1814.

Situation of Bonaparte during the events of the 30th and 31st of March—­His arrival at Fontainebleau—­Plan of attacking Paris—­ Arrival of troops at Fontainebleau—­The Emperor’s address to the Guard—­Forfeiture pronounced by the Senate—­Letters to Marmont—­ Correspondence between Marmont and Schwartzenberg—­Macdonald informed of the occupation of Paris—­Conversation between the Emperor and Macdonald at Fontainebleau—­Beurnonville’s letter—­ Abdication on condition of a Regency—­Napoleon’s wish to retract his act of abdication—­Macdonald Ney, and Caulaincourt sent to Paris—­ Marmont released from his promise by Prince Schwartzenberg.

On the morning of the 30th of March, while the battle before the walls of Paris was at its height, Bonaparte was still at Troyes.  He quitted that town at ten o’clock, accompanied only by Bertrand, Caulaincourt, two aides de camp, and two orderly officers.  He was not more than two hours in traveling the first ten leagues, and he and his slender escort performed the journey without changing horses, and without even alighting.  They arrived at Sens at one o’clock in the afternoon.  Everything was in such confusion that it was impossible to prepare a suitable mode of conveyance for the Emperor.  He was therefore obliged to content himself with a wretched cariole, and in this equipage, about four in the morning, he reached Froidmanteau, about four leagues from Paris.  It was there that the Emperor received from General Belliard, who arrived at the head of a column of artillery, the first intelligence of the battle of Paris.  He heard the news with an air of composure, which was probably affected to avoid discouraging those about him.  He walked for about a quarter of an hour on the high road, and it was after that promenade that he sent Caulaincourt to Paris.  Napoleon afterwards went to the house of the postmaster, where he ordered his maps to be brought to him, and, according to custom, marked the different positions of the enemy’s troops with pine, the heads of which were touched with wax of different colours.  After this description of work, which Napoleon did every day, or sometimes several times a day, he repaired to Fontainebleau, where he arrived at six in the morning.  He did not order the great apartments of the castle to be opened, but went up to his favourite little apartment, where he shut himself up, and remained alone during the whole of the 31st of March.

In the evening the Emperor sent for the Duke of Ragusa, who had just arrived at Essonne with his troops.  The Duke reached Fontainebleau between three and four o’clock on the morning of the 1st of April.  Napoleon then received a detailed account of the events of the 30th from Marmont, on whose gallant conduct before Paris he bestowed much praise.