375 
LON 
(have been frozen to the thicknefs of 20 inches; and the 
Antiquarian Society of Newcadle have recorded the event 
on vellum. Gambols were exhibited in every form on the 
ice. 
In Ireland, fo completely was the intercourfe between 
Dublin and the interior fufpende.d, that on the 17th of Ja¬ 
nuary no fewer than 3500 country mails were due in the 
Iriffi capital; and, in confequence of the mails not being 
able to travel, not lefs than ten tons weight of newfpapers 
were accumulated at the pod-office in Dublin.—Many 
perfons perilhed with cold in various parts of the united 
kingdom. 
A letter from St. John’s, Newfoundland, of the 3d of 
March, fays; “ No inhabitant remembers fo mild a winter 
as we have had here. The harbour has not been frozen 
over; nor has there been the lead impediment to fhips en¬ 
tering or leaving the ifland, further than what is ufually 
experienced from contrary winds.” 
The feverity of the weather in Europe did not hinder 
the progrefs of a campaign the molt important in its un¬ 
expected refults that Europe has ever witnefl'ed. 
The allied armies began to crofs the Rhine on the 21ft 
of December; previous to which, the following procla¬ 
mation of that date was ilfued from the head-quarters at 
Lorrach..—“ People of France ; Victory has conducted the 
allied armies to your frontier. They are about to pafs it. 
We do not make war upon France ; but we repel far from 
us the yoke which your government wifhed to impofe 
upon our rcfpeCtive countries, which have the fame rights 
to independence as yours. Magiftrates, landholders, cul¬ 
tivators, remain at your homes. The maintenance of 
public order, refpeCt for private property, the moltTevere 
difcipline, fliall characterize the progrefs and the flay of 
the allied armies. They are not animated by the fpirit of 
vengeance; they wifh not to retaliate upon France the 
numberlefs calamities with which France, for the lalt 
twenty years, overwhelmed her neighbours, and the molt 
didant countries. Other principles and other views than 
thofe which led your armies among us, prefide over the 
councils of the allied monarchs. Their glory will conlilt 
in having put the fpeediell period to the misfortunes of 
Europe. The only conquelt which is the objeCt of their 
ambition is tliat of peace; but, at the fame time, a peace 
which fliall fecure to their own people, to France, and to 
Europe, a Hate of real repofe. We had hoped to find it 
before touching the foil of France. We come hither in 
quell of it. Schwartzenberg.” 
Twenty thouland men immediately entered SwilTer- 
land at Lautfenberg, a column of 5000 between Rhein- 
feldt and Bade, where they threw a bridge over the Rhine ; 
20,000 eroded the bridge at Bade; thus invading France* 
through SwilTerland, whole neutrality (fee p. 351) was, 
of courfe, difregarded. The allies entered Swiderland as 
friends ; and the Swifs foldiers retired to their homes with¬ 
out attempting refiftance; doubtlefs, happy in having 
been thus relieved from the French yoke. The Swils 
cantons indeed immediately made pacific arrangements 
with the allies; who pledged themfelves to replace that 
country in the fame Hate of integrity and independence 
as before the French revolution. 
Other armies palled the Rhine at Dudeldorff and Cob- 
lentz. The whole force amounted to at lead 300,000 
men; and their route was through Franc,he Comte and 
Lorraine, the mod vulnerable part of France. The em¬ 
peror of Ruffia, with the lad of his referves, eroded the 
Rhine at Bade on the 13th of January, the anniverfary of 
his eroding the Niemen (the extreme boundary of his em¬ 
pire) in purfuit of the French, who had prefumed to in¬ 
vade him. On this occalion, all means were taken (in the 
Bonaparte-dyle) to imprefs on the minds of the enthu- 
fiadic Ruffians, that the two events were interwoven to¬ 
gether by the hand of Providence itfelf. 
The lird feye're affair which occurred in the advance of 
the allies, was one between the Bavarians under Gen. 
