MEMOIRS OF COUNT MATHIEU DUMAS.

MATHIEU DUMAS was designed by nature for a military adminis- trator. His mind was methodical ; his judgment just, but narrow ; give him the premises, he would most probably arrive at a sound conclusion, unless the subject was too vast or too novel for his mental calibre ; but he wanted that perception, akin to invention, Welt enables a man, in the logic of life, to select the premises for himself and plan a large and successful course of conduct lie had also a moral timidity, called moderation by himself and others of hisVamp, which magnified the obstacles of bold attempts, and pre- vented him from originating or joining in any great undertaking, especially if he had not a precedent. Hence, though mixing in and conneated with many of the events of the French Revolution and the-Empire, he was always a subordinate actor, or an executive instrument, whether in politics or war.

Few men, even of the last generation, so fertile in various and gigantic changes, had seen so much as MATHIEU DUMAS. Born in 1753, he entered the French army in 1773, when the old rs'lline was in the utmost brilliance of its putrescent corruption. - He early distinguished himself by his laborious studies of professional technicalities, and was employed on different surveys when the French Court contemplated a rupture with England and a junction with the revolted Colonies. On the declaration of war, he served in America with WASHINGTON and LAFAYETTE ; and visited the West Indies in the expedition destined to act against Jamaica, which was put a stop to by the general peace. On his return to Europe, he was on different occasions employed as a kind of respectable spy, in Holland and Flanders ; and the invasion of the Crimea by CATHERINE of Russia, inducing an idea that the days of the Ottoman empire Were numbered, DUMAS was despatched to the Levant, to see what would be the most profitable share of the spoil for France in the probable dismemberment. He was a con- stant frequenter of the National Assembly, though not a member ; and was the officer appointed to conduct Loris the Sixteenth and the Royal Family to Paris when their flight was intercepted at Varenues. lie. was elected to the Legislative Assembly ; he wit- nessed all the violences of its members and the outrages of the mob, till the loth August 1792; he spoke and voted in fitvour of "mo- derate constitutional" views : but his milk-and-water Liberalism suited none of the leading parties, and could excite no public opinion. He became a mark for enemies ; he had no party friends to rely upon ; and his assassination, he says, was plotted. This was probably a misconception; but, With a sagacity that stuck to him through life, MATHIEU DUMAS snuffed the coming danger, and did not wait for the Reign of Terror, which rendered secret murder unnecessary. Having previously sent Ids family to Havre, he fol- lowed them, and escaped to England ; suffering the anxieties and difficulties of a surreptitious flight in those times. Returning to prevent the confiscation of his property, he was put under ban and, after many escapes, hunted into Switzerland. On the overthrow of ROBESPIERRE lie retiirned to Paris, and was elected a member of the Council of Ancients. But the Directory suspected him ; to escape arrest he had again to fly ; and becoming an exile in Ger- many, he published, with some profit, a military periodical tie der the 'title of Precis des Ecenemens 21filituires,—a professional work which lie finally brought down to 1807. The restoration of order by NAPOLEON, First Consul, restored DUMAS; who, after some ex- planations on his part, entered the service of the new ruler; and was gradually! raised to the post of Intendant-General. During his Napoleonic career, he was present with his master in Spain ; assisted in the camp at Boulogne designed for the invasion of England, having made a survey of the coast for a similar purpose before the American war ; and he served in the campaigns of Austerlitz and Wagram, throughout the disastrous invasion of Rus- sia,' and the extraordinary- struggles of NAPOLEON in Germany. Like all men trained in the different tyrannies of the old r(!giine, the Revolution, or the Empire, DUMAS had no political principles ; and his private attachments very readily gave-way when opposed to his private interests. Returning to Paris ofter the Abdication, he felt (so he wriles) a'strong desire to'accoinpany his master to Elba; but discovered on his arrival, that exile Would be a needless piece of Qttixotisio. "-I found," Says he, in well-turned. periods, "siLmY companions already-de- tached from the Imperial system, and either already, entered or.ready to -enter Into that of the Restoration, which had now become the law of, necessity : it seemed-as if the government that had just ceased ".was nothiq mere thee an • historical recollection... The new order of_things unposed .new duties ;..i.tiou formed to it-like others, and•the more easily, as.the. coinmeneement antl.rtom lArk,of my Military career had been under the government of. the :Bourboac • Ellice, according to all appearances, and for the common • interest of thereselvg, and the nation, they came to rally the friends of liberty round the eonstiliev Heim] monarchy, and to consolidate the real advantages which the Revolution; had given to the nation, prbwipatuna et libertatem, I was acting accordingttn the political opinions which I had always professed. I abhorred the meneo which Itad been employed ; /sow with deep mortification the soil of my 'eetniz try trodden on by foreigners ; tut I was consoled, as much as it was possible ,k, be, by the effects which I hoped from this new compact between the Revolutiodt and the ancient dynasty."

