558 
PARIS. 
night, we have juft feen them inform the chambers that 
they had “ thought it their duty to feparate” of their own 
accord. This is not quite correct. “ If I may depend 
upon the aflertion of one of the members of the interme¬ 
diate government, (fays Mr. Hobhoufe,) what did ac¬ 
tually happen was as follows: Lord Caftlereagh, on his 
arrival at head-quarters, imparted to the comtniftion his 
iurprife, indeed his indignation, that Louis was not yet 
in Paris, and added that he muft come in to-morrow, or 
the next day at furtheft. The prefident of the government 
replied, that he underftood from the allied fovereigns that 
there was no intention, on their part, to interfere with 
the inclinations of the French nation, in the election of 
its monarch ; for anfwer to which remonftrance, his lord- 
lhip only introduced Mr. Pozzo di Borgo, and the mi- 
nifters of the other two principal powers, each of whom 
drew a note from his pocket, ftating their refpeftive fo- 
vereigns’ agreement with the Englifh minifter, and their 
refolution to replace Louis on the throne of France. This 
was decifive; but the government was (till fitting in the 
Tuileries, when a fquadron of cavalry, and tw'o battalions 
of Weftphalian infantry, and feveral pieces of cannon, 
marched into the Place du Caroufel, and occupied the 
inner court of the palace; and an officer, entering the 
council chamber, told the commiffioners that he was or¬ 
dered to evacuate the apartments, and at the fame time 
prefented a paper, which contained a demand of a con¬ 
tribution of a hundred millions, figned by marffial Blu- 
cher. The government remonftrated ; they contrafted 
this demand and conduct with the articles of the conven¬ 
tion, which fecured the public and private property ; and 
which left the fervice of the interior of the capital to the 
national guard ; (articles 9, 11, 12.) but in vain. The 
officer did not underftand the nicety of the diftinffion ; 
and the government had no other refource than to refolve 
upon communicating their forced diffolution to the cham¬ 
bers, and upon retiring each to his own home. As to the 
contribution, they depofited the paper upon the council- 
table, where, faid the duke of Otranto (Fouche), we 
will leave it as a legacy for the king. They then difperfed. 
The government did not diffolve itfelf: it w'as diflolved 
by lord Caftlereagh.” 
Of the five members of this provifional government, 
four retired with the army behind the Loire ; but its pre¬ 
fident Fouche, of whofe double dealings we have had 
ample evidence, and whofe fally juft mentioned would 
not have led his colleagues to expert fuch a thing, pre¬ 
ferred flaying behind, and allured the king that the go¬ 
vernment had diflolved itfelf ; a mefiage which was neither 
authorized by the others, nor true. The event proved 
the fuperior prudence of Fouche’s conduct : the next day 
he was admitted to the duke of Wellington’s table, and 
the day after he was made one of the miniftry of Louis, 
the porte-feuille of the police being configned to him. 
Fouche was indeed a perfect diplomatift of the Machi- 
avelian fchool, always carrying on a double intrigue, and 
always providing, like Talleyrand, a refuge with either 
party. Though profefledly an enemy of the Bourbons, 
and a zealous police-minifter to Bonaparte, he found 
means to be received into the cabinet of Louis XVIII. 
after his fecond reftoration. That he was a man of talent 
is undoubted. “ Few men,” fays M. Chaboulon, “pofiefs 
the gift of pleafing and perfuading in a higher degree 
than the duke of Otranto: equally profound and witty, 
equally endowed with forefight and ability, his mind em¬ 
braces at once the paft, prefent, and future : he alternately 
feduces and aftoniffies by the boldnefs of his thoughts, 
the acutenefs of his perception, and the folidity of his 
judgment.” Fouche died a few months ago, we believe 
in January laft, (1821.) 
Having thus brought our narrative of the momentous 
events of the laft month down to the reftoration of Louis 
we fnall briefly advert to the operations of the Aultrian, 
Bavarian, German, and Ruffian, forces on the Rhine. 
