Count Baraguay d'Hilliers and Marshal Canrobert signified their a.s.sent to the views expressed by Vaillant.

The minister of war, Count Randon, said:--

"I believe that the condition of the army, to which I have devoted all my care, is excellent, and that the means of defence throughout the country are in the best possible state; nevertheless, I am the last person in the world to disapprove of an examination, which will to a certain extent control my administration as minister of war--a careful examination upon the influence of the needle-gun I most urgently advise."

The grey-haired Count Regnault de St. Jean d'Angely said, in a firm voice,--

"Sire, I have the great honour of commanding your majesty's guards.

This corps is in perfect readiness to march against the enemies of France. If your majesty declared war to-day, the guards could start for the frontier to-morrow, full of zeal to twine fresh laurels round our ancient eagle. But we cannot carry on a war with the guards alone. I must therefore entirely agree with the views of Marshal Vaillant."

Drouyn de Lhuys shrugged his shoulders with impatience, which he scarcely troubled himself to conceal. The emperor looked thoughtfully before him.

"Sire," said MacMahon, in his voice so gentle in conversation, but which in front of his troops resounded metallic as a trumpet blast--"Sire, your majesty knows I would rather see my sword flash in the sunshine against the enemies of France than wear it in its scabbard, yet I must fully concur in the wise view of Marshal Vaillant.

Let us examine--let us examine quickly, and then as quickly do that which is needful."

Slowly Marshal Niel raised his eyes, so full of genius, to the emperor.

He hesitated for a moment, then he spoke in a calm, firm tone:--

"I must beg our honoured _doyen's_ forgiveness if I, so much younger than himself, am of a different opinion."

The marshals all looked at the speaker with astonishment. Drouyn de Lhuys, with joyful expectation, hung on his lips. The emperor raised his head and looked at him in the greatest suspense.

"Sire," he added, his features growing animated, "I do not consider a commission needful, because without an examination my opinion is formed."

"And your opinion is?" asked Napoleon.

"My opinion is that your majesty is not in a position to fight."

Drouyn de Lhuys looked at Niel with horror. The emperor showed no emotion, only he cast down his eyes and bent his head a little to one side, as was his custom when he listened with unusual attention.

"Sire," proceeded Kiel, "if one who wears the marshal's baton of France, in such an a.s.semblage, before his monarch, expresses such an opinion as my own, it is his duty to give the reasons upon which it is founded. Allow me to do this on their princ.i.p.al points. I am ready hereafter to lay my reasons before your majesty in a special memorial.

Firstly," he continued, "a war against Prussia and Germany--for I believe in this case Germany would stand beside Prussia--needs the whole and entire force of the French nation. At the present moment this is not at our command. The expedition to Mexico draws away both men and money which we could not spare, and I should not wish that, following the example of Austria, we engaged upon two wars at once, when opposed to a foe whose dangerous strength we must, above all things, duly estimate if we hope for success. Secondly," he added, "according to my opinion, no examination is necessary to convince us that we must oppose to the Prussian needle-gun a weapon at least as good, if not superior.

I venture to doubt whether, as they now affirm in Austria, it was entirely the needle-gun that Prussia must thank for her great and astonishing success. I doubt it; nevertheless, apart from the undoubted efficacy of this weapon, it is absolutely necessary for the _morale_ and self-confidence of our soldiers, to give them a needle-gun of an equally good or superior kind, especially now that the newspapers and common rumour have surrounded this gun with the nimbus of a magic weapon. I should hold it to be extremely dangerous to lead the army, as it is at present equipped, against Prussian regiments. A new weapon, sire, necessitates new tactics. I will only allude to the completely altered functions of cavalry in war, and the new problem of artillery,--on which your majesty's views will be clearer than my own,"

he added, bowing to the emperor. "Then," he proceeded, "without any commission, it is perfectly clear that the strongholds on our frontier have neither the fortifications, the provisions, nor the ammunition needful to make them really effective in war. This is no reflection upon the military administration," he said, turning to Count Randon; "it is a fact whose full explanation is found in the circ.u.mstance that the state of politics during the last few years has directed our military attention to other points. Finally," he said in a convincing tone, "there is one point to consider, which I believe to be the most important of all. We have opposed to us in Prussia a nation whose military organization causes every man up to a great age to be a soldier. In case of need Prussia can, after a lost battle, after the annihilation even of an army upon the field, produce another army in an effective condition, with all the discipline and all the requisites of well-trained soldiers. I will not speak of the influence such an excessive expenditure of strength must have on home affairs--on the welfare of the country, but in a military point of view its success is immense. We have but our regular army, and were it broken, defeated--in the quiet contemplation of affairs it is the duty even of a French mouth to p.r.o.nounce this hard word--we have nothing--except perhaps, undisciplined ma.s.ses with a good courage, who would be sacrificed without result. I will not maintain that it would be advisable, or, indeed, with our national peculiarities, that it would be possible to imitate the Prussian system, nevertheless we must create something which will be a true national reserve. I wish to express that we must have, to back up our regular army, material sufficiently trained to form another army in case of need, if we would avoid entering on the war with unequal forces. I will shortly recapitulate my opinion. We must, in the first place, be completely freed from Mexico, that we may be able to concentrate the whole power of France upon one point. We must then supply the whole army with an excellent breach-loader; we must modify our drill to our new weapon; our fortresses must be in perfect readiness for war. Finally, we must create a mobile and efficient national reserve. I consider all these preparations indispensable before commencing so grave and decisive a war."

