enemy was at last repulsed. This bat tle was distinguished by one of the most dreadful cannonades known in the annals of warlike operations, which continued till eleven o'clock in the evening, when night alone put an end to it. During the cannonade, the fire of musketry was uninterruptedly kept up, and frequently the valour of the allied troops proved itself in attacks with the bayonet. Seldom or never was a battle fought with such animosity. The French derived great advantage from their positions on the heights near Lutzen, where they had thrown upstrong entrenchments, which they defended with a heavy fire of artillery. But the allied troops drove them from one position to another; nor were they to be deterred even when the superior defence of the enemy in his last positions rendered frequent attacks necessary. The result was, that the Russian and Prussian troops kept possession of the field of battle during the whole night. Their loss was indeed very great; it may be fairly estimated at from 8 to 10,000 men killed and wounded. Major the Prince of Hesse Hamburgh was killed, and General Blucher was wounded. An unusually large proportion of officers were among the number of the slain.

Buonaparte affected great elation for this battle. The French chief of the staff in his report mentions, "the fine actions which have shed a lustre on this brilliant day, and which, like a clap of thunder, have pulverized the chimerical hopes and all the calculations for the destruction and dismemberment of the empire." Reverting as usual to England, he remarked, that "the cloudy train collected by the cabinet of St James's during a whole winter is in an instant destroyed, like the Gordian knot by the sword of Alexander. Europe would at length be at peace, if the sovereigns and the ministers who direct their cabinets could have been

present on the field of battle. They would give up all hopes of causing the star of France to set, and perceive that those counsellors who wish to dismember the French empire, and humble the emperor, are preparing the ruin of their sovereign.'

But nothing can be more entertaining on this subject than the eloquence of Cardinal Maury, who, in obedience to the order of his government, exhorted the people of France to join in the solemn ceremonies of religion on the occasion of this victory. "Our enemies," said this holy personage, "emboldened by the defection of the most versatile of our allies, who already expiates the blindness of his folly, entertained no doubt of the full success of their new coalition against France. Thus, while their frozen climate suspended the course of our victories, the Russians considered the fugitive protection of the elements as a lasting triumph. They believed, when they put themselves into the pay of England, that the emperor would never return to reorganize his army. They flattered themselves that they would drive us out of Germany, and even carry the seat of war into our ancient territories, should we refuse to submit to such laws as their arrogance should please to dictate to us from the banks of the Rhine; nor did they awaken from this dream of glory until the moment of their disenchantment on the plains of Lutzen.

Four months of prodigies on the one side, and of illusions on the other, have sufficed to enable France to meet them, by shewing herself to astonished Germany more powerful than ever. The winter's rest has repaired every thing. A noble emulation and voluntary sacrifices have relieved the finances, without reducing us to any ruinous expedient. God, who enjoys the presumption and temerity of mortals; God, according to the expression of the prophet,

blew on the ambitious chimeras of our enemies, and they immediately vanished. See then now, humilitated and already vanquished, these ima ginary conquerors, who so lightly reckoned on our dishonour !--The glorious victory for which we are this day going to render to the All powerful the most solemn acts of thanks giving, announces triumphs still more decisive in our favour. We shall drive these Tartars back to their frightful climate, which can no longer save them. Powers who are enemies to France! ye had numbered our legions, ye had calculated of how many arms they were composed, but ye had forgotten at the same time to appreciate the extraordinary genius of their chief, whose sublime combinations know how to balance their actions, to concert the whole, to supply their means, and double their force. You still believe this great man to be far from his army; while his history as well as your dreams should have taught you, that in his marches, his post is always at the head of his victorious phalanxes: You hastened by three days the movement of a triumph which he had secretly prepared in his mind; but by eluding his combinations, you made no alteration in his dispositions, excepting solely in the manner to con⚫ quer you. The inferiority of our cavalry, which the emperor wished to spare, and for which he gave as a supplement his thundering artillery, showed at once his intentions by one of those sudden illuminations of which Bossuet speaks: "It is an Egyptian battle," said he to his troops, "a good infantry supported by artillery ought to be sufficient of itself."--Then, rising into a sort of frenzy, this holy personage adds, "One stands trans. ported with admiration before the extraordinary man who has raised our empire to such a prodigious degree of power and glory. He is the soul of his