In other words, he accepted office under the BOURBONS RS soon' as he was " appointed" to a place. The return of NAPOLEON from Elba saw M. DUMAS at his leves; and he learnt from the Itioniteur his " nomination" to the place at Director-General of the National Guards. " I have learned," hs; writes, " that NAPOLEON by no means reckoned on my attachment,' but on my probity, and my punctuality in fulfilling the task whirh' I had accepted. Ile did me justice ; I devoted myself to it with.: out reserve." With the second restoration of the BOURBONS, DUMAS again took a place, whenever, as it seems to us, lie could, get one ; and on the Revolution of the Glorious Three Days, again came forward, though old and blind, to assist in organisligl the National Guards ; and his chequered career was closed by his elevation to the Chamber of Peers.

The reminiscences of such a man ought to be of great valuesi and full of entertainment. Unfortunately, the perceptions of Count; DUMAS were as deficient in literature as in life. He could no more; distinguish the characteristics of things and persons, than he cosi*, seize upon those which would determine political or military! events. He also wanted judgment, and the art of selection: he flincies because an event occurred to him, that it must be told., in his Memoirs, just as he must put down individuals in a musters, roll, or units in an account to get a correct result. Devoid et; those qualities which enable a man to impart interest to aimed' any thing by presenting it with life and truth, Dumits is de. pendent upon the obvious features of the men and events with which he came in contact ; and those of the Empire are by much the most interesting. His campaigns in America give us no new infos- mation, and are as empty as a memorial or an official paper. With the exception of a few incidents, and the narrative of the forcible convoy of the Royal Family from Varennes to Paris, the Revolution section is not better; consisting mainly of his own and other people's motions, speeches, and votes in the Assembly—not graphis eally, but in detail. As is usually the ease, the interest rises with his troubles ; and his disguises, risks' escapes, and exiles, carry the reader along, and might fuive moved him had not the author pota: sessed too much dignity to be moved himself. One anecdote,-: however, notes the distress which the fearful convulsion of the

Reign of Terror had caused amongst all ranks. .

had been wandering about fbr two years, and was happy again to see my. wife sod mv children, my father and mother-in-law. I lived under the ternal roof; but I still saw traces of the Reign of Terror, and of the impression which it had left in every mind. The misery of the people and the waut of resources in all classes were still felt. At the hrst dinner to which I sat dews,

I was struck with a speech of my wife to my daughters. Children,' she, I am always obliged to repeat the same thing to you—you eat too much bread.'

