Chapter XX (2)

At a Council of War, which had been held during the previous night in Paris, it was decided that the defence of the capital was not practicable against the Allied Armies. Nevertheless, DAVOUST was desirous that another attempt should be made on the Prussian Army: but now that this had failed in the manner described, that the two Allied Armies were in full communication with each other, and that a British Corps was likewise moving upon the left of the Seine towards Neuilly, a Capitulation was determined upon.

Accordingly, at seven o'clock in the morning, the fire on the part of the French suddenly ceased; and General REVEST was deputed to pass over to ZIETEN's Corps, which of all the Allied troops was the nearest to the capital, for the purpose of offering a Capitulation, and requesting an immediate Armistice. BLÜCHER, however, required from Marshal DAVOUST, the Commander in Chief of the French Army, a negotiator possessing greater powers, before he would finally agree to a Suspension of Hostilities; and indicated the Palace of St Cloud as the place where the negotiations should be carried on, to which point he then removed his Head Quarters.

During the contest at Issy, the Detachments on the left of the First Prussian Corps, under Captain KRENSKY, were engaged rather sharply with the Enemy between St Cloud and Neuilly; which ended in the French being driven back upon the Bridge at the latter place, towards which point also a body of British troops was advancing. Thus ZIETEN's Corps, the same that had opened the Campaign with the actions along the Sambre, had the honour of closing it with those at Issy and Neuilly on the Seine.

* * * * *

Officers, furnished with full powers by their respective Chiefs, soon met at St Cloud; whither the Duke of WELLINGTON had already repaired in person to join Prince BLÜCHER; and the result of their deliberations was the following:--

_Military Convention._

This day, the 3rd of July 1815, the Commissioners named by the
Commanders in Chief of the respective Armies; that is to say, the
Baron BIGNON, holding the Portfolio of Foreign Affairs; the Count
GUILLEMINOT, Chief of the General Staff of the French Army; the Count
DE BONDY, Prefect of the Department of the Seine; being furnished
with the full powers of his Excellency the Marshal Prince of ECKMÜHL,
Commander in Chief of the French Army, on one side: and Major General
Baron MÜFFLING, furnished with the full powers of his Highness the
Field Marshal Prince BLÜCHER, Commander in Chief of the Prussian
Army; and Colonel HERVEY, furnished with the full powers of his
Excellency the Duke of WELLINGTON, Commander in Chief of the English
Army, on the other side, have agreed to the following Articles.

ARTICLE I. There shall be a Suspension of Arms between the Allied
Armies commanded by his Highness the Prince BLÜCHER and his Grace the
Duke of WELLINGTON, and the French Army under the walls of Paris.

ARTICLE II. The French Army shall put itself in march tomorrow,
to take up a position beyond the Loire. Paris shall be completely
evacuated in three days; and the movement behind the Loire shall be
effected within eight days.

ARTICLE III. The French Army shall take with it all its _matériel_,
Field Artillery, Military Chest, horses, and property of Regiments,
without exception. All persons belonging to the Depôts shall also
be removed, as well as those belonging to the different Branches of
Administration which appertain to the Army.

ARTICLE IV. The Sick and Wounded, and the Medical Officers whom it
may be necessary to leave with them, are placed under the special
protection of the Commanders in Chief of the English and Prussian
Armies.

ARTICLE V. The Military, and those holding employments to whom the
foregoing Article relates, shall be at liberty, immediately after
their recovery, to rejoin the Corps to which they belong.

ARTICLE VI. The wives and children of all individuals belonging to
the French Army shall be at liberty to remain in Paris. The wives
shall be allowed to quit Paris for the purpose of rejoining the Army,
and to carry with them their property and that of their husbands.

ARTICLE VII. The Officers of the Line employed with the _Fédérés_,
or with the _Tirailleurs_ of the National Guard, may either join the
Army, or return to their homes or the places of their birth.

ARTICLE VIII. Tomorrow, the 4th of July, at mid day, St Denis, St
Ouen, Clichy, and Neuilly shall be given up. The day after tomorrow,
the 5th, at the same hour, Montmartre shall be given up. The third
day, the 6th, all the Barriers shall be given up.

ARTICLE IX. The duty of the City of Paris shall continue to be
done by the National Guard, and by the Corps of the Municipal
_Gensd'armerie_.

ARTICLE X. The Commanders in Chief of the English and Prussian Armies
engage to respect, and to make those under their command respect, the
actual authorities, so long as they shall exist.

ARTICLE XI. Public property, with the exception of that which relates
to War, whether it belongs to the Government, or depends upon the
Municipal Authority, shall be respected; and the Allied Powers will
not interfere in any manner with its administration and management.

ARTICLE XII. Private persons and property shall be equally respected.
The inhabitants, and in general all individuals who shall be in the
capital, shall continue to enjoy their rights and liberties, without
being disturbed or called to account, either as to the situations
which they hold, or may have held, or as to their conduct or
political opinions.