VOL. VI. PART I.

government as well as of his army. One cannot conceive how a mortal could possibly surmount so many difficulties, be sufficient for the performance of so many duties, unite so much activity to so much foresight, such vast extent of conception to so much vigilance in the details."-But we must return from the rhapsodies of Cardinal Maury to the affairs of the campaign.

The conception of this battle, on the part of the allies, was bold and judicious, and the issue not unfavourable. But with their inferiority of numbers, nothing less than a decisive victory could have enabled them to maintain their present position. Buonaparte still followed out his original plan of pushing on to Leipzic, to throw himself on their rear. To guard against this movement, it became nccessary to fall back to the Mulda; and as no advantageous position presented itself, which could compensate the numerical deficiency, the combined armies had no alternative, but to retire behind the Elbe. Their retreat was effected slowly, in perfect order, and without loss.— Buonaparte advanced, and on the 8th May, made his entry into Dresden. The French were once more admitted into Torgau, and the Sazon troops returned to submission. General Thiel. man, indeed, refused in the first instance to admit the French into Torgau without an order from his sovereign; but that order was given, and Lauriston entered on the evening of the 9th. Three days afterwards, the King of Saxony proceeded to Dresden in custody of the French guard, which was sent to receive him some miles from the city. The spectacle, according to Buonaparte, was "a very fine one." The two sovereigns dismounted from their horses so soon as they saw each other, embraced, and then entered Dresden at the head of the guard, "amid the acclamations of an immense population."-The people of Dresden,

P

who had entreated their king in the most pressing manner to throw off the yoke of Buonaparte, must have been highly pleased to see this Buonaparte in possession of their capital, and their sovereign exhibited to them as a captive. The king, however, thus returned to his vassalage, and Saxony was again a French province.

The allies, finding it vain to attempt defending the passage of the Elbe, determined upon falling back to some stronger position. They had now to choose their line of retreat. They determined not to retire upon Berlin, or to attempt to cover that capital, but to retreat in an opposite direction, through Lusatia, and near the Bohemian frontier. A course similar to this had been pursued during the last Russian campaign; and it seems to have been dictated by the ablest policy. Had the armies retreated upon Berlin, and the central provinces of the Prussian monarchy, these important objects could have been preserved only by fighting at disadvantage, and on the loss of a battle, the capital must have been abandoned. But by falling back in a different direction, the enemy, who could not leave a great army behind, was necessarily drawn into remoter and less important provinces. Agreeably to this plan, an advantageous position was chosen near Bautzen; with the intention, should that be forced, of falling back upon Silesia. To prevent the flying corps of the enemy from penetrating to Berlin, that capital was covered by General Bulow, with a corps partly composed of regulars, and partly of the newly-raised landwehr and militia.

The advance of the different corps of the French army to the Elbe had rendered it necessary for the divisions of Generals Tettenborne, Dornberg, and Tchernicheff, to recross that river; they were accordingly concentrated at Hamburgh. On the 8th May, Da

