PARIS. 
energy and unprincipled ambition of the nation. Laft, 
and not lead, as the fureft road to ultimate fuccefs, by 
gaining the firft point, he was certain that he Ihould fuc- 
ceed in removing the war from the French territories, 
and make other countries, as formerly, fupport the ex- 
penfe; without which, he was aware France would not 
long bend with perfect fatisfa< 5 tion to his fway. 
He had it in his power, when afting on the offenfive, 
to choofe his point of attack with greater fecurity than 
the allies could ; becaufe he had a much more formidable 
chain of fortreffes in his line to fupport his operations, 
and behind which he, no doubt, calculated that he fliould 
be able to retire, if he found he could not accomplilh 
his object. His army was not only formidable in point 
of numbers, but more fo from the quality of the troops. 
Thefe men were the flower of France, and of the military 
flrength. They had their characters to regain, their glory 
to re-conquer, their fortunes to re-eftablifh, and their 
future repofe to fecure. Perjury and treafon had lowered 
them in the eyes of honour and worth. Thefe feelings 
combined, flung their fouls, and goaded them to fury. 
The utmoft exertions were to be expeffed, from both 
them and their leader. Their fate, their fortune, and 
their fame, they had altogether to re-create, and thefe 
were all irretrievably committed in this dreadful ftruggle. 
They marched to it with a refolution which the utmofl 
flrength of rage and defpair could infpire. The attempts 
of their government to inflame their hearts with the dead- 
lieft animofity and refentment againft the allies, and par¬ 
ticularly againft the Pruflians, by publilhing accounts 
about the intended cruelties to be committed by the latter 
in France, had but too well fucceeded. “ It is particularly 
againft the Pruflians,” faid an article in the Moniteur, 
“ that the French army manifefts an implacable hatred, 
and we have fome reafon to fear that it will not be willing 
to make any prifoners of that nation.” 
The opinions of mankind, in fome countries, were 
divided upon the iffue of the approaching conflict. All 
were convinced that it would be fevere; fome, that it 
would be long and bloody ; but the general opinion was, 
that it could not, from its means and its objeft, be of 
long duration. One party, with France herfelf, conten¬ 
ded that it was impoflible to conquer a warlike nation, 
with a eondenfed population of 29,000,000 of people. 
Forming their judgment upon what Ihe had before done, 
they contended that flie could do as much again, and 
with greater eafe, inafmuch as flie was wifer from expe¬ 
rience, better inftru£led in the art of war, and more uni¬ 
ted than flie was at the revolution. They calculated 
that the daring arm of Napoleon would carry the horrors 
of war out of the French territories, where he would, as 
ufual, live at the expenfe of his adverfaries ; and when 
the glare of conqueft would again, as it had done before, 
crufli the voice of difaffeiflion in France, and raife the na¬ 
tion to follow, without feeling or reflection, their darling 
purfuit. Thus employed, they were aware that the French 
people would trouble their heads very little about who 
governed them. On the other hand, if this could not 
be carried into effeCt, they relied on the flrength of her 
armies and her frontiers 5 but, above all, upon that fpirit 
generally prevalent in France, of devotion to the integrity 
of the country, to unite all hands and all hearts in its de¬ 
fence, which they conceived fufficient to repel the inva¬ 
ders,' when, by riifcomfiture in their views, and the effeCfs 
of intrigue and jealoufy fown in their councils, France, 
they prophefied, would, at length, break up the formi¬ 
dable confederacy. Then fhe would be able to refume 
her former dictatorial fituation and arbitrary dominion. 
So the rulers of France, and thofe who advocated her 
caufe, confidered the matter; fo, calculating upon human 
energies as all on the fide of France, they prognofticated 
the iffue of the approaching conteft. Another party, 
however, argued that France was not fo powerful as Ihe 
was in 1792. That, though her territory remained unim¬ 
paired, yet her fpirit and her refources were broken, and 
Vol. XVIII. No. 1262. 
