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(Volume I) - -Author: Emmanuel-Auguste-Dieudonné Las Cases - -Release Date: January 17, 2017 [EBook #53967] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS VOLUME 1 OF 4 *** - - - - -Produced by KD Weeks, Josep Cols Canals and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Transcriber’s Note: - -This version of the text cannot represent certain typographical effects. -Italics are delimited with the ‘_’ character as _italic_. - -Footnotes have been moved to follow the paragraphs in which they are -referenced. - -Minor errors, attributable to the printer, have been corrected. Please -see the transcriber’s note at the end of this text for details regarding -the handling of any textual issues encountered during its preparation. - -This is the first of four volumes, which can be found at Project -Gutenberg here: - - Volume I http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53967 - Volume II http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53968 - Volume III http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53969 - Volume IV http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53970 - -[Illustration: - - _David._ _Cooper._ - NAPOLEON. - _Published for Henry Colburn, Nov.^r 17, 1835._ -] - - - - - MEMOIRS - OF - THE LIFE, EXILE, - AND - CONVERSATIONS, - OF THE - EMPEROR NAPOLEON. - - BY - - THE COUNT DE LAS CASES. - - - A NEW EDITION. - - - WITH PORTRAITS - - AND NUMEROUS OTHER EMBELLISHMENTS. - - - VOL. I. - - LONDON: - PUBLISHED FOR HENRY COLBURN, - BY RICHARD BENTLEY; BELL AND BRADFUTE, EDINBURGH; J. CUMMING, DUBLIN; - AND ALL BOOKSELLERS. - - ------- - - MDCCCXXXVI. - - - - - ANDOVER: - - STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY B BENSLEY. - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. - - ------- - - VOLUME I. - PAGE. - Portrait of the Emperor Napoleon, _to face the title_. - Napoleon on board the Bellerophon 26 - Portrait of Charles Bonaparte 66 - Portrait of Letizia Bonaparte 69 - Residence of the Emperor at Longwood 264 - - ------- - - VOLUME II. - - Portrait of the Empress Josephine, _to face the title_. - Portrait of Marshal Bertrand 33 - Map of Saint Helena 39 - Portrait of Prince Talleyrand 64 - Eugene Beauharnois claiming his Father’s Sword 186 - - ------- - - VOLUME III. - - Portrait of Sir Hudson Lowe, _to face the title_. - Ground Plan of Longwood 21 - The House in which Napoleon was Born 113 - The Burning of Moscow 164 - Napoleon’s Return from Elba 302 - - ------- - - VOLUME IV. - - Portrait of Count De Las Cases, _to face the title_. - Napoleon at Saint Helena 149 - Death of Napoleon 386 - Statue of Napoleon on the Place Vendome 388 - Tomb of Napoleon 399 - - - - - PREFACE. - - -Circumstances the most extraordinary have long kept me near the most -extraordinary man that ever existed. Admiration made me follow him, -without knowing him, and when I did know him, love alone would have -fixed me for ever near his person. The world is full of his glory, his -deeds, and his monuments; but no one knows the true shades of his -character, his private qualities, or the natural disposition of his -soul. This great void I undertake to fill up, and for such a task I -possess advantages unexampled in history. - -I collected and recorded, day by day, all that I saw of Napoleon, all -that I heard him say, during the period of eighteen months in which I -was constantly about his person. In these conversations, which were full -of confidence, and which seemed to pass, as it were, in another world, -he could not fail to be portrayed by himself as if in a mirror, in every -point of view, and under every aspect. Henceforth the world may freely -study him: there can be no error in the materials. - - COUNT LAS CASES. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - MEMOIRS - - OF - - THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON. - - ------- - - - - - INTRODUCTION. - - -It is my intention to record daily all that the Emperor Napoleon did or -said while I was about his person; but, before I begin my diary, I hope -to be excused for offering a few preliminary remarks, which may not be -altogether useless. - -I never commenced the perusal of any historical work without first -wishing to know the character of the author, his situation in society, -and his political and domestic relations; in fact, all the important -circumstances of his life; conceiving that nothing but a knowledge of -these matters could furnish a key to his writings, or a safe ground of -confidence in his statements. I therefore proceed to supply in my turn -that which I always sought for in others; and, in presenting this diary, -to relate a few facts respecting my past life. - -I was scarcely twenty-one years of age when the Revolution broke out, -and had just been made a _Lieutenant de Vaisseau_, which corresponded -with the rank of a field officer in the line: my family was at court, -and I had been recently presented there myself. I was not rich; but my -name and rank in life, together with my professional prospects, were -likely, according to the notions and views of the times, to enable me to -marry according to my wishes. It was at such a moment that our political -troubles burst forth. - -One of the principal vices in our system of admission to the service was -that of depriving us of the benefits of a solid and finished education. -Withdrawn from school at the early age of fourteen, abandoned from that -instant to ourselves, and launched as it were on a wide waste, how was -it possible to attain the slightest notion of social organization, -public rights, or the duties of civil life? - -Thus, prompted by noble prejudice, rather than by a just sense of duty, -above all, led on by a natural fondness for generous resolves, I was -amongst the first to hasten abroad and join our Princes; to save, as it -was said, the monarch from revolutionary fury, and to defend our -hereditary rights, which we could not, it was asserted, yet abandon -without shame. From the mode in which we had been educated, it required -either a very strong head or a very weak mind to resist the torrent. - -The emigration soon became general; this fatal measure is but too well -known to Europe; nor can its folly, as a political blunder and a social -crime, find any excuse in the present day, except in the unenlightened -but upright character of most of those by whom it was undertaken. - -Defeated on our own frontiers, discharged and disbanded by foreigners, -rejected and proscribed by the laws of our country, numbers of us -reached England, whose Ministers lost no time in landing us on the shore -of Quiberon. Being so fortunate as not to disembark, I had, after my -return, time to reflect on the horrible alternative of fighting against -our country under foreign banners; and, from this moment, my ideas, -principles, and projects were either disconcerted or entirely changed. - -Despairing of events, abandoning the world and my natural sphere, I -devoted myself to study; and, under a borrowed name, went through a -second course of education in attempting to assist that of others. - -After a lapse of some years, the treaty of Amiens, and the amnesty -offered by the First Consul, re-opened to us the gates of France. I had -no longer any property there: the laws had disposed of my patrimony; but -can any thing make us forget our native soil, or destroy the charm of -breathing the air of our own country! - -I hurried back, and was grateful for a pardon, rendered more acceptable -since I could say with pride that I received it without having any -motives of self-reproach. When monarchy was proclaimed soon after, my -situation and sentiments were of a most singular kind. I found myself a -soldier punished for a cause that had triumphed. Every day brought us -back to our former ideas: all that had been dear to our principles and -prejudices was renewed; and yet delicacy and honour rendered it a kind -of duty in us to keep at a distance. - -It was in vain that the new government loudly proclaimed the union of -all parties; and equally so that its chief had declared he would no -longer recognise any but Frenchmen in France; in vain had old friends -and former companions offered me the advantages of a new career to be -chosen by myself. Unable to subdue the conflicting feelings which -agitated my mind, I obstinately persevered in a system of self-denial; -and, devoting all my time to literature, I composed under a feigned -name, an historical work that re-established my fortune; after which I -passed five or six of the happiest years of my life. - -Meanwhile, unprecedented events succeeded each other with extraordinary -rapidity: they were of such a nature, and bore so peculiar a character, -that it became impossible for any person whose heart possessed the least -predilection for whatever was great or noble to view them with -indifference. The glory of our country was raised to a pitch unknown in -the history of any other people: the administration of affairs was -unexampled, not less by its energy than the consequences it produced; a -simultaneous impulse, which was suddenly given to every species of -industry, excited the emulation of all at the same moment; the army was -unrivalled, striking terror abroad and creating a just pride at home. - -Every day added to the number of our trophies, while numerous monuments -proclaimed our exploits; the victories of Austerlitz, Jena, and -Friedland; the treaties of Presburg and Tilsit had constituted France -the first of nations, and made her the arbitress of Europe. It was a -signal honour to be a Frenchman; and yet all these exploits, labours and -prodigies, were the work of one man. For my own part, whatever might -have been my former prepossessions and prejudices, I was now filled with -admiration; and, as we all know, there is but one step from admiration -to affection. It was precisely at this period that the Emperor called -some of the first families of France round his throne, and caused it to -be circulated, amongst the rest, that he would consider those who -remained aloof as bad Frenchmen. I did not hesitate for an instant: I -have, said I to myself, fulfilled the obligations of my natural oath, -that of my birth and education, to which I have continued faithful until -its extinction. Our princes too were no longer thought of: we even -doubted their existence. The solemnities of religion, the alliance of -kings, the example of Europe, and the splendour of France, henceforth -taught me that I had a new sovereign. Had those who preceded us made so -long a resistance to such powerful efforts, before rallying round the -first of the Capets? I answered therefore, for myself, that, happy in -being thus enabled to obey a call which removed me with honour from the -delicate situation in which I was placed, I freely, spontaneously, and -without reserve, transferred the zeal, loyalty, and attachment which I -had constantly cherished for my old masters, to the new sovereign: the -result of this step was my immediate admission at court. - -In this state of things, I felt extremely anxious that my recent -protestations should be ratified by deeds. The English had invaded -Flushing, and threatened Antwerp; I therefore hastened to assist in the -defence of the latter place, as a volunteer; and, on the subsequent -evacuation of Flushing, my nomination to the office of chamberlain -called me near the person of the Emperor. Being desirous of adding some -more useful occupation to the duties of this honourable post, I -solicited and obtained a seat in the Council of State. Hence followed -several confidential missions: I was sent to Holland at the period of -its union to the French Empire, in order to receive whatever related to -the naval department; then to Illyria, for the purpose of liquidating -the public debt; and afterwards over half the Empire, to superintend -establishments of public beneficence. During our late misfortunes, I -received some consoling proofs that the inhabitants of the countries to -which I had thus been sent were not dissatisfied with my conduct. - -Providence had however fixed a limit to our prosperity. The catastrophe -of Moscow, the disasters of Leipsic, and the siege of Paris, are well -known. I commanded in that city one of the legions which acquired honour -by its severe losses on the 31st of March. When the capitulation took -place I gave up the command, feeling that other duties were to be -performed near the person of my sovereign, but could not reach -Fontainebleau in time:—the Emperor had abdicated, and was succeeded by -the King. - -My situation now became more singular than it had been twelve years -before. The cause for which I had sacrificed my fortune, for which I -remained so long in exile, and six years in a state of self-denial at -home, was at length triumphant; nevertheless, the point of honour and -other considerations were about to prevent my reaping any benefit from -the event! What could be more capricious than my fate? Two revolutions -had been effected in opposition to each other:—by the first I lost my -patrimony; by the second I might have been deprived of life: neither the -one nor the other had been favourable to my fortune. Vulgar minds will -only perceive an unfortunate tergiversation of opinions in this wayward -destiny, while the lovers of intrigue will assert that I was twice a -dupe: only the few will understand that I have twice honourably -fulfilled my duty. Be this as it may, those early friends, whose esteem -was not lessened by the line of conduct I had pursued, having now become -all powerful, invited me to join them: it was impossible to obey the -generous call; disgusted and disheartened, I resolved that my public -life should terminate. Ought I to have exposed myself to the false -judgment of those who were watching my proceedings? Could every body see -what was passing in my mind? - -Having now become a Frenchman even to enthusiasm, and unable to endure -that national degradation of which I was a daily witness amidst foreign -bayonets, I determined to endeavour to divert my thoughts at a distance -from the scene of calamity, and went to pass a few months in England. -How altered did every thing appear there! On reflection, I found that it -was myself who had undergone a great change. - -I had scarcely returned, when Napoleon appeared on our coasts: he was -transported to the capital as it were by magic, and this without -battles, excesses, or effusion of blood. I thought I saw the stain -brought on us by foreign hands effaced, and all our glory restored. -Destiny had ordered otherwise! - -No sooner did I hear of the Emperor’s arrival, than I spontaneously -repaired to attend on his person. I was present at the moment of -abdication; and, when the question of his removal was agitated, I -requested permission to participate in his fate. Such had been till then -the disinterestedness and simplicity, some will say folly, of my -conduct, that, notwithstanding my daily intercourse as an officer of the -household and member of his council, Napoleon scarcely knew me. “Do you -know whither your offer may lead you?” said he, in his astonishment. “I -have made no calculation about it,” I replied. He accepted me, and I am -at St. Helena. - -I have now made myself known; the reader has my credentials in his -hands: a host of contemporaries are living—it will be seen whether a -single individual amongst them stands up to invalidate them: I therefore -begin my task. - - RETURN OF THE EMPEROR TO THE ELYSÉE, AFTER - THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO. - -Tuesday, June 20th, 1815.—Heard of the Emperor’s return to the Elysée -Palace: placed myself in immediate attendance there. Found Messrs. -Montalambert and Montholon there, brought by the same sentiment. - -Napoleon had just lost a great battle; so that the safety of the nation -thenceforth depended on the wisdom and zeal of the Chamber of -Representatives. The Emperor, still covered with dust from the field of -Waterloo, was on the point of hurrying into the midst of them, there to -declare our dangers and resources, and to engage that his personal -interests should never be a barrier to the happiness of France; after -which he intended to quit Paris immediately. It is said that several -persons dissuaded him from this step, by leading him to apprehend an -approaching ferment amongst the deputies. - -It is as yet impossible to comprehend every report that circulates with -regard to this fatal battle: some say there is manifest treason; others, -a fatality without example. Thirty thousand men under Grouchy lost their -way and were too late, taking no part in the engagement; the army, -victorious till the evening, was, it is said, suddenly seized with a -panic towards eight o’clock, and became broken in an instant. It is -another Crecy, another Azincourt,———![1] every one trembles and thinks -all is lost! - -Footnote 1: - - I had put in the text _une véritable Journée des Eperons_,[2] and must - not omit to state what led to its being expunged. - - The Emperor who alone knew I kept a journal at St. Helena, one day - expressed a wish that I should read a few pages to him: on coming to - this expression, inadvertently thrown in, he suddenly exclaimed, “What - have you done! Erase, erase, sir, quickly! _Une Journée des Eperons!_ - what a calumny! Ah! unfortunate army! brave men! you never fought - better!” Then after a pause of a few moments, he added in a tone - expressive of deep feeling:—“We had some base wretches amongst us! May - heaven forgive them! But as to France, will _she_ ever recover from - the effects of that ill-fated day!” - -Footnote 2: - - In allusion to the battle of Guinegatte, fought near Boulogne in 1513, - between the army of Henry VIII. and that of France. The French were - completely routed on this occasion, and the celebrated Bayard taken - prisoner while covering the retreat; this was so precipitate that the - day was ever after styled _La Journée des Eperons_ (or day of spurs), - because as stated by contemporary historians, the French army made - more use of their spurs than lances.—_Editor._ - - THE ABDICATION. - -21st.—The best intentioned and most influential members of the national -representation have been tampered with all last evening and all night, -by certain persons, who, if their word is to be taken, produce authentic -documents and demi-official papers guaranteeing the safety of France, on -condition of the mere abdication of the Emperor, as they pretend. - -The above opinion had become so strong this morning that it seemed -irresistible: the president of the assembly, the first men in the state, -and the Emperor’s particular friends, come to supplicate him to save -France by abdicating. Though by no means convinced, yet the Emperor -answers with magnanimity:—he abdicates! - -This circumstance causes the greatest bustle round the Elysée; the -multitude rushes towards the gate, and testifies the deepest interest; -numbers penetrate within the hall, while some even of the popular class -scale the walls; some in tears, others in a state approaching to -distraction, crowd up to the Emperor, who is walking tranquilly in the -garden, and make offers of every description. Napoleon alone is calm, -constantly replying that they ought in future to employ this zeal and -tenderness for the good of their country. - -I presented the deputation of Representatives, in the course of the day: -it came to thank the Emperor for his devotedness to the national -interests. - -The documents and state-papers, which have produced such a powerful -sensation, and brought about the grand event of this day, are said to be -official communications of Messrs. Fouché and Metternich, in which the -latter guarantees Napoleon II. and the regency, in case of the -abdication of the Emperor. These communications must have been long -carried on unknown to Napoleon. M. Fouché must have a furious partiality -for clandestine operations. It is well known that his first disgrace, -which took place several years ago, arose from his having opened some -negotiations with England of his own accord, without the Emperor’s -knowledge: he has in fact always shewn the greatest obliquity in affairs -of moment. God grant that his present mysterious acts do not prove fatal -to our country! - - DEPUTATION OF THE CHAMBER OF PEERS.—CAULAINCOURT.—FOUCHÉ. - -22nd.—Went home to pass a few hours at my own house: in the course of -this day the deputation of the Peers was presented: a portion of the -Provisional Government was named in the evening. Caulaincourt and -Fouché, who were of the number, happened to be with us in the -ante-chamber: we complimented the first on his nomination, which was, -indeed, only congratulating ourselves on the public good: his reply was -full of alarm. “We applaud the choice hitherto known,” said we. “It is -certain,” observed Fouché, with an air of levity, “that I am not -suspected.”—“If you had been,“ rudely rejoined the deputy Boulay de la -Meurthe, who was also present, “be assured we should not have named -you.” - - THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT PRESENTED TO - THE EMPEROR. - -23rd—The acclamations and interest without continued at the Elysée. I -presented the members of the Provisional Government to the Emperor, who, -in dismissing them, directed the Duke Decrés to see them out. The -Emperor’s brothers, Joseph, Lucien, and Jerome, were introduced -frequently through the day, and conversed with him for some time. - -As usual, there was a great multitude of people collected round the -palace in the evening: their numbers were constantly increasing. Their -acclamations and the interest shewn for the Emperor created considerable -uneasiness amongst the different factions. The fermentation of the -capital now became so great that Napoleon determined to depart on the -following day. - - THE EMPEROR QUITS THE ELYSÉE. - -25th.—I accompanied the Emperor to Malmaison, and again requested -permission to follow his future fortunes. My proposal seemed to create -astonishment, for I was still only known to him by my employments; but -he accepted the offer. - -26th.—My wife came to see me; she had divined my intentions: it became a -somewhat delicate task to avow them, and still more difficult to -convince her of their propriety. “My dear,” said I, “in following the -dutiful dictates of my heart, it is consoling to reflect that your -interests are not thereby prejudiced. If Napoleon II. is to govern us, I -leave you strong claims on his protection; should Heaven order it -differently, I shall have secured you a glorious asylum, a name honoured -with some esteem. At all events we shall meet again, at least in a -better world.” After tears and even reproaches, which could not but be -gratifying, she consented to my departure, exacting a promise however, -that I would allow her to join me without loss of time. From this moment -she manifested a courage and strength of mind that would have animated -myself in case of necessity. - - THE MINISTER OF MARINE COMES TO MALMAISON. - -27th.—I went to Paris for a short time with the minister of Marine, who -came to Malmaison, on business respecting the frigates destined for the -Emperor. He read me the instructions drawn out for the commanders, said -his Majesty depended on my zeal, and intended taking me with him; -adding, that he would take care of my family during my absence. - -Napoleon II. is proclaimed by the Legislature. - -Sent for my son from his school, having determined that he should -accompany me. We prepared a small parcel of clothes and linen, then -proceeded to Malmaison, accompanied by my wife, who returned -immediately. The road had now become rather unsafe, owing to the -approach of the enemy. - -28th.—Being desirous of making some other arrangements before our -departure, the Duchess de Rovigo took me and my son to Paris in her -carriage. I found Messrs. de Vertillac and de Quitry at my house; these -were the last friends I embraced: they were terrified. The agitation and -uncertainty hourly increased in the capital, for the enemy was at the -gates. On reaching Malmaison, we saw the bridge of Chatou in flames: -guards were posted round the palace, and it became prudent to remain -within the park walls. I went into the Emperor’s room, and described how -Paris had appeared to me; stating the general opinion that Fouché openly -betrayed the National cause; and that the hopes of all patriots were -that his Majesty would this very night join the army who loudly called -for him. The Emperor listened to me with an air of deep thought, but -made no reply, and I withdrew soon after. - - NAPOLEON QUITS MALMAISON, AND DEPARTS FOR - ROCHEFORT. - -29th-30th.—A cry of Long live the Emperor! was continually heard on the -great road to Saint Germain; it proceeded from the troops who passed -under the walls of Malmaison. - -Towards noon. General Becker came from Paris, sent by the Provisional -government; he told us, with feelings of indignation, that he had -received a commission to guard and watch Napoleon.[3] - -Footnote 3: - - On my return to Europe, chance threw the following documents in my - way, relative to the above circumstance. I transcribe them here, - because I believe they are unknown to the public. They have been - copied from the originals, and require no commentary. - - Copy of a letter from the Commission of Government to Marshal Prince - d’Eckmuhl, Minister at War. - - Paris, June 27th, 1815. - - Sir,—Such is the state of affairs that it is indispensable for - Napoleon to decide on departing, and proceeding to the Isle of Aix. If - he does not determine to do so on your notifying to him the annexed - resolutions, you are to cause him to be watched at Malmaison, to - prevent his escape. For this purpose, you will place a requisite - portion of gendarmerie and troops of the line at the disposal of - General Becker, so as to guard all the avenues leading to Malmaison in - every direction. You will give orders to the chief inspector of - gendarmerie to this effect. These measures must be kept as secret as - possible. - - This letter is intended for yourself; but General Becker, who will be - charged with delivering the resolutions to Napoleon, will receive - particular instructions from your Excellency, and inform Napoleon that - they have been drawn up with a view to the interest of the state, and - for the safety of his person; that their prompt execution is - indispensable; and, finally, that his future interests make them - absolutely necessary. - - (Signed) THE DUKE OF OTRANTO. - - Copy of the resolutions entered into by the Commission of Government, - extracted from the Minutes of the department of the Secretary of - State. - - Paris, June 26th, 1815. - - The Commission of Government resolves as follows: - - Art. I. The Minister of Marine shall give orders for two frigates to - be prepared at Rochefort, to convey Napoleon Bonaparte to the United - States. Art. II. Should he require it, a sufficient escort shall - attend him to the place of embarkation under the orders of - Lieutenant-general Becker, who will be instructed to provide for his - safety. - - Art. III. The Director-general of Posts will, on his part, give the - necessary orders relative to the relays. - - Art. IV. The Minister of Marine will issue the requisite orders for - insuring the immediate return of the frigates, after the - disembarkation. - - Art. V. The frigates are not to quit Rochefort before the arrival of - the safe-conducts. - - Art. VI. The Ministers of Marine, War, and Finances, are each charged - with the execution of that part of the present resolutions which - concerns them respectively. - - (Signed) THE DUKE OF OTRANTO. - - By order of the Commission of Government, the Assistant Secretary of - State. - - (Signed) COUNT BERLIER. - - Copy of the Duke of Otranto’s letter to the Minister at War. - - Paris, June 27th, 1815, at noon. - - Sir,—I transmit to you a copy of the letter I have just written to the - Minister of Marine, relative to Napoleon. A perusal of it will - convince you of the necessity of giving orders to General Becker not - to separate himself from the person of Napoleon, whilst the latter - remains in the roads of Aix. - - (Signed) THE DUKE OF OTRANTO. - - Copy of the letter to the Minister of Marine alluded to in the - foregoing. - - Paris, June 27th, 1815, noon. - - Sir,—The Commission reminds you of the instructions it transmitted to - you an hour ago. The resolutions must be executed as prescribed by the - Commission yesterday; and according to which, Napoleon Bonaparte will - remain in the roads of Aix until the arrival of his passports. - - The welfare of the State, which cannot be indifferent to him, requires - that he should remain there until his fate and that of his family has - been definitively regulated. Every means will be employed to render - the result of the negotiation satisfactory to him. The honour of - France is interested in it; but, in the mean time, all possible - precautions must be taken for the personal security of Napoleon, and - that he does not quit the place which is temporarily assigned him. - - The President of the Commission of Government. - - (Signed) THE DUKE OF OTRANTO. - - Letter from the Minister at War to General Becker. - - Paris, June 27th, 1815. - - Sir,—I have the honour of transmitting to you the annexed resolutions - which the Commission of Government charges you to notify to the - Emperor Napoleon; observing to his Majesty that circumstances are so - imperious as to make it indispensable he should decide on setting out - for the Isle of Aix. These resolutions, observes the Commission, have - been made as much for the safety of his person, as for the interest of - the state, which must ever be dear to him. - - If his Majesty does not make up his mind, on these resolutions being - notified to him, it is the intention of the Commission of Government - that the necessary steps shall be taken to prevent the escape of his - Majesty and every attempt against his person. - - I have to repeat, General, that these resolutions have been adopted - for the interest of the state, and for the personal safety of the - Emperor; also, that the Commission of Government considers their - prompt execution as indispensable for the future welfare of his - Majesty and his family. - - I have the honour to be, &c. - - N. B. The above letter remained without any signature; at the moment - of sending it off, the Prince of Eckmuhl observed to his secretary, “I - will never sign this letter—sign it yourself, that will be - sufficient.” The secretary found himself equally incapable of putting - his name to such a communication. Was it sent or not?—This is a point - which I cannot decide. - -A sentiment the most base had dictated this choice: Fouché knew that -General Becker had a private pique against the Emperor, and therefore -did not doubt of finding in the former a man disposed to vengeance; but -he was grossly deceived in his expectations, for Becker constantly -shewed a degree of respect and attachment to the Emperor highly -honourable to his own character. - -Meanwhile time pressed. When on the point of setting out, the Emperor -sent a message to the Provisional Government, by General Becker, -offering to place himself at the head of the army, merely as a private -citizen, adding, that, after having repulsed Blucher, he would continue -his route. On the refusal of this offer, we left Malmaison; the Emperor -and a part of his suite taking the road to Rochefort by Tours; I and my -son, with Messieurs Montholon, Planat, and Résigny, proceeded towards -Orleans, as did also two or three other carriages. We reached this place -early on the 30th, and got to Chatellerault at midnight. - -July 1st–2nd. We passed through Limoges on the 1st, at four in the -afternoon; dined at Rochefoucault on the 2nd, and reached Jarnac about -seven. We slept here, owing to the obstinacy of the postmaster, which -forced us to remain till next day. - -3rd.—We could not set out before five o’clock. On account of the -misconduct of the postmaster, who, not content with detaining us all -night, had recourse to secret means for keeping us still longer, we were -obliged to proceed at a slow pace to Cognac, where the postmaster and -inhabitants received us very differently. It was easy to perceive that -our journey occasioned a great deal of agitation amongst all parties. On -reaching Saintes, towards eleven o’clock, we nearly fell victims to the -fury of some miscreants, collected by an officer of the royal guard, a -native of that place. This person had prepared an ambuscade for us, and -had even laid a plan for our assassination. We were arrested by the mob, -but a part of the national guard interfered, and conducted us as -prisoners to an adjoining inn. It was said that we were carrying off the -treasures of the State, and therefore merited death. Some of them, who -pretended to be the most distinguished inhabitants, and above all, the -women, were the most outrageous, and called for our immediate execution. - -We saw these females pass in succession before some windows that were -open near our temporary prison, in order that their insults should not -be lost upon us. It will scarcely be credited that they went so far as -to gnash their teeth in sign of hatred, and from vexation at seeing the -indifference we displayed; yet they formed the fashionable circle of -Saintes! Could Real be in the right, when he told the Emperor, during -the hundred days, that as for Jacobins, he had reason to know something -of them; protesting that the only difference between the blacks and -whites was that the former wore wooden shoes and the latter silk -stockings? - -Prince Joseph, who was passing through Saintes unknown to us, came to -increase the interest of our adventure. He was also arrested, and -conducted to the prefecture; but highly respected. - -The windows of the inn faced a large square, which continued to be -filled with an agitated and hostile rabble, who were extremely violent -and abusive. I found an old acquaintance in the under-prefect, who was -thus enabled to state who we were. The carriage in which we travelled -was next examined; while we were ourselves retained in a species of -solitary confinement. I obtained leave, however, to visit the Prince -about four o’clock. - -While on my way to the prefecture, and though guarded by a -non-commissioned officer, several individuals addressed me: some put -notes secretly into my hands; others whispered something friendly; while -all united in assuring me we might feel perfectly tranquil, for the -patriots and well-intentioned inhabitants would protect us. - -Towards the evening we were allowed to depart; and by this time things -had so totally changed that we left the inn amidst the most lively -acclamations: females of the lower classes, in tears, kissed our hands: -many persons offered to accompany us, that we might avoid the enemies of -the Emperor, who, they said, lay in wait to murder us, at a short -distance from the town. This singular transition arose in some degree -from the arrival of numbers of country people and federates, who gave an -immediate turn to public opinion. - -4th.—On approaching Rochefort we met a party of gendarmerie, who, on the -report of our reception at Saintes, had been dispatched to meet us. We -arrived at this place about two o’clock in the morning: the Emperor had -reached it on the preceding evening.[4] Prince Joseph arrived in the -afternoon; when I conducted him to the Emperor. - -Footnote 4: - - The following is the Emperor’s Itinerary during the journey:—Left - Paris on the 29th June, and slept at Rambouillet; at Tours on the - 30th; and at Niort on the 1st July. Left Niort on the 2nd, and reached - Rochefort on the 3rd; remained there till the 8th; embarked on board - the Bellerophon on the 15th. - -I profited by the first moment of leisure to inform the President of the -Council of State why I absented myself. “Rapid and important events,” -said I “obliged me to quit Paris without the necessary leave of absence. -The peculiarity and importance of the case led to this irregularity: -being in attendance on the Emperor at the moment of his departure, it -was impossible to see the great man, who had governed us with so much -splendour, and who had banished himself to facilitate the tranquillity -of France, of whose power nothing now remains but its glory and name;—I -repeat, that I could not allow him to depart without yielding to the -desire of following his steps. During the days of his prosperity he -condescended to bestow some favours on me; I now owe him all that I can -offer, whether of sentiment or of action.” - -5th-7th. At Rochefort, the Emperor laid aside his military dress. He -lived at the prefecture; numbers were constantly grouped round the -house; and acclamations continued to be frequently repeated. The Emperor -appeared two or three times at the balcony. Numerous proposals were made -to him, both by generals who came in person, and others who sent -emissaries. - -During our stay here the Emperor has led the same sort of life as if at -the Tuileries: we do not approach his person more frequently: he -scarcely receives any persons but Bertrand and Savary; so that we are -reduced to reports and conjectures as to all that concerns him. It is, -however, evident that, in the midst of this state of agitation, he -continues calm and resolute, even to indifference, without manifesting -the least anxiety. - -A lieutenant of our navy, who commands a Danish merchant-ship, has -generously offered to save the Emperor. He proposes to take him on board -alone; engages to conceal his person in such a way that it will escape -the severest scrutiny; and, moreover, will immediately set sail for the -United States. He demands but a small sum by way of indemnifying his -owners for any loss they may sustain through his enterprize. Bertrand -agrees, under certain conditions, which he has drawn out in my name. I -have signed this fictitious bargain in presence and under the eyes of -the maritime prefect. - - EMBARKATION OF THE EMPEROR. - -8th.—The Emperor proceeded to Fourras in the evening, followed by the -acclamations of the people wherever he passed. He slept on board the -Saal,[5] which he reached about eight o’clock. I did not arrive till a -much later hour, having had to accompany Madame Bertrand in another -boat, and from a different point. - -Footnote 5: - - The name of one of the frigates destined to receive Napoleon on - board.—ED. - -9th.—I attended the Emperor, who disembarked at an early hour in the -Isle of Aix: he visited all the fortifications, and returned on board to -breakfast. - -10th.—I was dispatched towards the British cruisers, with the Duke de -Rovigo, early in the morning, to know whether they had received the -passes, which had been promised to us by the Provisional Government, to -proceed to the United States. The answer was, that they had not; but -that the matter should be instantly referred to the Commander-in-chief. -Having stated the supposition of the Emperor’s setting sail with the -frigates under flags of truce; it was replied, that they would be -attacked. We then spoke of his passage in a neutral ship; and were told, -in reply, that all neutrals would be strictly examined, and, perhaps, -even carried into an English port; but we were recommended to proceed to -England; and it was asserted that in that country we should have no ill -usage to fear. We returned at two in the afternoon. - -The Bellerophon, having followed, soon after anchored in Basque Roads, -in order to be nearer to us; so that the ships of both nations were now -in view of, and very near, each other. - -On reaching the Bellerophon, the captain addressed us in French: I was -not eager to inform him that I knew something of his own language. Some -expressions which passed between him and his officers might have injured -the negotiation, had I seemed to understand them. When, a short time -after, it was asked, whether we understood English, I allowed the Duke -of Rovigo to reply in the negative. Our situation was quite sufficient -to remove any scruples I might have otherwise entertained, and rendered -this little deception very pardonable. I only mention this circumstance, -because, as I remained a fortnight amongst these people, I was compelled -to impose a tiresome restraint upon myself, to avoid disclosing what I -had concealed in the first instance. In fact, though I could read the -language with facility, yet, owing to an absence of thirteen years and -consequent want of practice, it was with considerable difficulty I -understood English when spoken. - -11th.—All the outlets being blockaded by English ships of war, the -Emperor seemed extremely uncertain as to what plan he should pursue. -Neutral vessels, and _chasse-marées_,[6] manned by young naval officers, -were suggested for his conveyance; propositions also continued to be -made from the interior. - -Footnote 6: - - Small vessels, not unlike luggers, and usually employed as - coasting-vessels in France.—ED. - -12th.—The Emperor disembarked at the Isle of Aix, amidst cries of -exultation on every side. He quitted the frigates in consequence of the -Commandant’s having refused to sail; whether from weakness of character, -or owing to his having received fresh orders from the Provisional -Government, is not known. Many were of opinion that the attempt might be -made with some probability of success; but it must be allowed that the -winds still continued unfavourable. - -13th.—Prince Joseph visited his brother in the course of the day. -Towards eleven at night the Emperor was on the point of embarking in one -of the chasse marées; two sailed, having on board a great part of his -luggage and several of his attendants. M. de Planat was in one of them. - -14th.—I returned to the Bellerophon at four in the morning, accompanied -by General Lallemand, to ascertain whether any answer had been received. -The Captain told us he expected it every moment; adding, that if the -Emperor would embark immediately for England, he had instructions to -convey him thither. He farther declared it as his private opinion, and -several captains who were present expressed themselves to the same -effect, that there was not the least doubt of Napoleon’s meeting with -all possible respect and good treatment: that there, neither the king -nor his ministers exercised the same arbitrary authority as those of the -Continent: that the English people possessed a generosity of sentiment, -and liberality of opinion, superior to sovereignty itself. I replied -that I would return and communicate the Captain’s offer to the Emperor, -as well as the whole of his conversation. I added that I thought I had a -sufficient knowledge of the Emperor Napoleon’s character to induce a -belief that he would not feel much hesitation in proceeding to England -thus confidentially, so as to be able to continue his voyage to the -United States. I described all France, south of the Loire, as being in a -blaze, and the hopes of the people as constantly turning towards -Napoleon, as long as he was present; stated the propositions hourly made -to him from various directions; his determination not to become either -the cause or pretext of a civil war; the generosity shewn by him in -abdicating, merely to render the conclusion of a peace more easy; and -the firm resolution he had taken to banish himself, in order to make it -more prompt and complete. - -General Lallemand, who, from having been condemned to death, was -interested on his own account in the determination that might be made, -asked Captain Maitland, whom he formerly knew in Egypt, and whose -prisoner I think he had been, if persons implicated in the civil -dissensions of his country, like himself, and going thus voluntarily to -England, had any reason to fear being ever delivered up to France? The -Captain replied that they had not: repelling the doubt as an insult. -Previously to our separating, the conference was summed up, by my -repeating that it was possible, from the state of affairs, and his own -intentions, that the Emperor would avail himself of Captain Maitland’s -offer, so as to get safe-conducts for America. The latter begged it to -be understood that he would not guarantee the permission we demanded -being granted; upon which we departed. To say the truth, I did not -myself think it would be given; but the Emperor, wishing to lead a life -of tranquillity in future, had resolved to be a stranger to political -concerns; we therefore considered the probability of not being allowed -to leave England, without much uneasiness; but our fears and conjectures -went no farther. It is very likely that Captain Maitland was of the same -opinion: at all events, I will do him, as well as the other officers, -the justice to believe they were honest and sincere in the account they -gave us of the sentiments of the people of England. - -We reached the island at eleven o’clock; meanwhile the storm approached, -and time became precious: it was necessary to decide one way or another. -The Emperor having assembled us in a sort of council, all the chances of -escape were discussed: that of the Danish vessel seemed impracticable, -and the chasse-marées were no longer thought of; the English cruisers -were not to be forced; so that there seemed only two alternatives—either -to renew the war, or to accept the offers of Captain Maitland: the -latter was chosen. On reaching the Bellerophon, we said, we shall be at -once on British ground; the English will then find themselves bound by -the ties of hospitality, which are held sacred amongst the most -barbarous nations; we shall also be under the civil rights and -privileges of the country. The people of England will not be so -insensible to their glory as not to seize so fortunate a circumstance -with avidity: upon this, Napoleon wrote the following letter to the -Prince Regent. - -“ROYAL HIGHNESS—Exposed to the factions which divide my country, and to -the hostility of the greatest powers of Europe, I have closed my -political career. I come, like Themistocles, to seek the hospitality of -the British nation. I place myself under the protection of their laws, -which I claim from your Royal Highness, as the most powerful, the most -constant, and the most generous, of my enemies. - - (Signed) “NAPOLEON.” - -I set out about four o’clock, with my son and General Gourgaud, to go on -board the Bellerophon, whence I was not again to return. My mission was -to announce that his Majesty would come on the following morning; and, -moreover, to deliver the letter above quoted to Captain Maitland. -General Gourgaud was commissioned to carry the Emperor’s letter to the -Prince Regent immediately, and to present it in person. Captain Maitland -read Napoleon’s letter, which he greatly admired. Two other captains -were permitted to take copies of it, to be kept secret till the letter -should be made public; after which no time was lost in despatching -Gourgaud in the Slaney, a sloop of war, forming part of the squadron. - -Soon after the Slaney had parted company with the Bellerophon, and while -I was seated in the captain’s cabin of the latter with my son, Captain -Maitland, who had gone to issue some orders, suddenly entered, and with -a countenance expressive of deep concern, exclaimed, “Count Las Cases, I -am deceived when I treat with you. The consequence of detaching one of -my ships is, as I have just heard, that Napoleon has escaped. Should -this be the case, it will place me in a dreadful situation with my -Government.” These words startled me; I would have given the world had -they been true. The Emperor had made no engagement; I was perfectly -sincere; and would, therefore, most willingly have become the victim of -an event of which I was quite innocent. I asked Captain Maitland, with -the utmost coolness, at what hour the Emperor was said to have set out. -He had been so astonished that he had not given himself time to inquire; -but went out again to ascertain this point; and on returning, said, “At -twelve o’clock.” If that be the case, I replied, the Slaney’s departure -can do no harm, as you have only just sent her away; but do not be -uneasy, for I left the Emperor in the Isle of Aix at four o’clock. “Do -you assure me of that?” said he. On my repeating the assertion, he -turned to some officers who were with him, and observed, in English, -that the intelligence must be false, as I was too calm, and seemed to be -sincere; and that I had, besides, pledged my word on the subject. - -The English cruisers had numerous sources of information on our coast: I -was subsequently enabled to ascertain that they were minutely informed -of all our proceedings.[7] - -Footnote 7: - - While on our passage to St. Helena, Admiral Cockburn placed his - library at our disposal. One of our party in turning over the leaves - of a volume of the _Encyclopædia Britannica_, found a letter from La - Rochelle, addressed to the commanding officer of the English squadron: - it contained, word for word, the whole of our affair relative to the - Danish ship; the moment of her projected departure, future intentions, - &c. We passed this letter from hand to hand, taking care that it - should be replaced where first discovered. It gave us very little - information; we were aware of the understanding which existed both in - and out of France, but were desirous of seeing a proof of it so much - to the point. How did this letter happen to get on board the - Northumberland? Captain Maitland had doubtless, when transferring us - to that ship, also delivered up the documents concerning our capture. - This was the letter which occasioned so much alarm on the part of the - Captain, relative to the supposed escape of the Emperor, soon after my - embarkation. - -Nothing was now thought of but preparing for the next day. Captain -Maitland having asked whether I wished his boats to be sent for the -Emperor, I replied, that the separation was too painful for the French -seamen, not to let them have the satisfaction of attending him to the -last moment. - - EMBARKATION OF NAPOLEON ON BOARD THE - BELLEROPHON. - -15th.—At daylight, one of our brigs, the Epervier, was seen under weigh, -and coming towards the Bellerophon, having a flag of truce flying. Both -wind and tide being contrary, Captain Maitland sent his barge to meet -her. Seeing the boat return, the Captain was extremely anxious to -discover, with his spy-glass, whether the Emperor was on board; he -frequently begged that I would look myself, but I could not as yet reply -with certainty: at length the matter was placed beyond farther doubt, as -the Emperor came alongside surrounded by all his attendants. I stood at -the gangway to present Captain Maitland, to whom he said, “I come on -board your ship, to place myself under the protection of the laws of -England.”—The Captain then led him into his cabin, of which the Emperor -was immediately put in possession. All the officers of the Bellerophon -were presented to him soon after; this ceremony over, he came out of the -cabin, and visited every part of the ship during the morning. I related -the alarm felt by Captain Maitland the preceding evening, relative to -his escape; the Emperor did not see the matter in the light in which it -had appeared to me—“What had he to fear?” he asked, in an emphatic and -dignified manner—“were not you in his power?“ - -[Illustration: - - NAPOLEON ON BOARD THE BELLEROPHON. - London: Published for Henry Colburn, March, 1836. -] - -Towards three o’clock, the Superb, a seventy-four gun ship, bearing the -flag of Rear-Admiral Hotham, the Commander on the station, anchored -close to the Bellerophon. The Admiral came to visit the Emperor, and -remained to dinner. From the questions asked by Napoleon relative to his -ship, he expressed a wish to know whether his Majesty would condescend -to go on board the following day; upon which the Emperor said he had no -objection, and would therefore breakfast with the Admiral accompanied by -all his attendants. - -16th.—Attended the Emperor on board the Superb: all the honours, except -those of firing cannon, were liberally paid; we went round the ship, and -examined the most trifling objects; every thing seemed to be in -admirable order. Admiral Hotham evinced, throughout, all the refinement -and grace of a man of rank and education. On our return to the -Bellerophon, she got under weigh, and made sail for England: this event -took place twelve days after our departure from Paris. It was almost a -calm. - -On our leaving the Bellerophon in the morning to visit the Superb, the -Emperor stopped short in front of the guard drawn up on the quarter-deck -to salute him. He made them perform several movements, giving the word -of command himself; having desired them to charge bayonets, and -perceiving that this motion was not performed altogether in the French -manner, he advanced into the midst of the soldiers, put the weapons -aside with his hands, and seized a musquet from one of the rear rank, -with which he went through the exercise himself, according to our -method. A sudden movement and change of countenance amongst the officers -and others who were present, sufficiently expressed their astonishment -at seeing the Emperor thus carelessly place himself amidst English -bayonets, some of which came in contact with his person. This -circumstance produced a most striking effect. On returning from the -Superb, we were indirectly questioned on the subject, and asked whether -the Emperor ever acted in the same way with his own soldiers; while the -greatest surprise was expressed at his confidence. Not one amongst the -officers had formed any idea of sovereigns who could thus explain and -execute their own commands; it was therefore easy to perceive that they -had no just conception of the personage now before them, notwithstanding -his having been so marked an object of attention and curiosity for above -twenty years. - -17th-18th. Though nearly a calm, we lost sight of land. - -19th.—The wind being very strong, though not favourable, we proceeded at -the rate of nine miles an hour. - -20th-22d. We continued our course, with winds that were by no means -favourable. - -The Emperor had not been long amongst his most inveterate enemies, those -who had been continually fed with rumours no less absurd than -irritating, before he acquired all the influence over them which belongs -to glory. The captain, officers, and crew, soon adopted the etiquette of -his suite, shewing him exactly the same attention and respect; the -Captain addressed him either as _Sire_ or _your Majesty_; when he -appeared on deck, every one took off his hat, and remained uncovered -while he was present—this was not the case at first. There was no -entering his cabin, except by passing the attendants: no persons but -those who were invited appeared at his table. Napoleon was, in fact, an -Emperor, on board the Bellerophon. He often appeared on deck, conversing -either with some of his suite or the officers of the ship. - -Of all those who had accompanied the Emperor, I was perhaps the person -of whom he knew the least; it has already been seen that, -notwithstanding my employments near his person, I had enjoyed but little -immediate intercourse with Napoleon; since our leaving Paris he had -scarcely spoken to me, but I was now addressed very frequently. - -The occasion and circumstances were highly favourable to me: I was -sufficiently acquainted with the English language to be able to give -various explanations as to what was passing around us. I had been in the -navy, and could afford the Emperor any information he required relative -to the manœuvres of the ship, and state of the weather. I had been -ten years in England, and had formed definite notions of the laws, -manners, and customs of the people; which enabled me to reply to the -Emperor’s questions with facility. My Historical Atlas, too, had stored -my mind with a number of facts, dates, and coincidences, upon which he -always found me prepared to answer. - -A part of my time was occupied in drawing up the following summary of -our situation at Rochefort, and the ideas which had influenced the -determination of the Emperor. Hence I had precise and authentic data to -judge from. - - SUMMARY DICTATED BY NAPOLEON HIMSELF. - -The English squadron was not strong: there were two sloops of war off -Bordeaux, they blockaded a French corvette, and gave chace to American -vessels which sailed daily in great numbers. At the Isle of Aix we had -two frigates well armed; the Vulcan corvette, one of the largest vessels -of its class, and a large brig, lay in the roads: the whole of this -force was blockaded by an English seventy-four of the smallest class, -and an indifferent sloop or two. There is not the least doubt that by -risking the sacrifice of one or two of our ships, we should have passed, -but the senior captain was deficient in resolution, and refused to sail; -the second in command was quite determined, and would have made the -attempt: the former had probably received secret instructions from -Fouché, who already openly betrayed the Emperor, and wanted to give him -up. However that may be, there was nothing to be done by sea. The -Emperor then landed at the Isle of Aix. - -“Had the mission been confided to Admiral Verhuel,” said Napoleon, “as -was promised on our departure from Paris, it is probable that he would -have sailed.” The officers and crews of both frigates were full of -attachment and enthusiasm. The garrison of Aix was composed of fifteen -hundred seamen, forming a very fine regiment; the officers were so -indignant at the frigate not sailing, that they proposed to fit out two -chasse-marées of fifteen tons’ each: the midshipmen wished to navigate -them; but, when on the point of putting this plan into execution, it was -said there would be great difficulty in gaining the American coast -without touching at some point of Spain or Portugal. - -Under these circumstances the Emperor composed a species of council, -from amongst the persons of his suite: here it was represented that we -could no longer calculate on the frigates or other armed vessels; that -the chasse-marées held out no probable chance of success, and could only -lead to capture by the English cruisers in the open sea, or to falling -into the hands of the allies: only two alternatives remained; to proceed -towards the interior, once more to try the fate of arms; or to seek an -asylum in England. To follow up the first, there were fifteen hundred -seamen, full of zeal and willing to act: the commandant of the Island -was an old officer of the army of Egypt, entirely devoted to Napoleon: -the Emperor would have proceeded at the head of these to Rochefort, -where the corps would have been increased by the garrison, which was -also extremely well disposed: the garrison of La Rochelle, composed of -four battalions of federated troops, had offered their services: with -these we might then have joined General Clausel, so firmly fixed at the -head of the army at Bordeaux, or General Lamarque, who had performed -prodigies, with that of La Vendée; both these officers expected and -wished to see Napoleon: it would have been very easy to maintain a civil -war in the interior. But Paris was taken, and the Chambers had been -dissolved; there were, besides, from five to six hundred thousand of the -enemy’s troops in France: a civil war could therefore have no other -result than leading to the destruction of all these generous men who -were attached to Napoleon. This loss would have been severe and -irreparable: it would have destroyed the future resources of the nation, -without producing any other advantage than placing the Emperor in a -position to treat and obtain stipulations favourable to his interests. -But Napoleon had renounced sovereignty; he only wanted a tranquil -asylum; he abhorred the thought of seeing all his friends perish to -attain so trifling a result; he was equally averse to become the pretext -for the provinces being ravaged; and above all, he did not wish to -deprive the national party of its truest supports, which would sooner or -later reestablish the honour and independence of France. Napoleon’s only -wish was to live as a private individual in future: America was the most -proper place, and that of his choice. But even England, with its -positive laws, might also answer; and it appeared, from the nature of my -first interview with Captain Maitland, that the latter was empowered to -convey the Emperor and suite to England to be equitably treated. From -this moment we were under the protection of British laws; and the people -of England were too fond of glory to lose an opportunity which thus -presented itself, and that ought to have formed the proudest page of -their history. It was therefore resolved to surrender to the English -cruisers, as soon as Captain Maitland should positively declare his -orders to receive us. On renewing the negotiation, he clearly stated -that he had the authority of his Government to receive the Emperor, if -he would come on board the Bellerophon, and to convey him, as well as -his suite, to England. Napoleon went on board, not that he was -constrained to it by events, since he could have remained in France; but -because he wished to live as a private individual, would no longer -meddle with public affairs, and had determined not to embroil those of -France. He would, most assuredly, not have adopted this plan had he -suspected the unworthy treatment which was preparing for him, as every -body will readily feel convinced. His letter to the Prince Regent fully -explains his confidence and persuasion on the subject. Captain Maitland, -to whom it was officially communicated before the Emperor embarked on -board his ship, having made no remarks on the above document, had, by -this circumstance alone, recognized and sanctioned the sentiments it -contained. - -23rd.—Saw Ushant at four in the morning, having passed it in the night. -From the moment of approaching the Channel, ships of the line and -frigates were seen sailing in various directions. The coast of England -was discovered towards evening. - -24th.—We anchored at Torbay about eight in the morning; the Emperor had -risen at six, and went on the poop, whence he surveyed the coast and -anchorage. I remained by his side to give the explanations which he -required. - -Captain Maitland immediately despatched a messenger to Lord Keith, the -Commander-in-chief at Plymouth. General Gourgaud rejoined us: he had -been obliged to give up the letter for the Prince Regent; he had not -only been refused permission to land, but prohibited from all -communication. This was a bad omen, and the first indication of those -numberless tribulations which followed. - -No sooner had it transpired that the Emperor was on board the -Bellerophon, than the bay was covered with vessels and boats full of -people. The owner of a beautiful country-seat in sight of the ship sent -his Majesty a present of various kinds of fruits. - -25th.—The concourse of boats and crowds of spectators continued without -intermission. The Emperor saw them from the cabin windows and -occasionally shewed himself on deck. On returning from the shore, -Captain Maitland handed me a letter from Lady C., enclosing another from -my wife. My surprise was extreme, and not less than my satisfaction; but -the former ceased when I reflected that the length of the passage had -given the French papers time to transmit an account of what had occurred -to a considerable distance, so that whatever related to the Emperor and -his suite was already known in England, where we had even been expected -for five or six days before. My wife hastened to address Lady C. on the -subject, and the latter wrote to Captain Maitland, to whom she enclosed -my letters, without knowing him. - -My wife’s letter bespoke feelings of tender affliction; but that of Lady -C., who, from being in London, had learned our future destiny, was full -of reproaches—“I was not my own master, thus to dispose of myself; it -was a crime to abandon my wife and children,” &c. Melancholy result of -our modern systems of education, which tend so little to elevate our -minds that we cannot conceive either the merit or charm of heroic -resolutions and sacrifices! We think that all has been said, and every -plea justified, when the danger of private interests and domestic -enjoyments is put forward,—little imagining that the first duty towards -a wife is to place her in a situation of honour, and that the richest -inheritance we can leave our children is the example of some virtues, -and a name to which a little true glory is attached. - -26th.—Orders had arrived in the night for the ship to repair immediately -to Plymouth: having sailed at an early hour, we reached our new -destination at four o’clock in the afternoon, ten days after our -departure from Rochefort, twenty-seven after quitting Paris, and -thirty-five from the Emperor’s abdication. Our horizon became greatly -overcast from this day. Armed boats were placed round the ship; those -whom curiosity had attracted were driven away, even by firing musquetry -at them. Lord Keith, who was in the bay, did not come on board. Two -frigates made the signal for sailing immediately; we were told that a -courier extraordinary had brought dispatches for a distant quarter. In -the morning, some of our party were distributed amongst other vessels. -Every visage seemed now to look at us with a sullen interest; the most -sinister reports had reached the ship; several destinations were -mentioned, each more frightful than the other. - -Imprisonment in the Tower of London was the least terrific, and some -spoke of St. Helena. Meanwhile the two frigates, which had greatly -excited my attention, got under weigh, though the wind was contrary for -leaving the roadstead, stood towards us, and anchored on each side, -nearly touching the Bellerophon. Upon this, some person whispered to me -that these ships were to receive us in the course of the night, and to -sail for St. Helena. - -Never can I portray the effect of these terrible words! A cold sweat -overspread my whole frame: it was an unexpected sentence of death! -Unpitying executioners had seized me: I was torn from all that attached -me to life. I extended my arms sorrowfully towards those who were dear -to me, but in vain; my fate was inevitable! This thought, together with -a crowd of others which arose in equal disorder, excited a real tempest -of the mind. It was like the struggle of a soul that sought to disengage -itself from its earthly habitation! It turned my hair grey!——Fortunately -the crisis was short, and, as it happened, the mind came forth -triumphant; so much so, indeed, that from this moment I seemed above the -world. I felt that I could thenceforth defy injustice, ill treatment, -and sufferings. Above all, I vowed that neither complaints nor -solicitations should escape me. But let not those of my companions, to -whom I appeared tranquil in those fatal circumstances, accuse me of -being deficient in feeling! Their agony was prolonged in detail—mine -operated all at once. - -One of those coincidences, not the least extraordinary of my life, -recurred to my thoughts soon after. Twenty years before, and during my -emigration to England, without possessing any worldly goods, I had -refused to seek a certain fortune in India, because it was too remote, -and I thought myself too old. Now, when twenty years older, I was about -to quit my family, friends, fortune, and enjoyments, to become a -voluntary exile two thousand miles off, in the midst of the ocean, _for -nothing_. But no, I am mistaken! the sentiment that now impelled me was -infinitely superior to the riches I then disdained: I accompanied him -who had governed the world, and will occupy the attention of posterity. - -The Emperor continued to appear on deck as usual. I sometimes saw him in -his cabin, but without communicating what I had heard: I wished to -console him, and not to be his tormentor. The reports had, however, -reached him: but he had come so freely and confidently on board the -Bellerophon; he had been so strongly invited by the English themselves; -he so completely regarded his letter to the Prince Regent, transmitted -before-hand to Captain Maitland, as so many tacit conditions; he had, in -fact, acted with such magnanimity throughout the proceeding, that he -repelled with indignation all the fears which were attempted to be -excited in him, not even permitting those around him to entertain -doubts. - -27th—28th. It would be difficult to describe our torments and anxiety at -this moment: most of us were dumb and inanimate. The least circumstance -which transpired from the shore—an opinion, however unimportant, -expressed on board—an unmeaning paragraph in a daily paper, became the -subjects of our most serious arguments, and the cause of perpetual -oscillations between our hopes and fears. The most trifling reports were -sought with avidity; whoever appeared was urged to give a favourable -version of deceitful anticipations: so little do the ardour and activity -of our national character contribute to endow us with that stoical -resignation, that imperturbable composure, which can only be acquired -from settled principles and positive doctrines imbibed from early -infancy. - -The public papers, particularly those of the ministerial side, were let -loose against us; it was the outcry of the Ministers preparing the blow -they were about to strike. It would not be easy to form an idea of the -horrors, falsehoods, and imprecations accumulated on our heads; and -there is always a portion communicated to the multitude, however well -disposed it may be, so that the demeanour of those around us became less -easy, while their politeness became embarrassed and their countenances -more reserved. - -Lord Keith, after announcing himself for some time before, had only just -made his appearance. It was evident that our company was shunned, our -conversation avoided. The papers contained an account of the measures -which were about to be taken; but, as nothing official had appeared, and -there was some contradiction in the details, we were induced to flatter -ourselves as to the final result: thus remaining in that state of -suspense and uncertainty which is worse than a knowledge of the most -painful truths. Nevertheless, our arrival in England had produced a -singular sensation: the presence of the Emperor excited a curiosity -bordering on delirium. It was the papers themselves that informed us of -the circumstance, while they condemned it. All England seemed to hurry -towards Plymouth. A person who had left London, on hearing of my -arrival, was obliged to stop on the road for want of post-horses and -accommodation. The Sound was covered with an immense number of boats; -for some of which, as we heard, above fifty pounds had been paid. - -The Emperor, to whom I read all the newspapers, did not betray any -decrease of composure either by his conversation or general habits. It -was known that he always appeared on deck towards five o’clock. A short -time before this hour, all the boats collected alongside of each other; -there were thousands; and so closely connected that the water could no -longer be seen between them; they looked more like a multitude assembled -in a public square than any thing else. When the Emperor came out, the -noise and gestures of so many people presented a most striking -spectacle: it was, at the same time, very easy to perceive that nothing -hostile was meant, and that if curiosity had brought them, they felt -interested on going away; we could even see that the latter sentiment -continued to increase;—at first people merely looked towards the ship, -they ended by saluting; some remained uncovered, and occasionally went -so far as to cheer. Even our symbols began to appear amongst them. -Several persons of both sexes came decorated with red carnations, but -this was only turned to our detriment in the eyes of the Ministry and -its partisans, so that it rendered our agony more poignant. - -It was under these circumstances that the Emperor, who, notwithstanding -his calm demeanor, could not help being struck by what he heard, -dictated a paper to me, worthy of serving as a model to jurists, -discussing and defending his real political situation; we found means of -conveying it on shore, but I have kept no copy. - - MINISTERIAL DECISION. - -29th—30th. A report had circulated, during the two previous days, that -an under-secretary of state coming from London to notify the resolutions -of the Ministers with respect to the Emperor, officially. Accordingly he -appeared; it was Sir Charles Bunbury: he came on board, accompanied by -Lord Keith, and delivered a dispatch ordering the removal of the Emperor -to St. Helena, and limiting the number of persons who were to accompany -Napoleon to three, excluding, however, the Duke de Rovigo and General -Lallemand, comprised in the list of proscribed. - -I was not called before the Emperor. The bearers of his sentence spoke -and understood French; they were admitted alone. I have since heard that -he objected and protested, with no less energy than logic, against the -violence exercised on his person. “He was the guest of England,” said -he, “and not her prisoner; he came of his own accord to place himself -under the protection of her laws; the most sacred rights of hospitality -were violated in his person; he would never submit voluntarily to the -outrage with which they threatened him; violence alone should oblige him -to do so, &c.” - -The Emperor gave me the ministerial document to translate for him, of -which the following is a copy: - - COMMUNICATION MADE BY LORD KEITH, IN THE NAME - OF THE ENGLISH MINISTERS. - -“As it may, perhaps, be convenient for General Buonaparte to learn, -without farther delay, the intentions of the British Government with -regard to him, your Lordship will communicate the following information: - -“It would be inconsistent with our duty towards our country and the -allies of his Majesty, if General Buonaparte possessed the means of -again disturbing the repose of Europe. It is on this account that it -becomes absolutely necessary he should be restrained in his personal -liberty, so far as this is required by the foregoing important object. - -“The island of St. Helena has been chosen as his future residence; its -climate is healthy, and its local position will allow of his being -treated with more indulgence than could be admitted in any other spot, -owing to the indispensable precautions which it would be necessary to -employ for the security of his person. - -“General Buonaparte is allowed to select amongst those persons who -accompanied him to England (with the exception of Generals Savary and -Lallemand) three officers, who, together with his surgeon, will have -permission to accompany him to St. Helena; these individuals will not be -allowed to quit the island without the sanction of the British -Government. - -“Rear-Admiral Sir George Cockburn, who is named Commander-in-chief at -the Cape of Good Hope and seas adjacent, will convey General Buonaparte -and his suite to St. Helena; and he will receive detailed instructions -relative to the execution of this service. - -“Sir G. Cockburn will, most probably, be ready to sail in a few days; -for which reason it is desirable that General Buonaparte should make -choice of the persons who are to accompany him without delay.” - - ------- - -Although we expected our transportation to St. Helena, we were deeply -affected by its announcement: it threw us all into a state of -consternation. The Emperor did not, however, fail to appear on deck as -usual, with the same countenance; and, as before, calmly surveyed the -crowds which seemed so eager to see him. - -31st.—Our situation had now become truly frightful; our sufferings -beyond every power of description; our existence was about to cease with -regard to Europe, our country, families, and friends, as well as our -enjoyments and habits. It is true, we were not forced to follow the -Emperor; but our choice was that of martyrs; the question was a -renunciation of faith, or death. Another circumstance was added, which -greatly increased our torments; this was the exclusion of Generals -Savary and Lallemand, whom it struck with the utmost terror; they saw -nothing but a scaffold before them, and felt persuaded that the -Ministers of England, making no distinction between the political acts -of a revolution, and crimes committed in a moment of tranquillity, would -give them up to their enemies to be sacrificed. This would have been -such an outrage on all law, such an opprobrium for England herself, that -one might have been almost tempted to dare her to it: but it was only -for those who were included in the same proscription to talk thus. At -all events, we did not hesitate to desire that each of us might be -amongst those whom the Emperor would choose; entertaining but one fear, -that of finding ourselves excluded. - -August 1st.—We still continued in the same state. I received a letter -from London, in which it was strongly urged that I should be extremely -wrong, nay that it would even be a crime to expatriate myself. The -person who thus wrote also addressed Captain Maitland, begging he would -assist by his efforts and counsel to dissuade me from such a resolution. -But I stopped him short, by observing that, at my age, people generally -acted on reflection. - -I read the papers every day to the Emperor. Whether influenced by -generosity, or that opinions began to be divided, there were two amongst -the number that pleaded our cause with great warmth, compensating in -some measure for the gross falsehoods and scurrilous abuse with which -the others were filled. We gave ourselves up to the hope that the hatred -inspired by an enemy would be succeeded by the interest which splendid -actions ought naturally to excite; that England abounded in noble hearts -and elevated minds, which would indubitably become our ardent advocates. - -The number of boats increased daily. Napoleon continued to appear at his -usual hour, and the reception became more and more flattering. - -Numbers of every rank and condition had followed the Emperor; he was -still, with regard to most of us, as if at the Tuileries; the Grand -Marshal and Duke de Rovigo alone saw him habitually. Some had not -approached or spoken to him more frequently than if we had been at -Paris. I was called during the day, whenever there were any papers or -letters to translate, until the Emperor insensibly contracted the habit -of sending for me every evening towards eight o’clock, to converse with -him a short time. - -In the conversation of this evening, and after touching on various other -subjects, he asked me whether I would accompany him to St. Helena. I -replied with the greatest frankness, rendered more easy by my real -sentiments, observing to his Majesty that, in quitting Paris, I had -disregarded every chance; and that therefore St. Helena had nothing -which could make it an exception. There were, however, a great many of -us round his person, while only three were permitted to go out. As some -people considered it a crime in me to leave my family, it was necessary -with regard to the latter, and my own conscience, to know that I could -be useful and agreeable to him—that, in fact, I required to be chosen; -but that this last observation did not spring from any concealed motive, -for my life was henceforth at his disposal without any restriction. - -While thus engaged, Madame Bertrand, without having been called, and -even without announcing her name, rushed into the cabin, and in a -frantic manner, entreated the Emperor not to go to St. Helena, nor take -her husband with him. But observing the astonishment, coolness, and calm -answer of Napoleon, she ran out as precipitately as she had entered. The -Emperor, still surprised, turned to me and said, “Can you comprehend all -this? Is she not mad?” A moment afterwards loud shrieks were heard, and -every body seemed to be running towards the stern of the ship. Being -desired to ring the bell, and to enquire the cause, I found that Madame -Bertrand, on leaving the cabin, had attempted to throw herself into the -sea, and was prevented with the greatest difficulty. From this scene it -is easy to judge of our feelings! - - REMARKABLE WORDS OF THE EMPEROR. - -2d-3d. In the morning the Duke de Rovigo told me I was certainly to -depart for St. Helena: while in conversation with the Emperor, a short -time before, his Majesty had said to him that, if there were only two to -accompany him, I should still be one of the number, as he thought I -could afford him some consolation. I am indebted to the candour and -kindness of the Duke for the satisfaction of being made acquainted with -this flattering assurance, and am truly grateful, as, but for him, it -would never have been known to me. The Emperor had not said a word in -reply to my answer; this was his custom, as I shall have other -opportunities of shewing. - -I had no particular acquaintance with any of those who had followed the -Emperor, excepting General and and Madame Bertrand, who had shewn me -great attention during my mission to Illyria, where he was -Governor-General. I had until then never spoken to the Duke de Rovigo, -certain prepossessions having induced me to keep at a distance; we had, -however, scarcely exchanged a few words, when my scruples were -completely removed. Savary was sincerely attached to the Emperor; I knew -he possessed warmth of heart, sincerity, and uprightness of character, -qualities which rendered him susceptible of real friendship; we should, -therefore, I dare say, have become very intimate. - -I was again sent for by the Emperor; who, after alluding to different -subjects, began to speak of St. Helena, asking me what sort of a place -it could be; whether it was possible to exist there? and similar -questions. “But,” said he, “after all, is it quite certain that I shall -go there? Is a man dependent on others, when he wishes that his -dependence should cease?”—We continued to walk to and fro in the cabin; -he seemed calm, though affected, and somewhat absent. - -“My friend,” continued the Emperor, “I have sometimes an idea of -quitting you, and this would not be very difficult; it is only necessary -to create a little mental excitement, and I shall soon have escaped.—All -will be over, and you can then quietly rejoin your families. This is the -more easy, since my internal principles do not oppose any bar to it:—I -am one of those who conceive that the pains of the other world were only -imagined as a counterpoise to those inadequate allurements which are -offered to us there. God can never have willed such a contradiction to -his infinite goodness, especially for an act of this kind; and what is -it after all, but wishing to return to him a little sooner?” - -I remonstrated warmly against such notions. Poets and philosophers had -said that it was a spectacle worthy of the Divinity, to see men -struggling with fortune: reverses and constancy had their glory. Such a -great and noble character as his could not descend to the level of -vulgar minds; he who had governed us with so much glory, who had excited -the admiration, and influenced the destinies, of the world, could not -end like a desperate gamester or a disappointed lover. What would then -become of all those who looked up to and placed their hopes in him? -Would he thus abandon the field to his enemies? The anxiety shewn by the -latter to drive him to it was surely sufficient to make him resist: who -could tell the secrets of time, or dare assert what the future would -produce? What might not happen from the mere change of a ministry, the -death of a Prince, that of a confidant, the slightest passion, or the -most trifling dispute? - -“Some of these suggestions have their weight,” said the Emperor, “but -what can we do in that desolate place?”—“Sire,” I replied, “we will live -on the past: there is enough in it to satisfy us. Do we not enjoy the -life of Cæsar and that of Alexander? We shall possess still more, you -will re-peruse yourself, Sire!” “Be it so!” rejoined Napoleon; “we will -write our Memoirs. Yes, we must be employed; for occupation is the -scythe of Time. After all, a man ought to fulfil his destinies; this is -my grand doctrine:[8] let mine also be accomplished.” Re-assuming from -this instant an air of ease and even gaiety, he passed on to subjects -totally unconnected with our situation. - -Footnote 8: - - The following is a document which the above circumstance contributes - to render still more precious: it is an order of the day, issued by - the First Consul to his guard, against suicide. - - _Order of the 22d Floreal, Year X._ - - “The Grenadier Gobain has committed suicide from love: he was in other - respects an excellent soldier. This is the second incident of the same - nature that has occurred in the corps within a month. - - “The first Consul directs it to be inserted in the order-book of the - Guard:— - - “That a soldier ought to know how to vanquish the pangs and melancholy - of the passions; that there is as much true courage in bearing up - against mental sufferings with constancy, as in remaining firm on the - wall of a battery. - - “To give ourselves up to grief without resistance, or to kill - ourselves to escape affliction, is to abandon the field of battle - before the victory is gained.” - - DEPARTURE FROM PLYMOUTH.—CONTINUANCE IN THE CHANNEL.—PROTEST. - -4th.—Orders had arrived during the night for us to sail at an early -hour; we set sail, which circumstance puzzled us much. The newspapers, -official communications, and private conversations, told us we were to -be conveyed to St. Helena by the Northumberland: we knew that this ship -was still fitting out at Portsmouth or Chatham, so that we might still -calculate on eight or ten days’ delay. The Bellerophon was too old for -the voyage, she had not provisions enough; moreover the wind was -contrary; when therefore we saw the ship returning up Channel, our -uncertainty and conjectures were renewed, but whatever these might be, -every thing was welcome when compared to the idea of transportation to -St. Helena. - -Nevertheless, it occurred to us that, in such a decisive moment, the -Emperor was bound to shew a formal opposition to this violence; as to -Napoleon himself, he attached but little importance to it, nor would he -trouble himself about the matter. However, said we, it will be a weapon -in the hands of our friends, and leave causes of remembrance as well as -grounds of defence with the public. I ventured, therefore, to read a -paper I had prepared to his Majesty, with the general sense of which he -seemed pleased; after suppressing a few phrases, and correcting others, -it was signed and sent to Lord Keith. The following is a literal copy of -this document. - - PROTEST. - -“I hereby solemnly protest in the face of heaven and mankind, against -the violence that is done me; and the violation of my most sacred -rights, in forcibly disposing of my person and liberty. I voluntarily -came on board the Bellerophon—I am not the prisoner, I am the guest of -England. I came at the instigation of the Captain himself, who said he -had orders from the Government to receive and convey me to England, -together with my suite, if agreeable to me. I came forward with -confidence to place myself under the protection of the laws of England. -When once on board the Bellerophon, I was entitled to the hospitality of -the British people. If the Government, in giving the Captain of the -Bellerophon orders to receive me and my followers, only wished to lay a -snare, it has forfeited its honour and disgraced its flag. - -“If this act be consummated it will be in vain for the English -henceforth to talk of their sincerity, their laws, and liberties. -British faith will have been lost in the hospitality of the Bellerophon. - -“I appeal to history: it will say that an enemy who made war for twenty -years against the English people came spontaneously, in the hour of -misfortune, to seek an asylum under their laws. What more striking proof -could he give of his esteem and confidence? But how did England reply to -such an act of magnanimity? It pretended to hold out a hospitable hand -to this enemy; and, on giving himself up with confidence, he was -immolated! - - (Signed) “NAPOLEON.” - - _Bellerophon at Sea,_ _Friday, Aug._ 4th, 1815. - -The Duke de Rovigo told me that the Emperor had demanded permission to -send me to the Prince Regent at London, but that it was obstinately -refused. - -The sea was rough, and the wind blew with violence. Most of us were -affected with sea-sickness. But what cannot the pre-occupation of the -mind effect over physical infirmities! This was perhaps the only time in -my life that I was not incommoded by such weather. On leaving Plymouth -Sound, we stood to the eastward before the wind, but were soon after -close-hauled, tacking backwards and forwards, without being able to -comprehend the cause of this new source of torment. - -5th.—The whole of this day was passed in the same manner. While -conversing with the Emperor in the evening he gave me two proofs of -confidence, but I cannot now confide them to paper.[9] - -Footnote 9: - - There is, however, one of these proofs which I am now at liberty to - disclose. While walking in the stern-gallery with the Emperor, at the - usual hour, he drew from under his waistcoat, still conversing on a - totally different subject, a species of girdle, which he handed to me, - saying, “Take care of that for me;” without interrupting him, I placed - it under my own waistcoat. The Emperor told me, soon after, that it - contained a diamond necklace, worth two hundred thousand francs, which - Queen Hortensia forced him to accept on his leaving Malmaison. After - our arrival at St. Helena I frequently spoke of returning the - necklace, but never received any reply. Having ventured to mention the - subject again when we were at Longwood, Napoleon drily asked, “Does it - annoy you?”—“No, Sire,” was my answer;—“Keep it then,” said he. From - wearing the girdle so long, the necklace became as it were identified - with my person; and I thought so little about it that it was not till - some days after my being torn from Longwood, and by the merest - accident, it recurred to my memory; when I shuddered at the idea of - depriving the Emperor of such a resource. For how would it be possible - now to make restitution? I was in the most rigorous confinement, - surrounded by gaolers and sentinels, so that all communication was - impracticable. I vainly endeavoured to contrive a plan; time pressed; - only a few days were left, and nothing could be more distressing than - thus to quit the island. In this predicament, I resolved to run all - risks. An Englishman, to whom I had often spoken, came to the prison - on a particular errand—and it was under the eyes of the Governor - himself, or one of his most confidential agents whom he brought, that - I ventured to communicate my wishes. - - “I think you are a man of principle,” said I, “and I am going to put - it to the test;—though with nothing injurious or contrary to your - honour—merely a rich deposit to be restored to Napoleon. If you accept - the charge, my son will put it into your pocket.” - - He answered only by slackening his pace; my son, whom I had prepared - for the scene, followed him, and the necklace was transferred into - this man’s possession, almost in sight of the military attendants. - Before quitting the island, I had the inexpressible satisfaction of - knowing that the necklace had reached the hands of the Emperor. How - gratifying to the heart are the recollection and recital of such a - trait on the part of an enemy, and under such circumstances! - - ANCHORED OFF START POINT.—PERSONS ALLOWED TO ACCOMPANY THE EMPEROR. - -6th.—We anchored about noon off Start Point, where there was no shelter -whatever, though we had but a very short distance to go in order to -anchor in Torbay: this circumstance excited great astonishment on our -part. We had, however, heard that orders were given to meet the -Northumberland, the departure of which vessel from Portsmouth was urged -with all possible haste. Accordingly that ship soon appeared with two -frigates full of troops, which were to compose the garrison of St. -Helena. These three ships anchored close to us; after which the -communications amongst the whole squadron became very active. The -precautions to prevent the approach of boats were still continued. -Meanwhile the mystery of our precipitate sailing from Plymouth, and all -the manœuvring that followed, was discovered. Lord Keith had, we were -told, received notice, by telegraph, that a public officer had just left -London with a writ of _habeas corpus_, to claim the person of the -Emperor in the name of the laws or of some competent tribunal. We could -neither ascertain the motives nor details of this circumstance: the -Admiral, it was added, had scarcely time enough to escape this -difficulty; we heard that he was suddenly obliged to go on board a brig, -and quit Plymouth Sound. This was the motive which kept us out of -Torbay. - -Admirals Keith and Cockburn came on board the Bellerophon; the flag of -the latter was flying on board the Northumberland: they had a conference -with the Emperor, to whom they delivered an extract from the -instructions relative to our transportation to and stay at St. Helena. -These stated that all our effects were to be examined, for the purpose -of taking away the money, bills, and diamonds, belonging to the Emperor, -as well as ourselves, to be kept for us: we also heard that our arms -would be taken from us at the same time, and that we were then to be -transferred to the Northumberland. The documents were as follow: - - ORDER FROM LORD KEITH TO CAPTAIN MAITLAND - OF THE BELLEROPHON. - -“All arms of every description are to be taken from the French, of -whatever rank, who are on board his Majesty’s ship under your command. -These arms will be carefully packed, and are to remain in your charge so -long as the persons to whom they belong continue on board the -Bellerophon. They will then be under the charge of the captain of the -ship to which the said individuals may be transferred.” - - _Start Bay, August 6th, 1815._ - - INSTRUCTIONS OF MINISTERS TO ADMIRAL COCKBURN. - -“When General Buonaparte leaves the Bellerophon to go on board the -Northumberland, it will be the properest moment for Admiral Cockburn to -have the effects examined which General Buonaparte may have brought with -him. The Admiral will allow the baggage, wines, (_the wines!_ an -observation truly worthy of the English Ministers,) and provisions which -the General may have brought with him, to be taken on board the -Northumberland. Among the baggage his table-service shall be understood -as included, unless it be so considerable as to seem rather an article -to be converted into ready money than for real use. His money, his -diamonds, and his saleable effects (consequently bills of exchange -also), of whatever kind they may be, must be delivered up. The Admiral -will declare to the General that the British Government by no means -intends to confiscate his property, but merely to take upon itself the -administration of his effects, to hinder him from using them as a means -to promote his escape. - -“The examination shall be made in the presence of a person named by -General Buonaparte, the inventory of the effects to be retained shall be -signed by this person as well as by the Rear-admiral, or by the person -whom we shall appoint to draw up the inventory. The interest or the -principal (according as his property is more or less considerable) shall -be applied to his support, and in this respect the principal arrangement -is to be left to him. For this purpose he can from time to time signify -his wishes to the Admiral, till the arrival of the new Governor of St. -Helena, and afterwards to the latter; and, if no objection is made to -his proposal, the Admiral or the Governor can give the necessary orders, -and the disbursement will be paid by bills on his Majesty’s Treasury. In -case of death, (_what foresight!_) he can dispose of his property by a -last Will, and may be assured that the contents of his testament shall -be faithfully executed. As an attempt might be made to make a part of -his property pass for the property of the persons of his suite, it must -be signified that the property of his attendants is subject to the same -regulations. - -“The Admiral is not to take any person on board for St. Helena, without -the consent of such person, to whom he is previously to explain the -necessity of being subjected to all the regulations which it may be -thought proper to establish for securing the person of the General. It -must be made known to the General that, if he make any attempt to -escape, he will expose himself to close imprisonment; and that any of -his suite who may be discovered in endeavouring to facilitate his escape -will incur the same punishment. (Afterwards the Act of Parliament made -the latter offence death.) - -“All letters which shall be addressed to him, or to any of his suite, -are to be delivered in the first place to the Admiral or the Governor, -who is to read them previously to transmitting them: the same regulation -is to be observed with respect to letters written by the General, or -those of his suite. - -“The General is to be informed that the Governor and the Admiral have -received positive orders to forward to his Majesty’s Government any -request or representation he may think proper to make: nothing is left -to their discretion on this point; but the paper on which such -representations shall be written is to remain open, in order that they -may subjoin such observations as they may think expedient.” - - ------- - -It would not be easy to conceive the intensity and nature of our -feelings at this decisive moment, in which outrage, violence, and -injustice, were accumulated on our heads. - -Constrained to reduce his suite to three persons, the Emperor selected -the Grand Marshal, M. de Montholon and myself. Gourgaud, in despair at -the idea of being left behind, entered into a negotiation on the -subject, and succeeded. As the instructions only allowed Napoleon to -take three officers, it was agreed that I should be considered purely in -a civil capacity, and to admit a fourth by the aid of this -interpretation. - -CONVERSATION WITH LORD KEITH.—EXAMINATION OF THE EMPEROR’S EFFECTS.—HE - QUITS THE BELLEROPHON.—SEPARATION.—WE SAIL FOR ST. HELENA. - -7th.—The Emperor addressed to Lord Keith a species of new protest, -against the violence done to his person in forcibly removing him from -the Bellerophon. I took it on board the Tonnant. Admiral Keith, a -fine-looking old man, of highly polished manners, received me with great -politeness, but he carefully avoided touching on the subject of the -protest, observing that he would give an answer in writing. - -This did not stop me. I stated the situation of Napoleon, who was very -unwell, his legs being much swelled; and pointed out to his lordship how -desirable it was for the Emperor not to be sent off so suddenly. He -replied that I had been a sailor, and must therefore see that the -anchorage was unsafe, which was certainly true. - -I explained the Emperor’s repugnance to have his effects searched and -tossed about, as proposed; assuring him that Napoleon would infinitely -prefer seeing them thrown into the sea. The Admiral answered that as -this was a positive order, he must obey it. Finally I enquired whether -it was probable that those appointed to search would go so far as to -deprive the Emperor of his sword. He said that it would be respected, -but that Napoleon was the only person exempted, as all his followers -would be disarmed. I shewed him that I was already so: my sword having -been taken from me before I left the Bellerophon. A secretary who was -writing near us, observed to Lord Keith, in English, that the order -stated that Napoleon himself was to be disarmed; upon which the Admiral -drily replied, also in English, as well as I could comprehend, “Mind -your own business, Sir, and leave us to ours.” - -Still continuing the conversation, I went over all that had occurred -from the commencement. I had been the negotiator, I said, and ought -therefore to feel most acutely; and had the greater right to be heard. -Lord Keith listened to me with marked impatience; we were standing, and -his frequent bows were evidently intended to make me retire. When I told -him that Captain Maitland said he had been authorised to bring us to -England, without exciting a suspicion in our minds that we were to be -prisoners of war; that the Captain could not deny that we came on board -voluntarily and in confidence; that the letter of the Emperor to the -Prince of Wales, which I had previously communicated to Captain -Maitland, must necessarily have created tacit conditions, since he made -no remarks on it: at length the Admiral’s ill-humour and even anger -broke forth, and he replied sharply, that if such were the case, Captain -Maitland must have been a fool, for his instructions contained nothing -of the kind; and he was quite sure of this, for it was from himself they -had emanated. “But, my Lord,” said I, “permit me to observe, in defence -of Captain Maitland, that your Lordship speaks with a degree of severity -for which you may become responsible; for not only Captain Maitland, but -Admiral Hotham and all the other officers whom we saw at the time, -conducted and expressed themselves in the same way towards us; would it -have been thus, if their instructions had been so clear and positive?” -Saying this, I relieved the Admiral of my presence: he made no attempt -to prolong a subject which, perhaps, his Lordship’s conscience rendered -somewhat painful to him. - -Admiral Cockburn, aided by an officer of the customs, examined the -effects of the Emperor: they seized four thousand Napoleons, and left -fifteen hundred to pay the servants: this was all the Emperor’s -treasure. They were assisted, or rather impeded, in the operation by -Marchand, the valet-de-chambre of his Majesty: this appeared to mortify -the Admiral excessively; though requested to attend, not one amongst us -would lend his presence to, or witness, an act which we regarded as -being at once mean and insulting. - -Meanwhile, the moment of quitting the Bellerophon arrived. The Grand -Marshal had been some time closeted with the Emperor; during which we -remained in the outer cabin: on the door being opened, the Duke de -Rovigo, bursting into tears, threw himself at the feet of Napoleon, and -kissed his hands. The Emperor, still calm and collected, embraced the -Duke, and continued his way towards the accommodation-ladder, graciously -saluting all those who happened to be on the quarter-deck. The whole of -our party whom we left behind were in a state of the deepest anguish; -nor could I help observing to Lord Keith, who stood near me at the time, -“You see, my Lord, that the only persons who shed tears are those who -are to remain.” - -We reached the Northumberland between one and two o’clock. The Emperor -remained on deck conversing familiarly and cheerfully with those of the -English who approached him. Lord Lowther and a Mr. Littleton had a long -conversation with him on politics and government. I heard nothing of -what passed; the Emperor seemed desirous that we should leave him to -himself. I employed this moment of leisure in writing a last adieu to my -wife and friends: indeed, I felt very unwell and much fatigued. - -At the moment of getting under weigh, a cutter, that was plying round -the ship to keep off the people, ran down a boat full of spectators -close to us. Fatality seems to have brought them from a great distance -to become the victims of this accident: I understood that there were two -women amongst those who perished. Thus were we at length under sail for -St. Helena, thirteen days after our arrival at Plymouth, and forty from -our quitting Paris. - -Those of the attendants whom Napoleon was not allowed to take with him -were the last to quit the ship, bearing with them mingled proofs of -satisfaction and regret. Their departure gave rise to a second scene, -not less affecting than the first. The Emperor retired to the cabin -allotted to him about seven o’clock. - -The English Ministry warmly censured the respect which had been shewn to -the Emperor on board the Bellerophon, and issued fresh orders in -consequence; so that a totally different style of manner and expression -was affected in the Northumberland. The crew seemed to betray a -ridiculous anxiety to be covered before the Emperor: it had been -strictly enjoined to give him no other title than that of _General_, and -only to treat him as such. This was the ingenious contrivance, the happy -conception, engendered by the diplomacy of the English Ministers; and -the title they thought proper to confer on him whom they had recognised -as First Consul, whom they had so often styled head of the French -Government, with whom they treated as Emperor at Paris, when Lord -Lauderdale was employed to negotiate, and, perhaps, even signed articles -at Chatillon. Hence, in a moment of warmth, the Emperor, in allusion to -this regulation, observed: “They may call me whatever they choose, but -they cannot prevent me from being _myself_.” It was in fact no less -whimsical than ridiculous to see the Ministers of England attach such -importance to giving only the title of General to one who had governed -so large a portion of Europe, and made seven or eight kings, of whom -several still retained this title of his creation; who had been above -ten years Emperor of the French, and been anointed as well as -consecrated in that quality by the head of the Church; one who could -boast two or three elections of the French people to the sovereignty; -who had been acknowledged as Emperor by the whole of continental Europe; -had treated as such with all the sovereigns; concluding every species of -alliance both of blood and interest with them: so that he united in his -person every title, civil, political and religious, existing amongst -men: and which, by a singular though real coincidence, not one of the -reigning Princes of Europe could have shewn accumulated in an equal -degree, on the chief and founder of his dynasty. Nevertheless his -Majesty, who intended, had he landed in England, to assume the name and -title of Colonel Duroc or Muiron, no longer thought of it now that his -legitimate titles were obstinately disputed. - - DESCRIPTION OF THE EMPEROR’S CABIN ON BOARD THE NORTHUMBERLAND. - -8th-9th. The ship was in the greatest confusion, and seemed to be quite -encumbered with men as well as stores and luggage: we sailed in so great -a hurry that there was scarcely any thing on board in its place, so that -the whole crew was now occupied in restoring order, and preparing for -the voyage. - -The following particulars will afford some idea of that part of the ship -occupied by the Emperor and his suite. The space abaft the mizen-mast -contained two public and two private cabins; the first was a dining-room -about ten feet broad, and extending the whole width of the ship, lighted -by a port-hole at each end, and a sky-light above. The drawing-room was -composed of all the remaining space, diminished by two symmetrical -cabins on the right and left, each having an entry from the dining or -mess-room, and another from the drawing-room. The Emperor occupied that -on the left, in which his camp bed-stead had been put up; that on the -right was appropriated to the Admiral. It was, above all, peremptorily -enjoined that the drawing-room should be in common, and not given up to -the Emperor: to such a ridiculous extent had the fears and solicitude of -the Ministry been carried! - -The form of the dining-table resembled that of the mess-room. The -Emperor sat with his back to the drawing-room or after-cabin, and -looking towards the head of the ship; on his left sat Madame Bertrand, -and on his right, the Admiral. On the right of the Admiral sat Madame de -Montholon: these filled one side of the table. At the end next that lady -was Captain Ross, who commanded the ship; opposite to whom, at the -corresponding end, sat M. de Montholon, by Madame Bertrand; next to him, -the Admiral’s secretary. The remaining space was the side of the table -opposite to the Emperor, which, beginning from Captain Ross, was -occupied by the Grand Marshal, the General commanding the 53rd regiment, -myself, and Baron Gourgaud. - -The Admiral invited one or two of the officers every day, who were -intermixed amongst us at table. I generally sat almost opposite to the -Emperor. The band of the 53d, which had been recently formed, exercised -during dinner at the expense of our ears. We had two courses, but there -was a want of provisions; our tastes were, besides, very different from -those of our hosts. It is true, they did their utmost; but after all, it -would not do to be difficult. I was lodged with my son on the starboard -side, even with the main-mast, in a small cabin enclosed with canvass, -and having a gun in it. We made as much sail as the wind would permit to -get out of the Channel, and stood along the coast of England, -communicating with all the ports in order to procure additional supplies -of sea-stock, and complete the stores of the ship. A large quantity of -articles was brought to us from Plymouth, off which port we were joined -by several other vessels, as well as from Falmouth. - -LOST SIGHT OF LAND.