hich by chance fell into Joseph's hands.[314] The hot blood of the
Bonapartes boiled at this underhand dealing, and he at once despatched
Colonel Desprez to Napoleon to demand Soult's instant recall. The
Emperor, who was then at Moscow, temporized. Perhaps he was not sorry
to have in Spain so vigilant an informer; and he made the guarded
reply that Soult's suspicions did not much surprise him, that they
were shared by many other French generals, who thought King Joseph
preferred Spain to France, and that he could not recall Soult, as he
had "the only military head in Spain." The threatening war-cloud in
Central Europe led Napoleon to change his resolve. Soult was recalled,
but not disgraced, and, after the death of Bessieres, he received the
command of the Imperial Guard.

The commander who now bore the brunt of responsibility was Jourdan,
who acted as major-general at the King's side, a post which he had
held once before, but had forfeited owing to his blunders in the
summer of 1809. The victor of Fleurus was now fifty-one years of age,
and his failing health quite unfitted him for the Herculean tasks of
guiding refractory generals, and of propping up a tottering monarchy.
For Jourdan's talents Napoleon had expressed but scanty esteem,
whereas on many occasions he extolled the abilities of Suchet, who was
now holding down Valencia and Catalonia. Certainly Suchet's tenacity
and administrative skill rendered his stay in those rich provinces
highly desirable. But the best talent was surely needed on
Wellington's line of advance, namely, at Valladolid. To the
shortcomings and mishaps of Joseph and Jourdan in that quarter may be
chiefly ascribed the collapse of the French power.

In fact, the only part of Spain that now really interested Napoleon
was the north and north-east. So long as he firmly held the provinces
north of the Ebro, he seems to have cared little whether Joseph
reigned, or did not reign, at Madrid. All that concerned him was to
hold the British at bay from the line of the Douro, while French
authority was established in the north and north-east. This he was
determined to keep; and probably he had already formed the design,
later on to be mooted to Ferdinand VII. at Valencay, of restoring him
to the throne of Spain and of indemnifying him with Portugal for the
loss of the north-eastern provinces. This scheme may even have formed
part of a plan of general pacification; for at Dresden, on May 17th,
he propos