378 LON 
there met with a reception as gratifying as it was unex¬ 
pected. As loon as his approach, at the head of the al¬ 
lied troops, was known at Bourdeaux, Mr. Lynch, the 
mayor, advanced on the way to meet him, attended by 
the conftituted authorities, the principal inhabitants, and 
an immenfe multitude, in carriages, on horfeback, and on 
foot. In his capacity of mayor, he was decorated with 
the inlignia of' Bonaparte’s government; but, on his 
drawing near to marlhal Beresford, he tore them and 
trampled them under foot. The white cockade was in- 
itantly fubffituted for them. This conduct was greeted 
with univerfal acclamation, and the mayor immediately 
addrel'ed marlhal Beresford in a prepared fpeech. He 
then, at the head of the procellion, conducted the mar¬ 
lhal into the city. This was on the 12th of March. 
On the day following, his royal highnefs the duke of 
Angouleme, fon of the count d’Artois, and married to 
the daughter of Louis XVL approached the city of 
Bourdeaux. He was met at two leagues’ diltance by 
a troop of aoo young men of the firft families in the 
neighbourhood, mounted on horfeback, and adorned with 
white cockades and falhes. Bourdeaux, it is to be obferved, 
is the fecond city in France for wealth, lize, and numbers ; 
and has a population of 112,800 fouls. 
Murat , Bonaparte’s brother-in-law, and his king of Na¬ 
ples, like other rats, now thought fit to forfake a fall¬ 
ing houfe, in hopes of preferving his kingfhip. A pro- 
cla mation, iffued by him on the 17th of February, Hates 
his having joined the allies ; that he had given up the three 
iflands oppofite Naples, and his whole fleet, for which he 
was to receive fufficient compenfation; and that he was 
going to take pofleflion of the fouth of Italy, as far as the 
right bank of the Po. Immediately after this proclamation, 
the Neapolitan troops took pofleflion of Rome in the name 
of the allies. The treaty of peace between the allied 
powers and Murat of Naples was ratified in that city on 
the 30th. The moll important article is, that the naval 
and military force of Naples is to be commanded by Bri- 
tifh officers. Murat, loon after he joined the allies, fet at 
liberty all the priefls who were imprifoned in Rome for 
having refufed to take the oath of allegiance to Bona¬ 
parte. 
After the defeats which two columns of the allied army 
had fuffered up to the 19th of February, their advanced 
polls, which had occupied Fontainebleau, fell back to 
Troyes, to which city they were followed, on the 23d of 
February, by Napoleon. A general battle was expelled ; 
but they evacuated Troyes, and retreated beyond Bar- 
fur-Aube, even to Chaumont. Blucher, in the mean 
time, endeavoured to join Schwartzenberg at Troyes ; but, 
not arriving in time, he was again attacked by Napoleon 
on the 28th of February, driven acrofs the Aube, and 
followed to Sezanne, Meaux, and Soiflbns, acrofs the 
Aifne to Laon, a ftrong pofition, in which he was joined 
by 40,000 men under Winzengerode and Bulow from 
Flanders. 
In Laon Blucher was attacked, on the 9th of March, 
by the whole army of Napoleon, who continued the at¬ 
tack through the 10th. On the 9th, the French were re- 
ulfed with the lofs of 45 pieces of cannon, with tum- 
rils, baggage, and many prifoners. The city of Laon 
is lituated on an elevated plateau, with deep (helving 
banks, which command an extenfive plain around ; the 
town covers the greater part of the plateau ; the remain¬ 
der is crowned by an old caftle, and by feveral windmills 
built on high terrace-walls. General Bulow’sarmy occu¬ 
pied this pofition ; the remainder of Blucher’s army was 
polled on the plain below, to the right and left of the 
town, fronting towards Soiflbns; and the cavalry was in 
referve in the rear. Before day-light in the morning the 
French made their attack; and, under cover of a thick fog, 
which concealed all their movements, obtained pofleflion 
of the villages of Semilly and Ardon, dole under the 
town, and which may be regarded as its fuburbs. The 
jnuiketry reached the walls of the town, and continued 
D O N. 
