Cossacks and their horses. In the evening I procured something to eat, and my guard was changed, a Prussian and a Cossack being placed in my room, the one to secure the interests, or represent the person, of his Majesty the King of Prussia, and the other of his monarch, the Emperor of all the Russias. The idea of having armed men in my bed-room for the first time, was to me highly unpleasant, At length, however, I stretched myself upon a ragged couch which was provided for me, and endeavoured to fall asleep; when, towards midnight, the Cossack, who sat drinking by a table, drew his sabre, and began to sharpen it on a stone which he took from his pocket. On beholding this through my half-closed eyes, all desire of sleep instantly left me. I concluded, that this semi-barbarian had orders to kill me, which he only waited for my being asleep to execute. My heart began to throb at the near prospect of so miserable a death, when I fortunately observed my pistols and sword in the corner near me, and which it would have been easy for me to seize in an instant. This tranquillized my mind, and I lay all ready to make a spring towards them, should it be necessary, when the Cossack, sliding his finger along the edge of his sabre, looked towards me, and then at his Prussian companion, and, laughing, shook his head, and sheathed the weapon. At length he fell asleep, and I, who had not rested for three nights, in spite of anxious thoughts, followed his example.'

From Gorlitz, Mr. S. was conveyed, in the company of a suspected Frenchman, to the town of Lauban on the Queiss, to Lowenberg on the Bober, and subsequently to Goldberg on the Katzbach; names which have since become familiar to military men as the scene of Blucher's repeated victories. In these places, the appearance of the carriage and its conductors had the effect of attracting assemblages of the populace; and, on entering Breslau, the usual inquiry from the guard at the gate was answered by the formidable notice that the passengers were "state-prisoners." Under other circumstances, Mr. S. would have been highly gratified with the air of antique cleanliness that pervades Breslau: which, without the splendour of Berlin, has still a title to be called beautiful, and to rank high among the secondary cities of Europe. Its population is computed at 70,000; and its situation on the Oder renders it well adapted for collecting the manufactures of Silesia, and conveying them to the northward:

In quitting Breslau, I heard again the answer, though delivered in a low voice to the interrogatory at the gate," that we were stateprisoners," with the tremendous addition, "and bound to Silberberg." This at once dissipated all my fine dreams of going to Colberg, or being speedily set at liberty, I well knew that Silberberg was a mountain fortress, to the south-west of Breslau, and therefore still farther removed from the sea. After a stage of about ten miles we halted at a small village, when it was already becoming dark, and having changed our guards made another stage of the same distance to a similar village, where we remained till day-break — 6

--

At day-break we again set off. Hitherto the ground from Breslau had been nearly level, but it now began gradually to ascend, and to be raised by little inequalities. In two stages we arrived at Nimptsch, a curious little town on a steep height, commanded by other surrounding hills which rise above it in succession. From Nimptsch the road was for some distance over an uneven country, until descending into the plain, which lies between these lesser heights and the first ridges of the mountains which separate Silesia from Bohemia. On our route, at a distance of ten or twelve miles, we beheld the fortress of Silberberg crowning the summits and guarding the passes of two contiguous hills.-After some distance the road became execrable, being as we were informed purposely left so, that Silberberg might be considered as the termination of all intercourse. Frequently our waggons sank up to the axle-tree in deep mud, and again were jolted over large stones at the risk of being shattered to pieces. At length we began to ascend, and reached the town of Silberberg, situated on the slope and in a hollow of the hill, about half way up. Its name is derived from a lead mine containing silver formerly worked here. We were detained for upwards of an hour before the door of the Commandant; during which the news of our arrival had time to spread, and the inhabitants collected in great numbers, men, women, and children. For my own part, my experience at Goldberg had. convinced me that no better plan could be adopted than looking on the multitude as much as possible, with a firm and unaltered eye. This called forth more taunts, but it checked the shower of stones. hold that rascal, how bold he looks! What, does he call himself an Englishman? Ah! a good torturing will soon make him confess the truth." This, of all their expressions, was the only one which alarmed me, as I did nor know but that such a barbarous mode of examination might still be practised within the walls of Silberberg.'

