CHAPTER I.

1814.

Unalterable determination of the Allies with respect to Napoleon--

Fontainebleau included in the limits to be occupied by the Allies--

Alexander's departure from Paris--Napoleon informed of the necessity

of his unconditional abdication--Macdonald and Ney again sent to

Paris--Alleged attempt of Napoleon to poison himself--Farewell

interview between Macdonald and Napoleon--The sabre of Murad Bey--

Signature of the act of unconditional abdication--Tranquillity of

Paris during the change of Government--Ukase of the Emperor of

Russia relative to the Post-office--Religious ceremony on the Place

Louis XV.--Arrival of the Comte d'Artois--His entrance into Paris--

Arrival of the Emperor of Austria--Singular assemblage of sovereigns

in France--Visit of the Emperor of Austria to Maria Louisa--Her

interview with the Emperor Alexander--Her departure for Vienna.

When Marmont left Paris on the receipt of the intelligence from Essonne,

Marshals Macdonald and Ney and the Duke of Vicenza waited upon the

Emperor Alexander to learn his resolution before he could have been

informed of the movement of Marmont's troops. I myself went during the

morning to the hotel of M. de Talleyrand, and it was there I learnt

how what we had hoped for had become fact: the matter was completely

decided. The Emperor Alexander had walked out at six in the morning

to the residence of the King of Prussia in the Rue de Bourbon. The two

sovereigns afterwards proceeded together to M. de Talleyrand's, where

they were when Napoleon's Commissioners arrived. The Commissioners being

introduced to the two sovereigns, the Emperor Alexander, in answer

to their proposition, replied that the Regency was impossible, as

submissions to the Provisional Government were pouring in from all

parts, and that if the army had formed contrary wishes those should

have been sooner made known. "Sire," observed Macdonald,

"that--was--impossible, as none of the Marshals were in Paris, and

besides, who could foresee the turn which affairs have taken? Could

we imagine that an unfounded alarm would have removed from Essonne the

corps of the Duke of Ragusa, who has this moment left us to bring

his troops back to order?" These words produced no change in the

determination of the sovereigns, who would hear of nothing but the

unconditional abdication of Napoleon. Before the Marshals took leave of

the Emperor Alexander they solicited an armistice of forty-eight

hours, which time they said was indispensable to negotiate the act of

abdication with Napoleon. This request was granted without hesitation,

and the Emperor Alexander, showing Macdonald a map of the environs of

Paris, courteously presented him with a pencil, saying, "Here, Marshal,

mark yourself the limits to be observed by the two armies."--"No, Sire,"

replied Macdonald, "we are the conquered party, and it is for you to

mark the line of demarcation." Alexander determined that the right bank

of the Seine should be occupied by the Allied troops, and the left

bank by the French; but it was observed that this arrangement would be

attended with inconvenience, as it would cut Paris in two, and it was

agreed that the line should turn Paris. I have been informed that on a

map sent to the Austrian staff to acquaint Prince Schwartzenberg

with the limits definitively agreed on, Fontainebleau, the Emperor's

headquarters, was by some artful means included within the line. The

Austrians acted so implicitly on this direction that Marshal Macdonald

was obliged to complain on the subject to Alexander, who removed all

obstacles.

When, in discussing the question of the abdication conformably with

the instructions he had received, Macdonald observed to the Emperor

Alexander that Napoleon wished for nothing for himself, "Assure him,"

replied Alexander, "that a provision shall be made for him worthy of the

rank he has occupied. Tell him that if he wishes to reside in my States

he shall be well received, though he brought desolation there. I shall

always remember the friendship which united us. He shall have the

island of Elba, or something else." After taking leave of the Emperor

Alexander, on the 5th of April, Napoleon's Commissioners returned to

Fontainebleau to render an account of their mission. I saw Alexander

that same day, and it appeared to me that his mind was relieved of a

great weight by the question of the Regency being brought to an end. I

was informed that he intended to quit Paris in a few days, and that

he had given full powers to M. Pozzo-di-Borgo, whom he appointed his

Commissioner to the Provisional Government.