—REFLECTIONS.—ARGUMENT AGAINST THE ENGLISH MINISTERS. - -10.—This day we cleared the Channel, and lost sight of land. We had now -entered upon the dreary unknown course to which fate had doomed us. -Again my agonies were renewed; again the dear connexions I had abandoned -resumed their influence over my heart. I indulged in the luxuriance of -grief, and found a miserable satisfaction in its excess. “Objects of all -my affections,” I exclaimed, “friends of my heart, for whom alone I -live, reflect that I am proving myself worthy of you. Let that thought -support you also; and, oh! forget me not.” - -Meanwhile we advanced in our course, and were soon to be out of Europe. -Thus, in less than six weeks, had the Emperor abdicated his throne, and -placed himself in the hands of the English, who were now hurrying him to -a barren rock in the midst of a vast ocean! This is certainly no -ordinary instance of the chances of fortune, and no common trial of the -firmness of the mind. Yet will posterity be better able to judge of -these three leading circumstances than we of the present day. They will -have to pronounce on a clear horizon; whereas we are enveloped in -clouds. - -Scarcely had Napoleon descended from his throne, when those who -witnessed the misfortunes of the nation, which followed, regarded his -sacrifice as a capital error. When they heard of his being a prisoner at -Plymouth, they censured his magnanimity; there was not a single -incident, even to his suffering himself to be sent to St. Helena, which -they did not make a subject of reproach. But such is the tendency of -vulgar minds: never judging except on what they see at the moment! It -is, however, impossible to judge of one resolution without considering, -not only the evils which unavoidably attend it, but those which a -contrary determination might have produced. - -By abdicating, Napoleon rallied all the friends of their country round -one point—that of its safety! He left France demanding, before all -nations, nothing but the sacred rights of national independence; he took -from the Allies every pretext to ravage and dismember our territory; he -destroyed all idea of his personal ambition; terminating his career as -the martyr of a cause of which he had been the hero. If all the -advantages which might have been derived from his genius and talents as -a citizen were not obtained, it is to be imputed to the weakness and -treachery of the transitory Government by which he was succeeded. When -he arrived at Rochefort, and the commander of the frigates refused to -sail, ought he to have abandoned the fruits of his abdication? Should he -have returned to the interior, and placed himself at the head of mere -bands, when he had renounced armies? or, ought he to have desperately -encouraged a civil war which would lead to no beneficial result, but -only serve to ruin the remaining pillars, the future hopes, of the -country? In this state of affairs, he formed a most magnanimous -resolution, worthy of his life, and a complete refutation of the -calumnies that for twenty years had been so ridiculously accumulated on -his head. But what will history say of those Ministers of a liberal -nation, the guardians and depositaries of popular rights—ever ardent in -encouraging a Coriolanus, having only chains for a Camillus? - -As to the reproach of suffering himself to be transported to St. Helena, -it would be a disgrace to answer such a charge. To contend with an -adversary in the cabin of a ship—kill some one with his own hand—or -attempt to set fire to the powder-magazine, would have been, at best, -the act of a Buccaneer. Dignity in misfortune, submission to necessity, -have also their glory: it is that which becomes great men overwhelmed by -adversity. - -When the English Ministers found themselves in possession of Napoleon’s -person, passion had much more influence over them than justice or -policy. They neglected the triumph of their laws, denied the rights of -hospitality, disregarded their own honour, and compromised that of their -country. They determined to exile their guest in the midst of the ocean, -to keep him prisoner on a rock, two thousand leagues from Europe, and -far from all communion with mankind. It seemed that they wished to trust -to the anguish of exile, the fatigues of a long voyage, privations of -every kind, and the corroding influence of a burning climate, for -effecting that which they feared to perform themselves. In order, -however, to gain over the public voice, to make it appear that their -conduct was indispensably necessary, the newspapers were instigated to -irritate the passions of the multitude, by reviving former calumnies and -falsehoods; while the Ministers, on their side, represented their own -determination as an engagement entered into with their allies. We -presented ourselves at the moment of popular effervescence, just as -every thing which could render us odious had been brought forward. The -public journals were full of the most virulent declamations; maliciously -raking up every act and expression of the previous struggle of twenty -years that could wound the national pride, or rekindle its hatred. Yet, -when all England hurried to the south to see us, during our stay at -Plymouth, the conduct and sentiments of the multitudes who came were -enough to convince us that this factitious irritation would disappear of -itself. Hence we were led to hope, on our departure, that the British -people would daily grow more impartial in a cause to which they were no -longer parties; that the current of public opinion would eventually turn -against Ministers; and that we had thus ensured them formidable attacks -and a terrible responsibility for a future day. - - THE EMPEROR’S MODE OF LIVING ON BOARD - THE NORTHUMBERLAND. - -11th—14th. Our course was shaped across the Bay of Biscay, and double -Cape Finisterre. The wind was fair, though light; and the heat -excessive: nothing could be more monotonous than the time we now passed. -The Emperor breakfasted in his own cabin at irregular hours; we took our -breakfast at ten o’clock, in the French style, while the English -continued to breakfast in their own way at eight. - -The Emperor sent for one of us every morning to know what was going on, -the distance run, the state of the wind, and other particulars connected -with our progress. He read much, dressed towards four o’clock, and then -came into the general cabin; here he played at chess with one of the -party: at five o’clock the Admiral, having come out of his cabin a few -minutes before, announced that dinner was on the table. - -It is well known that Napoleon was scarcely ever more than fifteen -minutes at his dinner; here the two courses alone occupied from an hour -to an hour and a half: this was to him a most serious annoyance, though -he never mentioned it; his features, gestures, and manner, always -evinced perfect indifference. Neither the new system of cookery, the -difference nor quality of the dishes, ever met with his censure or -approbation; he never expressed any wish or objection on the subject. He -was attended by his two valets, who stood behind his chair. At first the -Admiral was in the habit of offering to help the Emperor; but the -acknowledgment of Napoleon was expressed so coldly that this practice -was discontinued. The Admiral continued very attentive, but thenceforth -only pointed out to the servants what was preferable; they alone -attended to these matters, to which the Emperor seemed totally -indifferent, neither seeing, noticing, nor seeking, any thing. He was -generally silent, remaining in the midst of conversation as if totally -unacquainted with the language, though it was French. If he spoke, it -was to ask some technical or scientific question, and to address a few -words to those whom the Admiral occasionally asked to dinner. I was the -person to whom the Emperor generally addressed his questions, in order -to translate them. - -I need scarcely observe that the English are accustomed to remain a long -time at table after the dessert, drinking and conversing: the Emperor, -already tired by the tedious dinner, could never have endured this -custom, and he rose, therefore from the first day, immediately after -coffee had been handed round, and went out on deck followed by the Grand -Marshal and myself. This disconcerted the Admiral, who took occasion to -express his surprise to his officers; but Madame Bertrand, whose -maternal language is English, warmly replied—“Do not forget, Admiral, -that your guest is a man who has governed a large portion of the world, -and that kings once contended for the honour of being admitted to his -table.” “Very true,” rejoined the Admiral; and this officer, who -possesses good sense, a becoming pliability of manners, and sometimes -much elegance, did his utmost from that moment to accommodate the -Emperor in his habits. He shortened the time of sitting at table, -ordering coffee for Napoleon and those who accompanied him, even before -the rest of the company had finished their dinner. The moment Napoleon -had taken his coffee, he left the cabin; upon which every body rose till -he had quitted the room, and then continued to take their wine for -another hour. - -The Emperor remained walking on deck till dark, attended by the Grand -Marshal and myself. This became a regular practice, and was seldom -omitted. On returning to the after-cabin, he sat down to play -_vingt-et-un_ with us, and generally retired in about half an hour. - - SINGULAR GOOD FORTUNE OF THE EMPEROR. - -15th.—We asked permission to be admitted into the Emperor’s presence -this morning, and all entered his cabin at the same time. He was not -aware of the cause of this visit:—it was his birthday, which seemed to -have altogether escaped his recollection. We had been in the habit of -seeing him on that anniversary, on a much larger stage, and in the midst -of his power, but never were our wishes more sincere, or our hearts more -full of attachment, than on the present occasion. - -The days now exactly resembled each other: at night we constantly played -at _vingt-et-un_; the Admiral and some of his officers being -occasionally of the party. The Emperor used to retire after losing, -according to custom his ten or twelve Napoleons; this happened to him -daily, because he would persist in leaving his stake on the table, until -it had produced a considerable number. To-day he had gained from eighty -to a hundred. The Admiral dealt the cards: the Emperor still wished to -leave his winnings, in order to see how far he could reach; but thought -he could perceive it would be quite as agreeable to the Admiral if he -stopped where he was. The Emperor had won sixteen times, and might have -won more than sixty thousand Napoleons. While all present were -expatiating on his being thus singularly favoured by fortune, an English -officer observed that it was the anniversary of his birth-day. - - CONTINUATION OF THE VOYAGE.—OCCUPATIONS.—THE - EMPEROR’S ORIGIN AND FAMILY.—ANECDOTES. - -16th—21st. We doubled Cape Finisterre on the 16th, passed Cape St. -Vincent on the 18th, and were off the Straits of Gibraltar next day. -Continuing our course along the coast of Africa towards Madeira, nothing -worthy of remark occurred, there being a perfect uniformity in our -habits and mode of passing the time; if there was any difference, it -could only arise from the subject of our conversation. - -The Emperor usually remained in his cabin during the whole morning: so -excessive was the heat that he only wore a very slight dress. He could -not sleep, and frequently rose in the night. Reading was his chief -occupation. I was sent for almost every morning, and translated from the -“Encyclopædia Britannica,” and such other books as were on board, -whatever they contained relative to St. Helena, or the countries near -which we were sailing. This led to my Historical Atlas being brought -under review. Napoleon had merely glanced at it on board the -Bellerophon, and before that time he had but a very indistinct notion of -the work. I now had the satisfaction of seeing it in the Emperor’s hands -for several days, and of hearing him express the warmest approbation of -my labours. The quantity and arrangement of the matter seemed more -particularly to please him: he had, in fact, hitherto been but little -acquainted with the book. Passing over all the others, his chief -attention was attracted by the geographical charts; more especially the -map of the world, which seemed principally to excite his notice and -applause. I did not attempt to convince him that the geography was the -weakest part of the work, displaying far less labour and research than -other parts; the general tables could not easily be surpassed, either as -to their method, symmetry, or facility for use; while each of the -genealogical tables presented a miniature history of the country they -concerned and of which they were, in all respects, both a complete -analysis and a collection of elementary materials. - -The Emperor asked me whether the work had been used in all our systems -of education; adding, that had it been better known to him, all the -schools and lyceums should have been furnished with it. He further -asked, why I had published it under the borrowed name of Le Sage? I -replied that a very imperfect sketch had been published in England, just -after my emigration, at a time when we could not acknowledge our names -as emigrants abroad, without danger to our relations in France; “and, -perhaps,” said I, laughing, “I was not then cured of the prejudices of -my youth; like the nobles of Bretagne, who deposited their swords with -the registrar of the Civil Court, while engaged in trade, that they -might not derogate from their family dignity.” - -As already observed, the Emperor always rose from table long before the -rest of the company: the Grand Marshal and I always followed him to the -quarter-deck, where I was frequently left alone with him; as General -Bertrand had often to attend his wife, who suffered excessively from -sea-sickness. - -After the preliminary remarks on the weather, the ship’s progress, and -the winds, Napoleon used to start a subject of conversation, or revive -that of the preceding or some other former, day; and when he had taken -eight or nine turns the whole length of the deck, he would seat himself -on the second gun from the gangway on the larboard side. The midshipmen -soon observed this habitual predilection, so that the cannon was -thenceforth called the _Emperor’s gun_. - -It was there that Napoleon often conversed for hours together, and that -I learned for the first time a part of what I am about to relate: in -doing which, I wish to observe that I shall at the same time add -whatever I collected in a variety of subsequent conversations; thus -presenting at one view, all that I have heard worth noting on the -subject. - -The name of Bonaparte may be spelt either _Bonaparte_ or _Buonaparte_; -as all Italians know. Napoleon’s father always introduced the _u_; and -his uncle, the Archdeacon Lucien (who survived Napoleon’s father and was -a parent to Napoleon and his brothers), at the same time, and under the -same roof, wrote it _Bonaparte_. During his youth, Napoleon followed the -example of his father. On attaining the command of the Army of Italy he -took good care not to alter the orthography, which agreed with the -spirit of the language; but at a later period, and when amongst the -French, he wished to adopt their orthography, and thenceforth wrote his -name Bonaparte. - -This family for many years made a distinguished figure in the Bolognese -territory: it was very powerful at Treviso; and is to be found inscribed -in the Golden book of Bologna, as also amongst the patricians of -Florence. When Napoleon, as General in chief of the army of Italy, -entered Treviso, at the head of his victorious army, the principal -inhabitants came to meet him, bringing title deeds and records, which -proved that his family had once been one of the most eminent in their -city. - -At the interview of Dresden, before the Russian campaign, the Emperor -Francis one day told Napoleon, then his son-in-law, that his family had -governed as sovereigns at Treviso: a fact of which there could be no -doubt, as Francis had caused all the documents proving it to be drawn up -and presented to him. Napoleon replied, with a smile, that he did not -wish to know anything about it, and that he preferred being the Rodolph -of Hapsburgh of his own family. Francis attached much more importance to -the matter: he said that it was of very little consequence to have -fallen from wealth to poverty; but that it was above all price to have -been of sovereign rank, and that the fact must be communicated to Maria -Louisa, to whom it would afford infinite pleasure. - -When, during the campaign of Italy, Napoleon entered Bologna, -Marescalchi, Caprara, and Aldini, since so well known in France, and at -that time deputies in the senate of their native city, came of their own -accord to present the golden book, in which the name and arms of his -ancestors were inscribed. - -There are several houses at Florence which attest the former existence -of the Buonaparte family there; many houses are even still seen bearing -the escutcheons of the family. - -Cesari, a Corsican or Bolognese, residing in London, who was shocked at -the manner in which the British Government had received Napoleon’s -pacific letter on assuming the Consulate, published a genealogical -notice, wherein he established the Emperor’s alliance with the ancient -house of _Este_, _Welf_, or _Guelf_, supposed to be the parent stem of -the present royal family of England.[10] - -Footnote 10: - - This paragraph was in such a state in the manuscript as to excite - doubts; and I was on the point of suppressing it: I must therefore - state my reasons for its insertion. What is my object? chiefly to - leave materials behind me. When I indicate how these were collected, - and say that I obtained them from a mere conversation—that I may have - disfigured them in thus suddenly seizing their sense—when I admit - their probable inaccuracy, and place the reader in the way of - rectifying my errors—have I not sufficiently fulfilled my object and - duty? - -The Duke de Feltre, French ambassador in Tuscany, brought to Paris, from -the Gallery de Medici, the portrait of a Buonaparte who had married a -princess of the Grand Duke’s family. The mother of Pope Nicholas V. or -Paul V., of Sarzana, was also a Buonaparte. - -It was a Buonaparte who negotiated the treaty by which Leghorn was -exchanged for Sarzana. It is to a Buonaparte that we are indebted for -one of the oldest comedies written at the period of the revival of -letters intitled _The Widow_. It may still be seen in the Royal Library -at Paris.[11] - -Footnote 11: - - Verified at the Royal Library: the manuscript being really there, and - the play itself printed. - -When Napoleon marched against Rome at the head of the French army, and -received the propositions of the Pope at Tolentino, one of the -negotiators of the enemy observed that he was the only Frenchman who had -marched against Rome since the Constable de Bourbon; but what rendered -this circumstance still more singular was that the history of the first -expedition was written by an ancestor of him who executed the second, -that is to say, Signor Niccolo Buonaparte, who has in reality left us a -work, called _The Sacking of Rome by the Constable de Bourbon_.[12] - -Footnote 12: - - Also verified at the Royal Library, where the account of the sacking - of Rome is deposited, but by _Jacopo Buonaparte_, and not _Niccolo_. - Jacopo was a contemporary and an eye-witness of the event: his - manuscript was printed for the first time at Cologne, in 1756; and the - volume actually contains a genealogy of the Buonapartes, which is - carried back to a very remote period, and describes them as one of the - most illustrious houses of Tuscany. - - The above genealogy presents a fact which is certainly of a very - singular nature: it is that of the first Buonaparte having been exiled - from his country as a _Ghibeline_. Was it, then, the destiny of his - family, in all times, and at every epoch, that it must yield to the - influence of the _Guelfs_! - - The Cologne editor sometimes writes _Buonaparte_, and at others, - _Bonaparte_. - - This Signor Niccolo Buonaparte, named in the text as the historian, is - only the uncle; he is, however, mentioned in the genealogy as a very - distinguished man of letters, and as having founded the class of - jurisprudence in the University of Pisa. - -Hence, perhaps, or from the Pope mentioned above, the name of Niccolo, -which the writers of certain pamphlets pretended to be that of the -Emperor, instead of Napoleon. This work is to be found in most -libraries; it is preceded by a history of the house of Buonaparte, -printed about forty or fifty years ago, and edited by Dr. Vaccha, a -professor of Pisa. - -M. de Cetto, ambassador of Bavaria, has often told me that the archives -of Munich contained a great number of documents, in Italian, which -proved the antiquity and importance of the Buonaparte family. - -During the continuance of his power, Napoleon always refused to take any -pains, or even to enter into conversation, on the subject. The first -attempt to turn his attention to this matter occurred in the time of his -Consulate, and was so much discouraged that no one ever sought to renew -the discussion. Some person published a genealogy, in which he contrived -to connect the family of Napoleon with certain northern kings. Napoleon -caused this specimen of flattery to be ridiculed in the public papers in -which the writers concluded by observing that the nobility of the First -Consul only dated from _Montenotte_, or from the 18th of Brumaire. - -This family suffered, like many others, from the numerous revolutions -which desolated the cities of Italy. The troubles of Florence placed the -Buonapartes amongst the _fuorusciti_, or emigrants. One of the family -retired to Sarzana in the first instance, and thence went to Corsica, -from which island his descendants always continued to send their -children to Tuscany, where they were educated under the care of the -branch that remained at San Miniato. The second sons of this branch had -borne the name of Napoleon for several generations, which was derived -from an ancestor thus named, celebrated in the annals of Italy. - -When on his way to Florence, after the expedition to Leghorn, Napoleon -slept at the house of an old Abbé Buonaparte, at San Miniato, who -treated the whole of his staff with great magnificence. Having exhausted -all the family recollections, the Abbé told the young General that he -was going to bring forth the most precious document of all. Napoleon -thought he was about to shew him a fine genealogical tree, well -calculated to gratify his vanity (said he, laughing); but it was a -memorial regularly drawn up in favour of father Buonaventura Buonaparte, -a Capuchin friar of Bologna, long since beatified, but who had not yet -been canonized owing to the enormous expense which it required. “The -Pope will not refuse you,” said the good Abbé, “if you ask him; and -should it be necessary to pay the sum now, it will be a mere trifle for -you.” Napoleon laughed heartily at this simplicity, so little in harmony -with the manners of the day: the old man never dreamt that the saints -were no longer in fashion. - -On reaching Florence, Napoleon conceived it would be very satisfactory -to his namesake to send him the ribbon of the order of St. Stephen, of -which he was merely a knight; but the pious Abbé was much less anxious -about the favours of this world than the religious justice which he so -pertinaciously claimed: and, as it afterwards appeared, not without -reason. The Pope, when he came to Paris to crown the Emperor, also -recurred to the claims of Father Buonaventura. “It was doubtless he,” -said the Pope, “who, from his seat amongst the blessed, had led his -relative, as it were, by the hand through the glorious earthly career he -had traversed; and who had preserved Napoleon in the midst of so many -dangers and battles.” The Emperor, however, always turned a deaf ear to -these remarks; leaving it to the holy father’s own discretion to provide -for the glory of Buonaventura. As to the old Abbé of San Miniato, he -left his fortune to Napoleon, who presented it to one of the public -establishments in Tuscany. - -It would, however, be very difficult to connect any genealogical data in -this place, from the conversations of the Emperor, who used often to say -he had never looked at one of his parchments: these having always -remained in the hands of his brother Joseph, whom he styled the -“genealogist of the family.” And, lest I may forget it, I will here -mention the fact of Napoleon’s having, when on the point of embarking, -delivered a packet to his brother, containing all the original letters -addressed to him by the sovereigns of Europe in their own hand-writing. -I frequently expressed my regret to the Emperor at his parting with such -a precious historical manuscript.[13] - -Footnote 13: - - On my return to Europe, I did not fail to inquire for the invaluable - deposit, and hastened to suggest the importance of making another copy - to Prince Joseph, in order to become still more sure of its existence. - What was my grief to hear that this historical monument had been - mislaid, and that no person knew what had become of it! Into whose - hands can it have fallen? May they know how to appreciate such a - collection, and preserve it for history! - -Charles Buonaparte, the father of Napoleon, was extremely tall, -handsome, and well-made; his education had been well conducted at Rome -and Pisa, where he studied the law: he is said to have possessed great -spirit and energy. It was he who, on its being proposed to submit to -France, in the public assembly of Corsica, delivered a speech which -electrified the whole country: he was not more than twenty years of age -at this period. “If it only depended on the will to become free,” said -he, “all nations would be so; yet history teaches us that very few have -attained the blessings of liberty, because few have had energy, courage, -and virtue enough to deserve them.” - -When the island was conquered, he wished to accompany Paoli in his -emigration; but an old uncle, the Archdeacon Lucien, who exercised the -authority of a parent over him, prevented his departure. - -In 1779, Charles Buonaparte was elected deputy to represent the nobles -of Corsica at Paris, whither he brought young Napoleon with him, then -only ten years old. He passed through Florence on his way, and obtained -a letter of introduction from the Grand Duke Leopold to his sister the -Queen of France. It was to his known rank and the respectability of his -name and family in Tuscany, that he was indebted for this mark of -attention. - -[Illustration: - - _Charles Bonaparte._ - - _London. Published for Henry Colburn. January, 1836._ -] - -There were two French generals in Corsica, at the above period, so -inimical to each other that their quarrels formed two parties; one was -M. de Marbeuf, a mild and popular character, and the other, M. de -Narbonne Pellet, distinguished for haughtiness and violence. The latter, -from his birth and superior interest, must have been a dangerous man for -his rival: fortunately for M. de Marbeuf, he was much more beloved in -the island. When the deputation headed by Charles Buonaparte arrived at -Versailles, he was consulted on the dispute, and the warmth of his -testimony obtained a triumph for Marbeuf. The Archbishop of Lyons, -nephew to Marbeuf, thought it his duty to wait on the deputy, and thank -him for the service he had rendered. On young Napoleon’s being placed in -the military school of Brienne, the Archbishop gave him a special -recommendation to the family of Brienne, which lived there during the -greater part of the year: hence the friendly demeanour of the Marbeufs -and Briennes towards the children of the Buonaparte family. Calumny has -assigned another cause, but the simple examination of dates is fully -sufficient to prove its absurdity. - -Old M. de Marbeuf, who commanded in Corsica, lived at Ajaccio, where the -family of Charles Buonaparte was one of the principal. Madame Buonaparte -being the most fascinating and beautiful woman in the town, it was very -natural for the General to frequent her house in preference to many -other places of resort. - -Charles Buonaparte died at the age of thirty-eight, of an induration in -the glands of the stomach. He had experienced a temporary cure during -one of his visits to Paris, but became the victim of a second attack at -Montpellier, where he was interred in one of the convents of the city. - -During the Consulate, the notables of Montpellier, through the medium of -their countryman Chaptal, minister of the interior, solicited the -permission of the First Consul to erect a monument to the memory of his -father. Napoleon thanked them for their good intentions, but declined -acceding to their solicitation. “Let us not disturb the repose of the -dead,” said he; “let their ashes remain in peace. I have also lost my -grandfather and great-grandfather; why not erect monuments to them? This -might lead too far. Had my father died yesterday, it would be proper and -natural that my grief should be accompanied by some signal mark of -respect. But his death took place twenty years ago: it is an event of no -public interest, and it is useless to revive the recollection of it.” At -a subsequent period Louis Buonaparte, without the knowledge of Napoleon, -had his father’s remains disinterred, and removed to St. Leu, where he -erected a monument to his memory. - -Charles Buonaparte had been the very reverse of devout; he had even -written some anti-religious poems; and yet, at the period of his death, -said the Emperor, there were not priests enough for him in Montpellier. -In this respect he was very different from his brother Archdeacon -Lucien, a very pious and orthodox ecclesiastic, who died long after him, -at a very advanced age. On his death-bed, he took great umbrage at -Fesch, who, being by this time a priest, ran to him in his stole and -surplice to assist him in his last moments. Lucien begged that he would -suffer him to die in peace, and he breathed his last surrounded by the -members of his family, giving them philosophic counsel and patriarchal -benedictions. - -The Emperor frequently spoke of his old uncle, who had been a second -father to him, and who was for a length of time the head of the family. -He was Archdeacon of Ajaccio, one of the principal dignitaries of the -island. His prudence and economy re-established the affairs of the -family, which had been much deranged by the extravagance of Charles. The -old uncle was much revered, and enjoyed considerable authority in the -district: the peasantry voluntarily submitted their disputes to his -decision, and he freely gave them his advice and his blessing. - -[Illustration: - - _Letizia Buonaparte_ - - _Published for Henry Colburn, Dec. 1835._ -] - -Charles Buonaparte married Mademoiselle Letitia Ramolini, whose mother, -after the death of her first husband, married Captain Fesch, an officer -in one of the Swiss regiments, which the Genoese usually maintained in -the island. Cardinal Fesch was the issue of this second marriage, and -was consequently step-brother to Madame and uncle to the Emperor. - -Madame was one of the most beautiful women of her day, and she was -celebrated throughout Corsica. Paoli, in the time of his power, having -received an embassy from Algiers or Tunis, wished to give the Barbary -envoys some notion of the attractions of the island, and for this -purpose he assembled together all the most beautiful women in Corsica, -among whom Madame took the lead. Subsequently, when she travelled to -Brienne to see her son, her personal charms were remarked even in Paris. - -During the war for Corsican liberty, Madame Buonaparte shared the -dangers of her husband, who was an enthusiast in the cause. In his -different expeditions she frequently followed him on horseback, while -she was pregnant with Napoleon. She was a woman of extraordinary vigour -of mind, joined to considerable pride and loftiness of spirit. She was -the mother of thirteen children, and she might have had many more, for -she was a widow at the age of thirty. Of these thirteen children, only -five boys and three girls lived, all of whom performed distinguished -parts in the reign of Napoleon. - -Joseph, the eldest of the family, was originally intended for the -church, on account of the influence possessed by Marbeuf, archbishop of -Lyons, who had the patronage of numerous livings. He went through the -regular course of study; but when the moment arrived for taking orders, -he refused to enter the ecclesiastical profession. He was successively -King of Naples and Spain. - -Louis was King of Holland, and Jerome King of Westphalia. Eliza was -Grand Duchess of Tuscany; Caroline, Queen of Naples; and Pauline, -Princess Borghese. Lucien, who through his marriage and a mistaken -direction of character, doubtless forfeited a crown, atoned for all his -past errors by throwing himself into the arms of the Emperor on his -return from Elba, at a moment when Napoleon was far from relying on the -certainty of his prospects. Lucien, the Emperor used to say, passed a -turbulent career in his youth: at the age of fifteen he was taken to -France by M. Semonville, who soon made him a zealous revolutionist and -an ardent clubist. On this subject the Emperor said that in the numerous -libels published against him were some addresses or letters, bearing, -among other signatures, that of Brutus Buonaparte, which were attributed -to him, Napoleon; he would not affirm, he added, that these addresses -were not written by some individual of the family, but he could declare -that they were not his production. - -I had the opportunity of rendering myself acquainted with the sentiments -of Prince Lucien, on the Emperor’s return from Elba, and am enabled to -say that it would have been difficult for any man to have been more -upright and steady in his political views, or to have evinced greater -attachment and good-will towards his brother. - - MADEIRA, &c.—VIOLENT GALE.—CHESS. - -22nd–26th. On the 22nd we came within sight of Madeira, and at night -arrived off the port. Only two of the vessels cast anchor, to take on -board supplies for the squadron. The wind blew very hard, and the sea -was exceedingly rough. The Emperor found himself indisposed, and I was -also ill. A sudden gale arose; the air was excessively hot, and seemed -to be impregnated with small particles of sand—we were now assailed by -the emanations of the terrible winds from the deserts of Africa. This -weather lasted throughout the whole of the following day. Our -communication with the shore became extremely difficult. The English -Consul came on board, and informed us that for many years there had not -been such a hurricane at Madeira; the vintage was entirely destroyed, -all the windows in the town were broken, and it had been found scarcely -possible to breathe in the streets. All this time we continued tacking -about before the town; which we continued to do throughout the whole of -the following night, and the 24th, when we took on board several oxen, -and stores of other provisions, such as unripe oranges, bad peaches, and -tasteless pears; the figs and grapes were however excellent. In the -evening we made way with great rapidity; the wind still blowing hard. On -the 25th and 26th we lay-to during a portion of each day, to distribute -provisions among the vessels composing the squadron; during the rest of -the time, we sailed on smoothly and rapidly. - -Meanwhile nothing occurred to interrupt the uniformity of the scene. -Each day crept slowly on, and added to the past interval, which, as a -whole, seemed brief because it was void of interest, and not -characterized by any remarkable incident. - -The Emperor had added to the number of his amusements by a game at -piquet, which he regularly played about three o’ clock. This was -succeeded by a few games at chess with the Grand Marshal, M. de -Montholon, or some other individual, until dinner-time. There was no -very good chess-player on board the vessel. The Emperor was but an -indifferent player; he gained with some and lost with others, a -circumstance which one evening led him to say, “How happens it that I -frequently lose with those who are never able to beat him whom I almost -always beat? Does not this seem contradictory? How is this problem to be -solved?” said he, winking his eye, to shew that he was not the dupe of -the constant politeness of him who was really the best player. - -We no longer played at _vingt-et-un_ in the evening: we gave up this -game on account of our having played too high, at which the Emperor -appeared displeased, for he was a great enemy to gaming. On returning -from his afternoon walk on the deck. Napoleon played two or three games -at chess, and retired to rest early. - -THE CANARIES.—PASSING THE TROPIC.—DETAILS OF THE EMPEROR’S - CHILDHOOD.—NAPOLEON AT BRIENNE.—PICHEGRU.—NAPOLEON AT THE MILITARY - SCHOOL IN PARIS.—IN THE ARTILLERY.—HIS COMPANIONS.—NAPOLEON AT THE - COMMENCEMENT OF THE REVOLUTION. - -27th—31st. At daybreak on Sunday, 27th, we found ourselves among the -Canaries, which we passed in the course of the day, sailing at the rate -of ten or twelve knots an hour, without having perceived the famous Peak -of Teneriffe—a circumstance the more extraordinary, since in clear -weather it is visible at the distance of sixty leagues. - -On the 29th we crossed the tropic, and observed many flying fish round -the ship. On the 31st, at eleven at night, one of the sailors threw -himself overboard; he was a negro who had got drunk, and was fearful of -the flogging that awaited him. He had several times, in the course of -the evening, attempted to jump overboard, and at last succeeded. He -however soon repented, and uttered loud cries. He swam very well; but -though a boat was immediately sent off, and every endeavour used to -rescue him, he was lost. The cries of this man in the sea excited a -powerful sensation on board the vessel. In a moment the crew were -hurrying about in every direction: the noise was very great, and the -agitation universal. - -As I was descending from deck to the cabin, a midshipman, a youth -between ten and twelve years of age, of an interesting countenance, -thinking I was going to inform the Emperor of what had occurred, laid -hold of my coat, and in a tone expressive of the tenderest interest -exclaimed, “Ah, Sir, do not alarm him! Tell him the noise is nothing at -all; that it is only a man fallen overboard.” Amiable and innocent -youth! he expressed his sentiments rather than his thoughts! - -In general the midshipmen, of whom there were several on board the ship, -behaved with marked respect and attention to the Emperor. They every -evening repeated a scene that made a deep impression on our feelings. -Early in the morning the sailors carried up their hammocks, and put them -in the large nettings at the sides of the ship; and about six in the -evening they carried them away at the signal of a whistle. Those who -were tardy in the performance of this duty received a certain -punishment. On the signal being given, a great bustle ensued; and it was -gratifying to see the midshipmen at this moment form a circle round the -Emperor, whether he might be standing in the middle of the deck, or -resting on his favourite gun. They watched his motions with an anxious -eye, and either by signs or words directed the sailors to avoid -incommoding him. The Emperor frequently observed this conduct, and -remarked that youthful hearts were always inclined to enthusiasm. - -I will now proceed with the details, which I collected at various times, -respecting the early years of the Emperor’s life. - -Napoleon was born about noon on the 15th of August (Assumption-day) in -the year 1769. His mother, who was possessed of great bodily as well as -mental vigour, and who had braved the dangers of war during her -pregnancy, wished to attend mass on account of the solemnity of the day: -she was, however, taken ill at church, and on her return home was -delivered before she could be conveyed to her chamber. The child, as -soon as it was born, was laid on the carpet, which was an old-fashioned -one, representing at full length the heroes of fable, or, perhaps, of -the Iliad. This child was Napoleon. - -In his boyhood Napoleon was turbulent, adroit, lively and agile in the -extreme. He had gained, he used to say, the most complete ascendancy -over his elder brother Joseph. The latter was beaten and ill-treated; -complaints were carried to the mother, and she would begin to scold -before poor Joseph had even time to open his mouth. - -At the age of ten, Napoleon was sent to the military school at Brienne. -His name, which in his Corsican accent he pronounced as if written -Napoilloné, from the similarity of the sound, procured for him, among -his youthful companions, the nick-name of _la paille au nez_ (straw in -his nose). At this period a great change took place in Napoleon’s -character. In contradiction to all the apocryphal histories, which -contain anecdotes of his life, he was when at Brienne mild, quiet, and -susceptible. One day the quarter master, who was a man of harsh -disposition, and who never took the trouble of considering the physical -and moral shades of character in each individual scholar, condemned -Napoleon, by way of punishment, to wear the serge coat, and to take his -dinner on his knees at the door of the refectory. Napoleon, who had a -vast share of pride and self-conceit, was so mortified by this disgrace, -that he was seized with a violent retching, and suffered a severe -nervous attack. The head master of the school happening accidentally to -pass by, relieved him from the punishment, reproving the quarter-master -for his want of discernment; and Father Patrault, the professor of -mathematics, was very indignant on finding that his first mathematician -had been treated with so little respect. - -[14]“On attaining the age of puberty, Napoleon’s temper became morose -and reserved; his passion for reading was carried to excess; and he -eagerly devoured the contents of every book that fell in his way. -Pichegru was at this time his quarter-master and his tutor in the four -rules of arithmetic. - -“Pichegru was a native of Franche-Comté, where his family were farmers. -The Minim monks of Champagne were appointed to superintend the military -school of Brienne. Owing to their poverty, however, so few individuals -were induced to enter their order that they found themselves inadequate -to the task imposed on them; and they solicited the assistance of the -Minim monks of Franche-Comté, of whom Father Patrault was one. An aunt -of Pichegru’s, a nun of La Charité, followed Patrault, for the purpose -of superintending the infirmary, and she was accompanied by her nephew, -a youth who was admitted to the school to receive his education -gratuitously. Pichegru, who was extremely clever, was, on his attaining -a suitable age, made quarter-master and tutor under Father Patrault, who -had taught him mathematics. He intended to become a monk, which was the -sole object of his ambition and of his aunt’s wishes. But Father -Patrault dissuaded him from this intention, assuring him that the -profession was not suited to the age; and that he ought to look forward -to something better: he prevailed on him to enlist in the artillery, -where the Revolution found him a sub-officer. His military career is -known:—he was the conqueror of Holland. Thus Father Patrault had the -honour of counting among his pupils the two greatest generals of modern -France. - -“Father Patrault was subsequently secularized by M. de Brienne, -Archbishop of Sens and Cardinal de Lomenie, who made him one of his -grand vicars, and intrusted him with the management of his numerous -benefices. - -“At the time of the Revolution, Father Patrault, though his opinions -were widely opposite to those of his patron, nevertheless exerted every -endeavour to save him, and with this view applied to Danton, who was a -native of the same part of France to which the Cardinal and himself -belonged. But all was unavailing; and it is supposed that Patrault, -after the manner of the ancients, rendered to the Cardinal the service -of procuring for him a poisoned draught to save him from the scaffold. - -“Madame de Lomenie, the Cardinal’s niece, before her life was sacrificed -by the revolutionary tribunal, intrusted Father Patrault with the care -of her two daughters, who were yet in their childhood. The moment of -terror having passed away, their aunt Madame de Brienne, who had escaped -the storm and preserved a considerable portion of her fortune, applied -to Father Patrault for the children; but he refused to give them up, on -the ground that their mother had directed him to withdraw them from the -world and to devote them to the occupation of peasants. He had conceived -the design of literally executing these figurative commands, and was on -the point of uniting them to two of his own nephews. ‘I was then,’ said -Napoleon, ‘General of the Army of the Interior, and I became the -mediator for the restoration of the two children, an object which was -not accomplished without difficulty. Patrault employed every possible -means of resistance. These daughters of Madame de Lomenie were the two -ladies whom you have since known by the names of Madame de Marnesia, and -the beautiful Madame de Canisy, Duchess de Vicenza.’ - -“Father Patrault, having renewed his acquaintance with his old pupil, -followed him and joined the Army of Italy, where he proved himself -better able to calculate projectiles than to meet their effects. At -Montenotte, Millesimo, and Dego, he evinced the most puerile cowardice. -During the action he was occupied, not like Moses, in praying, but in -weeping. The General-in-chief appointed him administrator of domains at -Milan, from which he derived considerable profits. On Napoleon’s return -from Egypt, he presented himself to him: he was no longer the little -Minim monk of Champagne, but a corpulent financier, possessed of upwards -of a million. Two years afterwards he again sought an interview with the -First Consul at Malmaison: he now looked mean, dejected, and shabbily -dressed. ‘How is this?’ inquired the Consul. ‘You see before you a -ruined man,’ replied Patrault; ‘one who is reduced to beggary; the -victim of severe misfortune.’ The First Consul determined to investigate -the truth of this statement; he discovered that Father Patrault had -commenced the trade of an usurer. The great calculator had lost his -fortune through bankruptcies, in lending at great risk for a high -interest. ‘I have already paid my debt,’ said the First Consul, at his -next interview with him; ‘I can do no more for you; I cannot make a -man’s fortune twice.’ He contented himself with granting Patrault a -pension sufficient for his subsistence. - -“Napoleon retained but a faint idea of Pichegru; he remembered that he -was a tall man, rather red in the face. Pichegru, on the contrary, seems -to have preserved a striking recollection of young Napoleon. When -Pichegru joined the royalist party, he was asked whether it would not be -possible to gain over the General-in-chief of the Army of Italy. ‘To -attempt that would only be wasting time,’ said he: ‘from my knowledge of -him when a boy, I am sure he must be a most inflexible character: he has -formed his resolutions, and he will not change them.’” - -Footnote 14: - - These lines were dictated by the Emperor himself:—how and when will be - hereafter explained. - -The Emperor has often been much amused at the tales and anecdotes that -are related of his boyhood, in the numerous little publications to which -he had given rise: he acknowledges the accuracy of scarcely any of them. -There is one, relative to his confirmation at the military school of -Paris, which, however, he admitted to be true. It is as follows:—the -archbishop who confirmed him, manifesting his astonishment at the name -of Napoleon, said he did not know of any such saint, and that there was -no such name in the calendar; the boy quickly replied, that that could -be no rule, since there were an immense number of saints, and only 365 -days. - -Napoleon never observed his festival-day until after the Concordat: his -patron saint was a stranger to the French Calendar, and even where his -name is recorded the date of his festival is a matter of uncertainty. -The Pope, however, fixed it for the 15th of August, which was at once -the Emperor’s birth-day, and the day of the signing of the Concordat. - -[15]“In 1783, Napoleon was one of the scholars who, at the usual -competition at Brienne, were fixed upon to be sent to the military -school at Paris, to finish their education. The choice was made annually -by an inspector, who visited the twelve military schools. This office -was filled by the Chevalier de Keralio, a general officer, and the -author of a work on military tactics. He was also the tutor of the -present [the late] King of Bavaria, who in his youth bore the title of -Duke of Deux-Ponts. Keralio was an amiable old man and well qualified to -discharge the duty of Inspector of the military schools. He was fond of -the boys, played with them when they had finished their examinations, -and permitted those who had acquitted themselves most to his -satisfaction to dine with him at the table of the monks. He was -particularly attached to young Napoleon, and took a pleasure in -stimulating him to exertion. He singled him out to be sent to Paris, -though it would appear he had not at that time attained the requisite -age. The lad was not very far advanced in any branch of education except -mathematics, and the monks suggested that it would be better to wait -till the following year, to afford time for further improvement. But -this the Chevalier de Keralio would by no means agree to; ‘I know what I -am about,’ said he, ‘and if I am transgressing the rules, it is not on -account of family influence:—I know nothing of the friends of this -youth. I am actuated only by my own opinion of his merit. I perceive in -him a spark of genius which cannot be too early fostered.’ The worthy -chevalier died suddenly, before he had time to carry his determination -into effect; but his successor, M. de Regnaud, who would not perhaps -have evinced half his penetration, nevertheless fulfilled his intention, -and young Napoleon was sent to Paris.” - -Footnote 15: - - Dictated by the Emperor. - -At this period he began to develop qualities of a superior order: -decision of character, profound reflection, and vigorous conceptions. It -would appear, that from his earliest childhood his parents rested all -their hopes on him. His father, when on his death-bed at Montpellier, -though Joseph was beside him, spoke only of Napoleon, who was then at -the military school. In the delirium with which he was seized in his -last moments, he incessantly called Napoleon to come to his aid with his -_great sword_. The grand uncle, Lucien, who on his death-bed was -surrounded by all his relatives, said, addressing himself to Joseph, -“You are the eldest of the family; but there is the head of it (pointing -to Napoleon). Never lose sight of him.” The Emperor used to laugh and -say, “This was a true disinheritance: it was the scene of Jacob and -Esau.” - -Having myself been educated at the military school of Paris, though at -an earlier period than that at which Napoleon attended it, I was -enabled, on returning from my emigration, to converse about the Emperor -with the masters who had been common to us both. - -M. de l’Eguille, our teacher of history, used to boast that the records -of the military school contained proofs of his having foretold the great -career which his pupil was destined to fill; and that he had frequently, -in his notes, eulogised the depth of his reflection, and the shrewdness -of his judgment. He informed me that the First Consul used often to -invite him to breakfast at Malmaison, and that he always took pleasure -in conversing about his old lessons.—“That which made the deepest -impression on me,” said he, one day to M. de l’Eguille, “was the revolt -of the Constable de Bourbon, though you did not present it to us -precisely in its proper light. You made it appear that his great crime -was his having fought against his king; which certainly was but a -trifling fault, in those days of divided nobility and sovereignty; -particularly considering the scandalous injustice of which he was the -victim. His great, his real, his only crime, and that on which you did -not sufficiently dwell, was his having joined with foreigners to attack -his native country.” - -M. Domairon, our professor of belles-lettres, informed me that he had -always been struck with the singularity of Napoleon’s amplifications, -which he said were like granite heated in a volcano. - -Only one individual formed a mistaken idea of him; that was M. Bauer, -the dull heavy German master. Young Napoleon never made much progress in -the German language, which offended M. Bauer, who ranked German above -all things, and he in consequence formed a most contemptible opinion of -his pupil’s abilities. One day, Napoleon not being in his place, M. -Bauer inquired where he was, and was told that he was attending his -examination in the class of artillery. “What! does he know any thing?” -said M. Bauer ironically. “Why, Sir, he is the best mathematician in the -school,” was the reply. “Ah! I have always heard it remarked, and I have -always believed, that none but a fool could learn mathematics.” “It -would be curious,” said the Emperor, “to know whether M. Bauer lived -long enough to see me rise in the world, and to enjoy the confirmation -of his own judgment.” - -Napoleon was scarcely eighteen years of age when the Abbé Raynal, struck -with the extent of his acquirements, appreciated his merit so highly as -to make him one of the ornaments of his scientific _déjeûners_. Finally, -the celebrated Paoli, who, after having long inspired Napoleon with a -sort of veneration, found the latter at the head of a party against him, -the moment he shewed himself favourable to the English, was accustomed -to say—“This young man is formed on the ancient model. He is one of -Plutarch’s men.” - -In 1785, Napoleon, who was appointed at once a cadet and an officer of -artillery, quitted the military school to enter the regiment of la Fère -with the rank of second lieutenant; from which he was promoted to the -rank of first lieutenant in the regiment of Grenoble. - -Napoleon, on quitting the military school, went to join his regiment at -Valence. The first winter he spent there, his comrades at the mess-table -were Lariboissière, whom, during the empire, he appointed -inspector-general of the artillery; Sorbier, who succeeded Lariboissière -in that post; d’Hedouville, junior, afterwards minister plenipotentiary -at Frankfort; Mallet, brother of him who headed the tumult in Paris in -1813; an officer named Mabille, whom, on his return from emigration, the -Emperor appointed to a situation in the post-office; Rolland de -Villarceaux, afterwards prefect of Nismes; Desmazzis, junior, his -companion at the military school, and the friend of his early years, who -after Napoleon ascended the throne, became keeper of the Imperial -wardrobe. - -There were in the corps officers more or less easy in their -circumstances; Napoleon ranked among the former. He received from his -family 1200 francs a year, which was then the amount of an officer’s -full pay. There were two individuals in the regiment who could afford to -keep cabriolets, or carriages of some kind, and they were looked upon as -very great men. Sorbier was one of these two: his companions got him to -drive them about, and they repaid the obligation by jokes and puns. -Sorbier was the son of a physician at Moulins. - -At Valence, Napoleon obtained an early introduction to Madame du -Columbier, a lady about fifty years of age, who was endowed with many -rare and estimable qualities, and who was the most distinguished person -in the town. She entertained a great regard for the young -artillery-officer, and through her acquaintance he mingled in all the -best company in Valence and its neighbourhood. She introduced him to the -Abbé de Saint Rufe, an elderly man of property, who was frequently -visited by the most distinguished persons in the country. Napoleon was -indebted for the favour he enjoyed to his extensive information, joined -to the facility and force with which he turned it to account. Madame du -Colombier often foretold that he would be a distinguished man. The death -of this lady happened about the time of the breaking out of the -Revolution: it was an event in which she took great interest, and in her -last moments was heard to say that, if no misfortune befel young -Napoleon, he would infallibly play a distinguished part in the events of -the time. The Emperor never spoke of Madame du Colombier but with -expressions of the tenderest gratitude; and he did not hesitate to -acknowledge that the valuable introductions and superior company in -society which she procured for him had great influence over his destiny. - -The gaiety which Napoleon enjoyed at this period of his life, excited -great jealousy on the part of his fellow-officers. They were displeased -at seeing him absent himself so frequently from among them, though his -doing so could be no reasonable ground of offence to them. Fortunately -the commandant, M. d’Urtubie, had formed a just estimate of his -character: he shewed him great kindness, and afforded him the means of -fulfilling his military duties, and at the same time of mingling in the -pleasures of society. - -Napoleon conceived an attachment for Mademoiselle du Colombier, who, on -her part, was not insensible to his merits. It was the first love of -both; and it was that kind of love which might be expected to arise at -their age and with their education. “We were the most innocent creatures -imaginable,” the Emperor used to say; “we contrived little meetings -together: I well remember one which took place on a Midsummer morning, -just as daylight began to dawn. It will scarcely be believed that all -our happiness consisted in eating cherries together.” - -It has been said that the mother wished to bring about this marriage, -and that the father opposed it on the ground that they would ruin each -other by their union; while each was separately destined to a fortunate -career. But this story is untrue, as is likewise another anecdote -relative to a marriage with Mademoiselle Clary, afterwards Madame -Bernadotte, now Queen of Sweden. - -In 1805, the Emperor, when about to be crowned King of Italy, on passing -through Lyons, again saw Mademoiselle du Colombier, who had now changed -her name to Madame de Bressieux. She gained access to him with some -difficulty, surrounded as he was by the etiquette of royalty. Napoleon -was happy to see her again; but he found her much altered for the worse. -He did for her husband what she solicited, and placed her in the -situation of lady of honour to one of his sisters. - -Mademoiselles de Laurencin and Saint-Germain were at that time the -reigning toasts in Valence, where they divided the general admiration. -The latter married Monsieur de Montalivet, who was also known to the -Emperor at that time, and who was afterwards made Minister of the -Interior. “He was an honest fellow,” said Napoleon, “and one who, I -believe, remained firmly attached to me.” - -When about eighteen or twenty years of age, the Emperor was -distinguished as a young man of extensive information, possessing a -reflective turn of mind and strong reasoning powers. His reading had -been very extensive, and he had profoundly meditated on the fund of -knowledge thus acquired, much of which, he used to say, he had probably -since lost. His sparkling and ready wit and energetic language -distinguished him wherever he went: he was a favourite with every one, -particularly with the fair sex, to whom he recommended himself by the -elegance and novelty of his ideas, and the boldness of his arguments. As -for the men, they were often afraid to engage with him in those -discussions into which he was led by a natural confidence in his own -powers. - -Many individuals, who knew him at an early period of life, predicted his -extraordinary career; and they viewed the events of his life without -astonishment. At an early age he gained anonymously a prize at the -Academy of Lyons, on the following question, proposed by Raynal:—“_What -are the principles and institutions calculated to advance mankind to the -highest possible degree of happiness?_” The anonymous memorial excited -great attention: it was perfectly in unison with the ideas of the age. -It began by enquiring in what happiness consisted; and the answer was, -in the perfect enjoyment of life in the manner most conformable with our -moral and physical organization. After he became Emperor, Napoleon was -one day conversing on this subject with M. de Talleyrand: the latter, -like a skilful courtier, shortly after presented to him the famous -memorial, which he had procured from the archives of the Academy of -Lyons. The Emperor took it, and, after reading a few pages, threw into -the fire this first production of his youth. “We can never think of -every thing,” said Napoleon: and M. de Talleyrand had not taken the -precaution of having it copied. - -The Prince de Condé one day visited the Artillery school at Auxonne; and -the cadets considered it a high honour to be examined by that military -prince. The commandant, in spite of the hierarchy, placed young Napoleon -at the head of the polygon, in preference to others of superior rank. It -happened that, on the day preceding the examination, all the cannons of -the polygon were spiked: but Napoleon was too much on the alert to be -caught by this trick of his comrades, or snare, perhaps, of the -illustrious traveller. - -It is generally believed that Napoleon, in his boyhood, was taciturn, -sullen, and morose: on the contrary, he was of a very lively turn. He -never appeared more delighted than when relating to us the various -tricks he was accustomed to play when at the School of Artillery. In -describing the joyous moments of his early youth, he seems to forget the -misfortunes which hold him in captivity. - -There was an old commandant, upwards of eighty years of age, for whom -the cadets entertained a very high respect, notwithstanding the many -jokes they played upon him. One day, while he was examining them in -their cannon exercise, and watching every discharge with his eye-glass, -he asserted they were far from hitting the mark, and asked those near -him if they had seen the ball strike. Nobody had observed the youths’ -slipping aside the ball every time they loaded. The old general was -rather sharp; after five or six discharges, he took it into his head to -count the balls. The trick was discovered. The general thought it a very -good one; but nevertheless ordered all who had participated in it to be -put under arrest. - -The cadets would occasionally take a pique at some of their captains, or -determine to revenge themselves on others to whom they owed a grudge. -They then resolved to banish them from society, and to reduce them to -the necessity of putting themselves under a sort of arrest. Four or five -of the cadets undertook to execute the design. They fastened on their -victim; pursued him into every company, and he was not suffered to open -his mouth without being methodically and logically contradicted, though -always with a strict regard to politeness: at length the poor fellow -found that retirement was his only alternative. - -“On another occasion,” Napoleon used to relate, “one of my comrades who -lodged above me unluckily took a fancy to learn to play the horn, and -made such a hideous noise as completely disturbed the studies of those -who were within hearing. We met each other one day on the stairs; ‘Are -you not tired of practising the horn?’ said I. ‘Not at all,’ he replied. -‘At any rate, you tire other people.’ ‘I am sorry for it.’ ‘It would be -better if you went to practise elsewhere.’ ‘I am master of my own -apartment.’ ‘Perhaps you may be taught to entertain a doubt on that -point.’ ‘I scarcely think any one will be bold enough to attempt to -teach me that.’” A challenge ensued; but before the antagonists met, the -affair was submitted to the consideration of a council of the cadets, -and it was determined that the one should practise the horn at a greater -distance, and that the other should be more accommodating. - -In the campaign of 1814, the Emperor again met his horn-player in the -neighbourhood of Soissons or Laon: he was residing on his estate, and -gave some important information respecting the enemy’s position. The -Emperor made him one of his aides-de-camp; this officer was Colonel -Bussy. - -When attached to his artillery-regiment, Napoleon seized every -opportunity of mingling in company, where he invariably made an -agreeable impression. Women at that time attached a high value to wit in -the other sex; it was a quality which never failed to win their good -graces. Napoleon, at this period, performed what he termed his -Sentimental Journey from Valence to Mont-Cenis in Burgundy, and he -intended to write an account of it after the manner of Sterne. The -faithful Desmazzis was of the party: he was constantly with him, and his -narrative of Napoleon’s private life, if combined with the details of -his public career, would form a perfect history of the Emperor. It would -then be seen that, however extraordinary his life might be with respect -to its incidents, yet nothing could be more simple or natural than its -course. - -Circumstances and reflection have considerably modified his character. -Even his style of expression, now so concise and laconic, was in his -youth diffuse and emphatic. At the time of the Legislative Assembly, -Napoleon assumed a serious and severe demeanour, and became less -communicative than before. The army of Italy also marked another epoch -in his character. His extreme youth, when he went to take the command of -the army, rendered it necessary that he should evince great reserve, and -the utmost strictness of morals. “This was indispensably necessary,” -said he, “to enable me to command men so much above me in point of age. -I pursued a line of conduct truly irreproachable and exemplary. I proved -myself a sort of Cato. I must have appeared such in the eyes of all. I -was a philosopher and a sage.” In this character he appeared on the -theatre of the world. - -Napoleon was in garrison at Valence when the Revolution broke out. At -that time it was made a point of particular importance to induce the -artillery-officers to emigrate; and the officers, on their part, were -very much divided in opinion. Napoleon, who was thoroughly imbued with -the notions of the age, possessing a natural instinct for great actions -and a passion for national glory, espoused the cause of the Revolution; -and his example influenced the majority of the regiment. He was an -ardent patriot under the Constituent Assembly; but the Legislative -Assembly marked a new period in his ideas and opinions. - -He was at Paris on the 21st of June, 1792, and witnessed the -insurrection of the people of the Faubourgs, who traversed the garden of -the Tuileries, and forced the palace. There were but 6000 men; a mere -disorderly mob, whose language and dress proved them to belong to the -very lowest class of society. - -Napoleon was also a witness of the events of the 10th of August, in -which the assailants were neither higher in rank nor more formidable in -number. - -In 1793, Napoleon was in Corsica, where he had a command in the National -Guards. He opposed Paoli, as soon as he was led to suspect that the -veteran, to whom he had hitherto been so much attached, entertained the -design of betraying the island to the English. Therefore it is not true, -as it has been generally reported, that Napoleon, or one of his family, -was at one time in England, proposing to raise a Corsican regiment for -the English service. - -The English and Paoli subdued the Corsican patriots, and burnt Ajaccio. -The house of the Buonapartes was destroyed in the general conflagration, -and the family was obliged to fly to the Continent. They fixed their -abode at Marseilles, whence Napoleon proceeded to Paris. He arrived just -at the moment when the federalists of Marseilles had surrendered Toulon -to the English. - -CAPE VERD ISLANDS.—NAPOLEON AT THE SIEGE OF TOULON.—RISE OF DUROC - AND JUNOT.—NAPOLEON QUARRELS WITH THE REPRESENTATIVES OF - THE PEOPLE.—QUARRELS WITH AUBRY.—ANECDOTES RELATIVE TO - VENDEMIAIRE.—NAPOLEON GENERAL OF THE ARMY OF ITALY.—INTEGRITY OF HIS - MILITARY ADMINISTRATION.—HIS DISINTERESTEDNESS.—NICK-NAMED - PETIT-CAPORAL.—DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SYSTEM OF THE DIRECTORY AND THAT - OF THE GENERAL OF THE ARMY OF ITALY. - -September 1st—6th. On the 1st of September we found from our latitude -that we should see the Cape Verd Islands in the course of the day. The -sky was, however, overcast, and at night we could see nothing. The -Admiral, convinced that there was a mistake in the reckoning of our -longitude, was preparing to bear westward to the right, in order to fall -in with the islands, when a brig, which was ahead of us, intimated by a -signal that she had discovered them on the left. During the night the -wind blew violently from the south-east, and if our mistake had been the -reverse of what it was, and the Admiral had really borne to the right, -it is not improbable that we should have been thrown out of our course; -a proof that, notwithstanding the improvements in science, mistakes are -very apt to take place, and that the chances of navigation are very -great. As the wind continued to blow strong, and the sea was boisterous, -the Admiral preferred continuing his course, rather than waiting to take -in water, of which he believed he had already a sufficient store. Every -thing now promised a prosperous passage; we were already very far -advanced on our course. Every circumstance continued favourable; the -weather was mild, and we might even have thought our voyage agreeable, -had it been undertaken in the pursuit of our own plans and in conformity -with our own inclinations: but how could we forget our past misfortunes, -or close our eyes on the future?—— - -Occupation alone could enable us to support the languor and tedium of -our days. I had undertaken to teach my son English; and the Emperor, to -whom I mentioned the progress he was making, expressed a wish to learn -also. I endeavoured to form a very simple plan for his instruction, in -order to save him trouble. This did very well for two or three days; but -the _ennui_ occasioned by the study was at least equal to that which it -was intended to counteract, and the English was laid aside. The Emperor -occasionally reproached me with having discontinued my lessons: I -replied that I had the medicine ready, if he had the courage to take it. -In other respects, particularly before the English, his manners and -habits were always the same: never did a murmur or a wish escape his -lips; he invariably appeared contented, patient, and good-humoured. - -The admiral, who, on account of our reputation, I suppose, had assumed -great stiffness, on our departure from England, gradually laid aside his -reserve, and every day took greater interest in his captive. He -represented the danger incurred by coming on deck after dinner, owing to -the damp of the evening; the Emperor would then sometimes take his arm -and prolong the conversation, which never failed to gratify him -exceedingly. I have been assured that the Admiral carefully noted down -every particular that he could collect. If this be true, the remarks -which the Emperor one day made, during dinner, on naval affairs—on the -French resources in the south; those which he had already created, and -those which he contemplated; and on the ports and harbours of the -Mediterranean: to all of which the Admiral listened with deep attention, -and as if fearful of interruption—will compose a chapter truly valuable -to a seaman. - -I will now return to the details collected during our ordinary -conversation. The following relate to the siege of Toulon. - -In September 1793, Napoleon Buonaparte, then in his twenty-fourth year, -was yet unknown to the world which was destined to resound with his -name. He was a lieutenant-colonel of artillery, and had been only a few -weeks in Paris; having left Corsica, where political events had forced -him to yield to the faction of Paoli. The English had taken possession -of Toulon; an experienced artillery-officer was wanting to direct the -operations of the siege, and Napoleon was fixed on. There will history -take him up, never more to leave him;—there commences his immortality. - -I refer to the Memoirs of the Campaign of Italy for the plan of attack -which he adopted, and the manner in which that plan was carried into -effect. It will there be seen that it was he, and he alone, who took the -fortress. This was a great triumph, no doubt: but to appreciate it -justly, it would be necessary to compare the plan of the attack with the -account of the evacuation; the one is the literal prediction, and the -other is the fulfilment word for word. From this moment the young -commander of artillery enjoyed the highest reputation. The Emperor never -looks back to this period without pleasure, and always mentions it as -the happiest portion of his life. The taking of Toulon was his first -successful achievement, and it naturally excites the fondest -recollections. The history of the campaign of Italy will present a -faithful picture of the three generals-in-chief who succeeded each other -during the siege: the inconceivable ignorance of Cartaux, the gloomy -brutality of Doppet, and the honest courage of Dugommier. Of them I -shall here say nothing. - -At the first breaking out of the Revolution, there was nothing but -disorder in the _matériel_ and ignorance in the _personnel_ of the -French army, which was owing both to the confusion of the times and the -rapidity and irregularity with which the promotions had been made. The -following story will afford an idea of the state of affairs and of the -manners of the time:— - -On his arrival at head-quarters, Napoleon waited on General Cartaux, a -fine figure, covered with gold lace from head to foot, who asked him -what duty he had been sent upon. The young officer modestly presented -the letter which directed him to superintend, under the general’s -command, the operations of the artillery. “This was quite unnecessary,” -said the fine-looking man, twirling his whiskers; “we want no assistance -to retake Toulon: however, you are welcome, and you may share the glory -of burning the town to-morrow, without having experienced any of the -fatigue.” And he made him stay to sup with him. - -A party of thirty sat down to table; the general alone was served like a -prince, while every one else was dying of hunger; a circumstance which, -in those days of equality, strangely shocked the new guest. The next -morning, at break of day, the general took him out in his cabriolet, to -admire, as he said, the preparations for attack. As soon as he had -crossed the height, and come within sight of the roads, they got out of -the carriage, and entered some vineyards by the road side. The -commandant of artillery then perceived some pieces of ordnance, and some -digging, for which it was literally impossible for him in the slightest -degree to account. “Dupas,” said the general haughtily, turning to his -aide-de-camp, his confidential man, “are those our batteries?”—“Yes, -general.”—“And our park?” “There, close at hand.”—“And our red-hot -balls?”—“In yonder houses, where two companies have been employed all -the morning in heating them.”—“But how shall we be able to carry these -red-hot balls?” This consideration seemed to puzzle them both -completely, and they turned to the officer of artillery, and begged to -know whether, through his scientific knowledge, he could not explain how -the thing was to be managed. Napoleon, who would have been very much -tempted to take the whole for a hoax, had his interrogators evinced less -simplicity, for they were more than a league and a half from the object -of attack, summoned to his aid all the gravity he was master of, and -endeavoured to persuade them, before they troubled themselves about -red-hot balls, to try the range of the shot with cold ones. After a -great deal of trouble, he at length prevailed on them to follow his -advice, but not till he had very luckily made use of the technical term -_coup d’épreuve_, (proof-shot,) which took their fancy, and brought them -over to his opinion. They then made the experiment, but the shot did not -reach to a third of the distance required: and the general and Dupas -began to abuse the Marseillais and the Aristocrats who had, they said, -maliciously spoiled the powder. In the mean time the representative of -the people came up on horseback: this was Gasparin, an intelligent man, -who had served in the army.—Napoleon, perceiving how things were going -on, and boldly deciding on the course he meant to pursue, immediately -assumed great confidence of manner, and urged the representative to -intrust him with the whole direction of the affair. He exposed, without -hesitation, the unparalleled ignorance of all who were about him, and -from that moment took upon himself the entire direction of the siege. - -Cartaux was a man of such limited intellect that it was impossible to -make him understand that, to facilitate the taking of Toulon, it would -be necessary to make the attack at the outlet of the road. When the -commandant of artillery sometimes pointed to this outlet on the map, and -told him _there was Toulon_, Cartaux suspected he knew very little of -geography; and when, in spite of his opposition, the authority of the -representative decided on the adoption of this distant point of attack, -the general was haunted by the idea of treasonable designs, and he would -often remark, with great uneasiness, that Toulon did not lie in that -direction. - -Cartaux wanted one day to oblige the commandant to erect a battery, with -the rear of the guns so close against the front of a house as to leave -no room for the recoil. On another occasion, on his return from the -morning parade, he sent for the commandant to tell him that he had just -discovered a position, from which a battery of from six to twelve pieces -would infallibly carry Toulon in a few days: it was a little hillock -which would command three or four forts and several points of the town. -He was enraged at the refusal of the commandant of artillery, who -observed to him that, although the battery commanded every point, it was -itself commanded by every point; that the twelve guns would have one -hundred and fifty to oppose them; and that simple subtraction would -suffice to show him his disadvantage. The commandant of the engineer -department was called on for his opinion, and, as he concurred without -hesitation in that of the commandant of artillery, Cartaux said that it -was impossible to do any thing with those learned corps, as they all -went hand-in-hand. At length, to put a stop to difficulties which were -continually recurring, the representative decided that Cartaux should -communicate to the commandant of artillery his general plan of attack, -and that the latter should execute the details, according to the rules -of his department. The following was Cartaux’s memorable plan:—“The -general of artillery shall batter Toulon during three days, at the -expiration of which time I will attack it with three columns, and carry -it.” - -At Paris, however, the engineer committee found this summary measure -much more humorous than wise, and it was one of the causes which led to -Cartaux’s recal. There was indeed no want of plans; for, the retaking of -Toulon having been proposed as a subject for competition in the popular -societies, plans poured in from all quarters. Napoleon says he must have -received at least six hundred during the siege. It was to the -representative Gasparin that Napoleon was indebted for the triumph of -his plan (that which took Toulon) over the objections of the Committees -of the Convention. He preserved a grateful recollection of this -circumstance: it was Gasparin, he used to say, who had first opened his -career.[16] - -Footnote 16: - - The Emperor has, in his will, paid a tribute of gratitude to the - representative Gasparin, for the special protection he received from - him. - - He has honoured with a similar tribute General Duteil, the head of his - School of Artillery, and General Dugommier, for the attention and - kindness he had experienced from them. - -In all the disputes between Cartaux and the commandant of artillery, -which usually took place in the presence of the general’s wife, the -latter uniformly took the part of the officer of artillery, saying, with -great _naïveté_ to her husband, “Let the young man alone, he knows more -about it than you do, for he never asks your advice; besides, it is you -who are to give the account: the glory will be yours.” - -This woman was not without some share of good sense. On her return to -Paris, after the recal of her husband, the jacobins of Marseilles gave a -splendid fête in honour of the disgraced family. In the course of the -evening the conversation happened to fall on the commandant of -artillery, who was enthusiastically praised. “Do not reckon on him,” -said she; “that young man has too much understanding to remain long a -_sans-culotte_.” On which the general exclaimed, with the voice of a -Stentor, “Wife Cartaux, would you make us all out to be fools then?” -“No, I do not say that, my dear; but ... I must tell you, he is not one -of your sort.” - -One day, at head quarters, a superb carriage arrived from the Paris -road; it was followed by a second, and a third; and at length no fewer -than fifteen appeared. It may be imagined how great was the astonishment -and curiosity occasioned by such a circumstance in those times of -republican simplicity. The _grand monarque_ himself could not have -travelled with greater pomp. The whole cavalcade had been procured by a -requisition in the capital; several of the carriages had belonged to the -Court. About sixty soldiers, of fine appearance, alighted from them, and -inquired for the General-in-chief; they marched up to him with the -important air of ambassadors:—“Citizen General,” said the orator of the -party, “we come from Paris; the patriots are indignant at your -inactivity and delay. The soil of the Republic has long been violated; -she is enraged to think that the insult still remains unavenged: she -asks, why is Toulon not yet retaken? Why is the English fleet not yet -destroyed? In her indignation, she has appealed to her brave sons; we -have obeyed her summons, and burn with impatience to fulfil her -expectation. We are volunteer gunners from Paris: furnish us with arms, -to-morrow we will march upon the enemy.” The General, disconcerted at -this address, turned to the commandant of artillery, who promised, in a -whisper, to rid him of these heroes next morning. They were well -received, and at day-break the commandant of artillery led them to the -sea-shore, and put some guns at their disposal. Astonished to find -themselves exposed from head to foot, they asked whether there was no -shelter or epaulement. They were told that all those things were out of -fashion; that patriotism had abolished them. Meanwhile, an English -frigate fired a broadside, and put all the braggadocios to flight. There -was but one cry throughout the camp; some openly fled, and the rest -quietly mingled with the besiegers. - -Disorder and anarchy now prevailed. Dupas, the factotum of the -General-in-chief, a man of no ability, made himself busy, and was -continually meddling with the artillery-men in the arrangement of their -field-train and batteries. A plan was formed to get rid of him. They -turned him into ridicule, and urged each other on till they became very -vehement in their jokes. On a sudden Dupas appeared among them with all -his usual confidence, giving orders and making inquiries about every -thing he saw. He received uncivil answers, and high words arose. The -tumult spread on every side; cries of _l’aristocrate_ and _la lanterne_ -were echoed from every mouth; and Dupas clapped both spurs to his horse, -and never returned to annoy them. - -The commandant of artillery was to be seen every where. His activity and -knowledge gave him a decided influence over the rest of the army. -Whenever the enemy attempted to make a sortie, or compelled the -besiegers to have recourse to rapid and unexpected movements, the heads -of columns and detachments were always sure to exclaim, “Run to the -commandant of artillery, and ask him what we are to do; he understands -the localities better than any one.” This advice was uniformly adopted -without a murmur. He did not spare himself; he had several horses killed -under him, and received from an Englishman a bayonet-wound in his left -thigh, which for a short time, threatened to require amputation. - -Being one day in a battery where one of the gunners was killed, he -seized the rammer, and, with his own hands, loaded ten or twelve times. -A few days afterwards he was attacked with a violent cutaneous disease. -No one could conceive where he had caught it, until Muiron, his -adjutant, discovered that the dead gunner had been infected with it. In -the ardour of youth and the activity of service, the commandant of -artillery was satisfied with slight remedies, and the disorder -disappeared; but the poison had only entered the deeper into his system, -it long affected his health, and well nigh cost him his life. From this -disorder proceeded the meagreness, the feebleness of body, and sickly -complexion, which characterized the General-in-chief of the army of -Italy and of the army of Egypt. - -It was not till a much later period, at the Tuileries, that Corvisart -succeeded, by the application of numerous blisters on his chest, in -restoring him to perfect health; and it was then that he acquired the -corpulence for which he has since been remarked. - -From being the commandant of artillery in the army of Toulon, Napoleon -might have become general-in-chief before the close of the siege. The -very day of the attack on _Little Gibraltar_, General Dugommier, who had -delayed it for some days, wished to delay it still longer; about three -or four o’clock in the afternoon, the Representatives sent for Napoleon: -they were dissatisfied with Dugommier, particularly on account of his -delay; they wished to deprive him of the command, and to transfer it to -the chief of the artillery, who declined accepting it. Napoleon went to -the General, whom he esteemed and loved, informed him of what had -occurred, and persuaded him to decide on the attack. About eight or nine -in the evening, when all the preparations were completed, and just as -the attack was about to commence, a change took place in the state of -affairs, and the Representatives countermanded the attack. Dugommier, -however, still influenced by the commandant of artillery, persisted: had -he failed, he must have forfeited his head. Such was the course of -affairs and the justice of the times. - -The notes which the committees of Paris found in the office of the -artillery department, respecting Napoleon, first called their attention -to his conduct at the siege of Toulon. They saw that, in spite of his -youth and the inferiority of his rank, as soon as he appeared there, he -was master.—This was the natural effect of the ascendancy of knowledge, -activity, and energy, over the ignorance and confusion of the moment. He -was, in fact, the conqueror of Toulon, and yet he is scarcely named in -the official despatches. He was in possession of the town before the -army had scarcely dreamt of it. After taking Little Gibraltar, which he -always looked upon as the key of the whole enterprise, he said to old -Dugommier, who was worn out with fatigue,—“Go and rest yourself—we have -taken Toulon—you may sleep there the day after to-morrow.” When -Dugommier found the thing actually accomplished—when he reflected that -the young commandant of artillery had always foretold exactly what would -happen, he became all enthusiasm and admiration; he was never tired of -praising him. It is perfectly true, as some of the publications of the -period relate, that Dugommier informed the Committees of Paris that he -had with him a young man who merited particular notice; for that, -whichever side he might adopt, he was certainly destined to throw great -weight into the balance. When Dugommier joined the Army of the Eastern -Pyrenees, he wished to take with him the young commandant of artillery; -but this he was unable to do. He, however, spoke of him incessantly: -and, at a subsequent period, when this same army was, on the conclusion -of peace with Spain, sent to re-inforce the army of Italy, of which -Napoleon soon after became general-in-chief, he found on his arrival, -that in consequence of all Dugommier had said of him, the officers had, -to use his own expression, scarcely eyes enough to look at him. - -With regard to Napoleon, his success at Toulon did not much astonish -him; he enjoyed it, he says, with a lively satisfaction, unmingled with -surprise. He was equally happy the following year at Saorgio, where his -operations were admirable: he accomplished in a few days what had been -attempted in vain for two years. “Vendemiaire, and even Montenotte,” -said the Emperor, “never induced me to look upon myself as a man of a -superior class; it was not till after Lodi that I was struck with the -possibility of my becoming a decisive actor on the scene of political -events. It was then that the first spark of my ambition was kindled.” -He, however, mentioned that, subsequently to Vendemiaire, during his -command of the Army of the Interior, he drew up the plan of a campaign -which was to terminate by a treaty of peace on the summit of the -Simmering, which plan he shortly afterwards carried into execution at -Leoben. It is, perhaps, still to be found in the official archives. The -well-known fury of the times was still farther increased under the walls -of Toulon, by the assembling of two hundred deputies from the -neighbouring popular associations, who had proceeded thither for the -purpose of instigating the most atrocious measures. To them must be -attributed the excesses which were then committed, and of which the -whole army complained. When Napoleon afterwards rose to distinction, -attempts were made to throw the odium of these atrocities on him. “It -would be a degradation,” said the Emperor, “to think of replying to such -calumnies.” - -As soon as Napoleon took the command of the artillery at Toulon, he -availed himself of the necessity of circumstances to procure the return -of many of his old companions, who had, at first, left the service on -account of their birth or political principles. He obtained the -appointment of Col. Gassendi to the command of the arsenal of -Marseilles. The obstinacy and severity of this man are well known: they -frequently placed him in danger: it more than once required all -Napoleon’s vigilance and care to save him from the effects of the -irritation which his conduct excited. - -The ascendancy which Napoleon had acquired, through his services, in the -port and arsenal of Toulon, afforded him the means of saving several -unfortunate members of the emigrant family of Chabriant, or Chabrillan, -who had been overtaken by storms at sea, and driven on the French shore. -They were about to be put to death, for the law was decisive against -emigrants who might return to France. They urged, in their defence, that -their return had been purely the effect of accident, and was contrary to -their own wishes; the only favour they solicited was to be permitted to -depart; but all was vain: they would have perished, had not the -Commandant of the Artillery hazarded his own safety, and procured for -them a covered boat, which he sent off from the French coast under the -pretence of business relative to his department. During the reign of -Napoleon, these individuals took an opportunity of expressing their -gratitude to him, and informing him that they had carefully preserved -the order which saved their lives. - -Napoleon was himself, at various times, exposed to the fury of -revolutionary assassins.—Whenever he established a new battery, the -numerous patriotic deputations, who were at the camp, solicited the -honour of having it named after them. Napoleon named one ‘the battery of -the Patriots of the South:’ this was a sufficient ground for his being -denounced and accused of federalism; and had he been a less useful -person, he would have been put under arrest, or, in other words, he -would have been sacrificed. In short, language is inadequate to describe -the frenzy and horror of the times. For instance, the Emperor told us -that, while engaged in fortifying the coasts at Marseilles, he was a -witness to the horrible condemnation of the merchant Hugues, a man of -eighty-four years of age, deaf and nearly blind. In spite of his age and -infirmities, his atrocious executioners pronounced him guilty of -conspiracy: his real crime was his being worth eighteen millions. This -he was himself aware of, and he offered to surrender his wealth to the -tribunal, provided he might be allowed to retain five hundred thousand -francs, which, he said, he should not live long to enjoy. But this -proposition was rejected, and his head was cut off. “At this sight,” -said Napoleon, “I thought the world was at an end!” an expression he was -accustomed to employ on any extraordinary occasion. Barras and Fréron -were the authors of these atrocities. The Emperor did Robespierre the -justice to say that he had seen long letters written by him to his -brother, Robespierre the younger, who was then a representative with the -army of the South, in which he warmly opposed and disclaimed these -excesses, declaring that they would disgrace and ruin the Revolution. - -Napoleon, when at Toulon, formed friendships with many individuals, who -subsequently became very celebrated. He distinguished in the train a -young officer, whose talents he had at first much difficulty in -cultivating, but from whom he afterwards derived the greatest services: -this was Duroc, who, with a very unprepossessing person, was endowed -with talent of the most solid and useful kind: he loved the Emperor for -himself, was devoted to his interests, and at the same time knew how to -tell him the truth at proper seasons. He was afterwards created Duke de -Frioul and Grand Marshal of the Palace. He placed the Imperial household -on an excellent footing, and preserved the most perfect order. At his -death, the Emperor thought he had sustained an irreparable loss, and -many other persons were of the same opinion. The Emperor told me that -Duroc was the only man who had possessed his intimacy and entire -confidence. - -During the erection of one of the first batteries which Napoleon, on his -arrival at Toulon, directed against the English, he asked whether there -was a serjeant, or corporal, present who could write. A man advanced -from the ranks, and wrote by his dictation on the epaulement. The note -was scarcely ended, when a cannon ball which had been fired in the -direction of the battery, fell near the spot, and the paper was -immediately covered by the loose earth thrown up by the ball. “Well,” -said the writer, “I shall have no need of sand.” This remark, together -with the coolness with which it was made, fixed the attention of -Napoleon, and made the fortune of the serjeant. This man was Junot, -afterwards Duke of Abrantes, colonel-general of the Hussars, commandant -in Portugal, and governor-general in Illyria, where he evinced signs of -mental alienation, which increased on his return to France, where he -wounded himself in a horrible way. He died the victim of the -intemperance which destroyed both his health and his reason. - -Napoleon, on being created General of Artillery, and Commandant of that -department in the Army of Italy, carried thither all the superiority and -influence which he had acquired before Toulon; still, however, he -experienced reverses, and even dangers. He was put under arrest for a -short time at Nice, by the representative Laporte, because he refused to -crouch to his authority. Another representative pronounced sentence of -outlawry upon him, because he would not suffer him to employ all his -artillery-horses for the posting service. Finally, a decree, which was -never executed, summoned him to the bar of the Convention, for having -proposed certain military measures relative to the fortifications at -Marseilles. - -When attached to the Army of Nice or of Italy, he became a great -favourite with the representative Robespierre the younger, whom he -described as possessing qualities very different from his brother: the -latter Napoleon never saw. Robespierre the younger, on being recalled to -Paris by his brother, some time before the 9th of Thermidor, exerted -every endeavour to prevail on Napoleon to accompany him. “If I had not -firmly resisted,” observed the Emperor, “who knows whither this first -step might have led me, and for what a different destiny I might have -been reserved?” - -At the Army of Nice, there was another Representative, an insignificant -man. His wife, who was an extremely pretty and fascinating woman, shared -and even usurped his authority; she was a native of Versailles. Both -husband and wife paid great attention to the General of artillery; they -became extremely fond of him, and treated him in the handsomest manner. -This was a great advantage to the young General, for, at that time, -during the absence or the inefficiency of the laws, a representative of -the people was a man of immense power. - -The individual here alluded to was one of those who, in the Convention, -most contributed to bring Napoleon into notice, at the crisis of -Vendemiaire: this was the natural consequence of the deep impressions -produced by the character and capacity of the young General. - -The Emperor relates that, after he had ascended the throne, he again saw -his old acquaintance the fair representative of Nice. She was so much -altered as to be scarcely recognisable; her husband was dead, and she -was reduced to extreme indigence. The Emperor readily granted every -thing she solicited: “He realized,” he said, “all her dreams, and even -went beyond them.” Although she lived at Versailles, many years had -elapsed before she succeeded in gaining access to him. Letters, -petitions, solicitations of every description had proved unavailing: “So -difficult it is,” said the Emperor, “to reach the sovereign, even when -he does not wish to deny himself.” At length, one day when he was on a -hunting excursion at Versailles, Napoleon happened to mention this lady -to Berthier, who was also a native of that place, and had known her in -her youth; and he, who had never yet deigned to mention her, and still -less to regard her petitions, on the following day presented her to the -sovereign. “But why did you not get introduced to me through our mutual -acquaintances in the Army of Nice?” inquired the Emperor: “many of them -are now great men, and are on a constant footing of intimacy with me.” -“Alas! sire,” replied she, “our acquaintance ceased when they became -great, and I was overtaken by misfortune.” - -The Emperor one day communicated to me some details respecting this old -friendship:—“I was,” said he, “very young when I first knew this lady; I -was proud of the favourable impression I had made on her, and seized -every opportunity of shewing her all the attention in my power. I will -mention one circumstance, to shew how authority is sometimes abused, and -on what men’s fate may depend: for I am no worse than the rest. I was -walking one day with the Representative’s wife, inspecting our positions -in the vicinity of the Col di Tende, when I suddenly took it into my -head to give her an idea of an engagement, and, for this purpose, -ordered the attack of an advanced post. We were conquerors, it is true; -but the affair could be attended by no advantage. The attack was a mere -whim, and yet it cost the lives of several men. I have never failed to -reproach myself whenever I look back on this affair.” - -The events of Thermidor having produced a change in the Committees of -the Convention, Aubry, formerly a captain of artillery, was appointed to -direct the Committee of War, and he re-modelled the army. He did not -forget himself; he promoted himself to the rank of general of artillery, -and favoured several of his old comrades, to the injury of the inferior -officers, whom he dismissed. Napoleon, who was at this time scarcely -twenty-five years of age, became a general of infantry, and he was -chosen for the service of La Vendée. This circumstance induced him to -quit the Army of Italy, in order to protest earnestly against the -change, which, on every account, was unsatisfactory to him. Finding -Aubry inflexible, and even offended at his just representations, he gave -in his resignation. Only a short time elapsed before he was again -employed in the Topographical Committee, by which the movements of the -army and the plans of the campaigns were arranged: he was thus engaged -at the period of the 13th of Vendemiaire. - -Napoleon’s expostulation with Aubry on the subject of his new -appointment formed a perfect scene: he insisted vehemently, because he -had facts to bear him out; Aubry was obstinate and bitter, because he -had power in his hands. He told Napoleon that he was too young, and that -he must let older men go before him; Napoleon replied that a soldier -soon grew old on the field of battle, and that _he_ had just come from -it. Aubry had never been in any engagement. They came to very high -words. - -I informed the Emperor that, on returning from my emigration, I occupied -for a considerable time, in the Rue Saint Florentin, the identical -apartment in which this scene took place. I had frequently heard it -spoken of; and though it was described by unfriendly tongues, each, -nevertheless, took great interest in relating the details, and in trying -to guess the part of the room in which any particular gesture was made, -or any remarkable word spoken. - -The history of the famous day of Vendemiaire, which had so important an -influence on the fate of the Revolution and of Napoleon, will shew that -he hesitated for some time before he undertook the defence of the -Convention. - -On the night succeeding that day, Napoleon presented himself to the -Committee of Forty, which was established at the Tuileries. He wanted to -procure mortars and ammunition from Meudon; but such was the -circumspection of the President (Cambacéres) that, in spite of the -dangers which had marked the day, he refused to sign the order; and -merely, by way of accommodating the matter, requested that the guns and -ammunition might be placed at the disposal of the General. - -During his command of Paris, subsequently to the 13th of Vendemiaire, -Napoleon had to encounter a great scarcity, which occasioned several -popular commotions. One day when the usual distribution had not taken -place, crowds of people collected round the bakers’ shops. Napoleon was -parading about the city with a party of his staff to preserve public -tranquillity. A crowd of persons, chiefly women, assembled round him, -loudly calling for bread. The crowd augmented, the outcries increased, -and the situation of Napoleon and his officers became critical. A woman, -of monstrous size and corpulence, was particularly conspicuous by her -gestures and exclamations. “Those fine epauletted fellows,” said she, -pointing to the officers, “laugh at our distress: so long as they can -eat and grow fat, they care not if the poor people die of hunger.” -Napoleon turned to her, and said, “Good woman, look at me; which is -fatter, you or I?” Napoleon was at that time extremely thin: “I was a -mere slip of parchment,” said he. A general burst of laughter disarmed -the fury of the populace, and the staff-officers continued their round. - -The narrative of the thirteenth of Vendemiaire shews how Napoleon became -acquainted with Madame de Beauharnais, and how he contracted the -marriage which has been so greatly misrepresented in the accounts of the -time. As soon as he got introduced to Madame de Beauharnais, he spent -almost every evening at her house, which was frequented by the most -agreeable company in Paris. When the majority of the party retired, -there usually remained M. de Montesquiou, the father of the Grand -Chamberlain; the Duke de Nivernois, so celebrated for the graces of his -wit; and a few others. They used to look round to see that the doors -were all shut, and they would then say, “Let us sit down and chat about -the old court; let us make a tour to Versailles.” - -The poverty of the treasury and the scarcity of specie were so great, -during the Republic, that, on the departure of General Buonaparte for -the army of Italy, all his efforts, joined to those of the Directory, -could only succeed in raising 2000 louis, which he carried with him in -his carriage. With this sum he set out to conquer Italy, and to march -towards the empire of the world. The following is a curious fact: an -order of the day was published, signed Berthier, directing the -General-in-chief, on his arrival at the head-quarters at Nice, to -distribute to the different generals, to enable them to enter on the -campaign, the sum of four louis in specie. For a considerable time no -such thing as specie had been seen. This order of the day displays the -circumstances of the times more truly and faithfully than whole volumes -written on the subject. - -As soon as Napoleon joined the army, he proved himself to be a man born -for command. From that moment he filled the theatre of the world;[17] he -occupied all Europe; he was a meteor blazing in the firmament; he -concentrated all attention, riveted all thoughts, and formed the subject -of all conversations. From that time every Gazette, every publication, -every monument, became the record of his deeds. His name was inscribed -in every page and in every line, and echoed from every mouth. - -Footnote 17: - - CHRONOLOGICAL RECAPITULATION. - - The Emperor was born Aug. 15, 1769 - Entered the military school of Brienne 1779 - Transferred to the school of Paris 1783 - Lieutenant in the 1st Artillery regiment of - la Fère Sept. 1, 1785 - Captain Feb. 6, 1792 - Chief of Battalion Oct. 19, 1793 - General of Brigade Feb. 6, 1794 - General of Division Oct. 16, 1795 - General-in-Chief of the army of the Interior Oct. 26, 1795 - General-in-Chief of the army of Italy Feb. 23, 1796 - First Consul Dec. 13, 1799 - Consul for life Aug. 2, 1802 - Emperor May 18, 1804 - Crowned Dec. 2, 1804 - First abdication at Fontainbleau April 11, 1814 - Resumed the reins of government Mar. 20, 1815 - Second abdication at l’Elysée June 21, 1815 - -On his appearance in the command, a total revolution was observed in his -manners, conduct, and language. Decrès has often told me that he was at -Toulon when he first heard of Napoleon’s appointment to the command of -the army of Italy. He had known him well in Paris, and thought himself -on terms of perfect familiarity with him. “Thus,” said he, “when we -learned that the new General was about to pass through the city, I -immediately proposed to all my comrades to introduce them to him, -priding myself on my intimacy with him. I hastened to him, full of -eagerness and joy; the door of the apartment was thrown open, and I was -on the point of rushing towards him with my wonted familiarity, but his -attitude, his look, the tone of his voice, suddenly deterred me. There -was nothing offensive either in his appearance or manner; but the -impression he produced was sufficient to prevent me from ever again -attempting to encroach upon the distance that separated us.” - -Napoleon’s generalship was, moreover, characterized by the skill, -energy, and purity of his military administration; his constant hatred -of peculation of any kind, and his total disregard of his own private -interest. “When I returned from the campaign of Italy,” said he, “I had -not 300,000 francs in my possession. I might easily have brought back 10 -or 12 millions; that sum might have been mine. I never made out any -accounts, nor was I ever asked for any. I expected on my return to -receive some great national reward. It was publicly reported that -Chambord was to be given to me, and I should have been very glad to have -had it: but the idea was set aside by the Directory. I had, however, -transmitted to France at least 50,000,000 for the service of the State. -This I imagine, was the first instance in modern history of an army -contributing to maintain the country to which it belonged, instead of -being a burthen on it.” - -When Napoleon was in treaty with the Duke de Modena, Salicetti, the -Government Commissary with the army, who had hitherto been on -indifferent terms with him, entered his cabinet.