packing up and transporting of them to this 
 city, though it cost seventeen thousand francs, 
 (as M. Lorris told me) had been so carelessly 
 executed, that on their arrival they were so 
 much damaged that their repair cost twenty- 
 three thousand francs. The metal was not so 
 thick as a shilling. 
 
 This day the gouvernement provisoire re- 
 solved and ordered that all emblems, initial 
 letters, and armorial bearings, which charac- 
 terised the " goiwenietneut de Buonaparte,'' should 
 be suppressed and effaced wherever they ap- 
 peared. This was to be exclusively executed by
 
 MOKAL ],KSSONS. {(>] 
 
 persons delegated by the jmlice or municipal 
 authorities, and that no individual zeal should aid 
 or prevent. 
 
 Thus, in the course of twenty years the mo- 
 numents of kin^s were torn down by repub- 
 licans ; those of the republicans were suppressed 
 by order of Ikionaparte ; and those of the latter, 
 in their turn, were demolished by this mongrel 
 government. These successive g?'cat moral lessons 
 produce no permanent effect on the people, and 
 are useful only as admonitions to despotic govern- 
 ments. 
 
 Tlie following appeared in the Moniteur of the 
 6tii : — 
 
 " Cop'ic dcs Lcttrcs de Crtance de Jll. k Commissaire, 
 nommc par S. M. C Empcrcur dc toutes les 
 Russks, pour reskkr pres du Gouverncmcut 
 Proviso! re. 
 
 " En m'eloignant de Paris, j'ai pense qu'il 
 ctait n^cessaire de pourvoir aux moyens d'etablir 
 Jes relations le plus suivies et le plus frequentes 
 avec le gouvernement provisoire; j'ai a cet effet 
 nomme mon g<^'neral-major Pozzi di Borgo pour 
 resider auprc's de lui en qualit(^ de commissaire- 
 g^u'ral. Je vous invite, messieurs, a ajouter foi 
 a tout ce qu'il sera dans le cas de vous dire de 
 ma part, et a me transmettr^^, par son entremise, 
 toutes les communications que vous auriez a me
 
 162 EVENTS AT PARIS, APRIL 1814. 
 
 faire. II jouit de toute ma confiance, et la jus- 
 tifiera surement encore, dans cette occasion, en 
 ne n6gligeant aucun moyen de cimenter les rap- 
 ports de paix et d'amitie si heureusement 6tablis 
 entre la Russie et la France. Recevez, mes- 
 sieurs, I'assurance de toute mon estime. 
 
 (Signe) "Alexandre.'* 
 
 " Paris, le Mars, (4 Avril, 1814.)" 
 
 5 til. — Walked with mademoiselle D out 
 
 of the Barriere du Trone, within a furlong of 
 which we saw seven dead bodies that had been 
 thrown into the ditches on each side of the 
 Vincennes road, and which were so slightly 
 covered with earth that their hands and knees 
 appeared : their uniforms shewed that they were 
 French. On the same road were several dead 
 horses. We were not allowed to proceed much 
 above a mile on the high road, as Domignie, the 
 governor of Vincennes, refused to surrender that 
 fortress : it was, as well as the village of La 
 Pissotte, which is opposite to it, surrounded by a 
 cordon of Russians, at whom, from time to time, 
 a shot was fired. Taking a circuitous path across 
 the field, we entered into the village on that side, 
 and found it occupied by about sixty Russian 
 soldiers : the inhabitants were removing their 
 goods, fearing they might be burnt in a sortie 
 from the castle ; but to prevent a surprise, the
 
 DKCISION lOU THK BOURBONS. ICiU 
 
 entrance to the streets were barricaded by carts, 
 ladders, &c. &c. 
 
 In tlie Fauxbourg St. Antoine we saw several 
 of marsiial Marniont's soldiers, who told us they 
 iiad been disbanded at Versailles early this 
 morning: some returned to Paris, but the major 
 part were dispersed about the park and gardens, 
 and spread terror round the neighbourhood. 
 
 This evening there was a sitting of the gou- 
 vernement provisoire in the entresol of Talley- 
 rand's hotel, the room in which all of these meet- 
 ings were held. Roux Laborie, their assistant 
 secretary, told me that the emperor of Russia was 
 present, wlio, in consequence of his conversation 
 with marshals Macdonald and Ney, and the duke 
 of Vicenza (Caulincourt), and at the same time 
 influenced by fear of the result of a battle with 
 the troops wdiich remained with Napoleon, an- 
 nounced his determination to abandon the cause 
 of the Bourbons and retreat from Paris, unless 
 they would adopt the regency of Marie-Louise ; 
 and it was only by a very eloquent and animated 
 speech from comte Dessoles, commander-in-chief 
 of the Parisian national guard, that he was dis- 
 suaded from this jjurpose. Dessoles said, that if 
 the emperor did abandon Paris, he hoped that he 
 would grant passports to all the Bourbonists to 
 follow him. 
 
 There had not been any j)ublished news o(
 
 164 EVENTS AT PARIS, APRIL 1814. 
 
 the position of the armies until this day, when 
 the following appeared under the head of Paris, 
 the 4th : — 
 
 " Le general Russe KaisarofF a pris aujour- 
 d'hui la ville de Meliin : il a siirpris le camp de 
 cavalerie qui la couvroit, Ta mis enti^rement en 
 d^route, et a fait beaucoup de prisoniers." 
 
 The due d'Angouleme's proclamation, dated 
 St. Jean de Luz, 2d February, and that published 
 by him at Bourdeaux on the 15th of March, ap- 
 peared in the Moniteur of this day. 
 
 6th. — The erection of machinery for the re- 
 moval of the statue of Napoleon from the top of 
 the column on the Place Vendome was begun, and 
 the following bill was stuck about the place : — 
 
 " PREFECTURE DE POLICE. 
 
 ** Le monument 61eve sur la Place Vendome 
 est sous la sauve-garde de la magnanimity de 
 S. M. Fempereur Alexandre et ses allies. La 
 statue qui la surmonte ne pouvoit y rester : elle 
 en descend pour faire place a celui de la Paix." 
 
 Several hundred French prisoners, who had 
 been liberated by the allies, went in bands 
 shouting along the boulevards. Many had white 
 cockades in their hats, which had been given to 
 them by the Bourbonists. 
 
 Notwithstanding the emperor Alexander was 
 persuaded not to abandon the Bourbon cause
 
 BUONAPARTE'S BUST, &C. KEMOVED. 165 
 
 yesterday evcnin<(, at the sitting of the pro- 
 visional government, yet he was so little inclined 
 to support it, that lloux Laborie told me he went 
 into Talleyrand's bed-room at six in the morning, 
 and expressed a strong desire not to acknowledge 
 the Bourbons, but to adopt the regency. After 
 some conversation with Talleyrand, he went on 
 foot at seven o'clock to the king of Prussia, to 
 consult with him, but the opinion of the king 
 being against the regency, the restoration of the 
 Bourbons was determined. 
 
 Abbe de Pradt was present when Laborie 
 mentioned these curious facts, and confirmed 
 them. Michaud, member of the Institute, and 
 author of the " History of the Crusades," who, at 
 this time, was constantly with M. de Talleyrand, 
 also told me the same. 
 
 7th. — The fine colossal bronze bust of Buo- 
 naparte, by Bartholini, which was over the en- 
 trance to the Musee Napoleon, at the Louvre, 
 was taken down, 
 
 A scatibld was suspended before the frieze of 
 the portico of the palace of the " corps legislatif," 
 and the inscription, in bronze letters, 
 
 "A NAPOLEON LE GRAND," 
 
 was obliterated in a few hours. 
 
 8th. — At six in the evening the statue of 
 Napoleon, on the column in the Place Vendome, 
 was lowered, by means of two capstans. It
 
 166 EVENTS AT PARIS, APRIL 1814. 
 
 remained within the railing, round the pedestal, 
 until the next morning, when it was taken to the 
 place where it was cast, in the Fauxbourg St. 
 Martin. 
 
 The government, pro tempore, decided as fol- 
 lows : — 
 
 " Paris, le 8 Avril, 1814. 
 
 " Le gouvernement provisoire, considerant 
 que le syst^me de diriger exclusivement vers 
 letat et I'esprit militaire, les hommes, leurs in- 
 clinations et leurs talens, a port6 le dernier gou- 
 vernement a soustraire un grand nombre d'enfans 
 a I'autorit^ paternelle, ou a celle de leur famille, 
 pour les faire entrer et elever, suivant ses vues 
 particulieres dans des ^tablissemens publics ; que 
 rien n'est plus attentatoire aux droits de la puis- 
 sance paternelle, et que, d\m autre c6t6, cette 
 mesure vexatoire s'oppose directement au deve- 
 loppement des differens genres de genie, de 
 talens, et d'esprit, que donne la nature, et dont 
 I'ensemble varie forme la richesse morale pub- 
 lique ; qu'enfin, la prolongation d'un pareil des- 
 ordre serait une veritable contradiction avec les 
 principes d'un gouvernement libre ;■ — 
 
 *' Arrete, que les formes et la direction de I'^du- 
 cation des enfans seront rendues a I'autorit^ des 
 peres et ra^res, tuteurs, ou families ; et que tous 
 les enfans qui ont etc places dans des ecoles, 
 lycees, institutions, et autres etablissemens pu-
 
 PRYTANEK MlLITAIllE. 167 
 
 blics, sans le vodu dc lours parens, ou qui scront 
 r<jclam6s par eux,leur seront sur-le-clianip rendus, 
 et remis en liberie!;. 
 
 " Les Membres du Gouvcniement Provisoire — 
 
 (Sign(^') " Le Prince de Benevexto. 
 " Le Due dc Dalbeug. 
 *• Francois de Jaucourt. 
 ' ' Le G^n^ral Comte de B e u u n o n v i l l e . 
 ** L'Abbe de Montesquiou. 
 " Pour copie conforme — 
 
 (Sign(^') " DupoNT (de Nemours) Secretaire." 
 
 Tiie following particulars, illustrative of this 
 species of despotism, were communicated to me 
 by M. Charles Choderlos de Laclos, who was at 
 this time at the Prytanee Militaire, at Laflcche. 
 
 Towards the end of the year 1812, Buonaparte 
 ordered the Roman prince Patrizzi to send his 
 two sons, the eldest seventeen, the youngest 
 thirteen years of age, to the Prytanee Militaire, 
 at Latlcchc. The prince, their father, offered to 
 endow ten scholarships (bourses), for the main- 
 tenance of as many scholars, to procure exemp- 
 tion for his sons ; but this was refused. He then 
 proposed to form a similar establishment at 
 Rome, but this also was rejected. At the same 
 time, M. de Tournon, the prefect of Rome, re- 
 ceived orders to send the youths to Lafleche in 
 a carriage, under a guard of gens d'armes, and 
 the father to a state prison at Marseilles, whilst
 
 168 EVENTS AT PARIS, APRIL 1814. 
 
 his property, real and personal, was put under 
 sequestration. The boys arrived at Lafl^che in 
 the spring of 1813. The princess, their mother, 
 with great difficulty, obtained leave to follow 
 them to Lafl^che, where, from poverty, she was 
 obliged to live in a garret. These were not the 
 only victims of Napoleon's iron-hearted policy. 
 Ninety other young men, of the most illustrious 
 families in Italy, were immured in this despotic 
 establishment, — sons of the prince of Altieri, 
 of the duke of Brachano, of Palavicini, of Doria, 
 a Genoese descendant of Andrea Doria, &c. 
 
 From the Illyrian provinces, one hundred and 
 twenty were sent at the beginning of 1811; fifteen 
 from Holland ; and a considerable number of young 
 men, subjects of the princes of the confederation of 
 theEhine. In all, there were three hundred young 
 men detained as hostages for the fidelity of their 
 parents. They were thus considered, and called 
 by the other boys, natives of the old French pro- 
 vinces. They were obliged to pay 800 francs per 
 annum . 
 
 The day after the news arrived of the de- 
 thronement of Buonaparte, the governor of the 
 Prytan^e gave his scholars leave to depart to their 
 own homes, not troubling himself with any in- 
 quiry whether they had the pecuniary means of 
 performing their journey, only that he allowed 
 those whose homes were in districts occupied by 
 the allied army to remain ; so that when the
 
 STARVED SOLDIERS AND CONSCRIPTS. 169 
 
 aiTc'te (la goiiverncment provisoirc arrived at 
 LaflcV'he, the principal body of the scholars had 
 left the place. The scholars had been latterly with- 
 out a supply of the necessaries of life at the esta- 
 blishment, which w^as 200,000 francs in debt, and 
 hence the trades-people refused to furnish their 
 usual supplies. The school was composed of six 
 hundred ^-Ic^ves. 
 
 One cause of the establishment being in debt 
 was, that the parents of those pupils who lived in 
 parts of Europe, then the theatre of war, or where 
 the French were no longer the masters, could not 
 or did not send the suras due for the education 
 of their children. 
 
 9th. — This and the two preceding days, se- 
 veral hundred soldiers and conscripts were seen 
 in the streets, who were returning to their homes, 
 in consequence of the resolution of the gouverne- 
 ment provisoire of the 4th April, which authorised 
 them so to do. Most of them were wretched- 
 looking objects — mere phantoms, exhausted by 
 hunger, sickness, and fatigue. Some were ob- 
 liged to wait two days before the etat-major in 
 the Place Vendome for their feu i lies de route, with- 
 out any food, or the means of procuring it, de- 
 pending on charity for subsistence. 
 
 lOtii, Easter Siuidin/. — Between eight and 
 nine o'clock in the morning, the infantry of the 
 allied army were drawn up on the northern foot- 
 way of the boulevards, from the Rue Royale to
 
 170 EVENTS AT PARIS, APRIL 1814. 
 
 the Place de la Bastille. The south side was kept 
 by the national guard. By order of the police, 
 no carriages were allowed to pass the boulevards, 
 and even pedestrians were totally excluded from 
 the Place Louis XV, which was reserved for the 
 troops attending the solemn thanksgiving which 
 the victorious army was there to offer up. 
 
 I went to the north-west terrace of the garden 
 of the Tuilleries, whence I had a full view of the 
 whole of the Place Louis XV. In the centre, a little 
 to the eastward of the spot where Louis XVI was 
 executed, a square platform, with a flight of about 
 a dozen steps on each side, was erected, on which 
 was an altar, so placed, that persons before it 
 looked to the south. The national guards kept 
 the avenues leading to the altars. 
 
 The first sign of the approaching ceremony 
 was at ten minutes before twelve o'clock, when 
 seven priests of the Greek church, wearing beards, 
 and arrayed in rich copes, slowly crossed the 
 place, and took their station by the altar. At 
 half-past twelve, the allied infantry, twenty-three 
 abreast, marched in by the Rue Royale. They 
 were succeeded by the cavalry, all forming, as 
 they arrived on the place, with the greatest pre- 
 cision, until it was entirely filled. The proces- 
 sion continued without interruption until one 
 o'clock, and was closed by the allied sovereigns, 
 surrounded by a numerous stafi", among whom I 
 saw some English officers, in uniforms. Arriving
 
 SOLEMN TIIAiXKSGIVING. 171 
 
 at the foot of the altar, they all dismounted, and 
 ascended the steps. They, and the whole army, 
 were uncovered ; but some of the French national 
 guard kept their hats on. Divine service then 
 betjnn. A most profound and impressive silence 
 reiii^ned among the mighty host during this solemn 
 ceremony, which lasted half an hour. Its con- 
 clusion was announced by the discharge of a 
 liundred cannon ; of which previous notice had 
 been given in the newspapers, and by placards 
 stuck up by the police, to prevent any alarm. 
 The cannon were placed on the right bank of 
 the river, opposite the corps l^gislatif. The 
 emperor of Russia then returned to his quarters 
 at M. de Talleyrand's, appeared at the window, 
 and was greatly applauded. This day M. Bellart, 
 who drew up the proclamation of the conseil mu- 
 nicipal to the citizens of Paris, received an invita- 
 tion from M. de Talleyrand to dine with him and 
 the emperor of Russia, an honour he did not ex- 
 pect. On being presented, the emperor said to 
 him — ** Je desire connoitre un homme si profonde- 
 raent vertueux. Dans ma qualit6 d ctranger, je ne 
 pouvais pas appr^cier suffisamment votre mcrite ; 
 mais je voudrais emporter en Russie dans ma 
 nK'-moire les traits de votre figure." 
 
 I called on the wife of general Letort, who 
 was with Napoleon at Fontaincbleau. I met 
 general Sebastiani there, who had this morning
 
 172 EVENTS AT PARIS, APEIL 1814. 
 
 returned from Fontainebleau and given his adhe- 
 sion to the new order of things. 
 
 11th. — Went to the weekly meeting of the 
 first class of the Institute. There were but two 
 members who had mounted white cockades ; one 
 was Sage, the mineralogist. The marble statue 
 of Napoleon, by Roland, in his imperial robes, 
 which was in the hall of the public meeting of 
 the Institute, had been removed, and was in a 
 packing-case in the court-yard. This statue was 
 inaugurated on the 3d of October, 1807. 
 
 The Gazette de Sante (a periodical publication 
 that appears at Paris every ten days) of this day 
 announced that the reigning diseases of the metro- 
 polis were the "fievre d'hopital," or, as it is gene- 
 rally termed, typhus, and the still more dangerous 
 *' pourriture des hopitaux, ou gangrene humide des 
 plaies," with which all the hospitals in Paris were 
 infected ; and that a multitude of victims, includ- 
 ing many young medical practitioners, are carried 
 off by the same diseases. 
 
 Dr. Friedlander, a Prussian physician esta- 
 blished at Paris, informed me, that the average 
 deaths of the allied army in the hospitals of Paris 
 was one in twenty per diem, and that there is less 
 mortality among the Russians than the Prussians ; 
 that among the French military sick, the deaths 
 were one in sixteen per diem. 
 
 After the resolution of the government pro
 
 IXI'KNSK COM), AND ilS CCJNSKQUENCKS, 173 
 
 tempore, which uuthorised all the conscripts and 
 the new-raised battalions, and those composinij 
 the levee en masse, to return home, numbers of 
 emaciated lads were seen daily crawling into 
 Paris, and lying extended in the streets, many 
 labouring imder nervous fever, the result of grief 
 and fear, which, on their return home, soon left 
 them. Marshal IMarmont and several officers told 
 me, that fear increased the effects of epidemical 
 diseases in the army. The French soldiers had 
 suffered dreadfully from cold this campaign, par- 
 ticularly in the night between the 9th and 10th of 
 March, which was so severe that a very consider- 
 able number perished. General Letort, who had 
 been in the Moscow campaign, told me that it 
 was his opinion, as well as that of several other 
 officers, that the cold was even greater than at 
 any period of that campaign. 
 
 r2th. — I went to the upper end of the Faux- 
 bourg St. Martin, and took my station at the 
 intersection of the road to La Villette with that 
 of Pantin, by which monsieur comte d'Artois, 
 lieutenant-general du royaume, was to make his 
 entry into Paris. He had passed the night at 
 Livry at the chateau of the countess Charles de 
 Damas, where he had arrived from Chalons on 
 the preceding day at three in the afternoon. 
 
 From Notre Dame by the Rue and Fauxbourg 
 St. Denis, thence by the church of St. Laurent to 
 the Fauxbourg St. Martin, and to the barrier of
 
 174 EVENTS AT PARIS, APIIII. 1814. 
 
 Pantin, the streets were lined by the national 
 guard. 
 
 About twenty minutes before one o'clock, the 
 coaches of M. de Talleyrand, of the municipal 
 officers of Paris, and the marshals, passed towards 
 the barriere to receive Monsieur. When he arrived 
 at that point, Talleyrand harangued him in the 
 name of the government pro tempore ; he replied, 
 and then entered the barriere, where he was again 
 harangued by the prefect of the department of the 
 Seine. This procession was bisected at the spot 
 where I was, and its march retarded by a column 
 of about fifteen thousand Russian cavalry, infantry, 
 and artillery, which were marching out of Paris 
 by the Barriere de la Villette. This interruption, 
 which to some might appear ill-timed, delayed the 
 entry until a quarter before two o'clock. I have 
 no doubt this was preconcerted, to impress the 
 minds of the populace that the allied army was 
 to evacuate all Paris at the approach of the Bour- 
 bons. The entry of Monsieur was opened by a 
 body of the national guard, their band playing the 
 favourite air of ** Vive Henri IV !" then gentlemen 
 on horseback, in the uniform of national guards, 
 but with the addition of high white plumes in 
 their hats. Among them I saw M. de Chateau- 
 briand and M. de Chastenay. This immediately 
 preceded Monsieur, who was dressed in the uni- 
 form of the national guard, decorated with the 
 blue riband and medallion of the order of the
 
 COMTE D'ARTOIS. 175 
 
 St. Esprit. He rode upon a fine white horse, 
 richly cui)arisonecl, and surrounded by a numerous 
 stati', among whom 1 remarked marshal Oudinot, 
 general Nansoutty, some of the ancient nobility, 
 the due dc Montemart, the due de Luxembourg, 
 M. Prosj)er de Crillon, M. Fcrnand de Chabot, 
 M. de la Bourdonnaye, M. de TEspinay, in the 
 uniform of Buonaparte's army ; several officers of 
 rank in the allied army, and some English ; Mr. 
 Henry Seymour, in uniform : another body of 
 cavalry of the national guard followed, and a 
 party of Cossacks closed the procession ; the 
 papers of the day declared that no foreign troops 
 appeared in the cavalcade. The count was re- 
 ceived with more enthusiasm than I had ever seen 
 the French evince on any occasion ; yet it was but 
 feeble, and would have been still more so but for 
 the cavalry of the national guard, who waved their 
 swords, and urged by their example the cry of 
 ** Vive le roi !" However, I had never before 
 witnessed any thing like the emotions of sensi- 
 bility which were now displayed. Many persons 
 shed tears. 
 
 Monsieur was thus conducted to the metropo- 
 litan church of Notre Dame, and there received 
 at the great porch by the canons in their copes, 
 who conducted him to his seat under a canopy 
 supported by four priests : a Te Dcum w^as then 
 performed. 
 
 After the procession had passed I met Mr. L.,
 
 176 EVENTS AT PAltIS, APRIL 1814. 
 
 and we were both of opinion, from the manner 
 Monsieur had been received, that the Bourbons 
 could not remain in France six months after the 
 departure of the allied armies. 
 
 I went to the Boulevard des ItaUens ; the road 
 was lined on each side with national guards. At 
 a quarter past five I saw the procession return, in 
 the same order in which it had set out ; but from 
 the situation I now occupied, it appeared more 
 splendid, and the acclamations were louder and 
 more general. The windows were crowded with 
 elegantly dressed women, waving their handker- 
 chiefs as it passed along. 
 
 Monsieur is a very handsome man ; and no 
 one ever gave me a higher idea of a dignified and 
 accomplished cavalier. It is impossible to have 
 saluted a mixed multitude in a manner more 
 flattering to them or to himself; his animated 
 looks were directed to all, and all seemed to 
 sympathise with the delight which radiated from 
 his countenance. Proceeding down the Rue Na- 
 poleon, across the Place Vendome, he arrived by 
 the Rue de I'Echelle at the Chateau des Tuilleries 
 at ten minutes before six o'clock. At the same 
 instant a white flag was hoisted on the centre 
 pavilion, from whence the tricoloured standard had 
 been so many years displayed. About half an 
 hour afterwards. Monsieur appeared at a window 
 of those apartments of the ground floor lately 
 occupied by the empress Marie-Louise, and re-
 
 KNTiH'siASM or THK rurssiANs. 17; 
 
 ceivcd tlie greeting of the multitude. By those 
 persons wlio were of an age to know his person, 
 the exclamation was general, " C'est hii ! cest 
 hien lui !'* Hut many expressed great astonish- 
 ment that he should appear older than when they 
 last saw him, (twenty-five years before) ! 
 
 In the evening a few houses in Paris were 
 ilhuninated. 
 
 This day the emperor of Russia removed from 
 M. de Talleyrand's to the Elysec Bourbon, in 
 the Fauxbourg St. Ilonort', where he continued 
 to reside during his stay at Paris. The inscrip- 
 tion, in bronze letters, " Elys^e Napoleon," which 
 was over the entrance, was not erased until four 
 days afterwards. 
 
 13th. — I entered into conversation with a 
 black hussar, (death husar,) whom I saw amusing 
 himself with a view of Paris from the brow of 
 Montmartre : he had galloped several leagues 
 that day to feast his eyes with the sight of this 
 detested capital, but had not permission to enter 
 it. This war, he said, was an absolute crusade 
 on the part of the Prussians : men of every class 
 of society, and of the highest rank, even the most 
 learned professors of their universities, had en- 
 rolled themselves voluntarily as common soldiers, 
 and determined to die rather than to return home 
 without having secured the liberty of their coun- 
 try, and revenged the insults it had received, by 
 subduing a people whose highest enjoyment they 
 
 N
 
 178 EVENTS AT PARIS, APRIL 1814. 
 
 believed consisted in destroying all that was 
 morally beautiful or desirable. One sentiment 
 alone seemed to animate all the Prussians I con- 
 versed with : no individual, whatever his rank in 
 the army, appeared to feel he did, or was more, 
 than another : they told me that those who, from 
 imperious circumstances, were obliged to remain 
 in Prussia, considered it as the greatest misfortune. 
 Of 160,000 men, of which the Prussian army was 
 composed at the battle of Lutzen, in 1813, only 
 one half was alive at the taking of Paris. 
 
