gotiations. He was to offer, first, the surrender of the
Continental System as far as Russia was concerned; and, second, such a
reconstruction of the map of eastern Europe as would put an end to the
grand duchy of Warsaw forever. This mushroom state, with the domain of
Dantzic, was to be divided between the Duke of Oldenburg, Alexander's
near kinsman, and the King of Prussia; Prussia itself was to be a
border state under Russian influence, with a capital at either
Koenigsberg, Dantzic, or Warsaw. Brandenburg, with Berlin, would fall
to Jerome, and Saxony would doubtless get the territory around
Krossen. No surrender could have been more complete. "Your chief
concern," ran the final instruction, written on May seventeenth, "will
be to secure a conversation with the Emperor Alexander. My intention
is to build a golden bridge to save him from the intrigues of
Metternich." Alas for such vain hopes! A new diplomatic star had risen
at the Russian court in the person of the young Count Nesselrode, and
the personal interview so earnestly desired by Caulaincourt was
steadily refused; Napoleon's proposals, the envoy was informed, must
be made through the Austrian cabinet, or not at all.

During the parleyings of Austria, Napoleon won a second great victory,
which was utterly ineffectual because he had no cavalry force
wherewith to pursue. For some days after the occupation of Dresden,
for the same reason, he had been ignorant of his enemy's whereabouts.
Learning at last that the allies had not been separated, as he had
hoped, but were standing at Bautzen in a strong defensive position
behind the Spree, he left Dresden at noon on the eighteenth of May,
determined to strike a decisive blow. His enemy, having been
reinforced by Barclay with sixteen thousand Russians and by Kleist
with eleven thousand Prussians, was about ninety thousand strong. On
the nineteenth both Barclay and York advanced from Bautzen; the former
was defeated by Bertrand in a sharp struggle, the latter by Lauriston
in a protracted fight; and at nightfall the French were before the
place. In front was the unimportant stream, and beyond it were the
allies in a double line, their front on the bank, their rear on the
heights behind. About midday of the twentieth the French attacked.
Macdonald stormed the bridge, Marmont and Bertrand crossed by
pontoons; at three their footing was won, and the assault of the place
began. For three hours the fighting was terrific, but