The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1823-09-23
BURNING OF MOSCOW.
Extract from Las Casgs' Jonrn

MOSCOW rs follows:
Never with all the powers Of poetry
have The iictions of the burning of Troy
rqnhlled the reality of that of Moscow
The city was of wood, the wind violrnt
all The pumps had been carried of. II was
literally an occan OF fire. Nothing had
been saved from ii our much MAS 50 ra-
pld, unr entrance so sudden. We found
even diamonds on the Nomau's toilets,
they had fled so prpciplately. They
wrote To us IN s,iott time afterwards,
that they had sought To escape lIom the
first bursts III dangerous shidlrry that
they recommended their property 10 the
generosity Of the conqa"rors, aud would
| not fail In re-appear in the course of a few
| days 10 solicit their kindness and testify
| their gratitude.
| The population was far from having
| plotted that atrocity. Even they them
| selves delivered up To us three or four hun.
drcd criminals, escaped from plisa., who
bad executed it, But, she, may pre-
snIae to ask, if Moscow had not been
burnt, did not your Majesty intended 10
establish your quarter there :" Cer-
tanly," answered the Emperor, "and
should then have held up the singular
spectacle of an army wintcring in the
midst If "A hostile nation, pressing upon it
| from all points il would have been the
| ship caught IN the ice. You would have
been in France without any intelligence
from me for several months, but you would
have remained quiet, you would have ac-
ted wisely. Camhacrrcs, would, rs usual,
have conducted affairs in my name ; aud
all would have been as orderly, as If had
been present. The winter in Russia,
would have weighed on every one, the
! torpor would have been general. The
spring also would have revived for al the
world. All would have been at once on
their legs, and il is we'll known that the
| French are as ulmhle as any others.
On the first appearance OF fine wea.
ther, should have marched against the
enemy, | should have beaten them;
| should have been master of their empire.
| Alexander, be assured, would not have
suffered me IT, proceed so far. He would
have agreed to all the conditions which
might have dictated, and France would
then have begun To ENJOY all her advanta-
Ses. And truly, my success depended up
on a nep triilc--For had undertaken
the expedition 10 fight against armed men,
not against nature in the violence OF her
wrath. defeated armies, bat could not
conquer the flames, the frost, stupeiaciion.
and death II was forced To Weld Ia fate.
Aud, after all, how unfortunate for France
Indeed for all Europe!
peace concluded at Moscow, would
have fulfilled and wound up my hostile cx-
| prdltions. Ii would have been with re
spect Ia the grand cause, the term OF caslI-
| alllrs and the commencement Of security.
A new horizon, new undertakings, w9uld
have unlolded themselves, adapted, in eve
ry respect, 10 the well being and prospect
~ of all. Th' foundation of the European
system would hive been laid, and my only
remaining task would have been lis organ.
ilatlon, &c.
He look a review of what he would
have proposed for the prosperity, the IN
terestS, the enloyments, and the we'll being
of the European conlrderacy. He wished
to establish tie same principles F.: the same
system every where. An European code !;
court of European appeal, with full pow
ers 10 redress all wrong decisions, as ours
rrdresses ut home those OF our tribunals
Money of tie same value bnt with different
cons the same Welshta, the same mCa-
sures, the same laws. &c. sc.
Europe wonld soon in that manner he
said, " have really been bur the same peo-
pie, and every one, who travelled, would
have every where found himself in one
common country"
e" He would have required, that all the
rivers should he na,iSabie in common thai
the seas should be thrown open thai IN,
great standing armies should IN fu' .rr b,
reduced To the single establishment Of =
guard for the sovereign, sc. &C.
In fine a crowd of IDEAS irI from him,
the greater part of which were new som,
of the simplest nature, others altogrih.l
sublime, It at,Ne Ia the political c,il an,
legislative Ira icnes, To religion, To the art
an9 commerce they embraced every sub
Iicct.
On my return to France, in the bosom
of my country At ohce great, powerful
magnificent, at peace and glorious, ! w0ult
have proclaimed the immnlability of bunn.
daries, all failure wars, purely defens'ee--
all new ACKNOWLEDGMENT, anti -nuiionai.
would have associated my SON with tn,
empire my dictatorship would have ter.
minated, and his constitutional reign com
menCed--Paris would have been the capi
tai of the world, and the French the eny
of nations.
My leisure and my old age would hav,
been cousecrated, in company with th,
Empress, and during the royal apprentice
ship of my son, in visiting with my owl
horses. ike plain country couple, ever,
corner of the empire, in receiving com
plants, in redrrssnG wrongs, in fouDdin,
monuments, and in doing good ever,
where, aud by every means! These also
my dear Las Cases, were among IN
dreams !"
| Ia, tho CHAIRMAN r.a.;,aI