by L. Mühlbach
CHAPTER XLIV.
THE WAR WITH AUSTRIA.
Napoleon, in ill-humor, was pacing his cabinet, while Minister Champagnywas standing at the large desk, covered with papers and maps, where hewas engaged in folding and arranging several documents.
"They are bent on having war, those insolent Austrians," said Napoleon,after a pause, "and they want it now, because they believe that I am notprepared for it. What an unheard-of presumption, to arrest my couriers,and take their papers from them! And now that I am takingreprisals--that I on my part have issued orders to arrest their courierson all highways, and in all cities, and to take their papers from them,the Austrians are raising a hue-and-cry about the violation ofinternational law; and if war should break out, the blame, as usual,will be laid at my door!" He paused, but added immediately:
"I wished to remain at peace with Germany for the present, for I haveenough to do with those wretched Spaniards, who are rising against mytroops like a vast band of guerillas. But that is just what is givingthe Austrians courage. They believe me to be weakened, isolated, andunable to wage war with any other power, and hence the cowards takeheart, and think they can obtain spoils from the lion. But, patience!the lion retains his former strength and vigor, and will finally destroyhis enemies. Champagny, I suppose you have already sent the Austrianambassador his passports?"
"Yes, sire, Count Metternich has departed with all the members of hislegation."
"Very well; let him go to Vienna and announce my speedy arrival to theEmperor Francis," exclaimed Napoleon, impatiently.
"Sire, Count Metternich will meet the emperor no longer in Vienna," saidChampagny calmly.
"No longer in Vienna!" exclaimed Napoleon, laughing scornfully. "DoesFrancis II. suspect already that I am about to come, and has he taken tohis heels even before I have left Paris?"
"No, sire; it seems, on the contrary, that the Emperor Francis intendsto put himself at the head of his troops."
Napoleon burst into a loud laugh. "The Austrians, then, believe mysoldiers to be sparrows, and think they can drive them out by settingup a scarecrow! If the Emperor Francis himself intends to command, hewill command the army only to retreat, for the word 'forward' is not tobe found in his dictionary. Have you looked over the dispatches fromGermany, and can you report to me what they contain?"
"I am ready, sire," said Champagny, glancing at the papers.
"Then commence," ordered the emperor, sitting down, and taking from thetable a penknife, with which he whittled the back of the chair.
"The four corps of the Austrian army, with the two reserve corps, movedon the first of April toward the frontier of Bavaria," said Champagny.
"As soon as they cross the Inn and enter the territory of my ally, warwill break out," exclaimed Napoleon. "Proceed!"
"On the evening of the 9th of April, the Archduke Charles and hisbrother, the emperor, arrived with the army at Linz. Thence he sent oneof his adjutants to the King of Bavaria, to whom was to be delivered anautograph letter, in which the archduke announced to the king that hehad received orders to advance, and would regard and treat as enemiesall that would resist his progress, no matter whether they were Germanor foreign troops."
"Why, that is a regular declaration of war," said the emperor, piercingthe velvet cushion of the chair with his penknife.
"Yes, sire, it is," said Champagny, taking up another paper. "We havereceived, moreover, a copy of the war manifesto which the Emperor ofAustria has published in the _Vienna Court Gazette_, and which was drawnup by Gentz, the well-known pamphleteer."
"Gentz!" ejaculated Napoleon. "Do not those warlike Austrians see thatthat is their death-knell, and that it is a bad omen for them that Gentzhad to blow the war-trumpet? Is it not the same Gentz who drew up thehigh-sounding manifesto for the King of Prussia, previous to the battleof Jena?"
"Yes, sire, the same."
"Well, that was in 1806; the six has been transformed into a nine--thatis all the difference," exclaimed Napoleon. "Every thing else hasremained unchanged. I suppose the same language of self-reliance, of awounded sense of honor, and of noble patriotism, is to be found in themanifesto of 1809 as in that of 1806? Oh, I know it! Those Germans everremain the same; they always believe their cause just; they always wantpeace, and find war, without any fault of theirs. Those Austrians haveirritated me for about a year past; they have secretly armed during thattime. The busier they believed me to be in Spain, the more energeticallythey continued their preparations; and whenever I had them questionedabout their motives and objects, they made evasive and unsatisfactoryreplies. The natural consequence of all this was, that I moved my troopstoward the German frontier; that Davoust, Lannes, and Massena, withthree corps, had to approach Austria, and hold themselves in readinessto cross its boundaries when the Austrians enter Bavarian territory; andthat, finally, I issued orders to the princes of the Confederation ofthe Rhine to place their federal quota on a war-footing, and prepare forthe outbreak of hostilities. No sooner had this been done, than theAustrians arrested my courier contrary to international law, andcompelled me to retaliate. Nevertheless, I suppose, they are entirelyinnocent now, and the manifesto of the Emperor Francis proves clearlythat France, by her incessant insults and encroachments, by herinsatiable thirst after new territories, and by her boundless ambition,compelled Austria to take up arms. Is it not so?"
