554 
PARIS. 
public made us acquainted with the extreme of liberty ; 
the empire, with the extreme of defpotifm. Our wi(h 
now (and it is immoveable) is to keep at an equal diftance 
from both thefe extremes. All eyes are now fixed upon 
England : vve do not claim to be more free than the ; we 
do not with to be lefs fo. The reprefentatives of the na¬ 
tion are inceffantly employed on a facial compatfl of which 
the component powers, leparated, but not divided, all 
contribute, by their reciprocal a£tion, to harmony and 
unity. From the moment this compaft final 1 be figned by 
the prince called to reign over us, the fovereign (hall re¬ 
ceive the fceptre and the crown from the hands of the na¬ 
tion. In the exifting date of Europe, one of the greateft 
calamities is hoftility between France and England. No 
man, my lord, has it more in his power than yourfelf to 
replace Europe under a better influence, and in a finer 
pofition. Paris, June 27, 1815. Fouche.” 
This letter, as may well be fuppofed, met with no at¬ 
tention whatever ; and the allied armies drew nearer and 
nearer to the city. Their approach had been concealed 
as long as poflible. Reports had been induftrioufly fpread 
of plenipotentiaries, fufpenfion of arms, the defection of 
Auftria from the other coalefced powers, and of the arri¬ 
val of a confiderable part of the grand army in good order. 
But the reign of fubterfuge and deception was at an end. 
The anl'wer to all the eloquent declarations of the Bona- 
partilts was the arrival of crowds of flying peafantry, 
feeking refuge within the walls of the capital. The fugi¬ 
tives, however, were fewer in number than on the fame 
occafion lafl year. The country people had learnt that the 
invading army was that of the Englifh, and they had 
heard that the Englith troops are an exception to the ge¬ 
neral practice of plunder and devaftation; that they never 
ill-treated the inhabitants; that they paid liberally for 
what they wanted, and carefled the little children. The 
excellent reputation they had acquired lafl: year in the 
fouth had flown over France to the north : and it was 
w ell known that, wherever the Englifh pafl'ed, the unarmed 
inhabitant had nothing to fear. 
What a Angular picture did that part of the Boulevard 
prefent, where the fugitives arrived ! The paflage of the 
Porte St. Martin was almofl entirely obftru&ed by the 
crowd of Parifians, mingled with the peafantry, and their 
cortege of wearied animals. On one fide of the Boulevard 
the people were flruggling for admiflion to the celebrated 
new piece of the Pie Voleufe, the Thieving Magpie. On 
the other, a little black horfe dragged along the cart, or 
ambulant (hop, which ever tince the departure of Louis 
XVIII. had been eftabliflted there for the tale of Carnot’s 
famous pamphlet on Regicide; once fold at fix francs, 
and now offered to the public at the moderate and re¬ 
duced price of twelve fous. Farther on, a portion of the 
remains of the imperial guard were marching along, 
thundering out Vive I'Empereur ! and one of them ftriking 
with his fabre a poor old man, who had the imprudence 
to articulate, in a feeble voice, Mes amis, criez Vive le 
Roil Five or fix perfons on this day fell the victims of 
this forbidden exclamation, by the hands of thofe Preto- 
rian bands. The fmall number of them that furvived the 
battle of Waterloo had returned with rage at their defeat, 
and defpair at the abdication cf their chief. 
Bonaparte, after feveral difagreeable altercations with 
fome of his late minifters, now become his matters, with¬ 
drew from Paris to Malmaifon. His continuance at Paris 
had begun to excite confiderable alarm. Thefe appre- 
henfions had been increafed by the daily entrance of 
corps of regular troops into the capital, with the ac- 
cuftomed cries of Vive I'Empereur ; and of whofe con¬ 
currence Bonaparte was afl'ured, whenever he might think 
it expedient to exert his imperial energies. Rumours of 
menacing tendency were fpread abroad ; the means of 
evil were Hill in Napoleon’s power, and he would not 
negleft the occafion. The provifionary government, 
who were too highly interefled in his movements not to 
watch them with an attentive eye, invited him, in terms 
that could not be mifunderftood, to withdraw from 
Paris. 
