called Louis le Desiré (Louis the desired), he was determined to shew which was the real desiré.

The progress of Bonaparte towards Paris was most rapid. On the 15th he slept at Autun, and on the 16th at Avallon. The military every where obeyed him with alacrity, and his army, like a snow-ball, augmented as it rolled on. The French government bad used every exertion to keep the soldiers to their colours, and even threatened them with the punishment of death in case they deserted. For this purpose the king had issued the following decree:

"Louis, &c.

"We have taken all the measures which the honor and safety of the state required, to repel by force the enemy who has dared to attack the public tranquillity, and who seeks to destroy the constitutional government, on which the happiness and prosperity of our kingdom depend.

"But it is not enough quickly to assemble imposing forces, if we do not check, by punishments severely and instantaneously applied to the seductive attempts daily made on our brave armies to withdraw them from their duty.

"For these causes, and with the advice of our council, we have decreed, and do decree, as follows:

-:

1. "The law of the 4th Nivose, year 4, shall continue in force according to its form and tenour: therefore, every agent for the enemy, or the rebels, shall be punished with death.

2. "Those shall be considered as such, who, by money, speech, or the distribution and publication of incendiary writing, shall attempt to withdraw from their duty soldiers or citizens called upon to repel the enemy, or to make them go over to the rebels.

3." Those soldiers or citizens called upon to defend their country, who shall desert their colours, or who shall refuse to join them, and go over to the enemy, shall be punished in the same

manner.

4. "There shall be established with every corps of the army, and in all the principal places of the department, where we shall deem proper, courts-martial, specially charged to try those guilty of the above delinquencies.

"The decisions of the courts-martial shall be executed within twenty-four hours, with regard to culprits taken in the fact, or arrested in attempting to seduce from their duty soldiers and officers of our armies."

The following ordinance was issued at the same time:

"Louis, &c.

"The dangers of the state increase. There are none which the courage of Frenchmen, their

love of their country, and their fidelity to our person, may not overcome; but it is necessary to furnish those who are called upon to defend the general interests with the most prompt and efficacious means of acting in their own immediate circle. There is nothing which may not be expected from their patriotism, when it becomes necessary to protect liberty against, tyranny, property against robbery, and the constitutional charter against a monstrous despotism.

"For these causes, and on the report of our minister secretary of state for the department of the interior, we have decreed and do decree as follow:

1." The general councils of the departments shall be convened by the prefects immediately on receiving this our decree.

2. "They shall remain in permanent sitting to execute the measures of public safety directed by our decree of this day, as well for the organization of the national guards, as for the formation. of corps of volunteers.

66

3. They shall be authorized to take such further measures for the public tranquillity as local circumstances may suggest to them, on communicating their deliberations to the prefects of departments, who will give an account of them to our minister of the interior.

4. "We recommend to the administrative corps now permanently met, to act with an activity, patriotism, and good understanding, which may ensure success to their efforts."

In the mean time, Marshal Ney, with the whole of his corps, had joined Napoleon. It is said that this officer was taking measures for falling on the rear of Bonaparte, and for that purpose was on the point of marching from Lons le Saulnier, where his forces were stationed, when, on the night of the 12th of March, some of Bonaparte's emissaries arrived, and were introduced to him. They delivered to him letters from the Grandmarshal Bertrand, which painted, in the most glowing colours, the hopeless situation of the king, and the certainty of Napoleon's success. They assured him that Bonaparte had concerted this enterprize with Austria, through the mediation of General Koller ;-that the empress and her son were on the road to Paris;-that England had connived at his escape;-that Murat advanced triumphant towards Italy to assist his brother-in-law; that the Russians had retired to their distant country, and Alexander would no more intermeddle with the affairs of the south ;that Prussia alone was unable to contend with France; that if the marshal were disposed to resist, he had no longer the power;-that Napoleon had secretly received the submission of every regiment in the service; that all Ney's most confidential officers had long been enrolled among the adherents of the emperor;-and that a vain and

.

