ments so novel to him, knew not what determination to adopt. All these marches and arrangements, so rapidly succeeding each other, tormed a mass of confusion, in which he could discern neither plan nor object. The occupation of Nauemburg relieved him from this perplexity he saw his left wing about to be turned, or at least exposed; he would not wait longer; he hastily rallied his army of reserve, which was advancing upon Halle, and left Hohenlohe at the camp of Capellendorf to mask the retrograde movement. His troops, who had not shared the disasters of Saalfield and Schleitz, ridiculed the beaten corps; they shouted, "The king for ever! the queen for ever!" &c. They resolved to avenge the affront offered to the Prussian arms: there were not enough Frenchmen for them. The duke himself had resumed his confidence. On the Auerstaedt road he found not more than thirty chasseurs. His communications were free; it was impossible they could be intercepted: it was not easy to surprise a skilful manoeuvrer like the duke. Hohenlohe's Prussians were encamped behind the heights of Jena: their masses extended as far as the 'eye could reach; they were prolonged beyond Weimar. Napoleon reconnoitred them on the evening of the 13th, and fixed the attack for the following day. In the night he distributed orders for the movements of the different corps. "As to Davoust, he must march on Apolda, so as to fall on the rear of the enemy's army. He may take whatever route he may deem most expedient; I leave that to himself, provided he take part in the battle: if Bernadotte be at hand he may support him. Berthier, issue instructions accordingly." It was ten o'clock at night; all the arrangements were made, and yet the general commanding the enemy's force flattered himself that we could not debouch. But the axes of the pioneers removed every obstacle; the rock was cut, and trenches were opened: the action commenced on the right and the left: the conflict was terrible. Davoust, in particular, was placed in a situation in which a man of less firmness might have found his courage fail him. Bernadotte refused to support him; he even forbade two divisions of the reserve cavalry, which, however, were not under his command, from taking part in the action. He paraded round Apolda, while 26,000 French troops were engaged with 70,000 picked men, commanded by the Duke of Brunswick and the King of Prussia. But this circumstance only added to the glory of the commander, whom it might have ruined. Davoust's plans were so well laid, his generals and his troops deployed with such skill and courage, that Blucher, with his 12,000 cavalry, had not the satisfaction to cut a single company. The king, the guards, and the whole army, attacked our troops without obtaining better success.

At Jena the victory had been no less brilliant: the rout was complete and general; the enemy fled in the utmost confusion.

In the evening I was directed, together with the grand duke, to pursue the wrecks of the Prussian army. We took some Saxon battalions, and we entered pele-mele with them into Weimar. We stationed our posts before the town, despatched some parties of cavalry on the Erfurt road, and presented ourselves at the castle. M. de Pappenheim, whom I recollected having seen in Paris, came out to meet us. He was quite alarmed; but we assured him he had no cause for apprehension. All the court, with the exception of the grand duke and his family, were at Weimar. The duchess received us with perfect politeness. I was acquainted with several ladies of her suite, one of whom has since become my sister-in-law. I endeavoured to calm their fears. They took courage. Some few disorders took place; but they were of little importance.

'Murat took up his quarters at the castle. I set out to join Napoleon at Jena, in order to render him an account of the events of the evening. He did not think that they would go beyond Weimar. He was highly satisfied. The courage of the duchess astonished him. He did not imagine that the court would have waited for him. He did not like the family; this he often repeated. The night was far advanced, and Napoleon had just received despatches from the second

corps. "Davoust," said he to me, "has had a terrible engagement: he had King William and the Duke of Brunswick opposed to him. The Prussians fought desperately: they suffered dreadful slaughter. The duke has been dangerously wounded; and the whole army seems to be in terrible disorder. Bernadotte did not behave well. He would have been pleased had Davoust been defeated; but the affair reflects the highest honour on the conqueror, and the more so as Bernadotte rendered his situation a difficult one. That Gascon will never do better."

