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P A 
events which, for a (hort time, have thrown a cloud over 
your eagles. They know that treafon had delivered up 
bur country to foreign troops ; and, your majefty, yielding 
to the force of neceffity, had preferred a momentary ojile 
to the convulfive ftruggles of civil war. Like the great 
Camillus, the fovereign power had not unduly elated 
your mind, and banifhment has not depreffed it. Every 
thing is now changed. The cyprefs has difappeared. 
The laurels once more flourifh. The French people reco¬ 
ver theirenergy. The hero of Europe re-aflumes his rank, 
and the great nation is immortal.” 
To this Napoleon replied, “ Men of Dauphiny, You 
have gratified the expectations which I had formed of you. 
When I difembarked on the (hores of France, I wifhed 
to arrive with the rapidity of an eagle inthe good city of 
Grenoble, whofe patriotism and attachment to my perfon 
were well known to me. I feel myfelf unable to exprefs 
the efteem and regard for you which your elevated fenti- 
ments have infpired. My heart is full of the emotions 
which you have produced. I (hall ever retain the recol¬ 
lection of them.” 
The treafon of the garrifon of Grenoble placed Napo¬ 
leon at the head of an army of 10,000 men, with a confi- 
derable park of artillery. He was now confident of luccefs. 
At two o’clock he reviewed his troops, and proceeded on 
his march towards Lyons. At this time he iffued the 
following declaration to the French, and particularly to 
the Parilians: “After an abdication, the circumftances 
of which you are acquainted with ; after a treaty, all the 
articles of which have been violated ; after having feen 
my retreat penetrated by'numerous a(Ta(lins, all fent by 
the Bourbons; after having feen the French minifters 
intriguing at Vienna, to wreft from me the afylum to 
which*! was reduced, and to take from my wife and fon 
the dates which had been guaranteed to them; from that 
fon whofe birth infpired you with fo lively a joy, and who 
ought to have been to all the fovereigns a facred pledge : 
all thefe attempts, made in violation of plighted faith, 
have reftored me to my throne and ray liberty. French¬ 
men ! foon I (hall be in my capital; I come furrounded 
by my brave brethren in arms, after having delivered our 
provinces of the fouth, and my good city of Lyons, from 
the reign of fanaticifm, which is that of the Bourbons. 
Fifteen days have fufficed me to unite thefe faithful war¬ 
riors, the honour of France ; and before the 30th of this 
month, your happy emperor, the fovereign of your choice, 
will put to flight thofe Slothful princes, who wifii to render 
you tributary to foreigners, and the contempt of Europe. 
France (hall (till be the happieft country in the world. 
The French (hall (till be the great nation; Paris (hall again 
become the queen of cities, as well as the feat of fciences 
and the arts. In concert with you, I will take meafures 
in order that the date may be governed conditutionally, 
and that a wife liberty may never degenerate into licen- 
tioufnefs. I will mitigate, to the fatisfaftion of all, thofe 
impods, become odious, which the Bourbons gave you 
their princely word they would abolifh, under the title of 
droits reunis, and which they have re-edabli(hed under 
the title of indirect impofitions. Property (hall be, with¬ 
out diftinftion, refpefted and facred, as well as individual 
liberty. The general tranquillity fiiall be condantly the 
object of my edorts; commerce, our fiourifliing manu¬ 
factures, and agriculture, which, under my reign, attained 
fo high a profperity, (hall be relieved from the enormous 
impofitions with which an ephemeral government have 
burdened it. Every thing (hall be redored to order; and 
the diflipation of the finances of the date, to gratify the 
luxury of the court, (hall be immediately reprefled. No 
vengeance 5 it is far from my heart. The Bourbons have 
fet a price on my head, and I pardon them. If they fall 
into my power I will protect them; I will deliver them 
to their allies, if they with it, or to that foreign country 
where their chief has already reigned nineteen years, and 
where he may continue his glorious reign. To this my 
vengeance is limited. Becalm, Parifians; and you, na¬ 
il I s, 
tional guards of that noble city, you who have already 
rendered fuch great fervice; you who, but for treafon, 
would have beenenabled todefend it forlome hours longer, 
agai.od thofe allies who were ready to fly from France; 
continue to proteft property and civil liberty; then you will 
have deferred well of your country, and of your emperor. 