On the same day, the 5th of April, Napoleon inspected his troops in

the Palace yard of Fontainebleau. He observed some coolness among his

officers, and even among the private soldiers, who had evinced such

enthusiasm when he inspected them on the 2d of April. He was so much

affected by this change of conduct that he remained but a short time on

the parade, and afterwards retired to his apartments.

About one o'clock on the morning of the 6th of April Ney, Macdonald, and

Caulaincourt arrived at Fontainebleau to acquaint the Emperor with the

issue of their mission, and the sentiments expressed by Alexander

when they took leave of him. Marshal Ney was the first to announce

to Napoleon that the Allies required his complete and unconditional

abdication, unaccompanied by any stipulation, except that of his

personal safety, which should be guaranteed. Marshal Macdonald and the

Duke of Vicenza then spoke to the same effect, but in more gentle terms

than those employed by Ney, who was but little versed in the courtesies

of speech. When Marshal Macdonald had finished speaking Napoleon said

with some emotion, "Marshal, I am sensible of all that you have done for

me, and of the warmth with which you have pleaded the cause of my son.

They wish for my complete and unconditional abdication. . . . Very well.

I again empower you to act on my behalf. You shall go and defend my

interests and those of my family." Then, after a moment's pause,

he added, still addressing Macdonald, "Marshal, where shall I go?"

Macdonald then informed the Emperor what Alexander had mentioned in the

hypothesis of his wishing to reside in Russia. "Sire," added he, "the

Emperor of Russia told me that he destined for you the island of Elba,

or something else."--"Or something else!" repeated Napoleon hastily,

"and what is that something else?"--"Sire, I know not."--"Ah! it is

doubtless the island of Corsica, and he refrained from mentioning it to

avoid embarrassment! Marshal, I leave all to you."

The Marshals returned to Paris as soon as Napoleon furnished them with

new powers; Caulaincourt remained at Fontainebleau. On arriving in Paris

Marshal Ney sent in his adhesion to the Provisional Government, so

that when Macdonald returned to Fontainebleau to convey to Napoleon

the definitive treaty of the Allies, Ney did not accompany him, and the

Emperor expressed surprise and dissatisfaction at his absence. Ney,

as all his friends concur in admitting, expended his whole energy in

battle, and often wanted resolution when out of the field, consequently

I was not surprised to find that he joined us before some other of his

comrades. As to Macdonald, he was one of those generous spirits who may

be most confidently relied on by those who have wronged them.

Napoleon experienced the truth of this. Macdonald returned alone to

Fontainebleau, and when he entered the Emperor's chamber he found him

seated in a small armchair before the fireplace. He was dressed in

a morning-gown of white dimity, and he wore his slippers without

stockings. His elbows rested on his knees and his head was supported

by his hands. He was motionless, and seemed absorbed in profound

reflection. Only two persons were in the apartment, the Duke of Bassano;

who was at a little distance from the Emperor, and Caulaincourt, who was

near the fireplace. So profound was Napoleon's reverie that he did not

hear Macdonald enter, and the Duke of Vicenza was obliged to inform

him of the Marshal's presence. "Sire," said Caulaincourt, "the Duke

of Tarantum has brought for your signature the treaty which is to be

ratified to-morrow." The Emperor then, as if roused from a lethargic

slumber, turned to Macdonald, and merely said, "Ah, Marshal! so you are

here!" Napoleon's countenance was so altered that the Marshal, struck

with the change, said, as if it were involuntarily, "Is your Majesty

indisposed?"--"Yes," answered Napoleon, "I have passed a very bad

night."

The Emperor continued seated for a moment, then rising, he took the

treaty, read it without making any observation, signed it, and returned

it to the Marshal, saying; "I am not now rich enough to reward these

last services."--"Sire, interest never guided my conduct."--"I know

that, and I now see how I have been deceived respecting you. I also

see the designs of those who prejudiced me against you."--"Sire, I have

already told you, since 1809 I am devoted to you in life and death."--"I

know it. But since I cannot reward you as I would wish, let a token of

remembrance, inconsiderable though it be, assure you that I shall

ever bear in mind the services you have rendered me." Then turning to

Caulaincourt Napoleon said, "Vicenza, ask for the sabre which was

given me by Murad Bey in Egypt, and which I wore at the battle of Mount

Thabor." Constant having brought the sabre, the Emperor took it from the

hands of Caulaincourt and presented it to the Marshal "Here, my faithful

friend," said he, "is a reward which I believe will gratify you."