—“The Commander d’Este,” -said he, “the Duke’s brother, is here with four millions in gold, -contained in four chests. He comes in the name of his brother to beg of -you to accept them, and I advise you to do so. I am a countryman of -yours, and I know your family affairs. The Directory and the Legislative -Body will never acknowledge your services. This money belongs to you; -take it without scruple and without publicity. A proportionate -diminution will be made in the Duke’s contribution, and he will be very -glad to have gained a protector.”—“I thank you,” coolly answered -Napoleon: “I shall not for that sum place myself in the power of the -Duke de Modena:—I wish to continue free.” - -A Commissary-in-chief of the same army used often to relate that he had -witnessed an offer of seven millions in gold made in a like manner to -Napoleon by the Government of Venice, to save it from destruction, which -offer was refused.—The Emperor smiled at the transports of admiration -evinced by this financier, to whom the refusal of his General appeared -super-human—an action much more difficult and noble than the gaining of -victories. The Emperor dwelt with a certain degree of complacency on -these anecdotes of his disinterestedness. He however observed that he -had been in the wrong, and that such a course of conduct was the most -improvident he could have pursued, whether his intention had been to -make himself the head of a party, and to acquire influence, or to remain -in the station of a private individual; for, on his return, he found -himself almost destitute: and he might have continued in a career of -absolute poverty, while his inferior generals and commissaries were -amassing large fortunes. “But,” added he, “if my commissary had seen me -accept the bribe, who can tell to what lengths he might have gone? My -refusal was at least a check upon him. - -“When I was placed at the head of affairs, as Consul, it was only by -setting an example of disinterestedness, and employing the utmost -vigilance, that I could succeed in changing the conduct of the -Administration, and putting a stop to the dreadful spectacle of -Directorial peculations. It cost me an immense deal of trouble to -overcome the inclinations of the first persons in the State, whose -conduct, under me, at length became strict and irreproachable. I was -obliged to keep them constantly in fear. How often did I not repeat, in -my councils, that if my own brother were found to be in fault, I should -not hesitate to dismiss him!” - -No man in the world ever had more wealth at his disposal, and -appropriated less to himself.—Napoleon, according to his own account, -possessed as much as four hundred millions of specie in the cellars of -the Tuileries. His extraordinary domain amounted to more than seven -hundred millions. He has said that he distributed upwards of five -hundred millions in endowments to the army. And, what is very -extraordinary, he who circulated such heaps of wealth, never possessed -any private property of his own! He had collected, in the Museum, -treasures which it was impossible to estimate, and yet he never had a -picture or a curiosity of his own. - -On his return from Italy, and on the eve of his departure for Egypt, he -became possessed of Malmaison, and there he deposited nearly all his -property. He purchased it in the name of his wife, who was older than -himself, and consequently, in case of his surviving her, he must have -forfeited all claim to it. The fact is, as he himself has said, that he -never had a taste or a desire for riches. - -“If I now possess any thing,”[18] continued he, “it is owing to measures -which have been adopted since my departure: but even in that case it -depended on a hair’s-breadth chance whether there should be any thing in -the world I might call my own or not. But every one has his relative -ideas. I have a taste for founding, and not for possessing. My riches -consisted in glory and celebrity: the Simplon and the Louvre were, in -the eyes of the people and of foreigners, more my property than private -domains could have been. I purchased diamonds for the crown, I repaired -and adorned the Imperial palaces; and I could not help thinking -sometimes that the expenses lavished by Josephine on her green-houses -and her gallery were a real injury to my _Jardin des Plantes_ and my -_Musée de Paris_.” - -Footnote 18: - - The deposit at the house of Lafitte. - - On the Emperor’s second abdication, somebody who loved him for his own - sake, and who knew his improvident disposition, eagerly enquired - whether any measures had been taken for his future support. Finding - that no provision had been made, and that Napoleon remained absolutely - destitute, a contribution was made, and four or five millions were - raised for him, of which M. Lafitte became the depositary. - - At the moment of his departure from Malmaison, the solicitude of - Napoleon’s real friends was not less serviceable to him.—An - individual, aware of the disorder and confusion of our situation, - wished to ascertain whether the little treasure had been forwarded to - its destination. What was his astonishment on learning that the - carriage in which it had been placed was left in a coach-house at - Malmaison. A new difficulty arose: the key of the coach-house was not - to be found; and the embarrassment occasioned by this unexpected - circumstance delayed our departure for some moments. M. Lafitte wished - immediately to give the Emperor a receipt for the sum; but Napoleon - would not accept it—saying, “I know you, M. Lafitte—I know that you - did not approve of my government: but I consider you as an honest - man.” - - M. Lafitte seems to have been doomed to be the depositary of the funds - of unfortunate Monarchs. Louis XVIII., on his departure for Ghent, - also placed a considerable sum of money in his hands. On Napoleon’s - arrival, on the 20th of March, M. Lafitte was sent for by the Emperor, - and questioned respecting the deposit, which he did not deny. On his - expressing his apprehension lest a reproach should be intended to be - conveyed in the questions which had been put to him;—“None,” said the - Emperor: “that money belonged personally to the King, and private - affairs are totally distinct from political matters.” - -On taking the command of the army of Italy, Napoleon, notwithstanding -his extreme youth, immediately impressed the troops with a spirit of -subordination, confidence, and the most absolute devotedness. The army -was subdued by his genius, rather than seduced by his popularity: he was -in general very severe and reserved. During the whole course of his life -he has uniformly disdained to court the favour of the multitude by -unworthy means; perhaps he has even carried this feeling to an extent -which may have been injurious to him. A singular custom was established -in the army of Italy, in consequence of the youth of the commander, or -from some other cause.—After each battle, the eldest soldiers used to -hold a council, and confer a new rank on their young General, who, when -he made his appearance in the camp, was received by the veterans, and -saluted with his new title. They made him a Corporal at Lodi, and a -Serjeant at Castiglione; and hence the surname of “_Petit Caporal_,” -which was for a long time applied to Napoleon by the soldiers. How -subtle is the chain which unites the most trivial circumstances to the -most important events! Perhaps this very nick-name contributed to his -miraculous success on his return in 1815.—While he was haranguing the -first battalion he met, which he found it necessary to parley with, a -voice from the ranks exclaimed, “_Vive notre petit_ _Caporal!_ we will -never fight against him!” - -The administration of the Directory, and that of the General-in-chief of -the army of Italy, seemed two distinct Governments. The Directory in -France put the emigrants to death: the army of Italy never inflicted -capital punishment on any one of them. The Directory, on learning that -Wurmser was besieged in Mantua, went so far as to write to Napoleon, to -remind him that he was an emigrant; but Napoleon, on making him -prisoner, eagerly sought to render an affecting homage of respect to his -old age. The Directory adopted the most insulting forms in communicating -with the Pope: the General of the army of Italy addressed him by the -words “Most Holy Father,” and wrote to him with respect. The Directory -endeavoured to overthrow the authority of the Pope: Napoleon preserved -it. The Directory banished and proscribed Priests: Napoleon commanded -his soldiers, wherever they might fall in with them, to remember that -they were Frenchmen and their brothers. The Directory would have -exterminated every vestige of aristocracy; Napoleon wrote to the -democracy of Genoa, blaming their violence; and did not hesitate to -declare that, if the Genoese attached any value to the preservation of -his esteem, they must learn to respect the statue of Doria, and the -institutions to which they were indebted for their glory. - - THE EMPEROR DETERMINES TO WRITE - HIS MEMOIRS. - -7th—9th. We continued our course, and nothing occurred to interrupt the -uniformity which surrounded us. Our days were all alike; the correctness -of my journal alone informed me of the day of the week or of the month. -Fortunately my time was employed, and therefore the day usually slipped -on with a certain degree of facility. The materials which I collected in -the afternoon conversation employed me so as to leave no idle time until -next day. - -Meanwhile the Emperor observed that I was very much occupied, and he -even suspected the subject on which I was engaged. He determined to -ascertain the fact, and obtained sight of a few pages of my journal: he -was not displeased with it. Having alluded several times to the subject, -he observed that such a work would be interesting rather than useful. -The military events, for example, thus detailed in the ordinary course -of conversation, would be meagre, incomplete, and devoid of end or -object: they would be mere anecdotes, frequently of the most puerile -kind, instead of grand operations and results. I eagerly seized the -favourable opportunity: I entirely concurred in his opinion, and -ventured to suggest the idea of his dictating to me the campaigns of -Italy. “It would,” I observed, “be a benefit to the country—a true -monument of national glory. Our time is unemployed, our hours are -tedious; occupation will help to divert us, and some moments may not be -devoid of pleasure.” This idea became the subject of various -conversations. - -At length the Emperor came to a determination, and on Saturday, the 9th -of September, he called me into his cabin, and dictated to me, for the -first time, some details respecting the siege of Toulon. - - TRADE-WIND.—THE LINE. - -10th—13th. On approaching the Line, we met with what are called the -trade winds, that is to say, winds blowing constantly from the east. -Science explains this phenomenon in a way sufficiently satisfactory. -When a vessel sailing from Europe first encounters these winds, they -blow from the north-east; in proportion as the ship approaches the Line, -the winds become more easterly. Calms are generally to be apprehended -under the Line. When the Line is crossed, the winds gradually change to -the south, until they blow in the direction of the south-east. At -length, after passing the tropics, the trade-winds are lost, and -variable winds are met with, as in our European regions. A ship sailing -from Europe to St. Helena is always driven in a westerly direction by -these constant easterly winds. It would be very difficult to gain that -island by a direct course; and, indeed, this is never attempted. The -ship stands away to the variable winds in the southern latitude, and -then shapes her course towards the Cape of Good Hope, so as to fall in -with the trade-winds from the south-east, which bring her, with the wind -astern, to St. Helena. - -Two different courses are taken to gain the variable winds of the -southern latitudes; the one is to cross the Line about the 20th or 24th -degree of longitude, reckoning from the meridian of London: those who -prefer this course affirm that it is less exposed to the equatorial -calms, and that, though it frequently has the disadvantage of carrying -the vessel within sight of Brazil, yet it enables her to make that part -of her voyage in a short time. Admiral Cockburn, who was inclined to -regard this course as a prejudice and a routine, determined in favour of -the second method, which consisted in steering more to the east; and, -following particular examples with which he was acquainted, he -endeavoured to cross the Line about the 2nd or 3rd degrees of longitude. -He doubted not that, standing towards the variable winds, he should pass -sufficiently near St. Helena to shorten his passage considerably, even -if he should not succeed in reaching the island by tacking without -leaving the trade-winds. - -The winds, to our great astonishment, veered to the west, (a -circumstance which the Admiral informed us was more common than we -supposed) and this tended to favour his opinion. He abandoned the bad -sailers of his squadron, in proportion as they lagged behind: and he -determined on gaining the place of his destination with all possible -speed. - - A STORM.—EXAMINATION OF CERTAIN LIBELS UPON - THE EMPEROR.—GENERAL REFLECTIONS. - -14th-18th. After a few slight gales and several calms, we had on the -16th a considerable fall of rain, to the great joy of the crew. The heat -was very moderate; it may, indeed, be said that, with the exception of -the storm at Madeira, we had uniformly enjoyed mild weather. But water -was very scarce on board the ship; and, for the sake of economy, the -crew took advantage of the opportunity of collecting the rain water, of -which each sailor laid by a little store for his own use. The rain fell -heavily just as the Emperor had got upon deck to take his afternoon -walk. But this did not disappoint him of his usual exercise; he merely -called for his famous grey great coat, which the English regarded with -deep interest. The Grand Marshal and I attended the Emperor in his walk. -The rain descended heavily for upwards of an hour; when the Emperor left -the deck, I had great difficulty in stripping off my wet clothes; almost -every thing I wore was soaked through. - -For several succeeding days the weather continued very rainy; this -somewhat impeded my labours, for the damp penetrated into our wretched -little cabin; and on the other hand, it was not very agreeable to walk -on deck. This was the first time during our passage that we had had any -thing like a continuance of wet weather; and it quite disconcerted us. I -filled up the intervals, between my hours of occupation, in conversing -with the officers of the ship. I was not on intimate terms with any of -them; but I kept up a daily intercourse of civility and politeness to -them all. They loved to talk with us on French affairs, and their -ignorance of all that concerned France and the French people was almost -incredible. We excited mutual astonishment in each other: they surprised -us by their degenerate political principles, and we astonished them by -our new ideas and manners, of which they had previously formed no -conception. They certainly knew infinitely less of France than of China. - -One of the principal officers of the ship, in a familiar conversation, -happened to say—“I suppose you would be very much alarmed if we were to -land you on the coast of France?”—“Why so?” I enquired.—“Because,” -replied he, “the King would perhaps make you pay dearly for having left -your country to follow another Sovereign; and also because you wear a -cockade which he has prohibited.”—“And is this language becoming an -Englishman?” observed I. “You must be degenerate indeed! You are, it is -true, far removed from the period of your revolution, to which you so -justly apply the epithet _glorious_. But we, who are nearer to ours, by -which we have gained so much, may tell you that every word you say is -heresy. In the first place, our punishment depends not on the King’s -pleasure; we are subject only to the law. Now, there exists no law -against us; and if any law were to be violated for the purpose of -applying to our case, it would be your duty to protect us. Your general -has pledged himself to do so by the capitulation of Paris; and it would -be an eternal disgrace to the English Ministry were they to permit the -sacrifice of lives which their public faith had solemnly guaranteed. - -“In the next place, we are not following another sovereign. That the -Emperor Napoleon was our sovereign is an undeniable fact; but he has -abdicated, and his reign is at an end. You are confounding private -actions with party measures; love and devotedness, with political -opinions. Finally, with regard to our colours, which seem to have -dazzled you so much, they are but a remnant of our old costume. We wear -them to-day, only because we wore them yesterday. One cannot with -indifference lay aside things to which one is attached; that can only be -done from constraint or necessity. Why did you not deprive us of our -colours when you deprived us of our arms?—the one act would have been as -reasonable as the other. We are here only as private men; we do not -preach sedition. We cannot deny that these colours are dear to us: we -are attached to them because they have seen us victorious over all our -enemies; because we have paraded them in triumph through every capital -in Europe; and because we wore them while we were the first nation in -the world.” - -On another occasion, one of the officers, after glancing at the -extraordinary vicissitude of recent events, said—“Who knows whether we -may not yet be destined to repair the misfortunes which we have -occasioned to you? What would be your astonishment if Wellington should -one day conduct Napoleon back to Paris?”—“I should be astonished -indeed,” I replied: “but I should certainly decline the honour of being -one of the party: at such a price, I would not hesitate to abandon -Napoleon himself! But I may rest easy on that score; for I can swear -Napoleon will never put me to such a trial. It is from him I imbibe -these sentiments: it was he who cured me of the contrary doctrine, which -I call the error of my youth.” - -The English were very fond of asking us questions concerning the -Emperor, whose character and disposition, as they afterwards avowed, had -been represented to them in the falsest colours. It was not their fault, -they observed, if they formed an erroneous estimate of his character: -they knew him only through the works published in England, which were -all greatly exaggerated, and much to his prejudice: they had several of -these publications on board the ship.—One day I happened to cast my eyes -on one of a most malignant character: on another occasion, when I was -about to look at a book which one of the officers was reading, he -suddenly closed it, observing it was so violent against the Emperor that -he could not prevail on himself to let me see it. Another time, the -Admiral questioned me respecting certain imputations contained in -different works in his library, some of which he said enjoyed a degree -of credit, while all had produced a great sensation, in England. This -circumstance suggested to me the idea of successively examining all the -works of this kind that were on board the ship, in order to note down my -opinion of them in my journal—conceiving that so favourable an -opportunity might never again occur of obtaining, if I chose, -information on those points which it might be worth while to enquire -into. - -Before I commence my review of these works, I must beg to offer a few -general remarks: they will suffice to answer by anticipation many of the -numberless accusations that will fall in my way. Calumny and falsehood -are the arms of the civil or political, the foreign or domestic enemy. -They are the resource of the vanquished and the feeble, of those who are -governed by hatred or fear.—They are the food of the drawing-room, and -the garbage of the public place: they rage with the greater fury in -proportion as their object is exalted: there is nothing which they will -not venture to promulgate. The more absurd, ridiculous, and incredible -calumnies and falsehoods may be, the more eagerly are they received and -repeated from mouth to mouth. Triumph and success are but fresh causes -of irritation: a moral storm will invariably gather; and, bursting in -the moment of adversity, it will precipitate and complete the fall, and -become the immense lever of public opinion. - -No man was ever so much assailed and abused as Napoleon. No individual -was ever the subject of so many pamphlets, libels, atrocious and absurd -stories and false assertions. Nor could it be otherwise. Napoleon, risen -from the common rank of life to supreme distinction; advancing at the -head of a revolution which he himself had civilized; plunged by these -two circumstances into a deadly contest with the rest of Europe—a -contest in which he was subdued only because he wished to terminate it -too speedily—Napoleon uniting in himself the genius, the force, the -destiny of his own power, the conqueror of his neighbours, and, in some -measure, a universal Monarch—a _Marius_ in the eyes of the aristocrats -of Europe, a _Sylla_ for the demagogues, a _Cæsar_ for the -republicans—could not but raise against himself a hurricane of passions -both at home and abroad. - -Despair, policy, and fury, in every country, painted him as an object of -detestation and alarm. Thus, all that has been said against him can -excite no astonishment: it is only surprising that more calumny has not -been uttered, and that it has not produced a much greater effect. When -in the enjoyment of his power, he never would permit any one to reply to -the attacks that were made upon him. “The pains bestowed on such -answers,” said he, “would only have given additional weight to the -accusations they were intended to refute. It would have been said that -all that was written in my defence was ordered and paid for. The -ill-managed praise of those by whom I was surrounded had already, in -some instances, been more prejudicial to me than all the abuse of which -I was the object. Facts were the most convincing answers. A fine -monument, another good law, or a new triumph, were sufficient to defeat -thousands of such falsehoods. Declamation passes away, but deeds -remain!” - -This is unquestionably true with regard to posterity. The great men of -former times are handed down to us free from the ephemeral accusations -of their contemporaries. But it is not thus during the lifetime of the -individual; and, in 1814, Napoleon was convinced by cruel experience -that even deeds may vanish before the fury of declamation. At the moment -of his fall, he was absolutely overwhelmed by a torrent of abuse. But it -was reserved for him, whose life had been so fertile in prodigies, to -surmount this adverse stroke of fate, and almost immediately to arise -resplendent from amidst his own ruins. His miraculous return is -certainly unparalleled both in its execution and its results. The -transports which it called forth penetrated into neighbouring countries, -where prayers for his success were offered up either publicly or in -secret; and he who, in 1814, was defeated and pursued as the scourge of -human nature, suddenly re-appeared in 1815 as the hope of his -fellow-creatures. - -Calumny and falsehood in this instance lost their prey by having -overshot their mark. The good sense of mankind in a great measure -rendered justice to Napoleon, and the abuse that had been heaped upon -him would not be believed now. “Poison lost its effect on Mithridates,” -said the Emperor, as he was the other day glancing over some new libels -upon himself, “and, since 1814, calumny cannot injure me.” - -In the universal clamour which was directed against him when in the -enjoyment of his power, England bore the most conspicuous part. - -In England two great machines were maintained in full activity; the one -conducted by the emigrants, for whom nothing was too bad; and the other -under the control of the English ministers, who had established a system -of defamation, and who had regularly organized its action and effects. -They maintained in their pay pamphleteers and libelists in every corner -of Europe; their tasks were marked out to them: and their plans of -attack were regularly laid and combined. - -The English ministry multiplied the employment of these potent engines -in England more than elsewhere. The English, who were more free and -enlightened than other nations, stood the more in need of excitement. -From this system the English ministers derived the two-fold advantage of -rousing public opinion against the common enemy, and withdrawing -attention from their own conduct by directing popular clamour and -indignation to the character and conduct of others: by this means their -own character and conduct were screened from that investigation and -recrimination which they might not have found very agreeable. Thus the -assassination of Paul at St. Petersburgh, and of our envoys in Persia; -the seizure of Napper-Tandy in the free city of Hamburgh; the capture, -in time of peace, of two rich Spanish frigates; the acquisition of the -whole of India; the retaining of Malta and the Cape of Good Hope, -against the faith of treaties: the Machiavelian rupture of the treaty of -Amiens; the unjust seizure of our ships previously to a new declaration -of war: the Danish fleet seized with such cold and ironical perfidy, &c. -&c.; all these aggressions were overlooked in the general agitation -which had been artfully stirred up against a foreign power. - -In order to take a just view of the accusations which have been heaped -upon Napoleon, by the numerous publications written against him, it is -necessary to make allowance for passions and circumstances; to reject -with contempt all that is apocryphal, anonymous, and purely declamatory; -and to adhere solely to the facts and proofs which would doubtless have -been produced by those who, after the overthrow of their enemy, became -possessed of the authentic documents, the archives of the public -departments and courts of law, in short, of all the sources of truth -which are usually to be found in society. But nothing has been -published; nothing has been brought forward; and, therefore, how much of -this monstrous scaffolding falls to the ground. And to be still more -rigidly equitable, if we wish to judge Napoleon by the example of his -peers, or great men in analogous circumstances; that is to say, by -comparing him with the founders of dynasties, or those who have ascended -thrones by dint of popular commotions, it may then confidently be said -that he is unequalled, and that he shines purely from amidst all that is -opposed to him. It would be a loss of time to cite the numberless -examples furnished by ancient and modern history: they are accessible to -every one. It is only necessary to refer to the two countries which are -here under consideration. - -Did Napoleon, like Hugues Capet, fight against his sovereign? Did he -cause him to perish in captivity? - -Did Napoleon act like the princes of the present house of Brunswick, -who, in 1715 and 1745, crowded the scaffold with victims—victims to whom -the present English ministers, through their inconsequential policy and -the principles they now profess, leave no other title than that of -faithful subjects dying for their lawful sovereign? - -The course by which Napoleon advanced to supreme power is perfectly -simple and natural; it is single in history; the very circumstances of -his elevation render it unparalleled. “I did not usurp the crown,” said -he one day to the Council of State, “I took it up out of the mire; the -people placed it on my head: let their acts be respected!” - -And by thus taking up the crown, Napoleon restored France to her rank in -European society, terminated her horrors, and revived her character. He -freed us of all the evils of our fatal crisis, and reserved to us all -the advantages arising out of it. “I ascended the throne unsullied by -any of the crimes of my situation,” said he, on one occasion. “How few -founders of dynasties can say as much!” - -Never, during any period of our history, were favours distributed with -so much impartiality; never was merit so indiscriminately sought out and -rewarded; public money so usefully employed; the arts and sciences -better encouraged, or the glory and lustre of the country raised to so -high a pitch. “It is my wish,” said he one day to the Council of State, -“that the title of Frenchman should be the best and most desirable on -earth; that a Frenchman travelling through any part of Europe may think -and find himself at home.” - -If liberty seemed occasionally to suffer encroachments, if authority -seemed sometimes to overstep its limits, circumstances rendered those -measures necessary and inevitable. Our present misfortunes have, though -too late, made us sensible of this truth; we now render justice, though -also too late, to the courage, judgment, and foresight which then -dictated those steps. It is certain that in this respect the political -fall of Napoleon has considerably increased his influence. Who can now -doubt that his glory and the lustre of his character have been -infinitely augmented by his misfortunes? - -If the works which have fallen in my way should present any -circumstances connected with these general considerations, they will be -the object of my particular attention. I do not intend to enter upon a -political controversy; I shall not address myself to party men, whose -opinions are founded on their interests and passions; I speak only to -the cool friend of truth, or to the unprejudiced writer, who in future -times may impartially seek for materials: to them alone I address -myself; in their eyes my testimony will be superior to anonymous -evidence, and will rank with that which bears a credible character. - -The first work that I looked into was the _Anti-Gallican_, of which I -shall speak hereafter. - - EMPLOYMENT OF OUR TIME. - -19th-22nd. We continued our course with the same wind, the same sky, and -the same temperature. Our voyage was monotonous, but pleasant; our days -were long, but employment helped them to glide away. The Emperor now -began regularly to dictate to me his Campaigns of Italy. I had already -written several chapters. For the first few days, the Emperor viewed -this occupation with indifference; but the regularity and promptitude -with which I presented to him my daily task, together with the progress -we made, soon excited his interest, and at length the pleasure he -derived from this dictation rendered it absolutely necessary to him. He -was sure to send for me about eleven o’clock every morning, and he -seemed himself to await the hour with impatience. I always read to him -what he had dictated on the preceding day, and he then made corrections -and dictated farther. In this way the time passed rapidly till four -o’clock arrived, when he summoned his valet-de-chambre. He then -proceeded to the state-cabin, and passed the time until dinner in -playing at piquet or chess. - -The Emperor dictates very rapidly, almost as fast as he speaks in -ordinary conversation. I was therefore obliged to invent a kind of -hieroglyphic writing: and I, in my turn, dictated to my son. I was happy -enough to be able to collect almost literally every sentence that fell -from him. I had now not a moment to spare; at dinner time somebody was -sure to come and tell me that all the company were seated at table. -Fortunately my seat was near the door, which always stood open. I had -some time since changed my place at the request of Captain Ross, the -commander of the vessel, who, as he did not speak French, took the -opportunity of occasionally asking me the meaning of words: I therefore -took my seat between him and the Grand Marshal. Captain Ross was a man -of agreeable manners, and was exceedingly kind and attentive to us. I -had learnt, according to the English custom, to invite him to take a -glass of wine, drinking mine to the health of his wife, and he would -then drink to the health of mine. This was our daily practice. - -After dinner, the Emperor never failed to allude to his morning -dictation, as if pleased with the occupation and amusement it had -afforded him. On these occasions, as well as whenever I happened to meet -him in the course of the day, he would address me in a jocular tone -with: “Ah! sage Las Cases!—Illustrious memorialist!—the Sully of St. -Helena;” and other similar expressions. Then he would frequently add: -“My dear Las Cases, these Memoirs will be as celebrated as any that have -preceded them. You will survive as long as any previous memoir-writer. -It will be impossible to dwell upon the great events of our time, or to -write about me, without referring to you.” Then resuming his pleasantry, -he would add: “After all, it will be said, he must have known Napoleon -well; he was his Councillor of State, his Chamberlain, his faithful -companion. We cannot help believing him, for he was an honest man and -incapable of misrepresentation.” - - ACCIDENTAL PHENOMENON.—PASSAGE OF THE LINE.—CHRISTENING. - -23rd–25th. The West wind still continued, to our great astonishment; it -was a sort of phenomenon in these regions, and had hitherto been very -much in our favour. But, with regard to phenomena, chance produced one -of a much more extraordinary kind on the 23rd, when we crossed the Line -in 0° latitude 0° longitude, and 0° declination. This is a circumstance -which chance alone may perhaps renew only once in a century, since it is -necessary to arrive precisely at the first meridian about noon, in order -to pass the Line at that same hour, and to arrive there at the same time -with the sun. - -This was a day of great merriment and disorder among the crew: it was -the ceremony which our sailors call _the Christening_, and which the -English call _the great Shaving day_. The sailors dress themselves up in -the most grotesque way; one is disguised as Neptune, and all persons on -board the ship who have not previously crossed the Line, are formally -presented to him; an immense razor is passed over their chins, with a -lather made of pitch; buckets of water are thrown over them, and the -loud bursts of laughter which accompany their retreat complete their -initiation into the grand mystery. No one is spared; and the officers -are generally more roughly used than the lowest of the sailors. The -Admiral, who had previously amused himself by endeavouring to alarm us -with the anticipation of this awful ceremony, now very courteously -exempted us from the inconvenience and ridicule attending it. We were, -with every mark of attention and respect, presented to the rude god, who -paid to each of us a compliment after his own fashion: and thus our -trial ended. - -The Emperor was scrupulously respected during the whole of this -Saturnalian festivity, when respect is usually shewn to no one. On being -informed of the decorum which had been observed with respect to him, he -ordered a hundred Napoleons to be distributed to the grotesque Neptune -and his crew, which the Admiral opposed, perhaps from motives of -prudence as well as politeness. - -EXAMINATION OF THE ANTI-GALLICAN.—SIR ROBERT WILSON’S WRITINGS.—PLAGUE - AT JAFFA.—ANECDOTES OF THE FRENCH ARMY IN EGYPT.—FEELINGS OF THE - ARMY IN THE EGYPTIAN CAMPAIGN.—BERTHIER.—JESTS OF THE - SOLDIERY.—DROMEDARIES.—DEATH OF KLEBER.—THE YOUNG ARAB.—SINGULAR - COINCIDENCES RESPECTING PHILIPEAUX AND NAPOLEON.—CIRCUMSTANCES ON - WHICH THE FATE OF INDIVIDUALS DEPENDS.—CAFFARELLI’S ATTACHMENT TO - NAPOLEON.—REPUTATION OF THE FRENCH ARMY IN THE EAST.—NAPOLEON - QUITTING EGYPT TO ASSUME THE GOVERNMENT OF FRANCE.—THE ENGLISH - EXPEDITION.—KLEBER AND DESAIX. - -26th—30th. The weather still continued favourable. Having passed the -Line, we momentarily expected to fall in with an east or south-east -wind. The continuance of the west wind was extraordinary, and it was -impossible it could last much longer. The resolution which the Admiral -had adopted of bearing considerably to the east rendered our situation -very favourable, and we had every reason to hope for a short passage. - -One afternoon, the sailors caught an enormous shark. The Emperor -enquired the cause of the great noise and confusion which he suddenly -heard overhead; being informed of what had occurred, he expressed a wish -to have a sight of the sea-monster. He accordingly went up to the poop, -and incautiously approached too near the animal, which by a sudden -movement knocked down four or five of the sailors, and had well nigh -broken the Emperor’s legs. He went below with his left stocking covered -with blood: we thought he was severely hurt, but it proved to be only -the blood of the shark. - -My labours advanced with the greatest regularity. The Anti-Gallican, -which was the first work I undertook to read, was a volume of five -hundred pages, comprising all that had been written in England at the -time when that country was menaced with the French invasion. It was the -object of the English government to nationalize opposition to that -attempt, and to rouse the whole nation against her dangerous enemy. The -book contained a collection of public speeches, exhortations, patriotic -appeals of zealous citizens, satirical songs, sarcastic productions, and -highly-coloured newspaper articles, all pouring a torrent of odium and -ridicule upon the French and their First Consul, whose courage, genius, -and power excited the greatest alarm. This was all perfectly natural and -allowable. Productions of this sort are like a shower of arrows thrown -by combatants before they come to a close action: some hit, and some are -carried away by the wind. Such writings will never afford satisfactory -evidence to a man of judgment, and they scarcely merit contradiction. - -Pamphleteers are little regarded, because their character is the -antidote of their poison: it is not so with the historian. The latter, -however, degrades himself to a level with the pamphlet-writer when he -departs from the calm dignity and impartiality required for his office, -to indulge in declamation and to steep his pen in gall. - -With these feelings I arose from the perusal of the different -productions of Sir Robert Wilson, which I read after the Anti-Gallican. -This writer did us the greater injury, because his talents, his courage, -and his numerous and brilliant services, gave him importance in the eyes -of his countrymen. A circumstance which I am about to state caused the -writings of Sir R. Wilson to be particularly known and spoken of on -board the ship. - -Sir Robert had a son among the young midshipmen on board the -Northumberland, and my son, whose similarity of age occasioned him to be -much in the society of these youths, could easily observe the change -which took place in their opinions with respect to us. They were at -first very much prejudiced against us. When the Emperor came on board, -they regarded him as an ogre ready to devour them. But on a better -acquaintance with us, truth soon exercised over them the same influence -which it produced on the rest of the crew. This was, however, at the -expense of young Wilson, who was scouted by his companions, by way of -expiation, as they said, for the stories which his father had -circulated. - -. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - -_At this part of the manuscript a great number of pages are struck out; -the reason was explained, on the margin, as follows:_ - -“I had collected numerous offensive statements from the writings of Sir -Robert Wilson, to which I had perhaps replied with too much bitterness: -a recent circumstance has induced me to suppress this portion of my -journal. - -“Sir Robert Wilson has lately acted a conspicuous part in a cause which -does honour to the hearts of all who were concerned in it: I allude to -the saving of Lavalette. Being asked, before a French tribunal, whether -he had not formerly published works respecting our affairs? he replied -in the affirmative, and added that he had stated in them what he _then_ -believed to be true. These words are more to the purpose than any thing -I could say; and I therefore hasten to cancel what I have already -written; happy in thus having an opportunity to render justice to Sir -Robert Wilson, on whose sincerity and good intentions I had, in my -indignation, cast reflections.”[19] - -Footnote 19: - - After my removal from Longwood, Sir Hudson Lowe, who had seized my - papers, looked over this Journal, with my permission. He, of course, - met with parts which were very displeasing to him; and he said to me: - “What a pretty legacy you are preparing for my children, Count!”—“That - is not my fault,” replied I; “it depends only on yourself to render it - otherwise; I shall be happy to have reason to strike out any thing - respecting you, as I did the other day with regard to Sir Robert - Wilson.” Upon which he asked me what I had written about Sir Robert, - and I pointed out the place. After reading all that had been written, - and my reasons for cancelling it, he said, with a thoughtful and - mortified air: “Yes, I see; but I can’t tell what to make of it; for I - know Wilson well, and he has proved himself a warm friend of the - Bourbons.” - - We leaped for joy when we heard of the deliverance of Lavalette. Some - one observed, that his deliverer, Wilson, could not be the same - individual who had written so many offensive things concerning the - Emperor. “And why not?” said Napoleon. “You know but little of men, - and the passions that actuate them. What leads you to suppose that Sir - Robert Wilson is not a man of enthusiasm and violent passions, who - wrote what he then believed to be true? And while we were enemies we - contended with each other; but in our present adversity he knows - better: he may have been abused, and deceived, and may be sorry for - it; and he is perhaps now as sincere in wishing us well as he formerly - was in seeking to injure us.” - - Either sagacity or chance so happily led the Emperor to this - conclusion that it may be said he was enabled to read character at a - distance. Sir R. Wilson was indeed the man who wrote against Napoleon. - Vexed to see a great people deprived of their natural rights, he - reproached the allies as bitterly as though they had imposed chains on - himself, and no one has manifested stronger indignation at the - treatment of Napoleon, or testified a more ardent wish to see it end. - -I therefore set aside the works of Sir Robert Wilson, and the various -accusations contained in them; I also suppress the numerous refutations -I had collected. I shall merely stop to consider one circumstance which -has been repeated in a hundred different works; the report of which has -been circulated through Europe, and has obtained credit even in France. -I allude to the poisoning of the men infected with the plague at Jaffa. - -Certainly nothing can more clearly prove how easily calumny may effect -its object. If the voice of slander be bold and powerful, and can -command numerous echoes, no matter how far probability, reason, common -sense, and truth be violated—the wished-for end is sure to be attained. - -A general, a hero, a great man, hitherto respected by fortune, as well -as by mankind, at that moment riveting the attention of three quarters -of the globe, commanding admiration even from his enemies, was suddenly -accused of a crime declared to be unheard-of and unparalleled; of an act -pronounced to be inhuman, atrocious, and cruel; and, what is above all -extraordinary, he could have no possible object in committing that -crime. The most absurd details, the most improbable circumstances, the -most ridiculous episodes were invented, to give a colouring to this -first falsehood. The story was circulated through Europe; malevolence -seized it, and exaggerated its enormity; it was published in every -newspaper; recorded in every book; and thenceforward was looked upon as -an established fact:—indignation was at its height, and clamour -universal. It would have been vain to reason, or to attempt to stem the -torrent, or to shew that no proofs of the fact had been adduced, and -that the story contradicted itself. It would have been vain to bring -forward opposite and incontrovertible evidence—the evidence of those -very medical men who were said to have administered, or to have refused -to administer, the poison. It would have been vain to expose the -unreasonableness of accusing of inhumanity the man who, but a short time -before, had immortalized the hospitals of Jaffa by an act of the -sublimest heroism; risking his own safety by solemnly touching the -troops infected with the plague, to deceive and soothe the imaginations -of the sick men. In vain might it have been urged that the idea of such -a crime could not be affixed on him who, when consulted by the medical -officers as to the expediency of burning or merely washing the clothes -worn by the invalids, and being reminded of the enormous loss attendant -on the former measure, replied;—“Gentlemen, I came here to fix the -attention and to recal the interests of Europe to the centre of the -ancient world, and not with the view of amassing wealth.” In vain would -it have been shewn that there could be no object, no motive whatever, -for this supposed crime. Had the French General any reason to suspect a -design for corrupting his invalids and converting them into -reinforcements against himself? Did he hope that this barbarous act -would completely rid him of the infection? He might have effected that -object equally well by leaving his invalids to be overtaken by the -enemy’s troops, which would moreover have been the means of spreading -the contagion among the latter. It would have been vain to shew that an -unfeeling and selfish chief might have freed himself from all -embarrassment by merely leaving the unfortunate men behind him: they -would have been massacred, it is true; but no one would ever have -thought of addressing a reproach to him. - -These and all other arguments would have been vain and useless, so -powerful and infallible are the effects of falsehood and declamation -when the passions of mankind are interested in their propagation. The -imaginary crime was repeated by every mouth, was engraven on every -heart, and to the common mass of mankind it will perhaps for ever -continue a positive and incontrovertible fact. - -A circumstance which will not a little surprise those who have yet to -learn how little credit is due to public report, and which will also -serve to shew the errors that may creep into history, is that Marshal -Bertrand, who was himself with the army in Egypt, (though certainly in a -rank which did not enable him to come into immediate contact with the -General-in-chief) firmly believed, up to the period of his residence at -St. Helena, the story of poison having been administered to sixty -invalids. The report was circulated and believed even in our army; -therefore, what answer could be given to those who triumphantly asserted -“It is a fact, I assure you, I have it from officers who served in the -French army at the time?” Nevertheless, the whole story is false. I have -collected the following facts from the highest source, from the mouth of -Napoleon himself. - -1st. That the invalids in question, who were infected with the plague, -amounted, according to the report made to the General-in-chief, only to -_seven_ in number. - -2nd. That it was not the General-in-chief, but a professional man, who, -at the moment of the crisis, proposed the administering of opium. - -3rd. That opium was not administered to a single individual. - -4th. That the retreat having been effected slowly, a rear-guard was left -behind in Jaffa for three days. - -5th. That, on the departure of the rear-guard, the invalids were all -dead, except one or two, who must have fallen into the hands of the -English. - -N.B. Since my return to Paris, having had opportunities of conversing -with those whose situation and profession naturally rendered them the -first actors in the scene—those whose testimony must be considered as -official and authentic, I have had the curiosity to enquire into the -most minute details, and the following is the result of my enquiries. - -“The invalids under the care of the Surgeon-in-chief, that is to say, -the wounded, were all, without exception, removed, with the help of the -horses belonging to the staff, not excepting even those of the -General-in-chief, who proceeded for a considerable distance on foot, -like the rest of the army. These, therefore, are quite out of the -question. - -“With regard to the rest of the invalids, about twenty in number, who -were under the care of the Physician-in-chief, and who were in an -absolutely desperate condition, totally unfit to be removed, while the -enemy was advancing, it is very true that Napoleon asked the -Physician-in-chief whether it would not be an act of humanity to -administer opium to them. It is also true that the Physician replied, -his business was to cure and not to kill;—an answer which, as it seems -to have reference to an order rather than to a subject of discussion, -has, perhaps, furnished a basis on which slander and falsehood might -invent and propagate the fabrication which has since been circulated on -this subject. - -“Finally, the details which I have been able to collect afford me the -following incontestible results:— - -“1st. That no order was given for the administering of opium to the -sick. - -“2nd. That there was not at the period in question, in the -medicine-chest of the army, a single grain of opium for the use of the -sick. - -“3rd. That even had the order been given, and had there been a supply of -opium, temporary and local circumstances, which it would be tedious to -enumerate here, would have rendered its execution impossible. - -“The following circumstances have probably helped to occasion, and may, -perhaps, in some degree excuse, the mistake of those who have -obstinately maintained the truth of the contrary facts. Some of our -wounded men, who had been put on board ship, fell into the hands of the -English. We had been short of medicines of all kinds in the camp, and we -had supplied the deficiency by compositions formed from indigenous trees -and plants. The draughts and other medicines had a horrible taste and -appearance. The prisoners, either for the purpose of exciting pity, or -from having heard of the opium story, which the nature of the medicines -might incline them to believe, told the English that they had -miraculously escaped death, having had poison administered to them by -their medical officers.” So much for the invalids under the care of the -Surgeon-in-chief. - -Now for the others.—“The army unfortunately had, as Apothecary-in-chief, -a wretch who had been allowed the use of five camels to convey from -Cairo the quantity of medicines necessary for the expedition. This man -was base enough to supply himself on his own account, instead of -medicines, with sugar, coffee, wine, and other provisions, which he -afterwards sold at an enormous profit. On the discovery of the fraud, -the indignation of the General-in-chief was without bounds, and the -offender was condemned to be shot; but all the medical officers, who -were so distinguished for their courage, and whose attentive care had -rendered them so dear to the army, implored his pardon, alleging that -the honour of the whole body would be compromised by his punishment; and -thus the culprit escaped. Some time after, when the English took -possession of Cairo, this man joined them, and made common cause with -them; but, having attempted to renew some of his old offences, he was -condemned to be hanged, and again escaped by slandering the -General-in-chief Buonaparte, of whom he invented a multitude of horrible -stories, and, by representing himself as the identical person who had, -by the General’s orders, administered opium to the soldiers infected -with the plague. His pardon was the condition and the reward of his -calumnies. This was doubtless the first source whence the story was -derived, by those who were not induced to propagate it from malevolent -motives. - -“Time has, however, fully exposed this absurd calumny, as well as many -others which have been applied in the same direction, and that with so -great a rapidity, that on revising my manuscript, I have been surprised -at the importance I have attached to the refutation of a charge which no -one would now dare to maintain. Still, I thought it best to preserve -what I had written, as a testimony of the impression of the moment; and -if I have now added some farther details, it is because they happened to -lie within my reach, and I thought it important to record them as -historical facts.” - -Sir Robert Wilson has, in his work, boasted, with seeming complacency, -of having been the first to make known and to propagate these odious -charges in Europe. His countryman, Sir Sydney Smith, may perhaps dispute -this honour with him, particularly as he may, in a great measure at -least, justly lay claim to the merit of their invention. To him, and to -the system of corruption he encouraged, Europe is indebted for all the -false reports with which she has been inundated, to the great detriment -of our brave army of Egypt. - -It is well known that Sir Sydney Smith did every thing in his power to -corrupt our army. The false intelligence from Europe—the slander of the -General-in-chief—the powerful bribes held out to the officers and -soldiers,—were all approved by him: the documents are published, his -proclamations are known. At one time they created sufficient alarm in -the French General to induce him to seek to put a stop to them; which he -did by forbidding all communication with the English, and stating in the -Order of the day that their Commodore had gone mad. This assertion was -believed in the French army; and it enraged Sir Sydney Smith so much -that he sent Napoleon a challenge. The General replied that he had -business of too great importance on his hands to think of troubling -himself about such a trifle: had he received a challenge from the great -Marlborough, then indeed he might have thought it worth while to -consider of it: but if the English seaman really felt inclined to amuse -himself at a tilting-match, he would send him one of the bullies in his -army, and neutralize a few yards of the sea-coast, where the mad -Commodore might come ashore, and enjoy his heart’s content of it. - -As I am on the subject of Egypt, I will here note down all the -information I collected in my detached conversations, and which may -possibly not be found in the Campaign of Egypt, dictated by Napoleon to -the Grand Marshal. - -The campaign of Italy exhibits all the most brilliant and decisive -results to which military genius and conception ever gave birth. -Diplomatic views, administrative talents, legislative measures, are -there uniformly blended in harmony with the prodigies of war. But the -most striking and the finishing touch in the picture is the sudden and -irresistible ascendancy which the young General acquired:—the anarchy of -equality—the jealousy of republican principles—every thing vanished -before him: there was not a power, even to the ridiculous sovereignty of -the Directory, which was not immediately suspended. The Directory -required no accounts from the General-in-chief of the army of Italy; it -was left to himself to send them: no plan, no system was prescribed to -him; but accounts of victories and conclusions of armistices, of the -destruction of old states, and the creation of new ones, were constantly -received from him. - -In the expedition of Egypt may be retraced all that is admired in the -campaign of Italy. The reflecting observer will even perceive that, in -the Egyptian expedition, the points of resemblance are of a more -important nature, from the difficulties of every kind which gave -character to the campaign, and required greater genius and resources on -the part of its conductor. In Egypt, a new order of things appeared: -climate, country, inhabitants, religion, manners, and mode of fighting, -all were different.[20] - -Footnote 20: - - The most valuable information respecting these two immortal campaigns - will doubtless be furnished by the collection of the orders of the - day, and the daily correspondence of the General-in-chief with the - Generals and Commissaries of his army. Several volumes of them have - been published by Pankouke, under the title of “Correspondance - inédite, officielle et confidentielle de Napoléon Bonaparte, &c.” They - will altogether furnish the most excellent and useful lessons to the - students of the military art. - -The Memoirs of the Campaign of Egypt will determine points which, at the -time, formed only the subjects of conjecture and discussion to a large -portion of society. - -1st. The expedition of Egypt was undertaken at the earnest and mutual -desire of the Directory and the General-in-chief. - -2nd. The taking of Malta was not the consequence of a private -understanding, but of the wisdom of the General-in-chief. “It was in -Mantua that I took Malta,” said the Emperor one day; “it was the -generous treatment observed towards Wurmser that secured to me the -submission of the Grand Master and his Knights.” - -3rd. The conquest of Egypt was planned with as much judgment as it was -executed with skill. If Saint Jean d’Acre had surrendered to the French -army, a great revolution would have taken place in the East; the -General-in-chief would have established an empire there, and the -destinies of France would have taken a different turn. - -4th. On its return from the campaign of Syria, the French army had -scarcely sustained any loss; it remained in the most formidable and -prosperous condition. - -5th. The departure of the General-in-chief for France was the result of -a grand and magnanimous plan. How ridiculous is the imbecility of those -who consider that departure as an escape or a desertion! - -6th. Kleber fell a victim to Mussulman fanaticism. There is not the -slightest foundation for the absurd calumny which would have attributed -this catastrophe to the policy of his predecessor, or to the intrigues -of his successor. - -7th, and lastly. It is pretty well proved that Egypt would have remained -for ever a French province if any other but Menou had been appointed for -her defence; nothing but the gross errors of that general could have -lost us the possession of Egypt. - -The Emperor said, that no army in the world was less fit for the -Egyptian expedition than that which he led there—the army of Italy. It -would be difficult to describe the disgust, the discontent, the -melancholy, the despair of that army, on its first arrival in Egypt. The -Emperor himself saw two dragoons run out of the ranks and throw -themselves into the Nile. Bertrand had seen the most distinguished -generals, such as Lannes and Murat, in momentary fits of rage, throw -their laced hats on the sand and trample on them in the presence of the -soldiers. The Emperor explained these feelings surprisingly well. “This -army,” said he, “had fulfilled its career. All the individuals belonging -to it were satiated with wealth, rank, pleasure, and consideration; they -were not fit for the Deserts and the fatigues of Egypt: and,” continued -he, “had that army been placed in other hands than mine, it is difficult -to say what excesses might not have been committed.” - -More than one conspiracy was formed to carry away the flags to -Alexandria, and other things of the same sort. The influence, the -character, and the glory of the General, could alone restrain the -troops. One day, Napoleon, losing his temper in his turn, rushed among a -group of discontented generals, and addressing himself, to the tallest, -“You have held mutinous language,” said he, with vehemence, “take care -that I do not fulfil my duty; it is not your being six foot high that -should save you from being shot in a couple of hours.” - -With regard, however, to their conduct before the enemy, the Emperor -said that this army never ceased to be the army of Italy; that it still -preserved the same admirable character. The most difficult party to -manage was that which the Emperor used to call “the faction of the -_sentimentalists_,” whom it was impossible to keep under any restraint; -their minds were diseased; they spent the night in gazing on the moon -for the reflected image of the idols they had left in Europe. At the -head of this party was Berthier, the weak and spiritless Berthier, who, -when the General-in-chief was preparing to sail from Toulon, posted -night and day from Paris to tell him that he was unwell, and could not -accompany him, though he was the head of the staff. The General-in-chief -took not the smallest notice of what he said, and Berthier, finding -himself no longer at the feet of the fair one who had despatched him -with the excuse, set sail along with him! On his arrival in Egypt, he -became a prey to _ennui_, and was unable to subdue his tender -recollections;—he solicited and obtained permission to return to France. -He took leave of Napoleon, and bade him a formal adieu; but shortly -returned with his eyes full of tears, saying that, after all, he would -not dishonour himself, and that he could not separate his destiny from -that of his General. - -Berthier’s love was mingled with a kind of worship. Adjoining the tent, -destined for his own use, he always had another prepared, and furnished -with the magnificence of the most elegant boudoir; this was consecrated -to the portrait of his mistress, before which he would sometimes even go -so far as to burn incense. This tent was pitched even in the deserts of -Syria. Napoleon said, with a smile, that his temple had oftener than -once been profaned by a worship less pure, through the clandestine -introduction of foreign divinities. - -Berthier never relinquished his passion, which sometimes carried him to -the very verge of idiotcy. In his first account of the battle of -Marengo, young Visconti, his aide-de-camp, who was but a captain at -most, was mentioned five or six times in remembrance of his mother. “One -would have thought,” said Napoleon, “that the youth had gained the -battle.” Surely the General-in-chief must have been ready to throw the -paper in the writer’s face! - -The Emperor calculated that he had given Berthier forty millions during -his life; but he supposed that from this weakness of his mind, his want -of regularity, and his ridiculous passion, he had squandered away a -great part of it. - -The discontent of the troops in Egypt happily vented itself in sarcastic -jokes: this is the humour which always bears a Frenchman through -difficulties. They bore a great resentment against General Caffarelli, -whom they believed to have been one of the promoters of the expedition. -Caffarelli had a wooden leg, having lost one of his limbs on the banks -of the Rhine; and whenever the soldiers saw him hobbling-past, they -would say, loud enough for him to hear,—“That fellow does not care what -happens; he is certain, at all events, to have one foot in France.” - -The men of science who accompanied the expedition also came in for their -share of the jests. Asses were very numerous in Egypt; almost all the -soldiers possessed one or two, and they used always to call them their -_demi-savans_. - -The General-in-chief, on his departure from France, had issued a -proclamation, in which he informed the troops that he was about to take -them to a country where he would make them all rich; where they should -each have seven acres of land at their disposal. The soldiers, when they -found themselves in the midst of the Desert, surrounded by the boundless -ocean of sand, began to question the generosity of their General: they -thought he had observed singular moderation in having promised only -seven acres. “The rogue,” said they, “might with safety give us as much -as he pleases; we should not abuse his good nature.” - -While the army was passing through Syria, there was not a soldier but -was heard to repeat these lines from Zaire:— - - Les Français sont lassés de chercher désormais - Des climats que pour eux le destin n’a point faits, - Ils n’abandonnent point leur fertile patrie, - Pour languir aux déserts de l’aride Arabie. - -On one occasion, the General-in-chief, having a few moments’ leisure to -look about the country, took advantage of the ebb-tide, and crossed on -foot to the opposite coast of the Red Sea. Night surprised him on his -return, and he lost his way in the midst of the rising tide. He was in -the greatest danger, and very narrowly escaped perishing precisely in -the same manner as Pharaoh. “This,” said Napoleon, “would have furnished -all the preachers of Christianity with a splendid text against me.” On -reaching the Arabian coast of the Red Sea, he received a deputation of -the Cenobites of Mount Sinai, who came to implore his protection, and to -request him to inscribe his name on the ancient register of their -charters. Napoleon inscribed his name in the same list with those of -Ali, Saladin, Ibrahim, and others! In allusion to this circumstance, or -something of a similar kind, the Emperor observed that he had in the -course of one year received letters from Rome and Mecca; the Pope -addressing him as his dearest son, and the Sherif styling him the -Protector of the holy Kaaba. - -This singular coincidence, however, is scarcely surprising, with -reference to him who has led armies both through the burning sands of -the Tropic, and over the frozen _Steppes_ of the North; who, when he -narrowly escaped being swallowed up in the waves of the Red Sea, or -might have perished in the flames of Moscow, was threatening the Indies -from those two extreme points. - -The General-in-chief shared the fatigues of the soldiers. The privations -endured by every individual in the army were sometimes so great that -they were compelled to dispute with each other for the smallest -enjoyments, without the least distinction of rank. To such extremities -were they reduced that, in the Desert, the soldiers would hardly -relinquish their places to allow the General to dip his hands in a muddy -stream. On one occasion, as they were passing by the ruins of Pelusium, -and were almost suffocated with the heat, some one resigned to him a -fragment of a door, beneath which he contrived to shade his head for a -few minutes: “And this,” said Napoleon, “was no trifling concession.” It -was on this very spot, while removing some stones at his feet, that -chance rendered him the possessor of a superb antique, well known in the -learned world.[21] - -Footnote 21: - - A cameo of Augustus, a mere sketch, but admirably designed. Napoleon - gave it to General Andreossi, who was a great collector of - antiquities; but M. Denon, who was at that time absent, having - afterwards seen this cameo, was struck with its resemblance to - Napoleon, who then had the stone returned to him and kept it. It - afterwards fell into the possession of Josephine, and M. Denon does - not know what has since become of it. (_This information was furnished - to me by M. Denon since my return to France._) - -In proceeding to Asia, the French army had to cross the Desert which -separates that continent from Africa. Kleber, who commanded the advanced -guard, mistook his road, and lost his way in the Desert. Napoleon, who -was following at the distance of half a day’s march, attended by a -slender escort, found himself at night-fall in the midst of the Turkish -camp: he was closely pursued, and escaped only because, it being night, -the Turks suspected that an ambush was intended. The next source of -uneasiness was the doubtful fate of Kleber and his detachment, and the -greater part of the night was passed in the most cruel anxiety. At -length they obtained information respecting them from some Arabs of the -Desert, and the General-in-chief hastened, on his dromedary, in quest of -his troops. He found them overwhelmed with despair, and ready to perish -from thirst and fatigue; some of the young soldiers had, in a moment of -frenzy, even broken their muskets. The sight of their General seemed to -give them new life, by reviving their hopes. Napoleon informed them that -a supply of provisions and water was coming up behind him. “But,” said -he, to the troops, “if relief had been longer delayed, would that have -excused your murmuring and loss of courage? No, soldiers; learn to die -with honour.” - -Napoleon travelled the greater part of the way through the Desert on a -dromedary. The physical hardihood of this animal renders it unnecessary -to pay the least attention to his sustenance; he scarcely eats or -drinks; but his moral sensibility is extreme, harsh treatment provokes -his resentment, and renders him furious. The Emperor observed that the -roughness of his trot created nausea, like the motion of a ship. The -animal will travel twenty leagues a day. The Emperor formed some -dromedary regiments, and the use he made of them in the army soon proved -the destruction of the Arabs. The rider squats himself on the back of -the animal, through whose nostrils a ring is passed, which serves to -guide him: he is very obedient, and on a certain signal, made by the -voice of the rider, the animal kneels down to allow him to alight. The -dromedary will carry very heavy burdens, and he is never unloaded during -the whole of the journey. On his arrival at evening stations, his load -is propped up, and the animal lies down and goes to sleep: at day-break -he rises,—his burden is on his back, and he is ready to continue his -journey. The dromedary is only a beast of burden, and not at all fit for -draught. In Syria, however, they succeeded in yoking them to -field-pieces, thus rendering them essentially serviceable. - -Napoleon became very popular among the Egyptians, who gave him the name -of Sultan Kebir (Father of Fire). He inspired particular respect: -wherever he appeared the people rose in his presence; and this deference -was paid to him alone. The uniform consideration with which he treated -the Sheiks, and the adroitness by which he gained their confidence, -rendered him truly the sovereign of Egypt, and more than once saved his -life. But for their disclosures, he would have fallen a victim to -fanaticism, like Kleber, who, on the contrary, rendered himself odious -to the Sheiks, and perished in consequence of subjecting one of them to -the punishment of the bastinado. Bertrand was one of the judges who -condemned the assassin, and, on his telling us this fact one day at -dinner, the Emperor observed:—“If the slanderers, who accuse me of -having caused the death of Kleber, were acquainted with the fact you -have mentioned, they would not hesitate to call you the assassin, or the -accomplice, and would take it for granted that your title of Grand -Marshal, and your residence at Saint Helena, are the reward and the -punishment of the crime.” - -Napoleon willingly conversed with the people of the country, and always -displayed sentiments of justice which struck them with wonder. On his -way back to Syria, an Arab tribe came to meet him, for the double -purpose of shewing him respect and of selling their services as guides. -“The chief of the tribe was unwell, and his place was filled by his son, -a youth of the age and size of your boy here,” said the Emperor to me: -“he was mounted on his dromedary, riding close beside me, and chatting -to me with great familiarity. ’Sultan Kebir, said he, ‘I could give you -good advice, now that you are returning to Cairo,’ ‘Well, speak, my -friend, and if your advice is good, I will follow it.’—‘I’ll tell you -what I would do, if I were in your place. As soon as I got to Cairo, I -would order the richest slave-merchant into the market, and I would -choose twenty of the prettiest women for myself; I would next send for -the richest jewellers, and would make them give me up a good share of -their stock; I would then do the same with all the other merchants; for -what is the use of reigning, or being powerful, if not to acquire -riches?’—‘But, my friend, suppose it were more noble to preserve them -for others?’ This sentiment seemed to make him reflect a little, without -convincing him. The young man was evidently very promising, for an Arab: -he was lively and courageous, and led his troop with dignity and order. -He is, perhaps, destined, one day or other, to carry his advice into -execution for his own benefit in the market-place of Cairo.” - -On another occasion, some Arabs who were on friendly terms with the -army, penetrated into a village on the frontier, and an unfortunate -Fellah (peasant) was killed. The Sultan Kebir flew into a great passion; -and, vowing that he would have vengeance, gave orders that the tribe -should be pursued into the Desert to extinction. This order was given in -the presence of the principal Sheiks, one of whom could not refrain from -laughing at his anger and his determination. “Sultan Kebir,” said he, -“you are playing a bad game just now: do not quarrel with these people; -they can do you ten times more harm than you can do them. And besides, -what is it all about. Because they have killed a miserable peasant? Was -he your cousin (a proverbial expression among them)?” “He was more than -my cousin,” replied Napoleon; “all those whom I govern are my children: -power is given to me only that I may ensure their safety.” On hearing -these words all the Sheiks bowed their heads, and said, “O! that is very -fine;—you have spoken like the Prophet.” - -The decision of the Grand Mosque of Cairo in favour of the French army -was a masterpiece of skill on the part of the General-in-chief, who -induced the synod of the chief Sheiks to declare, by a public act, that -the Mussulmans should obey, and pay tribute to, the French general. It -is the first and only example of the sort, since the establishment of -the Koran, which forbids submission to Infidels. The details of this -transaction are invaluable: they will be found in the Campaigns of -Egypt. - -Saint-Jean d’Acre, doubtless, presented a singular spectacle, when two -European armies met with hostile intentions in a little town of Asia, -with the mutual purpose of securing the possession of a portion of -Africa; but it is still more extraordinary that the persons who directed -the efforts of each party were both of the same nation, of the same age, -of the same rank, of the same corps, and of the same school. - -Philippeaux, to whose talents the English and Turks owed the -preservation of Saint Jean d’Acre, had been the companion of Napoleon at -the military school of Paris: they had been there examined together, -previous to their being sent to their respective corps. “His figure -resembled yours,” said the Emperor to me, after having dictated his -eulogium in the Memoirs, and mentioned all the mischief he had done him. -“Sire,” I answered, “there were many other points of affinity between -us; we had been intimate and inseparable companions at the Military -School. When he passed through London with Sir Sydney Smith, who, by his -assistance, had been enabled to escape from the Temple, he sought for me -in every direction. I called at his lodgings only half an hour after his -departure; had it not been for this accident, I should probably have -accompanied him. I was at the time without occupation; the prospect of -adventure might have tempted me; and how strangely might the course of -my destinies have been turned in a new direction!” - -“I am well aware,” said Napoleon, “of the influence which chance usurps -over our political determinations; and it is the knowledge of that -circumstance which has always kept me free from prejudice, and rendered -me very indulgent with regard to the party adopted by individuals in our -political convulsions. To be a good Frenchman, or to wish to become one, -was all that I looked for in any one.”—The Emperor then went on to -compare the confusion of our troubles to battles in the night-time, -where each man attacks his neighbour, and friends are often confounded -with foes; but when daylight returns, and order is restored, every one -forgives the injury which he has sustained through mistake. “Even for -myself,” said he, “how could I undertake to say that there might not -have existed circumstances sufficiently powerful, notwithstanding my -natural sentiments, to induce me to emigrate? The vicinity of the -frontier, for instance, a friendly attachment, or the influence of a -chief. In revolutions, we can only speak with certainty to what we have -done: it is silly to affirm that we could not have acted otherwise.” The -Emperor then related a singular example of the influence of chance over -the destinies of men. Serrurier and the younger Hedouville, while -travelling together on foot to emigrate into Spain, were met by a -military patrol. Hedouville, being the younger and more active of the -two, cleared the frontier, thought himself very lucky, and went to spend -a life of mere vegetation in Spain. Serrurier, on the contrary, being -obliged to return into the interior, bewailed his unhappy fate, and -became a marshal: such is the uncertainty of human foresight and -calculations! - -At Saint-Jean d’Acre, the General-in-chief lost Caffarelli, of whom he -was extremely fond. Caffarelli entertained a sort of reverential respect -for the General-in-chief. The influence of this sentiment was so great -that, though he was delirious for several days previous to his death, -when Napoleon went to see him, the announcement of his name seemed to -recal him to life: he became more collected, his spirits revived, and he -conversed coherently; but he relapsed into his former state immediately -after Napoleon’s departure. This singular phenomenon was renewed every -time the General-in-chief paid him a visit. - -Napoleon received, during the siege of Saint-Jean d’Acre, an affecting -proof of heroic devotedness. While he was in the trenches, a shell fell -at his feet; two grenadiers who observed it immediately rushed towards -him, placed him between them, and raising their arms above his head, -completely covered every part of his body. Happily the shell respected -the whole group; nobody was injured. - -One of these brave grenadiers afterwards became General Dumesnil, who -lost a leg in the campaign of Moscow, and commanded the fortress of -Vincennes at the time of the invasion in 1814. The capital had been for -some weeks occupied by the Allies, and Dumesnil still held out. Nothing -was then talked of in Paris but his obstinate defence, and his humorous -reply when summoned by the Russians to surrender;—“Give me back my leg, -and I will give up my fortress.” - -The French soldiers acquired extraordinary reputation in Egypt, and not -without cause; they had dispersed and dismayed the celebrated Mamelucks, -the most formidable militia of the East. After the retreat from Syria, a -Turkish army landed at Aboukir: Murat-Bey, the most powerful and brave -of the Mamelucks, left Upper Egypt, whither he had fled for safety, and -reached the Turkish camp by a circuitous route. On the landing of the -Turks, the French detachments had fallen back in order to concentrate -their forces. The Pacha who commanded the Turks was delighted at this -movement, which he mistook for the effect of fear; and, on perceiving -Murat-Bey, he exultingly exclaimed:—“So! these are the terrible French -whom you could not face; see, the moment I make my appearance, how they -fly before me.“ The indignant Murat-Bey furiously replied:—“Pacha, -render thanks to the Prophet that it has pleased these Frenchmen to -retire; if they should return, you will disappear before them like dust -before the wind.” - -His words were prophetical:—some days after, the French poured down upon -the Turkish army and put it to flight. Murat-Bey, who had interviews -with several of our generals, was extremely surprised at their -diminutive stature and pitiful condition. The Oriental nations attach -high importance to the bodily stature, and they were unable to conceive -how so much genius could exist within such small dimensions. The -appearance of Kleber alone came up to their ideas; he was an uncommonly -fine-looking man, but his manners were rude. The discrimination of the -Egyptians induced them to think that he was not a Frenchman; in fact, -though a native of Alsace, he had spent the early part of his life in -the Prussian army, and might very well have passed for a German. Some -one said that Kleber had been a Janissary in his youth; the Emperor -burst into a fit of laughter, and said somebody had been imposing on -him. - -The Grand-Marshal told the Emperor that at the battle of Aboukir he was -for the first time placed in his army, and near his person. He was then -so little accustomed to the boldness of his manœuvres, that he -scarcely understood any of the orders he heard him give. “Particularly, -Sire,” added he, “when I heard you call out to an officer, ‘Hercule, my -dear fellow, take twenty-five men and charge that rabble:’ I really -thought I had lost my senses; your Majesty pointed to a detachment of a -thousand Turkish horse.” - -After all, the losses sustained by the army in Egypt were far from being -so considerable as might have been expected in a country to which the -troops were unaccustomed; particularly when the insalubrity of the -climate, the remoteness of the resources of the country, the ravages of -the plague, and the numerous actions which have immortalized that army, -are taken into account. The French force, at its landing in Egypt, -amounted to 30,000 men; it was augmented by the wrecks of the battle of -Aboukir, and probably also by some partial arrivals from France; and yet -the total loss sustained by the army, from the commencement of the -campaign to two months after the departure of the General-in-chief for -Europe, (during the space of seven or eight-and-twenty months,) amounted -only to 8,915, as is proved by the official report of the -Muster-master-general.[22] - -Footnote 22: - - Killed in battle 3614 - Died of their wounds 854 - Died through various accidents 290 - Died from common disorders 2468 - Died from the pestilential fever 1689 - —— - Total 8915 - Signed, - _Cairo, 10 Frimaire, year IX._ Sartelon, - Muster-master-general. - -The life of a man must indeed be replete with prodigies, when one of his -acts, which is without parallel in history scarcely arrests our -attention. When Cæsar passed the Rubicon, he possessed an army, and was -advancing in his own defence. When Alexander, urged by the ardour of -youth and the fire of genius, landed in Asia, to make war on the great -King, he, Alexander, was the son of a king, a king himself, and courted -the chances of ambition and glory at the head of the forces of his -kingdom. But that a private individual, whose name three years before -was unknown to the world, who at that moment had nothing to aid him but -the reputation of a few victories, his name, and the consciousness of -his genius, should have dared to conceive the project of taking into his -own hands the destinies of thirty millions of men, of protecting them -from external defeats and internal dissensions;—that, roused by the -recital of the troubles which were described to him, and by the idea of -the disasters which he foresaw, he should have exclaimed, “France will -be lost through these fine talkers, these babblers: now is the time to -save her!”—that he should have abandoned his army, and crossed the seas, -at the risk of his liberty and reputation, have reached the French soil -and flown to the capital; that he should there have seized the helm, and -stopped short a nation intoxicated with every excess; that he should -have suddenly brought her back to the true course of reason and -justice;—that he should from that moment have prepared for her a career -of power and glory till then unknown;—and that all this should have been -accomplished without the shedding of a single tear or a drop of -blood;—such an undertaking may be regarded as one of the most gigantic -and sublime that ever was heard of; it will fill calm and dispassionate -posterity with astonishment and admiration; though at the time it was -branded by some with the name of a desperate flight, and an infamous -desertion. The army, however, which Napoleon left behind him, continued -to occupy Egypt for the space of two years longer. It was the opinion of -the Emperor that it ought never to have been forced to surrender; and -the Grand Marshal, who accompanied the army to the last moment, -concurred in that opinion. - -After the departure of the General-in-chief, Kleber, who succeeded him, -deceived and misled by intrigues, treated for the evacuation of Egypt; -but when the enemy’s refusal compelled him to seek for new glory, and to -form a more just estimate of his own force, he totally altered his -opinions, and declared himself favourable to the occupation of Egypt; -and this had even become the general sentiment of the army. He now -thought only of maintaining himself in the country; he dismissed those -who had influenced him in forming his first design, and collected around -him only those who favoured the contrary measure. Had he lived, Egypt -would have been secure; to his death her loss must be attributed. The -command of the army was afterwards divided between Menou and Regnier. It -then became a mere field of intrigue: the energy and courage of the -French troops continued unabated; but they were no longer employed and -directed as they had been by Kleber. Menou was totally inefficient; the -English advanced to attack him with twenty thousand men; his force was -much more considerable, and the general spirit of the two armies was not -to be compared. By an inconceivable infatuation, Menou hastily dispersed -his troops, as soon as he learned that the English were about to appear, -the latter advanced in a mass, and were attacked only in detail. “How -blind is fortune,” said the Emperor; “by the adoption of contrary -measures, the English would infallibly have been destroyed; and how many -new chances might not that event have brought about!” - -Their landing was admirable, said the Grand Marshal: in less than five -or six minutes five thousand five hundred men appeared in order of -battle: it was a truly theatrical movement; and it was thrice repeated. -Their landing was opposed by only twelve hundred men, who did them -considerable damage. Shortly after, this mass, amounting to between -thirteen and fourteen thousand, was intrepidly attacked by General -Lanusse. The General had only three thousand troops; but fired with -ambition, and not doubting that his force was adequate to fulfil the -object he had in view, he would not wait for reinforcements; at first he -overthrew every thing in his way, and, after causing immense slaughter -to the enemy, he was at length defeated. Had his force been two or three -thousand stronger, he would have attained his object. - -The English were greatly astonished when they had an opportunity of -judging for themselves of our real situation in Egypt; and they -considered themselves extremely fortunate in the turn which affairs had -taken. - -General Hutchinson, who reaped the glory of the conquest, said, on his -return to Europe, that had the English known the real state of things, -they would certainly never have attempted to land; but in England it was -believed that there were not six thousand French troops in Egypt. This -mistake arose out of the intercepted letters, as well as the -intelligence that was collected in Egypt. “So natural is it to -Frenchmen,” said Napoleon, “to exaggerate, murmur, and misrepresent, -whenever they are dissatisfied. These reports, however, were created -merely by ill-humour or diseased imaginations: it was said that there -was a famine in Egypt; that the French had all been destroyed, at every -new battle; that the plague had swept away the whole army; that there -was not a man left,” &c. - -Through the repetition of these reports, Pitt was at length persuaded of -their reality; and how could it be otherwise? The First Consul saw the -despatches from his successor addressed to the Directory; and also -letters from various persons in the French army. Who can explain the -contradictions they contained? Who will henceforth trust to individual -authority for the support of his opinion? Kleber, the General-in-chief, -informed the Directory, that he had only six thousand men, while in the -same packet the accounts of the inspector of reviews exhibited upwards -of twenty thousand. Kleber declared that he was without money, and the -treasury accounts display vast sums. The General-in-chief alleged that -the artillery was merely an intrenched park, destitute of ammunition; -while the estimates of that department made mention of stores for -several campaigns. “Thus, if Kleber, by virtue of the treaty he -commenced, had evacuated Egypt,” said the Emperor, “I should undoubtedly -have brought him to trial on his return to France. All these -contradictory documents had been submitted to the examination and -opinion of the Council of State.” - -From the letters of Kleber, the General-in-chief, an idea may be formed -of the tone of those written by persons of inferior rank, and by the -common soldiers. Such, however, were the communications daily -intercepted by the English; which they printed and which guided them in -their operations—a circumstance that must have cost them dear. The -Emperor observed that in all his campaigns he had seen the same effect -produced by intercepted letters, which sometimes had proved of great -advantage to him. - -Among the letters which at this period fell into his hands, he found -odious attacks upon himself, which he felt the more sensibly because -several of them were written by persons whom he had loaded with -benefits, in whom he had reposed full confidence, and whom he believed -to be strongly attached to him. One of these individuals, whose fortune -he had made, and in whom he trusted with the utmost sincerity, alleged -that the General-in-chief had decamped, after robbing the treasury of -two millions. Fortunately, in these same despatches the accounts of the -Paymaster proved that the General had not even received the whole amount -of the pay due to him. “On reading this statement,” said the Emperor, “I -felt really disgusted at mankind. This was the first moral -disappointment I had ever experienced; and if it has not been the only -one, it has, perhaps, at least, been the most severe. Many individuals -in the army thought me ruined, and they were already eagerly seeking to -pay their court in the proper quarter at my expense.” The author of the -assertion above alluded to subsequently endeavoured to restore himself -to favour. The Emperor signified that he should have no objection to his -being employed in a subordinate situation; but that he would never see -him again. To every application he constantly replied that he did not -know him: this was the only vengeance he took. - -The Emperor never ceased to repeat that Egypt ought to have remained in -the possession of the French, which would infallibly have been the case -had the country been defended by Kleber or Desaix. “These were my two -most distinguished lieutenants,” said he; “both possessed great and rare -merits, though their characters and dispositions were very different.” - -Kleber’s was the talent of nature; Desaix’s was entirely the result of -education and assiduity. The genius of Kleber only burst forth at -particular moments, when roused by the importance of the occasion; and -then it immediately slumbered again in the bosom of indolence and -pleasure. The talent of Desaix was always in full activity; he lived -only for noble ambition and true glory: his character was formed on the -true ancient model. The Emperor said that his death was the greatest -loss he could possibly have sustained. Their conformity of education and -principles would always have preserved a good understanding between -them. Desaix would have been satisfied with secondary rank, and would -have remained ever devoted and faithful. Had he not been killed at the -battle of Marengo, the First Consul would have given him the command of -the army of Germany, instead of continuing it to Moreau. A very -extraordinary circumstance in the destiny of these two lieutenants of -Napoleon was that on the very day and at the very hour when Kleber was -assassinated at Cairo, Desaix was killed by a cannon-ball at Marengo. - - THE EMPEROR’S METHOD OF DICTATING. - -October 1st—3rd. The wind, the sea, and the temperature still continued -without variation. The westerly wind, which had at first been so much in -our favour, now began to be adverse. We had taken an easterly direction, -in the hope of falling in with the trade-winds; but we now found -ourselves to the leeward of the place of our destination, through the -continuance of the westerly winds—a circumstance which surprised every -body, and excited dissatisfaction among the crew. - -The Emperor every morning regularly continued his dictation, in which he -daily took a deeper interest; consequently his hours henceforth seemed -less tedious. - -The vessel had been sent out of port in such a hurry that many repairs -remained to be completed after we had put to sea, and the painting of -the ship had only recently been finished. The Emperor’s sense of -smelling is extremely delicate; and he found the paint so very offensive -that he was forced to confine himself to his cabin for two days. - -Every evening, when taking his walk on deck, he loved to revert to the -occupation of the morning. At first, he was assisted by no other -document than a wretched work entitled _Guerres des Français en Italie_, -written without end or object, and devoid of any connected chronological -plan. The Emperor glanced through it, and his memory supplied all -deficiences: this faculty indeed appeared to me the more extraordinary -since it always seemed to be in readiness when needed, and as if at -command. - -When the Emperor commenced his daily dictations, he always complained -that the circumstances to which he wished to recur were no longer -familiar to him. He seemed to want confidence in himself, saying he -should never get through the task. After considering for a few moments -he would rise and walk about, and then begin to dictate. From that -moment he was quite another man: every thing flowed smoothly; he spoke -as if by inspiration; places, dates, phrases—he stopped at nothing. - -On the following day I read to him what he had dictated. After making -the first correction he continued to go on with the same subject, as -though he had said nothing about it the day before. The difference -between the first and the second version was very great: the latter was -more positive and diffuse, and better arranged; indeed it sometimes -materially differed from the first. - -On the day succeeding the first correction, the same operation was -repeated, and the Emperor commenced his third dictation for the purpose -of setting the two former ones right. But after that, had he dictated a -fourth, a seventh, or a tenth time, as he in some instances did, it -would have been a repetition of precisely the same ideas, the same -construction of phrases, and almost the same words. It was needless to -take the trouble to write, though before his eyes: he paid no attention -to what was doing, and continued to the end of his subject. It would -have been vain to ask him to repeat any thing that might not have been -distinctly heard: he still went on; and as he dictated with great -rapidity, I never ventured to interrupt him, lest I should lose still -more, and find myself unable to recover the thread of the subject. - - A SINGULAR ACCIDENT. - -4th—7th. The continuance of the south-west wind was truly unfortunate. -We were now going back instead of forward and we had completely entered -the Gulf of Guinea. There we perceived a ship, with which we spoke. She -proved to be a French ship, driven out of her course like ourselves. She -had sailed from a port in Britany, and was bound for the Isle of -Bourbon. The Emperor had been much distressed for want of books; and I -jokingly said that perhaps I might have a box-full on board that ship, -as I had despatched one to the Isle of Bourbon, a few months since. I -spoke truly. Such is the caprice of chance! Had I been in quest of this -ship, I might have traversed the ocean in vain. This was the identical -vessel: I learned her name next day from the officer who had visited -her. This officer strangely surprised the French captain, by telling him -that the Emperor Napoleon was on board the ship which he then saw making -for St. Helena. The poor fellow shook his head sorrowfully, and said, -“You have robbed us of our treasure: you have taken away him who knew -how to govern us according to our tastes and manners.” - - COMPLAINTS OF THE CREW AGAINST THE ADMIRAL.—EXAMINATION - OF ANOTHER WORK.—REFUTATIONS.—REFLECTIONS. - -8th—11th. The weather continued obstinately settled. We every evening -consoled ourselves, for the unfavourable state of the day, with the hope -of a change during the night; but we arose in the morning with the same -disappointment. We had been almost within sight of the Congo, and we -stood off. Every one manifested discontent and _ennui_. The crew -complained of the Admiral; had he taken the usual course, said they, we -should have reached our destination long before; his caprice, they -observed, had led him, in spite of reason, to try an experiment, of -which they knew not what might be the consequence. Their murmurs were -not, however, so vehement as those raised against Christopher Columbus; -we should not have been ill pleased had he been reduced to the necessity -of finding another Saint Salvador, in order to evade the crisis. Being -for my own part fully occupied, this circumstance engrossed but little -of my attention; and after all, one prison was as good as another. As to -the Emperor, he was still more unconcerned at this delay; he merely -looked upon it as so many days spent. - -_Les Mémoires de Napoléon Bonaparte, par quelqu’un qui ne l’a jamais -quitté pendant 15 ans_, (_The Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte, by one who -was constantly near him, during fifteen years_,) was the title of a work -which I began to examine after the writings of Sir Robert Wilson. It is -a volume of three hundred pages, by an anonymous author—a circumstance -in itself sufficient to inspire distrust at the first outset. But the -composition and style of the work soon created more positive doubts in -the mind of the reflecting reader, who is accustomed to judge of books. -Finally, he who has seen and known but little of the Emperor will not -hesitate to affirm, on reading the very first pages, that this work is a -mere romance, written at pleasure; that the author has never approached -the Emperor; and that he is a hundred leagues distant from his language, -habits, and every thing concerning him. The Emperor never said to a -minister: “Count, do this,”—“Count, execute that.” Ambassadors never -attended his levee. Napoleon could not, at fourteen years of age, have -made to a lady in company, the reply attributed to him, relative to the -Viscomte de Turenne; because from the age of ten to eighteen he was -attending the Military School, where he could not possibly have been -introduced to the company of ladies. It was not Perignon, who did not -know him, but Dugommier, who had been his General, who recommended him -in so marked a way to the Directory. It was a letter for restoring the -Democracy, and not the Bourbons, which an officer addressed to the First -Consul, &c. - -The Emperor, who in Europe was universally acknowledged to have -preserved the most impenetrable secrecy with regard to his plans and -views, never indulged in gestures, and still less in soliloquies, which -would have been likely to betray him: nor did his anger ever throw him -into fits of insanity or epilepsy—an absurd fabrication which was long -circulated in the saloons of Paris, but which was relinquished when it -was found that those accidents never occurred on important occasions. -These Memoirs have unquestionably been an ordered work, the speculation -of some bookseller who has furnished the title. Be this as it may, it -might have been supposed that, in adverting to a career so public as -that of the Emperor and of those who surrounded him, the author might -have evinced more accuracy and knowledge of his subject. He is aware of -his insufficiency on this head, and seeks to defend himself by saying -that he was under the necessity of altering names, and that he did not -wish to render certain portraits too striking; but he also observes this -circumspection with regard to facts, so that they cannot be recognised. -They are for the most part entirely the creations of his own fancy. -Thus, the paper whose loss cost the General-in-chief so much anxiety in -Egypt; the recommendation of the young Englishman, who transported -Bonaparte with joy by opening to him so brilliant a perspective of -fortune at Constantinople; the melodrama of Malmaison, where the heroism -of Madame Bonaparte (who is described as an absolute amazon) so promptly -secures the safety of her husband, may perhaps excite the interest of -the reader; but they are only so many fables; and the story relative to -Malmaison shews that the author knew no more of the character and -disposition of the Empress Josephine than of those of the Emperor. The -writer, however, by extolling certain traits, praising certain actions, -and refuting certain falsehoods, assumes an air of impartiality, which, -joined to his pretended situation near the Emperor during fifteen years, -produces a wonderful effect in the eyes of common readers. Most of the -Englishmen on board the vessel looked upon this work as a kind of -oracle. Their opinion was not changed on finding the Emperor’s character -so different from that attributed to him in this romance. They were -inclined to believe that adversity and constraint had wrought an -alteration in the Emperor, rather than to suppose that these printed -statements were false. To my observations, they constantly replied:—“But -the author was an impartial man, and one who was about the Emperor for -fifteen years:”—“But,” said I, “what is this man’s name? If he had -personally injured you in his book, how could you bring him to justice? -Any body here might have written it!” These arguments were of course -unanswerable; but the English found great difficulty in overcoming their -first impressions: such are the common mass of readers, and such is the -effect inevitably produced by printed falsehoods! - -But I shall no longer continue my examination of a work which is not -deserving of farther notice; I therefore dispense with the remainder. On -revising my manuscript in Europe, I found that public opinion had made -such progress that I should be ashamed to waste time in refuting -allegations and facts which judgment and common sense have long since -rejected, and which are now repeated only by fools. - -In endeavouring to subvert the erroneous notions which this author -thought proper to create respecting the character of Napoleon, it will -perhaps be thought that I should substitute my own opinions in their -stead; but this I shall carefully avoid. I shall content myself with -noting down all that I saw and heard; I will report his conversations, -and nothing more must be expected. - -12th—13th. By dint of patience, and with the help of a few trifling -variations, we gradually approached the termination of our voyage; and, -though deprived of the natural monsoon, we had now advanced within a -short distance of our place of destination. As we continued our course, -the weather gradually improved, and at length the wind became perfectly -favourable; but this change did not take place until twenty-four hours -before our arrival. - -14th.