 During the whole of the campaign, the king of 
 Prussia exposed himself like a common soldier, 
 and remained the last on the field of battle. 
 
 About the middle of April, the king of Prussia 
 received the French marshals and generals at 
 his residence in the Hotel of Eugene Beauharnois. 
 He is habitually stiff, and, though a good man, 
 unamiable in his manner ; but on this occasion 
 he behaved with great haughtiness, reproaching 
 Clark, duke ofFeltre, minister of war to Napo- 
 leon, with having put a man to death in Prussia in 
 a most arbitrary manner. To Berthier, prince of 
 Neufchatel, he expressed the hope that he had 
 administered his government of Neufchatel with 
 moderation. He gave his hand to marshal 
 Oudinot, saying he was very happy in having 
 the opportunity of so doing to a man who had 
 always conducted himself with honour and mo- 
 deration in Prussia.
 
 TIIK KMPKKORS, ike. AT TIIK OPKKA. 170 
 
 14tli. — The count d'Artois visited the opera 
 in the Kue I^ichelieii for the first time : the j)er- 
 formance was (Kdipe a Colonne, witli the ballet of 
 Nina. The stage-box had been j^rejiared for him, 
 and richly hung- with blue velvet, embroidered with 
 fieurs-de-lis, and surmounted with the ancient arms 
 of France. He was dressed in the uniform of the 
 national guard, and was most flatteringly received, 
 and on his entrance the curtain immediately drew 
 uj). Ten minutes after, the em[)erors of Russia 
 and Austria, and the king of Prussia, entered, and 
 seated themselves in the centre box, the emperor 
 of Austria in the middle, having the emperor 
 Alexander on his right, and the king of Prussia 
 on the left : they were received with a greater 
 affectation of enthusiasm than the count. In the 
 boxes to their right were count de Schwartzen- 
 berg, baron Stein, count Nesselrode, and baron 
 Sacken, with lord Burghersh, in the full Windsor 
 uniform. The latter was accompanied by lady 
 Burghersh, who had been with the army the whole 
 campaign, and some English, but she was the only 
 female in the box. In that to the left of the sove- 
 reigns were count Metternich and lord Castle- 
 reagh. After the conclusion of the first act, the 
 count d'Artois came into the box of the sovereians, 
 and received general applause : he remained there 
 during the whole of the second act. At the close 
 of the opera, some complimentary couplets were 
 sung, when the count d'Artois and the few
 
 180 EVENTS AT PARIS, APRIL 1814. 
 
 English who were present stood up : this being 
 perceived by a native in the pit, he roared out, 
 ** Parterre debout, puisque le roi y est." The 
 whole house rose, and there seemed a general 
 competition who should be most vociferous in 
 their applause. When the curtain fell, the em- 
 perors Alexander and Francis, followed by the 
 king of Prussia, went to the stage-box, to return 
 the count d'Artois' visit, and a greater burst of 
 applause followed this scene than ever I had 
 witnessed in Paris on any occasion. Among the 
 most vociferous were many persons who had for the 
 last twenty years been seen in the anti-chamber 
 of every minister, at the door of all their clerks, 
 dazzling and flattering la grande nation with pic- 
 tures, poems, and dramatic pieces, in adulation of 
 every demagogue and every revolutionary society, 
 and holding up the fallen emperor to the admira- 
 tion of the universe and the adoration of their 
 country. Those despicable sycophants having 
 gained, by this trade, pensions, ribands, snuff- 
 boxes, and portraits surrounded with diamonds, 
 were now basely and cowardly giving the dying 
 lion a kick, in the hope of having additions to 
 their pensions and new orders, to render their 
 baseness more conspicuous. 
 
 Notwithstanding this pubhc display of atten- 
 tion on the part of Alexander to the count d'Artois, 
 he had just inflicted on him a most humiliating 
 insult.
 
 ANKCDOTK Ol' TIIK K.Ml'KUoU UV KI'SSIA. 181 
 
 Oji the count's arrival from exile at Paris, 
 M. de Caulincourt, duke of Vicenza, anioni;; other 
 sycophants, presented himself at the Tuilleries to 
 pay his court. On being perceived by the count 
 d'Artois, he addressed him : ** M. de Caulincourt, 
 you lay under the imputation of being accessory 
 to a most horrid crime, (meaning the death of the 
 duke d'Enghien) : I hope you M'ill be able to 
 justify yourself; but luitil then I must decline 
 receiving you." Caulincourt immediately repaired 
 to the emperor of Russia, with whom he had long 
 been in great favour, and related to him what had 
 passed. The czar replied, " What ridiculous 
 susceptibility ! 1 am daily surrounded by those 
 who murdered my father, and have not more 
 zealous servants than they are : but make your- 
 self easy ; I will arrange this for you." He invited 
 the count d'Artois to dinner, and seated him on 
 his right, placing Caulincourt to the right of the 
 count. This fact I had from several Bourbonists, 
 one of whom \Nas present, and two others said they 
 heard it related by the count d'Artois, himself. 
 
 15th. — The north side of the boulevards, from 
 the Place de la Bastille to the Fauxbourg St. 
 Ilonor^^ was lined with the troops of the allies, 
 and the south side, in the same interval, with 
 national gnards, for the military ceremony of the 
 entry of the emperor of Austria into Paris from 
 Dijon. The sovereigns, the crown prince of 
 vSwedcn, and the count d'Artois, went to the
 
 182 EVENTS AT TAKIS, Al'llIL 1814. 
 
 Barri^re de Marengo (now Charenton) to receive 
 him, which he entered between nine and ten in 
 the morning. I saw him pass on the Boulevard 
 de Montmartre at a quarter before eleven. He 
 was in a white uniform, having on his right the 
 count d'Artois, in the uniform ofthe national guard ; 
 on his left rode Bernadotte, crown prince of Swe- 
 den, in a blue uniform ; the emperor of Russia, in 
 green and gold ; and the king of Prussia, in blue 
 and silver. They were followed by a numerous 
 staff, among whom was the archduke Constantine 
 of Russia. The emperor Francis proceeded to the 
 ancient Hotel, Charost, Fauxbourg St. Honor6, 
 where he took up his quarters. 
 
 16th. — I was in the picture-gallery at Mal- 
 maison this morning, in conversation with the 
 empress Josephine, who had just returned from 
 Navarre. The last time I had the honour of con- 
 versing with her, in March, she expressed herself 
 much dissatisfied with Napoleon, saying, " this 
 man has left me without any money ; my income 
 is in arrear." But now all her affection seemed 
 to have returned ; she expressed the deepest com- 
 miseration at his fate. She appeared very much 
 affected at a paragraph she had just read in this 
 morning's Journal des Debats ; it was, " La m^re 
 de prince Eugene est de retour a la Malmaison." 
 " What does this mean? I have a name," said 
 she ; *' I was crowned, sat upon the throne ; I am 
 honoured, protected by the emperor of Russia;
 
 EMi'UKss josKriiiNE AND e:mim:u()K oi- iirssiA. 183 
 
 for as soon as lie was master of the bridge of 
 Neuilly, he sent a safe-<^uard to Malmaison." She 
 had scarcely uttered tiicse words, when, to her 
 apparunt astonishment, the emperor of Russia was 
 announced : he came immediately into the gallery. 
 With her usual self-command and elegance of 
 manner, she expressed herself much flattered by 
 his visit, lie replied, that it was a homage grati- 
 fying to his feelings ; for that, in entering every 
 house, and in every cottage, he heard the praise 
 of lier goodness. I retired into a further part of 
 the gallery, and heard no more of their conversa- 
 tion, which at first appeared serious. A few mi- 
 nutes after, they went into the grounds. During 
 their walk, Queen Hortensia arrived in haste from 
 Paris. She joined her mother and the emperor, 
 and 1 saw them walking in the gardens, each 
 holding his arm. 
 
 Lord Beverley breakfasted with her at Mal- 
 maison a few days after, with his sons, the hon. 
 Algernon and the hon. colonel Henry Percy : the 
 two first had been d^'tenus, and the latter a prisoner 
 of war. She then said, that since the fall of Napo- 
 leon, the English were the only persons who had 
 the generosity to speak of him as he deserved. 
 
 The emperor of Russia dined with her at Mal- 
 maison on Friday the 2*2d of April, and on Tuesday 
 the loth of May. 
 
 On ihc 24th of May, the empress was indis- 
 posed with a sore throat. The king of Prussia
 
 184 EVENTS AT PARIS, APllIL 1814. 
 
 dined at Malmaison on this day, and advised her 
 to keep her room ; but she persisted in doing the 
 honours of her table, and retired late, as there 
 was an evening party. She became worse. On 
 the 26th the emperor of Russia paid her a visit, 
 and finding her dangerously ill, sent his physician. 
 On the 27th a blister was applied ; but it was too 
 late. On this day, R6doiite, the celebrated flower- 
 painter, being at Malmaison, she insisted on seeing 
 him, but told him not to approach her bed, as he 
 might catch her sore throat. She spoke of two 
 plants which were then in flower, and desired 
 him to make drawings of them, expressing a hope 
 that she should soon be well enough to visit her 
 plants. 
 
 In the night between the 28 Ih and the 29th, 
 she fell into a lethar gic slumber, which lasted five 
 hours. 
 
 On the 29th, at ten in the morning, she said to 
 Bourdois, the physician who attended her, ** As 
 my daughter is a devotee, it will please her if I 
 have a priest ; and as it is a matter of perfect 
 indifference, it can do me no harm." Between 
 this and the arrival of the confessor, Mrs. Edat, 
 her English housekeeper, who had lived with her 
 many years, came into the room with the em- 
 press's little dog, which she put upon the bed. 
 The empress caressed it, and desired Mrs. Edat 
 to take care of it. 
 
 A few minutes before twelve at noon, this ex-
 
 I'KDKJKEK AND DEATH OF K.Ml'KKSS JOSErillNK. 185 
 
 ccllcnt and accomplished woman* expired, of what 
 the French term an " csquimiudc gangreficuse.'' On 
 Tluirsday tlie 2d of June, her funeral took place 
 with great pomj), in the parish church of Ruelle, 
 at twelve at noon. Her two grandsons walked as 
 chief mourners, they alone wearing mantles. In 
 the procession were generals Sacken, Czernichef, 
 Nesselrode, several other generals of the allied 
 army, some French marshals and generals, and 
 all those who had formerly been in her service, 
 or who considered themselves under personal 
 obligations to her. There were some Russian 
 cavalry and the national guards of Ruelle. This 
 sad procession moved down the avenue from the 
 house to the St. Germain's road, then turned up 
 
 • Marie Josephine Rose, daughter of Joseph Gaspard deTas- 
 cher, by Rose Claire des Verges de Sanois, his wife, was born in 
 the island of Martinique, on the 23d of June, 1763, (as appears 
 from the register of her marriage, now at Pontoise, in the depart- 
 ment of Seine ct Oise.) She married viscomte Beauharnois, at 
 Noisy le Grand, in the department of Seine et Oise, on the 13th 
 of December, 1779. By the viscomte, who was guillotined 
 during the reign of terror, she had two children, Eugene and 
 Horlense. She married Napoleon Buonaparte at Paris on the 
 ntli of March, 1796; but in the register of this marriage it was 
 inserted, that she was born the 23d of June, 1767, and also that 
 he was born on the 5th of February, 1768 ; but this also is an 
 error. Napoleon, at the epoch of his divorce, sent an aide-de- 
 camp to M. Duclos, chief keeper of the archives of the ttat- 
 civile at Paris, for ihis part of the register, which never was 
 rtturucd.
 
 186 EVENTS AT TAKIS, APIUL 1814. 
 
 that which led to the church of Ruelle, where the 
 funeral discourse was delivered by M. de Baral, 
 archbishop of Tours. The bishops of Evreux and 
 Versailles were present. 
 
 21st. — Went to a public meeting of the second 
 class of the Institute, or, as it is now called, 
 TAcademie Fran(faise, in the great hall of the 
 palace of the Institute, for the purpose of award- 
 ing the prize for the French essay. On this occa- 
 sion the large stove, which was in the centre of the 
 floor under the dome, was removed, and its place 
 occupied by crimson and gold arm-chairs, intended 
 for the sovereigns. At about ten minutes before 
 three, a roll of drums announced the arrival of the 
 allied monarchs and the emperor of Russia, con- 
 ducted by the president Lairetelle, and Sicard, 
 perpetual secretary to this class. The king of 
 Prussia and his three sons were immediately after- 
 wards ushered in ; and being seated opposite the 
 president, the latter began a discourse by saying — 
 that when, nearly a century ago, Peter the Great 
 came to seek civilisation in France, the French 
 were far from imagining it would ever be repaid 
 with such usurious interest by his magnanimous 
 successor: he then prated about their " adorable" 
 language having spread its conquests to the bor- 
 ders of the Danube, the Oder, and the Neva. 
 
 The prize medal was then presented to M. 
 Villemaine, for his essay on the proposed ques- 
 tion, " Dcs avantages et des inconv^iiens de la
 
 c(;M 1-ici's ui:i\Vi;i;N iiii': ikkm ii and ai.j.iks. 1S7 
 
 criliquo litt/rairc," who prefaced the reading- of 
 it by a cijiiiplinientary address to the sovercignis, 
 whicli was very superior to that by the president. 
 TFaving concluded his essay, which was a heavy 
 tax on the i)atience of his auditors, the emperor 
 Alexander paid him some comjilimcnts ; and the 
 meeting terminated as it began, by shouting and 
 clapj)ing of hands. 
 
 The same day the duke of Berri arrived at 
 Paris, by the Barri^re de Clichy, from Rouen. 
 
 23d. — Price of stocks: — 5 per cents, G3 
 francs, 50 centimes ; bank actions, 950 francs. 
 
 29th. — I heard " God save the King" played 
 on a barrel organ in the streets of Paris. 
 
 Towards the middle of April, the number of 
 French officers and soldiers who had successively 
 arrived at Paris having become considerable, 
 and seeing the quiet behaviour of the allied 
 troops, their natural impertinence broke out, and 
 they became very insolent, particularly to the 
 well-disciplined and patient Russians: this in- 
 duced governor Sacken to order all the officers of 
 the allied army, who were not called to Paris on 
 business, to join their respective corps. Similar 
 measures were taken by the French government, 
 and the national guard received orders to take up 
 all j)ersons who broke the peace, and the in- 
 habitants of Paris were forbidden to interfere ; 
 but this was disregarded, and the French con-
 
 188 EVENTS AT PARIS, APRIL 1814. 
 
 tinned their aggressions, and attempted to tear 
 out the branches of trees which the allies always 
 Avore in their caps. The quarrels continued to 
 increase, the inhabitants taking part with the sol- 
 diers. On Friday, 29th April, there was much 
 fighting in the garden of the Palais Royal, and 
 several persons were wounded on both sides : 
 in consequence of this, on Sunday, the 1st of 
 May, there was a patrole of thirty Russian sol- 
 diers, and as many national guards, stationed in 
 those gardens, who walked about in files of 
 fifteen ; and the guard-house in the Rue des Bons 
 Enfans was occupied conjointly with national 
 guards and Russians. 
 
 When, after the 4th of May, the allies were so 
 foolish as to suffer Louis XVIII to review the 
 French troops in the court-yard of the Tuilleries, 
 and thus permitted a great number of French 
 soldiers to assemble in Paris, they not only tore 
 the branches of verdure from the caps of the 
 allies, but tried to tear the silver medals, of the 
 Moscow campaign, from the breasts of the Russian 
 military.
 
 LOUIS XVm. AT ST. OT'KN. 189 
 
 EVENTS OF MAY 1814. 
 
 il/c/j/ 2d. — Louis XVIII arrived at the chiitcau of 
 St. Ouen,* near the village of that name, on the 
 right bank of the Seine, about three miles from 
 Paris, at a quarter-past six in the evening. lie 
 immediately sat down to dinner, during which a 
 crowd of all ranks was admitted to see him. In 
 the evening he received deputations from the 
 senate and other bodies. Here he slept. 
 
 3d. — I joined a crowd in the Fauxbourg St. 
 Denis, who were eagerly pressing forward to see 
 the king's entry into Paris, whose declaration had 
 just been stuck up, dated St. Ouen, May 2, 1814, 
 the nineteenth year of his reign, in which, 
 .styling himself king of France and Navarre, he 
 refused to accept the constitution of the senate of 
 the Gth ultimo, though the 29th article says, that 
 when he has .signed and accepted it, he is to be 
 proclaimed king of the French. This consti- 
 tution Talleyrand sent to the crafty, proud exile 
 in England by his brother, count Bozun de Peri- 
 gord, an easy simpleton, and who was as deaf as 
 
 • Since pulled down, and a villa built near the site by 
 Louis XVI II for his mistress, madunie du Cayla, formerly 
 Zoe Talon.
 
 190 EVENTS AT PAKIS, MAY 1814. 
 
 a post. The choice of such a person for the em- 
 bassy shewed the intentions of the uni)rincipled 
 pohtician. The declaration was glanced at en 
 passant by the herd ; few^ stopped to read it, 
 still fewer seemed to comprehend how com- 
 pletely they had been duped, or that they and 
 their country had become the legitimate property 
 of a family whom, until within the last month, 
 few had ever heard spoken of but with contempt. 
 I continued my walk through La Chapelle to 
 the plain St. Denis, the whole way being crowded 
 with spectators, exposed to a cloudless sky and 
 the temperature of the dog-days, the effect of 
 which on a large, long tumulus by the side of 
 the road, containing the putrescent bodies of 
 some hundreds of those who fell on the 30th of 
 March, was most horrible. At between eleven 
 and twelve, a barouche, drawn by eight horses, 
 and containing the king and the duchess of Angou- 
 leme, entered the St. Denis road from that of 
 St. Ouen ; but the clouds of dust raised by the 
 numerous cavalry, carriages, and people, were 
 such as to render a sight of the objects of cu- 
 riosity impossible. I then struck across the 
 fields, entered Paris by the Fauxbourg St. Mar- 
 tin, and from thence gained the Fauxbourg St. 
 Denis, near the barrier, where I obtained a very 
 good view of them. There was but little de- 
 monstration of joy on the occasion, either on the 
 part of the royal personages, or on that of the
 
 TIIK KINd'S KNTUV INTO I'AIIIS. l!)l 
 
 people : tlie astonishment at the littU English 
 bonnet worn by tiie duehess, which |)rcscnted a 
 remarkable contrast with the very large ones 
 tlien tlie fashion at Paris, seemed to overpower 
 every other feeling. 
 
 The procession proceeded down the Rue St. 
 Denis to Notre Dame. The houses being all 
 hung with drapery, composed of sheets, window 
 and bed-curtains, with scraps of coloured paper, 
 flowers. See. stuck upon them, produced a most 
 whimsical and ridiculous appearance. After the 
 I'e Deufu, the ])rocession proceeded to the Tuil- 
 leries, where it arrived at twenty minutes after 
 four o'clock. 
 
 Gth. — Price of stocks : 5 per cents, 62 francs 
 20 centimes; bank actions, 962, 50. 
 
 Two caricatures were made on this occasion, 
 and clandestinely sold. One representing the 
 fat old monarch returning to France on horse- 
 back, behind a Cossack, to whom he was cling- 
 ing, galloping over slain national guards, with 
 burning villages seen in the distance. The other 
 represented the chateau of the Tuillerics, with 
 two old eagles and a young one flying away, 
 while a flock of five geese were seen waddling in 
 at the entrance. 
 
 8th. — There was another review by the king 
 • tf the ci-dci'dut garde nnphialc and the national 
 guard, in the court-yard of the Tuillerics. This 
 was followed, in the evening, by a very serious
 
 192 EVENTS AT PAKTS, MAY 1814. 
 
 affray at the Courfeille, near the gates of Paris, 
 at a public-house, where a party of the French 
 attacked some Austrians. Several were killed on 
 both sides ; among them were some girls who had 
 been dancing with the allies. In consequence of 
 this, the greater number of the French soldiers 
 were marched out of Paris. 
 
 10th. — There was a patrol of thirty Russian 
 grenadiers in the garden of the Palais Royal, to 
 keep the peace ; but this did not put a stop to 
 the quarrels : the insolence of the French daily 
 increased, and the tearing of the sprigs of ver- 
 dure (mostly consisting of box or elm) out of the 
 caps of the allied soldiers, continued. General 
 orders to put a stop to it were stuck up : the 
 following are extracts, and the fifth article is a 
 severe commentary on the boasted humanity and 
 gallantry of the French : — 
 
 [The Order commands the national guard, 
 in case any quarrel takes place in the streets of 
 Paris, to arrest both parties, allies as well as 
 French ; and informs the public, that these 
 branches had been worn by the Austrians when 
 in the field, for time immemorial.] 
 
 " GARDE NATIONALE DE PARIS, 
 " iTAT-MAJOR-oiNERAL. 
 
 *' Ordre dii Jour, Paris, Mai 19, 1814. 
 *' En effet, il n'y a qu'une vanitc puerile, ou una
 
 ALLIKD C()M>rANl)AN'l'S OF PAHIS. 193 
 
 ausccptihilitr ridicule, qui ))uissc s'oftenccr de 
 cette verdure. 
 
 " Article V. Les vicillards, les f'eninies, les 
 entans, out droit aux cgards dus au sexe et a 
 Va^v. C'est un prcjug^ de croire qu'un ton dur 
 et sec, ou des actes de violence, donnent un air 
 plus militaire. 
 
 " Le General Commandant-en-Chef, Des- 
 
 SOLES. 
 
 '* Sac KEN, Gouverneur de Paris, pour les 
 Puissances AUiees. 
 
 " General Comte de Rochechouakt, Com- 
 mandant de Paris, pour TEmpereur des 
 Russies. 
 
 " G^^^neral Baron Herzogenbourg, Com- 
 mandant de Paris, pour TEmpereur 
 d'Autriche. 
 
 " G^n^ral Comte Goltz, Commandant de 
 Paris, pour le Roi de Prusse. 
 
 *' Comte PiCART, Commandant de Paris, 
 pour la France." 
 
 27th. — The duchess of Angoulc^me, accom- 
 panied by the countess de B^'arn, madame de 
 Uanias, and mademoiselle de Choissy, went this 
 morning, at half-past seven o'clock, to visit the 
 grave of her royal parents in the no-longer-used 
 Cimitiere de la Madeline, situated behind the 
 house of an old advocate named Ducloseau, 
 
 o
 
 194 EVENTS AT PARIS, JUNE 1814. 
 
 in the Rue d'Anjou St. Honor6, No. 48, and who 
 had planted a weeping willow on the grave.* 
 
 The duchess, on arriving, threw herself pros- 
 trate on the grave, and remained in silence for 
 some minutes ; then, rising on her knees, she 
 pronounced an extempore prayer. 
 
 In this burial-ground were interred the bodies 
 of one hundred and thirty-three persons, who 
 were crushed to death in the Rue Rovale, return- 
 ing from the fire-works let off on occasion of the 
 marriage of the dauphin and dauphiness, after- 
 wards Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. 
 
 The duke of Angouleme made his entry into 
 Paris by the Barriere du Maine, and arrived at 
 the Tuilleries by the Rue du Bac at six in the 
 evening. 
 
 30th. — Peace signed. 
 
 31st. — ^ Cannon announced the peace: this 
 produced no sensation among the people ; there 
 was not a house illuminated in the evening. 
 
 EVENTS OF JUNE 1814. 
 
 June 1st. — Peace proclaimed. 
 
 2d. — 'The gates of Paris, which till this day 
 had been held by the allied troops, were delivered 
 
 * A chapel has since been erected on the spot.
 
 TUE KMl'tllOKS uni I'AKIS. 195 
 
 u\) to tjir national guards ; and the functions of 
 general Sacken, as governor of Paris for the allies, 
 ceased. 
 
 The enij)eror of Russia quitted Paris. 
 
 3d. — The emperor of Austria left Paris. 
 
 The baijira<re-waotrons of the Austrian army 
 left Paris ; an uninterrupted line of these immense 
 wicker vehicles went along the boulevards from 
 seven in the morning until ten. 
 
 Price of stocks, — 5 per cents, Gl francs 65 
 centimes; bank actions, 1027 francs 50 cents. 
 
 4th. — The king of Prussia left Paris. 
 
 Shortly after the return of the king, Hamlet 
 was performed at the Th^itre Francais. The fol- 
 lowing line was received with great applause : — 
 
 " L'Angleterre en forlaits trop souvent fiU feconde." 
 
 This was the first time that hatred was publicly 
 shewn to the English, as the same line had been 
 often repeated before without notice. But every 
 description of people now began to feel dissatis- 
 faction ; the young men, who, during Buonaparte's 
 reii^ni, fearing the conscription, were violent against 
 him, no sooner found their ])ersonal danger over, 
 than national vanity prevailed ; they detested the 
 Bourbons for having peaceable dispositions, and 
 the allies for having conquered them; though 
 this they never would allow, but always ex- 
 claimed that they were betrayed and sold. Those
 
 196 KVENTS AT PARIS, JUNE 1814. 
 
 who vvere inclined to a military life complained, 
 because they saw that they must work, instead of 
 enjoying occasional indolence as officers ; the old 
 military, because the prospect of living by plunder 
 was over ; clerks in the public offices, who were 
 dismissed in consequence of the diminution of 
 territory ; the emigrants and Bourbonists because 
 they were not instantly put into power, and the 
 mass of the people lest they should ; the court 
 tabbies, because that hoops, lappets, and the old 
 court dresses, were not already commanded to be 
 worn, and the youthful beauties for fear they 
 should ; but the serious apprehension of the in- 
 fluence of the priests pervaded every class. 
 