Macdonald on receiving the sabre said, "If ever I have a son, Sire, this

will be his most precious inheritance. I will never part with it as long

as I live."--"Give me your hand," said the Emperor, "and embrace me."

At these words Napoleon and Macdonald affectionately rushed into each

other's arms, and parted with tears in their eyes. Such was the last

interview between Macdonald and Napoleon. I had the above particulars

from the Marshal himself in 1814., a few days after he returned to Paris

with the treaty ratified by Napoleon.

After the clauses of the treaty had been guaranteed Napoleon signed, on

the 11th of April, at Fontainebleau, his act of abdication, which was in

the following terms:--

"The Allied powers having proclaimed that the Emperor Napoleon is the

only obstacle to the re-establishment of peace in Europe, the

Emperor Napoleon, faithful to his oath, declares that he renounces

for himself and his heirs the thrones of France and Italy, and that

there is no personal sacrifice, even that of life, which he is not

ready to make for the interests of France."

It was not until after Bonaparte had written and signed the above

act that Marshal Macdonald sent to the Provisional Government his

recognition, expressed in the following dignified and simple manner:--

"Being released from my allegiance by the abdication of the Emperor

Napoleon, I declare that I conform to the acts of the Senate and the

Provisional Government."

It is worthy of remark that Napoleon's act of abdication was published

in the 'Moniteur' on the 12th of April, the very day on which the Comte

d'Artois made his entry into Paris with the title of Lieutenant-General

of the Kingdom conferred on him by Louis XVIII. The 12th of April was

also the day on which the Imperial army fought its last battle before

Toulouse, when the French troops, commanded by Soult, made Wellington

purchase so dearly his entrance into the south of France.--[The battle

of Toulouse was fought on the 10th not 12th April D.W.]

Political revolutions are generally stormy, yet, during the great change

of 1814 Paris was perfectly tranquil, thanks to the excellent discipline

maintained by the commanders of the Allied armies, and thanks also to

the services of the National Guard of Paris, who every night patrolled

the streets. My duties as Director-General of the Post-office had of

course obliged me to resign my captain's epaulette.

When I first obtained my appointment I had been somewhat alarmed to

hear that all the roads were covered with foreign troops, especially

Cossacks, who even in time of peace are very ready to capture any horses

that may fall in their way. On my application to the Emperor Alexander

his Majesty immediately issued a ukase, severely prohibiting the seizure

of horses or anything belonging to the Post-office department. The ukase

was printed by order of the Czar, and filed up at all the post-offices,

and it will be seen that after the 20th of March, when I was placed

in an embarrassing situation, one of the postmasters on the Lille road

expressed to me his gratitude for my conduct while I was in the service.

On the 10th of April a ceremony took place in Paris which has been much

spoken of; and which must have had a very imposing effect on those who

allow themselves to be dazzled by mere spectacle. Early in the morning

some regiments of the Allied troops occupied the north side of the

Boulevard, from the site of the old Bastille to the Place Louis XV.,

in the middle of which an altar of square form was erected. Thither the

Allied sovereigns came to witness the celebration of mass according to

the rites of the Greek Church. I went to a window of the hotel of the

Minister of the Marine to see the ceremony. After I had waited from

eight in the morning till near twelve the pageant commenced by the

arrival of half a dozen Greek priests, with long beards, and as richly

dressed as the high priests who figure in the processions of the opera.

About three-quarters of an hour after this first scene the infantry,

followed by the cavalry, entered the place, which, in a few moments

was entirely covered with military. The Allied sovereigns at length

appeared, attended by brilliant staffs. They alighted from their horses

and advanced to the altar. What appeared to me most remarkable was the

profound silence of the vast multitude during the performance of the

mass. The whole spectacle had the effect of a finely-painted panorama.

For my own part, I must confess I was heartily tired of the ceremony,

and was very glad when it was over. I could not admire the foreign

uniforms, which were very inferior to ours. Many of them appeared

fanciful, and even grotesque, and nothing can be more unsoldier-like

than to see a man laced in stays till his figure resembles a wasp. The

ceremony which took place two days after, though less pompous, was much

more French. In the retinue which, on the 12th of April, momentarily

increased round the Comte d'Artos, there were at least recollections for

the old, and hopes for every one.

