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GIFT OF ORLA B. TAYLOR
A.B. 1886, LL.B. 1887, |
LL.D. 1933 3
I. 








?,.14
eT




A SELECTION FROM
THE LETTERS AND DESPATCHES
OF THE
FIRST NAPOLEON.


VOI,. I.








A SELECTION FROM


THE LETTERS AND DESPATCHES
OF THE
FIRST NAPOLEON. -H


MtOitt ESxplanatorp Notes.
BY
CAPTAIN THE HON. D. A. BINGHAM,
AUTHOR OF "MARRIAGES OF THE BONAPARTES."


IN THREE VOL UMES.
VOL. I.
LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL,
LIMITED.
1884.




LONDON:
R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOI,
BlIEAD STREET HILL.




/
PREFACE.
IN the selections which we have made from the
voluminous Correspondence of Napoleon we have confined
ourselves to letters of general interest and such documents as throw light upon the character of one of the
most wonderful men ever born. Much has already been
written about Napoleon; but people still write about
Caesar. The marvellous career of both captains furnishes
an almost inexhaustible mine for the student of history.
Both left behind them something more than the names
of their victories, something more solid than their material
(7)
conquests.  As we find the portrait of Caesar in his
Commentaries, so we find the portrait of Napoleon in his
Correspondence. We fancy that the selections we have
made will give a fair insight into the character and genius
of the man who, succeeding the Revolution, re-established
order in France and swept like a hurricane over the rest
of Europe, destroying in his passage a great deal that
was rotten.  Voltaire says that the highwayman was
succeeded by the conqueror, and the rapacity of Napoleon,




vi                   PREFACE.
which stands out most glaringly in his Correspondence,
betrayed his descent. He shows himself an inveterate
plunderer.  It will be seen that he always had peace
on his lips, but war was in his heart. His professions in
favour of peace were rapidly followed by bloodshed and
rapine.  That he alone was the author of "those big
wars," which, to many, " make ambition virtue," is proved
by the calm which succeeded his removal from the throne.
The principles upon which he governed are no longer in
favour in France; he certainly did not succeed in establishing the dynasty he was so anxious to found. Imperialism has for the moment few adherents; and yet
the work of the Great Napoleon has not been obliterated;
his Code, his administration, and many of his vast public
works bear witness to his genius and his glory.  The
stranger who visits Paris must be struck with the magnificence of the monuments dedicated to his memory: the
triumphal Arch, which four regimes helped to construct
-Empire, Restoration, Constitutional Monarchy, Republic
-the Column of Vend6me, the splendid tomb under the
dome of the Invalides-these, and the broad avenues, the
streets and the bridges called after his marshals or his
victories, speak of his fame.  The Legion of Honour
which he founded is the only order which survives. Other
capitals have good reason to remember the great soldierMoscow and Madrid, Florence and Milan, Berlin and
Vienna; everywhere traces of him in Rome, Naples,
Lisbon, Cairo, Munich, and Amsterdam.  By sea alone




PREFACE.


Vii


he was powerless; no naval victory figures in the list
of his triumphs.  There are islands which may almost
be said to belong to him - Corsica where he was
born, Elba where he was confined, and St. Helena
where he died.
If some of the letters we have selected exhibit Napoleon
in an unfavourable light, we must remember what Dr.
Johnson wrote, that-" No person ever rose to supreme
power in whom great qualities were not combined with
a certain meanness which would be deemed inconceivable
in ordinary men." But in few heroes has this mixture
been more evenly distributed.  His last letter, craving
the hospitality of England, and written when escape was
impossible, is a sad example of this want of dignity
which excited the epigram of the Abbe de Pradt and
some of the severest stanzas of Byron.








CONT ENTS.


CHAPTER I.
YOUTHFUL LETTERS AND ANTECEDENTS...
CHAPTER II.
THE  YEAR  I796..............
CHAPTER III.
THE YEAR  1797.....
CHAPTER IV.
THE  YEAR  179......
CHAPTER V.
THE YEAR  I799.....
CHAPTER VI
THE  YEAR 8.S.......
CHAPTER VII.
THE  YEAR  1801......
CHAPTER VIII.
THE  YEAR  1802..........


I'ACG......  I.........  60......  125......  197......  24I......  284
*.......333......  382




, I



A SELECTION FROM
THE LETTERS AND DESPATCHES
OF THE
FIRST NAPOLEON.








THE CORRESPONDENCE OF
NAPOLEON.
CHAPTER I.
YOUTHFUL LETTERS AND ANTECEDENTS.
DURING the Second Empire the French Government determined to publish the " Correspondence of Napoleon I.,"
and a Committee, presided over by Prince Napoleon, was
charged with this duty. At the outset of their labours
the Committee thus addressed Napoleon III.:"SIRE,-Augustus placed Caesar among the gods, and
dedicated a temple to him: the temple has disappeared, his
Commentaries remain. Your Majesty, wishing to raise an
imperishable monument to the chief of your dynasty, has
ordered us to collect and to publish the political, military,
and administrative correspondence of Napoleon I...
" Let us at once state that, in conformity with the
instructions of your Majesty, we have scrupulously
avoided any alteration, amendment, or modification of
the originals. In declaring that his public life commenced
with the siege of Toulon, Napoleon I. himself determined
the starting-point for the Committee.  It is at that
immortal date the present publication begins."
It is objected that the public life of a man commences
from the day he enters the career he has chosen, and that
VOL. I.                                  B




2     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Napoleon's public life dates from his first commission in
the army in I785, if not from his entry into the military
school of Brienne, at the expense of the country, in I779.
The Committee was no doubt deterred from publishing
the early correspondence for several reasons. It would
have revealed Napoleon first of all in his character of a
Corsican patriot, hating France, ignorant of the language
of the people he was destined to govern; then a violent
Jacobin and the friend of the Robespierres; an officer
guilty of several serious acts of insubordination, which in
less troubled times would have cost him his life; who only
escaped being brought before a court-martial by a miracle,
on the charges of desertion and levying war against the
French Government; whose name was five times struck
off the Army List, and who was only reinstated on the
production of documents filled with inaccurate statements.
The assertion made by the Committee of not tampering
with the correspondence is certainly not correct, for many
curious letters have been omitted altogether, and others
have been revised and corrected. This is not much to be
wondered at on the part of a Committee engaged in raising
"an imperishable monument." However, since the fall of
the Second Empire there has been a great rummaging of
the archives of the War Office, and strange matters have
been brought to light and rescued from that dust in which
Augustin Thierry says the national history is still hidden.
The Committee published twenty-nine 8vo. volumes,
reaching from the siege of Toulon, where Napoleon
acquired the rank of general, down to the second and
final collapse of the First Empire at Waterloo. Before
commencing the perusal of the letters we have selected, it
will be well to bear in mind the following facts in connection with the most remarkable genius of modern times.
Corsica, after having been some time in the possession
of the Genoese, was sold to France under the auspices of
Choiseul, "the coachman of Europe," who bought it to
counterbalance the loss of Canada. The Corsicans offered




NAPOLEON S BIRTH.


3


a stout resistance to the French, but were finally subdued,
after an expenditure of much blood and 50,000,000 francs.
Paoli, the Corsican leader, had exhibited great skill,
courage, and energy in defence of his native island, but
in May, 1769, Corsica was definitively annexed to France.
Paoli fled to England. Charles Bonaparte, the father of
the future emperor, had been one of his warmest partisans,
and his wife had shared with him the dangers of the last
campaign. Towards the end of May Charles Bonaparte
tendered his submission, and was thus brought into contact with the Comte de Marbeuf, the French governor,
with whom he was soon on intimate terms.
In 1764 Charles Bonaparte, the last of his race, had
married Laetitia Ramolino, the most beautiful girl in the
island. In 1765 a son was born, who lived only a few
months. In 1766 came a daughter, who also died young;
and in 1768 a third child, who was christened Nabulione.
The identity of Nabulione is enveloped in mystery.
According to Charles Bonaparte, and the official historians of the empire, this child was Joseph. Recent
authors reject the idea of two sons having received the
name of Nabulione, and declare there was a fraudulent
substitution; that Nabulione, or rather Napoleon, was
born at Corte in I768, and Joseph at Ajaccio in 1769.
There is a great deal of evidence in support of this theory,
and no reliable evidence against it-nothing but the assertion of interested parties. In a letter to Paoli, Napoleon
afterwards alluded to the scenes of bloodshed amid which
he had been born-scenes which took place in I768, but
which had ceased in 1769. On several other occasions he
made allusions and declarations tending to show that he
was born in January, 1768, and not on the i5th August,
1769. Joseph, too, made similar admissions, and certainly
Napoleon from his childhood behaved like the eldest son.
However, according to official history, Napoleon was born
on the I5th August, 1769, when Corsica had become
French, and as all the early documents concerning the
B 2




4      THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


family were destroyed and the registers mutilated at Corte,
Ajaccio, Bastia, and Marseilles, as soon as Bonaparte
attained power, one must accept the official date.
The reason given for a substitution is, that when Charles
Bonaparte obtained a foundation at Brienne, Napoleon
was just over the age for admission, while Joseph, of a
meek and retiring disposition, was unsuited for a military
career.  Under these circumstances Charles Bonaparte
took his eldest son to the Royal Military College, passing
him off as his second son.
Charles Bonaparte, after tendering his submission,
became a fervent partisan of the French, was appointed
one of a committee of twelve gentlemen who administered
the island under the French governor, and was afterwards
chosen to represent the Corsican nobility in the General
States at Versailles.
In I778, thanks to M. de Marbeuf, he received a free
admission for one of his sons into the military school at
Brienne, and in the month of December set out for France,
accompanied by Joseph, Napoleon, and Fesch, his wife's
half-brother. The party repaired first to Autun, where
they were kindly received by the bishop, Monsignor de
Marbeuf, the brother of the count. It was only ten years
later that Talleyrand was appointed to this See.
Joseph, Napoleon, and Fesch were all put to school.
Joseph and Fesch were destined for the Church, and
Napoleon had to prepare for Brienne. There exists a
report of his master, the Abbe Chardon, showing that
the latter was very intelligent, and that he learned to
speak and write French fairly in three months.
Having shown proof of his nobility for a hundred and
forty years, Charles Bonaparte received the necessary
papers from the Prince de Montbarey, and took Napoleon
to Brienne, where, after passing in French, he left him on
the 24th April, I779, the same year that Josephine Tascher
de la Pagerie married Alexander de Beauharnais.
As at Autun, so at Brienne, Napoleon was in the hands




NAPOLEON WRITES TO HIS FATHER.


5


of the clergy. The head-master was Pere Louis; Pere
Patrault, ever afterwards held in high esteem by Napoleon,
taught mathematics; Pere Dupuy literature; and the illfated Pichegru, who, educated in a monastery, had served
in America as a private soldier, gave military instructionPichegru, supposed to have been strangled in I804 at the
instigation of his former pupil.
Napoleon had not been long at Brienne when the taunts
and arrogance of his young comrades wounded his pride.
He was on the foundation; he owed everything to the
royal bounty, and he had no pocket-money. Though
only twelve years of age, he not only felt and resented
the inferiority of his situation, but he expressed his feelings, with an amount of vigour truly remarkable, in the
following letter, which is the earliest preserved specimen
of his correspondence:" MY FATHER,-If you or my protectors do not give me
the means of supporting myself more honourably in the
house where I am, let me return home immediately. I
am tired of exhibiting indigence, and of seeing the smiles
of insolent scholars who are only superior to me by reason
of their fortune; for there is not one capable of feeling
the noble sentiments with which I am animated. What!
sir, your son is to be the laughing-stock of some popinjays,
who, proud of the pleasures they give themselves, laughingly insult the privations I endure! No, my father, no!
Should fortune absolutely refuse the amelioration of my
lot, remove me from Brienne, and if necessary give me
a mechanical profession. By these offers judge of my
despair. This letter, believe me, is not dictated by any
vain desire to indulge in expensive amusements; I am
not at all fond of them. I simply experience the want
of showing that I have the means of procuring them like
the rest of my comrades.
"Your respectful and affectionate son,
" BUONAPARTE.
" 5th A4ril, 178 I."


4




6


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Among the comrades of Bonaparte were de Dampierre,
de Comminges, de Castries, and many other sprigs of the
nobility, including de Bourrienne, afterwards his secretary,
and Phelippeaux, who, with Sir Sydney Smith, successfully defended St. Jean d'Arc, and helped to change his
destiny by barring his road to the East.
In April, 1783, Bonaparte, after a dispute with a brother
cadet who had railed at him about Corsica and his father,
was placed under arrest. He immediately wrote to M. de
Marbeuf, the protector of himself and his family, saying:"Now, if I am guilty, if I have been justly deprived of
my liberty, add to the favours with which you have already
honoured me that of withdrawing me from Brienne and
depriving me of your protection. It would be a theft to
the prejudice of some one more worthy than myself to
continue to enjoy that protection. No, sir, I shall never
be more worthy of it. I shall never cure myself of an
impetuosity, all the more dangerous because I believe the
motive sacred. No matter what interest commands, I
shall never have the strength of mind to see a man of
honour-my father, my respectable father-dragged in the
mud! On this subject, sir, I shall always feel too deeply
to confine myself to complaining to my chiefs; I shall
always remain persuaded that a good son ought to avenge
a similar outrage. As for the favours which you have
showered upon me, they will be ever present to my mind.
I shall say, I acquired an honourable protection, but to
take advantage of it required virtues which Heaven has
refused me, &c. &c.
" NAPOLEONE BUONAPARTE."
M. de Marbeuf interceded, Bonaparte was released,
passed his examinations with success, was distinguished
for application, mathematics, tolerable knowledge of
history and geography; was weak in Latin; "would
make an excellent sailor."  He had acquired a taste for




LETTER TO UNCLE FESCH.


7


a sea-faring life from having frequented the society of
Corsican fishermen and listened with avidity to their
marvellous stories, which greatly impressed his romantic
imagination. Hence his efficiency in naval matters, and
a store of knowledge never forgotten.
On the I5th June, 1784, Bonaparte despatched this
long letter to his uncle Fesch, the future cardinal, on
family matters:"MY DEAR UNCLE,-I write to inform you that my
dear father is going to pass through Brienne in order to
take Marianne (sister Eliza Bacciochi) to St. Cyr, and
to try and re-establish his health. He arrived here on the
2Ist with Lucien [who was going to be a priest], who
knows French, and has forgotten his Italian..... I am
persuaded that my brother Joseph does not write to you.
When he writes to my father it is only a couple of lines.
It is true that he treats me better..... As for the profession he wishes to adopt, he at first, as you know, chose
the Church. He now desires to serve the king, and in
this he is wrong for many reasons.
"First: As my dear father remarks, he has not courage
enough to affront the perils of an action; his health is
feeble, and will not allow him to support the fatigues of
a campaign; and my brother looks on the military profession only from a garrison point of view. Yes, my dear
brother would make a good garrison officer; he is wellmade, light-minded, fit for paying frivolous compliments,
and with these talents he will always get on well in
society.
"Second: He has received an ecclesiastical education,
and it is very late to undo that. Monsignor the Bishop
of Autun would have given him a fat living, and he would
have been sure to become a bishop. What an advantage
for the family! Monsignor of Autun has done all he could
to encourage him to persevere, promising him that he shall
never repent. Should he persist in wishing to be a soldier




8      THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


I must praise him, provided he has a decided taste for his
profession, the finest of all, and the great motive power
of human affairs..... He wishes to be a military
man; that is all very well, but in what corps?  Is it
in the marine?
" First: He knows nothing of mathematics; it would
take him two years to learn.  Second: His health is
incompatible with the sea.  Is it the engineers?  He
would require four or five years to learn what is necessary,
and at the end of that time he would be only a cadet.
Besides, I think that working all day long is not in accordance with the levity of his character. The same reasons
which apply to the engineers apply to the artillery, with
this exception, that he would have to work eighteen
months to become a cadet, and eighteen months more to
become an officer. Oh! that is not to his taste. Let us
see. No doubt he desires to join the infantry. Good;
I understand; he wishes to pass the day doing nothing;
he wishes to dawdle about all day long. And what is a
slender officer of infantry? Three parts of the time a
scapegrace.  And this is what neither my father, nor
you, nor my mother, nor my grand-uncle, the archdeacon
desires: for he has already exhibited symptoms of levity
and prodigality. Consequently a last effort will be made
to induce him to enter the Church, in default of which
my dear father will take him back to Corsica, where
he will be under his eye, and will try and get him to
the bar, &c.
"NAPOLEONE DE BUONAPARTE.
"P.S. Tear up this letter. It is to be hoped Joseph,
with his talents, and the feelings with which his education ought to have inspired him, will decide well and
become the supporter of our family."
A curious letter to be written by a younger son,
aged fifteen, during his father's lifetime. The paragraph




FAMILY AFFAIRS.


9


concerning 1 Lucien, who had forgotten his Italian, is
interesting from the fact of Lucien having taken refuge
in Italy later in life, and having had his children
naturalised Italians.
Joseph having stood firm, it was decided that he should
go to Metz or Brienne, but for the moment he returned
to Ajaccio with his father. On the 12th September, 1784,
Napoleon wrote the following reply to a letter conveying
this intelligence:"MY DEAR FATHER,-As you may imagine, your letter
did not cause me great pleasure; but family interests and
the state of your health, which are dear to me, oblige me
to approve of your prompt return to Corsica..... I am
delighted that Joseph has accompanied you, provided he
can return by the Ist November. He can come here,
because Father Patrault, my mathematical master, remains.
The principal begs me to assure you that Joseph will be
well received. Father Patrault says that if my brother
wishes to work we might pass our examination for the
artillery together..... I hope you will prefer Brienne to
Metz for several reasons: First, because that will be a consolation for Joseph, for Lucien, and for myself. Second,
because you would be obliged to write to the principal at
Metz, and that would occasion delay. Third, because it is
not customary at Metz to teach all Joseph must learn in
six months for his examination; consequently my brother,
who knows nothing of mathematics, would be placed with
children, and this would disgust him. These and many
other reasons should induce you to send him here. I
therefore hope, before the end of October, to embrace
Joseph.
"I beg you will send me Boswell and any other histories
bearing on my work. You have nothing to fear; I will
bring them back to Corsica were it in six years.....
"Your very humble and very obedient son,
"DE BUONAPARTE."




10    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


For many years Napoleon busied himself with his
history of Corsica, which he fondly hoped would gain
him fortune and renown. He laboured at it incessantly,
but it was destined never to see the light.
The following letter seems to have been written in
I790, and not, as its date would lead one to infer, in
1793, the first year of the Republic.  It was addressed
to Abbe Raynal, a member of the Academy:" SIR,-It will be difficult for you to remember, among
the large number of strangers who importune you with
their admiration, a person to whom you have shown some
kindness. Last year you talked about Corsica with pleasure; condescend, therefore, to cast an eye over this sketch
of its history. I present you with the two first letters,
and if you accept them I will send the remainder.
"My brother, whom I have recommended to the committee of deputies charged to bring back Paoli to the
country, and to receive a lesson of virtue and honour,
will hand them to you.
"I am, with respect,
"Your very humble and very obedient servant,
" BUONAPARTE,
"AJACCIO, the 24th June (sic),  "Officer of Artillery.
" Year Ist of Liberty."
Lucien Bonaparte says, in his Memoirs, that the Abbe
Raynal sent the two chapters to Mirabeau, who declared
they announced a genius of the first order. They appear
to form part of the Ashburnham collection One finds
such passages as these in them:"A lover of freedom, you take an interest in the fate
of Corsica, which you admire; it was called by the
character of its inhabitants to enjoy liberty, and by the
'centrality' of its position, the number of its ports, and
the fertility of its soil, to do a large trade. Then why
have the Corsicans never been free, nor traders? Among




CORSICAN PROCLIVITIES.


