The Portland daily press., 1870-07-20
The Wnr Of lSlI.

AT the congress OF Vienna, in 1914, IL q
Emperor of Russia demanded that the whole
OF the Grand Duchy of Warsaw should be
ceded to Russia as an indemnify for the losses
she had sustained and the heavy sacrifices
she had made during the war. Prussia warm
ly supported the claim of her late ally, not
because she was deeply indebted to Russia for
her deliverance from the yoke of Napoleon,
but because she had projects of her own TO
lay before the other powers, in which she
would require the support of Russia. One
clause OF the treaty of Kalisch had stipulated
that Prussia should be "reinstated at the
close OF hostilities, in all respects, statistical
financial and geographical, as ii had stood at
the commencement of the war of 1906, with
such additions as might be deemed practical
ble." What additions Prussia looked for was
soon explained to the Congress. Besides the
fulfllment of the stipulation" she claimed
various provinces on the left bank of the
Rhine, which, by the dissolution of the French
Empire, were at the disposal of the Allies,
and the whole of Saxony, promising to cede
to Russia the southern provinces of Poland.
AAiS PiOPoSdii hlSt VIVA u StIohg protest from
France, Austria and Great Britain, especially
from Lord Castlereagh, on behalf of England,
who contended that this aggrandizement of
Russia and Prussia was foreign to the great
principles of justice on which the war against
Napoleon had been maintained Prussia and
Russia both declared that they would not give
way, and made immediate preparations for
rnfAI AIxl.
ers, however, soon caused them to lower their
tone. On the Sd of February, 1915, secret
treaty OF alliance, offensive and defensive, was
signed between France, England and Austria.
The Kings of Hanover, Bavaria and Pied
mont were invited to join the alliance, and
did so. Its principal provision was that the
contracting parties should disinterestedly pro-
ceed to carry out the stipulatiOns of the treaty
of Paris. Both Prussia and Russia at once
abated their claims, and Prussia was content
with part OF SaxOny, consoling herself with
the prominent position given to herself and,
Austria in the new GermaDic Confederation
four votes out of seven, if they could opy
pull together, giving them all the preponer- |
ence they could desire.
But all the while Napoleon, in hs.sland /
prison, was not idle. He kept up a cttstant |
correspondence with his adherents IL france
and Italy, and Murat, ever changetp and am
into the conspiracy, which wasfapidly form
ing and spreading through thearmy. On the
26th of February Napoleon escaped from El- |
ba; ON the 1st of March b>landed in the Gulf |
of 81. Juan; on the nieat of the 10th his car |
Rage drove into the courtyard of the Tuil- |
frrles; 9;o Inc Inc Seat powers, England, Russia,
the 25th of March, by Which they engaged TO |
unite their forces against Napoleon, to prevent /
his troubling the peace OF Europe, solemnly /
binding themselves not to lay down their |
arms till they had completed the destruction |
of Napoleon. With an exhausted treasury,
empty arsenals twelve theusand pieces of |
cannon alone having been ceaed to the allies /
by the treaty of Paris), with regular force
men, Napoleon set himself to oppose the |
whole of Europe. He raised thirty battalions
of artillery, added forty battalOns to the |
Young Guard, and organized two hundred |
battalions of the National Guard. Tortu- /
nately Louis XVIII. had left forty mfions |
of francs in the treasury, while an equal sim |
shortly became due; and by dint OF working l
on the national enthusiasm, borrowing thirty
millions on the sinking fund, calling in arms
by proclamation, repairing old muskets, giving
treasury notes for draught horses Tor the ar
tillery and baggage wagons, Napoleon looked
forward to having by the first of June four
hundred thousand men under arms, one-haf
of whom would be disposa5le for active SER
vice in the field. In the meantime Caulain
court approached the other European powers
with view to open diplomatic intercourse.
I'VE can have no peace, SAID Alexander; The
has broken his word. 1t is a mortal duel be-
tween u.s." Mr.. Metternich wrote, Europe
has declared war against Bonaparte. The |
power and freedom of the French nation are |
essential to the equilibrium OF E1rope. France
has but to deliver itself from is oppressor and
return to the principles on which tue sociai
order repOses to be at peace with EUROPE
There was no mistaking such language, and
Napoleon at once determined TO strike a blow.
His enemies had determined to crush him, he |
would defeat them singly, and return in tri-
umph to Paris. Having formed provisional
government, with his brother, Joseph, at Its
head, to act during his absence, he letermin-
ed to collect all his forces into one mass, and
by boldly pushing between the British and
Prusslan armies, to separate them from each
other, striking first to the right and then to
the left lie recOlected that with only six
teen thousand men he had thus kept two
hundred thousand of the troops of Blucher
and SchwaItzenburg at bay ON the plains of
Champagne; what might he then not hope to
do with a hundred thousand veteran troops,
with under two hundred thousand to hold his
own against? "One Engshman," says Ma
pOleOn, "may be counted tor one Frenchman,"
but two Dutchmen, Prussiaus, or soldiers OF
the Confederation, were required to make up
one Frenchman.
/. On the I'd of June, Soult was appointed
Major General of the army, and Immediately |
took the command On the 18th, Napoleon |
left Paris, arriving at Avesnes on the 18th. |
Here he found the French army concentrat-
ed, between the river Sambre and Phlllips-
vile, and consisting, according to the returns,
of 122 400 men at daybreak. On the morning
after tbe 18th. the French troops crossed the |
frontier, and marched on Charerol, passing |
the Sambre at Marchienines, Charleroi, and |
Chatelet. 1t was evident that Wellington |
and Blucher. who had been awaiting news |
from Fouche in Paris, were not prepared for |
this move, and Napoleon was in hopes that |
his cherished scheme of separating the two
armies would be successful He sent the left |
wing of his army, 10000 strong, under Mar
shal Ney, to Quatre-B:as, lying at the inter-
cession OF the roads to Brussels, Nivelles,
Charleroi, and Manner; knowing that from
that position he could cut off all communion
ton between his adversaries, aud could direct