512 PARIS. 
cept of their carriages, and continued his journey in the 
fame fpattered vehicle which had conveyed him from Fon¬ 
tainebleau to Elba, and from Cannes to the neighbour¬ 
hood of Paris; the fame chariot that was afterwards fo 
profitably exhibited in London and other parts of Eng¬ 
land. It was not till nine o’clock in the evening that he 
entered the gate of the Tuileries, oppofite the Pont Royal. 
There he was received by his foldiers and by the popu¬ 
lace with an enthufiafm that approached to madnefs. 
Theypreffed around him,eageronce more to gaze upon him; 
they incommoded, they endangered, him. “ My friends !” 
lie repeatedly exclaimed, “ you will fuffocate me, you will 
fuffocate me.” His officers then forcibly opened a paflage, 
and bore him in their arms along the ltaircafe and into the 
ftate-apartments, where his filters Julia and Hortenfia, 
fome of his old minilters, and the officers of his houfe- 
hold, were afiembled to greet him. A battalion of offi¬ 
cers bivouacked round the Tuileries, and did the duty of 
the palace. The weather had hitherto been cloudy and 
rainy ; but by a curious coincidence, which the Parifians 
did not fail to remark, the entry of the grand adtor in 
this ftrange fcene was at the clofe of a beautiful day. 
The night was ft ill and bright; and the whole population, 
actuated by different fentiments, crowded to the Tuile¬ 
ries. 
Thus was accomplilhed a revolution, of which the an¬ 
nals of the world do not afford a parallel. It refembled 
more a theatrical iliufion than an adtual courfe of events; 
a romance of the imagination, more than the pofitive 
achievement of human faculties. In the journey of Na¬ 
poleon, (for the military term march would be mifplaced,) 
every foldier fent againff him joined his force. Where 
refiftance feemed for a moment to be threatened, it was 
difarmed by the found of his voice. The afcendancy of 
a victorious leader over foldiers ; the talent of moving 
armed multitudes by a word ; the unextinguilhable at¬ 
tachment of an army to him, in whom its glory is con¬ 
centrated and embodied ; were never before fo brilliantly 
and tremendoully exemplified. In twenty days he found 
liimfelf quietly heated on the throne of France, without 
having fpilled a drop of blood. The change had no re- 
femblance to a revolution in an European country, where 
great bodies of men are interefted in the prefervation of 
authority, and where every body takes fome intereft for 
or againit political mutation. It had nothing of the vio¬ 
lence of a popular revolt. In the levity with which au¬ 
thority was transferred, it bore fome refemblance to an 
oriental revolution : but the total abfence of thofe 
great charadteriftic features, the murder and imprifon- 
ment of princes, deltroyed the likenefs. When kings 
are forced to defcend from their thrones, they ge¬ 
nerally expedl the confolation of feeing a few thoufand 
of their friends facrifice themfelves in their caufe. This 
confolation was denied to the Bourbons. Notamufket had 
been fired lince Napoleon had landed; not a fword had 
been drawn in favour of Louis, to prevent his departure ; 
and we fhall prefently fee that not a (French) fword was 
drawn, on his fide, when he was forced back again. 
The unfortunate king, therefore, continued to retire 
towards the frontiers; and, at five o'clock of the after¬ 
noon of the 20th, he arrived at Abbeville without any 
military effort. There he propofed to wait for the houfe- 
hold troops which followed, commanded by marlhal Mac¬ 
donald. His calm and dignified appearance difarmed the 
rancour of every Bonapartift, and the inhabitants re¬ 
ceived hint with acclamations. The king attempted to 
addreYs them from the window of the houfe at which he 
lodged, but his feelings overpowered him s he preffed his 
hand to his heart, bowed, and retired. The military, 
who lined the lireets, maintained a deep filence. They 
refpedted the virtues of the monarch too much to infult 
him in his misfortunes; but when they returned to their 
barracks they ffiouted Vive l' Ernpcrcur. His majefty was 
much fatigued ; but, before he had time to take any repofe, 
Macdonald appeared, and urged him to proceed on his 
journey without delay, alleging that, from what he had 
feen of the difpofit-ion of the garrifon, he would not an- 
fwer for the confequences fnould the houfehold-troops 
arrive before he quitted the place. 
