a Swiss, was ne])hew of Marshal Mar-
mont, who had been taken prisoner after tlie
battle of Bautzen by the Cossacks ; and the
l65 MLBERBERG.
fourth was a Hollanckr, who had made the
campaign of Moscow, and had been arrested
on his return through Prussia when almost
on the Austrian frontiers. Both the latter
were young men and captains of cavalry.
After some time, I was allowed to visit them
in their apartm.ent ; and from that day 1
mi^lit consider mvself as at anv rate on a
footing with the officers, prisoners of v/ar.
The young Swiss, whose name wasPerregaux,
and who was nephew to the banker of that
name at Paris, gave me details of his warfare
against the English in Spain. lie allov.ed
to them a great deal of national braver\'.
staling, that they acted admirably as tirail-
leurs, and that the Scots were " dc>-iis "'
with the bayonet. By these, he no doubt
meant the Highland regiments, his preju-
dices not permitting bim. to ;icknowiedi;C the
superiority of tlie English in that decisive
â– vveaj)on. Marshal Marmont, be said, had
not I(_'St Ins arm. It was broken in two ]}!aces
by the bursting of a shell; at the battle cf
SILBERBERG. iQ'/
Salamanca ; but a skilful surgeon had been
able to preserve it. This young man received
frequently letters and money from his friends,
the head-quarters of Marshal Marmont not
being above twenty miles from Silberberg.
Among other things, the cross and ribbon
of the Legion of Honour were sent to him,
which his uncle had had interest to procure.
It was pleasing to observe at once a striking
t)'ait of national character. He eagerly
placed the ribbon in his button-hole^ and
never afterwards failed to wear it, as he
walked up and down among his fellow pri-
soners. An Englishman would have spurned
the bauble, which, however, amongst a
people separated from him only by a few
leagues, becomes an object of envy, and
a po^^crful engine in the hands of ambi-
tion.
From the other young captain I had
nuiiierous details of tlie evcr-memorabic
<'a)npa';gn of Moscow. His regunent of
I iulans had been constantlv with the ad-
l68 5il,BERBL]J.n,
vanccd guard under Murat^ and oat of
twelve hundred and fifty men, oi which it
originally consisted^ nearly a thousand had
already fallen, or were in the hospital before
quitting Moscow. For six days before entering
that citv he had eaten horse-flesh, which was
Ins sole food for sixty-two days on the re-
treat : and had already ])aid a ducat for a
half beer-glass of common s];n"its. From
the day of crossing the Nicmen, during the
"ivhole of the march; not a dozen peasants
were seen on eitlie]- side of the route. Every-
thing was burnt up, desiroyedj or removed.
At the battle of Smolen^ko. the infantry
aL^ne were at first engaged, the cavalr\' on
both sides lining the o])po-ite banks of the
river, in separate squadrons for a long dis-
tance, to prevent a surp^rise on eitlK'r flank,
But in the baldo ui ^L»jai^k, or Boj-odino,
the cavah-y liaci a large }jart. There he had
two hoivjj killed under hinn. Nctliiug can
k'C >aid bufiiciLiit to gi\'e an idea of the
k.rrors of that tattle. The French troojir,
1
SILBERBERG. 16Q
C'jntrary to their usual custonij fought in a
mournful silence. Cavalry and infantrj'',
Cossacks and artillery, all were mixed to-
gether in the promiscuous carnage. The
battle began at four in the morning, and the
last cannon-shot was hred about nine at
night. So difficult, however^ is it to ac-
quire the knowledge of truth, even from re-
spectable eye-witnesses of great events, that
he positively affirmed the French to have rc-
niained masters of the field. In proof of
!:his, he alleged that his regiment continued
on the ground tliat night, and uas put in
march at tour o'clock next morning for Mos-
cow. Douhilcss, acting as ca])tam of ca-
\alrv, enveloped in dust, and in perpetual
motion, he could not pro])erly judge of the
great movements of the armie?, and had
mistaken a flank march for a direct advance
in front. Yet, it is (jften on these partial
views, that men arc mo-i positive in their
')pinions. At Moscow, tlie ai-niy found
'•loth- and at first plenty of ^oifee, choco-
170 3ILBEREERG.
iatCj ^vilie, furs, and luxuries, but little or
no flour. >Soou every thing became enor-
mously dear. Long before the retreat began^
subordination was lost amongst the troops,
and it was the general opinion^ that Bona-
parte had been deceived by an aj)pearance of
ne£"otiation, to lose so much time at Moscow.
