528 
PARIS. 
the allies, war would not take place. Whether this was 
their opinion or not, it is certain that they endeavoured 
to indil it into the minds of the French people ; and the 
French prefs, during the months of April and May, 
teemed with accounts from different parts of Europe, for 
the purpofe of fhowing that the allies were at variance in 
their views, and that public opinion was againd a war 
with France. At the fame time the Frencli papers, in fe- 
veral articles which they inferted, no doubt according to 
orders, endeavoured to convince the French with what 
dread the allied powers viewed the talents and power of 
the emperor, in the event of war. Of the plans and dif- 
pofitions of the allies they gave the following account. 
“ Hitherto the cabinets have formed no other plan than 
that of holding themfelves on the defenfive ; and the idea 
generally prevails, that to attack France would be to re¬ 
peat the faults of 1793, to give to the war that national 
character the force of which is terrible. This opinion is 
fo fixed, that the enemies of France rely much on the en- 
terprifing character of Napoleon, and hope that he will be 
the fird to attack. This they with for, becaufe then the 
national feeling would be weakened, and would betranf- 
pofed to the Germans, who would overwhelm the French 
with their mafs. No man of fenfe can venture to advife 
the invafion of France. The people do not wifli for war. 
It is certain that lord Wellington has been requeded to 
draw up a plan of campaign, and that his grace has re¬ 
plied he had none to give ; that he did not fufficiently 
know the fpirit which reigned in France ; but that, as a 
general principle, and Hill more from late events, the fol- 
diers commanded by the emperor could only be attacked 
by forces double their number. Such are, in the mod: 
exa<St truth, the pofition of affairs, and the difpofition of 
mind of both parties.” 
But, whether the allies were in earned or not, the French 
government prepared for the word. Every town in France, 
from Paris to the frontiers, of any confequence, was forti¬ 
fied. The capital itfelf and the country was covered 
with fortifications or covering with them. “ All the for- 
trefi'es on the northern frontiers,” faid the Moniteur, 
“ from Dunkirk to Charlemont, are armed and provifioned. 
The fluices are prepared, and will be opened to inundate 
the country, on the fird hodile movement that takes place. 
Some works have been condrufted in the fored of Mor- 
mole. Meafures have been taken to make entrenchments 
in the different paffes of the fored of Argone. All the 
fortreffes in Lorraine are ready. Some entrenchments 
have been condrufted in the five paffes of the Vofges. 
The fortrefi'es in Alface are armed. Orders have been 
given to defend the pafl'es of the Jura, and all the fron¬ 
tiers of the Alps. They are preparing the fortreffes of 
the Somme, which are in the third line. In the interior, 
Guife, La Fere, Vitry, Soiffons, Chateau Thierry, and 
Langres, are arming and fortifying. Orders have been 
given to condruft works upon the heights of Montmar¬ 
tre and Menil Montant, and arm them with 300 pieces of 
cannon. His rnajedy has alfo ordered that Lyons (hall 
be put in a date of defence ; a teie-(le-pont will be formed 
at Brotteaux, and the drawbridge of La Guillotierre is 
re-edabliffiing. The ground between the Saone and the 
Rhone will be fortified ; l’ome redoubts are preparing to 
be condrufted in front of this ground. A redoubt will 
be condrufted on the heights of Pierre en Sife, to fup- 
port a work which defends the town on the right bank. 
The heights commanding the quarter of St. Jean, on the 
bank of the Saone, will be defended with feveral redoubts: 
eighty pieces of cannon, with the neceffary ammunition, 
are proceeding towards Lyons. Sideron, and Pont St. 
Efprit, will be placed in a date of defence. The works 
around Paris have been laid out with (kill. All that part of 
Paris, from the heights of Montmartre to thofeof Belleville 
and Charonne, and thence to Vincennes, will be fecured 
againd attack. The canal which receives the waters of the 
Ourcq, and conveys them to St. Denis, will render the left 
unaffailablej the fort condrufled half-way between the bar¬ 
rier of the Throne and Vincennes, by taking advantage of 
the old walls, will place the right in equilibrium with the 
centre and the left. The artillery at Vincennes is ready.” 
