Count de Stgur. 471 



Napoleon's treatment of Prussia and only slightly alluding to his 

 happy confusion of ideas in mistaking the talented Mirza Rizza who 

 came on an Embassy from Persia to the French camp in April 1807, 

 for the Turkish Ambassador Emir-Wahib-Effendi who visited head- 

 quarters several weeks after, and to the astonishing facility with 

 which he gives the minutiae of events that occurred during his incar- 

 ceration in a Russian prison, we pass at once to the third Book of 

 M. de Segur's work, which represents Napoleon at Dresden sur- 

 rounded by a retinue of courtiers among which were most of the 

 crowned heads of Europe. That the hero of Austerlitz could have 

 been so puerile as to sit in triumph in the midst of such courtiers 

 merely for the vain desire of glory, it is scarcely possible to believe ; 

 and still less so, that the army which boasted of such a commander 

 could be, whatM. de Segur wishes us to think, a band of depredators 

 without either discipline or restraint. Still notwithstanding the 

 numerous mistakes, improbabilities and contradictions to be found 

 in a few pages of this book, the third chapter contains an admirable 

 picture of Napoleon at a review ; and with such spirit is it written, 

 that it is scarcely possible to avoid expressing a regret that the same 

 enthusiasm does not more frequently breathe life into the author's 

 pages. We shall attempt a translation. 



* Napoleon on the 9th of May, 1812, reviewed several sections of 

 his army, addressing his men in a lively, frank and often in a blunt 

 style ; for he was well aware that with these simple and hardy men 

 bluntness passes for openness, rudeness for pithiness, assurance 

 for nobleness, and that the accomplishments and graces of the 

 drawing-room were to them weakness and puisllanimity, a strange 

 language which they understood not and the accents of which ex- 

 cited their ridicule. 



* As was his custom, he walked before the ranks. He knew well 

 what campaigns each regiment had made with him : and as he 

 stopped near the veterans of each, he familiarly addressed them and 

 reminded them, some of Marengo, some of Austerlitz, some of the 

 Pyramids, and so on. The happy old soldiers thus recognized by 

 the Emperor thus became the pride of their regiments and the ob- 

 jects of emulation to their younger comrades. 



' But Napoleon, as he walked on, forgot not to notice the younger 

 soldiers: he [evinced liveliest interest in their welfare, knew all 

 their wants and asked if they were supplied. Did their captain at- 

 tend to them, was their pay regularly given to them, in short had 

 they need of any thing whatever ? At length, walking to the centre 

 of the regiment, he inquired into the number of vacancies and asked 

 aloud who were the fittest men to fill them up, called to him those 

 mentioned and questioned them on the length of their service, their 

 campaigns, battles, and wounds; and then he appointed them officers 

 and himself presented them to their respective companies. All these 

 little attentions won the hearts of the soldiers ; and they said among 

 themselves, that this mighty Emperor who was able to decide the 

 fate of nations still condescended to busy himself with the minutest 

 details of his army, which constituted his ancient and true family. 



