History of the French Revolution, and of the wars produced by that ... event, including a complete account of the war between Great Britain and America; and the ... Battle of Waterloo. To which are appended, biographical sketches of the heroes of Waterloo ... With engravings and ... maps

Preface

. AMONG the various and diversified occurrences which, at different periods, have occupied the attention of mankind, and employed the pen of the historian, none have appeared more important in themselves, or more likely to excite the interest of posterity, than the French Revolution, and the wonderful effects which it has produced. Within the last twenty-five years, we have witnessed the dissolution of ancient monarchies, the annihilation of venerable states and republics, the plunder and spoliation of opulent countries, and the subversion of all established order. We have seen a legitimate monarch doomed to perish on a scaffold, — a series of ignoble tyrants permitted to outrage every feeling of humanity, — and an obscure Corsican suffered to wade through fields of blood, and hosts of congregated crimes, to the consular and imperial dignities.

The tree of liberty refused to germinate in a land moistened by the blood of an amiable prince and his faithful adherents ; and the bonnet rouge, elevated by the hands of rebels and anarchists, was soon displaced to admit the eagles of the ad venturer of Ajaccio ; Unhappy France, doomed to send forth the flower of her youth to the tented field, crimsoned with human gore, trembled to her centre, but durst not ejaculate her groans, — espionage, imprisonment, and death, were the order of the day, — and the battle ments of the castle of Vincennes, frowning on the grave of murdered innocence, reminded the passenger of the deeds of midnight darkness. At length the God of justice interfered; his awful blast attended the invasion of Russia, and tens of thousands perished in that mad attempt. Europe, united as one man, subsequently rose against the oppressor; his invincible legions were discomfited and annihilated in successive battles ; the tyrant was precipitated from his throne, and the restoration of the House of Bourbon promised repose to a bleeding world.

The escape of the disturber of mankind from Elba, the subtle treachery of his adherents, and the unparalleled defection of those troops who had so recently sworn allegiance to their lawful prince, once more changed the aspect of affairs in France. The descendant of St. Louis retired with a heavy heart from the palace of his ancestors; while the infatuated devo tees of Buonaparte, assembled in the Champ de Mai, swore to support his usurpation, or to perish in the attempt. The terrific torch of war was now re-kindled ; the declaration ofthe allied sovereigns, like distant thunder, announced the approaching storm ; — and, on the memorable field of Waterloo, the restless and ambitious tyrant was struck down, to rise, we trust, no more for ever. From that never-to-be-forgotten scene, alike propitious to the sacred cause of freedom, and honourable to the brave confederates, who achieved a victory calculated to warm the hearts of JFUiDMTTH^PniE^IE ' l3RITANNIA/i^ ,</,„,/ //, .

I,,,,,.,, ,/'/,,,- ■'//,' >,-^j /, ■ -£s em^cu^ed' tvi, //,, sJ?/1zm ./-HISTORY. -^■//^//'"" /• time „/.,;../ - l„ .y,,j^/,,,,y//,,,r >,■„,.„.„ . r„ „ . . \ a i-,i/ /;,//„, ,:,/</,',,-,.' r~ tAs,-/ju*6 cf> LORD NELSON, and /M7td&>L ,a.^S>,„ ,„/,/,„/ . /■„-/, „ „ CauestUam <//<i/7,r ,/ //„■ ' . DUKE OF WELLINGTON.' e ' // //,, _^W • ,/ BRITANNIA, OsEANUS ,:,/„■„,/„,, //„ V/,;„ r/J'/,,,/,, . ; HISTORY OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION, AND OF Zfft WHtava PRODUCED BY THAT MEMORABLE EVENT; FROM THE COMMENCEMENT OF HOSTILITIES IN 1792, TO THE SECOND RESTORATION OF IL©TO^ 3WHII3L AND THE DEPORTATION OF NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE TO THE ISLAND OF ST. HELENA; INCLUDING A COMPLETE ACCOUNT OF THE WAR BETWEEN GREAT-BRITAIN AND AMERICA; AND THE Mtmaxablt Eattlc ot fSHatcrloo, TO WRICB ARE APPENDED, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF THE HEROES OF WATERLOO, AND OTHER DISTINGUISHED PUBLIC CHARACTERS.

THE WHOLE COMPILED FROM OFFICIAL STATE-PAPERS AND OTHER AUTHENTIC SOURCES; AND EMBELLISHED WITH A SERIES OF Equestrian Portraits, Historical Engravings, and coloured Maps. By CHRISTOPHER KELLY, Esq. Author of " The New and Complete System of Universal Geography" +C. e*rc VOLUME I. LONDON: PRINTED FOR THOMAS KELLY, No. 17, PATERNOSTER-ROW, By Weed and Ridei, Little Britaii AND SOLD BY MOST BOOKSELLERS AND VENDERS OF PUBLICATIONS IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE. 1820.