"Be

In the fortress, Mr. S. was lodged, with his French companion, in a vaulted casemate built and floored with brick, where two narrow grated windows scarcely admitted the light. Here his rest at night was taken on a wooden frame, about six feet in breadth, evidently meant for soldiers to sleep on it; and his morning meals consisted of bread and water. At dinner, he was allowed a little soup; and, in the evening, he supped on bread and milk. His exercise consisted, as on board of ship, in walking backwards and forwards over a small space for several hours in a-day. The language of the attendants was civil, but the door was constantly locked, except during short intervals at meals. On the fourth day, the prisoners were removed to a different casemate, of a still less favourable appearance; where, however, they had the comfort of an addition to their society:

• We were met at the entrance by a strange figure, dressed in a flannel night-gown, and who we were told was to be our fellow-pri"Mr. Professor," said our guard, "we have here brought company for you." At hearing the title of Professor, I examined

soner.

Our

our new comrade more closely. I beheld a man of about sixty years of age, rather stout and tall, with a countenance not particularly in teresting, and a bald head. Under his dirty flannel-wrapper, appeared a black waistcoat, and he shuffled along in a pair of slippers. In such a dress, and such a situation, who would have expected to see an intimate acquaintance of Bonaparte? I learnt that he was the Abbé Henri, Curate and Professor of Jena, a Frenchman by birth, though long established in Germany, known as the author of several works, and as having lately published a History of the French Language..

After the battle of Jena, his office of Curate gave him frequent opportunities of being with Bonaparte, which he did not fail to improve; and by a little dexterous flattery he acquired from him the endowment of a considerable establishment: "Sire," said he to him, "former chiefs have frequently founded large churches for trifling successes; do you now found a small temple for a great victory." The idea pleased; and the church of Notre Dame de la Victoire was reared in consequence. This might be flattering to the Professor, but it was no doubt a very galling remembrance to the Prussians; and, having heard the account, I was not at all surprised, in these troubled times, to meet the honest gentleman at the bottom of the ditch of Silberberg.'

In this situation, Mr. Semple and his fellow-prisoners re-. mained, week after week, without knowing the nature of the military events which occurred in their neighbourhood. About the middle of June, they obtained intelligence of the armistice: but every thing around them continued to indicate the bustle of hostile preparations. Numbers of young men composing the landwehr of the surrounding districts were exercised under their eyes; and the author had the mortification of being greeted by those juvenile defenders of their country with the hated name of der spion, or " the spy." At last, on the 8th of July, he had the satisfaction of seeing two English gentlemen, Mr. Hobhouse and the Hon. Douglas Kinnaird, arrive and alight at the Commandant's house. They had heard of his confinement, and called to inquire into his case: they wrote in his behalf; and though they could not accomplish his release, they procured for him from the Commandant the liberty of walking about the square. This led him to an acquaintance with some officers confined in the fortress as prisoners of war, from one of whom he had ample reports of Bonaparte's disastrous campaign of Moscow:

This officer's regiment of Hulans had been constantly with the advanced guard under Murat, and out of twelve hundred and fifty men, of which it originally consisted, nearly a thousand had already fallen, or were in the hospital before quitting Moscow. For six days before entering that city he had eaten horse-flesh, which was his sole food for sixty-two days on the retreat; and had already paid a ducat for a