without intermiffion until about eleven o’clock, when the 
fog began to difperfe. The French were then driven from 
Semilly ; and Blucher, the moment he could obferve any¬ 
thing of the enemy’s pofition, ordered the cavalry from 
the rear to advance, and turn his left flank. General 
count Woronzoff, who was on the right of the field-inar- 
flial’s pofition, advanced at the fame time with his infan¬ 
try, puflied forward two battalions of yagers, which 
drove in the enemy’s pods, fuftained a charge of cavalry, 
and maintained themfelves in an attitude to keep the left 
of the enemy in check until the cavalry could advance. 
Blucher, at the fame time, directed the advance of a part 
of general Bulow’s corps againft the village of Ardon, 
from which the French, after fuftaining a fire for about 
half an hour, were compelled to retreat. Whilft the ca¬ 
valry was taking a circuit round from the rear, and at 
about two o’clock in the afternoon, the enemy was ob¬ 
ferved to be advancing a column of flxteen battalions of 
infantry, with cavalry and artillery, along the chauffee 
from Rheims. General d’Yorck was directed to oppole 
him, and general baron Sacken ordered to general 
d’Yorck’s fupport. It was here the battle became molt 
general and decifive. The French opened a formidable 
battery of at lead 40 or 50 pieces of artillery, and ad¬ 
vanced with a confidence from which they muff have ar¬ 
rogated to themfelves every fucceis. They formed a co¬ 
lumn of attack, and were moving forward with a pas de 
charge to the village of Althies, when prince William of 
Pruflia, who was advancing to the village at the lame 
time, met them half-way, and overthrew them. They 
then began a retreat, which foon became a flight. Eight 
pieces of artillery, with horfes and every thing belonging 
to them, were immediately taken, and fucceffively twenty- 
two pieces more. They were purfued as far as Corbeny, 
lofing baggage, prifoners, &c. in the way; and thepurfuit 
continued during the whole of the night. 
On the right, no particular advantages were gained be¬ 
yond the expulfion of the French from the villages they 
had gained pofleflion of in the morning. General count 
Woronzoff, towards the clofe of the day, again attacked 
with the greatelt vigour ; but he had large mafles oppofed 
to him, and the ground prefented difficulties again(t the 
adlive co-operation of his cavalry. 
The attack continued during the whole of the next day. 
The plain below the city of Laon is interfperfed with 
villages and fmall woods, which became the fcene of very 
warm and obftinate contefts. A wood near the village 
of Clacy, on the right of the pofition, was taken and re¬ 
taken four or five different times, and remained finally in 
pofleflion of the allied troops. The infantry of general 
Winzingerode’s corps; under the command of general 
count Woronzoff, were the troops engaged there ; in the 
centre and left of the pofition the French maintained 
themfelves ; and, at about half an hour before funiet, 
threw forward a body of Ikirmilhers, fupported by two 
battalions of infantry (the relt of their army remaining 
in referve), and attacked the village of Semilly clofe un¬ 
der the walls of the town ; but a battalion of Pruffians 
threw itfelf in the road, and, fupported by the fire of the 
troops on each flank, compelled them to retire in difor- 
der, and with lofs, towards Chavignon, on the road to 
Soiflbns. 
While thefe affairs were palling before Laon, St. Prieff, 
another Ruffian general, captured Rheims; and Schwart¬ 
zenberg, to whom the road to Paris apparently lay open, 
took a lateral route towards Chalons, croffing the Aube 
at Arcis, Pont, and Nogent, and bearing with his left 
upon Paris. Napoleon, on his return to Soiffons, marched 
to the relief of.Rheims, which he recaptured on the nth, 
taking, according to his bulletin, 5000 prifoners and 22 
pieces of cannon, and difperling St. Priett’s corps. The 
next French papers announced the fubfequent occupation 
of Chalons, after Ibme ad vantages ; and, on Napoleon’s 
moving towards the Aube, the allies recrofled that river, 
and retreated again towards Bar-fur-Aube and Chaumont. 
3 Thus 