II


the curiosities of the French Revolution this is not the
least. Those who slew us as rebels are to-day our protectors. They are animated by our sentiments. Man!
man! you are despicable in slavery, and you are great
when the love of liberty enflames you! Then prejudices
are dissipated, your soul is elevated, your reason regains
its empire; regenerated  you   are truly the king of
nature."
"To how many vicissitudes are nations exposed! Is
it Providence or blind hazard which governs our fate?
Pardon, 0 God! but tyranny, oppression, and injustice
devastate the earth, and the earth is the work of your
hands. Suffering and care are the lot of the just man,
and the just man was made in your image.... What
a picture is offered by modern history! Nations slaughtering each other for family quarrels, and cutting each others'
throats in the name of the Ruler of the universe; knavish
and greedy priests working on their imagination by means
of their love of the marvellous and their fears..... You
felt that the history of Corsica was wanting to our literature; your friendship believed me capable of writing it.
I eagerly accepted a labour which flattered my love for
my country, then abased, unhappy, enslaved..... The
constancy and virtues of my nation will captivate the
suffrages of the reader."
"I shall have to speak of Paoli, whose wise institutions
for an instant insured our happiness, and allowed us to
conceive the most brilliant hopes."
".... When the triumvirs offered to the world the
hideous spectacle of successful crime, Corsica and Sicily
were the refuge of Sextus Pompey. I see with pleasure
my country, to the shame of the universe [England
included] serve as an asylum for the last remains of
Roman liberty, and the heirs of Cato," &c.1
At this moment the head of Napoleon was full of the philosopher
of Geneva, who looked upon Corsica as a kind of Utopia, where free
government might be established and flourish; but in after years Jean




12    TIlE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


This history of Corsica, the fruit of so much labour,
was never published. Submitted to Paoli some years
later, that chief found the author too young, advised him
to consult authorities, and expressed the desire not to be
eulogised. Napoleon was on the point of laying his work
before Necker, but changed his mind, and sent it to Pere
Dupuy, one of his old tutors at Brienne. The good father
naturally disapproved of the sentiments of the author,
found the narrative disconnected, the style and the
grammar faulty, and recommended a total revision. This
want of encouragement, and supervening events, prevented
the publication of the MS.
On the 24th of February, 1784, Charles Bonaparte
died, "the irreconcilable enemy of religion, and of the
Jesuits who had despoiled his family."     He departed
this life at the age of thirty-eight, leaving behind him
five sons and three daughters, in a state of relative
destitution. He was deeply regretted, as the following
letters prove:"PARIS, 29th Alarch, I785.
"MY DEAR MOTHER,-Now that time has somewhat
calmed the first transports of my grief, I hasten to assure
you of the gratitude with which your kindness has always
inspired me. Console yourself, my dear mother; circumstances require this. We will redouble our solicitude,
happy if we can, by our obedience, make up in some
degree for the inestimable loss of a cherished husband. I
terminate, my dear mother, by imploring you to calm
your grief. My health is perfect, and I pray every day
Jacques was pronounced to be a bad fellow, and when Stanilas
Girardin proposed to the First Consul a visit to Ermenonville to see
the relics-the hermitage, the cap, the table, the arm-chair, &c.-he
said, " Bah! I have no taste for such tomfooleries; show them to my
brother Louis." Fourteen years had operated a great change in
Napoleon's ideas about the Contrat Social, and other matters.




NAPOLEON S FATHER.


I 3


that Heaven may favour you in a similar way. Present
my respects to Zia Geltrude, &c., &c.
"P.S. The Queen of France was confined of a son,
called the Duke de Normandy, on the 27th March, at
7 P.M.
"Your very humble and affectionate son,
" NAPOLEON DE BUONAPARTE."
This letter and the last which he wrote to his father
betrayed an amount of feeling which was seldom revealed.
In the following letter Napoleon rather over-estimated
the qualities of his father, who really busied himself very
little with his children. On several occasions afterwards
he condemned in severe terms the political conduct of
the committee of twelve, to which Charles Bonaparte
belonged:To M. DE BUONAPARTE, Archdeacon of the Cathedral of Ajaccio,
in Corsica, at Ajaccio, vid Antibes.
"PARIS, 28th March, I785.
"MY DEAR UNCLE,-It would be useless to express
how deeply I feel the misfortune which has befallen us.
We have lost in him a father, and God knows what a
father! His tenderness, his affection, alas! everything
designed him to be the support of our youth. You have
lost in him  a dutiful and grateful nephew. Ah! you
know better than I do how he loved you. I dare even
say that the country has lost in kim an enlightened, zealous,
and disinterested citizen. And yet Heaven let him die;
and in what a place? A hundred leagues from his native
land-in a foreign country, indifferent to his existence,
far from all he held precious. One son, it is true, was
present at the terrible moment, and this must have been
a great consolation for him, but certainly not to be compared to the melancholy satisfaction he would have




I4


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


experienced in terminating his career in his own house
in the bosom of his wife and family. But the Supreme
Being did not permit this. His will is unchangeable;
He alone can console us. At least, if He has deprived us
of the person we hold most dear, He has left us those
persons most capable of replacing him, &c.
"Your very humble servant and nephew,
"NAPOLEONE DE BUONAPARTE."
It is impossible on reading this letter not to recall how
Napoleon himself was destined to die far from his wife,
his son, mother, brothers, sisters, France, and Corsica, in
another hemisphere, and with only a few faithful followers
to soothe his last moments.
What were the prospects of Napoleon Bonaparte at this
moment? He regarded himself as an alien. He could
hardly hope for any exceptional favour. M. de Marbeuf
was dead. In the ordinary course of events he would
become a captain after fifteen years' service, and after
another fifteen years be able to retire from the service
with the cross of St. Louis and a modest pension. As
it turned out, before fifteen years had passed Napoleon
had shown himself one of the most consummate generals
the world ever produced; he was First Consul, and had
crowned a series of brilliant triumphs with the victory
of Marengo. Fifteen years afterwards, instead of retiring
with his cross and his pension, he was exiled to
St. Helena.
However, for the moment he was a subaltern on 361.
a year, with 51. lodging money, and 8Z. royal bounty as
a pupil of Brienne. He was ungainly in his person, unprepossessing, diminutive, and taciturn, and there was
nothing attractive about him but the lustre of his eyes,
which revealed the working of no ordinary mind, which
seemed to gaze deep into futurity, and to read the inmost
thoughts of all who conversed with him.
Having been ordered to Douai with his regiment, the




MELANCHOLY OUTLOOK.


15


climate of that place, and family difficulties, greatly
affected his imagination, as is shown by this fragment:"Always alone in the midst: of men, I return to my
quarters to commune with myself and to indulge in the
vivacity of my melancholy. In what direction do my
thoughts turn to-day? In the direction of death. In
the dawn of my existence, I might still hope to live for
a long while. I have been for the last six or seven years
absent from my country. What pleasure would it not
afford me to see once more my native land and my
parents..... What rage therefore prompts me to kill
myself?  What do in this world?  Since I must die,
would it not be better to destroy myself?  If I were
sixty years of age, I would respect the prejudices of my
contemporaries and wait for nature to finish its course;
but as I commence to experience misfortunes, and there
is no pleasure for me, why should I support life? How
far are men removed from nature! They are cowardly,
base, grovelling! What a spectacle awaits me in my
country! My compatriots, laden with chains, embrace
the hand which oppresses them.  They are no longer
those brave Corsicans whom a hero animated with his
virtues; enemies of tyrants, of luxury, and vile courtesans..... Frenchmen, not satisfied with having deprived us of
our liberty, you have corrupted our morals!.... If I had
only one man to destroy in order to deliver my compatriots, I would plunge the avenging blade of my country
and of its violated laws into the breast of the tyrant. Life
is a burden to me, because I enjoy no pleasure," &c., &c.
Soon after writing the above dismal and patriotic
impressions, Bonaparte obtained leave of absence and
returned home, disembarking at Ajaccio in February, I787.
He ought to have rejoined his regiment in May, but he
applied for an extension of leave thus: —




TIlE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


" 2nd April, 1787.
"The sieur Napoleon Buonaparte, second lieutenant,
entreats Monsignor the Marshal de Segur to be good
enough to accord him a furlough of five months and a
half, dating from the I6th May next, of which he stands
in need for the recovery of his health, according to inclosed
certificates.  Seeing his want of fortune, he begs this
furlough may be granted with pay.
" BUONAPARTE."
Napoleon was not ill-merely feverish and restless, but
he had family affairs to look after; he was more busy than
ever with his history of Corsica; he was also at work on
a romance, on a drama called the Comte d'Essex, and on
the Masked Prophet, a tale after the manner of Diderot,
and resembling, in prose, the Veiled Prophet of Khorassan
of Thomas Moore. The point of this fable is to condemn
the madness of those fanatical persons who allow themselves to be lured to destruction, as Napoleon afterwards
lured the French to destruction in more than one disastrous
campaign. Napoleon only rejoined his regiment in May,
1788. Instead of five months and a half, he remained
absent a whole year.
On his return to France he learned that his regiment
had been ordered to Normandy, and he applied for and
obtained permission to remain in Paris to settle urgent
private affairs.  When this furlough had expired, he
demanded permission to return home, to attend the
deliberations of the States of Corsica. This extra leave
was accorded, and he at once set out for his native isle,
where he remained until May, 1788.
On his return to Auxonne, Napoleon settled in the Rue
Vauban, and read hard. In the month of August he was
put under arrest for neglect of duty, but this did not
hinder him from writing thus to Uncle Fesch: —"I am
unwell; the important works I have superintended these
last few days are the cause.  You are aware that the




REVOLUTIONARY IDEAS.


I7


general here thinks so highly of me that he charged me
to construct several works which required a vast amount
of calculation, and for ten days, at the head of 200 men,
I have been on duty. My comrades are jealous..
But what distresses me most is my bad health." A few
days later: " I was on the point of sending my history to
the publisher, but the unfortunate news of the disgrace of
the Archbishop of Sens1 arriving yesterday obliges me to
change my plans." Bonaparte now recast his history of
Corsica, and also wrote a Dissertation sur I'Autorite royale,
relating how monarchs had usurped authority in twelve
kingdoms of Europe, how most of them deserved to be
dethroned, and how military government was favourable
to tyranny. This "dissertation" was never published;
had it been otherwise it might have got its author into
serious trouble. Bonaparte was then nineteen years of
age, an officer in the royal artillery, and it was while
wearing the king's uniform, partaking of the royal bounty,
and after having received a free education in a royal
school, that he wrote this revolutionary diatribe.
On the I2th June, I789, Bonaparte wrote the following
letter to Paoli, then in England: —
" GENERAL,-I was born when the country was perishing. Thirty thousand Frenchmen vomited on our coasts,
drowning the throne of liberty in seas of blood, such was
the odious spectacle which first met my eye. The cries
of the dying, the groans of the oppressed, the tears of
despair surrounded my cradle from my birth.
"You left our island, and with you disappeared the hope
of happiness; slavery was the price of our submission.
Overwhelmed by the triple chain of the soldier, the legist,
and the tax-gatherer, our compatriots beheld themselves
despised-despised by those who have got the administration in their hands..... Traitors to the country, base
Monsignor de Marbeuf, who had been translated, and to whom
the work was to be dedicated.
VOL. I.                                   C




I8    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


souls corrupted by a sordid love of gain, have circulated
calumnies against the national government and against
your person, in order to justify themselves." Then follow
many noble and patriotic sentiments, and finally: " I hoped
to be able to go to London to express the feelings you have
awakened, and to talk over the misfortunes of our country,
but I am too far away. Perhaps a day will arrive when
I shall be able to overcome this obstacle.....
"NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE,
" Officer in the Reegiment of La Fere."
Only a few days before writing the above, Napoleon,
who was never destined to land in England, had drawn
up a petition for his mother, who desired to get Louis
admitted into one of the military schools. In this petition
we find such expressions as these: " Charged with the
education of eight children, widow of a man who always
served the king.... who sacrificed considerable sums
to further the views of the government.... deprived of
resources, it is at the foot of the throne and in your
sensitive and virtuous heart she hopes to find them," &c.
While thus craving the royal bounty, Napoleon freely
expressed his hatred of the monarchy and of France.
In July, 1789, Napoleon wrote to his mother, saying:"I have no other resource here but work.  I dress
myself only once a week. I sleep very little since my
illness; that is past belief. I go to bed at o1 P.M. and rise
at four in the morning. I make only one meal a day, at
three o'clock: this suits my health very well..... 
This regime suited his health so little that it brought on
a low fever, which greatly alarmed the regimental doctor,
M. Bienvelot. Sick leave was consequently demanded,
and was accorded from the 15th September, 1789, to I5th
March, I790; and again Napoleon set out for his beloved
Ajaccio.




MATTEO BUTTAFUOCO.


I9


It was during this visit that he wrote his passionate and
eloquent Letter to M. Buttafioco, in which he poured out
page after page of wrathful and indignant vituperation.
Matteo Buttafuoco was a general in the French army, a
representative of Corsica, and had been the bosom friend
of Charles Bonaparte. He was now accused by Napoleon
of being a traitor and a stipendiary of France. He was
told that the chief traits of his life were traced in letters
of blood; that from being the representative of a free
people he had been transformed into the satrap of a
tyrant; that he had communicated to Choiseul the plans
and the secrets of the cabinet of Corte; that his conduct
was looked upon as base and atrocious, and that the
Corsicans had burned down his house (as a few months
later they burned down that of the Bonapartes). The
French, added Napoleon, had been beaten in Corsica, in
spite of their gold, their discipline, their numerous battalions, the activity of their squadrons, and the skill of
their artillery-beaten at Penta, Vescovata, Loretto, St.
Nicolao, Borgo, Barbeggio, and Oletta. But in the end
they had prevailed, and-" in the midst of this general
disaster, in the 'bosom' of the cries and groans of this
unfortunate people, you reaped the fruit of your labours.
Honours, dignities, pension, were lavished on you." In
such language did the lieutenant of twenty impugn the
conduct of a general officer. But at this epoch insubordination was rife, and the presence of Paoli, who had just
been allowed to return to Corsica, had greatly inflamed
patriotic minds.
Bonaparte at this period played the part of a Jacobin,
and at the same time wished to seize the citadel of Ajaccio
and to drive out the French. The whole island was distracted, and there was a rumour that France was about
to restore Corsica to the hated rule of Genoa. Napoleon's
leave had expired on the I5th March, and on the I6th
April he wrote to his old colonel, the Chevalier de Lance.
saying:C 2




20    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


"SIGNOR GENERAL,-My shattered health will not
permit me to rejoin my regiment before a second
season passed at the waters of Orezza, that is to say,
before the i5th October, I790. This obliges me to ask
for four months and a half leave. I forward this petition,
with certificates, to your lordship."
Leave was granted for four months from the I5th June.
At this juncture, a violent dispute having arisen between
the Royalist authorities and the municipality of Ajaccio,
M. de la Ferandiere, the governor, threatened to burn
down the town unless an officer called De la Jaille,
who had been taken prisoner, were restored to liberty.
Napoleon was all in favour of resistance and of attacking
the citadel, which, as he maintained, had neither amunition nor provisions, and could not hold out long. The
municipality, however, cowed by the determined attitude
of the governor, merely protested, and it was Napoleon
who drew up the protest, which commenced thus:"The palladium of the liberty of nations is public
opinion. Princes and magistrates are humiliated by its
censures and glorified by its praises; disdained sometimes
by powerful men, but never with impunity..... shall
we, who were called the precursors of liberty, allow ourselves to be betrayed by those who live among us, by
those base minds who were the first to throw themselves
into the arms of the French?" &c. &c.
And it was a lieutenant of artillery on sick leave, a
pupil of the Royal Military School, who, after arresting a
superior officer and attempting to seize on a French
fortress, wrote this!
We next find Napoleon approving of the decrees of the
Assembly against the clergy, and, in connection with Abbe
Fesch, composing a Letter on the Constitutional Oath of the
Priesthood-a letter of which no trace remains. The failure




SAVED BY A BRIGAND.


21


of his schemes against the Royalists, and his anti-religious
sentiments, however, brought him into disrepute in Corsica,
and on the occasion of a religious procession the scoffer
narrowly escaped being torn in pieces. He was only saved
by a penitent, who declared he would kill the first person
who touched Lieutenant Bonaparte. The penitent was
one of the most redoubtable and popular bandits in the
island-Trenta Coste"Un brigand veritable et parfait Catholique "
who was afterwards rewarded by the First Consul.
On the 15th September there were elections in Corsica,
and Paoli was unanimously elected President of the
Assembly and Commander-in-Chief of the National
Guard. Disappointed in his literary, political, and military projects, Napoleon now contemplated returning to
his regiment. The Academy of Lyons had not awarded
him the prize of 1,500 francs offered by Abbe Raynal for
the best essay on "What Truths and Sentiments should
be inculcated into the minds of men in order to insure
their happiness?" he had not been elected to the
Assembly;; his two attempts on the citadel of Ajaccio
had failed; and he had not obtained, as he had hoped,
the command of the National Guard.
His leave was up on the I5th October, 1790, but it was
only on the Ist February, 1791, that he left Ajaccio,
accompanied by his brother Louis.   He had hardly
landed at Marseilles when he wrote to Uncle Fesch:
"I am in the cabin of a poor man; it pleases me to
write to you from such a place after having chatted with
these honest people..... It is quite true that Peretti (a
Corsican Royalist, and friend to Buttafuoco) threatened
to stab Mirabeau. This does not honour the nation. The
Patriotic Society (of which Napoleon was a member)
would do well to offer Mirabeau a complete Corsican
costume, that is to say, a cap, vest, breeches, drawers,




22    TIHE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


cartridge-belt, dagger, pistol, and gun. This would have
a good effect!"
On reporting himself at Auxonne, Napoleon declared
that he had twice attempted to pass the straits and had
twice been driven back by stress of weather, and produced
certificates to this effect.  Not only were his excuses
accepted, but the Chevalier de Lance, by ante-dating his
return, procured him three months' pay, which was a
matter of importance to the needy lieutenant, who occupied a chamber which was nearly bare, and which in the
way of furniture had only a miserable bed without curtains,
a table covered with books and papers, and two chairs.
Brother Louis was obliged to sleep on the floor in an
adjoining closet.
Twenty years later, when King Louis fled from Holland,
Napoleon exclaimed to Caulaincourt: "Abdicate without
warning me! Run away to Westphalia as if flying from
a tyrant! My brother injure instead of aiding me! That
Louis I educated on my pay of a lieutenant. God knows
at the expense of what privations I found means to
send money to pay my brother's schooling! Do you know
how I managed? By never entering a cafe or going into
society; by eating dry bread, and brushing my own clothes
so that they might last the longer. I lived like a bear,
in a little room, with books for my only friends, and when,
thanks to abstinence, I had saved up a few crowns, I
rushed off to the bookseller's shop and visited his coveted
shelves..... These were the joys and debaucheries of
my youth."
On his return to Auxonne Napoleon devoted his whole
time to study. Louis acted as his secretary. He was
very sanguine with regard to the success of his History of
Corsica, not yet abandoned. He passed much time in the
study of theological questions, which always possessed a
peculiar attraction for him, especially the disputes between
the Roman and Gallican Churches. He said afterwards that
he might have taken out his degree as a doctor of divinity




FLIGHT OF LOUIS XVI.


23


at this period. He also wrote his Dialogue sur l'Amour,
to prove that love was baneful to society and to individual
happiness, and that it would be a great blessing were
Providence to deliver us from it. He composed, too, his
Reflections on the State of Nature, in which he propounded
various theories concerning the existence of man before
the formation of any regular social ties. There is nothing
very remarkable in these youthful essays, which show little
beyond the mental activity of the writer, whose brain, as
he afterwards said, never felt weary. I-e could work for
any number of hours without experiencing the slightest
fatigue.
A great revolution now occurred and the old regime
expired. On the 2Ist June, I79I, the king fled from
Paris, with the intention of throwing himself into the arms
of his troops on the eastern frontier. This flight necessarily exercised a paramount influence on the army. More
than half the officers declared in favour of Louis XVI. and
deserted their colours; the remainder swore fidelity to
the nation.  The rank and file to a man adhered to
the Republic.
In the midst of the general excitement Bonaparte distinguished himself by the violence of his recriminations
against the Court and the officers who joined the army of
Conde. In a letter to his friend Commissary Naudin
he said:" This country is full of zeal and fire. In an assembly
of twenty-two societies, three departments petitioned in
favour of the king being brought to trial. On the occasion
of the banquet of the I4th,l I proposed a toast to the
patriots of Auxonne. This regiment can count on the
men, the sergeants, and half the officers..... P.S. The
southern blood runs through my veins with the rapidity
of the Rhone; you must therefore pardon me if you
experience some difficulty in reading my scrawl."
1 Anniversary of the fall of the Bastille.




