Duchy of Cleve, which remained to the
Prussians, surrendered to Napoleon; he established himself on this side
of the Rhine, and came into possession of the fortress Wesel, which was
only too near to the present Prussian frontier. His brother-in-law
Joachim Murat became duke of the old hereditary possessions of the
King's family. No one could conceal from himself that our State, which
spread so wide from east to west, was in a very critical position. Our
grief was increased by the insolence with which the newly created duke
carried on his encroachments even as far as Muenster.

"New clouds rose darkly over us. Letters from Berlin breathed war
against Napoleon, Bluecher left us, and we expected the French
occupation of Muenster. It is true that General Lecoq had entered it
with a small corps, but this gave us little comfort, for he appeared to
wish to abandon the city, with its moats and ramparts, to the evil
results of a useless defence. When he had felled down a beautiful
plantation in front of the Egidien gate, and after the appearance of
our war manifesto, the city was terrified one night by sudden alarm
signals, in order, as he said, to prove the watchfulness of his
soldiers; in the middle of October he suddenly withdrew and left us to
our fate.

"Nevertheless, we old Prussians, confiding in the valour of our
soldiers, gazed hopefully towards the east, and looked forward with
impatient expectation to news of victory. And it came--when Napoleon
was already making his victorious march to Berlin--and it bore such an
impress of truth, that President Von Vinke[45] ordered it to be
published. Never was there such exultation; every one hastened to the
other to convey first the joyful news. But the deepest prostration
followed; the cup we had now to drink was the more bitter after the
intoxication of pleasure. A few days after we received from fugitives
only too certain an account of the loss of the battle of Jena.

"Yet we recovered from the first stupefaction, and did not give up all
hope. One lost battle could not decide the fate of the whole war.

"But when we received detailed accounts of the terrible consequences of
this defeat, when the last remains of the army had to lay down their
arms at Luebeck, when the fortresses of Hameln, Magdeburg, Stettin and
Castrin had, with unexampled cowardice, been surrendered without a blow
to the enemy, and the whole Prussian State came under their power, then
our courage sank, w