530 
PARIS. 
produce flood oppofed to each other, in order to turn the 
mighty Scale. The mod callous felt interefted ; the 
thoughts of the moil carelefs were arrefted ; all ranks and 
degrees flood breathlefs with expectation, while they lis¬ 
tened to thofe alarms which ftruck the Meufe with fear 
and the Sambre with difmay. 
The Situation of the affairs of Napoleon demanded im¬ 
mediate activity. It was in character with him to difplay 
it. His army was numerous, picked, well appointed, 
and eager for battle. His adversaries were opponents 
worthy of his proudeft days, and his greateft glory. 
Blucher and Bonaparte had before met. The bloody 
banks of the Marne, and proud frontiers of Laon, bore 
witnefs with divided praife. Napoleon had encountered 
Aullrians, Germans, Pruflians, and Ruffians; but Britirti 
troops, and their leader Wellington, he had never met. 
The latter had again and again, and in every inftance. 
vanquilhed his belt generals, and his choiceff troops. 
The British general was hailed by the general voice, as 
the firSt leader of the age : “ It is yet doubtful,” Said Na¬ 
poleon ; “ we have never met.” The queftion, however, 
was now about to be fairly and finally decided. 
On the 13th of June, Napoleon having joined the army, 
the head-quarters were eftablilhed at Beaumont. The firft 
corps, under d’Erlon, was at Soire on the Sambre; the 
Second corps, under Reille, at Ham-Sur-Heure ; the fourth 
corps under Girard, at Philipville ; the third, under Van- 
damme, on the right of Beaumont; the pofition of the 6th, 
under Lobau, is not ftated. 
Three corps of the Pruflian drmy, confifting of, at leaft, 
80,000 men, occupied Charleroi, Givet, Namur, &c. and 
the left bank of the Sambre. The fourth corps, com¬ 
manded by general Bulow, and which amounted to 30,000 
men, was at a considerable diftance in the rear, being ila- 
tioned in the country between Liege and Hannut. 
The Britilh army was polled in the neighbourhood of 
Bruffels, at which city the duke of Wellington had his 
head-quarters. As it was impoffible to know at what 
point Napoleon would commence the attack, the Britilh 
and Hanoverian troops were cantoned over a wide Space 
of ground ; but they were So dil'poSed as to afford the 
means of quick combination and mutual Support. The 
duke’s force was divided into two corps d’armee, and 
confided as follows: the firft under the command of the 
prince of Orange, comprifing the ill, 3d, and 5th, divi¬ 
sions, under the orders of generals Cooke (of the guards), 
Alten, and Piston; the Second corps was commanded by 
general lord Hill, and compofed of the ad, 4th, and 5th, 
divifions; the two former of which were under the orders 
of fir II. Clinton and general Hinuber; and the 6th, no¬ 
minally that of fir L. Cole, who had not yet joined the 
army. 
This force contained about, 
Britilh bayonets 
German legion - 
Hanoverian infantry, new levies - 
Brunfwick and Naffau 
Dutch 5000 ) 
Belgic 5000 S 
27,000 
5,000 
24,000 
10,000 
10,000 
Total infantry 76,000 
Artillery—Britilh, thirty brigades, of Sx guns 
each, German legion, Hanove¬ 
rians, &c. - 5,000 
Cavalry—Britilh 7000 •> 
German legion 3500*- - 13,500 
Dutch, &c. 3000 ) 
94,500 
Napoleon, having affembled the different corps of his 
army, addreffed the following proclamation to them, 
preparatory to the commencement of hostilities. 
“ Avefnes, June 14, 1815. 
“ Soldiers! This day is the anniverfary of Marengo 
and of Friedland, which twice decided the deftiny of Eu¬ 
rope. Then, as after Aufterlitz, as after Wagram, we 
were too generous! We believed in the proteftations 
and in the oaths of princes whom we left on the throne! 
Now, however, coalefced among themfelves, they would 
deftroy the independence and the molt Sacred rights of 
France. They have commenced the moll unjuft of ag- 
greflions. Let us march, then, to meet them. Are they 
and we no longer the fame men ? 
“Soldiers, at Jena, againft thefe fame Pruflians, now 7 So 
arrogant, you were one againft three, and at Montmirail 
one againft fix! Let thofe among you who have been 
prisoners of the Englilh, detail to you the hulks, and the 
frightful miferies which they Suffered ! The Saxons, the 
Belgians, the Hanoverians, the Soldiers of the Confedera¬ 
tion of the Rhine, lament that they are compelled to lend 
their arms to the caufe of princes, the enemies of jultice 
and of the rights of all nations. They know that thiscoa- 
lition is infatiable ! After having devoured twelve mil¬ 
lions of Poles, twelve millions of Italians, one million of 
Saxons, fix millions of Belgians, it muft devour the ftates 
of the Second rank of Germany. 
“Soldiers! we have forced marches to make, battles to 
fight, dangers to encounter; but, with fteadinefs, victory 
will be ours ; the rights, the honour, the happinefs, of 
the country will be reconquered ! To every Frenchman 
who has a heart, the moment is arrived to conquer or 
perifti. Napoleon.” 
Napoleon w'as particularly anxious, before he left Paris, 
to have his army ready for Service before he joined it; 
and on the 10th of June his minifter of war iffued the 
following general order : “ It being the intention of his 
majefty the emperor, that all officers who have received 
letters of Service repair to their deftination, the general 
informs them of the obligation they are under to Set off 
within twelve hours to rejoin their corps. The officers of 
the ftaff of Paris, and efpecially the chief of the military 
police, are charged to watch over the execution of this 
order. The ftaff and Superior officers and others, who 
have not yet received letters of Service, and w'ho are in 
Paris, muff: prefent themfelves to the ftaff' of the place, 
Rue Vendome, there to be informed of the deftination 
afligned to them by the minifter at war. The officers are 
informed that they will receive no pay till they prove that 
they have So prefented themfelves. In the departments 
forming part of the firft military divifion, the major gene¬ 
rals commanding departments will immediately take the 
neceflary meafures for the prompt execution of the in- 
ftrudtions of the war-minifter of the 5th inftant, relative 
to all difpoSible officers of infantry.” 
As Bonaparte had determined to take the allies by Sur¬ 
prise if poffible, he caufed an embargo to be laid on all 
veflels on the coaft, and no ftrangers, or indeed any per¬ 
son, were allowed to proceed to the frontiers. The em¬ 
bargo took place on the nth of June. On the Same day, 
in a letter which he wrote to count Lavalette, the poll- 
mafter, he Says, “ As I Said in my Speech this day, that I 
fliould depart this night, I wilh you would look to it, that 
no poft-horfes be taken from the road by which I travel; 
that particular attention be paid to the perfons to whom 
horfes are given on the neighbouring roads; and that no 
courier, or eftafette, be Sent off.” 
In other letters written on the Same day, he requefted 
that marftial Maffena fliould take the command of the 
third and fourth military divifions. Speaking of marftial 
Ney, he Said, “ Let Ney come if he willies to be prefent 
at the firft battle; he muft be at Avefnes by the 13th, 
where my head quarters will be. Acquaint marflial Su- 
chet that hoftilities will commence on the 16th, and 011 
that day to make himfelf mailer of Montmeillan.” 
At the Same time he wrote to the minifter of war and 
marine as follows :—“To the Prince of Eckmuhl (Da- 
vouft.) Look to it, that 240 pieces of naval cannon be 
placed in battery by the 20th, that I may be without 
anxiety about the city of Paris.” Speaking of mulkets, 
“ They 
