had now penetrated into the Archduchy of Austria, and gained possession of Lambach, from whence they advanced to Steyers, while the Austrians were rapidly retreating. Lintz, fell into the hands of the French, after Lambach; at the latter place Napoleon fixed his head-quarters, advancing within but a few leagues of the capital of Francis II. five regiments of Austrians were cut off, and some hundreds of prisoners, with cannon. were taken.

The consternation which prevailed at Vienna was indiscribable; it was, at length, resolved that a solemn de putation should be sent to Bonaparte, offering universal submission, and the delivery of that city to him. Francis had retired from Vienna, and Prince Amsberg was appointed commandant during the period of his absence. On November 14, Murat arrived before Vienna, Napoleon remaining two miles distant. A proposal had been made by order of the Emperor Francis, for an armistice, which Bonaparte consented to grant, upon condition that the Tyrol, Venice, and the strong posts of Germany should be placed in his hands: this offer was rejected by the Emperor of Austria, who was resolved, although the capital of his country was gone, yet to maintain the contest, sooner than he would submit to conditions so scandalously degrading. Happy would it have been for the Emperor Francis, and happy for the allied powers, had he evidenced such a degree of heroism at former periods, when the crisis was in his favor. But the die was cast, and the Imperial Representative of the illustrious house of Austria, was destined to undergo still greater re verses of fortune.

VOL II.-25

CHAP. VI.

Campaign in Germany continued. Russian Account of the Affair at Holbrunn. Battle of Austerlitz. Definitive Treaty of Peace between Austria and France

As King of Hungary, the Emperor of Austria had a dernier resort in appealing to his subjects of Bohemia and Austria; and no efforts were wanting to inspire a spirit of energy, and to rally around the standard of the unfortunate monarch his loyal adherents; a proclamation was issued, in which the Hungarians were called upon, by every principle of honor, to vindicate the cause of their oppressed and injured sovereign. The following emphatic passage, adverting to the unlimited ambition of Bonaparte, closed the address:

"His Majesty the Emperor of Austria uniformly wished for peace; he is yet anxious to obtain it with profound sincerity. But the Emperor never could, neither will he ever place himself in a defenceless state, which would cause him and his people to be delivered over to the imperious and arbitrary decisions of a powerful enemy. Under such existing circumstances, there remains nothing for his Majesty to do, but to place an implicit confidence in those inexhaustible resourses which will arise from the loyalty and strength of his people; and in the yet undiminished friendship and support of his august ally, his Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Russia; and his Majesty the King of Prussia; and he hopes to continue this firm and happy alliance, until the Emperor of the French shall be inclined to exercise that spirit of mode ration, which is the most splendid jewel in the diadem of a great monarch; and until he shall consent to conditions of peace which do not tend to sacrifice the national honor and independence of a mighty state."

These sentiments were truly dignified and noble, and would, at any other æra, have produced a mighty effect. We are ready to acknowledge, that a kingdom is not in a hopeless state, even should its capital be taken by an invading enemy. It was not the approach of the French

to, or the capture of Vienna, that was calculated to repress the courage of the inhabitants of Bohemia and Hungary; but it was the overwhelming tide of success which had attended the French from the commencement of the campaign; it was the long chapter of accidents, which he who runs could read, relative to the Austrian arms. There was but little to hope, but much to fear. In this point of view the manifesto could not be expected to produce a general rising en masse, not but that numbers of patriotic and loyal persons were feelingly alive to this call of their monarch.

The French armies were all this time acting upon the alert. A battle took place between the Austrians, aided by the Russians, and the French, at Amstellen, on November 7, in which the latter had a principal share, and which preponderated in their favor: one thousand eight hundred prisoners were taken. Davoust likewise attacked the left wing of the allied army, near Steyer; and General Meerfeldt arriving with a reinforcement, another engagement ensued, when once more the Austrians sustained a very heavy loss in men killed, and four thousand made prisoners: but these conflicts were but as a drop of water to the ocean, when compared with the great battle of Diernstein, which took place on November the 11th, 1805.