—The Admiral had previously informed us that he expected to come -within sight of St. Helena this day. We had scarcely risen from table -when our ears were saluted with the cry of _Land!_ This was just within -a quarter of an hour of the moment that had been fixed on. Nothing can -better prove the advancement of navigation, than this sort of miracle, -by which seamen are enabled to foretel the hour at which they shall -arrive at a particular point in the vast expanse. The Emperor went on -the forecastle to see the island: he thought he perceived it, but I -could see nothing. We lay-to all night. - - ARRIVAL OFF SAINT-HELENA. - -15th.—At day light I had a tolerably near view of the island. At first I -thought it rather extensive; but it seemed to diminish considerably as -we approached. At length, about seventy days after our departure from -England, and a hundred and ten after our departure from Paris, we cast -anchor about noon. This was the first link of the chain that was to bind -the modern Prometheus to his rock. - -We found at anchor several of the vessels of our squadron, which had -separated from us, or which we had left behind. They had, however, -arrived several days before us: another proof of the extreme uncertainty -attending nautical calculations. - -The Emperor, contrary to custom, dressed early and went upon deck; he -went forward on the gangway to view the island. We beheld a kind of -village surrounded by numerous barren and naked hills towering to the -clouds. Every platform, every aperture, the brow of every hill, was -planted with cannon. The Emperor viewed the prospect through his glass. -I stood behind him. My eyes were constantly fixed on his countenance, in -which I could perceive no change; and yet he saw before him, perhaps his -perpetual prison!—perhaps his grave!... What, then, remained for me to -feel or to express! - -The Emperor soon left the deck. He desired me to come to him, and we -proceeded with our usual occupation. - -The admiral, who had gone ashore very early, returned about six o’clock, -much fatigued. He had been walking about various parts of the island, -and at length thought he had found a habitation that would suit us. The -place, however, stood in need of repairs which might occupy two months. -We had now been confined to our wooden dungeon for nearly three months; -and the precise instructions of the Ministers were that we should be -detained there until our prison on shore was ready for our reception. -The Admiral, to do him justice, was incapable of such barbarity; he -informed us, at the same time betraying a sort of inward satisfaction, -that he would take upon himself the responsibility of putting us ashore -next day. - - - - - RESIDENCE AT BRIARS. - - FROM THE 16th OF OCTOBER 1815, - THE DAY OF OUR LANDING AT SAINT-HELENA, - TO THE 9th OF DECEMBER, THE DAY PRECEDING THAT - OF OUR REMOVAL TO LONGWOOD. - - ------- - -An interval of a Month and Twenty-four Days. - - ------- - - - LANDING OF THE EMPEROR AT SAINT-HELENA. - -Oct. 16th.—After dinner, the Emperor, accompanied by the Grand Marshal, -got into a boat to go ashore. By a remarkable and irresistible impulse, -the officers all assembled on the quarter-deck, and the greater part of -the crew on the gangways. This was not the effect of curiosity, which an -acquaintance of three months’ duration could not fail to have removed, -and which was now succeeded by the liveliest interest. The Emperor, -before he stepped into the boat, sent for the captain of the vessel, and -took leave of him, desiring him at the same time to convey his thanks to -the officers and crew. These words appeared to produce a great sensation -on all by whom they were understood, or to whom they were interpreted. -The remainder of the Emperor’s suite landed about eight o’clock. We were -accompanied by several of the officers, and every one on board seemed to -be sincerely affected at our departure. - -We found the Emperor in the apartment which had been assigned to him; a -few minutes after our arrival he went up stairs to his chamber, where we -were called to attend him. His situation here was no better than it had -been on board the vessel; we found ourselves lodged in a sort of inn or -hotel. - -The town of St. Helena consists only of one very short street, or row of -houses, built along a very narrow valley, formed between two mountains, -quite perpendicular, composed of barren rock. - - THE EMPEROR FIXES HIS ABODE AT BRIARS—DESCRIPTION - OF THE PLACE.—MISERABLE SITUATION. - -17th.—At six o’clock in the morning the Emperor, the Grand Marshal, and -the Admiral, rode out on horse-back to visit Longwood, a house which had -been chosen for the Emperor’s residence, and was more than two leagues -from the town. On their return they saw a small villa situated in the -valley about two miles from the town. The Emperor was extremely -reluctant to return to the place where he had passed the preceding -night, and where he felt himself more completely secluded from the world -than he had been when on board the vessel. What with the sentinels who -guarded his doors, and the crowds of persons whom curiosity had -attracted beneath his windows, he had been obliged to confine himself to -his chamber. A small pavilion, attached to the villa above-mentioned, -pleased him, and the Admiral was of opinion that he would be more -agreeably situated there than in the town. In this place, therefore, the -Emperor fixed his residence, and immediately sent for me. He had become -so much interested in his work, on the Campaigns of Italy, that he could -not suspend it:—I immediately proceeded to join him. - -The little valley in which the village of St. Helena [James Town] is -situated, extends to a considerable distance up the island, winding -along between two chains of barren hills which enclose it on either -side. A good carriage-road runs through this valley to the distance of -about two miles; after which it is traced along the brow of the hill -which rises on the left, while nothing but precipices and gulfs are -discoverable on the right. The rugged aspect of the country here -gradually diminishes, and the road opens on a small level height, on -which are several houses interspersed with trees and different kinds of -vegetation: this is a little oasis amidst the rocky desert. Here is -situated the modest residence of Mr. Balcombe, a merchant of the island. -At the distance of thirty or forty paces from the dwelling-house, on a -pointed eminence, stood a little summer-house or pavilion, to which, in -fine weather, the family were accustomed to retire to take tea and amuse -themselves: this was the obscure retreat hired by the Admiral, as the -temporary residence of the Emperor; and he took possession of it in the -morning. As I was ascending the winding path leading to the pavilion, I -thought I perceived the Emperor, and stopped to look at him. It was -Napoleon himself: his body was slightly bent, and his hands behind his -back; he wore his usual neat and simple uniform, and his celebrated -little hat. He was standing at the threshold of the door whistling a -popular French tune, when I advanced towards him. “Ah!” said he, “here -you are! Why have you not brought your son?” “Sire,” I replied, “the -respect, the consideration I owe you prevented me.”—“You cannot do -without him,” continued he; “send for him.” - -In none of his campaigns, perhaps in no situation of his past life, had -the Emperor been so wretchedly lodged, or subject to so many privations. -The summer-house contained one room, nearly square, on the ground-floor, -having two doors facing each other on two of its sides, and two windows -on each of the other sides. These windows had neither curtains nor -shutters, and there was scarcely a seat in the room. The Emperor was at -this moment alone; his two valets-de-chambre were bustling about to -prepare his bed. He wished to walk a little; but there was no level -ground on any side of the pavilion, which was surrounded by huge pieces -of stone and rock. He took my arm, and began to converse in a cheerful -strain. Night was advancing; profound silence, undisturbed solitude, -prevailed on every side;—what a crowd of sensations and sentiments -overwhelmed me at this moment!—I was in this desert, _tête-a-tête_, and -enjoying familiar conversation with the man who had ruled the -world!—with Napoleon! What were my feelings!——But to understand them it -would be necessary to revert to the days of his past glory; to the time -when one of his decrees sufficed to subvert thrones and create kings! It -would be necessary to reflect on what he was to all who surrounded him -at the Tuileries: the timid embarrassment, the profound respect, with -which he was approached by his ministers and officers; the anxiety, the -dread of ambassadors, princes and even kings! With me all these -sentiments remained in full force. - -When the Emperor was about to retire to rest, we found that one of the -windows (which, as I have already observed, had neither shutters nor -curtains) was close upon his bed, nearly on a level with his face. We -barricadoed it as well as we could, so as to exclude the air, of the -effects of which the Emperor is very susceptible, the least draught -being sufficient to give him cold or the tooth-ache. For my part I -ascended to the upper story, immediately above the Emperor’s room. In -this place, the dimensions of which were about seven feet square, there -was only a bed, and not a single chair: this served as a lodging for me -and my son, for whom a mattress was spread out upon the floor. But how -could we complain, being so near the Emperor? we could hear the sound of -his voice, and distinguish his words! The valets-de-chambre slept on the -ground, across the doorway, wrapped up in their cloaks. Such is the -faithful description of the first night which Napoleon passed at Briars. - - DESCRIPTION OF BRIARS.—THE GARDEN.—THE EMPEROR - MEETS THE YOUNG LADIES OF THE HOUSE. - -18th.—I breakfasted with the Emperor: he had neither table-cloth nor -plates; and the remains of the preceding day’s dinner were brought to -him for breakfast. - -The English officer was lodged in the neighbouring house, as our guard, -and two inferior officers marched up and down with an air of military -parade before our eyes, for the purpose of watching our motions. -Breakfast being over, the Emperor proceeded to his dictation, which -occupied him some hours. He afterwards went to explore our new domain, -and to take a view of the surrounding grounds. - -Descending our hillock on the side facing the principal house, we found -a path bordered by a hedge and running at the foot of precipices. After -walking along the path to the distance of two hundred paces, we arrived -at a little garden, the door of which was open. This garden is long and -narrow, and formed on very uneven ground; but a tolerable level walk -extends the whole length of it. At the entrance there is a sort of -arbour at one extremity; and at the other are two huts for the negroes -whose business it is to look after the garden. It contains some -fruit-trees and a few flowers. We had no sooner entered the garden, than -we were met by the daughters of the master of the house, girls about -fourteen or fifteen years of age: the one sprightly, giddy, and caring -for nothing; the other more sedate, but, at the same time, possessing -great _naïveté_ of manner; both speak a little French. They had walked -through the garden, and put all the flowers under contribution, to -present them to the Emperor, whom they overwhelmed with the most -whimsical and ridiculous questions. The Emperor was much amused by this -familiarity, to which he was so little accustomed. “We have been to a -masked ball,” said he, when the young ladies had taken their leave. - - THE YOUTH OF FRANCE.—THE EMPEROR VISITS - MR. BALCOMBE’S HOUSE. - -19th—20th. The Emperor invited my son to breakfast: it may be easily -imagined that he was greatly overjoyed at this honour! It was, perhaps, -the first time he had ever been so near the Emperor, or had spoken to -him; and he was not a little flurried on the occasion. - -The table still remained without a cloth; the breakfast continued to be -brought from the town, and consisted of only two or three wretched -dishes. To-day a chicken was brought: the Emperor wished to carve it -himself, and to help us. He was astonished at finding that he succeeded -so well; it was long, he said, since he had done so much: for all his -politeness, he added, had been lost in the business and cares of his -Generalship of Italy. - -Coffee is almost a necessary of life to the Emperor: but here it proved -so bad that, on tasting it he thought himself poisoned. He sent it away, -and made me send away mine also. - -The Emperor was at this moment using a snuff-box set with several -ancient medals, which were surrounded by Greek inscriptions. The Emperor -not being certain of the name of one of the heads, asked me to translate -the inscription; and on my replying that it was beyond my powers, he -laughed and said, “I see you are no better scholar than myself.” My son -then tremblingly undertook the task, and read Mithridates, -Demetrius-Poliorcetes, and some other names. The extreme youth of my -son, and this circumstance, attracted the Emperor’s attention. “Is your -son so far advanced?” said he; and he began to question him at great -length respecting his Lyceum, his masters, his lessons, &c. Then turning -to me, “What a rising generation I leave behind me!” said he. “This is -all my work! The merits of the French youth will be a sufficient revenge -to me. On beholding the work, all must render justice to the workman! -and the perverted judgment or bad faith of declaimers must fall before -my deeds. If I had thought only of myself, and of securing my own power, -as has been continually asserted, if I had really had any other object -in view than to establish the reign of reason, I should have endeavoured -to _hide the light under a bushel_; instead of which, I devoted myself -to the propagation of knowledge, and yet the youth of France have not -enjoyed all the benefits which I intended they should. My University, -according to the plan I had conceived, was a master-piece in its -combinations, and would have been such in its national results. But an -evil-disposed person spoiled all; and in so doing he was actuated no -doubt by bad intentions, and with a view to some purpose.” - -In the evening the Emperor went to visit our neighbours. Mr. Balcombe, -who was suffering under a fit of the gout, lay stretched on a sofa; his -wife and the two young ladies, whom he had met in the morning, were -beside him. The _masked ball_ was resumed again with great spirit. Our -guests liberally dealt out all their store of knowledge. The -conversation turned on novels. One of the young ladies had read Madame -Cottin’s _Mathilde_, and was delighted to find that the Emperor was -acquainted with the work. An Englishman, with a great round face, to all -appearance a true _vacuum plenum_, who had been listening earnestly, in -order to turn his little knowledge of French to the best account, -modestly ventured to ask the Emperor whether the Princess, the friend of -Matilda, whose character he particularly admired, was still living? The -Emperor with a very solemn air replied, “No, sir; she is dead and -buried:” and he was almost tempted to believe he was himself hoaxed, -until he found that the melancholy tidings almost drew tears from the -great staring eyes of the Englishman. - -The young ladies evinced no less simplicity, though in them it was more -pardonable: however, I was led to conclude that they had not studied -chronology very deeply. One of them turning over Florian’s _Estelle_, to -shew us that she could read French, happened to light on the name of -Gaston de Foix, and finding him distinguished by the title of General, -she asked the Emperor whether he had been satisfied with his conduct in -the army, whether he had escaped the dangers of war, and whether he was -still living. - -21st.—In the morning the Admiral came to visit the Emperor. He knocked -at the door; and had I not been present, the Emperor must have been -reduced to the alternative of opening it himself, or suffering the -Admiral to wait on the outside. - -All the scattered members of our little colony, likewise, came from the -town, and we were for a short time collected together. Each described -the wretchedness of his situation, and received the sympathy of the -Emperor. - - HORROR AND MISERY OF OUR SITUATION.—THE EMPEROR’S - INDIGNATION.—NOTE TO THE ENGLISH GOVERNMENT. - -23rd–24th. The English Ministers, in violating the rights of -hospitality, to which we had trusted with such implicit confidence, seem -to have omitted nothing adapted to make us feel this violation the more -bitterly. By banishing us to the farthest extremity of the world, and -reducing us to every kind of privation and ill-treatment, they wish to -make us drain the cup of misery to the very dregs. St. Helena is a true -Siberia: the only difference is its limited extent, and the climate -being warm instead of cold. - -The Emperor Napoleon, who but lately possessed such boundless power, and -disposed of so many Crowns, now occupies a wretched hovel, a few feet -square, perched upon a rock, unprovided with furniture, and without -either shutters or curtains to the windows. This place must serve him -for bed-chamber, dressing-room, dining-room, study, and sitting-room; -and he is obliged to go out when it is necessary to have this one -apartment cleaned. His meals, consisting of a few wretched dishes, are -brought to him from a distance, as though he were a criminal in a -dungeon. He is absolutely in want of the necessaries of life: the bread -and wine are not such as we have been accustomed to, and are so bad that -we loathe to touch them; water, coffee, butter, oil, and other articles, -are either not to be procured, or are scarcely fit for use: a bath, -which is so necessary to the Emperor’s health, is not to be had; and he -is deprived of the exercise of riding on horseback. - -His friends and servants are two miles distant from him, and are not -suffered to approach his person without being accompanied by a soldier. -They are deprived of their arms, and are compelled to pass the night at -the guard-house, if they return beyond a certain hour, or if any mistake -occur in the pass-word, which happens almost daily. Thus, on the summit -of this frightful rock, we are equally exposed to the severity of man -and the rigour of nature! And how easy would it have been to procure us -a more suitable retreat and more courteous usage. Assuredly, if the -Sovereigns of Europe decreed this exile, private enmity has directed its -execution. If policy alone dictated this measure as indispensable, would -it not have been essential, in order to render the fact evident to the -world, to have surrounded with every kind of respect and consideration -the illustrious victim, with regard to whom it had been found necessary -to violate law and principle? - -We were all assembled round the Emperor; and he was recapitulating these -facts with warmth: “For what infamous treatment are we reserved!” he -exclaimed. “This is the anguish of death! To injustice and violence, -they now add insult and protracted torment. If I were so hateful to -them, why did they not get rid of me? A few musquet balls in my heart or -my head would have done the business; and there would at least have been -some energy in the crime! Were it not for you, and, above all, for your -wives, I would receive from them nothing but the pay of a private -soldier. How can the monarchs of Europe permit the sacred character of -sovereignty to be violated in my person? Do they not see that they are, -with their own hands, working their own destruction at St. Helena? I -entered their capitals victorious, and had I cherished such sentiments, -what would have become of them? They styled me their brother; and I had -become so by the choice of the people, the sanction of victory, the -character of religion, and the alliances of their policy and their -blood. Do they imagine that the good sense of nations is blind to their -conduct? and what do they expect from it? At all events, make your -complaints, gentlemen; let indignant Europe hear them! Complaints from -me would be beneath my dignity and character; I must command, or be -silent.” - -Next morning an officer, opening the door, introduced himself, without -farther ceremony, into the Emperor’s room, where I was engaged with him. -He had come, however, with good intentions. He was the captain of one of -the small vessels which had formed our squadron. He was now about to -return to Europe, and came to enquire whether the Emperor had any -commands. Napoleon immediately recurred to the subject of our -conversation on the preceding evening, and, becoming animated by -degrees, gave utterance to sentiments of the loftiest and most energetic -character, which he charged him to communicate to the British -Government. I interpreted what he said in the same spirit and with great -rapidity. The officer seemed astonished at what he heard, and left us -with a promise punctually to fulfil his commission. But he could not -have described the expression, and particularly the tone, of which I was -a witness.—The Emperor, however, directed me to make a memorandum of -what he had said, which the officer must have found very feebly -expressed compared with what he had just heard. The note was as follows: - -Memorandum.—“The Emperor desires, by the return of the next vessel, to -receive some account of his wife and son, and to be informed whether the -latter is still living. He takes this opportunity of repeating and -conveying to the British Government the protestations which he has -already made against the extraordinary measures adopted towards him. - -“1st. That Government has declared him a prisoner of war. The Emperor is -not a prisoner of war. His letter to the Prince Regent, which he wrote -and communicated to Captain Maitland, before he went on board the -Bellerophon, sufficiently proves, to the whole world, the resolutions -and the sentiments of confidence which induced him freely to place -himself under the English flag. - -“The Emperor might, had he pleased, have agreed to quit France only on -stipulated conditions with regard to himself; but he disdained to mingle -personal considerations with the great interests with which his mind was -constantly occupied. He might have placed himself at the disposal of the -Emperor Alexander, who had been his friend, or of the Emperor Francis, -who was his father-in-law. But, confiding in the justice of the English -nation, he desired no other protection than its laws afforded; and, -renouncing public affairs, he sought no other country than that which -was governed by fixed laws, independent of private will. - -“2nd. Had the Emperor really been a prisoner of war, the rights which -civilized governments possess over such a prisoner are limited by the -law of nations, and terminate with the war itself. - -“3rd. If the English Government considered the Emperor, though -arbitrarily, as a prisoner of war, the right of that government was then -limited by public law, or else, as there existed no cartel between the -two nations during the war, it might have adopted towards him the -principles of savages, who put their prisoners to death. This proceeding -would have been more humane, and more conformable to justice, than that -of sending him to this horrible rock; death inflicted on board the -Bellerophon, in the Plymouth roads, would have been a blessing compared -with the treatment to which he is now subjected. - -“We have travelled over the most desolate countries of Europe, but none -is to be compared to this barren rock. Deprived of every thing that can -render life supportable, it is calculated only to renew perpetually the -anguish of death. The first principles of Christian morality, and that -great duty imposed on man to pursue his fate, whatever it may be, may -withhold him from terminating with his own hand a wretched existence; -the Emperor glories in being superior to such a feeling. But if the -British Ministry should persist in their course of injustice and -violence towards him, he would consider it a happiness if they would put -him to death.” - -The vessel which sailed for Europe, with this document, was the Redpole, -Captain Desmond. - -The reader must pardon the insipid monotony of our complaints: they will -be found to be always the same, no doubt; but let it be remembered how -much more pain must have been felt in repeating them than can possibly -be experienced in their perusal. - -MODE OF LIVING AT BRIARS.—CABINET WHICH THE EMPEROR HAD WITH HIM AT - AUSTERLITZ.—THE EMPEROR’S LARGE CABINET.—ITS CONTENTS.—ARTICLES OF - VIRTÙ, LIBELS AGAINST NAPOLEON, &C., LEFT AT THE TUILERIES BY THE - KING. - -25th—27th. The Emperor dressed very early; he took a short walk out of -doors; we breakfasted about ten o’clock; he walked again, and then we -proceeded to business. I read to him what he had dictated on the -preceding evening, and which my son had copied in the morning; he -corrected it, and then continued his dictation. We went out again about -five o’clock, and returned at six, the hour appointed for dinner, that -is to say, if the dinner should be brought from the town by that time. -The days were very long, and the evenings still longer. Unfortunately I -did not understand chess; at one time I had an idea of studying it by -night, but where could I find a teacher? I pretended to a little -knowledge of piquet, but the Emperor soon discovered my ignorance: he -gave me credit for my good intentions, yet he gave up playing. Want of -occupation would sometimes lead him to the neighbouring house, where the -young ladies made him play at whist. But his more usual practice was to -remain at table after dinner, and to converse sitting in his chair; for -the room was too small to admit of his walking about. - -One evening he ordered a little travelling cabinet to be brought to him, -and, after minutely examining every part of it, he presented it to me, -saying, “I have had it in my possession a long time, I made use of it on -the morning of the battle of Austerlitz. It must go to young Emanuel,” -said he, turning to my son; “when he is thirty or forty years old, we -shall be no more. This will but enhance the value of the gift; he will -say when he shews it, the Emperor Napoleon gave this to my father at St. -Helena.” I received the precious gift with a kind of reverential -feeling, and I preserve it as a valuable relic. - -Passing from that to the examining of a large cabinet, he looked over -some portraits of his own family, and some presents which he had -personally received. These consisted of the portraits of Madame, of the -Queen of Naples, of the daughters of Joseph, of his brothers, of the -King of Rome, &c.; an Augustus and a Livia, both exceedingly rare; a -Continence of Scipio and another antique of immense value given to him -by the Pope; a Peter the Great, on a box; another box with a Charles V.; -another with a Turenne; and some, which were in daily use, covered with -a collection of medallions of Cæsar, Alexander, Sylla, Mithridates, &c. -Next came some snuff-boxes, ornamented with his own portrait set in -diamonds. He then looked for one without diamonds, and not finding it, -he called his valet-de-chambre to enquire about it: unfortunately this -portrait still remained in the town along with the greater part of his -effects; I felt mortified at receiving this intelligence, I could not -help thinking that I had been a loser by this mischance. - -The Emperor then examined several snuff-boxes which Louis XVIII. had -left on his table at the Tuileries at the time of his precipitate -departure. On one of these were represented, on a black ground, the -portraits of Louis XVI., of the Queen, and of Madame Elizabeth, executed -in paste in imitation of ivory, and fantastically arranged. They formed -three crescents placed back to back in the shape of an equilateral -triangle, and groups of cherubs closely interwoven composed the external -border. Another box presented a water-colour sketch of a hunt, which had -no other claim to merit than the circumstance of its being attributed to -the pencil of the Duchess of Angoulême. A third was surmounted with a -portrait, which appeared to be that of the Countess of Provence. These -three boxes were of simple and even ordinary execution; and could -possess no other value than that which their history attaches to them. - -On the Emperor’s arrival in Paris on the evening of the 20th of March, -he found the King’s study precisely in the state in which it had been -used; all his papers still remained on the tables. By the Emperor’s -desire, these tables were pushed into the corners of the apartment, and -others brought. He gave orders that nothing should be touched, intending -to examine the papers at his leisure: and as the Emperor himself quitted -France without returning to the Tuileries, the King must have found his -study and his papers nearly as he had left them. - -The Emperor took a hasty glance at some of the papers. He found among -them several letters from the King to M. d’Avary at Madeira, where the -latter died; they were written in the King’s own hand, and had doubtless -been sent back to him. He found also some confidential letters of the -King’s, likewise in his own hand. But how came they there? How had they -been returned to him? That would be difficult to explain. They consisted -of five or six pages, written in very elegant language, and displaying -some sense; but very abstract and metaphysical. In one of them, the -Prince said to the lady whom he addressed:—“_Judge, Madam, how much I -love you; I have left off mourning for your sake._” “And here,” said the -Emperor, “the idea of the mourning was followed up by a succession of -long paragraphs, quite in an academic style.” The Emperor could not -imagine to whom it had been written, or what the _mourning_ alluded to; -I could not assist his conjectures on either of these points. - -Two or three days after the Emperor had replaced a certain individual at -the head of a celebrated institution, he found on one of the tables a -memoir from that very person, which, from the terms in which it was -couched with reference to himself and the whole of his family, would -certainly have prevented him from signing the re-appointment. - -There were also many other documents of the same nature: but the most -complete records of baseness, deceit, and villany, were found in the -apartments of M. Blacas, grand-master of the wardrobe, and minister of -the household: these were filled with plans, reports, and petitions of -every kind. There were few of these papers in which the writers did not -put themselves forward at the expense of Napoleon, whom they were far -from expecting to return. They formed altogether such a mass that the -Emperor was obliged to appoint a committee of four persons to examine -them; he now thinks he was to blame in not having confided that office -to a single individual, and with such injunctions that he might have -felt confident nothing was suffered to escape. He has since had reason -to believe that these papers might have afforded some salutary hints -respecting the treachery which surrounded him on his return from -Waterloo. - -Among the rest there was a long letter from one of the female attendants -of the Princess Pauline. This voluminous letter was expressed in very -coarse language with regard to the princess and her sisters; and -described the Emperor, to whom the writer always alluded under the title -of _that man_, in the worst possible colours. This had not been thought -sufficient; part of it had been erased and interlined by another hand, -in order to bring forward Napoleon in the most scandalous manner; and on -the margin, in the hand of the interlineator, were written the words -_fit to be printed_. A few days more, and this libel would probably have -been published. - -An upstart woman, who held a distinguished rank in the state, and who -had been overwhelmed with acts of kindness from the Emperor, wrote in a -great hurry to her friend, another upstart, to acquaint her with the -famous decision of the Senate respecting the forfeiture and proscription -of Napoleon. The letter contained the following: “My dear friend, my -husband has just returned: he is tired to death; but his efforts have -carried it; we are delivered from _that man_, and we shall have the -Bourbons. Thank God, we shall now be real Countesses!” &c. - -Among these papers, Napoleon experienced the mortification to meet with -some containing very improper remarks respecting himself personally; and -those too in the very hand writing of individuals who only the day -before had assembled round him, and were already in the enjoyment of his -favours. - -The first impulse of his indignation was to determine that they should -be printed, and to withdraw his protection: a second thought restrained -him. “We are so volatile, so inconstant, so easily led away,” said he, -“that, after all, I could not be certain that those very people had not -really and spontaneously come back to my service: in that case, I should -have been punishing them at the very time when they were returning to -their duty. I thought it better to seem to know nothing of the matter, -and I ordered all their letters to be burnt.” - -THE EMPEROR COMMENCES THE CAMPAIGN OF EGYPT WITH THE GRAND - MARSHAL.—ANECDOTES OF BRUMAIRE, &C.—LETTEF THE COUNT DE LILLE.—THE - BEAUTIFUL DUCHESS DE GUICHE. - -28th—31st. My son and I prosecuted our labours without intermission. His -health, however, began to be affected; he felt a pain in his chest. My -eyes also grew weak: these were really the effects of our excessive -occupation. Indeed, we had gone through an amazing quantity of work: we -had already nearly arrived at the end of the Campaign of Italy. The -Emperor, however, did not yet find that he had sufficient occupation. -Employment was his only resource, and the interest which his first -dictations had assumed furnished an additional motive for proceeding -with them. The Campaign of Egypt was now about to be commenced. The -Emperor had frequently talked of employing the Grand Marshal on this -subject. - -Those of our party who were lodged in the town were badly accommodated, -and were dissatisfied at being separated from the Emperor. They were -harassed by the constraint and mortifications to which they were -subjected. I suggested to the Emperor that he should set us all to work -at the same time, and proceed at once with the Campaigns of Italy and -Egypt, the history of the Consulate, the return from the Island of Elba, -&c. The time, I observed, would then pass more quickly; this great work, -the glory of France, would advance more rapidly, and the gentlemen who -resided in the town would be less unhappy. The idea pleased the Emperor, -and from that moment one or two of his suite came regularly every day to -write from his dictation, the transcript of which they brought to him -next morning. They then stayed to dinner, and thus afforded the Emperor -a little more amusement. - -We made such arrangements that the Emperor insensibly found himself more -comfortably situated in many respects. A tent, which had been given to -me by the Colonel of the 53rd regiment, was spread out so as to form a -prolongation of the room occupied by the Emperor. His cook took up his -abode at Briars. The table-linen was taken from the trunks, the plate -was set forth, and our first dinner after these preparations was a sort -of _fête_. The evenings, however, always hung heavily on our hands. The -Emperor would sometimes visit the adjoining house; at other times he -would endeavour to leave his chamber to walk; but more frequently he -remained within-doors, and tried to pass the time in conversation until -ten or eleven o’clock. He dreaded retiring to bed too early; for when he -did so, he awoke in the night; and, in order to divert his mind from -sorrowful reflections, he was obliged to rise and read. - -One day at dinner the Emperor cast his eyes on one of the dishes of his -own campaign-service, on which the Royal arms had been engraved. “How -they have spoiled this!” he exclaimed in very energetic terms; and he -could not refrain from observing that the King had been in a great hurry -to take possession of the Imperial plate, which he certainly could not -claim as having been taken from him, since it unquestionably belonged to -him, Napoleon; for, he added, that when he ascended the throne he found -not a vestige of royal property. At his abdication he left to the crown -five millions in plate, and between forty and fifty millions in -furniture, which was all purchased with his own money out of his civil -list. - -In a conversation one evening, the Emperor related the circumstances -attending the event of Brumaire. I suppress the particulars, because -they were afterwards dictated to General Gourgaud; and a detailed -account of this remarkable affair will be found in the Memoirs. - -Sieyes, who was one of the Provisional Consuls along with Napoleon, -astonished to hear his colleague, on the very first conference, -discussing questions relative to finance, administration, the army, law, -and politics, left him, quite disconcerted, and ran to his friends, -saying, “Gentlemen, you have got a master! This man knows every thing, -wills every thing, and can do every thing.” - -I was in London at that time, and I told the Emperor that the emigrants -there had formed great hopes and placed much confidence on the events of -the 18th of Brumaire and on his Consulate. Several of us, who had -formerly been acquainted with Madame de Beauharnois, immediately set out -for Paris, hoping, through her means, to exercise some influence, or -give some direction to affairs, which then appeared under a new aspect. - -Our general opinion at the time was that the First Consul had waited for -propositions from the French Princes. We grounded this opinion on the -circumstance of his having been so long without manifesting his -intentions respecting them; which, however, he did some time afterwards -in a way the most overwhelming, by means of a proclamation. We -attributed this result to the stupid conduct of the Bishop of Arras, the -counsellor and director of our affairs; who, according to his own -confession, went to work with his eyes shut, and boasted of not having -read a single newspaper for a series of years, ever since they had been -filled, as he said, with the successes and the falsehoods of those -wretches. On the first establishment of the Consulate, some one having -attempted to persuade the Bishop to enter into negotiations with the -Consul, through the mediation of Madame Buonaparte, he rejected the -proposition with indignation, and in language of so coarse and -disgusting a nature as induced the person to tell him that his -expressions were far from being episcopal, and that he certainly had -never learned them from his breviary. - -About the same period he made use of some gross invectives against the -Duc de Choiseuil,—and that too at the table of the Prince, where he was -smartly reprimanded for them; and all this was only because the Duke, on -being released from imprisonment at Calais, and escaping death through -the protection of the Consul, concluded his reply to the enquiries made -by the Prince relative to Buonaparte, by protesting that, for his part, -he should never cease to acknowledge his personal gratitude towards him. - -To all this the Emperor replied that he had never bestowed a thought on -the Princes; that the observations to which I had alluded proceeded from -one of the other Consuls, and were made without any particular motive; -that we, who were abroad, seemed to have no idea of the opinions of -those at home; and that even if he had been favourably disposed towards -the Princes, it would not have been in his power to carry his intentions -into execution. He had, however, received overtures, about that period, -both from Mittau and London. - -The King, he said, wrote him a letter, which was conveyed to him by -Lebrun, who had it from the Abbé de Montesquiou, the secret agent of the -Prince at Paris. This letter, which was written in a very laboured -style, contained the following paragraph: “You delay long to restore me -my throne. It is to be feared that you may allow favourable moments to -escape. You cannot complete the happiness of France without me, nor can -I serve France without you. Hasten, then, and specify yourself the -places which you would wish your friends to possess.” - -To this letter the First Consul replied:—“I have received your Royal -Highness’s letter; I have always felt deep interest in your misfortunes -and those of your family. You must not think of appearing in France; you -could not do so without passing over a hundred thousand dead bodies. I -shall, however, be always eager to do every thing that may tend to -alleviate your fate, or enable you to forget your misfortunes.” - -The overtures made by the Count d’Artois possessed still more elegance -and address. He commissioned, as the bearer of them, the Duchess de -Guiche, a lady whose fascinating manners and personal graces were -calculated to assist her in the important negotiation. She easily got -access to Madame Buonaparte, with whom all the individuals of the old -Court came easily in contact. She breakfasted with her at Malmaison; and -the conversation turning on London, the emigrants, and the French -Princes, Madame de Guiche mentioned that as she happened a few days -before to be at the house of the Count d’Artois, she had heard some -person ask the Prince what he intended to do for the First Consul, in -the event of his restoring the Bourbons; and that the Prince had -replied:—“I would immediately make him Constable of the kingdom, and -every thing else he might choose. But even that would not be enough: we -would raise on the Carrousel a lofty and magnificent column, surmounted -with a statue of Buonaparte crowning the Bourbons.” - -As soon as the First Consul entered, which he did very shortly after -breakfast, Josephine eagerly repeated to him the circumstance which the -Duchess had related. “And did you not reply,” said her husband, “that -the corpse of the First Consul would have been made the pedestal of the -Column?”—The charming Duchess was still present; the beauties of her -countenance, her eyes, and her words, were directed to the success of -her commission. She said she was so delighted she did not know how she -should ever be able sufficiently to acknowledge the favour which Madame -Buonaparte had procured her, of seeing and hearing so distinguished a -man—so great a hero. It was all in vain: the Duchess de Guiche received -orders that very night to quit Paris. The charms of the emissary were -too well calculated to alarm Josephine, to induce her to say any thing -very urgent in her favour, and next day the Duchess was on her way to -the frontier. - -It is, however, absolutely false that Napoleon, on his part, at a -subsequent period, made overtures or propositions to the Princes -touching the cession of their rights, or their renunciation of the -Crown; though such statements have been made in some pompous -declarations, profusely circulated through Europe.—How was such a thing -possible?” said the Emperor; “I, who could only reign by the very -principle which excluded them—that of the sovereignty of the people—how -could I have sought to possess through them rights which were proscribed -in their persons! That would have been to proscribe myself. The -absurdity would have been too palpable, too ridiculous; it would have -ruined me for ever in public opinion. The fact is that neither directly -nor indirectly, at home or abroad, did I ever do any thing of the kind: -and this will no doubt, in the course of time, be the opinion of all -persons of judgment, who allow me to have been neither a fool nor a -madman. - -“The prevalence of this report, however, induced me to seek to discover -what could have given rise to it, and these are the facts which I -collected:—at the period of the good understanding between France and -Prussia, and while that state was endeavouring to ingratiate herself in -our favour, she caused inquiry to be made whether France would take -umbrage at her allowing the French Princes to remain in the Prussian -territories, to which the French Government answered in the negative. -Emboldened by this reply, Prussia next enquired whether we should feel -any great repugnance to furnish them, through her medium, with an annual -allowance. To this our government also replied in the negative, provided -that Prussia would be responsible for their remaining quiet, and -abstaining from all intrigue. The negotiation of this affair being once -set on foot between the two countries, Heaven knows what the zeal of -some agent, or even the doctrines of the Court of Berlin, which did not -accord with ours, may have proposed. This furnished, no doubt, the -motive and pretext, if indeed any really existed, for the fine letter of -Louis XVIII., to which all the members of his family so ostentatiously -adhered. The French Princes eagerly seized that opportunity of reviving -the interest and attention of Europe, which had been by this time -totally withdrawn from them.” - - OCCUPATIONS OF THE DAY.—COUNCIL OF STATE.—DISGRACE - OF PORTALIS.—DISSOLUTION OF THE LEGISLATIVE - BODY, IN 1813.—THE SENATE. - -November 1st—4th. Our days now passed away in the same uniformity as -those which we spent on board the vessel. The Emperor summoned me to -breakfast with him about ten or eleven o’clock. That meal being -concluded, after half an hour’s conversation, I read to him what he had -dictated the evening before, and he renewed his dictations. The Emperor -discontinued his practice of dressing as soon as he rose, and walking -before breakfast, which had broken up his day too much, and rendered it -too long. He never dressed now till about four o’clock. He then walked -out, to give the servants an opportunity of making his bed, and cleaning -his room. We walked in the garden, which he particularly liked, on -account of its solitude. I had the little arbour covered with a canvass, -and ordered a table and chairs to be placed in it; and the Emperor -henceforward chose this spot for dictating to such of the gentlemen as -came from the town for that purpose. - -In front of Mr. Balcombe’s house there was a walk bordered by some -trees. It was here that the two English soldiers had posted themselves -for the purpose of watching us. They were, however, at length removed, -by desire of Mr. Balcombe, who felt offended at the circumstance on his -own account. Nevertheless, they still continued for some time to move -about, so as to get a sight of the Emperor; either attracted by -curiosity, or acting in obedience to their orders. At length they -entirely disappeared, and the Emperor gradually took possession of this -lower walk. This was quite an acquisition to his domain; and he walked -here every day before dinner. The two young ladies, with their mother, -joined him in this walk, and told him the news. He sometimes returned to -the garden after dinner, when the weather permitted; he was then enabled -to spend the evening without paying a visit to his neighbours, which he -never did when he could avoid it, nor ever till he was satisfied that no -stranger was there, which I always ascertained previously, by peeping -through the window. - -In one of his walks, the Emperor conversed much on the subject of the -Senate, the Legislative Body, and particularly the Council of State. The -latter, he said, had been of considerable service to him during the -whole course of his administration. I will here note down some remarks -relative to the Council of State, the more readily, as it was very -little understood at the time in the drawing-rooms of Paris; and as it -does not now exist on the same footing as formerly, I shall insert, as I -proceed, a few lines on its mechanism and prerogatives. - -“The Council of State,” said the Emperor, “was generally composed of -well-informed, skilful, and honest men. Fermont and Boulay, for example, -were certainly of this class. Notwithstanding the immense law-suits -which they conducted, and the vast emoluments they enjoyed, I should not -be surprised to learn that they are not now in very flourishing -circumstances.” The Emperor employed the councillors of state -individually in every case, and with advantage. As a whole, they were -his real council—his mind in deliberation, as the ministers were his -mind in execution. At the Council of State were prepared the laws which -the Emperor presented to the Legislative Body, a circumstance which -rendered it altogether one of the elements of the legislative power. In -the Council, the Emperor’s decrees and his rules of public -administration were drawn up; and there the plans of his ministers were -examined, discussed, and corrected. - -The Council of State received appeals and pronounced finally on all -administrative judgments; and incidentally on those of all other -tribunals, even those of the Court of Cassation. There were examined -complaints against the ministers, and appeals from the Emperor to the -Emperor better informed. Thus the Council of State, at which the Emperor -uniformly presided, being frequently in direct opposition to the -ministers, or occupied in reforming their acts and errors, naturally -became the point of refuge for persons or interests aggrieved by any -authority whatever. All who were ever present at the meetings of the -council must know with what zeal the cause of the citizens was there -defended. A committee of the Council of State received all the petitions -of the Empire, and laid before the Sovereign those which deserved his -attention. - -With the exception of lawyers and persons employed in the -administration, it is surprising how far the rest of society were -ignorant of our political legislation. No one had a correct idea of the -Council of State, of the Legislative Body, or of the Senate. It was -received, for example, as an established fact, that the Legislative -Body, like an assembly of mutes, passively adopted, without the least -opposition, all the laws which were presented to it; that which belonged -to the nature and excellence of the institution was attributed to its -complaisance and servility. - -The laws which were prepared in the Council of State were presented by -commissioners, chosen from that council, to a committee of the -Legislative Body appointed to receive them; they were there amicably -discussed, and were often quietly referred back to the Council of State -to receive some modifications. When the two deputations could not come -to an understanding, they proceeded to hold regular conferences, under -the presidency of the Arch-chancellor or the Arch-treasurer; so that, -before these laws reached the Legislative Body, they had already -received the assent of the two opposite parties. If any difference -existed, it was discussed by the two committees, in the presence of the -whole of the Legislative Body, performing the functions of a jury; -which, as soon as its members had become sufficiently acquainted with -the facts, pronounced its decision by a secret scrutiny. Thus every -individual had an opportunity of freely giving his opinion, as it was -impossible to know whether he had put in a black or a white ball. “No -plan,” said the Emperor, “could have been better calculated to correct -our national effervescence and our inexperience in matters of political -liberty.” - -The Emperor asked me whether I thought discussion perfectly free in the -Council of State, or whether his presence did not impose a restraint on -the deliberations? I reminded him of a very long debate, during which he -had remained throughout singular in his opinion, and had at last been -obliged to yield. He immediately recollected the circumstance. “Oh, -yes,” said he, “that must have been in the case of a woman of Amsterdam, -who had been tried for her life and acquitted three several times by the -Imperial Courts, but against whom a fresh trial was demanded in the -Court of Cassation.” The Emperor hoped that this happy concurrence of -the law might have exhausted its severity in favour of the prisoner; -that this lucky fatality of circumstances might have turned to her -advantage. It was urged in reply that he possessed the beneficent power -of bestowing pardon; but that the law was inflexible, and must take its -course. The debate was a very long one. M. Muraire spoke a great deal, -and very much to the point; he persuaded every one except the Emperor, -who still remained singular in his opinion, and at length yielded, with -these remarkable words:—“Gentlemen, the decision goes by the majority -here, I remain single, and must yield; but I declare, in my conscience, -that I yield only to forms. You have reduced me to silence, but by no -means convinced me.” - -So little was the nature of the Council of State understood by people in -general that it was believed no one dared utter a word in that assembly -in opposition to the Emperor’s opinion. Thus I very much surprised many -persons when I related the fact that, one day, during a very animated -debate, the Emperor, having been interrupted three times in giving his -opinion, turned towards the individual who had rather rudely cut him -short, and said in a sharp tone: “I have not yet done; I beg you will -allow me to continue. I believe every one here has a right to deliver -his opinion.” The smartness of this reply, notwithstanding the solemnity -of the occasion, excited a general laugh, in which the Emperor himself -joined. - -“Yet,” said I to him, “the speakers evidently sought to discover what -might be your Majesty’s opinion: they seemed to congratulate themselves -when their views coincided with yours, and to be embarrassed on finding -themselves maintaining opposite sentiments. You were accused, too, of -laying snares for us, in order to discover our real opinion.” However, -when the question was once started, self-love and the warmth of argument -contributed, along with the freedom of discussion which the Emperor -encouraged, to induce every one to maintain his own opinion. “I do not -mind being contradicted,” said the Emperor; “I seek to be informed. -Speak boldly,” he would repeat, whenever the speaker expressed himself -equivocally, or the subject was a delicate one; “tell me all that you -think; we are alone here; we are all _en famille_.” - -I have been informed that, under the Consulate, or at the commencement -of the Empire, the Emperor opposed an opinion of one of the members, -and, through the warmth and obstinacy of the latter, the affair at -length amounted absolutely to a personal misunderstanding. Napoleon -commanded his temper, and was silent; but a few days after, seeing his -antagonist at one of the public audiences, he said to him, in a -half-earnest manner, “You are extremely obstinate; and if I were equally -so!——At all events, you are in the wrong to put power to the trial! You -should not be unmindful of human weakness!” - -On another occasion, he said in private to one of the members who had -likewise driven him to the utmost extreme, “You must take a little more -care to consult my temper. You lately rather exceeded the bounds of -discretion: you obliged me to have recourse to scratching my forehead. -That is a very ominous sign with me: avoid urging me so far for the -future.” - -Nothing could equal the interest which the presence and the words of the -Emperor excited in the Council of State. He presided there regularly -twice a week when he was in town, and then none of us would have been -absent for the whole world. - -I told the Emperor that two sittings in particular had made the deepest -impression on me: one entirely of sentiment, relating to matters of -internal police, in which he had expelled one of the members of the -Council; the other of constitutional decision, in which he had dissolved -the Legislative Body. - -A religious party was fomenting civil discord in the State, by secretly -circulating bulls and letters from the Pope. They were shewn to a -Councillor of State, appointed to superintend religious worship; and -who, if he did not himself circulate them, at least neither prevented -nor denounced their circulation. This was discovered, and the Emperor -suddenly challenged him with the fact in open Council. “What could have -been your motive, sir?” said he: “were you influenced by your religious -principles? If so, why are you here? I use no control over the -conscience of any man. Did I force you to become my Councillor of State? -On the contrary, you solicited the post as a high favour. You are the -youngest member of the Council, and perhaps the only one who has not -some personal claim to that honour; you had nothing to recommend you but -the inheritance of your father’s services. You took a personal oath to -me; how could your religious feelings permit you openly to violate that -oath, as you have just now done? Speak, however; you are here in -confidence: your colleagues shall be your judges. Your crime is a great -one, sir. A conspiracy for the commission of a violent act is stopped as -soon as we seize the arm that holds the poniard. But a conspiracy to -influence the public mind has no en: it is like a train of gunpowder. -Perhaps, at this very moment, whole towns are thrown into commotion -through your fault!” The Councillor, quite confused, said nothing in -reply: the first word had sufficed to convict him. The members of the -council, to the majority of whom this event was quite unexpected, were -struck with astonishment, and observed profound silence.—“Why,” -continued the Emperor, “did you not, according to the obligation imposed -by your oath, discover to me the criminal and his plots? Am I not at all -times accessible to everyone of you?” “Sire,” said the Councillor, at -length venturing to reply, “he was my cousin.”—“Your crime is then the -greater, sir,” replied the Emperor sharply; “your kinsman could only -have been placed in office at your solicitation: from that moment all -the responsibility devolved on you. When I look upon a man as entirely -devoted to me, as your situation ought to render you, all who are -connected with him, and all for whom he becomes responsible, from that -time require no watching. These are my maxims.” The accused member still -remained silent, and the Emperor continued: “The duties which a -Councillor of State owes to me are immense. You, sir, have violated -those duties, and you hold the office no longer. Begone: let me never -see you here again!” The disgraced Councillor, as he was withdrawing, -passed very near the Emperor: the latter looked at him and said, “I am -sincerely grieved at this, sir, for the services of your father are -still fresh in my memory.” When he was gone, the Emperor added, “I hope -such a scene as this may never be renewed; it has done me too much -harm.—I am not distrustful, but I might become so! I have allowed myself -to be surrounded by every party; I have placed near my person even -emigrants and soldiers of the army of Condé; and, though it was wished -to induce them to assassinate me, yet, to do them justice, they have -continued faithful. Since I have held the reins of government, this is -the first individual employed about me, by whom I have been betrayed.” -And then, turning towards M. Locré, who took notes of the debates of the -Council of State, he said, “write down _betrayed_—do you hear?” - -What an interesting collection were those reports of M. Locré! What has -become of them? All that I have here related would be found in them word -for word. - -With respect to the dissolution of the Legislative Body, the Council of -State was convoked either on the last day, or the last day but one of -December, 1813. We knew that the debate would be an important one, -without however knowing its object: the crisis was of the most serious -nature, the enemy was entering on the French territory. - -“Gentlemen,” said the Emperor, “you are aware of the situation of -affairs, and the dangers to which the country is exposed. I thought it -right, without being obliged to do so, to forward a private -communication on the subject to the Deputies of the Legislative Body. I -wished thus to have associated them with their dearest interests: but -they have converted this act of my confidence into a weapon against me; -that is to say, against the country. Instead of assisting me with all -their efforts, they seek to obstruct mine. Our attitude alone would be -sufficient to check the advance of the enemy, while their conduct -invites him; instead of shewing him a front of brass, they unveil to him -our wounds. They stun me with their clamorous demands for peace, while -the only means to obtain it was to recommend war; they complain of me, -and speak of their grievances; but what time, what place, do they select -for so doing? These are subjects to be discussed in private, and not in -the presence of the enemy. Was I inaccessible to them? Did I ever shew -myself incapable of arguing reasonably? It is time, however, to come to -a resolution: the Legislative Body, instead of assisting me in saving -France, wishes to accelerate her ruin. The Legislative Body has betrayed -its duty—I fulfil mine—I dissolve it.” - -He then ordered the reading of a decree, the purport of which was that -two-fifths of the Legislative Body had already gone beyond their power; -that on the first of January another fifth would be in the same -situation, and that consequently the majority of the Legislative Body -would then be composed of members who had no right to be in it; that, in -consideration of these circumstances, it was, from that moment, -prorogued and adjourned, until fresh elections should be made. - -After the reading of this document, the Emperor continued: “Such is the -decree which I issue; and were I assured that it would bring the people -of Paris in a crowd to the Tuileries to murder me this very day, I would -still issue it; for such is my duty. When the people of France placed -their destinies in my hands, I took into consideration the laws by which -I was to govern them: had I thought those laws insufficient, I should -not have accepted them. I am not a Louis XVI. Daily vacillations must -not be expected from me. Though I have become Emperor, I have not ceased -to be a citizen. If anarchy were to resume her sway, I would abdicate -and mingle with the crowd to enjoy my share of the sovereignty, rather -than remain at the head of a system in which I should only compromise -all, without being able to protect any one. Besides,” concluded he, “my -determination is conformable to the law; and if every one here will do -his duty this day, I shall be invincible behind the shelter of the law -as well as before the enemy.” But, alas! every one did not perform his -duty! - -Contrary to the received opinion, the Emperor was far from being of an -arbitrary temper, and he was so willing to make concessions to his -Council of State that he has frequently been known to submit to -discussion, or even to annul a decision that he had adopted, because one -of the members might afterwards privately advance new arguments, or hint -that the personal opinion of the Emperor had influenced the majority. -Let the chiefs of the sections be referred to on this head. - -The Emperor was accustomed to communicate to members of the Institute -every scientific idea that occurred to him, and also to submit his -political ideas to Councillors of State: he often did this with private, -and even secret, views. It was a sure way, he said, to go to the heart -of a question; to ascertain the powers of a man and his political bias; -to take measure of his discretion, &c. I know that in the year XII. he -submitted to three Councillors of State the consideration of a very -extraordinary question: namely, the suppression of the Legislative Body. -It was approved by the majority; but one opposed it strenuously; he -spoke at great length, and much to the purpose. The Emperor, who had -listened to the discussion with great attention and gravity, without -uttering a single word, or suffering any indication of his opinion to -escape him, closed the sitting by observing, “A question of so serious a -nature deserves to be maturely considered; we will resume the subject.” -But it was never again brought forward. - -It would have been well had the same precautions been adopted at the -time of the suppression of the Tribunate; for that has always continued -to be a great subject of declamation and reproach. As for the Emperor, -he viewed it merely as the suppression of an expensive abuse, and an -important economical measure. - -“It is certain,” said he, “that the Tribunate was absolutely useless, -while it cost nearly half a million; I therefore suppressed it. I was -well aware that an outcry would be raised against the violation of the -law; but I was strong: I possessed the full confidence of the people, -and I considered myself a reformer. This at least is certain, that I did -all for the best. I should, on the contrary, have created the Tribunate, -had I been hypocritical or evil-disposed; for who can doubt that it -would have adopted and sanctioned, when necessary, my views and -intentions? But that was what I never sought after in the whole course -of my administration. I never purchased any vote or decision by -promises, money, or places; and if I distributed favours to ministers, -councillors of state, and legislators, it was because there were things -to give away, and it was natural and even just that they should be dealt -out among those whose avocations brought them in contact with me. - -“In my time all constituted bodies were pure and irreproachable: and I -can firmly declare that they acted from conviction. Malevolence and -folly may have asserted the contrary; but without ground. If those -bodies were condemned, it was by persons who knew them not, or wished -not to know them: and the reproaches that were levelled at them, must be -attributed to the discontent or opposition of the time; and above all, -to that spirit of envy, detraction, and ridicule, which is so peculiarly -natural to the French people. The Senate has been much abused; great -outcry has been raised against its servility and baseness; but -declamation is not proof. What was the Senate expected to do? To refuse -conscripts? Was it wished that the committees of personal liberty and of -the liberty of the press should bring disgrace upon the Government? or -that the Senate should do what was done in 1813 by a committee of the -Legislative body? But where did that measure lead us? I doubt whether -the French people are now very grateful for it. The truth is that we -were placed in forced and unnatural circumstances: men of understanding -knew this, and accommodated themselves to the urgency of the moment. It -is not known that, in almost every important measure, the senators, -before they gave their vote, came to communicate to me privately, and -sometimes very decidedly, their objections, and even their refusal; and -they went away convinced either by my arguments or by the necessity and -urgency of affairs. If I never gave publicity to this fact, it was -because I governed conscientiously, and because I despised quackery, and -every thing like it. - -“The votes of the Senate was always unanimous, because their conviction -was universal. Endeavours were made at the time to cry up an -insignificant minority, whom the hypocritical praises of malevolence, -together with their own vanity, or some other perversity of character, -excited to harmless opposition. But did the individuals composing that -minority evince, in the last crisis, either sound heads or sincere -hearts? I once more repeat that the career of the Senate was -irreproachable; the moment of its fall was alone disgraceful and -culpable. Without right, without power, and in violation of every -principle, the Senate surrendered France, and accomplished her ruin. -That body was the sport of high intriguers, whose interest it was to -discredit and degrade it, and to ruin one of the great bases of the -modern system. It may be truly said that they succeeded completely; for -I know of no body that ought to be described in history with more -ignominy than the French Senate. However, it is but just to observe that -the stain rests not on the majority, and that among the delinquents -there was a multitude of foreigners, who will at least be in future -indifferent to our honour and interests.” - -On the arrival of the Count d’Artois, the Council of State exerted every -effort to attract his attention, and secure his favour. A deputation of -the Council was twice presented to him, and permission was solicited to -send one to meet the King at Compèigne. To this solicitation the -Lieutenant-General of the kingdom replied, that the King would willingly -receive the individual members of the Council; but that the sending of a -deputation was a thing not to be thought of. It is true that the _gros -bonnets_, that is to say the Chiefs of the Section, were absent. All -this agitation had no other object than to insure the payment of their -salary, and, perhaps, the retention of their places. Thus the Council of -State immediately signed its adherence to the resolutions of the Senate, -avoiding, it is true, every expression that might be offensive to -Napoleon; “And you signed it,” said the Emperor. “No, Sire, I declined -signing that adherence, on the ground that it was an egregious piece of -folly to endeavour to remain successively the councillor and the -confidential servant of two antagonists; and that, besides, if the -conqueror were wise, the best pledge that could be offered to his notice -would be fidelity and respect towards the conquered party.”—“And you -reasoned rightly,” observed Napoleon. - -5th.—Nearly all our party were assembled round the Emperor in the -garden. Those who were lodged in the town complained much of the -inconvenience and continual vexations to which they were exposed. The -Emperor, for the last fortnight, had laid down the rule of making no -communication on this head, except in writing, which he conceived to be -the manner most suitable and best calculated to produce the wished-for -result. He had drawn up a note on this subject, which should have been -delivered some days ago, but which had been neglected. He alluded -several times to this business, and in a tone of displeasure. All his -indirect arguments and observations applied to the Grand Marshal. The -latter at length took umbrage: for who is not rendered irritable by -misfortune? He expressed himself in rather pointed language. His wife, -who was standing near the garden-gate, despairing of being able to -appease the storm, withdrew. I had now an opportunity of observing how -the impressions produced by this circumstance succeeded each other with -rapidity in the Emperor’s mind. Reason, logic, and it may be added, -sentiment, always prevailed.—“If,” said he, “you did not deliver the -letter because you considered it to be couched in offensive terms, you -performed a duty of friendship; but surely this did not require a delay -of more than twenty-four hours. A fortnight has elapsed without your -mentioning it to me. If the plan was faulty, if the letter was -ill-expressed, why not have told me so? I should have assembled you all -to discuss the matter with me.” - -We all stood near the arbour at the extremity of the path, while the -Emperor walked to and fro before us. At a moment, when he had gone to a -little distance from us, and was out of hearing, the Grand Marshal, -addressing himself to me, said:—“I fear I have expressed myself -improperly, and I am sorry for it.”—“We will leave you alone with him,” -said I; “you will soon make him forget the offence.” I accordingly -beckoned the other individuals who were present to leave the garden. - -In the evening, the Emperor, conversing with me about the events of the -morning, said:—“It was after we had made it up with the Grand Marshal—It -was before the misunderstanding with the Grand Marshal,”—and other -things of the same sort, which proved that the affair had left no -impression on his heart. - -THE GENERALS OF THE ARMY OF ITALY.—ANCIENT ARMIES.—GENGISKAN.—MODERN - INVASIONS.—CHARACTER OF CONQUERORS. - -6th.—The Emperor was somewhat unwell, and employed himself in writing in -his chamber. He dictated to me the portraits of the Generals of the army -of Italy—Massena, Augereau, Serrurier, &c. Massena was endowed with -extraordinary courage and firmness, which seemed to increase in excess -of danger. When conquered, he was always as ready to fight the battle -again as though he had been the conqueror. Augereau, on the contrary, -seemed to be tired and disheartened by victory, of which he always had -enough. His person, his manners, and his language, gave him the air of a -bravo. This, however, says the narration, he was far from being, when he -once found himself sated with honours and riches, which he had bestowed -upon himself on every occasion that offered, and by every means in his -power. Serrurier, who retained the manners and severity of an old major -of infantry, was an honest and trustworthy man; but an unfortunate -general, &c. - -Among the various subjects of the day’s conversation, I note down what -the Emperor said respecting the armies of the Ancients. He asked whether -the accounts of the great armies mentioned in history were to be -credited. He was of opinion that those statements were false and absurd. -He placed no faith in the descriptions of the innumerable armies of the -Carthaginians in Sicily. “Such a multitude of troops,” he observed, -“would have been useless in so inconsiderable an enterprise; and if -Carthage could have assembled such a force, a still greater one would -have been raised in Hannibal’s expedition, which was of much greater -importance, but in which not more than forty or fifty thousand men were -employed.” He did not believe the accounts of the millions of men -composing the forces of Darius and Xerxes, which might have covered all -Greece, and which would doubtless have been subdivided into a multitude -of partial armies. He even doubted the whole of that brilliant period of -Greek history; and he regarded the famous Persian war only as a series -of those undecided actions, in which each party claims the victory. -Xerxes returned triumphant, after taking, burning, and destroying -Athens; and the Greeks exulted in their victory, because they had not -surrendered at Salamis. “With regard to the pompous accounts of the -conquests of the Greeks, and the defeat of their numberless enemies, it -must be recollected,” observed the Emperor, “that the Greeks, who wrote -them, were a vain and hyperbolical people; and that no Persian chronicle -has ever been produced to set our judgment right by contrary -statements.” - -But the Emperor attached credit to Roman history, if not in its details, -at least in its results; because these were facts as clear as day-light. -He also believed the descriptions of the armies of Gengiskan and -Tamerlane, however numerous they are said to have been; because they -were followed by gregarious nations, who, on their part, were joined by -other wandering tribes as they advanced; “and it is not impossible,” -observed the Emperor, “that Europe may one day end thus. The revolution -produced by the Huns, the cause of which is unknown, because the tract -is lost in the desert, may at a future period be renewed.” - -The situation of Russia is admirably calculated to assist her in -bringing about such a catastrophe. She may collect at will numberless -auxiliaries, and scatter them over Europe. The wandering tribes of the -north will be the better disposed and the more impatient to engage in -such enterprises, in proportion as their imaginations have been fired, -and their avarice excited, by the successes of those of their countrymen -who lately visited us. - -The conversation next turned on conquests and conquerors; and the -Emperor observed that, to be a successful conqueror, it was necessary to -be ferocious, and that, if he had been such, he might have conquered the -world. I presumed to dissent from this opinion, which was doubtless -expressed in a moment of vexation. I represented that he, Napoleon, was -precisely a proof of the contrary; that he had not been ferocious, and -yet had conquered the world; and that, with the manners of modern times, -ferocity would certainly never have raised him to so high a point. I -added that, at the present day, terror could never subject us to the -control of an individual man; and that dominion was to be secured only -by good laws, joined to greatness of character, and that degree of -energy, which is proof against every trial, in him who is charged with -the execution of the laws. These, I affirmed, were precisely the causes -of Napoleon’s success, and of the submission and obedience of the people -over whom he ruled. - -The Convention was ferocious, and inspired terror: it was submitted to, -but could not be endured. Had the power been vested in an individual, -his overthrow would soon have been accomplished. But the Convention was -a hydra, yet how many attempts were hazarded for its destruction!—how -many dangers did it escape as if by miracle! It was reduced to the -necessity of burying itself amidst its triumphs. - -For a conqueror to be ferocious, with success, he must of necessity -command troops who are themselves ferocious, and he must wield dominion -over unenlightened people. In this respect Russia possesses an immense -superiority over the rest of Europe. She has the rare advantage of -possessing a civilized government, and barbarous subjects. There, -information directs and commands, while ignorance executes and destroys. -A Turkish Sultan could not long govern any enlightened European nation; -the empire of knowledge would be too strong for his power. - -Speaking on another subject, the Emperor observed that, if the French -people had less energy than the Romans, they at least evinced greater -decorum. We should not have killed ourselves, as the Romans did under -the first Emperors; but at the same time we should have afforded no -examples of the turpitude and servility that marked the later periods of -the Roman empire. “Even in our most corrupt days,” said he, “our -baseness was not without certain restrictions: courtiers, whom the -sovereign could have prevailed on to do any thing in his own palace, -would have refused to bend the knee to him at his levee.” - -I have already mentioned that we had with us scarcely any document -relative to French affairs during the Emperor’s time. The books that had -been brought among his effects were merely a few classics which he -carried about with him in all his campaigns. I received from Major -Hudson, resident in the island, a political compendium from 1793 to -1807, entitled “The Annual Register,” which contains the succession of -political events during each year, together with some of the most -important official documents. In our destitute circumstances this was a -valuable acquisition. - - - IDEAS.—PLANS.—POLITICAL SUGGESTIONS, &C. - -7th.—The Emperor breakfasted alone, and was engaged during the day in -dictating to the Grand Marshal and M. de Montholon. - -In the evening, as the Emperor and I were walking together in the lower -path, which had now become the favourite resort, I informed him that a -person of consequence, whose ideas and statements might become the -channel of mediation between ourselves and the ruling world, and -influence our future destiny, had, with sufficiently significant forms -and preambles, invited us to tell him conscientiously what we believed -to be the Emperor’s notions on certain political subjects:—whether he -had granted his last constitution with the intention of maintaining -it;—whether he had sincerely abandoned his former plans as to the great -empire;—whether he would consent to leave England in the enjoyment of -her maritime supremacy, without envying her the tranquil possession of -India;—whether he would be willing to renounce the Colonies, and to -purchase colonial goods from the English alone, at the regular market -price;—whether he would not form an alliance with the Americans, in case -of their rupture with England;—whether he would consent to the existence -of a great kingdom in Germany, for that branch of the English royal -family which must immediately forfeit the throne of Great Britain on the -accession of the Princess Charlotte of Wales, or, in default of Germany, -whether he would consent to the establishment of that dominion in -Portugal, in case England should conclude arrangements to that effect -with the Court of Brazil. - -These questions did not rest on vague ideas or idle opinions: the -individual supported them on positive facts. “We want,” said he, “a long -and lasting peace on the Continent—we want the tranquil enjoyment of our -present advantages, to help us out of the critical circumstances in -which we are now involved, and to relieve us from the enormous debt with -which we are burthened. The present state of France and of Europe,” -added he, “cannot bring about these results. The victory of Waterloo has -ruined you; but it was far from saving us; every sensible man in -England, every one who escapes the momentary influence of passion, -either does think, or will think, as I do.” - -The Emperor doubted a part of this statement, and treated the rest as a -reverie; then, changing his tone, he said to me, “Well, what is your -opinion? Come, sir, you are now in the Council of State.”—“Sire,” I -replied, “people often indulge in reveries on the most serious subjects; -and our being imprisoned at St. Helena does not hinder us from composing -romances. Here then is one. Why not form a political marriage between -the two nations, in which the one would bring the army as a dowry: and -the other the navy? This will doubtless appear an absurd idea in the -eyes of the vulgar, and will perhaps be thought too bold by -well-informed people, because it is entirely novel and out of the usual -routine. But it is one of those unforeseen, luminous and useful -creations of plans which characterize your Majesty. You alone can cause -it to be listened to, and carry it into effect.” - -Going even beyond the ideas of our English interlocutor, I said, “Would -not your Majesty give to-morrow, if you could, the whole French navy to -purchase Belgium and the bank of the Rhine? Would you not give one -hundred and fifty millions to purchase tens of thousands of millions? -Besides, such a bargain would procure to both nations at once the object -for which they have been wrangling and fighting for so many years; it -would reduce both countries to the necessity of mutually assisting each -other, instead of maintaining perpetual enmity. Would it be nothing for -France that her merchants in the English colonies should henceforward be -on the footing of Englishmen; and thus secure, without striking a blow, -the enjoyment of the trade of the whole world? Would it not be every -thing for England, on the other hand, for the sake of insuring to -herself the sovereignty of the ocean, the universality of trade (for -obtaining and preserving which she has incurred so many risks), to -attach France to a system by which the latter would become the regulator -and arbitrator of the Continent? - -“Henceforth secure from danger, and strengthened by all the power of her -ally, England might disband her army, in return for the sacrifice which -France would make of her navy. She might even reduce considerably the -number of her ships. She would thus pay her debt, relieve her people, -and prosper; and, far from envying France, she would (the system being -once fairly understood, and passion having given place to real -interests) herself labour for the Continental aggrandizement of her -neighbour; for France would then be merely the advance-guard, while -England would be the resource and the reserve. Unity of legislation -between the two nations, their common interests, results so visibly -advantageous, would make amends for all the obstacles and difficulties -which the passions of rulers might oppose to the fulfilment of this -plan.” - -The Emperor heard me, but made no reply: it is seldom that one can -ascertain his private opinions, and he rarely enters into political -conversations. Lest I should not have expressed myself with sufficient -clearness, I requested that he would permit me to unfold my ideas in -writing. He consented, and said no more. It was now very late, and he -retired to rest. - -8th.—The Emperor dictated in the garden to Messrs. Montholon and -Gourgaud, and then walked on his favourite path. He was fatigued and -indisposed. He observed some females about to advance on the path, and -to throw themselves awkwardly in his way, for the sake of being -introduced to him; this annoyed him, and he turned away to avoid meeting -them. - -I suggested that riding on horseback might be beneficial to him; we had -three horses at our disposal. The Emperor replied that he never could -reconcile himself to the idea of having an English officer constantly at -his side; that he decidedly renounced riding on such conditions; adding, -that every thing in life must be reduced to calculation, and that, if -the vexation arising from the sight of his jailor were greater than the -advantage he might derive from riding, it was of course advisable to -renounce the recreation altogether. - -The Emperor ate but little dinner. During the dessert he amused himself -in examining the paintings on some plates of very beautiful Sevres -porcelain. They were masterpieces in their kind, and were worth thirty -Napoleons each. The paintings represented views or objects of antiquity -in Egypt. - -The Emperor closed the day with a walk on his favourite path. He -remarked that he had been very dull all day. After several broken -conversations, he looked at his watch, and was very glad to find it was -half-past ten. - -The weather was delicious, and the Emperor insensibly recovered his -usual spirits. He complained of his constitution, which, though -vigorous, occasionally exposed him to fits of indisposition. He, -however, consoled himself with the thought that if, in imitation of the -ancients, he should ever feel inclined to escape from the disgusts and -vexations of life, his moral opinions were not of a nature to prevent -him. He said that sometimes he could not reflect without horror on the -many years he might still have to live, and on the inutility of a -protracted old age; and that, if he were convinced France was happy and -tranquil, and not needing his aid, he should have lived long enough. - -We ascended to the pavilion, it was past midnight, and we thought we had -gained a signal victory over time. - -9th.—I called on Mr. Balcombe very early, to deliver to him my letters -for Europe, as a vessel was on the point of sailing. At Mr. Balcombe’s -house I met the officer who had been appointed as our guard. Struck with -the dejection which I had observed in the Emperor the day before, and -convinced of the necessity of his taking exercise, I told the officer -that I suspected the reason which prevented the Emperor from riding on -horseback; I added, that I would speak to him the more candidly and -openly, since I had noticed the very delicate way in which he discharged -his duty. I inquired what were his instructions, and whether it would be -necessary to observe them literally, in case the Emperor merely took a -ride round the house; adverting to the repugnance which he must -naturally feel for arrangements that were calculated every moment to -revive the recollection of the situation in which he was placed. I -assured the officer that no reflections were intended to be cast on him -personally, and that I was convinced, when the Emperor wished to take -long rides, he would prefer having him to accompany him. The officer -replied that his instructions were to follow the Emperor; but that, as -he made it a rule not to do any thing that might be offensive to him, he -would take upon himself not to accompany him. - -At breakfast I communicated to the Emperor the conversation I had had -with the Captain. He replied that it was all well meant on the Captain’s -part; but that _he_ should not avail himself of the indulgence, as it -was not conformable with his sentiments to enjoy an advantage which -might be the means of compromising an officer. - -This determination was very fortunate. When I went to Mr. Balcombe’s in -the evening, the Captain took me aside to inform me that he had been to -the town, in the course of the day, to speak with the Admiral respecting -our morning’s conversation, and that he had been enjoined to abide by -his instructions. I could not refrain from replying, somewhat sharply, -that I was certain the Emperor would immediately send back the three -horses that had been assigned for his use. The officer, to whom I had -also communicated the reply which the Emperor had given me in the -morning relative to him, observed that it would be very right to send -back the horses, and that he thought nothing better could be done. This -remark appeared to me to be prompted by the mortification he himself -experienced at the part that was imposed on him. - -When we left Mr. Balcombe’s, the Emperor walked up and down the path in -the garden. I mentioned to him what I had heard from the English -officer. He seemed to expect it. I was not deceived in my conjecture; he -ordered me to send away the horses. This vexed me exceedingly; and I -said, perhaps rather sharply, that with his leave I would go and fulfil -his orders immediately. On which he replied, with great gravity and in a -very peculiar tone of voice:—“No, Sir, you are now out of temper. It -rarely happens that any thing is done well under such circumstances; it -is always best to let the night pass over after the offence of the day.” - -We continued our walk till nearly midnight: the weather was delightful. - -10th.—To-day, when our usual task was ended, the Emperor strolled out in -a new direction. He proceeded towards the town, until he came within -sight of the road and the shipping. As he was returning, he met Mrs. -Balcombe, and a Mrs. Stuart, a very pretty woman about twenty years of -age, who was returning from Bombay to England. The Emperor conversed -with her respecting the manners and customs of India, and the -inconveniencies of a sea-voyage, particularly for females. He also spoke -of Scotland, which was Mrs. Stuart’s native country; said a great deal -about Ossian, and complimented the lady on the climate of India not -having spoiled her clear Scottish complexion. - -At this moment some slaves, carrying heavy boxes, passed by us on the -road; Mrs. Balcombe desired them, in rather an angry tone, to keep back; -but the Emperor interfered, saying, “Respect the burden, Madam!” At -these words, Mrs. Stuart, who had been attentively observing the -Emperor’s features, said, in a low tone of voice, to her friend: -“Heavens! what a countenance, and what a character! How different from -what I had been led to expect!” - -MIDNIGHT CONVERSATIONS BY MOONLIGHT.—THE TWO EMPRESSES.—MARIA LOUISA’S - MARRIAGE.—HER HOUSEHOLD.—THE DUCHESS DE MONTEBELLO.—MADAME DE - MONTESQUIOU.—THE INSTITUTE OF MEUDON.— SENTIMENTS OF THE HOUSE OF - AUSTRIA, WITH REGARD TO NAPOLEON.—ANECDOTES COLLECTED IN GERMANY, - SINCE MY RETURN TO EUROPE. - -11th—13th. We led a most regular life at Briars. Every day, after -dictating to me, the Emperor walked out between three and four o’clock. -He descended to the garden, where he walked up and down, and dictated to -one of the gentlemen who came from the town for that purpose, and who -wrote in the little arbour. About half-past five o’clock, he passed Mr. -Balcombe’s house, and went into the lower walk, to which he became every -day more and more attached. At this time the family were at dinner, and -he could enjoy his promenade without interruption. I joined the Emperor -here, and he continued his walk until dinner was announced. - -After dinner the Emperor again returned to the garden, where he -sometimes had his coffee brought to him. My son then visited Mr. -Balcombe’s family, and the Emperor and I walked up and down. We -frequently remained in the garden until the night was far advanced and -the moon rose to light us. In the mildness and serenity of the night we -forgot the burning heat of the day. The Emperor never was more -talkative, nor seemed more perfectly to forget his cares, than during -these moonlight walks. In the familiarity of the conversations which I -thus enjoyed with him, he took pleasure in relating anecdotes of his -boyhood, in describing the sentiments and illusions which diffused a -charm over the early years of his youth, and in detailing the -circumstances of his private life, since he had played so distinguished -a part on the great theatre of the world. I have elsewhere noted down -what I conceived myself at liberty to repeat. Sometimes he seemed to -think he had spoken too much at length, and had detailed things too -minutely. He would then say to me: “Come, it is your turn now: let me -have a little of your history; but you are not a tale-teller.” Indeed I -took especial care to be silent; I was too much afraid of losing a -syllable of what so deeply interested me. - -In one of our nightly walks, the Emperor told me that he had, in the -course of his life, been attached to two women of very different -characters. The one was the votary of art and the graces; the other was -all innocence and simple nature; and each, he observed, had a very high -degree of merit. - -The first, in no moment of her life ever assumed a position or attitude -that was not pleasing or captivating; it would have been impossible ever -to discover in her, or to experience from her, any thing unpleasant. She -employed every resource of art to heighten natural attractions; but with -such ingenuity as to render every trace of it imperceptible. The other, -on the contrary, never even suspected that any thing was to be gained by -innocent artifice. The one was always beside the truth, her first answer -was always in the negative; the other was altogether frank and open, and -was a stranger to subterfuge. The first never asked her husband for any -thing, but she was in debt to every one: the second freely asked -whenever she wanted, which, however, very seldom happened; and she never -thought of receiving any thing without immediately paying for it. Both -were amiable and gentle in disposition, and strongly attached to their -husband. But it must already have been guessed who they are; and those -who have ever seen them will not fail to recognise the two Empresses. - -The Emperor declared that he had uniformly experienced from both the -greatest equality of temper and most implicit obedience. - -The marriage of Maria-Louisa was consummated at Fontainebleau, -immediately after her arrival. The Emperor, setting aside all the -etiquette that had previously been arranged, went to meet her, and, in -disguise, got into her carriage. She was agreeably surprised when she -discovered him. She had always been given to understand that Berthier, -who had married her by proxy at Vienna, in person and age exactly -resembled the Emperor: she, however, signified that she observed a very -pleasing difference between them. - -The Emperor wished to spare her all the details of domestic etiquette, -customary on such occasions: she had, however, received careful -instructions on the subject at Vienna. The Emperor inquired what -directions she had received from her illustrious relatives with regard -to him personally. To be entirely devoted to him, and to obey him in all -things, was the reply. This declaration, and not the decisions of -certain cardinals and bishops, as was reported, proved the solution of -all the Emperor’s scruples of conscience. Besides, Henry IV. acted in -the same way on a similar occasion. - -Maria-Louisa’s marriage, said the Emperor, was proposed and concluded -under the same forms and conditions as that of Marie-Antoinette, whose -contract was adopted as a model. After the separation from Josephine, -negotiations were entered into with the Emperor of Russia, for the -purpose of soliciting the hand of one of his sisters: the difficulties -rested merely on the settling of certain points relative to religion. -Prince Eugene, conversing with M. de Schwartzenberg, learned that the -Emperor of Austria would not object to an union between Napoleon and his -daughter; and this information was communicated to the Emperor. A -council was convoked to decide whether an alliance with Russia or -Austria would be most advantageous. Eugene and Talleyrand were for the -Austrian alliance, and Cambaceres against it. The majority were in -favour of an Archduchess. Eugene was appointed to make the official -overture, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs was empowered to sign it -that very day if an opportunity should present itself; which proved to -be the case. - -Russia took umbrage at this; she thought herself trifled with, though -without just ground. Nothing of an obligatory nature had yet transpired; -both parties remained perfectly free. Political interests predominated -over every thing. - -The Emperor appointed the Duchess de Montebello to be lady of honour to -Maria-Louisa; the Count de Beauharnais to be her gentleman of honour, -and the Prince Aldobrandini to be her equerry. In the misfortunes of -1814, these individuals, said the Emperor, did not evince the -devotedness which the Empress was entitled to expect from them. Her -equerry deserted her without taking his leave; her gentleman of honour -refused to follow her; and her lady of honour, notwithstanding the -attachment which the Empress entertained for her, thought she had -completely fulfilled her duty in attending her mistress as far as -Vienna. - -The appointment of the Duchess de Montebello to the post of lady of -honour was one of those happy selections which, at the time it was made, -excited universal approbation. The Duchess was a young and beautiful -woman, of irreproachable character, and the widow of a marshal, called -the _Orlando_ of the army, who had recently fallen on the field of -battle. This choice was very agreeable to the army, and encouraged the -national party, who were alarmed at the marriage and the number and rank -of the chamberlains who were appointed. This retinue was, by many, -looked upon as a step towards the counter-revolution; and endeavours -were made to represent it as such. As for the Emperor, he had acted in -ignorance of the character of Maria-Louisa, and had been principally -influenced by the fear that she would be filled with prejudices -respecting birth, that might be offensive at the Court. When he came to -know her better, and found that she was wholly imbued with the -prevailing notions of the day, he regretted not having made another -choice. He conceived that he should have done better to select the -Countess de Beauveau, a woman of amiable, mild, and inoffensive manners, -who would have been influenced only by the family advice of her numerous -relatives, and who might thus have introduced a kind of useful custom, -and have occasioned the appointment of well-recommended inferiors. She -might also have rallied about the Court many persons who were at a -distance; and that without any inconvenience, because these arrangements -could only have been brought about by the sanction of the Emperor, who -was not the sort of man to allow himself to be abused. - -The Empress conceived the tenderest affection for the Duchess de -Montebello. This lady had at one time a chance of being Queen of Spain. -Ferdinand VII. when at Valency, requested the Emperor’s permission to -marry Mademoiselle de Tascher, cousin-german of Josephine, and bearing -the same name, after the example of the Prince of Baden, who married -Mademoiselle de Beauharnais. The Emperor, who already contemplated a -separation from Josephine, refused his consent to the match, not wishing -by this connexion to add to the difficulties that already stood in the -way of his divorce. Ferdinand then solicited the hand of the Duchess de -Montebello, or of any other French lady whom the Emperor might think -proper to adopt. The Emperor subsequently gave Mademoiselle de Tascher -in marriage to the Duke d’Aremberg, whom he intended to create Governor -of the Netherlands; with the view of ultimately compensating Brussels -for the loss of the old Court. The Emperor moreover wished to appoint -the Count de Narbonne, who had taken part in the Empress’s marriage, -Gentleman of honour, in room of the Count de Beauharnais; but the -extreme aversion which Maria-Louisa evinced for this change deterred the -Emperor from carrying it into effect. The Empress’s dislike to the Count -de Narbonne was, however, only occasioned by the intrigues of the -individuals composing her household, who had nothing to fear from M. de -Beauharnais, but who very much dreaded the influence and talent of M. de -Narbonne. - -The Emperor informed us that, when he had to make appointments to -difficult posts, he usually asked the persons about him to furnish him -with a list of candidates; and from these lists, and the information he -obtained, he privately deliberated on his choice. He mentioned several -individuals who were proposed as lady of honour to the Empress: they -were the Princess de Vaudemont, Madame de Rochefoucalt, afterwards -Madame de Castellanes, and some others. He then asked us to tell him -whom we should have proposed; which occasioned us to take a review of a -good part of the Court. One of us mentioned Madame de Montesquiou; upon -which the Emperor replied, “She would have done well, but she had a post -which suited her still better. She was a woman of singular merit; her -piety was sincere, and her principles excellent; she had the highest -claims on my esteem and regard. I wanted half a dozen like her; I would -have given them all appointments equal to their deserts, and wished for -more. She discharged her duties admirably when with my son at Vienna.” - -The following anecdote will afford a correct idea of the manner in which -Madame de Montesquiou managed the King of Rome. The apartments of the -young Prince were on the ground floor, and looked out on the court, of -the Tuileries. At almost every hour in the day, numbers of people were -looking in at the window, in the hope of seeing him. One day when he was -in a violent fit of passion, and rebelling furiously against the -authority of Madame de Montesquiou, she immediately ordered all the -shutters to be closed. The child, surprised at the sudden darkness, -asked _Maman Quiou_, as he used to call her, what it all meant. “I love -you too well,” she replied, “not to hide your anger from the crowd in -the court-yard. You, perhaps, will one day be called to govern all those -people, and what would they say if they saw you in such a fit of rage? -Do you think they would ever obey you, if they knew you to be so -naughty?” Upon which, the child begged her pardon, and promised never -again to give way to such fits of anger. - -“This,” observed the Emperor, “was language very different from that -addressed by M. de Villeroi to Louis XV. ‘_Behold all those people, my -Prince_,’ said he, ‘_they belong to you; all the men you see yonder are -yours_.’” - -Madame de Montesquiou was adored by the young King of Rome. At the time -of her removal from Vienna it was found necessary to employ stratagems -to deceive the child: it was even feared that his health would suffer -from the separation. - -The Emperor had conceived many novel ideas relative to the education of -the King of Rome. For this important object he decided on the _Institut -de Meudon_, of which he had already laid down the principle, with the -view of farther developing it at his leisure. There he proposed to -assemble the Princes of the Imperial house, particularly the sons of -those branches of the family who had been raised to foreign thrones. -This plan, he contended, would have combined the attentions of private -tuition with the advantages of public education. “These children,” said -the Emperor, “who were destined to occupy different thrones, and to -govern different nations, would thus have acquired conformity of -principles, manners, and ideas. The better to facilitate the -amalgamation and uniformity of the federative parts of the Empire, each -Prince was to bring with him from his own country ten or twelve youths -of about his own age, the sons of the first families in the state. What -an influence would they not have exercised on their return home! I -doubted not,” continued the Emperor, “but that Princes of other -dynasties, unconnected with my family, would soon have solicited, as a -great favour, permission to place their sons in the Institute of Meudon. -What advantages would thence have arisen to the nations composing the -European association! All these young Princes,” said he, “would have -been brought together early enough to be united in the tender and -powerful bonds of youthful friendship: and they would, at the same time, -have been separated early enough to obviate the fatal effects of rising -passions—the ardour of partiality—the ambition of success—the jealousy -of love.” - -The Emperor wished that the education of the Princes should be founded -on general information, extended views, summaries, and results. He -wished them to possess knowledge rather than learning, judgment rather -than attainments; he preferred the application of details to the study -of theories. Above all, he objected to the pursuing of any particular -study too deeply, for he regarded perfection, or too great success in -certain things, whether in the arts or sciences, as a disadvantage to a -prince. A nation, he said, will never gain much by being governed by a -poet, a virtuoso, a naturalist, a chymist, a turner, a locksmith, &c. -&c. - -Maria-Louisa confessed to the Emperor that, when her marriage with him -was first proposed, she could not help feeling a kind of terror, owing -to the accounts she had heard of Napoleon from the individuals of her -family. When she mentioned these reports to her uncles, the Archdukes, -who were very urgent for the marriage, they replied,—“That was all very -true, while he was our enemy: but the case is altered now.