"Yes, sire, it is so. There are at the conclusion of this manifestowords and ideas that are almost identical with those your majestyuttered just now."
"Read this conclusion," said Napoleon, leaning back in his chair.
Champagny read: "The Emperor Francis will never deem himself authorizedto meddle with the domestic affairs of foreign states, or to arrogate tohimself a controlling influence on their system of government, on theirlegislative and administrative affairs, or on the development of theirmilitary strength. He demands a just reciprocity. Far from beingactuated by motives of ambition or jealousy, the emperor will envy noother sovereign his greatness, his glory, his legitimate influence; theexclusive assumption of such advantages alone is the source of generalapprehensions and the germ of everlasting wars. Not France, in thepreservation and welfare of which his majesty will always take theliveliest interest, but the uninterrupted extension of a system which,under the name of the French Empire, acknowledges no other law in Europethan its own, has brought about the present confusion; it will beremoved, and all the wishes of his majesty will be fulfilled, when thatexclusive system will be replaced by one of moderation, self-restraint,the reciprocal independence of all the states, respect for the rightsof every power, the sacred observance of treaties, and the supremacy ofpeace. Then alone can the Austrian monarchy and the whole politicalfabric of Europe be maintained in a prosperous condition."
"Enough!" exclaimed Napoleon, rising from his chair, and throwing thepenknife into a distant corner of the room. "I shall pay Austria forthis insolence, and there will be a day when the Emperor Francis and hisscribbler Gentz will repent of this miserable pamphlet! I will have totreat the former as I have treated the kings of Naples and Spain. Thehouse of the Hapsburgs must cease to reign. Or, if in my patience, Ishould allow the imperial throne of Austria to exist further under theirrule, it shall not be occupied by this dull and obstinate man, but byhis brother, the Elector of Wuerzburg![43] But woe to this M. Gentz, whohas dared to irritate me anew! Once already I gave orders to arrest andpunish him. He succeeded in making his escape. My police will be morecautious this time. When I have made my entry into Vienna, I shallremember M. Gentz! Ah, somebody is coming!"
[Footnote 43: After Napoleon had made his entry into Vienna, he reallyrequested the Emperor Francis to abdicate in favor of the latter'sbrother. The battle of Aspern prevented this plan from being carriedinto effect.]
The door opened, and one of the imperial adjutants entered.
"Sire," he said, handing a sealed letter to Napoleon, "the director ofthe Paris telegraph-office has just brought this."
"At last!" exclaimed Napo
leon, seizing the letter, and then motioninghim to leave the room.
"At last!" he repeated, breaking the seal. His eyes passed over thepaper with an expression of uncontrollable impatience. His countenancebrightened, and a faint blush came to his cheeks. He raised his eyestoward the minister. "Champagny," he said, in a joyful voice, "war hascommenced; the Austrians have crossed the Inn and invaded the states ofmy ally the King of Bavaria. The decisive moment is at hand. I shall setout this very night. To-day is the 12th of April; on the 17th I shall beat Donauwoerth and put myself at the head of my army. Now let us go towork and make our dispositions.--What is the matter now?"
The door opened again, and the court-marshal appeared on the thresholdto announce dinner.
Napoleon cast a hasty glance at the clock. "Indeed, it is six o'clock!"he exclaimed. "But I cannot go yet. Have every thing kept in readiness.Tell the empress I wish she would wait for me in the dining-room. I willsoon be with her. Send for the Prince de Benevento and the Duked'Otranto. I want to see them immediately. Now come, Champagny," hesaid, when the court-marshal had withdrawn; "let us go to work. We havea great many things to attend to, and there is but little time left,for, as I told you before, I will set out this very night."
Fifteen minutes afterward Talleyrand and Fouche entered the cabinetagreeably to the emperor's orders. They found him amid his maps, onwhich he marched the various armies by means of the colored pins whichChampagny handed to him.