When, on the departure of the Commissioners whom Napoleon had sent to

Alexander to treat for the Regency, it was finally determined that the

Allied sovereigns would listen to no proposition from Napoleon and

his family, the Provisional Government thought it time to request that

Monsieur would, by his presence, give a new impulse to the partisans

of the Bourbons. The Abby de Montesquieu wrote to the Prince a letter,

which was carried to him by Viscount Sosthenes de la Rochefoucauld, one

of the individuals who, in these difficult circumstances, most zealously

served the cause of the Bourbons. On the afternoon of the 11th Monsieur

arrived at a country-house belonging to Madame Charles de Dames, where

he passed the night. The news of his arrival spread through Paris

with the rapidity of lightning, and every one wished to solemnise his

entrance into the capital. The National Guard formed a double line from

the barrier of Bondy to Notre Dame, whither the Prince was first to

proceed, in observance of an old custom, which, however, had become very

rare in France during the last twenty years.

M. de Talleyrand, accompanied by the members of the Provisional

Government, several Marshals and general officers, and the municipal

body, headed by the prefect of the Seine, went in procession beyond

the barrier to receive Monsieur. M. de Talleyrand, in the name of the

Provisional Government, addressed the Prince, who in reply made that

observation which has been so often repeated, "Nothing is changed in

France: there is only one Frenchman more."

--[These words were never really uttered by the Comte d'Artois, and

we can in this case follow the manufacture of the phrase. The reply

actually made to Talleyrand was, "Sir, and gentlemen, I thank you; I

am too happy. Let us get on; I am too happy." When the day's work

was done, "Let us see," said Talleyrand; "what did Monsieur say? I

did not hear much: he seemed much moved, and desirous of hastening

on, but if what he did say will not suit you (Beugnot), make an

answer for him . . . and I can answer that Monsieur will accept it,

and that so thoroughly that by the end of a couple of days he will

believe he made it, and he will have made it: you will count for

nothing." After repeated attempts, rejected by Talleyrand, Beugnot

at last produced, "No more divisions. Peace and France! At last I

see her once more, and nothing in her is changed, except that here

is one more Frenchman." At last the great critic (Talleyrand) said,

"This time I yield; that is really Monsieur's speech, and I will

answer for you that he is the man who made it." Monsieur did not

disdain to refer to it in his replies, and the prophecy of M. de

Talleyrand was completely realised (Beugnot, vol. ii, p. 119)]--

This remark promised much. The Comte Artois next proceeded on horseback

to the barrier St. Martin. I mingled in the crowd to see the procession

and to observe the sentiments of the spectators. Near me stood an old

knight of St. Louis, who had resumed the insignia of the order, and who

wept for joy at again seeing one of the Bourbons. The procession soon

arrived, preceded by a band playing the air, "Vive Henri Quatre!" I

had never before seen Monsieur, and his appearance had a most pleasing

effect upon me. His open countenance bore the expression of that

confidence which his presence inspired in all who saw him. His staff was

very brilliant, considering it was got together without preparation. The

Prince wore the uniform of the National Guard, with the insignia of the

Order of the Holy Ghost.

I must candidly state that where I saw Monsieur pass, enthusiasm was

chiefly confined to his own retinue, and to persons who appeared to

belong to a superior class of society. The lower order of people seemed

to be animated by curiosity and astonishment rather than any other

feeling. I must add that it was not without painful surprise I saw

a squadron of Cossacks close the procession; and my surprise was the

greater when I learned from General Sacken that the Emperor Alexander

had wished that on that day the one Frenchman more should be surrounded

only by Frenchmen, and that to prove that the presence of the Bourbons

was the signal of reconciliation his Majesty had ordered 20,000 of the

Allied troops to quit Paris. I know not to what the presence of the

Cossacks is to be attributed, but it was an awkward circumstance at the

time, and one which malevolence did not fail to seize upon.

