198 ST. HELENA 



a command in the army ; then he issued orders to embark 

 and almost directly countermanded them, pretending that 

 the whole of his baggage had not arrived. So day after day 

 rolled on, until the British cruisers, hearing of his presence 

 in Rochefort, blockaded the port, and so rendered his 

 escape impossible. There he remained, awaiting news 

 from Paris, and when it arrived he was filled with dismay 

 indeed. Paris had surrendered to the Allies, the provisional 

 Government which would have helped him to escape was 

 dissolved, and Louis was daily expected in the capital. 

 Too late he regretted his indecision, and for a while gave 

 way to despair. Then a multitude of schemes presented 

 themselves, one of which was to fortify the little town of 

 Aix and there defend himself to the death. He went, 

 landed marines, reviewed his adherents, inspected forti- 

 fications and commenced repairs, but almost immediately 

 saw the absurdity of his idea : the fortifications would soon 

 have been demolished and a blockade of a very short time 

 would have starved him into surrender. Two ways of escape 

 he determined on, one by a Danish, and another by a small 

 French vessel, trusting under cover of darkness to elude the 

 vigilance of the British cruisers ; but this also he abandoned 

 as hopeless. All chance of escape was gone, when he sug- 

 gested the expedient of sending a flag of truce by Generals 

 Savary and Las Casas to the Commander of the British 

 Squadron requesting to be allowed to pass out and giving 

 his word of honour that he would proceed to America. 



To this, answer was made by Captain Maitland, the British 

 Commander, that the vessel would be attacked directly they 

 quitted the harbour. His situation was indeed desperate 

 for Louis was reinstated on the throne, and the wonder of 

 Napoleon and all around was that orders had not been sent 

 to arrest him, and at the hands of the French, he knew he 

 would not obtain much consideration. In his desperation, 

 he determined to appeal for protection to the generosity 

 of the British Nation, and he despatched two officers again 

 to Captain Maitland proposing surrender, on condition 

 that his person and property should be respected, and that 

 he should be allowed to live where he pleased in England 

 as a private subject. 



Captain Maitland made answer that he would convey him 



