plundered of immense sums, exclusively of the expense of the hospitals,
the maintenance of which alone consumed upwards of 30,000 dollars per
week. During this state of things the French, from the highest to the
lowest, seemed to think themselves justified in wreaking upon the
inhabitants the displeasure of their emperor; each therefore, after the
example of his master, was a petty tyrant, whose licentiousness knew no
bounds.

By such means, and by the immense assemblage of troops which began to be
formed about the city at the conclusion of September 1813, its resources
were completely exhausted, when the series of sanguinary engagements
between the 14th and the 19th of the following month reduced it to the
very verge of destruction. In addition to the pathetic details of the
extreme hardships endured by the devoted inhabitants of the field of
battle, which extended to the distance of ten English miles round
Leipzig, contained in the following sheets, I shall beg leave to
introduce the following extract of a letter, written on the 22d
November, by a person of great commercial eminence in that city, who,
after giving a brief account of those memorable days of October, thus
proceeds:--

"By this five days' conflict our city was transformed into one
vast hospital, 56 edifices being devoted to that purpose alone.
The number of sick and wounded amounted to 36,000. Of these a
large proportion died, but their places were soon supplied by the
many wounded who had been left in the adjacent villages. Crowded
to excess, what could be the consequence but contagious diseases?
especially as there was such a scarcity of the necessaries of
life--and unfortunately a most destructive nervous fever is at
this moment making great ravages among us, so that from 150 to 180