On his introduction to NAromoss, the interest increases. Being occasionally brought into close connexion with him, DUMAS is able to tell some very characteristic anecdotes. The incidents of N. poleonic warfare also flunish some striking pictures. A 'spirited glimpse is given of the virtual defeat of Aspern •' another, less Strik- ing, of the battle of Wagram ; and, though the details of the administrator are prominent, there is a very good account of diet Russian campaign. Whether the result may have contributed" to tone his narrative, we cannot tell ; but, taking it as it stands, it well exhibits in the army that gloomy presentiment which seems instinctively to precede misfortune, the mind often feeling the pre- saging circumstances which its reason cannot embody in a con- elusive shape. The officers foreboded disaster, from vague reports which were spread of the intended tactics of the Russians; the . troops did not display their wonted gayety and enthusiasm even when reviewed by the Emperor ; a terrific storm assailed the army ; as it advanced through Lithuania, the heat induced sickness ; which ; the deficiency of the hospital-arrangements, as well as any means of making them, aggravated ; and with each day's march into Rus- sia, the absence of supplies destroyed or carried off by the retreat- ing Russians, indicated that one secret of French success could:fin longer be acted upon—" the war would no longer maintain the ! war," and that the first reverse, or a retrograde movement, might b4.. fatal.

One of the earliest services upon Wiliell DUMAS was employed! under NAPOLEON, was a reconnaissance of the Alps, with the view • of marching an army into the Tyrol, and turning the Austrian': flank. When completed, it was universally pronounced imprac- ticable 3IAcnoNALn sent Dumas to the First Consul ; and data , spoke

NAPOLEON ON PASSING MOUNTAINS.

I was admitted to a private audience in the cabinet of the First ConsuL After having listened to Inc attentively, he ordered the large inap of Tyrol to be brought, which was spread out upon the carpet. Ile lay down upon it as well as myself; and made me repeat all the details of the recognizance of these- elevated regions. He enestioned me about the presumed force and the„ tions of the corps of General Hiller, und of the divisions of Auffenberg, Kabul Laudon, Davidowieb, and Wukassowich, at the head of the vallies or the,: Tyrol, towards Germany and towards Italy. In his various Smiqiositionsi,he Unravelled this great labyrinth of the AlpS between -the Rhine and the Adige. !` We eh all deprive them," said he, "and almost without fight iris,this linmenr. , fortress of the Tyrol ; mamma manuativre on their flanks, and ihreaten their last pointof retreat ; they will then'inarnediatelievacuate all the tiplier'vallies:n 1; hKfl changtenothinglw my titrangeinents. Lard( seelhat there are difffettl. in eft probability•greater than at any otherpoint of the chain of the great Ales; hut I hold that there are'nb asperities on the globe which man cannot sarmount. • •Tell Macdonald theta,' army canpass.alwnys, and at all seasons, teherever twomen •ean set their foot. A fortnight after the renewal of hosti- lities, the army of the Orisons must be at the sources of the Adds, of the Oglitainnd of the Adige, and must have fired some musket-shot at Mount Tonal, which separates them, and arriving at Trent, form the left of the stymy of Italy, and manteuvre in concert with it in the rear of the army of the Count;deDellegarde. I shall take 'care to send in time reinforcements where they may be necessary. It is not by the numerical force of an army, but by the Ant, the importance of the operation, that I measure that of the command."

MAKING AN ALPINE ROAD.

Four of the strangest oxen of the country, led by the best guides, trod down tie snow,.in whiCh they sank and almost disappeared ; they were followed by forty peasants, who cleared and formed the path. A company of sappers as- sisted them and perfected the trench; two companies of infantry, marching in close filea, completed the operation of smoothing and consolidating the snow. This vanguard was followed at some distance by a company of dra- gobes of the Tenth Regiment, of which we have just spoken. 'Then came a detiehment of artillery, and a hundred beasts of burden ; and the escorts doted the March.

NAPOLEON'S POWERS.

This organization, these immense preparations, (for the Russian war,) were terminated about the month of February 1811 I had several times written from the dictation of the Emperor ; and I had occasion to admire his inconceiv- able memory, and the precision with which, without having recourse to the lists,he bore in mind the effective force of the several corp, in order to deter- mine the means of raising them to the complete war establishment, according to their wants. One day, having laid before him a general table which he had Mired me to give him, and which he ran through very rapidly, he dictated a distribution of conscripts, founded on this statement of the effective force of all the corps of the army, without once hesitating and stated the actual force °reach of the corps and their position. He walked rapidly up and down, or stood still before the window of his cabinet. He dictated with such rapidity that I had scarcely time to set down the figures clearly, and to indicate by ab- breviations the notes which he added. For full half-an-hour I hadnot been able totoke icy eyes from the paper on which I wrote. Thad no doubt but that he had before him the general table which Iliad given him ; and when he paused a mo- ment, and I was able to look at him, he perceived and laughed at my surprise. "You thought," said he, that" was reading your table. I don't want ; I keow it all by heart. Let usgo on."