Thefe had alfo been important and fuccefsful; and at any 
5 
other period than after the battle of Waterloo, with the 
events which we have juft related, would have claimed 
the attention of Europe. Although the whole of the 
Ruffian army was not yet arrived and in line, yet the ac¬ 
counts of the battle of Waterloo determined the allies to 
enter France at this point, and animated them to the ut- 
moft exertions. In their advance they had nothing to 
dread from any force which the enemy could aflemble 
on their right wing, as before the defeat of Bonaparte 
would have been the cafe ; while, on the other hand, the 
advance of Blucher and Wellington into France, ren¬ 
dered it necefiary that they ffiould advance, in order to 
draw the attention of any troops which might otherwife 
aflemble on the Mofelle and towards Rheims, and prevent 
thefe from harraffing or endangering the rear of the latter. 
To this they were folicited by both Blucher and Wel¬ 
lington ; who had requefted prince Schwartzenberg to 
caufie marfhal Wrede to advance rapidiy. Including all 
the Ruffian force, it appears that from the environs of- 
Thionville toManheim, and from thence to Bade, nearly 
470,000 men lined that frontier, ready to pafs the Rhine 
at a moment’s notice. 
The forces which the French had to oppofe thefe, were, 
Lecourbe’s corps and referves at Befangon, Rapp’s corps- 
complete at Strafbourg, and a corps under Belliard on 
the Mofelle, the ftrength of which is unknown. The 
whole was, therefore confiderable, amounting to perhaps 
80 or 90,000 men, befides ftrong garrifons in all the for¬ 
tified towns, fuch as Huninguen, New Brifach, Belfort* 
Scheleftadt, Landau, Strafbourg, Pfalzbourg, Bitfche, 
Metze, and Thionville, befides numerous free corps and 
national guards; ftill, however, thefe forces were very 
much inferior to thofe brought againft them. 
The irr.menfe forces of the allies, colledted from the ex¬ 
tremities of Europe, pafled the Rhine at all points ; and, 
like a mighty wave, fvvept over the Vofges mountains, in¬ 
undating the banks of the Marne and the Seine, and de¬ 
fying all refiftance. Saarguimines was carried by ftorm,. 
and with triflinglofs. Saarbruck fhared the fame fate ; it 
was defended by a general Menege, with foine cavalry and 
400 peafants. The prince-royal of Wirtemberg pafled 
the Quiefch, on the morning of the 25th of June, with¬ 
out refiftance. The mayors of all the places had orders 
to caufe a general rifling of the people, but they refufed L o 
refort to a meafure which might prove fo fatal to them. 
The fortrefs of Bitfche was fummoned, but the governor 
refufed to furrender, being determined to defend the 
place. Continuing to advance with the utmoft rapidity,, 
on the 25th, marfhal Wrede received a meflage from ge» 
neral Belliard, making frefli propofitions for an armiftice, 
to which no attention was paid. On the fame day he ar¬ 
rived in the neighbourhood of Nancy, when a deputation 
from the town came to afi'ure the general of their good¬ 
will to the allied troops, and that they were ready to give 
him the mod favourable reception. On the right of 
Wrede, general TchernichefF, with 4000 men, communi¬ 
cated between general Lambert, the Bavarians, and mar- 
flial Blucher. On the left of the Mofelle, between Metw 
and Lougrion, he fell in with a force of 3000 French 
troops, with fome artillery, which he attacked and drove; 
back to Metz; and, puftiingon to Chalons, he made him- 
felf matter of that place after a brilliant affair. One divi- 
fion at firft entered the town by content of the inhabitants, 
but thefe were no fooner got in than the enemy clofed 
the gates, and attacked them; whereupon the party 
daflied forward to the Paris-gate, and fucceeded in extri¬ 
cating themfelves from the unexpefted danger. In the 
mean time TchernichefF advanced with the main body of 
his force, brought forward fome cannon, and, battering 
down the gate, entered at the head of his troops, and dif¬ 
perfed the force aflembled in the place, which was treated 
with great feverity. Blockading Toul, and throwing 
bridges over the Mofelle, Wrede continued to advance 
towards Paris, in the neighbourhood of which he foon 
afterwards arrived without much further oppofition. 
The 