ARTICLE XIII. The foreign troops shall not interpose any obstacles to
the provisioning of the capital; and will protect, on the contrary,
the arrival and the free circulation of the articles which are
destined for it.

ARTICLE XIV. The present Convention shall be observed, and shall
serve to regulate the mutual relations until the conclusion of Peace.
In case of rupture, it must be denounced in the usual forms at least
ten days beforehand.

ARTICLE XV. If any difficulties arise in the execution of any one
of the Articles of the present Convention, the interpretation of it
shall be made in favour of the French Army and of the City of Paris.

ARTICLE XVI. The present Convention is declared common to all the
Allied Armies, provided it be ratified by the Powers on which these
Armies are dependant.

ARTICLE XVII. The Ratifications shall be exchanged tomorrow, the 4th
of July, at six o'clock in the morning, at the Bridge of Neuilly.

ARTICLE XVIII. Commissioners shall be named by the respective parties
in order to watch over the execution of the present Convention.

Done and signed at St Cloud, in triplicate, by the Commissioners
above named, the day and year before mentioned.

THE BARON BIGNON. THE COUNT GUILLEMINOT. THE COUNT DE BONDY. THE BARON DE MÜFFLING. F.B. HERVEY, COLONEL.

Approved and ratified the present Suspension of Arms, at Paris, the
3rd of July 1815.

THE MARSHAL PRINCE OF ECKMÜHL.

Afterwards approved by PRINCE BLÜCHER and the DUKE OF WELLINGTON; and
the Ratifications exchanged on the 4th of July.

* * * * *

The terms of the Convention were literally fulfilled.

On the 4th, the French Army, commanded by Marshal DAVOUST, quitted Paris; and proceeded on its march to the Loire: and the Anglo-Allied troops occupied St Denis, St Ouen, Clichy, and Neuilly. On the 5th, the latter took possession of Montmartre. On the 6th, they occupied the Barriers of Paris, upon the right of the Seine; and the Prussians those upon the left bank. On the 7th, the two Allied Armies entered Paris: the Chamber of Peers, having received from the Provisional Government a notification of the course of events, terminated its sittings; the Chamber of Deputies protested, but in vain. Their President (LANJUINAIS) quitted his Chair; and on the following day, the doors were closed, and the approaches guarded by foreign troops.

On the 8th, the French King, LOUIS XVIII., made his public entry into his capital, amidst the acclamations of the people, and again occupied the palace of his ancestors.

It was also on the 8th that NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE embarked, at Rochefort, on board the French Frigate _La Saale_; and proceeded, accompanied by _La Méduse_, in which was his suite, to the roads of the Isle of Aix, with the intention of setting sail to America.

On the 10th, the wind became favourable: but a British Fleet made its appearance; and NAPOLEON, seeing the difficulty of eluding the vigilance of its Cruisers, resolved, after having previously communicated with Captain MAITLAND, upon placing himself under his protection on board the _Bellerophon_, which vessel he accordingly reached on the 15th. On the following day, Captain MAITLAND sailed for England; and arrived at Torbay, with his illustrious charge, on the 24th. The Ex-Emperor was not permitted to land; and the British Government having decided upon sending him to the Island of St Helena, he was removed to the _Northumberland_ Man of War, under Rear Admiral Sir GEORGE COCKBURN, in which ship he sailed for that distant rock; the final abode on earth of the man whose extraordinary career marks the most stirring and eventful period in the history of Europe.

* * * * *

The Convention of Paris constituted a basis for the resumption of negotiations for the General Peace which, a few months before, had been so unexpectedly interrupted. The celebrated Statesmen of that remarkable period--CASTLEREAGH, NESSELRODE, METTERNICH, HARDENBERG, and TALLEYRAND--aided by distinguished Representatives of the minor European States, now perceived the importance of establishing a more closely cemented Alliance; reconciling the clashing interests of emulative Governments, securing the rights of the legitimate Sovereign of France, and consolidating the re-established order of things in that country.

The mere engagement of the French Government to a Treaty of Peace and grateful amity was not considered a sufficient guarantee for the long desired repose of Europe. France, which dictated laws according to her own desires and interests to the entire Continent, was now, in her turn, to be subjected to the most severe conditions. In order to guarantee her compliance with the demands required of her by the wants and necessities of the nations panting for that peace which was to relieve their exhausted means, and to avert the dangers of internal dissensions; she was destined to witness the occupation of her Frontier Fortresses by a vast Army, comprising contingent forces from the Allied Powers, and requiring to be maintained upon a full War Establishment at her expense: whilst, at the same time, heavy contributions were laid upon her for the purpose of indemnifying the Sovereigns who had been compelled again to take up arms against her.