 11th. — On this day appeared the first official, 
 but full demonstration of Talleyrand's celebrated 
 observation, that the Bourbons, during their 
 twenty-five years' exile, '' n'avoient rien appris, 
 comme ils n'avoient rien oublie ;" on being 
 suddenly and unexpectedly placed at the head 
 of the French nation, they would be totally 
 ignorant that, during their absence, its manners, 
 customs, and prejudices, had totally changed. 
 The directeur-general of the police, comte Beug- 
 not, published an ordonnance, dated the 7th, for 
 the strict observance of Sundays and holydays, 
 which was drawn up upon the model of that of 
 the 8th of November, 1782. It consisted of thir- 
 teen articles : the fifth forbids coflfee-houses to be
 
 OKDONNANC'E I'OK SUNDAYS. 197 
 
 Opened on those days between tlie hours of eight 
 in tlie nioiniui;- and twelve at noon, under the 
 penalty of three liundred francs. 
 
 Book-stalls are forbidden on Sundays. Shops 
 are ordered to be shut, under penalty of two hun- 
 dred francs, with the exception of apothecaries', 
 which are allowed to be half open. 
 
 The article relative to coffee-houses excited 
 the greatest dissatisfaction, as in Paris the num- 
 ber of persons, and even families, who breakfast 
 in those houses, from necessity as well as ])lea- 
 sure, particularly on Sundays, is incalculable. 
 The whole proceeding produced universal detesta- 
 tion and contempt ; several caricatures were pub- 
 lished ; one in particular, called " Un dejeune 
 selon lordonnance," represented a person at the 
 half-open door of an apothecary's shop, through 
 which he was in the act of having a glyster 
 administered, and several others waiting their 
 turn for the injection. Ordomicnice in French 
 also means a })hysician"s prescription. 
 
 12th, Sundaij. — The procession of the Fete 
 Dieu (Corpus Christi) appeared in the streets of 
 Paris Ibr the first time since the revolution ! This, 
 which is the most splendid pantomime of Catho- 
 licism, was, like all other religious ceremonies, 
 forbidden to appear in the streets of any town 
 where there were churches for both catholic and 
 ))rotestant religions, it being expected that every 
 person should kneel when the host passes; this part
 
 198 EVENTS AT PARIS, JUNE 1814. 
 
 of worship was on the first Sunday attempted to 
 be enforced by some of the most zealous national 
 guards, with the butt ends of their muskets : it so 
 incensed the people, that on the second Sunday, 
 the 19th, when the procession descended the steps 
 of the church of St. Roche, in the Rue St. Honor6, 
 it was received by the crowd with hooting, and 
 such a shower of mud and other missiles, that 
 the priests and the faithful were obliged to take 
 refuge in the church. In some other parishes it 
 met with nearly a similar reception, and was 
 discontinued in consequence. 
 
 26th, Sunday. — The shops continued open in 
 defiance of the ordonnance of the director-general 
 of the police. 
 
 Thus began a series of follies on the part of 
 the Bourbons, the ancient noblesse, and the 
 priests, which brought on a state of feeling in the 
 whole nation, that produced the most extraordi- 
 nary event in ancient or modern history, viz. the 
 
 Journey of Napoleon from the coast 
 OF THE Mediterranean to Paris, on his 
 return from the Island of Elba, — an 
 event as honourable to the French nation as his 
 repression of the spirit of liberty which thus placed 
 him a second time on the throne was disgraceful, 
 and which met with its merited reward. 
 
 END OF THE IIK.ST PART.
 
 SECOND PART 
 
 OF 
 
 MEMORABLE EVENTS. 
 
 JOURNEY OF THE E.MPEROR NAPOLEON 
 FROM TROVES TO ELBA. 
 
 Having concluded the portion of this journal 
 which detailed the events in the French metro- 
 polis, and the diplomatic manoeuvres of the allied 
 powers, during the first six months of 1814, I 
 proceed to narrate the two most important con- 
 current events of the same period — viz. Napo- 
 leon's Journey from Troyes to Elba, and 
 THE Regency at Blois. The following nar- 
 rative will embrace the most complete account 
 of the extraordinary '* affair" of De Maubreuil 
 that has been made public ; the chief facts of 
 which mysterious history transpired in the 
 French tribunals : the implications against cer- 
 tain crowned heads do not originate with the 
 present narrator. 
 
 The ensuing pages contain an industrious and 
 faithful collection of historical facts, which have 
 been derived from peculiar sources, and not from 
 the personal observation of the Journalist, as was 
 the case in the preceding part of this Journal.
 
 200 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON FROM TROYES TO ELBA. 
 
 On the 29th of March, at night, the emperor 
 Napoleon arrived at Troyes from Doulevent, which 
 he quitted early in the morning. On the 30th, at 
 ten in the morning, he left Troyes, on horseback, 
 attended by general Bertrand, grand mar^chal du 
 palais; Caulincourt, duke of Vicenza, grand 6cuyer; 
 monsieur St. Aignan, two aides-de-camp, and two 
 orderly officers, (officiers d'ordonnance,) one of 
 whom, captain Lamezan, gave me (June 29, 
 1814) the following details of the journey. They 
 went the first ten leagues on the same horses, 
 in little more than two hours. The emperor did 
 not mention whither he was going. They arrived 
 at Sens at one o'clock, where, having rested half 
 an hour, they continued the journey in a wretched 
 carriole,* and arrived, at one in the morning, at 
 the village of Fromanteau, generally called the 
 Cour de France, the second post on the road from 
 Paris to Fontainebleau, and distant from the 
 former four and a half post leagues : it is between 
 the ninth and tenth borne. Here they met the 
 artillery, at the head of the column of troops 
 which was evacuating the capital. General 
 Belliard accompanied it, and announced the fate 
 of the day to the emperor, who received the news 
 with the most perfect calmness, walked on the 
 
 * A sort of carriage without fepriags.
 
 NAPOLEON'S ARMY AT ESSOiNNES, &c. 201 
 
 road in conversation with the general for about 
 twenty minutes, sent Caulincourt to the head- 
 ijuarters of the allied sovereigns, then, entering 
 the post-house, he called for his maps, and de- 
 voted himself in marking positions on them, by 
 means of pins with variously coloured heads, 
 (which he habitually made use of, to represent 
 ditlerent armies,) until near three o'clock in the 
 morning of the 31st, when he set off in a carriage 
 for Fontainebleau, and on arriving there, shut 
 himself up in his closet for the remainder of the 
 day. The duke of Basano was the only one of 
 his ministers wlio was with him. 
 
 In the evening the emperor sent for marshal 
 Alarmont, duke of Ragusa, who, on evacuating 
 Paris, had stationed himself at Essonnes, where 
 his army began to arrive on the 31st, at eight in the 
 morning, and continued to march in until eleven : 
 they ascended the hill to the south of the town, 
 and took up their positions on its brow, extending 
 up the valley of the Essonne, from Plessis-chenet 
 westward to Mennecy. The duke arrived at 
 Fontainebleau at between two and three in the 
 morning of the 1st of April, and gave the emperor 
 a detailed account of what passed at Paris on the 
 30th. Napoleon asked him if his army was in a 
 good position, and was answered in the affirmative. 
 Notwitlistanding this, he directed the marshal to 
 entrencli iiis caniji. The duke told me he ap- 
 peared undetermined wiiether to retire on the
 
 202 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 banks of the Loire, or give battle to the allies near 
 Paris. In the afternoon he went to inspect the 
 position of Marmont's army at Essonnes, with 
 which the marshal said he appeared to be satis- 
 fied, and determined to remain there and ma- 
 noeuvre, with a view to disengage Paris and give 
 battle. With the greatest coolness he formed 
 plans for the execution of these objects -^ but 
 while thus employed, the officers, whom the mar- 
 shal had left at Paris to deliver up that city to 
 the allies, arrived, and informed them of the events 
 of the day. The emperor, on hearing this, be- 
 came furious : the plan he had just been forming, 
 and all prudent measures, were instantly at an 
 end. He raved about punishing the rebellious 
 city, taking it by storm, putting all the inha- 
 bitants to the sword, and giving it up to pillage 
 by his soldiers. With this resolution he sepa- 
 rated from Marmont, and returned to Fontaine- 
 bleau. 
 
 During the time Napoleon was at Essonnes, 
 Caulincourt, apparently much dejected, arrived at 
 Fontainebleau from Paris. 
 
 Marshal Marmont told me, that receiving at 
 this time a communication of what was going 
 forward in the senate, he began seriously to 
 reflect, that should Buonaparte, by gaining a 
 battle, obtain the means of exercising his fury on 
 Paris, the allies would not by that be destroyed ; 
 and as their ultimate success, I'rom numerical
 
 NAPOLEON'S IlEVIEWAL: FONTAINEIJLEAU. 203 
 
 force, was certain, that by his declaring for the 
 senate, there would be a standard of military 
 defection raised, and thus the imperial army so 
 much diminished, that resistance would be deemed 
 useless. He therefore made arrangements to de- 
 sert the cause of Napoleon, who, even with Mar- 
 mont's army, had not more than 30,000 men. 
 
 The head of the advanced column of the army,, 
 which Napoleon had left at Troyes, arrived at 
 Fontainebleau at eight oclock on the morning of 
 the 1st of April : the rest followed in the course of 
 a few hours, having, as general Letort informed 
 me, marched sixty leagues in two days and a half. 
 
 On Saturday, the 2d, the emperor assembled 
 his marshals and generals, to whom he commu- 
 nicated what had taken place at Paris on the 
 entrance of the allies, at the same time enjoining 
 them not to disclose these events to the army. 
 Ife then reviewed, in the great court of the cha- 
 teau, the second and seventh corps of the army, 
 and after passing through the ranks, finding 
 them lull of enthusiasm, ordered the officers to 
 make known the capitulation of Paris ; and 
 desiring the officers and under-officers of his 
 guard to form a circle round him, and addressing 
 them in a very energetic manner, he said, that " the 
 enemy had stolen three days' march upon them, 
 and had arrived at Paris. I have offered the 
 emperor Alexander peace, purchased by great sa- 
 crifices — France, with its ancient limits, and to
 
 204 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 renounce all the conquests made since the revo- 
 lution. Not only has he refused, but he has 
 listened to the suggestions of a faction, composed 
 of emigrants whom I have pardoned, and persons 
 whom I have enriched, who, on his entrance, 
 encircled the emperor of Russia, and by their 
 perfidious insinuations obtained his permission 
 to assume the white cockade. But," continued 
 Napoleon, " we will preserve our own : in a few 
 days I will march upon Paris, and prove to them 
 we will be masters on our own territory, and 
 capable of defending our cockade and our inde- 
 pendence. Je compte sur vous. Ai-je tort?" 
 " Paris ! Paris ! Paris ! was the yell which burst 
 from all the ranks ; and the most savage zeal was 
 expressed to march, with the avowed purpose 
 of storming the metropolis, and slaughtering all 
 the inhabitants who should not declare for their 
 emperor. 
 
 During the night, the superior officers, instead 
 of retiring to rest, deliberated among themselves 
 on the probable effects of this determination of 
 Napoleon. The city, doomed to destruction, 
 contained the habitations of the parents, wives, 
 families, and friends of many of them ; its mag- 
 nificence was the pride of their country ; and even 
 should he succeed in retaking, and wreaking his 
 fury on it, no other result would be obtained than 
 the gratification of his personal vengeance ; and 
 that, so far from terminating the war, it would
 
 THE SOLDlEllS WISH TO STORM PARIS. 205 
 
 only be the means of removing its horrors into 
 other parts of France whicli had not yet expe- 
 rienced them. The ardent desire the soldiers had 
 shewn to rush on to the plunder of the capital 
 contributed not a little to increase their alarm. 
 These considerations determined them not to 
 march against Paris ; and in the morning- of the 
 3d, some of them intimated this to the emperor, 
 who saw that indecision had supplanted the 
 ardour of the preceding day in nearly the whole 
 
 army. 
 
 Comte Letort, general of division of the dra- 
 goons of the imperial guard, assured me, it was 
 the general opinion at Fontainebleau, that if 
 Buonaparte, instead of announcing his intention 
 to the army, and giving them time for deli- 
 beration, had, on forming his determination, 
 marched them to within three or four leagues of 
 Paris, and there informed them what had taken 
 place, and proposed instantly storming the city, 
 they would have rushed on and perished in the 
 ruins. This attack of Paris was to have been 
 made on the 5th. 
 
 4th. — Orders were given to transfer the im- 
 perial head-quarters to a place nearer Paris, be- 
 tween Ponthierry and Essonnes. 
 
 The Monitcur of the preceding day, con- 
 taining the decision of the senate, and the 
 formation of a government, ;;r6» tempore, was re- 
 ceived this morning at Fontainebleau ; when the
 
 206 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 marshals Ney, Macdonald, and Oudinot agreed, 
 that after the parade, which took place daily at 
 noon in the Cour du Cheval Blanc, the emperor 
 should be made acquainted with these events. 
 Ney, accordingly, undertook the task, and, ac- 
 companied by the other two marshals, followed 
 the emperor to his closet, where he made known 
 to him the decree of the senate, which proclaimed 
 the forfeiture (decheance) of the throne ; and, at 
 the same time, declared it was their determina- 
 tion to adhere to the decision of the govern- 
 ment at Paris. Napoleon, though he had during 
 the night received the papers by express from 
 marshal Marmont, affected to disbelieve the 
 news. " C'est faux!" was his immediate reply. 
 Ney then produced the paper, and advised him 
 to acquiesce and abdicate. Napoleon took the 
 Moniteur, feigned to read, turned pale, and ap- 
 peared much agitated, (but did not shed tears as 
 the newspapers reported.) He seemed not to 
 know in what manner to act; alternately ca- 
 joling, and haughtily threatening them for re- 
 belling against him. Ney told him he might be 
 certain they had not proceeded so far without 
 being determined not to recede. Napoleon said, 
 the army would remain faithful to him ; but Ney 
 replied, they would follow their generals. He 
 then asked: " Que voulez-vous ?" Ney an- 
 swered, " II n'y a que I'abdication qui puisse 
 vous tirer de la." The emperor proposed a
 
 NAPOLEON'S ABDICATION. 207 
 
 regency, securing to his son, when of age, suc- 
 cession to the throne. During this conference, 
 marshal Letevrc came in ; and upon tlie em- 
 peror's expressing astonishment at what had 
 been announced to him, said, in a rough manner, 
 " you see what has resulted from not listening to 
 the advice of your friends to make peace ; you 
 remember the communication I made to you 
 lately, therefore you may think yourself well off 
 that atiairs have terminated as they have." After 
 a discussion, which lasted till late in the after- 
 noon, Napoleon drew up the following act : — 
 
 *' Les puissances alli^es, ayant proclam6 que 
 Tempereur Napoleon 6toit le seul obstacle au 
 rctablissement de la paix en Europe, Tempereur 
 Napoleon, fiddle a son serment, declare qu'il est 
 ])rct a descendre du trone, j\ quitter la France, 
 et meme la vie, pour le bien de la patrie, inse- 
 ])arable des droits de son fils, de ceux de la 
 rc'-gence de I'imperatrice, et du maintien des lois 
 de remj)ire. 
 
 " Fait en notre palais de Fontainebleau, le 
 4 Avril, 1814. " Napoleon." 
 
 This declaration having been transcribed by a 
 secretary, marshals Macdonald and Ney, with 
 Caulincourt, were deputed to convey it to Paris. 
 The marshals even })romised, that if they could 
 not obtain this by treaty, to return to him and try 
 to procure it by force of arms.
 
 208 MEMORABI.E EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 At this time, there were four corps d'arm^e at 
 Fontainebleau. The corps of marshal Oudinot, 
 duke of Reggio, composed of six thousand men ; 
 those of marshals Ney and Macdonald, and ge- 
 neral Girard, forming together six thousand 
 more; and the old imperial guard, amounting to 
 between six and seven thousand. That these 
 troops formed the total force that remained with 
 Napoleon, was confirmed to me by many persons 
 who were at Fontainebleau. 
 
 Late in the evening, some officers of Oudinot's 
 corps observed gens-d'armes lurking about the 
 duke's quarters. They communicated this cir- 
 cumstance to him, and their suspicions that these 
 fellows were watching an opportunity for exe- 
 cuting some secret order against him. Oudinot 
 went immediately to Buonaparte, declaring to 
 him what had been observed, and boldly advised 
 him to desist from such pra\:tices, as the evil 
 might be retorted upon himself. Napoleon flew 
 into a passion, and called Oudinot un miserable; 
 who replied, that, as he was no longer his sove- 
 reign, he would not put up with such language. 
 *' Vous etes un ingrat," exclaimed Napoleon. 
 The duke spurned at the accusation, at the same 
 time declaring that he had served him faithfully 
 as long as it was his duty so to act. 
 
 In the night, colonel Gourgaud, who had been 
 sent to Essonnes with orders from Napoleon, 
 arrived in haste with the intelligence that Mar-
 
 NAl'OLEON'S PERSONAL DANGER. 209 
 
 mont had ([uitted his post, and that his troops 
 were then marching through the Russian army 
 without molestation. In consequence of this 
 movement, the road to Fontainel)leau was left 
 o))en to the allies. The convention with Mar- 
 mont was signed by him and prince Schwart- 
 zenberg, at the village of Chevilly, to the east of 
 Bourg la Rcino, on the 4th. 
 
 5th. — The emperor Napoleon appeared on 
 the parade ; but finding a marked indifference on 
 the part not only of the officers but even the 
 troops, he retired in about ten minutes to the 
 palace, and appeared no more before the army as 
 their master. 
 
 Oudinot, from motives of personal safety, as 
 well as from apprehension that the imperial 
 guard might attempt to seduce the rest of the 
 army, marched the latter towards Essonnes. 
 
 Cth. — The deputation returned from Paris at 
 between twelve and one in the morning, when 
 marshal Ney informed the emperor, that in con- 
 sequence of Marmont's defection, the allies w^ould 
 not listen to the proposed terms ; that an uncon- 
 ditional abdication of the throne was required of 
 him; and that his persojial safety depended on this 
 measure.* This, for some time. Napoleon per- 
 
 * Napoleon's personal danger was far greater than a brave 
 soldier like Ney coidd possibly liave contemplated, as Dc Mau- 
 brcuil's mission will shew. I qnestioned, in 1819, RI. lloux 
 
 P
 
 210 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 sisted in refusing to accede to ; at length he 
 inquired whither he was expected to go? " To 
 the Isle of Elba, and with a pension of two mil- 
 
 Laborie, secretary to the gouvernement provisoire, relative to 
 this mysterious affair, with which I became acquainted from 
 being present at the pleadings in the courts of justice at Paris 
 in 1817. He admitted the intention of having Napoleon and 
 his S071 viurdered ; and that De Maubreuil, from his extra- 
 vagant conduct on the day of the entrance of the allied army 
 into Paris, was deemed a very likely person to undertake and 
 execute the mission. He was, therefore, sent for by Talleyrand, 
 and M. Roux Laborie was present at the interview between 
 them ; at which it was proposed, by authority of the provisional 
 government, that Maubreuil should form a gang of fifty men 
 for the accomplishment of the scheme ; five hundred thousand 
 francs were offered as the recompense ; the whole of which sum 
 was to be paid to the survivors, even should but one remain 
 after perpetrating the deed. To this proposition, he said, De 
 Maubreuil acceded, and returned on the 13th of April to 
 inform him that he had completed his troop, and was ready to 
 set out; but he stated, that as Buonaparte had signed his 
 abdication, his murder was no longer necessary. This is La- 
 borie's account ; a man who, at the same time, vaunted the 
 excellence of his memory, which he said was so tenacious that 
 he never forgot the date of any action of his life, nor the most 
 minute circumstances of the event, even to the furniture of the 
 room and colour of the waistcoats of the persons present. 
 
 Now for the other statement, which is the result of what I 
 heard at the trials, and which proves, from the dates of the 
 orders given by the different ministers, &c., that Napoleon's 
 abdication did not put an end to the plots for his assassination. 
 Jaques Marie Armand Guerry de Maubreuil, marquis d'Orvalt, 
 is of an ancient and noble family of Brittany, twenty-two of 
 whom had been killed fighting in the Bourbon cause. His
 
 CHARACTER OF MAUBRIXIL. 211 
 
 lions of francs." This, he said, was too mucli ; 
 for, since I am to become a simple soldier, a 
 Louis dor ))er diem is sufficient. Finding also 
 
 father, who also was killed, had for his second wife the sister of 
 the celebrated Mcssrs.de la Rochejaquellin ; he is now thirty 
 years old, and was in the army of La Vendee when he was only 
 fifteen and a half. He was in Napoleon's army in the penin- 
 sular war, wliere, for having saved the life of the colonel of his 
 regiment, he received the decoration of the legion of honour. 
 In consequence of being sent for by Talleyrand, De Maubreuil 
 waited on him at seven in the evening, and was received with 
 great politeness; Laborie also was in the room. Talleyrand 
 stated to him, that there could be no safety for those who had 
 espoused the cause of the Bourbons, or tranquillity for France 
 or Europe, while Napoleon was suftered to exist; that although 
 he was allowed the island of Elba and the title of emperor, in 
 order to pacify Austria, yet the gouvernemcnt provisoire and the 
 emperor of Russia had determined on the destruction of him and 
 of all his family ; and that the king of Rome was to be carried 
 to a place which should be named. For the execution of this 
 plan he offered him the title of duke, the rank of lieutenant- 
 general in the army, the governorship of a province, and two 
 hundred thousand francs a year for life. Maubreuil replied, he 
 would consider on the means he could find for executing the 
 project, and give him an answer the next day ; he immediately 
 went to his relations, M. de St. Aignan and M. de Caulincourt, 
 to whom he divulged the whole conversation. They advised 
 him to feign acquiescence, lest on his refusal some one should 
 be found to execute it. He therefore waited on Talleyrand 
 according to appointment,' and said he accepted the mission. 
 Talleyrand then introduced him to the emperor of Russia, by 
 whom he was most graciously received ; and the manner of exe- 
 cuting their project being discussed, it was agreed that Napoleon 
 should be murdered as he crossed the Fontainebleau forest, on his
 
 212 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 that the army would not listen to his proposals 
 of uniting all the forces, and going either to the 
 banks of the Loire or to Italy, he wrote his second 
 
 way to Elba ; and that the king of Rome was to be carried off 
 on his way from Rambouillet, which offered greater difficulties, 
 as there was a probability that he and his mother would have a 
 considerable Austrian escort. On quitting Talleyrand, he went to 
 a royalist club, held at M. Vantaux's, a man of a good family, 
 but necessitous and unprincipled. He there announced, that he 
 was charged by the gouvernement provisoire with a mission of 
 such importance, that he was authorised to confer the rank of 
 colonel on those persons he employed and with whose conduct 
 he was satisfied. On being questioned as to the nature of the 
 enterprise, he replied he was not at liberty to divulge it. 
 M. Dasies, a gentleman about twenty- eight years old, at once 
 offered to join him. Having completed his troop, he waited on 
 Talleyrand; and on the 17th of April received his full instruc- 
 tions, and permission to distribute as much of the treasure the 
 imperial family was carrying off with them as he thought proper 
 among his associates. Maubreuil mentioned, that the queen of 
 Westphalia had among her trinkets a miniature of a lady with 
 whom he had formerly been connected, and which he was 
 desirous of possessing. " Take it," said Talleyrand, " and any 
 thing else you think proper, so that you do but execute the 
 grand object of your mission !" The orders, signed by the 
 different authorities, were then delivered to him — one signed 
 by the minister of police, Angles ; a second by the minister of 
 war, count Dupont; a third by the director of post-horses, Bou- 
 rienne; a fourth by the Russian baron, Sacken ; and a fifth by 
 the Prussian baron, de Brokenhausen. Maubreuil had official 
 duplicates of these orders, to be provided against accident; and 
 Dasies had other copies, in case they were obliged to separate in 
 the execution of their project.
 
 Ol riCIAL ORDERS TO MAUBREUIL. 213 
 
 act of abdication in the following words, which was 
 agreed to, and finally signed on the 11th : — 
 
 Les puissances alli^es ayant proclamfe que 
 
 it 
 
 Copij of the Orders that were read at Dc MauhreuiVs Trial. 
 
 I. 
 
 *' Minist^re de la Police-generale. — II est ordonn^ ^ toutes 
 les autorites chargces de la police generale de France, aux com- 
 niissaircs generaux, speciaux, et autres, d'obeir aux ordres que 
 M. de Maubieuil leur donnera, de faire et d'executer k I'instant 
 niC-me tout ce qu'il prescrira, M. de Maubreuil etant charge d'une 
 miision secrete de la plus haute importance. 
 
 " Le Commissaire-Provisoire au Dtpartement de la 
 " Police-generale, 
 
 " L. S. (Signe) Angles. 
 " Paris, 16 Avril, 1814. 
 " Commissariat de la Police-generale." 
 
 II. 
 
 *• Minist^re de la Guerre. — 11 est ordonne a toutes les autorites 
 militaircs, d'obeir aux ordres qui leur seront donnes par M. de 
 Maubreuil, lequel est autorise ciles requerir, et en disposer selon 
 qu'il jugera convenable, etant charge d'une mission secrete. 
 M.M. les commandants des corps veilleront e\ ce que les troupes 
 soient mises sur le champ a sa disposition, et qu'il n'eprouve 
 aucun retard pour I'execution des ordres dont il est charge pour 
 le service de sa majeste Louis XVIII. 
 
