Wellington advances to the Loire, Bonaparte must fall. All think justice has not been done to the Bourbon cause. There are letters which state that Lyons sent to Bubna that they would declare for the Allies, and open their gates if he would declare for the Bourbons. He repulsed the offer.

I can say no more, and regret that your opinion upon the Protocols did not accompany them. We have the account of Bonaparte's retaking Rheims.

I think I shall be well before your return, and lament the loss you have had for want of a person of activity in my office.

Mr. George Jackson to the Hon. Sir Charles Stewart.

Troyes, February 19, 1814, at night.

My dear Sir Charles-I was sorry to be obliged to send you such a scrawl yesterday. I was thinking of re-despatching the sergeant with what to-day might produce, when Mr. Robinson arrived. The town has been in a complete bustle from the first of the morning, and he determined to delay sending to you till something more was known of the cause and of its probable consequence.

Prince Metternich, having lost his way yesterday, found himself at night at Sens, instead of at head-quarters, and did not reach them till this morning, after everybody was gone or going. He is not yet returned; but I understand that Count Paer was not allowed to proceed further than the French outposts, and that, as yet, no answer has been returned to the letter of which he was the bearer, which is considered merely as an experiment, from which it might or might not be possible to derive some advantage, and which, at all events, would not be binding upon the allied army longer than might suit their purpose.

Everybody seems in extreme ill-humour, not exempt from anxiety. General Knesebeck's opinion is that there will be

a great battle in this neighbourhood: others think Bonaparte is not strong enough to risk an attack, or even to oppose the junction of Blücher with this army. It is ascertained from prisoners that Bonaparte has made all his late attacks with the same troops; that he has not above 60,000 men seems to be the general opinion; and that, as these must have sustained, though successful, great losses, as well as fatigues, he will not hazard any further offensive movement. If so, the whole army will again be concentrated in the course of to-morrow or next day. Gneisenau writes that, by that time, Blücher will have 100,000 men. This I am inclined to think much exaggerated, but you will be better informed from his head-quarters.

I am very anxious to know how your besogne goes on, and whether late success will make Bonaparte rise in his pretensions. I don't think this retreat ought to do so, because, however discouraging the moral effect may be on the public mind, he, viewing it as a military man, cannot but feel that the situation of the Allies is very much strengthened by it.

Receiving, as you do, regular reports from Lord Burghersh and Colonel Lowe, it would be useless for me to pretend to go into any military details. I shall, therefore, not stop to state to you what I hear of the positions of the different corps, but merely say that, up to ten o'clock this morning, the enemy

had not shown themselves.

Baron Wetterstedt has received no less than three couriers in the last three days. On the 12th, the Crown Prince was still at Cologne. Woronzow had crossed the Rhine; and, by the 25th, the last of the Swedish troops were to be on this side.

I should have wished to have sent the sergeant with these despatches, and kept the Messrs. Mills; but he is so loaded that nothing but a carriage can carry them all. I shall, therefore, send you the former, if anything new occurs to-morrow. In the mean time, believe me to be, my dear Sir Charles, your very faithful, &c.,

GEORGE JACKSON.

Lord Castlereagh to Lord Bathurst.

Chatillon, February 20, 1814. My Lord-I herewith transmit to your lordship copies of several despatches, Nos. 37, 39, 40, 41, which I have received from Lord Burghersh, detailing the late operations of the Grand Army, under Field Marshal Prince SchwarzenbergI shall send the originals by the first messenger through France.

Lord Castlereagh to Lord Clancarty.

Chatillon, February 20, 1814.

My Lord-My circular note to the Allied Sovereigns will explain the grounds on which I deemed it proper to press for some express engagements on those objects most interesting to Great Britain. You will observe Austria is quite unqualified in her stipulation; Prussia not less so in substance, but wishes, if placed between the Meuse and the Moselle, to have some connecting territory on the right side of the Meuse with those provinces beyond the Rhine.

Hardenberg agrees to sign and to put himself in my hands; Russia alone has held back, not upon any objection, but from a disposition to make conditions. The accompanying private note from Count Nesselrode, with its enclosure, will explain a little their temper. I have seen Count Rasoumoffsky: the object is to prevail upon Great Britain and Holland to take upon them jointly a debt of eighty millions of florins, which Russia owes in Holland. This demand was pressed upon us early in the war, and refused. I gave the Russian Minister no sort of encouragement, and have no notion that our Parliament would listen to such an arrangement. And why pay Russia rather than Austria and Prussia? It comes as a condition with the worse grace, after our recent gratuitous concession to Denmark, to fulfil a Russian engagement. I regret,

however, that any ostensible step should have been taken to prejudice the question of ultimate possession. The intercourse may facilitate, if quietly conducted; but, if more is assumed at present, it will counteract, and not promote, the object we have in view. I have, &c.,

CASTLEREAGH.

Lord Castlereagh to George Rose, Esq.

Chatillon sur Seine, February 20, 1814. Sir-I have to acknowledge the receipt of your several despatches to No. 15, inclusive, with the exception of No. 13.

I herewith transmit to you your letter of credence from his Royal Highness the Prince Regent to the King of Bavaria, together with his Royal Highness's answer to the notification of that sovereign of his assumption of the royal dignity; but am at the same time to direct you not to present these letters until you shall have received an official notification from the Bavarian Government of the appointment by them of a Minister to the Court of London, together with an assurance of his having been ordered immediately to proceed to England.

Lord Castlereagh to Lord William Bentinck.

Chatillon sur Seine, February 21, 1814.

My Lord-Your despatches were delivered to me yesterday by Captain Graham, who reported to me such information as he had been enabled to collect on his route.

The point now of most importance is to secure the effective co-operation of the Neapolitans, whose active assistance appears indispensable to give to the Allies that rapid and commanding success which may speedily decide the fate of Italy. I am sorry to find that Murat had, under some pretext, delayed the signature of the treaty in its amended form, and that he still continues to show some ménagement towards the enemy.

should rather impute this to a desire still to push some personal views with the Allies, than to any understanding with France. Certainly, Caulaincourt's language here leaves no doubt that his government considers him as hostile.

My letter by the messenger will have put your lordship fully in possession of our views on this subject. The British Government never liked the measure; but, being taken, they are perfectly ready to act up to the spirit of the Austrian Treaty, and to acknowledge Murat upon a peace, on two conditions: 1st, that he exerts himself honourably in the war; and, 2ndly, that a reasonable indemnity (it cannot be an equivalent) is found for the King of Sicily. I should hope, with this basis to work upon, you may not only quiet any alarms Murat may have felt, as to the nature of our armistice, but furnish him with two very powerful incentives to come forward effectually. In doing so, he will facilitate all his own views; and, by assisting in the indemnities to the King of Sicily, he may secure his own title to Naples.

I have forwarded your lordship's military despatch to London. The exertion you have made in assembling this corps is highly creditable; and its presence must largely contribute to the successful issue of the campaign.

I shall be anxious to receive reports of your lordship's progress. If sent to Marshal Bellegarde's head-quarters, Sir Robert Wilson will forward them to me. The armistice, as now arranged by your lordship, is perfectly satisfactory. I have, &c.,

CASTLEREAGH.

Mr. Hamilton to Lord Castlereagh.

Foreign Office, February 22, 1814.

My dear Lord-As we have nothing later from you than the 10th, we do not think it right again to attempt the route by France. The French papers to the 16th only let us know the battles to the 14th, between Bonaparte and the several detached