CHAP. XVI.

Austria, bribed by England, refuses to ratify the Treaty of Peace-Rupture of the Armistice-Battle of Hohenlinden - Congress at Luneville- Peace between France and Austria-Death of Paul I. of Russia-the French defeated in Egypt, and evacuate the Country Negotiations with England - Peace of Amiens.

THE armistice concluded after the battle of Marengo, which had been first broken and then resumed, continued to be observed for some time between the armies of the Rhine and Italy, and the imperial armies. But Austria, bribed by a subsidy of two millions sterling, would not treat for peace unless England was also included. This was quite in character with her usual policy-when beaten in the field she was ever ready to make promises, but she evaded them on the slightest advantage being obtained: and at this time she did not despair of again recommencing the war successfully by the assistance of the money of England.

M. de Saint Julien, on the part of Austria, had signed the preliminaries of peace at Paris, but the court of Vienna disavowed them; and Duroc, whom Bonaparte sent to convey the preliminaries to Vienna for the imperial ratification, was not permitted to pass the Austrian advanced posts. This unexpected proceeding, the result of the powerful influence of England, justly irritated the first consul, who had given proofs of his moderation and his desire for peace.

In his irritation the first consul despatched orders to Moreau to break the armistice, and to recommence hostilities, unless he regained possession of the bridges of the Rhine and the Danube, by the surrender of Philipsburgh, Ulm, and Ingolstadt. The Austrians then offered to treat on a new basis, and England wished to take part in the negotiations, but the first consul would not consent to treat with them jointly. England would not hear of an armistice by sea, like that which France had concluded with Austria by land. She alleged, that in case of a rupture, France would derive from that armistice

greater advantage than Austria would gain by that already concluded. The difficulty and delay attending the necessary communications rendered these reasons plausible. The first consul consented to accept other propositions from England, and to allow her to take part in the discussions of Luneville, but on condition that she should sign a treaty with him without the intervention of Austria. This England refused to do. Weary of this uncertainty, and the tergiversation of Austria, which was still under the influence of England, and feeling that the prolongation of such a state of things could only turn to his disadvantage, Bonaparte broke the armistice. He had already consented to sacrifices which his successes in Italy did not justify. The hope of an immediate peace had alone made him lose sight of the immense advantages which victory had given him.

Far from appearing sensible to the many proofs of moderation which the first consul evinced, the combined insolence of England and Austria seemed only to in crease. Orders were immediately given for resuming the offensive in Germany and Italy, and hostilities then recommenced.

The French armies of Italy and Germany passed, the one the Mincio, the other the Danube, and the celebrated battle of Hohenlinden brought the French advanced posts to within ten leagues of Vienna. This victory brought peace; because, instructed by past experience, the first consul would not hear of a suspension of arms, until Austria consented to a separate treaty. Driven into her last entrenchments, she was obliged to yield and to abandon England. The English cabinet, which had paid two millions, could not prevent this separation. The impatience and indignation of the first consul at the evasions of Austria and the plots of England can scarcely be conceived, for he was not ignorant of the plans which were carrying on for the restoration of the Bourbons. His joy therefore was great when the victory at Hohenlinden threw all its weight into the scale in his favour. It was on the 3d of December, 1800, under circumstances by no means favourable, that Moreau gained that celebrated battle,* which put an end

On the eve of the battle of Hohenlinden, Moreau was at supper, with a party of officers, when a despatch was delivered to him. After he had read it, he said to his guests, though he was far from being in

to the hesitations of the cabinet of Vienna. On the 6th of December, the first consul received the news; it was on a Saturday, and he had just returned from the opera when I delivered him the despatches. He literally leaped for joy. I ought to observe that he did not expect so grand a result from the movements of the army of the Rhine. This victory gave a new feature to the negotiations for peace, and decided the opening of the congress of Luneville, which took place on the 1st of January following.

On receiving the news of the battle of Hohenlinden, Madame Moreau hastened to the Tuileries to call on the first consul and Madame Bonaparte. She did not see them, and repeated her call several times without any better success. The last time she came, she was accompanied by her mother, Madame Hulot. She waited a long time in vain, and when going away, her mother, who could no longer restrain her feelings, said aloud in the saloon, before me and several others of the household, That it ill became the wife of the conqueror of Hohenlinden to dance attendance in this way.' This remark reached those for whom it was intended. Madame Moreau shortly after joined her husband in Germany. Madame Hulot came afterwards to Malmaison to solicit promotion for her eldest son, since dead, who served in the navy. Josephine received her very well, and invited her to dinner, as well as M. Carbonnet, a friend of Moreau's, who had accompanied her: she accepted the invitation. The first consul, who did not see her till dinner, treated her coolly, spoke but little, and after dinner immediately withdrew. His rudeness on this occa. sion was so marked and offensive, that Josephine considered it necessary to make an apology, and to assign his irritation to some trifling disappointment.

