Tell the King, writing in cipher, that in the present state of things he should place his headquarters at Valladolid.

7th. (To Francis I.) Every time I met the Russian army I defeated it. My Guard was not once engaged, never fired a shot, nor did it lose a man in the presence of the enemy. It is true that between the 7th and the 16th of November 30,000 of my cavalry and artillery horses died; I abandoned several thousand wagons for lack of horses. In that frightful storm of frost, our men could not stand bivouacking; many wandered off to seek houses for shelter; there was no cavalry left to protect them. Cossacks picked up several thousands.

As for France, I could not be more satisfied with her: men, horses, money, everything is offered me. My finances are in good order. I shall therefore make no advances looking to peace.

Your Majesty can now judge my situation and my views as well as I can, I assume that this letter and its contents will remain a matter between Your Majesty and myself; but, knowing my views, Your Majesty may take any step that appears desirable with a view to peace.

9th. (To Berthier.) On hearing of the treachery of General York I immediately decided to issue an address to the nation, which will be out to-morrow, and to raise an extraordinary levy. I have formed a corps of observation of the Elbe which is concentrating at Hamburg, and will have a strength of 60 battalions; I have given the command to General Lauriston. I have formed a corps of observation in Italy, which is concentrating at Verona, and that will have a strength of 40 battalions; I have given the command to General Bertrand. I have formed a first corps of observation of the army of the Rhine, of 60 battalions, commanded by the Duke of Ragusa, whose headquarters will be at Mainz. I shall form a 2d corps of observation of the Rhine, which will also have 60 battalions. I am calling to the colours 100,000 conscripts left over from 1810, so that we shall have men of over 21 years of age. The conscription of 1814 will give us 150,000 men, and will be levied some time in February.

18th. The Emperor of Russia has just appointed Baron von Stein Minister of State; he admits him to his inmost councils, together with all the men who want to revolutionize Germany.

22d. (To Prince Eugène.) My son: Assume the command of the Grand Army. I regret I did not give it you when I left. I am persuaded that your retirement would have been less rapid, and that I should not have suffered such heavy losses. Past evils are without remedy.

23d. (To Vice-Admiral Count Decrès.) I cannot bring myself to a reduction of my naval armaments; I am not so situated as to weigh 12 or 15 millions against the moral effect that such a retrenchment would product on my navy and on our enemies.

24th. (To Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples.) The King left the army on the 16th. Your husband is very brave on the battlefield, but weaker than a woman or a monk when out of sight of the enemy. He has no moral courage. He has been frightened; he has never for one moment been in danger of losing what he can only hold from me and with me. Show him the absurdity of his conduct. I can still forgive him the harm he has done me.

29th. I have a superb corps of 20,000 marines on the march, in which not one soldier has less than a year's service.

In the coming campaign I shall sweep the enemy back beyond the Niemen.

February 8th. (To Marshal Kellermann.) I approve the steps you have taken for putting down the insurrection in the Grand Duchy of Berg.

10th. (To Maret, Duke of Bassano.) Write to M. de Saint Marsan that the levying of troops now proceeding in Prussia gives us just cause for uneasiness, and that I desire that all should remain quiet.

(To Prince Eugène.) Make the Prussians stop recruiting.

14th. Gentlemen, deputies of the departments to the Legislative Body: The war rekindled in northern Europe proved a favourable opportunity for the English to act in the Peninsula. They have made great efforts; but all their hopes have been deceived. I penetrated into Russia. The French arms were constantly victorious, in the battles of Ostrovno, of Polotsk, of Mohilef, of Smolensk, of the Moskova, of Malo-Yaroslavetz. The Russian armies were not once able to hold their ground against our eagles. Moscow fell into our hands. After the frontiers of Russia had been pierced and the weakness of her armies had been proved, hordes of Tartars turned their parricide hands against the most fertile provinces of the vast Empire to the defence of which they were summoned. In the space of a few weeks, notwithstanding the tears and the despair of the unfortunate Muscovites, they burned down more than 4000 of their most prosperous villages, more than fifty of their finest cities, thus satisfying an old standing hatred on the plea of retarding our march and of surrounding us with a desert. We triumphed over these obstacles; even the fire of Moscow, which in four days ingulfed the fruit of the labour and accumulations of forty generations, did not affect the security of our position. But the excessive and premature severity of winter bore down our army in a frightful calamity. In the space of a few nights all was changed, I suffered great losses; my spirit would have been broken, if, in such circumstances, I could have allowed myself to think of anything but the interests, the glory, and the future of my people.

The misfortunes brought on us by the severity of winter have served to reveal to their fullest extent the grandeur and solidity of this Empire. It is with the most lively sense of satisfaction that we have seen our subjects of the kingdom of Italy, of what was formerly Holland, of the new departments, rivalling the French in showing that their hope, their future, and their interest lie in the consolidation and triumph of the Great Empire.

I need great resources to face all the demands imposed on me by the present circumstances; but by means of the measures that will be laid before you by my Minister of Finance, I shall not have to impose any fresh burdens on my people.

21st. The Duke of Valmy writes that there are no scabbards at Mainz, and no frying-pans, no water-bottles, no boots, and no shirts; and that the few boots left in store at Wesel are very poor.

23d. I propose having my equipment on a smaller footing than in the last campaign. I want a much reduced staff, fewer cooks, less crockery, a smaller outfit, and all this not only to simplify matters but also by way of example. In the field each mess, even my own table, shall be served with one soup, one boiled dish, one roast and vegetables; no dessert. In the large cities each mess can do as it pleases.

26th. Patrols of Cossacks have appeared near Berlin; I am anxious as to what to-morrow's courier may bring; I suppose the Viceroy and Marshal Saint Cyr will have driven them off.

March 2d: The Duke of Treviso will reach Mainz on the 12th, and Gotha on the 14th, where he will find the Imperial Guard. The Prince of the Moskowa will reach Frankfort on the 10th of March with the 1st corps of 60 battalions. The Bavarians are concentrating at Bamberg, Bayreuth, and Kronach; the Würtembergers, Hessians, and Badeners at Würzburg. The Viceroy is at Berlin.

(To Prince Eugène.) The corps of observation are on the move, 300,000 strong; the scene will soon change.

5th. (To Prince Eugène.) Hold Berlin as long as you can. Make examples to preserve order. At the least insult from a Prussian village or city, have it burned down; even Berlin, if it does not behave well. The cavalry is being rapidly trained in France, but we need the whole of April yet.

9th. (To Prince Eugène.) I can't see why you gave up Berlin. Your movements are so hasty that you have not been able to take up the line of march assigned to you. You might have gained us three weeks, which would have been of the greatest advantage in both the political and the military sense.

10th. This is a most alarming state of things! What are 150,000 muskets? Almost nothing; we need 300,000 to arm the levy of 1815, and to have a reserve of 150,000 in store.

