Life of Napoleon Buonaparte: With a Preliminary View of the French Revolution, Volume 7

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Cadell, 1835 - France

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Page 116 - The equinoctial gales rose higher and higher upon the third night, and extended the flames, with which there was no longer any human power of contending. At the dead hour of midnight, the Kremlin itself was found to be on fire. A soldier of the Russian police, charged with being the incendiary, was turned over to the summary vengeance of the Imperial Guard.
Page 117 - Palaces and temples," says a Russian author, " monuments of art, and miracles of luxury, the remains of ages which had past away, and those which had been the creation of yesterday ; the tombs of ancestors, and the nursery-cradles of the present generation, were indiscriminately destroyed. Nothing was left of Moscow save the remembrance of the city, and the deep resolution to avenge its fall."* The fire raged till the 1 9th with unabated violence, and then began to slacken for want of fuel.
Page 221 - Archduchess." (This was said with an air of much gaiety.) " In the same manner, in Russia, I could not prevent its freezing. They told me every morning that I had lost ten thousand horses during the night. — Well, farewell to you...
Page 101 - Regiments of peasants, who till that day had never seen war, and who still had no other uniform than their grey jackets, formed with the steadiness of veterans, crossed their brows, and having uttered their national exclamation — " Gospodee pomiloni nas! — God have mercy upon us...
Page 392 - Stoetterltz, which was the post assigned to him on the new and restricted line of defence. Along all this extended southern line, the fire continued furious on both sides, nor could the terrified spectators, from the walls and steeples of Leipsic, perceive that it either advanced or recoiled. The French had the advantage of situation and cover, the allies that of greatly superior numbers ; both were commanded by the first generals of their country and age. About two o'clock afternoon, the allies,...
Page 114 - ... fire in the course of the night. The report seemed to arise from those evident circumstances which rendered the event probable, but no one took any notice of it, until at midnight, when the soldiers were startled from their quarters, by the report that the town was in flames. The memorable conflagration began amongst the coachmakers' warehouses and workshops in the Bazaar, or general market, which was the richest district of the city.
Page 209 - The weak and helpless either shrunk back from the fray, and sat down to wait their fate at a distance, or, mixing in it, were thrust over the bridges, crushed under carriages, cut down perhaps with sabres, or trampled to death under the feet of their countrymen. All this while the action continued with fury, and, as if the Heavens meant to match their wrath with that of man, a hurricane arose, and added terrors to a scene which was already of a character sodreadful.
Page 114 - Kremlin, the hereditary palace of the only sovereign whom he had ever treated as an equal, and over whom his successful arms had now attained such an apparently immense superiority. Yet he did not suffer himself to be dazzled by the advantage he had obtained, but availed himself of the light of the blazing Bazaar, to write to the Emperor proposals of peace with his own hand. They were despatched by a Russian officer of rank, who had been disabled by indisposition from following the army. But no answer...
Page 31 - Whole nations had quitted their homes to throng his path ; rich and poor, nobles and plebeians, friends and enemies, all hurried to the scene. Their curious and anxious groups were seen collecting in the streets, the roads, and the public places ; they passed whole days and nights with their eyes fixed on the door and windows of his palace.
Page 114 - Next day the flames had disappeared, and the French officers luxuriously employed themselves in selecting out of the deserted palaces of Moscow, that which best pleased the fancy of each for his residence. At night the flames again arose in the north and west quarters of the city.

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