Page:A General Sketch of Political History from the Earlist Times.djvu/379

 NAPOLEON, FIRST CONSUL AND EMPEROR 367 The Bourbon dynasty was recalled to France in the person of Louis xviii. Broadly speaking, the diplomatists and monarchs proposed as nearly as possible to reconstitute the position as it had been before the French Revolution ; France was to be the France of the French monarchy when it fell. In a European November, a congress of the five great powers — Congress. Russia, Prussia, Austria, France, and Great Britain — assembled at Vienna to complete the settlement on the old lines ; a restora- tion of all the ruling families to their dominions, without regard to any sentiments of nationalism, or any of the principles from which the Revolution had started. The settlement, however, was deferred. Conflicting interests were not easily reconciled, and quarrels among the powers themselves threatened. Napoleon, brooding in Elba, determined to strike one more blow for his lost dominion. He escaped from his island, landed on March 1st near Cannes, and appealed to the French nation's loyalty to its emperor. The appeal was successful. His progress towards Paris 6 ^g became a triumphal march, and the Bourbons took Hundred hasty flight. The powers stopped their quarrels, ays ' 1 and agreed to make war on Napoleon till he was effectively extinguished. But coalitions move slowly, and Napoleon was swift and sudden. By the beginning of June his army was organised ; while only the Prussians under Blucher and a hetero- geneous force under Wellington were ready in Belgium to meet him. Napoleon's object was the usual one — to split Blucher and Wellington, and to crush first one and then the other. He struck at the centre, and was so far successful that he defeated Blucher at Ligny and drove him to retreat — as Napoleon thought, on his base at Namur. Wellington beat off an attack at Quatre Bras on the same day, but being unable The to effect the junction with Blucher, fell back on Waterloo Waterloo to cover Brussels. On June 18th, Ca^P***"- Napoleon attacked him, having sent a column to take care of Blucher. But Blucher had retired not on Namur but on Wavre, in order to join Wellington at Waterloo, and the force sent in pursuit failed in its purpose. From a little before midday the