Deep silence reigned for a moment throughout the apartment.

The emperor fixed his eyes upon Marshal Forey, the youngest in the a.s.sembly.

"I perfectly coincide in the views that Marshal Niel has so clearly and convincingly expressed," he said.

The other marshals were silent, but their looks plainly showed that they had nothing to say against the views Niel had advanced.

"Sire," cried Drouyn de Lhuys, vehemently, "I am not a soldier, and I am convinced that from a military point of view the gallant marshal is perfectly right; but the completion of the preparations he deems needful for a successful campaign requires time, much time, and I think we have none to lose if we are to guard the honour and the interests of France. The favourable moment will go by, Prussia will grow stronger and stronger, the military strength of Germany will become more and more organized and concentrated, and if all is carried out that the marshal desires, the increase to our strength, however important, will perhaps be met by a still more considerable increase of strength on the part of the enemy. Sire," he proceeded, with extreme excitement and with flashing eyes, "I implore your majesty that two men and one officer with the banner of France, may stand at the frontier and support the needful demands which we must make upon Prussia; if they see we are in earnest in Berlin they will yield, and if they do not, in a few days all France would be formed into battalions to strengthen our armies. It was with such battalions, sire, that your ill.u.s.trious uncle conquered the world; from these he formed those mighty armies, educated not in the barrack-yard but on the battle-field, with which he subdued Europe."

A deeply pained expression appeared for a moment on the emperor's face.

Then he raised his eyes enquiringly to Marshal Niel.

"What do you say to this, Monsieur le Marechal?" he asked.

"Sire," replied Niel, "your minister's words must find an echo in every French heart, and my strong conviction of my duty towards your majesty and France alone prevents me from agreeing with him. Immediately after the battle of Sadowa, whilst Germany was still armed, when Austria had not yet concluded peace, when the Prussian army was still much exhausted by the hard blows it had received during a severe struggle, it might have been possible to do what the minister counsels. To-day it would be too dangerous a game for France's glory and greatness; it would be," he added, with a meaning look at the emperor, "a game which your majesty might perhaps dare to play, but which no conscientious general would dare to advise."

"And if I dare to play this game," cried the emperor, a brilliant flash sparkling in his eyes, "which of you gentlemen would stand at my side and lead the armies of France?"

A deep silence replied to the emperor's question.

"Sire," at last cried Marshal MacMahon, fixing his bright blue eyes firmly on the emperor, "we are all ready, if you command, to march at the head of the armies of France, and to die; but first we beg your majesty to listen to Marshal Niel, and not to hazard the fate of France, of imperial France, to such uncertain success."

All the marshals bent their heads, and their countenances expressed their full approval of the Duke of Magenta's words.

Drouyn de Lhuys allowed his head to sink sorrowfully upon his breast.

The emperor fixed his eyes upon Marshal Niel without a sign of emotion.

"How long a time should you require to carry out what you have a.s.serted to be needful?"

"Two years, sire," replied the marshal, in a calm, clear voice.

"My best wishes will accompany the marshal in his work, if your majesty deputes him to carry it out," said Count Randon, bowing to the emperor.

After a few moments of deep silence Napoleon rose.

"I thank you, gentlemen," he said, quietly, "for your opinions, and the frankness with which you have expressed them. It will make it easier to me to form a decision at this important moment. I shall see you all again to-day at dinner."

And with his own peculiar courtesy he greeted them, and returned to his cabinet alone.

He looked thoughtfully and gravely before him, and several times paced slowly up and down the room.

"Rash indeed would it be to decide on action under these circ.u.mstances," said he; "and wherefore, if time can ripen the fruit, if waiting can make our aim more sure? Drouyn de Lhuys, that quiet prudent man, talks like a Jacobin of 1793! He holds intercourse with Orleans," he said, gloomily, as he stood still and fixed his eyes on the ground.

Then he went to his writing-table, seated himself and wrote. His hand hurried over the paper; sometimes he looked up as if seeking for a word, then he wrote again, filling one page after another.

When he had finished he called Pietri.

"Make me a copy of this," said the emperor, holding out the written sheets; "yet," he added, "read it first and tell me what you think of it."

Pietri read slowly and attentively, whilst the emperor made a cigarette, lighted it at the taper always burning on his table, and then walked leisurely up and down the room, from time to time casting a look of enquiry at his secretary's countenance.

When he saw that he had finished reading he said:

"Well, have you any remark to make?"

"Sire," said Pietri, "your majesty will not then act?"

"Perhaps it is better to wait," said the emperor.

"But this programme," said Pietri,--"for, what your majesty has just sketched out is a political programme for the future--accepts the alterations in Germany."