The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-03-24 00:00:00

NARRATIVE
OF THE ENTRANCE OF

BONAPARTE INTO PARIS.

On the 20th, Bonaparte reached Ind occupied
Fontainbleau without the least opposition. He had
at that time with him only 15,000 veteran troops,
but other divisions were either fallowing him, or
advancing to support his right and left flanks on pa-
rallel lines of march. Ney, whose corps is stated to
have amounted to 30,000 men, had previously corn- ,
municated to the Court a declaration signed by the
whole army under his command, both officers and
privates, in which they stated, " that they respected
loin too much to deceive him ; that they would not
fight for. Louis the XVIIIth, and that they would
shed all their blood for Napoleon the Great !"
This declaration, which sufficiently explains the ap-
parent hesitation, inactivity, or want of skill of Ney,
did not, however, entirely extinguish the hopes of
the Bourbons. They still relied ou the good dispo-
sition and numbers of the troops at Melon, and
blinded by the Addresses sent up from many garri-
sons and provinces, at the very moment of their de-
fection, still thought that their cause would be
espoused by the nation as her own. As a measure
of precaution, however, part of the King's .House-
hold was dispatched to secure the road to Calais, in
case a retreat should prove necessary, and on the 19th
occupied Amiens.
Early on the morning of the 21st, preparations
! were made on both sides for the encounter which
was expected to take place. The French army was
I drawn up en etages on three lines, the inter-
vals and the flanks armed with batteries. The
: centre occupied the Paris road. The ground from
Fontainbleau to Melon is a continual declivity, us
that on emerging from the forest you have a clear
view of the country before yon, whilst, on the other
hand, those below can easily descry whatever
appears on the eminence. An awful silence, broken
only at times by peals of martial music, intended to
confirm the loyalty of the troops, by repeating the
Royal airs of rive Henry Quatre, et La Belle Ga-
brielle, or by the voice of the Commanders and the
march of divisions to their appointed ground, per.
vaded the King's army. All was anxious expecta-
tion ; the Chiefs, conscious that a moment wouldde-
, cide the fate of the Bourbon dynasty, and the troops,
I perhaps secretly awed at the thought of meeting in
hostility the man whom they bed been accustomed to
obey. On the side of Fontaiubleau no sound, as
of an army rushing to battle, was heard. If the
enemy was advancing, his troops evidently moved in
silence. Perhaps his heart had failed him, and be
had retreated during the night. 'lf so, France was
saved and Europe free. At lengih.a light trampling
of horses became audible. It approached :an open
carriage, attended by a few hussars and dragoons,
appeared on the skirts of the forest. It drove down
the hills with the rapidity of lightning : it reached the
advanced posts—" Long live the Emperor" burst
from the astonished soldiery ! " Napoleon! Na-
poleon the Great !" spread from rank to rank ; for,
bareheaded, Bertrand seated at his right, and
Drouet at his left, Napoleon continued his
course, now waving his hand, now opening his
arms to the soldiers ; whom he called his friends,
his companions in arms, whose honour, whose glo-
ries, whose country he now came to restore. All
discipline was forgotten, disobeyed, and insulted ;
the Commanders in Chief took flight; thousands
rushed on his passage ; acclamations rent the sky.—
At that moment his own guard descended the hill--
the Imperial March was played—the eagles were
once more displayed, and those whose deadly wea-

THE STATESMAN.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

MRi is.

Gatienbiargh
Holland .

Emace

Goo* FalDAY.—ileaday at the Public Offices.

• LONDON:
liIRIDAY, MARCH 24, 1815.

i, 4%._ --ra.

nation, should be invited, and it was-crowded to
excess.

A person of rank,,,who had paid a visit of curio-
sity to the Exile at Elba, met aid' him again on the
banks of the Rhone. Bonaparte there recognised
him, accosted him with much friendly familiarity,
and amused himself with the expressions of surprise
of this person at meeting him in that situation. On
finding he was going to Paris, Bonaparte recom-
mended to him, for his own personal convenience, to
hasten his journey.