But, notwithstanding these reverses and indemnities, France herself is, perhaps, the country that has most benefited by that General Peace which was established on the ruins of her Empire. The rational form of Government which was secured to her by an enlarged Constitutional Charter has gradually introduced among her people the most salutary reforms, and the most liberal institutions; the stimulus given to her industry by the cessation of harassing wars, of persecuting conscriptions, and of vexatious imposts, rapidly obtained for her a commercial prosperity to which she had long been a stranger; whilst an unusual period of tranquillity has so completely renovated and invigorated her resources, both moral and physical, as to place her again in the rank of the highest Powers.

Now that the nation has completely recovered from the effects of the convulsive throes which attended its dissolution as an Empire, and has assumed the calm and dignified attitude of repose; in its resuscitated strength it contemplates the past in a more rational and philosophic spirit, balancing the evil with the good. If the public mind of France dwell for a time upon the tyrannical exercise of NAPOLEON's power upon the people; the sadness of the reflection is palliated by his flattering, though personally ambitious, desire to render France the Arbitress of Europe: if it perceive the rights of the citizens subverted for the furtherance of his designs, the impression thus produced vanishes at the contemplation of the _Code NAPOLEON_: if it appear shocked by the general perversion of labour from its natural sphere to purely military purposes; it is again soothed by the grandeur in design, and utility in effect, of mighty enterprises, conferring employment on myriads of artists and artisans: if it be disposed to disapprove of the spoliation authorized in foreign States; it is speedily flattered by the grand idea of rendering Paris the centre of civilization and of the arts: and finally, if it feel pained and subdued by a contemplation of the disasters of Moscow, Vittoria, Leipzic, and Waterloo; it revives and rejoices in recounting the glorious triumphs of Marengo, Austerlitz, Jena, and Wagram.

* * * * *

If one country more than any other required a lasting Peace to enable her to recover from the effects of the immense sacrifices she had made, in life and treasure--sacrifices which proved, beyond doubt, the Salvation of Europe--that country was Great Britain. Through the intelligence of her Statesmen, the freedom of her Constitution, the enterprise of her merchants, the industry of her artisans, and the bravery of her naval and military defenders; she continues to maintain her lofty position in the scale of nations, and even to extend her Empire and her sway to the furthermost points of the earth. But to whom is she mainly indebted for this proud pre-eminence, this unparalleled grandeur? To such a question every Briton, no matter what may be the direction of his political feelings or party prejudices, will unhesitatingly reply--to the rare talent, the untiring zeal, and practised skill of her Chief who led, as also to the inflexible courage, extraordinary endurance, and the perfect discipline of her sons who fought, her last and ever memorable struggle on the Continent of Europe--the BATTLE OF WATERLOO. It was upon the solid foundation thus obtained that was raised that well cemented superstructure, the solemn Compact of Sovereigns and States, constituting the General Peace of 1815: and although, as time rolls on, symptoms of decay may be traced in some portions of the edifice, still it stands a monument of the downfall of an insatiable ambition aiming at universal dominion; and continues to this day the surest guarantee of the preservation of that equitable Balance of Power which can alone secure the permanence of the tranquillity and prosperity of Europe.

SUPPLEMENT.

The Battle of Waterloo, followed as it was by the advance of the Anglo-Allied and Prussian Armies upon Paris, was so decisive in its effects, and so comprehensive in its results, that the great object of the War--the destruction of the power of NAPOLEON and the restoration of the legitimate Sovereign--was attained while the Armies of the Upper Rhine and of Italy were but commencing their invasion of the French territory. Had the successes attendant upon the exertions of WELLINGTON and BLÜCHER assumed a less decisive character, and, more especially, had reverses taken the place of those successes; the operations of the Armies advancing from the Rhine and across the Alps would have acquired an immense importance in the history of the War: but the brilliant course of events in the north of France materially diminished the interest excited by the military transactions in other parts of the kingdom. Upon this ground it has been considered, that to enter into any very detailed account of the movements and dispositions of the Allies, on the eastern frontier, is unnecessary; and that the completion of the present Work will be sufficiently accomplished by the addition of a simple outline of the daily progress and attendant circumstances of the advance of each Army into the interior of the country.

_Operations of the German Corps d'Armée._

This Corps, which was composed of contingent forces supplied by the petty Princes of North Germany, was assembled, in the middle of April, in the vicinity of Coblentz. It amounted to 26,200 men, divided into thirty Battalions, twelve Squadrons, and two and a half Batteries; and was placed under the command of General Count KLEIST VON NOLLENDORF. At a somewhat later period it crossed the Rhine at Coblentz and Neuwied, and took up a position on the Moselle and the Sarre; its Right communicating with the Third Prussian _Corps d'Armée_, and its Left with the Bavarian troops at Zweibrücken. Its Advanced Posts extended along the French frontier from Arlon to Mertzig. Its Head Quarters were at Trier, on the Moselle.

