An assembly of the Syracusans had actu- | Demosthenes, one of the most distinguished ally been convened to discuss the propriety officers that the long Peloponnesian war had of opening negotiations with the besiegers, produced, and who, if he had originally when the first galley arrived of a squadron held the Sicilian command, would soon of succor which the Peloponnesians had have brought Syracuse to submission. His despatched to Syracuse, and which the arrival before that city restored the supericulpable negligence of Nicias had not even ority to the Athenians for a time by land endeavored to intercept. The bulk of the and by sea, on both of which elements the relieving force, under the able guidance of Syracusans had now been victorious over the Spartan Gylippus, landed at some dis- the dispirited soldiers and mariners who tance from Syracuse, received considerable served under Nicias. reinforcements from the other Siciliots, and With the intuitive decision of a great turned the Athenian position by occupying commander, Demosthenes at once saw that the high ground in the extreme rear of the possession of Epipola was the key to Epipola. Gylippus marched through the the possession of Syracuse, and he resolvunfortified interval of Nicias's lines into the ed to make a prompt and vigorous attempt besieged town; and joining his troops with to recover that position while his force was the Syracusan forces, after some engage- unimpaired, and the consternation which its ments with varying success, gained the arrival had produced among the besieged mastery over Nicias, drove the Athenians remained unabated. The Syracusans and from Epipolæ, and hemmed them into a their allies had run out an outwork along disadvantageous position in the low grounds Epipolæ from the city walls, intersecting near the great harbor. the fortified lines of circumvallation which The attention of all Greece was now fixed Nicias had commenced, but from which he on Syracuse; and every enemy of Athens had been driven by Gylippus. Could Defelt the importance of the opportunity now mosthenes succeed in storming this outoffered of checking her ambition, and, per- work, and in re-establishing the Athenian haps, of striking a deadly blow at her power. troops on the high ground, he might fairly Large reinforcements from Corinth, Thebes, hope to be able to resume the circumvallaand other cities, now reached the Syracu- tion of the city, and become the conqueror sans; while the baffled and dispirited Athe- of Syracuse. nian general earnestly besought his country- An easily-repelled attack was first made men to recall him, and represented the on the outwork in the day-time, probably further prosecution of the seige as hopeless. more with the view of blinding the besiegBut Athens had made it a maxim never ed to the nature of the main operations, to let difficulty or disaster drive her back than with any expectation of succeeding in from any enterprise once undertaken, so an open assault, with every disadvantage of long as she possessed the means of making the ground to contend against. But, when any effort, however desperate, for its ac- the darkness had set in, Demosthenes complishment. With indomitable perti- formed his men in columns, each soldier nacity she now decreed, instead of recalling taking with him five days' provisions, and her first armament from before Syracuse, to the engineers and workmen of the camp send out a second, though her enemies near following the troops with their tools, home had now renewed open warfare against and all portable implements of fortificaher, and by occupying a permanent fortifi- tion, so as at once to secure any advantage cation in her territory, had severely dis- of ground that the army might gain Thus tressed her population, and were pressing equipped and prepared, he led his men her with almost all the hardships of an along by the foot of the southern flank of actual siege. She still was mistress of the Epipolæ in a direction towards the interior sea, and she sent forth another fleet of of the island, till he came immediately beseventy galleys, and another army, which low the narrow ridge that forms the extreseemed to drain almost the last reserves of mity of high ground looking westward. her military population, to try if Syracuse He then wheeled his vanguard to the right, could not yet be won, and the honor of the sent them rapidly up the paths that wind Athenian arms be preserved from the stigma along the face of the cliff, and succeeded in of a retreat. Hers was, indeed, a spirit completely surprising the Syracusan outthat might be broken but never would posts, and in placing his troops fairly on bend. At the head of this second expedi- the extreme summit of the all-important Epition, she wisely placed her best general, polæ. Thence the Athenians marched ea gerly down the slope towards the town, rout- invaders. Never, however, was vengeance ing some Syracusan detachments that were more complete and terrible. A series of quartered in their way, and vigorously as- sea-fights followed, in which the Athenian sailing the unprotected side of the outwork. galleys were utterly destroyed or captured. All at first favored them. The outwork was The mariners and soldiers who escaped abandoned by its garrison, and the Athe- death in disastrous engagements, and a nian engineers began to dismantle it. In vain attempt to force a retreat into the invain Gylippus brought up fresh troops to terior of the island, became prisoners of check the assault; the Athenians broke and war; and either perished miserably in the drove them back, and continued to press Syracusan dungeons, or were sold in slavery hotly forward, in the full confidence of vic- to the very men whom in their pride of tory. But, amid the general consternation power