11th. (To Prince Eugène.) It is time we began to make war. Our military operations are ridiculed by our allies at Vienna and by our enemies in London and St. Petersburg, because our army consistently retreats a week before the approach of the enemy's infantry, at the sight of their light-horse, or even on mere rumours.

17th. (To Prince Eugène.) My Son: I inclose you a Hamburg bulletin of the 12th from which you will see that 200 Cossacks are going to take possession of the whole of the 32d military district. A number of gunboats have been sunk; it means a loss of many millions; it will mean insurrection in all that lies at the back of the Elbe. It all comes from the fact that from the left bank of the river you have no longer any hold on the enemy.

20th. I have news from Breslau the 12th. The Prussians were arming but still kept up appearances, and Minister was being treated with all due regard.

23d. (To Prince Eugène.) I see in the Prince of Eckmühl's reports that General Régnier's corps numbers only 2000 men; I had always supposed it totalled 12,000. I also see that Dombrowski's corps is reduced to 300 men; I had always supposed, from your reports, that it numbered 3000.

28th. (To Marshal Ney.) The Prince of Eckmühl has blown up the bridge at Dresden, which has had the double effect of angering the inhabitants and of drawing the enemy in that direction. The Viceroy has concentrated on Wittenberg, Magdeburg, and the lower Elbe. Prussia has raised the standard and declared war.

April 8th, Saint Cloud:
(To General Clarke.) Continue the inquiry into General Loison's conduct. The time has come for making examples; the generals show the greatest insubordination; this affects the glory of my arms and the lives of my soldiers. See that the small newspapers state that General Loison, who left the army without leave, is under arrest, and that General Lacroix, who abandoned his post, has been arrested and will be tried by strict martial law.

11th. (To Prince Eugène.) I shall probably reach Erfurt at the head of 200,000 men between the 20th and 22d. I cannot judge what your movements should be. Manœuvre on that assumption, and see that our communications remain open.

12th. I intend to refuse my right and to let the enemy reach Bayreuth, making the converse movement to that of Jena, so that if the enemy should reach Bayreuth I would be at Dresden before them and cut them off from Prussia.

18th. If to-morrow's news confirms the fact that the enemy are executing an important movement, I Shall start instantly.

17th, Mainz:
I travelled to Mainz in 40 hours, in good health and without accidents. I shall stay several days in Mainz to look after matters that require my attention.

20th. (To Frederick Augustus, King of Saxony.) Your Majesty's letter pains me. Your Majesty's friendship for me is gone; for which I hold the enemies of our cause in your cabinet responsible. I need all the cavalry and all the officers. I have stated my views with the frankness Your Majesty knows, to your aide-de-camp. Whatever the event, Your Majesty may rest assured of my esteem.

24th. If I had another 15,000 cavalry I could settle matters very quickly.

26th, Erfurt:
The Guard is in column between Erfurt and Weimar. For the moment the great thing is to effect my junction with the Viceroy. To-night I shall move headquarters to Auerstadt.

(To Prince Cambacérès.) I think the Minister of Police should send his reports to you, and that you should show the Empress only such matters as she may well know: it is useless to place before her things that would only alarm her, and put wrong ideas in her head. The same holds good with the other ministers: they should not speak to the Empress of things that would give her anxiety or pain.

27th. I hope the Viceroy will be at Querfurt to-day, and our junction effected.

(To General Clarke.) I have just inspected the 37th light infantry; I can't wish to see a finer body of soldiers, but I don't expect to see a worse one of officers. If your office had laid itself out to appoint the most incapable officers of France, it couldn't have succeeded better; the soldiers laugh at them. They are drawn from colonial, from Dutch battalions, or from the national guards of the Pyrenees or of the Scheldt; most of the captains have never been under fire. I shall have to dismiss these officers or reduce them in rank.

28th. I shall be at Weimar at noon. I shall stop only a quarter of an hour to see the Duchess. I shall then get into the saddle and place myself at the head of the Guard.

29th, Naumburg:
(To Prince Eugène.) Shift towards Merseburg with your whole army. The Prince of the Moskowa will probably push out an advance guard to-morrow as far as Lützen.

May 1st, Weissenfels:
(To Marshal Marmont.) This morning, May the 1st, the Viceroy, with 60,000 men, is halfway between Merseburg and Leipzig. Get your divisions as near Weissenfels as you can so that you could support Marshal Ney it that should become necessary.

(To Prince Eugène.) It is eight o'clock. At nine we shall move on Lützen. I assume that at ten you will have your whole army with its left at Moeritzch, and its right at Schladebach. If you hear firing in the direction of Lützen, move on the enemy's right.

Lützen:
(To Cambacérès.) To-day I have moved my headquarters to Lützen. The enemy tried to prevent our debouching on the plains of Lützen, and had assembled a large force of cavalry there. Our infantry, supported by many batteries, drove it back some four leagues. The enemy, who had few guns, did us little damage.

The first cannon-shot of the day inflicted a heavy loss on us. The Duke of Istria was struck in the body by a cannon-shot, and fell stone dead. I write this in haste so that you may inform the Empress and also his wife, to prevent the news reaching her through the newspapers. Make it quite clear to the Empress that the Duke of Istria was nowhere near me when he was struck.

2d. Battle of Lützen.
(To Marshal Marmont.) Headquarters are at Lützen, and the Guard also. The Viceroy is at Markrannstadt; General Lauriston is marching on Leipzig, which he will probably reach in a couple of hours. All our information points to the enemy retiring towards Levenkau.
 

At 9 A. M., the sound of firing being heard in the direction of Leipzig, the Emperor started at a gallop. The enemy were defending the bridges in front of Leipzig. But at 10, the enemy debouched in the direction of Kaja in several dense, black columns; they covered the horizon. The enemy were showing very large numbers; the Emperor promptlyprepared to meet them. The Viceroy received orders to come into line on the left of the Prince of the Moskowa; but he needed three hours to carry out his movement. The Prince of the Moskows formed his five divisions in line, and sustained the shock; in half an hour the struggle became terrific. His Majesty moved in person with the Guard behind the army to support the Prince of the Moskowa's right. The village of Kaja was several times taken and lost. The battle stretched over a line of two leagues covered with smoke, and fire, and clouds of dust. The Prince of the Moskowa, General Souham, General Girard, were everywhere, meeting every emergency.

We could now see in the distance the first flashes and the dust of the advance of General Bertrand's corps. At the same moment the Viceroy was coming into line on our left, and the Duke of Taranto was attacking the village on which the enemy's right rested. The enemy now redoubled their efforts on our centre; once more they carried the village of Kaja; our centre was beginning to give way.

It's nothing, my lads, keep steady!

A few battalions were disbanded, but our brave boys rallied at the sight of the Emperor, shouting: Vive l'Empereur!