He was in the affliir which took place previous
to the retreat, in which he thought it extremely
probable tliat the Russians took thirty-seven
pieces of cannon as stated by Beningsen, as
he knew of twenty-five. It was a complete
surpri-c, and Murat himself was nearly
taken. For a long time his white })]umc,
which, as King of Naples, he always wore
in the field, was conspicuous amid hostile
iiclmets and the spears of Cossacks^ and it
^vas onlv bv a dcsijcrate charge of his ad-
herents that he was savc(h It is impossible.
hv any (l'jscrii)lion, to exaggerate the horrors
of the rerrcat. It was three lumdred thou-
sand men puL tu <idibr all thai liu.man nature
couid endure, wiibout entire de-truclion. Hi-
SILBERBERG, ] 7 I
horses all died, and he was obliged to walk
in the seventy of the cold with his feet
nearly bare. He saw forty louis given for a
place in a common cart, for a distance of
thirty miles ; and a General, after making a
bargain of that kind, being benumbed by
the cold, was pushed out by common sol-
diers who had previously occupied the
seats, and left to perish on the road. After
innumerable hardships, he had with diffi-
culty reached Poland, when his strength en-
tirely failed him, and he lay ill for fifteen
weeks at the house of an hospitable curate.
From this, when pursuing his route on foot
to his own country, the war broke out be-
tween Prussia and France, and after various
adventures, he had been arrested and con-
fined in Silberberi*:. Both he and Perrco-aux
'-J o
talked with great contempt of the Cossacks,
whom tiiey agreed in aifirming to be wholly
useless in battles, and by no means remark-
able for their bravery in skirmishes and
^iiV2,'lc combats. Their great qualities arc
ITC SILBEKBERG,
their cunning, their skill in concealing them-
selves, and suddenly assenjbling on given
points, the intimate knowledge which they
â– acquire of a country, and their unwearied
patience. By these qualities they surround
an enemy's army, as it were by an invisible
line, interru})this communications, and make
prisoners perpetually. It is curious to see
them make a charge. They advance in
large masses : but in approaching the ene-
my, the bravest only press forward, whilst
the others gradually check their career, in
proportion to their want of courage. I3y
this means, the whole mass assumes by de-
grees the rude appearance of a wedge, or of
several wedges joined at the base. Should
the attack of the foremost be successful,
the rest crv '• victorv," and share the glory ;
but if it lail, as against regular cavah-\' it Is
almost sure to do. thev have at least the ho-
noiw of leading the retreat.
Such \\ei-e the conversati(/ns which be-
guiled the tedious hours, while we walked to
^ILBERBERG. 173
und fro in the little square of the fortress. A
curious fate had brought ns from different
quarters of the world, to meet in a narrow
space, on the top of the first ridge of moun-
tains which separates tSile?ia from Bohemia.
Although of nations bitterly hostile, the si-
milarity of om' present destiny extinguished
all feelings of animosity, and our sole con-
test was, to show^ each other acts of kindness
and civilit\^ Tliere were delicate points,
which each forbore to press, when they evi-
dently became painful ; tlicre were others,
in wliich we willingly united. We all
agreed to laugh at the English expedition to
V/alchercn, I alone with pain : and condemn
the French invasion of the Peninsula. We all
allowed iliat Bonaparte was a man of great
talents, and of great crimes. We had all ob-
served the tardiness of Germany in the acts
of war and of peace, when compared with
the two most enligiuened nations of modern
times. What a pity that, on our separation,
w-:- must take up our ancient sentiments, and
174 SILBERBERG.
wish defeat and disgrace to each other's coun-
try and cause.
