93,000,000 of specie, at 257,000,000; leaving a favourable balance of 126,000,000; whereas the most favourable balance under the ancient government was only 75,000,000. By this commerce it was added, that France was enabled to have 900,000 men constantly under arms; to maintain 100,000 sailors; to keep 100 ships of the line, and as many frigates, complete or building; and to expend every year from 120 to 150 millions in public works. Certainly in no other contry but France, and we could hope not generally even there, could such gross misrepresentations be believed by the people. The question naturally occurs; With what countries is this commerce carried on? Not with the continental states of Europe, for they were nearly reduced to ruin by the spoliations of the French; not with America, for America, though she did contrive to elude our cruisers sometimes, could not possibly carry on a commerce with France to one-tenth of the amount represented. Besides, it might be asked, where were the 100 sail of the line? If they existed, and there were 100,000 sailors to man them, how came it to pass that France had not a single fleet at sea? But it is unnecessary to press this statement more closely; it will not bear the slightest examination. The other articles in the exposé, which relate to the public works, the interior administration, and the marine, do not seem to require any particular notice; they are all drawn up in the same manner, and for the same purpose.

- What effect this exposé produced in France we are not able to ascertain; for such were the restrictions on the press, that the public feelings and sentiments were never permitted to transpire through the means of it, except when they were flattering or favourable to the plans and views of Bonaparte. Unless, however, we suppose that the French people are constituted differently from mankind in general,

unless we can suppose that all the natural feelings and attachments of the heart are unknown to them, we must believe that the almost universal mourning occasioned by the Russian campaign must have greatly diminished the popularity and influence of Bonaparte. Still, however, his obstinacy clung to him and, shortly after his return to Paris, a new conscription was ordered. It may at first sight appear strange, that he could levy this conscription; but the organization for that purpose was so perfect, and his agents so numerous and formidable through every part of the country, that the conscription met with much less opposition than might have been expected. The gens d'armes were the persons employed on this occasion: these he never called upon to go on foreign service; and in return for this exemption, and other privileges conferred upon them, they were uncommonly active and rigorous in enforcing the conscription. The number of men to be raised was 300,000; but it was soon found that, notwithstanding the flattering picture of the population of France drawn in the exposé, this number could not be obtained, unless boys and old men were taken; and the proportion of these, compared with those in the prime of life, was very great. The conscripts were marched off, as fast as they were raised, to join what was still called the grand army but of what number of men that army was composed, or even where it was stationed, the French people could not possibly learn from their own newspapers; and all other sources of information were debarred them.

But though Bonaparte found much less difficulty than was anticipated in raising men, the state of the French finances was not such, even by the representation of his own minister of finance, as to promise him abundant and regular means of supporting his army he was now, indeed, placed in a noval situa

tion. In all his former wars he had supported his troops by the contributions which he raised on the conquered countries: to use his own words, he made war support war: but all these sources were now dried up; and it was necessary to look to France itself for the means of carrying on hostilities in Germany. Had the state of France, indeed, been such as was represented in the exposé, there might not have been much difficulty in raising a portion of the necessary supplies; though, from the low state of confidence and credit in that country, the actual resources could not be available to their utmost extent. But when the representations given in the exposé were put to the test, it was found that they were very erroneous; and only a government, as completely despotic and regardless of private property as that of Bonaparte, could have raised the money that he actually did.

By means of this despotism, aided by uncommon exertion and activity, he succeeded, by the beginning of April, in collecting a large numerical force on the banks of the Elbe; though that force, as we have already remarked, was of a very different description from the veteran army which he had lost in Russia. His cavalry and artillery were particularly inferior; and it was on these two branches, especially the artillery, that the French used to de pend for their victories: it is even said that, in consequence of his having lost upwards of 1000 pieces of cannon in Russia, he was under the necessity of supplying his army in a great measure with cannon from the ships at Antwerp, which were of course of a description by no means suited for military purposes.

Before Bonaparte left Paris, to take the command of his army, he judged it expedient to settle the form of a provisional government during his absence: he had so narrowly escaped destruction in his Russian

campaign, at a time when he had taken no measures respecting the government of France while the king of Rome was a minor, that he resolved to guard against all accidents for the future. Accordingly his empress was regularly declared regent during his absence; and the king of Rome was nominated, in a more solemn manner than heretofore, his succesIt is probable that the appointment of the empress as regent had other objects in view: Bonaparte knew well the temper and disposition of the Parisians; he knew that the best mode of drawing off their thoughts and speculations from the disasters that had occurred, or might occur, was by keeping up the splendour, bustle, and pageantry of a court; and this could be done with the best effect by investing his empress with the name and dignity of regent Having thus taken what he conceived to be all due precautions, and sent on before him immense bodies of troops, he closed the session of the legislative body in a speech full of his usual confidence and haughtiness, in which he led them and the French nation to expect, that on the banks of the Elbe he should regain all those laurels which he had lost amidst the shows of Russia.

CHAP. XIII.

Bonaparte leaves Paris for the Army.-Preparations and Movements of the Russians.-Proclamation of the Emperor Alexander on entering Prussia.-The King of Prussia joins him.-Saxony entered by the Allies.Proclamation to the Saxons.-State of Saxony, and its Monarch.-The Crown Prince of Sweden.-Treaty between Russia and Sweden.-Remarks on the Treaty between Britain and Sweden.-Denmark attempts to make Peace.-Louis XVIIIth's Address to the People of France.

HAVING thus detailed the preparations which Bonaparte made for the commencement of a German campaign, it will be now proper to advert to the condition and preparations of those powers who were to oppose him. The emperor Alexander, fully sensible of the importance of pushing forward with his army while the enemy were in a state of confusion and weakness, lost no time in advancing into the north of Germany. As soon as he crossed his own boundaries into Prussia, he ordered a declaration to be issued, explanatory of his motives and views: the Russian army came not as the foes, but as the friends, of the Prussians: they came to assist them in their efforts to free themselves from the ty ranny of France; to raise Prussia to that rank and importance among the nations of Europe which she had held previous to her subjugation by Bonaparte. Already had one of her generals emancipated himself, and the army which he commanded, from the degradation of a foreign yoke; and, instead of fighting under the command of the enemy of Germany, had joined the standard of Russia. The emperor