“ - -“To afford an idea of the sympathy and good will with which the -different members of the Austrian family were taught to regard me,” said -the Emperor, “it is sufficient to mention that one of the young -Archdukes frequently burned his dolls, which he called _roasting -Napoleon_. He afterwards declared he would not roast me any more, for he -loved me very much, because I had given his sister Louisa plenty of -money to buy him play-things.” - -Since my return to Europe, I have had an opportunity of ascertaining the -sentiments entertained by the House of Austria towards Napoleon. In -Germany, a person of distinction informed me that having had a private -audience of the Emperor Francis, during his tour in Italy in 1816, the -conversation turned on Napoleon. Francis spoke of him in the most -respectful terms. One might almost have supposed, said my informant, -that he still regarded him as the ruler of France, and that he was -ignorant of his captivity at St. Helena. He never alluded to him by any -other title than the Emperor Napoleon. - -I learned from the same individual that the Archduke John, when in -Italy, visited a rotunda, on the ceiling of which was painted a -celebrated action of which Napoleon was the hero. As he raised his head -to look at the painting, his hat fell off, and one of his attendants -stooped to pick it up. “Let it be,” said he; “it is thus that the man -who is there portrayed should be contemplated.” - -Now that I am on this subject, I will note down a few particulars which -I collected in Germany since my return to Europe; and to mark the degree -of credit to which they are entitled, I may mention that I obtained them -from individuals holding high diplomatic posts. Every one knows that -these members of diplomatic corps form among themselves a sort of -family, a kind of free-masonry, and that their sources of information -are of the most authentic kind. - -The Empress Maria-Louisa complained that, when she quitted France, M. de -Talleyrand reserved to himself the honour of demanding from her the -restitution of the Crown jewels, and ascertaining whether they had been -restored with the most scrupulous exactness. - -In 1814, during the disasters of France, many tempting and brilliant -proposals were made to Prince Eugene. An Austrian General offered him -the crown of Italy, in the name of the Allies, on condition of his -joining them. This offer afterwards came from a still higher quarter, -and was several times repeated. During the reign of the Emperor there -had been some idea of raising the Prince to a throne; and those of -Portugal, Naples, and Poland, were thought of. - -In 1815, men of high influence in European diplomacy endeavoured to -sound his opinions, with the view of ascertaining whether, in case -Napoleon should again be constrained to abdicate, and the choice should -fall on him, he would accept the Crown. On this occasion, as on every -other, the Prince steadily pursued a line of duty and honour which will -immortalize him. _Honour and fidelity_ was his constant reply; and -posterity will make it his device. - -On the distribution of States in 1814, the Emperor Alexander, who -frequently visited the Empress Josephine at Malmaison, signified a wish -to procure for her son the sovereignty of Genoa. She, however, declined -this proposition, at the instigation of one of the ruling diplomatists, -who falsely flattered her with the hope of something better. - -At the Congress of Vienna, the Emperor Alexander, who honoured Prince -Eugene with particular marks of favour, insisted that he should be made -the Sovereign of at least three hundred thousand subjects. He testified -the sincerest friendship for him, and they were every day seen walking -about together arm-in-arm. The landing at Cannes put an end, if not to -the sentiment, at least to the manifestation of it; and changed the -political interests of the Emperor of Russia.—The Austrian government -even entertained the idea of seizing the person of Prince Eugene, and -sending him a prisoner to a fortress in Hungary; but the King of -Bavaria, his father-in-law, indignantly represented to the Emperor of -Austria that Eugene had gone to Vienna under his protection and -guarantee, and that they should not be violated. Thus Eugene remained -free on his own private parole and that of the King his father-in-law. - -So lately as 1814, gold twenty and forty-franc pieces were struck at -Milan with the head of Napoleon and the date of 1814. Either from -motives of economy or some other cause, no new die had yet been -engraved. - -After the fall of Napoleon, Alexander on several occasions manifested a -marked and decided dislike to him. In 1815 he was the promoter of the -second crusade against Napoleon; he directed every hostile measure with -the utmost degree of animosity, and seemed to make it almost a personal -affair; alleging, as the cause of his aversion, that he had been -deceived and trifled with. If this tardy resentment was not a mere -pretence, there is every reason to believe that it was stirred up by an -old confidant of Napoleon’s, who, in private conversations, had artfully -wounded the vanity of Alexander, by statements, true or false, of the -private opinion of Napoleon with regard to his illustrious friend. - -In 1814 there appeared reason to believe that Alexander would not be -averse to see young Napoleon placed on the throne of France. After the -Emperor’s second abdication, he seemed far less favourably disposed to -the continuance of Napoleon’s dynasty. - -In the second crusade, the Emperor Alexander marched at the head of -innumerable forces. He was heard to declare, at that period, that the -war might last for three years; but that Napoleon would nevertheless be -subdued in the end. - -On the first intelligence of the battle of Fleurus, the chiefs of all -the Russian columns immediately received orders to halt; while all the -Austrian and Bavarian corps instantly turned off, with the view of -detaching themselves and forming a separate force. Had the Congress of -Vienna been broken up on the 20th of March, it is almost certain that -the crusade would not have been renewed; and had Napoleon been -victorious at Waterloo, it is also tolerably certain that the crusade -would have been dissolved. - -The news of Napoleon’s landing at Cannes was a thunderbolt to the French -plenipotentiary at Vienna. He indeed drew up the famous declaration of -the 13th of March; and, virulent as it is, the first draft was still -more so: it was amended by other ministers. The countenance of this -plenipotentiary, as he gradually learned the advance of Napoleon, was a -sort of thermometer, which excited the laughter of all the members of -the Congress. - -Austria soon knew the real state of affairs: her couriers informed her -admirably well of all that was passing. The members of the French -Legation alone were involved in doubt: they were still circulating a -magnanimous letter from the King to the other Sovereigns, informing them -that he was resolved to die at the Tuileries, when it was already known -that Louis had left the capital, and was on his way to the frontier. - -A member of the Congress and Lord Wellington, in a confidential -conversation with the members of the French Legation, with the map in -their hands, assigned the 20th or the 21st for Napoleon’s entry into -Paris. - -As the Emperor Francis received the official publications from Grenoble -and Lyons, he regularly forwarded them to Schöenbrunn, to Maria Louisa, -to whom they afforded extreme joy. It is very true that, at a somewhat -later period, an idea was entertained of seizing young Napoleon, in -order to convey him to France. - -The French Plenipotentiary at length quitted Vienna, and proceeded to -Frankfort and Wisbaden, whence he could more conveniently negotiate -either with Ghent or Paris. Never was a time-serving courier thrown into -greater embarrassment and anxiety. The ardour with which he had been -inspired, on receiving the intelligence of Napoleon’s landing at Cannes, -was very much abated when he heard of the Emperor’s arrival at Paris; -and he entered into an understanding with Fouché that the latter should -be his guarantee with Napoleon, pledging himself, on the other hand, to -be Fouché’s guarantee with the Bourbons. There is good ground for -believing that the offers made by this Plenipotentiary to the new -Sovereign went very great lengths indeed; but Napoleon indignantly -rejected them, lest, as he said, he should degrade his policy too far. - -In 1814, before M. de Talleyrand declared himself for the Bourbons, he -was for the Regency; in which, however, he himself wished to play the -principal part. Events fatal to the Napoleon dynasty prevented this -moment of uncertainty from being turned to good account. Every thing -tends to prove that the result which was at that period adopted was far -from being agreeable to the intentions of Austria; that power was duped, -betrayed, or at least carried by assault. - -The fatality attending the military movements was such that the Allies -entered Paris without the concurrence of the Austrian Cabinet. -Alexander’s famous declaration against Napoleon Buonaparte and his -family was also made without the Austrian Power being consulted; and the -Count d’Artois only entered France by contriving to slip in secretly in -spite of the orders at the Austrian head-quarters, where he had been -refused passports. - -It appears that Austria, on the retreat from Moscow, exerted sincere -efforts in London for negotiating a peace with Napoleon; but the -influence of the Russian Cabinet was all-powerful in London, and no -proposals for peace were listened to. The armistice of Dresden then -arrived, and Austria declared for war. - -During this interval, the Austrian minister in London could never obtain -a hearing. He however remained for a considerable time in the English -capital, and did not leave it until the Allies had reached the heart of -France, and Lord Castlereagh hinted at the possibility, for a moment, -that the heroic success of Napoleon might render negotiations -indispensable. - -If this minister had not previously been sent to London, he would have -been destined for Paris; and there probably his influence might have -brought about a turn of negotiations different from those which arose -during his absence between the Tuileries and Vienna. - -In the height of the crisis he found himself detained in England as if -by force. In his impatience to reach the grand centre of negotiations, -he quitted his post, and proceeded to Holland, braving a violent -tempest. No sooner had he arrived on the theatre of events than he fell -into the hands of Napoleon at Saint-Dizier; but the fate of France was -then decided, though the fact was not yet known at the French -head-quarters. Alexander was entering Paris. - -The Austrian minister in London exerted every endeavour to procure a -passport to enable him to join his Sovereign by passing through Calais -and Paris; but in vain. This circumstance; whether accidental, or -premeditated, was another fatality. But for this disappointment, the -Austrian minister would have reached Paris before the Allies, would have -joined Maria-Louisa, would have defeated the last projects of M. de -Talleyrand, and would have altogether produced new combinations. - -Opinion was divided in the Austrian Cabinet. One party was for the union -with France; the other was for the alliance with Russia. Intrigue or -chance decided in favour of Russia, and Austria, from that moment, was -merely led on. - -14th.—The coffee that was served at our breakfast this morning was -better than usual; it was even good. The Emperor expressed himself -pleased with it. Some moments after he observed, placing his hand on his -stomach, that he felt the benefit of it. It would be difficult to -express what were my feelings on hearing this simple remark. The -Emperor, by thus appreciating so trivial an enjoyment, contrary to his -custom, unconsciously proved to me the effect of all the privations he -had suffered, but of which he never complained. - -When we returned from our evening walk, the Emperor read to me a chapter -on the _Provisional Consuls_, which he had dictated to M. de Montholon. -Having finished reading, the Emperor took a piece of ribbon, and began -to tie together the loose sheets of paper. It was late; the silence of -night prevailed around us. My reflections were on that day of a -melancholy cast. I gazed on the Emperor. I looked on those hands which -had wielded so many sceptres, and which were now tranquilly, and -perhaps, not without some degree of pleasure, occupied in the humble -task of tying together a few sheets of paper. On these sheets, indeed, -were traced events that will never be forgotten; portraits that will -decide the judgment of posterity. It is the book of life or death to -many whose names are recorded in it. These were the reflections that -passed in my mind. “And the Emperor,” thought I, “reads to me what he -writes; he familiarly converses with me, asks my opinion, and I freely -give it. After all, I am not to be pitied in my exile at St. Helena.” - -15th.—Immediately after dinner the Emperor walked in his favourite path. -He had his coffee carried down to him in the garden, and he drank it as -he walked about. The conversation turned on love. I must have made some -very fine and sentimental remarks on this important subject; for the -Emperor laughed at what he styled my prattle, and said that he -understood none of my romantic verbiage. Then speaking with an air of -levity, he wished to make me believe that he was better acquainted with -sensations than sentiments. I made free to remark that he was trying to -be thought worse than he was described to be in the authentic, but very -secret, accounts that were circulated about the palace. “And what was -said of me?” resumed he, with an air of gaiety. “Sire,” I replied, “it -is understood that, when in the summit of your power, you suffered -yourself to be bound in the chains of love; that you became a hero of -romance; that, fired by an unexpected resistance, you conceived an -attachment for a lady in private life; that you wrote her above a dozen -love-letters; and that her power over you prevailed so far as to compel -you to disguise yourself, and to visit her secretly and alone, at her -own residence, in the heart of Paris.”—”And how came this to be known?” -said he, smiling; which of course amounted to an admission of the fact. -“And it was doubtless added,” continued he, “that that was the most -imprudent act of my whole life; for, had my mistress proved treacherous, -what might not have been my fate—alone and disguised, in the -circumstances in which I was placed, amidst the snares with which I was -surrounded? But what more is said of me?”—“Sire, it is affirmed that -your Majesty’s posterity is not confined to the King of Rome. The secret -chronicle states that he has two elder brothers: one the offspring of a -fair foreigner, whom you loved in a distant country; the other, the -fruit of a connection nearer at hand, in the bosom of your own capital. -It was asserted that both had been conveyed to Malmaison, before our -departure; the one brought by his mother, and the other introduced by -his tutor; and they were described to be the living portraits of their -father.”[23] - -Footnote 23: - - It is said, that a codicil in the Emperor’s will, which, however, must - remain secret, completely confirms the above conjectures. - -The Emperor laughed much at the extent of my information, as he termed -it; and being now in a merry vein, he began to take a frank retrospect -of his early years, relating many of the love-affairs and numerous -adventures in which he had been engaged. I omit the first; amongst the -second he mentioned a supper that took place in the neighbourhood of the -Saone at the commencement of the Revolution, and at which he had been -present in company with the faithful Desmazzis. He described the whole -with the utmost pleasantry.—He had got himself, he observed, into a -wasp’s nest, where his patriotic eloquence had to contend strenuously -against the contrary doctrines of the other guests, and had nearly -brought him into a serious scrape. “You and I,” he continued, “were at -that time very far from each other.”—”Not so very far, in point of -distance, Sire,” replied, “though certainly very remote with respect to -doctrines. At that time I was also in the neighbourhood of the Saone, on -one of the quays of Lyons, where crowds of patriots were declaiming -against the cannon which they had just discovered in some boats, and -which they termed a counter-revolution. I very inopportunely proposed -that they should make sure of the cannon, by administering to them the -_civic oath_. However, I narrowly escaped being hanged for my folly. You -see, Sire, that I might precisely at that moment have balanced your -account, had any disaster befallen you among your aristocrat -companions.” This was not the only curious coincidence that was -mentioned in the course of the evening. The Emperor, having related to -me an interesting circumstance that took place in 1788, said, “Where -were you at that time.”—“Sire,” replied I, after a few moments -recollection, “I was then at Martinique, supping every evening with the -future Empress Josephine.” - -A shower of rain came on and we were obliged to retire from our -favourite path, which, the Emperor observed, we might probably at a -future period look back to with pleasure. “Perhaps so,” I replied; “but -certainly that will not be until we have forsaken it for ever. Meanwhile -we must content ourselves with naming it the Path of Philosophy, since -it cannot be called the Path of Lethe.” - -THE FAUXBOURG SAINT-GERMAIN, &C.—THE EMPEROR’S FREEDOM FROM PREJUDICE - AND ILL-WILL.—CHARACTERISTIC LANGUAGE. - -16th.—To-day the Emperor put some questions to me relative to the -Fauxbourg Saint-Germain; that last bulwark of the old aristocracy, that -refuge of old-fashioned prejudices; the _Germanic League_, as he called -it. I told him that, before his last misfortune, his power had extended -into every part of it: it had been invaded, and its name alone remained; -it had been shaken and vanquished by glory; and the victories of -Austerlitz and Jena, and the triumph of Tilsit, had achieved its -conquest. The younger portion of the inhabitants, and all who had -generous hearts, could not be insensible to the glory of their country. -The Emperor’s marriage with Maria-Louisa gave it the last blow. The few -malcontents who remained were either those whose ambition had not been -gratified, and who are to be found in all classes, or some obstinate old -men, and silly old women, bewailing their past influence. All reasonable -and sensible persons had yielded to the superior talents of the Head of -the State, and endeavoured to console themselves for their losses in the -hope of a better prospect for their children. This became the point -towards which all their ideas were directed. They gave the Emperor -credit for his partiality to old family names; they agreed that any one -else in his place would have annihilated them. They prized very highly -the confidence with which the Emperor had collected individuals of -ancient family about his person; and they valued him no less for the -language he had made use of in making choice of their children to serve -in the army:—“These names belong to France and to History; I am the -guardian of their glory, I will not allow them to perish.” These and -other such expressions had gained him numbers of proselytes. The Emperor -here expressed his apprehension that sufficient favour had not been -shewn to this party. “My system of amalgamation,” said he, “required it: -I wished and even directed favours to be conferred on them: but the -ministers, who were the great mediators, never properly fulfilled my -real intentions in that respect; either because they had not sufficient -foresight, or because they feared that they might thus create rivals for -favour, and diminish their own chances. M. Talleyrand, in particular, -always shewed great opposition to such a measure, and always resisted my -favourable intuitions towards the old nobility.” I observed, however, -that the greater part of those whom he had placed near him had soon -shewn themselves attached to his person; that they had served him -conscientiously, and had, generally speaking, remained faithful to him -at the critical moment. The Emperor did not deny it, and even went so -far as to say that the twofold event of the King’s return and his own -abdication must naturally have had great influence on certain doctrines; -and that, for his own part, he could see a great difference between the -same conduct pursued in 1814 and in 1815. - -And here I must observe that, since I have become acquainted with the -Emperor’s character, I have never known him to evince, for a single -moment, the least feeling of anger or animosity against those -individuals who had been most to blame in their conduct towards him. He -gives no great credit to those who distinguished themselves by their -good conduct: they had only done their duty. He is not very indignant -against those who acted basely; he partly saw through their characters: -they yielded to the impulses of their nature. He speaks of them coolly, -and without animosity; attributing their conduct in some measure to -existing circumstances, which he acknowledged were of a very perplexing -nature, and placing the rest to the account of human weakness. Vanity -was the ruin of Marmont: “Posterity will justly cast a shade upon his -character,” said he; “yet his heart will be more valued than the memory -of his career. The conduct of Augereau was the result of his want of -information, and the baseness of those who surrounded him; that of -Berthier, of his want of spirit, and his absolute nullity of character.” - -I remarked that the latter had let slip the best and easiest opportunity -of rendering himself for ever illustrious, by frankly making his -submission to the King, and intreating his Majesty’s permission to -withdraw from the world, and mourn in solitude the fate of him who had -honoured him with the title of his companion in arms, and had called him -his friend. “Yes,” said the Emperor; “even this step, simple as it was, -was beyond his power.”—“His talents, his understanding,” said I, “had -always been a subject of doubt with us. Your Majesty’s choice, your -confidence, your great attachment, surprised us exceedingly.”—“To say -the truth,” replied the Emperor, “Berthier was not without talent, and I -am far from wishing to disavow his merit, or my partiality for him; but -his talent and merit were special and technical; beyond a limited point -he had no mind whatever: and then he was so undecided.”—I observed that -“he was, notwithstanding, full of pretensions and pride in his conduct -towards us.”—“Do you think, then, that the title of Favourite goes for -nothing?” said the Emperor. I added, that “he was very harsh and -overbearing.” “And what,” said he, “my dear Las Cases, is more -overbearing than weakness which feels itself protected by strength? Look -at women, for example.” - -Berthier accompanied the Emperor in his carriage during his campaigns. -As they drove along, the Emperor would examine the order-book and the -report of the positions, whence he formed his resolutions, adopted his -plans, and arranged the necessary movements. Berthier noted down his -directions, and at the first station they came to, or during the first -moments allotted to rest, whether by night or by day, he made out, in -his turn, all the orders and individual details with admirable -regularity, precision, and despatch. This was a kind of duty at which he -shewed himself always ready and indefatigable. “This was the special -merit of Berthier,” said the Emperor: “it was most valuable to me; no -other talent could have made up for the want of it.” - -I now return to notice some characteristic traits of the Emperor. He -invariably speaks with perfect coolness, without passion, without -prejudice, and without resentment, of the events and the persons -connected with his life. It is evident that he would be capable of -becoming the ally of his most cruel enemy, and of living with the man -who had done him the greatest wrong. He speaks of his past history as if -it had occurred three centuries ago: in his recitals and his -observations he speaks the language of past ages: he is like a spirit -discoursing in the Elysian fields; his conversations are true Dialogues -of the Dead. He speaks of himself as of a third person; noticing the -Emperor’s actions, pointing out the faults with which history may -reproach him, and analysing the reasons and the motives which might be -alleged in his justification. - -He never can excuse himself, he says, by throwing blame on others, since -he never followed any but his own decision. He may complain, at the -worst, of false information, but never of bad counsel. He had surrounded -himself with the best possible advisers, but he had always adhered to -his own opinion, and he was far from repenting of having done so. “It -is,” said he, “the indecision and anarchy of agents which produce -anarchy and feebleness in results. In order to form a just opinion -respecting the faults produced by the sole personal decision of the -Emperor, it will be necessary to throw into the scale the great actions -which he would have been prevented from performing, and the other faults -which he would have been induced to commit, by those very counsels which -he is blamed for not having followed.” - -In viewing the complicated circumstances of his fall, looks upon things -so much in a mass, and from so high a point, that individuals escape his -notice. He never evinces the least symptom of virulence towards those of -whom it might be supposed he has the greatest reason to complain. His -greatest mark of reprobation, and I have had frequent occasion to notice -it, is to preserve silence with respect to them, whenever they are -mentioned in his presence. But how often has he not been heard to -restrain the violent and less reserved expressions of those about him? -“You are not acquainted with men,” he has said to us; “they are -difficult to comprehend, if one wishes to be strictly just. Can they -understand or explain even their own characters? Almost all those who -abandoned me would, had I continued to be prosperous, never, perhaps -have dreamed of their own defection. There are vices and virtues which -depend on circumstances. Our last trials were beyond all human strength! -Besides I was forsaken rather than betrayed; there was more of weakness -than of perfidy around me. It was the _denial of St. Peter_: tears and -repentance are probably at hand. And where will you find, in the page of -history, any one possessing a greater number of friends and partisans? -Who was ever more popular and more beloved? Who was ever more ardently -and deeply regretted? Here, from this very rock, on viewing the present -disorders in France, who would not be tempted to say that I still reign -there? The Kings and princes, my allies, have remained faithful to me to -the last, they were carried away by the people in a mass: and those who -were around me, found themselves enveloped and overwhelmed by an -irresistible whirlwind.... No! human nature might have appeared in a -light still more odious, and I might have had still greater cause of -complaint!” - - ON THE OFFICERS OF THE EMPEROR’S HOUSEHOLD IN - 1814.—PLAN OF ADDRESS TO THE KING. - -17th.—The Emperor asked me some questions to-day relative to the -officers of his household. With the exception of two or three, at the -most, who had drawn upon themselves the contempt of the very party to -which they had gone over, nothing could be said against them: the -majority had even evinced an ardent devotion to the Emperor’s interests. -The Emperor then made enquiries respecting some of these individuals in -particular, calling them by their names; and I could not but express my -approbation of them all. “What do you tell me?” said he, interrupting me -hastily while I was speaking of one of them; “and yet I gave him so bad -a reception at the Tuileries on my return! Ah! I fear I have committed -some involuntary acts of injustice! This comes of being obliged to take -for granted the first story that is told, and of not having a single -moment to spare for verification! I fear too that I have left many debts -of gratitude in arrear! How unfortunate it is to be incapable of doing -every thing one’s self!” - -I replied—“Sire, it is true that, if blame be attached to the officers -of your household, it must be shared equally by all; a fact, however, -which must humble us strangely in the eyes of foreign nations. As soon -as the King appeared, all hastened to him, not as to the sovereign whom -your abdication had left us, but as to one who had never ceased to be -our sovereign; not with the dignity of men proud of having always -fulfilled their duties, but with the equivocal embarrassment of -unskilful courtiers. Each sought only to justify himself: your Majesty -was from that instant disavowed and abjured; the title of Emperor was -dropped. The Ministers, the Nobles, the intimate friends of your -Majesty, styled you simply '_Buonaparte_,’ and blushed not for -themselves or their nation. They excused themselves by saying that they -had been compelled to serve; that they could not do otherwise, through -dread of the treatment they might have experienced.” The Emperor here -recognised a true picture of our national character. He said we were -still the same people as our ancestors the Gauls: that we still retained -the same levity, the same inconstancy, and, above all, the same vanity. -“When shall we,” said he, “exchange this vanity for a little pride?” - -“The officers of your Majesty’s household,” said I, “neglected a noble -opportunity of acquiring both honour and popularity. There were above -one hundred and fifty officers of the household; a great number of them -belonged to the first families, and were men of independent fortune. It -was for them to set an example, which, being followed by others, might -have given another impulse to the national attitude, and afforded us a -claim on public esteem.”[24]—“Yes,” said the Emperor, “if all the upper -classes had acted in that way, affairs might have turned out very -differently. The old editors of the public journals would not then have -indulged in their chimeras of the good old times; we should not then -have been annoyed with their dissertations on the straight line and the -curve line; the King would have adhered honestly to his charter; I -should never have dreamed of quitting the Island of Elba; the head of -the nation would have been recorded in history with greater honour and -dignity; and we should all have been gainers.” - -Footnote 24: - - In this spirit, and in imitation of the example of other bodies, a - plan of Address to the King was drawn up in the name of the Officers - of the Emperor’s Household. It was in substance as follows:— - - “Sire—The undersigned, who formed a part of the household of the - Emperor Napoleon, solicit from your Majesty the favour of particular - attention. - - “Heirs to the duties of their fathers, they were, at a former period, - faithful defenders of the throne; many of them followed your Majesty - through long years of exile, into a foreign land, and sealed their - devotedness by the forfeiture of their patrimony. - - “It was precisely these well-known principles, and this acknowledged - conduct, which constituted their claim, and called attention to them, - when it was in contemplation to raise up a new throne and to surround - it with adherents. - - “The expectations of him who rallied us around him were not, could not - be, disappointed: we fulfilled our new duties with _honour and - fidelity_. These sentiments, Sire, the surest pledges of every other, - would be sufficient to secure our own esteem, if it were possible for - us to remain in indolent retirement. But what good and loyal Frenchman - would desire a state of absolute repose? And yet, should any of us - feel ourselves, through motives of delicacy, reduced to await, in - silence, our appointment to new duties, might not our motive be - misconstrued? On the other hand, might not the feelings of those also - be misunderstood who, yielding to the impulse of their hearts, eagerly - hastened to receive the favours of your Majesty? - - “Such, Sire, is the peculiar and delicate situation in which we are - placed: but all our embarrassments will cease, if your Majesty deign - to lend an ear to our Address. Your royal heart will feel the delicacy - of the impulse by which we are guided at this moment, and will accept - our sincere wishes to serve your Majesty and our country with our - accustomed zeal and fidelity.” - - It was difficult to obtain signatures to so moderate an Address. Would - it be believed, that this candid and authentic avowal of our past - functions, and the use of the phrase “Emperor Napoleon,” in - particular, were held as objections to it? Every one found fault with - it according to his humour. Such were the sentiments of the day. Only - seventeen signatures could be collected. Eighteen or twenty persons - promised to add their names when the list should amount to - twenty-five; but nobody would assist in completing that number. Two of - those, who had already signed it, thinking they had put their hand to - a document which they did not well understand, their sole intention - having been to solicit the confirmation of their appointments, even - went so far as to erase their signatures. The original copy of this - document must be either at Paris or Versailles, in the hands of one of - the persons who signed it. - -THE EMPEROR’S IDEA OF RESERVING CORSICA.—HIS OPINION OF ROBESPIERRE.—HIS - IDEAS RESPECTING PUBLIC OPINION.—EXPIATORY INTENTION OF THE EMPEROR - WITH REGARD TO THE VICTIMS OF THE REVOLUTION. - -18th.—After the accustomed occupation of the day, I accompanied the -Emperor to the garden about four o’clock. He had just completed his -dictation on the subject of Corsica. Having concluded every thing he had -to say relative to that island, and to Paoli, he adverted to the -interest which he himself excited there, while yet so young, at the time -of his separation from Paoli. He added that latterly he might to a -certainty have united in his favour the wishes, the sentiments, and the -efforts of the whole population of Corsica; and that, had he retired to -that island on quitting Paris, he would have been beyond the reach of -any foreign power whatever. He had an idea of doing so when he abdicated -in favour of his son. He was on the point of reserving to himself the -possession of Corsica during his life. No obstacle at sea would have -obstructed his passage thither. But he abandoned that design for the -sake of rendering his abdication the more sincere and the more -advantageous to France. His residence in the centre of the -Mediterranean, in the bosom of Europe, so near France and Italy, might -have furnished a lasting pretext to the Allies. He even preferred -America to England, from the same motive and the same idea. It is true -that, in the sincerity of his own measures, he neither did, nor could -foresee, his unjust and violent banishment to St. Helena. - -The Emperor, next proceeding to take a review of different points of the -Revolution, dwelt particularly on Robespierre, whom he did not know, but -whom he believed to be destitute of talent, energy, or system. He -considered him, notwithstanding, merely as the scapegoat of the -Revolution, sacrificed as soon as he endeavoured to arrest it in its -course:—the common fate, he observed, of all who, before himself -(Napoleon) had ventured to take that step. The Terrorists and their -doctrine survived Robespierre; and if their excesses were not continued, -it was because they were obliged to bow to public opinion. They threw -all the blame on Robespierre; but the latter declared shortly before his -death, that he was a stranger to the recent executions, and that he had -not appeared in the Committees for six weeks previously. Napoleon -confessed that, while he was with the army of Nice, he had seen some -long letters addressed by Robespierre to his brother, condemning the -horrors of the Commissioners of the Convention, who, as he expressed it, -were ruining the Revolution by their tyranny and atrocities. -“Cambaceres, who,” observed the Emperor, “must be a good authority on -subjects relating to that period, answered an enquiry which I one day -addressed to him respecting the condemnation of Robespierre, in these -remarkable words: ‘Sire, that was a sentence without a trial;’ adding -that Robespierre had more foresight and conception than was generally -imagined; and that his intention was, after subduing the unbridled -factions which he had to oppose, to restore a system of order and -moderation. ‘Some time previously to his fall,’ added Cambaceres, ‘he -delivered a most admirable speech on this subject; it was not thought -proper to insert it in the Moniteur, and all trace of it is now lost.’” - -This is not the first instance I have heard of omissions and want of -accuracy in the Moniteur. In the reports inserted in that journal -relative to the proceedings of the Assembly, there must be a period -remarkable for incorrectness; as the minutes of those proceedings were -for a time arbitrarily drawn up by one of the Committees. - -Those who are induced to believe that Robespierre was at once wearied, -satiated, and alarmed by the Revolution, and had resolved on checking -it, affirm that he would not take any decided step until after he had -read his famous speech. He considered it so fine that he had no doubt of -its effect on the Assembly. If this be true, his mistake or his vanity -cost him dear. Those who think differently assert that Danton and -Camille-des-Moulins had precisely the same views; and yet that -Robespierre sacrificed them. To these it is replied that Robespierre -sacrificed them to preserve his popularity, because he judged that the -decisive moment had not yet arrived; or because he did not wish to -resign to them the glory of the enterprise. - -Be this as it may, it is certain that the nearer we approach to the -instruments and the agents in that catastrophe, the greater obscurity -and mystery we find; and this uncertainty will but increase with time. -Thus the page of history will, on this point as on many others, become -the record, not so much of the events which really occurred, as of the -statements which are given of them. - -In the course of our conversation relative to Robespierre, the Emperor -said that he had been very well acquainted with his brother, the younger -Robespierre, the representative to the Army of Italy. He said nothing -against this young man, whom he had led into action and inspired with -great confidence and considerable enthusiasm for his person; so much so, -that previously to the 9th of Thermidor, young Robespierre, being -recalled by his brother, who was then secretly laying his plans, -insisted on Napoleon’s accompanying him to Paris. The latter experienced -the greatest difficulty in ridding himself of the importunity, and, at -length, only escaped it by requesting the interference of the -General-in-chief Dumerbion, whose entire confidence he possessed, and -who represented that it was absolutely necessary he should remain where -he was. “Had I followed young Robespierre,” said the Emperor, “how -different might have been my career! On what trivial circumstances does -human fate depend!—Some office would doubtless have been assigned to me; -and I might at that moment have been destined to attempt a sort of -Vendemiaire. But I was then very young; my ideas were not yet fixed. It -is probable, indeed, that I should not have undertaken any task that -might have been allotted to me; but supposing the contrary case, and -even admitting that I had been successful, what results could I have -hoped for? In Vendemiaire the revolutionary fever was totally subdued; -in Thermidor it was still raging in its utmost fury and at its greatest -height.” - -“Public opinion,” said the Emperor, on another occasion, when conversing -on another subject, “is an invisible and mysterious power which it is -impossible to resist: nothing is more unsteady, more vague, or more -powerful; and capricious as it may be, it is, nevertheless, just and -reasonable more frequently than is supposed. On becoming Provisional -Consul, the first act of my administration was the banishment of fifty -anarchists. Public opinion, which had at first been furiously hostile to -them, suddenly turned in their favour, and I was forced to retract. But -some time afterwards, these same anarchists, having shewn a disposition -to engage in plots, were again overthrown by that very public opinion, -which had now returned to support me. Thus, through the errors that were -committed at the time of the restoration, popularity was secured to the -regicides, who but a moment before had been proscribed by the great mass -of the nation. - -“It belonged to me only,” continued the Emperor, “to shed a lustre over -the memory of Louis XVI. in France, and to purify the nation of the -crimes with which it had been sullied by frantic acts and unfortunate -fatalities. The Bourbons, being of the royal family, and coming from -abroad, merely avenged their own private cause, and augmented the -national opprobrium. I, on the contrary, being one of the people, should -have raised the character of the nation, by banishing from society, in -her name, those whose crimes had disgraced her. This was my intention, -but I proceeded prudently in the fulfilment of it. The three expiatory -altars at St. Denis were but a prelude to my design. The Temple of -Glory, on the site of the _Magdelaine_, was to have been devoted to this -object with still greater solemnity. There, near the tomb and over the -very bones of the political victims of our revolution, monuments and -religious ceremonies would have consecrated their memory in the name of -the French people. This is a secret that was not known to above ten -individuals: though it had been found necessary to communicate a hint of -the design to those who were intrusted with the arrangement of the -edifice. I should not have executed my scheme in less than ten years; -but what precautions had I not adopted; how carefully had I smoothed -every difficulty, and removed every obstruction! All would have -applauded my design, and no one would have suffered from it. So much -depends on circumstances and forms,” added he, “that in my reign, Carnot -would not have dared to write a memorial, boasting of the death of the -King, though he did so under the Bourbons. I should have leagued with -public opinion in punishing him; while public opinion sided with him in -rendering him unassailable.” - - CASCADE AT BRIARS. - -19th.—My son and I rose very early. Our task had been finished on the -preceding day; and as the Emperor could not want me for some time, we -availed ourselves of the fineness of the morning to explore the -neighbourhood of our abode. - -Passing through the valley of James-Town, on the right of our little -level height at Briars, was a deep ravine, the sides of which were -intersected by numerous perpendicular cliffs. We descended into the -ravine, not without difficulty, and found ourselves at the edge of a -little limpid streamlet, beside which grew abundance of cresses. We -amused ourselves by gathering them as we passed along; and after a few -windings we soon reached the extremity of the valley and the streamlet, -which are closed transversely by a huge pointed mass of rock, from the -summit of which issues a pretty cascade, produced from the waters of the -surrounding-heights. This water-fall descending into the valley forms -the streamlet along which we had just passed, and which rolls sometimes -in a rapid stream to the sea. The water of the cascade was at this -moment dispersed above our heads in small rain or light vapour; but in -stormy weather it rushes forth in a torrent, and furiously dashes -through the ravine till it reaches the sea. To us the scene presented a -gloomy, solitary, and melancholy aspect; though it was altogether so -interesting that we quitted it with regret. - -To-day was Sunday, and we all dined with the Emperor; he good humouredly -observed that we composed his state party. After dinner the circle of -our amusements was not very extensive: he asked us whether we would have -a comedy, an opera, or a tragedy. We decided in favour of a comedy, and -he himself read a portion of Moliere’s _Avare_, which was continued by -other individuals of the party. The Emperor had a cold, and was slightly -feverish. He withdrew early from his walk in the garden, and desired me -to see him again that evening, if he should not have gone to bed. My son -and I accompanied the rest of the gentlemen to the town; and on our -return, the Emperor had retired to rest. - - FIRST AND ONLY EXCURSION DURING OUR ABODE AT - BRIARS. THE ADMIRAL’s BALL. - -20th.—The Emperor, after dictating as usual to one of the gentlemen, -called me about five o’clock. He was alone; the rest of the gentlemen -and my son having gone to the town, where the Admiral was that evening -to give a ball. The Emperor and I walked along the road leading to the -town, until we came within sight of the sea and the shipping. On the -left, in the depth of the valley, was a pretty little house. The Emperor -stood for a considerable time with his glass at his eye, examining the -garden, which appeared to be very well cultivated, and in which a group -of beautiful children were at play, attended by their mother. We were -informed that this house belonged to Major Hudson, a resident in the -island, the same gentleman who had lent me the _Annual Register_. The -house was situated at the bottom of the ravine which commences in the -vicinity of Briars, and near the curious cascade which I have already -noticed. The Emperor took a fancy to go down to the house, though it was -now nearly six o’clock. The road was extremely steep: we found it longer -and more difficult of descent than we had expected; and we reached the -bottom of the ravine quite out of breath. We took a survey of the little -domain, which had evidently been laid out as the residence of a -permanent occupant, and not as the mere temporary abode of a traveller -passing to a foreign land; and, after receiving the attentions of the -master of the house, and paying a few compliments to the mistress, the -Emperor took his leave. - -But the evening was already far advanced, and we were very much -fatigued; we therefore accepted the horses that were offered us, and -speedily returned to our hut and our dinner. This little excursion, and -the exercise of riding on horseback, which had been so long -relinquished, seemed to do the Emperor good. - -He desired that I would go to the Admiral’s ball, in spite of my -reluctance to leave him. At half-past eight o’clock he observed that the -night was dark, the road bad, and that it was time I had set out. He -insisted on my leaving him, and he entered his room, where I saw him -undress and retire to bed. He again desired me to go, and I unwillingly -obeyed. I left him alone; and thus, for the first time, violated a -custom which had become most dear to me. - -I proceeded on foot to the town. The Admiral had given great _éclat_ to -his ball. It had been talked of for a considerable time before. He -wished it to be understood that the entertainment was given solely on -our account, and we had been formally invited. Was it most advisable to -accept or to decline the invitation? Something might be said on both -sides. Political misfortunes did not require that we should assume the -appearance of domestic sorrow; it might be proper, and even useful, to -mingle cheerfully in company with our jailors. We might, therefore, -adopt either resolution indifferently. We determined to go. But what -sort of conduct were we to observe? Should we assume pride, or employ -address? The first might be attended with inconvenience; in our -situation every wounded pretension became an insult. In the second there -could be no impropriety: to receive marks of politeness as though we -were accustomed to them, and as though they were our due, and to -overlook any little want of respect, was certainly the wisest course. I -arrived at the ball very late, and left it very early. I was much -pleased with the entertainment in every respect. - - MY CONDUCT WHILE THE EMPEROR WAS AT ELBA. - -21st—22nd. The Emperor, who had often questioned me on the line of -conduct pursued by many of his ministers, members of his Council, and -officers of his Household, during his residence at the Island of Elba, -at length called me to account in my turn, saying:—“But you yourself, -Las Cases, what did you do after the arrival of the King? What happened -to you all that time? Come, sir, make a report on that subject: you know -this is my way; and it is the only plan by which we can properly -classify what we say, or what we wish to learn. Besides, it will furnish -you with another article for your Journal. And, don’t you see?“ added -he, jokingly, “your biographers will only have the trouble of -extracting; the thing will be all ready written to their hands.” - -“Sire,” I replied, “you shall have a literal statement of every thing; -though I have but little to say. I commanded, on the 31st of March, the -10th legion of the National Guard of Paris, that of the Legislative -Body. We lost, during the day, a considerable number of men. At night I -heard of the capitulation; I wrote to the officer next in rank to -myself, and transferred to him the command of my legion, informing him -that, though in my quality of member of the Council of State I had -previously received orders to proceed elsewhere, yet I had not wished to -abandon my legion at the moment of danger; but that the event which had -just occurred having changed the aspect of affairs, I must now proceed -forthwith to fulfil new duties. - -“At day-break I set out on the road to Fontainebleau, and found myself -in the midst of the wrecks of Marmont’s and Mortier’s detachments. I was -on foot, but I doubted not I should be able to purchase a horse. I soon, -however, discovered that soldiers in retreat are neither just nor civil. -At that disastrous moment, my uniform of a National Guard was insulted, -and I was myself ill-treated. - -“After an hour’s walk, overpowered by the fatigue of the journey, joined -to the want of rest which I had experienced for two or three nights -previously; seeing around me no face that I knew, and having no hope of -procuring a horse, I determined, with a sorrowful heart, to return to -the capital. - -“The National Guard was ordered out to assist in the triumphant entry of -the enemy: there was even a probability of its being selected as a guard -of honour to the Sovereigns who had conquered us. I determined to be -absent from my home. I had conveyed my wife and children safely out of -Paris a week or two before, and for a few days had recourse to the -hospitality of a friend. I never went out of doors but in a shabby great -coat, visiting the coffee-houses and public places, and joining the -different groups which were formed in the streets. My object was to make -observations on persons and things, and above all, to learn the real -feeling of the people. How many extraordinary occurrences did I not -witness in the course of my rambles! - -“I saw in front of the residence of the Emperor of Russia, men -distinguished by their rank, and calling themselves Frenchmen, exerting -their utmost endeavours to induce the rabble to call out ‘_Long live -Alexander, our deliverer!_’ - -“I saw, Sire, your monument on the Place Vendôme resist the efforts of a -few wretches, belonging to the lowest dregs of the people, who had been -hired by persons of note. - -“Finally, in one of the comers of the Place Vendôme, before the hotel of -the Commandant of the place, I saw one of the officers of your household -trying, on the first evening after your departure, to prevail on young -conscripts to enter another service than yours; but he received from -them a lesson that might have made him blush for his own conduct, had he -been capable of feeling shame. - -“Doubtless, those to whom I here allude will exclaim that I mingled with -the _rabble_; and yet it may with justice be affirmed that the acts of -baseness which then disgraced France did not originate with the rabble. -These acts were far from obtaining the countenance of the lower classes -of the people; on the contrary, they were decidedly censured by the -uprightness, generosity, and nobleness of sentiment, manifested in the -public streets. What reproaches might I not convey, were I to repeat all -that I heard on this subject! - -“Your Majesty abdicated. I had refused my signature to the act of -adherence of the Council of State; but I thought I might make amends for -this by an additional act of adherence. The Moniteur was every day -filled with articles of this kind; mine however was not deemed worthy -the honour of insertion. - -“At length the King arrived: he was henceforth our sovereign. He -appointed a day for the reception of those individuals who had been -presented to Louis XVI. I proceeded to the Tuileries to avail myself of -this prerogative.—What were my reflections on entering those apartments -which had so lately been filled with your glory and power! And yet I -presented myself to the King sincerely and in good faith; my foresight -never led me even to think of your return. - -“Deputations to the King were multiplied beyond number: a meeting of the -officers of the naval establishment was proposed. To the person who -communicated this fact to me I replied that nothing could be more -gratifying to my heart than to join my old comrades, none of whom could -entertain sentiments purer than I did; but that the offices I had filled -placed me in a peculiar and delicate situation, and that motives of -prudence must deter me from appearing where the zeal of a president -might lead him to employ expressions which I neither could nor would -sanction by my opinion or presence. - -“Subsequently, however, in spite of my mortification and disgust, I -determined, at the solicitation of some friends, to think of something -for myself. The Council of State was re-composed; several members of the -last Council assured me, in spite of my recent conjectures on that -point, that nothing was easier than to retain my office; that they had -succeeded merely by an application to the Chancellor of France. I had -not courage to venture a moment’s encroachment on his Lordship’s time: -and therefore contented myself with writing to acquaint him that I had -been Master of Requests to the last Council of State; and that, if that -circumstance were not sufficient to exclude me from becoming a member of -the new assembly, I begged him to recommend me to the King as a -Councillor of State. I observed that I would not advance as claims to -favour my eleven years’ emigration or the loss of my patrimony in the -King’s cause. At that period I had only done what I then considered to -be my duty; which I had at all times, to the best of my knowledge, -fulfilled faithfully and to the last moment. This phrase, as may well be -supposed, deprived me even of the honour of a reply. - -“Meanwhile the new situation of Paris, the sight of the foreign troops, -the acclamations of every kind, were more than I could endure; and I -adopted the determination of going for a short time to London, where I -should meet with old friends, who might afford me all the consolation of -which I was susceptible. Then, again, I recollected that I might find in -London the same tumult and the same exultation that had driven me from -Paris; this proved to be the fact. London was the scene of festivity and -rejoicing, to celebrate the triumphs of the English and our humiliation. - -“During my stay in London, the marine establishment was re-modelled at -Paris, and the Chevalier de Grimaldi, one of my old comrades, whom I had -not seen or heard of for a length of time, was appointed a member of the -Committee. He called on my wife, and expressed his surprise that I had -not put in my claims; observing that I was entitled, by law, to return -to the corps, or to retire on a certain pension. He advised my wife to -bring me to a decision on the subject, and to rely on his friendship; -adding that there was no time to be lost. I attached higher value to -this mark of attention than to the favour which it was intended to -procure me. However, I wrote to the Committee, requesting that, as I was -desirous of wearing a uniform to which I had become attached, I might be -allowed to enjoy the honorary title of _Capitaine de Vaisseau_; while at -the same time I renounced the pension, to which I did not conceive -myself entitled. - -“I returned to Paris. The diversity of opinions and the irritation of -the public mind were extreme. I had for a long time lived in the -greatest retirement. I now confined myself entirely to the domestic -circle of my wife and children. Never at any former period of my life -did I prove myself a better husband or a better father; and never, -perhaps, was I more physically happy. - -“As I was one day reading, in the _Journal des Debats_, an account of a -work of M. Beauchamp, I found mentioned the names of several gentlemen -who were stated to have assembled on the Place Louis XV. on the 31st -March, to excite sentiments in favour of royalty; and my name was among -the number. It was in good company, no doubt; but at the same time the -statement was untrue; and I should have been considerably lowered in the -estimation of many if it had been believed. I wrote to request a -correction of the error, which was calculated to render me the subject -of congratulations to which I was in no way entitled. - -“I observed that it was out of my power at the time to act in the way -described, whatever might have been my inclination. As the commander of -a legion of the National Guard, I had contracted obligations from which -no consideration on earth could free me, &c. I sent my letter to the -deputy Chabaud-Latour, one of the proprietors of the _Journal des -Debats_, a man for whom I entertained a great esteem. He declined -publishing my letter, purely from good intentions towards me. I then -addressed it to the editor; but he refused to insert it on account of -difference of opinion. - -“Meanwhile, the state of the public mind indicated an inevitable and -speedy catastrophe. Every thing foreboded that the Bourbons would share -the fate of the Stuarts. My wife and I used every evening to amuse -ourselves in reading Hume’s History of England. We began at Charles I., -and your Majesty arrived before we had got to James II.” (Here the -Emperor could not repress a laugh.) - -“Your Majesty’s advance and arrival,” continued I, “were to us a subject -of the greatest astonishment and anxiety. I was far from foreseeing the -honourable voluntary exile which it would gain for me in the end; for I -was then little known to your Majesty; and circumstances arising out of -that event alone brought me here. Had I filled the most trivial post -under the King; had I even been a frequent attendant at the Tuileries, -which would have been very natural and consistent with propriety, I -should not have appeared for a length of time in your Majesty’s -presence. Not, indeed, that I should have had any thing to reproach -myself with, or that my attachment to you would have been the less -sincere; but because I should not have wished to pass for a piece of -court furniture, or to seem always ready to offer incense at the shrine -of power. I should have awaited an appointment, instead of pressing -forward to solicit one. But as it was, I felt myself so much at liberty, -every thing about me was in such perfect harmony, that I seemed to form -a part of the great event. I therefore eagerly hastened to meet the -first glance of your Majesty; I felt as though I had claims on your -kindness and favour. On your return from Waterloo, the same sentiments -brought me immediately and spontaneously near your person, which I have -never since quitted. If I was then attracted by your public glory, I am -now attached by your private virtues; and if it be true that the -gratification of my feelings then cost me some sacrifice, I now find -myself repaid a hundred-fold, by the happiness I enjoy in being able to -tell you so. - -“It would however be difficult to describe the extreme disgust I felt at -every thing during the ten months of your absence. I felt an utter -contempt for mankind and worldly vanities. Every illusion was destroyed, -all interest had vanished. Every thing appeared to be at an end, or to -be undeserving of the smallest value. During my emigration, I had -received the cross of St. Louis; an ordinance decreed that it was to be -legitimated by a new brevet. I had not spirit to put in my claim. -Another ordinance directed that the titles bestowed by your Majesty -should be sent in to be confirmed; but I felt indifferent with regard to -compromising those which I had obtained during the Empire. In fine, I -received a letter from the Marine department, informing me that my -captain’s commission had just been forwarded thither, and there it still -remains. - -“Your Majesty’s absence was to me a widowhood, the affliction and grief -of which I concealed from no one. But on your return I was repaid for -all by the testimony borne by those who surrounded you, and to whom I -had previously been scarcely known. At your Majesty’s first levee, the -individual who was _ad interim_ at the head of the department of foreign -affairs, coming from the presence, took me aside to a window, and told -me to go home and prepare, as I should probably have to set out on a -journey. He had just, he said, proposed me to your Majesty, adding that -he had represented me as a madman, but mad for love of you. I wished to -know whither I was to be sent; but that, he said, he neither would nor -could tell me. I never heard any thing more of the matter. - -“M. Regnault de Saint-Jean d’Angeli placed me on the list of the -Imperial Commissioners whom your Majesty sent to the departments, I -assured him that I was ready to do any thing; but I observed that I was -a _noble_ and an _emigrant_, and that these two words pronounced by the -first comer would be sufficient to annihilate me, in case of necessity, -at any time or in any place. He acknowledged the justice of my -observation, and relinquished his intention. - -“A Senator next solicited that your Majesty would appoint me to the -prefecture of Metz, his native town. He requested me to make this -sacrifice for only three months, in order, as he said, to conciliate the -popular mind, and set things to rights. At length Decrés and the Duke of -Bassano proposed me as a Councillor of State; and, the third day after -your arrival, your Majesty signed my appointment.” - -23rd.—The Emperor was still indisposed: he confined himself to his room, -and would see nobody. He sent for me at 9 o’clock in the evening. I -found him very low-spirited and melancholy. He scarcely spoke to me, and -I did not dare to say anything to him. If I regarded his illness as -merely physical, it grieved me sincerely:—if he laboured under mental -affliction, how much more was I grieved that I could not employ all the -resources of consolation with which the heart naturally overflows for -those whom we truly love. The Emperor dismissed me in about half an -hour. - -24th.—The Emperor continued indisposed, and still declined seeing any -body. He sent for me to dine with him at a late hour. Dinner was served -on a little table beside the sofa on which he was lying. He ate -heartily. He said that he stood in need of some sudden revulsion of the -constitution, which he should soon obtain; so well did he understand his -own temperament. After dinner he took up the Memoirs of Marshal de -Villars, which amused him. He read aloud many passages, which revived -former recollections, and gave rise to many anecdotes. - - THE EMPEROR’S TEMPERAMENT.—RIDING.—NOTIONS - OF MEDICINE. - -25th.—The Emperor still continued unwell: he had passed a bad night. At -his desire I dined with him beside the sofa, which he was unable to -leave. He was, however, evidently much better. After dinner he wished to -read. He had a heap of books scattered around him on the sofa. The -rapidity of his imagination, the fatigue of dwelling always on the same -subject, or of reading what he already knew, caused him to take up and -throw down the books one after the other. At length he fixed on Racine’s -Iphigenia, and amused himself by pointing out the beauties, and -discussing the few faults, to be found in that work. He dismissed me at -an early hour. - -Contrary to the general opinion, in which I myself once participated, -the Emperor is far from possessing a strong constitution. His limbs are -large, but his fibres are relaxed. With a very expanded chest, he is -constantly labouring under the effects of cold. His body is subject to -the influence of the slightest accidents. The smell of paint is -sufficient to make him ill; certain dishes, or the slightest degree of -damp, immediately take a severe effect on him. His body is far from -being a body of iron, as is generally supposed: all his strength is in -his mind. His prodigious exertions abroad and his incessant labours at -home are known to every one. No sovereign ever underwent so much bodily -fatigue. The most remarkable instance of the Emperor’s activity and -exertion was his riding post from Valladolid to Burgos, (a distance of -thirty-five Spanish leagues) in five hours and a half; that is to say, -upwards of seven leagues an hour.[25] The Emperor had set out -accompanied by a numerous escort, in case of danger from the Guerillas; -but at every yard he left some of his company behind him, and he arrived -at Burgos with but few followers. His ride from Vienna to the Simmering, -a distance of eighteen or twenty leagues, is also frequently talked of. -The Emperor rode to breakfast at the Simmering, and returned to Vienna -immediately after. Napoleon often hunted to the distance of thirty-eight -leagues, and never less than fifteen. One day a Russian officer, who had -come as a courier from St. Petersburg in the space of twelve or thirteen -days, arrived at Fontainebleau at the moment when the Emperor was about -to set out on a hunt. By way of a rest, the officer had the honour to be -invited to join the hunting-party. He of course accepted the invitation; -but he dropped down in the forest, overcome by fatigue, and was not -found until after considerable search had been made for him. - -Footnote 25: - - This may appear incredible. Indeed I myself feel doubts now when I - read over the statement. But I know that when the subject was spoken - of one day at dinner at Longwood, it underwent much discussion, and I - noted down on paper what was then admitted to be the correct account. - Besides, many individuals who accompanied the Emperor are still - living: and the fact may be ascertained. - -I have known the Emperor to be engaged in business in the Council of -State for eight or nine hours successively, and afterwards rise with his -ideas as clear as when he sat down. I have seen him at St. Helena peruse -books for ten or twelve hours in succession, on the most abstruse -subjects, without appearing in the least fatigued. He has suffered, -unmoved, the greatest shocks that ever man experienced. On his return -from Moscow or Leipsic, after he had communicated the disastrous event -in the Council of State, he said:—“It has been reported in Paris that -this misfortune turned my hair grey; but you see it is not so (pointing -to his head); and I hope I shall be able to support many other -reverses.” But these prodigious exertions are made only, as it were, in -despite of his physical powers, which never appear less susceptible than -when his mind is in full activity. - -The Emperor eats very irregularly, but generally very little. He often -says that a man may hurt himself by eating too much, but never by eating -too little. He will remain four-and-twenty hours without eating, only to -get an appetite for the ensuing day. But if he eats little, he drinks -still less. A single glass of Madeira or Champaign is sufficient to -restore his strength, and to produce cheerfulness of spirits. He sleeps -very little and very irregularly, generally rising at daybreak to read -or write, and afterwards lying down to sleep again. - -The Emperor has no faith in medicine, and never takes any. He had -adopted a peculiar mode of treatment for himself. Whenever he found -himself unwell, his plan was to run into an extreme, the opposite of -what happened to be his habit at the time. This he calls restoring the -equilibrium of nature. If, for instance, he had been inactive for a -length of time, he would suddenly ride about sixty miles, or hunt for a -whole day. If, on the contrary, he had been harassed by great fatigues, -he would resign himself to a state of absolute rest for twenty-four -hours. These unexpected shocks infallibly brought about an internal -crisis, and instantly produced the desired effect: this remedy, he -observed, never failed. - -The Emperor’s lymphatic system is deranged, and his blood circulates -with difficulty. Nature, he said, had endowed him with two important -advantages: the one was the power of sleeping whenever he needed repose, -at any hour, and in any place; another was that he was incapable of -committing any injurious excess either in eating or drinking. “If,” said -he, “I go the least beyond my mark, my stomach instantly revolts.” He is -subject to nausea from very slight causes; a mere tickling cough is -sufficient to produce that effect on him. - - OUR MODE OF LIVING AT BRIARS.—MY FIRST VISIT TO - LONGWOOD.—INFERNAL MACHINE; ITS HISTORY. - -26th—28th. On the 26th the Emperor dressed very early: he found himself -quite recovered. He wished to walk out, as the weather was very fine; -and, besides, his room had not been put in order for three days. We went -into the garden, and he chose to breakfast under the arbour. He was in -good spirits, and his conversation turned upon many different subjects -and persons. - -The Emperor’s health being now perfectly restored, he resumed his usual -occupation, which, indeed, was his only source of amusement. Reading, -dictating, and walking in the garden, filled up all his time during the -day. He still occasionally resorted to his favourite path, though the -turn of the season, and the change of the moon, had nearly put a stop to -our evening walks. The numerous visitors who came to Mr. Balcombe’s -house, attracted by the hope of meeting the Emperor, annoyed him very -much, and, indeed, compelled him to withdraw himself altogether. We -therefore remained shut up in our little dwelling. We at first -understood that we should remain at Briars only a few days; but six -weeks had passed away, and we had yet heard nothing respecting our -removal. All this time the Emperor had been as much confined as he had -been on board of the vessel. He had taken only one excursion, which was -when he visited Major Hudson; and we afterwards learned that this -circumstance had occasioned alarm. It had been whispered about at the -Admiral’s ball, and had reached the ears of our high authorities, who -were thrown into great consternation by the event. - -The workmen continued their labours at Longwood, which was to be our new -residence. The troops who had come with us from England were encamped in -the neighbourhood. The Colonel gave a ball, to which we were invited. -The Emperor wished me to go, and that I should, at the same time, take -the opportunity of inspecting our future abode. I went with Madame -Bertrand, in a carriage drawn by six oxen. In this Merovingian equipage -we proceeded to Longwood. This was the first opportunity I had had of -seeing any part of the island, except the neighbourhood of Briars. The -whole road along which we passed presented continued evidences of a -great natural convulsion. We saw nothing but huge masses of rock, -totally destitute of vegetation. If, at every change of the horizon, we -perceived a trace of verdure or a few clusters of trees, yet on a nearer -approach, all vanished like the creations of a poet’s fancy; we found -only a few marine plants and wild shrubs; or, what was still worse, some -wretched gum-trees. These were the only ornaments of Longwood. I -returned on horseback about six o’clock. The Emperor put many questions -to me concerning our new residence. Finding that I did not speak of it -very enthusiastically, he asked at once whether he should gain or lose -by the change? I told him what I thought in one sentence. “Sire,” said -I, “we are here in a cage; there we shall be in a fold.” - -28th.—The Emperor changed his military uniform, which he had put on to -go on board the Bellerophon, for a fancy dress coat. In the course of -conversation this day the Emperor adverted to the numerous conspiracies -which had been formed against him. The infernal machine was mentioned in -its turn. This diabolical invention, which gave rise to so many -conjectures, and caused the death of so many victims, was the work of -the Royalists, who obtained the first idea of it from the Jacobins. - -The Emperor stated that a hundred furious Jacobins, the real authors of -the scenes of September, the 10th of August, &c., had resolved to get -rid of the First Consul, for which purpose they invented a 15 or -16-pound howitzer, which, on being thrown into the carriage, would -explode by its own concussion, and hurl destruction on every side. To -make sure of their object, they proposed to lay chevaux de frise along a -part of the road, which, by suddenly impeding the horses, would of -course render it impossible for the carriage to move on. The man who was -employed to lay down the chevaux de frise, entertaining some suspicions -of the job which he had been set upon, as well as of the morality of his -employers, communicated the business to the police. The conspirators -were soon traced, and were apprehended near the Jardin des Plantes, in -the act of trying the effect of the machine, which made a terrible -explosion. The First Consul, whose policy it was not to divulge the -numerous conspiracies of which he was the object, did not give publicity -to this, but contented himself with imprisoning the criminals. He soon -relaxed his orders for keeping them in close confinement, and they were -allowed a certain degree of liberty. In the same prison in which these -Jacobins were confined, some Royalists were also imprisoned for an -attempt to assassinate the First Consul, by means of air-guns. These two -parties formed a league together; and the Royalists transmitted to their -friends out of prison the idea of the infernal machine, as being -preferable to any other plan of destruction. - -It is very remarkable that, on the evening of the catastrophe, the -Emperor expressed an extreme repugnance to go out. Madame Buonaparte and -some intimate friends absolutely forced him to go to an Oratorio. They -roused him from a sofa where he was fast asleep; one fetched him his -sword, and another his hat. As he drove along in the carriage, he fell -asleep again, and awoke suddenly, saying that he had dreamed he was -drowning in the Tagliamento. To explain what he alluded to, it is -necessary to mention that some years previously, when he was General of -the army of Italy, he passed the Tagliamento in his carriage during the -night, contrary to the advice of every one about him. In the ardour of -youth, and heedless of every obstacle, he crossed the river surrounded -by a hundred men armed with poles and torches. His carriage was, -however, soon set afloat; Napoleon incurred the most imminent danger, -and for some time gave himself up for lost. At the moment when he now -awoke, on his way to the Oratorio, he was in the midst of a -conflagration, the carriage was lifted up, and the passage of the -Tagliamento came fresh upon his mind. The illusion, however, was but -momentary; a dreadful explosion immediately ensued. “We are blown up!” -exclaimed the First Consul to Lannes and Bessieres, who were in the -carriage with him. They were for stopping the carriage, but the First -Consul enjoined them not to do it on any account. He arrived safe, and -appeared at the Opera as though nothing had happened. He was preserved -by the desperate driving of his coachman. The machine injured only one -or two individuals who closed the escort. - -The most trivial circumstances often lead to the most important results. -The coachman was intoxicated, and there is no doubt that this proved the -means of saving the life of the First Consul. The man’s intoxication was -so great that it was not until next morning he could be made to -comprehend what had happened. He had taken the explosion for the firing -of a salute. Immediately after this event, measures were adopted against -the Jacobins, who had been convicted of meditating the crime: and a -considerable number were banished. They, however, were not the real -criminals, whose discovery was brought about by another very singular -chance. - -Three or four hundred drivers of _fiacres_ subscribed a louis or twelve -francs each to give a dinner to the First Consul’s coachman, who had -become the hero of the day and the boast of his profession. During the -feast, one of the guests drinking to the health of the First Consul’s -coachman, observed that he knew who had played him the trick, alluding -to the explosion of the machine. He was immediately arrested, and it -appeared that, on the very night, or the night preceding the explosion, -he had drawn up his _fiacre_ beside a gate, whence had issued the little -cart that had done all the mischief. The police proceeded to the place, -and it was found to be a coach-yard, where all kinds of vehicles were -lent on hire. The keepers of the yard did not deny the fact; they -pointed out the stall in which the cart stood; it still presented traces -of gunpowder. The proprietors declared that they were given to -understand the cart had been hired by some Bretons who were concerned in -smuggling. The man who had sold the horse, together with every -individual who had participated in the affair, were easily traced out; -and it was proved that the plot had been formed by the Chouan Royalists. -Some active and intelligent men were despatched to their head-quarters -in Morbihan. They took no pains to conceal their share in the -transaction, and only regretted that it had not succeeded. Some of them -were apprehended and brought to punishment. It is said that the chief -conspirator afterwards turned Trappist, and sought to expiate his crime -by religious austerities. - -CONSPIRACY OF GEORGES, PICHEGRU, &C.—THE DUKE D’ENGHIEN.—THE SLAVE - TOBY.—CHARACTERISTIC REFLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. - -29th—30th. I find in this part of my manuscript some important -particulars respecting the conspiracy of Georges, Pichegru, Moreau, and -the trial of the Duke d’Enghien; but, as these subjects recur repeatedly -in the course of my Journal, I transfer to another part what occurred -here, in order to bring all my information on the above points at once -under the eye of the reader. - -Mr. Balcombe’s little garden, in which we so often walked, was -superintended by an old negro. The first time we saw him, the Emperor, -according to his usual custom, desired me to put some questions to him -respecting his history; and his answers strongly excited our interest. -He was a Malay Indian, and had been forced from his home by the crew of -an English vessel, and sold at St. Helena, where he had continued ever -since in slavery. His story bore every mark of truth. His countenance -had a frank and benevolent expression; his eyes were animated and -sparkling. In short his appearance was by no means abject; but, on the -contrary, truly prepossessing. - -The history of the poor fellow’s misfortunes filled us with, -indignation; and a few days after, the Emperor expressed a wish to -purchase him and send him back to his own country. He mentioned the -subject to the Admiral. The latter, at first, defended his countrymen, -and declared that old Toby (which was the name of the unfortunate slave) -must be an impostor; for the thing was impossible. He, however, enquired -into the matter, and, finding that the story was but too true, he -participated in the indignation which we expressed, and promised to -exert his best endeavours for the fulfilment of our design. When we left -Briars for Longwood, poor Toby, sharing the common fate of all earthly -things, was soon forgotten; I know not what became of him. - -When we were in the garden, the Emperor generally stopped near Toby’s -hut, and made me question him respecting his country, the days of his -youth, his family, his present situation, &c.: one would have supposed -that he wished to study the feelings of the old slave. By the Emperor’s -desire, I invariably closed the conversation by giving him a Napoleon. - -Toby was very much attached to us; our presence always seemed to fill -him with joy. When we entered the garden, he immediately suspended his -work, and, resting on his spade, gazed on us with an air of -satisfaction. He understood not a word of the conversation that passed -between the Emperor and myself; but he always seemed to anticipate, with -a smile, the first words I translated to him. He called the Emperor the -_Good Gentleman_: this was the only name he ever applied to him, and he -knew him by no other. - -I have mentioned the above particulars, because our meetings with Toby -were always followed by novel, spirited, and characteristic reflections -on the part of the Emperor. The versatility of his mind is well known. -Whenever he adverted to the poor slave’s misfortunes, he always took a -new view of the subject. I shall content myself with noting down the -following remarks:— - -“Poor Toby,” said he one day, “has been torn from his family, from his -native land, and sold to slavery: could any thing be more miserable to -himself, or more criminal in others! If this crime be the act of the -English captain alone, he is doubtless one of the vilest of men; but if -it be that of the whole of the crew, it may have been committed by men, -perhaps, not so base as might be imagined; for vice is always -individual, and scarcely ever collective. Joseph’s brethren could not -bring themselves to slay him; while Judas, a cool, hypocritical, -calculating villain, betrayed his Master. A philosopher has affirmed -that men are born wicked: it would be both difficult and idle to attempt -to discover whether the assertion be true. This, at least, is certain, -that the great mass of society is not wicked; for if the majority were -determined to be criminal and to violate the laws, who would have the -power to restrain or prevent them? This is the triumph of civilization; -for this happy result springs from its bosom, and arises out of its -nature. Sentiments are for the most part traditionary; we feel them -because they were felt by those who preceded us: thus we must look to -the development of human reason and of the faculties of mankind for the -only key to social order, the only secret of the legislator. It is only -those who wish to deceive the people and rule them for their own -personal advantage that would desire to keep them in ignorance; for the -more they are enlightened, the more will they feel convinced of the -utility of laws, and of the necessity of defending them; and the more -steady, happy, and prosperous will society become. If, however, -knowledge should ever be dangerous in the multitude, it can only be when -the Government, in opposition to the interests of the people, drives -them into an unnatural situation, or dooms the lower classes to perish -for want. In such a case, knowledge would inspire them with spirit to -defend themselves, or to become criminal. - -“My code alone, from its simplicity, has been more beneficial to France -than the whole mass of laws which preceded it. My schools and my system -of mutual instruction are preparing generations yet unknown. Thus, -during my reign, crimes were rapidly diminishing; while, on the -contrary, with our neighbours in England, they have been increasing to a -frightful degree. This alone is sufficient to enable any one to form a -decisive judgment of the respective governments![26] - -Footnote 26: - - This fact is corroborated by authentic documents, which exhibit proofs - more positive than might be expected. (See _Situation de l’ - Angleterre, par M. de Montvéran_.) - - FRANCE ENGLAND - - /—————- ———— /—————- ———— - - Inhabitants. Condemned to Years. Inhabitants. Condemned to - death. death. - - 34,000,000 882 {1801} 16,000,000 3,400 - - 42,000,000 392 {1811} 17,000,000 6,400 - - It is obvious from this statement, that in the year 1801, in France, - twenty-six out of a million of inhabitants were condemned to death; - and that in 1811, ten years after, the number of condemned had - diminished two-thirds, leaving the proportion of only nine to a - million. - - In England, on the contrary, where, in 1801, the number of criminals - condemned to death was 212 out of a million of inhabitants, the amount - increased by more than one half; there being in 1811, 376 out of a - million. - - It is worthy of observation that the condemnations in England, - compared with those in France, were as 376 to 9, or as 42 to 1. - - The report of the state of mendicity in France, compared with that of - the parish poor in England, also presents a prodigious difference: the - French list, in 1812, exhibiting only 30,000 individuals out of 43 - millions of inhabitants; while in England, in the same year, a fourth - of the population, or 4,250,000 poor, were thrown upon the - parishes.—(_Montvéran_.) - -“Look at the United States, where, without any apparent force or effort, -every thing goes on prosperously; every one is happy and contented: and -this is because the public wishes and interests are in fact the ruling -power. Place the same government at variance with the will and interests -of its inhabitants, and you would soon see what disturbance, trouble, -and confusion, and above all, what an increase of crimes, would ensue. - -“When I acquired the supreme direction of affairs, it was wished that I -might become a Washington. Words cost nothing; and no doubt those who -were so ready to express the wish did so without any knowledge of times, -places, persons, or things. Had I been in America, I would willingly -have been a Washington, and I should have had little merit in so being; -for I do not see how I could reasonably have acted otherwise. But had -Washington been in France, exposed to discord within, and invasion from -without, I would have defied him to have been what he was in America; at -least, he would have been a fool to attempt it, and would only have -prolonged the existence of evil. For my own part, I could only have been -a _Crowned Washington_. It was only in a congress of kings, in the midst -of kings, yielding or subdued, that I could become so. Then and there -alone, I could successfully display Washington’s moderation, -disinterestedness, and wisdom. I could not reasonably attain to this but -by means of the _universal Dictatorship_. To this I aspired; can that be -thought a crime? Can it be believed that to resign this authority would -have been beyond the power of human nature? Sylla, glutted with crimes, -dared to abdicate, pursued by public execration! What motive could have -checked me, who would have been followed only by blessings?——But it -remained for me to conquer at Moscow!—How many will hereafter regret my -disasters and my fall!—But to require prematurely of me that sacrifice, -for which the time had not arrived, was a vulgar absurdity; and for me -to have proclaimed or promised it, would have been taken for hypocrisy -and quackery: that was not my way.——I repeat, it remained for me to -conquer at Moscow!——” - -On another occasion, pausing before Toby, he said:—“What, after all, is -this poor human machine? There is not one whose exterior form is like -another, or whose internal organisation resembles the rest! And it is by -disregarding this truth that we are led to the commission of so many -errors! Had Toby been a Brutus, he would have put himself to death: if -an Æsop, he would now, perhaps, have been the Governor’s adviser; if an -ardent and zealous Christian, he would have borne his chains in the -sight of God, and blessed them. As for poor Toby, he endures his -misfortunes very quietly; he stoops to his work, and spends his days in -innocent tranquillity.” Then, after looking at him for a few moments in -silence, he turned away and said: “Certainly it is a great step from -poor Toby to a King Richard!——And yet,” continued he, as he walked -along, “the crime is not the less atrocious; for this man, after all, -had his family, his happiness, and his liberty; and it was a horrible -act of cruelty to bring him here to languish in the fetters of slavery,” -Then, suddenly stopping short, he added:—“But I read in your eyes that -you think he is not the only example of the sort at St. Helena!” And -whether he felt offended at being placed on a parallel with Toby, -whether he thought it necessary to raise my spirits, or whatever else -might be his reason, he went on with dignity and animation: “My dear Las -Cases, there is not the least resemblance here: if the outrage is of a -higher class, the victims also possess very different resources. We have -not been exposed to corporeal sufferings; or if that had been attempted, -we have souls to disappoint our tyrants! Our situation may even have its -charms! The eyes of the universe are fixed upon us! We are martyrs in an -immortal cause! Millions of human beings are weeping for us: our country -sighs, and glory mourns our fate! We here struggle against the -oppression of the gods, and the prayers of nations are for us!”—After a -pause of a few seconds, he continued:—“Besides, this is not the source -of my real sufferings! If I considered only myself, perhaps I should -have reason to rejoice! Misfortunes are not without their heroism and -their glory! Adversity was wanting to my career! Had I died on the -throne, enveloped in the dense atmosphere of my power, I should to many -have remained a problem; but now misfortune will enable all to judge of -me without disguise.“ - - ORIGIN OF THE CORPS OF GUIDES.—ANOTHER DANGER - INCURRED BY NAPOLEON.—THE GERMAN OFFICER. - -December 1st—3rd. Many incidents fill up this interval: some I reject as -unnecessary, some it is proper I should withhold. I here note down only -a few anecdotes of the General-in-chief of the Army of Italy. - -After the passage of the Mincio, Napoleon, having concerted all his -plans, and pursued the enemy in every direction, entered a castle on the -left bank of the river. He was troubled with the head-ache, and he used -a foot-bath. A large detachment of the enemy, in great confusion, -arrived, having ascended the river as far as the castle. Napoleon had -only a few persons with him; the sentinel on duty at the gate had just -time to close it, exclaiming, “To arms!” and the General of the Army of -Italy, in the hour of victory, was compelled to escape through the back -gates of the garden, with but one boot on. Had he been made prisoner, -before his reputation was established, the acts of genius which had -marked the commencement of his career would, perhaps, by the common run -of mankind, have been considered merely as fortunate and blameable -enterprises. The danger which the French General had just escaped (a -circumstance which, through his method of operations, was likely often -to recur) was the origin of the guides appointed to guard his person. -These guides have since been introduced in other armies. - -In the same campaign, Napoleon incurred another imminent risk:—Wurmser, -who had been compelled to throw himself into Mantua, and who was -debouching suddenly on an open plain, learned from an old woman, that, -only a few moments before his arrival, the French General, with but a -few followers, had stopped at her door, and that he had fled within -sight of the Austrians. Wurmser immediately despatched parties of -cavalry in every direction, calculating with certainty on the precious -capture. “But,” said the Emperor, “I must do him this justice, he gave -particular orders that I should not be killed or harmed in any way.” -Fortunately for the young General, his happy star and the swiftness of -his horse preserved him. - -The new system of military operations practised by Napoleon disconcerted -every one. The campaign was scarcely opened, when Lombardy was inundated -with troops in every direction, and the French approached Mantua -pell-mell with the enemy. The General-in-chief, when in the -neighbourhood of Pizzighitone, met a great fat German Captain or -Colonel, who had been made prisoner. Napoleon took a fancy to question -him, without being known, and enquired how affairs were going on. “Very -badly,” replied the officer; “I know not how it will end; but no one -seems to understand what is doing; we have been sent to fight a young -blockhead, who attacks you on the right and the left, in front and in -rear, so that there is no knowing how to proceed. This mode of carrying -on war is intolerable; and for my part, I am very glad to have done with -it....” - -Napoleon used to relate that, after one of his great actions in Italy, -he passed over the field of battle with two or three other persons, -before the dead bodies had been interred. “In the deep silence of a -beautiful moonlight night,” said the Emperor, “a dog, leaping suddenly -from beneath the clothes of his dead master, rushed upon us, and then -immediately returned to his hiding-place, howling piteously. He -alternately licked his master’s face, and again flew at us; thus, at -once soliciting aid and seeking revenge. Whether owing to my own -particular turn of mind at the moment,” continued the Emperor, “the -time, the place, or the action itself, I know not; but certainly no -incident on any field of battle ever produced so deep an impression on -me. I involuntarily stopped to contemplate the scene. This man, thought -I, perhaps has friends in the camp or in his company; and here he lies -forsaken by all except his dog! What a lesson Nature here presents -through the medium of an animal! What a strange being is man! and how -mysterious are his impressions; I had, without emotion, ordered battles -which were to decide the fate of the army; I had beheld, with tearless -eyes, the execution of those operations, by which numbers of my -countrymen were sacrificed; and here my feelings were roused by the -mournful howling of a dog! Certainly at that moment I should have been -easily moved by a suppliant enemy; I could very well imagine Achilles -yielding up the body of Hector at the sight of Priam’s tears.” - - WAR.—PRINCIPLES.—APPLICATION.—OPINIONS ON - SEVERAL GENERALS. - -4th—5th. My eyes had become so bad that I was obliged to suspend my -occupation: I had nearly lost my sight in the Campaign in Italy. - -For some time past a sensible change had taken place in the weather. We -knew nothing about the order of the seasons. As the sun passed twice -over our heads in the course of the last year, we said we ought, at -least, to have two summers. Every thing was totally different from what -we had been accustomed to; and, to complete our embarrassments, we were -obliged, being now in the southern hemisphere, to make all our -calculations in a manner quite the reverse of that which we had -practised in Europe. It rained frequently, the air was very damp, and it -grew colder than before. The Emperor could no longer go out in the -evening; he was continually catching cold and did not sleep well. He was -obliged to give up taking his meals beneath the tent, and he had them -served up in his own chamber. Here he found himself better; but he could -not stir from his seat. - -Our conversation continued after the dinner was removed from table. -To-day the Emperor attacked General Gourgaud on the elements and first -exercises of artillery. The General had recently belonged to that -department of the service, and all his professional science was quite -fresh. The discussion was very curious, and was maintained with great -spirit. Napoleon never proved himself to be the weaker party: one might -have been tempted to believe that he had just passed his examination at -the academy. - -The conversation then turned on war and great commanders. “The fate of a -battle,” observed the Emperor, “is the result of a moment—of a thought: -the hostile forces advance with various combinations, they attack each -other and fight for a certain time; the critical moment arrives, a -mental flash decides, and the least reserve accomplishes the object.” He -spoke of Lützen, Bautzen, &c.; and afterwards, alluding to Waterloo, he -said, that had he followed up the idea of turning the enemy’s right, he -should easily have succeeded; he, however, preferred piercing the -centre, and separating the two armies. But all was fatal in that -engagement; it even assumed the appearance of absurdity: nevertheless, -he ought to have gained the victory. Never had any of his battles -presented less doubt to his mind; nor could he now account for what had -happened. Grouchy, he said, had lost himself; Ney appeared bewildered, -and his countenance at once expressed the remorse he felt for the -transactions of Fontainebleau and of Lons-le-Saunier; d’Erlon was -useless; in short, the generals were no longer themselves. If, in the -evening, he had been aware of Grouchy’s position, and could have thrown -himself upon it, he might, in the morning, with the help of that fine -reserve, have repaired his ill success, and perhaps, even have destroyed -the allied forces by one of those miracles, those turns of Fortune, -which were familiar to him, and which would have surprised no one. But -he knew nothing of Grouchy; and besides, it was not easy to act with -decision amongst the wrecks of the army. It would be difficult to -imagine the condition of the French army on that disastrous night; it -was a torrent dislodged from its bed, sweeping away every thing in its -course. - -Turning to another subject, he said that the dangers incurred by the -military commanders of antiquity were not to be compared with those -which attend the generals of modern times. There is, he observed, no -position in which a general may not now be reached by artillery; but -anciently a general ran no risk, except when he himself charged, which -Cæsar did only twice or thrice. - -“We rarely,” said he, “find, combined together, all the qualities -necessary to constitute a great general. The object most desirable is -that a man’s judgment should be in equilibrium with his personal -courage; that raises him at once above the common level.” This is what -the Emperor termed being _well squared_, both by the base and -perpendicular. - -“If,” continued he, “courage be a general’s predominating quality, he -will rashly embark in enterprises above his conceptions; and, on the -other hand, he will not venture to carry his ideas into effect, if his -character or courage be inferior to his judgment.” - -He then cited the example of the Viceroy, whose sole merit consisted in -this equilibrium of character, which, however, sufficed to render him a -very distinguished man. - -Physical and moral courage then became the subject of discourse. “With -respect to physical courage,” the Emperor said, “it was impossible for -Murat and Ney not to be brave, but no men ever possessed less judgment; -the former in particular. As to moral courage,” observed he, “I have -very rarely met with _the two o’clock in the morning courage_. I mean, -unprepared courage, that which is necessary on an unexpected occasion, -and which, in spite of the most unforeseen events, leaves full freedom -of judgment and decision.” He did not hesitate to declare that he was -himself eminently gifted with this _two o’clock in the morning_ courage, -and that, in this respect, he had met with but few persons who were at -all equal to him. He remarked that an incorrect idea was generally -formed of the strength of mind necessary to engage in one of those great -battles on which depends the fate of an army or nation, or the -possession of a throne. “Generals,” added he, “are rarely found eager to -give battle; they choose their positions; establish themselves; consider -their combinations; but then commences their indecision: nothing is so -difficult, and at the same time so important, as to know when to -decide.” - -He next proceeded to notice several generals, and condescended to reply -to some questions that were asked him. “Kleber,” said he, “was endowed -with the highest talent; but he was merely the man of the moment: he -pursued glory as the only road to enjoyment; but he had no national -sentiment, and he could, without any sacrifice, have devoted himself to -foreign service.” Kleber had commenced his youthful career among the -Prussians, to whom he continued much attached. Dessaix possessed, in a -very superior degree, the important equilibrium above described. Moreau -scarcely deserved to be placed in the first rank of generals; in him -nature had left her work unfinished; he possessed more instinct than -genius. In Lannes, courage at first predominated over judgment; but the -latter was every day gaining ground, and approaching the equilibrium. He -had become a very able commander at the period of his death. “I found -him a dwarf,” said the Emperor, “but I lost him a giant.” In another -general, whom he named, judgment was, on the contrary, superior to -courage; it could not be denied that he was a brave man; but he, like -many others, did not forget the chance of the cannon-ball. - -Speaking of military ardour and courage, the Emperor said, “I know the -depth, or what I call the _draught of water_, of all my generals. Some,” -added he, joining action to his words, “will sink to the waist, some to -the chin, others over head; but the number of the latter is very small, -I assure you.” Suchet, he said, was one whose courage and judgment had -been surprisingly improved. Massena was a very superior man, and, by a -strange peculiarity of temperament, he possessed the desired equilibrium -only in the heat of battle; it was created in the midst of danger. “The -generals,” finally observed the Emperor, “who seemed destined to rise to -future distinction were Gerard, Clausel, Foy, Lamarque, &c. These were -my new marshals.” - - SITUATION OF THE SPANISH PRINCES AT VALENCEY.—THE - POPE AT FONTAINEBLEAU.—REFLECTIONS, &C. - -6th.—The Emperor, after dictating to me this morning, was successively -engaged with the other gentlemen, with whom he prolonged his walk for -some time. When they withdrew, I followed him into the lower path: he -was dull and silent, and his countenance appeared somewhat harsh and -ruffled. “Well,” said he, as we were returning to dinner, “we shall have -sentinels under our windows at Longwood. They wished to force me to have -a foreign officer at my table and in my drawing-room. I cannot mount my -horse without being accompanied by an officer; in short, we cannot stir -a step under pain of being insulted!...” I replied that this was another -drop of sorrow added to the bitter cup which we were doomed to drink to -his past glory and power; but that his philosophy was sufficient to defy -the malice of his enemies, and to make them blush for their brutality in -the face of the whole world. I ventured to remark that the Spanish -Princes at Valencey, and the Pope at Fontainebleau, had never -experienced such treatment. “Certainly not,” resumed he; “the Princes -hunted and gave balls at Valencey, without being physically aware of -their chains; they experienced respect and courtesy at all hands. Old -King Charles IV. removed from Compiegne to Marseilles, and from -Marseilles to Rome, whenever he wished. And yet how different are those -places from this! The Pope at Fontainebleau, whatever may have been the -reports circulated in the world, was treated in the same manner. And yet -how many persons, in spite of all the indulgences he enjoyed, refused to -be appointed to guard him!—a circumstance which gave me no offence, for -I thought it perfectly natural. Such employments are subject to the -influence of delicacy of feeling; and our European manners require that -power should be limited by honour.” He observed that, for his own part, -as a private man and an officer, he should without hesitation have -refused to guard the Pope, whose removal to France, he added, had never -been ordered by him.—I manifested great surprise.—“You are astonished,” -said he: “you did not know this? But it is nevertheless true, as well as -many other similar facts, which you will learn in course of time. But, -with reference to the subject on which we have just been speaking, it is -necessary to distinguish the conduct of the sovereign, who acts -collectively, from that of the private man, whose sentiments are without -constraint. Policy permits, nay, frequently demands, from the one, what -would be unpardonable in the other.” The hour of dinner, by introducing -various subjects of conversation, diverted his melancholy, and -cheerfulness finally prevailed. - -Meanwhile the Emperor seriously determined to quit his present wretched -abode, whatever inconvenience his new residence might present. On going -to pass the remainder of the evening with our host, the Emperor directed -me to present him a box bearing his cypher, and to tell him he was sorry -for all the trouble he had occasioned to him. - -ON THE NOUVELLE HÉLOÏSE, AND ON LOVE. - -7th.—The Emperor summoned me to attend him at an early hour. He began to -read the Nouvelle Héloïse, frequently remarking on the ingenuity and -force of the arguments, the elegance of the style and expressions: he -read for upwards of two hours. This reading made a powerful impression -on me; it produced a deep melancholy—a mingled feeling of tenderness and -sorrow. I had always been fond of the work; and it now awakened happy -recollections, and excited deep regret: the Emperor frequently smiled at -me. During breakfast the Nouvelle Héloïse was the topic of conversation. - -“Jean-Jacques has overcharged his subject,” said the Emperor; “he has -painted madness: love should be a source of pleasure, not of misery.” I -alleged that Jean-Jacques had described nothing which a man might not -feel, and that even the misery to which the Emperor alluded was, in -reality, happiness.