THE ENTRANCE TO MOSCOW.

7.4ight drew near : when we penetrated into that vast and magnificent soli- tude, scarcely did a few individuals of the lower class show themselves here and thoteos the troops of the King of Naples passed. We crossed the Kremlin, the square of the Bazaar, and the street leading to the sqnare of the Palace of the Government. The advanced posts of the light cavalry of the King of Naples had pushed some hundred paces further to the boulvvard ; a numerous pod of infantry wns stationed in the square before the Palau of the Govern- ment; the last rear-guard of the Russians still held the Northern suburb. The night was line; the unclouded beams of the 'noon illumined those fine Aces, those vast palaces, those desert streets, in which reigned the silence of the tomb. We sought long for some person ol whom we might evilte mae in- quiriei; and at length we met with a professor of the Academy end some French- men,who had concealed themselves during the confusion attending the evacua- tion of the city. These individuals related to us all that had passed during the lost few days; and could not make us comprehend this sudden disappear- ance a n population of three hundred thousand souls. We entered some palaces, Millie doors of which were open. Towards inid::Vit, we chose our eight'a loigitig in this same quarter of the Government, which appeared to be the central part of this immense city. I took up my abode in a palace at one of the corbels Of the square, which I was told belonged to the Countess of Moikanom It was a large house, built of hewn stone : the style of arehitec- tare was indifferent, but the internal arrangement was very convenient, and it wag very well fitted up. In the kitchens underground, I found two .11ondjichs, or slaves, who showed me the apartments : every thing was in as good order as if thellimily had been expeeted ; in the drawing-room, which was preceded by two °titers, there weaa rotund table, on which the ladies' embroidery-work was still lying; not the most trilling piece of furniture was out of its place ; the keys were still in the drawers in a very handsome bedchamber. .

CONFLAGRATION OF MOSCOW.

It WIG night before I was able to quit the house which I occupied. We left MOseow wider a real vomits of fire. The wind was so violent, that it carried to a PTO distance the iron-plates which were torn from the roofs and made red-hot by the flames. The feet of our horses were burnt. It is impossible to form nitrites of the confusion which prevailed in this precipitate evacuation. The nuke of the fire resembled the roaring of the waves ; it was truly a tempest in an ocean of fire. The whole road to-Petershof was covered with fragments of diflsreut kinds, especially with broken bottles which our soldiers had thrown about. We bivouacked on the skirts of a little woad, from which we could be- hold this frightful spectacle-the image of hell. That immense city was no- thing bat a plain of tire ; the heavens and the entire horizon appeared! to be in flames, and 1 was able at the distance of three-quarters of a league to read the orders which were brought Inc from the Major-General.

The almost superhuman exertions of Nay, who brought up the rear of the grand army, are well known. Here is his apparition at the close of his exploit. At length we were out of that accursed country, the Russian territory. TheCossacks no longer pursued no with the same ardour. In proportion us WC advanced into the Prussian territory, we found better quarters and more re- stances. The first place at which we were able to take breath wins Wilkoviski; and the next Gumbumen, where I put up at the house of a physician, which 1 oil occupied when I passed through the town before. Sonic excellent coffee had just been brought us for breakfast, when a man in a brown greatcoat en- tered: he had a long beard, his face was blackened, and looked as if it were burnt ; his eyes were red and brilliant. At length I am here,' said Ise. 'Why! General Dumas, don't you know me ? " No; who are you their? ' 'I sin the rear-guard of the guild army ; I have tired the last musket-shot on thc bridge of Kowno. I have thrown into the Niemen the last of our arms, tied have come hither through the woods. I am Marshal Ney.' "