There was not a moment to lose. The Emperor ordered the Duke of Treviso to march on the village of Kaja with 16 battalions of the Young Guard, to charge straight in, to recapture the village, and to clear out all its defenders. At the same moment His Majesty ordered his aide-de-camp, General Drouot, to concentrate a battery of 80 guns on the front of the Old Guard, which was formed in echelons like four redoubts, to support our centre, with all the cavalry massed behind. The fire became tremendous. The enemy gave way on all sides. The Duke of Treviso carried Kaja, broke the enemy, and continued his advance, his drums beating the charge. Cavalry, infantry, artillery, all the enemy began to retreat.

His Majesty cannot praise too highly the spirit and courage of the army.

3d. (From our Imperial Camp at Lützen.) Well done, soldiers! You have achieved all that I expected of you! Your high spirit and your courage have stood in the stead of all we lacked. You have shed new lustre on the glory of my eagles; you have shown all that the French race can do. The battle of Lützen will rank higher than the battles of Austerlitz, of Jena, of Friedland, and of the Moskowa!

We will hurl these Tartars back into that frightful clime whence they must never more depart. Let them remain in their frozen steppes, the abode of slavery, of barbarism,and of corruption, where man is reduced to the level of the brute! You have deserved well of civilized Europe. Soldiers! Italy, France, and Germany tender you their thanks!

4th. The Prussian and Russian armies are in flight in the direction of Roehlitz. I am moving the army on Dresden.

Nothing could equal the courage, the good-will, the devotion that all these young soldiers show me; they are full of enthusiasm.

6th, Colditz:
The Viceroy defeated the corps of Miloradovitch yesterday at Gersdorf, but we have got very few prisoners.

7th, Waldheim:
We shall probably reach Dresden to-morrow; the Prince of the Moskowa will cross the Elbe and, march on Berlin.

Nossen:
The peasants declare that firing was heard in the direction of Meissen this morning at ten o'clock.

The enemy have burnt all the bridges, and done an they could to delay my advance.

8th, Dresden:
Order for sending out pickets on all the roads leading into Bohemia to get information.

9th. We are hard at work on a bridge so as to get over to the right bank.

10th. The Duke of Ragusa will pass through the city to-morrow at noon, his troops in parade uniforms, taking his guns, and marching in the strictest order. He will send his baggage with everything that doesn't look well around by the floating bridge.
 

To-morrow noon the whole army will be on the right bank.

12th. (To Prince Eugène.) My Son: You must start to-night for Italy. I am ordering the Minister of War to place under your command the troops that are in the Kingdom of Italy and the Illyrian provinces.

13th. (To Ney.) I am beginning to get some cavalry.

My three principal aims, to be accomplished before the end of the month, are to unblock Glogau, to occupy Berlin, thereby enabling the Prince of Eckmühl to reoccupy Hamburg, and to seize Breslau.

The King of Saxony made a triumphant entry into Dresden yesterday; he is dining with me to-day.

14th. I have precise information as to Blücher's movements; he is marching on Bautzen by the Breslau road. The Russians and Prussians are said to be together. Their rearguard shows 30,000 men with many guns, and is covering the little city of Bautzen.

15th. The Prince of the Moskowa and General Lauriston started two days ago from Torgau to turn Bautzen.

17th. Information from every quarter shows conclusively that the enemy is resolved to fight.

(To Francis I, Emperor of Austria.) I am deeply touched by the sentiments of personal interest in me expressed by Your Majesty, which I reciprocate and (therefore) deserve. If Your Majesty is interested in my happiness, let Your Majesty promote it. If it be necessary I am resolved to die at the head of all generous Frenchmen rather than become the laughing-stock of the English, and help my enemies triumph. Your Majesty should consider the future and not destroy the results of three years' friendship, nor sacrifice the happiness of the present generation to petty considerations, - why should I not say the happiness of a most sincerely attached part of Your Majesty's own family. I hope Your Majesty will never doubt my entire devotion.

(Instructions for General Caulaincourt.) Let me know, from headquarters, what is said. By finding out the views of the Emperor Alexander we will end by coming to an arrangement. In any case, my intention is to build him a golden bridge to escape from the intrigues of Metternich. If I am to make sacrifices I prefer they should be for the benefit of the Emperor Alexander, who is meeting me in fair fight, and of the King of Prussia, who has the support of Russia, than that they should profit Austria, that has played false, and that under the guise of mediation wants to arrogate to herself the right of disposing of everything after first taking what suits her.

You must try and establish a direct negotiation on this basis.

18th. I am leaving Dresden with all the Guard to attack the enemy, who have concentrated all their forces, and who have been reinforced on the Breslau road by Barclay de Tolly's corps. They have left nothing to cover Berlin.

24th, Goerlitz:
(Bulletin.) The Emperor left Dresden on the 18th, and arrived in front of Bautzen on the 19th at 10 A. M. He spent the day reconnoitring the enemy's position.

On the 20th at 8, the Emperor took up his station on the height behind Bautzen. At noon the artillery opened fire.

General Bonet occupied the village of Nieder Kayna, and by a charge carried a plateau that gave him control of the centre of the enemy's position; the Duke of Reggio carried the hills, and at seven o'clock in the evening the enemy had been driven back to their second position. At eight o'clock in the evening the Emperor entered Bautzen, and, was received by the, inhabitants and by the authorities with such sentiments as might be expected from allies happy at being delivered from Stein, from Kotzebue, and from the Cossacks. This engagement, which, were it not for its sequel, might well be called the battle of Bautzen, was only the prelude to the battle of Wurschen.

At five o'clock in the morning of the 21st the Emperor took up his station on a hill three quarters of a league beyond Bautzen. At eleven o'clock the Duke of Ragusa advanced some 2000 yards and opened a terrific cannonade. The Guard and the reserves, infantry and cavalry, were masked and had convenient débouchés for advancing to the right or to the left as events might develop. The enemy was by this means kept in doubt as to the real point of attack.

In the meanwhile the Prince of the Moskowa had driven the enemy from the village of Klix, and pushed everything in his front steadily back to Preilitz. At ten o'clock he carried that village; but, on the enemy's reserves being thrown in, the Prince of the Moskowa was driven back.

The Duke of Dalmatia got into action at one in the afternoon. The enemy, who had discovered all the danger with which they were threatened by the turn the battle had taken, attempted to check the Duke of Dalmatia's attack. The crisis of the battle was clearly at hand. By facing left the Emperor, in the space of twenty minutes, with the Guard, the four divisions of Latour Maubourg and a great number of guns, reached the flank of the enemy, which was the centre of the Russian army.

The enemy were obliged to weaken their right to repel this new attack. The Prince of the Moskowa seized this instant to resume his forward movement. Turning the allied army, he pressed on towards Wurschen. It was now three in the afternoon, and with the army still quite uncertain as to whether it had been successful, and while a terrific fire raged along a line of three leagues, the Emperor announced that the battle was won.

The enemy, seeing that their right was turned, beat a retreat, and soon that retreat turned to flight. At seven in the evening the Prince of the Moskowa and General Lauriston reached Wurschen. The Emperor slept by the roadside, surrounded by his Guard.

