PARIS 
Jeon was refolute. “ He had fet his" life upon a caft, and he 
would Hand the die.” Heexprefled his determination, if 
overtaken by the cruifers, which confided of two French tri¬ 
gates and a brig, firft to declare himfeif, and try the influence 
of his name. He doubted not that they would immediately 
hail him with acclamations, and hoitt the tri-coloured flag. 
Should they prove faithful to the oath which they had 
taken to Louis, he would rely on the tried courage of his 
veteran guard, and attempt to carry them by boarding. 
They did not however appear to obferve him. 
Napoleon had long and fuccefsfully manoeuvred to lull 
all fufpicion which the appearance of his little fleet might 
occafion. He often went on-board the Englifli fliips of 
war. He made frequent excurlions to the neighbouring 
iflands. His own brig, and another which he bought, 
had failed to Genoa and Leghorn. The Englifli and 
French cruifers were thus accuftomed to meet his flag, 
and therefore paid no attention to it at prefent. 
Towards noon the wind frelhened a little, and at four 
in the afternoon they were off Leghorn. One of the fri¬ 
gates was now about five leagues to the leeward, and the 
other was on the coaft of Corfica : but a fliip of war was 
coming up before the wind to meet the brig. It feemed 
of nearly equal force. A confultation was held ; and it 
was refolved, firft, to attempt to deceive the cruifer, and, 
fliould that fail, immediately to board her. The foldiers 
were concealed between the decks, and the two velfels 
ran along-fide of each other. 
The cruifer proved to be the Zephyr, captain Andrieux, 
a man of known talents and tried patriotifm. Taillade, 
a lieutenant of the Inconftant, was perfonally known to 
him, and undertook to carry on the conference. Afl'u- 
ming a carelefs tone he hailed the Zephyr, and demanded 
whither ihe was bound. It was anfwered “ To Livornia.” 
Andrieux then enquired in his turn whither the Incon¬ 
ftant was proceeding. Talliade replied without hefitation, 
“To Genoa,” and offered to undertake any commiflion 
which Andrieux might have to execute. At the fame 
time, he invited him on-board the Inconftant, to fpenda 
few hours with an old mefl'mate. Andrieux was com¬ 
pletely impofed upon; and, thanking the lieutenant for 
his civility, but excufing himfeif on account of want 
of time, failed on ; and the two brigs were loon out of 
fight of each other. 
During the night of the 27th the wind continued to 
frelhen; and, at day-break on the 28th, a feventy-four 
gun (hip was feen at a diftance of four leagues, making 
for St. Fiorent, or Sardinia. It either did not perceive, 
or did not think it neceffary to hail, the little flotilla. At 
feven in the morning of the 28th, they difcovered the 
coarft of Noli; at noon, Antibes was in fight; and at three 
o’clock in the morning of the iff of March, they entered 
the gulf of Juan, at a (hort diftance from Frejus, in the 
department of the Var. 
Previous to the difembarkation, Napoleon muftered his 
troops on deck, and, ordering them to throw the cockade 
of Elba into the lea,, prefehted them with the national 
colours. They were received amid the lliouts of “ The 
emperor for ever.” 
A captain of the guard, with twenty-five men, was 
dilembarked to take polfeffion of a fmall battery, which 
might have annoyed the landing of the troops. It was 
found completely unoccupied. In the afternoon Napo¬ 
leon difembarked the whole of his troops ; and, as he again 
fet foot on the French territory, exclaimed with exulta¬ 
tion, “ There is an end of the Congrefs.” 
An officer, with twenty-five men, was now difpatched 
to Antibes, to invite general Coriin, the governor of the 
place, to join Napoleon ; and this invitation was accom¬ 
panied by the moft feducing offers. But the commandant 
reje< 51 ed the overture with contempt, imprifoned the of¬ 
ficer and his men, and haftened to prepare the moft vigo¬ 
rous defence. This failure, at the very outlet of his ex¬ 
pedition, chagrined and terrified the invader: he could 
not conceal his vexation. Another officer was foon dif- 
Vol. XVIII. No. 1260. 