24    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


In this same month of June Napoleon was promoted to
the rank of first lieutenant, and was transferred to the
fourth regiment of artillery, then in garrison at Valence.
He had been attached to the regiment of La Fere for
sixty-nine months, but thirty-five of these had been passed
on leave. Napoleon, longing to display his talents in the
capital, now wrote to Uncle Fesch: "Send me 300 francs;
that sum will enable me to go to Paris. There, at least,
one can cut a figure and surmount obstacles. Everything
tells me I shall succeed. Will you prevent me from doing
so for the want of IOO crowns?" And to his great-uncle,
Lucien, he wrote, claiming six crowns which his mother
owed him, and of which he stood sorely in need.
At this moment the Republican officers and the army
took the oath to the nation. The tricoloured flag was
adopted; horse, foot, and artillery were placed on a war
establishment, and M. Duportail, the war minister, counted
upon being able to place in the field 372,000 men.
Learning that it was the intention of the Assembly to
raise four battalions of Corsican volunteers, Napoleon
demanded permission to superintend this operation. Leave
having been refused by his colonel, as he had been only
two months with his regiment, he applied to the commander of the district, with better success.  He was
granted a furlough of three months, and was to be back
at Valence, at the latest, by the 3Ist December, I791.
A general order had been issued by the Assembly that
all officers and men were to rejoin their corps before the
loth January, I792, on pain of being considered deserters.
On the 6th September, I79I, Napoleon, accompanied
by Louis, was once more back at Ajaccio. He found
Corsica divided into Paolists, Republicans, and Royalists;
he himself was an ardent Paolist, and wished to exterminate his political enemies. Volney, who was in the
island at this time, wrote a report on the civil condition
of Corsica, which he said had cost France 5,000,000 francs
and had yielded nothing.  The taxes had not been




STATE OF CORSICA.


25


collected for three years. Salaries never reached their
destination. No less than I30 murders had been committed in two years. The island was in the hands of a
few nobles, who were always fighting among themselves
and making friends again.  The agricultural condition
was wretched, and men ploughed their fields armed to
the teeth. Elections always gave rise to bloodshed. The
Assembly was almost entirely composed of ecclesiastics.
The population was exceedingly fanatical.
It was at this moment that the decrees of the Assembly
on the civil constitution of the clergy were promulgated.
The exasperation of the people was intense. At Bastia
the inhabitants took up arms and wished to massacre the
new bishop, who had taken the oath to the nation.
In November Napoleon wrote to Sucy, the commissary
of war at Valence, saying that he was going to travel
through the island with M. de Volney, which author
"wishes to settle here with me, and to pass his life quietly
in the bosom of a free people, of a fruitful soil, and the
perpetual spring-time of our country." When Napoleon
wrote thus he was playing a most active part in the
internal affairs of the island —so active that he quite
forgot that his leave expired on the 30th December,
179! He was intent on obtaining military rank, and,
thanks to ruse and violence, he was elected in April, 1792,
lieutenant-colonel of the second battalion of Corsican
volunteers. As a lieutenant of artillery Napoleon could
not legally hold this rank, but he claimed it as no longer
forming part of the regular army! This did not prevent
him from writing to the paymaster of his regiment, on
the Ioth April, for money. The reply was, that his
name had been struck off the roll of the regiment since
the ist January, I792!
Napoleon, who seldon renounced any scheme on which
he had once set his mind, determined to make another
attempt to get possession of the citadel of Ajaccio. He
had now a battalion under his orders. It was arranged
that Brother Joseph and Uncle Fesch should stir up




26     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


strife by demanding the execution of the decrees of the
Assembly relative to the clergy, and during the troubles
which would inevitably ensue Napoleon was to carry out
his plans. During the religious ceremonies of Easter a
quarrel was fomented, and with great military tact
Napoleon seized on a couple of convents which commanded the town. A few shots were exchanged and a
few persons killed. The Ajaccians appealed to Colonel
Maillard, who commanded the French garrison, and that
officer consented to arbitrate between the volunteers and
the municipality.  In the end, to the mortification of
Napoleon, who wanted to carry matters to extremes, the
difficulty was arranged, and Paoli blamed the conduct of
the young lieutenant-colonel, who was ordered to Corte
with five companies of his battalion. Aware that this
escapade might be attended by serious consequences,
Napoleon at once wrote a long justification of his conduct
to the Directory of Corsica, to the war minister, and to
the Legislative Assembly. Fortunately for him Colonel
Maillard's report on this affair reached the War Office at
a moment when the minister was overwhelmed with work.
War had just been declared with the Emperor of Austria.
Who could have then supposed that the young officer
labouring under the accusations of indulging in civil strife,
with the intention of taking a French fortress, and of
desertion, was destined to bring the war declared on
the 20th April, I792, to such a brilliant conclusion at
Campo Formio?
It was only on the 8th July that the war minister found
time to reply to Colonel Maillard, the French commandant
at Ajaccio. He strongly condemned the conduct of "M.
Bonaparte," and could have sent him before a court
martial; but this class of misdemeanour, by a recent law,
he said, had been reserved for the ordinary tribunals.
The matter therefore had been referred to the minister
of justice.
Napoleon, afraid of remaining in Corsica and braving
the vengeance of the clerical party, determined to leave




OPINION OF THE FRENCH.


27


his native isle once more. He could not return to Valence,
where he would have been arrested as a deserter, and he
therefore made up his mind to go boldly to Paris. Paoli,
only too glad to get rid of him, gave him a certificate to
the effect that his sojourn in Corsica had been obligatory.
Quartermaster-General Rossi, and other friends, furnished
him with similar documents. He reached the capital on
the 2ISt May, and fortune favoured him once more. The
War Office authorities had no time to scrutinise his case
carefully; they accepted his excuse that having bIeen
elected lieutenant-colonel of volunteers, he had not been
able to rejoin his regiment at the expiration of his leave.
It was not remarked that Napoleon's leave had expired
previous to his election. As for the minister of justice,
he never took any notice of the matter, and both
insubordination and desertion remained unpunished.
Awaiting ministerial decision, Napoleon wrote to Joseph,
saying:"The men at the head of the Revolution are a poor
lot. It must be acknowledged, when one views matters
closely, the people do not deserve all the trouble taken
about them. You are acquainted with the history of
Ajaccio; that of Paris is the same. Perhaps here men are
meaner, worse, and greater calumniators..... Every one
pursues his own interest, and searches to gain his own
ends by dint of all sorts of crimes; people intrigue as
basely as ever. All this destroys ambition. One pities
those zwho have the misfortune to play a part in public
affairs..... To live tranquilly and enjoy the affections
of one's family is what one should do when one has 5,000
francs a year and is between twenty-five and forty years
of age; that is to say, when the imagination has calmed
down and no longer torments one. I embrace you, and
recommend you to be moderate in all things-in all things,
mind, if you desire to live happily.
" BUONAPARTE."




28    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Everything was in a state of dire confusion in Paris at
this period. Six war ministers had succeeded each other
in rapid succession between the beginning of May and the
beginning of October; and before the end of October
Napoleon's explanations were accepted and he was reinstated in the army as captain, his promotion being
ante-dated a year, with pay. Not satisfied with this piece
of good luck he demanded to be transferred to the marine
artillery, and then claimed the rank of lieutenant-colonel,
on the ground that he had commanded a battalion of
volunteers in Corsica. This demand, which was deemed
presumptuous, still lies unanswered in the archives of the
War Office, marked S. R. (sans rtponse).
The Revolution having broken up the Royal Schools,
male and female, we now find Napoleon writing the
following letter to the administrators of Versailles:" GENTLEMEN,-Buonaparte, brother and guardian of
demnoiselle Marie Anne Buonaparte" (who afterwards called
herself Eliza), "has the honour to remind you of the law of
the 7th August suppressing the school of St. Louis. He
demands the execution of that law, &c.
"( BUONAPARTE."
This demand was accorded, and demoiselle Bonaparte
received 352 francs to enable her to return home, with
her linen, &c.
Although Napoleon's regiment was about to cross the
frontier, he applied for and obtained permission to
accompany his sister to Corsica, where the youthful pair
arrived on the I7th September, I792. Napoleon at once
resumed the command of his battalion of volunteers on
his own authority, although drawing pay as a captain of
artillery. This was equivalent to desertion. Paoli, who
commanded the district, reproached him with the violence
and insubordination he now exhibited, but refrained from
taking any other notice of his conduct. At this epoch




SARDINIAN EXPEDITION.


29


an attack on the island of Sardinia was planned, and
Napoleon's battalion was told off to take part in the
expedition. Napoleon had fondly hoped to obtain the
command of a column destined to create a diversion, but
he was doomed to disappointment, Cesari Colonna having
been selected for this duty. The expedition ended in
disaster. Before starting, the French sailors and the
Corsicans came to blows. The main body on landing in
Sardinia was seized with a panic; the troops fired on
each other, fled without seeing the enemy, and insisted
on re-embarking. The column to which Napoleon was
attached hardly cut a better figure; he himself narrowly
escaped being forgotten ashore with his men, and finally
had to make his escape, after spiking his guns and
mortars and throwing them into the sea. It is only fair
to the young artillery officer to say that he was in no way
answerable for the failure of this expedition, and that
he, at least, meant fighting, and displayed the qualities
of a soldier.
On his return to Corsica Napoleon abandoned his
battalion without leave and repaired to Ajaccio, where
he learned that Louis XVI. had been sentenced to death,
that war had been declared with England, that the Convention had sent an extraordinary commissioner to the
island, and that the four battalions of Corsican volunteers
were disbanded. What course should he take? He was
an ardent patriot and hated France. At the same time,
being on bad terms with Paoli, he hardly liked joining the
party determined to resist the orders of the Convention.
His regiment had been in the field for nearly six months,
but he had no intention of rejoining.
Thanks to a series of blunders and to despatches crossing each other, the Convention alienated Corsica, and on
the 2nd April, I793, ordered its commissioners to arrest
Paoli and send him to its bar. This decree threw the
whole island into a transport of fury. Bonaparte hesitated
no longer.  He drew up a passionate address to the




30      THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
Convention in favour of Paoli. After due reflection the
Convention cancelled its decree of the 2nd April, but it
was too late. At this critical moment Napoleon changed
sides, and attempted, for the third time, by means of a
stratagem, to gain possession of the citadel of Ajaccio.
He was foiled once more, and obliged, with his family, to
seek safety in flight-and what a flight it was! One
exile became Emperor of France and King of Italy;
another reigned first at Naples, then at Madrid; Lucien
became Prince of Canino; Louis sat on the throne of
Holland; Marie Anne became Grand Duchess of Tuscany;
Pauline a princess; and Abbe Fesch a Cardinal. Caroline,
the future Queen of Naples, and Jerome, the future King
of Westphalia, being children, were left behind concealed
in the house of their maternal grandmother.  The exasperated patriots fired the property of the Bonapartes
and branded them as traitors. Napoleon was now a traitor
in Corsica, and a deserter in France.
After many perils by land and deep this wonderful
family disembarked in France.  Napoleon at once proceeded to Nice and rejoined his regiment. Thanks to a
certificate from Salicetti, one of the commissioners of the
Convention, who explained his absence, he was allowed
to resume duty. The Convention could not afford to be
very particular, seeing the numbers of officers who had
deserted and joined the princes over the border. In Napoleon's corps only fourteen officers out of eighty had
consented to serve the Convention, whose hands were
stained with the blood of the king.
After being attached to the coast artillery Napoleon
took part in an unsuccessful attack on Avignon, which was
held by the rebels. He became thoroughly dejected and
ill. His prospects were deplorable, and his family were
living on the scanty allowance granted by the Convention
to Corsican refugees. Others were acquiring fame on the
field of battle. The names of Hoche and Marceau were
on every lip, and his old tutor Pichegru was general-in



SIEGE OF TOULON.


31


chief of the army of the north. But the name of Bonaparte was known only to a very limited circle, and he was
employed in getting guns into position, throwing up breast
works, and counting piles of cannon-balls.
It was at this period that Napoleon wrote his Souper
de Beaucaire, which revealed a wonderful amount of erudition and acute knowledge of the human mind, and contained many striking ideas concerning military matters.
The three government commissioners, Salicetti, Gasparin,
and Robespierre the younger, to whom Napoleon showed
his pamphlet, were so forcibly impressed with its merits
that they ordered its publication at the expense of the
Treasury. Augustin Bon Joseph Robespierre, who seems
to have immediately comprehended the genius of the
young artillery officer, then twenty-five years of age, at
once took him under his wing. Napoleon would have
fain joined the army of the Rhine, but there was work
brewing close at hand. Toulon, imitating the example of
Lyons and some other cities, had declared against the
Republic, and had-opened its port to Admiral Hood, to the
general consternation of new France. Fortune now suddenly smiled on the Bonapartes, who were taken up by the
government commissioners. Madame Bonaparte received
pecuniary aid, which enabled her to settle with her children
at Marseilles.  Joseph, thanks to false certificates, was
made a war commissary of the first class. Lucien Brutus
was appointed store-keeper at St. Maximin, and the Abbe
Fesch store-keeper to the army of the Alps, where, according to his nephew, he feathered his nest to the
detriment of the troops. As for Napoleon, he obtained
the command of the artillery of the right wing of the
army which, under General Carteaux, had been sent to
lay siege to Toulon. His superior, Donmartin, having
been wounded at the commencement of the operations,
and Perrier, the second captain, being absent, the command soon devolved on Napoleon. Salicetti and Gasparin
wrote to Carnot, saying: "Carteaux is incapable. We




32     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


have no engineers. Bonna Parte (sic) is the only officer of
artillery who knows anything of his duty, and he has too
much work;" and " To compensate him for his zeal he
has been made major of the second regiment of artillery."
Carteaux was superseded by Doppet, who, having declared
he knew nothing of siege operations, was replaced by
a fine old soldier called Dugommier. A great deal has
since been said of the preponderating part played by
Napoleon at the siege of Toulon. How much of this is
fiction? how much fact? Looking at official documents, one
finds that he was mentioned only once in general orders in
company with his countrymen Arena and Cervoni; but he
was brought into daily contact with Robespierre the
younger, Ricord, Barras, and Freron, whose influence was
great; and Salicetti befriended him-Robespierre whom
he afterwards denied, Barras who gave him a wife and the
command of the army of Italy, Freron who was engaged
to be married to his sister, the lovely Paulette, and Salicetti
who had him arrested after Thermidor as a Terrorist. If
citizen Bonaparte received the grade of brigadier-general
for his services before Toulon the same rank was conferred
on Cervoni. It was Cervoni who was sent to Paris to
announce the fall of Toulon. But we are anticipating.
It is at this epoch that the official correspondence, published under the Second Empire, commences. The first
reports of Napoleon are stamped with that surprising
energy and decision peculiar to him from his infancy. On
the 25th October, 1793, he wrote a report to the Committee
of Public Safety, in which he explained the position of
affairs, and expressed the "extreme pain he felt at the
little attention paid to his branch of the service."  " Three
parts of mankind," he added, "think of necessary matters
only when they feel the want of them; but then it is
too late. There is no competent person at the head of
the arsenal of Marseilles, and a great deal of experience is
required to fill that post. It is a well known fact in the
artillery that the formation of siege trains is a most difficult




ACTIVE OPERATIONS.


33


operation.  The artillery was not organised when I joined
this army, but, thanks to the decisions at which you have
arrived [flatterer!], it is now getting into working order. I
have had to struggle against ignorance, and the base passions
which it engenders. You ought to accord to the artillery
of this army that consideration and independence which
military and time-honoured custom have conceded to it,
and without which it can be of no great service." And he
then pleaded in favour of a general of artillery being sent
to command the artillery-no doubt hoping that the choice
might fall on himself.
It is difficult to explain how Napoleon in this tone of
command came to communicate directly with the Committee of Public Safety and the War Minister over the
heads of his immediate superiors. He at once displayed a
masterly activity in the organisation of the artillery, drawing guns, horses, oxen, &c., from the neighbouring departments. He wrote to Minister Dupin at the beginning of
November saying that when the representatives of the
people "detained" him  with the army before Toulon
everything was in the most deplorable condition, "the
general down to the lowest aide-de-camp meddling with
the artillery;" but he soon changed all that. "Three
days after my arrival the army had an artillery and
the batteries of the Mountain and the Sans-Culottes
were established, which sent the hulks to the bottom,
and resisted 20,000 round shot.  The enemy at once
understood the inutility of their naval guns, and determined to risk everything by disembarking their troops.
They ought to have been annihilated, but fatality, or
our incompetence, allowed them to succeed. A few days
later they had twenty-four guns in position, a covered
way, palisades, and had received reinforcements from
Spain and from Naples. I comprehended that the attempt
on Toulon had failed, and that a regular siege was necessary. I spared nothing to push forward the attack on the
Fort of Eguillette, and to organise a strong artillery train.
VOL. I.                                 D




34


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


I sent an intelligent artillery officer, obtained from'the army
of Italy, to Lyons, Brian/on, and Grenoble to draw all that
could be useful to us from those different places. I requisitioned the army of Italy for the guns not required
for the defence of Antibes and Monaco. I have also requisitioned the department of the Var, and have drawn
Ioo horses from Marseilles.
" I have procured eight bronze guns from Martigues and
have replaced them by iron guns. I have requisitioned Marseilles, Aix, and the Bouches-du-Rhone for all the materials
mentioned in inclosure D. I have established at Ollioules
[just outside Toulon] an arsenal, where eighty blacksmiths,
carpenters, &c., work without ceasing. I have established
a park where gabions, hurdles, fascines, &c., are being
made. I have requisitioned all the workmen at Marseilles
engaged in the manufacture of baskets and demijohns. I
have requisitioned horses from all the departments, from
all the districts, from all the commissaries of war, from
Nice to Montpellier and Valence. I have caused all the
wood I could find at La Seyne and Ciotat to be taken in
order to make platforms for the guns and mortars. I am
having 5,000 sand-bagsper diem made at Marseilles. I have
established an artificers' shop where tarred fascines and incendiary projectiles are being manufactured. I have taken
measures for establishing a foundry at Ardennes, which is
in our power, and I hope in a week's time to have grape
and round shot from this foundry, and mortars in a fortnight. I have a workshop where ten armourers are
repairing muskets.
" You will give me some credit, Citizen Minister, for these
different operations when you learn that I have to direct
the park, the military operations, and the arsenal all alone;
that I have not even a sub-officer of artisans; that I have
only fifty men to work the guns in position, and that many
of these are recruits  What we most require is powder,
and I hope you will exert yourself to send me a supply
without delay..                   BUONAPARTE."




LETTER TO THE WAR MINISTER.


