, 1863-12-05
The Return Form Elba.

On the 26th of FEBRUARY, 1925, the Prin-
ces Pauline gave banquet to the principal
inhabitants of the Island of Elba. With
great secrecy Napoleon had made prepera-
tons to leave the Island and return to France.
A small brig was at anchor in the offng,
and three small merchant vessels. In these
four vessels, during the night, thousand
troops were embarked, no one, not even their
officers, knowing where they were bound
At mid day, under salute of cannon the
Emperor went on board the brig, and the lit
tie fleet set sail for the invasion of France,
and for the overthrow of the throne of the
Bourbons, sustained by the immense stand
ing army of France and all the allied armies
of Europe.
When the vessels were out of sight ofland
Napoleon gathering around him the whole
company of the brig, four hundred in mum
Der, said to them "We are going to France
to Paris" The exutation was boundless,
for, notwithstanding past reverses, every
soldier had unlimited confidence in the for
tunes of the Emperor. The second day of
their voyage, one of the Bourbon men-of-war
bore down upon them. The soldiers con
cealed themselves below, while Napoleon
stood on the quarterback by the side of the
captain After the exchange ofa few words,
the man of war inquired after the Emperor at
Elba. Napoleon seized the trumpet and
shouted over the waves, "He is marvelously
we'll"
Towards evening of the third day the
blue hills of France were seen in the splen-
dor of the setting sun. In the early twilight
of the next morning they had reached the
shore in the gulf of Juan, and the Emperor
Immediately landed his followers on the lone
ly beach, and bivouacked in an olive grove
near the shore. Pointing to an olive leaf he
said, at is the symbol of peace. 1t lis lucky
omen and it will be realized" He only
took men enough with him prevent, as he
said, his being "collared by the police"
Most of the day was spent in landing the
troops and stores, and at ii o'clock at night
the little army, now 600 in number, with
three small pieces of cannon, commenced
their march of seven hundred miles for the
conquest Of the capital Of France. Fortress
ses on the line Of march, which the labor of
ages had strengthened, and which were gar
risoned by 100000 troops, they were first to
subdue.
The moon shone brilliantly in cOudless
sky Travelling rapidly all night and the
next day, towards evening they reached
without opposition the little town of Grasse,
about fifty miles distant Here the peasants
crowded around the Emperor so enthusias-
tically that he afterwards said, 81 could easi-
ly have taken two million of those peasants
with me to Paris" The next two days they
advanced sixty miles to Digno, still encount-
ering no foe The nextday they reached the
Gap, thirty miles further on their way. The
enthusiasm was so intense and universal that
Napoleon needed no guard.
The next day they were approaching Gre
noble. A strong garrison was stationed
there. The commander posted his troops,
5000 in number, in defle fanked by a
mountain and lake. Napoleon and his re-
tinue approached, and rode calmly along at a
gentle trot, until within hundred PAGES of
the impossible wall Of bayonets cleaning be-