Napoleon's Letters To Josephine Part 24

No. 67. _Sweet, pouting, and capricious_ 260

No. 68. _Madame_ ---- 261 _Measles_ 261

No. 69. _I trust I may hear you have been rational_ 261

No. 71. _May 20th_ 262

No. 74. _I am vexed with Hortense_ 262

No. 78. _Friedland_ 263

No. 79. _Tilsit_ 264

LETTERS OF THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON TO THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE DURING THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST PRUSSIA AND RUSSIA, 1806-7.

1806.

_January 1st.--The Elector of Bavaria and the Duke of Wurtemberg created Kings by France._

_January 23rd._--Death of William Pitt, aged 47.

_February 15th.--Joseph Bonaparte enters Naples, and on_

_March 10th is declared King of the Two Sicilies._

_April 1st.--Prussia seizes Hanover._

_June 5th.--Louis Bonaparte made King of Holland._

_July 6th.--Battle of Maida (Calabria. English defeat General Reynier. French loss 4000; English 500)._

_July 12th.--Napoleon forms Confederation of the Rhine, with himself as Chief and Protector._

_July 18th.--Gaeta surrenders to Ma.s.sena._

_August 6th.--Francis II., Emperor of Germany, becomes Emperor of Austria as Francis I._

_August 15th.--Russia refuses to ratify peace preliminaries signed by her amba.s.sador at Paris on July 25th._

_September 13th._--Death of Charles James Fox, aged 57.

No. 1.

_October 5th.--Proclamation by the Prince of the Peace against France (germ of Spanish War)._

TO THE EMPRESS, AT MAYENCE.

_October 5, 1806._

It will be quite in order for the Princess of Baden to come to Mayence. I cannot think why you weep; you do wrong to make yourself ill. Hortense is inclined to pedantry; she loves to air her views. She has written me; I am sending her a reply. She ought to be happy and cheerful. Pluck and a merry heart--that's the recipe.

Adieu, dear. The Grand Duke has spoken to me about you; he saw you at Florence at the time of the retreat.

NAPOLEON.

No. 2.

TO THE EMPRESS, AT MAYENCE.

_Bamberg, October 7, 1806._

I start this evening, my dear, for Cronach. The whole of my army is advancing. All goes well. My health is perfect. I have only received as yet one letter from you. I have some from Eugene and from Hortense.

Stephanie should now be with you. Her husband wishes to make the campaign; he is with me.

Adieu. A thousand kisses and the best of health.

NAPOLEON.

_October 8th.--Prussia, a.s.sisted by Saxony, Russia, and England, declares war against France._

_October 9th.--Campaign opens. Prussians defeated at Schleitz._

_October 10th.--Lannes defeats them at Saalfeld. Prince Louis of Prussia killed; 1000 men and 30 guns taken._

_October 11th.--French peace negotiations with England broken off._

No. 3.

TO THE EMPRESS, AT MAYENCE.

_Gera_, _October 13, 1806_, 2 A.M.

_My Dear_,--I am at Gera to-day. My affairs go excellently well, and everything as I could wish. With the aid of G.o.d, they will, I believe, in a few days have taken a terrible course for the poor King of Prussia, whom I am sorry for personally, because he is a good man.

The Queen is at Erfurt with the King. If she wants to see a battle, she shall have that cruel pleasure. I am in splendid health. I have already put on flesh since my departure; yet I am doing, in person, twenty and twenty-five leagues a day, on horseback, in my carriage, in all sorts of ways. I lie down at eight, and get up at midnight. I fancy at times that you have not yet gone to bed.--Yours ever,

NAPOLEON.

_October 14th.--Battles of Jena and Auerstadt._