"Officers, Subalterns, and Soldiers!-The cause of the Bourbons is for ever lost. The legitimate dynasty which the French nation adopted is about to re-ascend the throne. To the Emperor Napoleon, our sovereign, it alone belongs to reign over our fine country. Of what consequence is it to us whether the noblesse of the Bourbons again expatriate themselves, or consent to live in the midst of us? The sacred cause of liberty and of our independence will no longer suffer under their fatal influence. They wished to degrade our military glory; but they have been deceived. That glory is the fruit of attempts too noble to permit us ever to lose its remembrance.

"Soldiers!-Those times are gone by when the people were governed by the suffocation of their rights; at length liberty triumphs, and Napoleon, our august emperor, is about to confirm it for

ever.

Hereafter shall that noble cause be ours, and that of all Frenchmen! A truth so grand must penetrate the hearts of those brave men whom I have the honor to command.

"Soldiers!-I have often led you to victory; now I lead you to join that immortal phalanx with which the Emperor Napoleon approaches Paris, and which will be here within a few days; then our hopes and our happiness will be for ever realized.-Vive l'Empereur.

(Signed) "Prince of the MOSKWA, "Marshal of the Empire. "Lons le Saulnier, March 13, 1815."

This defection was decisive of the contest, for all confidence was now at an end. On the 17th, Bonaparte arrived at Auxere. Here he met the 14th regiment of the line, which had proceeded by forced marches to range itself under his banners. As soon as these soldiers were drawn up before him, they trampled under foot the white cockade which they had sworn to defend. Bonaparte smiled at this proof of their attachment, and walking through their ranks, addressed himself familiarly to several whom he recognized, or pretended to recollect. He stopped before an old

soldier, who was decorated with three medals. "And you," said he, slapping him gently on the shoulder," how long have shoulder, "how long have you been in the service?" Twenty-five years, sire!"-"Ah! I recol lect," interrupted Bonaparte, we were together at Rivoli, where we took seven pieces of cannon." "Yes, sire!"—"I see that you are a good sol dier, and I will take care of you." By these familiar conversations Bonaparte always gained the hearts of his soldiers. At Auxere he learned that the 6th regiment of lancers had mounted the white cockade, and had proceeded without orders to oppose a body of the household troops who attempted to blow up the bridge of Monte reau. The king's troops retired at the approach of the lancers without effecting their purpose. On the 19th, at night, he turned off from the great road to sleep at Fontainebleau, determined that the palace which had witnessed his misfortunes should first receive him in his success.

The French court was in the greatest alarm. On the night of the 18th, a grand council was held at the Thuilleries, at which the princes, the ministers, and the generals assisted. The generals declared that no dependence was to be placed in the army assembled at Melun, and deprecated any further resistance to the progress of Napoleon as a useless waste of blood. This was strenu ously opposed by some of the courtiers, and one of the princes; and, it is said, the most violent and intemperate language was used. The council broke up in disorder, and the king despairing and broken-hearted. The two chambers, however, continued firm in their attachment to the king, notwithstanding the critical state of affairs; and, on the 17th, they voted two loyal addresses to his majesty, which were presented by deputations on the evening of the 18th.

Address of the Chamber of Peers. "Sire,-The peers of France have been deeply moved with the discourse which your majesty pronounced yesterday from the throne. All hearts re-echoed to those words so energetic and so touching, which express at once your love for your people, and your attachment to the constitution which you have given them. The sentiments which animate the great soul of your majesty were displayed at that solemn sitting with a noble burst, which added even a livelier impression to the august and sacred character of your royal promise. Monsieur, your worthy brother, and all the princes of your blood, wished to lay at the feet of your majesty, in the presence of the two chambers, on the simple guarantee of their honor, their oath of fidelity to the constitution.

"This constitution, sire, is the pledge of a new alliance between the French people and the

ancient race of its kings. The wisest institutions are associated with the most illustrious recollections; they lend a mutual support, and compose an immoveable power. What madman could believe, that a generous nation, united to its king by ties so strong, would receive the law of violence and treason; that it would recognise for master, him who used his power only to trample under foot all liberty, all honor, all justice him against whom indignant Europe rose all in arms to cast him from its boson?

