ries In' the landlord of the inn whei-e I
lodged, arihouuh he knew perfeei]\ well
she i^tate of afiairs. An KnL:li':inn;::i ni «i-



BERLIN TO LUCKAU. 71

milar circumstances would have said at
once, " The French are there ;" yet was this
simple answer not to be obtained by any
direct inquiry, and I departed witii the or-
dinary post, relying in a manner on the
faith of government.

I found the same irregularity here in the
hour of departure as at Hamburg. The
time appointed was nine o'clock, but we did
not set off till after mid-day. The carriage
was worse than that in which I had arrived,
being a long open cart ])erfcctlv uncovered,
and the seats merely boards slung across. In
such machines are women often seen travel-
ling. It would appear, that since the days of
Ca?sar very little iujprovement has been
made in their form, it being liardly possible
for the ancient Germans to have used ruder
vehicles, than those hourly seen in the heart
of civilized Germanv.

From the mouth of the Elbe to Berlin, a
distance of nearly one hundred and fiftv
mik"^, the country is almost one continued



r>lA\Li> TO LljrKAl',



j:uiin. ti;c iijw c!c\'aLiOLis that arc met \Mtii
scarcely deserving the nanic of h;]l>. The
soil ;^ t''ro;!^;hout saivly. and at irrcg;dar in-
terval:- b]r)cks of granice of ^•arious ?ize>, iVoiii
one hmelred wCi^ht to several tons, appear
ab )\e t'lc SLiriacc. The-e are particularly
fureea upon (Jiv notice, Vv'hcn we behold
them sciittered among; ihe tields, and not
vet covered liv the rising corn ; or ranged
along the ^-iJes ot roads ot pure tand ; or
ainon2.^t ancient wood:;, which thev pre-
ceded and which they are destined to sur-
vive. Doubtless the sand\' soil has been
iormed bv then" d-.v'om')o:;:tion. and fLir their
<:;rigln we nnnt travel lipwards untii we
arrive at the lir-t Lireat lâ– anlIC^ of ihe Ge!-man



liihs, f ■■•m viiich ihcA' have been detachefl
bv anci/ni; cnrren:>. iinmeihatejv ai'tcr
lea\iii'r ibj: im en bij ror.d toDn-den, we
a>e.::d << nie .nnbl h.;_hL^. fr..m which tlure
1- a iine \ u - ; i-f ihe c;t^^ ni ail its extent, i
ob<:'\ed '.vibi ^Aa,ie surprise, that abhru;L,h
the sob coninueci sandv^, the blockiD ol



BERLIN TO LUCKAU. 73

granite from iicncc(l.rtli became more rare,
and for some distance appeared to have ceai^ed
altogether. Sixteen miles brought vis to
Mittenwaldcj a small and apparently not a
very flourishing' town, but where an old gate
with towers, and part of a stone wall with-
out ramparts, still remaui to attest its ancient
importance. Not far from it is a consider-
able lake, and an extensive fiat evidently
covered with water at no very distant period.
Here, as usual, we wcva a lonp; time uselessly
detained, so that soon after our departure
we travelled in the dark, and did not arrive
at Barutli, a furtlier distance of fourteen
miles, until tvro in the morning. This is the
lir-t town on tliis road in the Saxon territory,
and wa-, as we ^vere told, full of Pv,uss;an
troops ; }'et to my great surprise not one ap-
peared in the sireets, it being now fine moon-
liglit, nor were we challenged ly a single
sciitinoh At the post-house w*c entered the
apartment of ( lenerai Barclay de Tolly, v.lio
was asleep, and :;houldnot have soon four.d out



74 BERLIN TO LUCKAU.

our mistal^e but for a single Aid-de-camp,
who was stationed near him. Strange as it
iiiay seem, even here tlie post-master would
not inform lis that Dresden was in possession
of the enemy. He ventured to say, however^
that he believed they had got that part of
the city which is on the left bank of the
Elbe, but that the Russians held the other;
and the centre arches of the bridge being de-
stroyed alone prevented the French from
being driven out. We were five in company,
two of Avhom were Saxons, inhabitants of
Dresden, seekin'-' to return to their own
h'U'ies. Tiiey trusted to this intelligence,
rv;'.! determined to proceed. Ca])tain Faber^
(.'( the Prussian artillery, one of our com-
•' ,. ;v, Avns of ihe same o])inion, and I thought
iv eouI-1 be no danger in joiiving them,
V' before leavinfi' London, I had thoufdit it
|;-)s>-'ib!e that I irnglit cross the route of the
I .M- liine',! iiiniie^^ I was jjrovided with a
h'lur {or L-'i-d (Vithe'art, and another for a
rt-i'sj^aii Oiiicer of rank, wliom b.is friends