CoMgo► SENSE, upon the Gore Bill, is intended for To-

now IV w•.
W. B. no the Restraints impmed on the Freedom of Speech
and the Press, o all be given the earliest opportunity.

Due

THE STATESMAN.

BONAPARTE is now seated more securely than rear
on the Throne of France—France, now moo
powerful and devoted to his will than ever. It seems,
that although all Paris was eager to give him welcome,
and his flag was floating harmlessly over the head of
the last of the BOURDON Sovereigns of France, even
before that unfortunate,Prince had left the Thuilleries,
BONAPARTE, the true (Infra, for this will now be
admitted, delayed his triumphal entry into the Ca.
pital till Tuesday, the birth-day of his son. The
enthusiasm displayed by all classes of the people in
favour of the returned Emperor surpasses all de.
seription. Nothing that was ever evinced by the
people in favour of the man of their choke, even in
the midst of his most brilliant victories, equalled

his reception by the Parisians on this occasion. The
very mEn who are dying from their own country to
this acknowledge this fact, and say the delirium
of popular joy approaehed to wildness. What a
triumph to the human mind, uncreated by any
thing connected with the proud claim of legiti-
macy !—We are at no loss to account for this popu-
larity, though our brother scribes, who are better
feed for their literary labours, are sadly at a loss to
account for it. It is really curious to see how the
Government Papers of this morning have looked
upon this event, and what fire and fury and smoky
nonsense they have poured forth, with the view of
stirring up this country to fight for the Bollitspite--
but we doubt not the minds of all the sensible
part of our countrymen are as sick of such stuff as
we are.

Well may those men who hare so shamefully bun-
gled the mighty affairs entrusted to their management
who have deceived the just and reasonable expecta-
tions of nations—who laid claim to • the honour of
having driven the most formidable " enemy of the
human race;" that ever wielded a sword or a sceptre,
from his Throne and into banishment, and who
marred the only part of the piece which fell,
in fact, to their lot to perform,—well may these
men cry out war—Bella, horrida hello !—" Arms
and tho man," till the knowledge and the re-
collection of their errors and ridiculous conduct,
would it were only ridiculous ! shall be lost in the
confusion and the cry of war. BONAPARTE, at the
head of the French Empire, by the call and the una-
nimous acclamation of the whole French people, as
well as the army ; an army augmented by the release
of at least not less than 300,000 prisoners, panting and
calling to be led forth to battle to wipe off the disgrace
brought on the French arms and the country by the cap-
ture of their capital, the seizure of their territory, and
the imposition on them of a King by foreign Power
—France renovated in her natural strength, and
most unexpectedly and most impolitically enriched,
almost beyond her wish, by the restoration of her
colonies, and in a fairer way than ever to have
" chips and commerce" besides, in spite of us, cer-
tainly presents a prospect every way calculated to
confound her political enemies, and startle Great
Britain and Europe. What an awful responsibility
rests on those men who have been so hoodwinked as
to tread the dance of vanity and trample upon human
right, in defence of the expression of public opinion,
and almost the power of fate to alter their decrees,
whilst such tremendous events were taking place,
whilst the human mind gave such tokens of resistance
to their arbitrary will, and who would again plenge
all Europe into war to replace a repudiated family
on a throne to which they have very little other claim
than that of inheritance or ligitimecy,as it is called. For,
hewever, much those who can give no other proof of
vigor or eompacity to manage public affairs, than by
shooting out eternal war when thei► weakness is
made apparent, may attempt to disguise the object;
contended for ; it is for the Bounaoes, end the
sons alone, with their family compacts and cries of
the indefeasible rights of iigitimacy and old houses,
that this country and Europe are to be again, if that
is, and must really be the case, involved hi war.
fare and desolation. And we call on the min
try to keep this fact in mind.
There never was a moment in which it was more
desirable for England to avoid war than at the pre.
oat. A war for such a purpose oust be use•