Bonaparte had no dislike to Moreau, because he did not fear him; and after the battle of Hohenlinden he spoke of him in the highest terms, and did not seek to hide the obligations he was under to him on that important occasion, but he could not endure the family of his wife, who, he said, were a set of intriguers.—

As M. de Bourrienne has given no details of the cele

the habit of boasting, I am here made acquainted with Baron Kray's movements. They are all I could wish. To morrow we will take from him 10,000 prisoners.'

brated battle of Hohenlinden, we have extracted the following account of it from Napoleon's Memoirs.

'On the 1st of December, at break of day, the arch duke deployed 60,000 men before the heights of Ampfingen, and attacked Lieutenant-general Grenier, who had only 25,000 men, in front; whilst another of his columns, debouching by the bridge of Crayburg, marched to the heights of Achau, in the rear and on the right flank of Grenier. General Ney was at first obliged to yield to the superior numbers of the enemy, but rallied, returned to the attack, and broke eight battalions; but the enemy continuing to deploy his numerous forces, and debouching by the valleys of the Issen, Lieutenant-general Grenier was compelled to retreat.

The manoeuvre of the Austrian army was a very fine one, and this first success augured others of great importance. But the archduke did not know how to profit by these circumstances; he did not make a vigorous attack on the corps of Grenier, who only lost a few hundred prisoners and two pieces of cannon. On the following day, the 2d of December, he made only petty movements, and gave the French army time to rally and recover from its first surprise. He paid dearly for this error, which was the principal cause of the catastrophe of the following day.

'Moreau, having had the whole of the 2d to reconnoitre his forces, began to hope that he should have sufficient time for all his divisions to join. But the archduke John, although he had committed the capital error of losing the whole of the 2d, did not fall into that of losing the 3d also. At break of day he began to move, and the dispositions made by the French general to effect the junction of his army became useless; neither Lecourbe's corps nor that of Sainte-Suzanne could take part in the battle; the divisions of Richepanse and Decaen fought separately; they arrived too late on the 3d to defend the forest of Hohenlinden.

'The Austrian army came on in three columns; that of the left, consisting of 10,000 men, between the Inn and the Munich road, directing its march on Albichengen and Saint Christopher; that of the centre, 40,000 strong, proceeded by the road leading from Mühldorf to Munich, by Haag, towards Hohenlinden; the grand park, the waggons and baggage, took this road, the only

one which was firm. The column of the right, 25,000 strong, commanded by General Latour, was to march on Bruckrain.

The roads were much cut up, as is usual in the month of December; the columns of the right and left marched by almost impracticable cross roads; the snow fell heavily. The column of the centre, followed by the parks and baggage, having the advantage of the high road, soon distanced the others; its head penetrated into the forest without impediment. Richepanse, who was to have defended it at Altenpot, had not arrived; but this column was stopped at the village of Hohenlinden, which was the appui of Ney's left, and the station of Grouchy's division. The French line, which had thought itself covered, was at first surprised; several battalions were broken, and some disorder prevailed. Ney hastened up; a terrible charge carried death and consternation into the head of a column of Austrian grenadiers; General Spanochi was taken prisoner. At that moment the vanguard of the Austrian right debouched from the heights of Bruckrain. Ney was obliged to gallop to his left in order to face them; his efforts would have been insufficient had Latour supported his vanguard; but he was two leagues distant from it. In the mean time the divisions of Richepanse and Decaen, which ought to have arrived before daybreak, at the debouché of the forest, at the village of Altenpot, being embarrassed in the midst of the night in dreadful roads, and the weather being tremendous, were wandering a great part of the night on the edge of the forest. Richepanse, on arriving at the village of Altenpot, with his division, the 8th, the 48th of the line, and the 1st chasseurs, found himself in the rear of the enemy's parks, and of all his artillery, which had defiled. He passed through the village, and drew up in line on the heights. Eight squadrons of the enemy's cavalry, which formed the rear-guard, deployed; the cannonade commenced; the 1st chasseurs charged, and were repulsed. The situation of General Richepanse became more and more critical he was speedily informed that he was not to depend on Drouet, whose progress had been arrested by considerable forces; and of Decaen he had no intelligence. In this dreadful predicament he took a desperate resolution; leaving General Walter with the cavalry, to keep the