529 
could not be reproduced. They beheld Europe from ne- 
ceflity become a military people; her leaders, from long 
experience, wife; her armies, from principle, brave; 
they faw the armed population of Europe driven, by every 
fentiment or feeling that can touch or animate the human 
foul to exertion, to attack the regular armies of France; 
and not the armed population of France, roufed into 
frenzy, attacking the regular forces and difunited coun¬ 
cils of Europe. They confidered the Immenfe means 
which theallies poflefled, thefpring which gave life, vigour, 
and unanimity to their councils; and they had no doubt 
but that thefe were fuperior to any thing that France, 
however eondenfed, unanimous, and powerful, could 
bring againft them. They confidered that bitter expe¬ 
rience had taught the allies the fatal eftefts of careleffnefs 
and difunion ; and that, as one intereft animated the 
fovereign and the fubjedt, therefore, the infidious 
machinations of France could make no imprefiion upon 
their refolution, and find no entrance into their councils. 
They, therefore, augured well of the conteft. It might 
be bloody, it might be long, but it could lia/rdly be un- 
fuccefsful; while its duration and violence would only 
draw down on the head of France wider deftrudtion, and 
deeper humiliation. 
Moft important events now crowd upon our attention, 
and demand our confideration. The hour, big with the 
fortune of empires and the fate of millions, advanced 
with accelerated fpeed. Immediately upon the conclufion 
of the ceremony of the Champ de Mai, Soult, who was 
advanced to the rank of major-general of the French ar¬ 
mies, the fituation formerly held by Berthier, addreffed a 
proclamation to the French army, in which he informed 
them, that a “ new oath” united France and the emperor; 
and that all the efforts of an “ impious league” would not 
be able to feparate the interefts of the people from “ the 
hero who was the admiration of the univerfe.” “ What,” 
faid he, in that haughty tone which Frenchmen had long 
affumed, “is the hope of this new coalition ?” He told 
them, that their objeft was to “erafe France from the lift 
of nations,” to impofe flavery upon 28,000,000, of men, 
which he hinted might again, as it had done before, add 
to their “ aggrandizement and their glory.” He told them 
that their enemies were “ numerous;” but that the conteft 
was neither beyond the genius of Napoleon, nor their 
ftrength ; and that the number of their foes would only 
render “ vidlory more glorious,” and “ their defeat more 
confpicuous.”—“Toarms, therefore,” faid he : “ the fig- 
nal for battle will foon be‘given ; and, while Napoleon 
guides our fteps, and we fight for our beautiful country, 
we (hall be invincible. We will rally round the emperor, 
the protedlor of liberal ideas ; around a prince who, edu¬ 
cated in the revolution, advances with the age in which 
he lives, and willies to extend the dominion of the mind, 
inltead of circumfcribing it. Inftrufted by misfortunes, 
he will fee the conquerors of Aufterlitz, of Marengo, and 
of Jena, march anew under the colours which fo often led 
them to victory ; and the event will not be doubtful.” 
Napoleon had alfo been making preparations for put¬ 
ting himfelfat the head of hisarmy. On Sunday, the nth 
of June, deputations from the chamber of peers and the 
chamber of reprefentatives waited upon him with their 
addreffes. To thefe fuitable anfwers were returned, (fee 
Gifford, 1386.) and at half paft three the next morning, 
the emperor quitted Paris, and took the road for the Ne¬ 
therlands. According to his ufual cuftom, he travelled 
with great rapidity, reaching Soiffons by ten o’clock, and 
Laon by three in the afternoon of the fame day. The day 
before, his army had been reviewed at Maubeuge. 
The departure of Bonaparte to the army announced 
the approach of hoftilities ; the route he took decided the 
point where thefe were to take place. The attention of 
Europe was deeply fixed, and her eyes inftantly turned to 
the Sambre. There her fate, for years, perhaps for ages, 
was once more fufpended in the mighty balance : and 
there the greateft talents and courage which flie could 
6 T produce 