35


One can imagine red tape standing aghast at the
amount of responsibility thus assumed, and the restless
activity of the young commandant:To CITIZEN DUPIN, War Mfinister.
" OLLIOULES, 3o0h November, I793.
"At 5 A.M. there was a 'panic at the heights of Arenes
about I,OC) toises from Toulon, 6,ooo of the enemy under
the command of the English general, O'Hara, having
attacked the position, driven in the outposts, and reached
the battery. Six pieces of twenty-eight were spiked. At
this moment we arrived in force.  General Dugommier
fought with true Republican courage. We recaptured the
battery and took the English general (who had been
wounded in the arm) prisoner.  We pursued the enemy
at the point of the bayonet, killed some four or five hundred,
and made a large number of prisoners, among whom a
Spanish colonel, an English major, and several subalterns.
The guns of the Convention were unspiked in sufficient time
to increase the confusion of their retreat.... Nothing
could equal the courage displayed by our soldiers. This
is a happy augury for the plan which has been drawn up.
' BUONAPARTE."
This may be said to have been Napoleon's first real
contact with the English, whom he was destined to meet
again at St. Jean d'Acre and Waterloo. We learn nothing
here of a slight bayonet wound which he received, nor of a
skin disease which he contracted before Toulon, and which
often tormented him afterwards.
On the fall of Toulon, the civil commissioners recommended Bonaparte for a brigade, and he was called upon
to furnish the usual information.  His answers to the
printed questions wereName? —Napoleon Buonaparte.
Age?-Twenty-five.
D 2




36    TIlE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Residence?-Brienne, Paris, Valence, Auxonne, Corsica.
Cops?-Ist regiment of Artillery; command of 2nd
battalion of Corsican National Guard.
Garrisons, &c.?-Auxonne; 2nd, Valence; 3rd, Ajaccio;
4th, Bonifacio; 5th, Nice; 6th, Siege of Toulon.
Detail of Services?-Capture of the Isle of Magdeleine,
Siege of Toulon.
Noble or not noble? —Not noble.
Profession before joining?-Joined at age of fourteen
years.
Profession of father before I4th Jnzly, 1789? —Died 1785.
This (tat des services teems with errors and omissions
which might be set down to carelessness, but for the fact
that all the public documents furnished by Napoleon and
his brothers-marriage certificates, &c.-contain the grossest
misstatements.  It is extraordinary to find Napoleon declaring himself "not noble," seeing that he and his sister
had only been admitted into the Royal schools of Brienne
and St. Louis on their father showing one hundred and
forty years of nobility.
On the i6th February, 1794, Bonaparte received his
commission of brigadier-general. He had been five years
and a half second lieutenant, one year a lieutenant, one
year and four months a captain, and two months a major.
Out of ninety-nine months in the service, he had been fiftyeight months away from his corps, either on furlough or
absent without leave. In fact, after an effective service of
less than four years he found himself a general officer.
Ordered next to inspect the coast defences, Bonaparte
set out for Marseilles, from which city he addressed a report
to the War Minister, which, but for his usual good fortune,
might have cut short his career.
The report ran thus:" The fort of St. Nicholas is not capable of defence....
It is however indispensable to place it in a state of defence,




JOINS THE ARMY OF ITALY.


37


at least against the attacks of evil-minded persons. I am
therefore going to place guns in the fort so that they will
command the city."
This was quite sufficient to raise a storm of indignation
in those days, especially in Marseilles. Point guns on the
people! Turn a fort into a bastille! Bonaparte and the
commander of the district, General Lapoye, were summoned
to appear at the bar of the Committee of Public Safety,
which was almost equivalent to being sent to the guillotine.
The former appealed to the Conventialist Salicetti, and
acting on his advice and that of Augustin Bon Joseph
Robespierre, wrote an explanation of his conduct, and remained where he was, to let the storm blow over. Lapoye
appeared before the Convention, proved his innocence, and
said Bonaparte was away on duty; and the matter
dropped. A less fortunate officer would in all probability
have lost his head.  Luckner, de Custine, de Biron,
Houchard, Beauharnais, and Chancel had lost theirs for
less serious crimes against the Republic.
On the Ist April, 1794, Bonaparte, who was at Nice,
received orders to join the army of Italy, under the command of General Dumberion. He was to act as general
commandant of artillery and inspector-general. The representatives of the people were Robespierre the younger, and
Salicetti. Buonaroti was Revolutionary Agent.
The campaign was of short duration, and General
Dumberion was back at Nice on the 8th May, after having
beaten the Austrians and Sardinians in two or three unimportant engagements. Robespierre wrote several remarkable despatches on the operations.  In one despatch he
complained bitterly of the embezzlements practised by the
army contractors, and declared that "the defenders of
liberty are naked." In another despatch, which it will be
well to bear in mind, he denounced to his brother, Maximilien, the perfidy of the Royalists. "Everywhere," he
wrote, "terror has preceded us.  The mzigres persuaded




38     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


the people that we assassinated and violated, that we ate
children and destroyed religion. This last calumny produced
the most baneful effect. In the valley of Ogneglia a population of 40,000 souls took to flight.  Neither women,
children, nor old men were to be found there.... The
defenders of the country behaved in the most exemplary
manner.  They never touched an image in a country
which, thanks to superstition, abounds in them."
During this brief campaign, Bonaparte had no chance
of distinguishing himself, but he had the opportunity of
studying the country-an opportunity not thrown away.
Matters prospered once more with the young general,
who was charged to draw up a plan of campaign for the
army of Italy. He was on terms of intimacy with the
younger Robespierre, who wrote to his terrible brother that
Bonaparte, general-in-chief of the artillery, was " an officer of
transcendent merit.... but a Corsican." Bonaparte sent
in three plans of campaign, with " observations " and " considerations." The " Report of Bonaparte on the political
and military position of the armies of Piedmont and Spain,"
which is very diffuse, contains several curious paragraphs.
The writer said-" Attacks must not be disseminated, but
concentrated.... It is Germany (Austria) which must be
annihilated; that accomplished, Spain and Italy will fall of
themselves.... No dispassionate person could think of
taking Madrid [which King Joseph Bonaparte entered in
July, I808, and the Emperor Napoleon in December of the
same year]. The defensive system should be adopted on
the Spanish, and the offensive on the Piedmontese frontier... The armies of the Alps and of Italy should be united so
as to obey the same mind.... Germany must be smitten,
but never Spain nor Italy.... We should never plunge
into Italy as long as Germany offers a redoubtable
front."
This report, which is in the handwriting of Junot, is
classed in the archives of the War Office as emanating
from Robespierre, probably in consequence of the notes




FALL OF THE ROBESPIERRES.


39


which "the incorruptible" wrote in the margin.  It is
curious to remark that Robespierre approved of all the
propositions of Napoleon, with the exception of the last.
And Bonaparte himself proved in I796 that there was no
great danger in " plunging into Italy" before the power
of Austria had been utterly broken.
In October, I793, a French frigate, called La Modeste,
was lying in the port of Genoa, crew at breakfast, &c.,
when she was surprised and captured by the English.
Robespierre at once threatened vengeance, and an ultimatum was addressed to the Serene Republic, which was
held responsible for the outrage, and which hardly knew
which way to turn, for the French might storm Genoa from
the land side, and the English ruin it from the sea.
In July, 1794, General Bonaparte was despatched to
Genoa on a double mission. He was to settle matters with
the Doge (who gave satisfaction), and was to examine
Savona, Genoa, and the surrounding country, in a military
point of view. The general terminated his mission with
success, and carefully treasured up in his capacious mind
the topographical knowledge he acquired. Nothing escaped
his eagle glance.
On the 28th July, 1794, he was back at Nice, full of glee,
more confident than ever in his star, and persuaded that he
would be selected to carry out the operations in Italy
which he had recommended. But on the same day that
Bonaparte returned to Nice, his two most powerful patrons,
the Robespierres, perished, and the Reign of Terror was
brought to a close. The news fell on him like a thunderbolt. Bonaparte was at the camp of Sieg when he heard
of the catastrophe on the 5th August. All Robespierre's
friends were menaced.  Some fled the country, others
turned round on the tyrant, and among the latter Salicetti,
Albitte, and Laporte, government agents, who denounced
Bonaparte and ordered his arrest.
On the Ioth August, 1794, an officer and ten men presented themselves at the lodgings of General Bonaparte




40     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


and escorted him to Nice. On the I2th he was committed
to Fort Carre, and his papers were placed under seal.
Fortune again favoured Napoleon.  Had he been taken
to Paris he would certainly have been executed. At Antibes he was safe for the moment, and his friends had time
to intercede in his favour.
On the 12th he wrote to the representatives of the
people, saying:"You have caused me to be arrested. I have been dishonoured without trial; or rather I have been tried without
being heard. In a revolution there are two classes, those
who are 'suspected,' and the patriots.... To declare a
patriot 'suspected,' is to pronounce a verdict and to deprive
him of all he considers most precious-confidence and
esteem.  In which category am  I classed?  Since the
commencement of the revolution, have I not been seen
fighting against domestic enemies, or, as a soldier, fighting
against foreigners?
"I have sacrificed living in my department (id est
Corsica); I have abandoned my property; I have lost
all for the Republic.
" Since then I have served with distinction before Toulon,
and have deserved some of the laurels which were gained at
Sagorio, Oneille, and Tanaro, by the army of Italy."
And he wildly asked why he had been arrested a week
after the fall of the tyrant, and protested that the only
thing which made him support the burden of life was the
idea that it might be useful to his country.
On the same day Napoleon wrote a letter to Junot,
saying:" I recognise your friendship, dear Junot, in the proposal
you make.... Men may be unjust towards me, but it is
sufficient to be innocent; my conscience is the tribunal




IN PRISON.


41


before which I arraign my conduct. That conscience is
calm when I interrogate it; do nothing, you would only
compromise me, &c.
"BUONAPARTE."
" Under arrest, Fort Carrd, Antibes."
Junot, Marmont, and some other hot-headed young
officers of the army of Italy, had proposed to rescue
Napoleon and to march on Paris. The general preferred
to trust to less violent measures. He also wrote to Tilly,
the French ambassador at Genoa, saying:"You have no doubt heard of the conspiracy of
Robespierre, St. Just, Couthon, &c. &c.... Our maritime
operations have been somewhat disarranged. The artillery
was well to the front, and the Sardinian tyrant was about
to receive a heavy blow, which I hope is only delayed....
I was slightly affected by the fate of the younger Robespierre, whom I liked and believed honest; but had he been
my father I would have stabbed him myself had he aspired
to tyranny."
It is supposed that this letter was not really intended
for Citizen Tilly, but for the eyes of the government
commissioners. It is not to be found in the " Correspondence," which is not astonishing.  The copy that exists
in the archives of the War Office bears this marginal
note: "To be submitted again to the Emperor (Napoleon
III.) in consequence of the last phrase."
Salicetti, Albitte, and Laporte having found nothing of
a compromising character in the papers of Bonaparte
reported in favour of his liberation, and he was consequently released on the 24th August, after having been in
prison for thirteen days. He was not, however, at once
reinstated in the army.
On hearing that an expedition to Corsica was contemplated Napoleon applied for employment, and, thanks to




42      THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
Salicetti, his request was granted.  A month after his
release from prison he was general-in-chief of the artillery
of the Mediterranean expeditionary corps. He wrote in
a letter dated"HEAD QUARTERS, CAIRO (ITALY),
" 23rd September, I794.
" It remains for us to deliver Corsica from the tyranny
of the English. The season is favourable; not a moment
should be lost.... With 10,000 men and twelve ships of
war the expedition would be a simple promenade. Drive
the English from a position which renders them masters of
the Mediterranean; punish the scamps who have betrayed
the Republic, deliver a number of good patriots and
restore them to their homes: these are the matters which
should occupy the attention of the government.
" BUONAPARTE."
Corsica was at that moment in the hands of England,
who had set up Sir Gilbert Elliot as Viceroy, and promulgated a constitution.  Nelson, then captain of the
Agamemnon had bombarded and reduced Bastia, and
the "impregnable Calvi" had been forced to capitulate.
It was generally supposed that the island was lost for
France, and many Frenchmen were not sorry for it, for
the Corsicans were most unpopular in the south, as
witness a report which Jean Bon St. Andre sent to the
Committee of Public Safety, saying-" Nothing stands in
the way of the despots of this nation; I can assure you
it is hard for Frenchmen to submit to the domination of
Corsicans.... The Republic has lost two frigates, but
need only regret the Melpomene,; it will gain by having
fewer traitors, rebels, intriguers and robbers, among its
citizens... The ingratitude of this perfidious nation is at
its height. The people understand only anarchy, and the
leaders despotism. They will find in the English, rulers
who will make them repent their treason. It is desirable




LOSS OF THE MELPOMINE.


43


that the departments in the south of France should be
cleansed of this villainous race." 1
Jean Bon St. Andre, immortalised in the pages of the
Anti-Jacobin, afterwards served: the little Corsican; " and
the Corsicans, "whom     the Romans would not have for
slaves, furnished France with a master." For the moment
the future master was displaying his usual activity in
organising the expedition, which got under way on the
1 In a letter, dated Tunis, 8th November, 1793, Nelson gives a short
description of an engagement between his ship, the Agamemnon, and
the Melpomene, Minerve, Fortunece, forty-four guns each, the Touchet
of twenty-four, and a brig. A fight of four hours resulted in the
Melpomnnez being disabled, and the other vessels hauling off and
leaving her to her fate.
In May, I794, Nelson, writing to his wife, said-" Bastia is a
beautiful place..... This island is to belong to England, to be
governed by its own laws as Ireland, and a Viceroy placed here, with
free ports. Italy and Spain are jealous of our obtaining possession;
it will command the Mediterranean."
To MRS. NELSON.
" CAMP, BASTIA, 20th May, 1794.
"I always was of opinion, have ever acted up to it, and never had
any reason to repent it, that one Englishman was equal to three
Frenchmen: had this been an English town I am sure it would not
have been taken by them."
In his journal of 23rd May he wrote:-" At daylight the most
glorious sight that an Englishman can experience, and which I
believe none but an Englishman could bring about, was exhibited4,500 men laying down their arms to less than I,000 British soldiers."
To MRS. NELSON.
" CAMP, CALVI, June 27/h, 1794.
"That we shall take Calvi in due time I have no manner of doubt.
You know probably that George III. is King of Corsica, chosen by the
unanimous consent of the people, the best of all titles. The first
resolution of the Parliament of Corsica was to declare that they were
Englishmen; they might have been mistaken for Irishmen by
their bull."
And in fact, Calvi, in spite of its reputation of being impregnable,
was obliged to open its gates.




44      THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
3rd March, 1895, fell in with an English squadron, and
was driven back to port with the loss of two ships-the
fa-ira, which belied her name, and the Censeur.1
After this failure, the expeditionary force having been
broken up, Napoleon once more found himself unemployed.
Matters again assumed a sombre hue. The Minister for
Foreign Affairs declared that there were too many Corsicans in the service, and that their patriotism was more
doubtful than their determination to make money. A
list of general officers having been made out, Bonaparte,
according to seniority, stood I39th.  Scherer, who had
succeeded Dumberion in the command of the army of
Italy, in his inspection report wrote:"Buonaparte (brevet rank),
" Twenty-seven years of age,
" Six years service,
"Born at Ajaccio in Corsica,
"Commanded a battalion before Toulon, and the siege
artillery.
"This officer is a general of artillery, of which branch
of the service he possesses a thorough knowledge, but he
has too much ambition and is too much given to intrigue
for promotion."
Sucy, the Commissary of War at Valence, an old school
fellow of Napoleon, reported -" He will stop short of
nothing but the throne or the scaffold."
Having disposed of his horses and carriage, Bonaparte,
accompanied by Louis, by Marmont and Junot, set out
for Paris by order of the War Minister. He felt like an
outcast, and he was ready to sell his sword to the highest
In this action the English had fourteen ships of I,090 guns, and
only 7,650 men; whilst the French had fifteen ships, mounting I, 174
guns, and I6,900 men. The issue of the expedition was regarded as
so certain that the mayor and municipal council embarked on board
the Sans-Culotte. The only ships which showed fight were the two
which were captured.




ONCE MORE IN PARIS.


45


bidder. In a paroxysm of despair he wrote to brother
Joseph after his arrival in the capital: —"I feel like a
person on the eve of battle, and that it is nonsense to take
any thought for to-morrow when death may overtake me
at any moment. Everything tempts me to brave destiny,
and if this continues, my friend, I shall finish by not
getting out of the way of the carriages as they pass.
This sometimes astonishes my reason, but such is the
feeling produced by the moral spectacle of this country,
and the doctrine of chances"-meaning that Frenchmen were contemptible, and chance for the moment
unpropitious.
Napoleon on reaching Paris put up at a shabby house
called L'Hotel de la Liberty situated in a street which now
bears the name of Aboukir, in honour of one of his victories
in Egypt-a victory which he said had effaced the disgrace
of the battle of the Nile. He found everything in confusion. With the fall of Robespierre unity of action had
disappeared, and instead of being governed by one, the
country was ruled by sixteen independent committees.
Napoleon was soon able to convince himself that there was
no chance of his Jacobin friends returning to power. In
March, I795, Carnot, who, as the organiser of victory, had
been spared the fate of his colleagues, was replaced, and in
May fifteen members of the Revolutionary Tribunal were
executed; others were transported to Cayenne, or thrown
into the fortress of Ham. Bonaparte, though known as
the creature of the Robespierres, remained unmolested.
At this period, ordered to join the army of the west and
to take the command of a brigade of infantry, Napoleon
ought to have immediately started for Rennes and have
reported himself to Hoche, who was engaged in pacifying
La Vendee. This order highly incensed him for several
reasons. He considered it a degradation to be removed
from the artillery; he had no desire to serve against the
Chouans, and was annoyed at being taken away from the
army of Italy in which he was known.   He received




46     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


permission to remain in Paris until the I5th May, but when
his leave expired he determined not to join his new corps.
Thanks to a doctor named Marquis, he obtained a sick
certificate, which he sent to the War Office with a demand
for a month's extra leave, which was accorded. On the
23rd June he wrote to brother Joseph: " I am employed
as a general of brigade in the army of the west, but not in
the artillery.  I am ill, and this obliges me to take a
furlough of two or three months,; when I recover my health
I shall see what is to be done."
Several other letters followed in rapid succession.
To JOSEPH BUONAPARTE.
"PARIS, 24th 7zne, 1795.
"I intend to use all haste with the commissions for your
wife. Desiree demands my portrait; you will give it to
her should she still wish for it; this not being the case,
keep it for yourself. No matter what happens, you know
well you cannot have a better friend than myself, or one
more dear to you, and who more sincerely desires your
happiness. Life is like an empty dream which is soon
dissipated. If you leave France and think your absence
will be long, send me your portrait. We have lived so
many years together, so closely united, that our hearts
are mingled, and you know better than any one how
entirely mine belongs to you. I feel while tracing these
lines an amount of emotion I have seldom experienced.
We shall soon meet; I can no longer continue my letter.
" BUONAPARTE."
Joseph was then intent upon settling at Genoa, and
devoting himself to the oil trade, little foreseeing the
brilliant destinies and the two crowns in store for him.
To JOSEPH BUONAPARTE.
'; PARIS, 6th zuly, I795.
"I have received no news of you since you left. In
order to reach Genoa one must cross the Lethe, for




LETTERS TO JOSEPH.


47


Ddsirde no longer writes to me since she has arrived in
that city.
"The English have disembarked I2,000 men, most of
them  enigres, in Brittany.  That does not give much
uneasiness here. We are so sure of the superiority of
our infantry that we laugh at the threats of the English.
"The armies of Italy and the Pyrenees appear to have
been attacked with great spirit.
"Every day a few Articles of the Constitution are
decreed. Everything is quiet. There is still a scarcity
of bread. The weather is cold and damp for the season,
and renders the harvest backward. A louis here is worth
750 francs.
" BUONAPARTE."
To JOSEPH BUONAPARTE.
" PARIS, I2tkh 7zdy, 1795.
"The English will be obliged to re-embark in a few
days.  Pichegru is preparing to pass the Rhine.  La
Vendee is tranquil, and the Chouans are only seen north
of the Loire. Peace with Spain is imminent.
"The Dutch appear warm friends of their Revolution.
It is probable that the Stadtholder will not return. He
has no party.
" The North is disturbed, and Poland conceives hopes.
"Italy is growing rich on the spoils and misfortunes
of France.
" Luxury, pleasure and the arts flourish once more here
to an astonishing degree. Yesterday Phedre was given
at the Opera for the benefit of a retired actress; there was
an immense crowd at the doors from 2 P.M., although prices
had been trebled. Carriages and fashionables have reappeared, and forget, or rather only remember as a dream, that
they ever ceased to shine. Libraries are open, and lectures
on history, chemistry, astronomy, &c., succeed each other.