LUCKAU. 75

conceived to be vvitli the Emperor. The
two Saxons, anxious to proceed, hired extra
post-horses and quitted us. After some de-
Hberation the Prussian ofhcer and I resolved
to adopt the same plan. In travelHng extra
post, two, three, or more horses are pro-
vided, according to the number of travellers
or their willingness to bear the expense.
Tliis is a far superior mode of travelling to
the ordinary post; and although still attended
with a great deal of tlie German tardiness,
the carriage is generally hghter and better
constructed, and you are in some measure
master of your own time and movements.
We set oft" after day-break, and soon passed
through a wood affording several fine op'^'n-
ings, and abounding as v/e were told in wad
boars and other large game. About eight,
after passing througli Golzen, we arrived at
Luckau, a good town, tv.elvc miles from
Barutb, pleasantly situated in the middle of
a fertile and well cultivated plain, but still
«andv. Merc wc overtook our two Saxons.



7(? J.L'CKAU.

and we agreed to continue our journey to-
gether. A large old church appearing like
a cathediai, forms the most prominent object
as we a])proach tiic town. Here we found
all in great alarm. About three hundred
Cossacks^ with their pikes, were standing
ready by their horses, but not an inhabitant
appeared in the streets. The post-master
being absent, we could not for some time
obtain intelligence, until he arrived pale and
agitated, and informed us that the Freneli
were already in great force at Ilerzbcrg, a
distance of twelve or fourteen miles upon
the high road from Leipsic. He added, that
intelligence was c\Qry moment ex})ected of
their being in full march upon Luckau, that
strong parties of C'ossacks had been sent out
to reconnoitre, and the whole of the remain-
der, as we might see, were ke|)t in readiness
for wlKitevcr might liappen. This intelligence,
as unexijccicd as jt was disagreeable, pro-
duced an immediate effect upon the conu-
tenances of my companions. For my o^ai;

1



LUCKAU. 77

]iarr, I Immediately inquired for tlic carriage

ill which \vc had arrived, that I might at

least return so far as to put myself under the

protection of the column of General Barclay

de Tolly, but found that it was aheady

^'one. To all my inquiries, the post-master

answered, that anotlier conveyance was not

to be procured on any terms, and I saw

myself likelv to be obIi2:ed to remain at

X^uckau in a state of very great suspense,

or to abandon ^vhatevcr part of my baggage

I could not carry on my back, and owe my

personal safety to my own exertions. Whilst

weighing tlicse alternatives in my mind,

neither of which appeared very np;reeab]c,

( 'aptain Faber, tlic; Prussian orlicor. '.'. lio saw

my suspense, addressed me, and told me to

be under no uneasiness : that he w^as seeking

tlie iiead-quarters : and lliat if I chose 1

mip!;iit accompany him. where I slioald at

least be h-ee of aii danger h'om the French.

Under the existins: circumztance^. ( did not

heritrite in clo^iri'T- with this urrno'-id. What



73 LUCKAU.

I could not obtain^ he, as an oOicer, at
lengtli procured not only for us but for
our Saxon companions, and after a p(n*iod
which seemed an age two light carriages
were ready for our dejjarture. We set off
in great haste, but were stopped at tlje gate
by the Cossack guard, and obliged to return
for tlic purpose of having our passports in-
spected by the Russian Commanding Oilicer,
Another half hour of cruel suspense. At
length we gained the open country, quitting
thu liigh read of Dresden and taking that
lor Calaii. As we proceeded, j^arties of Cos-
sacks ]);\ssed us at full gallop, but with what
intcHigence we kiicw not. At lengHi every
IhiuL:; became in.or: calm. We saw no more
Cossac;.s ; wc v*"iti:e^-..rd no Uiore alarm; and
aii^er iravclh;;g :;bo!.v jourteen i.iiles, at hrst
ever the cultivated iiain cf Luckau, and af-
terv,\.r(ls ovcc more nnc-'Cii ground than I
liad passed since 'caving Ilarnburg, we ar-
rived iti rive hv/M of d;e afternoon at Calau.
i'his httle town, silrjitcd upon a nsmg