The king reluctantly afcended his carriage, oppreffed 
by mental and bodily pain. On the 22d, at one o’clock, 
he arrived at Lifle, where he had determined to colleCI: 
around him all who were faithful to his caufe. The 
fcene at Abbeville was repeated. A confiderable propor¬ 
tion of the inhabitants welcomed him with enthufiafm ; 
but the garrifon, which confided of leveral regiments, 
preferved a fullen and obffinate filence. The king would 
have addreffed them, and endeavoured to recall them to 
the allegiance which they owed their legitimate fove- 
reign ; but he was entreated not to expofe himfelf to tin- 
neceffary infult and danger. 
On the fame day, the Declaration of the Congrefs at 
Vienna (which we (hall foon notice) was received. The 
king immediately ordered it to be placarded on the walls, 
and diltributed among the foldiers, that they might per¬ 
ceive what would be the fatal confequences of their trea- 
fon, and the inevitable calamities which they would bring 
on their country. But this, far from alarming the troops, 
exafperated them to the utmoft; and they formed the 
Bidden and defperate refolution of feizing on the perfon 
of the king, and carrying him prifoner to the camp of 
Napoleon. News now arrived that the duke of Berri ap¬ 
proached, with the houfehold-troops and two Swifs regi¬ 
ments. The garrifon no fooner heard this, than they af- 
fembled tumultuoufiy, and feemed ready to execute their 
daring purpofe. Mortier haftened to his majefty, and 
urged his immediate departure, declaring that he dreaded 
the refult if that departure was delayed a fingle hour. In 
half-an-hour Louis was on his journey towards Offend. 
Mortier accompanied him to the gates of the town, and 
immediately returned with the duke of Orleans to en¬ 
deavour to reftrain the violence of the troops. He found 
them enraged at being difappointed of their prey. They 
fiercely attacked the duke of Orleans; and it was with the 
greateft difficulty, and at the hazard of his own life, that 
Mortier reffued him from their fury. On the 24th Louis 
arrived at Offend completely enfeebled by anxiety, dileafe, 
and fatigue. 
In the mean time the houfehold-troops had paffed 
through Abbeville in their journey towards Lifle ; but, 
being informed that his majefty had quitted Lifle, they 
determined not to enter the town ; and this determination 
probably prevented a dreadful effufion of human blood. 
Turning, therefore, from Lifle, they directed their courfe 
towards the frontiers; but many of them, being unable 
to fupport the fatiguing rapidity of the march, were dif- 
mifled at Bethune ; and thofe who reached the frontiers 
declared to the few officers who were defirous to take them 
further, “ that they were Frenchmen ; that they had Ef¬ 
ficiently fulfilled their duty to their prince, that their 
deareft interefts were at (lake, and that nothing fhould in¬ 
duce them to pafs the frontiers.” They accordingly re¬ 
turned to Bethune. 
It was now Louis’s turn to proteft ; (fee p. 501.) While 
on his retreat to Lifle, he iftued two ordinances: the firft 
forbidding all his fubjeCts to pay taxes of any kind to the 
fo-titled imperial government, and all public functionaries 
and receivers to pay into its chefts the fums in their hands, 
and alfo fufpending the fales of timber and domains in 
the departments invaded by Bonaparte ; the fecond for¬ 
bidding obedience to the law of conffription, orany other 
recruiung-order emanating from him. Louis afterwards 
removed his refidence to Ghent, where he had with him 
three of his minifters, Clarke duke of Feltre, and the 
counts Blacas and Jaucourt; to thefe he added in his 
council count Lally Tollendal and M. de Chateaubriand. 
The marffials Marmont duke of Ragufa, and Vittorduke 
of Belluno, were alfo at Ghent. 
The Congrefs was ftill fitting at Vienna; but the mi¬ 
nifters of the European powers had nearly clofed their de¬ 
liberations, 