Two days only intervened between Monsieur's entrance into Paris and the

arrival of the Emperor of Austria. That monarch was not popular among

the Parisians. The line of conduct he had adopted was almost generally

condemned, for, even among those who had most ardently wished for the

dethronement of his daughter, through their aversion to the Bonaparte

family, there were many who blamed the Emperor of Austria's behaviour

to Maria Louisa: they would have wished that, for the honour of Francis

II., he had unsuccessfully opposed the downfall of the dynasty, whose

alliance he considered as a safeguard in 1809. This was the opinion

which the mass of the people instinctively formed, for they judged

of the Emperor of Austria in his character of a father and not in his

character of a monarch; and as the rights of misfortune are always

sacred in France, more interest was felt for Maria Louisa when she was

known to be forsaken than when she was in the height of her splendour.

Francis II. had not seen his daughter since the day when she left Vienna

to unite her destiny with that of the master of half of Europe, and I

have already stated how he received the mission with which Maria Louisa

entrusted the Duc de Cadore.

I was then too intent on what was passing in Paris and at Fontainebleau

to observe with equal interest all the circumstances connected with

the fate of Maria Louisa, but I will present to the reader all the

information I was able to collect respecting that Princess during the

period immediately preceding her departure from France. She constantly

assured the persons about her that she could rely on her father. The

following words, which were faithfully reported to me, were addressed

by her to an officer who was at Blois during the mission of M. de

Champagny. "Even though it should be the intention of the Allied

sovereigns to dethrone the Emperor Napoleon, my father will not suffer

it. When he placed me on the throne of France he repeated to me twenty

times his determination to uphold me on it; and my father is an honest

man." I also know that the Empress, both at Blois and at Orleans,

expressed her regret at not having followed the advice of the members of

the Regency, who wished her to stay in Paris.

On leaving Orleans Maria Louisa proceeded to Rambouillet; and it was not

one of the least extraordinary circumstances of that eventful period to

see the sovereigns of Europe, the dethroned sovereigns of France, and

those who had come to resume the sceptre, all crowded together within a

circle of fifteen leagues round the capital. There was a Bourbon at the

Tuileries, Bonaparte at Fontainebleau, his wife and son at Rambouillet,

the repudiated Empress at Malmaison three leagues distant, and the

Emperors of Russia and Austria and the King of Prussia in Paris.

When all her hopes had vanished Maria Louisa left Rambouillet to return

to Austria with her son. She did not obtain permission to see Napoleon

before her departure, though she had frequently expressed a wish to that

effect. Napoleon himself was aware of the embarrassment which might have

attended such a farewell, or otherwise he would no doubt have made a

parting interview with Maria Louisa one of the clauses of the treaty of

Paris and Fontainebleau, and of his definitive act of abdication. I was

informed at the time that the reason which prevented Maria Louisa's wish

from being acceded to was the fear that, by one of those sudden

impulses common to women, she might have determined to unite herself to

Napoleon's fallen fortune, and accompany him to Elba; and the Emperor of

Austria wished to have his daughter back again.

Things had arrived at this point, and there was no possibility of

retracting from any of the decisions which had been formed when the

Emperor of Austria went to see his daughter at Rambouillet. I recollect

it was thought extraordinary at the time that the Emperor Alexander

should accompany him on this visit; and, indeed, the sight of the

sovereign, who was regarded as the head and arbiter of the coalition,

could not be agreeable to the dethroned Empress.

--[Meneval (tome ii. p. 112), then with Maria Louisa as Secretary,

who gives some details of her interview with the Emperor Francis on

the 16th of April, says nothing about the Czar having been there; a

fact he would have been sure to have remarked upon. It was only on

the 19th of April that Alexander visited her, the King of Prussia

coming in his turn on the 22d; but Bourrienne is right in saying

that Maria Louisa complained bitterly of having to receive

Alexander, and considered that she was forced by her father to do

so. The poor little King of Rome, then only three years old, had

also to be seen by the monarchs. He was not taken with his

grandfather, remarking that he was not handsome. Maria Louisa

seems, according to Meneval, to have been at this time really

anxious to join Napoleon (Meneval, tome ii. p. 94). She left

Rambouillet on the 28d of April stopped one day at Grossbois,

receiving there her father and Berthier, and taking farewell of

several persons who came from Paris for that purpose. On the 25th

of April she started for Vienna, and later for Parma, which state

she received under the treaty of 1814 and 1815. She yielded to the

influence brought to bear on her, became estranged from Napoleon,

and eventually married her chamberlain, the Comte de Neipperg, an

Austrian general.]--

The two Emperors set off from Paris shortly after each other. The

Emperor of Austria arrived first at Rambouillet, where he was received

with respect and affection by his daughter. Maria Louisa was happy to

see him, but the many tears she shed were not all tears of joy. After

the first effusion of filial affection she complained of the situation

to which she was reduced. Her father sympathised with her, but could

offer her no consolation, since her misfortunes were irreparable.