"Gentlemen," exclaimed Napoleon, saluting the newcomers, "the Austrianshave commenced war; come hither and see!"
In the mean time the empress, according to the wishes of her consort,had repaired with her ladies of honor to the dining-room, and waited forthe arrival of Napoleon. The dishes had already been served up; for,owing to the hasty manner in which the emperor liked to dine, thevarious courses could not successively be brought from the kitchen, buthad to be placed on the table before dinner commenced. A number ofsilver warming-vessels, filled with hot water, always stood on theimperial table. Only the roast chicken, which every day made the lastcourse, and was one of the emperor's favorite dishes, had remained inthe kitchen; it was still turning on the spit, and waiting for themoment when it was to be carried up. But this moment was delayed anunusually long time to-day. The first chicken had long ago been replacedby a second, a third, and a fourth, and this one had been roasting somuch that it was tough and juiceless. It had not yet been called for.The waiters returned from time to time into the kitchen for boilingwater, to fill anew the silver vessels on which the dishes were keptwarm.
"If that goes on in the same manner we shall depopulate the wholepoultry-yard," grumbled the chief cook, ordering a fresh half-dozen ofyoung chickens to be brought in and prepared for roasting.
The emperor did not come. The clock struck seven, eight, nine, and ten,and Napoleon had not yet made his appearance in the dining-room. Butthis long delay did not cause the least impatience or anger to appear onthe face of the empress; not for a single moment did she lose hertemper. Graceful and gay, she conversed with her cavaliers and ladies ofhonor, and her eyes but occasionally glanced at the door by whichNapoleon had to enter.
At last the emperor appeared. He walked toward the empress with a hastynod, and offering her his hand to conduct her to the table, he said: "Ibelieve it is a little late. I have kept you waiting, I suppose?"
Josephine laughed. "The question is rather _naive_, my friend," shesaid; "I have been waiting ever since six o'clock, and it is now pasteleven."
"Ah, that is late, indeed," said the emperor abstractedly. "I thought Ihad already dined; Champagny, however, reminded me that this was not thecase. Well, Josephine, let us eat!" And he commenced eating the soupwhich the grand-marshal placed before him.
Thanks to the warming-vessels, the dishes had remained palatable; butthe chief cook, when the gratifying announcement was made that theemperor had at length made his appearance, had just ordered thetwenty-third chicken to be put on the spit for the purpose of having ajuicy and freshly-roasted wing in readiness.
The emperor, who was very reticent and abstracted, took his dinner evenmore rapidly than usual, and no sooner had he finished than he roseimpetuously from his chair and left the table. Without addressing a wordto the empress, he walked across the room.
Josephine gazed after him with a long and mournful look, and her facewas sad. "He is cruel," she muttered to herself. "After waiting so manyhours, he has scarcely a word for me, and leaves me without salutation!"
But when Napoleon was near the door, he turned round and walked hastilytoward the empress. "Good-night, my dear Josephine," he said, giving hishand to her. "It is already late--near midnight--retire. We shall notmeet again to-day; farewell, and _au revoir_!"
He nodded to her, and then left the room for his cabinet. On arrivingthere, he bolted the small door leading into the corridor, and thenceinto the apartments of the empress, calling in a loud voice, "Constant!"The _valet de chambre_ entered immediately. "Constant!" said theemperor, "come hither close to me, and listen. You will quickly set inorder my travelling-coach, so that I shall be able to set out in anhour. Roustan and you will accompany me--no one else. But you must notsay a word about my departure. I want it to be known at the Tuileries,as well as in Paris, to-morrow only, that I have left the capital, andit is of the highest importance that it should remain a secret untilthen. Do you understand me? And now make haste! In an hour every thingmust be ready!"
Constant bowed in silence and withdrew. "Yes, yes," he murmured, whilehastily passing on, "I understood the emperor very well. His departureis to remain a secret; that is to say, especially for the empress. Ah!the poor, good empress! How she will weep when she hears to-morrow thatthe emperor has again set out without her! Formerly he always took herwith him; she had to share the triumphs and troubles of the journey; butnow she must stay at home. Poor Josephine! she is so good, and loves himintensely! But I must obey the emperor's order. I cannot tell her anything! I cannot, but it would be no fault of mine if some one elseshould! Ah! a good idea strikes me! The empress had the goldtravelling-case of the emperor brought to her yesterday in order to haveone like it made for the viceroy of Italy. I must go immediately and getit from her maid, and she is fortunately tenderly devoted to theempress!"