 " Le Ministre de la Guerre, 
 " L. S. (Signe) Le General Comtc Dupont. 
 
 " Pans, \6Avril, 1814." 
 
 III. 
 
 " Direction-generale des Postcs et Relais de France. — Le 
 djrecteur-general des postes ordonne aux maiires de postes de
 
 214 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 rempereur Napoleon ^toit le seul obstacle au 
 r^tablissement de la paix en Europe, I'em- 
 pereur Napoleon, fiddle a son serment, declare 
 
 fournir a I'instant a M. de Maubreuil, charge d'une importanfe 
 viission, la quantite de chevaux qui lui sera necessaire, et de 
 veiller a ce qu'il n'eprouve aucun retard pour I'execution des 
 ordres dont il est charge pour le service des postes. 
 
 ** Le Directeur-general des Postes et Relais de France, 
 
 " L. S. (Signe) Bourienne, 
 
 " Hotel des Postes, Paris, 17 Avril, 1814." 
 
 " P. S. — Le directeur-general ordonne aux inspecteurs et 
 maitres de postes, de veiller avec le plus grand soin a ce que le 
 nombre des chevaux demande par M. de Maubreuil lui soit fourni 
 avant et de preference a qui que ce soit, et qu'il n'eprouve aucune 
 espece de retard. 
 
 "L. S. (Signe) Le Directeur-general, Bourienne. 
 
 "Paris, 17 Avril.'' 
 
 IV. 
 
 RUSSIAN ORDER. — FRENCH LITERAL TRANSLATION. 
 
 ♦' M. le general de Maubreuil etant charge d'une haute mis- 
 sion, d'une tr^s grande importance, pour laquelle il est autorise 
 a requerir les troupes de sa majeste imperiale Russe, M. le 
 general-en-chef de I'infanterie Russe, baron Sacken, ordonne 
 aux commandants des troupes de les lui mettre a sa disposition, 
 pour I'execution de sa mission, des qu'il les demandera. 
 
 " Le General-en-chef de I'infanterie Russe, Gouverneur 
 
 " de Paris, 
 " L. S. (Signe) Baron Sacken. 
 " Paris, 17 Avril, 1814." 
 
 V. 
 
 PRUSSIAN ORDER. FRENCH LITERAL TRANSLATION. 
 
 '^ M. le general Maubreuil etant autorise a parcourir la 
 France pour des affaires d'une trcs grande importance, et pour
 
 OFFICIAL ORDERS TO MAURIIEUIL. 215 
 
 qu'll rcnuncc, pour lui ct ses li^iticrs, aux 
 tioncs de France et tritalic ; ct qifil n'est 
 aucun sacrifice ]»ersonnel, mcme celui de la 
 
 Texecution de tr6s hautes missions ; que dans son besoin, il pent 
 avoir occasion de requcrir les troupes des hautes puissances, en 
 consequence, et suivant I'ordre de M. le general-en-chef de I'in- 
 fanterie Russe, baron Sacken, il est ordonne a M.M. les com- 
 mandants des troupes alliees, de lui en fournir, sur ses demandes, 
 pour I'execution de ces hautes missions. 
 
 ** Le General d'Etat-major, 
 " L. S. (Signe) Baron de Bkokeniiausen. 
 " Paris, \7 Avril, 1814." 
 
 Furnished with these orders, (the object of which those who 
 gave them dared not mention,) which placed at their disposal 
 the pohce of France, the French troops, those of the allies, 
 and all the post-horses, Maubreuil and Basics (the latter with 
 the title of commissaire du gouvernement) quitted Paris on 
 the 18lh. They joined their troops on the road, and waited in 
 Fontainebleau forest until they saw the emperor Napoleon pass 
 in safety. They then entered the Montereau road ; and on the 
 2lst, about a furlong from the village of Fossard, which is the 
 post between Montereau and Ville-ncuve-la-Guiard, stopped 
 the princess Catherine, daughter of the king of Wurtemberg, 
 and wife of Jerome Buonaparte, king of Westphalia ; she was 
 travelling from Biois, with a numerous train of servants, car- 
 riages, and camp equipages. De Maubreuil, dressed as a 
 colonel of hussars, at the head of his troop, composed of 
 mamelukes of the late imperial guard, and soldiers of the 
 imperial guard, in all about one hundred and twenty, rode up 
 to the queen, to whom he was previously known, and told her 
 he had orders to seize the cases containing the treasure she was 
 carrying away. They took eleven cases: in one of which were 
 eighty-four thousand francs, in gold ; another contained her
 
 216 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 vie, qu'il ne soit pret a faire h. I'int^r^t de la 
 France. 
 
 " Fait au palais de Fontainebleau, le 11 Avril, 
 1814. 
 
 (Sign^) ** Napoleon." 
 
 husband's dressing-case, in which were jewels, according to the 
 evidence of Bapts, the jeweller of whom they were bought, to 
 the value of one hundred and sixty thousand francs. The 
 queen, the Westphalian minister, Maubreuil, and Dasies, after- 
 wards dined together at the inn at Fossard. She continued her 
 journey ; he went to Chailly, the first post on the Paris side of 
 Fontainebleau, from whence the cases, except that containing 
 the jewels, were sent, under a military escort, to M. deVantaux, 
 at Paris, where they arrived at nine in the morning of the 22d. 
 Maubreuil and Dasies, having slept at Chailly on the 21st, 
 went, the next day, to V^ersailles, to obtain information relative 
 to the king of Rome : while there, Maubreuil sent for a lock- 
 smith to open Jerome's dressing-case. Maubreuil and Dasies 
 went to Paris, and arrived late at night at Vantaux's, where 
 they found Semalle, and saw the cases in a closet, behind 
 Vantaux's bed, Maubreuil delivered them the dressing-case, 
 Vantaux was, at that time, called " inspecteur des tresors de la 
 couronne ;" and count de Semalle, a creature of Blacas', and an 
 intriguing adventurer, without the means of existence, was 
 employed by the Bourbons at this critical moment with the 
 title of " commissaire du roi," The next day Dasies went to 
 Semalle's, who asked to see the orders he had received. 
 These he attempted to keep ; but was prevented by the superior 
 strength of Dasies, who, however, permitted him to take copies. 
 This ill-timed act of Semalle gave the alarm to Maubreuil and 
 Dasies to deposit these orders in a place of safety. On the 25th, 
 at night, the cases, which had remained concealed, were officially 
 examined, and as the grand object of the mission had been
 
 MAUBREUIL'S AIUILST. 217 
 
 The above is a verbatim copy of the act of 
 abdication, as pul)lished. Napoleon wrote " pour 
 liii et ses enfans," and " au bien de la nation." 
 This he first altered to " aux int(^rtits de la 
 France," and finally to " a I'intert^t de la France." 
 
 frustrated, it was now pretended that the only end of it was to 
 recover the treasure which the Buonaparte family was taking 
 out of France, and that Maubreuil had kept some of it for 
 himself; as, in the case which De Maubreuil said contained 
 eighty-four thousand francs in gold, only four thousand were 
 found, in silver. De Maubreuil and Dasies were taken to the 
 prefecture of police. A few days afterwards, four of their 
 agents and servants were arrested. 
 
 On arriving at the prefecture of police, he was commanded 
 
 to deliver up the difterent orders which had been given to him : 
 
 on replying that he had them not, he was instantly stripped 
 
 naked to search for them ! He was then placed au secret ; and 
 
 from that hour began a system of atrocious cruelty, mockery of 
 
 justice, violation of every established form of legal procedure, 
 
 unequalled at any period even of French history. Fifteen days 
 
 after he had been au secret, his lodgings, in the Hotel de 
 
 Virginie, Rue St. Honore, were searched without (as the law 
 
 expressly requires) either himself or his servant being present; 
 
 and in the room in which the servant slept, an ear-ring, a 
 
 diamond, a ruby, and an emerald, were found wrapped in a bit 
 
 of writing paper, on which were some words that a servant of 
 
 the queen of Westphalia declared to be in her hand-writing. 
 
 After Maubreuil had been au secret seven weeks, a spy of the 
 
 police, named Huet, offered a gold comb, set with diamonds, 
 
 for sale; — it was bought. A few days after, this same Huet 
 
 offered a second : this excited the shopkeeper's suspicion ; he 
 
 sent for the commissary of police, and Huet, in reply to his 
 
 interrogation, said that he was angling in the Seine, near the
 
 218 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 The emperor signed his abdication on a small 
 circular mahogany spring table, having a pillar- 
 leg, painted green, like bronze, in a room on the 
 
 steam-engine at Chaillot, and brought up the comb ; that three 
 days after he went again to the same place, and brought up 
 a second. The river was then dragged at this spot, and the 
 jewels of the queen of Westphalia were found wrapped in a 
 cloth : they were examined by the jewellers who set them, and 
 others of the same trade, who declared, from their appearance, 
 that they could have been under water only a few days, and 
 De Maubreuil had been au secret for seven weeks. Huet, the 
 police spy, was committed to the prison of La Force, where, 
 after he had remained some time, he began to grow tired of the 
 confinement which the part he had been made to play had 
 brought upon him, and said to some fellow-prisoners, that if he 
 was not set at liberty soon, he would take the gag out of his 
 mouth. On the 10th of October, Dasies was taken from the 
 prison of La Force, and put into a carriage, as it was said, to 
 take him to M. Dufour, the judge of instruction, appointed to 
 examine him previous to trial. On crossing the Place de 
 I'Hotel de Ville, the carriage stopped ; the door was opened by 
 three persons, who informed him he was at liberty : he got out, 
 went to his counsel, M. Couture, and from thence wrote to the 
 chancellor and the judge of instruction what had taken place, 
 adding, that if they had any charge against him he would 
 surrender ; but no notice was taken of him, or his letter. On 
 the 3d of December, 1814, De Maubreuil was brought before 
 the tribunal of the premier instance of Paris, which declared 
 that the imputation against him did not come within their 
 jurisdiction, as it appeared to be the abuse or negligence of 
 an order emanating from superior and military authorities; 
 upon this he was sent to the military prison of the Abbaye^ 
 where he remained an secret one hundred and six days ; but in 
 the month of March, 1815, when Napoleon, having arrived
 
 COURT-MARTIAL ON MAUBREUII., &c. 219 
 
 first floor, of white and gold, and hung- with 
 rich crimson and gold silk, with two windows 
 opening to the private garden. 
 
 from Elba, was rapidly approaching Paris, the government, 
 dreading lest Maubreuil should get into Napoleon's power, 
 sent an order on the 18th of March to set him at liberty. 
 Colville and the others, not being in the secret of the proposed 
 mnrder, were suffered to remain. Maubreuil, on the 19th, 
 went to St. Germain en Laye, to the house of his friend 
 count Danes, mayor of St. Germain; but on the 20th, the 
 day of Napoleon's arrival, returned to Paris, and slept at his 
 lodgings in the Rue Cerutti, but was advised to return to 
 St. Germain, which he did, but was taken up in count Dane's 
 house, on the 23d, by the police of Napoleon's gouvemement, 
 and again conducted to the Abbaye. Dasies was also arrested 
 and put into the same prison. On the 24th, the minister of war 
 gent an order to convoke a court-martial to try De Maubreuil, 
 Dasies, Colville, Barbier, Muller, Fraitur, Mouton, and Huet. 
 On the 28th the court-martial assembled and declared itself 
 incompetent, none of the persons being military men. On the 
 2d of April, 1815, the affair was brought before the council of 
 state, and a report was published of the sitting. The third article 
 says : — 
 
 " La silrete de Napoleon, de la famille imperiale, etait ga- 
 rantie (art. 14 du traite de Fontainebleau) par toutes les puis- 
 sances ; et des bandes d'assassins ont et6 organisees en France, 
 sous les yeux du gouvemement Fran^ais, et meme par ses ordres, 
 commc le prouvcra bientot la procedure solennelle contra le sicur 
 de Maubreuil, pour attacjuer I'empereur, ses freres, et leurs 
 epouses, etc." 
 
 Every means was taken to get the secret out of de Mau- 
 breuil ; every offer, every threat was made, but he would not 
 make any disclosure, or answer any questions : as for the others, 
 they knew nothing of the plot. Notwithstanding the 6rmncss of
 
 220 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 At the audience which the deputation had 
 with the emperor of Russia, marshal Ney ex- 
 pressed some dissatisfaction that the sentiments 
 
 de Maubreuil, Fouche was apprehensive that at last they might 
 obtain information which it would not suit the part he was 
 playing that they should possess : he therefore facilitated his 
 escape. His friend, the marquis Debrosse, conveyed a file and 
 rope to Maubreuil : he sawed through the bars of his prison at the 
 prefecture de police, and let himself down at night into the court- 
 yard, from whence he walked out, and immediately set off for 
 Ghent with the marquis Debrosse, but was arrested on the 4th 
 May, at Brussels, by order of Semalle, and sent to prison at 
 Ghent, where he attempted suicide, by opening four of his veins. 
 Thence he was transferred to Liege. Semalle denouncing him to 
 the government of the Netherlands as an assassin, sent by Buona- 
 parte to kill the king of France ; but baron Eckstein, chief of 
 the police, soon found he had been the dupe of Semalle, and set 
 de Maubreuil at liberty, who returned to France about the same 
 time that Louis XVIII arrived at Paris. While he was absent, 
 the court of cassation, on the 28th of June, sent the business, 
 as far as related to Maubreuil, Dasies, and Barbier, before the 
 procureur du roi, and ordered Colville and the others to be set at 
 liberty, as were Dasies and Barbier at the end of 1816. The 
 procureur du roi sent it to the police correctionelle : the avocat 
 du roi of that establishment declared that their tribunal was not 
 competent to try the affair. 
 
 De Maubreuil, on his return to France, determined to make 
 the whole plot known, but refrained, at the solicitation of M. de 
 la Rochejaquellin, and he retired into the country, near St. 
 Germain, where he remained unmolested until the 11th of June, 
 1816, when he was taken up, conveyed to Paris, and thrown into 
 a dungeon in the prison of La Force, where he remained, au 
 secret, except the hours he was taken out to be tormented by 
 interrogatories. On the 12th of January, 1817, his friend; the
 
 MAUBRF.UIL'S WRETCHED ArPEARANCE. 221 , 
 
 of the army had not been consulted. Alexander 
 replied. " Je ne traite qu'avec des rois ou des 
 peuples : ici je traite avec le peuple." It was 
 
 marquis Debrosse, petitioned the chamber of deputies that he 
 mij^ht be tried, as the procurcur du roi had decreed that the 
 police correctionelle was incompetent. The chamber of deputies 
 sent this petition to a committee, and the result was, that on the 
 10th of April, de Maubreuil was brought before the police cor- 
 rectionelle at Paris, after a confinement in a dungeon of five 
 hundred and fiftv-two days, an secret, without communica- 
 tion with any human being, until the last fifteen days, when his 
 counsel and the marquis Debrosse were allowed to see him, 
 in the presence of four witnesses. I was present at this trial. 
 De Maubreuil presented a most ghastly appearance, with a 
 frii2;htful wildness in his eyes, his skin of the unnatural white- 
 ness of the lower part of celery or endive, and from the same 
 cause — seclusion from light: the contrast between what he 
 was now and when I last saw him galloping about the streets 
 of Paris, on the 31st of March, 1814, was most awful. The 
 court consisted of ihe president and two judges. The former, 
 M. Maugis, behaved in a more mild, gentlemanly manner than 
 judges usually do in Paris ; but far otherwise was the demeanour 
 of M. Vatismenil, avocat du roi, a young coxcomb, who wore 
 mustachios, that, when not in his advocate's dress, he might be 
 mistaken for a military man. This king's advocate gave an 
 account of the whole aftair; but said, that though the charges 
 were '^prodigious," and the mass of information vast, as might 
 be judged from the quantity of papers now before him, (and 
 there most certainly was a ream of paper,) yet M. de IMaubreuil 
 need not deny these charges ; " car nous n'en affirmons aucune." 
 He concluded by requiring of the court to declare its incom- 
 petency. The president asked M. de Maubreuil what he had to 
 say as to the competency. He was going to speak as to the facts : 
 but tlie president told him it was useles?. He said that he had
 
 222 MEMORABLE EA^ENTS OF 1814. 
 
 Macdonald who defended the interests of Napo- 
 leon the most warmly and earnestly, trying to 
 obtain a regency for the young Napoleon. 
 
 the most important communication to make, but that he feared 
 he should be murdered in prison, and that his counsel would be 
 persecuted by the police. He required that his friend Debrosse, 
 who yesterday had resigned his rank in the army to defend him, 
 should not be sent out of Paris during his trial. The court said, 
 that "la justice" should protect him and his counsel. "But," 
 replied de Maubreuil, " la police n'est pas la justice :" I have to 
 complain of a system of espionage sans exemple, on the part of 
 M. le comte d'Artois, over all who would defend me ; and that 
 the prefect of police yesterday seized all my papers. The court 
 then named M. Couture as his counsel, and adjourned to that 
 day se'nnight. On the sitting of the 17th of April, he divulged, 
 what he had not yet done, the real object for which he had 
 received the orders ; and such was the interest and consternation 
 it excited in court, that though the gens d'armes, between whom 
 he was placed, received orders to make him sit down, yet they 
 did it so mildly and reluctantly, that he had time to finish his 
 declaration. He now said, " Let them thank themselves for 
 wishing to destroy my reputation, and making rae pass for a 
 robber." He also said, that his friend, the marquis Debrosse, 
 had been sent out of Paris. The president very mildly told him 
 to be silent. M. Couture then made a most interesting and 
 eloquent statement of the whole affair, and spoke for two hours 
 and twenty minutes. He said, " Why do not those who signed 
 the orders come forward, and say what their object was? Why, 
 if his orders were not of a most uncommon nature, was he set at 
 liberty before the return of Napoleon, while the inferior agents 
 were suffered to remain in prison V 
 
 The avocat du roi, M. Vatismenil, in reply, commenced 
 by saying, " he was very wrong last sitting, in treating De 
 Maubreuil as a robber;" and admitted that the setting hira
 
 TRIAL OF MAUBREUIL. 223 
 
 Michaud, the member of the Institute, told me 
 that at this time he never quitted Talleyrand, 
 and that at this interview the emperor of Russia, 
 
 at liberty, on the 18th of March, was from " une raison de 
 haute pohtique ! ! !" but now that De Maubreuil has divulged 
 what the object of his mission was, he has shewn himself doubly 
 culpable; first by accepting such a commission, and then in 
 i)eing so perfidious as not to execute it. Maubreuil again spoke ; 
 his counsel, Couture, also. The court adjourned to the 22d of 
 April, on which day the place was still more crowded than on 
 the former occasion. Marshal Oudinot was present. The court 
 then pronounced its incompetency. On the 21st of May, the 
 " cour royale de Paris, chambre des appels de police cor- 
 rectionnelle," heard the cause. Dc Maubreuil was brought in, 
 surrounded by eight gens-d'armes, instead of the usual number, 
 two. This was the appeal of De Maubreuil against the decision 
 of the police correctionelle, which had declared itself incom- 
 petent. M. Couture pleaded for Maubreuil. The prisoner him- 
 self was very calm, and did not speak. The cause was 
 adjourned until the 23d, to hear M. Hua, the advocate- 
 general. On this day De Maubreuil was seated between two 
 gens-d'armes, and guarded by six others; the court, which is 
 very large, was crowded with ladies and persons of distinction. 
 Tlie court was composed of a president and ten judges. M. Hua 
 began by saying, that it was not the guiltofM.de Maubreuil 
 the court was to decide upon, but whether what he was accused 
 of came under the cognizance of the criminal or the correctional 
 tribunal : he required that the court should declare its incom- 
 petence ; for as a robbery had been committed, it came under 
 the cognizance of the criminal court, Maubreuil replied, it was 
 very true that there had been a robbery, but that the rol^bers 
 were M. de Semalle, M. Vantaux, et M. de Vitrolles. The 
 president, in a very mild, conciliatory tone, said he was not 
 called a robber, but only that he was prevenu d'un vol. The
 
 224 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 notwithstanding his flourish of treating with the 
 people, was so completely persuaded by the 
 marshals and Caulincourt, and at the same time 
 
 advocate-general said the same, and that he mistook the meaning 
 of legal terms. Couture, his counsel, then replied, that if the 
 object of the mission had been the recovery of the treasure which 
 was then carrying away by the imperial family, a commissary of 
 police, and a few guards, were sufficient ; as, at the same period, 
 twenty-eight millions had been taken from Joseph Buonaparte, near 
 Orleans. Couture concluded bysaying, thathis client was only kept 
 in prison, and thus treated, as a scarecrow to government agents. 
 The court retired, and remained out an hour and a quarter, and 
 on re-entering declared its competence. The 28th of May, the 
 procureur-general appealed to the court of cassation to destroy 
 the decree of competency. In June, the court of cassation sent 
 de Maubreuil to Rouen to be tried. The court of that city sent 
 him, on the 20th of September, to Douai to be tried, which 
 court condemned him, on the evidence of Semalle and Vantaux, 
 for a breach of trust, without determining the nature of the trust 
 reposed in him, and for taking the 84,000 francs in gold, but 
 never mentioned the diamonds, &c. His innocence with regard 
 to taking them was acknowledged. It said he only had them 
 in his possession, but admitted that others took them ; and with 
 regard to the 85,000 francs, it was proved they were delivered to 
 M. de Vitrolles, From the prison of the tower of Notre Dame, 
 at Douai, he escaped and fled to England, where he deposited 
 a protest before the lord mayor of London, dated 16th May, 
 1818, and lodged his papers in the archives of the city, and sent 
 a copy of his protest to different English peers. In England he 
 was reduced to the greatest pecuniary distress, sleeping on the 
 floor, and eating only once in forty-eight hours. While here, the 
 emperor Alexander of Russia, who, in 1814, wanted to have him 
 shot at Paris, applied to lord Castlereagh, through his ambassador, 
 to have him sent out of England under the alien act. Lord
 
 IIKPEATED ARRESTS OV DE MAUBREUIL. 225 
 
 influenced hi/ fear of the result of a battle, that he 
 determined to abandon the cause of the 13our- 
 bons, and retreat from Paris with his army. 
 
 Castlercagh refused, saying, if he had cause of complaint, he 
 must sue de Maubreuil in the English courts of justice. He 
 returned to Paris in 1823, with a view of redeeming the wreck 
 of his paternal property, which had been sequestered to pay the 
 costs of his trial; but new persecutions awaited him. On the 
 23d of May, in the above year, he was arrested by the police, 
 and whilst in confinement, was offered a pension if he would leave 
 France. He refused the bribe, but agreed to quit the kingdom, 
 and proceeded to Brussels. In 1 825 he again visited Paris, and 
 was again arrested by the police on the 1st of April, but was once 
 more liberated, " par ordre superieur," on the 5th, when he imme- 
 diately proceeded to Brittany, to seek protection and subsistence 
 among his friends. In this retirement he was harassed and 
 persecuted by the lower agents of the local police, to avoid whom 
 he once more ventured to Paris in November 1826. Here he 
 had several interviews with the different ministers, who advised 
 him to remain quiet; but his temper would not submit to this, 
 and he presented himself at the church of St. Denis, on the 20th 
 of January, 1827, when the court was present at a grand re- 
 ligious ceremony commemorating the death of Louis XVI. 
 Talleyrand was also in attendance, and on quitting the church 
 was slapped in the face by dc Maubreuil, who was instantly 
 taken up, without the least resistance on his part ; on the con- 
 trary, he said he did it in the hope of being brought to trial, and 
 that by citing Talleyrand into a court of justice as a witness, he 
 might expose him, and hold him up to the execration of all 
 Europe. For this he was tried before the police correctionelle 
 on the 24th of February, 1827, and condemned to five years' 
 imprisonment, five hundred francs fine, and ten years of surveil- 
 lance of the haute police. He appealed against this harsh sen- 
 tence ; and on the 29th of August, 1827, the cour royale of Paris
 
 226 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 Dessoles was the person who persuaded the em- 
 peror to remain, saying, that if he retreated, he 
 hoped his majesty would grant passports to all 
 the Bourbonists to follow him. On the Cth, the 
 emperor of Russia went alone to consult the king 
 of Prussia on this subject. 
 
 From the 1st of April to the 5th, the emperor 
 appeared in public, and on the parade, to review 
 his troops in the accustomed manner. During 
 this period, petitions, in greater numbers than 
 usual, were presented to him by his officers. 
 Instead of giving these to an officer in attendance, 
 his ordinary practice on former occasions, he kept 
 them himself, and carried them to his own apart- 
 ment. 
 
 I have been told, by several officers who were 
 with the emperor during this campaign, that 
 though he sometimes evinced great energy, yet 
 he generally was in a state of stupor. 
 
 During the period of residence at Fontaine- 
 bleau, after his abdication, Buonaparte confined 
 himself almost entirely to the library, alternately 
 reading, or conversing with Maret, duke of Bas- 
 
 mitigated it to two hundred francs fine, and two years' imprison- 
 ment, which he is now enduring. Thus, for a time, ends the 
 active persecution of this unfortunate nobleman, and also of the 
 solemn mockery oi competence, incompetence, pouvoir, ^nA arrets, 
 which, to the number of forty-seven, have been instituted against 
 him during the last fourteen years, on account of this shameful 
 affair.
 