From my imperial general head-quarters, Bourgoing. 
(Signed) Napoleon.” 
When the French government was firft apprifed of the 
landing of Napoleon at Cannes, it affefted to hide, under 
the appearance of profound fecurity, its heartfelt difmay. 
The Bulletin by which this event was made known, pro¬ 
claimed “ that Bonaparte, in a fit of madnefs worthy of 
crowning his life, had thrown himfelf on the coalt of 
France at the head of 7 or 800 banditti ; that the gendar¬ 
merie were in purfuitof him, and that he was deprived of 
all hopes of re-embarkation ; that his having come of his 
own accord to receive the punifinnent due to his crimes, 
was a molt fortunate event; that government had taken 
.all the neceflary precautions, and that the tranquillity of 
the public would not for one moment be difturbed by the 
mad attempt of an adventurer.” The nobility that formed 
the court of the Bourbons, uniting credulity to prefump- 
tion, gave implicit belief to thefe affertions ; and, the fuc- 
ceeding bulletins having announced, “ that, as foon as it 
was known that Bonaparte had difembarked, the furround¬ 
ing population had run to arms, in defence of the legi¬ 
timate fovereign ; that it was even neceflary to reftrain 
their zeal ; and that, Bonaparte being now penned up 
in the mountains, the news of his capture might be ex¬ 
pected every moment; no doubt was entertained, but 
the man of Elba w'ould foon grace a gibbet. A number 
of officers of the royal houfehold, and of the placelefs no¬ 
bility, fearing that the lead delay might make them lofe 
the opportunity of difplaying their devoted attachment, 
crowded to the war-office, to obtain the favour of being 
fent into the department of the Var. Some of then! took 
poft-horfes at their own expenfe, refolving, they faid, to 
ride down twenty horfes if neceflary, fo as to be in at the 
death. It was with them a fubjeft of mutual inquiry 
whenever they met, whether they intended to join the wild- 
boar hunt. The news of the defeftion of fome regiments, 
and the taking of Grenoble, only created a momentary 
alarm : “ Other troops,” it was faid, “ were rapidly ad¬ 
vancing to cut off his retreat. The defection of two or 
three regiments was of but little importance ; and, were 
even the thirty or forty thoufand men that compofed the 
French army to forget every fenfe of duty (which God 
forbid), what refiftance could they make againlt the mafs 
of the nation ? Could it be believed for one moment that 
France would once more fubmit to the yoke of the ufurper, 
and would confent to abandon for him the belt and moll 
adored of monarchs, whofe fubjefts had unanimoufly pro¬ 
claimed him Le Dlfir'e ? No—a million of national guards 
were ready to facrifice themfelves for his defence; the 
departments of the North, Eaft, and Weft, were ready 
to rife up in his caufe ; and Paris, that faithful and de¬ 
voted capital, contained one hundred thoufand fighting 
men, a force more than adequate to the deltrudtion of 
the traitors.” Such was the language of the court adhe¬ 
rents, and of the penfioned journalifts. 
In the mean while, the imperial eagle flew from fteeple 
to fteeple; Napoleon advanced with gigantic ftrides. The 
people, far from oppofing him, carried him in triumph ; 
national guards, regular troops, all aflumed the tri-co¬ 
loured cockade; and Paris itfelf only awaited the de¬ 
parture of the king to fend forth the cry of Vive tem¬ 
per eur ! 
It was in vain that three millions of francs were offered 
for the head of the monger. It was in vain that the Con- 
grefs of Vienna authorifed his aflaflination. Not an a (la (fin 
was to be found. 
The Bourbons had fpread themfelves over France to col- 
left their adherents. Monfieur (the duke d’Artois), with 
the duke of Orleans and count Damas, let out for Lyons; 
3 and 