"That which we have to defend is not only the safety of the state; it is not merely France against the invasion of an enemy,-it is the very existence of the country, it is the national honor, it is the glory of our arms, that glory which made us so proud, and which we exultingly pointed out to other nations in the midst of our internal calamities, and of the tyrannical oppression under which we groaned. What people had ever to fight for such dear interests?

"Sire, it is by an unbounded confidence that we ought to answer to the wisdom and firmness of which you give us so noble an example. The constitution places in the hands of your majesty all the forces and resources of the state, when its defence is in question: and what powers besides these do you not find in that unanimous agreethent of sentiments and wills which collects round the throne the representatives of the nation in the two chambers, and of which we come here to present you with the homage.

"The chamber of peers further resolve, with the good pleasure of the king, that the address shall be presented by a numerous deputation. "The President and Secretaries,

D'AMBRAY,

The Duke of LEVIS, The Count PASTORET, Seen and sealed The Count de VALENCE, The Grand Referendary, Count de SEMONVILLE."

The king, in his reply, said,." I receive, with the most lively satisfaction, the address of the chamber of peers. I have no less pleasure in seeing the confidence which it places in me. I will merit it by employing constantly all the means in my power for the safety of the

state.

Address of the Chamber of Deputies. "Sire, Our tears flowed when your majesty, expressing yourself like a father and a king, spoke of crowning your career by dying for your people. At that moment, at once awful and pleasing, there was not a man of those who heard you who did not desire to consecrate his life in answer to your generous sentiments. Presently

CHAP. V.

1815.

and France will be saved. The chamber of de- BOOK XIV. puties, sire, comes to bring to the foot of the throne the homage of its gratitude; it heard with confidence the solemn oath of your august family for the maintenance of the constitutional charter. The organ of the nation, the chamber, answers to the noble appeal which came from the mouth of its king: the more the people have security for their rights, the more they are penetrated with the sanctity of their duties. The question is not merely, as heretofore, whether we shall be the prey of a foreign enemy, but whether we shall undergo the most severe and humiliating yoke.

"To save France from the evils which threaten it, your majesty asks that the concurrence of the two chambers may give to authority all the strength which is requisite. Already your majesty. has taken measures of public safety against our oppressor, and what Frenchman could ever recognise the titles and rights of sovereignty in the person of Napoleon Bonaparte, that enemy of France and of the world? Yes, sire, the two chambers will surround you, and will make it their duty to concur with your majesty for the safety of the country and of the throne. Let us discover treason wherever it is concealed: let us strike it down wherever it exists; let us load with honors, and with gratitude, that generous army, which, defending its chief and our liberty, which is also its own, goes to combat those misled soldiers whom their barbarous leader brings to tear the bowels of their country. But, sire, these protestations of our hearts will not suffice, and we supplicate your majesty to permit us to propose to your confidence the means which we think proper to re-animate more and more the public hope. While the chambers thus lend to the government which is to save France the strength of the whole nation, your faithful subjects are convinced that the government will concur in the public safety, by trusting to men at once. energetic and moderate, whose names alone are a guarantee for all interests, an answer to all uneasiness: to men who having been, at different periods, the defenders of the principles of justice and liberty which are in the heart of your majesty, and form the patrimony of the nation, are all equally interested in the stability of the throne, and in those principles which the public enemy comes to annihilate."

The king answered,-" I receive with the most lively satisfaction the expression of the sentiments of the chamber of deputies, and of the concurrence which it promises me under these difficult circumstances: on my part it may be assured, that the instruments which I shall employ shall always be worthy of the country and

Meanwhile the troops remained at Melun, and a battle was expected on the next day. The French army was drawn up in three lines, the intervals and the flanks being armed with batteries. The centre occupied the Paris road. The ground from Fontainebleau to Melun is a continual declivity; so that on emerging from the forest a clear prospect of the country presents itself, and, on the other hand, those who are in the valley can easily descry whatever appears on the eminence. An awful silence pervaded the king's army, broken at times by peals of martial music, which confirmed the loyalty of the troops by repeating the popular airs of Vive Henry Quatre, and La Belle Gabrielle, or by the voice of the commanders and the march of divisions to their appointed ground.

