May 23, 1859.] OBITUARY.— ARCHDUKE JOHN OF AUSTRIA. 235 



by some extraordinary intervention, it is quite possible that Vienna 

 in 1809 might have been to the great captain what Moscow was to 

 him in 1813. Unfortunately for the Austrian cause, the Archduke 

 John had before this been ordered to retire from the north of 

 Italy, and to unite with the main army near the metropolis. 



Every old soldier knows what must have been the effect of such a 

 command on a hitherto successful army, which was ordered to 

 retreat over the parched plains of Italy, and then through moun- 

 tainous tracts, for a vast distance. 



Losing the heavy train and guns of a noble army of 40,000 to 

 50,000 men, he eventually reached Presburg on the Danube with 

 scarcely the half of that number. But whilst this was the poor 

 relief brought to the left flank of the Austrian army, what was the 

 reinforcement which the Emperor of the French received in Vienna ? 

 Why, that of the very generals and soldiers who had been held 

 at bay by the Austrians in Italy. These were now converted into a 

 triumphant advancing force, which, when led by Macdonald, 

 enabled Napoleon to win the hard-fought day of Wagram. 



Singularly modest, he never spoke of his own conduct; but, 

 extracting information from those who had been his companions 

 during those terrible campaigns, I firmly believe that when the 

 truth is ascertained, the deceased Archduke will be entirely exo- 

 nerated from the blame, attributed to him by historians, of not 

 having promptly aided his brother Charles in the battle of Wagram ; 

 the fact being that the counter-orders sent to him prevented his 

 coming up till the main Austrian army was in full retreat. 



Naturally disappointed and disgusted at the results of a war 

 which had humbled Austria after her heroic efforts, the Archduke 

 betook himself to those mountains of the Styrian Alps where I first 

 made his acquaintance, when exploring their defiles in 1829 in com- 

 pany with Professor Sedgwick. At his favourite Bad-Gastein he 

 welcomed us with frankness and cordiality, and after a table d'hote 

 dinner at mid-day, where ministers, generals, and geologists, were 

 all commingled, we made a most enjoyable excursion to the foot of 

 the snow-covered peaks which the Prince had ascended, and of which 

 he gave us minute mineral descriptions. Never shall I forget the 

 joyous conversation he maintained, always full of noble and liberal 

 sentiments, until late in a fine starry, moonlight night we regained 

 our hostelry. Nor can I be oblivious of the kindness with which 

 on another day, just after sunrise, he laid out upon the floor of 

 his little bed-room at the curate's house a large and detailed map 

 of all parts of the Austrian Alps, and how we went upon ouij 