Between the fignature of the abdication and his depar¬ 
ture for the coaft, a week elapfed ; during which, though 
recired from public functions, and living at Malmaifon, 
he kept an anxious eye on the proceedings of the chambers, 
who had now commenced negotiations with Blucher and 
Wellington. Among other projedfs, Napoleon revolved 
that of proceeding to England, and declaring that he 
came to take up his refidence among us as a private indi¬ 
vidual : he next decided on attempting to efcape to the 
United States ; for which purpofe two frigates were placed 
at his difpofal by the provifional government. The latter, 
however, dreading an attack on his part for the refump- 
tion of power, withdrew moft of the officers who were 
with him, and appointed a general of their own, Becker, 
to attend his perfon. Still he lingered at Malmaifon ; and, 
on the approach of the Pruflian van-guard, the found of 
the cannon feemed to revive his military energy: he dif- 
covered that the advance of the enemy was unfupported, 
and pledged himfelf, if placed for only a few days at the 
head of the army, to chaftife their rathnefs. But the pro- 
vifional government was inflexible; and he departed at 
lafl for Rochefort, but not till the 29th of June. 
He had previoufly difpatched a farewell letter to the 
French army under the walls of Paris, dated from Mal¬ 
maifon, the 25th of June, 1815. This letter was ad- 
dreffed to the heroes of the army ; and no doubt the lowefl 
drummer fancied he faw his own name on the direction. 
Napoleon to the brave Soldiers of the Army before Paris. 
Soldiers ! While obeying the neceffity which removes 
me from the brave French army, I carry witli me the 
happy certainty that it will juflify, by the eminent fer- 
vices which the country expefts from it, the praifes which 
our enemies themfelves have not been able to refute it. 
Soldiers! I (hall follow your fteps, though abfent. I 
know all the corps ; and riot one of them will obtain a 
tingle advantage over the enemy but I thall give it credit 
for the courage it thall have difplayed. Both you and I 
have been calumniated. Men, very unfit to appreciate 
our labours, have feen, in the marks of attachment which 
you have given me, a zeal of which I was the foie objeft. 
Let your future fucceffes tell them that it was the coun¬ 
try, above all things, which you ferved by obeying me; 
and that, if I have any (hare in your affection. I owe it to 
my ardent love for France, our common mother. 
Soldiers ! Some efforts more, and the coalition is dif- 
folved. Napoleon will recognize you by the blows which 
you are going to ftrike. Save the honour, the indepen¬ 
dence, of the French. Be to the lafl the fame men that I 
have known you for thefe lafl twenty years, and you will 
be invincible. Napoleon. 
This letter of adieu was diftributed to the army. It in¬ 
timated ablence; but the abfent might return, of which 
himfelf was the proof. That he would return, they be¬ 
lieved firmly; and, had his death been announced, they 
would probably iiaveexpected his refurreffion. Even the 
belief of his abfence was by no means general; it was 
imagined that he was lurking in fome fnape or other in 
their ranks, and that he would (tand up in his own, when¬ 
ever the great day of general conteft thould take place. 
The firfl attack made by the allied armies was to the 
north of Paris; at three in the morning on the 30th of 
June the firfl cannon was fired from the heights of Belle¬ 
ville. The Butte of Chaumont on the right, and the 
heights of Montmartre on the left, prefented their formi¬ 
dable artillery, which was at that moment pouring forth 
its horrible contents; while, at intervals of tilence, the 
note of earlieft birds floated along the air, and feemed to 
reproach mankind for this difturbance of nature. The 
attack was chiefly confined to mulketry, and (lackened 
very fentibly at fix in the morning. Notwithftanding 
the fortifications on the heights, the city might have been 
entered on this fide, but the (laughter muft have been ex- 
cefiive 5 