At seven o'clock the Grand Marshal, Duke of Friuli, was standing on a hillside in conversation with the Duke of Treviso and General Kirgener; they were all three on foot and at some distance from the firing line. One of the last cannon-shots fired by the enemy grazed the Duke of Treviso, tore open the lower part of the body of the Grand Marshal, and killed General Kirgener outright. The Duke of Friuli realized at once that his wound was mortal; he died twelve hours later.

As soon as our outposts were placed, and the army had bivouacked, the Emperor went to see the Duke of Friuli. He found him fully conscious and calm. The Duke grasped the Emperor's hand and kissed it. The Emperor, putting his right arm around the Grand Marshal, remained a quarter of an hour with his head resting on his left hand and in complete silence. The Grand Marshal was the first to break it: - Ah, sire, leave me; such a sight as, this must pain you! - The Emperor, leaning on the Duke of Dalmatia and on the Grand Equerry, left the Duke of Friuli, unable to say more than these words: - Good-bye, my friend! - His Majesty returned to his tent, and admitted no one that night.

25th. (To Maret.) As the Swedes have reached Hamburg, it is proper that you should immediately draw up a declaration of war against Sweden for my approval.
 

The Duke of Reggio will reach Hoyerswerda to-night, on the march to Berlin.

June 1st, Neumarkt:
(To Caulaincourt.) I have no dispatch from you later than the one sent at 3 A. M. As I am getting into the saddle to advance along the Einsdorf road, I hope to hear from you there. I want to be informed the instant that the orders go out, on both sides, for suspending hostilities. You must see how important it is for me to get this information, as if there should not be a suspension of hostilities, military dispositions must be made for to-morrow. I still urge you to try for a direct negotiation. I want peace, a solid peace, but on honourable terms.
 

Bubna has reached Liegnitz; he has conferred with the Duke of Bassano. The House of Austria appears somewhat exacting; we must be ready to face her in the field.

2d. (To General Clarke.) This armistice arrests the tide of my victories. I decided to accept it for two reasons: my lack of cavalry, which prevents my dealing heavy blows, and the hostile attitude of Austria. That Court, in the most friendly, tender, I might almost say sentimental terms, actually presumes to force me, for fear of the army it has concentrated at Prague, to give up Dalmatia and Istria, and even what lies beyond the Isonzo. It demands, further, the left bank of the Inn, and Salzburg, and even one half of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, leaving the other half to Prussia and Russia. And these benefits are to be secured by the mere display of 100,000 men and without actual hostilities.

If possible I shall delay till September, and then strike hard.

(To Maret.) We must gain time. To gain time without making Austria hostile we must stick to our text of the last six months, that we can do anything provided Austria is our ally.

4th. The armistice was signed to-day at two in the afternoon.

6th, Liegnitz:
(To General Count Bertrazid.) I have received your letter. It is true that I was not, satisfied with the way in which you drew up your troops, nor with the way in which you evacuated the plateau in front of Jauer, when you had not more than 22 battalions in your front, while you had Pegri's and Morand's divisions still intact. On more than one occasion you have shown conspicuous talent, but war can be conducted only with energy, decision, and constant resolution; there must be no experimenting, no hesitation. Maintain strict discipline, and when you go into action show confidence in your men.

7th, Hagenau:
(To the Empress Maria Louisa.) Madame et chère Amie: I have received the letter in which you inform me that you received the Archchancellor while still in bed: my will is that, in no circumstance, for no reason whatever, should you receive any one whomsoever while still in bed. It is not permissible until past the age of thirty.

(To the Countess of Montesquiou.) I am pleased to hear that my son is growing and continues to give bright promise. I can only express my satisfaction for all the care you bestow upon him.

The death of the Duke of Friuli has grieved me. In twenty years it was the only occasion on which he had failed to guess what would please me.

8th, Bunzlau:
(To Cambacérès.) My Cousin: The Grand Equerry has presumably written to Count Rémusat to get us some actors for Dresden. I would like this to be talked about in Paris, as it would have a good effect in London and in Spain, by making them think we are amusing ourselves in Dresden. The season is not well suited for the theatre, so that you need not send us more than six or seven actors.

13th, Dresden:
(To General Savary.) The tone of your correspondence displeases me: you are always worrying me about the need for peace. I know more about the situation of my Empire than you do, and your manner of writing produces a disagreeable effect on me. I want peace, and am more concerned to get it than any one else: your discourses on that topic are therefore wasted; but I shall never conclude a dishonourable peace, nor one that would mean another even more bitter war in six months. Don't reply; these matters don't concern you; don't interfere in them.

15th. (To Cambacérès.) It would appear that the Minister of Police wants to make me pacific. No good can come of it, and it hurts my feelings, because it suggests that I am not pacific. I am not a rodomont; I do not make of war my occupation, and nobody is more pacific than I am.

26th, Dresden:
Ah! there you are, Metternich! Welcome! But if you wanted peace why didn't you come to see me sooner? We have already lost a month, and your mediation is so tardy that it looks hostile.

So it's war you want! You shall have it; I give you rendezvous in Vienna!

I win two victories, my defeated enemies are just realizing their situation, and all of a sudden you slip into our midst, offering me an armistice, mediation, offering them your alliance, complicating everything. Without your pernicious intervention peace would have been signed by now between me and the allies. You must admit that from the moment Austria assumed the position of mediator you were no longer on my side, no longer impartial, but my enemy.

To-day your 200,000 men are ready, over there, behind the screen of the Bohemian mountains. And because you think you are in a position to dictate terms, you now approach me. Very well, let us negotiate, I consent. What is it you want?

(Metternich: It rests with Your Majesty to give the world peace.)

My honour first, and then peace. You cannot know what passes through a soldier's mind. A man like me does not count the lives of a million of men. I have offered you Illyria for your neutrality, does that suit you? Your neutrality is all I ask for.

(Metternich: Ah, sire, we cannot remain neutral any longer; we must be for you, or against you.)

If it costs me my throne, I will bury the world under its ruins!

Well, what do you mean by peace? What are your conditions? Do you want to strip me? Do you want Italy, Brabant, Lorraine? I will not surrender one inch of territory; I make peace on the basis of in statu quo ante bellum. I will give you nothing because you have not defeated me; I will give Prussia nothing, because she has betrayed me. Illyria has cost me 300,000 men; if you want it, you must spend an equal amount.

Do you know what is going to happen? You will not make war against me.

(Metternich: You are lost, sire; that was my presentiment when I came here; now, I am certain of it.)

And it's my father-in-law concocts this scheme! It is my father-in-law has sent you here! Ah! Metternich, how much has England paid you to play such a part against me?

30th. I have at this date, 15,000 men without muskets.

July 1st. The armistice may be prolonged till the 15th of August.

