The National Register.
London, England, 1815-04-16 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL RMISTER.

*l4

IMPORTANT DOCUMENT.

ANSWER OF THF. DUKE OF RAGUSA TO THE PROCLIMA.TIONI

DATED Gt;Lrli OF JUAN, 'MARCH 1) 1815.

" An odious accusation is in•orielit against me in the taoe of all
Europe, and whatever may he the marks of passion and improb—
b they which it hears, tiry honour compels me to reply to it. 'What
I lo re oiler is mot a justifiratitoo, of which I have no need ; it is a
f tithhil esetosition of tarts, which will enable every one to appre-
eia•t t e conduct I have pursued.
" I am accused of having delivered Paris to foreigners, when the
defence of that eih was the object o-Cgencral s!....tonisimment. ft was
with some miserahle remaito. that I bad to combat against all the
collected fore( s the allied armies; it vas in positions hastily,
oak. n, vheie tor defence bad been prepared., and with 8(100 Hullo
t!.at I resisted for eight hours 45 (tOe. oho were successively en
gaged against me; and it is a 411ilitilly feat of each a sort, so Ito-
nooroode to all engages.' in it, that bas 4wen audaciously charged as
t e.csuuf After the affair at Rheims, Napoleon operated on the
.fame with alite.st all his forces, mid gave himself op to the illusion
that his orioventents threatetting the conominicatioros ut the enemy
tie latter would retreat, while, on the emitr•try, The enemy resolree,
otter toast g hooted floe juts(' tion (Oldie Silesian army vs ith the gland
aim'., to march lopou Paris.
[(sere Alarshal Nlainimat eleserilves lois operations, which he and
Nuttier performed with their reduced army coops, in the end of
March 1 14. tor covering mid defendiug Paris. In the etaiee. or
Isis moverriciots, having learned that fitionaporte vas before citry,
they ma (hot to joiti line and ou the 24th took up a position at
Smte.]
Stoll (says the Marshal) i thought the French army at haw&
for who in 'Tait!), could have believed in the passage of the Maroc
without a lit idge, and that the Emperor Napoleon would have lift
between Paris and himself, forees eightfold more coositlerable 41:m
be could rolled ? On the morning of the 15th I hail scarcely
learned the certainty of this :hominid. v ben the enemy's army do
bonelled winos HIP.
rill' then states the measnees Jakin for On.. innnediate &fence of
Paris down to the 30111; year the walls of which the successes of
the Allies, anti his Interiority of force, had ettnipelied him to re-
treat.] Hr says--" Several int:entry charges load taken plaev, and a
numbs., eat solliers had been killed at my sills-. with the bayonet, at
the enhance of tht. village of Belleville, when 30scpir seat me Ots•
thorny in writing, to capitulate, whiolo authority I stillitave in my
possession. This was at tell o'clock; at fieven Joseph was already
far from Paris, and at there o'clock I was still 6g4rtiog."
[The ilex dation.: for the evacuation of Paris, the ciremnstances
anti term• of which are already known, now took place.]
• " On the morning of next day flee troops evacuated Paris, sod
prorectled to Essmove, wheuel took a position. I went to see time
Entiteror Napoleen at Mortal:Aileen. He teemed- to are at last
aware of lois sitnation, and disposed to tettuiroate a contest wl.ich he
could no longer mains tin. If. resolved on the plan of entrenching
himself, of uniting the little force which remained to hint, of en-
deavortritie to increase it, and to negotiate. This was the only
reasonable course lie could pursue. and I was completely of his opi-
nion. I intwediately set off to order the commencement of those
defensive works which the exeentioni of this plan rendered neces-
sary. The same Slay, April the' st, he emote to -visit position,
and there lie learned by the return *lsolate otticees, obtain I had left
to give op the barriers, the prodigious fermi:tali-on of Paris, the
declaration of OW Emperor Alexander, and the revolution which
was in Progress. At this moment the irsolustion of sacrificing the
remaiiis of the army to his veneeanee was taken: be talked of no•
thing lint a desperate attack. though there was not a single eltanee
of suer. ss in his favour, %%Rh the means wish+ remained to Wm.
From that moment all his orders, all his itivtroietioris, Al his discourse
was iu endormity to this plan, the execution of which was fixed fur
the fob of .%prii.

