"Soldiers! in my exile I heard your voice. I have arrived through all obstacles and all perils. Your general, called to the throne by the choice of the people, and educated under your banners, is restored to you. Come and join him.

"Tear down those colours which the nation has proscribed, and which for twentyfive years served as a rallying signal to all the enemies of France. Mount the tri-coloured cockade. You bore it in the days of our greatness.

"We must now forget that we have been masters of nations; but we must not suffer any to intermeddle in our affairs.

"Who shall presume to be master over us? Who would have the power? Recover those eagles which you had at Ulm, at Austerlitz, at Jena, at Eylau, at Friedland, at Tudela, at Eckmuhl, at Essling, at Wagram, at Smolensko, at Moscow, at Lutzen, at Wurken, at Montmirail. Do you think that the handful of Frenchmen who are now so arrogant, will endure to look on them? They shall return whence they came, and there, if they please, they shall reign, as they pretend to have reigned, during nineteen years. Your possessions, your rank, your glory, the possessions, the rank, the glory of your children, have no greater enemics than those princes whom foreigners have imposed on us. They are the enemies of our glory, because the recital of so many heroic actions, which have glorified the people of France fighting against them, to withdraw themselves from their yoke, is their condemna

tion.

"The veterans of the armies of the Sambre and Meuse, of the Rhine, of Italy, of Egypt, of the west, and of the grand army, are all humiliated; their honourable wounds are disgraced; their successes were their crimes. "Honours, rewards, affection, are given to those who have served against the country and us.

"Soldiers! come and range yourselves under the standards of your chief. His existence is only composed of yours. His rights are only those of the people and yours. His interest, his honour, his glory, are no other than your interest, your honour, and your glory. Victory shall march at the charge

step. The eagle, with the national colours, shall fly from steeple to steeple, even to the towers of Notre Dame. Then you will be able to shew your scars with honour. Then you will be able to glory in what you have done. You will be the deliverers of your country. In your old age, surrounded and esteemed by your fellow-citizens, they will hear you with respect while you recount your high deeds. You will be able to say with pride :-" And I, too, was part of that grand army, which entered twice the walls of Vienna, those of Rome, of Berlin, of Madrid, of Moscow; and which delivered Paris from the foul blot which treason and the presence of the enemy imprinted on it."

Honoured be those brave soldiers, the glory of their country: and eternal shame on those guilty Frenchmen, in whatever rank fortune caused them to be born, who fought for twenty-five years with the foreigner, to tear the bosom of their country. By the emperor, (Signed)

"NAPOLEON.

TO THE FRENCH PEOPLE.

Frenchmen!-The defection of the duke of Castiglione delivered up Lyons, without defence, to our enemies. The army of which I confided to him the command, was, by the number of its battalions, and the bravery and patriotism of the troops which composed it, fully able to beat the Austrian corps opposed to it, and to get into the rear of the left wing of the enemy's army, which threatened Paris.

"The victories of Champ-Aubert, of Montmirail, of Chateau-Thierry, of Vauchamp, of Mormans, of Montereau, of Craone, of Rheims, of Arcy-sur-Aube, and of St. Dizier; the rising of the brave peasants of Lorraine, of Champagne, of Alsace, of Franche Comte, and of Bourgoin, and the position which I had taken on the rear of the enemy's army, by separating it from its magazines, from its parks of reserve, from its convoys, and all its equipages, had placed it in a desperate situa tion. The French were never on the point

of being more powerful, and the flower of the enemy's army was lost without resource. It would have found its grave in those vast countries which it had mercilessly ravaged, when the treason of the duke of Ragusa gave up the capital and disorganized the army. The unexpected conduct of these two generals, who betrayed at once their country, their prince, and their benefactor, changed the destiny of the war. The disas trous situation of the enemy was such, that at the conclusion of the affair which took place before Paris, it was without ammunition, on account of its separation from its parks of reserve.

"Under these new and important circumstances my heart was rent, but my soul remained unshaken. I consulted only the interest of the country. I exiled myself on a rock in the middle of the sea. My life was and ought to be still useful to you. I did not permit the greater number of citizens, who wished to accompany me, to partake my lot. I thought their presence useful to France; and I took with me only a handful of brave men, necessary for my guard.