In this position it remained until the 16th of June, when its Commander, General VON ENGELHARD (in the absence of Count KLEIST, who was ill), advanced from Trier to Arlon; which it reached on the 19th. Here it continued until the 21st, when it received an Order from Prince BLÜCHER to move into France by Bastogne and Neufchâteau; and to gain possession of the Fortresses of Sedan and Bouillon. On the 22nd, the Corps commenced its march, in two Columns: the one by Neufchâteau, upon Sedan; the other by Recogne, upon Bouillon. Sedan, after a few days' bombardment, capitulated on the 25th of June. An attempt was made to take Bouillon by a _coup de main_; but its garrison was strong enough to frustrate this project. The place was not considered of sufficient importance to render a regular siege expedient, and it was therefore simply invested, from the 25th of June, until the 21st of August; when it was blockaded at all points by troops of the Netherlands, under Prince FREDERICK of Orange.

On the 28th of June, Lieutenant General VON HACKE, who had been appointed to the command of the German Corps, directed the Advanced Guard to move upon Charleville, which lies under the guns of the Fortress of Mézières, and to carry the place by storm. The capture was successfully made by some Hessian Battalions, and tended greatly to facilitate the siege of Mézières. Moveable Columns were detached to observe the Fortresses of Montmédy, Laon, and Rheims. The last named place was taken by capitulation on the 8th of July; and the garrison, amounting to 4,000 men, retired behind the Loire.

Lieutenant General VON HACKE finding that, notwithstanding his vigorous bombardment of Mézières, which he commenced on the 27th of June, his summons to surrender was unheeded by the Commandant, General LEMOINE, undertook a regular siege of the place, and opened trenches on the 2nd of August. On the 13th, the French garrison gave up the Town and retired into the Citadel, which surrendered on the 1st of September.

The efforts of the Corps were now directed upon Montmédy, around which Fortress it had succeeded in placing twelve Batteries in position by the 13th of September. After an obstinate resistance, the garrison concluded a convention on the 20th of September; by which it was to retire, with arms and baggage, behind the Loire.

After the capture of Montmédy, the German _Corps d'Armée_ went into cantonments in the Department of the Ardennes; whence it returned home in the month of November.

_Operations of the Army of the Upper Rhine, under the command of Field Marshal His Highness Prince SCHWARTZENBERG._

This Army consisted of four _Corps d'Armée_, and Reserves; composed of troops of Austria, Bavaria, Würtemberg, Saxony, of Hesse Darmstadt, and of the petty Princes.

Its strength was as follows:--

Battalions. Squadrons. Batteries.

First _Corps d'Armée_ 24,400 men, in 26 16 8 Second " 34,350 " 36 26 11 Third " 43,814 " 44 32 9 Fourth " 57,040 " 46 66 15 Austrian Reserve Corps 44,800 " 38 86 10 Blockade Corps 33,314 " 38 8 6 Saxon _Corps d'Armée_ 16,774 " 18 10 6 --------------------------------------------- Total 254,492 men, in 246 244 65

According to the general plan of operations projected by Prince SCHWARTZENBERG, this Army was to cross the Rhine in two Columns. The Right Column, consisting of the Third Corps, under Field Marshal the Crown Prince of WÜRTEMBERG; and of the Fourth Corps, or the Bavarian Army, under Field Marshal Prince WRÈDE, was to cross the Rhine between Germersheim and Mannheim. The Left Column, consisting of the First Corps, under the Master General of the Ordnance, Count COLLOREDO, and of the Second Corps, under General Prince HOHENZOLLERN HECKINGEN, together with the Austrian Reserve Corps; the whole being commanded by General the Archduke FERDINAND, was to cross the Rhine between Basle and Rheinfelden. The Column formed by the Right Wing was to be supported by the Russian Army, under Field Marshal Count BARCLAY DE TOLLY, which was expected to be collected at Kaiserslautern by the 1st of July. The object of the operations, in the first instance, was the concentration of the Army of the Upper Rhine and the Russian Army at Nancy.

As soon as Prince SCHWARTZENBERG was made acquainted with the commencement of hostilities in Belgium, he gave his Orders for the advance of his Army. The Fourth, or Bavarian, _Corps d'Armée_ was directed immediately to cross the Sarre: and, by turning the Vosgian Mountains, to cut off the French Corps under General RAPP, collected in the environs of Strasburg, from its base of operations; and to intercept its communications with the interior of France.

A Russian Corps, under General Count LAMBERT, forming the Advance of the Army of Count BARCLAY DE TOLLY, was united to the _Corps d'Armée_ of Prince WRÈDE; who was to employ it principally in keeping up the communication with the North German _Corps d'Armée_, under Lieutenant General VON HACKE.