At length, finding the general councils of Europe were 
decided and unanimous, the French government changed 
their mode of attack; and, proclaiming war as inevitable, 
they endeavoured to dir up and bring into full play all 
the fierced paflions, prejudices, hatred, and vanity, of 
the whole French population. They defcribed the refolute 
intentions of the allies to be to inflift every poflible enor¬ 
mity and cruelty upon the French nation, particularly 
the military part of it. According to them, thefe 
were doomed to endlefs captivity or death ; and the people, 
after their property being laid wade, to the mod fervile 
chains and bondage. “ The Pruffians,” faid they, “ (how 
great refentment towards the French; and are difpofed 
to do all poffible mifchief to France, (hould the war com¬ 
mence. The Audrian and Bavarian officers fpeak of 
nothing but burning, plundering, and other fevere treat¬ 
ment, to France. Such language has already been held 
at Vienna. On the 3d and 4th of April, it was agreed by 
the allies at Vienna, that all the French prifoners of war 
(hould be fent to the extremity of Ruffia, and neither be 
redored nor exchanged. Thofe who choofe to ferve will 
be fent to the army of Caucafus, others may form colonies, 
and thofe who refufe to do any thing are to be fold for 
fiaves. The other allied powers are to treat the prifoners 
they make with all the feverity and contempt due to the 
conduct of a nation which arrogates to itfelf the right of 
choofingits own government.” 
Events were now rapidly approaching to a crifis. The 
decifion of the Britiffi legiflature diffipated all doubts 
and fears of the lukewarmnefs of any power on the con¬ 
tinent. The allied forces were arriving daily on the 
French frontiers on every fide. But the plan of the allies 
was underdood to be not to make any movement on the 
offenfive till their whole forces were in line from the dvaits 
of Dover to the (bores of the Mediterranean. This done, 
and before the fword was unfheathed, a folemn appeal was 
intended to be made by them to the French nation, 
calling upon them to return to a date of amity, by aban¬ 
doning the man who had brought fo many calamities and 
this freffi war upon Europe, and to re-mould the treaty 
of peace which they had violated. This offer unfuccefsful, 
as they calculated it would be, their intention was to enter 
France at every point with an overwhelming force; and 
from every quarter to advance without delay upon Paris, 
which, again in their power, they fuppofed would dif- 
organize and fcatter the government and refources of 
Napoleon. 
Of this Napoleon w\as perfectly aware, and alfo deeply 
fenfible how unable he was to oppofe an effectual refift- 
ance, on every point, againd the vad force advancing 
againd him. He therefore determined to take them in 
detail, and before their plans were matured and com¬ 
pleted. In furtherance of this objedf, the allied armies, 
dationed in the Netherlands, under the command of 
Wellington and Blucher, engaged his earlied attention, 
as being thofe neared the capital of his empire ; and thefe 
he refolved to attack fird. In this refolution he feems to 
have had fourgreat objefts in view. The fird was the gra¬ 
tification of French ambition and vanity, by the conqued 
of Belgium, fogenerally wiffied forin France ; (fee p. 521.) 
The fecond was, to remove the danger of invafion to 
a point as far didant from his capital as poffible. The 
third was of dill greater importance, namely, if he fuc- 
ceeded in forcing back the armies here dationed, he 
would then have it in his power to menace the rear of the 
right wing of the grand allied army, wdiich was to enter 
France by the Upper Rhine, thereby either retarding or 
endangering their forward movements. If he fucceeded 
in thefe important operations, it w'as of lefs confequence 
at what expenfe he did fo. He conceived that he (hould 
thereby crufh the voice of difaffeftion in France, and call 
forth once more, around his conquering dandards, the 
6 energy 
