General Gneiseneau, who advised them to address themselves to the Emperor of Russia. MARCH. Coloured prints representing grim-looking monsters in uncouth dresses (for which the artists had no other authority than their own fancy), and in the act of committing every excess, entitled, " Cossacks," were exposed for sale at all the print and book stalls in Paris. Twice this month I saw a superior officer, recently wounded, borne in a litter by infantry, and escorted by cavalry along the Boulevard des Italiens. 8.-On entering Paris, by the Versailles road, at the barrier des Bons-hommes, this evening between seven and eight o'clock, a sentinel of the line stopped me, and said I must go into the corps de garde, and show my "papiers:" on my instantly acquiescing in the unusual order, and putting my hand to my side pocket, the officer of the National Guard said, "cela suffit," and I passed on; and not having spoke a word, my being an Englishman was unsuspected. Between the barrier and the bridge were a second range of palisades, two pieces of cannon, and a sentinel. 15.-This evening between six and seven o'clock, I saw about thirty sick and wounded soldiers lying in the street at the bottom of the Rue Rochchouard. They had been brought from Brie in carts; and, on arriving at the hospital at the top of the street, were refused admittance for want of room; the country people who had been put in requisition to convey them to Paris, brought them to this spot, turned them out of their carts, and there left them. The inhabitants, however, and particularly the poorer class, were very humane, administering every succour in their power, and receiving them into their houses and rooms. This had been done several previous evenings; the next morning the poor fellows were taken to different hospitals in Paris. The distant roaring of artillery of the engaged armies having more than once been heard at Paris, every sound of cannon near the capital excited alarm. With a view of preventing this, and probably that all such sounds should be attributed to one cause, it was announced on the 26th, in the newspapers, that the artillerymen of the line and the National Guard would daily practise with artillery at Vincennes. A considerable number of the workmen out of employ daily loitered on the Boulevards about the Porte St. Martin, as it was by this road that waggons and carts laden with the wounded French, and detachments of prisoners arrived. The passing of couriers to and from the army, the departure of reinforcements for the army, almost every hour, produced some fresh object to gratify or excite curiosity. Trifling as this circumstance may appear, yet it proved that the police were conciliating the lower orders; for assemblies of this kind I had never before witnessed in Paris; nor, indeed, had they been permitted for many years, however insignificant the persons or harmless the motives which induced them to remain together. Yet from the beginning of March they were tolerated, and their numbers increased until the 26th; but, on that day, as soon as groupes were formed, the National Guard ordered them to separate, and the people, having assembled merely to occupy their idle hours, immediately obeyed. In France, taxes are paid monthly, if otherwise it is in consequence of a private arrangement with the collector. During the month of February, the receipt of taxes suffered little diminution in the mean daily receipt, which for the city of Paris is seventy thousand francs; the whole annual receipt being twenty-five millions of francs. But, during the month of March, not more than from two to three hundred francs per diem could be obtained. Every class of persons showed the greatest reluctance to part with their money. Few workmen or artisans were employed, and those few could not obtain their wages. So great was the stagnation of trade, that shopkeepers were eager to sell their goods considerably under prime cost. Money became so scarce, that many persons were obliged to send their forks and spoons to the mint to be coined. There was a premium of forty francs for fifty pieces of twenty francs in gold; all being desirous of hoarding. 26.-The 5 per Cents. 46 f. 35 c. Bank actions 625 f. Sunday 27.