.530 
Historical Memoranda, by Napoleon. 
policy and my personal felicity. The 
rank of Arch-Duchess, her youth and 
her candour, promised me many days 
of glory and of happiness; soon after 
she bore me a son. As a man, 1 had 
no longer any thing to desire; but as a 
sovereign, and called to great affairs, it 
was oth< rvvise. I believed that it be¬ 
longed to my glory and the interest of 
the French, to secure them and the 
other nations of Europe from a great 
future servitude. This project, en¬ 
tirely in favour of the independence of 
the European states, was reputed the 
act of an insatiable ambition. The most 
absurd ideas were attributed to me ; 
and that of an universal monarchy in 
Europe, was a project impracticable in 
the age in which we live. Whereas, 
my object was solely to prevent the 
Baskirs and the Cossacks from one day 
giving the knout to the inhabitants of 
Warsaw, Vienna, Berlin, and even 
Paris. The idea prevailed that ambi¬ 
tion alone directed my steps towards 
Russia. If the other sovereigns did 
not immediately oppose it, the reason 
was, that they were not in a condition to 
do so; but some time later they lifted 
up the mask. 
The observations of this great man 
on the war in Russia are so doubly in¬ 
teresting at this moment, that we hesi¬ 
tate not in exceeding our usual limits 
in order to give place to them. 
The continental blockade was con¬ 
ceived in the interest of those nations 
who repulsed it, because they did not 
understand it; it is the fate of great 
enterprizes that they are beyond the un¬ 
derstanding of the vulgar. My war 
against Russia, which had no other ob¬ 
ject but to deliver Europe from the 
chains which, with a giant-arm, the 
Czars Avere daily forging against it, 
has created me enemies among nations 
whose friendship I Avished to preserve. 
Five years have scarcely elapsed 
since I marched against Russia, when 
already the enormous increase of her 
poAver justifies my motwe in Avishing 
to put a curb upon her ambition. Po¬ 
land is now under the yoke of the 
Muscovites! 
The slavery of Europe will com¬ 
mence Avith Turkey. I now under¬ 
stand the words Avhieh the Emperor 
Alexander addressed to me at one of 
our secret interviews : 44 As soon as the 
affairs of Europe will permit, I wish to 
put it out of the power of the Turks to 
alarm my dominions.” The Czar will 
seize the fir*t occasion to humble the 
[Jam 1, 
order of the Crescent. I have had proofs 
in my possession that the cabinet of St. 
Petersburg is upon the Avatch for every 
thing likely to create embarrassment to 
the Grand Seignor. The struggle be¬ 
tween the tAvo poAvers will not be long 
doubtfulfoi such is the defects of 
the Turkish government, that should 
one battle be lost, Constantinople will 
become a chapel of ease for the empire 
of the Czars. 
There is only one poAver which may 
yet sa\ 7 e Europe from the inevitable 
consequences of the success of the Rus¬ 
sians beyond the Bosphorus, and that 
poAver is England. 
Should this latter poAA’er hesitate in 
opposing the Czars in the dismember¬ 
ment of the heritage of the Sultans, 
she will one day run the risk of losing a 
great part of her maritime superiority.* 
The result will be that England will 
not suffer the Russian flag to be estab¬ 
lished in the Ottoman Ports. Tt is thus 
that Europe will OAve its independence 
to the rivalry of these two great powers. 
We may also affirm that by ably start¬ 
ing from this point, the political sys¬ 
tem of other governments will be found 
entirely traced out. 
The Russians are at this day on the 
continent Avhat the English are on the 
ocean ; so that the best thing Avhich 
the other nations can do, is, to encou¬ 
rage these tAvo great powers to cut each 
other’s throats. When two superb 
lions, the terror of the forests, happen 
to seize each other by the mane, A*ery 
ill-advised Avill the other animals be 
in Avishing to separate them ; upon the 
destruction of the tAvo combatants de¬ 
pends the safety of all. 
I believe I have sufficiently proved 
that I had good reasons for carrying 
war into the heart of Russia. Hoav- 
ever I Avas not entirely decided until I 
learned that the Emperor Alexander 
had declared, that before the lapse 
of two years, Poland should become 
part of his dominions. I thought to 
preA-ent him. A man, who passes for 
being AA-ell informed on the subject, has 
said, that I committed a great fault in 
not re-establishing the kingdom of Po¬ 
land upon a solid basis, by interesting 
the neighbouring poAvers in its preser¬ 
vation ; but hoAAever specious this 
might appear, I did not think myself 
bound to do it, and the character of the 
Poles vras the cause of it. 
* This passage is the more curious, as it 
is dated on the 27th November, 1817. 
' My 