 NAPOLEON'S iiE:srARKS. 227 
 
 sano, who was constantly with him. Sometimes 
 he would conic into the gallery of Francis the 
 First, and enter into conversation with the officers 
 who were in attendance there, on the events of 
 the day, and what the public prints said of him, 
 admitting the truth of certain observations, and 
 denying others. One day he arrived with a 
 newspaper in his hand, and holding it out, ex- 
 claimed, with great indignation, " They say that 
 I am a coward !" At other times he would discuss 
 the politics of the day as a person having no more 
 than a common interest in them ; and the restored 
 king was a frequent subject of his discourse. 
 With an air of candour, he asked M. Lamezan 
 what was meant by insinuations which appeared 
 in the newspapers, relative to the death of 
 Pichcgru, declaring that he had never heard of 
 tliem before. In one of the papers were some 
 details of the ill-treatment which the pope had 
 experienced. He said, " C est vrai, le pape a 
 H6 maltrait6 : plus mal que je ne voulais." To 
 general Sebastiani, he said, *' Ce n'est pas les 
 Russes ni les allies qui m'ont conquis ; c'est 
 les id(^es liberales, que j'ai trop opprim6es en 
 AUemagne."* Speaking of the Bourbons to the 
 
 * Had he said in France also, he would have solved the 
 problem. The tliraldom of the French press, and the artificial 
 moulding of public opinion to the imperial despotism, will appear 
 from the following curious document, with which I was fur-
 
 228 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 same general, he said, " The French will be en- 
 thusiastic for them for six months ; then cold for 
 three; and at the end of the year, bid adieu." 
 
 nished by M. JManget, a literary gentleman, editor of the 
 Publicist, a daily newspaper, which, in consequence of being 
 conducted on rather more liberal principles than the others, was 
 suppressed, par orrfre superieur, in October 1810, the sale being 
 then about three thousand. Messrs. Suard, member of the 
 Academie Fran^aise, and Guizot, and mademoiselle Pauline de 
 Meulan, now madame Guizot, were among the habitual writers 
 for it. During the fifteen months which preceded the suppres- 
 sion of this paper, the editor never could obtain the sight of a 
 single English newspaper, nor even of a Spanish one, and yet 
 the latter were manufactured under the direction of king Joseph's 
 police. The English articles which appeared in the Publicist 
 were sent from the secretary of state's office, and were so badly 
 and literally translated, that the interpretations there inserted 
 were glaringly evident. Private letters directed to them were 
 stopped at the post-office, and the articles of news they con- 
 tained sent to papers in greater favour with government. M. 
 Manget was obliged to attend daily at the office of Charles La- 
 cretelle, jun., member of the Institute, the censor of the Publicist, 
 to receive orders from the minister of police in what manner to 
 direct the public opinion, and what feelings he was to manifest. 
 When Holland was united to France, Lacretelle said to Manget 
 that it was a most atrocious act, and a severe blow at civilisa- 
 tion, but at the same time ordered him to write an article, in 
 form of a letter from Rotterdam, saying that this union w'as of 
 the greatest advantage to the Dutch, as they were too poor to 
 keep up their dykes ; that their commerce would now flourish, 
 as Holland would be attached to Europe, and her canals con- 
 ducted to the centre of France
 
 TYUAXNY OVER THE PUBLIC TRESS. 229 
 
 A few days after his abdication, he walked in 
 the garden of the palace for two hours with 
 marshal Macdonald, conversing on the new con- 
 
 ♦• Prohibitions to the 'Publicist^ from the Minister of Police." 
 
 To announce any nomination before it appeared in the 
 Moniteur. Ever to mention the ancient name of the French 
 provinces, such as Normandy, Languedoc, Touraine, Bur- 
 gundy, &c. 
 
 To announce the launching of any ship of war. 
 
 To mention any accident which might be attributed to 
 neglect on the part of the police, such as murders, robberies, 
 fires, persons run over, tiles or flower-pots falling on the heads 
 of persons in the streets, or suicides ; as the common people 
 very frequently destroy themselves, and this evinces the misery 
 of the times. 
 
 Want of rain, or too much, inundations, hail-storms, &c. 
 There was a very considerable inundation in the department of 
 the Ain in the spring of 1810; they received special orders not 
 to mention this, as no distress must be supposed to exist in the 
 empire. 
 
 The motions of the army, or even of any military officer of 
 liigh rank. 
 
 To criticise the public monuments erected by the govern- 
 ment, some of which were begun in time of war; but were first 
 exhibited, cleared of the scaffolding, and in a finished state when 
 peace existed with the power over which they were intended as 
 monuments of triumph. In 1810, when the triumphal arch on 
 the Place Carousel was opened, France was at peace with Austria, 
 and all the bas-reliefs represented the degradation of that power: 
 they were ordered only to speak of it as a work of art, and not to 
 mention the subjects of the sculpture or the inscriptions. 
 
 Forbidden to use the word Poland; but always to term it 
 the Grand Duchy of Warsaw.
 
 230 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 stitiition, and on what he considered its advan- 
 tages and defects. He said, that during the last 
 twelve years he had been furnished with a daily 
 
 Forbidden to notice the Swedish navy. Ordered to say that 
 the Swedes would not trade with England; and that whenever 
 the Danes attacked the English, they were always victorious. 
 
 Forbidden to mention Spain, or to copy any article from the 
 French provincial papers of the departments adjoining Spain : 
 this prohibition came in consequence of the Journal des Landes 
 giving an account of some success obtained by the national 
 guards over the Spaniards, in the valley of Aran, as this shewed 
 that the Spaniards were in force on the frontiers of France. 
 
 P'orbidden to mention the state of the Russian colonies in 
 the south of Europe ; and ordered to say that the workmen who 
 had gone there had been misled and deceived, that they were in 
 the greatest misery, and seeking every means of returning to their 
 native country : many were seen begging their way back ; that 
 this would not have been noticed but to expose the wickedness 
 of the German newspapers, who, from hatred of the French, 
 try, by delusive statements, to lure others to similar ruin. 
 
 Forbidden to mention the successes of the Russians over the 
 Turks, because it must not be known that Russia was powerful; 
 or, on the other hand, any advantages gained by the Turks, as at 
 that time (1810) the Porte was disposed to quarrel with France. 
 Ordered to insult Mr. Adair, the English ambassador at Constan- 
 tinople, and to treat him as a " vil intrigant.^' 
 
 They received a private letter from professor Rehfues, of 
 Stutgardt, a man of considerable merit, containing an accurate 
 statement of the Russian forces, shewing them to amount to 
 thirteen hundred thousand men ; on this being inserted, came a 
 violent threatening letter from the police, and orders to contra- 
 dict it in the manner thai would produce the greatest effect: 
 upon this they fabricated a letter from Riga, saying, that this 
 statement was false, and the production of one of those German
 
 mOIIIBITIONS OF THE 'PUBLICIST." 231 
 
 bulletin of the actions of Louis XVII 1 ; and 
 allowed that the opportunities which his resi- 
 dence in England had given him of becoming 
 acquainted with her institutions, would be ex- 
 
 newspaper visionary scribblers, who were ever indulging their 
 fondness for peopling Europe by strokes of the pen, in a manner 
 best suited to their rigmarole speculations. 
 
 Forbidden to copy from the German papers, that in a journey 
 made by the imperial family of Austria, they would not allow 
 any fetes on their account, and that they lived with the greatest 
 simplicity. 
 
 Most positive prohibition to mention the empress Josephine, 
 madanie de Stael, or the king of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus, 
 unless it was to treat him as a madman, which they were ordered 
 to do. Never to bestow the smallest eulogium on the queen of 
 Prussia, of which the German papers were full. 
 
 Ordered to manufacture an article, dated Berlin, saying, that 
 the marriage of Napoleon with the archduchess Marie Louise 
 produced the best effect there, as it proved that the Germans 
 had come to their senses and saw their real interests : a short 
 time since the news of this marriage would have been badly 
 received. 
 
 Forbidden to give the account from the German papers of 
 Marie Louise's quitting her family, as they said she wept. 
 
 Forbidden to copy from the Strasburgh paper the address 
 which the mayor of that city presented to Marie Louise on her 
 arrival there, because it terms the Germans moitic compatriots, 
 and says, that by this marriage they will be rendered doublement 
 compatriots. 
 
 Encouraged to insult and ridicule the second class (Academic 
 Fran<jaise) of the Institute, Full liberty was given to ridicule 
 the decimal prizes, with the intention of rendering literature 
 contemptible.
 
 232 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 tremely useful to him ; adding, that possibly he 
 should not remain long in Elba, but visit England, 
 and study the great and liberal establishments of 
 that country. 
 
 General sir Edward Paget and lord Louvain, 
 who were at Paris, both informed me that lord 
 Castlereagh, also then in Paris, told them, that 
 Buonaparte had written to him for permission to 
 retire to England, " it being the only country 
 possessing great and liberal ideas." 
 
 To some of his officers, on their taking leave 
 of him, Napoleon gave letters of commendation, 
 with injunctions to serve the king with the same 
 zeal and fidelity they had manifested towards 
 himself. In the letter he gave to monsieur de 
 Caraman, one of his officiers d'ordonnance, were 
 these passages: — " J'autorise M. de Caraman a 
 me quitter. Je n'ai point de doute que son nou- 
 veau souverain n'auroit que d'utiies services k tirer 
 de lui, et k se louer de son z^le, de ses talens, et 
 de son devouement." 
 
 He gave a similar letter to monsieur Lamezan, 
 another of his orderly officers. 
 
 For general Kosokouski he wrote : " Je de- 
 clare avec plaisir, mon cher g^n^ral, que vous 
 m'ete rest6 attach^ et fiddle jusqu'au dernier 
 moment." 
 
 He told M. de Caraman that he had never 
 had time to study ; but that he now should, and 
 meant to write his own memoirs.
 
 ISABEY AND BUONArAIlTE. 233 
 
 On learning- tliat the emperor of Russia had 
 visited the empress Josephine, Buonai)artc ob- 
 served, it was doubtless with a view to insult 
 her. 
 
 Isabey had made a portrait in water-colours 
 of the empress Marie Louise and her son, which 
 she presented to the emperor on new-year's day, 
 1814. The drawing was at this time in Isabey's 
 possession, who hearing from Caulincourt that 
 Napoleon had expressed a desire to have it, re- 
 paired to Fontainebleau, and arrived there on the 
 19th at noon. On being introduced, he found 
 Bassano and general Bertrand in the apartment, 
 the latter reading aloud the description of some 
 place, but ceased on Isabey's approach. Buona- 
 parte exclaimed: "Ha! Isabey! what news?" 
 He replied, that he was come to thank him for 
 all the favours he had conferred upon him, and to 
 take leave of him ; and that having heard the 
 duke of Vicenza mention his wish to have the 
 l)ortrait, he had brought it with him. Napoleon 
 received it with an air of indiiference, merely 
 saying, " C'est bien." 
 
 Isabey being in the uniform of lieutenant of 
 grenadiers of the national guard, Buonaparte, in 
 his habitual rough manner, said, " What, are you 
 in the national guard ?" He replied, that although 
 he had a son in the army, who had fought in the 
 plains of Champagne, and of whose fate he was
 
 234 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 ignorant,* yet he thought it his duty to serve 
 his country in Paris. Napoleon making no answer, 
 Isabey retired. 
 
 On the 16th, the commissioners, who, at the 
 desire of Napoleon, were appointed by the allied 
 powers to accompany the emperor (as they were 
 ordered by their respective courts to style him) 
 to the place of embarkation, arrived at Fontaine- 
 bleau. General KoUer, who was sent by Austria, 
 and, like all those who are attached to the staff 
 of the continental armies, had the habitual facility 
 of arranging business of police, or other espionage, 
 soon, by his spies, became perfectly acquainted 
 with all that passed in the interior of the palace 
 of Fontainebleau. By this means it was known 
 that Napoleon had contracted a syphilitic com- 
 plaint since his residence there. This piece of 
 scandal was instantly communicated to the other 
 commissioners. 
 
 When these were presented to the emperor on 
 the 17th, he received them separately. To count 
 Schuwaloff, the Russian, and to general Roller, 
 the Austrian commissioners, he gave an audience 
 to each of five minutes ; while to count Wald- 
 bourg-Truchess, the Prussian, of not more than 
 one. Colonel sir Neil Campbell told colonel 
 Pelley, that his audience lasted a quarter of an 
 
 * He was killed.
 
 NAPOLEON'S OPINION OF THE ENGIJSII. 235 
 
 hour, and that this was believed by the commis- 
 sioners to have been a matter of previous arrange- 
 ment. The same distinction towards tlie Enjj:lish 
 conmiissioner was kept up durini»- the journey. 
 Sir Neil Campbell told me, that in the course of 
 conversation with him, Napoleon remarked — ■ 
 though many considered he ought to commit 
 suicide, yet he thought it was more magnanimous 
 to live ; that the emperor of Russia had conferred 
 the order of St. Anne on Lescourt, one of the 
 greatest jacobins in France ; but he made no 
 mention of the mandate which Lescourt pre- 
 tended was brought to him to blow up the 
 powder-magazine at Grenelle, on the 30th of 
 March, though it was his boasted disobedience 
 on this occasion which had procured him the 
 Russian distinction. He expressed some surprise 
 that Marie Louise did not join him before his 
 departure. He acknowledged that he had cor- 
 dially hated the English ; but that he was now 
 convinced they possessed more magnanimity 
 and bberality than any other government. He 
 was very desirous of taking his passage to Elba in 
 an English frigate. Colonel Campbell wrote to 
 lord Castlereagh on the subject, and received a 
 favourable answer. Napoleon seemed to rely 
 upon England for the fulfilment of the treaty of 
 the 11th of April. 
 
 The emperor's departure was fixed for the 
 20th of April, and expected to be at eight in the
 
 236 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 morning : the carriages were in waiting at that 
 hour. The imperial guard was drawn up in the 
 great court-yard called Le Cheval Blanc, before 
 the palace, and a multitude of people were assem- 
 bled. Colonel Campbell said, he saw the emperor 
 at eight in the morning, in deshabille, unshared, 
 and covered with snufF. He continued in his 
 room, in conversation with those officers who 
 remained with him.* At length general Bertrand 
 observed, that it w^as eleven o'clock, and that 
 every thing was ready for their departure. He 
 replied haughtily, " Am I to regulate my actions 
 by your watch? I shall set off when I please — 
 perhaps not at all." 
 
 Colonel Campbell and the other commissioners 
 were waiting in the ante-room of Napoleon's ca- 
 binet, in which he was in conversation with M. de 
 Flahautf and general Ornano. At last Bertrand 
 announced the emperor. Those present ranged 
 themselves on each side of his passage, according 
 to the usual etiquette, which was kept up to the 
 last. The door opened. Napoleon was coming 
 
 * The faithful few were, the duke of Basano, general Bel- 
 liard, colonel Bussy, colonel Anatole de Montesquiou, comte de 
 Turrene, general Fouler, baron Misgrigny, colonel Gourgaud, 
 lieutenant-colonel Athalin, baron de la Place, baron Lelorgne 
 d'Ideville, le chevalier Jouanne, general Kosokouski, colonel 
 Vensowitch. The two last were Poles. 
 
 t Colonel Campbell's memory must have failed him, as M. 
 de Flahaut was at that time on a mission for the emperor.
 
 NAPOLKON'S FAUEWKLL ADDRESS. 237 
 
 forward, but suddenly returned. Colonel Camp- 
 bell, notwithstanding what the emperor had said, 
 told me that he expected every instant to hear 
 the report of a pistol ; but in a short time he came 
 out, passed along the gallery of Francis the First, 
 and, at twelve o'clock, descended the great central 
 steps into the court-j^ard. The drums rolled as 
 soon as he appeared on the steps : he caused 
 them to cease, by a commanding, dignified mo- 
 tion with his hand ; then advancing into the court, 
 the commissaries attending him, he called the 
 officers around him, and took leave of his troops 
 in the following words : — 
 
 ** Officiers, sous-officiers, et soldats de la vieille 
 garde, je vous fais mes adieux ! 
 
 ** Depuis vingt ans je suis content de vous: je 
 vous ai toujours trouv6 sur le chemin de la gloire. 
 
 " Les puissances alli^'es ont arm6 toute I'Eu- 
 rope centre moi : une partie de I'arnK^^e a trahi ses 
 devoirs, et la France elle-mcme a cM6 a des 
 intercts particuliers. 
 
 " Avec vous, et les autres braves qui me sent 
 restcs fideles, j'aurais pu entretenir la guerre 
 civile pendant trois ans ; mais la France eut h6 
 malheureuse, et ce n'etait point le but que je 
 m'^tais propose. Je devais done sacrifier mon 
 interet personnel a sun bonheur — c'est ce que 
 j'ai fait. 
 
 " Soyez fideles au nouveau souverain que la
 
 238 MElSrOEABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 France s'est choisie : n'abandonnez pas cette 
 ch^re patrie, trop long-temps malheureuse. Ne' 
 plaignez point mon sort : je serai toujours heureux 
 dhs que j'apprendrai que vous Fetes. J'aurais 
 pu mourir — rien n'ctait plus facile: mais non ; 
 je vivrai pour vous aimer encore, et j'ecrirai ce 
 que nous avons fait. 
 
 " Je ne puis vous embrasser tons ; mais j'em- 
 brasserai votre chef. Venez, general ! [General 
 Petit, whom he then embraced.] Qu'on m'ap- 
 porte I'aigle ! [He took the eagle, pressed it to 
 him, and kissed it with emotion.] Cher aigle, 
 que ces baisers retentissent dans le coeur de tons 
 les braves ! 
 
 " Adieu, mes enfans ! Adieu, mes braves !" 
 
 Buonaparte shed tears, and the whole army 
 also wept. Colonel Campbell acknowledged to 
 colonel Pelley and to myself, that he and every 
 one who heard it melted into tears. 
 
 The emperor immediately ascended his car- 
 riage, accompanied by Bertrand, and was preceded 
 by one in which general Drouet was seated, and 
 followed by the four carriages of the commis- 
 sioners; eight of the emperor's carriages, with 
 his people, closed the train, which employed 
 sixty post-horses. 
 
 Five carriages had gone forward on the 19th ; 
 these crossed Mont Cenis, went by Carmagna, 
 and embarked at Savona.
 
 NAPOLEON AND WELLINGTON. 239 
 
 At five in the afternoon they all arrived at ]\Ion- 
 targis, and passed, without stopping, through the 
 town, at the farther end of which post-horses 
 were in waiting, the emperor's own horses having 
 brought him from Fontainebleau. About two 
 hundred cavalry were here drawn out to receive 
 him : these he addressed from his carriage, 
 thanked them for their services, which he assured 
 them he should always remember, though he no 
 longer had the power to recompense. TJiey shed 
 tears at this speech, especially the officers, some 
 of whom broke their swords as they re-entered the 
 town. The effect of this scene, the hon. Algernon 
 Percy, who witnessed it, told me, was heightened 
 by Napoleon's own emotion, who, the instant he 
 ceased to address the troops, ordered the pos- 
 tilions to drive on. 
 
 The emperor arrived at eight o'clock in the 
 evening at Briare, where he slept at the inn of 
 the post. In the evening he received some 
 officers who were in the town. The next morn- 
 ing, Thursday the 21st, he invited colonel Camp- 
 bell to breakfast, during which he was very in- 
 quisitive relative to lord Wellington's private 
 character, often saying to the colonel's answers, 
 *' C'est comme moi," and said, he should like very 
 much to be in company with him. He asked, if 
 he possessed great talent in haranguing his troops; 
 and upon the answer that he never did harangue 
 them, expressed great surprise, and still greater
 
 240 MEMOllABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 when he told him, tliat if an English officer was 
 to attempt to harangue his troops, they would 
 laugh at him. After breakfast he again received 
 the officers of the troops that were quartered in 
 the town and neighbourhood, and was with diffi- 
 culty dissuaded from reviewing them. All this 
 delayed his departure until between one and two 
 in the afternoon, when he proceeded to Nevers, 
 where they dined and slept at the inn of the 
 post.* A hussar of his own guard was placed as 
 sentry at the door of the emperor's apartment, in 
 which he slept alone. He set off the next morn- 
 ing, between six and seven o'clock : in this ar- 
 rangement he was left perfectly to his own will. 
 The commissioners waited upon him down stairs. 
 General Bertrand went in the carriage with him. 
 At the foot of the stairs, some persons belonging 
 to the inn saluted him with " Vive I'empereur !" 
 but of this he took no notice. About two hundred 
 and fifty persons were assembled in the street, 
 and the cry of " Vive I'empereur!" was reiterated, 
 without appearing to excite his attention. The 
 white cockades, which the inhabitants had worn 
 when he arrived on the preceding day, they now 
 displaced. Hence he was escorted to Villeneuve- 
 sur-Allier by fifty hussars of the imperial guard ; 
 and some infantry, who were quartered at Nevers, 
 
 * A large inn just before entering the town on the side next 
 Paris.
 
 COLONKL PELLEY AND LESCOUIIT. 241 
 
 turned out and presented arms as he passed, but 
 there were no aUied troops either in the town or 
 in the escort. 
 
 After his departure, tlie commissioners returned 
 to their a]iartments, having tlieir despatches to 
 finish. Colonel Pelley, who was at Nevers, on 
 his return fiom Moulins, where he had resided as 
 prisoner of war, took charge of these for lord 
 Castlereagh and the other plenipotentiaries at 
 Paris. The colonel, who is an intimate friend of 
 colonel Campbell, with whom and the Prussian 
 commissioners he supped at Nevers, told mo* 
 
 * At lord Beverley's table, at Paris, on the 25th of April, 
 (therefore only three days after the conversation) ; and at the 
 same time, among other circumstances, mentioned that the 
 emperor of Russia had conferred the order of St. Anne on 
 Lescourt, who was one of the greatest jacobins in France. It 
 was not understood either by colonel Pelley, by myself, or by 
 any one at table, that Pelley meant to insinuate that the order 
 was the reward of his jacobinism, or that Alexander knew those 
 had been his principles ; but only that the Czar either was, or 
 thought proper to be, the dupe of one of the numerous intrigans 
 tliat fluttered into notice at this period ; for scarcely any one 
 believed, at the time, that any order had ever been brought to 
 nmjor Lescourt to blow up the powder-magazine, and which was 
 afterwards proved to be an invention of Lescourt, by an inquiry 
 which was otlicially made. Being in company with colonel sir 
 Neil Campbell, at Paris, the 9th of February, 1819, I mentioned 
 to him the conversation I had heard from colonel Pelley ; he did 
 not deny any part of it, and favoured me with se\eral other 
 curious anecdotes relating to the journey to Elba, which I wrote 
 down the same evening, and have inserted them in the course of 
 this narrative. 
 
 R
 
 242 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 that the commissioners did not appear to act 
 as if they considered themselves responsible for 
 Napoleon's person, or as guards upon him ; his 
 escape, if he had intended it, being extremely 
 practicable, the sentry being placed at his cham- 
 ber-door as a military honour, only. On the 
 commissioners quitting Nevers, they were hooted 
 by the inhabitants. 
 
 On entering Moulins, the emperor was escorted 
 by some cuirassiers of the allied army. They 
 were met by a carriage, in which was the mayor 
 and another gentleman. Two of the cuirassiers 
 rode up to the carriage, and announced to them 
 the approach of the emperor ; telling them, at 
 the same time, to take the white cockades from 
 their hats. He passed through Moulins without 
 even stopping to change horses. Some of the 
 populace vociferated " Vive Tempereur!" as he 
 went along. 
 
 They slept that night at Roanne, and set off 
 the next day at ten in the morning. 
 
 On Saturday the 23d, monsieur and madame 
 Guizot saw him at Tarrare, during the change of 
 horses. He spoke to the people who were assem- 
 bled round the carriage quite en souvei^aiii, asking 
 them if they had work — if they had suffered by 
 the war. Some cried, " Vive I'empereur!" There 
 was no escort. 
 
 At Dardilly, the last post on the road to 
 Lyons, they supped. The emperor having finished
 
 NAI»()Lt:(X\"S CONVKUSATION Wl'lll A c iju:. 24:1 
 
 before the commissioners, walked forward on the 
 road, and there accosted the cur6, M. Tillon ; 
 he asked him if his parish liad sutt'ered from the 
 war; and then, pointing to the stars, said, that 
 formerly he knew the names of all the constella- 
 tions, but that he had forgotten them. Directing- 
 the cure's notice to one of them, he asked if he 
 knew its name ? The cure replying in the nega- 
 tive, their conversation ended. 
 
 The same night, about eleven o'clock, he ar- 
 rived at Lyons. They did not stop at the post- 
 house in the city, but, as a matter of precaution, 
 crossed the Rhone by the Pont de la Guilloti^re, 
 and changed horses in the fauxbourg of that 
 name, at a place called Madelene. Some car- 
 riages belonging to the emperor had passed 
 through Lyons in the morning. The people were 
 waiting Na])oleon's arrival during the whole day. 
 On his passing the bridge, some few called out 
 ** Vive Tempereur !" 
 
 From Lyons colonel Campbell went forward to 
 see if there was an English ship-of-war either at 
 Marseilles or at Toulon. Finding the Undaunted 
 frigate, of 38 ginis, commanded by captain Usher, 
 at the former, he shewed his authority from lord 
 Castlereagh to order it to St. Tropes, the port fixed 
 upon for Napoleon's embarkation, whither cap- 
 tain Usher sailed, whilst the colonel. Sec. pro- 
 ceeded by land. 
 