f 1-1



CAI-AU. 79

ground, is distinguishable at a distance hv
its church tower, which is brick below,
stuccoed above, and terminated by a cupola
of green tiles. These green cupolas are no\y
frequently seen, and tlieir sha])e and orna-
ments, so difterent from those of the northern
nations, denote our ap})roach to a different
race. In effect, the peasant? now begin to
speak a dialect of the Sclavonic, .av,d which
I afterwards found was intelligible to Rus-
sians, in vvliose company I travelled. Calau
has ratlier tlie appearance of decay, and tiie
curiosity of tiio inhabitant^., v.bo assembled.
round our door, and their cp^'erness to serve
us, showed that tiiey were but little accus-
tomed to the sight of strangers. They had
as yet heard nothing of the approach of the
French ; we therefore dined in some tran-
quillity, and then pursued our route through
Alt-Dobern, and Senftenberg, to Hoyers-
werda, a distance of about four-and-twenty
miles. Instead of uniform plains, we now
travelled over risins; grounds diversified by



so ,>e:;ften-berg.

forests and stlIrII lake?, arid afiordino;, at in-
tcrvaL-, more extensive views than I liad tor
a long time enjoyed. After passing Sejif-
tcnbcrg, the extent and gloom of these
woods increased ; a violent wind, wliich had
taken place a few days before, had strewed
the road with boughs, and whole trees Vvcrc
blown down, and, v.itli their I'oots torn ii]7,
lav "^trctilied along v,ith all their brandies.
Wliiist eonieniplafing Iricse frequent proofs
ot ;hc ticttinHjou? ]KiW(n'5 of the recent hur-
rieajie. the risiriii \\ nid oarl alreadv befrun to
s!<:;h ilirc^Kgli thiC ivii-',, and to form small
wave'- on. die bike, jdnng wlrah our road lav".
The ;;u ianr!ir;\- tl;:; - i', ';::rod was not un-
nnxi^ci v.;;:i I'lcr/rnre, until inTorrnpt*^!, a<5 v.o
cleared I'.e ^vr>o(], b\' a nioiT niournful and
licart-vi.iiii'i::: ^r-und. ^'');i','-)- after voUev of
rnusk'^ti-\ mM ai'niic;\' annuuneed a bloodv
batile, -ccnhiiub' >'-i the di-lance of six cr
eight iiiii; -. ^i,r ;; q;,;in:or ('[' an hour the
tiriuL:; '^'•■i^ ;;.-; - a;n: how ion^' it had pre-
viously i,i-t<:(l ••. i- •..■■'. ho', /it length J as



HOYERSWERDA. 81

lli^•ht camo on, and we ap{)roached Iloycrs-
wcrda, it ceased entirely, leaving on my
mind only the melancholy impression, that
at that moment many hundreds of my fellow
creatures lay grovelling in the dust with re-
cent wounds. It was nearlv dark when wo
arrived at Ployersvverda, a small town in a
plain, with woods at no great distance, and
now full of Russian troops and baggage.
After two hours' delay, my companion, with
difficulty, procured quarters for me in a room
with himself;, and at the same time a small
portion of bread, with some coft'ee. It was
now near eleven o'clock, and he, long used
to scenes of war, stretched himself out, and
was soon fast asleep. For my part, wit-
nessing the consternation of the inhabitants,
and the incessant movement of the troops,
I began to apprehend the danger nearer than
it was, and even to imagine the possibility
of a night-attack upon Iloyerswerda, Tlu;
Jesuit of the firing which we heard three
hours before was not yet known. Should
G



S'2 H0YER5WERDA

the Fi'cnch have })roved victorious, was it
not like!}" that they would iniinediately ad-
vance ? Under these impression?, far from
having any inchnation to slec]), I employed
myself in examining all my 2:)apers, several
of which, after mature deliberation, I de-
stroyed. Among these were some reflec-
tions on the conduct of the French in Spain,
and my letter to Lord Cathcart, neither of
which I tliought likely to be of much ser-
vice to me, in case of bcino: taken.

