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entertained it) and direct his course towards Wilna andMoscow .

Napoleon had struck the first blow, for the sake of theadvantage which the assailant usually has over the defendant;secondly, to awe the infidelity of Austria and the discontentof Prussia, and for fear of losing the summer, as I haveshown he had lost two months. The two armies were nowonly separated by the river Niemur. Murat commandedthe French advanced guard. Both parties were anxious forthe fray. On this 22nd June, Napoleon , disguised as aprivate Polish lancer, accompanied by General Haxo of theengineers, reconnoitred the river and the positions. Hecaused three pontoon bridges to he thrown across, and nextday, the 23rd, Murat passed the river at Kowno , where theRussians had only one isolated corps, commanded by GeneralBagawout; hut the Russian plan was evidently to retreatand lay waste the country. It was very difficult to overtakethem, hut essential in a military view. Napoleon orderedMurat to push on, which he did, even with the sacrifice ofthe usual prudence. On this occasion General Pajol greatlydistinguished himself by charging, with only five squadrons,a countless cloud of Cossacks , penetrating into the midst ofthem, and covering the plain with their slain. I think Inow see my worthy, noble-looking friend, the very beauideal of an olden knight, but with more blandishments, alwaysin the thickest of the fight, and emulating his chief Murat,whom he also much resembled in person.

On the 28th of June, Murat, and then Napoleon , enteredWilna, in which city were found immense magazines ofprovisions, ammunition, and every material of war. HereNapoleon received the Polish deputation from Warsaw, andformed a provisional government for Lithuania .

Murat arrived before Smolensko, where the Russians made a stand, and fought most desperately in order to gain