 On Sunday the 24th, about twelve o'clock,
 
 244 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 meeting an avant-coiirier near Valence, Napoleon 
 stopped bim, and asked to whom he belonged. 
 On replying, to marshal Augereau, he ordered him 
 to return, and tell the marshal that the emperor 
 wished to speak to him. When the carriages met, 
 they both alighted. Napoleon saluted the mar- 
 shal by taking off his hat, then, taking him by the 
 arm, they walked for nearly a quarter of an hour 
 towards Valence. Buonaparte began by, " Ou vas- 
 tu comme cela? a Paris? a la cour?" Augereau 
 replied, " Sire, pour le moment je vais a Lyons." 
 Buonaparte : " Ne te gene pas ; je ne suis plus 
 sire pour toi : j'ai lu ta proclamation; elle est 
 platte : Louis XVIII t'en jugera d'apr^s cela."* 
 He then continued reproaching him ; upon which 
 the marshal began to thee and thou the emperor, 
 justified himself, and reproached him with having 
 sacrificed every thing to his insatiable ambition, 
 adding, " There is one great truth in my pro- 
 clamation, wdiich is, that thou didst not know 
 how to die like a soldier." Notwithstanding this 
 altercation, Buonaparte, on quitting him, said, 
 " Vas, je ne t'en veux pas." I am indebted for 
 this anecdote to the wife of general Letort, and 
 to the chief of the post-office at Lyons, who saw 
 Augereau on his arrival at that city. 
 
 * This proclamation, dated April 16th, was manufactured by 
 the government authorities at Lyons, who sent it to Augereau to 
 sign ; for, silly as it is, he, poor man, was not capable of writing 
 it, or any thing else.
 
 NAPOLEON'S DANGER rilOM THE I'Ol'fEACE. 'J45 
 
 At Donzy, which they passed Kite in tlie 
 evening-, the outcry against Najioleon l)egan. 
 *' A bas Nicholas ! a has le tyran ! a bas le Corse! 
 le coquin ! le mauvais gueux !" were the only salu- 
 tations he received during the rest of his journey. 
 
 He arrived at Avignon on the 25th, at l)etween 
 five and six in the morning, where the civil au- 
 thorities had done every thing in their power to 
 prevent tumult, as it was known to be the inten- 
 tion of the people to sacrifice him to tlieir ven- 
 geance ; yet, when the carriages stopped without 
 the city-walls to change horses, about a hundred 
 persons had assembled in a tumultuous manner : 
 sabres were brandished, and positive violence to 
 the person of Napoleon was only prevented by 
 the exertions of the urban guards, one of whose 
 officers harangued them with great firmness, 
 which somewhat a[)peased their fury. In the 
 interval the horses were put to ; the guard tore 
 the people from the wheels ; the officers ordered 
 the postilions to drive ofi", which they did at lull 
 gallop. The other carriages, on account of the 
 allied commissioners, were respected. 
 
 Sir Neil Campbell told me, that he arrived at 
 Avisfnon at four in the morning, and notwith- 
 standing it was very dark, found the peoj^le 
 assembled in considerable numbers. They cpics- 
 tioned him relative to the emperor's passage, 
 saying, that several thousand persons had waited 
 the whole of the preceding day with the intention
 
 246 MEMOllABI.E EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 of sacrificing him.* The colonel remonstrated 
 with them, urging that he was no longer dan- 
 gerous ; that he was quitting France by a treaty ; 
 and, above all, that he was under the protection 
 of the allies. 
 
 On arriving at the post-house, which stands 
 before the entrance to Orgon, a small town, round 
 whose ancient walls the road winds, they found 
 the people assembled in the most outrageous 
 manner, and a figure in French uniform, covered 
 with blood, suspended to a tree. The rabble, who, 
 in this country of barbarians, are famed for their 
 ruffian manners, surrounded the emperor's car- 
 riage, and loaded him with every kind of abuse, 
 in which the women were particularly violent. 
 When the horses were put to, the figure was 
 dragged to another tree, where it was again sus- 
 pended, and shot at. The mob prevented his 
 carriage from proceeding, climbed up on both 
 sides of it, tore off Napoleon's decoration of the 
 legion of honour, and spat in his face : one fellow 
 insisted on his crying out " Vive le roi !" with 
 which he complied. " Encore ' Vive le roi !' " The 
 emperor again acquiesced. Some stones were 
 thrown, the marks of which, on the carriage, 
 Bertrand pointed out to colonel Campbell on 
 their way to Elba. Count SchuwalofF harangued 
 
 * What an assemblage of the bigoted ruffian inhabitants of 
 Avignon is capable of perpetrating, the subsequent unpunished 
 murder of marshal Brune has fully evinced.
 
 NAPOLEON FORCED TO CRY "VIVE LE ROl !" 247 
 
 the mob, asking- them if they were not ashamed 
 to insult an unfortunate and undefended person, 
 who, after dictatinu,' laws to the universe, was now 
 at their mercy and their generosity! — " Leave 
 him to himself; contempt is the only arms you 
 should employ against him." This produced the 
 desired effect, and prevented further violence. 
 An ancient chevalier of St. Louis, named Lambert, 
 contributed also, by addressing them, in some 
 degree to calm their rage.* 
 
 M. de St. Perest and major John Vivian were 
 at Orgon a few days after, and spoke to the man 
 who boasted of having forced the emperor to cry 
 " Vive le roi !" 
 
 This affair so alarmed Napoleon, that when he 
 had proceeded about a quarter of a league from 
 Orgon, he changed his dress to an old blue great- 
 coat and a round hat with a white cockade, quitted 
 his carriage, mounted on horseback, and galloped 
 forward as a courier. 
 
 At St. Canat his carriage was surrounded by 
 a turbulent rabble, and Bertrand, who alone was 
 in it, was protected from their rage by the ener- 
 getic conduct of the mayor of that place. 
 
 * So completely are the people of Orgon ashamed of their 
 conduct, that on my questioning them in April, 1825, on the 
 spot where the outrage was committed, they denied it, and said, 
 that it had been the fashion to calumniate their town. On 
 Napoleon's return from Elba, many of the inhabitants of Orgon 
 fled, conscious of having merited the vengeance of his soldiers.
 
 248 ME.M()R.VBLE F,VKNTS OF 1814. 
 
 Having preceded his carriage^ the emperor, in 
 company with the courier, entered a large but 
 bad muleteers inn, called La Calade, situated on 
 the right side of the road, about four miles before 
 arriving at Aix. The courier led the horses to the 
 stable; Napoleon entered the inn, and asked for 
 a room, announcing himself as colonel Campbell. 
 The landlady shewed him one, having, as is usual 
 in the south of France with those on the ground- 
 floor, windows protected by iron bars, apologising 
 for its being low and dark, saying, that it was the 
 only one she had. He replied, it would do. While 
 she was putting it in order, she asked him if he 
 had seen Buonaparte on the road. On his reply- 
 ing, No, (as she told major John Vivian, a few 
 days after this conversation, from whom I received 
 the information,) she poured forth a torrent of 
 abuse against him ; saying, she hoped, that if he 
 escaped being massacred on the road, that he 
 would be thrown into the sea in going to his 
 island. To this abuse he replied, that many 
 things were said of him which were not true. 
 This conversation had such effect upon him, that 
 when the commissioners arrived at the inn, they 
 found him leaning on the table, with his face on 
 his hands, and on raising his head they perceived 
 his eyes were full of tears. Here they all dined. 
 Sir Neil Campbell told me that the commissioners 
 assured him, that after dinner, they being in the 
 room and at table, the emperor took a tumbler
 
 NAPOLKON IN DISGUISE. 249 
 
 of water to the fire-place, and there made use of 
 it as a local application for the inconvenience he 
 had contracted at Fontaineblcau. In consequence 
 of the fears of Napoleon, they did not leave La 
 Calade until near midnight, and he then persuaded 
 the aide-de-camp of general Schuwaloff to put on 
 the old great-coat and round hat in which he had 
 arrived, Napoleon determining to pass for an 
 Austrian colonel ; he put on general Roller's uni- 
 form, and his order of St. Theresa, with count 
 Waldbourg-Truchess' travelling-cap, and general 
 Schuwalotf's cloak. When he was thus accoutred, 
 the whole party went out huddled together, and 
 the assembled spectators who surrounded the door 
 could not discover the object of their solicitude. 
 Some gens d'armes, whom the mayor of Aix had 
 sent to preserve order, drove the crowd from the 
 carriages, and all went off peaceably. Napoleon 
 was fully of opinion, that the French government 
 had arranged the plan to assassinate him at 
 Orgon.* After Napoleon's return from Elba, in 
 March 1815, the inn was repeatedly pillaged by 
 the soldiery. The landlady quitted the country 
 for safety. 
 
 The next day they dined at the chateau of 
 Bouillidou, near the village of Luc, belonging to 
 M. Charles, a member of the chamber of deputies. 
 Here he met his favourite sister Pauline, princess 
 
 • The former plot huviiig been frustrated by Dc Maubrcuil.
 
 250 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 Borghese, who resided there for her health, to 
 whom he recounted all his dangers and disguises. 
 27th. — They all arrived at Frejus, at which 
 place Napoleon made up his mind to embark, in- 
 stead of St. Tropes, which is within sight. Colonel 
 Campbell, having been informed of the change, 
 had already arrived, and captain Usher, in the 
 Undaunted, shortly after came into St. Rapheau, 
 which is the port of Frejus. Colonel Campbell 
 introduced captain Usher to Napoleon, who was 
 at an inn, the sign of the Chapeau-rouge. The 
 emperor invited him to dinner, and asked him 
 which way the wind was ? How far it was to Elba ? 
 How long he should be going? To the latter 
 question captain Usher replied, that as there was 
 a light wdnd, probably about thirty-six hours, but 
 this was very uncertain. Napoleon then told him 
 he was determined to embark on board his ship. 
 A more happy rencontre could not have occurred 
 in order to give the emperor a favourable idea of 
 a British naval officer, captain Usher being a 
 gentleman of most unaffected, correct, engaging, 
 unassuming manners, — serious, firm, mild, cou- 
 rageous, and of the greatest veracity. During 
 dinner Napoleon was in excellent spirits ; he said 
 to captain Usher that he had intended to have built 
 three hundred ships of the line, and with them to 
 invade England. " But where could you have 
 obtained seamen?" said Usher. " I had provided 
 for all — I should have formed them in the Zuyder-
 
 NAPOLEON'S NAUTICAL KNOWLEDC;!:. 251 
 
 Zee, where there is a heavy swell rollin<^ in. They 
 should particularly have been exercised in anchor- 
 ing in a tide-way." The Austrian commissioner, 
 supposing this to be a flourish of Napoleon's, and 
 that he could not know any thing of naval aft'airs, 
 asked him to explain what was meant by anchoring 
 in a tide-way, as he, who now saw salt water for 
 the first time in his life, was ignorant of every 
 thing relative to nautical business. Napoleon 
 immediately explained what was meant, and cap- 
 tain Usher told me that the most experienced 
 seaman could not have done it better. Napoleon 
 said, that when he granted licenses, it was not for 
 the purpose of indulging the French with sugar 
 and coffee, but by means of these voyages to form 
 sailors; and a correct register of them was kept, 
 so that he knew where to find them the moment 
 they were wanted. He appointed his captains, 
 no matter what their seniority, to command the 
 schooners of the Mediterranean, that they might 
 be accustomed to be tost about, which they would 
 be in small vessels more than others ; and that 
 when by all these means he had formed a con- 
 siderable number of sailors, he would send them 
 to make East and West India voyages ; some 
 would be taken, but those who got back would 
 be good seamen. He spoke contemj)tuously of 
 the Dutch sailors. He asked captain Usher what 
 lie thousiht of the manauvres of the Toulon fleet? 
 who replied, they were excellent; but he had only
 
 252 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 seen them in smooth water ; if they were to en- 
 connter a gale it would be very different. Captain 
 Usher slept on shore. 
 
 28th. — At four in the morning, two of the civil 
 authorities of Frejus came to captain Usher in 
 great consternation, entreating him to get the 
 emperor on board, as they had received intelli- 
 gence that some thousands of the army of Italy 
 were arriving by forced marches to join him, and 
 that the consequence would be dreadful. The 
 captain replied, that he had nothing to do with 
 the embarkation — the commissioners alone could 
 regulate that. As soon as he saw Napoleon he 
 pressed him to go on board, for if the wind was 
 to shift round to the southward and freshen, he 
 could not remain in the bay. The emperor was 
 not inclined to sail, and insisted that a royal salute 
 should be fired on his embarkation, making this a 
 sine qua noil of his acquiescence to leave the shore. 
 Captain Usher urged that it was contrary to rule 
 ever to fire a salute after sunset, and that the 
 noise of twenty-four pounders would frighten the 
 horses.* " C'est 6gal," was his reply. The sa- 
 lute, therefore, was consented to by the captain, 
 and Napoleon fixed on eight in the evening to 
 embark, f 
 
 There were but two, one of which the emperor bought on 
 the road. 
 
 t In an account of the journey to St. Tropes by the Prussian 
 commissary, count Waldbourg-Truchess, he says there was a 
 
 I
 
 NAPOLKON'S EIMBAllKATION l-OIl ELBA. 253 
 
 He dined with his own suite at his inn. The 
 two horses and two carriages in wliicli Najjoleon 
 came were put on board in the course of the day. 
 At the appointed hour captain Usher waited on 
 the emperor ; his sword and pistols were on the 
 table before him. A few minutes after, a noise of 
 a number of persons assembled in the street was 
 heard ; Usher, to hear what Napoleon would say, 
 observed, that he had seen the mobs of several 
 different nations, but that a French mob was the 
 worst. They are a fickle people, was the reply. 
 
 The emperor, having buckled on his sword, 
 put his pistols in his pocket ; the room door was 
 opened, and a number of the inhabitants were 
 seen on the landing-place and on the stairs: 
 among the ladies was one both young and beauti- 
 ful ; he asked her if she was married, and if she 
 had children, but did not wait for an answer to 
 either question. As he passed, the people bowed 
 down their heads as when the host is elevated. 
 
 salute fired, not for Buonaparte, but with twelve guns, in honour 
 of field-marshal lieutenant baron KoUer, and twelve for count 
 Schuwaloff. (Why not twelve in honour of the Prussian ?) That 
 they left Buonaparte in his own error that they were intended 
 for him, lest he should start any new difficulties or objections to 
 embark, as he was aware it was the intention of captain Usher 
 to receive him as a simple individual, and not as an emperor. 
 
 It is unfortunate for the Prussian's account he did not count 
 the number of guns fired, or that he was ignorant that captain 
 Usher's instructions were to consider him as emperor.
 
 254 me:\iorablk events of 1814. 
 
 apparently not daring to raise them. There was 
 no shouting or cry of " Vive Tempereur!"' They 
 all went in carriages to the shore, which is three 
 miles from the town ; it was a beautiful moon- 
 light evening. They quitted the carriages at the 
 edge of a small wood, which having walked 
 through, the emperor taking hold of captain 
 Usher's arm, they suddenly found themselves on 
 the beach, where the Undaunted's boat was in 
 waiting, and some Austrian cavalry were drawn 
 up. Here the Russian and Prussian commissaries 
 quitted them, and returned to Paris. On enter- 
 ing the boat, captain Usher introduced lieutenant 
 Smith, who commanded it, to Napoleon, as the 
 nephew of sir Sidney Smith. The emperor said 
 he remembered his uncle in Syria. 
 
 When they came alongside of the Undaunted, 
 Napoleon desired the captain to ascend, and then 
 followed ; the officers were on deck to receive 
 him ; they mutually bowed, and the emperor in- 
 stantly went forward alone among the men, most 
 of whom spoke French, having been on this sta- 
 tion for some years. They all kept their hats on, 
 but he so fascinated them by his manner, that in 
 a few minutes they, of their own accord, took 
 them off. Captain Usher was very glad of this, 
 as he was apprehensive the sailors might have 
 thrown him overboard. Napoleon was particu- 
 larly pleased with the boatswain, who was an 
 uncommonly fine fellow, and also took a great
 
 CAPTAIN USIIKU'S CONDUCT. 255 
 
 fancy to the Serjeant of marines, an Irisliman, 
 who, with Usher's consent, was liis only guard 
 at Elba until the imperial guard arrived, sleeping 
 in the anti-room of Napoleon's bed-chamber. 
 
 The Undaunted sailed a little before eleven, 
 P.M. Captain Usher, the next day, was very 
 silent at table ; this Bertrand noticed to Camp- 
 bell, at that time a great admirer of the emperor, 
 who remonstrated with the captain on his taci- 
 turnity. 
 
 During the voyage the emperor often went 
 forward among the sailors ; they always took off 
 their hats to him, but never did to Bertrand or 
 to the other passengers. He complimented the 
 captain on the excellent discipline he kept up, 
 observing, that he had in vain attempted to intro- 
 duce it in the French navy ; " where," continued 
 he, " the commander will laugh and joke wath all 
 the crew, even to the cabin-boy, and the sailors 
 are suffered to sprawl about the quarter-deck, and 
 play at cards, backgammon, dominos, or what 
 they please." 
 
 Captain Usher was astonished at the extent 
 and correctness of nautical information which 
 Napoleon evinced during the voyage. One day 
 he asked him whether ail the sails were set that 
 the frigate could carry ; and on being answered 
 in the affirmative, " yet," said the emperor, " if 
 you were in chase of an enemy, would you not 
 hoist one more?" " Yes, the sky-sail." " Qui,
 
 256 :\rE.A[ORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 oui, do let us have it up." His desire was com- 
 plied with. 
 
 The emperor being in want of a flag for his 
 new dominions, captain Usher told me that they 
 overhauled all the colours in the frigate, and 
 Napoleon fixed on the Tuscan flag, which is 
 white with a red bend ; this bend he had charged 
 with three gold bees. Two such flags were im- 
 mediately made by captain Usher's orders ; one 
 for the boat in which the emperor was to land, 
 the other for the fort at Porto-Ferrajo. 
 
 Sir Neil Campbell assured me that no flag was 
 made on board the Undaunted. 
 
 Captain Usher told me that Napoleon pos- 
 sessed great playfulness of character, of which he 
 witnessed repeated instances both on board and 
 at Elba. 
 
 Sir Neil Campbell said that Napoleon was in 
 very good spirits during the voyage ; that he spoke 
 with the greatest bitterness of the French in 
 general ; but the individuals he was most inve- 
 terate against were Marmont, Talleyrand, and 
 Bernadotte. ** The French," said he, " now 
 abuse me in pamphlets and in the newspapers, 
 without ever admitting how willingly they se- 
 conded my wishes in every thing, and went be- 
 yond them in every act of rigour."* He said, 
 
 * A few examples of this zeal, from one class only, will shew 
 
 ■what those persons who are put in authority will do when they can. 
 
 M. La Viefville des Essassarts was prefect of the department
 
 TYRANNY OF PREFECTS. 257 
 
 more than once during the voyage, " Ces pauvres 
 Bourbons, ils ne resteront pas dix mois, ils ne 
 sauront pas gouverner les Fran^ais." He often 
 expressed the same idea to colonel Campbell 
 while at Elba. 
 
 The Undaunted arrived off Elba in the after- 
 noon of the 3d of May. General Drouet was 
 sent on shore that evening to the governor-ge- 
 neral, Dalesme, and the next day, at two in the 
 afternoon, was fixed for the disembarking and en- 
 trance of the emperor. Early in the morning of 
 the 4th, the latter looking through a telescope 
 saw a pretty country-house on the opposite side 
 of the bay from Porto Ferrajo, and expressed a 
 
 de la Mayenne, of which the principal town is Laval. A 
 conscript presented himself, having six toes, to the examining 
 ofiicier de sante, who declared he ought to be exempted, as he 
 was incapable of long marches. The prefect ordered that the 
 sixth toe should be amputated, when the lad said he would re- 
 linquish his plea of exemption. The prefect decided that this 
 he could not do, as it had been declared to incapacitate hiui. 
 It was instantly amputated, and the conscript died, 
 
 M. de Girardin, prefect of the department of the Seine 
 Interieur, seul^four young men belonging to the first families in 
 Rouen, one of whom was son of the president of the tribunal of 
 commerce, to the army, for hissing a bad actor. 
 
 M. de Miramont, a noble of the ancien rigiync, prefect of 
 the department of the Eure, sent some gentlemen to the arn)y, 
 as gardes d'honneur, who were thirty-four years of age, which 
 was ten years above the age that exempted them. 
 
 The government required the prefect of the department of the 
 Arriege to supply five hundred men: and he sent fifteen hundred. 
 
 S
 
 258 MEMORABLE EVEXTS OF 1814. 
 
 wish to visit it; the ship's boat took him there, 
 accompanied by captain Usher, colonel Camp- 
 bell, and general Bertrand. On arriving at the 
 house, they found it shut up. A messenger was 
 despatched to Porto Ferrajo for the key ; and 
 while waiting for it. Napoleon evinced the most 
 childish impatience at this trifling delay of the 
 gratification of his whim. Colonel Campbell and 
 captain Usher left the emperor, and strolled 
 to a vineyard behind the house, where they en- 
 tered into conversation with a man who was at 
 work. He was aware the vessel had brought the 
 emperor, but did not know that he was then so 
 near. Campbell sounded him on the subject of 
 Napoleon. He worked himself into a most violent 
 passion, and with true Italian pantomime, seized 
 his own throat, and made a motion of cutting it 
 with his pruning-knife, signifying that thus he 
 wished to serve the emperor. The Englishmen 
 had the greatest difficulty in pacifying him. 
 
 Napoleon returned on board ; and between 
 two and three o'clock in the afternoon he quitted 
 the ship, and landed at Porto Ferrajo. His entry 
 was made with as much ceremony as the place 
 and circumstances would permit. His flag was 
 hoisted at the fort ; a royal salute was fired by 
 the Undaunted. From the water-side he was 
 conducted under a canopy to the church. Cap- 
 tain Usher walked on one side of the emperor 
 and the Austrian commissioner, Roller, on the
 
 NAPOLEON'S SEARCH FOR WATER. 259 
 
 Other, who was ia great tribulation lest the 
 inhabitants should shoot at Napoleon, and they 
 also beeome victims. After leaving the church 
 the emperor went to the town-hall, where he was 
 received by the civil authorities. There was no 
 public dinner, however, that day, as has been said. 
 
 One of Napoleon's first cares was to obtain a 
 supply of water for the town of Porto Ferrajo. 
 Captain Usher accompanied him in a boat round 
 the bay ; they visited every creek, and tasted the 
 different rills. Seeing the English sailors wa- 
 tering, he said, ** Let us go to them, I am sure 
 they will choose the best." Napoleon made a 
 sailor dip his hat into the water, and hold it 
 for him to drink. '* It is excellent! I knew they 
 would find it out." 
 
 Alay 25th. — The French frigate, the Dryade, 
 captain count Montcabri6, and the Inconstant 
 brig, came into the bay ; the former to take the 
 French garrison of Elba to France, the second, 
 according to treaty, was to be given to Na- 
 poleon. 
 
 26th.' — Early in the morning, the four hun- 
 dred olficers and soldiers who were allowed to 
 the emperor as his guard, by the treaty of April 
 11th, and who set out from Petiviers two days 
 before he quitted Fontainebleau, pjoceeded by 
 Lyons, where the officers were invited to a hand- 
 some dinner, given at a Restaurateur's in ihe 
 Broteaux, by some young gentlemen of that city,
 
 260 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 crossed Mont Cenis, and instead of entering 
 Turin, went to Carmagnole, &c., from thence to 
 Savona. On their arrival at that port, general 
 Cambrone sent off" a small vessel to Elba, which 
 arrived there in two days with the news. Four 
 days were occupied in getting the five British 
 vessels ready that were to carry those troops 
 to Elba. The wind proving unfavourable, nine 
 more days were consumed in the voyage ; and 
 Napoleon declared, that the interval between the 
 arrival of Aviso and that of the transports was 
 passed by him in a state of greater anxiety and 
 misery than he had ever before experienced. 
 
 Napoleon's carriages, and also his horses, 
 which, including those of the cavalry, amounted 
 to ninety- two, were all disembarked in the 
 course of the morning by the English sailors, 
 without the smallest accident. The emperor was 
 present the whole time, and expressed his ad- 
 miration and astonishment at the style in which 
 this was done. " Had they been French sailors," 
 said he, " they would have been at least four days 
 about it ; every carriage would have been broken, 
 and half the horses lamed." 
 
 The arrival of the French vessels at Elba 
 disclosed a feeling that ought to have been a 
 useful lesson to the Bourbonists. On the 2Gth, 
 Napoleon put off in a boat at four in the morning, 
 and went on board the Dryade : the sailors were 
 employed in washing the decks, but on seeing
 
 SIR NEIL CAMPBEIJ- AND MR. WIIlTRUEAl). 2G1 
 
 him, they all instantly ran up the shrouds and 
 shouted ** Vive Tempereur!" Napoleon walked 
 about the vessel, spoke a few words to the 
 sailors, and returned to his boat before Mont- 
 cabri^, who was dressing, was ready to receive 
 him. He next visited the English transports, 
 and then went on shore. Montcabri6 rushed upon 
 deck, foaming with rage at his sailors for cheer- 
 ing, yet not daring to punish them, for fear of 
 a general mutiny. The emperor gave a grand 
 dinner that day, and all the officers of both 
 nations, as well as two Elbese ladies, were invited. 
 During the dinner, the still-enraged Montcabri^ 
 told the whole affair to captain Usher, liberally 
 bestowing the epithets of rascals on his crew.* 
 
 On the 27th of May, the day before that on 
 which captain Usher had fixed to quit Elba, 
 general Bertrand waited upon him, and presented 
 him, in the name of the emperor, with an oval 
 gold snuff-box, on the lid of which was his 
 portrait, painted by Isabey, surrounded by 
 twenty-two brilliants, each of the value of one 
 
 * Captain Usher related this circumstance to the late 
 Samuel Whitbread, esq. who afterwards mentioned it to sir 
 Neil Campbell, who, to his astonishment, denied the whole 
 transaction. Mr. Whitbread wrote to captain Usher, informing 
 him of this denial; he replied, that sir Neil Campbell sat next 
 to captain Montcabrie at the dinner, during which the whole 
 conversation took place. It appears that conversations arc 
 liable to escape sir Neil Campbell's memory.
 