Before break of dav the street was full
of troops, and all the Russian baggage in
motion. I descended for the ])urpose of
finding a vraggon in which I might place
my portmanteau, intending to accomjjany it
on foot; but the last v\as already nearly out
of town, and I saw no olHcer to whom I
could speak. Faber, who did not share in
inv impatience, in spite of my reiuunstrances,
remained wrapped u]) in his cloak till eight
o'clock, when having risen he found great
difficulty iu procuring a convevancc, and
1



ZO SPREr^IBERG. S3

thf.ii indeed be^'an to biainc his own tardi-
iiess. At lenf;th, about ten, wo set off in a
comiiioii waggon or cart of the countiy, with
wisps of straw for scats, and four compa-
nions who left us hardly room to place our-
^â– elves. Two of these were. youn<:^ men of
iiood families, who had fought as volunteers
m tiie battle near Leipsic, where one of
them had been v>ounded. A musket ball
had grazed his chin, and the wound was al-
ready Jiealed ; yet lie had been taken uj) for
dead by his companions, and still continued
subject to frequent giddiness, consequences
which a])peared to me unaccountable from so
slight a wound in such a part. We took the
ioad to Bautzen, where the Prussian head-
quartf.'rs were said to be ; Vjut after proceed*-
iiiS a few miles were met in the middle of a
wood bv a party of Cossacks, coming along
fill speed. They sui'rounded us, and enter-
ing into conversation v.ith one of our party
who was a Russian courier, they advised us to
nnike haste, a^ i\\c French might soon be on



84 SPREMIJEKG

that road. On receivini'' this intelht>eiice-
which liowevcr was wholly without Ibuii-
datioii, it was agreed to change our route,
which we accordingly did, taking the road
for Spremberg, where we arrived about one
o'clock. This little town is situated on the
8prce, at the foot of a ridge, which makes
behind it a semicircular sweep, and offers a
fme military position. The greater part of the
town is on the right of the river^ over which
is a bridge terminated by an old gateway.
The great square, many of the streets, and
the little meadows on the right bank of the
•Spree, were filled with Russian baggage, we
being now in the rear of the grand armv^
Owing to the state of aftiiirs, we with diifi-
culty jirocured a slight dinner, and quitted the
place at three o'clock, in the same waggon, for
Muskau. From the heights l)ehind Nj)rein-
berg, we have a view of the countr\^ up to-
wardsthe sources of the JSpree, thickly studded
with woods. Our route was mostly over
:'j)cn plains, but still ever sandv ; and beiu"'



TO MU5KAU- 85

no longer interested by the gloom of forests,
I entered into conversation with my compa-
nions, two of whom spoke French with
fluency. One of them, the young' volunteer
who had been in the battle of Lutzen^ feel-
ing sensibly the loss of some of his dearest
friends whom he had seen perish there^ and
disgusted with fatigues to which ho appa-
rently had been but little accustomed^ ex-
pressed to his companion his being wea-
ried with life, and his wish to fall in the
first battle in the cause of his country — na-
tural sentiments in a young and ardent
mind, to which death for a moment appears
preferable to privations and fatigue ! Touch-
ed with his feelings, I could not help ex-
claiming, " Would to heaven that Lord Wel-
lington were here with forty thousand En-
frlishmcn !" How was I deli«rhted to hear
the reply of Faber, an officer who had been
upwards of thirty years in tlie service, and
had taken part in many of the great battles
fougiit of late years on the Continent ; " Even



