Never did a people behave with more dignity under misfortune than the
Prussians on the entrance of the French into their capital. The streets
were deserted; the houses closed; the city was in mourning; and
none stooped to the slavish adulation which might win favor with the
conqueror. It was a triumph; but there were none to witness it. Of the
nobles, scarce one remained in Berlin. They had fallen in battle, or
followed the fortunes of their beaten army, now scattered and dispersed
through the kingdom. Their wives and daughters, in deepest mourning,
bewailed their ruined country as they would the death of a dearest
friend. They cut off their blonde locks, and sorrowed like those without
a hope. Their great country was to be reduced to the rank of a mere
German province; their army disbanded; their king dethroned. Such
was the contrast to our hour of triumph; such the sad reverse to the
gorgeous display of our armed squadrons.

Scarcely had the Emperor established his headquarters at Potsdam than
the whole administration of the kingdom was begun to be placed under
French rule. Prefects were appointed to different departments of the
kingdom; a heavy contribution was imposed upon the nation; and all the
offices of the state were subjected to the control of persons named by
the Emperor.

Among these, the first in importance was the post-office; for, while
every precaution was taken that no interruption should occur in the
transmission of the mails as usual, a _cabinet noir_ was established
here, as at Paris, whose function it was to open the letters of
suspected persons, and make copies of them; the latter, indeed, were
often so skilfully executed as to be forwarded to the address, while the
originals were preserved as "proofs" against parties, if it were found
necessary to accuse them afterwards. (And here I might mention that the
art of depositing metals in a mould by galvanic process was known and
used in imitating and fabricating the seals of various writers, many
years before the discovery became generally known in Europe.)

The invasion of private right involved in this breach of trust gave, as
might be supposed, the greatest offence throughout the kingdom. But the
severity with which every case of suspicious meaning was followed up and
punished converted the feelings of indignation and anger into those of
fear and trepidation. For this was ever part of Napoleon's policy: the
penalty of any offence was made to excl