. The information
that General Wilson had brought of the admirable behaviour of the army
did much to allay the alarm that prevailed in St. Petersburg; and, after
dining with the Emperor on the evening of the arrival of the latter at
his capital, he had a long private interview with him. The Emperor had
already been made acquainted with the dissatisfaction in the army, and
Marshal Kutusow had been sent to replace General Barclay, and he asked
Sir Robert whether he thought the new commander would be able to restore
subordination and confidence in the army. Sir Robert replied that he had
met the marshal, and had informed him of the exact state of things
there: that the latter had conjured him to acquaint the Emperor with the
fullest details, and in accordance with that request, and in order to
prevent his Majesty having the pain of hearing it from the lips of one
of his own subjects--who perhaps would be less able to convince him of
the intense feeling of loyalty to himself that still prevailed--he had
consented to be the mouthpiece of the generals of the army. He then
reported to him the interviews that he had had with the general
officers, suppressing the names of those present, and the message they
had desired him to deliver.

The Emperor was greatly moved. However, the manner in which the general
fulfilled the mission with which he was charged, and his assurances that
the act of seeming insubordination and defiance of the imperial
authority was in no way directed against him, but against his advisers,
whom they believed to be acting in the interests of Napoleon, had their
effect, and the Emperor promised to give the matter every
consideration, and to answer him definitely on the following day. At
the next meeting he gave Sir Robert his authority to assure the army of
his determination to continue the war against Napoleon while a Frenchman
remained in arms on Russian soil, and that, if the worst came to the
worst, he would remove his family far into the interior, and make any
sacrifice rather than break that engagement. At the same time, while he
could not submit to dictation in the matter of his ministers, he could
assure them that these should in no way influence him to break this
promise.

During Sir Robert's stay in St. Petersburg the Emperor took every
occasion to show him marked favour, as if anxious to assure those whose
views Sir Robert had represented, that he was in no way displeased with
them for the attitu