lousies and prejudices will permit its adoption, seems at the present a matter of doubt. The kingdom of Portugal during this year enjoyed that exemption from hostile devastations which had been secured by the exertions of its great defender, interrupted only by that irruption of the French into the lower Beira which was intended as a diversion in favour of Badajos, then under siege by Lord Wellington. Opportunity was therefore given for the operations of agriculture, and the other means of recovery from the severe calamities it had undergone; and it cannot be doubted that the sums of money derived from English subsidies, and the expenditure of the English troops in their passage through Lisbon, materially aided the resources of the country. The assiduity of Marshal Beresford and the authority of Lord Wellington had placed the military establishment of Portugal upon a very respectable footing; and before the close of 1811 there were numbered of troops of the line and in garrison above 54,000, of militia 58,000, and of the ordenanza, armed partly with pikes, partly with muskets, above 200,000. Of the regulars, a large proportion served with the allied army in Spain, and on various occasions acquired great credit. On February 13, the government of Portugal issued a proclamation addressed to the people in general, comparing their past and present state, and although pointing out the improvement of their condition, yet showing the necessity of precautionary measures against such sudden inroads as might possibly be made by the enemy. Of these, they specify the three following: 1. All persons capable of bearing arms must be exercised in the use of them; and those whose age or sex unfit them for military service, must take measures by anticipation for repairing the places of security in case circumstances shall make it necessary: 2. They must carry off or conceal all money, gold, silver, or jewels which might tempt the avarice of the enemy: 3. They must carefully conceal, or if ne cessary destroy, all provisions that cannot be carried off, and remove cattle and carriages, in order to deprive the invader of means of subsistence and advance. That the Portuguese government did not entirely depend upon this country for defraying the expense of a war, a principal object of which was the security of that kingdom, was evinced by the assertion of Lord Liverpool when, in March, a message was brought to parliament from the Prince Regent, recommending the continuance of the subsidy paid to Portugal. His lordship said, that it would be a mistake to suppose that this subsidy of two millions sterling was adequate even to the military expenses of that country; for that its government had advanced, in addition, the sum of 1,800,0007. The treaty of amity, navigation, and commerce between Portugal and Russia, concluded at Petersburgh in 1798, now drawing to a termination, a renewal of it was agreed upon by the two parties, to remain in force till June 1815, with no other alteration than an addition to the duty on Portuguese [M 2] wines wines imported into Russia, corresponding to the additional duties since laid upon other wines. The remainder of the year offers nothing remarkable with respect to this part of the Peninsula, which, partly by the exertions of its own troops under British command, had the satisfaction to see its security from the common enemy greatly improved during the operations of this campaign, by the recovery of the strong fortresses of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajos from the possession of the French, and their retreat from the other parts of its frontier. CHAPTER CHAPTER XVII. France-Decree concerning Valencia-French occupation of Swedish Pomerania-Report by Murat-March of the Army towards Poland -Treaty with Prussia-Decree in favour of America-Napoleon arrives at Dantzic-Negociations-Treaty with Austria-Papers relative to the Differences with Russia-Advance of the French to Wilna-Polish Diet and Confederation-Riga-Alliance between England, Russia, and Sweden-Russians quit their Camp on the Duna, and French cross that River-Various Actions-Dunaberg taken-Smolensko carried by the French-Action of Valentina—Advance towards Moscow-Great Battle of Borodino-French enter Moscow-Conflagration of that Capital-Enterprize of the Garrison of Riga-Alarms at Petersburgh-Advanced Guard of the French defeated-Moscow evacuated-Success of Witgenstein at Polotzk→ Conspiracy at Paris-Negociations attempted with the Russians— French retreat-Various Actions-Davoust and Ney defeated— Dreadful sufferings of the French-Napoleon quits the Army, and arrives at Paris—Addresses of the Senate and Council, and Replies Conclusion. THE HE French Emperor, on his return from his tour in the Low Countries at the latter part of 1811, was evidently meditating a grand stroke for the purpose of terminating his differences with the court of Petersburgh in a manner conformable to that continental system which he had made the base of his policy; and the fate of the Peninsula was to be a secondary consideration in his councils till the other object was obtained. In the mean time, he was not unmindful of that plan of attaching his generals and soldiers by rewards, at the cost of the vanquished, which has been discernible in all his wars. By a decree issued from the Tuilleries on January 21st, he declares the annexation to his extraordinary domain of effects in the province of Valencia to the amount of a principal of 200,000,000 liv. ordering at the same time that the Prince of Neufchatel shall transmit to the intendant-general of that domain a statement of the generals, officers, and soldiers of his armies in Spain, particularly in that of Arragon, who have distinguished themselves, in order that they may receive proofs of his imperial munificence. The first military operation of Napoleon which can be considered as connected with his northern projects, was the occupation of Swedish Pomerania. In January, a body of 20,000 French troops, as as it is said, under General Friant, entered that province. The capital, Stralsund, being very weakly