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ANNUAL REGISTER, 1814-. 



armies wasimmediately to be raised; 

 and the French troops forming 

 part of the army of Italy, or occu- 

 pying its strong places, or those 

 on the Mediterranean, were to be 

 recalled. Blockades by sea were 

 also to be raised, and liberty to be 

 given to the French fisheries and 

 coasting trade. Ail prisoners on 

 both sides were to be sent back 

 without ransom. There were 

 other articles relative to time and 

 matters of regulation which need 

 not here be specified. 



We now return to a review of 

 some of the more important trans- 

 actions which took place at Paris. 

 On April 14th, Monsieur received 

 the senate and the legislative body, 

 the former being presented to him 

 by its president, the prince of Be- 

 nevento. The senate passed a 

 decree conveying the provisional 

 government to Monsieur, under 

 the title of Lieutenant-general of 

 the kingdom, " until Louis Stanis- 

 laus Xavier of France, called to 

 the throne of the French, has 

 accepted the Constitutional Char- 

 ter." It is worthy of observation, 

 how carefully this body in its 

 language avoids any recognition of 

 indefeasible hereditary right, and 

 inculcates the ideas of election, or 

 contract. When the decree was 

 presented to Monsieur, he made a 

 reply, in which he said, " 1 have 

 taken cognizance of the Consti- 

 tutional Charter, which recalls to 

 the throne of France, the king 

 my august brother. I have not 

 received from him the power to 

 accept the constitution ; but I 

 know his sentiments and princi- 

 ples, and I do not fear being dis- 

 avowed, when I assure you in his 

 name, that he will admit the bases 

 ©fit." He afterwards nominated 



nine persons to be the provisional 

 council of state, the prince of 

 Benevento standing first. The 

 marshals Moncey and Oudinot 

 were of the number. The duke 

 of Berri, son of Monsieur, made 

 his entrance into Paris, on the 21st, 

 escorted by a detachment of horse- 

 guards, and with a marshal of 

 France on each hand. He was 

 welcomed by the acclamations of 

 the public. On the 22nd, Mon- 

 sieur issued a decree, by virtue of 

 which an extraordinary commis- 

 sioner of the king was deputed 

 to each of the military divisions of 

 the kingdom, for the purpose of 

 disseminating an exact knowledge 

 of the events, which have pro- 

 duced the restoration of the legi- 

 timate sovereigns of France ; of 

 insuring the execution of all the 

 acts of the provisional govern- 

 ment ; of taking the requisite mea- 

 sures for facilitating the establish- 

 ment of the government ; and of 

 collecting information relative to 

 all branches of the public service. 

 They were invested with powers 

 to command the assistance of all 

 the civil and military authorities; 

 to suspend those whose conduct 

 had been faulty, and appoint pro- 

 visional successors ; to set at li- 

 berty all persons under arbitrary 

 arrests ; to put a stop to all prose- 

 cutions and punishments, conse- 

 qut-nt upon military conscription, 

 and to suspend all requisitions, 

 levies, works, &c. ordered by the 

 late government on account of the 

 war. 



On April 20th, Buonaparte, 

 whose departure had been delayed 

 by various causes, left Fontain- 

 bleau for the island of Elba. 

 Though his fall from the highest 

 rank of sovereignty, and the real 



