1821.] Memoirs of 
tlie demand was an insult. On the 1st of 
October. 1806, the French and Prus¬ 
sian plenipotentiaries were still nego- 
ciatiug at Paris, and in three days after, 
viz. on the 4th, Napoleon, at the head 
of 150,000 men, had reached Wurtz- 
burg. In a proclamation addressed 
to his soldiers, he announced the 
approaching defeat of the Prussians, 
and declared that the enmity of the 
great people was more terrible than 
the tempests of the ocean. 44 The cries 
of war,” he added, “ resound from Ber¬ 
lin; for these two months past they 
have provoked us to war: the queen 
has quitted the cares of her toilet to 
meddle in state affairs, and she every 
where stirs up that Are by which she is 
herself animated.” The battle of 
Jena, fought on the 14th of October, 
decided the fate of that monarchy. 
The consequences of that day were 
more disastrous than the day itself; 
whole corps laid down their arms with¬ 
out a blow; the strong places opened 
their g*ates, though occupied by nume¬ 
rous armies, at the first summons to 
surrender; in short, ail the Prussian 
states were, in less than a month, oc¬ 
cupied by the French. 
Napoleon, at that time, might be 
considered as the master of civilized 
Europe, with the exception of England, 
and he declared that power to be in a 
state of blockade, in the famous Berlin 
decree of the 21st of November, 1806, 
by which he sought to humble the pride 
of England, and to ruin her trade with 
the continent, as the only means of 
overcoming the implacable enmity of 
her government. Deputies from Po¬ 
land came to his head-quarters, to im¬ 
plore his assistance in recovering their 
rights ; and he promised to re-establish 
their independence. He remained, 
during the winter, on the Vistula. The 
Russians had collected their forces, and 
attacked him at Pultusk, in a situation 
not the most favourable, where he ex¬ 
perienced great losses. Attacked a se¬ 
cond time in advancing on Thorn, bis 
army escaped only through the activity 
of Marshal Ney. At Eylau he en¬ 
countered the Russians again, when a 
desperate conflict ensued, in which the 
loss on both sides was very great, each 
returning to their positions. The rest 
ol the winter passed in skirmishes and 
parleys equally useless. 
On the 1st of March, 1807, Napoleon 
obtained some success in an affair at 
Elbing, but the most decisive success 
was reserved for the battle of Fried- 
Napoleon* . 45 
land. The French attacked vigorous¬ 
ly, and the Russians sustained their 
efforts for sixteen hours. The battle 
was sanguinary, and the Russians 
were at length totally defeated, with 
the loss, in killed alone, of nearly 
20,000 men, with eighty pieces of can¬ 
non. They retreated on Koningsberg, 
whither they were pursued by the vic¬ 
torious army, and thence to the Pregel. 
Koningsberg surrendered to Soult, who 
found in that city 20,000 wounded, to¬ 
gether with all the arms and ammuni¬ 
tion which had been sent from England 
for the use of the allies. The Russians 
still continued their retreat to the Nie- 
men, and were followed by Napoleon, 
who arrived at Tilsit on the 19th of 
June. The Emperor of Russia and the 
King of Prussia had just escaped from 
thence by burning the bridge, and thus 
the immediate pursuit of the royal fu¬ 
gitives was impeded. In the mean time 
an armistice was desired by the allies, 
which was granted by Napoleon. It 
was at this place that he obtained a 
personal interview with the Emperor 
Alexander, on a raft in the river Nie- 
men, in the presence of the opposing 
armies. Two tents were prepared on 
the raft, and the two sovereigns having 
met, embraced; which salutation was 
imitated by the officers and men of 
each army. To this fraternal embrace 
succeeded the treaty of Tilsit, which 
was concluded on the 7th of July. By 
this treaty, Russia and Prussia engaged 
to keep their ports closed against the 
English, and they adhered to the con¬ 
tinental blockade. 
Napoleon now turned his attention 
to the state of Spain. He consented to 
meet the king and Ferdinand his son at 
Bayonne, to adjust their family dissen¬ 
sions, but Charles IV. resigned his 
crown to him, and Ferdinand was ob¬ 
liged to do the same. He then sent 
an army of 80,000 men into Spain, who 
very soon possessed themselves of the 
strong places and the arsenals. On 
the 25th of October, 180S, he announced 
to the legislative body, that, with the 
assistance of God, he intended to crown 
his brother Joseph in Madrid, and plant 
the eagles of France on the towers of 
Lisbon. It was represented to him that 
the Spaniards would not consent to re¬ 
ceive Joseph as king:— 44 What does it 
matter,” said lie, 44 so long as he reigns 
over the two Spains?” Being in pos¬ 
session of Madrid, he suppressed the 
convents and all the religious orders 
throughout Spain. The Spaniards, ne¬ 
vertheless 
