Star. — London, England, 1814-02-18 00:00:00

- . . \ A INTERCEPTED LETTERS. ,- (Continued from yesterday's STAR.) M. DE SERM ET (COMMISSARY) ORDONNADRUR OF THE DIS TRICT OF CASSEL, TO HIS lIXCEI4.ENCY COUNT DARU, DIRECTING AUNISTER OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE ARMY. REPORT. " Wei!bones, Sept. 30, 1813. Ste—As I have constantly followedehe motions of the King since the day before yesterday,. I have been unable to transmit to Y. E. a report of what' has happened, until this moment. Tneesuity.—y. E. has no doubt been informed, by the accounts of the King to H. M. of the unex pected arrival of the enemy before Cassel, on the ‘2Sth, in the morning. Although I had taken care, snore than a week ago, to write to the French Mini-' ster, that the. Paymaster of the army had funds in the specie of the country, without having any certain means of transporting his cash, and although I hid proposed divers ways of pleeing that cash in safety, in case of need, his Excellency contented himself wide assuring. US, that he would give us timely notice. However, we had no other notice than the firing of carmen and small arms upon the city itself, 4. I immediately hastened with the Paymaster to M. de Reinhard, and we handed him anew written petition, to facilitate, by his interference, the means of saving the cash, either by causing it to be received into the Westpletlian Exchequer, or by procuring us if caisson (a covered chest carried on a waggon), and the requisite escort. • • - The latter alternative was impracticable, since the King himself left his money behind. With re-1 yard ,to- the former, we went with a message from the French Minister to M. I)upleix, the Treasury Director, who was on the point of setting off, and who positively refused to take charge of it. " After having acquainted the French Minister with this refusal, we agreed with him that there was no other way left bur to try to deposit the money with a merchant, and M. Pottier was commissioned by the Minister to endeavour to transact this business,• which became so much the more difficult as all the counting-houses were shut. 66 I do nut know whether he succeeded, because the King having immediately after effected his re treat at the head of his troops. along with all his Mi r.isters and M. de Reinhard, I thought it my duty not to remove from his head-quarters, which I have followed ever eince. 66 I had taken the precaution to keep ten sick horses of the third company of the 10th battalion, and four soldiers ; and I relied upon them, in case of need, to remove thy cash ; but they were mimed a league off, and it was impossible to give them any notice. .4 I am not able to afford Y. E. any statement of this money, because the Peymaster.never would ren der me any account of it .; and Y. E. whom I had consulted concerning the :niperintendance, and the degree of authority which my functions, gave me ill\ this respect, has not' honoured toe with an an; ewer. Eieeit on this occasion, M. Pottier thought it his duty to apply directly to the Frentb Minister the never recurred to me, as he supposed he had no or ders or instructions to receive from me ; what I have done to assist . liim was never done at his request. 66 I have-not seen him since our departure frotel l Casssl, and I have reason to think that he followed the Miniiter of the Westphalian treasury, who went through Paderborn, having been unable to join the King. Hospitals.—No convalescents had left the hos-1 pitals for twenty-four hours, but a great 'number had left them the day before. There remained about 400 men, half of whom , were Westphahuns, taken prisoners in the hospital, situate half a league from the city, on the road by which the enemy approached The cavalry having followed very rapidly as far as Merbourg, it has been impossible to effect the remo 'val of the sick and bedding from the night goat tersl on that line, particularly as the peaseate are rather! disinclined to perform that service. ... Y. E. knows that I had. at that time no other 'I . administrative employment at Cassel. Personal. Concerns ot' the Commissaries at War. I shall -continue to .follow the motions of the King, am] of the French Minister, as long as he has any thought of retnrnin to Cassel'; and I shall wait the orders of Y. E. hear his person. 4 , Should the King, however, pass the Rhine, which Ido not suppose, I should then go either to _ft!