fortified, with a small garrison, made no resistance to a colonel who was sent to take possession of it on the 26th, and who required quarters and provisions, saying, in answer to a demand of payment for the latter, "It is our custom and orders, that the country in which we are should furnish us with every thing needful." Friant entered on the following day; and when the Swedish general Peyron informed him that he should resist the occupation of the Isle of Rugen, the French general told him that he was his prisoner, and put seals on the custom-house. A body of 2,000 men was drawn out with the intention of marching to Rugen over the ice; but the lientenant who commanded a small fortress there, resolutely declaring that he would repel force by force, they were for the present remanded. The purpose of this unwarrantable seizure of Pomerania was evidently that the French emperor might have a pledge in his hands to influence the conduct of Sweden in the approaching contest. Rugen was afterwards occupied by the French, the vessels and packets on the coast were detained for their service, and the French colours were hoisted in place of the Swedish. In February, a fleet arriving off Stralsund with General Engelbrecht on board, to ascertain the state of the French troops in Pomerania, and bring back those of Sweden, no communication with the shore was permitted, and all correspondence with the general was declined by the French com mander, so that the fleet was obliged to sail back without effecting any thing. The French conservative senate held a sitting on March 10th, at which the Duke of Bassano (Maret), minister for foreign affairs, delivered in a report, the substance of which was, an invective against the maritime policy of England, and an exposition and eulogy of all the measures taken by the Emperor for asserting the liberty of the seas, and retaliating her arbitrary measures. In this piece it is explicitly declared, that " till the British orders of council are rescinded, and the principles of the treaty of Utrecht towards neutrals are again in full vigour, the Berlin and Milan decrees will remain against those powers who allow their flags to be denationalised." A report of the minister of war follows, which begins with telling the Emperor that "the greatest part of his Majesty's troops have been called out of the territory for the defence of the grand interests which are to ensure the preponderance of the empire, and maintain the Milan and Berlin decrees so fatal to England." It goes on to state the inconveniences which have arisen from committing the guard of the maritime places and establishments, during the absence of the troops of the line, to the fifth battalions, depôts, and marine troops; and it proposes a division of the national guards into three bands, of which the first is to be composed of all the conscripts from 1806 to 1812 who have not been called to the army, and have not since married, out of which cohorts are to be formed, constantly under arms arms, to do the coast duty. This plan was, of course, unanimously adopted in a senatus-consultum. It might be regarded as an indication that the whole strength of the French empire was about to be put forth in some mighty effort. Early in the spring, the French army, united to that of the Confederation of the Rhine, was in march to the frontiers of Poland. At the end of March, the field equipage of Napoleon had reached Dresden, and Marshal Ney had his head-quarters at Wiemar. A portion of the troops of Prussia had been placed at his disposal, the monarch of that country having been induced in this month to ratify a treaty of alliance with the French emperor, which was declared defensive against all the powers in Europe with which either of the contracting parties has entered or shall enter into war, and reciprocally guaranteeing to each other the integrity of their present territory. That the Prussian king hesitated for some time to which of the great powers he should ally himself, since neither of them was likely to suffer him to remain neuter, is very probable, but the rapid advance of the French would soon put an end to his indecision. About this time great changes were making in the French troops quartered in Spain. Some regiments of the imperial guard, and some Polish regiments, which were become veterans by their service in that country, were marched to France, while others, doubtless comparatively raw troops, were in motion to replace them. In the month of April, troops of all the nations under French command were incessantly proceeding to wards the Russian border. They. crossed the Vistula to the number of 80,000, about the 20th, and afterwards took possession of Elbing: and Konigsberg. Napoleon left Paris on the 9th of May, accompanied by the Empress and the Prince of Neufchatel (Berthier), and proceeded to Metz. Some time before his departure he had issued a decree tending to conciliate the American government to France; the tenor of which was, that in consequence of an act of 2nd of March 1811, by which the Congress of the United States enacted exemptions from the provisions of the non-intercourse act, which prohibit the entrance into the American ports to the ships and goods of Great Britain, of its colonies and dependencies; considering the said law as an act of resistance to the arbitrary pretensions consecrated by the British Orders in Council, and a formal refusal to adhere to a system derogatory to the independence of neutral powers; it is decreed, that the decrees of Berlin and Milan are definitively, and from the 1st of November last, considered as never having taken place with regard to American vessels. The French emperor and empress reached Dresden on the 16th, where they were to meet the emperor and empress of Germany. Before this time the emperor Alexander, who had left Petersburgh on April 21st, was at Wilna, where was General Barclay de Tolly, general-in-chief of the first army of the west, In the beginning of May, the head quarters of the duke of Abrantes (Junot) were at Glogau in Silesia, and the French and allied troops of which |