—“I see,” said he, “you have a little touch of the -romantic: has Love’s misery rendered you happy?”—“I do not complain of -my fate, Sire,” replied I; “were I to begin life again, I should wish to -retrace the course I have already pursued.” - -The Emperor resumed his reading after breakfast; but he paused -occasionally: the enchantment seemed to seize him in his turn. He at -length laid down the book, and we went out to the garden. “Really,” said -he, as we walked along, “this work is not without fire; it moves, it -rouses the feelings.” We discussed the subject deeply; we were very -prolix in our remarks, and we at length agreed that perfect love is like -ideal happiness; that both are equally airy, fugitive, mysterious, and -inexplicable; and that, finally, love is the business of the idle man, -the recreation of the warrior, and the ruin of the sovereign. - -We were joined by the Grand Marshal and M. Gourgaud, who had just come -from Longwood. The admiral had for some days past been urgent for our -removal thither; and the Emperor was not less anxious to go, the -accommodation at Briars being so very bad. However, before he removed, -it was necessary that the smell of the paint should be entirely gone, -for, owing to his peculiar organization, he could not possibly endure -it. In the Imperial palaces, care had been taken never to expose him to -it. In his different journeys, the slightest smell of paint frequently -rendered it necessary to change the apartments that had been prepared -for him; and on board of the Northumberland the paint of the ship had -made him very ill. He had been informed on the preceding evening that -all was ready at Longwood, and that the disagreeable effect of the paint -was entirely gone. He accordingly determined to remove on the Saturday -following, as he would thus be rid of the annoyance of the workmen on -Sunday; but the Grand Marshal and M. Gourgaud now came to say that they -had visited the place, and that it was not habitable. The Emperor -expressed much vexation at the first account he had received, and the -resolution which it had led him to adopt. The two gentlemen withdrew, -and we entered the lower walk. The Emperor was much out of humour. M. de -Montholon now arrived, very _mal-a-propos_, from Longwood, declaring -that all was ready, and that the Emperor might remove as soon as he -wished. These two accounts, so contradictory and so close upon each -other, strongly excited his displeasure. Fortunately, dinner was -announced, which diverted his attention from the subject. The cloth was -laid in the Emperor’s chamber; for he had so severe a cold that he could -not endure the tent. After dinner he resumed his reading; and ended the -day, as he had begun it, with the Nouvelle Héloïse. - -THE ENGLISH LIEUTENANT.—A SINGULAR CIRCUMSTANCE.—DEPARTURE FOR LONGWOOD - DETERMINED ON.—STATE OF FRANCE.—MEMORIAL IN JUSTIFICATION OF NEY. - - 8th—9th. Owing to the doubt which had yesterday arisen respecting the - paint, I determined to go myself to ascertain the real state of the - case, and to acquaint the Emperor with it at breakfast-time. I - accordingly set out very early, walking three parts of the way, - because nobody was up who could get ready a horse for me. I returned - before nine o’clock. The smell of the paint was certainly very slight; - but it was too much for the Emperor. - - On the 9th the Captain of the Minden of 74, was introduced to the - Emperor in the garden. The captain had arrived from the Cape of Good - Hope, and was on the eve of sailing for Europe. He had had the honour - of being presented to Napoleon at Paris, under the Consulate, about - twelve years before. He requested permission to introduce one of his - Lieutenants to the Emperor, on account of some personal circumstances, - which we thought very singular. The young man was born at Bologna, - precisely at the period when the French army entered that city. The - French General, Napoleon, had by some accident been present at the - christening of the child, to whom he gave a tri-coloured cockade, - which has since been carefully preserved in the family. - - After the departure of these gentlemen, the Grand Marshal arrived from - Longwood. He thought the paint by no means offensive; the Emperor’s - present accommodation was very bad, and a portion of his property had - already been removed; he therefore resolved to proceed to Longwood on - the following day, of which I was heartily glad. I had for some days - past had an opportunity of observing that a determination had been - adopted to compel the Emperor to quit his present abode. I had kept to - myself all the communications, public or private, that had been made - to me on the subject. I made it a rule to spare him every cause of - vexation that I possibly could, and merely contented myself with - acting in the way that I thought most advisable. Two days before, an - officer was sent to carry away the tent, though we had expressed no - wish to that effect. The officer had also been directed to remove the - outside shutters from the Emperor’s windows; but this I opposed, - telling him it could not be done, as the Emperor had not yet risen, - and I sent him away. On another occasion, with the view of alarming - me, I was told as a great secret that if the Emperor did not - immediately remove, it was intended to station a hundred soldiers at - the gates of the enclosure. “Very well,” I replied, and took no - further notice. What could be the occasion of all this hurry? I - suspect that the caprice of our jailors, and the desire of pushing - their authority to the utmost, had more concern in the business than - any thing else. - - We received newspapers down to the 15th of September; and they became - the subject of conversation. The Emperor analyzed them. The future - appeared enveloped in clouds. “However,” said the Emperor, “three - great events present themselves to the imagination;—the division of - France, the reign of the Bourbons, or a new dynasty. Louis XVIII.,” - observed he, “might easily have reigned in 1814, by rendering himself - a national monarch. Now he has only the odious and uncertain chance - arising out of excessive severity—a reign of terror. His dynasty may - be permanently established, or that which is to succeed him may still - be in the secret of futurity.” Some one present observed, “that the - Duke of Orleans might be called to the throne;” but the Emperor, by a - string of very forcible and eloquent reasoning, proved that, unless - the Duke of Orleans came to wear the crown in his turn by the natural - order of succession, it was the well-understood interest of all the - sovereigns of Europe to prefer him (Napoleon) to the Duke of Orleans, - coming to the throne by a crime. “For,” said he, “what is the doctrine - of Kings against the events of the present day? Is it to prevent a - renewal of the example which I furnished, against what they call - legitimacy? Now the example which I have set cannot be renewed above - once in the course of many ages; but that of the Duke of Orleans, the - near relative of the monarch on the throne, may be renewed daily, - hourly, and in every country. There is no sovereign, who has not, in - his own palace, and about his person, cousins, nephews, brothers, and - other relations, who could easily follow such an example if it were - once given.” - - We read, in the same papers, an abstract of the memorial, in - justification of Marshal Ney.—The Emperor thought it most pitiable. It - was not calculated to save his life, and by no means to maintain his - honour. The arguments in his defence were, to say the least of them, - feeble and destitute of point. After all he had done, he st¡ll - protested his devotedness to the King, and his aversion of the - Emperor, “An absurd plan,” said Napoleon, “but one which has been - generally adopted by those who have figured in the present memorable - times, and who seem not to have considered that I am so entirely - identified with our prodigies, our monuments, our institutions, and - all our national acts, that to separate me from them is to wrong - France. The glory of France is to acknowledge me! And, in spite of all - the subtlety, evasion, and falsehood, that may be employed to prove - the contrary, my character will still be fairly estimated by the - French nation. Ney’s defence,” continued he, “was plainly traced out. - He was led on by a general impulse which he thought calculated to - ensure the welfare of his country; he had obeyed without - premeditation, and without any treasonable design. A change of fortune - had ensued, and he was cited before a tribunal; this was all he had to - say with respect to the great events that had taken place. As to the - defence of his life, there was nothing to be said on that point, - except, indeed, that he was protected by a solemn capitulation, which - guaranteed to every individual silence and oblivion with regard to all - political acts and opinions. Had he pursued that line of defence, and - were his life, nevertheless, to be sacrificed, it would be, in the - face of the whole world, a violation of the most sacred laws. He would - leave behind him the recollection of a glorious character; carrying to - the grave the sympathy of every generous mind, and heaping disgrace - and reprobation on his murderers. But this enthusiasm is probably - beyond his moral strength,” said the Emperor. “Ney is the bravest of - men, and nothing more.” - - It is certain that when Ney quitted Paris, he was wholly devoted to - the King; and that he did not turn until he saw that all was lost. If - he then proved himself enthusiastic in the opposite course, it was - because he felt that he had much to atone for. After his famous order - of the day, he wrote to Napoleon that what he had done was principally - with a view to the welfare of the country; and that, as he could not - henceforth be agreeable to the Emperor, he begged that he would grant - him permission to retire. The Emperor desired him to come, and said he - would receive him as he did on the day after the battle of the - Moscowa. Ney presented himself to Napoleon, and said that, after what - had occurred at Fontainebleau, he must of necessity entertain doubts - of his attachment and fidelity; and that therefore he solicited no - other rank than that of a grenadier in the Imperial guard. The Emperor - replied by stretching forth his hand to him, and calling him the - bravest of the brave, as he was accustomed to do. The Emperor compared - the situation of Ney to that of Turenne. Ney might be defended: but - Turenne was unjustifiable. And yet Turenne was pardoned and loaded - with honours, while Ney was probably doomed to die. - - “In 1649,” said he, “Turenne commanded the royal army, which command - had been conferred on him by Anne of Austria, the Regent of the - kingdom. Though he had taken the oath of fidelity, yet he bribed his - troops, declared himself for the Fronde, and marched on Paris. But - when he was declared guilty of high treason, his repentant army - forsook him; and Turenne took refuge with the Prince of Hesse, to - avoid the pursuit of justice. Ney, on the contrary, was urged by the - unanimous wish and outcry of his army. Only nine months had elapsed - since he had acknowledged a monarch, who had been preceded by six - hundred thousand foreign bayonets: a monarch who had not accepted the - constitution presented to him by the Senate, as the formal and - necessary condition of his return, and who, by declaring that he had - reigned nineteen years, proved that he regarded all preceding - governments as usurpations. Ney, whose education had taught him to - respect the national sovereignty, had fought for five-and-twenty years - to support that cause; and, from a private soldier, had raised himself - to the rank of marshal. If his conduct on the 20th of March was not - honourable, it is at least explicable, and in some respects - pardonable; but Turenne was absolutely criminal, because the Fronde - was the ally of Spain, which was then at war with his Sovereign, and - because he had been prompted by his own interest and that of his - family, in the hope of obtaining a sovereignty at the expense of - France, and consequently to the prejudice of his country.” - - - - - ESTABLISHMENT AT LONGWOOD. - - ------- - - REMOVAL TO LONGWOOD.—DESCRIPTION - OF THE ROAD.—TAKING POSSESSION.—THE - EMPEROR’S FIRST BATH, &C. - - 10th.—The Emperor ordered me to be called about nine o’clock, to - accompany him into the garden. He was obliged to leave his chamber - very early, as all the furniture was to be removed that morning to - Longwood. On entering the garden, the Emperor sent for Mr. Balcombe, - our host. He then ordered his breakfast, and invited Mr. Balcombe to - breakfast with him. He was in charming spirits, and his conversation - was very lively. - - About two o’clock the Admiral was announced: he advanced with an air - of embarrassment. The manner in which the Emperor had been treated at - Briars, and the restraints which had been imposed upon the members of - his suite residing in the town, had occasioned a coolness between - them. The Emperor had discontinued receiving the visits of the - Admiral; yet, on the present occasion, he behaved to him as though - they had met but yesterday. - - At length we left Briars, and set out for Longwood. The Emperor rode - the horse which had been brought for him from the Cape. He had not - seen him before: he was a small, sprightly, and tolerably handsome - animal. The Emperor wore his uniform of the chasseurs of the guard: - his graceful figure and handsome countenance were particularly - remarkable. His appearance attracted general notice, and I was - gratified to hear the observations which it called forth. The Admiral - was very attentive to him. Many persons had collected on the road to - see him pass. Several English officers, together with ourselves, - formed his escort. - - The road from Briars to Longwood runs for some distance in the - direction of the town. It then turns off suddenly to the right, and, - after three or four windings, clears the chain of hills forming one - side of the valley. The road next opens upon a level height of gentle - acclivity, and a new horizon and new scenes present themselves. We now - left behind us the chain of barren mountains and rocks which - distinguish the landing-side of the island, and saw before us a - transverse group of hills, of which Diana’s Peak is the highest, and - appears like the key-stone, or the nucleus, of the surrounding scene. - On the left, or eastern, side, where Longwood is situated, the horizon - is bounded by the broken chain of rocks forming the outline and - barrier of the island. There the soil exhibits an uncultivated desert; - but on the right the eye rests on an extensive tract of country, - which, though rugged, at least presents traces of vegetation: it is - covered with numerous residences, and upon the whole is tolerably well - cultivated. On this side, it must be confessed, the picture is - romantic and pleasing. - - Here a deep valley opens on the left of the road, which is in very - good condition; and two miles farther on, where the road makes an - angle, stands Hut’s Gate, a wretched little house, which was selected - as the residence of the Grand Marshal and his family. At a short - distance from this point, the valley on the left, having gradually - increased in depth, forms a circular gulf, which, from its vast depth - and extent, has received the name of the Devil’s Punch-bowl. The road - is here contracted by an eminence on the right, and it runs along the - side of this precipice, until it turns off in the direction of - Longwood, which is close at hand. - - At the entrance of Longwood, we found a guard under arms, who rendered - the prescribed honours to the august captive. The Emperor’s horse, - which was spirited and untractable, being unused to this kind of - parade, was startled at the sound of the drum; he refused to pass the - gate, and it was only by the help of the spur that his rider succeeded - in forcing him to advance. At this moment, I observed very expressive - looks exchanged among the persons composing the Emperor’s escort. We - entered our new residence about four o’clock. - - The admiral took great pains to point out to us even the minutest - details at Longwood. He had superintended all the arrangements, and - some things were even the work of his own hands. The Emperor was - satisfied with every thing, and the Admiral seemed highly pleased. He - had evidently anticipated petulance and disdain; but the Emperor - manifested perfect good-humour. - - He retired at six o’clock, and beckoned me to follow him to his - chamber. Here he examined various articles of furniture, and enquired - whether I was similarly provided. On my replying in the negative, he - insisted on my accepting them; saying in the most engaging manner, - “Take them; I shall want for nothing: I shall be taken better care of - than you.” He felt much fatigued, and he asked whether he did not look - so. This was the consequence of having passed five months in absolute - inactivity. He had walked a good deal in the morning, besides riding - some miles on horseback. - - Our new residence was provided with a bathing machine, which the - Admiral had ordered the carpenters to fit up in the best way they - could. The Emperor, who since he quitted Malmaison, had been obliged - to dispense with the use of the bath, which to him had become one of - the necessaries of life, expressed a wish to bathe immediately, and - directed me to remain with him. The most trivial details of our new - establishment came once more under consideration; and, as the - apartment which had been assigned to me was very bad, the Emperor - expressed a wish that, during the day, I should occupy what he called - his topographic cabinet, which adjoined his own private closet, in - order, as he said, that I might be nearer to him. I was much affected - by the kind manner in which all this was spoken. He even went so far - as to repeat to me several times that I must come next morning and - take a bath in his machine; and when I excused myself on the ground of - the respect and the distance which ought to be kept up between us, “My - dear Las Cases,” said he, “fellow prisoners should accommodate each - other. I do not want the bath all day, and it is not less necessary to - you than to me.” One would have supposed that he wished to indemnify - me for the loss that I was about to sustain, in being no longer the - only individual about his person. This kindness delighted me, it is - true; but it also produced a feeling of regret. The kindness of the - Emperor was doubtless the reward of my assiduous attentions at Briars; - but it also gave me cause to anticipate the close of that constant - intercourse with him, for which I had been indebted to our profound - solitude. The Emperor, not wishing to dress again, dined in his own - room, and desired me to remain with him. We were alone, and our - conversation turned on a subject of a peculiar nature, the result of - which may be exceedingly important. He asked my opinion, and told me - to communicate it to him next morning. - - DESCRIPTION OF LONGWOOD. - - 11th—14th. We now found unfolded to us a new portion of our existence - on the wretched rock of St. Helena. We were settled in our new abode, - and the limits of our prison were marked out. - - Longwood, which was originally merely a farm-house belonging to the - East India Company, and which was afterwards given as a country - residence to the Deputy Governor, is situated on one of the highest - parts of the Island. The difference of the temperature between this - place and the valley where we landed is marked by a variation of at - least ten degrees of the English thermometer. Longwood stands on a - level height, which is tolerably extensive on the eastern side, and - pretty near the coast. Continual and frequently violent gales, always - blowing in the same quarter, sweep the surface of the ground. The sun, - though it rarely appears, nevertheless exercises its influence on the - atmosphere, which is apt to produce disorders of the liver, if due - precaution be not observed. Heavy and sudden falls of rain complete - the impossibility of distinguishing any regular season. But there is - no regular course of seasons at Longwood. The whole year presents a - continuance of wind, clouds, and rain; and the temperature is of that - mild and monotonous kind which, perhaps, after all, is rather - conducive to _ennui_ than disease. Notwithstanding the abundant rains, - the grass rapidly disappears, being either nipped by the wind or - withered by the heat. The water, which is conveyed hither by a - conduit, is so unwholesome that the Deputy Governor, when he lived at - Longwood, never suffered it to be used in his family until it had been - boiled; and we are obliged to do the same. The trees, which, at a - distance, impart a smiling aspect to the scene, are merely gum trees—a - wretched kind of shrub, affording no shade. On one side the horizon is - bounded by the vast ocean; but the rest of the scene presents only a - mass of huge barren rocks, deep gulfs, and desolate valleys; and, in - the distance, appears the green and misty chain of mountains, above - which towers Diana’s Peak. In short, Longwood can be pleasing only - after the fatigues of a long voyage, when the sight of any land is a - cheering prospect. Arriving at St. Helena on a fine day, the traveller - may, perhaps, be struck with the singularity of the objects which - suddenly present themselves, and exclaim “How beautiful!” but his - visit is momentary; and what pain does not his hasty admiration cause - to the unhappy captives who are doomed to pass their lives at St. - Helena! - - Workmen had been constantly employed for two months in preparing - Longwood for our reception; the result of their labours, however, - amounted to little. The entrance to the house was by a room which had - just been built, and which was intended to answer the double purpose - of an ante-chamber and a dining room. This apartment led to another, - which was made the drawing room; beyond this was a third room running - in a cross direction and very dark. This was intended to be the - depository of the Emperor’s maps and books; but it was afterwards - converted into the dining room. The Emperor’s chamber opened into this - apartment on the right-hand side. This chamber was divided into two - equal parts, forming the Emperor’s cabinet and sleeping room: a little - external gallery served for a bathing-room. Opposite to the Emperor’s - chamber, at the other extremity of the building, were the apartments - of Madame de Montholon, her husband, and her son, which have since - been used as the Emperor’s library. Detached from this part of the - house was a little square room on the ground floor contiguous to the - kitchen, which was assigned to me. My son was obliged to enter his - room through a trap-door and by the help of a ladder; it was nothing - but a loft, and scarcely afforded room for his bed. Our windows and - beds were without curtains. The few articles of furniture which were - in our apartments had evidently been obtained from the inhabitants of - the island, who doubtless readily seized the opportunity of disposing - of them to advantage for the sake of supplying themselves with better. - -[Illustration: - - RESIDENCE OF NAPOLEON AT LONGWOOD. - - London: Published for Henry Colburn, Feb. 1836. -] - - The Grand Marshal, with his wife and children, had been left at the - distance of two miles behind us, in a place denominated Hut’s-Gate. - General Gourgaud slept under a tent, as did also the Doctor,[27] and - the officer commanding our guard, till such time as their apartments - should be ready, which the crew of the Northumberland were rapidly - preparing. - -Footnote 27: - - Dr. O’Meara of the Northumberland. - - We were surrounded by a kind of garden; but, owing to the little - attention which we had it in our power to bestow on its cultivation, - joined to the want of water and the nature of the climate, it was a - garden only in name. In front, and separated from us by a tolerably - deep ravine, was encamped the fifty-third regiment, different parties - of which were posted on the neighbouring heights.—Such was our new - abode. - - On the 12th, Colonel Wilks (formerly Governor for the East India - Company), who had been succeeded by the Admiral, came to visit the - Emperor. I acted as interpreter on the occasion. On the 13th or 14th - the Minden sailed for Europe, and I availed myself of the opportunity - thus afforded to send letters to London and Paris. - -ARRANGEMENT OF THE EMPEROR’S ESTABLISHMENT.—FEELINGS OF THE - CAPTIVES WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER.—TRAITS OF THE EMPEROR’S - CHARACTER.—PORTRAIT OF NAPOLEON BY M. DE PRADT, TRANSLATED FROM - AN ENGLISH NEWSPAPER.—ITS REFUTATION. - - 15th—16th. The domestic establishment of the Emperor, on his departure - from Plymouth, consisted of twelve persons. I feel pleasure in - recording their names here: it is a testimony due to their - attachment.[28] However numerous this establishment may appear, it may - be truly said that after our departure from England, during the - voyage, and from the time of our landing at St. Helena, it had ceased - to be serviceable to the Emperor. Our dispersion, the uncertainty of - our establishment, our wants, and the irregular way in which they were - supplied, necessarily created disorder. - -Footnote 28: - - Persons composing the Emperor’s household. - - SERVANTS OF THE CHAMBER. - - Marchand, native of Paris, 1st valet de - chambre. - - St. Denis, called native of valet de chambre. - Aly, Versailles, - - Noverraz, Swiss, ditto. - - Santini, Corsican, usher. - - SERVANTS IN LIVERY. - - Archambault, sen. native of groom. - Fontainebleau, - - Archambault, jun. ditto, ditto. - - Gentilini, native of Elba, footman. - - SERVANTS FOR THE TABLE. - - Cypriani, Corsican, died at maître d’hotel. - St. Helena, - - Pierron, native of Paris, butler. - - Lepage, cook. - - Rousseau, native of steward. - Fontainebleau, - - As soon as we were all assembled at Longwood, the Emperor determined - to arrange his establishment, and to assign to each of us an - employment suited to our respective capacities. Reserving to the Grand - Marshal the general control and superintendence of the whole - household; he consigned to M. de Montholon all the domestic details. - To M. Gourgaud he intrusted the direction of the stables: and I was - appointed to take care of the property and furniture, and to - superintend the management of our supplies. The latter part of my duty - appeared to interfere too much with the regulation of domestic - details. I conceived that it would be conducive to the general - advantage, if these two departments were under the control of one - individual, and I soon succeeded in accomplishing this object. - - Every thing now proceeded tolerably well, and we were certainly more - comfortable than before. But, however reasonable might be the - regulations made by the Emperor, they, nevertheless, sowed the seeds - of discontent, which took root, and occasionally developed themselves. - One thought himself a loser by the change; another sought to attach - too high an importance to his office; and a third conceived that he - had been wronged in the general division of duties. We were no longer - the members of one family, each exerting his best endeavours to secure - the advantage of the whole. We were far from putting into practice - that which necessity seemed to dictate to us; and a wreck of luxury, - or a remnant of ambition, frequently became an object of dispute. - - Though attachment to the person of the Emperor had united us around - him, yet chance, and not sympathy, had brought us together. Our - connexion was purely fortuitous, and not the result of any natural - affinity. Thus, at Longwood, we were encircled round a centre, but - without any cohesion with each other. How could it be otherwise? We - were almost all strangers to one another, and, unfortunately, our - different conditions, ages, and characters, were calculated to make us - continue so. - - These circumstances, though in themselves trifling, had the vexatious - effect of depriving us of our most agreeable resources. They banished - that confidence, that interchange of sentiment, and that intimate - union, which are calculated to soothe even the most cruel misfortunes. - But, on the other hand, these very circumstances served to develope - many excellent traits in the Emperor’s character. They were apparent - in his endeavours to produce among us unity and conformity of - sentiment; his constant care to remove every just cause of jealousy; - the voluntary abstraction by which he averted his attention from that - which he wished not to observe; and finally, the paternal expressions - of displeasure, of which we were occasionally the objects, and which - (to the honour of all be it said) were avoided as cautiously, and - received as respectfully, as though they had emanated from the throne - of the Tuileries. - - Who in the world can now pretend to know the Emperor in his character - of a private man better than myself?—Who else was with him during two - months of solitude in the desert of Briars?—Who else accompanied him - in his long walks by moonlight, and enjoyed so many hours in his - society? Who, like me, had the opportunity of choosing the moment, the - place, and the subject of his conversation? Who, besides myself, heard - him call to mind the charms of his boyhood, or describe the pleasures - of his youth, and the bitterness of his recent sorrow? I am convinced - that I know his character thoroughly, and that I can now explain many - circumstances which, at the time of their occurrence, seemed to many - difficult to be understood. I can now very well comprehend that which - struck us so forcibly, and which particularly characterized him in the - days of his power; namely, that no individual ever permanently - incurred the displeasure of Napoleon: however marked might be his - disgrace, however deep the gulf into which he was plunged, he might - still confidently hope to be restored to favour. Those who had once - enjoyed intimacy, whatever cause of offence they might give him, never - totally forfeited his regard. The Emperor is eminently gifted with two - excellent qualities;—a vast fund of justice, and a disposition - naturally prone to attachment. Amidst all his vexations and fits of - anger, a sentiment of justice still predominates. He is sure to turn - an attentive ear to sound arguments, and, if left to himself, candidly - brings them forward whenever they occur to his mind. He never forgets - services performed for him, nor habits he has contracted. Sooner or - later he invariably casts a thought on those who may have incurred his - displeasure; he reflects on what they have suffered, considers their - punishment as sufficient, recals them, when they are perhaps forgotten - by the world; and they again enjoy his good graces, to the - astonishment of themselves as well as of others. Of this there have - been many instances. The Emperor is sincere in his attachments, - without making a show of what he feels. When once he becomes used to a - person, he cannot easily bear separation. He observes and condemns his - faults, blames his own choice, expressing his displeasure in the most - unreserved way; but still there is nothing to fear: these are but so - many new ties of regard. - - It will probably be a matter of surprise that I should sketch the - Emperor’s character in so simple a style. All that is usually written - about him is so far fetched: it has been thought necessary to employ - antitheses and brilliant colouring; to seek for effect, and to rack - the imagination for high-flown phrases. For my own part, I merely - describe what I see, and express what I feel. This reflection, by the - by, comes _à propos_. - - The Emperor was to-day reading with me, in the English papers, a - portrait of himself, drawn by the Archbishop of Malines, and worked up - with innumerable witticisms, affected antitheses and contrasts. He - desired the Grand Marshal to transcribe it word for word. The - following are the principal points: “The mind of Napoleon,” says the - Abbé de Pradt, in his _Embassy to Warsaw, in 1812_, “was vast; but - after the manner of the Orientals: and through a contradictory - disposition, it descended as it were, by the effect of its own weight, - to details which might justly be called low. His first idea was always - grand, and his second mean and petty. His mind was like his purse; - munificence and meanness held each a string. His genius, which was at - once adapted to the stage of the world, and the mountebank’s show, - resembled a royal robe joined to a harlequin’s jacket. He was the man - of extremes; one, who having commanded the Alps to bow down, the - Simplon to smooth its ruggedness, and the sea to advance or recede - from its shores, ended by surrendering himself to an English cruiser. - Endowed with wonderful and infinite shrewdness; glittering with wit; - seizing or creating, in every question, new and unperceived relations; - abounding in lively and picturesque images, animated and pointed - expressions, the more forcible from the very incorrectness of his - language, which always bore a sort of foreign impress; sophistical, - subtle, and changeable, to excess, he adopted different rules of - optics from those by which other men are guided. Add to this the - delirium of success, the habit of drinking from the enchanted cup, and - intoxicating himself with the incense of the world: and you may form - an idea of the man who, uniting in his caprices all that is lofty and - mean in the human character, majestic in the splendour of sovereignty, - and peremptory in command, with all that is ignoble and base, even in - his grandest achievements, joining the treacherous ambush to the - subversion of thrones—presents altogether such a Jupiter-Scapin, as - never before figured on the scene of life.” - - Certainly here is abundance of wit, and of the most studied kind. I - pass over the indecorous and disgraceful fact that a reverend prelate, - an Archbishop loaded with the bounty of his sovereign, to whom, during - his prosperity, he paid the most assiduous court, and offered the most - abject flattery, should, in the adversity of that sovereign, indulge - in language so trivial, grotesque, and insulting, as that above - quoted. Without noticing the _harlequin’s coat_, and _Jupiter-Scapin_, - I shall merely dwell on the merit of the Abbé de Pradt’s judgment, - when he says that “the Emperor’s first idea is always grand, and his - second petty; that he is the man of extremes: one who having commanded - the Alps to bow down, the Simplon to smooth its ruggedness, and the - sea to advance and recede from its shores, ended by surrendering - himself to an English cruiser.” The Abbé de Pradt must have formed but - a faint idea of the sublimity, grandeur, and magnanimity of that noble - act. To withdraw himself from a people who were misled by faithless - intriguers, in order to remove every obstacle to their welfare: to - sacrifice his own personal interests, for the sake of averting the - evils of a civil war without national results: to disdain honourable - and secure, but dependent, asylums: to prefer taking refuge among a - people to whom he had, for the space of twenty years, been an - inveterate foe: to suppose their magnanimity equal to his own: to - honour their laws so far as to believe that they would protect him - from the ostracism of Europe:—certainly such ideas and sentiments are - not the reverse of sublime, noble, and great. - - At this part of my journal were inserted several pages, full of - details very discreditable to the Archbishop of Malines, which were - received from the Emperor’s own mouth, or collected from the different - individuals about him. I however strike them out, in consideration of - the satisfaction which I was informed the Emperor subsequently - experienced in perusing M. de Pradt’s _Concordats_. For my own part, I - am perfectly satisfied with numerous other testimonies of the same - nature, and derived from the same source. An honourable and voluntary - acknowledgment is a thousand times better than all the retorts that - can be heaped upon an offender. There are persons to whom atonement is - not without its due weight; I am one of these. - - Just as I had written the above, I happened to read some lines from - the pen of the Abbé de Pradt, which are certainly very fine with - respect to diction; but which are still finer on account of their - justice and truth. I cannot refrain from transcribing them here; as - they make ample amends for those already quoted. A declaration of the - Allied Sovereigns at Laybach, in which Napoleon was, in terms of - reprobation, pronounced to be the representative of the Revolution, - called forth the following observations from the Archbishop of - Malines:— - - “It is too late to insult Napoleon, now that he is defenceless, after - having for so many years crouched at his feet, while he had the power - to punish.... Those who are armed should respect a disarmed enemy, and - the glory of the conqueror depends in a great measure on the - consideration shewn towards the captive, particularly when he yields - to superior force, not to superior genius. It is too late to call - Napoleon a revolutionist, after having for such a length of time - pronounced him to be the restorer of order in France, and, through - France, in Europe. It is too late for those to aim the shaft of insult - at him who once stretched forth their hands to him as a friend, - pledged their faith to him as an ally, and sought to prop a tottering - throne by mingling their blood with his.” Farther on he says: “_He the - representative of the revolution!_ The revolution broke the bonds of - union between France and Rome: he renewed them. The revolution - overthrew the temples of the Almighty: he restored them. The - revolution created two classes of clergy hostile to each other: he - reconciled them. The revolution profaned St. Denis: he purified it, - and offered expiation to the ashes of Kings. The revolution subverted - the throne: he raised it up, and gave it a new lustre. The revolution - banished from their country the nobility of France: he opened to them - the gates of France and of his palace, though he knew them to be his - irreconcileable enemies, and for the most part the enemies of the - public institutions; he reincorporated them with the society from - which they had been separated. This _representative of a revolution_, - which is distinguished by the epithet anti-social, brought from Rome - the head of the Catholic Church, to anoint his brow with the oil that - consecrates diadems! This _representative of a revolution_, which has - been declared hostile to sovereignty, filled Germany with kings, - advanced the rank of princes, restored superior royalty, and - re-constructed a defaced model. This _representative of a revolution_ - which is condemned as a principle of anarchy, like another Justinian, - drew up, amidst the din of war and the snares of foreign policy, those - codes which are the least defective portion of human legislature, and - constructed the most vigorous machine of government in the whole - world. This _representative of a revolution_, which is vulgarly - accused of having subverted all institutions, restored universities - and public schools, filled his empire with the masterpieces of art, - and accomplished those amazing and stupendous works which reflect - honour on human genius: and yet, in the face of the Alps, which bowed - down at his command; of the ocean, subdued at Cherbourg, at Flushing, - at the Helder, and at Antwerp; of rivers, smoothly flowing beneath the - bridges of Jena, Serres, Bourdeaux, and Turin; of canals, uniting seas - together in a course beyond the control of Neptune; finally, in the - face of Paris, metamorphosed as it is by Napoleon,—he is pronounced to - be the agent of general destruction! He who restored all, is said to - be the _representative_ of that which destroyed all! To what - undiscerning men is this language supposed to be addressed? &c.” - - MY SITUATION MATERIALLY IMPROVED.—MY - BED-CHAMBER CHANGED, &C. - - 17th.—The Emperor summoned me at two o’clock, when he began to dress. - On entering, he observed that I looked pale: I replied that it might - be owing to the atmosphere of my chamber, which, from its proximity to - the kitchen, was an absolute oven, being frequently filled with smoke. - He then expressed a wish that I should constantly occupy the - topographic cabinet, in which I might write during the day, and sleep - at night, in a bed which the Admiral had fitted up for the Emperor - himself, but which he did not make use of as he preferred his own - camp-bed. When he had finished dressing, and was choosing between two - or three snuff-boxes, which lay before him, he abruptly gave one to - his valet-de-chambre (Marchand): “Put that by,” said he, “it is always - meeting my eye, and it pains me.” I know not what was on this - snuff-box; but I imagine it was a portrait of the King of Rome. - - The Emperor left his apartment, and I followed him; he went over the - house, and entered my chamber. Seeing a dressing-glass, he inquired - whether it was the one that he had given me. Then putting his hand to - the wall, which was heated by the kitchen, he again observed that I - could not possibly remain in that room, and absolutely insisted on my - occupying his bed in the topographic cabinet: adding, in a tone of - captivating kindness, that it was “the bed of a friend.” We walked - out, and proceeded towards a wretched farm which was within sight. On - our way we saw the barracks of the Chinese. These Chinese are - labouring men, who enlist on board English ships at Macao, and who - continue at St. Helena in the service of the East India Company for a - certain number of years, when they return to their homes, after - collecting a little store of money, as the people of Auvergne do in - France. The Emperor wished to ask them some questions: but we could - not make ourselves understood by them. We next visited what is called - Longwood Farm, The Emperor was seduced by the name; he expected to - find one of the delightful farms of Flanders or England; but this was - merely on a level with our lowest _metairies_. We afterwards went down - to the Company’s garden, which is formed in the hollow where the two - opposite ravines meet. The Emperor called the gardener, and the man - who attends to the Company’s cattle and superintends the Chinese, of - whom he asked many questions. He returned home very much fatigued, - though we had scarcely walked a mile: this was his first excursion. - - Before dinner the Emperor summoned me and my son to our accustomed - task. He said that I had been idle, and called my attention to my son, - who was laughing behind my back. He asked why he laughed; and I - replied that it was probably because his Majesty was taking revenge - for him. “Ah!” said he, smiling, “I see I am acting the part of the - grandfather here.” - -HABITS AND HOURS OF THE EMPEROR.—HIS STYLE TO THE TWO - EMPRESSES.—DETAILS.—THE EMPEROR’S MAXIMS ON THE SUBJECT OF THE - POLICE.—SECRET POLICE FOR THE EXAMINATION OF LETTERS.—CURIOUS - PARTICULARS.—THE EMPEROR FAVOURABLE TO A FIXED AND MODERATE SYSTEM OF - GOVERNMENT. - - 18th—19th. By degrees our hours and habits began to be fixed and - regular. About ten o’clock the Emperor breakfasted in his own chamber, - and one of us occasionally attended him. At the table of the household - we breakfasted at nearly the same hour. The Emperor granted us - permission to do the honours of this table as we pleased, and to - invite to it whomsoever we might think fit. - - No hours were yet fixed for the Emperor’s walks. The heat was very - great during the day, and the damp came on speedily and profusely - towards evening. We were informed, some time before, that coach and - saddle horses were coming from the Cape; but they never arrived. - During the day the Emperor was engaged in dictating to the different - persons of his suite; and he usually reserved me for the interval - preceding dinner, which was not served until eight or nine o’clock. He - required my attendance about five or six o'clock, together with my - son. I could neither write nor read, owing to the state of my eyes; - but my son was enabled to supply my place. He wrote to the Emperor’s - dictation, and I was present only to help him afterwards to correct - his hasty scrawl; for, by dint of habit, I could repeat, almost - literally and entirely, all that had fallen from the Emperor. - - The Campaign of Italy being now finished, we began to revise it, and - the Emperor corrected, and dictated anew. We dined, as I have before - observed, between eight and nine o’clock. The table was laid out in - the room nearest to the entrance of the house. Madame de Montholon sat - on the right of the Emperor; I on his left; and Messrs. de Montholon, - Gourgaud, and my son, sat in the opposite places. The room still - smelled of paint, particularly when the weather was damp; and though - not very offensive, it was sufficiently annoying to the Emperor: we, - therefore, sat no longer than ten minutes at table. The dessert was - prepared in the adjoining apartment, which was the drawing-room, and - we again seated ourselves round the table. Coffee was then served up, - and conversation commenced. We read a few scenes from Moliere, Racine, - and Voltaire, and always regretted not having a copy of Corneille. We - then played at _reversis_, which had been the Emperor’s favourite game - in his youth. The recollection was pleasing to him, and he at first - thought that he could amuse himself for a length of time at it; but he - was soon undeceived. We played at the game and all its varieties; - which made it so complex that I have seen from fifteen to eighteen - thousand counters in use at once. The Emperor’s aim was always to make - the reversis; that is to say, to make every trick, which is no easy - matter. However, he frequently succeeded:—character developes itself - every where and in every thing. We retired about ten or eleven - o’clock. - - To-day, the 19th, when I paid my respects to the Emperor, he shewed me - a libel upon himself which had fallen into his hands, and asked me to - translate it. Amidst a mass of other nonsense, some private letters - were mentioned, which were said to have been addressed by Napoleon to - the Empress Josephine, under the solemn form of _Madame et chère - Epouse_. Allusion was next made to a combination of spies and agents, - by whose aid the Emperor knew the private affairs of every family in - France, and penetrated the secrets of all the cabinets in Europe. The - Emperor wished to proceed no farther, and made me lay aside the book, - saying,—“It is too absurd.” The fact is that, in his private - correspondence, Napoleon always addressed the Empress Josephine very - unfashionably by the pronoun “thou” (_tu_); and “my good little - Louisa” (_ma bonne petite Louise_) was the form by which he addressed - Maria Louisa. - - The first time I ever saw the Emperor’s running-hand was at - Saint-Cloud, after the battle of Friedland, when the Empress Josephine - amused herself by making us try to decipher a note which she held in - her hand, and which seemed to be written in hieroglyphics. It was to - the following effect:—“My sons have once more shed a lustre over my - career: the victory of Friedland will be inscribed in history, beside - those of Marengo, Austerlitz, and Jena. You will cause the cannon to - be fired; Cambaceres will publish the bulletin.” - - I was again favoured with the sight of a note in the Emperor’s - hand-writing, at the time of the treaty of Tilsit. It contained the - following:—“The Queen of Prussia is really a charming woman. She is - fond of coquetting with me; but do not be jealous: I am like a - cerecloth, along which every thing of this sort slides, without - penetrating. It would cost me too dear to play the gallant.” - - On this subject, an anecdote was related in the saloon of Josephine. - It was said that the Queen of Prussia one day had a beautiful rose in - her hand, which the Emperor asked her to give to him. The Queen - hesitated for a few moments, and then presented it to him, saying: - “Why should I so readily grant what you request, while you remain deaf - to all my entreaties?” She alluded to the fortress of Magdeburg, which - she had earnestly solicited him to give up. Such was the nature of the - intimacy, and such the conversations, that were so unblushingly - misrepresented in English works of a certain degree of merit, where - the Emperor was described as an insolent and brutal tyrant, seeking, - with the aid of his ferocious Mamelukes, to violate the honour of the - lovely Queen, before the very face of her unfortunate husband. - - As to the grand machinery of spies and police, which has been so much - talked of, what state on the Continent could boast of having less of - such evils than France; and yet what country stood more in need of - them? What circumstances more imperatively called for them? Every - pamphlet published in Europe was directed against France, with a view - of rendering odious in another country that which it was thought - advisable to conceal at home. Still, however, these measures, so - necessary in principle, though doubtless hateful in their details, - were looked at merely in a general way by the Emperor, and always with - a strict observance of his constant maxim, that nothing should be done - that is not absolutely indispensable. In the Council of State, I have - frequently heard him make enquiries into these subjects; investigate - them with peculiar solicitude; correct abuses and seek to obviate - evils, and appoint committees of his Council to visit the prisons, and - make reports to him. Having been myself employed in a mission of this - nature, I had an opportunity of observing the misconduct and abuses of - subaltern agents; and, at the same time, of knowing the ardent wishes - of the sovereign to repress them. - - The Emperor found that this branch of the administration in a certain - degree clashed with established prejudices and opinions; and he - therefore wished to elevate it in the eyes of the people, by placing - it under the control of a man whose character was beyond the reach of - censure. In the year 1810, he summoned the Councillor of State, Baron - ——, to Fontainebleau. The Baron had been an emigrant, or what nearly - amounted to the same thing. His family, his early education, his - former opinions,—all were calculated to render him an object of - suspicion to one more distrustful than Napoleon. In the course of - conversation, the Emperor said:—“If the Count de Lille were now to - discover himself in Paris, and you were intrusted with the - superintendence of the police, would you arrest him?”—“Yes, - certainly,” answered the Councillor of State, “because he would - thereby have broken his ban, and because his appearance would be in - opposition to every existing law.”—“If you were one of a committee - appointed to try him, would you condemn him?”—“Yes, doubtless; for the - laws which I have sworn to obey would require that I should condemn - him.”—“Very well!” said the Emperor, “return to Paris: I make you my - prefect of police.” - - With regard to the inspection of letters under the government of - Napoleon, whatever may have been publicly said on that subject, the - Emperor declared that certainly very few letters were read at the - post-offices. Those which were delivered either open or re-sealed, to - private persons, had, for the most part, not been read: to read all - would have been an endless task. The system of examining letters was - adopted with the view of preventing, rather than discovering, - dangerous correspondence. The letters that were really read exhibited - no trace of having been opened, so effectual were the precautions - employed. “Ever since the reign of Louis XIV.,” said the Emperor, - “there had existed an office of political police for discovering - foreign correspondence: and from that period the same families had - managed the business of the office, though the individuals and their - functions were alike unknown. It was in all respects an official post. - The persons superintending this department were educated at great - expense in the different capitals of Europe. They had their own - peculiar notions of propriety, and always manifested reluctance to - examine the home correspondence: it was, however, also under their - control. As soon as the name of any individual was entered upon the - lists of this important department, his arms and seals were - immediately engraved at the office; and thus his letters, after having - been read, were closed up and delivered without any mark of suspicion. - These circumstances, joined to the serious evils which they might - create, and the important results which they were capable of - producing, constituted the vast responsibility of the office of - postmaster-general, and required that it should be filled by a man of - prudence, judgment, and intelligence.” The Emperor bestowed great - praise on M. de Lavalette, for the way in which he had discharged his - duties. - - The Emperor was by no means favourable to the system of inspecting - correspondence. With regard to the diplomatic information thereby - obtained, he did not consider it of sufficient value to counterbalance - the expenses incurred; for the establishment cost 600,000 francs. As - to the examination of the letters of citizens, he regarded that as a - measure calculated to do more harm than good. “It is rarely,” said he, - “that conspiracy is carried on through such channels; and with respect - to the individual opinions obtained from epistolary correspondence, - they may be more dangerous than useful to a sovereign, particularly - among such a people as the French. Of whom will not our national - volatility and fickleness lead us to complain? The man whom I may have - offended at my levee will write to-day that I am a tyrant, though but - yesterday he overwhelmed me with praises, and perhaps to-morrow will - be ready to lay down his life to serve me. The violation of the - privacy of correspondence may, therefore, cause a prince to lose his - best friends, by wrongfully inspiring him with distrust and prejudice - towards all; particularly as enemies capable of mischief are always - sufficiently artful to avoid exposing themselves to that kind of - danger. Some of my ministers were so cautious, in this respect, that I - could never succeed in detecting one of their letters.” - - I think I have already mentioned that, on the Emperor’s return from - Elba, there were found in M. De Blacas’ apartments in the Tuileries, - numerous petitions and letters, in which Napoleon was spoken of most - indecorously. He caused them to be burnt. “They would have formed a - most odious collection,” said the Emperor. “For a moment I entertained - the idea of inserting some of them in the Moniteur. They would have - disgraced certain individuals; but they would have afforded no new - lesson on the human heart: men are always the same!” - - The Emperor was far from knowing all the measures taken by the police - in his name, with respect to writings and individuals; he had neither - time nor opportunity to enquire into them. He now daily learns from - us, or from pamphlets that happen to fall in his way, the arrests of - individuals, or the suppression of works, of which he had never before - heard. - - In alluding to the works that had been suppressed by the police during - his reign, the Emperor observed that, having plenty of leisure-time - during his residence at Elba, he amused himself with glancing over - some of these works, and that he was frequently unable to conceive the - motives which had induced the police to suppress them. - - He then proceeded to converse on the subject of the liberty and - restriction of the press. This, he said, was an interminable question, - and admitted of no medium. The grand difficulty, he observed, did not - lie in the principle itself, but in the treatment of the accused - party, or the circumstances under which it might be necessary to apply - the principle taken in an abstract sense. The Emperor would have been - favourable to unlimited liberty. In all our conversations at St. - Helena, he constantly treated every great question in the same point - of view and with the same arguments. Thus Napoleon truly was, and must - remain in the eyes of posterity, the type, the standard, and the - prince of liberal opinions; they belonged to his heart, to his - principles, and to his mind. If his actions sometimes seemed to be at - variance with these ideas, it was when he was imperatively swayed by - circumstances. This is proved by the following fact, to which I now - attach more importance than I did when it first came to my knowledge. - - In one of the evening-parties at the Tuileries, Napoleon, conversing - aside with three or four individuals of the Court, who were grouped - around him, closed a discussion on a great political question with the - following remarkable words:—“For my part, I am fundamentally and - naturally favourable to a fixed and moderate government.” And, - observing that the countenance of one of the interlocutors expressed - surprise, “You don’t believe me!” continued he; “why not? Is it - because my deeds do not seem to accord with my words? My dear sir, how - little you know of men and things! Is the necessity of the moment - nothing in your eyes? Were I to slacken the reins only for a moment, - we should have fine disorder; neither you nor I would probably sleep - another night at the Tuileries.” - -THE EMPEROR’S FIRST RIDE ON HORSEBACK.—SEVERITY OF THE MINISTERIAL - INSTRUCTIONS.—OUR VEXATIONS AND COMPLAINTS.—THE EMPEROR’S - REMARKS.—RUDE REPLIES. - - 20th-23rd. The Emperor mounted his horse after breakfast. We directed - our course towards the farm: we found the farmer in the Company’s - garden, and he attended us over the whole of the grounds. The Emperor - asked him a number of questions respecting his farm, as he used to do - during his hunting-excursions in the neighbourhood of Versailles, - where he discussed with the farmers the opinions of the Council of - State, in order to bring forward to the Council in their turn the - objections of the farmers. We advanced through the grounds of - Longwood, in a line parallel with the valley, until, finding no - farther road for the horses, we were compelled to turn back. We then - crossed the little valley, gained the height where the troops were - encamped, advanced to the Alarm Hill, and passing over its summit, we - arrived beyond the camp, near the Alarm House, on the road leading - from Longwood to Madame Bertrand’s residence. The Emperor at first - proposed calling on her; but, when about half-way thither, he changed - his mind, and we returned to Longwood. - - The instructions of the English Ministers, with regard to the Emperor - at St. Helena, were dictated in that disgraceful spirit of harshness - which in Europe had urged the solemn violation of the law of nations. - An English officer was to be constantly at the Emperor’s table; this - cruel measure was of course calculated to deprive us of the comforts - of familiar intercourse. The order was not carried into effect, only - because the Emperor, had it been enforced, would have taken his meals - in his own chamber. I have very good reason to believe that he - regretted not having done so on board the Northumberland. An English - officer was to accompany the Emperor in his rides on horseback: this - was a severe annoyance, which rendered it impossible that his mind - could for a moment be diverted from his unfortunate situation. This - order was not, however, enforced within certain limits, which were - prescribed to us, because the Emperor had declared that he would not - ride on horseback at all on such conditions. - - In our melancholy situation, every day brought with it some new cause - of uneasiness; we were constantly suffering some new sting, which - seemed the more cruel as we were destined to endure it for a long time - to come. Lacerated as our feelings undoubtedly were, each fresh wound - was sensibly felt; and the motives that were assigned for our - vexations frequently assumed the appearance of irony. Thus sentinels - were posted beneath the Emperor’s windows, and before our doors; and - this we were informed was for our safety. We were impeded in our - communications with the inhabitants of the island; we were put under a - kind of close confinement; and were told that this was done to free - the Emperor from all annoyance. The pass-words and orders were - incessantly changed; we lived in the continual perplexity and - apprehension of being exposed to some unforeseen insult. The Emperor, - whose feelings were keenly alive to all these things, resolved to - write to the Admiral, through the medium of M. de Montholon. He spoke - with warmth, and made some observations worthy of remark. “Let not the - Admiral suppose,” said he, “that I shall treat with him on any of - these subjects. Were he to present himself to me to-morrow, in spite - of my just resentment, he would find my countenance as serene, and my - temper as composed, as usual. This would not be the effect of - dissimulation on my part, but merely the fruit of experience. I - recollect that Lord Whitworth once filled Europe with the report of a - long conversation that he had had with me, scarcely a word of which - was true. But that was my fault; and it taught me to be more cautious - in future. The Emperor has governed too long not to know that he must - not commit himself to the discretion of any one who may have it in his - power to say falsely: _The Emperor told me so and so_; while the - Emperor may not have the means of either affirming or contradicting - the statement. - - “One witness is as good as another. It is, therefore, necessary to - employ some one who may be enabled to tell the narrator that, in - attributing such and such words to the Emperor, he lies, and that he - is ready to give him satisfaction for this expression, which the - Emperor himself cannot do.” - - M. de Montholon’s letter was couched in sharp terms; the reply was - insulting and coarse: “_No such thing as an Emperor was known at St. - Helena; the justice and moderation of the English government towards - us would be the admiration of future ages, &c._” Dr. O’Meara was - instructed to accompany this written reply with verbal additions of - the most offensive nature: to enquire, for example, whether the - Emperor wished that the Admiral should send him sundry atrocious - libels and anonymous letters which had been received, addressed to - him, &c. - - I was engaged with the Emperor at the time this answer was - communicated to him. I could not conceal my astonishment and - indignation at certain expressions that were employed. But we could - only let philosophy take place of resentment: it was sufficient to - reflect that all satisfaction was beyond our reach. To address a - direct complaint to the Prince Regent would perhaps have been to - furnish a gratification to that prince; as well as a recommendation to - him who had offended us. Besides, the Emperor could not address - complaints to any individual on earth: he could appeal only to the - tribunals of Heaven, nations, and posterity. - - On the 23rd the Doris frigate arrived from the Cape, bringing seven - horses that had been purchased there for the Emperor. - -THE EMPEROR’S DISDAIN OF POPULARITY; HIS REASONS, ARGUMENTS, - &C.—CONVERSATION RESPECTING MY WIFE.—ON GENERAL GOURGAUD’S MOTHER AND - SISTER. - - 24th.—The Emperor had been reading some publication in which he was - made to speak in too amiable a strain; and he could not help - exclaiming against the mistake of the writer. “How could they put - these words into my mouth?” said he. “This is too tender, too - sentimental, for me: every one knows that I do not express myself in - that way.” “Sire,” I replied, “it was done with a good intention; the - thing is innocent in itself, and may have produced a good effect. That - reputation for amiableness, which you seem to despise, might have - exercised great influence over public opinion; it might at least have - counteracted the effect of the colouring in which a certain European - system has falsely exhibited your Majesty to the world. Your heart, - with which I am now acquainted, is certainly as good as that of Henri - IV., which I did not know. Now, his amiableness of character is still - proverbial: he is still held up as an idol; yet I suspect Henri IV. - was a bit of a quack. And why should your Majesty have disdained to be - so? You have too great an aversion to that system. After all, quackery - rules the world; and it is fortunate when it happens to be only - innocent.” - - The Emperor laughed at what he termed my prosing. “What,” said he, ”is - the advantage of popularity and amiableness of character? Who - possessed those qualities in a more eminent degree than the - unfortunate Louis XVI.? Yet what was his fate? His life was - sacrificed!—No! a sovereign must serve his people with dignity, and - not make it his chief study to please them. The best mode of winning - their love is to secure their welfare. Nothing is more dangerous than - for a sovereign to flatter his subjects: if they do not afterwards - obtain every thing they want they become irritated, and fancy that - promises have been broken; and if they are then resisted, their hatred - increases in proportion as they consider themselves deceived. A - sovereign’s first duty is doubtless to conform with the wishes of the - people; but what the people say is scarcely ever what they wish: their - desires and their wants cannot be learned from their own mouths so - well as they are to be read in the heart of their prince. - - “Each system may, no doubt, be maintained: that of mildness as well as - that of severity. Each has its advantages and its disadvantages; for - every thing is mutually balanced in this world. If you ask me what was - the use of my severe forms and expressions, I shall answer, to spare - me the pain of inflicting the punishment I threatened. What harm have - I done after all? What blood have I shed? Who can boast that, had he - been placed in my situation, he could have done better? What period of - history, exhibiting any thing like the difficulties with which I was - surrounded, presents such harmless results? What am I reproached with? - My government archives and my private papers were seized; yet what has - there been found to publish to the world? All sovereigns, situated as - I was, amidst factions, disorders, and conspiracies, are surrounded by - murders and executions! Yet, during my reign, what sudden tranquillity - pervaded France!—You are, no doubt, astonished at this chain of - reflection,” continued he, smiling, “you, who frequently display the - mildness and simplicity of a child.” - - I could not but admit the force of his arguments, and now, in my turn, - maintained that both systems might have their peculiar advantages. - “Every individual,” said I, “should form a character for himself by - means of education; but he should be careful, at the same time, to lay - its foundation on the character he has received from Nature; otherwise - he runs a risk of losing the advantages of the latter, without - obtaining those of the character which he wishes to acquire; and his - education may prove an instrument to mislead him. After all, the - course of a man’s life is the true result of his character, and the - proper test by which it should be judged. Of what, then, can I have to - complain? From the lowest degree of misery, I raised myself, by my own - efforts, to tolerable independence; and from the streets of London, I - penetrated to the steps of your throne, and to the benches of your - Council-chamber; all this, too, without having cause to blush in the - presence of any individual for any thing that I have ever spoken, - written, or done. Have I not then also performed my little wonders in - my own little way? What could I have done better had another turn been - given to my character?” - - The conversation was here interrupted by some one entering, to - announce that the Admiral and some ladies, who had arrived by the - Doris, solicited the favour of being presented to the Emperor; but he - answered drily, that he would see no one, and that he did not wish to - be disturbed. - - Under our present circumstances, the personal politeness of the - Admiral was felt only as an additional insult: and with regard to - those who accompanied him, as no one could approach us but with the - Admiral’s permission, the Emperor did not choose that the honours of - his person should be thus performed. If it were intended that he - should remain in close confinement, he ought to be told so; but, if - not, he should be allowed to see whom he pleased without the - interference of any person. Above all, it was not fair that they - should pretend in Europe to surround him with every sort of attention - and respect, while, on the contrary, they were annoying him with every - kind of indecorum and caprice. - - The Emperor walked out in the garden at five o’clock. The Colonel of - the 53rd regiment waited on him there, and begged permission to - present to him, next day, the officers of his regiment. The Emperor - granted his request, and appointed three o’clock as the hour to - receive them. The Colonel took his leave, and we prolonged our walk. - The Emperor stopped awhile to look at a flower in one of the beds, and - asked me whether it was not a lily. It was indeed a magnificent one. - - After dinner, while we were playing our usual game of _reversis_, of - which, by the by, the Emperor began to grow weary, he suddenly turned - to me and said, “Where do you suppose Madame Las Cases is at this - moment?”—“Alas, Sire,” I replied, “Heaven knows!”—“She is in Paris,” - continued he; “to-day is Tuesday; it is nine o’clock; she is now at - the Opera.”—“No, Sire, she is too good a wife to go to the theatre - while I am here.”—“Spoken like a true husband,” said the Emperor, - laughing, “ever confident and credulous!” Then turning to General - Gourgaud, he rallied him in the same style with respect to his mother - and sister. Gourgaud seemed very much downcast, and his eyes were - suffused with tears, which the Emperor perceiving, cast a side-glance - towards him, and said, in the most interesting manner, “How wicked, - barbarous and tyrannical I must be thus to trifle with feelings so - tender!”[29] - -Footnote 29: - - General Gourgaud entertained the greatest affection for his mother - and sister, and was equally beloved by them. To such a length did he - carry his regard for them that in his letters he even described St. - Helena as a delightful place, in order to ease their anxiety on his - account. In his letters he talked of nothing but groves of orange - and lemon-trees, and perpetual Spring; in short, every thing that a - romantic imagination could suggest. The English Ministers, however, - blushed not, subsequently, to turn against him these innocent - misrepresentations, the offspring of his filial solicitude! - - The Emperor then asked me how many children I had, and when and how I - had become acquainted with Madame Las Cases. I replied that my wife - had been the first acquaintance of my life; that our marriage was a - tie which we had ourselves formed in early youth, yet that it had - required the occurrence of the greater part of the events of the - Revolution to bring about its accomplishment. - - THE EMPEROR FREQUENTLY WOUNDED IN HIS CAMPAIGNS.—COSSACKS.—JERUSALEM - DELIVERED. - - 25th.—The Emperor, who had not been well the preceding evening, was - still indisposed this morning, and sent word that it would be - impossible for him to receive the officers of the 53rd, as he had - appointed. He sent for me about the middle of the day, and we again - perused some chapters of the Campaign of Italy. I compared that which - treats of the battle of Arcole to a book of the Iliad. - - Some time before the dinner-hour, he assembled us all around him in - his chamber. A servant entered to announce that dinner was ready; he - sent us away, but, as I was going out last, he called me back. “Stay - here,” said he, “we will dine together. Let the young people go; we - old folks will keep one another company.” He then determined to dress, - intending, as he said, to go into the drawing-room after dinner. - - While he was dressing, he put his hand on his left thigh, where there - was a deep scar. He called my attention to it by laying his finger in - it; and, finding that I did not understand what it was, he told me - that it was the mark of a bayonet wound by which he had nearly lost - his limb, at the siege of Toulon. Marchand, who was dressing him, here - took the liberty of remarking that the circumstance was well known on - board the Northumberland; that one of the crew had told him, on going - on board, that it was an Englishman who first wounded our Emperor. - - The Emperor, on this, observed that people had in general wondered and - talked a great deal of the singular good fortune which had preserved - him, as it were, invulnerable in so many battles. “They were - mistaken,” added he; “the only reason was that I always made a secret - of all my dangers.” He then related that he had had three horses - killed under him at the siege of Toulon; several others killed and - wounded in his campaigns of Italy; and three or four at the siege of - St. Jean-d’Acre. He added that he had been wounded several times; - that, at the battle of Ratisbon, a ball had struck his heel; and at - the battle of Esling, or Wagram, I cannot say which, another had torn - his boot and stocking, and grazed the skin of his left leg. In 1814, - he lost a horse and his hat at Arcis-sur-Aube, or in its - neighbourhood. After the battle of Brienne, as he was returning to - head-quarters in the evening, in a melancholy and pensive mood, he was - suddenly attacked by some Cossacks, who had passed over into the rear - of the army. He thrust one of them off with his hand, and was obliged - to draw his sword in his own defence; several of the Cossacks were - killed at his side. “But what renders this circumstance very - extraordinary,” said he, “is, that it took place near a tree which at - that moment caught my eye, and which I recognized as the very one - under which, when I was but twelve years old, I used to sit during - play-hours and read _Jerusalem Delivered_.” ... Doubtless on that spot - Napoleon had been first fired by the love of glory! - - The Emperor repeated that he had been very frequently exposed to - danger in his different battles, but it was carefully kept secret. He - had enjoined once for all, the most absolute silence on all - circumstances of that nature. He said that it would be impossible to - calculate the confusion and disorder which might have resulted from - the slightest report or the smallest doubt relative to his existence. - On his life depended the fate of a great Empire, and the whole policy - and destinies of Europe. He added that this habit of keeping - circumstances of that kind secret had prevented him from relating them - in his campaigns; and indeed he had now almost forgotten them. It was - only, he said, by mere accident, and in the course of conversation, - that they could recur to him. - - MY CONVERSATION WITH AN ENGLISHMAN. - - 26th.—The Emperor continued indisposed. - - One of the English gentlemen, whose wife had yesterday been refused - admittance, in company with the Admiral, paid me a visit this morning, - with the view of making another and a final attempt to get presented - to Napoleon. This gentleman spoke French very well, having resided in - France during the whole of the war. He was one of those individuals - who were known at the time by the title of _detenus_: who, having - visited France as travellers, were arrested there by the First Consul, - on the rupture of the treaty of Amiens, by way of reprisal for the - seizure of our merchant-ships by the English Government, according to - its custom, before the declaration of war. This event gave rise to a - long and animated discussion between the two Governments; and even - prevented, during the whole of the war, a cartel for the exchange of - prisoners. The English ministers persisted in refusing to consider - their detained countrymen as prisoners, lest they should, in so doing, - make an implicit renunciation of what may perhaps be called their - _right of piracy_. However, their obstinacy cost their countrymen a - long captivity. They were detained in France more than ten years; - their absence was as long and as irksome, though not so glorious, as - that of the besiegers of Troy. - - This English gentleman was a brother-in-law of Admiral Burton, the - Commander on the Indian station, who lately died. This circumstance - might very possibly procure for him an immediate communication with - Ministers on his arrival in England. He might perhaps have been - appointed by the Admiral to be the bearer of intelligence respecting - us. Instead, therefore, of declining conversation, I prolonged it. It - lasted more than two hours, and was all calculated on my part with a - view to what he might repeat to the Admiral, or communicate to the - Government or private circles in England. I will not tire my readers - by a recital of it. They would only find the same eternal - recapitulation of our reproaches and grievances: a repetition of our - complaints and vexations: a continued exposure of the violation of - those laws that are esteemed most sacred; of the outrage on our good - faith; of the arrogance, impudence, and petty insolence of power. I - dwelt particularly on the ill-treatment to which we were here exposed; - and on the caprices of the individual who was appointed our keeper. - “His glory,” said I, “should consist, not in oppressing, but in - relieving us. He should endeavour to make us forget, by his - attentions, all the rigour and injustice of his country’s policy. Can - he court the reprobation of mankind, when his good fortune enables him - to connect his name gloriously with that of the man of the age, the - hero of history? Can he object that he is bound by his instructions? - But even then, in the spirit of our European manners, honour enables - him to interpret them in a suitable manner.” - - The Englishman listened to me with great attention. He seemed - occasionally to take particular interest in what I said; and expressed - his approbation of several of my remarks. But was he sincere, and will - he not express very different sentiments in London? - - Whenever a ship arrives in England from St. Helena, the public papers - immediately give insertion to various stories relative to the captives - at Longwood, of so false and absurd a nature, as must necessarily - render them ridiculous to the great mass of the public. When we - expressed our indignation at these idle reports in the presence of - honourable and distinguished Englishmen here, they replied: “Do not - deceive yourselves, these false accounts proceed not from our - countrymen who visit you; but from our Ministers in London; for, to - the excess and violence of power, the administration by which we are - now ruled adds all the meanness of the lowest and vilest intrigues.” - - ON THE FRENCH EMIGRANTS.—KINDNESS SHEWN BY - THE ENGLISH.—RESOURCES OF THE EMIGRANTS. - - 27th.—The Emperor felt himself better, and rode out on horseback about - one o’clock. On his return he received the officers of the 53rd, and - behaved to them in the most amiable and condescending manner. - - After this visit, the Emperor, who had desired me to remain with him, - walked in the garden. I there gave him an account of the conversation - I had had the day before with the Englishman. He then asked me some - questions relative to the French emigrants, London, and the English. I - told him that though the emigrants in a body did not like the English, - yet there were few who did not become attached to some Englishman or - other: that though the English were not fond of the emigrants, yet - there were few English families who did not shew themselves friendly - to some of the French. This is the real key to those sentiments and - reports, so often contradictory, that are met with on the subject. - With regard to the kindness we received from the English, particularly - the middle class, from whom the character of a nation is always to be - learned, it is beyond all expression, and has entailed a heavy debt of - gratitude upon us. It would be difficult to enumerate the private - benefactions, the benevolent institutions, and the charitable - measures, by which our distresses were relieved. The example of - individuals induced the Government to assist us by regular allowances; - and even when these were granted, private benevolence did not cease. - - The Emperor here asked me whether I had been a sharer in the grants - supplied by the English Government: I told him that I had felt more - pleasure in being indebted for support solely to my own exertions; and - that the state of society and encouragement of industry in England - were such that with this feeling a man was sure to succeed. On two - occasions I had had an opportunity of making my fortune: Colbert, - Bishop of Rhodez, a native of Scotland, who was very fond of me, - proposed that I should accompany his brother to Jamaica, where he was - appointed to the head of the executive power, and where he was one of - the most considerable planters. He would have intrusted to me the - direction of his property, and would have obtained for me other - employment of the same kind. The Bishop assured me that I should make - a fortune in three years. I could not, however, prevail on myself to - go; I preferred continuing a life of poverty, to removing to a greater - distance from the French shore. - - “On another occasion,” continued I, “some friends wished to persuade - me to go to India, where I should have obtained employment and - patronage, and was assured that in a short time I should realize a - considerable fortune. But this I declined. I thought myself too old to - travel so far. This was twenty years ago; and yet I am now at St. - Helena. - - “However, there were few who suffered greater hardships than I did at - the commencement of my emigration, and who enjoyed greater comforts - towards its close. I have more than once found myself on the point of - being entirely destitute of every thing. Still I was never discouraged - or dejected. I consoled myself with the treasure of philosophy, and - compared my own condition with that of numbers around me, who were - more wretched than myself: to old men and women, for example, to those - who were destitute of education, or who, wanting the faculties - requisite for acquiring a foreign language, were thus cut off from all - resources. I was young, full of hope, and capable of exertion. I - taught what I did not well know myself, whatever was asked of me, and - I learned over-night what I might have to teach on the succeeding day. - My Historical Atlas was a fortunate idea, which opened to me a mine of - gold. At that period, however, I had executed only an outline of my - plan; but in London every thing is encouraged, every thing sells; and, - moreover, Heaven blessed my exertions. I landed at the mouth of the - Thames, and reached London on foot, with only seven louis in my - pocket, without a friend, without an introduction, in a foreign land; - but I left it in a post-chaise, possessed of 2500 guineas, having - gained many dear friends, to serve whom I would gladly have sacrificed - my life.” - - “But, supposing I had been an emigrant,” said the Emperor, “what would - have been my lot?” He took a view of various professions, but decided - in favour of a soldier’s life. “I should have fulfilled my career - after all,” said he.—“That is not quite certain,” I observed. “Sire, - you would have been smothered in the crowd. On arriving at Coblentz in - any French corps, you would have been placed according to your rank on - the list, without any possibility of getting beyond it; for we were - rigid observers of forms,” &c. - - The Emperor then enquired when and how I had returned to France. - “After the peace of Amiens,” said I, “availing myself of the benefit - of your amnesty; yet I joined an English family, and slipped in in a - sort of contraband way, in order to reach Paris earlier than I - otherwise could have done. Immediately on my arrival there, fearing - lest I should compromise that family, I went in person to make my - declaration to the police, and received a paper which I was to present - for inspection once a week or once a month. I paid no attention to it; - but nothing happened to me through my neglect. I had determined on - conducting myself with prudence, and therefore felt satisfied that I - had nothing to fear. At one time, however, I saw that my intention - might have cost me dear: it was during the most violent crisis of the - affair of Georges and Pichegru. I usually passed my evenings in the - society of intimate friends in my own house; I scarcely ever went out. - On this occasion, however, impelled by fate, or, perhaps, by the - strong interest which I took in passing events, I strolled about in - the Faubourg Saint-Germain till rather a late hour in the evening. I - missed the way to the Pont de Louis XVI. which I knew so well, and - came out upon the Boulevard des Invalides, without knowing where I - was. The posts were everywhere increased in number, and each consisted - of a doubled guard. I enquired my way of one of the sentinels, and I - distinctly heard his comrade, who was a few yards off, ask him why he - had not stopped me; he answered that I was doing no harm. I hastened - home as fast as I could, terrified at the danger I had so narrowly - escaped. I was in formal contravention to the police: the - circumstances of my emigration, my name, my habits, and my opinions, - all tended to identify me with the malcontents. Every enquiry that - could have been instituted respecting me would have been to my - prejudice. I could not have referred to any one; and what alarmed me - still more was that they would have found five guineas in my pocket. I - had, it is true, been in France two years; but these guineas were the - last fruits of my industry: I always carried them about me, and I have - them with me still. I used to take a pleasure in seeing them: they - reminded me of a period of misfortune which had gone by. It is easy to - conceive the conclusions which might have been drawn from so many - concurring circumstances. In vain would have been my denials and - assertions; no credit would have been given to me. I should, no doubt, - have suffered considerably; and yet I was not in the least to blame: - such is the justice of men! However, I never took the trouble to - arrange my business with the police; and yet I never got into any - difficulty. - - “When I was presented at your Majesty’s court, the emigrants, who were - in the same situation as myself, and had been placed under the - superintendence of the police for ten years, applied for their - emancipation, which they procured; for my part, I determined to let my - _surveillance_ die a natural death. Being invited, in your Majesty’s - name, to a fête at Fontainebleau, I thought it would be a good jest to - apply to the police for a passport. They agreed that it was, strictly - speaking, necessary, but declined giving it, on the ground that it - would tend to make government ridiculous. At a subsequent period, - having become your Majesty’s Chamberlain, I had occasion to go on a - private journey; and they then exempted me from all future formality. - - “On your Majesty’s return in 1815, being desirous of serving some - emigrants who had returned with the King, I went in their name to the - police. Being a Councillor of State, all the registers were open to - me. After having inspected the article relating to my friends, I felt - a curiosity to refer to my own. I found myself designated as a - distinguished courtier of the Comte d’Artois, in London. I could not - help reflecting on the differences of times, and the changes produced - by revolution. However, my register was altogether incorrect. I - certainly visited the Comte d’Artois; but not oftener than once a - month. As to my being a courtier, if I had been ever so much inclined - to be one, the thing was out of my power. I had to provide for my - daily subsistence, and I had pride enough to wish to live by my own - industry; my time was therefore valuable.” The Emperor was very much - amused by my story, and I felt much pleasure in relating it to him. - - The Doris frigate sailed this day for Europe. - - 28th.—Mr. Balcombe’s family called, in the hope of seeing the Emperor, - but he was again indisposed. His health declines; this place is - evidently unfavourable to him. He sent for me at three o’clock; he was - slightly feverish, but felt himself better. He spoke a good deal of - the domestic arrangements of the house, which sometimes annoyed him. - He then dressed, with the intention of going out. I persuaded him to - resume his flannel under-waistcoat, which he had laid aside very - imprudently in this damp and variable climate. We took a walk in the - garden, and the conversation continued to turn on the same subject as - before. The Emperor strolled about at random, and we came to the - gum-trees which run along the park, conversing on our local situation, - and our relations with the authorities, and speculating on the - political events of Europe. We were overtaken by a shower of rain, and - were forced to take shelter under a tree. The Grand Marshal and M. de - Montholon soon joined us. The Emperor made me return with him; and - when we got home, he played a game at piquet in the drawing-room with - Madame de Montholon. As it was very damp, the Emperor ordered a fire; - but as soon as it was lighted, we were driven away by the smoke, and - were compelled to take refuge in the Emperor’s chamber. Here the game - was resumed; but it was very soon suspended by the Emperor’s - conversation, which became most interesting. He entertained us with - anecdotes and minute details of his domestic life; and confirmed, - corrected, or contradicted those which Madame de Montholon and myself - related to him, as having been publicly circulated. Nothing could be - more gratifying: the conversation was quite confidential, and we - sincerely regretted its interruption by the announcement of dinner. - - DIFFICULT EXCURSION.—RIDE TO THE VALLEY.—THE - MARSH.—CHARACTERISTIC TRAITS.—ENGLISHMEN - UNDECEIVED.—POISON OF MITHRIDATES. - - 29th.—There is a spot in the grounds about Longwood, which commands a - distant view of that part of the sea where the ships are first seen on - their arrival: here, too, is a tree at the foot of which the spectator - may survey it at his ease. I had been in the habit, for some days, of - spending a few idle moments here, amusing myself, in idea, with - looking out for the ship that was to conclude our exile. The - celebrated Münich lingered out twenty years in the heart of Siberia, - drinking every day to his return to St. Petersburg, and was at length - blessed with the accomplishment of his wish. I shall possess his - courage; but I trust I shall not have occasion for his patience. - - Ships had successively appeared for several days. Three came in sight - very early this morning, two of which I judged to be ships of war.—On - my return home, I was informed that the Emperor had already risen: I - went to the garden to meet him, and to acquaint him with my discovery. - He ordered breakfast to be brought to him under a tree, and desired me - to keep him company. After breakfast, he directed me to ride out with - him on horse-back. We rode along by the side of the gum-trees, beyond - the confines of Longwood, and then attempted to descend into a very - steep and deeply-furrowed valley, whose sides were covered with sand - and loose stones, interspersed with brambles. We were obliged to - dismount. The Emperor desired General Gourgaud to turn off to one side - with the horses and the two grooms who accompanied us, and insisted on - continuing his journey on foot, amidst the difficulties which - surrounded us. I gave him my arm, and, with a great deal of trouble, - we succeeded in clambering over the ridges. The Emperor lamented the - loss of his youthful agility, and accused me of being more active than - himself. He thought that there was a greater difference in this - respect than the trifling disproportion of our ages would justify. I - told him that the pleasure of serving him made me forget my age. As we - were going along, he observed that any one who could have seen us at - that time would recognize without difficulty the restlessness and - impatience of the French character. “In fact,” said he, “none but - Frenchmen would ever think of doing what we are now about.” At length - we arrived, breathless, at the bottom of the valley. What we had at a - distance mistaken for a beaten road, proved to be nothing but a little - streamlet, a foot and a half wide. We proposed to step across it and - wait for our horses; but the banks of this little streamlet were very - treacherous. They appeared to consist of dry ground which at first - supported us, but we soon found ourselves suddenly sinking, as though - we had been breaking through ice. I had already sunk nearly above my - knees, when, by a sudden effort, I disengaged myself, and turned to - assist the Emperor, who had both legs in the mud, and had got his - hands on the ground, endeavouring to extricate himself. With a great - deal of trouble, and a great deal of dirt, we regained the _terra - firma_; and I could not help thinking of the marshes of Arcole, which - we had been engaged in describing a few days before, and in which - Napoleon was very near being lost. The Emperor looked at his clothes - and said, “Las Cases, this is a dirty adventure. If we had been lost - in the mud,” added he, “what would have been said in Europe? The - canting hypocrites would have proved, beyond a doubt, that we had been - swallowed up for our crimes.” - - The horses being at length brought to us, we continued our journey, - breaking through hedges, and leaping over ridges; and with great - difficulty rode up the whole length of the valley, which separates - Longwood from Diana’s Peak. We returned by the way of Madame - Bertrand’s residence; it was three o’clock when we reached home. We - then learned that the vessels which had been seen in the morning were - a brig and a transport from England, and an American ship. - - The Emperor sent for me about seven o’clock; he was with the Grand - Marshal, who was reading to him the newspapers from the 9th to the - 16th of October. He had not done reading at nine o’clock. The Emperor, - astonished to find it so late, hastily rose and went to the table, - complaining of being kept waiting for his dinner. They were stupid - enough to give a very ridiculous reason for the delay. This domestic - irregularity irritated him very much; and then he was angry with - himself for having given vent to his anger; so the dinner passed off - in dulness and silence. - - However, on returning to the drawing-room, to the dessert, the Emperor - began to converse on the news which the papers had brought us: the - conditions of peace, the fortresses ceded to foreign powers, and the - fermentation of the great cities of Europe. He treated these subjects - in a masterly style. He retired early; and had evidently not forgotten - the moment preceding dinner. - - He soon sent for me, being desirous to continue the perusal of the - papers. As I was preparing to read, he recollected the state of my - eyes, and would not allow me. I begged to be permitted to continue, - telling him that I read quickly, and should soon have finished them; - but he took them away from me, saying, “We cannot command nature. I - forbid it; I will wait till to-morrow.” He then began to walk about a - little, and soon gave utterance to the feelings which had oppressed - his spirits. How amiable he appeared in his reproaches and complaints! - How humane and kind he seemed! How just and true was every observation - that escaped him! These were a few of the precious moments when - Nature, taken by surprise, exposes the inmost recesses of the human - heart and character. I left him, saying within myself, as I have so - often had occasion to say: “Good God, how little has the character of - the Emperor been known to the world!” - - They are, however, beginning here to form a more just opinion of him. - Those Englishmen whose violent prejudices against him were in a great - degree excusable from the false accounts they had received, begin now - to entertain a more correct idea of his character. They allow that - they are strangely undeceived every day, and that the Emperor is a - very different being from that Napoleon whose image had been traced to - them through the medium of falsehood and political interests. All - those who have had opportunities of seeing him and hearing him - converse, have but one opinion on the subject. The Admiral has more - than once, in the midst of our disputes with him, hastily exclaimed - that the Emperor was decidedly the most good-natured, just, and - reasonable of the whole set. And he was in the right. - - On another occasion, an Englishman, whom we frequently saw, confessed - to Napoleon, with the utmost humility of heart, and as it were by way - of expiation, that he had to reproach his conscience with having once - firmly believed all the abominable falsehoods related of him. He had - given credit to all the accounts of stranglings, massacres, and brutal - ferocity; in short, he even believed in the deformities of his person, - and the hideous features of his countenance. “And how,” said he - candidly, “could I help crediting all this? Our English publications - were filled with these statements; they were in every mouth; not a - single voice was raised to contradict them.”—“Yes,” said Napoleon, - smiling, “it is to your Ministers that I am indebted for these - favours: they inundated Europe with pamphlets and libels against me. - Perhaps they might say, in excuse, that they did but reply to those - which they received from France; and it must in justice be confessed - that those Frenchmen who have since been seen to exult over the ruins - of their country felt no hesitation in furnishing them with such - articles in abundant supplies. - - “Be this as it may, I was repeatedly urged during the period of my - power, to adopt measures for counteracting this underhand work; but I - always declined it. What advantage should I have gained by such a - defence? It would have been said that I had paid for it, and that - would only have discredited me still more. Another victory, another - monument,—these, I said, are the best, the only answers I can make. - Falsehood passes away, and truth remains! The sensible portion of the - present age, and posterity in particular, will form their judgment - only from facts. And what has been the consequence? Already the cloud - is breaking; the light is piercing through, and my character grows - clearer every day. It will soon become the fashion in Europe to do me - justice. Those who have succeeded me possess the archives of my - administration and police, and the records of my tribunals: they hold - in their pay, and at their disposal, those who must have been the - perpetrators and the accomplices of my atrocities and crimes; yet what - proofs have they brought forward? What have they made known? - - “The first moments of fury being passed away, all honest and sensible - men will render justice to my character; none but rogues or fools will - be my enemies. I may rest at ease; the succession of events, the - disputes of opposing parties, their hostile productions, will daily - clear the way for the correct and glorious materials of my history. - And what advantage has been reaped from the immense sums that have - been paid for libels against me? Every trace of them will soon be - obliterated; while my institutions and monuments will recommend me to - the remotest posterity. - - “It is now, moreover, too late to heap abuse upon me. The venom of - calumny,” said he, repeating an idea which he had before expressed, - “has been exhausted on me; it can no longer injure me; it operates - only _like poison on Mithridates_.” - -THE EMPEROR PLOUGHING.—THE WIDOW’S MITE.—INTERVIEW WITH THE ADMIRAL.—NEW - ARRANGEMENTS.—THE POLISH CAPTAIN PIONTKOWSKY. - - 30th.—The Emperor desired me to be called before eight o’clock. While - he dressed, I finished reading to him the newspapers which I had begun - to examine the day before. When dressed, he himself went to the - stables, asked for his horse, and rode out with me alone; his - attendants not being yet quite ready. We rode on at random, and soon - arrived in a field where some labourers were engaged in ploughing. The - Emperor alighted from his horse, seized the plough, and, to the great - astonishment of the man who was holding it, he himself traced a furrow - of considerable length. He again mounted and continued his ride - through various parts of the neighbourhood, and was joined - successively by General Gourgaud and the grooms. - - On his return, the Emperor expressed a wish to breakfast under a tree - in the garden; and desired us to remain with him. During the ride, he - had mentioned a little present that he intended for us. “It is a - trifle, to be sure,” observed he; “but every thing must be - proportioned to circumstances, and to me this is truly _the widow’s - mite_.” He alluded to a monthly stipend which he had determined to - settle on each of us. It was to be deducted from an inconsiderable - sum, which we had contrived to secrete in spite of the vigilance of - the English; and this sum was henceforth Napoleon’s sole resource. It - may well be imagined how precious this trifle had become. I seized the - first moment, on finding myself alone with him, to express my opinion - on this subject, and to declare my own personal determination to - decline his intended bounty. He laughed at this, and as I persisted in - my resolution, he said, pinching my ear, “Well, if you don’t want it - now, keep it for me: I shall know where to find it when I stand in - need of it.” - - After breakfast, the Emperor went in-doors, and desired me to finish - reading the newspapers. I had been some time engaged in reading, when - M. de Montholon requested to be introduced. He had just had a long - conversation with the Admiral, who was very anxious to see the - Emperor. I was directed to suspend my translations from the - newspapers, and the Emperor walked about for some time, as though - hesitating how to proceed; at length, taking up his hat, he went into - the drawing-room to receive the Admiral. This circumstance afforded me - the highest satisfaction; for I knew that it was calculated to put a - period to our state of hostility. I was well assured that two minutes’ - conversation with the Emperor would smooth more difficulties than two - days correspondence with any one else. Accordingly I was soon informed - that his convincing arguments and amiable manners had produced the - wished-for effect. I was assured that on his departure the Admiral - appeared enchanted: as for the Emperor, he was very well pleased at - what had taken place; he is far from disliking the Admiral: he is even - somewhat prepossessed in his favour. “You may be a very good seaman,” - said the Emperor to him, “but you know nothing at all about our - situation. We ask nothing of you. We can bear in silence and - retirement our pains and privations; we can find resources within - ourselves; but still our esteem is worth obtaining.” The Admiral - referred to his instructions. “But,” replied the Emperor, “you do not - consider the vast distance that intervenes between the dictation and - the execution of those instructions! The very individual who issues - them in a remote part of the world would oppose them if he saw them - carried into execution. Besides,” continued he, “it is certain that on - the least difference, the least opposition, the slightest expression - of public opinion, the Ministers would disavow their instructions, or - severely blame those who had not given them a more favourable - interpretation.” - - The Admiral conducted himself wonderfully well; the Emperor had every - reason to be satisfied with him: all asperities were softened down, - and good understanding prevailed on every point. It was agreed that - the Emperor should henceforth freely ride about the Island; that the - officer who had been instructed to attend him, should merely watch him - from a distance, so that the Emperor might not be offended with the - sight of a guard; that visitors should be admitted to the Emperor, not - with the permission of the Admiral, as the inspector of Longwood, but - with that of the Grand Marshal, who did the honours of the - establishment. - - To-day our little colony was increased by the arrival of Captain - Piontkowsky, a native of Poland. He was one of those individuals whom - we had left behind us at Plymouth. His attachment to the Emperor, and - his grief at being separated from him, had subdued the severity of the - English Ministers, and he had received permission to proceed to St. - Helena. - - LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR SKELTON. - - 31st.—Lieutenant-Governor Skelton and his lady, who had always shewn - us great attentions, came to present their respects to the Emperor, - who, after an hour’s conversation, desired me to translate to the - Colonel an invitation to ride out with him on horseback. The - invitation was joyfully accepted, and we set out. We passed through - the valley which separates us from Diana’s Peak, to the great - astonishment of the Colonel, to whom this ride was perfectly new. He - found it fatiguing, and in many parts dangerous. The Emperor detained - Colonel and Mrs. Skelton to dinner, and entertained them in the most - agreeable way. - - NEW-YEAR’S DAY.—FOWLING-PIECES, &C.