One circumstance struck me forciblv, as
indeed it was repeatedly pressed upon my
attention in our conversations, namely, the
horror entertained by my companions of
being made prisoners in England. The idea
of being confined in floating dungeons
seemed to haunt all their imaginations, whe-
ther French, Swiss, Dutch, or Westpha-
lians : nor did I find any prejudice respect-
ing England more deeply rooted among
tliCm, or more difficult to combat. As the
honour and humanitv of a nation are dee])]v
cODcernca .n tlie treatment ol' its prisoner?,
I UiJide every eiiort in my power to o^jvc
them move, c'orrect inlbrranlion upon tiiis
head; t;>;t as I c'jiiU] not uc-ny that a great
])roporlioM wen; eouiiacrl en board of vopsej?,
they eonsiaiilly rcverleci to liiis, asserting it
to be cruel ;iiul uuviiitural to shut v\) men
ibr vcn's to<icther in liuiks, \. itiini sio-ht of
land, I obbjivcd, tlKii ibnii;;. J places ^vere
SILBERBERG. 175
used for the same purpose on the Continent,
and that as England had none of those, the
Government was obhged to use her old float-
ing bulwarks, or cover the face of the coun-
try with prisons. Still they did not like the
idea of being enclosed in wooden cells, and
answered my arguments by a shrug of the
shoulders, or a shake of the head, which gene-
rally left the matter as we had begun it. But
these debates did not disturb our cordiality.
We made parties at cards togctlier, and when
the Frenchman and I were successful,
^' fSee," he exclaimed, " what would become
of you all were English and French but to
unite r''
Among our later indulgences, was the
use of books, which we were permitted to
borrow and hire. The Professor procured
one, belonging to a book society, which
strongly marked the dililrcncc l.^etween these
Institutions in England and in Silesia. In-
i^lcad of bciuGf fellovv-citizciis, the memb;
1/0 SlI-Di/RBERa.
were inhabitants of difiercnt towns, Glat2:,
Silbcrberg, Frankenstein^, and others^ and
a trifling work thus made the tour of the
places through the medium of a ckib. It
would appear that the means of procuring
information must he very circumscribed,
where such tardy and circuitous modes arc
resorted to.
About the middle of July, I received a
note from Sir Charles Stewart, dated the
21st of June, from Reichenbach, the dis-
tance of a single starie from Silberberp\
This, had it been dehvcMvd in course, would
have relieved nie from a cruel state of
anxiety ; but the information which it con-
veyed I had now obtained from other quarters,
namelj^, that my letters from Gorlitz had
been received, nud forwardt^d to England.
I was at a lois tu account tor the kec];ing
back of such .i sinijjle puoe of intelligence
for so long a period, and intloed until it be-
came useless ; ;;nd i:oi\U\ /i-inbute it only to
SILBERBERG. 177
those instructions which the commandant
said he had received on my arrival, to treat
me with more than usual strictness.
On the 21st of July, notice was given on
the parade, tliat the armistice was prolonged
to the 10th of August. This seemed to in-
dicate peace, and my companions did not
tail to form fresh conjectures on the proba-
ble terms, and in what manner the Emperor
\vould anew partition Europe. On the other
hand, the commandant and the greater part
of the Prussian othcers breathed nothing but
war. The\ asserted tliat peace, under the
present circumstances, was not to be b.oped
for; and that at any rate England would
never consent to it. The soldiei's naturally
took up tlie same sentiments, and those who
\^isiied an end to the war repeated the worn-
out story of the obstinacy of the •' En-
glanders." I was mdced surprised at not
seeing the desire for peace more common
among>^t tliem. For some tmie they had re-
N
178 STT.BERBERGi
ccived no pay, tlicy lived in dark unwhole-
some casemattes, many of them were badly
clothed, and tliey subsisted entirely on the
scanty rations of provisions served out to
them. Under these circumstances, subject-
ed to all the rigour of military discipline^
-md without tho immediate operation of any
of those strong incentives which prompt
men to act and to suffer, it is not to be
wondered at, that murmurs of discontent,
anfl sig^hs for peace, sometimes met my ear.