" Acenunis from Paris arrived in rapid anceeession ; the &erre
of flu feiture reached toe. The situation et' Paris and of France
was deplo•roMe, and the futore presented the most gloomy pros-
prets, ti: !esa the fall of .the Emperor clitim,...ed .their destinies, by
riakinv their moral p. ace' with all Eiwope., and thus extinguislied
the hatred wind, he lsad etvited. supported by the in-
surrection of all the greet towns of the kingdom, mastr rs of the Ca
pital, 81. d havuo.; may opposed to them a handful of brave mete oho
Lad survited so min!, disasitrc, every where. proclaimed That the)
nude war on Napoleon alone. It %Yrs necesbary set mice to put them
to tke triai, to tkAe then, ;it their word, wad to compel them to

APRIL 16.

renounce the vengeance of which they would have made France the
victim.; it was necessary that the army should again become nali.
°nil, by adopting the interest' of almost the whole 1)f the inhabi-
tants, who deelared against the Emperor. and loudly called for a
salntary revolntion taint+ should produce their deliverance. Was
it not the duty of every good Freneliman, however situated. to
contiihnte to a citatory which saved the country, and delivered it
from a crusade of all Europe in arms against it,—that portion of
Europe which even was possessed by the fanmilly of Napttleou I
ilad it been possi!,le t.s reekonopon the simian of all the heads of the
army, if it had not been probable that the private interests of souse
would have clashed with the most generous and patriotic mew.oreq,
if the moment had not been PO pressing, since the ith of April Int 4
olrenify arrived, and it Wan MI the Slit that that desperate action was
to have taken place, of which the object was the &stun-tint' of tlfc
last soldier and of the capital.—lt waste) a concert among time chiefs
of time army that it would have been proper to resort ; 'sot iii the
actual state of things, it became troessary to confine efforts to the
free departure of time different corps of the army. in order to
detach them from the Emperor. and neutralise his project, and to
unite ahem to other French troops which were at a distauce front
him.
" Such, filen. was the object of the conferenees wide+ took
place witli the Prince of Schwas tsenberg. While I was otaktug dis-
positions to inform my comrades of the situations of alines, And of
Vie part 1%1)16 I thought it my duty to take. time Duke 0(1'm-reti-
tle to the Prince of Modesto, the Duke of Vicente. and tie Duke
of Treviso, arrived at my quarters at Essonne. fhe three first
told me that the Emperor had been compelled to sign the promise
of his abdication, and that they were going with tido conditiost to
-Iterociate the euspention of hostilities. I made them acquainted
with the arrangements with Prince Scliwartzenberg, but which
were net complete, becanse 3 had not received the written gua-
rantee which I had demanded; and I them, declared to them' that
since they were agreed upon a change which the safety of the State
required, and which wa• the sole toy Proceodina, I tomtit/
never separate myself from them. 'the Doke of Vicensa espre,sed
a desire to see one accompany them to Paris. thinking that my junc-
• tion will, them, after what tail tuppence!, o-ould iw of great weight ;
}it LIM to Iris desire', leaviee the comilland of any 4'44114* to the
oldest General of Division, roving him firiters mot to make ausr
movement, and announcing to him my speedy return. I el'Pisinc-d
the ',tomtit/Cs of my Misfire to Prince Seltwaftzenbc-re. who, hill of
loeattv, Anne' them legitimate and nounswerable. amid I fulfilled
the protnite which I bad made to my comrades in the interview
sve had with time Emperor Alexander. At $ o'clock erre of
my A Med, Camps arrived, lord told me that, contrary to my dowel
orders, and in spite of ids most urgent representations, the Generals
had tint the troops in motion for Versailles at Turn o'clock al the
'Homing'. terrified as they were of the personnel dangers with which
they thought they were threatened, and of which they they had
conceived an idea, from the twelvel and departure of several
officers oftite staff who tad comae from Foutaiubleau. T.he step was
lakeo. and the thing was irreparable.
4c Such is the true and faithful account of this event, 'olio, has
had, and will have an great mm influence-on ati my life.
" The Emperor, by accusing me, wished to save imis.own
time opinion of his talents, and the honour of the soldiery. As to the
honour of the meddlers, Mere was no need of any care for that it
never shone With more lostre than its that compaign ; but as to ri hat
concerns liitoxelf, he will deceive Ito dispassionate man, for it would
he impossible to justify that series of operatients which marked tilt-
last stews tio reign.
4' He /remises me of treason I ask where is its reward ? I-rejceted
with contempt every sort of personal advantage which was offered
rne,omi placed myself volrnitarily in time situation ofthe whole army..
Had I any ouniicular affectiou for the House of Bourbon Whence
could I derive it.—l who eitly eutered oil active life a short time be-
fore That family ceased to govern Vrimoce ? Whatever croinion I might
have teemed nettle superior trsitol of the Kiitg.of .his gemittes, anti
of that of the Princess. it was very far trues the reality ; this chant.
Which is folio(' when near them was unknown to me. and could not
give inrilm to ilmse sacred engagements n'nich tiowbind me -to tio*t.
anti which thi•ir ;present mistertunes, ho little nos< iteti, bind
rinser: sacred engarements, for to min who have hearts, testimo-
nies of regard anti esteem are a ihOllAanel tonnes more vahodde soar
gifts end benefactions. tk"liat was, duo*, the motive of,nly act loot
An ardent love of my country, which has all Inv life been tic lllas'
ter of my heart and aloorded all my idea.. i winked-to saw I:catiaQ
from destruction ; I wished to preserve it from colohioasions which
world have brought on its ruin ; from those so fatal couthinations.
the font of the mito:A strange ilinsietio of pfelo, and so uit.tv re