—COLONEL - WILKS’S FAMILY. - - January 1st—3rd, 1816. On new-year’s-day we all assembled about ten - o’clock in the morning, to present the compliments of the season to - the Emperor. He received us in a few moments. We had to offer him - wishes rather than congratulations. The Emperor wished that we should - breakfast and spend the whole day together. He observed that we were - but a handful in one corner of the world, and that all our consolation - must be our regard for each other. We all accompanied the Emperor into - the garden, where he walked about until breakfast was ready. At this - moment, his fowling-pieces, which had hitherto been detained by the - Admiral, were sent back to him. This measure, on the part of the - Admiral, was only another proof of the new disposition which he had - assumed towards us. The guns could be of no use to the Emperor; for - the nature of the ground and the total want of game rendered it - impossible that he could enjoy even a shadow of diversion in shooting. - There were no birds except a few pigeons among the gum-trees, and - these were soon killed, or forced to migrate, by the few shots that - Gen Gourgaud and my son amused themselves in firing. - - It seemed like a fatality that measures, dictated by the best and - kindest intentions on the part of the Admiral, should still bear an - appearance of restriction and colouring of caprice, which destroyed - their effect. Along with the Emperor’s fowling-pieces were two or - three guns belonging to individuals of his suite. These were delivered - to their owners; but on condition that they should be sent every - evening to the tent of the officer on duty. It may well be supposed - that this proposition induced us, without hesitation, to decline the - favour altogether; and the guns were not surrendered to us - unconditionally, until after a little parleying. And after all what - were the important subjects under discussion? A few fowling-pieces; - and the owners of them were unfortunate men, banished from the rest of - the world, surrounded by sentinels, and guarded by a whole camp. I - mention this circumstance, because, though trifling in itself, it - proves better than many others our real situation and the mode in - which we were treated. - - On the 3rd, I breakfasted with Madame Bertrand, whom I was to - accompany to dine at the Governor’s. From Madame Bertrand’s abode to - Plantation-House (the Governor’s residence) is an hour and a half’s - journey in a carriage drawn by six oxen, for the use of horses on this - road would be dangerous. We crossed or turned five or six passes, - flanked with precipices several hundred feet high. Four of the oxen - were taken from the carriage in the rapid descents, and yoked again in - ascending the hills. We stopped when we had got about three parts of - the way, to pay a visit to a good old lady, eighty-three years of age, - who is very fond of Madame Bertrand’s children. Her house is very - pleasantly situated: she had not been out of it for sixteen years, - when, hearing of the Emperor’s arrival, she set out for the town, - declaring that, if it cost her her life, she was resolved to see - him:—she was happy enough to gain her object. - - Plantation-House is the best situated, and most agreeable residence in - the whole island. The mansion, the garden, the out-offices, all call - to mind the residence of a family possessing an income of 25 or 30,000 - livres in one of the French provinces. The grounds are cultivated with - the greatest attention and taste. A resident at Plantation-House might - imagine himself in Europe, without ever suspecting the desolation that - prevails over every other part of the Island. Plantation-House is - occupied by Colonel Wilks, the Governor, whose authority is now - superseded by the Admiral. He is a man of most polished manners; his - wife is an amiable woman, and his daughter a charming young lady. - - The Governor had invited a party of about thirty. The manners and - ceremonies of the company were entirely European. We spent several - hours at Plantation-House; and this, we may truly say, has been the - only interval of oblivion and abstraction that we have enjoyed since - we quitted France. Colonel Wilks evinced particular partiality and - kindness to me. We mutually expressed the compliments and sympathy of - two authors, pleased with each other’s merits. We exchanged our works. - The Colonel overwhelmed _M. le Sage_ with flattering compliments: and - those which I returned to him were of the sincerest kind; for his work - contains a novel and interesting account of Hindostan, where he - resided for a considerable time in a diplomatic capacity. A spirit of - philosophy, a fund of information, joined to singular purity of style, - concur to render it a production of first-rate merit. In his political - opinions, Colonel Wilks is cool and impartial; he judges calmly and - dispassionately of passing events, and is imbued with the sound ideas - and liberal opinions of an intelligent and independent Englishman. - - As we were on the point of sitting down to dinner, we were, to our - great surprise, informed that the Emperor, in company with the - Admiral, had just passed very near the gate of Plantation-House; and - one of the guests (Mr. Doveton, of Sandy-Bay) observed, that Napoleon - had, in the morning, honoured him with a visit, and spent three - quarters of an hour at his house. - -LIFE AT LONGWOOD.—THE EMPEROR’S RIDE ON HORSEBACK.—OUR - NYMPH.—NICKNAMES.—ON ISLANDS, AND THE DEFENCE OF THEM.—GREAT - FORTRESSES; GIBRALTAR.—CULTIVATION AND LAWS OF THE ISLAND. ENTHUSIASM, - &c. - - 4th—8th. When I entered the Emperor’s apartments to give him an - account of our excursion on the preceding day, he took hold of my ear, - saying: “Well, you deserted me yesterday: I got through the evening - very well, notwithstanding. Do not suppose that I could not do without - you.” Delightful words! rendered most touching by the tone which - accompanied them, and by the knowledge I now possess of him by whom - they were uttered. - - The weather has every day been fine, the temperature dry; the heat - intense, but abating suddenly, as usual, towards five or six o’clock. - - The Emperor, since his arrival at Longwood, had left off his usual - dictations: he passed his time in reading in his cabinet, dressed - himself between three and four o’clock, and afterwards went out on - horseback, accompanied by two or three of us. The mornings must have - appeared to him longer; but his health was the better for it. Our - rides were always directed towards the neighbouring valley, of which I - have already spoken; we either passed up it, taking the lower part of - it first, and returning by the Grand Marshal’s house; or, on the - contrary, went up that side first, in order to descend it in - returning: we even went beyond it once or twice, and crossed other - similar valleys. We thus explored the neighbourhood, and visited the - few habitations which it contained; the whole of which were poor and - wretched. The roads were sometimes impassable; we were even - occasionally obliged to get off our horses. We had to clear hedges, - and to scale stone walls, which we met with very frequently; but we - never suffered anything to stop us. - - In these our customary rides we had for some days fixed on a regular - resting-place in the middle of the valley. There, surrounded by desert - rocks, an unexpected flower displayed itself: under a humble roof we - discovered a charming young girl, fifteen or sixteen years of age. We - had surprised her the first day in her usual costume: it announced any - thing but affluence. The following morning we found that she had - bestowed the greatest pains on her toilet; but our pretty blossom of - the fields now appeared to us nothing more than a very ordinary - garden-flower. Nevertheless, we henceforth stopped at her dwelling a - few minutes every day; she always approached a few paces to catch the - two or three sentences which the Emperor either addressed, or caused - to be translated, to her, as he passed by, and we continued our route, - discoursing on her charms. From that time she formed an addition to - the particular nomenclature of Longwood: she became _our nymph_. Among - those who were intimate with him, the Emperor used, without - premeditation, to invent new names for every person and object that - attracted his notice. Thus the pass through which we were proceeding, - at the moment of which I am now writing, received the name of the - _Valley of Silence_; our host at Briars was our _Amphitryon_; his - neighbour, the Major, who was six feet high, was our _Hercules_; Sir - George Cockburn was my _Lord Admiral_, as long as we were in good - spirits, but, when ill-humour prevailed, there was no title for him - but such as the _shark_, &c. - - Our nymph is the identical heroine of the little pastoral with which - Doctor Warden has been pleased to embellish his Letters; although I - corrected his error, when he gave me the manuscript to read before his - departure for Europe, by telling him: “if it is your intention to form - a tale, it is well; but if you wish to depict the truth, you must - alter this entirely.” It should seem that he thought his tale - possessed far more interest; and he has preserved it accordingly. But - to return to our _nymph_: I have been informed that Napoleon brought - her great good fortune. The celebrity which she acquired through him - attracted the curiosity of travellers, and her own charms effected the - rest; she is become the wife of a very rich merchant, or captain, in - the service of the East-India Company. - - On returning from our rides, we used to find assembled the persons - whom the Emperor had invited to dine with him. He had, successively, - the Colonel of the 53rd, several of the officers and their ladies, the - Admiral, the beautiful and amiable Mrs. Hodson, the wife of our - Hercules, whom the Emperor went one day to visit in the valley of - Briars, and of whose children he had taken so much notice, &c. - - After dinner, the Emperor joined one party at cards, and the rest of - the company formed another. - - The day the Admiral dined at Longwood, the Emperor, whilst taking his - coffee, discoursed for a few minutes upon the affairs of the Island. - The Admiral said that the 66th regiment was coming to reinforce the - 53rd. The Emperor laughed at this; and asked him, if he did not think - himself already strong enough. Then, continuing his general - observations, he said that an additional seventy-four would be of more - use than a regiment; that ships of war were the security of an Island; - that fortifications produced nothing but delay; that the landing of a - superior force was a complete success, although its effects might be - deferred for a time; provided, however, the distance did not admit of - succour arriving. - - The Admiral having asked him which, in his opinion, was the strongest - place in the world, the Emperor answered, it was impossible to point - it out, because the strength of a place arises partly from its own - means of defence, and partly from extraneous and indeterminate - circumstances. He, however, mentioned Strasburg, Lille, Metz, Mantua, - Antwerp, Malta, and Gibraltar. The Admiral having told him that he had - been suspected in England, for some time, of entertaining a design to - attack Gibraltar: “We knew better than that,” replied the Emperor; “it - was our interest to leave Gibraltar in your possession. It is of no - advantage to you; it neither protects nor intercepts any thing; it is - only an object of national pride, which costs England very dear, and - gives great umbrage to Spain. It would have been very injudicious in - us to destroy such ingenious arrangements.” - - On the 6th, I was invited, with Madame Bertrand and my son, to dine at - Briars, where our old host had assembled much company. We returned - very late, and not without having been exposed to danger, from the - difficulties of the road and the darkness of the night, which obliged - us to perform part of the journey on foot, from consideration for - Madame Bertrand. - - On the 7th, the Emperor received a visit from the Secretary of the - Government and one of the members of the Council. He asked them a - great many questions, as usual, concerning the cultivation, the - prosperity, and the improvements of which the Island might be capable. - In 1772, a system had been adopted for furnishing meat at half price - to the inhabitants from the magazines of the Company; the consequence - of which was, great idleness, and neglect of agriculture. This system - was altered five years ago; which, added to other circumstances, has - revived emulation, and carried the prosperity of the Island to a pitch - far beyond what it ever enjoyed before. It is to be feared that our - arrival may prove a mortal blow to this growing prosperity. - - St. Helena, which is seven or eight leagues in circumference (about - the size of Paris), is subject to the general laws of England and the - local ones of the island: these local laws are drawn up by a Council, - and are sanctioned in England by the Court of Directors of the - East-India Company. The Council is composed of a Governor, of two - civil members, and a Secretary, who keeps the registers; they are all - appointed by the Company, and are subject to be removed at pleasure. - The members of the Council are legislators, administrators, and - magistrates; they decide without appeal, with the aid of a jury, upon - civil and criminal matters. There is neither advocate nor attorney in - the Island; the Secretary of the Council authenticates all acts, and - is a kind of unique notary. The population of the Island amounts at - this moment to about five or six thousand souls, including the blacks - and the garrison. - - I was walking one afternoon in the garden with the Emperor, when a - sailor, about twenty-two or twenty-three years of age, with a frank - and open countenance, approached us, with gestures expressive of - eagerness and joy, mingled with apprehension of being perceived from - without. He spoke nothing but English, and told me in a hurried - manner, that he had twice braved the obstacle of sentinels and all the - dangers of severe prohibition, to get a close view of the Emperor. He - had obtained this good fortune, he said, looking stedfastly at the - Emperor, and should die content; that he offered up his prayers to - Heaven that Napoleon might enjoy good health, and be one day more - happy. I dismissed him; and, on quitting us, he hid himself again - behind the trees and hedges, in order to have a longer view of us. We - frequently met with such unequivocal proofs of the good-will of these - sailors. Those of the Northumberland, above all, considered themselves - as having formed a friendship with the Emperor. While we were residing - at Briars, where our seclusion was not so close, they often hovered - around us on a Sunday, saying they came to take another look at their - shipmate. The day on which we quitted Briars, I was with the Emperor - in the garden, when one of the sailors appeared at the gate, asking me - if he might step in without giving offence. I asked him of what - country he was, and what religion he professed. He answered by making - various signs of the cross, in token of his having understood me, and - of fraternity. Then looking stedfastly upon the Emperor, before whom - he stood, and, raising his eyes to Heaven, he began to hold a - conversation with himself, by gestures, which his great jovial face - rendered partly grotesque, and partly sentimental. Nevertheless, it - would have been difficult to express, more naturally, admiration, - respect, kind wishes, and sympathy; whilst big tears started in his - eyes. “Tell that dear man,” said he to me, “that I wish him no harm, - but all possible happiness. So do most of us. Long life and health to - him!” He had a nosegay of wild flowers in his hand, which he seemed to - wish to offer to us; but either his attention was taken up, or he felt - restrained by the Emperor’s presence, or his own feelings, and he - stood wavering, as if contending with himself for some time; then - suddenly made us a bow, and disappeared. - - The Emperor could not refrain from evincing some emotion at these two - circumstances; so strongly did the countenances, accents, and gestures - of these two men bear the stamp of truth. He then said, “See the - effect of imagination! How powerful is its influence! Here are people - who do not know me—who have never seen me; they have only heard me - spoken of; and what do they not feel! what would they not do to serve - me! And the same caprice is to be found in all countries, in all ages, - and in both sexes! This is fanaticism! Yes, imagination rules the - world!” - - VEXATIOUS TREATMENT OF THE EMPEROR.—FRESH - MISUNDERSTANDINGS WITH THE ADMIRAL. - - 9th.—The grounds round Longwood, within which we have the liberty of - taking the air, admit of only half an hour’s ride on horseback; which - has induced the Emperor, in order to extend his ride, or to occupy - more time, to descend into the ravines by very bad and indeed - dangerous ways. - - The Island not being thirty miles in circumference, it would have been - desirable to have the circuit extended to within a mile of the - sea-coast; then we might have had our rides, and even varied them, - within a space of fifteen or eighteen miles. The watching of our - movements would neither have been more troublesome nor less effectual, - had sentinels been placed upon the sea-shore and at the openings of - the valleys; or even had they traced all the Emperor’s steps by - signals. We had been told, it is true, that the Emperor was at liberty - to go over the whole of the Island under the escort of an English - officer; but the Emperor had decided that he would never go out, if - deprived of the privilege of being either entirely by himself, or in - the society of his friends only. The Admiral, in his last interview - with the Emperor, had, with great delicacy, settled that, whenever he - (the Emperor) wished to go beyond the prescribed limits, he was to - inform the English Captain on duty at Longwood of the circumstance; - that the latter should go to his post to open the passage for the - Emperor; and that the observation, if any, should thenceforth be - continued in such a manner that the Emperor, during the remainder of - his excursion, whether he entered any house or took advantage of any - fine situation for proceeding with his works, might perceive nothing - that could for a moment distract his mind from meditation. According - to this arrangement, the Emperor proposed this morning to mount his - horse at seven o’clock: he had ordered a slight breakfast to be - prepared, and intended to go in the direction of Sandy Bay, to see a - spring of water, and to pass the morning amongst some fine vegetation - (an advantage which we did not possess at Longwood); and in this spot - he proposed to dictate for a few hours. - - Our horses were ready; at the moment when we were about to mount them, - I went to acquaint the Captain with our intention, who, to my great - astonishment, declared his determination of riding beside us; saying - that the Emperor could not take it ill, after all, that an officer - would not act the part of a servant by remaining behind alone. I - replied that the Emperor doubtless would approve this sentiment; but - that he would immediately give up his party of pleasure. “You must,” - said I, “think it very natural, and by no means a ground of offence, - that he feels a repugnance to the company of a person who is guarding - him.” The officer evinced much concern, and told me that his situation - was extremely embarrassing. “Not at all so,” I observed to him, “if - you only execute your orders. We ask nothing of you; you have nothing - to justify or explain to us. It must be as desirable to you as to us - to get the limits extended towards the sea-shore: you would thereby be - freed from a troublesome duty, and one which can do you no honour. The - end proposed would not be the less effectually accomplished by such an - arrangement. I will venture to say that it would be more so: whenever - we wish to watch a person, we must guard the door of his room, or the - gates of the enclosure which surrounds him; the intermediate doors are - only sources of unavailing trouble. You lose sight of the Emperor - every day when he descends into the deep hollows within the circuit, - and you ascertain his existence only by his return. Well, then, make a - merit of a concession which the nature of things demands. Extend the - limits to within a mile of the sea-shore; you may then also trace the - Emperor constantly by means of your signals from your heights.” - - To all this the officer replied only by repeating that he wanted - neither look nor word from the Emperor; that he would be with us, as - if he were not present. He seemed, and indeed he was, unable to - comprehend that the mere sight of him could be offensive to the - Emperor. I told him that there was a scale for the degrees of feeling, - and that the same measure did not apply to all the world. He appeared - to think that we were putting our own interpretations on the Emperor’s - sentiments, and that, if the reasons which he gave me were explained - to him (the Emperor), the latter would accede to them. He was inclined - to write to him. I assured him that, as far as related personally to - himself, he would not be able to say so much to the Emperor as I - myself should: but that I would go and repeat to the Emperor, word for - word, the conversation which had passed between us. I went, and soon - returned, and confirmed to him what I had before advanced. The Emperor - from that moment gave up his intended excursion. - - Wishing, however, on my own account, to avoid every misunderstanding - which might add to discussions, at all times disagreeable, I asked him - whether he had any objection to impart to me the account he intended - to give the Admiral. He told me he had none; but that he should only - give a verbal one. Then, resuming our long conversation, I reduced it - in a few words, to two very positive points: on his part, that he had - told me he wished to join the party of the Emperor: and on mine, that - I had replied that the Emperor from that moment gave up his party, and - would not go beyond the limits assigned to him. This statement was - perfectly agreed upon by both of us. The Emperor ordered me to be - called into his room. Brooding in profound silence over the vexation - which he had just experienced, he had undressed again, and was in his - morning-gown. He detained me to breakfast, and observed that the sky - seemed to threaten rain; that we should have had a bad day for our - excursion. But this was a poor consolation for the cruel restraint - which had just deprived him of an innocent pleasure. - - The fact is that the officer had received fresh orders; but the - Emperor had only grounded the project of his little excursion upon the - anterior promises of the Admiral, at which the Emperor had felt a - pleasure in expressing his satisfaction to him. The present - alteration, of which nothing had been said to the Emperor, must - necessarily have been extremely unpleasant to him. Either the word - given him was broken, or an attempt had been made to impose on him. - This affront, which he experienced from the Admiral, is one of those - which have considerably hurt the feelings of the Emperor. - - The Emperor took a bath, and did not dine with us. At nine o’clock he - ordered me to be called into his room, he was reading Don Quixote, - which turned our conversation upon Spanish literature, the translation - of Le Sage, &c. He was very melancholy, and said little; he sent me - away in about three quarters of an hour. - - MARCHAND’S ROOM.—LINEN, GARMENTS, &C. OF THE - EMPEROR,—SPURS OF CHAMPAUBERT, &C. - - 10th.—About four o’clock the Emperor desired me to be called into his - room: he was dressed, and had his boots on; his intention was either - to get on horseback, or to take a walk in the garden; but a gentle - shower of rain was falling. We walked about in conversation, waiting - for the weather to clear up. He opened the door of his room leading to - the topographical cabinet, in order that we might extend our walk the - whole length of this cabinet. As we approached the bed, he asked me if - I always slept in it. I answered that I had ceased to do so from the - moment that I became acquainted with his wish of going out early in - the morning. “What has that to do with it?” said he: “return to it; I - shall go out when I please, by the back-door.” The drawing-room door - stood half open, and he entered it; Montholon and Gourgaud were there. - They were endeavouring to fix a very pretty lustre, and a small glass - over the chimney-piece: the Emperor desired the latter might be set - straight, as it inclined a little on one side. He was much pleased at - this improvement in the drawing-room furniture; a proof that every - thing is relative! What could these objects have been in the eyes of a - man who, some years ago, had furniture to the value of forty millions - in his palaces? - - We returned to the topographical cabinet: the rain continued to fall, - he gave up his promenade; but he regretted that the Grand Marshal had - not arrived; he felt himself this day inclined for work, which he had - discontinued for a fortnight. He endeavoured to kill time, whilst - waiting for Bertrand. “Let us go and see Madame de Montholon,” said he - to me. I announced him; he sat down, made me do the same; and we - talked about furniture and housekeeping. He then began to form an - inventory of the articles in the apartment, piece by piece; and we all - agreed that the furniture was not worth more than thirty Napoleons. - Leaving Madame de Montholon’s, he ran from room to room, and stopped - in front of the staircase in the corridor which leads to the servants’ - room above; it is a kind of very steep ladder. “Let us look at - Marchand’s apartment,” said he; “they say that he keeps it like that - of a _petite maîtresse_.” We climbed up; Marchand was there; his - little room is clean; he has pasted paper upon it, which he has - painted himself. His bed was without curtains: Marchand does not sleep - so far from his master’s door; at Briars, he and the two other - valets-de-chambre constantly slept upon the ground, across the - Emperor’s doorway, so close that, whenever I came away late, I was - obliged to step over them. The Emperor ordered the presses to be - opened; they contained nothing but his linen and his clothes; the - whole was not considerable, yet he was astonished to find himself - still so rich. “How many pair of spurs have I?” said he, taking up a - pair. “Four pair,” answered Marchand. “Are any of them more remarkable - than the rest?”—“No, Sire.”—“Well, I will give a pair of them to Las - Cases. Are these old?” “Yes, Sire, they are almost worn out; your - Majesty wore them in the campaign of Dresden, and in that of - Paris.”—“Here,” said he, giving them to me; “these are for you.” I - could have wished that he would have permitted me to receive them on - my knees. I felt that I was really receiving something connected with - the glorious days of Champaubert, Montmirail, Nangis, Montereau! Was - there ever a more appropriate memorial of chivalry, in the times of - Amadis? “Your Majesty is making me a knight,” said I; “but how am I to - win these spurs? I cannot pretend to achieve any feat of arms; and as - to love and devotion, Sire, all I have to bestow has long since been - disposed of.” - - Still the Grand Marshal did not arrive, and the Emperor wished to set - to work. “You cannot write any longer then?” he said to me. “Your - eyesight is quite gone.” Ever since we had been here I had given up - work entirely; my eyesight failed me, which made me extremely - melancholy. “Yes, sire,” I replied, “it is entirely gone; and I am - grieved that I lost it in the Campaign of Italy, without enjoying the - happiness and glory of having served in it.”—He endeavoured to console - me, by telling me that I should recover my eyesight, beyond a doubt, - by repose, adding, “Oh why did they not leave us Planat! that good - young man would now be of great service to me.” And he desired General - Gourgaud to come, that he might dictate to him. - - ADMIRAL TAYLOR, &C. - - 11th.—As I was walking after breakfast, about half-past twelve, before - the gate, I saw a numerous cavalcade approaching, preceded by the - Colonel of the 53rd: it was Admiral Taylor, who had arrived the - evening before with his squadron from the Cape, and was to leave us - the next day but one for Europe. Among his captains was his son, who - had lost his arm at the battle of Trafalgar, where his father - commanded the Tonnant. - - Admiral Taylor said he was come to pay his respects to the Emperor; - but he had just received for answer that he was unwell; at which the - Admiral was much disappointed. I observed to him that the climate of - Longwood was very unfavourable to Napoleon. I chose an unlucky time - for making this observation, as the sky was beautiful, and the place - displayed at this moment all the illusion which it is capable of - producing: the Admiral did not fail to remark that the situation was - charming. I replied, in a tone of genuine sorrow: “Yes, Admiral, - to-day, and for you, who only remain a quarter of an hour in it.” At - this he seemed quite disconcerted, began to make excuses, and begged - me to pardon him for having made use of what he called an impertinent - expression. I must render justice to the peculiar urbanity of manner - which he evinced on this occasion. - - THE EMPEROR AIMED AT BY A SOLDIER.—OUR EVENING - AMUSEMENTS.—NOVELS.—POLITICAL REMARKS. - - 12th—14th. The Emperor had now for several days left off his - excursions on horseback. The result of his attempt to resume them, on - the 12th, was neither calculated to revive his partiality for this - amusement, nor to render it once more habitual to him. We had cleared - our valley as usual, and were re-ascending at the back part opposite - Longwood, when a soldier from one of the heights, where there had - hitherto been no post, called out several times, and made various - signs to us. As we were in the very centre of our circuit, we paid no - attention to him. He then came running down towards us, out of breath, - charging his piece as he ran. General Gourgaud remained behind, to see - what he wanted, while we continued our route. I could see the General, - after dodging the fellow many times, collar and secure him: he made - him follow him as far as the neighbouring post by the Grand Marshal’s, - which the General endeavoured to make him enter, but he escaped from - him. He found that he was a drunken corporal, who had not rightly - understood his watchword. He had frequently levelled his piece at us. - This circumstance, which might have been very easily repeated, made us - tremble for the Emperor’s life: the latter looked upon it only as an - affront, and a fresh obstacle to the continuance of his exercises on - horseback. - - Napoleon had ceased giving invitations to dinner: the hours, the - distance, the dressing, were inconvenient to the guests: to us these - parties produced only trouble and constraint, without any pleasure. - - The Emperor had by degrees resumed his regular work. He now dictated - daily to the Grand Marshal upon the expedition to Egypt; some time - before dinner he ordered me and my son to be called to him, in order - to read the different chapters of the Campaigns of Italy over again, - and separate them into paragraphs. Reversis had gone out of fashion; - the Emperor had given it up. The time after dinner was henceforth - devoted to the reading of some work: the Emperor himself read aloud; - when he was tired, he handed the book over to some other person; but - then he never could bear their reading more than a quarter of an hour. - We were now reading novels, and we began many which we never finished, - _Manon l’ Escaut_ we soon rejected as fit only for the ante-chamber; - then followed the _Memoirs of Grammont_, which are so full of wit, but - so far from honourable to the morals of the great of that period; the - _Chevalier de Faublas_, which is only to be endured at the age of - twenty years, &c. Whenever these readings could be protracted to - eleven or twelve o’clock, the Emperor seemed truly rejoiced. He called - this making conquests over time; and he found such victories not the - most easy to gain. - - Politics had also their turn. Every three or four weeks, or - thereabouts, we received a large packet of journals from Europe; this, - like the cut of a whip, set us going again for some days, during which - we discussed, analyzed, and re-discussed the news: and afterwards fell - again insensibly into our usual melancholy. The last journals had - reached us by the Greyhound sloop, which had arrived some days before. - They occupied one of the evenings, and gave rise to one of those - moments, wherein that ardour and inspiration burst forth from the - Emperor, which I have sometimes witnessed in the Council of State, and - which escape him from time to time even here. - - He took large strides as he walked amongst us, becoming gradually more - animated, and only interrupting his discourse by a few moments of - meditation. - - “Poor France,” said he, “what will be thy lot! Above all, what is - become of thy glory!... I suppress the rest, which is of very great - length: I _must_ suppress it.” - - The papers seeming to say that England desired the dismemberment of - France, but that Russia had opposed it, the Emperor said that he - expected this; that it was natural that Russia should be dissatisfied - at seeing France divided; because she would then have to fear that the - different states of Germany would unite against her; whilst, on the - other hand, the English aristocracy must be desirous of reducing - France to the extremity of weakness, and of establishing despotism - upon her ruins. “I know,” said he, “that this is not your opinion,” - addressing himself to me; “you are an Englishman.” I replied that it - was very difficult to dispute with him; but that it appeared to me - that in this same English aristocracy, it must be allowed, there might - possibly exist heads sufficiently clear, as well as hearts just - enough, to understand that, after having overthrown that which - threatened their existence, it might prove advantageous to raise up - that which was no longer to be dreaded; that circumstances were now - singularly favourable for establishing a new system, which might for - ever unite the two nations in their dearest interests, and render them - necessary to each other, instead of keeping them in perpetual enmity, - &c. The Emperor concluded the conversation by saying that he must be - very perverse, without doubt; but that, with every consideration that - he could give the subject, he could foresee nothing but catastrophes, - massacres, and bloodshed. - - ON THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE CABINET OF - BONAPARTE, BY GOLDSMITH.—DETAILS, &C. - - 15th.—When I was on board the Northumberland, I had heard the _Secret - History of the Cabinet of Bonaparte_ by Goldsmith, spoken of, and, in - my first leisure moments here, I felt an inclination to skim it over; - but I met with great difficulty in obtaining it, as the English - excused themselves from putting it into my hands, for a considerable - time, saying, it was such an abominable libel that they were afraid to - let me have it, and were themselves ashamed of it. I was for a long - time under the necessity of urging them incessantly, repeating that we - were all proof against such civilities; that he who was the object of - them only used to laugh at such things, when chance brought them - before his eyes; and moreover that, if this work was so bad as it was - said to be, it must have failed in its end, and ceased to be hurtful - at all. I asked who this Goldsmith, the author, was. I was told, he - was an Englishman who ... at Paris, and who, upon his return to - England, had endeavoured to avoid ... and at the same time to gain - more money, by loading with insults and imprecations that idol to whom - he had so long offered incense. I at last obtained the work. It must - be confessed that it would be difficult to bring together more - horrible and ridiculous abominations than are presented to us in the - first pages of this book: rapes, poison, incest, assassination, and - all that belongs to them, are heaped by the author upon his hero, and - that from his earliest childhood. It is true that the author appears - to have given himself little concern about bestowing on these - calumnies any air of probability; and that he himself sometimes - demonstrates their impossibility, and sometimes refutes them by - anachronisms, alibis, and contradictions of every kind; mistakes in - the names, persons, and most authentic facts, &c. Thus, for example, - when Napoleon was only about ten or twelve years of age, and was - confined within the bounds of the Military School, he causes him to - commit outrages which would require at least the age of manhood, and a - certain degree of liberty, &c. The author makes him undertake what he - calls the robberies of Italy, at the head of eight thousand - galley-slaves, who had escaped from the bagnio at Toulon. Afterwards, - he makes twenty thousand Poles abandon the Austrian ranks to join the - standard of the French General, &c. The same author makes Napoleon - arrive at Paris in Fructidor, when all the world knows that he never - quitted his army. He makes him treat with the Prince of Condé, and ask - the hand of the Princess Royal as the price of his treachery. I omit a - number of other things equally absurd and impudent. It is evident - that, with respect to the loose and ridiculous anecdotes particularly, - he only collected all he could hear; but from what source has he drawn - his information? The greater part of the anecdotes have certainly had - their rise in certain defamatory and malevolent circles of Paris; but, - as long as they were on that ground, they still preserved the - appearance of some wit, salt, point, colour, some grace in the - relation; whilst the stories in this book have evidently descended - from the drawing-rooms into the streets, and have only been picked up - after rolling in the kennel. The English allowed it to be so coarse - that, except to the most vulgar classes of society, the work was a - poison which carried its own antidote along with it. - - It may probably excite astonishment that I did not lay aside such a - production upon reading the first page of it; but its coarseness and - vulgarity are so gross that it cannot excite anger: on the other hand, - there is no disgust which may not be got over in order to amuse the - heavy hours at St. Helena. We consider ourselves fortunate in having - any thing to peruse. “Time,” said the Emperor, a few days ago, “is the - only thing of which we have too much here.” I therefore continued the - work. And besides, I may perhaps be allowed to say that it is not - without some pleasure that I now read the absurd tales, the lies, and - calumnies, which an author pretends to derive, as usual, from the best - authority, relating to objects which I am now so perfectly well - acquainted with, and which have become as familiar to me as the - details of my own life; and it is likewise gratifying to lay down - pages filled with the falsest representations, and exhibiting a - portrait purely fanciful to study truth by the side of the real - personage, in his own conversation, ever full of novelties and grand - ideas. - - The Emperor having desired me to come to him this morning after - breakfast, I found him in his morning-gown lying on his sofa. The - conversation led him to ask me what I was reading at this moment. I - replied that it was one of the most notorious and scurrilous libels - published against him, and I quoted to him upon the spot some of its - most abominable stories. He laughed heartily at them, and desired to - see the work. I sent for it, and we went over it together. In passing - from one horrid calumny to another, he exclaimed, “_Jesus!_” crossing - himself repeatedly—a custom which I have perceived to be familiar with - him, in his little friendly circle, whenever he meets with monstrous, - impudent, cynical assertions, which excite his indignation and - surprise without rousing his anger. As we proceeded, the Emperor - analyzed certain facts, and corrected points of which the author might - have known something. Sometimes he shrugged up his shoulders out of - compassion; at others, he laughed heartily; but he never betrayed the - least sign of anger. When he read the article which speaks of his - great debaucheries and excesses, the violences and the outrages which - he is represented to have committed, he observed that the author, - doubtless, wished to make a hero of him in every respect; that he - willingly left him to those who had charged him with impotency; that - it was for these gentlemen to agree among themselves; adding, merrily, - “that every man was not so unlucky as the pleader of Toulouse.” They - were in the wrong, however, he continued, to attack him upon the score - of morals; him, who, as all the world knew, had so singularly improved - them. They could not be ignorant that he was not at all inclined, by - nature, to debauchery; and that, moreover, the multiplicity of his - affairs would never have allowed him time to indulge in it. When he - came to the pages where his mother was described as acting the most - disgusting and abject part at Marseilles, he stopped, and repeated - several times with an accent of indignation, and something approaching - to grief, “Ah! Madame!—Poor Madame!—with her lofty character! if she - were to read this!—Great God!” - - We thus passed more than two hours, after which he began to dress. - Doctor O’Meara was introduced to him: it was the usual hour of his - being admitted. “_Dottore_,” said the Emperor to him in Italian, - whilst he was shaving himself, “I have just read one of your fine - London productions against me.” The Doctor’s countenance indicated a - wish to know what it was. I shewed him the book at a distance; it was - himself who had lent it to me: he was disconcerted. “It is a very just - remark,” continued the Emperor, “that it is the truth only which gives - offence. I have not been angry for a moment; but I have frequently - laughed at it.” The Doctor endeavoured to reply, and puzzled himself - with high-flown sentences: it was, he said, an infamous, disgusting - libel; every body knew it to be such; nobody paid any attention to it: - nevertheless, persons might be found who would believe it, from its - not having been replied to. “But how can that be helped?” said the - Emperor. “If it should enter any one’s head to put in print that I had - grown hairy, and walked on all fours, there are people who would - believe it, and would say that God had punished me as he did - Nebuchadnezzar. And what could I do? There is no remedy in such - cases.” The Doctor went away, hardly able to believe the gaiety, the - indifference, the good-nature of which he had just been witness: with - regard to ourselves, we were now accustomed to it. - - THE EMPEROR RESOLVES TO LEARN ENGLISH, &C. - - 16th.—About three o’clock the Emperor desired me to come and converse - with him whilst he was dressing himself; we afterwards took a few - turns in the garden. He observed, accidentally, that it was a shame he - could not yet read English. I assured him that, if he had continued - his lessons after the two that I had given when we were off Madeira, - he would now be able to read every kind of English books. He was - thoroughly persuaded of this, and ordered me to oblige him henceforth - to take a lesson every day. The conversation then led me to observe - that I had just given my son his first lesson in mathematics. It is a - branch of knowledge which the Emperor is very fond of, and in which he - is particularly skilled. He was astonished that I could teach my son - so much without the help of any work, and without any copy-book; he - said, he did not know that I was so learned in this way, and - threatened me with examining, when I did not expect it, both the - master and the scholar. At dinner he attacked what he called the - Professor of Mathematics, who was very near being posed by him: one - question did not wait for another, and they were frequently very keen. - He never ceased to regret that the mathematics were not taught at a - very early age in the Lyceums. He said that all the intentions he had - formed respecting the Universities had been frustrated, complained - bitterly of M. de Fontanes, lamenting that, whilst he was obliged to - be at a distance, carrying on the war, they spoiled all he had done at - home, &c. This led the Emperor back to the first years of his life, to - father Patrault, his Professor of Mathematics, whose history he gave - us: I have already introduced it. - - FIRST ENGLISH LESSON, &c. - - 17th.—The Emperor took his first lesson in the English language - to-day. And as it was my intention to put him at once in a situation - to read the papers with readiness, this first lesson consisted of - nothing more than getting acquainted with an English newspaper; in - studying the form and plan of it; in learning the places that are - always given to the different subjects which it contains; in - separating the notices and gossip of the town from politics; and, in - the latter, in learning to distinguish what is authentic from what is - mere report or conjecture. - - I have engaged that, if the Emperor could endure being annoyed every - day with such lessons, he would be able to read the papers in a month - without the assistance of any of us. The Emperor wished afterwards to - do some exercises; he wrote some sentences which were dictated to him, - and translated them into English, with the assistance of a little - table, which I made for him, of the auxiliary verbs and articles, and - aided by the dictionary for other words which I made him look out - himself. I explained to him the rules of syntax and grammar, as they - came before us: in this manner he formed various sentences, which - amused him more than the versions which we also attempted. After the - lesson, at two o’clock, we took a walk in the garden. - - Several musquet shots were fired: they were so near us that they - appeared to have been fired in the garden itself. The Emperor observed - to me that my son (we thought it was he) seemed to have good sport: I - replied that it was the last time he should enjoy it so near the - Emperor. “Really,” said he, “you may as well go and tell him that he - is only to come within cannon-shot of us.” I ran: we had accused him - wrongfully, for the guns were fired by the people who were training - the Emperor’s horses. - - After dinner, during coffee, the Emperor, taking me to the corner of - the chimney-piece, put his hand upon my head to measure my height, and - said, “I am a giant to you.”—“Your Majesty is a giant to so many - others,” I observed to him, “that I am not at all concerned at it.” He - spoke immediately of something else; for he does not like to dwell on - expressions of this kind. - -OUR DAILY HABITS.—CONVERSATION WITH GOVERNOR - WILKS.—ARMIES.—CHEMISTRY.—POLITICS.—REMARKS ON INDIA.—DELPHINE, BY - MAD. DE STAËL.—NECKER, CALONNE. - - 18th—20th. We led a life of great uniformity. The Emperor did not go - out in the mornings. The English lesson was very regularly taken about - two o’clock; then followed either a walk in the garden, or some - presentations, which, however, were very rare; afterwards a little - excursion in the calash, as the horses were at last arrived. Before - dinner we proceeded with the revision of the Campaigns of Italy or - Egypt: after dinner we read romances. - - On the 20th, the Emperor received Governor Wilks, with whom he had a - profound discussion on the army, the sciences, government, and the - Indies. Speaking of the organization of the English army, he dwelt - much on the principles of promotion in it; expressing his surprise - that, in a country in which equality of rights is maintained, the - soldiers so seldom become officers. - - Colonel Wilks admitted that the English soldiers were not formed to - become officers; and said that the English were equally astonished at - the great difference they had remarked in the French army, where - almost every soldier shewed the nascent talents of an officer. “That,” - observed the Emperor, “is one of the great results of the - Conscription; it has rendered the French army the best constituted - that ever existed. It is an institution,” he continued, “eminently - national, and already strongly interwoven with our habits; it had - ceased to be a cause of grief, except to mothers; and the time was at - hand, when a girl would not have listened to a young man who had not - acquitted himself of this debt to his country. And it would have been - only when arrived at this point,” added he, “that the Conscription - would have manifested the full extent of its advantages. When the - service no longer bears the appearance of punishment or compulsory - duty, but is become a point of honour, on which all are jealous, then - only is the nation great, glorious and powerful; it is then that its - existence is proof against reverses, invasions—even the hand of time! - - “Besides,” continued he, “it may be truly said that there is nothing - that may not be obtained from Frenchmen by the excitement of danger; - it seems to animate them; it is an inheritance which they derive from - their Gallic forefathers.... Courage, the love of glory, are, with the - French, an instinct, a kind of sixth sense. How often in the heat of - battle has my attention been fixed on my young conscripts, rushing, - for the first time, into the thickest of the fight: honour and valour - bursting forth at every pore.” - - After this, the Emperor, knowing that Governor Wilks was well informed - in chemistry, attacked him on that subject. He spoke of the immense - progress in all our manufactures occasioned by this science. He said, - that both England and France, undoubtedly, possessed great chemists; - but that chemistry was more generally diffused in France, and more - particularly directed to useful results; that in England it remained a - science, while in France it was becoming entirely practical. The - Governor admitted that these observations were perfectly correct, and, - with a liberality of sentiment, added that it was to him, the Emperor, - that all these advantages were owing, and that, wherever science was - led by the hand of power, it would produce great and happy effects - upon the well-being of society. The Emperor observed that of late - France had obtained sugar from the beet-root, as good and cheap as - that extracted from the sugar-cane. The Governor was astonished; he - had not even suspected it. The Emperor assured him that it was an - established fact, opposed, as it was, to the rooted prejudices of all - Europe, France itself not excepted. He added that it was the same with - woad, the substitute for indigo, and with almost all the colonial - produce except the dye-woods. This led him to conclude that if the - invention of the compass had produced a revolution in commerce, the - progress of chemistry bade fair to produce a counter-revolution. - - The conversation then turned on the present numerous emigrations of - the artisans of France and England to America. The Emperor observed - that this favoured country grew rich by our follies. The Governor - smiled, and replied, that those of England would occupy the first - place in the list, from the numerous errors of administration, which - had led to the revolt and subsequent emancipation of the Colonies. The - Emperor said that their emancipation was inevitable; that when - children had attained the size of their fathers, it was difficult to - retain them long in a state of obedience. - - They then spoke of India; the Governor had resided there many years, - and had filled high situations; he had made important researches; he - was able to reply to a multitude of questions proposed to him by the - Emperor, respecting the laws, the manners, the usages of the Hindoos, - the administration of the English, the nature and construction of the - existing laws, &c. - - The English are governed according to the laws of England; the natives - by local acts made by the several Councils in the service of the - Company, with whom it is a fundamental principle to render them as - nearly similar as possible to the laws of the people themselves. - - Hyder Aly was a man of genius; Tippoo, his son, was arrogant, - ignorant, and rash. The former had upwards of 100,000 men; the latter - scarcely ever more than 50,000. These people are not deficient in - courage, but they do not possess our physical strength, and have - neither discipline nor any knowledge of tactics. Seventeen thousand - men in the English service, of whom only 4000 were Europeans, were - sufficient to destroy the empire of Mysore. It was, however, to be - presumed that, sooner or later, the national spirit would rescue these - regions from the dominion of the Europeans. The intermixture of - European blood with that of the natives, was producing a mixed race, - whose numbers and disposition certainly prepared the way for a great - revolution. Nevertheless, in their actual condition, the people were - happier than they had been previously to the dominion of the English: - an impartial administration of justice, and the mildness of the - government were, for the present, the strongest supports of the power - of the parent state. It was also considered expedient to prohibit the - English and other Europeans from buying lands there, or forming - hereditary establishments, &c. - - Madame de Staël’s _Delphine_ was at this time a subject of - conversation at our evening parties. The Emperor analyzed it: few - things in it escaped his censure. The irregularity of mind and - imagination which pervades it excited his criticism: there were - throughout, said he, the same faults which had formerly made him keep - the authoress at a distance, notwithstanding the most pointed advances - and the most unremitting flattery on her part. No sooner had victory - immortalized the young General of the Army of Italy, than Madame de - Staël, unacquainted with him, from the mere sympathy of glory, - instantly professed for him sentiments of enthusiasm worthy of her own - _Corinne_; she wrote him long and numerous epistles, full of wit, - imagination, and metaphysical erudition: it was an error, she - observed, arising only from human institutions, that could have united - him with the meek, the tranquil, Madame Bonaparte; it was a soul of - fire like her’s (Madame de Staël’s) that nature had undoubtedly - destined to be the companion of a hero like him. - - I refer to the Campaigns in Italy to shew that this forwardness on the - part of Madame de Staël was not checked by the circumstance of meeting - with no return. With a perseverance never to be disheartened, she - succeeded, at a later period, in forming some degree of acquaintance, - so far even as to be allowed to visit; and she used this privilege, - said the Emperor, to a disagreeable extent. It is unquestionably true, - as has been reported, that the General, wishing to make her sensible - of it, one day caused her to be told, by way of excuse, that he was - scarcely dressed; and that she replied promptly and seriously, that it - was unimportant, for that genius was of no sex. - - From Madame de Staël we were naturally led to her father, M. Necker. - The Emperor related, that at Geneva, in his way to Marengo, he - received a visit from him, wherein he made known, in an awkward manner - enough, his desire to be admitted again to the Administration—a - desire, by the by, which M. Calonne, his rival, subsequently came to - Paris to express with a degree of levity beyond conception. M. Necker - afterwards wrote a dangerous work upon the policy of France, which he - attempted to prove could no longer exist either as a monarchy or a - republic, and in which he called the First Consul _l’homme - necessaire_. - - The First Consul proscribed the work, which, at that time, might have - been highly prejudicial to him, and committed the task of refuting it - to the Consul Lebrun, “who in his elegant prose,” said the Emperor, - executed prompt and ample justice upon it. The Necker _coterie_ was - irritated, and Madame de Staël, engaging in some intrigues, received - an order to quit France: thenceforth she became an ardent and - strenuous enemy. Nevertheless, on the return from the Island of Elba, - she wrote or sent to the Emperor, to express, in her peculiar way, the - enthusiasm which this wonderful event had excited in her; that she was - overcome; that this last act was not that of a mortal; that it had at - once raised its author to the skies. Then, returning to herself, she - concluded by hinting that, if the Emperor would condescend to allow - the payment of the two millions, for which an order in her favour had - already been signed by the King, her pen and her principles should be - devoted for ever after to his interest.—The Emperor desired she might - be informed, in answer, that nothing could flatter him more highly - than her approbation, because he fully appreciated her talents; but - that he really was not rich enough to purchase it at that price. - - MY NEW LODGING DESCRIBED.—MORNING VISIT, &C. - - 21st.—I had at length taken possession of the new lodging built for me - instead of my former oven. Upon a soil constantly damp had been placed - a floor eighteen feet long by eleven wide; this was surrounded by a - wall of a foot and half in thickness, composed of loam, and which - might have been kicked down with the foot: at the height of seven feet - it was covered with a roof of boards, defended by a coating of paper - and tar. Such were the construction and the outline of my new palace, - divided into two apartments, one of which contained two beds separated - by a chest of drawers, and afforded room for only a single chair; the - other, at once my saloon and my library, had a single window strongly - fastened up on account of the violence of the winds and rain: on the - right and left of it were two writing-tables, for me and my son; on - the opposite side a couch and two chairs. This was the whole of the - furniture and accommodations: add to this that the aspect of the two - windows is towards a wind constantly blowing from the same quarter, - and generally accompanied with rain, often very heavy, and which, - previously to our taking possession, already forced its way through - the cracks, or soaked through the walls and the roof. I had just - passed my first night in these new quarters; I was indisposed, and my - change of bed had prevented me from sleeping. I was informed about - seven o’clock, that the Emperor was going out on horseback; I replied - that, not feeling myself well, I should endeavour to take some rest; - but only a few minutes had elapsed when a person hastily entered my - apartment, opened my curtains with an air of authority, found fault - with me for being so idle, and pronounced that my ailments must be - shaken off; then, struck with the smell of the paint, the extreme - smallness of the room, and the closeness of the two beds, he decided - that we could no longer be suffered to sleep huddled together in that - way; that it was far too unwholesome; and that I must return to the - bed in the topographical cabinet, which I ought not to abandon through - false delicacy; and that, if I occasioned any inconvenience there, I - should be told of it. It will have been guessed that this person was - the Emperor. I was, of course, soon out of bed, dressed, and well. The - Emperor was, however, already far off: I had to seek him in the park. - After I had overtaken him, our conversation turned on the long - audience that he had given to Governor Wilks on the preceding day. He - dwelt, with much good humour, on the great importance which my work - appeared to have given me in the Governor’s eyes, and the extreme - good-will towards me with which it seemed to have inspired him. “Of - course,” continued he, “it is understood that these sentiments are to - be mutual; the usual regard and fraternity of authors, as long as they - do not criticize each other. And is he aware of your relationship to - the venerable Las Casas?” I answered that I knew nothing of the - matter; but General Gourgaud, who was on the other side of the - Emperor, replied in the affirmative. “And how do you know it - yourself?” said the Emperor to me; “Are you not romancing with us?” - “The following, Sire, are my proofs. Our family had been two hundred - years in France, when Barthelemi de Las Casas flourished in Spain; but - the Spanish historians all describe him as a native of the same city - from which we ourselves came, that is to say, Seville. They all - mention him as of an ancient family, of French origin, and state his - ancestors to have passed into Spain precisely at the time when our - family went there.”—“What, then, you are not Spanish? He was French, - as well as you!”—“Yes, Sire.”—“Let us hear all about it; come, Sir - Castellan, Sir Knight-errant, Sir Paladin,—let us see you in your - glory; unrol your old parchments; come, enjoy yourself.”—“Sire, one of - my ancestors followed Henry Count of Burgundy, who, at the head of a - few crusaders, achieved the conquest of Portugal, about the year 1100. - He was his standard-bearer at the famous battle of Ourique, which - founded the Portugese monarchy. Afterwards we returned to France with - Queen Blanche, when she came to be married to the father of St. Louis. - Sire, this is the whole.” - -THE EMPEROR’S READINGS.—MADAME DE SEVIGNÉ.—CHARLES XII.—PAUL AND - VIRGINIA.—VERTOT.—ROLLIN.—VELLY.—GARNIER. - - 22nd–26th. These days were rendered unpleasant by almost incessant - rain. The Emperor was only twice able to ride out—in the park one - morning, and once in the afternoon through our usual valley, which the - weather had rendered almost impassable. Nor was it more practicable to - make use of the calash; we were therefore compelled to confine - ourselves to a few turns in the garden, and to share in the gloom of - the weather. We worked, however, the more on this account. The Emperor - regularly took excellent and long lessons in English. It is his custom - to pass all the morning in reading; he reads whole works of very - considerable extent regularly through, without feeling in the least - fatigued; he always read some part of them to me before he began his - English lessons. - - One of them was the Letters of Madame de Sevigné, the style of which - is so easy, and depicts so faithfully the manners of the time. Reading - the death of Turenne, and the trial of Fouquet, he observed, with - respect to the latter, that Madame de Sevigné seemed to evince too - much warmth, too much earnestness and tenderness, for mere friendship. - - Another was _Charles XII._, in reading whose defence of his house, at - Bender, against the Turks, he could not help laughing, and repeating - as they did, “_Ironhead! Ironhead!_” He asked me whether the nature of - this monarch’s death was a settled point. I told him that I had it - from the mouth of Gustavus III. himself, that he had been assassinated - by his followers. Gustavus had examined his body in the vault; the - ball was a pistol-bullet; it had been fired very near, and behind him, - &c. - - At the beginning of the Revolution, I was well acquainted with - Gustavus III., at the waters of Aix-la-Chapelle; and, though I was - then very young, I had more than once the honour of conversing with - him: he even promised me a place in his navy, if our affairs in France - should turn out unfavourably. - - Another day the Emperor was reading _Paul and Virginia_; he gave full - effect to the touching passages, which were always simple and natural; - those which abounded with the pathos, the abstract and false ideas so - much in fashion when the work was published, were all, in the - Emperor’s opinion, cold, bad, spoiled. He said he had been infatuated - with this book in his youth; but he had little personal regard for its - author; he could never forgive him for having imposed on his - generosity on his return from the Army of Italy. “Bernardin de St. - Pierre’s sensibility and delicacy,” said he, “were little in harmony - with his charming picture of Paul and Virginia. He was a bad man; he - used his wife, Didot the printer’s daughter, very ill; he was always - ready to ask charity, without the least shame. On my return from the - Army of Italy, Bernardin came to see me, and almost immediately began - to tell me of his wants. I, who in my early youth had dreamed of - nothing but Paul and Virginia, and who moreover felt flattered by a - confidence which I imagined was reposed in me alone, and which I - attributed to my great celebrity, hastened to return his visit, and, - unperceived by any one, left on the corner of his chimney-piece a - little rouleau of five-and-twenty louis. But how was I mortified on - seeing every one laugh at the delicacy of my proceeding, and on - learning that such ceremony was entirely superfluous with M. - Bernardin, who made it his trade to beg of all comers, and to receive - from every body. I always retained some little resentment towards him, - for having thus imposed upon me. It was otherwise with my family. - Joseph allowed him a large pension, and Louis was constantly making - him presents.” - - But though the Emperor liked Paul and Virginia, he laughed, for very - pity, at the _Studies of Nature_, by the same author. “Bernardin,” - said he, “though versed in the belles lettres, was very little of a - geometrician; this last work was so bad that scientific men disdained - to answer it: Bernardin complained loudly of their not noticing him. - The celebrated mathematician Lagrange, when speaking on this subject, - always said, alluding to the Institute, ‘If Bernardin were one of our - class—if he spoke our language, we would call him to order; but he - belongs to the Academy, and his style is out of our line.’” Bernardin - was complaining as usual, one day, to the First Consul, of the silence - of the learned with respect to his works. Napoleon asked, “Do you - understand the differential method, M. Bernardin?”—“No.”—“Well, go and - learn it, and then you will be able to answer yourself.” Afterwards, - when Emperor, every time he perceived St. Pierre, he used to say to - him, “M. Bernardin, when are we to have any more Paul and Virginias, - or Indian Cottages? You ought to supply us every six months.” - - In reading Vertot’s Roman Revolutions, of which in other respects the - Emperor thinks highly, he found the declamations much too diffuse. - This was his constant complaint against every work he took up; he had - in his youth, he said, been much to blame in this respect himself. He - may justly be said to have thoroughly reformed afterwards. He amused - himself with striking out the superfluous phrases in Vertot; and the - result was that, after the erasures, the work appeared much more - energetic and animated. “It would certainly be a most valuable and - successful labour,” said he, “if any man of taste and discernment - would devote his time to reducing the principal works in our language - in this manner. I hardly know any writer except Montesquieu who would - escape those curtailments. He often looked into Rollin, whom he - thought diffuse, and too credulous. Crevier, his continuator, seemed - to Napoleon detestable. He complained of our classical works, and of - the time which our young people are compelled to lose in reading such - bad books. They were composed by rhetoricians and mere professors, he - said; whereas such immortal subjects, the basis of all our knowledge - throughout life, ought to have been written and edited by statesmen - and men of the world.” The Emperor had excellent ideas on this - subject; the want of time alone prevented him from carrying them into - execution. - - The Emperor was still more dissatisfied with our French historians; he - could not bear to read any of them. Velly is rich in words, and poor - in meaning: his continuators are still worse. “Our history,” said the - Emperor, “should either be in four or five volumes, or in a hundred.” - He had been acquainted with Garnier, who continued Velly and Villaret; - he lived very near Malmaison. He was an old man of eighty, and lodged - in a small set of apartments on the ground-floor, close to the road. - Struck with the officious attention which this good old man always - evinced whenever the First Consul was passing, the latter enquired who - he was. On learning that it was Garnier, he comprehended his motives. - “He, no doubt, imagined,” said the Emperor pleasantly, “that a First - Consul was his property, as historian. I dare say, however, he was - astonished to find Consuls, where he had been accustomed to see - Kings.” Napoleon told him so, himself, laughing, when he called him - one day, and settled a good pension on him. “From that time,” said the - Emperor, “the poor man, in the warmth of his gratitude, would gladly - have written any thing I pleased, with all his heart.” - -A DIFFICULTY OVERCOME.—THE EMPEROR’S PERSONAL DANGER AT EYLAU, - JENA, &C.—RUSSIAN, AUSTRIAN, AND PRUSSIAN TROOPS.—YOUNG - GUIBERT.—CORBINEAU.—MARSHAL LANNES.—BESSIERES.—DUROC. - - 27th.—About five o’clock the Emperor went out in his calash; the - evening was very fine; we drove rapidly, and the distance to be - traversed is very short. The Emperor made the servants slacken their - pace, in order to prolong the ride. As we returned, the Emperor, - casting his eyes on the camp, from which we were separated only by the - ravine, asked why we could not pass that way, which would double the - length of our ride. He was told that it was impossible; and we - continued our way homeward. But, on a sudden, as if roused by this - word _impossible_, which he had so often said was not French, he - ordered the ground to be reconnoitred. We all got out of the carriage, - which proceeded empty towards the difficult points; we saw it clear - every obstacle, and returned home in triumph, as if we had just - doubled our possessions. - - During dinner, and afterwards, the conversation turned on various - deeds of arms. The Grand Marshal said, that what had most struck him - in the life of the Emperor happened at Eylau, when, attended only by - some officers of his staff, a column of four or five thousand Russians - came almost in contact with him. The Emperor was on foot; the Prince - of Neufchatel instantly ordered up the horses: the Emperor gave him a - reproachful look; then sent orders to a battalion of his guard to - advance, which was a good way behind, and standing still. As the - Russians advanced, he repeated several times, “What audacity! what - audacity!” At the sight of the grenadiers of the guard, the Russians - stopped short. It was high time for them to do so, as Bertrand said. - The Emperor had never stirred; all who surrounded him had been much - alarmed. - - The Emperor had heard this account without making any observation; - but, when it was finished, he said that one of the finest manœuvres - he remembered was that which he executed at Eckmühl. Unfortunately, he - did not proceed, or give any particulars. “Success in war,” said he, - “depends so much on quicksightedness, and on seizing the right moment, - that the battle of Austerlitz, which was so completely won, would have - been lost if I had attacked six hours sooner. The Russians shewed - themselves on that occasion such excellent troops as they have never - appeared since; the Russian army of Austerlitz would not have lost the - battle of the Moscowa.” - - “Marengo,” said the Emperor, “was the battle in which the Austrians - fought best: their troops behaved admirably there; but that was the - grave of their valour. It has never since been seen. - - “The Prussians, at Jena, did not make such a resistance as was - expected from their reputation. As to the multitudes of 1814 and 1815, - they were mere rabble compared to the real soldiers of Marengo, - Austerlitz, and Jena.” - - The night before the battle of Jena, the Emperor said, he had run the - greatest risk. He might then have disappeared without his fate being - clearly known. He had approached the bivouacs of the enemy, in the - dark, to reconnoitre them; he had only a few officers with him. The - opinion which was then entertained of the Prussian army kept every one - on the alert: it was thought that the Prussians were particularly - given to nocturnal attacks. As the Emperor returned, he was fired at - by the first sentinel of his camp; this was a signal for the whole - line; he had no resource but to throw himself flat on his face until - the mistake was discovered. But his principal apprehension was that - the Prussian line, which was very near to him, would act in the same - manner. - - At Marengo the Austrian soldiers had not forgotten the conqueror of - Castiglione, Arcole, and Rivoli; his name had much influence over - them; but they were far from thinking that he was present; they - believed that he was dead: care had been taken to persuade them that - he had perished in Egypt; that the First Consul, whom they now heard - spoken of, was only his brother. This report had gained so much credit - every where that Napoleon was under the necessity of appearing in - public at Milan, in order to refute it. - - After these anecdotes, the Emperor proceeded to mention a great number - of his officers and aides-de-camp, distributing praise and censure - amongst them as he went on; he knew them all thoroughly. Two of the - circumstances which had most affected him on the field of battle he - said, were the deaths of young Guibert and General Corbineau. At - Aboukir, a bullet went quite through the breast of the former, without - killing him instantly: the Emperor, after saying a few words to him, - was obliged, by the violence of his feelings, to leave him. The other - was carried away, crushed, annihilated by a cannon-ball, at Eylau, - before the Emperor’s face, whilst he was giving him some orders. The - Emperor spoke also of the last moments of Marshal Lannes, the valiant - Duke of Montebello, so justly called the Orlando of the army, who, - when visited by the Emperor on his death-bed, seemed to forget his own - situation, and to feel only for him, whom he loved above every thing. - The Emperor had the highest esteem for him. “He was for a long time a - mere fighting man,” said he, “but he afterwards became an officer of - the first talents.” Some one then said he should like to know what - line of conduct Lannes would have pursued in these latter times, if he - had lived. “We have learned,” said the Emperor, “not to swear to any - thing. Yet I cannot conceive that it would have been possible for him - to deviate from the path of duty and honour. Besides, it is hard to - imagine that he could have existed. With all his bravery, he would - unquestionably have got killed in some of the last affairs, or at - least sufficiently wounded to be laid up out of the centre and - influence of events. And if he had remained disposable, he was a man - capable of changing the whole face of affairs by his own weight and - influence.” - - The Emperor next mentioned Duroc, on whose character and life he dwelt - some time. “Duroc,” concluded he, “had lively, tender, and concealed - passions, little corresponding with the coldness of his manner. It was - long before I knew this, so exact and regular was the performance of - his duty. It was not until my day was entirely closed and finished, - and I was enjoying repose, that Duroc’s work began. Chance, or some - accident, could alone have made me acquainted with his character. He - was a pure and virtuous man, utterly disinterested, and extremely - generous.” - - The Emperor said that, on the opening of the campaign at Dresden, he - lost two men who were extremely valuable to him, and in the most - foolish manner in the world: these were Bessieres and Duroc. In - mentioning the circumstance, the Emperor now affected a stoicism which - was visibly not natural to him. When he went to see Duroc, after he - had received his mortal wound, he attempted to hold out some hopes to - him; but Duroc, who did not deceive himself, only replied by begging - him to order opium to be given to him. The Emperor, excessively - affected, could not venture to remain long with him, and tore himself - from this distressing spectacle. - - One of the company then reminded the Emperor that, on leaving Duroc, - he went and walked up and down by himself before his tent: no one - durst accost him. But, some essential measures being requisite against - the following day, some one at length ventured to ask him where the - battery of the guard was to be placed. “Ask me nothing till - to-morrow,” was the Emperor’s answer. - - At this recollection, the Emperor, with a marked effort, began - abruptly to talk of something else. - - Duroc was one of those persons whose value is never known till they - are lost: this was, after his death, the common expression of the - Court and City, and the unanimous sentiment every where. - - He was a native of Nancy, in the department of La Meurthe. The origin - of his fortune has been related above. Napoleon found him in the train - at the siege of Toulon, and immediately interested himself for him. - His attachment to him increased every day, and it might be said that - they never more separated. I have elsewhere mentioned that I have - heard the Emperor say that, throughout his career, Duroc was the only - person who had possessed his unreserved confidence, and to whom he - could freely unburden his mind. Duroc was not a brilliant character; - but he possessed an excellent judgment, and he rendered essential - services, which, owing to their nature as well as to his reserve, were - little heard of. - - Duroc loved the Emperor for himself: it was rather to the individual, - personally, that he was attached, than to the monarch. In being made - the confidant of his prince’s feeling, he had acquired the art, and - perhaps the right, of mitigating and directing them. How often has he - whispered to people struck with consternation by the anger of the - Emperor:—“Let him have his way: he speaks from his feelings, not - according to his judgment; nor as he will act to-morrow.” What a - servant! what a friend! what a treasure! How many storms he has - soothed! how many rash orders, given in the moment of irritation, has - he omitted to execute, knowing that his master would thank him the - next day for the omission! The Emperor had accommodated himself to - this sort of tacit arrangement; and on that account gave way the more - readily to those violent bursts of temper, which relieve by the vent - they afford to the passions. - - Duroc died in the most deplorable manner, at a very critical moment; - his death was another of the fatalities of Napoleon’s career. - - The day after the battle of Wurzen, towards evening, the skirmish of - Reichenbach had just ended, the firing had ceased. Duroc was on the - top of an eminence, apart from the troops, conversing with General - Kirchner, and observing the retreat of the last ranks of the enemy. A - piece was levelled at this glittering group, and the fatal ball killed - both the generals.[30] - -Footnote 30: - - General Kirchner was a very distinguished officer of engineers; he - was brother-in-law to Marshal Lannes, who had chosen him on account - of his courage and capacity. - - Duroc had more influence over the Emperor’s resolutions than is - imagined. His death was probably, in this respect, a national - calamity. There is reason to think that, if he had survived, the - armistice of Dresden, which ruined us, would not have taken place; we - should have pushed on to the Oder, and beyond it. The enemy would then - have instantly acceded to peace, and we should have escaped their - machinations, their intrigues, and, above all, the base and atrocious - perfidy of the Austrian Cabinet, which has ended in our destruction. - - At a subsequent period Duroc might still have exerted an influence - over other great events, and probably changed the face of affairs. - Finally, even at a later conjuncture, at the time of Napoleon’s fall, - he would never have separated his destiny from that of the Emperor: he - would have been with us at St. Helena; and this aid alone would have - sufficed to counterbalance all the horrible vexations with which - Napoleon was studiously oppressed. - - Bessieres, of the department of the Lot, was thrown by the Revolution - into the career of arms. He commenced as a private soldier in the - constitutional guard of Louis XVI. Afterwards, having attained the - rank of captain of chasseurs, he attracted the attention of the - Commander-in-chief of the army of Italy by acts of extraordinary - personal bravery; and, when the general formed his corps of guides, he - chose Bessieres to take the command of them. Such was the beginning of - Bessieres, and the origin of his fortunes. From that instant we find - him always at the head of the Consular or Imperial guard, in charges - of the reserve, deciding the battle, or profiting by the victory. His - name is gloriously connected with all our great battles. - - Bessieres rose with the man who had distinguished him, and shared - abundantly in the favours which the Emperor distributed. He was made a - marshal of the Empire, Duke of Istria, colonel of the cavalry of the - guard, &c. - - His qualities developing themselves as he rose, proved him always - equal to his fortune. Bessieres was always kind, humane, and generous, - of antique loyalty and integrity, and, whether considered as a citizen - or as a soldier, a honest worthy man. He often made use of the high - favour in which he stood to do extraordinary services and acts of - kindness even to people of very different ways of thinking from his. I - know some who, if they have a spark of gratitude in them, will confirm - my assertion, and can bear testimony to his noble elevated sentiments. - - Bessieres was adored by the Guards, in the midst of whom he passed his - life. At the battle of Wagram a ball struck him off his horse, without - doing him any farther injury. A mournful cry arose from the whole - battalion; upon which Napoleon remarked, the next time he saw him: - “Bessieres, the ball which struck you drew tears from all my Guard. - Return thanks to it; it ought to be very dear to you.” - - He was less fortunate at the opening of the campaign of Saxony. On the - very eve of the battle of Lützen, a trifling engagement occurred, in - which, having advanced into the very midst of the skirmishers, he was - shot dead on the spot by a musquet-ball in the breast. Thus, after - living like Bayard, he died like Turenne. - - I had conversed with him a little before this fatal event. Chance had - brought us together by ourselves in a private box at the theatre. - After talking of public affairs which deeply interested him, for he - idolized his country, his last words, as he left me, were, that he was - to set out for the army that night, and hoped we should meet again. - “But, at the present crisis,” said he, “with our young soldiers, we - leaders must not spare ourselves.” Alas! he was never to return. - - Bessieres was sincerely attached to the Emperor; he almost worshipped - him; he, like Duroc, would certainly never have abandoned his person - or his fortunes. And one would really think that Fate, which proved so - decidedly hostile to Napoleon in his latter days, had resolved to - deprive him of the sweetest consolation, by thus removing two such - valuable friends; and at the same time to prevent these faithful - servants from acquiring the very highest claim to glory, that of - gratitude to the unfortunate. - - The Emperor caused the remains of these two men whom he so much - esteemed, and by whom he knew himself to be beloved in return, to be - carried to the _Invalides_ at Paris. He intended extraordinary honours - for them, of which subsequent events deprived them. But History, whose - pages are far more imperishable than marble or bronze, has consecrated - them, and secured them for ever from oblivion.[31] - -Footnote 31: - - The following is extracted from the Campaign of Saxony in 1813, by - Baron Odeleben, an eye-witness of the circumstance; under date of - the 10th of August, at the time of the resumption of hostilities, - two or three months after the death of Duroc. - - “During the march from Reichenbach to Gorlitz, Napoleon stopped at - Makersdorf, and shewed the King of Naples the place where Duroc - fell. He summoned to his presence the proprietor of the little farm - on which the Grand Marshal died, and assigned to him the sum of - 20,000 francs; 4000 of which were for a monument in honour of the - deceased, and 16,000 for the proprietor of the house and his wife. - The donation was consummated in the evening, in the presence of the - rector and the judge of Makersdorf: the money was counted out before - them, and they were charged to get the monument erected.” - - STUDY OF ENGLISH.—REFLECTIONS.—RIDE.—MIRED - HORSE. - - 31st.—Our days passed, as it may be supposed, in an excessively stupid - monotony. _Ennui_, reflection, and melancholy, were our formidable - enemies; occupation our great and only refuge. The Emperor followed - his pursuits with great regularity. English was become an affair of - importance to him. It was now nearly a fortnight since he took his - first lesson, and from that moment he had devoted some hours every - day, beginning at noon, to that study, sometimes with truly admirable - ardour, sometimes with visible disgust; an alternative which kept me - in the greatest anxiety. I considered success as of the utmost - importance: every day I dreaded seeing him abandon the ground gained - on the day preceding; and consequently being regarded as having - wearied him with the most tedious labour, without having produced the - fortunate result that I had promised myself. On the other hand, I was - also daily spurred on by the consciousness that I was approaching the - goal at which I aimed. The attainment of the English language was a - real and serious conquest to the Emperor. Formerly, he said, it had - cost him a hundred thousand crowns a year, merely for translations; - and how did he know whether he had them exact—whether they were - faithful? Now that we were imprisoned, as it were, in the midst of - this language, surrounded by its productions, all the great changes - and questions which the Emperor had given rise to, on the continent, - had been taken up by the English on the opposite side; and in their - works presented so many new faces to him, to which he had hitherto - been a stranger. - - It may be added that French books were scarce with us; that the - Emperor knew them all, and had read them even to satiety; whilst we - could easily procure a multitude of English works altogether new to - him. Besides, to learn the language of a foreigner, always - prepossesses him in our favour; it is a satisfaction to one’s self; it - facilitates intercourse, and forms in a certain degree the - commencement of a sort of connection between the parties. However this - may be, I began to perceive the limits of our difficulties; I - anticipated the moment when the Emperor would have got through all the - inevitable disagreeables incident to beginners. But let any one form - an idea, if possible, of what the scholastic study of conjugations, - declensions, and articles must have been to him. It could never have - been accomplished without great courage on the scholar’s side and some - degree of artifice on the part of the master. He often asked me - whether he did not deserve the ferula, of which he now comprehended - the vast utility in schools; he declared, jestingly, that he should - have made much greater progress himself, had he stood in fear of - correction. He complained of not having improved; but, in reality, the - progress he had made would have been extraordinary in any one. - - The more grand, rapid, and comprehensive the mind is, the less it is - capable of dwelling on regular minute details. The Emperor, who - discovered wonderful facility in apprehending all that regarded the - philosophy of the language, evinced very little capacity for retaining - its material mechanism. He had a quick understanding and a very bad - memory; this vexed him much; he conceived that he did not get on. - Whenever I could subject the matters in question to any regular law or - analogy, they were classed and comprehended in an instant; the scholar - even preceded the master in his applications and deductions; but as to - learning by heart, and retaining the gross elements of the language, - it was a most difficult affair. He was constantly confounding one - thing with another; and it would have been thought too fastidious to - require too scrupulous a regularity at first. Another difficulty was - that, with the same letters, the same vowels, as ours, a totally - different pronunciation is required; the scholar would allow of none - but ours; and the master would have multiplied the difficulties and - disagreeables tenfold, had he required any better. Besides, the - scholar, even in his own language, was incorrigibly addicted to - maiming proper names and foreign words; he pronounced them quite at - his own discretion, and when once they had passed his lips, they - always remained the same in spite of every thing, because he had thus - got them, once for all, lodged, as it were in his head. The same thing - happened with respect to most of our English words: and the master - found it best to have the prudence and patience to let it pass; - leaving it to time to rectify by degrees, if it should ever be - possible, all these defects. From these concurring circumstances - actually sprang a new language. It was understood by me alone, it is - true; but it procured the Emperor the pleasure of reading English, and - he could, in the strictest sense, make himself understood by writing - in that language. This was a great deal; it was every thing. - - In the mean time, the Emperor regularly continued his Campaigns of - Egypt with the Grand Marshal. My Campaign of Italy had long been - finished; we were always touching and retouching it, with respect to - its typographical form, the arrangement of the chapters, the division - of the paragraphs, &c. - - From time to time he also dictated separate parts to Messrs. Gourgaud - and Montholon. To all this work he added a very little exercise: a - walk now and then, sometimes a ride in the calash, scarcely ever on - horseback. On the 30th, however, he chose to return to our Valley of - Silence, which we had long deserted. We were near the middle of the - vale; the passage was stopped up with dead bushes, and a kind of bar - to keep out cattle. The servant (the faithful Aly) dismounted, as - usual, to clear the way for us. We passed on: but, whilst the servant - was engaged in assisting us, his horse had strayed from him, and, when - he attempted to catch him, ran away. A great quantity of rain had - fallen, and the horse sank into a quagmire, similar to that in which - the Emperor, a few days after our arrival at Longwood, had stuck so - tenaciously as to make it doubtful whether he would not remain in it. - The servant ran after us to say that he must remain for the purpose of - disengaging his horse. We were in a very difficult narrow road, riding - one by one. It was not until some time after that the Emperor heard us - mention to one another the accident of the servant. He found great - fault because we had not waited for him, and desired the Grand Marshal - and General Gourgaud to return for him. The Emperor dismounted to wait - for them, and ascended a little elevation, on which he looked like a - figure on a pedestal in the midst of ruins. He had the bridle of his - horse passed round his arm, and began to whistle an air; mute nature - echoed the strains, but only to the barren desert. “Yet,” thought I, - “a short time ago, how many sceptres he wielded! how many crowns - belonged to him! how many kings were at his feet! It is true,” said I, - “that in the eyes of those who approach him, who daily see and hear - him, he is still greater than ever! This is the sentiment, the opinion - of all about him. We serve him with no less ardour; we love him with - greater affection than ever.” - - But now the Grand Marshal and Gourgaud arrived; they assisted the - Emperor to mount again, and we proceeded. These gentlemen acknowledged - that without their assistance the horse could never have been saved; - the united efforts of all three had barely sufficed to disengage him. - A considerable time afterwards, turning an elbow of the road, the - Emperor observed that the servant had not followed, and said they - ought to have remained till they had found he was in a condition to - come on. They thought that he had staid behind to clean his horse a - little. In the course of our ride, at several other turnings, the - Emperor repeated the same observation. We arrived at the Grand - Marshal’s, went in, and rested there a few minutes; as we came out, - the Emperor asked whether the servant had passed on; no one had seen - him. When we arrived at Longwood, his first question was whether the - man had returned. He had been at home some time, having returned by a - different road. I may perhaps have dwelt somewhat too much on this - trifling circumstance; but I did so because it appeared to me - perfectly characteristic. In this domestic solicitude, the reader will - find it difficult to recognise the insensible, obdurate, wicked, cruel - monster—the tyrant, of whom he has so often and so long been told. - - THE EMPEROR SPEAKS IN PRAISE OF ST. HELENA.—SCANTY - RESOURCES OF THE ISLAND. - - February 1.—The happiest and wisest philosophy is that which sometimes - enables us to view the least unfavourable side of the most - disagreeable things. The Emperor, who was, doubtless at the moment, - under the influence of this happy feeling, observed, as we were - walking with him in the garden, that, after all, as a place of exile, - perhaps St. Helena was the best that could be. In high latitudes we - should have suffered greatly from cold, and, in other tropical - islands, we should have dragged out a miserable existence under the - scorching rays of the sun. “This rock,” continued he, “is wild and - barren, no doubt; the climate is monotonous and unwholesome; but the - temperature, it must be confessed, is mild and agreeable.” - - He afterwards asked me, in the course of conversation, which would - have been preferable, England or America, in case we had been free to - follow our own inclinations. I replied that, had the Emperor wished to - spend his days in philosophic retirement, far from the tumult of the - world, he should have chosen America; but, if he felt any interest, or - entertained any after-thought with regard to public affairs, he should - have preferred England. And, not willing to be behindhand in giving an - additional touch to the flattering picture which the Emperor had drawn - of our miserable rock, I even ventured to say that there might, - perhaps, be circumstances under which St. Helena would not be found - the worst possible asylum. We might here be under shelter, while the - tempest was howling in other parts of the world; and we were placed - beyond the reach of conflicting passions, circumstances every way - favourable to the chance of a happier futurity. These observations - arose out of my wish to represent things on their fairest side; I - extended the horizon to the utmost stretch of my imagination. - - Meanwhile, in order to afford a correct idea of our place of exile and - the scantiness of its resources, it is only necessary to observe that - we were this day informed it would be requisite to economise various - articles of our daily consumption, and, perhaps, even to make a - temporary sacrifice of some. We were told that the store of coffee was - rapidly diminishing, and that it might soon be entirely exhausted. For - a considerable time we have denied ourselves the use of white sugar; - there was but very little and that very bad, which was reserved - exclusively for the Emperor’s use; and there is now every prospect of - this little supply being exhausted before more can be obtained. It is - the same with various other necessaries. Our island is like a ship at - sea; our stores are speedily exhausted, if the voyage be prolonged, or - if we have more mouths to feed than we have the means of supplying. - Our arrival has produced a scarcity at St. Helena, particularly as - trading ships are not now suffered to approach the island; we might be - tempted to believe that they avoid it as a fatal rock, were we not - aware that the English cruiser carefully keeps them at bay. But, of - all the privations with which we are threatened, that which most - surprises us, and which is most of all vexatious, is the want of - writing paper. We are informed that, during our three months residence - here, we have consumed all the paper in the island; which proves - either that St. Helena is in general very scantily supplied with that - article, or that we have used a most unreasonable quantity. The - inmates of Longwood must have consumed six or eight times as much as - all the rest of the colony together. - - In addition to this, our physical and moral privations must be taken - into account; it must be recollected that we are not in the full - enjoyment of even the few resources which the island affords, and of - which arbitrary feeling and caprice in part deprive us; for we are not - permitted to regale our eyes with the sight of the grass and foliage, - in places at a certain distance from Longwood. The Admiral had - promised that the Emperor should be free to ride over the whole of the - island, and that he would make arrangements with respect to his guard, - so as to relieve him from all annoyance. It has already been seen how, - on our second attempt to avail ourselves of it, the Admiral broke this - kind of engagement; and by his orders an officer insisted on - accompanying the Emperor in his rides. The Emperor consequently - renounced the idea of taking any excursion whatever, and we now remain - cut off from all communication with mankind. - - With respect to our physical existence, our situation is most - miserable, either through unavoidable circumstances or mismanagement. - Scarcely any of the provisions are eatable. The wine is execrable; the - oil unfit for use; the coffee and sugar almost exhausted, and, as I - have already observed, we have nearly bred a famine in the island. Of - course, we can endure all these privations, and might contrive to - exist under many more. But, when it is asserted that we are treated in - a style of magnificence, when it is declared that we are very well - off, we are induced to unfold our real situation, and to shew that we - are destitute of every comfort. And, lest our silence hereafter should - lead to the inference that we are happy, let it be understood that our - moral strength may enable us to endure miseries which language would - be inadequate to express. - - MY SON’S INDISPOSITION.—THE EMPEROR GIVES - ME A HORSE. - - 2nd.—My son having been, for some time past, troubled with a pain in - his chest, accompanied by violent palpitation of the heart, I called - in three surgeons, and they ordered him to be bled.—Bleeding is at - present the favourite remedy with the English; it is their universal - panacea. They employ it in all disorders, and sometimes where there is - no disorder at all. They laughed at the astonishment we evinced at a - treatment which was altogether new to us. - - About the middle of the day we took a ride in the calash. On our - return home, the Emperor wished to see a horse that had just been - purchased for him: he thought him very handsome and well made. He - tried him, declared that he liked him uncommonly, and then, with the - most captivating good-nature, made me a present of him. However, I - could not ride him: he proved vicious, and he was transferred to - General Gourgaud, who is a much better horseman than I am. - - THE EMPEROR’S PROGRESS IN LEARNING ENGLISH. - - 3rd–6th. The 3rd was a terrible day; the rain fell incessantly, and we - found it impossible to stir out. The weather has continued wet for - several days in succession. I never imagined that we could have - contrived to stay for such a length of time within doors. The damp is - penetrating on every side of our dwelling, and the rain is making its - way through the roof. The bad weather without doors had an unpleasant - effect upon us within.—I became very dull; the Emperor was by no means - well, and I was not better. “What is the matter with you?” said he to - me, one morning; “you seem quite altered for these few days past. Is - your mind ailing? Are you conjuring up _dragons_, like Madame de - Sevigné?”—“Sire,” I replied, “my illness is altogether bodily. The - state of my eyes afflicts me exceedingly. As for my mind, I know how - to keep that under the bridle. I can even use the curb, if needful; - and your Majesty has given me a pair of spurs which will be my last - and victorious resource.” - - The Emperor devoted three, four, and even five hours at a time to the - study of English. His progress was really very remarkable; he felt - this, and was delighted at it. He frequently says that he is indebted - to me for this conquest, and that he considers it a very important - one. For my part, however, I can claim no other merit than the method - which I adopted with regard to the other occupations of the Emperor. I - first suggested the idea, and then continually reverted to it: and - when it was once fairly set on foot, I followed up its execution with - a promptitude and daily regularity which stimulated the Emperor to - proceed. If any of us happened not to be ready at the moment he wanted - us, if it was found necessary to postpone any business till the - following day, he was immediately seized with disgust, and his labours - were suspended until some circumstance occurred to induce him to renew - them. “I stand in need of excitement,” said he, in one of these - transient interruptions, “nothing but the pleasure of advancement can - bear me through: for, between you and me, it must needs be confessed - that there is nothing very amusing in all this. Indeed there is very - little diversion in the whole routine of our present existence.” - - The Emperor still continued to play two or three games at chess before - dinner; in the afternoons we resumed _reversis_, long abandoned. - Formerly we had not been regular in paying our debts of honour; and we - henceforth agreed to pay the sums that we owed to each other into a - general bank. We began to consider how the money thus accumulated - should be disposed of. The Emperor asked our opinions, and one - proposed that the money should be applied to the liberation of the - prettiest female slave in the island. This idea was universally - approved; we sat down to play with great spirit, and the first evening - produced two Napoleons and a half. - - THE EMPEROR LEARNS THE DEATH OF MURAT. - - 7th—8th. The Theban frigate arrived from the Cape, and brought us some - newspapers. I translated them to the Emperor while we walked in the - garden. One of these papers brought intelligence of a great - catastrophe. I read that Murat, having landed in Calabria, with a few - troops, had been seized and shot. At this unexpected news, the Emperor - interrupted me by exclaiming, “The Calabrians were more humane, more - generous, than those who sent me hither.” This was all he said; and - after a few moments’ silence, as he said nothing, I continued to read. - - Murat, without real judgment, without solid views, without a character - proportioned to the circumstances in which he was placed, had perished - in an attempt evidently desperate. It is not impossible that the - Emperor’s return from Elba may have turned his brain, and inspired him - with the hope of renewing the prodigy in his own person. Such was the - miserable end of him who had been one of the most active causes of our - reverses! In 1814, his courage and intrepidity might have saved us - from the abyss in which his treachery involved us. He neutralized the - Viceroy on the Po, and fought against him; whereas, by uniting - together, they might have forced the passes of the Tyrol, made a - descent into Germany, and arrived on Bâle and the banks of the Rhine, - to destroy the rear of the allies and cut off their retreat from - France. - - The Emperor, while he was at Elba, disdained all communication with - the King of Naples; but, on departing for France, he wrote to inform - him that, being about to resume possession of his throne, he felt - pleasure in declaring to him that all their past differences were at - an end. He pardoned his late conduct, tendered him his friendship, - sent some one to sign the guarantee of his States, and recommended him - to maintain a good understanding with the Austrians, and to content - himself with merely keeping them in check, in case they should attempt - to march upon France. Murat, at this moment, inspired with the - sentiments of his early youth, would receive neither guarantee nor - signature. He declared that the Emperor’s promise and friendship were - sufficient for him, and that he would prove he had been more - unfortunate than guilty. His devotedness and ardour, he added, would - obtain for him oblivion of the past. - - “Murat,” said the Emperor, “was doomed to be our bane. He ruined us by - forsaking us, and he ruined us by too warmly espousing our cause. He - observed no sort of discretion. He himself attacked the Austrians, - without any reasonable plan and without adequate forces; and he was - subdued without striking a blow.” - - The Austrians, when rid of Murat, cited his conduct either as a reason - or as a pretence for attributing ambitious views to Napoleon when he - again appeared on the scene. They constantly referred to Murat, - whenever the Emperor made protestations of his moderation. - - Before these unlucky hostilities of the King of Naples, the Emperor - had already set on foot negotiations with Austria. Other inferior - states, which I think it unnecessary to mention by name, had signified - to him that he might rely on their neutrality. Doubtless the fall of - the King of Naples gave another turn to affairs. - - Endeavours have been made to represent Napoleon as a man of furious - and implacable temper; but the truth is that he was a stranger to - revenge, and he never cherished any vindictive feeling, whatever wrong - he suffered. His anger was usually vented in violent transports, and - was soon at an end. Those who knew him must be convinced of this fact. - Murat had scandalously betrayed him; as I have already observed, he - had twice ruined his prospects, and yet Murat came to seek an asylum - at Toulon. “I should have taken him with me to Waterloo,” said - Napoleon; “but such was the patriotic and moral feeling of the French - army that it was doubtful whether the troops would surmount the - disgust and horror which they felt for the man who had betrayed and - lost France. I did not consider myself sufficiently powerful to - protect him. Yet he might have enabled us to gain the victory. How - useful would he have been at certain periods of the battle! For what - was required, at certain moments of the day, to insure our success?