Alexander was expected to arrive immediately, and the Emperor of Austria

therefore informed his daughter that the Russian monarch wished to see

her. At first Maria Louisa decidedly refused to receive him, and she

persisted for some time in this resolution. She said to her father,

"Would he too make me a prisoner before your eyes? If he enters here by

force I will retire to my chamber. There, I presume, he will not dare to

follow me while you are here." But there was no time to be lost; Francis

II. heard the equipage of the Emperor of Russia rolling through the

courtyard of Rambouillet, and his entreaties to his daughter became more

and more urgent. At length she yielded, and the Emperor of Austria went

himself to meet his ally and conduct him to the salon where Maria Louisa

remained, in deference to her father. She did not, however, carry her

deference so far as to give a favourable reception to him whom she

regarded as the author of all her misfortunes. She listened with

considerable coldness to the offers and protestations of Alexander, and

merely replied that all she wished for was the liberty of returning to

her family. A few days after this painful interview Maria Louisa and her

son set off for Vienna.

--[A few days after this visit Alexander paid his respects to

Bonaparte's other wife, Josephine. In this great breaking up of

empires and kingdoms the unfortunate Josephine, who had been

suffering agonies on account of the husband who had abandoned her,

was not forgotten. One of the first things the Emperor of Russia

did on arriving at Paris was to despatch a guard for the protection

of her beautiful little palace at Malmaison. The Allied sovereigns

treated her with delicacy and consideration.

"As soon as the Emperor Alexander knew that the Empress Josephine

had arrived at Malmaison he hastened to pay her a visit. It is not

possible to be more amiable than he was to her. When in the course

of conversation he spoke of the occupation of Paris by the Allies,

and of the position of the Emperor Napoleon, it was always in

perfectly measured language: he never forgot for a single instant

that he was speaking before one who had been the wife of his

vanquished enemy. On her side the ex-Empress did not conceal the

tender sentiments, the lively affection she still entertained for

Napoleon. . . . Alexander had certainly something elevated and

magnanimous in his character, which would not permit him to say a

single word capable of insulting misfortune; the Empress had only

one prayer to make to him, and that was for her children."]--

This visit was soon followed by those of the other Allied Princes.

"The King of Prussia and the Princes, his sons, came rather

frequently to pay their court to Josephine; they even dined with her

several times at Malmaison; but the Emperor Alexander come much more

frequently. The Queen Hortense was always with her mother when she

received the sovereigns, and assisted her in doing the honours of

the house. The illustrious strangers exceedingly admired Malmaison,

which seemed to them a charming residence. They were particularly

struck with the fine gardens and conservatories."

From this moment, however, Josephine's health rapidly declined, and

she did not live to see Napoleon's return from Elba. She often said

to her attendant, "I do not know what is the matter with me, but at

times I have fits of melancholy enough to kill me." But on the very

brink of the grave she retained all her amiability, all her love of

dress, and the graces and resources of a drawing-room society. The

immediate cause of her death was a bad cold she caught in taking a

drive in the park of Malmaison on a damp cold day. She expired on

the noon of Sunday, the 26th of May, in the fifty-third year of her

age. Her body was embalmed, and on the sixth day after her death

deposited in a vault in the church of Ruel, close to Malmaison. The

funeral ceremonies were magnificent, but a better tribute to the

memory of Josephine was to be found in the tears with which her

children, her servants, the neighbouring poor, and all that knew her

followed her to the grave. In 1826 a beautiful monument was erected

over her remains by Eugène Beauharnais and his sisters with this

simple inscription:

TO JOSEPHINE.

EUGENE. HORTENSE.