_Fourth Corps d'Armée, Prince WRÈDE._

On the 19th of June, the Bavarian Army crossed the Rhine at Mannheim and Oppenheim, and advanced towards the Sarre. On the 20th, some trifling affairs of Advanced Posts occurred near Landau and Dahn. On the 23rd, the Army having approached the Sarre, proceeded, in two Columns, to take possession of the passages across the River at Saarbrück and Saargemünd.

The Right Column, under Lieutenant General Count BECKERS, attacked Saarbrück; where it was opposed by the French General MERIAGE. The Bavarians carried the suburb and the Bridge, and penetrated into the Town along with the retiring French; of whom they made four Officers and seventy men prisoners, and killed and wounded one hundred men: suffering a loss, on their own part, of three Officers and from fifty to sixty men killed and wounded. Count BECKERS occupied the Town, posted his Division on the Heights towards Forbach: and detached Patrols along the road to Metz, as far as St Avold; and to the right along the Sarre, as far as Saarlouis.

The Left Column, consisting of the First Infantry Division, under Lieutenant General Baron VON RAGLIOVICH, and of the First Cavalry Division, under His Royal Highness Prince CHARLES of Bavaria, advanced against Saargemünd; at which point the French had constructed a _tête de pont_ on the right bank of the river. After some resistance, this was taken possession of by the Bavarians; whereupon Baron VON RAGLIOVICH marched through the Town, and took up a position on the opposite Heights, commanding the roads leading to Bouquenom and Lüneville.

The Fourth Infantry Division, under Lieutenant General Baron ZOLLERN, advanced towards the Fortress of Bitsch; which, however, the French Commandant, General KREUTZER, refused to surrender.

The Russian Corps, under Count LAMBERT, attached to the Right Wing of Prince WRÈDE's Army, advanced as far as Ottweiler and Ramstein.

On the 24th, Prince WRÈDE occupied Bouquenom; and detached the Cavalry Division under Prince CHARLES towards Pfalzburg, to observe this place. His Second, Third, and Fourth Divisions, and the Reserve, were collected at Saargemünd. The Russian troops under Count LAMBERT occupied Saarbrück; having previously detached the Cavalry, under Lieutenant General CZERNITSCHEFF, as far as St Avold.

On the 26th, Prince WRÈDE's Head Quarters were at Morhenge; and, on the 27th, his Advanced Posts penetrated as far as Nancy, where he established his Head Quarters on the 28th. From St Dieuze the Prince detached to the left, in order to discover the march of General RAPP; who, however, was still on the Rhine, and whose retreat had thus become cut off by the occupation of Nancy.

Prince WRÈDE halted at Nancy, to await the arrival of the Austrian and Russian _Corps d'Armée_. Upon his right, Lieutenant General CZERNITSCHEFF crossed the Moselle, on the 29th, within sight of Metz; and carried by storm, on the 3rd of July, the Town of Chalons sur Marne. The garrison of this place had promised to make no resistance, and yet fired upon the Russian Advanced Guard; whereupon the Cavalry immediately dismounted, scaled the ramparts, broke open the gates, sabred a part of the garrison, made the remainder prisoners, including the French General RIGAULT, and pillaged the town.

After remaining four days in the vicinity of Nancy and Lüneville, Prince WRÈDE received an Order from Prince SCHWARTZENBERG to move at once upon Paris, with the Fourth, or Bavarian Corps; which was destined to become the Advanced Guard of the Army of the Upper Rhine. This Order was given in consequence of the desire expressed by the Duke of WELLINGTON and Prince BLÜCHER, that the Army of the Upper Rhine should afford immediate support to their operations in front of Paris. On the 5th of July, the main body of the Bavarian Army reached Chalons; in the vicinity of which it remained during the 6th. On this day, its Advanced Posts communicated, by Epernay, with the Prussian Army. On the 7th, Prince WRÈDE received intelligence of the Convention of Paris; and, at the same time, directions to move towards the Loire. On the 8th, Lieutenant General CZERNITSCHEFF fell in with the Enemy between St Prix and Montmirail; and drove him across the Morin, towards the Seine. Previously to the arrival of the Corps at Château Thierry; the French garrison had abandoned the place, leaving behind it several pieces of cannon, with ammunition. On the 10th of July, the Bavarian Army took up a position between the Seine and the Marne; and Prince WRÈDE's Head Quarters were at La Ferté sous Jouarre.

_Third Corps d'Armée, Crown Prince of WÜRTEMBERG._

On the 22nd of June, a portion of the Third _Corps d'Armée_, under the Crown Prince of WÜRTEMBERG, took possession of the intrenchments of Germersheim, on the left bank of the Rhine. Lieutenant Field Marshal Count WALLMODEN was posted, with ten Battalions and four Squadrons, in observation of the Fortress of Landau, and the line of the Queich. The main body of the Corps stood between Bruchsal and Philipsburg. On the 23d, the Corps crossed the Rhine at Germersheim, and passed the line of the Queich without opposition.