Marshal Mortier was marching with four thousand troops towards Stein, in pursuit of the retreating Austrian army, when he found a large body of Russians, who began an attack with incredible fury; the battle lasted from six A. M. to four P. M. ten stand of colors, six pieces of cannon, two thousand men killed, and nine hundred made prisoners, were the trophies of Mortier on this occasion. Another Russian corps was also defeated, and four hundred men made prisoners. The Russians hastily retreated across the Danube.

The whole of the French army, headed by Napoleon, now made its grand entry into Vienna; they found in this city, two thousand pieces of cannon, and one hundred

thousand muskets.

Lasnes, and Murat, had another engagement with the Russians, on November 15, at Holbrunn, which lasted but a short time, the latter precipitately taking to flight. A capitulation was agreed to by Murat, but Napoleon refused to ratify it. An official document, published in

the foreign prints by a distinguished Russian commander, was designed to vindicate the Russians from some aspersions cast upon them by the Austrians. It was as follows:

66

Having seen a vindication of Count Nostitz's conduct at Holbrunn, I feel it incumbent on me to point out its inaccuracy; for I cannot with patience behold any attempt to detract from the glory so well earned on that occasion by Prince Bagrathion, (Pangrazion,) and the five thousand Russians under his command.

"Count Nostitz, who commanded the Austrians, and the advanced posts of the Russian rear-guard, withdrew himself and his troops in the midst of the engagement, in consequence of a message from the French General Sebastiani, informing him, that, as a separate peace had been concluded between France and Austria, he ought no longer to co-operate with the Russians. This separation enabled the French army to take quiet possession of the village of Schongraben, which lay about four hundred paces from their lines, and directly opposite the centre of the Russian position. By this movement, the rear-guard of the Russians was placed in the utmost danger, since the French had forty thousand men to bear against five thousand Russians. Regardless, however, of this superiority, and in spite of a summons from the commander in chief of the French forces, Prince Bagrathion would listen to no proposals, but, with the unanimous consent of all the Russians under him, declared that every man of them was prepared rather to perish than to merit the censure of his sovereign, by any conduct that might tarnish the honor of his country.

"In order, however, to gain time, the conferences were protracted, with a view to cover the retreat of the Russian army, and a determination to hazard any extremity rather than surrender. In this state things remained during twenty-four hours. Prince Hohenlohe, who commanded the Austrian forces under General Kutusoff, (Kutusow,) was incensed, as every brave soldier must have been, at the conduct of General Nostitz, and sent an order to Colonel More to rejoin the Russian rearguard, and to support its operations. This was executed with the greatest bravery by the Austrians, who did not, however, cover the retreat more effectually than the

Russian cavalry. As to General Nostitz, he remained some days at the French head-quarters, without having been present with the rear-guard, or taking any part. in this glorious engagement, in which five thousand men were opposed to forty thousand, and proved victorious. I appeal on the subject of this battle to the testimony of the enemy himself. But the conduct of General Nostitz is well known to every individual of the armies that witnessed these occurrences.

"PETER, PRINCE DOLGORUCKI."

The French having entered Hungary, under Davoust, a remonstrance was addressed to that General, by Count Palfy, by order of the Archduke Palatinate, to which the French Marshal returned an answer, as follows:

"His Majesty has charged me to inform his Highness the Archduke Palatinate, by your favor, that he is ready to agree to the neutrality of the Hungarian nation, if, upon his part, the Archduke will recall the Hungarian troops, discontinue the levy en masse, and continue to supply Vienna with provisions; and, in fine, conclude a convention between the Hungarian nation and the Emperor of the French, tending to maintain a good understanding between the two countries. I have been authorized to let any officer pass, whom his Royal Highness the Archduke may choose to send to my sovereign, to treat with him upon these preliminaries. I am happy in the opportunity of perforining any good office agreeable to your compatriots; and to secure the well-being and tranquillity of a people so estimable, in many respects, as the Hungarian nation.

“L. DAVOUST.”

Murat continued in pursuit of the Russians, whom he came up with at Guntendorff, on November 16, when the French defeated them; and the Russians lost on this occasion, two thousand men killed, and two thousand made prisoners: in this engagement Marshal Oudinot was wounded. The Russians took the road to Brunn, and were followed by General Sebastiani with great rapidity, who cut off several corps, and took near two thousand prisoners. Brunn was captured, and Napoleon himself arrived there on November 20, In the citadel