they had crossed the seas to enslave. of the Syracusans and their confederates, All danger from Athens to the indepenone body of infantry stood firm. This was dent nations of the West was now for ever a brigade of their Boeotian allies, which at an end. She, indeed, continued to was posted low down the slope of Epipolæ struggle against her combined enemies and outside the city walls. Coolly and steadily revolted allies with unparalleled gallantry; the Boeotian infantry formed their line, and many more years of varying warfare and, undismayed by the current of flight passed away before she surrendered to their around them, advanced against the advanc- arms. But no success in subsequent coning Athenians. This was the crisis of the tests could ever have restored her to the battle. But the Athenian van was disor- pre-eminence in enterprise, resources, and ganized by its own previous successes; and, maritime skill, which she had acquired beyielding to the unexpected charge thus fore her fatal reverses in Sicily. Nor made on it by troops in perfect order, among the rival Greek republics, whom her and of the most obstinate courage, it was own rashness aided to crush her, was there driven back in confusion upon the other di- any capable of reorganizing her empire, or visions of the army, that still continued to resuming her schemes of conquest. The press forward. When once the tide was dominion of Western Europe was left for thus turned, the Syracusans passed rapidly Rome and Carthage to dispute two cenfrom the extreme of panic to the extreme turies later, in conflicts still more terrible, of vengeful daring, and with all their forces and with even higher displays of military they now fiercely assailed the embarrassed daring and genius, than Athens had witand receding Athenians. In vain did the nessed either in her rise, her meridian, or officers of the latter strive to reform their her fall. 66 A line. Amid the din and the shouting of the fight, and the confusion inseparable upon a night engagement, especially one where many thousand combatants were pent and whirled together in a narrow and uneven area, the necessary manœuvres were SALE OF THREE OF EDWIN LANDSEER'S PICTURES. impracticable; and though many companies perty of the late Mr. W. W. Simpson, the auction-Three early pictures, by Edwin Landseer, the prostill fought on desperately, wherever the eer, were recently sold, amid a very bad collection moonlight showed them the semblance of a of so-called early Masters. The first sold of the foe, they fought without concert or subor- three Edwin Landseers was a small picture, on dination; and not unfrequently, amid the panel, five inches by four inches, representing thorough-bred Scotch Terrier, with a dead Rat in deadly chaos, Athenian troops assailed each its Mouth." It brought the large sum of sixty-eight other. Keeping their ranks close, the Sy-guineas. racusans and their allies pressed on against called "Waiting for Orders," a small full-length The second picture sold, which was on canvas, the disorganized masses of the besiegers, portrait of Mr. Simpson's shrewd, jolly-looking and at length drove them, with heavy coachman, standing with his hands folded before slaughter, over the cliffs, which an hour or him, and his hat upon the ground, brought 32 two before they had scaled full of hope, guineas-the execution extremely careful. The last and best was called "The Paddock," representing and apparently certain of success. an old chestnut horse and a white Scotch terrier, This defeat was decisive of the event of near a piece of water, with an open view, and Windthe siege. The Athenians afterwards strug-sor Castle in the extreme distance. The horse was gled only to protect themselves from the full of character, and firmly and conscientiously painted. Sold for 100 guineas. A room-full of vengeance which the Syracusans sought to framed presentation proofs, from some of Mr. Edwreak in the complete destruction of their win Landseer's best pictures, realized high prices. From Fraser's Magazine. SWEDEN AND OSCAR I. Of all modern histories that of Sweden,, Voltaire's Life of Charles XII, should since the death of Charles XII., is the most be regarded rather as a brilliant romance curious and the least known. The efforts than as an authentic history. He hides of its present patriotic monarch to organize from us that Charles, though generally bea free and firm constitution out of the pre-loved by the people, was thoroughly desent patch-work system, constructed from tested by his feudal aristocracy, whose local the discordant fragments of several revolu- tyranny was crushed under his iron despottions, have scarcely been noticed south of ism. The ball by which the monarch fell the Baltic; the utmost that has found its came from "no petty fortress, and no duway into German, French, or English jour-bious hand;" he was assassinated by Linals, is that something is agitated in Stock-quier, the agent of the discontented nobles, holm which is disliked in St. Petersburg and who had both personal and party moand suspected in Copenhagen. But Swe- tives of his own to instigate him to the den, now compactly united to Norway, is crime. The hat which Charles XII. wore not a state that ought to be consigned to on the fatal night is still religiously preindifference and oblivion. Deriving from served at Stockholm; the slightest examiits geographical position an almost insular nation shows that it was pierced by a pissecurity, it is further defended by shoals, tol-bullet fired at a distance of a very rocks, and the countless dangers of a peril- few paces, and that the ball passed sideous coast; while these very perils have ways from right to left,-a direction which trained a race of bold and skilful mariners, it could not have taken if fired