The following French official report, a copy of which I have found in our F.O.  Records (Russia, No. 84), shows how frightful were the losses after Smolensk.  But it should be noted that the rank and file in this case numbered only 300 at Smolensk, and had therefore lost more than half their numbers—­and this in a regiment of the Guard.

    GARDE IMPERIALE:  6eme REGIMENT DE TIRAILLEURS.
    l^ere Division.  Situation a l’epoque du 19 Decembre, 1812.

|------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------|
|             |     Perte depuis le depart de Smolensk                            |
|             |------------|-----------|-----------|--------

---|---------|--------|
|Presents sous|Restes sur  |Blesses qui|Morts de   |Restes en  |Total des|Reste   |
|les armes au |le champ    |n’ont pu   |froid ou de|en arriere |Pertes   |presents|
|depart de    |de bataille |suivre,    |misere     |geles, ou  |         |sous les|
|Smolensk     |            |restes au  |           |pour cause |         |armes   |
|             |            |pouvoir de |           |de maladie |         |        |
|             |            |l’ennemi   |           |au pouvoir |         |        |
|             |            |           |           |de l’ennemi|         |        |
|-----|-------|------------|------|--- |------|----|------|----|-----|---|----|---|
| Off.|Tr.    | Off. |Tr.  | Off. |Tr. | Off. |Tr. | Off. |Tr. | Off.|Tr.|Off.|Tr.|
| 31  |300    |  --  |13   |  4   | 52 |  --  | 24 |  13  |201 | 17  |290| 14 |10 |
|-----|-------|------|-----|------|----|------|----|------|-

---|-----|---|----|---|
Signe le Colonel Major Commandant
le dit Regiment.   CARRE.

Les autres regiments sont plus
ou moins dans le meme etat.]

[Footnote 281:  “Corresp.,” December 20th, 1812.  For the so-called Concordat of 1813, concluded with the captive Pius VII. at Fontainebleau, see “Corresp.” of January 25th, 1813.  The Pope repudiated it at the first opportunity.  Napoleon wanted him to settle at Avignon as a docile subject of the Empire.]

[Footnote 282:  Mollien, vol. iii., ad fin. For his vague offers to mitigate the harsh terms of Tilsit for Prussia, and to grant her a political existence if she would fight for him, see Hardenberg, “Mems.,” vol. iv., p. 350.]

[Footnote 283:  Walpole reports (December 19th and 22nd, 1812) Metternich’s envy of the Russian successes and of their occupation of the left bank of the Danube.  Walpole said he believed Alexander would grant Austria a set-off against this; but Metternich seemed entirely Bonapartist ("F.O.,” Russia, No. 84).  See too the full account, based on documentary evidence, in Luckwaldt’s “Oesterreich und die Anfange des Befreiungskrieges” (Berlin, 1898).]

[Footnote 284:  Hardenberg, “Mems.,” vol. iv., p. 366.]

[Footnote 285:  Oncken, “Oesterreich und Preussen,” vol. ii.; Garden, vol. xiv., p. 167; Seeley’s “Stein,” vol. ii., ch. iii.]