PREFACE.

. AMONG the various and diversified occurrences which, at different periods, have occupied the attention of mankind, and employed the pen of the historian, none have appeared more important in themselves, or more likely to excite the interest of posterity, than the French Revolution, and the wonderful effects which it has produced. Within the last twenty-five years, we have witnessed the dissolution of ancient monarchies, the annihilation of venerable states and republics, the plunder and spoliation of opulent countries, and the subversion of all established order. We have seen a legitimate monarch doomed to perish on a scaffold, — a series of ignoble tyrants permitted to outrage every feeling of humanity, — and an obscure Corsican suffered to wade through fields of blood, and hosts of congregated crimes, to the consular and imperial dignities.

The tree of liberty refused to germinate in a land moistened by the blood of an amiable prince and his faithful adherents; and the bonnet rouge, elevated by the hands of rebels and anarchists, was soon displaced to admit the eagles of the ad venturer of Ajaccio ; Unhappy France, doomed to send forth the flower of her youth to the tented field, crimsoned with human gore, trembled to her centre, but durst not ejaculate her groans, — espionage, imprisonment, and death, were the order ofthe day, — and the battle ments of the castle of Vincennes, frowning on the grave of murdered innocence, reminded the passenger of the deeds of midnight darkness. At length the God of justice interfered; his awful blast attended the invasion of Russia, and tens of thousands perished in that mad attempt. Europe, united as one man, subsequently rose against the oppressor; his invincible legions were discomfited and annihilated in successive battles; the tyrant was precipitated from his throne, and the restoration of the House of Bourbon promised repose to a bleeding world.

The escape of the disturber of mankind from Elba, the subtle treachery of his adherents, and the unparalleled defection of those troops who had so recently sworn allegiance to their lawful prince, once more changed the aspect of affairs in France. The descendant of St. Louis retired with a heavy heart from the palace of his ancestors; while the infatuated devo tees of Buonaparte, assembled in the Champ de Mai, swore to support his usurpation, or to perish in the attempt. The terrific torch of war was now re-kindled ; the declaration ofthe allied sovereigns, like distant thunder, announced the approaching storm ; — and, on the memorable field of Waterloo, the restless and ambitious tyrant was struck down, to rise, we trust, no more for ever. From that never-to-be-forgotten scene, alike propitious to the sacred cause of freedom, and honourable to the brave confederates, who achieved a victory calculated to warm the hearts of

PREFACE.

. their children, and of their children's children, the disgraced and beaten Corsican fled, on the wings of terror, to Paris ; where the refractory disposition of the chambers compelled him a second time to abdicate the throne, and subsequently induced him to remove to Roche fort; where, from a well-founded fear of condign punishment, he formed the resolution of surrendering himself to those " islanders," of whom he had so frequently spoken in terms of disdain, and whose destruction he had unremittingly endeavoured to accomplish. Ac cordingly, he was received onboard the Bellerophon ; and, after mature deliberation on the part of England and her august allies, he, who had so long tyrannized over, or me naced, most of the states of Europe, was doomed to hide his guilty head in the obscurity of vSt.

Helena. Such is the outline of those memorable vicissitudes which have been exhibited to astonished Europe, and which, in connection with other important and interesting particulars, are de tailed in the followqpg work; — a work of which it may, at least, be asserted, that the pro prietor has spared no expense — the editor has shrunk from no laborious research — to render it as complete as possible. Its arrangement, unlike that of any of its competitors, forms a regular series of historical epochs, luminous in themselves, and easily committed to me mory; — the sources whence its contents have been drawn, have been primarily official, and invariably respectable and well-authenticated ;— a rich fund of anecdote has been introduced, to enliven and diversify the relation of sieges, battles, and treaties ; —the biographical sketches of Waterloo heroes and other distinguished characters, though unavoidably con taining some few repetitions, comprise many valuable documents and important facts, con nected with the preceding part of the volume, in addition to memoirs entirely new and distinct;— and even the index contains an interesting epitome of the whole work.

One subject still remains to be noticed. — It has been the anxious wish ofthe editor to fulfil his promise of narrating the history of the French Revolution, and the Wars produced by that memorable event; and, keeping this in view, he has studiously avoided, as irrelevant to his subject, the introduction of the internal concerns of Grea^Britain ; with which his co temporaries have occupied so great a portion of their compilations. In consequence of this he has been enabled to give a considerably larger quantity of matter strictly connected with his Title-page than is to be found in any other publication on the same subject. And to those readers who may wish to peruse the general transactions of the British empire at home, he respectfully recommends the " Grand National History of England," edited by the Rev John Malham, and published by the proprietor ofthe following pages. B 1 THE HISTORY OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION, AND OF Wbt Wlixvii PRODUCED BY THAT MEMORABLE EVENT.