The National Register.
London, England, 1814-12-04 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER._

REVIEW OF LITERATURE.

BATTLE OF BERESINA.

The following interesting account of some circumstances
which occurred in the retreat of Buonapatte, are extracted
from Capttain Labaume's Narrative of the Campaign in

Bus is of 1812
. " Liadoiu forming part of Lithuania, we thought that it
• would have been respected because it belonged to ancient
Poland. We departed before day-break the following morn•
ing (Nov. 1 9), when, to our great astonishment, we were,
• Cs usual, lighted by the
.fire of the houses. That conflagra-
- Con produced one of the most horrible scenes of our whole
retreat, and my pen mould refese to recount it, if the recital
of our misfot tunes had not for its object, and its moral, to
render odious that fatal ambition, which forced the most
civilized people to become barbarians in war.
4. Amongst the buildings, which were burning, were three
vast barns, filled with soldiers, most of whom were wounded.
They • could not get out of the two last, without passing
through the first, which was enveloped itt flames. The most
active saved themselves by leaping out of the wiaows ; hut
the sick and the maimed, unable to move themselves, saw,
with horrible consternation, • the flames rapidly advancing to
devour them. Ikloved by the cries, with which these nu-
Nappy beings rent the air, some, whose hearts were less
hardened than others, attempted.to save them. Vain effort !
IBefore we could reach them, they Were mote than half
buried under the burning rafters. Eagerly did they cry to
their comrades through the whirlwinds of fire, to shotte 11
their sufferings by immediately deintiving them of life. It
became the painful duty of humanity to comply with their
entreaties. Fite upon us, fire upon us, at the head, at the
bead; do not hesitate," were the cries which proceeded
from every part of the building, nor did they cease, till every
wretched victim was coesutued.
" We quickly entered into Doubrowna. That town was in
a better state of . preservation than any through which we
had passed in our journey from Moscow. It had a Polouese
sub-preject, and a commandant of the town. The inhabi-
tants were principally Jews, who procured us a little flour,
brandy, and metheghn. They also exchanged the paper-
money of the soldiers for cash. In fine, astonished at the
confidence of these Israelites, and the honesty of our soldiers,
who paid for every thing which they took, we thought that
plenty was about to revisit us, and that our misfortunes were
near their close. Yet we were struggling under accu-
mulated evils. Bread ! bread I" was the incessant cry of
the feeble remains of our once-powerful army. The me-
chanics of every kind suffered greatly ; also, the commissaries
and store keepers, who had been litt!e accustomed to priva-
tions. But none were more to be pitied than the physicians,
and especially the surgeons, who, without hope of advance-
silent, with oven the certainty of death, exposed themselves,
like the conenon soldiers, by &essing theneon the field of
battle. ‘V bile we were at Douhrowna, I saw a young sur-
geon near a house, which the soldiers surreueded in et owds,
because it was said, that provisions were to be procured there.
lie was flanged in the proleundest grief, and, with a wild
and auxicus countenance, was eagerly endeavouring to force
bis way into the place. But whin he was again and again
driven back by the crowd, he exhibited the wildest despair.
I ventured to enquire the eau-e. " Ah, captain !" said he,
“ am a List man- For two days 1 have had no food, and
ascertaining that they sold brci.d in this house, 1 gave the
sentinel six feaues to buffer me to enter but, while the

bread was yet in the oven, the Jew wou!cl not promiseto
supply me, unless I .gave him a louis in advance. I con.
sented, but when I came back the sentinal was changed, and
I was cruelly repulsed from the door. Ali, Sir i" conti-
nued he, " I am, indeed, unfortnnate; I have lost all the
money that I had in the• world, and am unable to procure a
morsel of bread, though I have not tasted any for more than
a months"
"At that moment, Napoleon passed by in a close chariot
filled with furs. lie wore likewise a pelisse and bonnet, of
sable-skin, which prevented him from feeling the severity of
the weather. On the day when we arrived at Doubrowna,
he had marched a great part of the way on foot ; and, during
that march, he could easily convince himself to what a mi-
serable state his army was reduced, and how much he had
been deceived by the false reports which some generals bad
made,, who, knowing how dangerous it was to confess the
truth, dA not dare to acquaint him with the real state of
things, lest they should incur his displeastire. As he had
°Pen experienced the wonderful effects of his discourse on
the soldiers, he once more mingled among them, and ad-
dressing himself to the officers, and fat»iliaily and
jestingly to the soldiers, be endeavoured to inspire the one
with fear, and the others *with courage. But the time of
eiithusiomn was passed, when one word from him would have
produced miracles. Ilis tyranny had oppressed and debased
us, and, stilling within us cvc:y generous feeling, had de-
prived him of the only means of re-animating our drooping
spiriis. That which mostly affected Napoleon, was to see
his old guard equally dispirited and despairing.- Wounded
to the very soul, be assembled one party of diem I;ef9re
he
quitted D.>ubrowna, and, placing himself in the centre of
'll them, recommended the officers to maintain strict discipline,
and reminded them, that they had always been the pride of
his army, and that by their bravery, he had often obtained
the most splendid victories. But sentiments like these were
out of season, and the man, who, destitute of virtue, aspired
to the character of a heio, snow too plainly found, that the
greatest projects were without glory, yartteularly wheie.they
had not some laudable object, and if their execution ap-
peared beyond the scope of human ability."

A numerous meeting of the Middlesex Magistrates was
held at the Sessions-house on Thursday, at which the pecu-
liar situation of he county, arising from the bankruptcy of
their• Treasurer, was discussed at great length. Counsel's
opinion was produced by Mr. B. Mainwaring's Solicitor,
from which there appears reason to hope that the county
money, amounting to upwards of 90001. may be saved ; that
money not haying, as it is said, been trusted by the Trea-
. surer in his own banking-house, but lodged with other
bankers. Mr. Byng, the Member for the county, after ar-
guing in the most forcible and convincing manner upon the
general queition, stated that hankers, not being dealers, nor
exposed to those risks which are necessarily consequent upon
all mercantile concerns, were bound. to pay twenty shillin►;s
lin the pound ; he felt himself peculiarly called upon to en-.
deavour to impress this fact upon his brothor Magistrates,
ias many of his constituents were suffering from the failure
of this banking-house, which had enjoyed a superior degre•
of credit, owing to its apparent connection with the Magi-
stracy. Mr. Byng then gave notice that he should, at the
i next Sessions, however painful the duty might be in his
I particular situation, oppose the continuance of the present
! Treasurer in that office ; unless it appeared that not only the
county, but all the creditors were paid alike twenty shillings
iu the pound.