At the end of July the proceedings of the Congress at Prague were no. further advanced than at the time of its assembling.  Far from cheering the French with the prospect of a peace, the Emperor made a journey to Mayence; the Empress went there to see him, and returned to Paris immediately after the Emperor’s departure.  Napoleon went back to Dresden, and the armistice not being renewed, it died a natural death on the 17th of August, the day appointed for its expiration.  A fatal event immediately followed the rupture of the conferences.  On the 17th of August Austria, wishing to gain by war as she had before gained by alliances, declared that she would unite her forces with those of the Allies.  On the very opening of this disastrous campaign General Jomini went over to the enemy.  Jomini belonged to the staff of the unfortunate Marshal Ney, who was beginning to execute with his wonted ability, the orders he had received.  There was much surprise at his eagerness to profit by a struggle, begun under such melancholy auspices, to seek a fresh fortune, which promised better than what he had tried under our flag.  Public opinion has pronounced judgment on Jomini.

—­[It was on the 11th of August, not the 17th, that Metternich announced to Caulaincourt, Napoleon’s plenipotentiary at Prague, that Austria had joined the Allies and declared war with France; At midnight on 10th August Metternich had despatched the passports for the Comte Louis de Narbonne, Napoleon’s Ambassador, and the war manifesto of the Emperor Francis; then he had the beacons lighted which had been prepared from Prague to the Silesian frontier, as a sign of the breech of the negotiations, and the right (i.e. power) of the Allied armies to cross the Silesian frontier (Metternich, vol. i, p. 199).]—­

The first actions were the battle of Dresden, which took place seven days after the rupture of the armistice, and the battle in which Vandamme was defeated, and which rendered the victory of Dresden unavailing.  I have already mentioned that Moreau was killed at Dresden.  Bavaria was no sooner rid of the French troops than she raised the mask and ranged herself among our enemies.

In October the loss of the battle of Leipsic decided the fate of France.  The Saxon army, which had long remained faithful to us, went over to the enemy during the battle.  Prince Poniatowski perished at the battle of Leipsic in an attempt to pass the Aster.

I will here mention a fact which occurred before Duroc’s departure for the campaign of 1812.  I used often to visit him at the Pavilion Marsan, in the Tuileries, where he lodged.  One forenoon, when I had been waiting for him a few minutes, he came from the Emperor’s apartments, where he had been engaged in the usual business, He was in his court-dress.  As soon as he entered he pulled off his coat and hat and laid them aside.  “I have just had a conversation with the Emperor about you,” said he.  “Say