Louisa of Prussia and Her Times

the strength of the stoutest hearts seemed broken. Couriers had arrived today from the camp of

g the whole course of an eventful life-Bonaparte had crossed the Italian Alps with the serried columns of his army, and the most trusted military leaders of Austria were fleeing b

furth, after a most desperate struggle, had been forced to open its gates to the conquerors; Loudon, with his brave troops, had been dispersed in the Tyrol; Botzen had opened

he nobility were concealing their grief and their sorrows in the interior of their palaces, the populace rushed into the streets, anxiously inquiring for

ootnote: Cabbage Market.] As if a storm were raising up the waves of this black sea of human figures, the dense mass commenced to undulate to and fro, and a wail of dist

erously on this last and most dreadful event of the day, all of a sudden Hungarian hussars galloped up and commanded the people, in the most

the soldiers, fell back and gazed with an expression of anxious

immense iron trunks, large enough to enclose a coffin or a corpse; and these trunks were covered with heavy blankets, the four corners of which contained the imperial crown of Austria in beautiful emb

with a dull, thundering noise over the uneven pavement; and this noise resounded in the ears and

ing these questions, but only in the depth of his own heart, for nobody dared to interrupt the painful and anxious silence by a loud word or an

ft the place, the eyes of the anxious spectators turned once more toward the speakers who had previously addressed them

shouted the crowd. "We want to

ot ask the soldiers themselves?" sh

ach the wagons and knock at the trunks?-may be the dev

nful uncertainty, the anxious excitement continued unabated, an

om the Kapuzinergruft, in order to save them from the French," said an honest tailor to his n

afe! They are saving the corpses of the emperors, but they are forsaking us-the living! They abandon us to the ten

here in Vienna. As long as they lived they loved the people of the capital, and they will protect us in death. Come, brethren, co

owd, which now, when it could no longer see the flashing and

l voice which ordered the people to desist, and they beheld a tall man who, wit

over the crowd as if, a new Moses, he wanted to al

hese indignant, anxious, and terrified faces now turned tow

ave you any arms to compel them to show you the wagons and their contents? And even if you were armed, the soldiers would overpower you, for most of you would run away as soo

quiet over there!-Stop your noise!-Do not cry so loud!-H

ed-everybody held his

ting from Vienna to Presburg, because the government deems it no longer safe here. Just think of what we have come to now-a-days! Our imperial family, and even the state treasure, must flee from Vi

has plunged Austria into war and distress, and caused the flig

, ringing tones of his powerful voice: "It is the fault of our prime minister, Baron von Thugut. He don't wan

to be led to the shambles like sheep. No, no; we want peace-peace w

he speaker with a sneer. "First compel him to do what the emperor and even our bra

o give us peace," said se

all go to the minister's house and ask him to give us back the

. His tall, herculean figure, however, towered above t

the minister's house, for I know where he lives, and we will shout and raise suc

amations. Only one idea, only one wish, animated all these men: they wanted peace with France, lest Bonaparte might co

nd yell, "Peace with France!" he muttered, "I think I have accomplished a good deal to-day. The archduke w