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hand against the finest provinces of that vast empire which they had been called to defend. They, in a few weeks, notwithstanding the tears and despair of the unfortunate Muscovites, burned more than 4000 of their finest villages, more than 50 of their finest towns; thus gratifying their ancient hatred under pretext of retarding our march, by surrounding us with a desert. We triumphed over all these obstacles. Even the fire of Moscow, by which, in four days, they annihilated the fruits of the labours and cares of four generations, changed, in no respect, the prosperous state of my affairs. But the excessive and premature rigour of the winter, brought down a heavy calamity upon my army-In a few nights I saw every thing change-I experienced great losses-They would have broken my heart, if, under such circumstances, I could have been accessible to any other sentiments than those of the interest, the glory, and the future prosperity of my people. On seeing the evils which pressed upon us, the joy of England was great-her hopes had no bounds-she offered our finest provinces as the reward of treason-she made as the conditions of peace, the dismemberment of this vast empire; it was under other terms to proclaim perpetual The energy of my people under these great circumstances; their attachment to the integrity of the empire; the love which they have shewn me, have dissipated all these chimeras, and brought back our enemies to a more just consideration of things. The misfortunes produced. by the rigour of hoar frosts, have been made apparent in all their extent. The grandeur and solidity of this empire, founded upon the efforts and the love of fifty millions of citizens, and upon the territorial resources of one of the finest countries in the world. -It is with a lively satisfaction that we have seen our people of the kingdom of Italy, those of ancient Holland, and of the United Departments, rival with Old France, and feel that there is for them no future hope but in the consolidation and the triumph of the Grand Empire.-The agents of England propagate, among all our neighbours, the spirit of revolt

against Sovereigns; England wishes to see the whole continent become a prey to civil war and all the furies of anarchy; but Providence has designed her herself to be the first victim of anarchy and civil war.-I have signed with the Pope a Concordat, which terminates all the differences that unfortunately had arisen in the Church. The French dynasty reigns, and will reign in Spain. I am satisfied with all my allies. I will abandon none of them. I will maintain the integrity of their states. The Russians shall return into their frightful climate.-I desire peace; it is necessary to the world. Four years after the rupture which followed the treaty of Amiens I proposed it in a solemn manner. I will never make but an honourable peace, and one conformable to the interests and grandeur of my empire. My policy is not mysterious; I have stated all the sacrifices I could make. -So long as this maritime war shall last, my people must hold themselves ready to make all kinds of sacrifices, because a bad peace would make us lose every thing-even hopeand all would be compromised-even the prosperity of our descendants. America has had recourse to arms, to make the sovereignty of her flag respected. The wishes of the world accompany her in this glorious contest. If she terminate it by obliging the enemies of the continent to acknowledge the principle, that the flag covers the merchandize and crew, and that neutrals ought not to be subject to blockades upon paper, the whole conformable to the stipulations of the treaty of Utrecht, America will have credit from all nations-posterity will say, that the old world had lost its rights, and that the new one re-conquered them. My minister of the interior will explain to you in the Expose of the situation of the empire, the prosperous state of agriculture, manufactures, and of our interior commerce, as well as the still constant increase of our population. In no age has agriculture and manufactures been carried to a higher degree of prosperity in France. I want great resources to meet the expences which circumstances demand; but, by means of the different measures

which my minister of finances will propose to you, I shall not impose any new burthen on my people.'

Bonaparte, amidst all his warlike preparations, did not neglect any means, however small or remote, which could in any degree serve his purpose. His ambassador at Constantinople was instructed to use his endeavours to prevail on the Ottoman court to break the peace it had just signed with Russia. Honours and rewards were conferred on several officers; and Marshal Ney was created Prince of Moskwa, a principality of Italy, which includes the castle of Rivoli, While the natives of France were receiving repeated assurances of Bonaparte's tender concern for the interests of humanity, in corroboration of which his renewed offer of peace to England was adduced, although the terms were precisely the same as those he offered before the Russian campaign, and which were then indignantly spurned as subversive of the national interests, and insulting to the national honour of Great Britain.

CHAP. XLI.

