The Press.
London, England, 1856-01-19 00:00:00

JANUARY 19, 1856.
whenever he took up his pen. We extract a
few sentences :
In war nothing is to be done but by calculation. What-
ever is not profoundly considered in its details produces no
good result.
The art of war, which every one talks about, is difficult.
Whatever one may tell you, believe that one fights with
cannon as with fists. When once the fire is begun, the
least want of ammunition renders what you have already
done useless.
All the art of war consists in a well-arranged and ex-
tremely circumspect defensive, and • bold and rapid
advance.
Often, however, his selfish ambition blinded
him to his, true interests In his heart he
hated intellectual men. In the very spirit of
Caesar, he said of them :
They think too much ; such men are dangerous.
He desired to have about him the mere crea-
tures of his will. He wrote to Joseph :
I look upon men of learning and brilliancy as I do upon
coquettes. They are very well to live and converse with,
bet we should no more think of taking the latter for our
wives than the former for our Ministers.
Among the most ludicrous of the blunders
of the Administrative Reformers (as they call
themselves) one of the most striking was, their
adducing Napoleon as an example of what
might be effected by throwing open to talent the
public service of an empire It is false that he
ever did so. He rather desired machines than
able men, and the result was that he was
always ill-served. The empire was barren of
talent in every department; even its generals
were distinguished mainly from their connec-
tion with Napoleon, and from the support
which he gave them. Of the whole host,
Soult alone displayed real ability and re-
source, and he was but a second-rate man.
Under the despotism of an old-established
Government, original talent may be encou-
raged and meet with its fair reward ; but the
despotism of Napoleon was new—it was as
,jealous as it was vigilant. It excluded that
highest order of talent, which is seldom found
apart from independence of mind, from its
councils and service ; it preferred to surround
itself with such mercenaries as Fouche and
Bourrienne, who were as ready to betray as to
serve it, the instant their treachery seemed
likely to prove profitable.
The thorough rottenness of the empire
was proved in its day of trial. It is impossible
to avoid a feeling of contempt for both Napo-
leon and Joseph as we come to the close of
this correspondence. At the commencement
of the desperate campaign of 1814, Napoleon
affected the spirit of an antique Roman. In
the event of the capture of Paris by the enemy,
he wrote to Joseph, " I shall be no more."
Again :
I repeat, then, in two words, Paris will never be occupied
While I am alive.
Yet he lived to see Paris twice occupied.
If we admire his fortitude under reverse, we
must needs laugh at his idle bravado when
misfortune was only in prospect. In the same
style Joseph wrote :—" When the hour comes,
" we must meet death with resolution, as did
" the last Emperor of Constantinople." Poor
Joseph probably contemplated all the time a
comfortable retreat in America, and had made
provision for it.
Allusion has been made to the utter exhaus-
tion of France under Napoleon's system. When
the allies approached Paris there were neither
men, nor arms, nor money, to maintain the
struggle. Joseph complains continually of the
want of muskets. " The state of the exche-
" quer and the arsenals is known to all the
" world," he reports. There was no money to
pay the troops, and, in consequence, they
ravtwed the country ; so that the people cried,
" The enemy could do no worse." Conscripts
came in slowly. " There is a perceptible
" diminution," writes Joseph (Feb. 25) ; "yes-
'' terday the Imperial Guard was joined by
1 only ninety five; on the 23rd, only twenty-
'. five men joined the line." A revolt was
feared in Paris :—" The people are by no
' means inclined to offer any effective resist-
,. mice to a hostile army." "In every respect
'' we are at the end of our resources." In his
extremity, Napoleon bitterly lamented the
want of that independent energy which he
had laboured so diligently to crush :
Tba Minister of War writes reports and waits for my
pprobation before executing my orders. This is not the
Rai- to act at this juncture. It did very well when I was
in Paris,