SG



bPKKMBERfi



^vidlout \our troops," said be, -• liacl we bur
soitu" <jr" vour c;enerals — bad we but Lord
V.'eibr.'iion abjiie. "Wbar lias b.e not ct-
fecteduith sucb bttlc muan:-! I look upon
bim a- hv far tbc tir-t oeneral of tbie age."
i\lv bearc b^urncd uitbin me at liearing for
tbc iir-L lime in niv hfc tbe nbbtai'V cou-
rpge and talents of England ;'llo-.ved bv a
vei'V ronnx'tcnt judaic ibeii- ftdi sbarc of inerh,
to uincb tbe\' bave ibu:4iiu tlicii' \^ av tbroncrb
all t::e -cucbed eabnnnics rt our cncnnc-^. I
bad \\iL:ie - -ed e'gbt vcai's ];ef/ru tiic strange
conten")]:: e\pres:'itl <-{' !-n;:;bsM troons bv
Sj^aniards, gror - d\" i^u ..I'ant rts i'i\cv tb*-;}
\\vre or'tiieir own dmn <, and wa^ tbereiorc
nevci' afterwards m. nnndi vurj^rbed at b. ar-
ii\<X vialiuns wi.') b;id roai ])rc;t.-iisions to nn-
lit;ir\ sbiii and !;r;nv^'\' (,'\n;'os'-nig ti:c sai!^-:
iont!n:':nt^. Oji tbv (•'.■n:rarw I tMrn(^d uw



nwni to



c] ( pnn;;ns :â– () pre



\aicnl, \et >o n!>r;a!!i\ nnju-t. iorcign
bo\\e\cr to tl;c ]'ro-ent na!r;'ti\e. At Iciwtb
t'lc niditarx' •■eoutatlon oi' Groat i^ritain is



TO MUSKAU. 87

fixed oil a basis too firm to be shaken^ and
of which the consequences to Europe arc still
incalculable.

After a ride of twelve or fourteen miles
w^e arrived in the evening at Muskau, a neat
little town on the Xeisse, still more than
Spremberg- in rear of the grand army, and
filled likewise with baggage and troops of the
reserve. An old baronial castle now forms
a pleasant residence, surrounded by a moat,
with two towers, adorned like many of the
churches in this country with green cupolas.
The peasants throughout this day's journey
continued to speak, besides the German, a
dialect pretty generally understood by the
Russian courier who was in our company.
Nothing however struck me with so much
surprise as the uncertainty Avhich seemed
eveiy where to prevail, as to the exact situa-
tion of the head-quarters. The oflicers in
company made constant inquiries, without
obtaining' any information which could be
trusted. It seemed pretty generally allowed
that General Bluchcr was at or near Bautzen.



88 MUSKAU.

but where "wcrc the great head-quarters
HO one knew. At Muskau, Faber procured
me officer's quarters in a respectable family,
with whom we supped. A good bed ^\as
made lor me on the floor, the children of the
faniilv slept the sleep of innocence around,
and I was ])rcparing' to take some rest after
so much anxiety and fatigue, wlien tlie Rus-
sian courier who had accompanied us from
lioverswerda came to inform me that he
had ]jrocured a carriage for next morning.
As he was to set oft' at break of dav I took
leave of Faber, who had already informed me
that he would remain two days at Muskau,
and advised me to embrace the present oj)-
]3ortunitv. ^^'e })arted like men who had
been fjng acquainted. Farewell, my friend !
we shall ])erhaps never meet again ; but I re-
tain a u'rateful sense of thv services, and re-
jojce. to have found in thee those feelings to-
wards Jv.-.iiland and Englishmen that ought
to anmiate e\ery (rerman bosom, and which
1 thmk we have well deserved I

Instead ofslcejiing, as Iliad expected, amidst



MUSKAU. 80

•d fine family of children, a scene of peace,
\vbilst all around announced the preparations
for a tremendous battle, I accompanied my
new friend to the post-house, where, stretched
out upon some chairs and striving in vain
to sleep, I waited the dawn of day. It was
now the morning" of the fourteenth. About
three o'clock we set oti". In the outskirts of
Muskau tlie atmosphere glowed with the
ruddv ilames of the bivouac fires, before
which the Russian soldiers lay stretched;
the moon still shone with a pale lustre, and
mornino; was advancing; in the cast. These
three distinct lights, the two former of which
were cvciy moment becoming fainter, would
have lormcd a fiPiC study for a painter. Soon
after leavini:' ^.luskau, the road a^ain leads
through woods of pine, and is formed of
trunks of trees laid close together across.
As tlie earth with which these trees are at
first slightly covered soon becomes washed
oft" by heavy rains, or the trunks themselves
decay, nothing can be conceived w^orse than



()0 SlhSKY.