TREATY CONCLUDED BETWEEN RUSSIA AND PRUSSIA-BEXNADOTTE DECLARES AGAINST BONAPARTE--TREATMENT OF THE SWEDISH AMBASSADOR AT PARIS-VAST PREPARA• TIONS FOR WAR-THE EMPRESS CONSTITUTED REGENT OF FRANCE-BONAPARTE LEAVES PARIS-JOINS HIS ARMY -POSITION OF THE ALLIES-BATTLE OF LUTZEN-TREATY BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND SWEDEN-JUNCTION OF THE DANISH AND FRENCH TROOPS-RECAPTURE OF HAMBURGH BY DAVOUST.

THE King of Prussia, immediately after his escape, concluded an offensive and defensive treaty with the Emperor Alexander. He also published an energetic address to his troops; and conferred the command of the army, formerly

under General Bulow, upon General D'York, who had so justly estimated the wishes of his sovereign. The gallant Blucher was also called into service. All Prussia was instantly in motion, and young men of the first families joined the ranks of the volunteer battalions. The Emperor Alexander was styled the Liberator,' and promised the Germans the restoration of their ancient laws and customs, and of their lawful princes. Saxon, Westphalian, and Bavarian officers flocked to the standard of the allied sovereigns, with the design, as they avowed, of breaking the disgraceful fetters with which Bonaparte had bound the Germanic empire.

To add to the difficulties which now pressed upon Napoleon, his former friend and companion Bernadotte, the Crown Prince of Sweden, joined the coalition against him.→ The rupture was publicly announced by the publication of a series of letters from Bernadotte to Bonaparte, wherein he avows his strong attachment to France, dwells on the miseries which Sweden had suffered in consequence of the war with England, which had been undertaken merely to conciliate the French emperor, and complains of the insufferable haughtiness of the French ambassador. In his last letter he says, Sire! Humanity has already suffered too much. The blood of man has, for these twenty years past, inundated the earth; and there is nothing wanting to your majesty's glory but to put a stop to it.'

Bonaparte exhibited all his natural irritability when assured of the defection of Sweden. The Swedish minister at Paris, in giving an account of an interview between him and Bonaparte, represents him as haranguing for an hour and a quarter against England; putting forth his menaces also against Sweden, for not having declared war against her; and scarcely giving the Swedish ambassador an opportunity of uttering a syllable in defence of his sovereign. The emperor worked himself up to a pitch of indignation, which, the ambassador says, exceeded all conception; and at the conclusion of the philippic abruptly withdrew without listening to any

reply. On the ambassador's withdrawing from the apartment, he was surprised to find not an individual in the antichamber; even the officers in waiting having gone away.'I know not,' he says, what had occasioned this extraordinary circumstance; whether it was the result of orders, or of the spontaneous discretion of the functionaries; for the emperor had frequently elevated his voice with such vehemence, that it was impossible not to hear him in the adjoining apartmeut.'

The Emperor Napoleon, to shew further his displeasure at the defection of Bernadotte, conferred the principality of Ponte Corvo, which belonged to the Crown Prince, upon the second son of Murat, King of Naples. The principality was valued at 40,000 francs a year.

Bonaparte also shewed great anger and chagrin in animadverting on the conduct of the celebrated partisans, who were active in exciting the Germans to take up arms against the French. He pronounced their followers a mob, waging war against the landholders; and publicly lamented that two such sovereigns as the King of Prussia, and more particularly the Emperor of Russia, on whom nature had bestowed so many fine qualities, should give the sanction of their names to ' acts so criminal and atrocious.'

The different French generals at this time emulated the activity of their master. The garrisons of Dantzic, Thorn, Stettin, Custrin, and Spandau, besides Magdeburgh upon the Elbe, were strengthened and provided with provisions and other necessary stores. Reinforcements advanced rapidly, which, joining the different corps which had retreated from the north and east, formed a respectable army, which took up advantageous positions in order to repulse the attacks of the allied Russian and Prussian army, whose light troops literally covered the north of Germany. Military commissions, after a summary trial, ordered several of the inhabitants of Hanover, Bremen, and other places, to be shot, for aiding

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