 262 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 hundred pounds. The emperor is represented in 
 a green uniform, with the riband of the legion of 
 honour. I think it is a very excellent likeness. 
 Wergman, the king's jeweller, offered captain 
 Usher three thousand guineas for it : he has 
 since refused five thousand ; and declared to me 
 that nothing would tempt him to part with it. 
 He waited on the emperor to take leave, and to 
 thank him for this valuable memorial of his satis- 
 faction. The emperor treated the present as a 
 trifle. 
 
 Jiuie 4th. — The Dryade sailed with the 
 French garrison. 
 
 The emperor's mother arrived at Elba on the 
 2d of August, and occupied a large house on the 
 quay at Porto Ferrajo. 
 
 Sir Neil Campbell resided at the house of the 
 parish priest at Porto Ferrajo, and dined at the 
 inn. During the first three months. Napoleon 
 was on very friendly terms with this officer ; but 
 afterwards, conceiving he acted as a spy on his 
 conduct, he treated him with great coolness. 
 
 Lord Ebrington, Mr. Fazaskorly, Mr. Frederic 
 Douglas, and another gentleman, visited Elba, 
 and were admitted to pay their court to the 
 emperor. The first dined with him, and was re- 
 ceived in the most polite and unreserved manner. 
 Napoleon said, the Bourbons were fools for al- 
 lowing such a number of abusive pamphlets to 
 be published against him : they had better do
 
 PRINCESS KORGIIKSK AT EIM\. 263 
 
 as I have done, ■ — never to allow them to be 
 mentioned. Speaking of Berthier, prince of 
 Neufchaters ingratitude, he said, " C'est un bon 
 diable," and would be one of the first to come 
 with tears in his eyes and ask pardon ; but the 
 connexions of his wife are the cause : he was 
 obliiied to act as he did for his own interest. 
 He has but little understanding-, but has been 
 very useful to me, particularly with his pen ; and 
 ended by saying, " C'est un bon diable, et je 
 laime." 
 
 General Montague Mathew visited Elba, and 
 dined daily with general Bertrand. 
 
 October 3\st. — The emperor's sister, Pauline, 
 princess Borghese, landed in Elba : she sailed in 
 the emperor's brig the Inconstant, which had 
 been sent to Naples for her. Napoleon went 
 out in his barge to receive her. The next day 
 two merchant - brigs arrived, laden with her 
 luggage. 
 
 The princess lived in the palace with her bro- 
 ther : she was accompanied by three young and 
 beautiful maids of honour, one a Spaniard, the 
 other two French. Napoleon had a room built 
 for her in the garden, in which she gave balls 
 every Sunday evening. 
 
 Numerous workmen visited Elba, and were 
 employed in fitting up and enlarging tiie house 
 formerly belonging to the artillery, at which Na- 
 poleon resided. He also began to build a vi'
 
 264 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 in the valley of St. Martin, to which a good 
 carriage-road wa§ made by his direction ; and 
 accompanied by Bertrand, Druot, and a secretary, 
 and surrounded by guards, he drove thither every 
 day in a barouche and four, to inspect the progress 
 of the work. Before his arrival, no carriage had 
 been seen on the island. Another road, from 
 Porto Ferrajo round the bay, was also under- 
 taken by his direction, and he converted the hos- 
 pital church, which had been used for barracks, 
 into a theatre, in which masked balls were given. 
 All this causing much money to circulate, soon 
 rendered him very popular among the working 
 classes ; but the higher orders, sir Neil Campbell 
 told me, always held him in great aversion. 
 
 The English gun-brig Grasshopper, captain sir 
 Charles Burrard, touched at Elba at the end of 
 October. 
 
 The Partridge, of 16 guns, captain John Miller 
 Adye, was constantly cruising from Civita-Vecchia 
 to Genoa ; but his instructions were, never to re- 
 main more than forty-eight hours at Elba. 
 
 Sir Neil Campbell told me, that he had no 
 instructions to prevent Napoleon leaving Elba, 
 had he chosen to do so. 
 
 Lord Castlereagh said, in the House of Com- 
 mons, 7th April, 1815, that Napoleon was not 
 considered as a prisoner at Elba, and that if he 
 should leave it, the allies had no right to arrest 
 him.
 
 A MYSTERIOUS LADY AT ELBA. 2G5 
 
 1815. 
 
 At the beginning of January, a lady arrived at 
 Elba, and proceeded to the imperial residence. 
 After a stay of three days, Napoleon conducted 
 her, at night, to the shore ; and on some persons 
 approaching with torches, the emperor halloed to 
 them to keep back. None of the Elbese knew 
 who she was, and the few in the palace who had 
 seen her, preserved a mysterious silence ; but one 
 who spoke to her there informed me that it was 
 the beautiful Polish countess Valeska, by whom 
 Napoleon had a son a few years before. This 
 lady, who afterwards married general Ornano, is 
 now no more. 
 
 Major John H. Vivian told me he arrived at 
 Elba about the 25th of January, in the Partridge. 
 Captain Adye introduced him to general Bertrand, 
 by whom he was received in a very friendly man- 
 ner, lie dined with him once ; but this appeared 
 to put them to some inconvenience, as they were 
 living in an indifferent house, with scarcely any 
 furniture. Madame Bertrand, formerly miss 
 Dillon, had a few English books. Major Vivian 
 asked if Napoleon had written any thing since his 
 residence at Elba, and Bertrand assured him that 
 the only time he had taken a pen in hand was 
 to write a letter of mere compliment to the em- 
 peror of Austria. On requesting Bertrand to
 
 266 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1815. 
 
 introduce him to Napoleon, he informed him the 
 etiquette was, to write to the emperor and re- 
 quest an audience. He did so, and eight o'clock 
 that evening was appointed. Bertrand having 
 introduced him, left the room. Vivian remained 
 with the emperor until half-past nine, during which 
 neither of them were seated. Being in regimentals. 
 Napoleon began the conversation by asking him 
 what uniform he wore. " The militia." *' What 
 militia?" "Cornish." *' Are you the colonel ?" 
 " No ; major." He then questioned him about the 
 tour of Europe he was making ; the places he had 
 visited ; state of the roads, bridges, &c. He 
 observed, the English ought to respect the me- 
 mory of Henry VIH., as he succeeded in over- 
 throwing ecclesiastical power. The interview 
 ended by Napoleon asking him which route he 
 intended to return by. On his saying Mount 
 Cenis, he wished him a pleasant journey and 
 retired. Major Vivian said he made no complaint 
 of poverty, and not a word escaped him of a hope 
 of returning to France. Bertrand, at Vivian's 
 request, introduced him to the princess Pauline, 
 by whom he was received in the most flattering 
 manner. She told him that Napoleon never suf- 
 fered a word of regret to escape him on their 
 change of fortune — *' Mon fr^re est si philo- 
 sophe." Madame Bertrand also vaunted the 
 emperor's philosophy; but '' Jlladame M^re" com- 
 plained that they had received no money from
 
 MR. FLASKET AND NAPOLEOX. 2G7 
 
 France, though it should have been received ac- 
 cording to the treaty. IMadame Bertrand said, 
 that the money the emperor brought with him 
 was nearly expended. Major Vivian remained 
 ten days at Elba, in consequence of bad weather : 
 this enabled him to repeat his visits to the prin- 
 cess, but he had no further interview with Napo- 
 leon. He quitted Elba about the 4th of February. 
 
 Richard Flasket, esq., secretary to general 
 Maitland, arrived at Elba with captain Adye, on 
 the 27th of January. He had a letter of intro- 
 duction to general Bertrand from sir Neil Camp- 
 bell, who was then at Florence. He dined three 
 times with Bertrand, who presented his request 
 to the emperor for an audience, which was 
 granted. IMr. Flasket told me that Napoleon 
 questioned him about his travels, and as he was 
 only twenty-eight years of age, expressed much 
 surprise at their great extent, considering his 
 youth. Having resided in the Ionian Islands as 
 treasurer. Napoleon asked him many questions 
 relative to them ; what precautions general Mait- 
 land took at Malta to prevent the plague spread- 
 ing, observing, that a strict police was the only 
 means. The emperor was polite and affable during 
 the whole conversation. 
 
 Durins: the time Mr. Flasket was at Elba, the 
 emperor's brig the Inconstant, on coming into 
 Porto Fcrrajo from a cruise, run aground through 
 the negligence of the captain. Napoleon re-
 
 268 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1815. 
 
 quested captain Adye to examine her, and give 
 the necessary directions for her repair. In this 
 brig he returned to France. 
 
 Madame Bertrand praised the English to 
 Mr. Flasket, but complained that lord Castle- 
 reagh had proposed to the congress of Vienna to 
 send the emperor to St. Helena. She also com- 
 plained that the money which was stipulated to 
 be paid him, by the treaty of Fontainebleau of the 
 11th of April, had not been sent, and that they 
 were very much straitened. 
 
 In consequence of a report, which was very 
 prevalent at Elba, that, in conformity with a de- 
 termination of the congress at Vienna, the em- 
 peror was to be seized and taken to St. Helena, 
 he gave orders to provision Porto Ferrajo for 
 three years. Even sir Neil Campbell said to 
 Napoleon, " The newspapers say you are to be 
 sent to St. Helena." '' Nous verrons cela," was 
 the reply. 
 
 Sir Neil Campbell informed me, that at the 
 beginning of February, the waiter at the inn 
 where he dined told him a man had arrived in 
 an open boat that morning from the continent, 
 dressed like a sailor ; he came to the inn, where, 
 having thrown aside his disguise, he waited on 
 Bertrand at the palace, dressed as a person of 
 distinction, wearing the decoration of the legion 
 of honour, and where he remained for some time ; 
 adding, that since his return the gens d'armes had
 
 BARON FLEURY AND THE EMPEROR. '2G9 
 
 shewn him great respect. The next day this per- 
 son went away. Campbell could nut discover 
 who he was. 
 
 This mysterious visitor was the baron Fleury 
 de Chaboulon, who, at the return of Napoleon, 
 was appointed his private secretary. The object 
 of his visit was a verbal communication from the 
 
 due de B ; but not risking the carrying of 
 
 any letter, he mentioned to the emperor some 
 
 circumstances only known to B and himself. 
 
 The caution and reserve with which he was re- 
 ceived ceased. Napoleon was so agitated at first, 
 that he could not enter into conversation. When 
 the faithful messenger detailed the follies of the 
 Bourbons and the atrocities of their party, he 
 burst into paroxysms of rage against the emi- 
 grants, and Marmont for his defection. On be- 
 coming calm, he asked the situation of the dif- 
 ferent corps of the army, particularly the eighth ; 
 of which F — • — • was ignorant. ** But why did 
 not B inform you ?" F replied, " Nei- 
 ther of us thought you would instantly determine 
 to set off for France, and we were of opinion that 
 you would know what was passing through your 
 agents." " I have no agents, though the news- 
 papers assert the contrary. I have sent persons 
 to France, but they learned nothing. — lis out 
 vol6 mon argent, et ne m'ont entretenu cjue 
 des propos de la canaille. — -You are the first 
 person who has brought me any information sous
 
 270 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1815. 
 
 des grand rapports of the position of France and 
 the Bourbons : the others would have allowed me 
 to remain here, a remuer la terre de mon jardin.' 
 
 Return, and tell B 1 will quit this place, 
 
 with my guard, before the 1st of April at the 
 latest ; tell him I renounce all project of aggran- 
 disement, and will repair, by a stable peace, the 
 ills this war has done us ; tell him to commu- 
 nicate with the people and the army ; and should 
 the Bourbons be driven out before my arrival, 
 I will have no regency, but a gouvernement pro- 
 visoire, composed of * * *. Go ! we shall 
 shortly meet !" The emperor sent for him again 
 in the evening, and directed him to transmit tri- 
 plicate letters, one by Genoa, one by Leghorn, and 
 the third by Civita Vecchia, to inform him what 
 corps were in the eighth and tenth military divi- 
 sions. He also imparted to him the name of an 
 inhabitant of Elba to whom these letters were to 
 be addressed, and desired that they might be 
 written in such a style as to appear, in case of 
 discovery, a mere commercial communication ; 
 adding, that he had often tried to outwit persons 
 who wrote under the disguise of merchants, but 
 never succeeded. He then gave him his cipher, 
 charging him, however, only to use it in case of 
 the utmost urgency, and to destroy it on the least 
 
 suspicion of danger. M, F returned by way 
 
 of Naples and Milan ; at Turin he heard that 
 Napoleon had disembarked in France. When
 
 NArOI.KON LEAVES ELBA. 271 
 
 they met, the emperor said to hiin, that after his 
 departure from Elba he thought he liad been im- 
 prudent in requiring information to ])c sent lo 
 that island, as, if intercepted, cruisers would be 
 stationed round the island, and this consideration 
 induced him to set off with the least possible 
 delay. At this time there was a very pretty 
 cunning little French actress at Elba. Napoleon 
 pretended to be very angry with her, saying she 
 was a spy of the Bourbons and an agent of the 
 English spy, and ordered her out of the island in 
 twenty-four hours. Captain Adye took her in his 
 vessel to Leghorn : sir Neil Campbell went at the 
 same time ; and during this absence, on Sunday, 
 the 26th of February, a signal gun was fired at 
 four o'clock in the afternoon, the drums beat to 
 arms, the officers tumbled what they could of 
 their effects into flour sacks, the men arranged 
 their knapsacks, the embarkation began, and at 
 eight in the evening they were under-weigh. The 
 expedition consisted of the Inconstant brig, of 20 
 gims, captain Chantard, and five little vessels. 
 The breeze fell at midnight, and a calm ensued, 
 so that at day-break they were between Elba and 
 the Isle of Capraia. At six, a.m., they were 
 hailed by the French brig the Zephyr, captain 
 Andrieu, who was acquainted with Napoleon's 
 captain ; he asked how the emperor did. Napo- 
 leon replied through the speaking trumpet, " il
 
 272 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1815. 
 
 se portait k merveille." In the night of the 
 27th the wind freshened. On the 1st of March, 
 the expedition entered the Gulf of Juan at three 
 in the afternoon, and at five the emperor disem- 
 barked in France. 
 
 Sir Neil Campbell quitted Leghorn on Sunday- 
 night, and being shortly afterwards becalmed, did 
 not arrive at Elba until Tuesday morning. On 
 landing, he was met by Mr. Grattan, son of the 
 Irish member, who informed him, that on Sunday 
 afternoon, at four o'clock, hearing the drums beat 
 to arms, he went out, and found the gates of 
 Porto Ferrajo shut ; that the whole of Monday 
 he saw the expedition to the northward becalmed 
 until sun-set ; it was his opinion they were gone 
 to France. Sir Neil found madame Bertrand in 
 very great agitation, who, as well as the princess 
 Pauline, protested ignorance of the emperor's 
 destination. It struck Campbell he was gone to 
 Murat at Naples; to discover this, he instantly 
 told the princess and madame Bertrand that the 
 whole expedition had been taken by the cruisers 
 off Sicily. Pauline's countenance instantly bright- 
 ened, as this convinced her the colonel knew 
 nothing?. Sir Neil did not see Madame M^re, and 
 remained only two hours at Elba, from whence 
 he went to Nice. He was of opinion that ge- 
 neral Druot was the only person who knew of 
 Napoleon s project, and that the others were in-
 
 REGENCY AT BLOIS. 273 
 
 formed of it but a few lioiirs before ; and that even 
 Napoleon himself had no such intention a fort- 
 night previous. 
 
 THE REGENCY AT BLOIS. 
 
 The last recorded acts of the regency before quit- 
 ting Paris are inserted in the Bulletin des Lois, 
 vol. xix. fourth series, No. 56G, and No. 10,253 of 
 the Imperial Acts. 
 
 " D6cret imperial qui present des mesures 
 d'ex6cution pour la ]ev6e des conscrits de 1815, 
 dans les d^partemens occup^s, en totalite ou en 
 partie, par Tennemi." 
 
 " Au Palais des Tuilleries, le 26 Mars, 1814." 
 
 By this decree, which consists of twenty-two 
 articles, the young men born between the 1st of 
 January 1795 and the 31st of December of the 
 same year, are to be taken for the army, and the 
 mayors for this year are invested with the full 
 powers of prefects and councils of recruitment. 
 If the lists of conscripts or registers of their births, 
 or the rules and instructions how to act, are lost, 
 the mayor is to replace them by oral communica- 
 tion and former experience. But this will give 
 him very little trouble or responsibility, as the 
 eighth article says, that all conscripts hitherto 
 exempted, from not being of the requisite height, 
 from illness or infirmities, or who, from weakness 
 
 T
 
 274 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 of constitution, had been declared incapable of 
 
 supporting the fatigue of war, and also those who, 
 
 by former laws, had been placed at the end of the 
 
 roll, should now march. That the decisions of 
 
 the mayors should be definitive, and that they 
 
 should be subject to the visits of the conseil de 
 
 recrutement when circumstances would permit; 
 
 and that no substitute should be received by the 
 
 mayors. 
 
 *' Pour I'empereur, 
 
 ** En vertu des pouvoirs qu'il nous a confies. 
 
 (Sign^) ** Marie Louise. 
 
 " Par rimperatrice Regente, 
 
 (Signe) '* Le Dug de Cadore, 
 
 " Le Ministre d'Etat, Secretaire de la Regence.'* 
 
 The act which terminates the collection of 
 laws and decrees of the imperial government, 
 and forms part of the laws of France, is of the 
 same date. No. 10,254. It gives a man permission 
 to change his name. 
 
 On the 29th of March, as stated in page 48-49, 
 the empress Marie Louise, and her son, the king 
 of Rome, quitted the palace of the Tuilleries, and 
 slept that night at the royal castle of Rambouillet. 
 Near Blois the road had been recently made, and 
 was not then finished. 
 
 The carriages were obliged, for the space of 
 half a league, to be dragged through the mud up 
 to their axle-trees. It was, therefore, necessary
 
 THE EMniESS, KINGS, &c. AT BLOIS. 275 
 
 to unite the strength of all the horses to a small 
 number of carriages, and, when these were njoved 
 onwards, to return for others which had been lel't 
 behind ; and thus the tiight of the imperial court 
 was conducted. 
 
 The baggage, principally fourgons, began to 
 arrive at Blois in the morning of the '2d of April. 
 The empress reached that town at five in the 
 afternoon. The prefect, M. Christiani, went a 
 league from the town to receive and attend her 
 to the residence of the prefecture. Napoleon's 
 brothers — Joseph, king of Spain ; Louis, king of 
 Holland ; and Jerome, king of Westphalia, were 
 lodged in the same town. The ministers and 
 court obtained lodgings for themselves, with great 
 difficulty, on account of the smallness of the 
 place ; and the accommodations for the whole 
 party were not of the most splendid kind : 
 the greater part of the fugitives here assembled 
 had the precaution to provide themselves with 
 necessaries of every description, but the prince 
 arch-chancellor, Cambaceres, had only a single 
 change of linen. Blois, the chief town of the 
 department of Loire et Cher, is situated on the 
 right bank of the Loire, which is so steep that 
 carriages cannot be used in most of the streets ; 
 there are no houses for carriages ; those of the 
 fugitive government were therefore left in the 
 open space before the hotel of the i)refecture. 
 The number was considerable, as the train of the
 
 276 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 empress alone consisted of two hundred horses. 
 The appearance of the carriages thus exposed, 
 and covered with dirt and mud collected on the 
 journey, was curious. The rain performed what 
 the servants, in the present fluctuating state of 
 things, did not think proper to attend to. Even 
 the ponderous state-carriage was treated with 
 equal disrespect and neglect. 
 
 The diligences which quitted Paris on the 
 31st of March, at six in the morning, arrived at 
 Blois at eleven the following morning, two hours 
 later than usual : from the passengers the event 
 of the battle was learnt, and that though the 
 gates of Paris were occupied by the national 
 guards when they passed out of them, yet, in a 
 few hours, they were to be replaced by the allies. 
 Shortly after, a courier arrived at the prefecture ; 
 in consequence of this the prefect began to re- 
 move, and preparations were made to receive the 
 empress and king of Rome in the hotel of the 
 prefecture, formerly the bishop's palace : the 
 principal inhabitants received orders to prepare 
 their houses for the reception of the kings, Joseph, 
 Louis, and Jerome, for the arch-chancellor, and 
 for the ministers and chiefs of the different govern- 
 ment offices. 
 
 On Sunday the 3d, mass was said at the pre- 
 fecture by the cur6 of the parish of St. Louis at 
 Blois, as none of the priests of the imperial chapel 
 at Paris arrived with the court. After mass, the
 
 THE ARMY REFUSE TO OBEY NAPOLEON. 277 
 
 empress received the different civil oflicers and 
 the clergy of Blois, but there were no addresses 
 or speeches on either side. 
 
 During the first days of her residence, Marie 
 Louise was very desirous of joining her husband, 
 and following him and the army. 
 
 Buonaparte WTote to the council of regency 
 from Fontainebleau, announcing his intention to 
 march against Paris with the force he had with 
 him, and his determination not to survive the 
 battle if he should lose it. When this was com- 
 municated to the empress, she was so much 
 affected as to be obliged to retire from the coun- 
 cil. However, on the next day, to the great 
 astonishment of every one, she appeared perfectly 
 calm. It afterwards transpired, that she had re- 
 ceived a private letter from the emperor, of a date 
 subsequent to that addressed to the council, in 
 which the important fact was disclosed that the 
 army refused to march against Paris. In the 
 personal safety of her husband thus assured to 
 her, she lost sight of his glory. 
 
 M. D'Hausonville, the chamberlain, told me 
 that there was a constant communication between 
 the emperor and empress, and that she daily sent 
 him from three to four hundred thousand francs 
 in specie: this was done with great secrecy. 
 
 Of wdiat was going forward at Paris, every 
 one at Blois, except the imperial family *nd the 
 ministers, was in a state of absolute ignorance ;
 
 278 MK:vrORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 as neither letter, newspaper, nor traveller, was 
 permitted to arrive. It was not until the Gth 
 that the newspapers from Paris were communi- 
 cated generally to the court at Blois ; they were 
 then read aloud by M. M0I6, the grand judge. It 
 had, however, been suspected, from the growing 
 politeness of the ministers to the rest of the court, 
 that their power had received a severe check. 
 
 On the Gth, two Paris mails arrived, that had 
 been detained at Orleans by the prefect of that 
 department (the Loiret), formerly a hosier at 
 Nismes, as contemptible a fellow as any the 
 French revolution had produced. The mails were 
 stopped by order of the duke of Rovigo ; but 
 M. Villeveque, a spirited inhabitant of Orleans, 
 had forced the prefect to deliver up the letters 
 and newspapers for that town, which were the 
 first regular communications received from Paris 
 since the 31st of March. 
 
 The duke of Rovigo, during the whole time of 
 the residence of the imperial court at Blois, acted 
 with a degree of relentless rigour, which formed 
 a remarkable contrast to his conduct during the 
 three preceding months. He despatched couriers 
 to all the prefects, commanding them to deny all 
 news that should arrive in their departments 
 disadvantageous to the imperial government; to 
 arrest every one who propagated such reports, or 
 who made any stir in favour of the Bourbons, 
 and to bring them immediately before a military
 
 DECHEANX'E OF NAPOLEON. 279 
 
 commission, and, if convicted, to have thcin in- 
 stantly shot. It was owini^ to his dctaininj^ the 
 English colonel, Cooke, and the French colonel, 
 St. Simon, that the battle of Tonlouse took 
 ])lace ; lord Cathcart and the gouvernement pro- 
 visoire despatched these officers to marshals Soult 
 and Suchet, and lord Wellington, with advice of 
 what had taken place at Paris, and the dccliauicc 
 of Napoleon. They arrived at Orleans in the 
 morning, and were at breakfast at the inn, having 
 been joined by Mr. Thompson, formerly member 
 of parliament for Evesham, and then a detenu in 
 Orleans. A gen-d'arme entered the room with 
 a message from general Chassereau, commandant 
 of the military division of France in which this 
 town is situated, desiring to see them. Colonel 
 St. Simon said, that himself and colonel Cooke 
 were respectively bearers of despatches to mar^ 
 shal Soult and lord Wellington, announcing the 
 dccJmince of Napoleon ; and not having any 
 despatches for the general, they would wait upon 
 him and give him the newspapers as soon as 
 they had breakfasted. The gen - d'arme re- 
 turned in a few minutes with a mission, de- 
 manding their immediate presence : they went, 
 and returned under an escort, in about twenty 
 minutes, to finish their breakfast ; after which 
 they proceeded in their carriage, accompanied by 
 an aide-de-camp of general Chassereau's, and
 
 280 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 guarded by a dragoon, to Blois, where they were 
 detained so long under arrest that they could not 
 arrive at Toulouse until after the battle had taken 
 place. 
 
 Early in the morning of the 7th, the following 
 proclamation was seen stuck up about the streets 
 of Blois : — 
 
 " Frani^ais! 
 