j^ucli roads, unless kept in constant rcpan" ,
althoii^Lrh surrounded by thick woods I no-
ticed tliat the inequalities of the ground in-
creased in proportion as we quitted Mus-
kau, but the ridges were still ridges of sand.
We did not reach Nicsky, distant from
IMuskau about fourteen miles, until seven
o'clock. Tins liandsome village is an esta-
blishment of the Ilernhuters, formed se-
venty years a^ro, and a'^recablv situated on
elevated groriud^ amidst a â– \\oodv country.
'l\\-.' streets are v,idc, the houses neat and
clean, and a square planted with trees gives
to the Vvhole an air of elegance ; the nioi'e
5trikii^.2' after having travelled through
gloomy Moc'ds of pine. Here 1 was ac-
costed as a counLryman, b\' a tall figure ^^ho
*ieclarcd hln:-eif tr- ha\'e l)een boi'n near
Leed-, hut v>hf><e accent more nearlv re-
f'.:mi.)le«i that of a nativ',_' cf llie hrmks '4 the
LillV or the Mian'.;',;n. Aillunigh f(»r se-
venteen veai'S a resident u])on the Continent,
• I'd njarried to a FicU'/h wonikn. he "rtdl



KIESKY. 91

ciiquircd after the domestic news of En-
glaiidj with an eagerness which marked the
power of t]ie early tics of country, and with
what difficuhy they are eradicated from the
human h.eart. Here is a kind of college or
school, in which he was a professor, and
several of his scholars surrounded me, and
addressed me in a language tlie fruit of his
instructions, -which I endeavoured to under-
stand as English. Tlie good man was so
delighted with the opportunity of speaking
Iiis native language, ahliough imperfectly,
after so long an interval, that he never quit-
ted my side a moment during my stay at
NicL^kv. ?Jeantime ni}^ Russian companion
had incautiously permitted our carriage to
return, and another was not here to be ob-
tained. In this dilemma, a young Russian
oificer of the Guards, also seeking the head-
<|uartcrs, arrivcM;!, who, liearing my report,
detained his waggon and readily acceded to
v\\ proposal of accom]);(nying hi'n.



92 HOCHKlRCir.

Having rested the horses, we were preparing
to set oft" for Gorhtz, where we were told the
head-quarters were ; when a Cossack arrived,
from whom we learned that they were cer-
tainly fixed at Wurtschen. This was the
first real information on so important a
point, that I had heard given. We set oft'
about eleven o'clock, having a peasant for
our guide, and proceeded in a gradual de-
scent along a broad and excellent road bor-
dered with trees, which thus continued for
several miles. Having descended from the
heights of Nicskv, and passed through a
small wood, we arrived at ^m ojjcn countrv
shortly to become the theatre of a great bat-
tle. Upon the heights on our left was the
village of Hochkirch, rendered celebrated
by the defeat of the King of Prussia on the
Mtli October, 1/58. There fell Marshal Keith,
one of the best of his generals, and whose
statue I iiave ah'cady mentioned as ornament-
in<r one of the squares of Berlin.



WURTSCHEN. 93

Owing to the fatii^ued state of our horses,
we did not arrive at Wurtschen until two
o'clock. In this village most of the houses
\Ncre deserted by the inhabitants, not a woman
or child was to be seen ; the doors were all
open, and many of the windows broken or
the sashes removed. The Emperor's head-
quarters were in a large house, on the side
of which facing Hochkirch, are still the
marks made by cannon-balls, fired in that
battle more than fifty years ago. They have
been carefully preserved, and a Latin in-
scription records and deplores the cause :
'* Eheu! Signa proelii Hochkirchiemis,'" In
the large court-yard, filled with horses and
Cossacks, I found a bundle of straw, where
I gladly threw myself down whilst my com-
panion went to deliver his dispatches.
Scarcely had I done so, when the guard
flew to arms ; every body stood up, and tlie
Emperor passed to enter the house, I be-
held a man tall, lusty, well made, although
somewhat round-shouldered, and of a coun-



94 WL'Ili-CilLN.

tcnance rather soft and mild than Dcnctrat-
ing or imposing. Yet hh trooj-s looi: towards
liini as a superior being, or at least behevc
him to be, as perhaps in some respects he
is, the greatest of monarehs. At a subse-
quent period I beheld his lame and wounded
soldiers, in their quarrels vvidi tlie inhabi-
tants, threatening them ^\ith tiie wrath of
the Great Alexander, a name whieli they
seemed to think every iiiuropean was bound