The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-28 00:00:00

( From the Constitutionnel.)
" The annals of the empire up to 1815 record
several triumphal entries into Pariamade by bodies
of troops after a great victory, a glorious peace, or
in a solemn crisis. One of the most remarkable
was that which took place on the 14th July, 1800.
The Consular Guard, still covered with the glorious
dust of the plain of Marengo, then marched to the
Champ do Mars. It sot out on its march for
France the very day after the battle, in • order to
arrive at the rendezvous which Napoleon gave it at
Paris. It deposited at the Invalides the flags con-
quered from the enemy, and proudly displayed its
own, all blackened with gunpowder. Its share in
the battle may be remornbered. Though a small
corps of only 800 men, it supported alone, for
several hours, the reiterated efforts of all the Aus-
trian cavalry. When Napoleon, on leaving the
Invalides, proceeded, attended by a numerous
staff, to the Champ de Mars, the crowd filled the
air with cheers, and rushed from all sides towards
the heroes of Marengo, to see them close ; and
then, intoxicated with joy, after the review it ac-
companied the general to the Tuileries. An in-
terval of several years elapsed, and again the inha-
bitants of Paris greeted with acclamations the
entrance into the capital of some of the invincible
bands which had inscribed on the page of history
the names of Austerlitz, Jena, and Friedland.
This fete, which was exclusively of a military cha-
racter, was more magnificent than that of the 14th
July. The army brought, so to speak, in the folds
of its _ flag the. peace of Tilsit, and. the glory of the
meet ant the Fonperor, ever obtained.
The municipal body went to meet the regiments,
and triumphal arches were raised on the road by
which they came in. The Imperial Guard, in full
uniform, opened the march, and on arriving at the
barrier, where there was a compact crowd, who
greeted it with acclamations, the prefect haran-
gued it Heroes of Jena, Eylau, and Friedland,
conquerors of peace,' said he ' we return you
thanks ! It is for the country you have conquered,
and the country will eternally remember your
triumphs. Your names will be handed down by it
on bronze and marble to the most distant pos-
terity ; the recital of your exploits will inflame
the courage of our last descendants ; and your ex-
ample, long after you shall have passed away, will
protect the empire which you have so gloriously
defended ! Let these laurels,' he added, ' wreathed
into a crown by public gratitude, remain hence-
forth suspended from the eagles which float over
your victorious heads ! The prefect in these
words, referred to crowns of gold which the city of
Paris had voted, and which were suspended to the
eagles of the Imperial Guard. At this moment an
orchestra, placed in the interior of a triumphal
arch, executed the Chant du Retour,' composed
by Mehul. The Guard then filed off in this order :
—The fusiliers of the Guard, the foot chasseurs,
the grenadiers, the light dragoons, the Mamelukes,
the heavy dragoons, and the gendarmerie d'elite.
All these corps were preceded by generals and by
the commanding officers. The troops proceeded
through an immense crowd to the Tuileries, by
the Place du Carrousel. They passed through the
palace to deposit their eagles, and then piled their
arms in the garden ; after which they proceeded
to the Champ de fars to partake of a banquet
prepared at the expense of the municipality. Two
days after this triumphal entry, the soldiers pro-
ceeded to the Senate, the President of which ad-
dressed to Marshal Besseres a speech, which ter-
minated thus :—'Representatives of the first army
iu the world, receive through us for yourselves and
for your brethren in arms the best wishes of a
great and good people, whose love and admiration
are a presage of those of posterity !' A grand fete
was afterwards • given them in the garden of
the Luxembourg. The reason why these honours
Were paid principally to the Guard, though all the
army contributed to the victories so celebrated,
was, that, as it was impossible to admit all the
army to fetes, it was deemed natural that they
should be given to its elite. The Imperial Guard
has always been as much loved as respected ; no
corps, in fact, was ever more popular. And the
reason is, that it never had anything in common
with those special troops formerly maintained by
Sovereigns, not to serve the country, but to exe-
cute their personal designs—to oppose, if necessary,
the wishes of the people and the rest of the army.
Tile Imperial Guard, on the contrary, has always
been distinguished by ardent patriotism and by
energetic devotedness to the French name—it has
been as an elder brother in the military family. A
third solemn entry was made by the Imperial
Guard into Paris ; but we need not describe it, for
it will remain eternally engravon in the memory
of Frenchmen. It was ono of the grandest scenes
in the Imperial epoch ; tradition will perpetuate
it from age to age, and it will make the hearts of
our descendants throb with the same force as the
hearts of those who witnessed it. We said an entry

into Paris, but what we ought to have said was an
entrance into France—for what we refer to was the
arrival of the battalion of the Isle of Elba, in
March, 1815. The art of painting has preserved the
souvenir of the prodigious march of 18 days across
France, when ' the eagle flew from steeple to steeple
to the towers of Notre Dame.'"
The article, in conclusion, contains the following
observations :

" It must ho admitted that when the people of
Paris greeted our soldiers with acclamations, on
their entrance into the capita], after the great vic-
tories of the Empire, their joy was not unmixed.
They felt that the vanquished monarchies would
not pardon us their defeat, and that they were only
awaiting the moment of vengeance. Our triumphs
being gained at the expense of all nations, brought
on us the enmity of all ; the incessant menace of
their coalition weighed on us, and it was well known,
that though prodigies of genius and bravery had
dissipated such storms, prodigies could not be con-
stantly renewed. The least caprice of fortune might
consequently wrest from us—as, in fact, it did—
the fruit of so many exploits. At present we have
not this fear. Engaged in a just war, the object
of which is perfectly defined, we have for us the
wishes of all Europe. Each of our victories is
greeted with acclamations in the south and north
with almost as much satisfaction as in France. The
more the conflict is prolonged, the more foreign
nations express sympathy in our favour ; and we
may, therefore, regard the future with security."