The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-09-12

cracking in the storm, while clouds ofsmoke
and sparks in an incessant shower, went dri-
wing towards the Kremlip. The clouds them
selves seemed turned into fire, rolling in
wrath over devoted Moscow. Mortier crush
ed with the responsibility thus thrown upon
his shoulders, moved with his Young
Guard amid the desolatiou, blowingup the
houses aud facing the tempest and the
ilames-strugglin nobly to arrest the confla-
grafton '
He fastened from place to place amid the
blazing ruins, his face blaclSened with the
smoke and his hair and eyebrows singed
with the fierce heat At length the day dawn
ed, a day of flame; and Mortier, who had
strained every nerve for thirty-siX hours, en-
tered palace and dropped down from ia
tigue. The mainly form and stalwart arm
that had so often carried death into the ranks
oftho enemy, at length gave way, aud the
gloomy Marshal lay and painted in
utter exhaustion. But the night of tenn
pests had been succeeded by day of tent
pests, and when night again enveoped the
city, it was one broad flame, waving TO and
fro in the blast. The wind had increased to
a perfect hurricane, and shifted from quarter
TO quarter as il on purpose to swell the sea of
fire, and cXtinguish the last hope. The fro
was approaching the Krenlin aud already
the roar of the flames & the crash of falling
houses, aud the cracking of burning timbers
were byrnc TO the ears ofthe startled Emper-
or He arose and walked 10 and fro, stop
ping convulsively and gazing on the terrific
scene. Murat, Eugene and Berthier rushed
into his presence, g. besought him TO flee; but
he still chung to that naughty palace as if il
was his Empire.
But at length the shout, "thc Kremlin is on
| fire." was heard above the roar of the couha-
! grafton, and Napoleon consented reluctantly
10 leave. He descended into the street with
his staff, and looked about for a way of egress,
but the flames blockaded every passage. Al
length they discovered postern gate,
leading to the Moskwa, aud entered it, but
they had only entered still farther into dan
ger. As Napoleon cast his eyes around the
open space, girded and arched with fire,
smoke and cnders, he saw one single street
yet open, but all on fire. Into this he rushed,
and amid the crash ofiallng houses, and IA
ging of the fames-over burning ruins,
through clouds of rolling smoke, aud between
walls offre he pressed on; and at length half
acknowledgements in safety from the blazing
city, and took up his quarters in the imperial
palace ofPetrowsky nearly three miles dis
tant. Mortier, relieved of his anxiety for the
Emperor, redoubled his efforts to arrest the
cotagration. His men cheerfully rushed in
to every danger breathing nothing but smoke
and cinders-surrounded by walls of fire that
rocked to and fro aud fell witha crash amid
the blazing ruins, carrying down with them
red hot roofs oiiron; he struggled against an
enemy no bodness could awe or courage o.
vercome. Those brave troops had heard the
tramp ofthousands of cavalry sweeping TO
battle without fear, but they now stood in still
terror before the march of the conflagraton
under whose burning footsteps was heard the
incessant crash ofialling houses and palaces
and churches. The continuous roar of the
raging hurricane, mingled with that of the
flames, was more terrible than the thunder
ofartillery; and before this new foe in the
midst of this battle of elements, the awe
struck army stood powerless and affi'ighted.
When night again descended on the city,
1t presented spectacle the like ofwhich was
never seen before, and which battles all de-
scription, The streets were streets offire,-
the heavens u canopy of fire, and the entire
body of the city mass of fire, led by the hur-
ricane which whirled the blazing fragments in
q constant stream through the air. Incessant
explosions from the blowing up of stores of
oil, and tar and spirits, shook the very found
atoms of the city, and sent vast volumes of
smoke rolling filriousy towards the slly.-
Huge sheets of canvass on fire came float
ing like messengers of death through the
| flames-the towers and domes ofthe church. |
es and palaces glowed with red hot heat over
the wild sea below, then tottering Il moment
on their bases were hurled by the tempest in
Ito the common ruin. Thousands of wretches
before unseen, were driven by the heat from
the cellars and hovels and sreamed in an in
cesSaut throng through the streets. Children |
were seen carrying their parents-the strong
the weak; while thousands more were seen |
staggering under the loads of plumber they
had tph nH tba
would frequently take fire in the falling show
er, and the miserable creatures would be
compelled to drop it and flee for their lives.
Oh, it was n scene of woe and fear incon- |
ceivable and Understandable. a mighty and |
close packed city of houses, and churches |
and palaces, wrapped from limit to limit in |
flames which were fed by whirliug hiirri- |
cane, is a sight this world will seldom see.
But this was all within the city. To Napo- |
leon without, the spectacle was still more
sublime and terrific. When the flames had |
overcome all obstacles, and had wrapped ev-
erything in their red mantle that great city |
looked like a sea of rolling fire, swept by
tempest that drove it into vast pillows. Huge
domes and towers, throwing off sparks like
blazing fire-brands now lowered above those |
waves and now disappeared in their madden
ing flow, as they rushed and broke high over |
their tops, scattering their spray of fire a.
gainst the clouds. The heavens themselves
seemed 20 have caught the confagration, and
the angry masses that sweptit, rolled over a
bosom offire. Columns of flames would rise /
and sink along the SUFFICE of this sea, and
huge volumes of black smoke suddenly shoot |
into the air as if volcanoes were working be-
low. The black form of the Kremin alone
lowered above the chaos, now wrapped in |
flame and smoke, and again emerging into
yiew-standing amid the scene of desolaton I