All was anxious expectation. The chiefs were conscious that a moment would decide the fate of the Bourbon dynasty; and the troops were secretly awed at the thought of meeting in hos tility the man whom they had been accustomed to obey.

On the side of Fontainebleau no sound was heard as of an army rushing to battle. If the enemy was advancing, his troops evidently moved in silence. 66 Perhaps his heart has failed him, and he has retreated," was the secret ardent wish of the friends of the Bourbons.

At length a light trampling of horses became audible. It approached. An open carriage, attended by a few bussars and dragoons, appeared on the skirts of the forest. It drove down the hills with the rapidity of lightning. It nearly reached the advanced-posts, when the escort threw down their arms, and rushed forward to embrace the king's troops. Surprised at this unexpected manœuvre, the soldiers were for a moment irresolute. The carriage now reached them. The traveller was immediately recognised. "The Emperor for ever!" burst from every mouth. "Napoleon! Napoleon the Great!" spread from rank to rank; for, bareheaded, Bertrand seated at his right, and Drouet at his left, Napoleon continued his course; now waving his hand, now opening his arms to the soldiery, whom he called his friends, his companions in arms, whose honor, whose glories, whose country he now came to

restore.

All discipline was forgotten, disobeyed, and insulted. The commanders-in-chief took flight. Thousands rushed on his passage. Acclamations rent the sky. At that moment his own guard descended the hill. The imperial march was played: the eagles were once more displayed, and they whose deadly weapons were to have aimed at each other's life, embraced as brothers, and joined in universal shouts.

In the midst of these greetings, Napoleon pass

ed through the whole of the royal army, and placing himself at its head pursued his course

to Paris.

Louis had anticipated this result, and at one o'clock on the morning of the 20th quitted Paris. He wished to have remained until the last mo ment, or rather to have awaited the coming of the invader; and he often repeated the noble and affecting language which he had used at the meeting of the deputies, "Can I better termi nate my career of sixty years, than by ending my life in defence of my people?" But he was at length prevailed on to depart.

This resolution was, however, so suddenly formed, and executed with such haste, that his portfolio, containing his correspondence with the Duchess D'Angouleme for many years, was found on the table in the apartment of the king; and in his drawers were his correspondence with Louis XVI.; a medal which he was in the daily habit of wearing, and many things calculated to compromise the safety of numerous individuals. The medal contained on one side the effigy of Louis XVI. and on the other a female kneeling aud veiled, in an attitude of grief, and holding, embraced in one hand, an urn resting on a pedestal, and shaded by a weeping willow. Round the effigy of the king was the following inscription," Louis XVI. King of France and Navarre," and on the reverse, "Lament him and avenge him."

Even at this late hour, a considerable crowd surrounded his carriage, and rendered him the homage of their sincere regrets. "The king for ever!" was repeated by every voice, and although too many of the Parisians had already shewn worse than indifference to the royal cause, and cries of treason had begun to be heard in every quarter of the city, yet no one dared to profane the interesting parting of the monarch and bis subjects. "Cease your tears," said he, "I shall

soon return."

The Duchess of Serment was the friend of the late Queen of France, and governess of the Duch ess of Angouleme. Age, sickness, and sorrow had conspired to enfeeble her body and her mind. She had lately lost her only daughter, who was burned to death; and she was now reduced to a state which bordered on idiotism. It is the pleasing duty of the historian to record that Louis insisted that this unfortunate lady should be accommodated in his own carriage.

The household troops alone had sufficient loyalty to accompany the fugitive. They escort ed him to the frontiers with a fidelity which did

them much credit.

Early in the morning the following procla mation was found placarded on the walls of Paris.