res.

Alexander, however, encouraged by the sight of this camp, and of the
Duena, took breath behind that river. It was there that he first
consented to receive an English agent, so important did he deem it to
appear till that moment faithful to his engagements with France. Whether
he acted with real good faith, or merely made a show of doing so, we
know not: so much is certain, that at Paris, after his success, he
affirmed, on his honour, to Count Daru, that, "notwithstanding the
accusations of Napoleon, this was his first infraction of the treaty of
Tilsit."

At the same time he caused Barclay to issue addresses, designed to
corrupt the French and their allies, similar to those which had so
irritated Napoleon at Klubokoe;--attempts which the French regarded as
contemptible, and the Germans as unseasonable.

In other respects, the Emperor had given his enemies but a mean opinion
of his military talents: this opinion was founded on his having
neglected the Berezina, the only natural line of defence of Lithuania;
on his eccentric retreat towards the north, when the rest of his army
was fleeing southward; and lastly, on his ukase relative to recruiting,
dated Drissa, which assigned to the recruits, for their places of
rendezvous, several towns that were almost immediately occupied by the
French. His departure from the army, as soon as it began to fight, was
also a subject of remark.

As to his political measures in his new and in his old provinces, and
his proclamations from Polotsk to his army, to Moscow, to his great
nation, it was admitted that they were singularly adapted to persons and
places. It appears, in fact, that in the political means which he
employed there was a very striking gradation of energy.

In the recently acquired portion of Lithuania, houses, inhabitants,
crops, in short every thing had been spared, either from hurry or
designedly. The most powerful of the nobles had alone been carried off:
their defection might have set too dangerous an example, and had they
still further committed themselves, their return in the sequel would
have been more difficult; besides, they were hostages.

In the provinces of Lithuania which had been of old incorporated with
the empire, where a mild administration, favours judiciously bestowed,
and a longer habit of subjection, had extinguished the recollection of
independence, the inhabitants were hurried away with all they could
carry with them. Still it was not de