half beer-glass of common spirits. From the day of crossing the Niemen, during the whole of the march, not a dozen peasants were seen on either side of the route. Every thing was burnt up, destroyed, or removed. At the battle of Smolensko, the infantry alone were at first engaged, the cavalry on both sides lining the opposite banks of the river, in separate squadrons for a long distance, to prevent a surprise on either flank. But in the battle of Mojaisk, or Borodino, the cavalry had a large part. There he had two horses killed under him. Nothing can be said sufficient to give an idea of the horrors of that battle. The French troops, contrary to their usual custom, fought in a mournful silence. Cavalry and infantry, Cossacks and artillery, all were mixed together in the promiscuous carnage. The battle began at four in the morning, and the last cannon-shot was fired about nine at night. So difficult, however, is it to acquire the knowledge of truth, even from respectable eye-witnesses of great events, that he positively affirmed the French to have remained masters of the field. In proof of this, he alleged that his regiment continued on the ground that night, and was put in march at four o'clock next morning for Moscow. Doubtless, acting as captain of cavalry, enveloped in dust, and in perpetual motion, he could not properly judge of the great movements of the armies, and had mistaken a flank march for a direct advance in front. Yet, it is often on these partial views, that men are most positive in their opinions. At Moscow, the army found cloth, and at first plenty of coffee, chocolate, wine, furs, and luxuries, but little or no flour. Soon every thing became enormously dear. Long before the retreat began, subordination was lost amongst the troops, and it was the general opinion, that Bonaparte had been deceived by an appearance of negotiation, to lose so much time at Moscow. -It is impossible, by any description, to exaggerate the horrors of the retreat. It was three hundred thousand men put to suffer all that human nature could endure without entire destruction. His horses all died, and he was obliged to walk in the severity 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 soldiers who had previously occupied the seats, and left to perish on the road. Both he and Perregaux, a brother officer, talked with great contempt of the Cossacks, whom they agreed in affirming to be wholly useless in battles, and by no means remarkable for their bravery. in skirmishes and single combats. Their great qualities are their cunning, their skill in concealing themselves, and suddenly assembling on given points, the intimate knowledge which they acquire of a country, and their unwearied patience. By these qualities they surround an enemy's army, as it were by an invisible line, interrupt his communisations, and make prisoners perpetually.'

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Mr. S.'s confinement lasted till the end of July, by which time answers were received to the letters written to London in his behalf, and he was released. Taking leave of his fellowprisoners, he proceeded to the allied head-quarters at Reichenbach, where he was highly pleased with the magni

ficent appearance of the Russian guards. Having agreed to travel to Berlin with an English gentleman bound homewards, he left Reichenbach ten days before the recommencement of hostilities.

We travelled for about ten miles over a continually uneven country to Nimptsch, which I saw now with very different feelings, and under very different circumstances than when I passed through it on my way to Silberberg. The principal street. was now lined with Russian guards, and the number of inhabitants collected and looking out of the windows announced something extraordinary. We soon learnt that the Emperor Alexander was in the town, and the King of Prussia expected to arrive every moment. We had not accordingly waited above ten minutes when his carriage drove up. The Emperor was in waiting to receive him, and we saw the two monarchs embrace. The tall thin figure of the King of Prussia, and his military air, contrasted with the mild countenance and plump person of the Emperor, upon whose head the hair begins already to be thinly scattered. Pleased with having been such near witnesses of this interview, we continued our journey about half-past six in a small waggon, which gave us hardly room to stretch out our limbs. The road as before was over a continued succession of hill and dale, until from the last heights we saw the plains of Breslau, and the fertile country watered by the Oder, spread out beneath us like the

sea.

Here I turned and took a last view of the fortress of Silberberg, still visible behind us on the summit of the mountains.'

It had been remarked by Mr. S., in his former journey, that to the eastward of Saxony the language of the peasantry partook so much of the Slavonic, that a Russian courier had little difficulty in making himself understood. The taste of the buildings likewise bespoke a difference from the western part of Germany. All the way, during his journey from Reichenbach, harvest was going on; and, instead of a skle, the country-people made use of a scythe with a kind of cradle. At Berlin, he had an opportunity of seeing the unfortunate General Moreau, who was then on his way to the head-quarters of the allies. This distinguished commander was very plainly dressed, and his countenance, rather swarthy, had in it very little that was striking, except a breadth of forehead. His age was fifty-two; and the thinness of his hair had the effect of making the marks of time more apparent. After having visited Potsdam and the tomb of Frederick II., Mr. S. pursued his journey northward in the direction of Stralsund and Gottenburg, and reached London in the beginning of September.

On the style of this little volume we have nothing new to observe. A hint which we threw out, in a late notice of a tract by Mr. Semple, (Rev. Vol. lxviii. p. 164.) against attempts at high-flown effusions, appears not to have been lost on him; the diction of the present performance being of that plain and un

assuming