The battle was lost. The Prussians were no longer eager to carry on the war; they wished for and invoked peace. By dint of wishing for an armistice, they at length persuaded themselves that one had been granted. Kalkreuth announced it: Blucher swore that it was concluded: how could it be discredited! Soult, however, was not to be caught in the snare. The imprudent generosity evinced at Austerlitz had rendered him distrustful. He refused to afford a passage to the troops whom he had cut off. "The convention you speak of is impossible!" said he to the field-marshal. "Lay down your arms. must receive the emperor's orders. You shall retire if he permit it." Kalkreuth was unwilling to resort to this kind of expedient. It always has somewhat the appearance of a defeat: and he would rather have experienced one in good earnest. Some other columns were more fortunate. But it was only deferring the evil moment: they were obliged to surrender some leagues farther on.

The king himself was disheartened by his misfortunes. Our hussars gave him neither truce nor respite. He recollected all that Napoleon had done to avoid hostilities; and he addressed a letter to him. it was rather late to reply to overtures which had been so ill received. "It would have been better," said Napoleon, " had he explained himself two days sooner; but no matter, I am willing to accede to any thing that is compatible with the dignity and interests of France. I will send Duroc to the King of Prussia. But there is something still more urgent yet. Duroc, set out immediately. Proceed to Nauemburg, to Dessau, wherever we have wounded troops. See that they want for nothing: visit them for me, each man individually. Give them all the consolation their situation requires. Tell them-tell the marshal, that he, his generals, and his troops, have acquired everlasting claims on my gratitude."

He was not satisfied with this message. He wrote to assure him how much he was pleased with his conduct. His letter was inserted in the order of the day. The troops were transported with it even the wounded men could not refrain from expressing their delight.

The emperor established his head quarters at Weimar. He shewed every possible mark of respect to the duchess.

Meanwhile the enemy was rallying on Magdeburg. The wrecks of the army that had been engaged at Jena, the army of reserve, and the troops of Old and New Prussia, hastily repaired to that place. The Duke of Wirtemberg had already taken a position at Halle; and Bernadotte proceeded thither. His corps had not been engaged at Auerstaedt; and he was eager for an opportunity to compensate the portion of glory he had lost. He attacked the Prussians with the bayonet; killing and routing all that opposed him. The carnage was dreadful. On the following day, Napoleon visited the field of battle, and was struck with the sight of the heaps of dead which surrounded the bodies of some of our soldiers.'-Memoirs of General Rapp.

CHAP. XXVIII.

Triumph of the French Armies-generous Conduct of Napoleon towards the Prince of Hatzfeld-Blucher my Prisoner-his Character-Prince Paul of Wirtemberg also a Prisoner-Negotiations for Peace-the Demands of Napoleon rejected-Displeasure of the King of Sweden.

VICTORY every where declared in favour of the French. Prince Hohenlohe, who commanded a division of the Prussian army, was obliged to capitulate at Prentzlaw. After this capitulation General Blucher took the command of the remains of the corps, to which he reunited those troops who, being absent from Prentzlaw, were not included in the capitulation. These corps, in addition to those which Blucher had at Auerstaedt, were then almost the only ramparts of the Prussian monarchy. Soult and Bernadotte received orders from Murat for the close pursuit of Blucher, who, on his part, was using every effort to draw the forces of those two generals from Berlin. Blucher marched upon Lubeck, of which he took possession. General Murat pursued the wreck of the Prussian army which had escaped from Saxony by way of Magdeburg, and Blucher was driven back upon Lubeck. To the army at Berlin the destruction of this corps was of the first consequence, being under the command of a brave and skilful general, who drew from the centre of military operations numerous troops, with which he might throw himself into Hanover, or Hesse, or even Holland, and by a junction with the English forces greatly harass the rear of the grand army. The Grand Duke of Berg explained to me his plans and expectations, and shortly afterwards announced their completion. His letters, among other particulars, informed me of the taking of Lubeck. In two of these letters, Murat, who was probably misinformed by his agents or made the dupe of some intriguer, sent me word that Moreau had arrived at Hamburg, and that he had passed through Paris on the 28th of October. His only proof of this fact was a letter of Fauche-Borel, which he had intercepted. I recollect a curious circumstance, which threw some light on this matter, and shews the necessity of mistrusting the intelligence which on slight surmises