(To Marshal Soult.) Start before ten o'clock to-night. Travel incognito, using the name of one of your aides-de-camp. You can get to Paris on the 4th, where you can stay with the Minister of War; go with him to see the Arch-chancellor, who will post you. Stop not more than 12 hours in Paris, and proceed thence to take up the command of my armies in Spain. You will take all measures necessary for reëtablishing our affairs in Spain.

3d. I cannot yet understand the Spanish business. I don't know whether we have really lost a battle (Vittoria), what corps were engaged, nor what has become of the King and the army. It is difficult to imagine anything so extraordinary as what is happening in Spain.

15th. The armistice is prolonged until the 15th of August through the mediation of Austria.

20th. Our disasters in Spain are as ridiculous as they are great, even the English think so. But the army has not lost its prestige. The army of Spain had no general, and was burdened with a King. I am bound to admit that the fundamental mistakes lie at my own door.

22d. I am just back from a journey of fifty leagues through lower Lusatia.

I suppose the Empress has started and will sleep tonight at Châlons. She will probably not reach Mainz before the 25th, when I expect to be already there.

25th. The Emperor will start for Mainz in his carriage at 9. A. M. with the Prince of Neuchâtel, - Roustan on the box.

27th, Mainz:
I covered the distance in 42 hours. The Empress is in good health.

There must be from 60,000 to 80,000 conscript deserters in France.

28th. There is nothing left to do in Europe these last two hundred years; it is only in the Orient a man can accomplish great things.

29th. (To the Prince of Neuchâtel.) Tell the Duke of Castiglione that I shall leave here on the night of the 1st, arriving at Würzburg on the morning of the 2d; that I shall inspect the two divisions, all I can see of his corps at Würzburg, as well as the citadel, and then proceed to Bamberg, where, on the evening of the 2d, I shall inspect the other two divisions; that on the 3d I will see the division at Bayreuth, the one at Hof, and General Milhaud's cavalry, so that on the night of the 3d to the 4th I can be back at Dresden. Notify General Pajol so that I may find escorts everywhere, but care must be taken to keep it secret. It must be given out that it is the Prince of Neuchâtel travelling.
 

The Duke of Dalmatia entered Spain on the 24th at the head of his army numbering nearly 100,000 men with a numerous artillery. He was marching on Pamplona to raise the siege.

31st. (To General Clarke.) Give orders that all the wives of generals, officers, and administrators, all the loose women, including those who go dressed as men, who are at Bayonne or in the departments of the Landes and of the Lower Pyrenees coming from Spain, be removed beyond the Garonne immediately. Specifically, the wives of Generals G---, F---, and V--- are to be sent not only beyond the Garonne but to their homes.

August 4th, Dresden:
There is nothing doing at the Congress of Prague. An English agent is intervening. There can be no result, and the Allies intend to denounce the armistice on the 10^th.

9th. (To General Savary.) It is probable that Austria will declare war on the 11th or 12th. That Power has had a beautiful dream in which she saw herself recovering all she has lost in twenty years! She wants everything, even Venice!

Keep this secret till the last moment.

11th. Order for the Duke of Reggio to concentrate his three army corps with the 3d cavalry corps and to march on Berlin.

12th. The armistice is denounced. I am not informed that Austria has declared war, but expect to get the news in the course of the day.

Apart from the 110,000 men I have marching on Berlin, and from there on Stettin, I shall have nearly 300,000 men near Goerlitz. With these 300,000 men I shall occupy a position between Goerlitz and Bautzen, so as to see what the Russians and Austrians propose doing, and to act according to circumstances.

14th. The King of Naples joined the army to-day.

15th. The unfortunate and unexpected turn taken by Spanish affairs makes it necessary to provide for the defence of the frontier. A levy of men must therefore be made in the south.

General Moreau has arrived in Berlin. He left America before the news of the battle of Lützen had reached there, and when these gentlemen thought they were coming back to France.

16th, Bautzen:
We are manœuvring. I am very hopeful of the result of the campaign. Jomini, chief of staff of the Prince of the Moskowa, has deserted. He is a poor soldier, but a writer who has shown some understanding of warfare.

18th, Reichenbach:
I have here 365,000 rounds for my artillery, all horsed, which is the equivalent of four battles like Wagram, and 18 million cartridges.

Goerlitz:
The Austrians have crossed the Elbe and are marching I know not where. I may possibly move straight into Bohemia to catch the Russians napping.

20th, Zittau:
I crossed the mountains yesterday and reached Gabel.

(To General Corbineau.). Push your cavalry out as far as you can on the road to Lauben. We are manœuvring, and must close up for giving battle.
 

I am afraid a dispatch I sent to the Duke of Taranto has been intercepted, and that the enemy's eyes will be opened.

22d, Loewenberg:
People will be anxious in Paris, and the Allies will not fail to spread bad reports. 1 am far from having given up my Bohemian enterprise. The worst feature of the situation is the lack of confidence of the generals: whenever I am absent they imagine the enemy are in large numbers.

23d, Goerlitz:
The troops that are here can reach Dresden on the 25th, or, if there is less urgency, on the 26th.

24th. I am now marching on Dresden to attack the forces of the enemy that have moved in that direction. The army that I sent towards Berlin should have reached that city to-day. It appears that two regiments of Westphalian hussars have gone over to the enemy bag and baggage.

Bautzen, 3 P. M.:
I have reached this place with the Guard. To-morrow by two o'clock in the afternoon I can throw forty thousand men into Dresden; day after to-morrow 100,000 more.

25th, Stolpen:
I have just arrived at Stolpen. Vandamme's troops are already nearing Dresden. I want as little show made as possible so that the enemy may not suspect the arrival of these troops, and the operations we are undertaking. The Old Guard will arrive at eleven.

(To Marshal Saint Cyr.) You must hang on. I shall reach you early in the morning.
 

The reports about the Duke of Reggio are so confused that I can form no opinion as to what they mean. The letter says that on the 21st and 22d we had some minor successes; but it is clear from the official dispatches that only a few shots were fired on the 20th and 21st.

26th, 4 A. M.:
Yesterday at midnight the whole of the enemy's army was in sight of Dresden, and Marshal Saint Cyr feared an attack for this morning.

On the Dresden road, 9 A. M.:
We are just arriving at Dresden, the enemy face the city.

27th, Dresden:
I won a great victory at Dresden yesterday over the Austrian, Russian, and Prussian armies commanded by the Emperor of Austria, the Emperor of Russia, and the King of Prussia. Many prisoners, flags, and guns are being brought in.

The enemy are not retreating. If they remain in position, my intention is to turn their left, and the King of Naples will carry out this operation with the 38 battalions of the Duke of Belluno.

29th. The news of the death of Moreau is coming in from every quarter; it is probably true.

30th. (To the Prince of Neuchâtel.) Write to the Duke of Treviso to support General Vandamme, if he is pressed. Send an officer to General Vandamme to find out what is going on, and give him orders to return at once.