48     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Everything is accumulated in this country to amuse and
render life agreeable. One is torn from one's reflections,
and how is it possible to be gloomy in this busy whirlwind?
Women are seen everywhere-at the theatres, in the
promenades, and the libraries. In the study of the savant
you meet very pretty persons. Here alone of all places
in the world they deserve to hold the helm; therefore the
men are mad about them, think only of them, live only
by and for them. A woman requires to be but six months
in Paris to know what is due to her and the extent of
her empire.
"BUONAPARTE."
To JOSEPH BUONAPARTE.
"PARIS, I8S J7uly, 1795
"Still no letter from you, and it is more than a month
since you left. Nor have I heard from Desiree since she
reached Genoa..... I suppose you have taken the
opportunity of being at Genoa to get our plate.
" Louis is at Chalons, finishing to make himself a man;
he is studying mathematics and fortification.
"I await your letters before deciding on the purchase
of a property. It is impossible to have anything suitable for less than 800,000 or 9oo,ooo francs" [probably
in assignats].
"Junot is here living like the d -, and spending as
much of his father's money as possible. Marmont, who
accompanied me from Marseilles, is at the siege of
Mayence..... I await your letters with impatience.
Salutations to your wife. I should much like to embrace
her in Paris, where one is better than at Genoa. It is
here that an upright and prudent man, who confines
himself to his friends, lives with all the liberty imaginable,
if he wishes, and is perfectly free.
" BUONAPARTE."




LUCIEN ARRESTED.


49


To JOSEPH BUONAPARTE.
"PARIS, 25th 7uly, 1795.
"I am a General employed in the army of the West;
my malady detains me here. I await further details from
you. I believe you avoid speaking to me about Desiree
on purpose, &c.
"BUONAPARTE."
To JOSEPH BUONAPARTE.
"3oth 7uly, 1795.
"You shall obtain the passport you require..... You
ought to have received a letter from Freron.... Lucien
has got himself arrested; a courrier starts to-morrow with
orders from the Committee of Public Safety to set him
at liberty. I will do all you want with time and patience.
"The peace with Spain renders an offensive war in
Piedmont indispensable. The plan I have proposed is
being discussed and will infallibly be adopted. If I go
to Nice we shall see each other, and Desiree also. I await
your answer about purchasing you a property.  I am
going to write to Madame Isoard to give Lucien some
money, and I will procure a place for him in Paris before
starting..... The harvest is splendid.
"This great nation gives itself up to pleasure, dancing,
and theatres, and women (who are the prettiest in the
world) have become the principal occupation.  Ease,
luxury, and bon ton have recovered their reign; the Terror
is remembered only as a dream.
" BUONAPARTE."
At this moment there was a large amount of national
property in the market-property which had been taken
from the Church and the nobles, and which patriots were
allowed to purchase on easy terms.
VOL. I.                                  E




50    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


To COMMISSARY SUCY.
"PARIS, I7th August, I795.
" I congratulate you on joining the army.... Fortune,
favour, and the esteem of men vary and oscillate perpetually..... I have been appointed to serve in the army
of La Vendee as General of the Line: I have not accepted.
A great many officers would command a brigade better
than I could; but few could command the artillery so well.
I retire satisfied that the injustice done to the service
will be sufficiently felt by those who know how to
appreciate matters.
".... Health, constancy, and never be discouraged.
If you find men wicked and ungrateful, remember the
great, although buffoon maxim, of Scapin-'Let us be
thankful to them for all the crimes they do not commit.'
" BUONAPARTE."
To JOSEPH BUONAPARTE.
"PARIS, 20th August, I795.
"I am at this moment attached to the Topographical
Department of the Committee of Public Safety for the
direction of armies, in place of Carnot. If I make the
demand I shall obtain permission to go to Turkey as
General of Artillery sent by the Government to organise
the artillery of the Grand Signor, with good pay and a
flattering title. I will get you made consul..... Everything is quiet here, but storms are perhaps brewing. I
shall take five or six officers with me..... The Committee of Public Safety having charged me with the
direction of the armies, and with the plans of campaign
(which is highly flattering) will not, I fear, allow me to
go to Turkey. We shall see.
" BUONAPARTE."




MILITARY MATTERS.


5 


To JOSEPH BUONAPARTE.
"PARIS, Ist September, 1795.
".... There is a little excitement in consequence of
the renewal of the Convention. The Royalists are stirring;
we shall see how this will end.... Scherer has gone to
the army of Italy; Kellermann to that of the Alps; Hoche
has been transferred to La Vende; Moncey to the coast
of Brest."
And four days later:" The Committee consider that it will be impossible for
me to leave France as long as the war lasts. I am going
to be re-established in the artillery, and shall probably
remain at the Committee..... Should I stay here it
is possible I may be seized with the madness of marrying.
I should like to receive a few words from you on this
subject, and it might be well to speak to the brother of
Desiree. Let me know the result, and that will terminate
the affair.
"The celebrated Bishop of Autun (Talleyrand) and
General Montesquiou have received permission to return
to France, and have been struck off the list of emigres.
"( BUONAPARTE."
To JOSEPH BUONAPARTE.
"PARIS, 6th September, 1795.
".... No matter what happens, you need feel no
alarm concerning me, as I have for friends the best men of
all parties. Mariette is extremely zealous in my behalf:
you are aware of his opinions. I am on intimate terms
with Doulcet, You know my other friends of an opposite
opinion.
"I am going to write to your wife. I am well satisfied
with Louis; he answers the hopes I conceived of him. He is
E 2




52     1THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
a good fellow after my fashion-warmth, wit, talent, honesty,
goodness, all combined. You know, my friend, that I only
live for the pleasure I can give my family. If my hopes
are seconded by the good luck which never abandons me
in my undertakings, I shall be able to fulfil all your
desires...  I feel much being deprived of Louis, who
was of great assistance to me-no one more active, more
skilful, and more insinuating. Since Louis is no longer
here, I can attend only to the most important affairs....
To-morrow I shall have three horses, and this will enable
me to drive about in a cabriolet and attend to business.
"Adieu, my friend.  Amuse yourself; everything is
going well; be gay. Think of my affair (Desiree), for I
am mad to have a home. It must be concluded or broken
off. I await your reply with impatience. You can remain
at Genoa as long as you wish. The motive is simpleto recover the little property which we still possess in
Corsica.
"BUONAPARTE."
The active correspondence kept up with Joseph, and
the letter to Commissary Sucy, reveal much that happened at this curious and eventful epoch in the life of
Brigadier Bonaparte, but not all. They show us that he
had fits of dejection, which never lasted long; that his
thoughts were constantly turned towards the East; that he
was hard pressed for money, and that he was anxious to
marry. Joseph had espoused the daughter of a wealthy
soap-boiler of Marseilles, Julia Clary, who had brought
him a dowry of 20,000/., and Napoleon wished to marry
her sister, Desiree.  Desiree Clary, however, was not
destined to become Empress of France, but the wife of
General Bernadotte, and Queen of Sweden. In I795 the
Bonapartes did not bear a high reputation in the south,
and the soap-boiler declared that one Bonaparte in his
family was quite sufficient.
Napoleon's sick leave expired on the I4th July, but as




LITERARY PRODUCTIONS.


53


he had no intention of joining the army of the West he
procured another medical certificate, and asked for an
extension.  "My doctor allows me to hope," he wrote,
"that in twenty days, that is to say, on the 4th August,
I shall be able to rejoin my army corps." He wished to
gain the 4th August, because on that date the Committees
would be renewed, and " that wretch Aubry," as he called
him, would no longer be war minister, and it was to Aubry,
a captain in the same corps as himself, that he attributed
his removal from the artillery.
The ill-health of the young General did not prevent him
from being busy with his pen. In July he wrote a Recueil
sur i'Histoire depuis le 9 Thermnidtor, Az II. (date of the
fall of Robespierre) juisqu'au contlL7niccjneit dte An IV.,
and also Une Etude sur la Po/itique, les Calses d(es Troubles,
et des Discords,; both of which autographs are in private
collections. In addition to this he drew up a memorandum  on the army of Italy, showing the advantages
of adopting offensive operations; and Lanfrey rightly
remarks that it is impossible to read this document without a feeling of intense admiration. It was referred to
Kellermann, who commanded the army of the Alps, and
to Scherer, who commanded the army of Italy. The former
considered it the work of a madman; the second remarked
that the officer who recommended such operations should
be sent to carry them out. A year later this madman did
carry them out, to the great astonishment of the world in
general and of Kellermann and Scherer in particular.
However, for the moment the look-out was gloomy,
although all around seemed gay and bent on making up
for lost time.  On the I8th Thermidor (5th August)
Brigadier Bonaparte addressed a memorial to the Representatives of the People and the Committee of Public
Safety, in which he set forth his services at considerable
length and asked to be re-instated in the artillery. This
document contained several inaccuracies. The petitioner
said he had joined the artillery in 1782, whereas he only




54    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


obtained his commission at the end of I784. He claimed
to have served seventeen years instead of twelve, &c., &c.
The petition having been referred to the competent athorities, Napoleon was once more in despair and meditated
suicide. On the i6th August he received a peremptory
order to join his corps, and was told that in addition to
sending in the sick certificate of Citizen Marquis, he
should, according to regulation, have presented himself
before the Medical Board. "If," terminated the order,
"your state of health prevents you from undergoing the
fatigue of active service, inform me of the fact and I will
ask the Committee to replace you." On the reception of
this document the General immediately rushed off to
Barras, Freron, and other friends, representing himself as
the victim of his attachment to the Republican party, and
speaking much about the army of Italy, of the East, and
of Constantinople. That he did not plead in vain is
proved by the fact of his having been appointed to the
topographical department on the 20th August, a post
which, if we are to believe a letter written to brother
Joseph, gave his active brain sufficient occupation. "I
hope," he wrote to the future King of Naples, "that you
will obtain a consulate in the kingdom of Naples. I
am overwhelmed with business from I to 5 P.M. at the
Committee, and then from I I P.M. till 3 A.M."
The great ambition of Napoleon at this moment was to
get to the East. Lucien said he prophesied that British
preponderance in India would daily increase, and declared
that he would take service in that country unless promoted
at home. "I heard him several times say," wrote Lucien
in his Memoirs, "that the English made more of a good
artillery officer than the French did, and that distinguished
officers of that arm were rare in India."  He added: " If
I take that decision, I hope you will soon hear of me, and
that I shall return in a few years a rich nabob, bringing
home handsome dowries for my three sisters.... Mamma
was quite angry with Napoleon for speaking so often




WISHES TO GO TO TURKEY.


55


about going to India, considering him quite capable of
putting this project into execution in a moment of
vexation against the Government."
At this moment the Sublime Porte and the French
Republic were on excellent terms, and in July, I795, the
Sultan, for the second time, asked for French artillery
officers, &c.  Napoleon, made aware of this demand,
immediately drew up a memorandum on the amelioration
of the Turkish artillery, and a note on the best means of
augmenting the power of Turkey against the encroachments of European monarchies, a summary of which
we give:NOTE WRITTEN BY BUONAPARTE.
"30oh August, 1795.
"At a moment when the Empress of Russia has
strengthened the bonds which unite her to Austria, it is
in the interest of France to do all in her power to render
the military capabilities of Turkey more formidable. That
Power has numerous and brave bodies of militia, but very
ignorant with regard to the art of war. The formation
of the artillery, which exercises so powerful an influence
on modern tactics and the gaining of battles, and almost
exclusively in the taking and defence of strong places, is
still in its infancy in Turkey.  The Porte, which feels
this, has several times demanded artillery and engineer
officers. We have some we can dispose of at the present
moment; but they are neither sufficiently numerous
nor sufficiently capable to produce a result of any
consequence.
"General Buonaparte, who has acquired some reputation in commanding the artillery of our army under
various circumstances, and especially at the siege of
Toulon, offers to go to Turkey on a mission from the
Government: he will take with him five or six officers,




56    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


each with a special knowledge of the sciences relative
to war.
"' Should he be able, in this new career, to render the
Turkish armies more formidable, he believes he will be
doing his country a signal service.
"BUONAPARTE."
This note was backed up by two members of the Committee, who spoke very highly of Napoleon's previous
services. The Government determined to send out a
military commission to Turkey. Kellermann and Scherer
were ordered to carry out the plans furnished by Bonaparte, and the young General told Bourrienne to look
out for a property for him in the valley of the Yonne.
The road to fortune appeared once more open, but there
was to be another slip between cup and lip.
On the 5th September Napoleon sent in a request for
horses, setting forth that he had been obliged to sell the
animals he had at Nice for a trifle. The demand was
returned by the Re-mount Department with this note:
"The certificate does not state that Citizen Bonaparte
really sold his horses," &c. This matter created a considerable noise, more especially as it coincided with the
return of the petition, which the General had addressed
to the Representatives of the People and the Committee,
on his exclusion from the artillery. The various errors
committed by General Bonaparte were pointed out, and
a confidential report made by the artillery and engineer
department was most unfavourable to the petitioner.
On the I5th September, I795, the Foreign Office submitted to the Committee of Public Safety the following
project:"General Buonaparte shall go to Constantinople with
two aides-de-camp, to serve in the army of the Grand
Turk, to contribute by his talents and acquired knowledge to the reorganisation of the artillery of the powerful




AGAIN STRUCK OFF TIlE ACTIVE LIST.


57


Turkish empire, and to execute whatever shall be ordered
by the ministers of the Porte," &c., &c.
On the same day the Committee of Public Safety issued
this decree:-" General Buonaparte, formerly requisitioned
to serve under the orders of the Committee, is struck off
the active list in consequence of his refusal to repair to the
post assigned to him "-refusal to join the army of the
West. This decree was signed by Cambaceres, the future
arch-chancellor of the empire, by Berlier, Merlin, and
Boissy.
The blow was severe, and no doubt Napoleon poured
out his feelings on the subject in his letters to his brother;
but, strange to say, at this point the publication of his
correspondence with Joseph is suddenly broken off for
a while.
Bonaparte, however, was not destined to remain long
under a cloud.  He had several powerful friends, and
among them Paul Barras, who had seen him at work at
Toulon and who had not lost sight of him. The Royalist
reaction was raising its head in the most formidable
manner, and the adherents of the princes were full of
confidence. The Convention perceived that strong measures could alone save it.
On the I Ith Vendemiaire (2nd October) Napoleon
received this laconic note: "The Citizen Bonaparte is
invited to come, without fail, to-morrow morning, at ten
o'clock, to the house of the Citizen Director Barras, at
Chaillot." What happened then is tolerably well known.
Bonaparte was charged with the defence of the Convention,
and on the I3th Vendemiaire smote the Royalists hip and
thigh, and saved the Republic. The Convention hastened
to confirm his appointment as second in command of
the Army of the Interior, of which Barras was the
nominal Commander-in-chief, and two days afterwards the
Artillery Committee reported in favour of his mission to
Constantinople. But it was too late.  Napoleon often




58    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


returned to the idea of invading the East; when emperor
he seriously contemplated marching on India and seating
himself on the throne of Delhi, where he proposed to
remain for four years. For the moment, however, he was
satisfied with the brilliant change affairs had taken. He
thus announced his success to Joseph:" PARIS, 2 A.M., 6th October, I795.
"At last all is over. My first idea is to think of you,
and to send you news concerning myself.
" The Royalists, formed into sections, became daily more
insolent. The Convention ordered that the Lepelletier
section should be disarmed, and it resisted the troops.
Menou, who commanded, is said to have played the
traitor, and was at once dismissed.  The Convention
appointed Barras to command the army, and the Committees appointed me second in command. We posted the
troops; the enemy marched to attack us at the Tuileries;
we killed a great number of them, and lost on our side
thirty men killed and sixty wounded. We have disarmed
the sections, and all is quiet. As usual, I was not wounded.
"The General of Brigade,
" BUONAPARTE.
"P.S. Happiness is for me: my courtship to Desiree
and to Julie."
Barras soon resigned his military post, and Napoleon
wrote to Joseph:" PARIS, Ist November, I795.
"A week ago I was appointed General-in-chief of the
Army of the Interior. The Council of Five Hundred and
the Ancients are assembled, and the former has drawn
out a list of the Executive Directory. It appears that
the five members are to be Sieyes, Rewbel, Barras, Le
Tourneur, and La Revelliere-Lepaux. My health is good,
although I lead a very busy life.
" BUONAPARTE."




CHANGE OF FORTUNE.


59


There is no more mention of Desiree, whose dowry was
no longer required. Napoleon was re-instated in the artillery,
and on the 23rd October was made a General of Division.
He had evidently money at his disposal. He wrote to
Joseph: "I have lodging, table, and a carriage to offer
you..... I have sent 50,000 francs, money, assignats,
chiffons, to the family, therefore have no uneasiness....
You shall soon be made a consul. If Genoa does not
please you, come to Paris." The rest of the familyLucien, Louis, Jerome, and Uncle Fesch, and a number
of friends, were speedily provided for.
How strange the vicissitudes in the life of this great
soldier, who was:Sixty-six months, second lieutenant.
Twelve months, first lieutenant.
Thirteen months, captain.
Two months, major.
Twenty-two months, general of brigade.
When appointed general of brigade he had been present
with his corps for forty-one months.
He was cashiered in I792, in 1794, and in I795.
He was only once promoted regularly-when he was
made first lieutenant. His other grades were all obtained
by favour from Robespierre, Barras, and other friends in
power.
The year I795, which had opened so gloomily for
Napoleon, and had more than once almost witnessed the
ruin of all his hopes and ambition, closed on far more
cheerful prospects. The high-road to fortune and glory
was now open to him.




CHAPTER II.


THE YEAR I796.
EVEN those historians who most condemn the tyranny
of Napoleon admit the extraordinary military and administrative capacity which he exhibited in I796. Never
were so many battles gained and so many kingdoms
overrun in the short space of twelve months. In I795 the
name of Bonaparte was unknown beyond a very limited
circle; before the close of 1796 he filled the trump of
fame and had set down the mighty from their seats. He
had humbled the Emperor of Germany, had forced the
Kings of Sardinia and of Naples and the Pope to sue
for peace; he had broken up the ancient government of
Venice, deposed the Duke of Modena, created two Republics in Italy, and established his authority in Genoa
and Tuscany. He had beaten with inferior forces, in the
midst of hostile populations, Beaulieu, Wurmser, Provera,
Quasdanowich, Alvinzi, Davidowich, and the Archduke
Charles. In I795 he was wandering about Paris, sometimes contemplating suicide, and at other times allowing
his imagination to be flushed with visions of Eastern
conquest; before the end of 1796 he was the greatest
power on the Continent. In I795 we found him complaining of "that wretch Aubry," and of war ministers
in general. In 1796, thanks to the enthusiasm which his
victories excited in France, he could afford to treat with




LITERARY LABOURS.


