, 1863-12-05

MS arms, ne advanced alone WlUnln Ten pa
ces of the troops. Every eye was fixed up
on him, and there was a silence as of death.
There he stood with the gray coat and cock
ed hat-the Little Corporal F" Fire !"
shouted the commandant. Not a trigger
was pulled Had there been one single man
among those 5000 men willing to shoot, he
would have received boundess rewards from
the Bourbons, and the destines of Europe
would have been changed. Napoleon spread
open the lappet Of his coat, and uncoyering
his bFea'' said
~ .,vidiers, II G.ereis one among you who
would kill his Emperor, let him do it. Here
l am"
After moments silence one voice shout
ed E5ve ze' Enrpereprl 1t was the signal
for general burst of acclaim from soldiers
and peasants, and for a scene of enthusiasm
such as no man on earth ever excited all
1 military order was at end. The troops rush
ed in indescribable tumult around the Empe-
ror, each one eager to grasp his hand, and
tears of joy flowed freely The Bourbon
commander put spurs to his horse and disap-
peared
+" have come,o said Napoleon, " because
I rely upon the people and upon you. The
throne of the Bourbons is illegitimate it is
not raised by the voice of the nation. The
people are threatened with the renewal of
those feudal abuses from which your victo-
ries had delivered them"
Grenoble was one of the most important
fortified cities of France The commandants
locked the gates and concealed the keys. 1t
was midnight as Napoleon approached the
the walls They were powerless. The sol
diers and the people rose as one man, tearing
the gates from their hinges, in countless
throng, delirious with joy, rushed out to
meet the Emperor. With torches and illu-
limitations, and the ringing of bells and fran
tic shouts, they conducted him to his quar-
ters.
Napoleon allowed his little band twenty
four hours rest at Grenoble, and then con-
tinued his journey towards Lyons. His
path was thronged with rejoicing thousands,
while bonfres blazed all the night long on
the adjacent hills. The intelligence of his
landing had now reached Paris, and the
Bourbons were in CONSERVATION. Lyons
contained 100000 inhabitants was but two
hundred and fifty miles from the capital
There were three regiments stationed there,
and, in addition, 26,000 of the National
Guard, well disciplined and armed. But sol
diers and officers, all like, with but two ex-
ceptions, and one of these was the Count d.
Artois, brother of the king, shouted Ti0e
te' Emperor! and the whole city, like an
inundation, surged from the gates to meet
him. Never before had the city of Lyons
witnessed such delirium of joy Here Ma
poleon remained three days, organizing anew
his government, and attending to the myriad
cares involving in governing a nation of 30
100000 Of people, and in preparing to meet
the 100000 of troops which allied Europe
had in arms against him
On the 18th of March he resumed his
movemant towards Paris. He had now en-
tered the most populOus regions of France
The roads were everywhere lined with crowds
/ Triumphal arches spanned the streets Of ey-
cry village, while a continuous roar of acclaim
accompanied every step. At Chalons he
was surprised to see several pieces of ar
tillery and ammunition wagons approaching
'They were sent by the Bourbons," said the
populace, "to oppose you. We have taken
them and offer them to you as present"
1t was no longer necessary to take any
precautions for his safety, and he drove rap
idly on, as defenseless as a private gentle
man. On the 10Th in his open barouche, he
drove sixty miles, from Autun to Avalon.
At Auxerre, twenty-five miles farther along,
he met Marshal Ney. Here the Marshal
abandoned the Bourbons and Joined the
Emperor, an abandonment which subse-
quently cost him his life. On the 10Th he
travelled seventy-fve miles to Fountainbleau.
He was within forty miles of the metropolis
The terrified Bourbons had fed to seek the
protection of the armies of northern Europe.
They had, however, established at Meun,
halfway between Fountainbleau and Paris,
formidable force of nearly one hundred
thousand troops, here intending to make
their last stand The royal army was drawn
up in three lines, the intervals and fanks
being armed with batteries, to contest the
advance of Napoleon and his open barouche.
About two clock in the afternoon the ex-
pectant army saw carriage followed by
few horsemen, coming down distant hill.
! The moment they discerned the cooked hat
and gray surtout of the Emperor all was
over with them. Pent up love and enthu-
sasm burst all bounds. Nioe ] Emperor,
in thunder peals responded from rank to
rank They rushed to meet their Emperor.
He leaped from his carriage to receive them.
Can pen or pencil describe the scene? We
leave it in despair. The Emperor now con-
tinued his progress to Paris, accompanied
and followed by a crowd which no man could
number. 1t was nine o'clock in the even
ing when he entered Paris. Crossing the
bridge of Concorde, he drove into the Court
yard of the Tuileries by the gallery of the
Louvre. "The moment the carriage stop
ped" says Alison, +" he was seized by those
next the door and borne aloft in their ans,
amid deafening cheers, through dense and
brilliant crowd Of epaulettes, hurried liter
ally over the heads of the throng, up the
great staircase into the saloon of reception,
where a splendid array of ladies of the i'm
perial court, adorned with profusion of vio-
let boquets, half concealed in the richest la
ces, received him with transports, and i'm
printed fervent kisses on his cheeks, his
hands and even his dress Never was such
another scene witnessed in history"