September 1st. The Duke of Taranto is at Goerlitz to-day. If he continues his retreat, I shall have to move to his support; I cannot allow him to be driven back beyond Bautzen.

The misfortune that has overtaken the 1st corps could not well be foreseen. General Vandamme, who seems to have been killed, had left no posts in the mountains, and had no reserves anywhere; he ran into a corner without seeing what he was doing.

2d. (To Berthier.) Inform the Duke of Reggio that I learn with great displeasure that, making no use of his three corps, he has retired under the guns of Wittenberg; that perceiving his hesitation I had already sent the Prince of the Moskowa to take command of his army.

3d. I shall be at Bautzen to-morrow morning to join the Duke of Taranto and his army; the enemy are pursuing him briskly and appear very confident; I shall attack them in the course of the day and try to drive them back to Reichenbach, and after the battle I shall make a forced march on Berlin.

(To General Count Friant.) On your march towards Bautzen you will find many stragglers and plunderers belonging to the 3d, 5th, and 11th corps who have thrown their muskets away. Turn them back on Bautzen, where muskets will be served out to them.

(To General Durosnel.) Look after the bridges sharply; allow none but wounded men to cross, and arrest all the rabble that are deserting from the army.

6th, Bautzen:
I am at Bautzen. I pursued the enemy beyond the Niesse; at six o'clock we reached Goerlitz. As soon as the enemy discovered I was with the army, they promptly ran away in all directions. It proved impossible to catch them up; they did little more than fire a few cannon-shots. I immediately returned here, where I have the 6th corps and the Guard.

8th, Dresden:
The enemy show themselves along all the passes into Bohemia, and we may soon become engaged.

9th, Liebstadt:
The great thing now is to give the Guard a little rest.

10th. The Prince of the Moskowa, who with his three corps met with a check on the 6th, is rallying his troops at Torgau.

11th, Breitenau:
We hold all the passes into Bohemia. I could see the enemy's army yesterday retreating in haste to form in front of Teplitz. If I had been able to move artillery through Geyersberg we should have attacked the enemy in flank, and won a great success; but all our efforts were in vain, and the misfortune that has overtaken the Berlin army prevents my pressing on further.

19th, Pirna:
The weather is horrible. The Prince of Neuchâtel is ill; I don't know whether it is his gout or only an attack of fever.

(To the Duke of Bassano.) Tell the Count of Narbonne that his dispatches are ridiculous and only prove one thing, that he has no experience of warfare. Is it extraordinary that there should be some confusion in a fortress that has just served as the rallying point for a defeated array? Tell him to use more sensible language in his letters than, for instance, his formula about speaking the truth, as though it were not everybody's duty to speak the truth, and as though everybody did not actually speak it. Protestations of speaking the truth suggest that it is not always spoken. Try as politely as possible to make him see all this; but really he is writing to the chief of staff in a ridiculous manner. He should not go off into amazement at everything he sees, but state it simply, and all will be mended; the Prince of the Moskowa's army will presently move away; the enemy will be dislodged from the right bank; the general in command of the artillery will send guns; Count Daru will send equipment; clothes will come in from all sides; the depots will be armed and equipped; the thing is only momentary.

20th. (To Marshal Marmont.) The weather has been so awful yesterday and through the night that we can't possibly move. It is unlikely that the enemy's infantry will attempt to advance. It they should, I will support you and we will give them battle, which would suit us well, but appears not to be what they want.

22d, Hartau:
I am sleeping at Hartau. I attacked and pushed back the enemy, who are now retreating on Bautzen.

23d. (To Count Daru.) The army is not properly fed, it would be a delusion to think it is. Twenty-four ounces of bread, one ounce of rice, and eight of meat are not enough for a soldier. Now we are getting only eight ounces of bread, three of rice, and eight of meat.

24th. The enemy will probably retreat to-night and cross the Spree. If they don't cross to-night, they certainly will to-morrow when they see large forces being deployed against them. I should lose several days to no purpose.

30th, Dresden:
At noon on the 28th the Swedes attempted to recapture Dessau; the Swedish Guard lost 1500 men, and failed completely.

October 2d. It would be the beat possible news to hear that the enemy are running their heads into Leipzig with 80,000 men; the war would soon be over then; but I imagine they know my methods too well to take any such risks.

3d. (To Berthier.) Write to the Prince of the Moskowa that the reports are false, that Bavaria has not abandoned our alliance, on the contrary.

(To Marmont.) The current rumours are false. You must act with the greatest prudence. Above all, you must support the Prince of the Moskowa. The King of Naples with the 2d, 5th, and 8th corps will oppose everything that comes out of Bohemia.

I repeat that to cover Leipzig, - 7 since you are there, - to prevent the Elbe being crossed between Wittenberg and Torgau, to support the Prince of the Moskowa, those are your chief objects. The rest will come after.

(To Savary.) I have received your ciphered letter of the 27th. It's very good of you to look after the Bourse; what concern of yours is it if prices are falling? People who sell Government bonds at 60 will have to buy them back at 80. The less you interfere in such matters the better. It is natural that there should be more or less of a fall in prices under such circumstances as these; let them go on their own way. Who is hurt by it? Only those who are soft enough to sell. What does it matter if Government bonds drop to 6 francs, provided the interest is regularly paid. The one thing needed to make things worse is for you to mix yourself up with them, and to act as though you attributed some importance to the matter. As for me, I don't.

6th. Order for the Duke of Castiglione to march on Leipzig.
 

The whole of the army of Silesia, commanded by General Blücher, has slipped away towards Wittenberg. He threw a bridge in the night at Wartenberg. General Bertrand fought for twelve hours; the enemy attacked him seven times without dislodging him. At night, seeing that the enemy were being reinforced, General Bertrand retreated.
 

I shall reach Meissen to-night at the head of 80,000 men, with my advance guard at the fork of the Leipzig and Torgau roads.

7th. (To Berthier.) Write to the King of Naples that his principal object must be to retard the enemy's advance towards Leipzig, so that we may all close in on Leipzig together, hold the enemy at a distance from it, or, if necessary, fight a pitched battle.

Marshal Saint Cyr must distribute the Westphalians in his different divisions, one regiment per division.

Headquarters will start at ten o'clock this morning for Meissen, as I mean to defeat Blücher and the Swedes before they can effect their junction with Schwarzenberg.

Seerhausen:
We are here, with headquarters in an old castle. We are expecting news every moment.

9th, Würzen:
I think it important we should hold Düben, and if the enemy have not more than 30,000 men there I propose attacking this very evening. General Blücher is said to be at Düben. Unfortunately the weather is very bad.

10th, Eilenburg:
We got to Düben yesterday. General Langeron had left there at three in the afternoon.

I am anxious to get news from Leipzig as to the movements of the enemy, and to know whether they are advancing or otherwise.

Düben, 3 P. M.:
The Austrian army is debouching through Penig. At daybreak the King of Naples was at Frohburg. It seems probable that he will retreat towards Leipzig in the course of the day.