—to - break through three or four English squares; and Murat was admirable - in such a service as this—he was precisely the man for it. At the head - of a body of cavalry, no man was ever more resolute, more courageous, - or more brilliant. - - “As to drawing a parallel,” said the Emperor, ”between the - circumstances of Napoleon and Murat—between the landing of the former - in France and the entrance of the latter into the Neapolitan - territory; no such parallel exists. Murat could have no good argument - to support his cause, except success; which was purely chimerical, at - the time and in the manner in which he commenced his enterprise. - Napoleon was the chosen ruler of a people; he was their legitimate - sovereign according to modern doctrines. But Murat was not a - Neapolitan; the Neapolitans had not chosen Murat; how, therefore, - could it be expected that he should excite any lively interest in his - favour? Thus his proclamation was totally false, and destitute of - facts. Ferdinand of Naples could view him in no other light than as an - instigator of insurrection; he did so, and he treated him accordingly. - - “How different was it with me!” continued the Emperor: “before my - arrival, one universal sentiment pervaded France, and my proclamation - on landing was imbued with that sentiment:—every one found that it - echoed the feelings of his own heart. France was discontented; I was - her resource. The evil and its remedy were immediately in unison. This - is the whole secret of that electric movement which is unexampled in - history. It had its source solely in the nature of things. There was - no conspiracy, and the impulse was general; not a word was spoken, yet - a general understanding prevailed throughout the country. Whole towns - threw themselves at the feet of their deliverer. The first battalion - which my presence gained over to me immediately placed the whole army - in my power. I found myself borne on to Paris. The existing government - and its agency disappeared without effort, like clouds before the sun. - And yet,” concluded the Emperor, “had I been subdued, had I fallen - into the hands of my enemies, I was not a mere insurrectionary chief; - I was a Sovereign acknowledged by all Europe. I had my title, my - standard, my troops; and I was advancing to wage war upon my enemy.” - - PORLIER—FERDINAND. - - 9th.—In the papers which I was translating to the Emperor, I found the - history of the Spanish General Porlier, one of the most distinguished - chiefs of the famous Guerillas. He had made an attempt to excite the - Spaniards to rise against the tyranny of Ferdinand; but he failed, was - arrested, and hanged. - - The Emperor said, “I am not in the least surprised that such an - attempt should have been made in Spain. Those very Spaniards, who - proved themselves my most inveterate enemies when I invaded their - country, and who acquired the highest glory by the resistance they - opposed to me, immediately appealed to me on my return from Elba. They - had, they said, fought against me as their tyrant; but they now came - to implore my aid as their deliverer. They required only a small sum - to emancipate themselves, and to produce in the Peninsula a revolution - similar to mine. Had I conquered at Waterloo, it was my intention - immediately to have assisted the Spaniards. This circumstance - sufficiently explains to me the attempt that has lately been made. - There is little doubt that it will be renewed. Ferdinand, in his - madness, may grasp his sceptre as firmly as he will; but one day or - other it will slip through his fingers like an eel.” - - About four o’clock, I presented to the Emperor the Captain of the - Theban, who was to sail next day for Europe, and Colonel Macoy, of the - Ceylon regiment. This brave soldier looked like a mutilated monument; - he had not only lost one of his legs, but his face was disfigured by a - sabre-cut across his forehead, and several other scars. He had been - wounded on the field of battle in Calabria, and made prisoner by - General Parthonaux. The Emperor received him with particular - attention; it was easy to see that they felt a mutual sympathy for - each other. Colonel Macoy had held the rank of Major in the Corsican - regiment, commanded by the new Governor, whom we expected. The Colonel - remarked to some person, that he thought the Emperor was very - ill-treated here; but that he had too high an idea of General Lowe’s - liberality of mind, not to believe that, having accepted the - Government of the Island, he would do every thing in his power to - meliorate our condition. - - The Emperor afterwards rode out on horseback, when we again went up - the valley, and did not return until about seven o’clock. The Emperor - then resumed his walk in the garden; the temperature was very mild, - and the moon shone delightfully. The fine weather had completely - returned. - - ON EGYPT.—PLAN FOR ALTERING THE COURSE OF - THE NILE. - - 10th.—The Emperor now begins to make rapid advancement in English; - and, with the assistance of his dictionary, might manage tolerably - without me. He was delighted with the decided progress he had made. - His lesson for to-day was the task of reading in the Encyclopedia - Britannica the article on the Nile, of which he now and then made - memorandums to assist him in his dictations to the Grand Marshal. In - this article the Emperor found a fact related which I had formerly - mentioned to him, but which he had hitherto considered as an absurd - story. The great Albuquerque proposed to the King of Portugal to turn - the course of the Nile previous to its entrance into the valley of - Egypt, so as to make it fall into the Red Sea, which would have - rendered Egypt an impassable desert, and made the Cape of Good Hope - the only channel for the great trade of India. Bruce thinks the - execution of this gigantic idea not entirely impossible; the Emperor - was forcibly struck with it. - - About five o’clock the Emperor took an airing in the calash; the drive - was extremely pleasant, and the circumstance of some trees having been - cut down has, by forming several circuitous roads, made our original - space three times as large as before. On our return, we took advantage - of the fineness of the evening to walk for a long time in the garden: - the conversation was most interesting. It turned on various important - subjects, viz. on the variety of religions; on the spirit that had - given them birth; the ridiculous absurdities with which they were - mingled; the excesses by which they had been degraded; the objections - that had been urged against them, &c. The Emperor treated all these - subjects with his usual superiority. - - UNIFORMITY.—ENNUI.—THE EMPEROR’S SOLITUDE.—CARICATURES. - - 11th.—The Emperor read this morning the article entitled Egypt, in the - Encyclopedia, and made some notes from it which cannot fail to be of - service to him for his Campaign of Egypt. This circumstance gave him a - great deal of pleasure; and he repeated several times in the course of - the day how much he was delighted with the progress he had made. He is - now sufficiently advanced to read without assistance. - - About four o’clock I accompanied the Emperor into the garden: we - walked by ourselves for some time, but were afterwards joined by the - rest of the company. The weather was very mild. The Emperor remarked - the calmness of our solitude. It was Sunday, and no workmen were to be - seen. He added that we could not, at least, be accused of dissipation, - or of the ardent pursuit of pleasure; in fact, it is difficult to - imagine a state of greater uniformity, or a more complete absence of - every sort of amusement. - - The Emperor endures this mode of life admirably. He surpasses us all - in equality and serenity of temper. He says, himself, that it would be - difficult to be more philosophic and tranquil than he is.—He retires - to bed at ten o’clock, and does not rise, that is to say, does not go - out, before five or six o’clock, so that he was never more than four - hours out of doors; like a prisoner who is led from his cell once a - day to breathe the fresh air. But then how intense is the occupation - of each day! how various are the thoughts which occupy his mind during - his long solitary hours! With regard to mental exertion, the Emperor - said he felt as capable of bearing it as he had ever been; that he did - not feel himself worn out or withered in any respect. He was - astonished himself at the slight impression that had been made on him - by all the late events in which he had been the principal actor. It - was like lead which had passed over marble. The spring might have been - for a moment compressed, but it had not been broken, and had risen - again with all its elasticity. He did not think any one in the world - knew better than himself how to yield to necessity; this, he said, was - the real triumph of reason and strength of mind. - - The hour for our ride had now arrived. As the Emperor was going to - meet the calash, he happened to see little Hortense, Madame Bertrand’s - daughter, whom he is very fond of. He called her to him, caressed her - two or three times, and took her out in the carriage along with little - Tristan de Montholon. During the drive, the Grand Marshal, who had - been looking over the papers, gave an account of some bons-mots and - caricatures he had found among them. One possessed a good deal of - point. The picture consisted of two actions; one represented Napoleon - giving to the Princess of Hasfield, with directions to commit it to - the flames, the letter whose disappearance saved her husband; - underneath was written, _Tyrannical Act of an Usurper_. The companion - was quite of another character. We described to the Emperor a great - number of the caricatures with which we had been inundated after the - restoration. Some of them afforded him great amusement. One in - particular made him smile: it referred to a change of dynasty. - - The Emperor observed that, if caricatures sometimes avenge misfortune, - they form a continual annoyance to power. “I think I have had my share - of them,” said he. He then desired us to describe some of those which - had been made upon him, and very much approved of one as being in good - taste. It was a sketch representing George III. on the coast of - England, throwing an enormous beet-root, in a great passion, at the - head of Napoleon, who was on the opposite shore, and saying, “Go, and - be made sugar.” - - THE EMPEROR’S LONG WALK. - - 12th.—Fine weather had now fairly set in. About four o’clock the - Emperor walked in the garden. The temperature was delightful, and we - all acknowledged that it was like one of our finest evenings in - Europe. We had enjoyed nothing equal to it since we had been on the - island. The Emperor ordered the calash; and by way of a change, - instead of driving along by the gum-trees, to get into the road - leading to the Grand Marshal’s house, he wished to take the road which - encircles the upper hollow of our favourite valley, and to gain, if - possible, the spot on which is situated the residence of Miss Mason, - and which is on the opposite side, facing Longwood. The Emperor - invited Madame Bertrand to take a drive in the calash, in which Madame - de Montholon and myself were already seated: the rest of our party - followed on horseback, so that we were now all assembled together. At - a few paces from Madame Bertrand’s, at the military post, which is - established near the house, the ground was very steep and uneven; the - horses refused to advance, and we were obliged to alight from the - calash. The barrier was scarcely wide enough to allow the carriage to - pass; but the English soldiers came to our assistance, and in a moment - pushed it through by main force. However, when we had reached the - hollow of the valley, we found walking so agreeable that the Emperor - wished to continue it; and, after a short time, he ordered the - carriage to be driven along the road as far as the gate of Miss - Mason’s house, while we proceeded with our walk in the valley. The - evening was really most delightful; the shades of night were beginning - to overspread the sky, but the moon shone brilliantly. Our walk - reminded us of those strolls which we had been accustomed to enjoy on - fine summer evenings, in the neighbourhood of our country residences - in Europe. - - The calash had now returned; but the Emperor declined getting into it. - He directed that it should wait at Madame Bertrand’s door; but when - the Emperor got there, he chose to walk on to Longwood, where he - arrived very much fatigued. He had walked nearly six miles, which is a - great deal for him, who never was accustomed to walk at any period of - his life. - - BAD TEMPERATURE OF ST. HELENA.—OBSERVATION ON - THE SPIRIT OF THIS JOURNAL. - - 13th—16th. I have already observed that there is no regular course of - seasons at St. Helena, but merely irregular successions of good and - bad weather. It would be difficult to find four words to express any - deviation from our accustomed routine, during these four days. And - here I take the opportunity of observing, once for all, that if, in - the course of my journal, the events of several days are occasionally - found combined in one article, it is because I have cancelled a - portion of the notes relating to each day separately. I have been - induced to do this from various motives. Sometimes my notes appeared - to me too puerile; sometimes, on the other hand, they seemed to be too - serious, and calculated for a more distant period; or occasionally - they consisted of personalities, and I make it a rule studiously to - avoid every thing of that kind. If, in spite of all my care, any - offensive personal allusions have escaped me, it can only be when I - have been led to them by the essential object of my journal; namely, - to describe the character of the Emperor. Even then, I may reflect, - for my own satisfaction, that these personalities relate only to - public characters, and refer to facts already circulated in the world. - - I am, however, perfectly well aware that the task I have undertaken - may subject me to many inconveniences; but I consider it as a sacred - duty, and shall endeavour to fulfil it to the best of my abilities, - happen what will. - - THE EMPEROR’S VIEWS OF FRENCH POLITICS. - - 17th.—At six o’clock in the morning, the Emperor mounted his horse, - and we rode round the park, commencing in the neighbourhood of our - valley, and proceeding as far as the road leading from the camp to the - Grand Marshal’s residence. A party of about 150 or 200 sailors, - belonging to the Northumberland, who were daily employed in removing - planks of wood or stones for the service of Longwood or the camp, - ranged themselves in a line fronting Marshal Bertrand’s house, while - the Emperor passed by. The Emperor spoke to the officers, and smiled - complacently on his old ship-mates; they appeared delighted at seeing - him. - - I have already mentioned that we occasionally received parcels of - newspapers from Europe, the contents of which occupied our attention, - and occasioned the Emperor to draw some lively and animated pictures. - Conversing to-day on the subject of the intelligence we had recently - received, the Emperor observed that the condition of France was by no - means improved. “The Bourbons,” he repeated, “have now no other - resource than severity. Four months have already elapsed; the Allied - forces are about to be withdrawn, and none but half measures have been - taken. The affair has been badly managed. A government can exist only - by its principle. The principle of the French government evidently is - to return to old maxims; and it should do this openly. In present - circumstances, the Chambers, above all, will be fatal; they will - inspire the King with false confidence, and will have no weight with - the nation. The King will soon be deprived of all means of - communication with them. They will no longer follow the same religion, - nor speak the same language. No individual will henceforth have a - right to undeceive the people with regard to any absurdities that may - be propagated; even if it should be wished to make them believe that - all the springs of water are poisoned, and that trains of gunpowder - are laid under ground.” The Emperor concluded by observing that there - would be some juridical executions, and an extreme desire of - re-action, which would be sufficiently strong to irritate, but not to - subdue. - - As to Europe, the Emperor considered it to be as violently agitated as - it had ever been. The powers of Europe had destroyed France, but she - might one day revive through commotions arising among the people of - different nations, whom the policy of the sovereigns was calculated to - alienate; the glory of France might also be restored through a - misunderstanding among the Allied powers themselves, which would - probably ensue. - - As to our own personal affairs, they could only be improved through - the medium of England; and she could only be induced to favour us by - political interests, a change in her ministers or her sovereign, or - the sentiment of national glory excited by the torrent of public - opinion. As for political interests, there were circumstances which - might affect them; the change of individuals depends on accidents; - finally, with respect to the sentiment of national glory, so easy to - be understood, the present ministry had disavowed it, but another - might not be insensible to it. - - PICTURE OF DOMESTIC HAPPINESS DRAWN BY - THE EMPEROR.—TWO YOUNG LADIES OF THE ISLAND. - - 18th.—The Emperor sent for me about ten o’clock; he had just returned - home. Some one had informed me that he had been out shooting; but he - said that he had not. He rode out on horseback as early as six - o’clock; but he gave orders that _His Excellency’s_ slumbers should - not be disturbed. We set to work with the English lesson. Breakfast - was served up; it was most detestable; and I could not refrain from - making the observation. He pitied me for making so bad a meal, and - added that it was certainly necessary to have a good appetite to make - a repast on such fare. We continued our lesson until nearly one - o’clock, when the excessive heat obliged us to desist, and take a - little repose. - - About five the Emperor went to walk in the garden. He began to draw a - sketch of the happiness of a private man in easy circumstances, - peacefully enjoying life in his native province, in the house and - surrounded by the lands which he had inherited from his forefathers. - Certainly nothing could be more philosophic. We could not refrain from - smiling at the tranquil domestic picture, and some of us got our ears - pinched for our pains. “Felicity of this kind,” continued the Emperor, - “is now unknown in France except by tradition. The Revolution has - destroyed it. The old families have been deprived of this happiness, - and the new ones have not yet been long enough established in the - enjoyment of it. The picture which I have sketched has now no real - existence.”—He observed that, to be driven from our native home, from - the fields in which we had roamed in childhood, to possess no paternal - abode, was in reality to be deprived of a country. Some one here - remarked that the man who had been robbed of the home which he had - created for himself after the storm had blown over; who was driven - from the house in which he had dwelt with his wife, and which had been - the birth-place of his children; might truly say that he had lost a - second country. How many individuals are reduced to that extremity; - and what vicissitudes the present age has produced! - - We seated ourselves in the calash, and took our accustomed airing. - During dinner, the conversation turned on two young ladies, residents - of the island: the one tall, handsome, and very fascinating; the other - not so pretty, but perfectly well bred, and pleasing in her deportment - and manners. Opinions were divided respecting them. The Emperor, who - was only acquainted with the one first described, declared himself in - her favour. Some one remarked that, if he were to see the second, he - would not be induced to change his mind. The Emperor then wished to - know the gentleman’s own opinion respecting the ladies, and he - replied, that he was an admirer of the second. This seemed rather - contradictory, and the Emperor requested him to explain himself. - “Why,” said he, “if I wished to purchase a slave, I should certainly - fix on the first; but if I thought I should derive any happiness from - becoming a slave myself, I should address myself to the second.”—“That - is to say,” resumed the Emperor, quickly, “that you have no very high - opinion of my taste?”—“Not so, Sire, but I suspect your Majesty’s - views and mine would be different.” The Emperor smiled, and said - nothing more on the subject. - - 19th.—The Emperor rode on horseback very early this morning; it was - scarcely six o’clock when he went out. I was quite ready; for I had - ordered some one to call me; and the Emperor was astonished to see me - so active. We strolled about the park at random, and returned about - nine: the sun was already beginning to be warm. - - About four o’clock the Emperor wished to take his English lesson; but - he was not very well. He said that every thing had gone wrong with him - to-day; and that nothing had done him any good. His walk in the garden - did not restore him; he was not well at dinner-time. He did not play - his usual number of games at chess; but retired, indisposed, after the - first game. - - THE EMPEROR’S WORKS IN THE ISLAND OF ELBA.—PREDILECTION - OF THE ALGERINES FOR THE EMPEROR. - - 20th.—The weather had been extremely bad. The Emperor had been rather - unwell the whole of the night, but felt himself much better in the - morning. He did not leave his room before five o’clock. About six we - took advantage of a gleam of fine weather to drive round the park in - the calash. The horses which have been provided for us are vicious; - they shy at the first object that comes in their way, and become - restive. They stood still several times during our drive. The rain, - indeed, had rendered the roads very heavy, and at one time it required - all our efforts to obviate the necessity of returning on foot. The - Grand Marshal and General Gourgaud were in one instance obliged to - alight and put their shoulders to the wheel. At length, after a great - deal of trouble we reached home. The conversation, during our drive, - turned on the Island of Elba. The Emperor spoke of the roads he had - made, and the houses he had built, which the best painters of Italy - begged, as a favour, to be permitted to adorn with their works. - - The Emperor observed that his flag had become the first in the - Mediterranean. It was held sacred, he said, by the Barbary ships, who - usually made presents to the Elba Captains, telling them that they - were paying the debt of Moscow. The Grand Marshal told us that some - Barbary ships, having anchored off the Island of Elba, had caused - great alarm among the inhabitants, who questioned the pirates with - regard to their intentions, and ended by asking them plainly whether - they came with any hostile views.—“Against the Great Napoleon!” said - the Algerines: “Oh! never ... we do not wage war against God!” - - Whenever the flag of the Island of Elba entered any of the ports of - the Mediterranean, Leghorn excepted, it was received with loud - acclamations: all the national feeling seemed to return. The crews of - some French ships from Britanny and Flanders, which touched at the - Island of Elba, testified the same sentiment. - - “Every thing is judged by comparison in this world,” said the Emperor; - “the Island of Elba, which, a year ago, was thought so disagreeable, - is a paradise compared to St. Helena. As for this island, it may set - all future regret at defiance.” - - PIONTKOWSKI.—CARICATURE. - - 21st—22nd. The Emperor continued to rise early and ride out on - horseback, in the park and among the gum-trees. He rode only at a - walking pace, but this light exercise was of advantage to him, as it - enabled him to enjoy the fresh air. He returned with a better - appetite, and pursued the occupations of the day with greater spirit. - He breakfasted in the garden, under some trees which had been twined - together to afford him a shade. One morning, as he was sitting down to - breakfast, he perceived at a distance the Pole Piontkowski, and sent - for him to breakfast with him. He always takes pleasure in conversing - with him whenever he meets him. - - Piontkowski, with whose origin we are not very well acquainted, came - to the Island of Elba, and obtained permission to serve as a private - in the Guards. On the Emperor’s return from Elba, he had gained the - rank of lieutenant. When we departed from Paris, he received - permission to follow us; and we left him at Plymouth, among those who - were separated from us by order of the English ministers. Piontkowski, - having more fidelity, or more address, than his comrades, obtained - leave to come to St. Helena. The Emperor had never known, and never - spoken to him, till he came here. - - Piontkowski was, indeed, equally unknown to us all. The English were - surprised that we did not give him a warmer greeting on his arrival. - Some individuals, who seized all opportunities of saying any thing to - our disadvantage, wrote to England that we had received Piontkowski - very ill. This story was totally false: but it furnished the English - ministerial prints with a subject on which to exercise their usual - courtesy and wit. It was asserted that the Emperor had beaten - Piontkowski; and I heard of a caricature in which Napoleon was seizing - the Polish officer in his talons, while I had leaped upon him to - devour him; and it was only by a stick being thrust between my teeth, - by the keeper of the beasts, that I was prevented from biting a - mouthful out of his shoulder. Such were the elegant accounts that were - given of us. - - THE EMPEROR’S RETURN FROM ELBA. - - 24th.—After dinner, while we were taking our coffee, the Emperor - observed that, about this time last year, he quitted the Island of - Elba. The Grand Marshal informed him that it was on the 26th of - February and on a Sunday. “Sire,” said he, “you directed mass to be - performed at an earlier hour than usual, that you might have the more - time for issuing the necessary orders.” - - They sailed in the afternoon, and next morning at ten o’clock they - were still within sight, to the great anxiety of those who were - interested in their success. - - The Emperor entered into conversation on this subject, and was, for - upwards of an hour, engaged in describing the details of that event, - which is unparalleled in history, both for the boldness of the - enterprise, and the miracle of its execution. I shall insert in - another part of my journal, the particulars which I collected on this - subject. - -CAMPAIGNS OF ITALY AND EGYPT.—THE EMPEROR’S OPINION OF THE GREAT FRENCH - POETS.—TRAGEDIES BY LATE WRITERS.—HECTOR.—THE ETATS DE BLOIS.—TALMA. - - 25th—28th. Our days were for the most part very much alike; if they - seemed long in detail, they were rapidly shortened in a retrospective - view. They were without character or interest, and left only imperfect - recollections behind. In English he went on gradually improving. The - Emperor confessed that he had felt a moment of disgust; his _furia - Francese_ had, he said, at one time, given way; but he added that I - had reanimated him by means of a plan which he considered more certain - and infallible than any other—that of reading and analyzing a single - page over and over again until it was thoroughly learnt. The - grammatical rules were explained by the way. In this manner, there is - not a moment lost to study and memory. The progress at first appears - slow, the learner seems to advance but little in his studies; but by - the time he has come to the fiftieth page, he is astonished to find - that he knows the language. We had added a page of Telemachus to the - rest of our lesson, and we found the benefit of it. By this time, - however, the Emperor, though he had only had twenty or twenty-five - complete lessons, could understand any book; and would have been able - to make himself understood in writing. He did not comprehend all that - was said, it is true; but, as he observed, nothing could be concealed - from him for the future, and this was a great thing—this was a decided - victory. - - The Campaign of Egypt was completed with the assistance of Bertrand, - as far as the want of materials would permit. The Emperor now - commenced, with another of the gentlemen, a new and very important - period; namely—from his departure from Fontainebleau, up to his return - to Paris and his second abdication. He possessed no document relating - to these rapid events; but it was that very rapidity which induced me - to entreat him to employ his memory in recording circumstances which - the hurry of events or party spirit might enfeeble or distort. - - The Emperor also employed himself very frequently with me, in revising - the different chapters of the Campaign of Italy; this was generally - done immediately before dinner. He had directed me to arrange each - chapter in a regular and uniform manner; to mark out the proper - divisions of the paragraphs, and to note down and collect the - illustrative articles. This he called the digestive business of an - editor. “And your interest is concerned in it,” said he to me one day, - with an air of kindness which affected me; “henceforward it is your - property: the Campaign of Italy shall bear your name, and the Campaign - of Egypt that of Bertrand. I intend that it shall add at once to your - fortune and to your fame. There will be at least a hundred thousand - francs in your pocket, and your name will last as long as the - remembrance of my battles.” - - With regard to our evenings, the _reversis_ had been relinquished a - second time; we could not continue it long. After the second or third - round, the cards were abandoned for conversation. We resumed our - readings: our stock of novels was exhausted, and plays occupied our - attention for the future, tragedies in particular. The Emperor is - uncommonly fond of analyzing them, which he does in a singular mode of - reasoning, and with great taste. He remembers an immense quantity of - poetry, which he learned when he was eighteen years old, at which - time, he says, he knew much more than he does at present. The Emperor - is delighted with Racine, in whom he finds a profusion of beauties. He - greatly admires Corneille, but thinks very little of Voltaire, who, he - says, is full of bombast and tinsel: always incorrect; unacquainted - either with men or things, with truth or the sublimity of the passions - of mankind. - - At one of the _couchers_ at St. Cloud the Emperor analyzed a piece - which had just been brought out; it was _Hector_ by _Luce de - Lancival_: this piece pleased him very much; it possessed warmth and - energy of character. He called it a _head-quarter_ piece; and said - that a soldier would be better prepared to meet the enemy after seeing - or reading it. He added that it would be well if there were a greater - number of plays written in the same spirit.—Then, adverting to those - dramatic productions called _drames_ in French, and which he termed - _waiting-maids’ tragedies_, he said they would not bear more than one - representation, after which they suffered a gradual diminution of - interest. A good tragedy, on the contrary, gains upon us every day. - The higher walk of tragedy, continued he, is the school of great men; - it is the duty of sovereigns to encourage and disseminate a taste for - it. Nor is it necessary, he said, to be a poet, to be enabled to judge - of the merits of a tragedy; it is sufficient to be acquainted with men - and things, to possess an elevated mind, and to be a statesman. Then, - becoming gradually more animated, he added, with enthusiasm,—”Tragedy - fires the soul, elevates the heart, and is calculated to generate - heroes. Considered under this point of view, perhaps, France owes to - Corneille a part of her great actions; and, gentlemen, _had he lived - in my time, I would have made him a prince_.” - - On a similar occasion, he analyzed and condemned the _Etats de Blois_, - which had just been presented for the first time at the theatre of the - Court; and perceiving among the company present the Arch-Treasurer - Lebrun, who was distinguished for his literary acquirements, he asked - his opinion of it. Lebrun, who was undoubtedly in the author’s - interest, contented himself with remarking that the subject was a bad - one. “That,” replied the Emperor, “was M. Renouard’s first fault; he - chose it himself, it was not forced upon him. Besides, there is no - subject, however bad, which great talent cannot turn to some account, - and Corneille would still have been himself even in one like this. As - for M. Renouard, he has totally failed. He has shewn no other talent - but that of versification; every thing else is bad, very bad; his - conception, his details, his result, are altogether defective. He - violates the truth of history; his characters are false, and their - political tendency is dangerous, and perhaps prejudicial. This is an - additional proof of what, however, is very well known, that there is a - wide difference between the reading and the representation of a play. - I thought at first that this piece might have been allowed to pass; it - was not until this evening that I perceived its improprieties. Of - these, the praises lavished on the Bourbons are the least; the - declamations against the Revolutionists are much worse. M. Renouard - has made the Chief of the Sixteen the Capuchine Chabot of the - Convention. There is matter in his piece to inflame every party and - every passion: were I to allow it to be represented in Paris, I should - probably hear of half a hundred people murdering one another in the - pit. Besides, the author has made Henri IV. a true Philinte, and the - Duke de Guise a Figaro, which is by far too great an outrage on - history. The duke of Guise was one of the most distinguished men of - his time; and if he had but ventured, he might, at that time, have - established the fourth dynasty. Besides, he was related to the - Empress; he was a Prince of the house of Austria, with whom we are in - friendship, and whose Ambassador was present this evening at the - representation. The author has, in more than one instance, shewn a - strange disregard of propriety.” The Emperor afterwards said that he - felt more than ever fixed in the determination he had formed not to - permit any new tragedy to be played on the public stage before it had - undergone a trial at the theatre of the Court. He therefore prohibited - the representation of the _Etats de Blois_. It is worthy of remark, - that, since the restoration of the King, this piece was revived with - the greatest pomp, and supported by all the favour which the - prohibition of the Emperor would naturally procure for it. But, - notwithstanding all this, it failed; so correct was the judgment which - Napoleon had passed upon it. - - Talma, the celebrated tragedian, had frequent interviews with the - Emperor, who greatly admired his talent, and rewarded him - magnificently. When the First Consul became Emperor, it was reported - all over Paris, that he had Talma to give him lessons in attitude and - costume. The Emperor, who always knew every thing that was said - against him, rallied Talma one day on the subject, and, finding him - look quite disconcerted and confounded,—“You are wrong,“ said he, “I - certainly could not have employed myself better, if I had had leisure - for it.” On the contrary, it was the Emperor who gave Talma lessons in - his art. “Racine,” said he to him, “has loaded his character of - Orestes with imbecilities, and you only add to their extravagance. In - the _Mort de Pompée_, you do not play Cæsar like a hero; in - Britannicus, you do not play Nero like a tyrant.” Every one knows the - corrections which Talma afterwards made in his performances of these - celebrated characters. - -CONTRACTORS, &C. DURING THE REVOLUTION.—THE EMPEROR’S CREDIT ON HIS - RETURN FROM ELBA.—HIS REPUTATION IN THE PUBLIC OFFICES AS A RIGID - INVESTIGATOR.—MINISTERS OF FINANCE AND THE TREASURY.—CADASTRE. - - 29th.—At six o’clock, the Emperor, having finished his daily - occupations, walked in the garden. We then took a drive in the calash: - it was quite dark, and rained very fast when we returned. - - After dinner, while coffee was served round, which we took without - rising from our seats at the dining-table, the conversation turned on - what were termed Agents daring the Revolution, and the great fortunes - which they acquired. The Emperor knew the name, the family, the - profession, and the character, of every one of these men. - - Scarcely had Napoleon attained the Consulship when he became engaged - in a dispute with the celebrated Madame Recamier, whose father held a - situation in the Post-office department. Napoleon, on first taking the - reins of Government, was obliged to sign in confidence a great number - of lists; but he soon established the most rigid inspection in every - department. He discovered that a correspondence with the Chouans was - going on under the connivance of M. Bernard, the father of Madame - Recamier. He was immediately dismissed, and narrowly escaped being - brought to a trial, by which he would doubtless have been condemned to - death. His daughter flew to the First Consul, and, at her - solicitation, Napoleon exempted M. Bernard from taking his trial, but - was resolute with respect to his dismissal. Madame Recamier, who had - been accustomed to ask for every thing, and to obtain every thing, - would be satisfied with nothing less than the re-instatement of her - father. Such were the manners of those times. The severity of the - First Consul excited loud animadversions; it was a thing quite - unusual. Madame Recamier and her party, which was very numerous, never - forgave him. - - The contractors and agents were the class which, above all, excited - the uneasiness of the new Supreme Magistrate, who called them the - scourge and the plague of the nation. The Emperor observed that all - France would not have satisfied the ambition of those of Paris alone; - that, when he came to the head of affairs, they constituted an - absolute power; and that they were most dangerous to the state, whose - springs were obstructed by their intrigues, joined to those of their - numerous dependents.—In truth, said he, they could never be regarded - as any thing but sources of corruption and ruin, like Jews and - usurers. They had disgraced the Directory, and they wished in like - manner to control the Consulate. It may be said that at that period - they enjoyed the highest rank and influence in society. - - “One of the principal retrograde steps,” said the Emperor, “which I - took, with the view of restoring the past state and manners of - society, was to throw all this false lustre back into the crowd. I - never would raise any of this class to distinction: of all - aristocracies this appeared to me the worst.” The Emperor rendered to - Lebrun the justice of having especially confirmed him in this - principle. “The party always disliked me for this,” said the Emperor; - “but they were still less inclined to pardon the rigid enquiry which I - instituted into their accounts with the Government.” - - The Emperor said that in business of this sort he turned the service - of his Council of State to the best account. He used to appoint a - committee of four or five members of the Council, men of integrity and - intelligence. They made their report to him, and, if the case required - farther investigation, they wrote at the bottom of the report: - _Referred to the Grand Judge to enforce the laws_. The individuals - implicated generally endeavoured to compromise the affair, when it - arrived at this point. They would disgorge, one, two, three, or four - millions, rather than suffer the business to be legally investigated. - The Emperor was well aware, that all these facts were misrepresented - in the different circles of the capital, that they produced him many - enemies, and drew down upon him the reproach of arbitrariness and - tyranny. But he thus acquitted a great duty to the mass of society, - who must have been grateful to him for the measures he adopted towards - these bloodsuckers of the public. - - “Men are always the same,” said the Emperor: “from the time of - Pharamond downwards, contractors have always acted thus, and people - have always acted in the same way towards them. But at no period of - the monarchy were they ever attacked in so legal a form, or assailed - so energetically and openly as by me. Even among the contractors - themselves, the few individuals who possessed honesty and integrity - found in this extreme severity a new guarantee for their own conduct. - A remarkable instance of this occurred after my return from Elba. Some - houses in London and Amsterdam secretly negotiated with me a loan of - from 80 to 100,000,000, at a profit of seven or eight per cent. The - net sum which was deposited in the Treasury of Paris, was paid to them - by _rentes_ on the great book at fifty, which were then distributed - among the public at fifty-six or fifty-seven.” - - This resource, so useful in the crisis in which the Emperor was - placed, and which must at the same time have been so satisfactory and - flattering to himself personally, proves the real opinion that was - entertained of Napoleon in Europe, and the confidence which he - inspired. This negotiation, which was unknown at the time, explains - whence the Emperor derived the financial resources of which he - suddenly found himself possessed on his return from Elba; which was a - great subject of conjecture at the time. - - The Emperor himself said that he enjoyed singular reputation among the - heads of offices and accountants. The examination of accounts was a - thing which he very well understood. “The circumstance that first - gained me reputation, in this way, was that, while balancing a yearly - account during the Consulate, I discovered an error of 2,000,000 to - the disadvantage of the Republic. M. Dufresne, who was then chief of - the treasury, and who was a perfectly honest man, at first would not - believe that the error existed. However, it was an affair of figures; - the fact could not be denied. At the treasury several months were - occupied in endeavouring to discover the error. It was at length found - in an account of the contractor Seguin, who immediately acknowledged - it, on being shewn the accounts, and restored the money, saying it was - a mistake.” - - On another occasion as the Emperor was examining the accounts of the - pay of the garrison of Paris, he observed an article of sixty and some - odd thousand francs set down to a detachment which had never been in - the capital. The minister made a note of the error, merely from - complaisance, but was convinced in his own mind that the Emperor was - mistaken. Napoleon however proved to be right, and the sum was - restored. - - The Emperor regarded as a matter of the highest importance the - separation of the departments of finance and the treasury, both for - the sake of keeping the business of the two departments distinct, and - for enabling them to become mutual checks to each other. The minister - of the treasury, under a sovereign like Napoleon, was the most - important man in the empire; not merely as a minister of the treasury, - but as comptroller-general. All the accounts of the empire came under - his examination, and he was thus enabled to detect every kind of - peculation and abuse, and to make them known to the sovereign; and - communications of this nature were daily made. To special - appropriations Napoleon also attached the greatest importance, as - having been among the happiest springs of his administration. - - Speaking of the _cadastre_, he said that, according to the plan which - he had drawn up, it might be considered as the real constitution of - the Empire. It was the true guarantee of property, and the security - for the independence of each individual; for, the tax being once fixed - and established by the legislature, each individual might make his own - arrangements, and had nothing to fear from the authority or arbitrary - conduct of assessors, which is always the point most sensibly felt, - and the surest to enforce submission. During this conversation, the - Emperor gave his opinion of the talents of Messrs. Gaudin, Mollien, - and Louis, as well as most of his other Ministers and Councillors of - State. He concluded by observing that he had succeeded in creating a - system of administration doubtless the purest and most energetic in - Europe; and that he himself had the details so much at his command - that he was sure he now could, merely with the help of the Moniteur, - trace the complete history of the financial transactions of the Empire - during his reign. - - March 1st.—To-day two vessels arrived from the Cape. One, the - Wellesley, a seventy-four, had another ship which had been taken to - pieces in her hold. Both were India built of teak-wood, three-fourths - cheaper than they could have been built in England. This is an - excellent kind of wood; and ships made of it are said to last much - longer than European-built ships; though hitherto it has been - complained that they are not such good sailers. However, it is not - improbable that this teak wood may produce a revolution in the - materials and construction of English ships. - - 2nd.—The China fleet is arrived. Several vessels successively entered - the road in the course of the day, and many others are within sight. - This is a sort of festival and harvest for the people of St. Helena. - The money which these transient visitors circulate in the Island - constitutes a chief portion of the revenues of the inhabitants. - - At five o’clock the Emperor proceeded to the garden, and went on foot - as far as an opening between some of the hills, whence we could - discern several vessels in full sail, making for the Island. The last - ship that arrived from the Cape had brought a phaeton for the Emperor. - He wished to try it this evening, and he got into it, accompanied by - the Grand Marshal, and rode round the park. He, however, thinks that - this kind of equipage is both useless and ridiculous, in present - circumstances. After dinner the Emperor felt much fatigued; he has - been indisposed for some days, and he retired this evening at an early - hour. - - THE INVASION OF ENGLAND. - - 3rd.—The Emperor sent for me at two o’clock; I found him shaving. He - told me that I beheld in him a man who was on the point of death, on - the brink of the grave. He added that I must have been aware that he - was ill, because he must have waked me often during the night. I had, - indeed, heard him cough and sneeze continually: he had a violent cold - in his head, which he had caught in consequence of staying out too - long in the damp air on the preceding evening. He stated his - determination, in future, always to return in doors at six o’clock. - After he had dressed, he sat down to his English lesson; but he did - not continue at it long, for his head ached severely. He told me to - sit down by him, and made me talk for more than two hours about what I - had observed in London during my emigration. Among other things, he - inquired, “Were the English very much afraid of my invasion? What was - the general opinion at the time?”—“Sire,“ I replied, “I cannot inform - you: I had then returned to France. But in the saloons of Paris we - laughed heartily at the idea of an invasion of England; and the - English who were there at the time did so too. It was said that even - Brunet laughed at the scheme, and that you had caused him to be - imprisoned because he had been insolent enough in one of his parts, to - set some nut-shells afloat in a tub of water, which he called - manœuvring his little flotilla.” “Well!” replied the Emperor, “You - might laugh in Paris, but Pitt did not laugh in London. He soon - comprehended the extent of the danger, and therefore threw a coalition - on my shoulders at the moment when I was raising my arm to strike. - Never was the English oligarchy exposed to greater danger. - - “I had taken measures to ensure the possibility of my landing. I had - the best army in the world; I need only say it was the army of - Austerlitz. In four days I should have been in London; I should have - entered the English capital, not as a conqueror but as a liberator. I - should have been another William III.; but I would have acted with - greater generosity and disinterestedness. The discipline of my army - was perfect. My troops would have behaved in London just as they would - in Paris. No sacrifices, not even contributions, would have been - exacted from the English. We should have presented ourselves to them, - not as conquerors but as brothers, who came to restore to them their - rights and liberties. I would have assembled the citizens, and - directed them to labour in the task of their regeneration; because the - English had already preceded us in political legislation; I would have - declared that our only wish was to be able to rejoice in the happiness - and prosperity of the English people; and to these professions I would - have strictly adhered. In the course of a few months, the two nations, - which had been such determined enemies, would have thenceforward - composed only one people, identified in principles, maxims and - interests. I should have departed from England, in order to effect - from south to north, under republican colours (for I was then First - Consul) the regeneration of Europe, which, at a later period, I was on - the point of effecting from north to south under monarchical forms. - Both systems were equally good, since both would have been attended - with the same result, and would have been carried into execution with - firmness, moderation, and good faith. How many ills that are now - endured, and how many that are yet to be experienced, would not - unhappy Europe have escaped! Never was a project so favourable to the - interests of civilization conceived with more disinterested - intentions, or so near being carried into execution. It is a - remarkable fact that the obstacles which occasioned my failure were - not the work of men, but all proceeded from the elements. In the - south, the sea frustrated my plans; the burning of Moscow, the snow - and the winter, completed my ruin in the north. Thus water, air, and - fire, all nature and nature alone, was hostile to the universal - regeneration which nature herself called for!... The problems of - Providence are insoluble!” - - After a few moment’s silence, he reverted to the subject of the - English invasion. “It was supposed,” said he, “that my scheme was - merely a vain threat, because it did not appear that I possessed any - reasonable means of attempting its execution. But I had laid my plans - deeply, and without being observed. I had dispersed all our French - ships; and the English were sailing after them to different parts of - the world. Our ships were to return suddenly and at the same time, and - to assemble in a mass along the French coasts. I should have had - seventy or eighty French or Spanish ships in the Channel; and I - calculated that I should continue master of it for two months. Three - or four thousand small vessels were to be ready at a signal. A hundred - thousand men were every day drilled in embarking and landing, as a - part of their exercise. They were full of ardour, and eager for the - enterprise, which was very popular with the French, and was supported - by the wishes of a great number of the English. After landing my - troops, I calculated upon only one pitched battle, the result of which - could not be doubtful; and victory would have brought us to London. - The nature of the country would not admit of a war of monœuvring. - My conduct would have done the rest. The people of England groaned - under the yoke of an oligarchy. On feeling that their pride had not - been humbled, they would have ranged themselves on our side. We should - have been considered only as Allies come to effect their deliverance. - We should have presented ourselves with the magical words of liberty - and equality,” &c. - - After adverting to a great number of the minor details of the plan, - which were all admirable, and remarking how very near execution it had - been, he abruptly stopped, and said, “Let us go out, and take a turn.” - - We walked for some time; it had been raining for three days, but now - the weather was perfectly fine. The Emperor, not forgetting his - resolution to be in-doors always by six o’clock, immediately ordered - the calash; took a drive, and returned home in good time. My son - followed on horse-back; it was the first time he had enjoyed such an - honour. He acquitted himself very well, and the Emperor complimented - him on the occasion. - - The Emperor continued unwell, and retired to rest very early. - - THE CHINESE FLEET. - - 4th.—To-day the Emperor received some captains of the China fleet. He - conversed a long time with them respecting their trade, the facility - of their intercourse with the Chinese, the manners of that people, &c. - The ships which trade to China are from 14 to 1500 tons’ burthen, - nearly equal to sixty-fours; and they draw from twenty-two to - twenty-three feet of water: they are laden almost exclusively with - tea. One of those just arrived had nearly 1500 tons on board. The - cargoes of the six ships which came into the road last night are - valued at about sixty millions; and as they will be subject to a duty - of 100 per cent., on their arrival in England, 120 millions will thus - at once be thrown into circulation in Europe. - - Europeans are allowed very little liberty at Canton. Their residence - is chiefly limited to the suburbs. They are treated with the greatest - contempt by the Chinese, who assume an air of great superiority, and - conduct themselves in a very arbitrary manner. The Chinese are very - intelligent, industrious, and active; but they are great thieves and - extremely treacherous. They transact all business in the European - languages, which they speak with facility. - - The arrival of fleets at St. Helena is a circumstance equally pleasing - to the crews and the inhabitants of the Island. The latter sell their - merchandize and purchase provisions; the seamen, on their part, are - enabled to set foot on land, and to refresh themselves. This state of - things usually continues for a fortnight or three weeks; but, on the - present occasion, the Admiral, to the great disappointment of every - body, limited the period of refreshment to two days only for the first - two ships that had anchored off the town. The others were ordered to - remain under sail, and to come up to the town in succession, two by - two. It must be supposed that he has received very strict orders, or - is under some very great apprehension, of which we are not aware. - - The Emperor walked for some time in the garden before he got into his - calash. Among the trees in the neighbourhood, we perceived some - officers newly arrived at the Island, who were endeavouring to get a - peep at the Emperor, the sight of whom seemed to be an object of great - importance to them. - -ETIQUETTE OF THE EMPEROR’S COURT.—CIRCUMSTANCE THAT TOOK PLACE AT - TARARE.—OFFICERS OF STATE.—CHAMBERLAINS.—UNEQUALLED SPLENDOUR OF THE - COURT OF THE TUILERIES.—ADMIRABLE REGULATION OF THE PALACE.—THE - EMPEROR’S LEVEES.—DINING IN STATE.—THE COURT AND THE CITY. - - 5th.—To-day the Emperor conversed a great deal about this Court and - the etiquette observed in it. The following is the substance of what - fell from him on this subject. - - At the period of the Revolution, the Courts of Spain and Naples still - imitated the ceremony and grandeur of Louis XIV., mingled with the - pomp and exaggeration of the Castilians and Moors. They were insipid - and ridiculous. The court of St. Petersburg had assumed the tone and - forms of the drawing-room; that of Vienna had become quite - citizen-like; and there no longer remained any vestige of the wit, the - grace, and the good taste of the Court of Versailles. - - When, therefore, Napoleon attained the sovereign power, he found a - clear road before him, and he had an opportunity of forming a Court - according to his own taste. He was desirous of adopting a rational - medium by accommodating the dignity of the throne to modern customs, - and, particularly, by making the creation of a Court contribute to - improve the manners of the great, and promote the industry of the mass - of the people. It certainly was no easy matter to re-construct a - throne on the very spot where a reigning monarch had been judicially - executed, and where the people had constitutionally sworn hatred to - kings. It was not easy to restore dignities, titles, and decorations, - among a people who for the space of fifteen years had waged a war of - proscription against them. Napoleon, however, who seemed always to - possess the power of effecting what he wished, perhaps because he had - the art of wishing for what was just and proper, after a great - struggle, surmounted all these difficulties. When he became Emperor, - he created a class of nobility, and formed a Court. Victory seemed all - on a sudden to do her utmost to consolidate and shed a lustre over - this new order of things. All Europe acknowledged the Emperor; and at - one period it might have been said that all the Courts of the - Continent had flocked to Paris to add to the splendour of the - Tuileries, which was the most brilliant and numerous Court ever seen. - There was a continued series of parties, balls, and entertainments; - and the Court was always distinguished for extraordinary magnificence - and grandeur. The person of the sovereign was alone remarkable for - extreme simplicity, which, indeed, was a characteristic that served to - distinguish him amidst the surrounding splendour. He encouraged all - this magnificence, he said, from motives of policy, and not because it - accorded with his own taste. It was calculated to encourage - manufactures and national industry. The ceremonies and festivities - which took place on the marriage of the Empress and the birth of the - King of Rome, far surpassed any which had preceded them, and probably - will never again be equalled. - - The Emperor endeavoured to establish, in his foreign relations, every - thing that was calculated to place him in harmony with the other - Courts of Europe; but at home he constantly tried to adapt old forms - to new manners. - - He established the _levers_ and _couchers_ of the old kings of France; - but with him they were merely nominal, and did not exist in reality, - as in former times. Instead of being occupied in the most minute and - indelicate details of the toilet, these hours under the Emperor were, - in fact, appropriated to receiving in the morning and dismissing in - the evening, such persons of his household as had to receive orders - directly from him, and who were privileged to pay their court to him - at those times. - - The Emperor also established special presentations to his person and - admission to his Court: but instead of making noble birth the only - means of securing these honours, the title for obtaining them was - founded solely on the combined bases of fortune, influence, and public - services. - - Napoleon, moreover, created titles, the qualifications for which were - nearly similar to those of the old feudal system. These titles, - however, possessed no real value, and were established for an object - purely national. Those which were unaccompanied by any prerogatives or - privileges might be enjoyed by persons of any rank or profession, and - were bestowed as rewards for all kinds of services. The Emperor - observed that abroad they had the useful effect of appearing to be an - approximation to the old manners of Europe, while at the same time - they served as a toy for amusing the vanities of many individuals at - home; “for,” said he, “how many superior men are children oftener than - once a day!” - - The Emperor revived decorations of honour, and distributed crosses and - ribands. But instead of confining them to particular and exclusive - classes, he extended them to society in general as rewards for every - kind of talent and public service. By a happy privilege, perhaps - peculiar to Napoleon, it happened that the value of these honours was - enhanced in proportion to the number distributed. He estimated that he - had conferred about 25,000 decorations of the Legion of Honour; and - the desire to obtain the honour, he said, increased until it became a - kind of _mania_. - - After the battle of Wagram, he sent the decoration of the Legion of - Honour to the Archduke Charles, and, by a refinement in compliment, - peculiar to Napoleon, he sent him merely the silver cross, which was - worn by the private soldiers. - - The Emperor said that it was only by acting strictly and voluntarily - in conformity with these maxims that he had become the real national - monarch; and an adherence to the same course would have rendered the - fourth dynasty the truly constitutional one. Of these facts, said he, - the people of the lowest rank frequently evinced an instinctive - knowledge. - - The Emperor related the following anecdote:—On returning from his - coronation in Italy, as he approached the environs of Lyons, he found - all the population assembled on the roads to see him pass, and he took - a fancy to ascend the hill of Tarare alone. He gave orders that nobody - should follow him, and, mingling with the crowd, he accosted an old - woman, and asked what all the bustle was about. She replied, that the - Emperor was expected. After some little conversation he said to her: - “My good woman, formerly you had the tyrant Capet; now you have the - tyrant Napoleon; what have you gained by the change?” The force of - this argument disconcerted the old woman for a moment; but she - immediately recollected herself, and replied, “Pardon me, sir, there - is a great difference. We ourselves chose this one; but we got the - other by chance.” “The old woman was right,” said the Emperor, “and - she exhibited more instinctive good sense than many men who are - possessed of great information and talent.” - - The Emperor surrounded himself with great Crown officers. He - established a numerous household of chamberlains, equerries, &c. He - selected persons to fill these offices indiscriminately from among - those whom the Revolution had elevated, and from the ancient families - which it had ruined. The former considered themselves as standing on - ground which they had acquired; the latter on that which they thought - they had recovered. The Emperor had in view, by this mixture of - persons, the extinction of hatred and the amalgamation of parties. He - observed, however, that it was easy to perceive a variety of manners. - The individuals belonging to the ancient families performed their - duties with the greatest courtesy and assiduity. A Madame de - Montmorency would have stooped down to tie the Empress’s shoes; a lady - of the new school would have hesitated to do this, lest she should be - taken for a real waiting-woman; but Madame de Montmorency had no such - apprehension. These posts of honour were for the most part without - emolument; they were even attended with expense. But they brought the - individuals who filled them daily under the eye of the Sovereign—of an - all-powerful Sovereign, the source of honour and emoluments; and who - had declared that he would not have the lowest officer in his - household solicit a favour from any one but himself. - - At the time of his marriage with the Empress Maria-Louisa, the Emperor - made an extensive recruit of chamberlains from among the highest ranks - of the old aristocracy; this he did with the view of proving to Europe - that there existed but one party in France, and rallying round the - Empress those individuals whose names must have been familiar to her. - It is understood that the Emperor even hesitated whether or not to - select the lady of honour from that class; but his fear lest the - Empress, with whose character he was unacquainted, might be imbued - with prejudices respecting birth, that might too much elate the old - party, induced him to make another choice. - - From this moment until the period of our disasters, the most ancient - and illustrious families eagerly solicited places in the household of - the Emperor; and how could it be otherwise? The Emperor governed the - world: he had raised France and the French people above the level of - other nations. Power, glory, constituted his retinue. Happy were they - who inhaled the atmosphere of the Imperial Court. To be immediately - connected with the Emperor’s person, furnished, both abroad and at - home, a title to consideration, homage, and respect. - - Upon the Restoration, a royalist, who had preserved himself pure, and - in whose sight I had found grace, said to me, in the most serious - tone, (for, what a difference in ideas does not difference of party - produce!) that with my name, and the openness of conduct I had - maintained, I ought not to despair of still obtaining a situation near - the King, or in the household of some of the Princes or Princesses. - How greatly was he astonished when I replied:—“My friend, I have - rendered that impossible: I have served the most powerful master upon - earth: I cannot in future, without degradation, stand in the same - relation to any other. Know, that when we conveyed the orders of the - Emperor to a distance, into foreign Courts, wearing his uniform, we - considered ourselves, and were every where treated, as upon an - equality with princes. He has presented to us the spectacle of not - fewer than seven Kings waiting in his saloons, in the midst of us, and - with us. On his marriage, four Queens bore the robe of the Empress, of - whom, moreover, one of us was the Gentleman Usher, another the - Equerry. Believe then, my friend, that a noble ambition is perfectly - satisfied with such honours.” - - Besides, the magnificence and splendour that composed this unexampled - Court, rested on a system and a regularity of administration that has - excited the astonishment and admiration of those who have searched - amid its wrecks. The Emperor himself inspected the accounts several - times in the course of the year. All his mansions were found to be - repaired and decorated: they contained nearly forty millions in - household furniture, besides four millions in plate. If he had enjoyed - a few years of peace, imagination can scarcely fix limits, he said, to - what he would have accomplished. - - The Emperor said he had conceived an excellent idea, which he was much - grieved at not having put in execution: it was to have commissioned - some persons to collect the most important petitions. “They should - have named, every day,” said he, “three or four individuals from the - provinces, who would have been admitted to my levee, and have - explained their business to me in person; I would have discussed it - with them immediately, and administered justice to them without - delay.” - - I observed to the Emperor that the Commission he had created at a very - early period, under the name of “Commission of Petitions,” came very - near the idea in question, and was, in fact, productive of much good. - I was President of it on his return from Elba, and in the first month - I had already done justice to more than four thousand petitions. “It - is true,” I observed, “that circumstances originally, and custom - afterwards, had never allowed this establishment to enjoy the most - valuable prerogative with which its organization had been endowed, - that which would undoubtedly have produced the greatest effect on - public opinion; namely to present to him officially, at his great - audience on Sunday, the result of the week’s labours.” But the nature - of things, the constant expeditions of the Emperor, and, above all, - the jealousy of the Ministers, had concurred to deprive the Commission - of this high privilege. - - The Emperor said, also, he was sorry he had not established it as part - of the etiquette of the Court that all persons who had been presented, - females particularly, who had any claim to obtain an audience of him, - should have the unquestioned right of entering the ante-chamber. The - Emperor, passing through it several times in the day, might have taken - the opportunity to satisfy some of their requests; and might in this - manner have spared the refusal of audiences, or the loss of time - occasioned by them. The Emperor had hesitated for some time, he said, - about re-establishing the _grand couvert_ of the kings of France, that - is, the dining in public, every Sunday, of the whole Imperial family. - He asked our opinion of it. We differed. Some approved of it, - represented this family spectacle as beneficial to public morals, and - fitted to produce the best effects on public spirit; besides, said - they, it afforded means for every individual to see his Sovereign. - Others opposed it, objecting that this ceremony involved something of - divine right and feudality, of ignorance and servility, which had no - place in our habits or the modern dignity of them. They might go to - see the Sovereign at the church or the theatre: there they joined at - least in the performance of his religious duties, or took part in his - pleasures; but to go to see him eat was only to bring ridicule on both - parties. The sovereignty having now become, as the Emperor had so well - said, a magistracy, should only be seen in full activity; conferring - favours, redressing injuries, transacting business, reviewing armies, - and above all, divested of the infirmities and the wants of human - nature, &c.... Its utility, its benefits, should form its new charm: - the image of the sovereign should be present continually and - unlooked-for, like Providence. Such was the new school:—such had been - ours. - - “Well,” said the Emperor, “it may be true that the circumstances of - the time should have limited this ceremony to the Imperial heir, and - only during his youth; for he was the child of the whole nation; he - ought to become thenceforth the object of the sentiments and the sight - of all.” - - On his return from Elba, the Emperor said he had an idea of dining - every Sunday in the _Galerie de Diane_ with four or five hundred - guests: this, said he, would undoubtedly have produced a great effect - on the public, particularly at the time of the _Champ de Mai_, on the - assembling of the Deputies from the departments at Paris; but the - rapidity and the importance of business prevented it. Besides, he was - apprehensive, perhaps, that there might have been observed in this - measure too great an affectation of popularity, and that his enemies - abroad might give it the semblance of fear on his part. - - It is the custom, said the Emperor, to talk of the influence of the - tone and manners of the Court upon those of a nation; he was far from - having brought about any such result; but it was the fault of - circumstances and of several unperceived combinations: he had - reflected much on the subject, and he thought that it would have been - accomplished in time. - - “The Court,” he continued, “taken collectively, does not exert this - influence; it is only because its elements, those who compose it, go - to communicate, each in his own sphere of action, that which they have - collected from the common source; the tone of the Court, then, is not - infused into a whole nation, but through intermediate societies. Now, - we had no such societies, nor could we yet have them. Those delightful - assemblies, where one enjoys so fully the advantages of civilization, - suddenly disappear at the approach of revolutions, and are - re-established but slowly, when the tempests dissipate. The - indispensable bases of society are indolence and luxury; but we were - all still in a state of agitation, and great fortunes were not yet - firmly established. A great number of theatres, a multitude of public - establishments, moreover, presented pleasures more ready, less - constrained, and more exciting. The women of the day, taken - collectively, were young; they liked better to be out, and to shew - themselves in public, than to remain at home and compose a narrower - circle. But they would have grown old, and with a little time and - tranquillity, every thing would have fallen into its natural course. - And then again,” he observed, “it would perhaps be an error to judge - of a modern Court by the remembrance of the old ones. The power - certainly resided in the old Courts; they said, the Court and the - City;—at the present day, if we desired to speak correctly, we were - obliged to say the City and the Court. The feudal lords, since they - have lost their power, seek to make themselves amends in their - enjoyments. Sovereigns themselves seemed to be, for the future, - subjected to this law: the throne, with our liberal ideas, insensibly - ceased to be a signory, and became purely a magistracy; the Prince - having only a simple practical character to sustain, always - sufficiently dull and tedious in the long run, must seek to withdraw - from it, to come as a mere citizen, and take his share in the - pleasures of society.” - - Among a great number of new measures projected by the Emperor for a - more tranquil futurity, his favourite idea had been, peace being - obtained and repose secured, to devote his life to purifying the - administration and to local meliorations; to be occupied in perpetual - tours in the departments: he would have visited, not hurried over; - sojourned, not posted through: he would have used his own horses, - would have been surrounded by the Empress, the King of Rome, his whole - Court. At the same time he wished this great equipage not to be - burdensome to any, but rather a benefit to all: a suite of tapestry - hangings and all the other appendages, following the train, would have - furnished and decorated his places of rest. The other persons of the - Court, he said, would have been quartered on the citizens, who would - have looked upon their guests as a benefit rather than a burden, - because they would always have been the sure means of their acquiring - some advantage or some favours. “It is thus,” he continued, “that I - should have been able in every place to prevent frauds, punish - misappropriations, direct edifices, bridges, roads; drain marshes, - fertilize lands, &c.—If Heaven had then,” he continued, “granted me a - few years, I would certainly have made Paris the capital of the world, - and all France a real fairy-land.” He often repeated these last words: - how many people have already said this, or will repeat it after him! - - SET OF CHESSMEN FROM CHINA.—PRESENTATION OF - THE CAPTAINS OF THE CHINA FLEET. - - 6th.—The Emperor mounted his horse at seven o’clock: he told me to - call my son to accompany us; this was a great favour. During our ride - the Emperor dismounted five or six times to observe, with the help of - a glass, some vessels that were in sight: he ascertained one to be a - Dutchman; the three colours are always, with us, an object of lively - emotion. On one of these occasions, the most mettlesome horse in the - company got loose, and occasioned a long pursuit; my son came up with - him, brought him back in triumph, and the Emperor observed that in a - tournament this would be a victory. - - On our return, the Emperor breakfasted within doors: he detained us - all. - - Before and after breakfast, the Emperor conversed with me in private - on serious matters which I cannot trust to paper. - - The heat was become excessive: he retired. It was half-past four when - he sent for me again; he was finishing dressing. The Doctor brought - him a set of chessmen, which he had been buying on board the vessels - from China; the Emperor had wished to have one. For this he had paid - thirty Napoleons: it was an object of great admiration with the worthy - Doctor; and, at the same time, nothing seemed more ridiculous to the - Emperor. All the pieces, instead of resembling ours, were coarse and - clumsy images of the figures indicated by the names: thus, a knight - was armed at all points, and the castle rested on an enormous - elephant, &c. The Emperor could not make use of them, saying, - pleasantly, that every piece would require a crane to move it. - - In the mean time many officers and others employed in the China fleet - were sauntering in the garden. Their curiosity had led them some hours - before to our dwelling; we had been literally invaded in our chambers. - One said, the pride of his life would be to have seen Napoleon: - another, that he durst not appear in his wife’s presence in England, - if he could not tell her that he had been fortunate enough to behold - his features; another, that he would willingly forego all the profits - of his voyage for a single glance, &c. - - The Emperor caused them to be admitted: it would be difficult to - describe their satisfaction and joy: they had not ventured to expect - or to hope for so much. The Emperor, according to custom, proposed - many questions to them concerning China, its commerce, its - inhabitants: their revenues, their manners; the missionaries, &c. He - detained them above half an hour, before he dismissed them. At their - departure we described to him the enthusiasm we had witnessed in these - officers, and repeated all that had fallen from them relative to him. - “I believe it,” said he; “you do not perceive that they are our - friends. All that you have observed in them belongs to the commonalty - of England—the natural enemies, perhaps without giving themselves - credit for it, of their old and insolent Aristocracy.” - - At dinner the Emperor ate little; he was unwell: after coffee, he - attempted a game at chess, but he was too much inclined to sleep, and - retired almost immediately. - - A TRICK. - - 7th.—The Emperor mounted his horse at a very early hour; he told me - again to call my son to accompany him. The evening before, the Emperor - seeing him on horseback, had asked me if I did not make him learn to - groom his horse; that nothing was more useful; that he had given - particular orders for it in the military school at St. Germain. I was - vexed that such an idea had escaped me; I seized it eagerly, and my - son still more so. He was at this moment on a horse that no one had - touched but himself. The Emperor, whom I informed of it, seemed - pleased, and condescended to make him go through a sort of little - examination. Our ride lasted nearly two hours and a half, rambling all - the time about Longwood. - - At our return the Emperor had breakfast in the garden, to which he - detained us all. - - A short time before dinner, I presented myself as usual in the - drawing-room: the Emperor was playing at chess with the Grand Marshal. - The valet-de-chambre in waiting at the door of the room brought me a - letter, on which was written _Very urgent_. Out of respect to the - Emperor, I went aside to read it: it was in English; it stated that I - had composed an excellent work; that, nevertheless, it was not without - faults; that if I would correct them in a new edition, no doubt the - work would be more valuable for it; and then went on to pray that God - would keep me in his gracious and holy protection. Such a letter - excited my astonishment, and made me rather angry; the colour rushed - to my face: I did not, at first, give myself time to consider the - writing. In reading it over again I recognised the hand, - notwithstanding its being much better written than usual, and I could - not help laughing a good deal to myself. But the Emperor, who cast a - side-glance at me, asked me from whom the letter came that was given - to me. I replied, that it was a paper that had caused a very different - feeling in me at first from that which it would leave permanently. I - said this with so much simplicity, the mystification had been so - complete, that he laughed till tears came in his eyes. The letter was - from him; the pupil had a mind to jest with his master, and try his - powers at his expense. I carefully preserve this letter; the gaiety, - the style, and the whole circumstance, render it more valuable to me - than any diploma the Emperor could have put into my hands when he was - in power. - -AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE EMPEROR TO MAKE USE OF HIS ENGLISH.—ON - MEDICINE.—CORVISART.—DEFINITION.—ON THE PLAGUE.—MEDICAL PRACTICE IN - BABYLON. - - 8th.—The Emperor had had no sleep during the night; he had, therefore, - amused himself with writing me another letter in English; he sent it - to me sealed; I corrected the errors in it, and sent him an answer - also in English, by the return of the courier. He understood me - perfectly: this convinced him of the progress he had made, and - satisfied him that for the future he could, strictly speaking, - correspond in his new tongue. - - For nearly a fortnight past, General Gourgaud had been unwell; his - indisposition had turned to a very malignant dysentery, which - occasioned some alarm. The Admiral now sent him the Surgeon of the - Northumberland (Dr. Warden); the Emperor detained this gentleman to - dinner. During the repast, and for a long time afterwards, the - conversation was exclusively on medicine; sometimes lively, sometimes - serious and profound. The Emperor was in good spirits: he talked with - great volubility; he overwhelmed the Doctor with questions, and with - ingenious and subtle arguments, that perplexed him much: the latter - was much dazzled by this brilliancy; so that, after dinner, he took me - aside to ask me how it happened that the Emperor was so well informed - on these matters: he did not doubt but they were his usual topics of - conversation. “Not more than any thing else,” I said, with truth; “but - there are few subjects with which the Emperor is unacquainted, and he - treats them all in a new and engaging manner.” - - The Emperor has no faith in medicine, or its remedies, of which he - makes no use. “Doctor,” said he, “our body is a machine for the - purpose of life: it is organized to that end—that is its nature. Leave - the life there at its ease, let it take care of itself, it will do - better than if you paralyze it by loading it with medicines. It is - like a well-made watch, destined to go for a certain time; the - watch-maker has not the power of opening it, he cannot meddle with it - but at random, and with his eyes bandaged. For one who, by dint of - racking it with his ill-formed instruments, succeeds in doing it any - good, how many blockheads destroy it altogether!” - - The Emperor, then, did not admit the utility of medicine but in a few - cases, in disorders that were known and distinctly ascertained by time - and experience: and he then compared the art of the physician with - that of the engineer in regular sieges, where the maxims of Vauban, - and the rules of experience, have brought all the chances within the - scope of known laws. In accordance, too, with these principles, the - Emperor had conceived the idea of a law which should have allowed to - the mass of medical practitioners in France the use of simple - medicines only, and forbidden them to employ _heroic_ remedies, that - is, such as may cause death, unless they made three or four thousand - francs, at least, by their profession; which, said he, afforded - grounds for supposing them to have education, judgment, and a certain - public reputation. “This measure,” said he, “was certainly just and - beneficent; but in my circumstances it was unseasonable: information - was not yet sufficiently diffused. No doubt the mass of the people - would have seen only an act of tyranny in the law, which, - nevertheless, would have rescued them from their executioners.” - - The Emperor had frequently attacked the celebrated Corvisart, his - physician, upon the subject of medicine. The latter, waving the honour - of the profession and of his colleagues, confessed that he entertained - nearly the same opinions, and even acted upon them. He was a great - enemy to medicines, and employed them very sparingly: the Empress - Maria-Louisa, suffering much during her pregnancy, and teazing him for - relief, he artfully gave her some pills composed of crumb of bread, - which she observed did her a great deal of good. - - The Emperor said he had brought Corvisart to admit that medicine was - a resource available only for the few; that it might be of some - benefit to the rich, but that it was the scourge of the poor. “Now, - do you not believe,” said the Emperor, “seeing the uncertainty of - the art itself, and the ignorance of those who practise it, that its - effects, taken in the aggregate, are more fatal than useful to the - people?” Corvisart assented without hesitation. “But have you never - killed any body yourself?” continued the Emperor, “that is to say, - have not some patients died evidently in consequence of your - prescriptions?”—“Undoubtedly,” replied Corvisart; “but I ought no - more to let that weigh upon my conscience than would your Majesty, - if you had caused the destruction of some troops, not from having - made a bad movement, but because their march was impeded by a ditch - or a precipice, which it was impossible for you to be aware of.” - - Thence the Emperor went on to some problems and definitions, which he - proposed to the Doctor. “What is life?” said he to him; “when and how - do we receive it? Is that any thing but mystery yet?” Then he defined - harmless madness to be a chasm or incoherence of judgment between just - ideas and the application of them: an insane man eats grapes in a - vineyard that is not his own; and, in reply to the expostulations of - the owner says:—“Here are two of us; the sun sees both of us; - therefore I have a right to eat the grapes.” The dangerous madman was - he in whom this chasm or incoherence of judgment occurred between - ideas and actions: it was he who cut off the head of a sleeping man, - and concealed himself behind a hedge, to enjoy the perplexity of the - dead body when it should awake. - - The Emperor next asked the Doctor what was the difference between - sleep and death; and answered the question himself by saying that - sleep was the momentary suspension of the faculties within the power - of our volition; and death the lasting suspension, not only of these - faculties, but also of those over which our will has no control. - - From that, the conversation turned upon the plague. The Emperor - maintained that it was taken by inspiration as well as by contact: he - said that it was rendered most dangerous and most extensively - propagated, by fear: its principal seat was in the imagination. In - Egypt, all those in whom that (the imagination) was affected, - perished. The most prudent remedy was moral courage. He had touched - with impunity, he said, some infected persons at Jaffa, and had saved - many lives by deceiving the soldiers, during two months, as to the - nature of the disease: it was not the plague, they were told, but a - fever accompanied with ulcers. Moreover, he had observed that the best - means to preserve the army from it were to keep them on the march, and - give them, plenty of exercise: fatigue, and the employment of the mind - upon other subjects, were found the surest protection.[32] - -Footnote 32: - - It is mentioned in the Memoirs of M. Larre, as a phenomenon, or at - least something remarkable, that the pressure of circumstances - during the retreat from Saint-Jean-d’Acre, having rendered it - necessary to reduce the food of the sick to some plain thin - biscuits, and their dressings to some brackish water, these invalids - traversed sixty leagues of Desert without accidents, and with so - much advantage that the greater part found themselves well when they - arrived in Egypt. He attributes this species of prodigy to the - exercise, direct or indirect, to the dry heat of the Desert, and - above all to the joy of returning to a country which had become a - sort of new home to the soldiers. - - The Emperor also said to the Doctor—“If Hippocrates were on a sudden - to enter your hospital, would he not be much astonished? would he - adopt your maxims and your methods? would he not find fault with you? - On your part should you understand his language? should you at all - comprehend each other?”—He concluded by pleasantly extolling the - practice of medicine in Babylon, where the patients were exposed at - the door, and the relations, sitting near them, stopped the passengers - to enquire if they had ever been afflicted in a similar way, and what - had cured them. One had at least the certainty, said he, of escaping - all those whose remedies had killed them. - - 9th.—I was breakfasting with the Emperor, after our English lesson, - when I received a letter from my wife that filled me with joy and - gratitude. She said, that neither fear, fatigue, nor distance, could - prevent her joining me; that, separated from me, she could experience - no happiness, and that she was only waiting for the proper season. - Admirable devotion! superior to all that we have manifested here, - inasmuch as it is exerted with a perfect knowledge of all its - consequences. I cannot think that in England they will have the - cruelty to refuse her: what does she solicit? favours, interest? No; - she begs to share the lot of an exile on a solitary rock; to fulfil a - duty, and to testify her affection!—How far was I from forming a just - estimate of the hearts and minds of those who detained us! Madame de - Las Cases found herself constantly repulsed: sometimes under various - pretexts; sometimes even without an answer. At last, and as if to rid - himself of her importunity, Lord Bathurst caused her to be informed, - in the beginning of 1817, that she should be permitted to go to the - Cape of Good Hope (500 leagues beyond St. Helena), whence “if the - Governor of St. Helena (Sir Hudson Lowe) sees no objection, she shall - be allowed to join her husband.” - - I leave, without comment, this specimen of ill-timed pleasantry to the - consideration of any one who has the feelings of a man. This letter - came by the Owen Glendower frigate, which arrived from the Cape, and - brought us at the same time the European papers to December 4. - -TRIAL OF NEY.—THE EMPEROR’S CARRIAGE TAKEN AT WATERLOO.—THE INTERVIEW AT - DRESDEN.—ON THE CAPRICE OF WOMEN. - - 10th—12th. The weather had now changed to those miserable pelting - rains which scarcely permitted us to walk in the garden; fortunately - we had newspapers to occupy our time. At length I had the satisfaction - of seeing the Emperor read them without assistance. - - These papers contained many details relating to the trial of Marshal - Ney, which was at that time in progress. With reference to this, the - Emperor said that the horizon was gloomy; that the unfortunate Marshal - was certainly in great danger; but that we must not however despair. - “The King undoubtedly believes himself quite sure of the Peers,” said - he; “they are certainly violent enough, firmly resolved, highly - incensed; but for all that, suppose the slightest incident, some new - rumour, or I know not what: then you would see, in spite of all the - efforts of the King, and of what they believe to be the interest of - their cause, the Chamber of Peers would, all on a sudden, take it into - their heads not to find him guilty; and thus Ney may be saved.” - - This led the Emperor to dilate upon our volatile, fickle, and - changeable disposition. “All the French,” said he, “are turbulent, and - disposed to rail; but they are not addicted to seditious combinations, - still less to actual conspiracy. Their levity is so natural to them, - their changes so sudden, that it may be said to be a national - dishonour. They are mere weathercocks, the sport of the winds, it is - true; but this vice is with them free from the calculations of - interest, and that is their best excuse. But we must only be - understood to speak here of the mass, of that which constitutes public - opinion; for individual examples to the contrary have swarmed in our - latter times, that exhibit certain classes in the most disgusting - state of meanness.” - - It was this knowledge of the national character, the Emperor - continued, that had always prevented his having recourse to the High - Court. It was instituted by our Constitution; the Council of State had - even decreed its organization; but the Emperor felt all the danger of - the bustle and agitation that such spectacles always produce. “Such a - proceeding,” he said, “was in reality an appeal to the public, and was - always highly injurious to authority, when the accused gained the - cause. A Ministry in England might sustain, without inconvenience, the - effects of a decision against it under such circumstances; but a - sovereign like me, and situated as I was, could not have suffered it - without the utmost danger to public affairs: for this reason, I - preferred having recourse to the ordinary tribunals. Malevolence often - started objections to this; nevertheless, among all those whom it was - pleased to call victims, which of them, I ask you, has retained his - popularity in our late struggles? They have taken care to justify me: - all of them are faded in the national estimation.” - - The Emperor had reserved one article in the papers, that he might have - my assistance in reading it; it referred to the carriage he lost at - Waterloo: the great number of technical expressions rendered it too - difficult for him. The editor gave a very circumstantial account of - this carriage, with a minutely detailed inventory of all its contents; - to this he sometimes added the most frivolous reflections. In - mentioning a small liquor-case, he observed that the Emperor never - forgot _himself_, but took care to want nothing; in noticing certain - elegant appendages to his dressing-case, he added that it might be - seen he made his toilet _comme il faut_ (the expression was in - French). These last words produced a sensation in the Emperor, which - certainly would not have been excited by a more important subject. - “How!” said he to me, with a mixture of disgust and pain; “these - people of England, then, take me for some wild animal; have they - really been led so far as this? or their ——, who is a kind of Ox Apis, - as I am assured, does he not pay that attention to his toilet that is - considered proper by every person of any education among us?” - - It is certain that I should have been a good deal puzzled to explain - to him the writer’s meaning. Besides, it is known that the Emperor, of - all people in the world, set the least value on his personal - convenience, and studied it the least; but, on the other hand, and he - acknowledged it with pleasure, there never was one for whom the - devotion and attention of servants had been so diligent in that - particular. As he ate at very irregular hours, they contrived, in the - course of his journeys and campaigns, to have his dinner, similar to - what he was accustomed to at the Tuileries, always ready within a few - paces of him. He had but to speak, and he was instantly served; he - himself said it was magic. During fifteen years he constantly drank a - particular sort of Burgundy (Chambertin), which he liked and believed - to be wholesome for him: he found this wine provided for him - throughout Germany, in the remotest part of Spain, everywhere, even at - Moscow; and it may truly be said that art, luxury, the refinement of - elegance and good taste, contended around him, as if without his - knowledge, to afford him gratification. The English journalists, - therefore, described a multitude of objects that were undoubtedly in - the carriage; but of which the Emperor had not the slightest notion: - not that he was at all surprised at it, he observed. - - The bad weather which continued to confine us within doors, had no - influence on the disposition of the Emperor, who at this particular - time seemed more unreserved and talked more than usual. He spoke at - length, and with the most minute details, of the famous interview at - Dresden. The following are extracts from his conversation:— - - This was the epoch when the power of Napoleon was at its height: he - there appeared as the _king of kings_; he was actually obliged to - observe that some attention ought to be paid to the Emperor of - Austria, his father-in-law. Neither this Sovereign nor the King of - Prussia had any household establishment attending them; Alexander had - none either at Tilsit or Erfurt. There, as at Dresden, they lived at - Napoleon’s table.—“These Courts,” said the Emperor, “were paltry and - vulgar.” It was he who regulated the etiquette, and took the lead in - them; he made Francis take precedence of him, to his unbounded - satisfaction. The luxury and magnificence of Napoleon must have made - him appear to them like an Asiatic prince: there, as well as at - Tilsit, he loaded all who came near him with diamonds. We informed him - that at Dresden he had not a single French soldier about him: and that - his Court was sometimes not without apprehensions for the safety of - his person. He could scarcely believe us;—but we assured him that it - was a fact; that the Saxon body-guard was the only one he had. “It is - all one,” he said; “I was then in so good a family, with such worthy - people, that I ran no risk; I was beloved by all; and, at this very - time, I am sure the good King of Saxony repeats every day a _Pater_ - and an _Ave_ for me.” He added, “I ruined the fortunes of that poor - Princess Augusta, and I acted very wrong in so doing. Returning from - Tilsit, I received, at Marienwerder, a chamberlain of the King of - Saxony, who delivered me a letter from his master; he wrote thus: ‘I - have just received a letter from the Emperor of Austria, who desires - my daughter in marriage; I send this to you, that you may inform me - what answer I ought to return.’—‘I shall be at Dresden in a few - days,’” was the reply of the Emperor; and, on his arrival, he set his - face against the match, and prevented it. “I was very wrong,” repeated - he; “I was fearful the Emperor Francis would withdraw the King of - Saxony from me: on the contrary, the Princess Augusta would have - brought over the Emperor Francis to my side, and I should not now have - been here.” - - At Dresden, Napoleon was much occupied in business, and Maria-Louisa, - anxious to avail herself of the smallest intervals of leisure to be - with her husband, scarcely ever went out, lest she should miss them. - The Emperor Francis, who did nothing, and tired himself all day with - going about the town, could not at all comprehend this family - seclusion; he fancied that it was to affect reserve and importance. - The Empress of Austria endeavoured to prevail on Maria-Louisa to go - out; she represented to her that her constant assiduity was - ridiculous. She would willingly have given herself the airs of a - step-mother with Maria-Louisa, who was not disposed to suffer it, - their ages being nearly the same. She came frequently in the morning - to her toilet, ransacking among the luxurious and magnificent objects - displayed there: she seldom went out empty-handed. - - “The reign of Maria-Louisa was very short,” said the Emperor; “but it - must have been full of enjoyment for her; she had the world at her - feet.” One of us took the liberty to ask if the Empress of Austria was - not the sworn enemy of Maria-Louisa. “Nothing more,” said the Emperor, - “than a little regular court-hatred; a thorough detestation in the - heart, but glossed over by daily letters of four pages, full of - coaxing and tenderness.” - - The Empress of Austria was particularly attentive to Napoleon, and - took great pains to make much of him while he was present; but no - sooner was his back turned, than she endeavoured to detach - Maria-Louisa from him by the most mischievous and malicious - insinuations; she was vexed that she could not succeed in obtaining - some influence over her. “She has, however, address and ability,” said - the Emperor, “and that sufficient to embarrass her husband, who had - acquired a conviction that she entertained a poor opinion of him. Her - countenance was agreeable, engaging, and had something very peculiar - in it; she was a pretty little nun. - - “As to the Emperor Francis, his good-nature is well known, and makes - him constantly the dupe of the designing. His son will be like him. - - “The King of Prussia, as a private character, is an honourable, good, - and worthy man; but, in his political capacity, he is naturally - disposed to yield to necessity: you are his master so long as you have - power on your side, and your arm is uplifted to strike. - - “As for the Emperor of Russia, he is a man infinitely superior to - these: he possesses wit, grace, information; he is fascinating, but he - is not to be trusted: he is devoid of candour, a true _Greek of the - Lower Empire_. At the same time he is not without ideology, real or - assumed:—after all, it may only be a smattering derived from his - education and his preceptor. Would you believe,” said the Emperor, - “what I had to discuss with him? He maintained that inheritance is an - abuse in monarchy, and I had to spend more than an hour, and employ - all my eloquence and logic, in proving to him that this right - constitutes the peace and happiness of the people. It may be, too, - that he was mystifying; for he is cunning, false, and expert . . . - . . . . . .; he will push his fortunes. If I die here, he will be my - real heir in Europe. I alone was able to stop him with his deluge of - Tartars. The crisis is great, and will have lasting effects upon the - Continent of Europe, especially upon Constantinople: he was solicitous - with me for the possession of it. I have had much coaxing on this - subject; but I constantly turned a deaf ear to it. It was necessary - that that empire, shattered as it appeared, should constantly remain a - point of separation between us; it was the marsh that prevented my - right from being turned. As to Greece, it is another matter!” And, - after talking awhile upon that country, he renewed the subject: - “Greece awaits a liberator! There will be a brilliant crown of glory! - He will inscribe his name for ever with those of Homer, Plato, and - Epaminondas!—I perhaps was not far from it, when, during my campaign - in Italy, arrived on the shores of the Adriatic, I wrote to the - Directory, that I had before my eyes the kingdom of Alexander!—Still - later I entered into engagements with Ali Pacha; and when Corfu was - taken from us, they must have found there ammunition and a complete - equipment for an army of forty or fifty thousand men. I had caused - maps to be made of Macedonia, Servia, Albania, &c. Greece, the - Peloponnesus at least, must be the lot of that European power which - shall possess Egypt. It should be ours.” - - END OF VOL. I. - - ANDOVER: STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY B. BENSLEY. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Footnotes - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Transcriber’s Note - - The final line of text refers to the printer, but is not entirely - legible. It would seem to refer to Benjamin Bensley (d. 1870). - - Whoever he might have been, errors deemed most likely to be the - printer’s have been corrected, and are noted here. The references are - to the page and line in the original. The issues tabulated below - should be noted, along with the resolutions. - - There were a number of instances in the text where quoted material was - missing either an opening or closing quotation mark. The proper - placement is not always obvious, but the most plausible choice has - been made in each case. - - 10.21 “I have made no calculation about it,[”] I Moved. - replied.[”] - - 38.1 which it would be necess[s]ary to employ Removed. - - 41.8 who had shewn me great attent[ent]ion Removed. - - 42.26 [“]let mine also be accomplished. Removed. - - 51.11 continued his way towards the Added. - accom[m]odation-ladder - - 52.4 on bo[ra/ar]d the Bellerophon Transposed. - - 58.4 as if totally una[c]quainted with the language Added. - - 60.12 The quantity and arrang[e]ment of the matter Added. - - 61.1 the Gra[u/n]d Marshal and I always followed Inverted. - him - - 62.31 had received Napoleon[s]’s pacific letter Removed. - - 64.40 the class of jurisprudence in [i/t]he Replaced. - University of Pisa - - 73.11 who was posses[s]ed of great bodily as well as Added. - mental vigour - - 75.40 Duchess de Vicenza.[’] Added. - Probable. - - 80.32 an early introduction to Madame d[é/u] Replaced. - Columbier - - 109.3 “_Vive notre petit Caporal!_[”] Removed. - - 125.27 said Napoleon. [“]You know but little of men, Added. - - 133.10 The Emperor explained these feeling[s] Added. - surprisingly well - - 134.4 On his arr[r]ival in Egypt Removed. - - 168.29 the King mu[a/s]t have found his study Replaced. - - 190.18 may at a future period be renewed.[”] Added. - - 191.35 to bend the knee to him at his levee.[”] Added. - Probable. - - 201.12 in ignorance of the character of Transposed. - Maria-Lou[si/is]a - - 228.17 [“]The National Guard was ordered out Added. - Probable. - - 231.6 than to the favo[n/u]r which it was intended Inverted. - - 269.16 [“]The following are the principal points Removed. - - 281.13 over the whole of the grounds[,/.] The Emperor Replaced. - - 284.39 [“]Each> system may, no doubt, be maintained Added. - Probable. - - 330.28 then[./,] struck with the smell of the paint, Replaced. - - 333.34 his style is out of our line.[’]” Added. - - 334.34 [“]Our history,” said the Emperor, Added. - Probable - placement. - - 336.7 had been much alarmed[.] Added. - - 350.30 and we henceforth a[rg/gr]eed to pay the sums Transposed. - - 367.27 prepared to meet the enemy afte[r] seeing or Restored. - reading it - - 385.15 to produce the best[s] effects Removed. - - 386.1 dining every Sunday in the Galerie de Diane[’] Removed. - - 386.39 [ve/ev]ery thing would have fallen into its Transposed. - natural course. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Memoirs of the life, exile, and -conversations of the Emperor Napoleon, by Emmanuel-Auguste-Dieudonné Las Cases - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS VOLUME 1 OF 4 *** - -***** This file should be named 53967-0.txt or 53967-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/9/6/53967/ - -Produced by KD Weeks, Josep Cols Canals and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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