tile force, which consisted,
according to his statement, of "one hundred and fifty thousand men, who
were reduced to the necessity of feeding on horse-flesh. The Emperor
Alexander was about to return to his faithful capital; eighty-three
thousand Russians, both recruits and militia, with eighty pieces of
cannon, were marching towards Borodino, to join Kutusoff."

He thus concluded: "If these forces are not sufficient, I will say to
you, 'Come, my friends, and inhabitants of Moscow, let us march also! we
will assemble one hundred thousand men: we will take the image of the
Blessed Virgin, and one hundred and fifty pieces of cannon, and put an
end to the business at once!'"

It has been remarked as a purely local singularity, that most of these
proclamations were in the scriptural style and in poetic prose.

At the same time a prodigious balloon was constructed, by command of
Alexander, not far from Moscow, under the direction of a German
artificer. The destination of this winged machine was to hover over the
French army, to single out its chief, and destroy him by a shower of
balls and fire. Several attempts were made to raise it, but without
success, the springs by which the wings were to be worked having always
broken.

Rostopchin, nevertheless, affecting to persevere, is said to have caused
a great quantity of rockets and other combustibles to be prepared.
Moscow itself was designed to be the great infernal machine, the sudden
nocturnal explosion of which was to consume the Emperor and his army.
Should the enemy escape this danger, he would at least no longer have an
asylum or resources; and the horror of so tremendous a calamity, which
would be charged to his account, as had been done in regard to the
disasters of Smolensk, Dorogobouje, Wiazma, and Gjatz, would not fail to
rouse the whole of Russia.

Such was the terrible plan of this noble descendant of one of the
greatest Asiatic conquerors. It was conceived without effort, matured
with care, and executed without hesitation. This Russian nobleman has
since visited Paris. He is a steady man, a good husband, an excellent
father: he has a superior and cultivated mind, and in society his
manners are mild and pleasing: but, like some of his countrymen, he
combines an antique energy with the civilization of modern times.

His name henceforth belongs to history: still he had only the largest
share in the honour of this great sacrifice. It had been previously
commen