This will all finish with a thunderclap!

11th. (To General Count Régnier.) General Latour Maubourg is arriving; clear the bridge for him. With the cavalry we shall be able to get some information as to what the enemy is doing at Dessau. Do they intend to cross back and give us battle on the right bank, or do they mean to take up their bridge and stay on the left bank?

12th. All my information points to General Blücher's having moved on Halle during the 10th. Wittgenstein has been engaged with the King of Naples at Borna.

3 P. M.:
We have seized the enemy's bridges over the Elbe, and it appears that the Berlin army crossed back to the right bank. In the other direction the King of Naples occupied the position of Croebern this morning, and is holding it; I have instructed him to hold it the whole of to-morrow the 13th. To-morrow at noon we shall have 70,000 men concentrated within reach of Leipzig.

4 P. M.:
The King of Naples estimates the enemy in his front at 60,000 men. If he can hold out through the 13th without reinforcements, I shall march on Leipzig and bring the enemy to battle.

(To Marshal Marmont.) March so that you can send help to Leipzig, and take your orders from the King as to coming into action. We seem to have reached the crisis; now all depends on fighting hard.

13th, 5 A. M.:
The Bavarian army has joined the Austrian, and they are threatening the Rhine.

(To Ney.) I have drawn back all the Guard so as to march on Leipzig to-morrow; the King of Naples is covering the city. I have moved the Duke of Ragusa there, which will give the King of Naples 90,000 men. I think we must concentrate as quickly as we can. There will certainly be a great battle at Leipzig.

10 A. M.:
(To Marmont.) It is to be feared that Blücher may debouch at Halle, or at some other point. It is important that the army of Silesia should not approach Leipzig nearer than two leagues.

You are to dispose your troops in two ranks instead of three. The enemy, who are used to seeing us in three ranks, will think our battalions one third larger. Issue precise orders for carrying out these instructions.

(To Joachim Napoleon, King of Naples.) I have received your letter. The Duke of Ragusa will reach Hohenleina this morning at eight. It is very important that you should not make use of this marshal, for if you do, you would have to weaken your line at a very critical moment in the event of Blücher's debouching through Halle. That is the sort of movement that brings about the loss of battles; they are won only by strengthening the line at the critical moment. Take good care not to use the 6th corps except as a last resource, for all the indications are that the army of Silesia is in the neighbourhood of Halle.

14th. I shall start for Leipzig at seven.

7 A. M.:
(To Macdonald.) I hope you will arrive early. We shall undoubtedly be attacked to-morrow by the army of Bohemia and the army of Silesia. March rapidly therefore, and if you should hear them, move towards the sound of the guns. The army of Silesia is debouching through Halle.

Reudnitz:
(To Marmont.) Headquarters are at Reudnitz. I am sending you an account of the battle fought by Gustavus Adolphus that deals with the positions you occupy.

15th. The enemy engaged the King of Naples yesterday with 80,000 men; they delivered six attacks and were driven back each time. The 5th cavalry corps, in part made up of cavalry from Spain, made some splendid charges. Not only did the King of Naples maintain his positions, but he even recovered some ground he had evacuated in the night in order to concentrate.

16th, 7 A. M.:
(To Marmont.) As I am on the point of attacking the Austrians, I think you should come up in reserve about half a league from the city, with your divisions in echelons; you can move from there on Lindenau, if the enemy should make a serious attack on that side, which appears highly improbable. I shall draw you into line as soon as I have estimated the enemy's numbers and seen that we can bring them to action. Or, again, you could move to support General Bertrand if, which is unlikely, the enemy appeared on the Halle road.

At nine in the morning the grand army of the Allies advanced against us. Its movement tended constantly to extend towards the right. At noon the enemy's sixth attack had been thrown back.

The Emperor ordered the Duke of Reggio to move on Wachau with two divisions of the Young Guard; ordering the Duke of Treviso at the same time to move on Liebertwolkvitz with two other divisions of the Young Guard, and to seize the wood on the left of the village. He also pushed forward in the centre a battery of 150 guns under the command of General Drouot.

This combined movement resulted as was hoped. The enemy retired, and left us the whole of the field of battle.

It was now three o'clock in the afternoon. All the enemy's forces had been engaged; they had recourse to their reserves. Count Merveldt, who was in command of the whole Austrian reserve, relieved with his six divisions every column of their troops; while the Russian Imperial Guard, which formed the Russian reserve, relieved them in the centre.

The King of Naples placed himself at the head of the cuirassiers and marched on the enemy's cavalry to the left of Wachau, while the Polish horse and the dragoons of the Guard charged to the right. The enemy's cavalry was routed. Matters being thus reëstablished on our right, the enemy fell back, and did not dispute possession of the battlefield any longer.

It is impossible to praise too highly the conduct of Count Lauriston and Prince Poniatowski in this battle. As a proof of his satisfaction the Emperor promoted the latter on the battlefield to be a Marshal of France.

The Duke of Ragusa was engaged on the right of the Partha about one league from Leipzig, and four from the battlefield where the Emperor commanded. The Duke of Ragusa, with no supports, defended Leipzig and maintained his position during the whole day; but be suffered losses that were not compensated by those, however great, he inflicted on the enemy. At night the Duke of Ragusa, who was slightly wounded, was compelled to draw in his lines towards the Partha.

18th. Having discovered that the enemy had been reinforced and held a very strong position, the Emperor decided to draw them on to another battleground. At two o'clock in the morning of the 18th he fell back two leagues towards Leipzig and there firmly awaited the onset of the enemy.

At nine o'clock our pickets reported them advancing at every point. At ten o'clock the artillery opened fire.

Throughout the day the repeated efforts of the enemy to carry Connewitz and Probstheyda failed. The Duke of Taranto was outflanked at Holzhausen.

At five in the afternoon the Emperor threw in the reserve artillery and developed all our fire against the enemy who were pushed back the distance of one league.

While this was happening the army of Silesia had fought its way into the suburbs of Halle, and the Saxon army, horse, foot, and guns, with the Würtemberg cavalry, passed over to the enemy. This treachery not only opened a gap in our line, but placed the enemy in possession of the important passage intrusted to the Saxon army, which carried its infamy to the point of immediately turning its forty guns against Durutte's division. A momentary disorder ensued; the enemy crossed the Partha and pushed on to Reudnitz, which they occupied; they were only half a league from Leipzig.

At six the Emperor issued his orders for the next day. But at seven General Sorbier and General Dulanloy, commanding the artillery of the army and of the Guard, reported at his bivouac with an account of the expenditure of ammunition during the day. They stated that the reserve supplies were exhausted, and that there remained not over 16,000 rounds. This state of things made a movement towards one of our two great magazines necessary; the Emperor decided for Erfurt.

By this decision the French army was compelled to abandon the fruits of two victories, in which it had acquired such glory in defeating the far more numerous armies of the whole Continent.