-I was present at a review of the Parisian National Guards by Joseph Bonaparte, in the Court Yard of the Tuileries. About twelve thousand were completely armed, and in new uniforms. A few who had not equipped themselves, were armed with a pike only, with a tricolor pennon hanging to it. There were also about two hundred and fifty cavalry of the line, and a considerable train of artillery, of which several pieces were worked by the polytechnic scholars. The troops were under arms at nine in the morning, and the review continued until three. The court yard of the Tuileries, and Place Carousel, Quai du Louvre, Place Vendôme, Rue Castiglione, and that of Rivoli were entirely filled with troops which successively defiled before the "Roi Joseph." The day was very fine, and the environs of the palace were crowded with spectators, who all exulted at the sight of so many new uniforms, and expressed their wishes that the enemy could only behold themlittle doubting but that the terror of the Allies would equal the self admiration of the French. Where the Allies were, all were totally ignorant; and they little thought they were at that hour crossing the Marne within twenty-five miles of Paris. At night, however, the flying French troops announced to the inhabitants of Claye, Villeparisis, Bondi, &c. that the enemy were closely in pursuit of them. The head quarters of the Sovereigns was at Coulomiers, and Blucher's at La Ferté sur Jouarre. At two o'clock in the afternoon the corps of Yorke and Kleïst began to cross the Marne at Triport, three miles above Meaux, by a bridge which General Mufflin threw over the Marne; and at Germigny l'Evesque, one mile higher up the river. A trifling resistance was made by the National Guard. General Mufflin told me there was a smart affair at Triport. About nine in the evening some French cavalry galloped through Meaux, evidently routed, but gave no warning to the inhabitants of the enemy's approach. During the night, a. cannonading was heard at Meaux: the Allies entered the city between twelve and one in the morning, and about three in the morning of the 28th, the whole neighbourhood was thrown into the greatest alarm by a tremendous explosion of the French powder magazine, situated at the Paris entrance of Meaux. This was done without the inhabitants being previously apprised. Several adjacent houses were thrown down by the concussion, and most of the windows in the city broken, but no lives lost. A large house, which had formerly been an inn, was at the beginning of March converted into this powder magazine. Early on the preceding day the French began to remove the powder in boats down the Marne, but the rapid approach of the allied army prevented its being entirely carried away; they therefore blew it up to prevent its falling into their hands. The advanced guard arrived at Livry, at nine in the evening, harassed by the Cossacks, by one of whom a French lancer was dreadfully wounded at eleven o'clock, within a quarter of a mile of the village, which is at the ninth borne, or thousand toise stone from Notredame at Paris, equal to eleven and one-quarter English miles. 28. In the Journal de Paris, this day, under the head of "Paris," "King Joseph passed in review yesterday fifteen thousand troops of the line, imperial guard, cavalry, and infantry, and twenty thousand National Guards of Paris, with their artillery. The troops depart for the army au premier jour." In the Moniteur, dated Paris, the 27th. NOUVELLES DES ARMÉES. "Bulevent, 25 Mars 1814. " Le quartier general de l'Empereur est ici. L'armée française occupe Chaumont, Brienne. Elle est en communication avec Troyes et ses patrouilles vont jusqu'à Langres. Du tout côté on remène des prisonniers. La santé de S. M. est très-bonne." Price of Stocks this day-5 per cents. 45f. 50 c.; 45 f. 75 c.; Bank actions, 555, 565. Before day-break the terrified population of the country between Meaux and Paris came pouring into the capital with their aged, infirm, children, cats, dogs, live-stock, corn, hay, and household goods of every description. The Boulevards were crowded with waggons, carts, and carriages thus laden, to which their cattle were tied, and surrounded by women on foot. The distress of these poor refugees was augmented by being forced to pay the octroi at the gates of Paris, for which many were obliged to sell part of their stock at the barriers, to obtain what they hoped would be security for the rest, the right of taking it within walls; thus displaying to the inhabitants of Paris a picture of the effects of war, far different from that which they had been accustomed to look upon. According to general report, the Cossacks, a term by which all the allied troops were designated, had burned Meaux, and were rapidly advancing without interruption: yet all this had little effect on the starving Parisians, whom the country people reviled for apathy and cowardice, in not rising to repel the enemy. I went up the Rue Faubourg St. Martin, at half-past three in the afternoon; the peasantry still arriving in vast numbers, who reported, that at twelve o'clock there had been a sharp action at Claye, a village fifteen bornes * from Paris, but of the result I could obtain no account. Near the church of St. Laurent, I met about fifty prisoners taken in that affair; some were sinking with toil and loss of blood, their unbound wounds were still bleeding, being but one small cart for all the wounded. All the country people I now questioned agreed, that the enemy were at Claye, where an action had taken place, but