from the who are not surpassed in any of the merits rampart. of seamanship by the sailors of Britain The conspirators, on his death acted as herself. A system of burgher and peasant if they had destroyed not only a monarch militia has given Sweden a larger and but a monarchy. According to ancient more available army than is generally law, a Swedish princess forfeited her right known; and Norway, which some years of succession by marriage. The two sisago seemed likely to give Sweden the same ters of Charles had married German printroubles and anxieties with which Ireland ces: the eldest had become Duchess of afflicts England, has learned by experience Holstein Gottorp, and, on her death beto appreciate the value of a union so high-queathed her right of succession to her son; ly, that the Norwegians would be the first the second, Ulrica Eleonora, was married to take arms to resist their own indepen- to the Prince of Hesse-Cassel; but she redence. Sweden is, in fact, the frontier sided at Stockholm, as her husband held fortress of Europe against Russian aggres- an important command in the Swedish arsion, and is even more important than Denmark as a guard of the passes of the Baltic. It is governed by a monarch known in the world of literature for various philanthropic disquisitions, in which the dialectic skill of ancient philosophy is combined with the most tender feelings of humanity. Sweden, however, may be said to have been in a state of transition for more than a century. From the day that Charles XII. fell in the trenches before Frederickshall, its successive governments seem to have been little better than provisional; and it is only now that the states, at the invitation of the enlightened Oscar, are about to discuss the arrangements necessary for establishing a permanent constitution. my. It was believed that Goertz, the favorite minister of Charles XII., had begun to arrange plans for securing the accession of the young Duke of Holstein by hereditary right, and that Charles was favorable to the project, because he perceived that a recognition of this right would be a most efficient check on the arrogant pretensions of the feudal aristocracy. Liquier, who was aid-de-camp to the Prince of HesseCassel, was thus prompted to the murder by the interests of his master, by his own personal hatred of Goertz, and by his intimate relation with the Swedish oligarchy. He stood at the right hand of Charles on the night that the monarch fell, and it is established that the pistol-bullet entered the king's right temple and came out at the left eye, which was torn from its socket. Whatever doubts may be entertained re- ment of chastisement, had been the object specting the death of Charles, the barbarous of terror. treatment of Goertz is a matter of notoriety. The army had proclaimed Ulrica EleoNo sooner had the king fallen than Liquier nora, the wife of their general, successor to posted at all speed with the intelligence to the throne of Sweden. It was a popular Prince Frederic of Hesse-Cassel; a secret choice, which the senate dared not oppose; council of officers was immediately con- but the senators obtained from the prinvoked, and the Colonel Baumgarden was cess a written engagement, by which she immediately sent to secure the person of protested against any authority which Goertz, before it was possible for him to should be arbitrarily conferred on her, rereceive intelligence of the fate of his sove-nounced for herself and her successors every reign. Before we examine the usurpation royal prerogative inconsistent with the of the oligarchy, we may briefly glance at liberties of Sweden, and convoked an the treatment of the fallen minister. assembly of the States to arrange the afBaumgarden arrested him in silence. fairs of the realm. Goertz, overwhelmed with astonishment, The States prepared a new constitution, addressed a letter to Charles XII., of which consisting of fifty-one articles, which they a "Form of Government." Its obthe Colonel took charge, promising that it called should be safely delivered: it was at once ject and effect were to transform the motransmitted to Prince Frederic. narchy into an odious and feeble oligarchy, So closely guarded as to be kept in utter all authority being taken from the soveignorance of the events which had occurred, reign and transferred to the senate and the Goertz was sent to Stockholm. He was States. detained nearly three months in prison, In this new constitution the Assembly being subjected almost every day to harass- of States was divided into four orders,— ing examinations,-a useless torture, as the nobles, the clergy, the burgesses, and his condemnation was pre-determined. the peasants,-which met and voted in He was finally sentenced to death, and the their separate chambers. This radical vice very terms of the sentence prove that the of the Swedish constitution still continues, execution was nothing better than a judicial murder. It was couched in the following terms: and the necessity of having the consent of the four orders to any organic change is the greatest obstacle to the constitutional reforms which have been proposed by the The States were to George Henry Baron de Goertz is condemned reigning monarch. to lose his head, and to be buried beneath a gib-assemble every three years for a session of bet, by the common executioner, for having caused three months, or as much longer as they the late king to suspect the fidelity of his subjects, pleased. During their session they posdestroyed the confidence which the king had in sessed supreme authority: they had the the senate and the other orders of the State, removed from the administration of public affairs the persons most devoted to his majesty and the commonwealth; for having, by his pernicious councils, and