the river. At two o'clock in the morning of the 5th, the whole French army had crossed the Danube, and at daybreak they were arranged in order of battle, at the extremity of the left flank of the Austrians. The Archduke Charles was thus most completely out-generalled: his works were rendered useless; he was compelled to abandon his positions, and to fight the French on the spot chosen by themselves and most convenient for them. Besides the error of not foreseeing the scheme of Bonaparte, the Austrian general was guilty of a still greater, in leaving his left flank quite exposed and unprotected.

The whole of the 5th of July was spent in manoeuvring; during the night of that day Bonaparte attempted to gain possession of the village of Wagram, but the attempt failed. On the morrow a general engagement was inevitable. The arrangements for this event were directly opposite on the part of Bonaparte and of the Archduke Charles. The former strengthened his centre, where he was in person, and which was stationed within cannon-shot of Wagram. The Austrian general, on the other hand, extended his flanks and weakened his centre. At daybreak on the 6th the battle began. The Archduke Charles, soon after its commencement, weakened his centre still further, and extended and strengthened his wings in such a manner as if he meant to outflank the French army.. Bonaparte, surprised at this manœuvre, at first suspected some stratagem, and was afraid of taking advantage of the seeming blunder of the Austrian general. At length, when he perceived that the French left was outflanked nearly 3000 toises, and that the whole space between Gros-Aspern and Wagram, at the former of which the left of the French, and at the latter the left of the Austrians, were stationed, was occupied by artillery, he was convinced that the Archduke Charles had committed a great mistake, and determined to profit by it. For this purpose, he commanded a powerful and general attack to be made on the centre of the Austrian army it gave way, and retreated nearly a

league: the right wing, thus separated and left unsupported fell rapidly back. At this moment it was briskly attacked in front by the Duke of Rivoli; while the Duke of Auerstadt attacked and outflanked the left wing, thrown into consternation and confusion by the retreat of the centre. The village of Wagram now fell into the hands of the French; and the Austrians, routed in all quarters, retreated towards Moravia. In this battle the French took.10 pieces of cannon and 20,000 prisoners, among whom were nearly 400 officers. The French acknowledged that they had 1500 killed and nearly 4000 wounded.

The French lost no time in pursuing the Austrians, and came up with them at Znaim. Here another battle took place, which, however, was soon terminated by a proposal from the Emperor Francis to conclude an armistice. On the 12th of July this armistice was signed, the terms of which too plainly proved the extent of the loss the Austrians had sustained, and how completely destitute of hope and resources they were left. All the strong places and positions, which might be advantageous to the French in case the war was renewed, were delivered up; and by the 4th article it was expressly stipulated, that they were to abandon the brave and loyal inhabitants of the Tyrol and Voralberg.

• The negociation for a defensive treaty proceeded very slowly. The hard terms insisted on by Bonaparte, and the hopes raised by the formidable British expedition, which had landed on the coast of Holland, and threatened the arsenals of Antwerp, rendered Austria reluctant to sign the treaty.-But at last the Austrian emperor was compelled to submit. The Tyrol was abandoned; the Rhenish confederacy enriched at his expence ; and Bonaparte's brother Joseph acknowledged King of Spain. But one circumstance pointed out the deep policy of the French emperor, as he endeavoured to continue the coolness then subsisting between the courts of Petersburg and Vienna, by prevailing on the former power to accept part of the Austrian province of Gallicia.

CHAP. XXXVII.

BONAPARTE RETURNS TO PARIS HIS SPEECH TO THE SENATE-DIVORCES THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE- MARRIES THE ARCHDUCHESS MARIA LOUISA OF AUSTRIAANNEXES HOLLAND TO FRANCE-HIS JOURNEY WITH THE NEW EMPRESS-BIRTH OF THE KING OF ROMEBONAPARTE'S ENMITY AGAINST THE COMMERCE OF BRITAIN HIS POLICY IN REGARD TO THE CONTINENTAL POWERS EFFECTS PRODUCED BY THE FAILURE

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OF HIS PLANS IN SPAIN.