still no result; some said they had advanced to Villeparisis (which was the fact); others, that they were driven back; some, that there were forty thousand; others, only twenty thousand; and some averred that they did not exceed six thousand. I went out of Paris by the barrier of Pantin, which every one was now allowed to do, without being subjected to examination of passports or cartes de sureté, as had been the case for some days previously; few profited by this, and still fewer had curiosity sufficient to urge them to proceed above a quarter of a mile. All soldiers who attempted to enter the barriers were put under arrest. I saw about forty of these lying on the ground near the barrier under guard awaiting to be conducted to the Etat Major. Within the palisades were two small field pieces and some polytechnic scholars on duty by them. By the sides of the road to Pantin and Bondi were the French cavalry, infantry, and artillerymen, with cannon, &c. Tumbrels, reposing; several had lighted fires and were cooking, and all waiting for orders, having had rendezvous given them here after the affair at noon, which some said had lasted until near two o'clock; others, that it was over at half after twelve. That they had been repulsed and dispersed was evident. Among them I observed some of the cavalry I had seen reviewed the day before. In the evening I went to the Café Lecuy, and there met Gautherot, the historical painter, and Lenard, who had been that morning as far as Villeparisis, and had witnessed the retreat of the French, and seen the Allies masters of the heights above that village, which is at only twelve bornes from the capital (fifteen miles), and slowly advancing. General Mufflin told me there was afterwards a smart affair in the street of Villeparisis, and much bayonneting man to man. During the whole of this day the Silesian army, with their music playing at the head of each regiment, were crossing the Marne, at Triport, and at Meaux. The affair of Claye proved to have commenced at ten o'clock. The Allies attacked and drove in the rear guard of the French, but they rallied and drove back the enemy, who returned in such numbers as to overpower the French, many of whom were killed in the streets of Claye. The whole was over at two o'clock. Tuesday 29.-The National Guard was this morning under arms in every part of Paris. The influx of the surrounding population seeking refuge continued; but of the situation or force of the allied army every one appeared marvelously ignorant; nor did its approach excite any great consternation in the thoughtless Parisians. The peasantry who had found where to deposit their property augmented the number of stupid gapers who lined the Boulevards, along which, at ten o'clock, some artillery, tumbrels, and small detachments of cavalry passed towards the Faubourg St. Antoine. The lugubrious sound of the tumbrels, rolling along the pavement, harmonized with the foreboding aspect. I went this morning to the Museum of the Louvre, where I found nearly the usual number of artists, some of them were quietly continuing copying the pictures, but many were looking from the windows into the court yard of the Tuileries at the preparations for the departure of the Empress Maria Louisa. Napoleon had sent orders that if the Allies approached Paris, the Empress Regent, the King of Rome, the Council of the Regency, Ministers, &c. should repair to the banks of the Loire. This morning at day break, the disorder which had reigned all night in the Tuileries was exposed to the public. The window shutters being opened, the wax lights in the chandeliers were seen expiring in their sockets. The ladies of the court were running from apartment to apartment, some were weeping, and in a state of distraction, servants hurrying from place to place in like confusion. At half after six, fifteen fourgons escorted by cavalry left the palace. It was afterwards known that these carriages contained the amassed treasures of Napoleon. Sentries stationed in the court yard prevented any of the spectators approaching this entrance to the palace. At eight o'clock the travelling carriages were at that entrance of the palace near the Pavillon de Flore, and arrangements were making for departure. A little before nine, an officer came to the door from the interior with fresh orders, in consequence of which the carriages were taken back to the stables. Cambaceres arrived ten minutes after nine, and a few minutes after a servant gallopped to the stables, the carriages returned, the preparations for the journey were continued and partially completed, and at half after ten the Empress Maria Louisa, in a brown cloth riding habit and the King of Rome in one coach, surrounded by guards, and followed by several other coaches with attendants, quitted the palace; the spectators preserving the most profound silence. They proceeded along the quay |