6i


disrespect the positive orders of the Directory, and to
settle the affairs of Italy after his own fashion. He had
three times been deprived of his rank in the army, thanks
to acts of insubordination, previous to being appointed 
Commander-in-chief of the army of Italy. In the course
of 1796 he several times disobeyed the orders of the
Government by concluding suspensions of arms and
treaties, and entering into other arrangements with the
enemy, without waiting for their approbation; but instead
of being removed from the service, he was then in a
position to impose his views on the Directory by simply
asking to be relieved of his command.
In perusing his correspondence for 1796, it is necessary
to bear in mind that Bonaparte considerably exaggerated
the difficulties with which he had to contend, underrating
the strength of his own forces and overrating that of the
enemy. Before commencing our selection for this memorable year, we shall merely add that the Correspondence
of Napoleon contains, for I796, no less than 1,258 letters,
despatches, orders of the day, and proclamations. On the
iith May Bonaparte wrote no less than nineteen letters,
&c.; on the I4th April, eighteen, including a detailed
account of his first victory of Montenotte; on the 26th
April, eighteen; on the 4th May, eighteen, &c., and the
year can hardly be said to have commenced before April.
On the 9th May, Bonaparte wrote to Carnot that he loved
his wife to madness, and this is sufficiently proved by the
extravagant letters that he addressed to Josephine during
the campaign in question, and which are not to be found
in the Correspondence, but in a separate volume published
in 1833-letters as remarkable for their passion as for
their impropriety, although Madame de Remusat says
any woman would have been proud to receive them. It
must certainly be remembered that they were addressed
to a woman of a certain age, who had been married before,
and whom Bonaparte had met in very dissolute society.
In the first page of the "Military Correspondence,"




62     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Bonaparte (i9th January, I796) indicates the best plan to
adopt in order to beat the Sardinian and Austrian armies,
and to reach Turin. These objects obtained, he says (and
his observations are very remarkable, seeing what happened before the close of the year):" The King of Sardinia will sue for peace. The French
general must say he has no power to conclude peace, and
that he must send a courier to Paris; during this time
his majesty will be obliged to make propositions of such
a nature that it will be impossible to refuse them, as they
will perfectly fulfil the aim of the Government; without
this Turin will be burned.
" However, as the war in Italy will depend entirely on
the season of the year, each month will require a different
plan of campaign. The Government must therefore have
absolute confidence in their general, and allow him great
latitude, simply indicating the objective.  It requires a
month to receive a reply to a despatch sent from Savona,
and during that time everything may change."
A fortnight after, Bonaparte descended from the summits
of the Alps and pierced the enemy's line at Montenotte,
the Sardinians were suing for peace, and the road to Turin
was open. No necessity, however, arose for burning down
that capital, for the King, Charles Emmanuel, one of whose
sisters was married to the Comte de Provence who afterwards became Louis XVIII., and the other to the Comte
d'Artois who became Charles X., ceded Nice and Savoy
to France, and laid down his arms.
We shall henceforth speak of Napoleon as Bonaparte, as
he thus signed his name until he adopted the Imperial title.
At the close of I795 Bonaparte was appointed Generalin-chief of the Army of the Interior, succeeding his friend
and protector, Paul Barras. The first letter which we
quote for I796 is addressed to General Clarke, an officer
of Irish descent, who played a considerable part in the




BONAPARTE S MARRIAGE.


63


Napoleonic drama, and who was created Duc de Feltre
under the Empire. In '96 he was Director of the Topographical Department, which post had recently been held
by Bonaparte.
To CITIZEN CLARKE, General of Division.
" PARIS, 24th February, 1796.
"Citizen General, I have received your note.... It
is true that the chouans are organised in the department
of the Eure, but the flying column destined to maintain
tranquillity has restored order. I have directed General
Huet to act in concert with the justice of the peace and
to arrest the emigres and refractory priests in the parish
of Ile.
" BUONAPARTE."
About a year later Clarke was removed from the service
as a Royalist, and nothing but Bonaparte's popularity in
Paris saved him from sharing the same fate, on the same
charge, and in conjunction with the regicide Carnot!
In the following letter, the first he signed "Bonaparte,"
without the "u," the young general announced his marriage. He had met Josephine in the company of Barras,
at that moment the most influential of "les cinq sires."
Barras had been one of his best men, and according to
report had given to Josephine, as a wedding gift, the
command of the army of Italy for her husband. It is true
that Carnot also claimed the honour of this appointment,
and that all five Directors wished to get rid of a protector
who alarmed them by his indefatigable activity and illconcealed ambition.
To CITIZEN LE TOURNEUR.
"PARIS, I Ith March, 1796.
"I have requested the Citizen Barras to inform the
Executive Directory of my marriage with the Citoyenne
Tascher Beauharnais. The confidence which the Directory




64     THIE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


has shown me under all circumstances renders it my duty
to inform them of all my actions. It is a new bond which
attaches me to the country; it is a new pledge of my firm
resolution to find salvation in the Republic alone.
"Salutations and respect.
"The General-in-chief of the army of Italy,
" BONAPARTE."
Strange to say, Hoche, Bonaparte's rival, had been
thrown into prison because, while in command of the
army of the Rhine, he had married a young lady of Thionville. It is true that this was in the days of the terrible
Committee of Public Safety, which considered the moment
of commencing a campaign ill-chosen for matrimony and
domestic happiness.  Barras thought by this marriage
with Josephine to secure the support of Bonaparte.
Immediately after his marriage Bonaparte started to
take command of the army of Italy, then about 34,000
strong.  His honeymoon lasted only forty-eight hours.
On assuming the command he issued the following
proclamation 
"NICE, 27th March, I796.
"Soldiers, you were naked, ill-fed: the Government
owed you much and had nothing to give you. Your
patience, and the courage you have exhibited in the midst
of these rocks, are admirable; but they procure you no
glory; no brilliancy is reflected on you. I desire to lead
you into the most fertile plains in the world. Rich provinces and great cities will be in your power; you will
find there, honour, glory, and wealth. Soldiers of Italy,
will you be wanting in courage and constancy?"
More than one French historian has severely blamed
Bonaparte for encouraging among his Republican officers
a spirit of ambition and among Republican soldiers an
insatiable cupidity. "Bonaparte," says Lanfrey, "pointed




DEMANDS ON GENOA.


65


to Italy, not as a nation to be delivered, but as a prey to
be seized upon, and his excitations produced a thirst for
plunder of which no modern war offers another example."
But Bonaparte was not alone to blame for this, and the
military chest, though strictly guarded, was absolutely
empty. Hitherto the Republic had fought in defence of
the immortal principles of '93, but now it was about to
indulge in a war of aggression and systematic robbery.
To CITIZEN FAYPOULT.
"NICE, 27th March, I796.
"I have received your letter. I dined yesterday at the
house of General Scherer, with your wife. I shall be
charmed to be of service to her..... It is said that the
Genoese offer us 3,000,000 francs. My opinion is that this
sum should be accepted without noise, and that we should
continue to live in peace and friendship with that Republic,
whose enmity would be baneful to our commerce and
would disarrange our military calculations.
" BONAPARTE."
The chief interest in the above letter, addressed to an
officer of the commissariat, lies in the fact that it shows
Bonaparte, even before entering Italy, intent on setting
aside the plans of the Directory, which were certainly
faulty, and acting for himself. Bonaparte had succeeded
Scherer in the command of the army of Italy, and he was
destined to succeed him again on his return from Egypt.
The demands upon poor Genoa were increased in the most
exorbitant manner as soon as Bonaparte became master
of the situation.
To THE DIRECTORY.
' NICE, 28th March, 1796.
"I have been for several days in the midst of the army;
yesterday I assumed the command..... The adminisVOL. 1.                                   F




66     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


trative situation is regrettable, but not to be despaired of.
I am obliged to threaten the contractors, who have robbed
much and who enjoy credit, and I obtain a good deal by
flattering them  afterwards.  The army will henceforth
have good bread and meat; it has already received
considerable sums in the way of arrears.
"The marches from the Rhone to the Var are provisioned, and five days ago my cavalry, my baggage
waggons, and my artillery were in motion.   Citizen
Directors, your intentions shall be carried out; I shall
march shortly. I have announced to the army that you
are satisfied with its good conduct and patience. This has
greatly flattered the soldiers, and especially the officers.
A battalion zmutinied and zvould not leave Nice, on the
pretext that it had neither shoes nor money. I had all
the grenadiers arrested; I made the battalion march, and
when it was a league out of Nice, I despatched a counterorder and sent it to the rear. My intention is to disband
this corps and to incorporate the soldiers in other battalions,
the officers not having shown sufficient firmness.
" I was received by this army with all the demonstrations
of joy and confidence due to one who during five months,
acting under your eyes, has merited your confidence.
"I have been particularly struck with the frankness and
honesty of General Scherer. He has acquired claims to
my gratitude by his loyal conduct and the alacrity with
which he has communicated useful information.  His
health appears somewhat shaken. He has a great facility
for speaking on moral and political matters which might
be of use to you.
"Our position with regard to Genoa is critical....
There are two courses open. To seize upon Genoa by
surprise, but that is opposed to your intentions and would
be contrary to the law of nations; or to live on good
terms with her, and not to exact money from the people,
which is the only thing they value.
"BONAPARTE."




BONAPARTE'S GENERALS.


67


Bonaparte, on joining the army, was not well received
at first, especially by some of the general officers senior to
him in the service, and who had already distinguished
themselves in the field. However, he speedily caused his
authority to be respected, and Massena and Augereau
acknowledged that they had found their master. Among
other officers in the army of Italy were Marmont, Junot,
Murat, Joubert, Lannes, Victor, and Suchet, all destined
to acquire more or less celebrity in the field.
ORDER OF THE DAY.
"NICE, 29th March, 1796.
"The General-in-chief Bonaparte reviewed the Iooth
demi-brigade, &c. He is satisfied with the appearance
of the troops, their sentiments of devotion towards the
Republic, and their resolution to conquer.  He has
inspected the active divisions of the army, and has everywhere found soldiers accustomed to vanquish and to suffer,
and as devoted to liberty as to discipline, which is the
sinew of armies. They will find in him a comrade, strong
in the confidence of the Government, proud of the esteem
of patriots, and decided to acquire for the army of Italy
destinies worthy of it.
"In execution of a decree of the Directory, General
Alexander Berthier is appointed chief of the staff of the
army of Italy..... 
Berthier had already seen a fair amount of service in
America and elsewhere.   He could read a map, and
although he was not capable of commanding a division
he was invaluable as a staff-officer.
To THE DIRECTORY.
"ALBENGA, 6lh Apriz, 1796.
I have transferred my head-quarters to Albenga. The
movement which I found commenced against Genoa has
F 2




68     THE CORRESPONIENCE OF NAPOLEON.


drawn the enemy out of his winter quarters..... Beaulieu has published a manifesto, to which I shall reply after
the battle. I was much annoyed by this movement on
Genoa, which obliged that Republic to assume a hostile
attitude and alarmed the enemy, when I counted
on catching him napping.  This will cost us so many
more men.
"General Colli sent an ezigre named Moulin with a
flag of truce. I had him arrested and brought before
a court martial, as nothing can render the person of a
parricide sacred.
".... The army is in a terrible state of destitution.
I have still great obstacles to surmount, but they are
surmountable. Distress has authorised insubordination,
and without discipline victory is out of the question. I
hope all this will be changed in the course of a few days.
" BONAPARTE."
The movement on Genoa which aroused Beaulieu nearly
proved fatal to Bonaparte, who but for the gallant
defence of a redoubt would have been cut off by General
d'Argenteau.
To THE DIRECTORY.
"ALBENGA, 8t/h April, I796.
"You will find inclosed the letter written to me by
General Colli, who commands the army of the King of
Sardinia, and the answer I have returned. I hope it is
in conformity with your intentions.
"The Treasury often sends us letters of change which
are not honoured. One for I72,800 francs, drawn on Cadiz,
has just been returned, which augments our difficulties.
" I found this army not only destitute of everything, but
without discipline and in a chronic state of insubordination.
The discontent was so great that evil-minded men took
advantage of it to form a 'Company of the Dauphin,' and




THE FIRST ITALIAN CAMPAIGN.


69


to sing Chouan and anti-revolutionary songs. I have had
two officers tried by court martial for crying Vive le roi!
"I suppose that Moulin's mission had something to do
with all this. Although the Treasury has not kept faith
with us we shall push forward.
" BONAPARTE."
ORDER OF THE DAY.
"CARCARE, I2th Atril, 1796.
"Vive la Rdpublique!   To-day, 23rd Germinal, the
division of General Massena and that of Laharpe attacked
the Austrians, 13,000 strong, commanded by General
Beaulieu in person and the Generals Argenteau and
Roccavina, occupying the important position of Montenotte. The Republicans completely defeated the Austrians,
killing or wounding about 3,000 men. General Roccavina is
among the wounded. Further details will be furnished
when all the information relative to this glorious affair
has been collected."
To THE DIRECTORY.
" CARCARE, I4th April, 1796.
"The Italian campaign has commenced. I have forwarded a report on the battle of Montenotte. After
manceuvring for three days in order to conceal his
intentions, Beaulieu attacked the right of our army with
10,ooo men.  General Cervoni resisted the enemy with the
intrepidity which characterises the soldiers of liberty. I
was not deceived as to the real object of the enemy. As
soon as I was informed of the attack on my right, I
ordered General Cervoni to wait until it was dark and
then to fall back by a forced march (hiding his movement
from the enemy) on my centre, which was protected by
the heights of the Madona of Savona."
"On the Ioth, at 4 A.M., Beaulieu in person, with 15,000
men, attacked and forced all the positions on which the




70    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


centre of the army rested. An hour after noon he attacked
the redoubt of Monte Legino, which was our last line of
defence. The enemy returned several times to the charge,
but the redoubt, defended by 1,500 men, was rendered
impregnable by the courage of those who defended it.
"BONAPARTE."
The battle was renewed the next day, and Massena
coming up, the Austrians were routed. Had General
Rampon and his men not held the redoubt, the campaign
would have been lost, and half the French army and its
general-in-chief captured. The next night was employed
by Bonaparte in repairing his error, and this was very soon
done. His great object was to separate the Sardinian and
Austrian armies, and this he effected by beating Beaulieu
at Montenotte and then Beaulieu and Colli at Mellesimo.
It is true that Beaulieu captured a French detachment at
Dego on the I3th, but Massena retook that position after
some desperate fighting.
To DIRECTOR CARNOT.
" CARCARE, I6th Afriz, 1796.
"You will find the details of the battles of Montenotte
and Millesimo in the report forwarded to the Directory.
I cannot conceal from you that I am seconded neither by
the artillery nor the engineers, as, in spite of your orders,
I have not a single one of the officers I asked for.
"I have captured Montezemoto. I have no officer of
engineers capable of taking a survey of Ceva, and I shall
have to go there myself, although my presence is very
necessary on the right, where perhaps in an hour I shall
be engaged with Beaulieu, who is furious, and wishes to
make a despairing effort. Will you believe it, that I have
not a single engineer officer who has studied at Mezieres,
nor one who has seen a siege or who has served in a
fortified place?....
"BONAPARTE."




ENTHUSIASM OF THE TROOPS.


7 


It is related that when the French troops arrived at
Montezemoto and beheld the beautiful plains of Italy
beneath them, they halted, and, struck with admiration,
saluted their young commander with unanimous acclamations. In a very few days Bonaparte had managed to
win the confidence of the army, whose cupidity he had
also aroused.
To GENERAL SERURIER.
"LESEGNO, 20oth April, I796.
"I have learned with pain that our troops allowed
themselves to be surprised yesterday at the village of St.
Michel..... By these various movements you will be in
a position to take your revenge in a brilliant fashion..
You must not be astonished, my dear general, at the little
check you have received; it will only be the prelude to
our victory.
"BONAPARTE."
Beaulieu, in spite of his age, was a very enterprising
and active soldier; but, fortunately for Bonaparte, he was
badly seconded, and the people of Turin lost courage,
Having been beaten at Vico and then at Mondovi, his
Sardinian majesty, much against his own inclination, sued
for peace. His troops had been beaten, but he was still
formidable by reason of his artillery, his cavalry, and the
natural positions he might occupy. Nor was Turin in any
immediate danger, for the French had no siege pieces and
Beaulieu was not far off.
ORDER OF THE DAY.
" LESEGNO, 22nd AptriZ, 1796.
"The General-in-chief congratulates the army on its
bravery and the successes it has gained over the enemy;
but he sees with horror the fearful pillage in which perverse
men, who join their corps only after the battle, and who




72    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


commit excesses which dishonour the army and the French
name, have indulged.
" He consequently orders:" First. That the chief of the staff shall, within twentyfour hours, make a report on the morality of the adjutantgenerals and other officers attached to the staff.
"Second. The generals of division will, within twentyfour hours, transmit to the General-in-chief, a note on the
morality of the field officers under their orders since the
opening of the campaign," &c., &c.
And generals of division were authorised to shoot officers
"who by their example excite others to pillage, thus destroying discipline, spreading disorder through the army,
and compromising its safety and glory."
Sometimes these acts of pillage were punished, sometimes they were excused, and at other times tolerated, if
not encouraged.
To THE DIRECTORY.
" CARRU, 24th April, 1796.
"I have forwarded a report on the battle of Mondovi,
which does the greatest honour to the troops..... You
have no idea of the military and administrative condition
of the army. When I arrived it was undermined by illintentioned persons, it was without bread, without discipline. I have made examples..... My life here is
inconceivable, I return fatigued to my quarters, and it is
necessary to sit up working all night, and to go everywhere
to re-establish order.  The soldier without bread is driven
to commit acts which make one blush to be a man. I intend
to make terrible examples. I shall restore order, or shall
cease to command these brigands.....   The campaign is
not yet decided. The enemy is driven to despair; he is
strong, and fights well. He knows I am in want of everything, and trusts to time. I place my faith in the genius




STATE OF THE ARMY.


73


of the Republic, the bravery of the soldiers, the harmony
of the chiefs, and the confidence reposed in me. I have
100,000 men against me, and can oppose only 34,000
infantry and 3,500 cavalry to that force. The enemy
possesses strong places and a numerous and efficient
artillery.
BONAPARTE."
In order to put an end to pillage, Bonaparte then
announced his intention of laying a heavy war indemnity
on the various conquered provinces, which were also
requisitioned for the immediate benefit of the army.
The King of Sardinia having sued for peace, Joseph Bonaparte was despatched to Paris for instructions, also Citizen
Junot, who was to present to the Government twenty-one
Austrian and Sardinian standards, captured at Montenotte,
Millesimo, Dego, and Mondovi, and to persuade Josephine
to join her disconsolate husband.
To THE DIRECTORY.
" CHERASCO, 26t1h April, 1796.
".... Everything is going on well. There is not so
much pillaging. The first thirst of an army in want of
everything has been quenched. There was an excuse for
these unfortunate fellows, who after having sighed for
three years on the summit of the Alps, reached the promised land and desired to enjoy it. I have had three of
them shot, and half-a-dozen condemned to hard labouzr.
To-morrow a corporal and some soldiers, w/ho stole the sacred
vases from a church, are to be shot. In three days discipline
will be severely established, and astonished Italy will
admire the moderation of our army as it already admires
its courage. This occasions me a great deal of pain, and
makes me pass very unhappy moments.   Horrors, which
make me shudder, have been committed.   Happily the
Piedmontese army, during its retreat, committed still
greater ones.
" BONAPARTE."




74     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


PROCLAMATION TO THE ARMY.
" CHERASCO, 26th April, I796.
"SOLDIERS,-In fifteen days you have gained six
victories, captured twenty-one standards, fifty-five guns,
several strong places, conquered the richest portion of
Piedmont; you have made I5,ooo prisoners and have
killed or wounded Io,ooo men.
" Hitherto you had fought for sterile rocks, which bear
witness to your courage, but which were useless to the
country. To-day you equal by your services the armies
of Holland and of the Rhine. Devoid of everything, you
have supplied everything. You have gained battles without guns, passed rivers without bridges, accomplished
forced marches without shoes, bivouacked without brandy
and often without bread..... To-day you are amply
provided for. The magazines captured from the enemy
are numerous; the siege and field-pieces have arrived..... I promise you the conquest of Italy, but on one
condition. You must swear to respect the people you
deliver, and repress the horrible pillage in which scoundrels, excited by the enemy, have indulged. Without
that you will not be liberators, but a pestilence, and your
victories, your courage, your success, and the blood of
your brothers who have perished, will be all lost, as well
as honour and glory.....
"BONAPARTE."
On the 28th April Bonaparte, in spite of the orders of
the Directory, took upon himself to sign an armistice with
the King of Sardinia, who allowed himself to be influenced
by wealthy and timid citizens, who trembled for the fate
of Turin.
TO THE DIRECTORY.
" CHERASCO, 29th A]pril, I796.
"The village of Coni has been occupied by our troops..... I feel sure that you will approve of the suspension




THE GENOESE REPUBLIC.


