You peace-loving citizens of Moscow, artisans and working men who have been driven from the city by the troubles, and you, scattered sons of the soil kept in the fields by unwarranted fears, hear this! Calm is returning to this capital, and order is being restored. Your fellow countrymen are emerging confidently from their hiding-places and finding themselves treated with respect. Any violence perpetrated against them or their property meets with summary punishment. His Majesty the Emperor and King offers his protection, and considers none among you his enemies save those who go against his orders. He wishes to end your troubles, and restore you to your homes and families. Co-operate with his beneficent purposes, therefore, and come to us without any risk of danger. Citizens, return with confidence to your habitations. You will soon find ways to satisfy your needs! Craftsmen and hard-working artisans, return to your occupations. Your houses, shops, and guards to protect them, await you, and you will receive due payment for your labour! And lastly, you too, peasants, come out of the forests where you have hidden in terror, and return without fear to your huts in all certainty of finding protection. Markets have been established in the city, where peasants can bring their surplus stores and country produce. The government has taken the following steps to guarantee freedom to trade: (1) From this day forth, peasants, farmers and those living on the outskirts of Moscow can without risk of danger bring goods of whatever kind to two appointed markets, to wit – those on Moss Street and Hunter’s Row. (2) The said goods shall be bought from them at such prices as may be agreed between seller and buyer, but if the seller cannot get what he is asking as a fair price for them, he shall be at liberty to take his goods back to his village, without let or hindrance on any pretext whatever. (3) Every Sunday and Wednesday are fixed as the main market days for each week, in accordance with which a sufficient number of troops shall be stationed on Tuesdays and Saturdays along all the high roads at such a distance from the town as to protect carts coming in. (4) Similar steps will be taken to ensure that peasants with their horses and carts meet with no hindrance on their homeward journey. (5) Immediate steps will be taken to reintroduce normal trading.
Citizens and country people, and you, workmen and craftsmen of whatever nationality, you are called upon to realize the fatherly intentions of his Majesty the Emperor and King, and to work with him for the public good. Lay your respect and trust at his feet, and lose no time in
With regard to maintaining morale among the troops and people, parade after parade was held, and decorations were bestowed.
The Emperor rode about the streets reassuring the citizens, and despite being very busy with affairs of state he found time for personal appearances at theatres set up at his behest.
With regard to philanthropy – philanthropy being a monarch’s greatest gallantry – Napoleon did all that could have been expected of him. He had ‘My Mother’s House’ inscribed on all the charitable institutions, thus combining warm filial sentiment with the majesty of a virtuous monarch. He visited the foundling home, and as he gave the orphans saved by him his white hands to kiss, he indulged Tutolmin with gracious conversation. Then he ordered his soldiers to be paid in forged Russian money. Thiers waxes eloquent on this subject:
Reinforcing the effectiveness of these methods by an action worthy of both him and the French army, he had relief distributed to the fire victims. But since food was too precious to be given away to foreigners mostly treated like enemies, Napoleon preferred to issue them with money so that they could provide for themselves from outside, and he had them paid in roubles notes.
With regard to army discipline, orders were continually being issued prescribing severe punishment for dereliction of military duty, and an end to all looting.
CHAPTER 10
But, strange to relate, all these arrangements, efforts and plans, not the least bit inferior to many others made before under similar circumstances, never got through to what mattered. Like the hands on a clock-face detached from the workings, they went round aimlessly and arbitrarily without engaging with the cogs.