"Raised to the throne by your choice, all that has been done without you is illegiti mate. For twenty-five years France has had new interests, new institutions, and new glory, which could only be secured by a national government, and by a dynasty created under those new circumstances. A prince who should reign over you; who should be seated on my throne by the power of those very armies which ravaged our territory, would in vain attempt to support himself with the principles of feudal law. He would not be able to recover the honour and the rights of more than a small number of individuals, enemies of the people, who, for 25 years, have condemned them in all our na tional assemblies. Your tranquillity at home, and your consequence abroad, would be lost for ever.

"Frenchmen! In my exile I heard your complaints and your wishes. You demanded that government of your choice which alone was legitimate. You accused my long slumber; you reproached me for sacrificing to my repose the great interests of the country.

"I have crossed the seas in the midst of dangers of every kind. I arrive amongst you to resume my rights, which are your's. All that individuals have done, written, or said, since the capture of Paris, I will be for ever ignorant of. It shall not at all influence the recollections which I preserve of the important services which they have performed. These are circumstances of such a nature as to be above human organization.

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Frenchmen! There is no nation, however small it may be, which has not had the right, if it possessed the power, to withdraw itself from the disgrace of obeying a prince imposed on it by an enemy momentarily victorious. When Charles VII. re-entered Paris, and overthrew the ephemeral throne of Henry V. he acknowledged that he held his throne from the valour of his heroes, and not from the prince regent of England.

"It is thus that to you alone, and to the brave men of the army, that I account it, and shall always account it, my glory to owe every thing.

"By the emperor,

(Signed) "NAPOLEON. "The grand marshal performing the functions of major-general of the grand army. (Signed) "Count BERTRAND."

On the 6th Napoleon hastened towards Grenoble. He was anxious to arrive there, that he might receive intelligence from his friends at Paris. By that his future proceedings would be regulated, and on it his fate depended. As he passed through St. Bonnet, with his advanced guard, the inhabitants proposed to ring the tocsin, to assemble the villagers and accompany him in a mass. "No!" replied he, "Your sentiments prove to me that I have not deceived myself, and they afford me a sure pledge of the sentiments of my soldiers. I do not need your services, and will not drag you from your homes. Those whom I meet will range themselves on my side, and the more numerous they are the more certain will be my

pede the progress of the invaders. General Cambronne, who commanded the troops of Napoleon, while the latter reposed at Gap, requested a parley, but received a cold and insulting answer. Buonaparte now arrived upon the spot, and the soldiers of Louis retreated three leagues before forty of his adherents. Determined to practise a stratagem which had been frequently crowned with the utmost success, he proceeded to the front of the royal troops, accompanied only by two officers of his staff. They consisted of a battalion of eight hundred men: arriving within pistol shot, he alighted, and advancing to the right of the battalion, which apparently only awaited the command of its officers to fire upon him, he bared his bosom, and thus addressed them. "Behold me! If there be one soldier among you who wishes to kill his emperor, let him come forward from the ranks and fire upon me!" The effect was instantaneous, the soldiers grounded their arms, and the air resounded with acclamations. The guard and the soldiers interchanged the courtesies of mutual friendship, the white cockade disappeared from their caps, and the national colours were immediately displayed. In a few moments the soldiers had mounted their tri-coloured cockades. It was highly observable, that these emblems of attachment to Buonaparte were not new, or purchased by his orders. They were the old colours, under which they had formerly marched to victory, and which they had carefully concealed at the bottom of their haversacks. The faded and tattered ribbands were shewn with enthusiasm. See," exclaimed the exulting soldiers, "they are the same which we wore at Austerlitz and Marengo." Having formed a square, Napoleon placed himself in their centre, and once more harangued them. "Soldiers, I am come with a handful of men to deliver you from the Bourbons, from treason, from feudal tyranny, and from the abuses by which they have been accompanied. The throne of the Bourbons is illegitimate, because it is contrary to the wishes of the nation. It exists only in the interests of a few families. Is not this true, comrades!" "Yes, sire," they exclaimed, “You are our emperor, and we will follow you to victory or death!" No