Wrede, and the French under Viftor, near St. Drey; in 
DON, 
the commencement of which the French had fome advan¬ 
tage; but, on the arrival of a Bavarian brigade, under 
Gen. Roy, the French were defeated with lofs, and obliged 
to retreat towards Luneville. Thus the whole exten- 
live plain, from the frontiers of Lorraine, Champagne, 
and Burgundy, to Paris, was laid open to the allies; who 
were allowed by the French themfelves to pofiefs an im- 
menfe fuperiority of cavalry, and whofe light troops are 
reprefented as ‘‘clouds of armed men.” 
On Thurfday, Dec, 30, Napoleon, being feated on the 
throne, received thefenate in a body ; when count Lacepede, 
the prefident, prefented the following Addrefs:—“Sire; 
The enemy has invaded our territory ; he defigns to pene¬ 
trate to the centre of our provinces. The French, united 
in fentiment and filtered:, under a chief like you, will not 
fuffer their energy to be cad down. Empires, like indi¬ 
viduals, have their days of mourning and of profperity; 
it is in great exigencies that great nations lliow them¬ 
felves. No, the enemy fiiall not tear alunder this beauti¬ 
ful and noble France, wdiiclt for tliefe fourteen centuries 
has maintained itfelf with glory through fuch diverfities 
of fortune, and which, for the filtered of the neighbouring 
nations themfelves, ought always to throw a confiderable 
weight into the balance of Europe. We have for pledge 
your heroic firmnefs and the national honour. We will 
fight for our dear country between the tombs of our fa¬ 
thers, and the cradles of our infants. Sire, obtain peace 
by a lad effort, worthy of yourfelf and of the French ; 
and let your hand, lo often victorious, let fall your arms, 
after having figned the repofe of the world. This, fire, 
is the wifii of France, the wifli of the fenate—this is the 
wifh and want of the'human race.” 
Napoleon replied—“ I am fenfible to the fentiments 
which you exprefs towards me. You have feen, by the 
documents which I have caufed to be laid before you, 
what I do for the fake of peace. I will make without re¬ 
gret the facrifices implied by the preliminary bafis which 
the^enemy lias propofed, and which I have accepted ; my 
life has but one objeCt, the happinefs of the French. 
Meantime, Bearn, Alface, Franclie Comte, Brabant, are 
invaded. The cries of this part of my family rend my 
heart; I call the French to fuccour the Fren clr. I call 
the French of Paris, of Bretagne, of Normandy, of Cham¬ 
pagne, and of the other departments, to the fuccour of 
their brethren. Shall we forfake them in their diftrefs ? 
Peace and the deliverance of our territory ought to be our 
rallying cry—at the light of all this nation in arms, the 
enemy will fly, or will fign peace on the bafis which he 
has himfelf propofed. The quejlion is now no more to recover 
the conqucjls wc have made .” 
In this extremity, the French ruler was forfaken by al- 
moft his lad ally, the king of Denmark ; for at length 
that prince was induced to join the allies. (See p. 3+1.) 
On or about the 14th of January, three treaties were figned, 
viz. one between this country and Denmark, one between 
Denmark and Sweden, and a third with the three powers 
in conjundtion. The following are the terms:—“All 
conquelts to be redored, except Heligoland. Prifoners of 
war on both fides to be releafed. Denmark to join the 
allies with 10,000 men, if England will give a fublidy of 
4po,oool. Pomerania to be ceded by Sweden to Denmark, 
in lieu of Norway. Stralfund dill to continue a depot for 
Englifh produce. Denmark to do all in her power to abo- 
lifli the ilave-tra.de. England to mediate between Den¬ 
mark and the other allies.” 
On the 25th of January at feven in the morning, Bo¬ 
naparte left Paris, to which he was never to return! He 
had been preceded, on the 10th, by Berthier ; and on 
the 24th he a fecond time confided the regency, during 
his abfence, to the emprefs Maria-Louifa; on which oc¬ 
calion die took the oath before him and in a council of 
princes, grand dignitaries, cabinet-miniders, and miniders 
of date. On the 23d, the officers of the national p-uard 
of Paris, in number 800, were prefented to the emperor, 
in the faloon of marfhals 5 on which occafion the foliow- 
v ' 