With these were mixed reports of the most
contradictory nature. Sometimes it was
said, that pca;^c ^vas concluded ; and some-
limes, that the French had treacherously
brok.jn the armistice, and fallen upon the al-
lies withi all their force. Some movements,
•vhich took plac'?. about the 2Gth among the
iroops in the nei^!;hbor;rhood, seemed to jus-
tify thL-:e Iatl;:r rei;;)rts. They were suddenly
orflered to march out of their eantonments',
and iu the nieht the bivouac fires of the
SILEERBERG. 179
army v.cre vl::-ible from the summit of the
fortress, forming a distant line of light of
immense extent.
Three weeks had now elapsed, since I had
been visited by Mr. Kobliouse, and Mr.
Kiiniaird, and as yet I saw no farther signs
of liberty. In spite of all my efforts, I was
in eonsequencc again relapsing into melan*
choly, Nvbcn about nine o'clock in the cven-
big of the SOili July, we ticard llie voice
of the Alajor on the outside of our door,
calling fir t'lc k':ys of our apartment, where
iv2 were already i-biit up ibr the nii^lit. J
felr a kind of presevitiment that he eamc ibr
me, but feareci to induigc tiie hope, lest the
disappoivitmoiit should be moi'c !)itter. At
length tiie door Oj:;eued. and I ivas dc-ired
TO come over to vbc 1 ominandanl, who had
betters for me. Tills w;i3 joyful iiitelligenee,
nor was I slo'-v ni complying With the re-
quest. I rceeived a note from Mr, JaeksoHj
witli answers to ray ktiers to E;igjand; bom
iio^cd me
2
180 5ILBERBLRG.
his instructions to set me at liberty ; inibrni
ing nie at the same time, that a waggon
would be ready next morning to carry mc
to Reichenbach. On my return across the
square^ I found my new friends, the priso-
ners of war, assembled together. They had
Iieard of my having obtained my liberty, and
now welcomed me with cheers and congra-
tulations. I was locked up for the last time
with my two companions in misfortune, who
seemed divided between joy and sorrow for
my approaching departure. They could not
but be happy on my account that I was free ;
but the loss of a companion in so small a
circle was also heavy for those who remain-
ed. I could not sleep all night. Early in
the morning I was ready to set olf. I break-
fasted with Captain Perregaux and his com-
rades, the first meal which I had taken ^
free from being under guard, for eleven weeks.
Previous to my de])arture, I obtained from
the conuiiandaut ihe liberty of going round
tJic ibriress, froiii the summit of vvhich the
SILBERBERG. 181
views are extensive and grand. To the south
are the mountains of Moravia and Bohemia ;
v/hilst on the other quarters the view ex-
tends over a great part of Silesia, to Lusace,
and even, it is said, to the borders of Saxony.
The fortress itself stands on the summit of a
ridge of liills, towards their termination to
the eastward. The body of the plaee ap-
peared to me small in comparison with its
outworks, especially an extensive hornwork
ori the ridge of a hill. The ditch is cut in
the solid gneiss rock, which also in many
places constitutes part of the walls them-
selves. It is truly a fortress founded on a
rock. There are bomb-proof casemattes for
sheltering two thousand four hundred men ;
but their dampness and darkness render the
greater part of them unwholesome dungeons^
which are never used out in eases of neces-
sity. There is also stabling for four or live hun-
dred liorses, all bomb-pioof. Placed on these
heights >\ liere one sees around nothing bat
mountains and forests^ the fortress of Silber-
182 IJ/CPARTUKE
bci'ix is <iii ol^cct oi' iutciTst, It cijijieai's a*
if, ill ?. diliorcjiL ^tutc of j^cM-ictv, a inaii pos-
>c:^r!i»)2: such n situation might act thj part
'^f a niouiitctin cliicf on a c'reat scale^ and
descend lo ravac-'c v.ith iuipmnty the jjlams
bciow. Vet, however strong, 'xad iiovrcver
important it mav be as a ibrtrcs:; in ibile;ia_-
It will not lon.g excite tlic attention of one
who has seen the mighty works of GibraUor
and ^.lalta.