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time was lost in marching to Grenoble, a town defended, among other troops, by the fourth regiment of artillery; the very regi ment in which, twenty-five years before, Buonaparte had commenced his military career, and in which his memory was yet idolized. The 7th regiment, also stationed in Grenoble, was commanded by colonel Labedoyere, a man of feeble intellect, who had lately received the most liberal marks of favour from the king, and been distinguished by his enrolment in the legion of honour. He had no connection with the conspiracy, and when the invasion of Napoleon was announced participated in the general surprise. The event was too momentous, and of too menacing an aspect, to be calmly contemplated by a mind so weak as that of Labedoyere, and misled, according to his own confession, "by illusions, by recollections, and by false ideas of honour, his country spoke a chimerical language to his heart." Stimulated by fear, or deluded by the visions of a romantic fancy, he resolved to join the cause of the invader, and his soldiers were too well prepared to second his intentions. He had scarcely begun to disclose his views and wishes when he was interrupted by the cry of "Long live the Emperor." He allowed them no time for reflection, but, affixing an eagle to a willow branch, hastened to effect his treasonable purpose. General Devillers, alarmed and astonished at hearing from a distance the shouts of the exulting soldiery, hurried to the ramparts, and discovered that the troops had left the city, and were almost out of sight. He hastened on foot along the road which they had taken, and accidentally meeting a horse galloped after the deserters. Overtaking the rear of the columns he easily persuaded about one hundred to return to their duty, but the main body were alike indifferent to his threats and his entreaties. He spoke to M. Labedoyere of his honour, and of his country, but he only replied

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Country and honour!" meaning to imply that his duty as a Frenchman preceded in its obligation, his pledge of allegiance to the king.

The disaffection of Labedoyere was the signal for general rovolt: it seduced the wavering, encouraged the timid, and confirmed

the resolute. The beautiful and accomplished madame Labedoyere was so much affected by her husband's treachery, that she immediately quitted him and sought refuge with her relations. It will be seen, however, in a future number of this work, that when the period arrived at which he was doomed to expiate his attachment to Napoleon, she returned to cheer the solitary hours of his imprisonment, and when he was arraigned and condemned, pleaded in his favour with all the pathos of which an accomplished and afflicted female is susceptible.

At nine o'clock in the evening Buonaparte, reinforced by the division of Labedoyere, arrived before Grenoble, with an army more than double that which he had commanded on the preceding day. The gates were closed, and the ramparts were defended by the troops of the garrison, but the keys were formally demanded. Information was returned that Marchand, the governor, had left the city and taken them away. The delay occasioned by this circumstance only facilitated the tumultuous movement of the troops and inhabitants upon the ramparts. Buonaparte was recognized at a little distance; the intelligence was communicated with the rapidity of lightning; "He comes! he comes!" resounded from one part of the city to another, and the cannoniers, who stood at their places with lighted matches, joined in the disaffection of their companions, and forsook their guns. The engineers of Napoleon had scarcely prepared to force the gates when the whole garrison threw down their arms, trampled under foot the white cockade, and, rushing to the gates, burst them open. Napoleon entered Grenoble at 10 o'clock, amidst the plaudits of an immense and enthusiastic crowd of officers and soldiers.

The civil authorities assembled round him, and pressingly invited him to take possession of the governor's residence. But he declined their civility, and established his head-quarters at the hotel of the Three Dolphins, kept by one of his veteran soldiers. He had scarcely entered his apartments, when the approach of an innumerable crowd, uttering some unintelligible shouts, drew him to the balcony. The people of Grenoble were dragging along the remains of the gate through

which he had entered. "We were not permitted," they exclaimed, "to present you with the keys, but here are the gates." General Marchand, who had been arrested by the seditious soldiers, was now brought before him. Napoleon commanded that he should be immediately released, and pressed him to re-assume the command of the town. "I may appeal to yourself," replied the general, "that I once served you faithfully.Your abdication released me from my allegiance to you; and I have since sworn fidelity to the Bourbons. Here is my sword. I can again submit to become a prisoner, but I can never be a traitor."