is often furnished to persons in authority. About a fortnight before I received Murat's first letter, a person came to acquaint me that General Moreau was in Hamburg. I gave no credit whatever to the information, though I used every means in my power to discover if there were any foundation for such a report, but without success. Two days afterwards I was assured that a certain individual had met General Moreau, that he had spoken to him, and knew him well from having served under him, together with several other circumstances which appeared sufficiently credible. I, in consequence, immediately sent for the individual in question, who repeated to me that he knew Moreau-that he had lately met him—that the general had inquired of him the way to the Jungfersteige (a public walk in Hamburg)—that he had pointed it out to him, adding afterwards, 'Have I not the honour of addressing General Moreau ?' upon which the latter replied,Yes, but take no notice of baving seen me, I am here incognito.' All this appeared so absurd to me, that, pretending not to know Moreau, I requested the man to give me a description of him. The person he described bore no resemblance whatever to Moreau, whom he represented as wearing a braided French coat, with the national cockade in his hat. I at once perceived that the whole was an imposture for the purpose of getting a little money, and quickly sent the fellow about his business. In about a quarter of an hour afterwards, I received a visit from M. Chevardiere, who came to introduce M. Belland, the French consul at Stettin. This gentleman wore a braided coat and the national cockade. He was the hero of the tale told by my late informer. In fact, a slight resemblance between the consul of Stettin and General Moreau had occasioned several persons to mistake them for each other.

During the campaign in Prussia nothing was talked of throughout Germany but the generous conduct of Napoleon in regard to Prince Hatzfeld. I became possessed of many interesting particulars relative to this event, and was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of a letter which the emperor wrote to Josephine on the subject, which I shall presently lay before the reader I must premise that, in conformity with the inquisitorial system which too often characterized the emperor's government, and which extended to every country of

R

which he had taken military possession, the first thing done on entering a town was to take possession of the post office-and then, Heaven knows how little the privacy of correspondence was respected! Berlin was not exempted from this system, and among the letters thus intercepted and forwarded to Napoleon, was one addressed to the King of Prussia by Prince Hatzfeld, who had imprudently ventured to remain in the Prussian capital. In this letter the prince communicated to his sovereign every thing of importance that had transpired in Berlin since he had been obliged to leave it, together with the strength and situation of the divisions of which the French army was composed. The emperor, after reading this letter, gave orders that the prince should be arrested, and tried by a court-martial as a spy. The court had assembled, and its decision could hardly be a matter of doubt, when Madame Hatzfeld had recourse to Duroc, who on such occasions was always happy to facilitate an interview with the emperor. On that day Napoleon had been at a review in the environs of the city. Duroc was acquainted with Madame Hatzfeld, having frequently seen her during his visits to Berlin. On Napoleon's return from the review he was astonished to find Duroc at the palace at such an hour, and inquired if he had brought any news, Duroc replied in the affirmative, and followed the emperor into his closet, into which he shortly introduced Madame Hatzfeld. The remainder of the scene is related in Napoleon's letter before alluded to. This letter is evidently in reply to one from Josephine, reproaching him for the manner in which he spoke of women, and very probably of the beautiful and unfortunate Queen of Prussia, with regard to whom he had in one of his bulletins expressed himself in terms not sufficiently respectful. Napoleon's letter runs thus: I have received your letter, in which it seems you reproach me for speaking ill of women. True it is that, above all things, I dislike female intriguers. I have been used to kind, gentle, and conciliatory women. Them I love, and if they have spoiled me, it is not my fault, but yours. However, you will see that I have acted indulgently towards one sensible and deserving woman. I allude to Madame de Hatzfeld. When I shewed her her husband's letter she burst into tears, and in a tone of the most exquisite