by tyrannical means of his own devising, and by the abuse of the authority with which he had been entrusted, encouraged the king to continue the war; for having sown dissension and distrust between the king and the most sincere friends of Sweden, deprived the Swedes of their money and their real property;-in a word, for being the author of all the misfortunes which now afflict the country. The proofs of all these charges have been established by his papers and his actions." When the exclusive right of making war and peace, A more vague series of charges never appeared in a judicial record. The barbarous Sweden, like Poland, was thus placed sentence, however, was executed; the Swe- under an oligarchy, and was menaced with dish nobles acted like a set of turbulent the same fate. The senate was divided boys, who, having got rid of a stern school- into two factions, both supported by fomaster, immediately break the cane and reign gold: the advocates of peace with destroy the rod, which, if not the instru- Russia, called Caps, as sleepy and indo lent; and the French faction disposed to extension of royal authority as would enable wage war with Russia, who took the name him to interfere efficiently for their protecof Hats, as being ready to cover themselves tion. Gustavus took advantage of the crifor war. But, though divided on foreign sis to effect one of the most wondrous revopolicy, both factions were perfectly united lutions recorded in history,--the more on one point, their firm determination to wondrous as almost every step was taken in render and keep royalty nothing but an the presence of the senate, and even reempty pageant and an idle name. Such, in-ceived the sanction of that body. deed, was the state of royalty during the Through the discontented Hats, Gustavus reigns of Frederic and his son Adolphus. made sure of the army; but though the The death of the latter, in 1771, was the garrison of Stockholm might ensure him first event which shook the power of the possession of the capital, he found it diffioligarchy. cult to provide for the provinces, which Gustavus III., son and successor of Adol- were garrisoned by regiments of militia phus, was in Paris at the time of his fa- dispersed over wide tracts of country. A ther's death. His presence had created no pretext was wanting to bring them together. little sensation in that capital; he was At the secret instigation of the king, Hellihandsome, witty, and an adept in the su- chius, the governor of Christiansadt, closed perficial philosophy which the school of the gates of that important fortress, raised Voltaire had brought into fashion. Louis the standard of revolt, and issued a viruXV., who in spite of his vices and profli- lent manifesto against the States, whom gacy, had many of the best qualities of a he described as the corrupt mercenaries of sovereign, showed a strong attachment to foreign powers. It was studiously circuthe young Swedish prince; the court made him the idol of fashion. Gustavus was an equally welcome guest in the cabinet of the Duc de Choiseul, and in the salons of Madame du Barri. If the Memoirs of the latter The revolt of Christiansadt furnished are to be trusted, Louis XV. impressed the Prince Charles, the king's brother with a young prince with the necessity of dissem- plausible pretext for collecting five or six bling with the oligarchy at the commence- provincial regiments; the senate approved ment of his reign. It is certain that Gus- of the precaution, but insisted that the tavus signed without any objection the command should be transferred to one of "Act of Surety" transmitted to him by the their own body. Before they had elected a States; and that, when questioned on the general the revolution was completed. subject by Frederic of Prussia, whom he While their attention was fixed on Chrisvisited on his way home, the young king tiansadt, the king obtained peaceable posvehemently denied any intention of inter- session of Stockholm. On the night of the fering with the actual constitution of Swe- 19th of August, 1772, Gustavus witnessed den. the representation of Peleus and Thetis, lated that the object of this revolt was to abolish monarchy altogether, and to change Sweden into an oligarchy, under the protection of Russia. In their contests for supremacy, the fac- the first opera ever written in Swedish. tions of the Hats and Caps gradually be- After the performance he returned to his came animated with the most bitter ani- cabinet, and wrote several letters, which mosity against each other; and, as they al- were instantly sent off by express Two of ternately prevailed in the States, they com- these were addressed to his brothers, inmitted outrages, under the forms of law, forming them that the decisive blow would which provoked cruel retaliations. In be struck on the morrow. Having finished 1756 the Hats were in the ascendant, and writing, Gustavus, wrapped in his cloak, they sent several of their rivals to the went to visit the several guard-houses; scaffold; in the diet of 1772, held on the but, almost at the first step, he received accession of Gustavus, the Caps had the proof that all the soldiers had not been preponderance, and they insisted that all gained over. When he attempted to enter of the opposite party should be excluded from every office conferring political power. But the Hats numbered in their body the greater number of noble families in the kingdom, and their dread of reprisals from the Caps led them secretly to demand protection from the king, and to promise such an the arsenal, the artilleryman on guard, levelling his bayonet, said, "You must not enter here." Perhaps you do not know who I am," said Gustavus; "I am the king!" "I know that very well," coolly replied the soldier; "but I also know my duty." |