isoner of state," coming to his ear,
"How!" exclaimed he, "do you believe they would dare?" Daru, after his
first surprise, immediately answered, "that if we were compelled to
surrender, we must be prepared for every thing; that he had no reliance
on an enemy's generosity; that we knew too well that great state-policy
considered itself identified with morality, and was regulated by no
law." "But France," said the Emperor, "what would France say?" "Oh, as
to France," continued Daru, "we are at liberty to make a thousand
conjectures more or less disagreeable, but none of us can know what will
take place there." And he then added, "that for the sake of the
Emperor's chief officers, as well as the Emperor himself, the most
fortunate thing would be, if by the air or otherwise, as the earth was
closed upon us, the Emperor could reach France, from whence he could
much more certainly provide for their safety, than by remaining among
them!" "Then I suppose I am in your way?" replied the Emperor, smiling.
"Yes, Sire." "And you have no wish to be a prisoner of state?" Daru
replied in the same tone, "that it was enough for him to be a prisoner
of war." On which the Emperor remained for some time in a profound
silence; then with a more serious air: "Are all the reports of my
ministers burnt?" "Sire, hitherto you would not allow that to be done."
"Very well, go and destroy them; for it must be confessed, we are in a
most melancholy position." This was the sole avowal which it wrested
from him, and on that idea he went to sleep, knowing, when it was
necessary, how to postpone every thing to the next day.

His orders displayed equal firmness. Oudinot had just sent to inform him
of his determination to overthrow Lambert; this he approved of, and he
also urged him to make himself master of a passage, either above or
below Borizof. He expressed his anxiety, that by the 24th this passage
should be fixed on, and the preparations begun, and that he should be
apprised of it, in order to make his march correspond. Far from thinking
of making his escape through the midst of these three hostile armies,
his only idea now was, that of beating Tchitchakof, and retaking Minsk.

It is true, that eight hours afterwards, in a second letter to the Duke
of Reggio, he resigned himself to cross the Berezina near Veselowo, and
to retreat directly upon Wilna by Vileika, avoiding the Russian admiral.

But on the 24th he learned that the passage could only be