75


of arms granted to the Sardinians; it is an armistice
accorded to one wing of an army, giving me time to beat
the other. It is a king who places himself entirely at my
discretion, giving me up three of his strongest places and
the richest half of his states.....
"During the suspension I intend crossing the Adige
with your army and entering Germany by the Tyrol..... My columns are on the march: Beaulieu is flying,
but I hope to overtake him. I shall lay a contribution of
several millions on the Duke of Parma. He will make
you propositions of peace, but be in no hurry, so that I
may have time to force him to pay the expenses of the
campaign, to replenish our magazines, and to repair our
military train.
" If you do not accept peace with the King of Sardinia;
if your intention is to dethrone him, you should amuse him
for a few decades, and send me information at once, so
that I may seize on Valenza and march on Turin.
" I shall send I2,000 men to Rome when I have beaten
Beaulieu and obliged him to repass the Adige....
"As for Genoa, I think you should demand fifteen
millions, and that the persons who burned the Iodeste be
tried as traitors to the country. If you charge me with
this affair, and keep the matter secret, I will manage to
accomplish all you wish.
"BONAPARTE."
The Genoese, in spite of their neutrality, had allowed
the English to seize on a French frigate in I793, not being
well able to help themselves. This was one of those sores
which Bonaparte liked to keep open. At the beginning
of the campaign Genoa was to be mulcted to the extent of
3,000,000 francs without fuss; now the Republic was to
be called upon to pay I5,ooo,ooo, not that any further
crime could be imputed to it, but because Napoleon was
in a position to exact better terms.
Having settled matters to his own satisfaction with




76      THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
Sardinia, which was detached from the coalition and rendered perfectly helpless, Bonaparte now started in pursuit
of Beaulieu, and prepared to levy black-mail on the whole
of Italy from the Alps to the Adriatic.
To CITIZEN FAYPOULT.
" ACQUI, isa May, I796.
"We reached Acqui yesterday. Beaulieu flies so fast
that we cannot catch him..... Send me a geographical,
historical, political, and topographical note on the imperial
fiefs in the neighbourhood of Genoa; also a note on the
Dukes of Parma, Placentia, and Modena; the forces they
have in the field; their forts; in what consists the wealth
of those countries; above all send me a list of the pictures,
statues, cabinets, and curiosities at Milan, Parma, Placentia,
Modena, and Bologna....
" BONAPARTE."
The acts of brigandage committed in Italy must not be
laid entirely to the charge of Bonaparte. He was obeying
such orders received from the Government as the following:
"Leave nothing in Italy which our political situation will
permit you to carry away, and which may be useful to us."
It is true that he proved an active and willing agent.
To THE DIRECTORY.
" TORTONA, 6t/ May, 1796.
"I have received your answer. I beg you will express
to the Corps Legislatif the thanks of the army for the
honourable decree which it has voted; it is the most
grateful recompense that the army can receive. As for
myself, nothing can add to the esteem and devotion I
have shown on all occasions to the constitution. I saw
it established in the midst of the most revolting passions,




PASSAGE OF THE PO.


77


all tending towards the destruction of the Republic. I
have been of some utility to it by my zeal during its first
steps. My desire shall always be to die in its defence.
" BONAPARTE."
On the 6th May, 1796, Bonaparte announced to the
Directory his intention to cross the Po, "by which measure
I shall turn the three lines of defence which Beaulieu has
had the precaution to occupy..... To-day I march on
Placentia. Pavia is turned, and should the enemy prove
obstinate enough'to defend that town, I shall get between
him and his supplies." The general then complained that
he had no pontoons, but added: "Be sure we shall do
all that it is possible to do, and I am certain that I can
depend on your justice. I know you are better able than
any one to estimate the difficulty of obstacles which
cannot be easily overcome by any one, and that you
are far from listening to the soldiers of the clubs, who
believe we can swim across broad rivers. I may be accused
of temerity but not of slowness; and yet one must so
calculate as to have the chances in one's favour." And in
spite of his celerity, which bewildered his antagonists,
every movement, as his letters, orders, and despatches
prove, was in the first place most carefully worked out
and considered. Bonaparte deceived Beaulieu by means
of false intelligence, and crossed the Po without opposition,
and without pontoons.
To CARNOT.
" PLACENTIA, 9//l May, 1796.
"We have at last crossed the Po. The second campaign
has commenced. Beaulieu is disconcerted; he miscalculates, and continually falls into the snares I set for him.
Perhaps he wishes to give battle, for he has both audacity
and energy, but not genius. The 6,ooo men which we defeated yesterday and obliged to recross the Adda, weaken




78     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


him greatly.  Another victory and we shall be masters of
Italy.... If we had a good administrator we should
be as well off as it is possible to imagine. The soldiers
have a sufficient quantity of good bread, meat, and wine.
Discipline is being established, but frequent executions are
necessary, as there are men so intractable that they cannot
be commanded.
" What we have taken from the enemy is incalculable. We
have hospital effects for 15,000 sick, several magazines of
corn and meal, &c. The more men you send me the easier
shall Ifind it to nourish them.
"I send you twenty pictures by the first masters,
Correggio and Michael Angelo.
" I owe you special thanks for your attentions towards
my wife. I recommend her to you; she is a sincere
patriot, and I love her to madness.
"I hope, if things go well, to be able to send you
I0,000,000 francs to Paris, which will not be amiss for
the army of the Rhine.
"I cannot conceal the fact that since the death of
Stengel I have not a fighting cavalry commander.  I
wish you would send me two or three adjutant-generals
who have served in the cavalry, who have been under
fire, and who have the firm resolution never to make
skilfld retreats.
BONAPARTE."
During this campaign the French cavalry, which acquired
such high reputation afterwards, did nothing. Murat on
one occasion showed the white feather, and only retrieved
his character when charging Mamelukes in Egypt.
Bonaparte had been married only two days when he
was obliged to hurry off to assume the command of the
army of Italy.  Even his brief honeymoon, spent at
Josephine's house in the Rue Chantereine, had been
passed in the study of maps and the preparations for his
coming campaign and speedy departure. When Josephine




LOVE LETTERS.


79


knocked at his door, he opened it for an instant, gave her
a kiss, and sent her away.
He had hardly left the capital before he commenced
writing a series of passionate letters, only legible for
Josephine and M. de Menval. For some time he was
unable to persuade Josephine to join him in Italy. She
was loth to quit the pleasures of Paris for the dangers of
a campaign; and this had the effect of increasing the
ardour of the young general, who at last insisted that his
wife should join him, and directed Murat, who had been
sent to the Directory with captured standards to bring her
back with him. Murat, not without difficulty, accomplished
this task.
Some of these letters contain expressions which it would
be difficult, and perhaps as well not, to translate; others
betray a deep and rather poetic affection, in which despair
and jealousy are quaintly blended. We give a few specimens of this amorous correspondence, carried on amid the
noise and bustle of war. It has been suggested by one
French historian that Bonaparte's brilliant military conceptions were in all probability heightened by his passion
for Josephine, which stimulated his genius and rendered
him all the more anxious to distinguish himself.
To JOSEPHINE, AT MILAN.
" ROVERBELLA, 6ti 7uly, I796.
" I have beaten the enemy. Kilmaine will send you an
account of the affair. I am dead with fatigue. I beg you
will start at once for Verona; I have need of you, for I
feel I am very ill.
"A thousand kisses. I am in bed.
", BONAPARTE."
The indisposition was not dangerous, and Josephine
remained at Milan, where she received a series of epistles
which might better have been written by an inflammable
subaltern than by the commander-in-chief of an army



SO     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


letters on the I Ith, I7th, I8th, I9th, 2Ist, 22nd July containing such passages as these: "Ever since I left you
I have been sad. I unceasingly recall your kisses, your
tears, your amiable jealousy; and the charms of my incomparable Josephine kindle in my heart and my senses
a bright and burning flame.... Get well and come to
me, so that at least before dying we may say-We were
so many days happy."
Sometimes enabled to pass a few days together, the
lovers were often sundered by the events of the war, and
this gave rise to a fresh correspondence.
On the loth August Bonaparte wrote to his Josephine,
complaining of her indifference, and saying:"Three days and no letter, and yet I have written
several. This absence is horrible; the nights are long,
wearisome, and insipid: the day is monotonous....
Think of me, live for me, be often with your well-beloved,
and believe there is only one misfortune which frightens
him, that of no longer being loved by Josephine."
And: "You are unkind and ugly-as ugly as you are
frivolous. How perfidious to deceive a poor husband-a
tender lover 1 Should one lose one's rights because one is
far away? One of these nights your doors will be thrown
open with noise, and, like a jealous fellow, behold me in
your arms.
Then: "I was in bed all yesterday with fever. This
hindered me from writing, my adorable friend; but I
received your letters, and pressed them to my heart and
my lips, and the pain of absence and IOO miles distance
disappeared. At that moment I beheld you near me, not
capricious and angry, but sweet and tender. It was but
a dream; judge if it cured my fever."
On another occasion: " What important affair deprives
you of time to write to me? What affection stifles the
tender and constant love you vowed to me? Who is this
mervei/eux, this new lover who engrosses all your time?




THE BATTLE OF LODI.


8i.... Of a truth I am uneasy: write me four pages of
those amiable things which fill my heart with pleasure."
Some days later: "When I sacrifice all my desires, all
my thoughts, to you, I obey the ascendency which your
charms, your character, your person, have assumed over
my unfortunate heart."
On the Ioth May the battle of Lodi was gained by
Bonaparte, who thus concluded the report which he
forwarded to the Directory:"Beaulieu is flying with the remains of his army;
already all Lombardy may be considered as belonging
to the Republic; he is at this moment crossing the states
of Venice; several towns have closed their gates to him. I
hope soon to send you the keys of Milan and Pavia.
Although, since the commencement of the campaign, we
have had some warm affairs, and it has been necessary
for the army of the Republic to exhibit great audacity,
nothing can be compared to the terrible passage of the
bridge of Lodi.
" If we lost only a few men, that was due to promptitude
of execution, and the sudden effect produced on the enemy
by the redoubtable fire of the attacking column..
" BONAPARTE."
However Bonaparte, even after his brilliant success at
Lodi, which made him master of Lombardy, was ill at
ease. What if the French armies on the Rhine were idle,
and had prolonged the armistice? In that event, as he
wrote to Carnot, the army of Italy was in danger of being
annihilated. Nothing, however, could long damp the
energy of the young general, whose marvellous activity
was equal to every contingency both in war and politics.
At Lodi, Bonaparte, hoping to cut off two Austrian
divisions, instead of turning the bridge over the Adda,
attacked it in front. The success of this daring operation
had a most demoralising effect on the enemy, and obliged
VOL. I.                               G




82     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Beaulieu to fall back on the Mincio. Nor was this the
only result of a victory which, as the young general said,
placed Lombardy at his discretion. It fortified his own
position at home. As regards the armies commanded by
Moreau and by Jourdan, respecting whose operations Napoleon expressed anxiety, they were accomplishing nothing,
and this supineness greatly added to the popularity of the
commander-in-chief of the army of Italy.
The Directory was always urging Bonaparte to march
upon Rome, but for strategical or other reasons he avoided
executing these orders as long as possible.
To CITIZEN CARNOT.
"LODI, I4th May, 1796.
"On the reception of the letter from the Directory your
intentions were executed, and the Milanais is ours. I
shall march soon to carry out your views with regard to
Leghorn and Rome. That will not take much time.
"I have written to the Directory on the subject of
dividing the army. I swear that I had only the interest
of the country in view. Besides, you will always find me
straightforward. I owe to the Republic the sacrifice of
all my ideas. If people search to injure me in your
opinion, my answer is in my heart and my conscience.
"As it is possible that my letter to the Directory may
be misunderstood, and as you have shown me friendship, I
beg you will do whatever your prudence and your attachment may suggest in my favour.
"Kellermann will command the army as well as I can,
for no one is more convinced than I am myself that our
victories are due to the courage and bravery of the troops;
but I think that to join Kellermann and myself in Italy
would be to sacrifice everything. I cannot willingly serve
with a man who considers himself the first general in
Europe; besides which I believe that one bad general is
better than two good ones. War, like government, is an
affair of tact.




ENTHUSIASM IN PARIS.


83


"I can be useful to you only as long as I am invested
with the same esteem which I enjoy in Paris.  That I
should be employed here or elsewhere is indifferent to
me: serve our country, merit a page in our history, give
the Government proofs of my attachment and devotionthis is all my ambition. But I have greatly at heart not
to lose in a week the fruit of two months of fatigue, danger,
and trouble, and to find myself hampered. I have commenced with some glory, and I desire to continue to be
worthy of you. Believe me, besides, that nothing will alter
the esteem with which you inspire all who know you.
" BONAPARTE."
The Directors were already alarmed at the popularity of
the young general whose victorious bulletins, published
morning after morning in the WMoniteur, excited the wildest
enthusiasm in Paris. They had also some inkling of his
ambitious projects. Under these circumstances, on the
7th May they wrote a despatch informing Napoleon of
their intention to divide the army of Italy into two corps,
one of which was to be commanded by Kellermann.
This despatch reached Bonaparte just after the victory
of Lodi, and it is easy to imagine how deeply it irritated
him. Instead, however, of braving the decision of the
Government, as he might probably have done with impunity, he merely asked to be recalled. When he pleaded
in favour of unity of command he forgot that on a previous
occasion he had objected to the armies of the Sambre
and Meuse and that of the Rhine being confided to the
same general, and this on political grounds. The Government replied to Bonaparte's letter only on the 28th,
before which date fresh triumphs had rendered it impossible for them to accept his resignation. Their answer
was equivalent to the most abject apology.  In the
meantime Bonaparte kept them in good humour by
constantly replenishing their coffers.


G 2




84


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


ORDER OF THE DAY.
"MILAN, I7th Aay, 1796.
"The general-in-chief takes the opportunity of a temporary lull to recommend the generals of division to
procure all that is necessary for the troops so that they
may be in a position to resume operations.    He is
persuaded beforehand that the army desires to fly to
new victories, but in the midst of the abundance obtained
by our successes the Republican soldier must know how
to form a proper estimate of his good luck, and must not
tarnish his laurels: he should respect and protect the inhabitants of the country he has conquered. The generalin-chief has too lively an interest in the honour of the army
to allow any individual to violate the rights of property."
This order of the day was followed by a letter to the
Directory giving a list of the pictures, vases, and manuscripts, "which General Bonaparte had selected to be
transported to Paris," from Milan, Parma, and Placentia,
and this notice to the Directory: —" I have sent to
Tontona at least 2,000,000 francs in jewelry and silver ingots,
derived from different contributions."  And-" We shall
levy 20,000,000 francs upon this country, which is one of
the richest in the world, but which has been entirely
exhausted by five years of war." Only two days before
Bonaparte wrote this despatch the inhabitants of Milan
had hailed his entry into that city with universal delight.
Five days later there was an open revolt at Pavia and
latent revolt at Milan. Binasco was burned, the inhabitants put to the sword, and 400 hostages, selected
from the richest families of Lombardy, were sent to
France.
The following is a pretty illustration of the suaviter in
modo and the fortiter in re policy in which Bonaparte was
already an adept.




CONTRIBUTIONS LEVIED IN LOMBARDY.


85


PROCLAMATION TO THE PEOPLE OF LOMBARDY.
"MILAN, 9/th May, 1796.
"The French Republic which has sworn hatred to
tyrants has also sworn fraternity towards people....
The despot who so long enslaved Lombardy has caused
great mischief to France, but the French know that the
cause of kings is not that of the people.... If the French
are conquerers, they wish to consider the people of
Lombardy as brothers. Respect for property, for persons,
for religion, these are the sentiments which animate the
French Government and the victorious army of Italy.
The independence of Lombardy depends on the success
of the French. In order to insure the march of the troops,
provisions, which cannot be drawn from France, are
necessary; they ought to be found in Lombardy; the
right of war might seize them, friendship should offer
them.
"A contribution of 20,000,000 francs is laid on the different provinces of Austrian Lombardy; the army requires this
sum.... which is a very slight impost 'for so fertile a
country when all the advantages which will result from a
French occupation are considered....
"BONAPARTE.
"SALICETTI."
On the same day Bonaparte drew up the following
remarkable document, which one is rather surprised to see
figuring in the correspondence. But perhaps it was useless
to attempt to hide decisions with which history had already
dealt. A few French artists, but a very few, disapproved,
and to-day Republican writers blush to think that Carnot
should have sanctioned such brigandage.
DECISION.
" MILAN, 9gth May, 1796.
"Art. I. An agent shall be attached to the French
army in Italy to extract and forward to the territory of the




86    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


French Republic the objects of art, science, &c., found in
the conquered towns, the choice and number to be submitted
to the general-in-chief.
"Art. 2. He shall also be charged to extract and transport the objects of art and science, &c., accorded by the
powers of Italy in virtue of treaties or suspensions of arms
with the French Republic."
Follow numerous articles concerning mode of transport;
and the appointment of Jacques Pierre Tinet as agent.
The enthusiasm of the towns which thought they had been
liberated was of short duration.
To HIS BROTHERS IN ARMS.
"MILAN, 20/h May, I796.
SOLDIERS,-You dashed like a torrent from the summit
of the Apennines; you have overthrown, dispersed, and
scattered all who opposed your march.
"Piedmont, delivered from Austrian tyranny, has given
vent to her natural sentiments of peace and friendship
towards France.
" Milan is ours, and the Republican flag floats over all
Lombardy.
"The Dukes of Parma and Modena owe their political
existence entirely to your generosity.
'* The army which menaced you with such arrogance
finds nothing to protect it against your courage.
"The Po, the Tessin, the Adda, did not stop you a
single day; those boasted bulwarks of Italy were found
wanting..... Shall posterity reproach us with having
found a Capua in Lombardy?.....Let us be doing; we
have still forced marches to make, enemies to subdue,
laurels to gather, insults to avenge....
" BONAPARTE."
This manner of addressing the soldiers, and giving them
the credit of the great exploits in Italy due to his own




PENURY OF THE ARMY.


87


genius, made Bonaparte extremely popular with the army,
which was at once interested and flattered.  There was
a fair prospect, too, of more booty, which was much
needed owing to the rapacity of the home Government.
To THE MINISTER OF FINANCES.
" MILAN, 2ISt Mfay, I796.
" The army of Italy is in the greatest distress....
It is every day reinforced, and its necessities increase in proportion. When the Directory gave me the command of
this army it drew up a plan of offensive warfare necessitating prompt measures and extraordinary resources. The
advance of two sous in silver and of eight francs for
the officers has not been paid, which discontents and
discourages the army.....
"' BONAPARTE."
And an urgent appeal is made for payment of sums
over due. The same day came the following decree:"The various provinces of the Milanais will furnish for
the wants of the army:-First, 2,000 draft horses; second,
cloth enough for 15,000 coats, 50,000 vests, and 50,000
breeches; third, oo00,000 shirts; fourth, 20,000 hats;-to
be all delivered in one week."
And yet on the 22nd May, in spite of this penury,
specie and valuables were sent to Paris where gold was
scarce, and where men in power had to be kept in good
humour. Peter was robbed to pay Paul. With assignats
at such a fearful discount, gold and silver were absolutely
necessary in France, and no doubt the civil commissioners
who accompanied the army had strict orders with regard
to the precious metals. It is, however, difficult to reconcile
Bonaparte's letter of the 2Ist with that of the following
day.




88


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


To THE DIRECTORY.
" MILAN, 22nd May, 1796.
".....Commissioner Salicetti will forward you a list of
the contributions we have imposed. You can at present
count upon from 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 francs in gold or
silver, ingots, or jewels which are at your disposal at
Genoa at the house of one of the first bankers. You can
make use of that sum as it is the surplus of the wants of
the army(!) If you desire I can send a million to Bale
for the army of the Rhine.... The troops are satisfied,
they receive half their pay in money. Pillage is repressed,
and discipline, with abundance, once more flourishes in
this glorious army..... I send you a copy of the suspension of hostilities accorded to the Duke of Modena;
you will see this is Io,ooo,ooo francs more for the Republic.
" BONAPARTE."
Pillage was certainly not repressed, frequent mention
being made of it in subsequent letters. The prospect of
the 1o,ooo,ooo francs atoned for the crime of according
a suspension of arms which was contrary to instructions.
PROCLAMATION TO THE INHABITANTS OF
LOMBARDY.
" MILAN, 25th May, I796.
"A misguided multitude without any real means of
existence commits the greatest excesses in several parishes
in contempt of the Republic and the army which has
triumphed over several kings. This unaccountable delirium
is worthy of pity; these unfortunate people are led astray.
The general-in-chief, faithful to the principles adopted by
the French nation, which does not make war on people,
wishes to leave a door open to repentance; but those who
do not lay down their arms and take a new oath to the




SEVERE REPRESSION.