 *' Les ^v6nemens de la guerre ont mis la 
 capitale au pouvoir de T^tranger. 
 
 *' L'empereur, accouru pour la d6fendre, est a 
 la tete de ses armies si souvent victorieuses. 
 
 *' Elles sont en presence de Tennemi, sous les 
 murs de Paris. 
 
 " C'est de la residence que j'ai choisie, et des 
 ministres de l'empereur, qu'emaneront les seuls 
 ordres que vous puissiez reconnoitre. 
 
 " Toute ville au pouvoir de I'ennemi cesse 
 d'etre libre ; toute direction qui en 6mane est le 
 langage de I'^tranger, ou celui qu'il convient a ses 
 vues hostiles de propager. 
 
 " Vous serez fiddles a vos sermens, vous ecou- 
 terez la voix d'une princesse qui fut remise a 
 votre foi, qui fait toute sa gloire d'etre Franjfaise, 
 d'etre associ6e aux destinies du souverain que 
 vous avez hbrement choisi. 
 
 '* Mon fils ^toit moins sur de vos coeurs au 
 terns de nos prosp^rit^s.
 
 rnOCLAINlATION OF THE hegency. 281 
 
 ** Ses droits ct sa personnc sont sous votrc 
 
 sauve-garde. 
 
 ** Marie Louise, 
 
 '* Par rimpcratricc R^gcntc. 
 
 ** Le Ministre de rintcricur faisant fonctions 
 ** de Secretaire de la R^gence. 
 
 " MONTALIVET. 
 «' Blois, 3 Avril, 1814." 
 
 Notwithstanding its date of the 3d, this pro- 
 clamation never was heard of until the 7th ; nor 
 could it have been known much earlier, as it was 
 only drawn up at the council of the Gth. 
 
 It was sent to the constituted authorities in 
 every department where the council of regency 
 had the power or the means left them to get it 
 admitted. It arrived at the prefecture at Nismes, 
 in the department of the Gard, on the 10th ; the 
 prefect ordered it to be stuck up. No further 
 news arrived at Nismes until the 15th, when a 
 merchant of Lyons sent, by way of the Rhone, 
 an extract from the Munitcur of the 7th ; which 
 produced a great sensation. The same day a man 
 arrived at Nismes from Avignon, having a white 
 cockade, which he hung to the balcony of the 
 inn. This was received with great joy by the 
 people, by whom it was taken as a symbol of 
 peace, as the Bourbons were never even dreamt 
 of by them ; they ran about the streets, shouting
 
 282 ME:\roiiARLE events of 1814. 
 
 " Peace! peace! peace!"* On the 17th, early 
 in the morning, the regular post arrived, being 
 the first which had been received since the 
 6th of April, which had quitted Paris on the 30th 
 of March, and contained news up to half-past 
 twelve o'clock at noon of that day. But by the 
 post of the 17th they obtained the newspapers 
 of the 10th. 
 
 Good Friday, April 8th. — Between eight and 
 nine in the morning, Joseph and Jerome Buo- 
 naparte, having ordered two carriages to the gate 
 of the prefecture, entered the empress's apart- 
 ment, and addressed her in these terms : " Ma- 
 dame, il faut que vous veniez avec nous." Upon 
 
 * Few thought that fifteen months afterwards this would be 
 the signal for massacre and pillage ; that under it a thousand 
 of the most respectable and wealthy Protestants would be 
 murdered ; that forty of their wives and daughters Avould be 
 stripped in the public market-place, and there whipped with 
 battledores stuck with nails, nine of whom died in conse- 
 quence ; that one hundred and fifty of their houses would be 
 pillaged and demolished in the town, and ninety in its neigh- 
 bourhood, all belonging to Protestants. Nor could it be be- 
 lieved that Jaques Dupont, alias Tres-taillons, the chief as- 
 sassin, would, from an agricultural labourer, become the owner 
 of a house on the boulevards of Nismes, and be allowed to 
 walk about the town, as I saw him in 1825, or to die in his 
 bed, which he did in 1827, and be borne to his grave in a 
 grand procession, composed of priests and all the different 
 religious fraternities, with their banners, crosses, &c.
 
 Till-: k:mpress skizki). 283 
 
 this, the empress inquired where and \vliy; for, 
 added she, " Je suis trtis bien ici." Jerome re- 
 plied, " C'est ce que nous ne pouvons ))as vous 
 dire." The empress then askid if it was by 
 order of the emperor that they acted ; and on 
 their answering in the negative, she said, " Dans 
 ce cas, je n'irai pas." *' Nous vous forccrons," 
 replied Jerome. She then burst into tears, 
 which, however, did not prevent their seizing her 
 person, and dragging her roughly towards the 
 door. She cried out, and M. d'llausonville, the 
 chamberlain, general Cafferelli, M. de Bausset, 
 pretet du palais, and some officers of the house- 
 hold, came to her assistance. Cafferelli sternly 
 desired the brothers to desist from offering vio- 
 lence to the empress. One of them asked him : 
 ** Do you know to whom you are speaking ?" 
 " Yes !" contemptuously replied the general. 
 The empress requested it might be ascertained 
 whether the officers of the guard would counte- 
 nance violence to her person. iNIonsieur dTIau- 
 sonville flew to the court-yard with such preci- 
 pitation that he fell down stairs, and, addressing 
 himself to the officers, asked if it was their in- 
 tention to obey the brothers or the empress 
 regent ? They said they would obey the regent ; 
 and on his proposal, they swore to this declara- 
 tion. M. d'Hausonville then returned to the 
 empress, announcing that ** the troops were at 
 the orders of her majesty." The royal brothers
 
 284 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 then retired. It was their intention to carry her 
 to Romorantin or Bourges, and from thence into 
 Auvergne or the Limousin, there to keep her as a 
 hostage. From the moment of this outrage she 
 expressed no further desire of joining her hus- 
 band. 
 
 Napoleon's opinion of his brother Jerome, 
 whom he had placed on the throne of West- 
 phalia, may be inferred from the following pri- 
 vate conversation between them. 
 
 After the battle of Leipsig, Jerome, accom- 
 panied by all his court, fled from his newly made 
 kingdom to Paris. At the latter end of De- 
 cember, 1813, the emperor sent for him into his 
 closet, and thus addressed him : — 
 
 Napoleon. — '' Je vous ai envoye chercher afin 
 de vous parler k cceur ouvert. Avez-vous achet^ 
 une terre comme je vous I'ai dit?" 
 
 Jerome. — " Oui, pres de Montrichard." 
 
 Napoleon. — '' Allez demeurer 1^." 
 
 Jerome. — " C'est un exil." 
 
 Napoleon. — '' Vous pouvez I'appeller ce qui 
 vous fait plaisir, mais je ne veux pas que vous 
 soyez pr^s de moi ; vous m'etes odieux ; votre 
 conduite me d^plait; je ne connois personne aussi 
 vil, aussi plat, aussi poltron ; vous etes sans 
 vertu, sans talens, sans moyens. Je vous d^teste 
 autant que je d^teste Lucien. Vous etes entoure 
 de vos AUemands." 
 
 Jerome. — ** Mais ils m'ont suivi."
 
 CHARACTER OF .TERO:\rE BUONAPARTE. 285 
 
 Napoleon. — ** lis ont raison pcut-^trc, ct vous 
 aussi ; mais ccla ne me dcplait i)as moins. Jc no 
 vcux pas avoir prcs de moi ceux qui m'oat vu 
 dans ma prosp^riti^. J'ai iinc fuiblesse pour 
 Joseph — que j'ai toujours eu depuis mon enfance. 
 Va-t'en !" 
 
 On leaving the emperor, Jerome immediately 
 sent for his private secretary, M. Bruguicre, to 
 whom, for reasons best known to himself, he 
 dictated this singular conversation, and ke])t the 
 record. 
 
 After he had quitted France, he wrote to M. 
 Bruguiere, '* Je ne puis vous d^lier de vos sermens 
 de fid^lit^, car ce seroit une renonciation formellc 
 de mon royaumc de Westphalie, et au droit cven- 
 tuel a la couronne de France." 
 
 A few years after, Jerome's throne was pur- 
 chased by the keepers of the Cafe des Mille 
 Colonnes, in the Palais Royal, and the cele- 
 brated belle limonadicire was nightly seen seated 
 on it, exhibiting her charms, as in the early part 
 of her life she had done at the corners of the 
 streets of Paris. 
 
 It was to Jerome that Napoleon said: ** If the 
 majesty of kings is imprinted on their counte- 
 nance, you may safely travel incognito." 
 
 The same day, at two o'clock in the after- 
 noon, count Schuwaloff, without escort, arrived at 
 Blois, and went to the inn La Galere. 
 
 From this period the government of the re-
 
 286 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 gency may be said to have been dissolved; for 
 the count came to escort the empress from 
 Blois. 
 
 Before the ministers and other members of 
 this body dispersed, they had the precaution to 
 require of the minister of the treasury a dis- 
 tribution of the forty-five millions of francs in 
 specie which had been brought from Paris, after 
 payment of what they considered their own 
 arrears. They issued three months' pay to the 
 troops.* Joseph and Jerome modestly took a 
 million each, as their own shares, and six hun- 
 dred thousand francs were assigned to the absent 
 empress Josephine, but she never received 
 them. The two brothers wished a complete di- 
 vision of the booty, and especially of the dia- 
 monds of the crown ; but the baron de la 
 Bouillerie, tr^sorier de la couronne, resolutely 
 refused to deliver them up. 
 
 Louis Buonaparte, who, since his abdication 
 of the crown of Holland, in July 1810, took the 
 name of M. de St. Leu, from his estate in the 
 valley of Montmorency, near Paris, did not parti- 
 cipate in this disgraceful scene. Indeed, during 
 the whole time of the residence at Blois, he 
 
 * Of which they were in great want, as general Letort, of 
 the dragoons of the imperial guards, told me he had not re- 
 ceived any pay, except two hundred and fifteen francs, since 
 August 1813; and that several of his officers were obliged to 
 sell their horses to pay for their dinners.
 
 KKCiENCY or BLOIS IJKOKF.N Ul\ 287 
 
 always appeared with that tranquillity which his 
 irood conscience secured to him. He was seen at 
 mass in the church of St. Louis, at Blois, on 
 Sundays and on the holidays. 
 
 When the spoil was divided, the next step 
 taken by the ministers was to secure the safety of 
 their own persons, by returning to Paris to offer 
 their adherence to the new government. 
 
 They and the imperial court accordingly ap- 
 plied to M. Bru^re, mayor of Blois, for passports, 
 which were granted, to the number of four hun- 
 dred. These being signed by count Schuwalott", 
 enabled them to pass with safety through that 
 part of the allied army which was between Blois 
 and Paris. When the duke of Rovigo placed his 
 passport before Schuwaloff, he coolly put his pen 
 through the title, and inserted the name of Sa- 
 vary in the margin. Besides the ministers, there 
 were at Blois, the president and vice-president of 
 the senate ; the chancellor of the senate, count de la 
 Place, the celebrated mathematician, with the seals ; 
 (these were carried from Paris in the vain hope that 
 no act of the senate would be availing, unless they 
 were affixed to it;) the president of the corps 16- 
 gislatif; the president of the court of cassation; and 
 several ladies of the court, among whom were the 
 wives of marshals Ney and Augereau. 
 
 It was intended that the empress should leave 
 Blois the next day; but when M. dllausonvillc 
 waited upon her to receive orders respecting the
 
 288 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 carriages, she said " that the horses could not be 
 put to, as, of all the servants, one only would 72010 
 obey her." The others, on hearing the news from 
 Paris, had abandoned her. However, by means 
 of the authority of Schuwaloff, the empress, the 
 king of Rome, and the court attendants, with the 
 French troops that came with them, set out on 
 Saturday, the 9th, between ten and eleven 
 o'clock, for Orleans, where they arrived at six in 
 the evening; the empress in the same brown 
 riding-habit in which she quitted Paris, and 
 which she had worn the whole time. 
 
 Mass was said on Easter Sunday before the 
 empress Marie Louise, at the bishop's palace, 
 and before Madame M^re at her lodgings ; but 
 the prayer for the emperor was omitted. 
 
 Although Madame Mare's share of the plunder 
 was three hundred and seventy -five thousand 
 francs, yet the abb6 Mirault obtained a piece of 
 twenty francs, in the collection for the poor, with 
 difficulty from her. 
 
 Joseph and Jerome arrived at Orleans with 
 Marie Louise. Jer6me staid there four days, and 
 then went to the chateau de la Motte Beuvron. 
 Louis went from Blois to Lausanne, where he 
 arrived on the 15th of April. Joseph remained 
 at Orleans until the 18th of April, Madame 
 M^re quitted Orleans for Rome with cardinal 
 Fesch. 
 
 On Tuesday the 12th, prince Esterhazy ar-
 
 PRESENTS BY rMATllE LOUISE TO ISAliEY, &c. 289 
 
 rived at Orleans from the emperor of Austria, 
 and the empress set off with him tlie same day 
 for the ch;\teau of Rambouillet, having six car- 
 riages for herself, her son, and their attendants, 
 but no military escort. Here, on the lUth, she 
 received a visit from the emperor of Russia ; and 
 during the few days of her residence at Orleans, 
 before her return to Austria, she sent several small 
 tokens of remembrance to different persons at 
 Paris. To Gerard, the painter, she presented 
 her mahogany easel ; to Isabey, the celebrated 
 miniature-painter, who was her drawing-master, 
 she gave a little memorandum-book which she 
 carried in her pocket, drawling a pencil through 
 her notes, and then wrote, with ink, in the first 
 page, '* Donn6 a Isabey, le 20 d'Avril, 1814, par 
 un de ses ^l^ves, qui aura toujours de la recon- 
 noissance pour les peines il s'est donn^ pour elle. 
 
 *' Louise." 
 
 This, my friend Isabey shewed me a few days 
 afterwards. I have seen very pretty comi)ositions 
 of figures by her, that were far better than young 
 ladies' drawings generally are. 
 
 Unprejudiced persons who approached her, 
 agreed that she was good-natured and kind, 
 but bashful and very timid, never interfering with 
 her husband on any subject. She certainly 
 never was cited in the salons of Paris, either for 
 word or deed, except her attachment to the 
 
 u
 
 290 MEMOllABI^E EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 young duchess of Montebello, widow of marshal 
 Lasnes. Napoleon always conducted himself 
 towards her with the most marked politeness ; 
 very diiFerent from his free manner with the 
 empress Josephine. She was very fond of the 
 emperor : and in speaking of him she always 
 termed him mon ange. It was very generally re- 
 ported that she had an aversion for her son; I 
 certainly never could learn she evinced any af- 
 fection for him ; and Napoleon, who was a most 
 fond and indulgent father, would sometimes joke 
 with her on this subject in company. 
 
 During her pregnancy, it was insinuated by a 
 certain party, that in case of the birth of a female 
 child, it would be changed ; and from the day of 
 the birth of young Napoleon until the overthrow 
 of the emperor, reports were very currently cir- 
 culated that he was not the son of Marie Louise ; 
 and some surmised that even her pregnancy was 
 feigned. The real circumstances were, that on 
 her being taken in labour, the great officers of 
 state and persons belonging to the court were 
 assembled, and after waiting nearly all night. 
 Napoleon said to them, that Dubois, the ac- 
 coucheur, asserted that the labour - pains had 
 gone off, and it might be some hours before the 
 delivery would take place ; and, as the ladies 
 (who were teasing the accoucheur with their af- 
 fected importunities and impertinent advice) must 
 be fatigued, they had better all retire, and they
 
 BIRTH OF THE KING OF RO.MK. 291 
 
 should be sent for as soon as any symptcjms of 
 approachin*]^ delivery occurred. All withdrew, ex- 
 cepting- the duchess of Montebello, who remained 
 during the whole time of the delivery. Napoleon 
 was sitting by the bed-side, holding his wife's 
 hands. Dubois, being apprehensive it would be 
 a difficult and dangerous birth, begged him to 
 retire, saying he should prefer his being absent ; 
 but the emperor said he would remain to en- 
 courage him. Shortly after, the pains suddenly 
 returned, the child presented the right hip, and 
 after it was turned, forceps were obliged to be 
 used. The infant was black when born, and for 
 five minutes gave no signs of life. The emperor, 
 during that time, was in the greatest agony, and 
 pale as ashes. The event was made known to 
 the capital, and to those who had retired, by the 
 firing of one hundred cannon from the terrace of 
 the Invalids. It had previously been announced, 
 that should the empress be delivered of a girl, 
 only twenty-one guns would be fired ; but if of a 
 boy, one hundred. 
 
 I witnessed the anxiety of the people as soon 
 as the cannon began, and the joyous shout with 
 which the twenty-second report was hailed. I 
 never saw more joy on the faces of the common 
 people ; and there were few others on the boule- 
 vards at the hour it took place. 
 
 But what establishes the whole circumstance 
 beyond doubt, is the evidence of the empress's
 
 292 MEMORABLE EVENTS OF 1814. 
 
 nurse, madame Blaise, who had the greatest re- 
 putation for skill as a midwife. She said to ma- 
 dame , a Bourbonist, whom she was at- 
 tending in May 1814, and who told it to me, 
 ** That though it was her interest to confirm the 
 report of the king of Rome not being the child of 
 Marie Louise, yet she would tell the truth ; which 
 was, that she was present when M. Dubois deli- 
 vered the empress ; and that, in his agitation, he 
 had mislaid the scissors intended to cut the um- 
 bilical cord, when she held the child while he 
 sought for them." There can be no doubt of the 
 nature of this evidence, from the way in which 
 women in France are delivered. Dubois, having 
 represented to Napoleon at the beginning that the 
 labour would be a difficult one, was ordered by 
 him to treat the empress exactly as he would a 
 bourgeoise of the Rue St. Denis. Dubois then 
 said, that from the nature of the case, it might be 
 necessary to sacrifice the life of one ; " Save the 
 mother — it is her right !" was instantly the reply.
 
 CONCLUDING REMARKS 
 
 BY THE EDITOR. 
 
 Those who have but even cursorily watched the 
 progress of political events for the last forty years, 
 must be fully aware of the unparalleled im[)ort- 
 anceofthat period, when compared with any other 
 of the same extent, in the annals of the world. 
 Not only France, but all the civilised countries 
 of the globe, have been either partakers of, or 
 participators in, the moral and political revolu- 
 tions which have recently occurred. The human 
 mind, which had been for ages trammelled by the 
 most galling shackles of bigotry and superstition, 
 having, by these convulsions, binst its confines, 
 wandered and wantoned in the boundless expanse 
 of liberty ; and although evincing its godlike 
 origin and attributes, it likewise displayed mani- 
 fold follies and extravagancies. That these led 
 to crimes, and consequent miseries, is a natural 
 result, but good has preponderated, and is likely 
 to increase ; for human amelioration and improve- 
 ment have sprung out of the conflict, and nothing
 
 294 CONCLUDING REMAKKS. 
 
 less than another great revolution can counteract 
 their influence and eflects. Genius and talent of 
 every kind, and of all degrees, have been called 
 into full action, and have triumphed in their 
 conflicts with purse-proud ignorance, bigotry, and 
 tyranny. 
 
 Extraordinary times produce extraordinary 
 personages; — the wars of states, and the warfare 
 of political and moral opposition, call into action, 
 and advance to eminence, the master spirits of 
 a country. It is these, like the planets in the 
 starry firmament, that attract the chief,, and al- 
 most the exclusive, attention of observers. They 
 stand out from the multitude ; and every form, 
 feature, and attribute, are marked and scrutinised. 
 They become Jand-marks in the ocean of history, 
 and are to be respected or shunned in proportion 
 as they make either good or bad use of their 
 talents. It is the duty of the historian and 
 biographer to investigate fastidiously and im- 
 partially the characteristics of every person who 
 claims a niche in the Temple of Fame, before 
 he assigns to him his appropriate and permanent 
 station. Were this to be more generally the 
 case, — were writers more circumspect and jea- 
 lous of their own responsibility, there would be 
 fewer books, less controversy, and more truth 
 disseminated. Respecting the extraordinary man 
 whose personal character and influence have
 
 CONCI.UDING HF.MATIKS. 295 
 
 produced such prodigious effects on the politicul 
 and moral world, we seek with avidity for every 
 fact and every incident that may tend to develop 
 his individuality of mind and governing principles. 
 It is from accumulated evidence, — from numerous 
 incidents, in public and private life, both on the 
 great theatre of action and enterprise, and witliin 
 the recesses of domestic intercourse, that a faith- 
 ful portraiture can be drawn of a man like Buona- 
 parte, who not only domineered over a large 
 empire, but subdued and controlled other states, 
 — who created and dethroned kings, — and who 
 called around him, and put into action, all the 
 talents of the country. A vaunted terrestrial 
 demigod, who caused more human slaughter than 
 any other man on earth, we are anxious to trace his 
 history in all the intricacies and varieties of life. 
 The preceding narrative furnishes many remark- 
 able anecdotes of this boasted ** invincible em- 
 peror," and of the people whom he governed and 
 played with as puppets. 
 
 Although the pens of many eloquent writers, 
 whose situations and talents seemed eminently qua- 
 lified to treat the subject fairly and fully, have ap- 
 propriated much time and many volumes to discuss 
 his merits and demerits — to write histories of the 
 man and of his times, it is generally admitted that 
 they have been too much influenced by personal 
 and political partialities, to do themselves and
 
 2y6 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 
 
 their hero justice. Napoleon Buonaparte has been 
 panegyrised as a monarch, a general, and a hero ; 
 has been stigmatised as a ruffian, a tyrant, and 
 a coward. That the actions recorded of him may 
 justify each and all of these epithets, at different 
 times and under different circumstances, is readily 
 admitted : but it is not insulated acts and par- 
 ticular traits that constitute character ; it is the 
 general, prevailing, and predominating passion 
 that designates the man, that detaches him from 
 his fellows, and, like his personal features, con- 
 tradistinguishes him from all approximations of 
 similitude. The philosophical biographer should 
 earnestly and fearlessly endeavour to attain a 
 perfect knowledge of this ; and having discovered 
 it, should describe it with all the minuteness, all 
 the force, and all the verity of nature. We still 
 want such a portrait of Buonaparte : for his per- 
 sonal character, and the national events emanating 
 from them, are objects not of French history 
 merely, but constitute a great feature in that of 
 the civilised world. With mental powers adequate 
 to such a task, the public expected to see it ac- 
 complished by sir Walter Scott ; but his early 
 prepossessions, his political connexions, his habits 
 of writing from fancy instead of fact, were ob- 
 stacles not to be surmounted. The character of 
 sir Walter's work is finely discriminated by 
 the Rev. Dr. Channing, of America, who has
 
 CONCI.l.'DlNCi UKMAKKS. 21)7 
 
 also entered into an analytical view of Buonaparte's 
 mental and moral attributes, with great power 
 of language, and great philosophical acuteness. 
 In this essay, however, wc sec the sentiments 
 of the American and the priest creeping into and 
 deteriorating the principles of the profound critic 
 and the historian. Mr. Hazlitt, an acute, philoso- 
 phical thinker, has commenced the arduous task of 
 giving a faithful, discriminating portrait of Buona- 
 parte, by publishing two out of four volumes of a 
 work devoted to the subject. To qualify him- 
 self for this task, he has resided for some time in 
 Paris, and has thereby had opportunities of col- 
 lecting facts and opinions which qualify him to 
 impart to the English reader much original, as 
 well as novel information. 
 
 " The Life of Napoleon Buonaparte," in 4 vols. 
 8vo, 1828, by W. H. Ireland, contains a mass 
 of historical and biographical information, with 
 numerous embellishments. Another work, by 
 the same author, entitled, " The Hundred Days 
 of Napoleon Buonaparte," embraces many other 
 facts and details respecting the same individual. 
 
 " The proper study of mankind is man," and 
 this can only be properly and effectively pursued 
 by reading the book of the world — by watching 
 and analysing man as he really is, not as he 
 seems, nor as he is portrayed by the novelist, 
 the historian, or the poet. Of the powers of 
 the latter, wc cannot easily adduce a stronger
 
 29S COXCLUDINC; IIEMAIIKS. 
 
 instance than in the lb] lowino: lines iVoni one 
 of the most imaginative and eloquent bards of 
 the present age : — 
 
 ON THE CHARACTER OF BUONAPARTE. 
 
 " Then Napoleon came 
 AVith his embattled hosts. That wondrous man ! 
 AVhose daring spirit, with volcanic rage, 
 Breathed flame and ruin on the aftrighted world. 
 His eye could span the Universe ! His soul 
 Had fire enough to vanquish all ! In vain 
 Wild Nature barr'd his progress with her piles 
 Tiared by the clouds; — in vain the rocks 
 Uprear'd their ice-hair'd heads to block his path, 
 Or hurl'd their torrents at him ! With a irlance, 
 Fierce as the eagle's, when his piercing eye 
 Gleams through the darkening air, he look'd beyond 
 Them all ! Nature and he were giants twin, 
 And her impediments but forced the flames 
 Of genius from his soul ; as thunder-clouds, 
 Together clash 'd, dart forth their lightning gleams." 
 
 R. M0NT(;0M£RV'S P0C//IS. 
 
 THE E i\ D. 
 
 L o N D O i\ : 
 
 J. .MOYESj IOOK's COI'RT, < HAXCBRV LA.NE.
 
 3^ 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 Santa Barbara 
 
 THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE 
 STAMPED BELOW. 
 
 Series 9482 
 
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