BONAPARTE having shut out Austria from all communication with the sea; stripped her of some of her most fertile provinces; seized her strong frontier; and obtained all the other ends of his deep and subtle policy, returned to Paris. His expose of the state of France, which was laid before the senate, was peculiarly calculated to flatter the vanity of his subjects. In this, which seemed to absorb all their thoughts, the victories of France over its enemies, and the more important victories over the face of the country, by the digging of canals, levelling hills, piercing mountains, building bridges, ports, and quays, are displayed with great ostentation. Improvements in agriculture, manufactures, arts, sciences, literature, form a part of the relation; and throughout it appears, that no sovereign in Europe can rival the emperor of the French in attention to the splendour and comfort of his subjects.

At this time Bonaparte was surrounded by the princes of the Imperial house; and by a numerous train of dependent kings and princes, who came to pay their homage to their patron and creator. All Europe expected the exhibition of some singular event, which accordingly soon happened. On

the 17th of December, 1809, the senate assembled, in full dress, by order of the emperor; when they were presented with the project of a Senatus Consultum respecting a dissolution of the marriage between the Emperor Napoleon and the Empress Josephine! The act was drawn up as follows:

'We proceeded,' says the arch-chancellor, Duke of Parma, to the hall of the throne of the palace of the Thuilleries, attended by Michel Louis, Etienne Regnault (de St. Jean d'Angely) Count of the empire, minister of state, and secretary of state to the Imperial family. A quarter of an hour afterwards we were introduced to the grand cabinet of the emperor, when we found his majesty the emperor and king, with her majesty the empress, attended by their majesties the king of Holland, Westphalia, and Naples, his Imperial highness the prince viceroy, the queens of Holland, Westphalia, Naples, and Spain; Madame and her Imperial highness the Princess Paulina. His majesty the emperor and king condescended to address us in the following terms :—

'My cousin, Prince Arch-chancellor,-I dispatched to you a private letter, dated this day, to direct you to repair to my cabinet, for the purpose of communicating to you the resolution which I and the empress, my dearest consort, have taken. It gives me pleasure that the kings, queens, and princesses, my brothers and sisters, my brothers and sisters-in-law, my daughter-in-law, and my son-in-law, become my adopted son, as well as my mother, should witness what I am going to communicate to you. The policy of the monarchy, the interest and the wants of my people, which have constantly guided all my actions, require, that after me I should leave to children, inheritors of my love for my people, that throne on which Providence has placed me. Notwithstanding, for several years past, I have lost the hope of having children by my marriage with my well-beloved consort, the Empress Josephine. This it is which induces me to sacrifice the sweetest affections of my heart, to attend to nothing but the good of

the state, and to wish the dissolution of my marriage.-Arrived at the age of forty years, I may indulge the hope of living long enough to educate in my views and sentiments, the children which it may please Providence to give me. God knows how much such a resolution has cost my heart; but there is no sacrifice beyond my courage, which it is proved to me to be necessary to the welfare of France. I should add, that far from having had reason to complain, on the contrary I have had reason only to be satisfied with the attachment and the affection of my well-beloved consort; she has adorned fifteen years of my life, the remembrance of which will ever remain engraven on my heart; she was crowned by my hand: I wish she should preserve the title of Empress, but above all, that she should never doubt my sentiments, and that she should ever regard me as her best and dearest friend.'

His Majesty the Emperor and King having ended, her Majesty the Empress Queen spoke as follows:

"By the permission of our dear and august consort, I ought to declare, that not preserving a hope of having children, which may fulfil the wants of his policy and the interests of France, I am pleased to give him the greatest proof of attachment and devotion which has ever been given on earth. I possess all from his bounty: it was his hand which crowned me, and from the height of his throne I have received nothing but proofs of affection and love from the French people. I think I prove myself grateful in consenting to the dissolution of a marriage which heretofore was an obstacle to the welfare of France, which deprived it of the happiness of being one day governed by the descendants of a great man, evidently raised up by Providence to efface the evils of a terrible revolution, and to re-establish the altar, the throne, and social order. But the dissolution of my marriage will in no degree change the sentiments of my heart. The emperor will ever have in me his best friend. I know how much this