voust collected from 5 to 6000 men in the vicinity of Harburgh; and this force, with the exception of about 1,500 men left in Harburgh, was em barked at one o'clock in the morning of the 9th. Favoured by the ebb tide, and under cover of numerous batteries on the opposite shore, a landing was effected at Wilhelmsburgh, which was occupied by Hamburgh volunteers and a few Mecklenburghers. The number of troops stationed in the island did not exceed 1100 men; the enemy gained ground, therefore, in the first instance; but on the arrival of a Mecklenburg battalion, which was ordered immediately to the support of the volunteers, the French were repulsed. A battalion of Hanoverians and a Lubec battalion attacked the enemy with impetuosity on his right flank; he was compelled to retreat, and in falling back, he set fire to all the houses and mills in the line of his march.-The French, however, renewed their attempt, and succeeded by stratagem. The inhabitants of Hamburgh and its vicinity, when they heard of this second attack, were in the greatest confusion and distress. Numbers of them were seen on the roofs of the houses, watching the progress of the operations, which, at intervals, lighted the whole horizon. A partial fire of musketry was heard amid the cannonade; and as the day broke, and the fire approached nearer the city, it became evident that the enemy had made good his landing, seized the batteries, and driven in the Hamburgh volunteers. The apprehensions of the Hamburghers were soon confirmed by the videttes who galloped through the streets. It was understood in the city, that Davoust, who had expressed himself in the most violent language against Hamburgh, had promised his soldiers five hours plunder. The streets were immediately filled with frightened people, running from their houses, heap

ing waggons with their furniture and valuables, and endeavouring to escape into the country. The cry every where was, "The French are come;" and even this cry, proceeding, as it did, from a terrified populace, just roused from their sleep, was scarcely to be distinguished amid the trampling of cavalry. About half-past six in the morning, the drums of the burger guard beat to arms; every thing was in frightful confusion; men hastily equipping themselves with whatever arms they could find, and running to the alarm-posts; women and children of the first families, half dressed, heap ed on waggons, in the midst of beds and packages, and flying in silence and tears; expresses hurrying along every moment, and carts passing with the wounded just brought in from the

field.

In the course of the morning, when it became evident that the enemy were determined on reaching Hamburgh, the Danish sub-governor of Altona, Blucher, a relative of the Prussian general, proceeded to Vandamme's headquarters, to remonstrate with him against the attack, and to declare that the Danes would assist in repelling it. The Dane returned, and immediately afterward three Danish gun-boats, filled with men, approached from Altona, and anchored to defend the pas sage opposite to Hamburgh. In the evening, as the intentions of the French could not be ascertained, all the troops were ordered out. The cossacks, some Danish corps, and 10 pieces of Danish artillery, were drawn up along the sands. Russian guns were posted close to Altona. These demonstrations had the effect of intimidating the enemy.

In consequence of the approach of a body of Swedes, the Danes evacuated Hamburgh on the evening of the 12th, and retired to their own territory, leaving behind them their artillery for the protection of the town. The

Swedes, amounting to 1200 men, entered Hamburgh on the 21st. General Tettenborne, with the Hansiatic legion, went out to meet them, and they were received at the gate by the burger guards. They had been sent forward in waggons, and were not at all fatigued by travelling; but immediately on their arrival mounted guard. Their appearance was martial-their equip. ments in high order-and they were received by all ranks with joy. They were afterwards stationed in the vicinity of the city, where they remained till the 21st, when they were recalled by an order from their government.

The failure of the negociations betwixt Denmark and Great Britain, and the pretensions brought forward by the Crown Prince of Sweden to Norway, induced the Danes to resume hostilities, and occasioned the immedi ate occupation of Hamburgh by the French. On the morning of the 30th of May, at eight o'clock, Major-General Tettenborne, with all the military, quitted Hamburgh; and at nine o' clock, 5000 Danes, cavalry and infantry, followed by 1500 French, entered the city under the command of General Bruyere, who took possession of Hamburgh in the name of Buonaparte. A proclamation was issued by the enemy, stating that the persons and property of all those who submitted to the French government should be protect. ed.-Such was the fate for a time of this unfortunate city.

General Tchernicheff, who acted in co-operation with Count Woronzoff on the banks of the Elbe, passed that river on the night of the 16th of May, and proceeded in the direction of Burgstall, where he learned from various letters which had been intercepted by his parties, that a large convoy of artillery, escorted by about 2000 men, was to pass on the night of the 17th, at Halherstadt. The Russian chief re solved, if possible, to seize this convoy.