19th, Lindenau:
The Emperor had ordered the engineers to mine the great bridge between Leipzig and Lindenau so as to blow it up at the last moment; part of the army was still on the further side with 80 guns and a train of several hundred wagons.

The head of column of this part of the army, on seeing the bridge blow up, supposed it had fallen into the power of the enemy. A cry of dismay went up from the ranks: "The enemy are in our rear; the bridge is cut!" The unfortunate men broke their ranks and sought all means of escape. The Duke of Taranto swam across; Count Lauriston, less lucky, was drowned; Prince Poniatowski, on a spirited horse, plunged in and was never seen again.

It is impossible as yet to estimate the loss involved by this unfortunate accident, but the disorder it has caused in the army has completely altered the appearance of things. The victorious French army will reach Erfurt with all the appearance of a defeated army. The enemy, shaken by the battles of the 16th and 18th, have taken heart owing to the disaster of the 19th and have assumed a victorious attitude.
 

I could see clearly enough the fatal hour coming! My star was growing paler; I felt the reins slipping from my fingers; and I could do nothing. Only a thunderstroke could save us. I had, therefore, to fight it out; and day by day, by this or that fatality, our chances were becoming more slender!
 

20th, on the road to Weissenfels:
A dispatch must be sent to the Duke of Valmy, who will send a semaphore message stating that after much fighting, of which the honour remains with us, I am marching on the Saale; that the Emperor is in good health.

23d, Erfurt:
Order for General Sebastiani to start. He is to push back the Cossacks and reëstablish communications with Erfurt.
 

It seems to me highly improper that in the address of the Municipal body of Paris to the Empress the conduct of Maria Theresa should have been recalled: it shows lack of tact.

25th, Gotha:
I shall proceed to Mainz, and concentrate the army on the frontier. The treachery of Bavaria, which is as inconceivable as it was unexpected, has upset all my plans, and compels me to bring the war nearer to our frontiers.

I am writing to the Minister of War on the subject of a levy of 80,000 to 100,000 men which I need. With the whole of Europe under arms, when everywhere married as well as unmarried men are being raised and everybody is in arms against us, France is lost unless she does the same.

A great stream of stragglers is constantly coming in.

28th, on the road near Schluchterne:
(To the Polish officers.) Is it true that the Poles want to leave me?

I went too far. I have made mistakes. Fortune has turned her back on me these last two years; but she's a woman, and will change. Who can tell? Perhaps it is your evil star has drawn mine on? In any case have you lost confidence in me? Is there no . . . left in my . . . ? Do I look thinner?

I only hope the Allies will burn down two or three of my good cities of France; it would give me a million of soldiers. I would offer them battle, I would beat them, and I would drive them at tap of drum all the way back to the Vistula.

I have been informed as to what you want. As Emperor, as general, I have nothing but gratitude for all you have done; I have nothing to reproach you with, you have acted loyally towards me; you have not been willing to abandon me without notice, and you have even undertaken to reconduct me to the Rhine, To-day, I want to give you good advice. If you abandon me I shall no longer have the right of speaking for you; and I imagine that in spite of our disasters I am still the most powerful monarch of Europe.

31st, Frankfort:
I have just reached Frankfort. The Bavarian army, together with the Austrian army that was opposed to it, with a total of 60,000 men, had taken position at Hanau so as to cut me off from France. I defeated them yesterday at sight, capturing guns, flags, and 6000 prisoners.

November 1st. (To Maria Louisa.) Madam and beloved wife: I am sending you twenty standards captured by my armies at the battles of Wachau, of Leipzig, and of Hanau; they are a tribute I delight to pay you. Pray see in them a mark of my satisfaction with your conduct during the regency which I intrusted to you.

2d, Mainz:
I have arrived at Mainz. I am trying to rally, to rest, and reorganize the army.

3d. (To Prince Cambacérès.) My Cousin: Talk with the Councillors of State and Senators who are nervous. I am told in many quarters that they are showing great lack of courage. I regret not being in Paris, so that people might see me more cool and more calm than in any event of my life.

(To Savary.) The alarms and apprehension at Paris amuse me; I thought you capable of facing the truth. I shall defeat the enemy quicker than you think.

My presence is too much needed with the army at this moment for me to leave it. When it is necessary I shall come to Paris.

7th. I leave to-night for Paris.

10th, Saint Cloud:
The Director of the conscription promises 150,000 men. As 150,000 are not enough, I must have 100,000 more.

The conscription of 1815 is estimated at 160,000 men; I shall be able to levy 200,000.

12th. I am working at present on raising 600,000 men.

14th, Palace of the Tuileries:
Senators, I thank you for your sentiments. One year ago all Europe was marching with us; now all Europe is marching against us. The reason is that the opinion of the world is governed either by France or by England. We should therefore have everything to fear were it not for the courage and power of the nation. Posterity will declare that the great and critical events that face us were not superior to France nor to me.

15th, Saint Cloud:
Order, in the event of the English reaching the château of Marracq, that the château and all the buildings belonging to me there be burnt down, so that they may not sleep in my bed. All the furniture may he removed and stored at Bayonne.

17th. I am informed by semaphore that the people of Amsterdam have risen in insurrection.

December 14th, Paris:
I regret to see that the epidemic continues; is there no hope that the cold weather will cheek it?

15th. We are badly off for muskets.

17th. (To Count Montalivet.) You will find herewith a schedule of 21,200 unemployed workmen drawn up by the Prefect of Police; I intend to provide them with work. It is difficult to believe that there can be in Paris 350 braid makers, 700 hatters, 1200 locksmiths, 500 carpenters, 2000 ironsmiths, 2000 carriage builders, 300 shoemakers, without employment, when complaints are constant that we cannot get any for the war administration or for the Guard. In any event, I intend doubling, tripling employment, rather than leave thern without any.

20th. (To Marshal Mortier.) Brussels is surrounded by Russian Cossacks, Dutch Cossacks, and, I suspect, a few local Cossacks; your mounted division must be quickly put in order so as to get after them.

21st. The chief of staff will inform the Duke of Belluno that he must form his corps into three divisions without fail on the 1st of January, even if he has no more than 3000 men in each division.

26th. The enemy have debouched by Bâle and are marching on Belfort, which their advance guard probably reached on the 24th. It is absolutely necessary to move the Guard, horse and foot, with the reserve artillery, to Reims. If the news should become more urgent, I will give orders for the infantry to travel by stage, but so far this does not appear to be necessary.

31st. The Legislative Body, instead of helping to save France, is helping on her ruin, and is false to its duties; I carry out mine and dissolve it.

This is my decree, and if I were assured that its consequence would be that the people of Paris would march to massacre me in the Palace of the Tuileries, still I would maintain it; for that is my duty. When the French people placed their fate in my hands, I considered the laws under which I was asked to govern; had I thought them insufficient I would not have accepted. Let no one imagine that I am a Louis XVI!

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