505 
patched to regularly fummon the place in the name of the 
emperor. He was arrefted and thrown into prifon. A 
third emiffary prefented himfeif to reclaim the prifoners, 
and to command general Corfin, under the molt dreadful 
threats of military punifhment, to repair to the gulf of 
Juan with the civil authorities. He likewife was de¬ 
tained. 
Irrefolute what plan to purfue, Napoleon bivouacked 
on the lea-fide, in a vineyard furrounded by olive-trees; 
but, reflecting on the confequences of this repulfe, and 
the neceffity of proceeding before the news of it had fpread 
through the country, and encouraged others to follow the 
example of Corfin, he commenced his march at one o’clock 
in the morning, and, leaving Antibes unmolelted, pro¬ 
ceeded to Cannes. 
His unexpected appearance produced a fentiment of 
mingled aftoniffitnent, fear, and joy. The recollections 
attached to that name, which the molt romantic enter- 
prifes, the moft heroic exploits, fei vices the moft fignal, 
and eftabliffnnents the moft ufeful, vices unparalleled, and 
aCtions unfpeakably atrocious, had contributed to render 
fo celebrated ; all thefe recollections, in which horror 
was mingled with admiration, and hope with terror, 
produced at Cannes, and in the whole of the country 
which he traverfed, a fcene of magical illulion ealier to 
comprehend than to defcribe. 
Continuing his progrefs to Graffe, he found the town 
deferted. A report had been fpread that a troop of cor- 
fairs had landed and were ravaging the country ; but the 
fears of the populace diflipated as foon as they had learned 
the truth. The mayor was required to furnifh rations for 
the followers of Napoleon. Fie nobly replied, that he ac¬ 
knowledged no authority but that of Louis XVIII. The 
inhabitants, however, returning in crowds, opened their 
(hops and were eafily induced to fupply the wants of the 
foldiers. He left here the fix pieces of cannon which he 
had brought from Elba, finding that they incommoded 
and retarded his march. 
At four o’clock in the afternoon he arrived at the vil¬ 
lage of Cerenon, having travelled twenty leagues in the 
firft day. On the 3d of March he flept at Barenne, and 
on the 4th at Digne ; which laft, being a town of fome 
fize, afforded him the means of printing two proclama¬ 
tions, which he dated from his landing-place, the Gulf 
of Juan, March 1, 1815. 
The news of the landing of Bonaparte was known at 
Marfeilles on the fame day ; and, if a body of troops had 
been immediately difpatched, his progrefs might have been 
intercepted. The national guards and many volunteers 
were eager to march : but Maffena, who commanded the 
garrifon of Marfeilles, could not be induced to take any 
decifive fteps. On the third day, however, when the in¬ 
vader had penetrated eighty miles into the country, one 
regiment was Cent in purfuit. 
At Digne, as at Cannes, the peafants flocked from 
every quarter, and manifefted their fentiments with an 
energy that no longer left ar.y doubt of the real feelings 
of this part of the population. The fear of lofing the emi¬ 
grant property, which they had purchafed at one-third 
of its value, and of again becoming lubjeN to their feudal 
matters, had alienated the affections of the peafants from 
their legitimate fovereign. 
Leaving the main body of his troops behind, who were 
unable to keep pace with the rapidity of his march, he 
proceeded with only ten horfemen and forty grenadiers, 
and, on the 5th, arrived at Gap. Here he ilfued his pro¬ 
clamations, thoufands of which were quickly difperfed 
through the country. 
On the 6th, Napoleon haftened towards Grenoble. As 
he patted through St. Bonnet, with his advanced-guard, 
. the inhabitants propofed to ring the toclin, to aifemb'le 
the villagers, and accompany him in a mafs. “No !” re¬ 
plied he ; “your fentiments prove to me that I have not 
deceived myfelf, and they afford me a fure pledge of the 
fentiments of my foldiers. I do not need your lervices, 
6 N and 