Napoleon mused for a moment.-He was evidently and deeply affected. "General," said he, "take back your sword. You have hitherto used it as a true soldier, and I respect you too much to urge you now to use it in a way which your conscience would disapprove. You are at liberty to depart."

On the morrow Buonaparte gave audience to the municipality, and chief officers of the troops. The harangue of the mayor is worth preserving, for its falsehood and disgusting flattery, and as the first municipal address which the invader received.

"SIRE!-The inhabitants of Grenoble, enraptured to behold again the conqueror of Europe, the prince with whose name are associated the most glorious recollections, hasten to lay at the feet of your majesty the tribute of their respect and their love.

"Attached to your glory, and that of the army, they have lamented, with your brave soldiers, the unfortunate events which, for a little while, have thrown a cloud over your eagles.

"Sire! issue your commands. Your children are ready to obey you; and, in obeying you, they listen only to the voice of honour. "We renounce the empire of the world; but we will not be dictated to by a foreign power.

"Such, Sire! are the sentiments of your good city of Grenoble. We entreat that you will deign to accept our homage. To this Napoleon replied, "MEN OF DAUPHINY,-You have gratified the expectations which I had formed of you. When I disembarked on the shores of France, I wished to arrive with the rapidity of an eagle in the good city of Grenoble, whose patriotism and attachment to my person were well known to me.

"Men of Dauphiny! I feel myself unable to express the esteem and regard for you which your elevated sentiments have inspired. My heart is full of the emotions which you have produced. I shall ever retain the recollection of them."

At twelve o'clock, he proceeded in the direction of Lyons. But his progress was now as slow, deliberate, and grateful to his troops, as it had before been rapid, irregular, and fatiguing. He was well assured that no obstacle would impede his journey to the capital, and the surrender of Grenoble had increased the number of the army to ten thousand, with a proportionate supply of ammu nition and artillery.

The duke of Orleans and Monsieur were joined at Lyons by marshal Macdonald. The majority of the inhabitants were favourable to Napoleon, but a strong party of royalists yet remained in the city, and a guard of honour for the personal protection of the count was selected from the sons of the principal families. The bridges of Morand and la Guillaterie were barricadoed, the fortifications repaired, and every preparation made for effective defence, beneath the superintendance of Macdonald. On the next day Monsieur harangued the garrison; descanting with vehemence on the virtues of Louis and the atrocities of Buonaparte. He reminded them of the oath which they had taken, and exhorted them to justify them selves to their country, and to their own consciences, by opposing the invader. His

own escort, and the guard of honour, replied with acclamations of "Long live the king," but the troops of the line observed a sullen and obstinate silence. Monsieur, astonished by their perverseness, addressed the colonel of one of the regiments, and desired to be informed what were the sentiments of the men placed under his command. "Ask them,” said the officer," and they will frankly answer you." The count addressed the nearest soldier. "Are you well paid?" Yes, my lord." "Will you fight for the king?” “ No, my lord." "For whom then will you fight?" "For Napoleon."

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Notwithstanding the prefect of the Var had announced the correspondence between Napoleon and his partizans in France, the intelligence of his landing was received with as much surprise as indifference. His arrival was regarded by the court, less as a subject of alarm, than of speculation with respect to the punishment that should await his desperate enterprize. His invasion was represented, by the courtly journals, as a decisive proof of folly and insanity. He was described as the captain of a banditti, whose only objects were the plunder and the murder of the stragglers who might fall into his hands, and, as soon as his followers were dispersed, would terminate his misfortunes by an act of suicide, or fall an unpitied sacrifice to the sentence of the law. "What will he do in France," was the general exclamation of the Bourbonists. "Where are his forces-his allies? What can he effect with twelve hundred miserable followers, collected from the galleys, in the midst of thirty millions of people, indignant at his former atrocities, subinissive to the best of kings, and faithful to their oath. He is only a chief of marauders, whom a few of the military class will reduce to submission. This expedition exceeds all his former follies, and will hasten the fate he merits." Very different was the language of these diurnal parasites, when they learned that their former master and employer was advancing to Paris, amidst the acclamations of the people, that the gates of the most important fortresses flew open at his touch, and that he was joined upon his march by every division of the army stationed near his line of advance.