Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1848-02-17

from France for his exile in Elba The nation
was soon weary of the imbecile Bourbons, and
Ionged for the return of their Emperor, who
commanded the respect of the world On the
LIST of March, 1915, Napoleon landed again up
on the shores of France. The Congress of Vi
emma was still in session. And it is curious
illustration of these crowned heads, that the an
nouncement that Napoleon had returned, that
France was receiving him with reclamation, and
the terror-stricken Bourbons were fleeing from
their throne, was received with uncomfortable
bursts of laughter
The quarrel among the allied monarchs had
now risen to such pitch that they were just up
on the point of hurting their armies upon each
other, when the fugitive Bourbons appeared
among them, palid with fear and implorlng help.
The allies were compelled to bury all their ami
moSltes in combining against the common foe
Maria fearing that her interests might be endan-
gered by this movement of the Emperor, took
very special pains to inform the allies that she
had no sympathy with Napoleon in his heroic
enterprise, and that she would on no account
reunte herself with him and return to France.
But when the army and the nation had received
Napoleon with shouts Of welcome, and he was
again seated upon the throne where he had
relgned with so much glory, and all Europe was
trembling with the apprehension that he would
come down upon them with terrible retributon,
then Maria longed to return to the grandeur of
the Tuilcries, and to share again the renown of
her imperial spouse, But she was ashamed to
do So She had so seIishy abandoned him in
the hours of misfortune, that she could not sum
mon sufficient effronery to rush into his embrace
in the day of triumph. In the perpIexity into
which She was thrown by the mingled emotions
of hope and dread winch now oppressed her, she
was heard to say, as if thinking aloud 9" If
could only be assured that he would not blame
me for not having gone to Elba"-and then after
pause, as if in conclusion of train Of inward
thought" but | am surrounded by persons who
cannot fail to have jncuI pated me-" 1t was evil
dent that her mind was i'll at ease, from the many
excuses she made to those around her for the
course she had pursued. She underworld to APP
pease her own self-reproaches, by stating that
"necessty had compelled her" that she was
not mistress Of her own actions" that " she
could not disobcy her father" that "Austrian
Processes were merely tools in the hands of the
head Of the family" and finally, that she " was
born under malignant star, and was never des-
|
however, would avail to quiet the condemning
sentence of her own conscience and she was
at last constrained to ayow, that having refused
to share Napoleon's disgrace, she was ashamed
to partakc of prosperity which she had done
nothing to promote. There is here glow worm
gIImmering of honor. Let Maria be credited
with it ALL She cannot afford to part with one
particle which is her due.
Chateaubriand had pithIly remarked, "that if
the cooked hat and surtout of Napoleon were
placed on a stick, on the shores of Brest it
would cause Europe to run to arms from one end
to the other" The sole of Napoeons foot had
hardly touched the soil of France, when this
saying was verified. Europe, from one extremi-
ty to the other, simultaneously resounded with
the cIangor of arms. The cleaning banners OF
Alexander were seen pressing down through all
the defes of Russia and of Poland, Lending on
to the conflict three hundred thousand men,
Austria sent the war summons with electric en-
ergy through all her widespread dominons, into
the plains of subjugated Italy, and to the remo-
test hamIets among the Hungarian mountains
And immediately the rumbling of artillery
wheels, the chatter of iron hoois, and the martial
tread of two hundred and fifty thousand soldiers
resounded along her thoroughiares. Prussia dis
membered and exhausted, by Hercuean effort
raised two hundred thousand men again to meet
those eagles before whom they had so often fec
IN dlsmay The war cry echoed through all the
minor States of Germany. From every king
dom, and duchy, and principality, the warke
bands issued FORTH and the whole interminable
host, with shouts of defiance and vows of ven
geance poured down towards the frontiers o.
France to meet Napoleon. The navy of Eng
land unfurIed it's sails and vomted forth upon
the shores of the German Ocean her powerful
contribution for the approaching shock of battle
Benadotte, with iron nerve and treacherous
sou rallied the haIi-savage leglons of SwedeI
to crush his beuefactor. And through Denmark
Switzerland, Spain and Portugal, drums were
beating, trumpets sounding, and city and coun
try were filled with cleaning sabres and floating
banners, as the gathering host rolled on toward
the field of conflict. Napoeon's proposals 70
peace were contemptuousIy rejected. All crown
ed heads united to trampe in the dust soyer
elgn raised to the throne by popular suffrage.
was war of hereditary kings against the RICH
of the people to choose their rulers. If France
may dethrone the Bourbons and elect Napoleon
, England may dethrone the Guelph and elect
, Cromwell. Death to Napoleon" was thu
watchword by which monarchial Europe wa
, banded
TO be Continued