• ntz or to Frankfort, to be better enabled to reach vie head-quarters. " I left Celfsel - bn my saddle horse, taking nothing with me. but the coat on my back; Ido not know erhether my servant has been able to escape with my two other-horses and my effects. " As the few Frenchmen in official situations at • Cassel and in the district had neither horses nor 't -coney, they most have been extremely distressed, • and I know not whether they will come back. • 66 lam myself without a farthing . .(Y. E. knows ;hat there are three months pay due to me, and five xuonths extraordinary expences) ; fortunately H. M. has provided me with a room in his house. " I entuat Y. E. to consider the repeated and con, tidal-able losses which I have experienced within the list twelve months, and to grant me the extraordi cery expenses due to me since the Ist of May. A om, with profound respect, my Lord, your Excellency's very humble and very obedient servant, (Signed) 66 DE SERUM" ITO THE GEN tRALor DIVIPSION COUNT DULOLOY, COLONEL,' OF TILE ARTILLERY OF THE IMPERIAL GUARD. " Paris, Sept. 2s, 1813. 46 GENERAL—I have again - solicited the Minister to obtain son* artillerymen from Spain. He an •owered me 'on the ISth instant, that the artillerf corn'. : panics of that army were too weak to spare a single • m.ii - -that prior to this they had been finable to nrp •pli the men demanded of theM, and that they could less do so at present. • "Of the twenty-nine conscripts at Lafere, who are well acquainted with the service of -ield-piecese • rive or sixerre unfit for•seritice ; the °thesis may be Ant to the army; yet I shall wait forytutc ders . %. to `ieri them off. • • ' Itave the honour to be, with respect and friend • -4'4W LSigned) `• //Aiwa; D'ABOVILLE, , The General of Artillery." ~.. • , ,• - • 'PEAItILATION -7, ..et.THE QF POLICE TO HIS ASA JEST'T Tali EMPEROR AND KING. "'Paris, Sept. 9, 1813. 4 d- T have the honour to address to your Majesty the Bulletin of General Police, and American Jotir pals to the 31st of July ; which came by way of Bayonne. • , . "We received to-day dispatches from the army to the.24th of September. They have done us great service, and have produced a seasonable altera tion in the language of the people. la . this place, a mere nothing has Kisser both to excite alarm and to restore confidence. 44 We have no news from any part of France, or from Italy or Holland, that is at all unpleasant, or, indeed, in any degree extraordinary. The report of the last events that have taken place in the Viceroy's army !s not yet published at Paris. The talk more generally of the political indisposition towards us, which is supposed to exist in the Bavarian Govern. ment, because we Lave more frequent communica tions- with that country than with Illyria. All this does not a little contribute to excite unpleasant re flections; but the true national character is, to rip strongly against ingratitude ; and I have not yet seen any symptom of its displaying itself in a diffe rent manner. I am even very well satisfied with the language held by persons of weight with respect to the general state of affairs at present. The man ner in which they express their opinions is very com mendable, and very satisfactory. is not, how ever, a time to occupy your Majesty with all these particulars at the present juncture; they will,find their fit place on another occasion. " This day - , ai the Council of Ministers, those of your Majesty's Ministers whose departments are con nected with the objects of public expenditure, gave information that the Contractors have threatened them with discontinuing the service, without.an aug mentation in that portion of their payment which is made in specie.' The reason they assign is that their loss is too consiOerable in the negociation of the an nuities which are remitted to them for the comple ment of their pay. " The Minister Director of the War Department, whose expenses are the heaviest, is placed in a pecu liar predicament. Most of his contracts.must be re newed this year ; and if he does not adopt sone expedients to induce the present Contractors, who have derived considerable profits from their engage ments, to continue them, he will find great difficulty in procuring others. He seemed to me to be fully aware of the dif ficulty of his situation, and disposed to make every 'effort to retain them in his service. 