The Crown Prince was directed to proceed by Weissenburg and Hagenau, with a view to complete, in conjunction with the Fourth _Corps d'Armée_, the plan of intercepting the retreat of General RAPP.

On the 24th, the Corps advanced to Bergzabern and Nieder Ottersbach; at both of which points it fell in with the Enemy, and drove him back. Count WALLMODEN left a small Detachment to observe Landau; and advanced, with the remainder of his force, as far as Rheinzabern. On the 25th, the Crown Prince ordered the advance towards the lines of Weissenburg, in two Columns. The first Column assembled at Bergzabern, and the second moved forward by Nieder Ottersbach. Count WALLMODEN was directed to advance upon Lauterburg. The Crown Prince advanced his Corps still further along the Hagenau road. His Advanced Guard pushed on to Inglesheim, and the main body of the Corps reached the lines of Weissenburg; which the French abandoned in the night, and fell back upon the Forest of Hagenau, occupying the large Village of Surburg. On the 26th, the Crown Prince attacked and defeated the Enemy at the last mentioned place, with his Right Column; whilst the Left Column, under Count WALLMODEN, was equally successful in an attack which it made upon the French General ROTHENBURG, posted, with 6,000 Infantry and a Regiment of Cavalry, at Selz. On the following day, General RAPP fell back upon the Defile of Brümath; but this he quitted in the night, and took up a favourable position in the rear of the Suffel, near Strasburg. His force comprised twenty four Battalions of Infantry, four Regiments of Cavalry, and a numerous Artillery, and amounted to nearly 24,000 men.

The Crown Prince of WÜRTEMBERG, whose force amounted altogether to more than 40,000 men, succeeded, on the 28th, after a smart action, in forcing General RAPP to retire within the Fortress of Strasburg. The loss of the Third Corps on this occasion amounted to 75 Officers, and 2,050 men, killed and wounded. That of the French was about 3,000 men.

_Austrian Reserve Corps, Archduke FERDINAND._

The Third Corps remained in front of Strasburg until the 4th of July; when it was relieved by the arrival of the Second Austrian Corps, under Prince HOHENZOLLERN, from the vicinity of Colmar. At this last point the Advanced Guard of the Austrian Reserve Corps, under Lieutenant Field Marshal STUTTERHEIM, moved upon Remiremont, and the main body upon St Marie aux Mines. The Austrian Reserve Corps itself reached Raon l'Etape; whence it subsequently moved (on the 10th) to Neufchâteau. The Third Corps, under the Crown Prince of WÜRTEMBERG, marched into the vicinity of Molsheim.

On the 7th of July, the Crown Prince reached Lüneville; but instead of proceeding to Nancy, according to its original destination, the Corps, on the 9th, took the road to Neufchâteau. The advance was in two Columns; the one upon Bayon, and the other upon Rembervillers. These two Columns moved respectively, the one, by Vaucouleurs, Joinville, Brienne le Château, Troyes, and Auxonne; and the other, by Neufchâteau, Chaumont, Bar sur Aube, Vendoeuvres, Bar sur Seine, and Chatillon: at which points (Auxonne and Chatillon) they halted on the 18th. On the 21st, the Corps entered into cantonments between Montbard and Tonnerre.

_First and Second Corps--Count COLLOREDO and Prince VON HOHENZOLLERN.--Reserve Corps, Archduke FERDINAND._

The First and Second Austrian _Corps d'Armée_ and the Reserve Corps, forming the Left Wing of the Army of the Upper Rhine, crossed this river at Rheinfelden and Basle in the night of the 25th of June. On the 26th, the First, under Count COLLOREDO, was directed upon Belfort and Montbelliard; and, on the same day, the Austrians invested the Fortress of Huningen. The Advanced Guard of the First Corps had an affair with a French Detachment of 3,000 men belonging to the Corps of General LECOURBE, and repulsed it as far as Donnemarie. On the 28th, the First Corps fell in with the Enemy near Chabannes, between Donnemarie and Belfort, when the French force, amounting to 8,000 Infantry and 500 Cavalry, was driven back upon Belfort. Major General VON SCHEITHER of the First Corps was detached against Montbelliard, a town fortified and defended by a citadel. After having maintained a most destructive fire against the place, the Austrian troops carried it by storm; with a loss, however, of 25 Officers and 1,000 men, killed and wounded.

With the exception of a few sorties of little consequence, General RAPP remained very quiet in the Fortress of Strasburg. The news of the capture of Paris by the British and Prussian troops led to a Suspension of Hostilities; which was concluded on the 24th of July, and extended to the Fortress of Strasburg, Landau, Lutzelstein, Huningen, Schlettstadt, Lichtenberg, Pfalzburg, Neuf Brisac, and Belfort.