But now the hour of njv dej^arturc wa?
iirri\'ed ; the h.ght wagor-n ap23earcd in the
iquarc\ and niv fellow-prisoner? v.'cre assem-
bled to bid me farewell. The La(h- of the
commandant prc-ented rne v.ith a bunch oi
flowers .; my i^^'0 comrades look me round the
neck and kissed me. Ijefore I \\as aware tha:
such was the mode of their country; and Lc=
iebre shed tears. The idea of mv liberty
did n<'t prevent my being aftected witli these
proofs of regard. But already the driver
had ri;:]:)catedl\- urged our departure, and I
moantcd tlie vehicle. At owqq all hand*
FROM SILBERBERG, 1S3
were waved, and every voice pronounced
adieu. In an instant we were under the
archway, and I heard again tlie liollow
tramphng of the h.orses over the draw-
bridge. As we passed, I looked dov/n for
the last time into the ditch, where I had
spent so many melancholv hours ; but soon
my attention was called off to the beautiful
prospect spread out beneath me. With joy
I descended into the plains. The town of
Silberberg was now quiet, and, compared
with its former tumult, appeared as if de-
serted on every side. The fields of barley.
vv'hich were green when I entered, were ncv-"
yellow and ripe for the sickle. The change
was to me striking, sudden, and somevrhat
melancholy ; serving as a fresh memorial of
the continual lapse of time. Vv^e passed
through several villages, but met scarcely
any body on our road, except a few wan-
dering Cossacks looking for forage. By de-
grees the spires of Rcichenbach appeared in
vieW; previous to entering wiiich? however.
184 REICHENBA( H.
we stopped at a small place where the chief
office of the Pohce was cstabhshed, and
where my pass was exhibited. I met here
tlie same person who had examined me at
Gorlitz. At sin;ht of me his face grew red ;
but he offered neither apology nor congratula-
tion ; confining himself to the common civi-
lities of his office. I affected in like manner
to treat him as a person whom I had never
seen before, and departed without saying a
word. In another quarter of an hour we
arrived at Reichenbach,
18-J
CHAP. VIII.
RdcJicnhach . — Russian Guards. — Meeting
of the tivo Jllonarchs. — Route to Berlin.
I FOUND at Reichenbach Captain Du-
ring, the Aid-de-camp of Sir Charles Stew-
art, who had visited me in Silberherg. After
many fruitless attempts to procure a room,
he assigned to me the apartment of an En-
glish Captain, who was likel\^ to be absent
during the short period of my stay. It was
here that I first enjoyed, after so long an
interval, the luxury of being alone. I was
without a companion and without a guard.
Those only who have felt the irksomeness of
being for elfven weeks subjected to the con-
stant observation of otiiers, can tell how great
a rehef this was: I -till trembled, hovvever.
iest some new order of arrest iuiglu be is-
sued against me^ and rose reiealedly to as-
186 REICH£XBACH.
certain that the door was not locked. I dined
at freedom. At night I saw the moon and
the starry heaven = Twice the moon had
filled and waned witljout my beholding itc
Her pale light descended into the bottom
of the ditchj and illuminated the opposite
walls ; and in the stillness of the night I
used often to rise and contemplate it. But
the bright orb itself was hid from my sight
by the depth of the arched window^ and
by iron bars. At Reichenbaeh I stood in
the centre of the great square^ and saw her
fide sublime among the clouds. How magr-
nilicciU, a spectacle '
Kcichenbach being head-qriarucrs, tlic rni-
litaiy duty was ])erfoj'med by the Russian
guards;, of whom about two hundred assem-
bled here every m.orning, from various parts
in tiie neighbourhood, I was exceedingly
struck with, the appearance of these meu;,
mid<'ui)tv:dly the fmcst body in Europe.