46 The Contractors fur the public works in Paris, in like manner, complain of being paid by annuities, instead of the specie which is poured into the Trea. -sury out of the public chests of the capital. The works have hitherto gone on well notwithstanding ; and as yet there have been but slight apprehensions among the Workmen of their discontinuance. I do not speak to your Majesty of all the ap prehensions which prevail in the South, nor of all the i tomplaints caused by the requiNons with which the country is burdened for she-support of the army of Spain. These are evils inseparable from the reverses l we have experienced in that quarter, and we must have courage to support them. Your Majesty, be. sides, is incapable of affording any remedy to them, from your Majesty's present situation. " I have received to-day a very bad account of the state of health of M. le Senateur Laplace, of whom there seems reason to opprehend that he will hardly have strength to resist the winter season.— Three weeks ago, at his Excellency the Arch Chan cellor's, he frightened every body by the alteration in his appearance. • It seemed as if we were all raking leave of him. He looks as if he had received the stroke of death already. " Morftmtaine -46,4738, 910, 633, 364, 624, 417, 46, 682, 459 337. 118, 621, 100(3, 290, 877, 470, 323, 450, 1177, 356,. &c. &c. 46 1 am, with the most profound respect, &c. (Signed) • ", The Duke of Roviuo." GENERAL POLICE. BULLETIN OF THE 29TH OF SEPTEMBER. " Cbmmis3ary-General, September se. HOLLAND....-.LIBEL.---A Commissary of Police at the Hague, picked up in a public coach a pager, which seems to have been dropped out of the pocket of a passenger who was there before him. It was a Dutch libel, containing good wishes for the enemy, and abuse of France. This coach had conveyed some conscripts and some guards of the company of reserve. " Search is making to discover which among them dropped this paper." " JURA ; PEDLAR, PICTURE OF THE pedlar travelliug through the canton of Arinthoz, Arron dissement de St. Claude, has been selling a picture of the Pope, represented with his hands chained. 44 He had left thi3 canton before the Gendarmerie was informed of it, 44 It appears that the local authorities took no steps against him. He is sought after." EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OPENED AT THE POST-OFFICES. No. XVIIL ST. AULAIRE TO MADAME DES?. AULAIRE, HIS MOTHER, AT COREEIL (SEINE). Ear-Sur-Ornaine, September 85, 1813. 64 I -am going to celebrate a Te Dews for our vic tories. We are in a dreadful state of anxiety. The wounded are coming in. Our Marshal Ondinot has been beaten. I wish the Emperor knew bow much they are disheartened in the interior. I will not con ceal it : I am too faithful a servant to wish to pay my court by falsehoods. I will, however, put a good face upon it ; and, as long as I do or can remain at my post, I will serve conscientiously, without start ing trifling obstacles, which, when pushed to the far Chest, never produce any national benefit. 44 I pray to GOD most heartily for the Emperor. I entreat him to protect, to enlighten him, and to pus a stop to . this frightful mass of calamities ; such as neve'', at any known period of history, pressed at one time upon so vast an event of country before." No. X. BULLETIN P,ROM THE MINISTER . OF THE POLICE CON CERNING TLIE •EbIPRE&S ! " The Empress has had the happiness of receiving to-day a letter from the Emperor, dated the 24th, from Harthau. An official dispatch confirms the • ' • ‘Tir„o.- • ,-••••• • • . r .••• aceoupt .131 : Ehe good health wbich his Majesty has, never ceased•to enjoy. -• The arrival of this courier= was very .pleasing land consplotary to the Empress. 'The ilippatch-gave favourable accounts Of the health of the Vice-Con stable. The Empress, whe had heard -the Maces" of Neuchatel complain of not having had any intelli gence of the Prince, wrote to her immediately, to send her the hews she had just received. •' Several' persons of various ranks hive come or' sent to enquire for theVice-Constable, with an eager ness truly flattering to him. At his hotel they re.; turned for answer, that there was nothing more than what was to be seen in the bulletin. " The Council of Ministers took place at the usual hour at St. Cloud. After it was over, the Empress toook a ride on horseback in the Bois de Boulogne. The weather was beautiful till five o'clock, wheti the air became sharp, and almost cold. ‘ 1 Her Majesty's health is very good. Her sleep is retuTned, and she complains no longer of the indis position she lately suffered." ANECDOTES OF LITERATURE AND SOCIETY. " Paris, Etth September. 