_The Russian Army._

The main body of the Russian Army, commanded by Field Marshal Count BARCLAY DE TOLLY, and amounting to 167,950 men, crossed the Rhine at Mannheim, on the 25th of June; and followed the Army of the Upper Rhine. The greater portion of it reached Paris and its vicinity by the middle of July.

_Operations of the Army of Italy._

The Army of Italy, composed of Austrian and Sardinian troops, and amounting to 60,000 men, was under the command of General Baron FRIMONT. It was destined to act against the Army of the Alps, under Marshal SUCHET, posted in the vicinity of Chambery and Grenoble. It is uncertain what was the amount of force under SUCHET, it having been estimated from 13,000 to 20,000 men; but the Corps of Observation on the Var, in the vicinity of Antibes and Toulon, under Marshal BRUNE, amounted to 10,000, and was not occupied with any Enemy in its front.

Baron FRIMONT's Army was divided into two Corps: the one under Lieutenant Field Marshal RADIVOJEVICH, was to advance by the Valais towards Lyons; and the other, which was in Piedmont, under Lieutenant Field Marshal Count BUBNA, was to penetrate into the south of France, through Savoy.

Marshal SUCHET had received Orders from NAPOLEON to commence operations on the 14th of June; and by rapid marches to secure the mountain Passes in the Valais and in Savoy, and close them against the Austrians. On the 15th, his troops advanced at all points for the purpose of gaining the frontier from Montmeilian, as far as Geneva; which he invested. Thence he purposed to obtain possession of the important Passes of Meillerie and St Maurice; and in this way to check the advance of the Austrian Columns from the Valais. At Meillerie the French were met and driven back by the Advanced Guard of the Austrian Right Column, on the 21st of June. By means of forced marches the whole of this Column, which Baron FRIMONT himself accompanied, reached the Arve on the 27th of June.

The Left Column, under Count BUBNA, crossed Mount Cenis on the 24th and 25th of June. On the 28th, it was sharply opposed by the French at Conflans; of which place, however, the Austrians succeeded in gaining possession.

In order to secure the passage of the Arve the Advanced Guard of the Right Column detached, on the 27th, to Bonneville, on its left; but the French, who had already fortified this place, maintained a stout resistance. In the mean time, however, the Austrians gained possession of the passage at Carrouge; by which means the French were placed under the necessity of evacuating Bonneville, and abandoning the Valley of the Arve. The Column now passed Geneva, and drove the Enemy from the Heights of Grand Saconex and from St Genix. On the 29th, this part of the Army moved towards the Jura; and, on the 1st July, it made its dispositions for attacking the redoubts and intrenchments which the French had thrown up to defend the Passes. The most vigorous assault was made upon the Pass of Les Rousses; but the Austrians were driven back. Reserves were then brought up; and the French having quitted their intrenchments to meet the latter, and a good opportunity having offered for a flank attack upon them with Cavalry and Artillery, the Pass was captured by the Austrians: and the French were compelled to abandon both it and the other Passes of the Jura. The Austrian Advanced Guard pursued the Enemy, and reached, in the evening, St Claude, on the road leading to the left from Gex; and St Laurent, in the original direction of the attack, beyond Les Rousses.

In the mean time, the Austrian Reserve Corps, under Lieutenant Field Marshal MEERVILLE, was directed to advance, and to throw back the French upon the Rhone. The latter, in retreating, destroyed the Bridge of Seyselle; and, by holding the Fort of l'Ecluse, closed the road from Geneva to Lyons. A redoubt had been constructed in front of the Fort, and completely commanded the approach. It was gallantly stormed and carried by the Regiment of ESTERHAZY. The Fort itself was now turned by the Reserve Corps along the left bank of the Rhone, with the design of forcing the passage at the Perte du Rhone. Here the French had constructed a _tête de pont_; which, however, they were forced to abandon in consequence of a movement made by the First Corps under Lieutenant Field Marshal RADIVOJEVICH. On retiring, they destroyed the very beautiful stone bridge then existing; and thus rendered it necessary for the Austrians to construct temporary bridges over the extremely narrow space between the rocks which confine the stream at this remarkable spot. The Advanced Guard of the Reserve Corps, under General Count HARDEGG, first crossed the Rhone, and found the Enemy posted at Charix, in rear of Chatillon, on the road to Nantua. Count HARDEGG immediately attacked him; and, after encountering an obstinate resistance, forced him to retire.

The troops of the First Austrian Corps, which, in the mean time, were left in front of the Fort l'Ecluse, had commenced a bombardment; and this, after twenty six hours' duration, considerably damaged the Fort. A powder magazine exploded, which caused a general conflagration; to escape which the garrison rushed out, and surrendered at discretion to the Austrians: and thus, in three days, the high road from Geneva to Lyons was opened to the Army of Italy.