1'heir uniformity ^^as not confined to their
dress and accoutrements merelv. but ex-
RUSSIAN GUARDS. J 8/
tended also to their countenances^ which all
bore what may be called a family resemblance.
This n-ave to them a dep;ree of interest
'rvhich I have nexcv seen in any other troops.
Their air was highly military ; yet without
that haughtiness which the French affect.
Here the pride of military courage was evi-
dently tempered by the past experience of
great hardships^, and by a patience to sub-
mit to tliem, equal to a readiness for braving
dangers. Their hardy habits were evinced
by their sleeping out in the open air upon
the stones, without even a littie straw be-
neath them. The season to be sure ren-
dered this at present no particular incon-
venience, yet I believe that few other Eu-
ropeans, in the same situation, would have
ehosen the street in preference to the ad-
joining guard-house. Every thing in short,
in these troops, showed the perfection of
military discipline, founded u])ou mate-
rials of the very best kind. They arc the
dcligb.t of their Emperor, vvho indeed hag
iSS aUSSJAN GUARD?,
taken great pains to form them. He is for
ever reviewing, parading, in?pcctnig them.
Does he see a man among his other regi-
ments with whose appearance he is pleased ?
He orders liim directlv into his o'uards. In
inspecting his guards, does one strike him
as being any ways inferior to the rest in
point of appearance '-' He is sent to mingle
with the troops of the hne. This constant
attention on the part of the Sovereign, joined
to the uncontrohed command of a vast po-
pulation, easilv accounts for the superior
appearance of the Russian guards. It is by
no means singular, that out of so many mil-
lions, forty thousand men should be selected,
who at once fix the attention of all who be-
hold them.
\'\'cre it my provmcc, I should here no-
tice the Ued ('o'-sarks of the guard, also
stationed \n and ncnr Rcichenbacli, and un-
questionabh' tiic most formidable borlv of
lancers in Kuiope. Thev are all chosen
men j their red jackets sitting clobc to their
REICHEMJACH. 189
bodies give them an unincumbered look,
and they wield their long lances with incon-
ceivable strenuth and dexteritv. But an ac-
count of the difterent description of Russian
troops having been already given to the
world, I shall now confine myself more
ytrictly to the purpose of my narrative.
In the answers which I had received from
England to my letters, it was intimated,
that should I choose to call again upon Lord
Catlicart I might trust to receiving a more
liospitable reception tlian I liad at first expe-
rienced. I still fclt^ however, such a mixture
of indirj'nation and contempt ibr the causes
that liad led to my imprisonment, that I de-
clined the dangerous honour, I found indeed
that his private secretary;, ^\\v. \\'erry, with
whose family I had been acquainted in
Smyrna and Malta, had rep::atediy offered,
durmg rny im};!'i;-(;'nment, to nde over to Sil-
berberg spA i Jenriiy n'C ; but had rever been
permitted by hi': Lord:^hip, Ti;e knowledge
KjO REICIIENBACII.
of this Circumstance, however, was not ne-
cessary to influence my determination.
Two days afterwards I learned, that an
English niesscriger was about to be sent off
to Berlin, and that thiC opportunity would
be favourable for my accompanying iiim. I
lost no time in making my arrangements,
and it v^as arreL'd that we should travel to-
O
gether. On the evenii;g of the 2d of Au-
ii'ust. having; waited half the day for the dis-
patch;es, my portmanteau was already in the
carriage, when he arrived with his mails in
^ome trepidation, and informed me that his
Lordship liad prohiljited his taking any per-
son with him. J was therefore oblig-ed to
take out my portmanteau, and see him set
off alone, wliilst 1 remained three days lon-
p;cr. I had thus ample time for seeing the
town and its environs. Reiciiestbach is sur-
rounded by an ancient double wall, the inner
Oi which iias low round low^-r:;, at short in-