44 M. Bertin, who in the reign of Louis XVI. was a personage of great consideration, or, to speak more correctly, a real power, is no more. This ancient Sovereign of the empire of fashion, she who for a long time ornamented,' according to the suggestions of her own caprice, the heads of the women, and was the cause of deranging the affairs of so many fami lies, could not come to her end without some. circum stances bordering on the marvellous. On the third Sunday of the Wes at St. Cloud, she macle one among the immense multitude of spectators assem bled_ to behold the Empress. Certain recollections crowded upon her memory, and her lively emotion bathed her cheeks in tears. Her head became giddy and heated with visions. She was brought back to her house, where she was seized with a violent fever. In her delirium, she incessantly repeated, " 1 hav e seen the Queen again—l have seen my benefactress once again. ,Nothing remains for me now but to die." On the Thursday she gave up her last breath. Her name, which was toe a long time associated with the ridiculous, wilihe rendered•honourable by grafi. tude. At Brussels, this wvJwtta, whose fimune was reduced to enormous bills, which nobody thought of paying, had a funeral service performed for the Queen at a great expense. How many of those who attend. ed at it had cause to blush, at seeing themselves an. ticipated by a milliner in this testimony of sorrow. FRENCiI PA PERS. PARIS, FEBRUARY 11, Her Majesty the Empress Queed and Regent has to-day received the following intelligence irom the army ; " The Emperor yesterday attacked, at Champau bert, the enemy, consisting of twelve regiments, and having forty pieces of cannon. The General in Chief Ousouwieff has been taken, with all his Generals, all his Colonels, Officers, cannon, caissons, and baggage. We have made 6000 prisoners ; the remainder were driven into a morass (etang), or killed upon the Bad of battle. The Emperor was briskly pursuing General Sicken, who is separated from General Blucher. " Our loss has been extremely light ; we have not €2 00 mea to regret. His Majesty King Joseph reviewing to-day the grenadiers of the National Guards of Paris, was pleased to communicate this news to them.•' PARIS, FEBRUARY le. M. Alfred de Montesquiev, Aide-de-Camp to t!. Prince of Neuchatel, dispatched by his Majesty the Emperor, has brought to her Majesty the Empress the following news : 44 On the 11th of February, at day-break, the Emperor having left Champaubert after the day of the 10th, pushed a corps towards Chalons, .to keep in check the enemy's columns, v►ho had thrown them selves on this side. With the rest of his_ army he took the road to Montmirail. A league beyond he met the corps of General Blucher, and after an ac tion of two hours, the whole of the enemy's army was overthrown. Never did our troops display more ardour. The enemy, every where broken, is com pletely routed : infantry, artillery, ammunition, all is in our power, or overthrown. The results will be immense. The Russian army is destroyed. The Emperor is extremely well, and we have lost no per son of rank." PARIS, FEBRUARY Is. Her Majesty the Empress Queen and Regent has received the following accounts of the situation of the armies : •4 On the 12th of February, hie Majesty followed pp his successes. Blucher endeavoured to gain Cha teau Thierry. His troops were driven from position to position : 4 whole corps which had remained unit ed, and which protected his retreat, was cut off.— This rear-guard was composed of four Russian bat. talions, three Prussian battalions, and three pieces of carnon. The General who commanded it was also taken. Our troops entered Chateau Thierry with the enemy, and are pursuing on the road to Soissons, the wrecks of this army, which is in dread. ful confusion. The results of to-day, the 12th, are . 30 pieces of cannon, and an innumerable quantity of baggage waggons. The number of prisoners was already 3000; more are brought in every moment. We have still two hours day-light. Among the pri. soners are five or six Generals, wbo are sent to Paris. It is believed that the General in Chief Sacken has been killed." P4NIS, FEBRUARY 12. His Majesty Xing Joseph ' reviewed yesterday in thg court of the nuilleries, the grenadier companies of the National Guard of Paris. The officers and subalterns of the companies of fusileers were present. The fine appearance of these ,troops, the excellent • 0 spirit with which they are animated, must inspire the citizens of Paris with the greatest confidence. A lively emotion was excited by the appearance of his Majesty the King of Rome, in the uniform of the national guard. During the review, a courier arrived with dis patches, which his Majesty King Joseph read aloud. They contain in substance, that his Majesty the Em peror attacked on the 10th, near Sezanne, a Russian corps of twelve regiments, which was completely annihilated. Six thousand men were taken prisoners, and the rest driven into the marshes :-42 pieces of cannon were taken from the enemy. General Ro manzicoff, the Colonels, all the