On the 3rd July, General BOGDAN, with the Advanced Guard of the First Austrian Corps, having been reinforced by Lieutenant Field Marshal RADIVOJEVICH, attacked the Enemy with much impetuosity at Ojanax, beyond St Claude; where the French General MARANSIN had taken up a favourable position, with 2,000 men. The Austrians turned his Left Flank, and forced him to retire. The Corps reached Bourg en Bresse on the 9th July.

On the 10th July, a Detachment, under Major General VON PFLÜGER, was pushed on to Maçon on the Saône; and gained possession of the _tête de pont_ constructed there, and of the place itself.

On the 7th July, the Second Corps, under Count BUBNA, reached Echelles. A Detachment, consisting principally of Sardinian troops, under Lieutenant General Count LATOUR, had been directed to observe Grenoble; in front of which its Advanced Guard arrived on the 4th July. On the 6th, the suburbs were attacked; and the communication between this place and Lyons was cut off. The garrison, consisting of eight Battalions of the National Guard, offered to capitulate on the 9th, on the condition of being permitted to return to their homes. That a vigorous defence might have been maintained was evident from the fact of the Austrians having found in the place fifty four guns and eight mortars, and large quantities of provisions.

Count BUBNA's Corps and the Reserve Corps, by simultaneous movements, assembled together in front of Lyons on the 9th. An Armistice was solicited by the garrison on the 11th July, and granted upon condition that Lyons and the Intrenched Camp should be evacuated; and that Marshal SUCHET should retire with his Corps behind the Loire, keeping his Advanced Posts within a stipulated line of demarcation.

Having secured possession of the line of the Rhone as far down as its junction with the Isère, as also of that part of the Saône between Maçon and Lyons; the Army of Italy now proceeded towards the upper line of the latter river, leaving the Second Corps, under Count BUBNA, at Lyons, in front of Marshal SUCHET. The First Corps marched upon Chalons sur Saône, in order to gain the _tête de pont_ at that point. At this time, the Fourth Division of the Army, under the French General LECOURBE, was at Salins, between Dôle and Pontarlier: and as Besançon had not yet been invested, Baron FRIMONT detached a part of the Reserve Corps, under General HECHT, to Salins; whilst General FÖLSEIS, detached from the First Corps towards Dôle. The Advanced Guard of the First Corps had arrived in front of the _tête de pont_ at Chalons, and had completed its dispositions for attack; when the place surrendered. By the advance, at the same time, of HECHT upon Salins, and of FÖLSEIS from Dôle upon Besançon; the retreat of the French General LAPLANE was completely cut off. This led to a Convention which stipulated the dissolution of the National Guards, the surrender of all the Officers, and the abandonment of one of the Forts of Salins to the Austrians.

On the 20th, the First _Corps d'Armée_ advanced from Chalons sur Saône as far as Autun; and Besançon having in the mean time been occupied by the Austrian troops of the Army of the Upper Rhine, a junction was effected with the latter by the Army of Italy by Dijon.

The Sardinian General D'OSASCA, who had been detached to Nice, concluded on the 9th of July an Armistice with Marshal BRUNE, who commanded the Army of the Var, in front of the Maritime Alps; and thus terminated all hostilities on that side of France.

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The foregoing Outline will suffice to show the nature, extent, and interconnection of the operations of the Allied Armies which invaded France along her eastern and south-eastern frontier; and at the same time afford a clear proof that amongst the more immediate consequences of the decisive Battle of Waterloo and speedy capture of Paris must be ranked that of their having been the means of averting the more general and protracted warfare which would probably have taken place, had a different result in Belgium emboldened the French to act with vigour and effect in other parts of the country.

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The reduction of the Fortresses left in rear of the British and Prussian Armies, adjoining their main line of operations, and which was confided to Prince AUGUSTUS of Prussia, with the Second Prussian _Corps d'Armée_, assisted by the British Battering Train, was effected in the following manner:--

Maubeuge--siege commenced 8th July, capitulated 12th July. Landrecies do. 19th do., do. 21st do. Marienberg do. 27th do., do. 28th do. Philippeville do. 7th August, do. 8th August. Rocroy do. 15th do., do. 16th do.

Prince AUGUSTUS had made every preparation for commencing the siege of Charlemont and its connecting Forts, the two Givets and the Mont d'Hours, on the 8th of September, when the Commandant, General BURCKE, foreseeing that the occupation of the detached Forts would divide his force too much, entered into negotiations, and surrendered those works on the 10th, withdrawing his troops into Charlemont; the bombardment of which was to have opened on the 23rd of September: but, on the 20th, Prince AUGUSTUS received information from Paris that hostilities were to cease throughout the whole of France.