49 
1821.] Memoirs of 
troops, to fall on the rear of the com¬ 
bined armies. On making this move¬ 
ment, lie wrote to the Empress Maria 
Louisa, then Regent of France, that he 
had lost all hopes of covering the capi¬ 
tal, and that the only chance that re¬ 
mained was for him to endeavour to 
draw the enemy after him. This dis¬ 
patch was among the intercepted let¬ 
ters seized by General Blucher. The 
allies, in consequence, made a rapid 
movement on Paris. 
On the 30th of March, the allies at¬ 
tacked the heights of Chau moot, but 
they were repulsed with loss. To (hat 
attack succeeded one on Romaiuville, 
which was terribly contested. Inferior 
as they were in numbers, the French 
defended themselves bravely for several 
hours, and made a terrible havoc among 
the assailants. At length, however, 
their extensive position was forced on 
several points, and they were driven 
back to the barriers of Paris. 
It was at this moment that Marmont 
sent a flag of truce to demand an ar¬ 
mistice, and to propose to deliver lip 
the city. The allied sovereigns ac¬ 
ceded to the proposition, and granted 
an honourable capitulation. During 
the time these transactions were taking 
place at the northern barriers, Joseph 
Bonaparte, to whom his brother had 
confided the command of the capital, 
saved himself by quitting it on the 
west. Bonaparte, however, hastened 
to Fontainbleau, but was apprised, four 
leagues from Paris, that the city was 
no longer his. lie accordingly return¬ 
ed to Fontainbleau, where lie remain¬ 
ed with 50,000 men and 200 pieces of 
cannon. The result was, that he was 
allowed to retain the title of emperor, 
with the sovereignty of the Isle of 
Elba, to which he was to retire with a 
revenue of two millions of livres. He 
appeared resigned to this disposition 
of his person and fortunes ; but, on the 
20th of April, at ten o’clock in the 
morning, when all the carriages were 
ready, he said to General Roller, com¬ 
missioner from tile Emperor of A ustria, 
appointed to accompany him, 44 that he 
had reflected on what he had done, and 
he had decided to remain; that, since 
the allies were not faithful to their en¬ 
gagements, he conceived that he also 
could revoke his abdication.” At 
eleven o'clock his grand-marshal, Ber¬ 
trand, announced to him that every 
thing was ready for setting out; to him 
he replied, 44 The grand-marshal does 
not know me then, since he thinks I 
Monthly Mag. No. 35J. 
Napoleon 
am bound to regulate my movements 
by his watch. I shall set out when I 
like, and, perhaps, not at all.” Not¬ 
withstanding these difficulties, he de¬ 
scended, at noon, into the court of the 
chateau y where the grenadiers of his 
guard were in waiting. He was imme¬ 
diately surrounded by the officers and 
soldiers; he embraced the chief, and 
made him bring the eagles, which he 
equally embraced. 
During the time which he remain¬ 
ed in the Isle of Elba, he appeared 
resigned to the change ol scene and to 
the reverses of his fortune. But the 
Bourbons and the allies fulfilled none 
of the conditions of their treaty ; and 
the English papers announcing a design 
to remove him by force to St. Helena, 
he determined once more to try his for¬ 
tune in France. That he might be 
prepared to embark at the proper mo¬ 
ment for his return, he purchased fe¬ 
luccas at Genoa, procured ammunition 
from Naples, and arms from Algiers. 
When every thing was ready, he gave 
a brilliant fete at his little court, and 
whilst Madame Bonaparte, his mother, 
and the Princess Paulina, his sister, 
were employed in doing the honours of 
the assembly, he embarked with 1200 
men in the night of the 25th of Febru¬ 
ary, 1815, and on the 1st of March he 
landed, without any impediment, in the 
gulf of Juan, in Provence, at 3 o’clock 
in the afternoon. He immediately is¬ 
sued a proclamation, announcing that 
he had returned to resume his sceptre, 
which the people had confided to him, 
and of which treason had robbed him. 
He then proceeded by forced marches 
to Grenoble, where he was welcomed 
by Colonel Labedoyere, and, in two 
days after, he entered the city of Lyons, 
where he experienced a similar recep¬ 
tion. Become, by these easy means, 
master of the second city in the king¬ 
dom, he proceeded to exercise all the 
powers of sovereignty; lie chose his 
state-councillors, his generals, his pre¬ 
fects, aud published various decrees, 
among which was one for abolishing 
the noblesse, another proscribing the 
Bourbon family, and a third for con¬ 
voking a national assembly, with the 
name of Champ de Mai. Satisfied witli 
his reception at Lyons, he replied to 
their adieus by exclaiming, 44 Lyonese, 
I love you!” By the affection of the 
people and the authorities he was ena¬ 
bled to arrive, by rapid marches, at 
Paris. Pie penetrated through the heart 
of France without drawing a sword ; 
G on 