officers, were killed or taken prisoners. The materiel of this corps Las been entirely destroyed. We have not lost above 200 men. It is added, that the corps of Generals Blucher and &eke!) are in a Critical situation. The Emperor is in pursuit of them., These dispatches are dated from Champ Aubert. This happy news, which was received with re peated cries of Five l'Elvereur 1 Five l'lmfirratri:e! Five le Roi de Rome! circulated rapidly through the capital, and caused universal joy. It was again announced yesterday evening, at sit o'clock, by a discharge of cannon. Artillery has just been placed at the barriers of Paris. on the north and east parts of the city ; the batteries are served by pupils of the Polytechnic school. The National Guard of Paris, the compa nies of the Department of the Seine, do duty there jointly Kith the troops of the line. Chevaux-de-frise are placed across the avenues or roads which terminate at the entrance of the capital. The outer Boulevards are constantly much fre quented by the inhabitants of Paris. Old troops con tinually arrive in this city ; every day some depart to join the army; 8 or 4,000 are gone today. PARIS, FEBRUARY 13. His Majesty King Joseph was yesterday reviewing twenty thousand troops of the line, when he received the glorious news of the continued successes of the Emperor. At noon, the Staffs of the different corp , being assembled in a circle round his Majesty, he read them the dispatches which he had just received.— This news excited a, degree of joy which it would be difficult to express. The sentiments of these brave soldiers, many cf whom are adorned with the insignia of valour and honour, were displayed in unanimous cries of Vive l'Entleereur! One might read upon their counte nances the noble emulation which animated them, and their desire soon to share the fatigues, the dan gers, and the gl.iry of the warriors charged with the defence of their country. The news flew from rank to rank, and their joy rose to enthusiasm. A quarter of an hour afterwards, discharges of ar. riflery announced to the capital this new success of oar armies. Bills containing the happy news were posted trp, and one might judge from the throng of readers, and hum the joy which they expressed, of the attachment of the Parisians to their country and to the Government. The brilliant advantages gained by our armies, exciting the courage of all Frenchmen, must prove to them, that a nation is invincible when it is united to its Government, and defends its territory and .rs honour. The shouts of victory will resound in all parts of the empire, and will eye new energy to Cie national enthusiasm, the happy effects of which we now perceive. It affords us extreme satisfaction to be able to give the inhabitants of the capital the honourable testimony that they have displayed, under the present circum stances, the most noble, the most truly French cha racter. No sacrifice has seemed difficult to diem, whether they had to relieve the sick and wounded, or to watch over the preservation of the public tranquil lity. The organization of the national guard wac executed with the most admirable promptitude. and the greatest order continued to prevail in this vast capital. This fine example is followed in all the de partments. Never have levies and the receipt of the contributions been completed with mere ease and rea. diness. Every one is fully convinced that he ought to second the views of the Government. We have too save our families, our property ; to maintain our tigh,ts, to deliver our territory. What Frenchman could be deaf to the voice of his SoyFreign ? Who would not share the glory of our brave soldiers, and contribute to save the country ? LYONS, FEBRUARY 7. The army of Lyons increases daily. Every thing necessary for the troops is provided ; the patriotism of the inhabitants, and the zeal of the magistrates, have created the extraordinary resources which cir cumstances required. Already the Duke of Cas tiglione has begun his military operations by C:tllSing au attack to be made on Monthiel, from which the enemy was driven the day before yesterday, leaving in our hands some of his men, among whom is one officer. PROVINS, FEBRUARY [Frani a private letter.] g 4 You have certainly heard of the Emperor's sue cess yesterday. I acquaint you with the departure of his Majesty, with the Dukes of Treviso and Ra gusa, and the Prince of Moskwa. All the divisions from Spain which were here marched away yesterday- It was chiefly the cavalry and infantry of the Duke of Ragusa that was 'engaged. The guard did not charge. " Twelfth ; at 11 in the morning, —News is just ,