89


Republic, within twenty-four hours, shall be treated as
rebels, and their villages burned. Let the terrible example
of Binasco open their eyes. Such shall be the fate of all
the towns and villages which remain in a state of revolt.
"t BONAPARTE."
The exactions of the army of Italy had driven the people
of Lombardy to despair, but Bonaparte had no idea of
being trifled with by the slaves he came to liberate from
a hateful despotism, and who failed to appreciate the
benevolent intentions of the French Republic.
To GENERAL DESPINOY, AT MILAN.
" PAVIA, 26th May, 1796.
" I suppose that by this you have shot the persons
taken in arms. It is indispensable that you should send
all the State prisoners you have arrested, under strong
escort, to Tortona.  You will also arrest all those persons
who have sent a portion of their family into the Tyrol
although not connected with the last conspiracy..... It is
necessary that some of the 200 hostages, whom I propose
to take from Milan, should start for Pavia during the day.
i' BONAPARTE."
After taking these and other violent measures, quite
in keeping with those Jacobin practices which were no
longer in vogue in Paris, Bonaparte wrote:To THE INHABITANTS OF THE MILANAIS.
" BRESCIA, 28th May, I796.
"The nobles, priests, and agents of Austria lead the
people of these splendid countries astray. The French
army, as generous as it is strong, will treat all peaceful
inhabitants with fraternity; it will be as terrible as the
fire from heaven towards rebels."




90


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Several comminatory articles follow, calculated to strike
terror into the hearts of persons guilty of even speaking
against France in private. The Italians were to allow their
chains to be broken in silence, and were to submit without a
murmur to the exactions of their strange friends, or rather
of their new masters.
On more than one occasion Bonaparte, in his proclamations, and evidently to excuse the excesses committed
by his own troops, denounced the infamous exactions of
the Austrians even in a friendly country. Now here is
what Nelson wrote on this subject:To ADMIRAL SIR JOHN JERVIS, K.B.
" GENOA, 9gh April, I796.
".... The secretary was full of praises of the late
Austrian army; not a sixpence of debt had been
left behind, nor an individual injured by their stay in
the Riviera; contrasting it with the conduct of the
French..
"HORATIO NELSON."
Bonaparte was now able to turn his attention for a
moment in another direction.
To THE REPUBLIC OF VENICE.
" BRESCIA, 291h May, 1796.
"It is to deliver the finest country of Europe from the
iron yoke of the arrogant house of Austria that the French
army has braved the most difficult obstacles. Victory,
in harmony with justice, has crowned these efforts. The
remains of the enemy's army have fallen back behind the
Mincio. The French army, in pursuit, is about to enter
the territory of the Republic of Venice, but it will not
forget the long friendship which unites the two Republics.
Its religion, government, customs, and property shall be
respected.  Let the people have no anxiety, the severest




VENICE VIOLATED.


91


discipline shall be maintained, and everything furnished to
the army shall be paid for in money.
".... Faithful in the road of honour, as in that of
victory, the French soldier is terrible only for the enemies
of liberty and of his Government.
't BONAPARTE."
This violation of territory was most unjustifiable. Venice
had refused to join the coalition, and had assumed an
attitude of unarmed neutrality-attitude which proved
fatal to her political existence, but which had been till
then respected by Austria. The Venetians protested, but
Bonaparte was not to be diverted from his course by
the representations of a feeble and unarmed State. The
treatment of Venice ought to have acted as a salutary
lesson, and have taught Prussia, Naples, and Spain the
dangers to which neutrality would expose them in their
turn.
On the 30th May Bonaparte, having crossed the Mincio
at Borghetto, and forced the Austrians to fall back into
the Tyrol, wrote:To THE DIRECTORY.
"I st June, 1796.
".... The Austrians are completely driven from Italy.
Our advanced posts are on the mountains of Germany.
I shall not cite the names of the men who distinguished
themselves by their bravery [did cite Generals Murat and
Leclerc destined to become his brothers-in-law],-I should
have to mention all the grenadiers and carabineers of the
advanced guard. They play and laugh with death; to-day
they are quite accustomed to cavalry, and smile at it.
Nothing can equal their intrepidity if it is not the gaiety
with which they undertake forced marches; they sing turn
about of love and country.  You would think that on
reaching their bivouacs they would go to sleep; not at all;
each one tells his story or relates his plan of operations for




92     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


the morrow, and one often comes across men who see very
clearly. The other day I was looking at a demi-brigade
which was marching past when a chasseur approached
my horse: 'General,' he said, 'you must do this and
that.' 'You scamp,' I replied,' will you hold your tongue?'
He disappeared directly; I have in vain caused search to
be made for him; it was just what I had ordered should be
done.
"BONAPARTE."
In Paris the victories of Bonaparte were celebrated by
speeches in the Champ de Mars, by cantatas by LebrunPindare, by dances, banquets, torch-light processions, and
other manifestations which greatly troubled the repose of
the Directory.
The Austrian cavalry were a great thorn at this period
in the side of Bonaparte. He had nothing to oppose to
them. Marmont, writing to his father after Lodi, said, " It
would be difficult to depict the little courage shown by our
horse soldiers." The story about the chasseur is probably
a fable.
To THE DIRECTORY.
"VERONA, 3rd 7June, 1796.
"I have just reached this city, which I propose to quit
to-morrow. It is very large and very fine.  I intend
leaving a strong garrison here in order to remain master of
the three bridges over the Adige.
"I did not conceal from the inhabitants that, if the king
of France had not evacuated their city before I crossed the
Po, I should have set fire to a place bold enough to believe
itself the capital of the French kingdom.
"I have just been to visit the amphitheatre; those
remains of the Romans are worthy of them. I could not
help feeling humiliated at the shabbiness of our Champ de
Mars. Here Ioo,ooo spectators could sit down and hear
easily all that an orator said.




FEIGNED INDIGNATION.


93


"The emigres are flying from Italy; more than 1,500
left before our arrival. They rush to Germany, whither
they convey their remorse and their poverty.
" BONAPARTE."
It is true that Verona had accorded hospitality to the
Comte de Provence, afterwards Louis XVIII., but Venice
had first of all obtained the authorisation of the Committee
of Public Safety, and had received the formal assurance
that France would not regard this matter as a violation of
neutrality. Then the Comte de Provence had left the
Venetian States two months before Bonaparte threatened
to burn down Verona!
Having himself violated the neutrality of Venice in spite
of the long friends/ip which had existed between the two
Republics, Bonaparte expressed great indignation that
the Austrians should have imitated him-an indignation
simulated for the occasion.
To THE DIRECTORY.
"MILAN, 7thi 7une, I796
"When M. Beaulieu knew that we were going to cross
the Mincio, he seized on the fortress of Peschiera which
belongs to the Venetians, and entered it without resistance...
As soon as I learned that the Austrians were in the place,
I knew that it must be invested at once so as to prevent it
from being provisioned. A few days' delay would have
obliged me to undertake a three months' siege. 
" The combat of Borghetto, and the passage of the
Mincio, made us masters of this place two days later. The
'Proveditor' came in great haste to justify himself; I
received him very badly, and told him that I should march
upon Venice and complain to the senate of his manifest
treason. While we were talking Massena had orders to
enter Verona, at no matter what price. The alarm at




94     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Venice was extreme; the archduke of Milan, who was
there, at once fled to Germany.
" The senate of Venice has just sent me two sages to find
out how matters stand.  I renewed my complaints and
spoke of the reception given to Monsieur (Louis XVIII.).
I said I had counted upon finding in Venice a faithful
ally, and that it was with great regret, owing to what had
happened at Peschiera, that I was obliged to think otherwise; that I considered, however, the storm might be
averted. In the meantime the Venetians furnish everything
the army requires zoith the best possible grace.
"If your intention is to wring 5,000,000 or 6,00oo,000 francs
from Venice, I have arranged this kind of a rupture in
a way which will facilitate matters, and you can demand an
indemnity for the battle of Borghetto which I was obliged
to fight. If you have other intentions, it will be well to
keep this quarrel open, and I will take the first favourable
opportunity for carrying out your wishes, for we must not
dispute with every one at the same time.
c The truth of the Peschiera affair is that Beazuhieu basely
deceived the Venetians; he demanded a passage for fifty
men and then seized on the town. I am placing Peschiera
in a state of defence, and before a fortnight it will require
heavy guns and a regular siege to take it.
" BONAPARTE."
The language of Bonaparte towards the Venetians was
excessively arrogant and severe: he threatened to march
upon Venice in order to punish them for their treason, he
exacted supplies for his army, and he occupied Verona and
Legnago, the two keys of the Adige. The Austrians not
being in a position to resume hostilities, the French were
masters of the country, and proceeded to treat it as they
had treated the Milanais. Venice was only at the beginning
of her troubles. There was something astounding in the
idea of making the Venetians pay for a battle by which




ARMISTICE WITH NAPLES.


95


Peschiera was wrested by one violating power from another
on neutral territory.
On the same day Bonaparte sent to the Directory a copy
of an armistice concluded with Naples pointing out its
various political and military advantages thus"It will place us in a position to dictate any terms we
like to Rome; already the Papal Court is engaged in
drawing up a Bull against those who, under the pretext of
religion, preach civil war in France.
"From the conversation which I had this morning with
M. d'Azara, minister of Spain, envoy of the Pope, it
appears to me that he had orders to offer us contributions.
I shall soon be at Bologna. Would you like me then to
accept from the Pope, in exchange for an armistice,
25,000,000 francs in money, 5,000,000 francs in merchandise,
300 pictures and statues, and manuscripts in proportion;
and that I should set at liberty all the patriots arrested for
revolutionary acts?... Be persuaded that once you tell
me positively what your orders are they will have to be
very difficult if I cannot execute them.
" BONAPARTE."
In concluding an armistice with Naples, Bonaparte again
acted in direct opposition to the orders of the Government,
and exhibited great independence. He spoke very freely
to Prince Belmonte Pignatelli, and asked him if he thought
"he was fighting for those scamps of lawyers," as he called
the Directory. It is true that the armistice was most advantageous, as it deprived the coalition of the Neapolitan
cavalry, which Napoleon admitted to be very formidable;
and it also dispensed the French army from a march to
Naples which would, at the moment, have been extremely
hazardous. Although Bonaparte more than once chastened
the Church well, he loved her after a fashion; not only
because he admired her discipline and liked to dispute with
her, but because he never could shake off a certain amount
of superstition. If he now spoke of marching on Rome he




96     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


avoided carrying out the intentions of the Directory as
long as possible, and never fully carried them out. The
Directory wished to ignore the Pope altogether, while
Bonaparte treated with him as with a spiritual and temporal
sovereign.'
To THE INHABITANTS OF THE TYROL.
"TORTONA, I4th 7 une, I796.
"I am about to enter your territory, brave Tyrolians, in
order to force the Court of Vienna to conclude a peace
necessary for Europe and for her own subjects; it is your
own cause that I am defending... The French army love
and respect all people, more especially the simple and
virtuous inhabitants of the mountains. Your religion, your
customs, shall be respected... But should you ignore
your own interests, and take up arms, we shall be terrible
as the fire from heaven; we shall burn the houses and lay
waste the territory of the villages which take part in a war
that does not concern them..
"BONAPARTE."
It is curious to find a liberator obliged to resort to such
threats as these; but the immortal principles of the French
Revolution were ill-understood by simple mountaineers,
whose homesteads were ruthlessly plundered by an invading
army, whose chief occupation appeared to be to levy contributions, and to indulge in rapine. Priests and nobles
1 Nelson, too, about this time had some idea of paying a visit to the
Eternal City if he could only aid in driving the French out of the
country, as proved by the following letter:To MRS. NELSON.
" LEGHORN ROADS, 23rd August, 1796.
"... I do not think he (the Pope) will oppose the thunder of the
Vatican against my thunder; and you will, I dare say, hear that I am
at Rome in my barge. If I succeed, I am determined to row up the
Tiber and into Rome.
' HORATIO NELSON."




THE CARDINAL OF FERRARA.


97


were generally accused of being at the bottom of every
hostile movement against the armies of the Republic, but
the fact is that nothing but a system of terror, and terrible
reprisals, could preserve even the indolent races of Italy in
nominal subjection. Had Bonaparte experienced a serious
reverse, the French troops would have been massacred to a
man, and of this Bonaparte was well aware.
A few days afterwards the French came into contact
with the Papal army.
To THE DIRECTORY.
" BOLOGNA, 2I st June, 1796.
"General Augereau's division passed the Po yesterday
and arrived at Bologna on the I9th; he found 400 soldiers
of the Pope there and made them prisoners... We have
captured the Cardinal Legate, all the officers of the staff,
and taken four flags; also the Cardinal Legate of Ferrara,
together with the commandant of that fort, who is a knight
of Malta."
After alluding to the pictures furnished by Parma
and Modena, the report continues"Monge, Berthollet, and Thouin are at Pavia, where
they are busy enriching our Jardin des Plantes and cabinet
of natural history. I imagine they will not forget a complete collection of serpents which appeared to me worthy of
making the voyage. I think they will be here the day after
to-morrow; they will find an abundant harvest.
"An intercepted letter from Vienna announces that
General Wurmser is coming to command the army of Italy.... Italy is to-day entirely French.  With a middling
army we have to face all emergencies; to hold the German
armies in check, to besiege forts, to protect our rear, to
overawe Genoa, Venice, Florence, Rome and Naples; we
must be in force everywhere.   Military, political, and
VOL. I.                                   H




98


TIHE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


financial unity is therefore necessary.  Here, one must
burn and shoot in order to establish terror, and there one
must pretend not to see because the time has not arrived
for action.
"BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte sadly wanted to get rid of the Government
commissioners, who somewhat resembled our political
officers in India. They no longer accompanied the army
as in the days of the Terror, furnished with a portable
guillotine, but they hampered his operations and offended
his dignity.
To THE DIRECTORY.
"BOLOGNA, 2ISt J7une, I796.
"I spoke in my preceding letter of our military position;
I wish now to talk over our political situation with the
Pope and the Senate of Bologna.
" The Cardinal Legate whom we made prisoner here has
been sent to Rome on parole. I told him that if the Pope
makes proposals convincing us of his resolution to repair
the insult done to the French Republic by the assassination
of Basseville, and pays us a contribution to enable us to
meet the enormous expense occasioned by the war, he will
perhaps find a refuge in the French Republic....
" The Republic of Bologna used to enjoy great privileges,
which successive Popes have infringed. In order to make
the Court of Rome tremble and feel that its magic has no
effect on us, I have authorised the senate of Bologna to
regard as null and void all the decrees violating its liberty.
This has given great pleasure here and is severely felt at
Rome. During the time that the armistice lasts we shall
have no need to keep troops here; for, seeing the manner
in which I have embroiled the Bolognese with the Court of
Rome, they will always dread its vengeance.... The heat
of the weather is excessive.... This armistice is concluded
rather with the dog days than with the Papal army; my




ARMISTICE WITH THE POPE.


99


opinion is that you should be in no hurry to conclude
peace, so that in September, if affairs go well in Germany
and North Italy, we may seize on Rome.
" BONAPARTE."
Basseville had been assassinated during a popular rising
in 1793, and from that date no French diplomatic agent
had appeared at Rome. Now, however, Count Miot de
Melito was sent there to negotiate, having first received
the positive assurance of S. d'Agara and the Pope that he
might present himself without danger at the Papal Court.
On the 23rd June was concluded the "Armistice between
the French Republic and the Pope."  His Holiness was
to pay 21,000,000 fr. in money and goods, " independent of
the contributions which have been, or which may be, levied
on the Legations of Bologna, Ferrara, and Faenza."
"Art. 6. The citadel of Ancona is to be handed over to
the French army in six days.
"Art. 7. The city of Ancona is to remain under the civil
government of the Pope.
"Art. 8. The Pope will thand over to the French
Republic Ioo pictures, busts, vases, or statues selected by
commissioners sent to Rome; among these objects will be
comprised the bronze bust of Junius Brutus, and the marble
one of Marcus Brutus, both placed in the Capitol, and 500
manuscripts chosen by the aforesaid commissioners.
"BONAPARTE," &c. &c.
It is to be doubted whether Bonaparte, seeing the high
estimation in which he held Caesar, had any real admiration
for his murderer, but for the moment Marcus Brutus was a
popular character whose memory was dear to Lucien
Bonaparte and other Jacobins. Aware that the Directory
would be dissatisfied with this armistice, Bonaparte soothed
them with the assurance that it would produce 34,000,000
fr., and declared that but for the interference of the civil
commissioners he would have obtained much better terms.
H 2




100    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


The Directors on their side wished to see the Papacy
entirely destroyed, but they no longer enjoyed any real
power in Italy.
Three days later Bonaparte wrote again complaining of
the baneful influence of the civil commissioners. It is
difficult to read without a feeling of indignation the passages
which concern the pillage of manuscripts.
To THE DIRECTORY.
" PISTOJA, 26th June, 1796.
"You will find inclosed the conditions of the armistice
concluded with the Pope. M. d'Azara, who is the person
with whom we have really negotiated, had the impudence
to offer us 5,000,000 fr. in money and 3,000,000 fr. in goods,
whereas I demanded 40,000,000 fr., of which Io,ooo,ooo fr.
in goods.  Seeing he could obtain no diminution he
went to the commissioners, and succeeded in worming out
our secret, to wit, our inability to go to Rome. It then
became impossible to get more than 20,000,000 fr. by
making a night march on Ravenna.   I had inserted a
clause that the treasures of Notre Dame de Lorette should
be given up to us, and I thought that this had been agreed
to, but M. d'Azara so twisted about that it became necessary to accept I,O000,00 fr. instead. This fashion of
negotiating by three is most prejudicial to the interests
of the Republic.... This is all very disagreeable for
me; the Republic has lost Io,ooo,ooo fr., and I have lost
a portion of the result of my movement on Bologna..   There was little difficulty about the other conditions
with the exception of the manuscripts; there, we were
obliged to reduce our demands from 2,000 or 3,000 to
500....
"BONAPARTE."
In all, Rome and the legations were called upon to pay
in money and goods, 34,700,000 fr. An amusing controversy arose in consequence of Bonaparte having levied




CORSICAN PATRIOTS.


IOI


a contribution on the Legation of Faenza (which did not
exist) instead of Ravenna. But the general was not a man
to allow his plans to be thwarted by special pleading. On
the 2nd July he wrote again to the Directory, saying that
"eighty waggons left yesterday laden with hemp and
silk.... I am collecting all the jewels and silver plate
at Tortona.... The savants have reaped an abundant
harvest at Pavia. We are much embarrassed as to what
to select at Rome. The statues can only be transported
by sea, and it would be dangerous to trust them on board
ship [owing to the English].... Send orders," &c.
To THE DIRECTORY.
"ROVERBELLA, 6th July, 1796.
"For some months past, Citizen Directors, the Corsican
patriots have been in a state of insurrection against the
English. I have sent them some fowling-pieces and barrels
of powder, with twenty Corsican refugees belonging to the
cantons which have shown the most energy. To-day we
are masters of Leghorn, and it will be easy to drive the
English from Corsica without sending a single soldier."
Merely more refugees, guns, powder, and Commissioner
Salicetti, " also some pamphlets written in a proper style
[and very different to the celebrated' Letter to Buttafuoco'].
It will further be necessary for you to authorise me to
promise a general pardon to the islanders.
'" BONAPARTE."
In virtue of a capitulation concluded with Admiral Hood,
Corsica had been annexed to the British Crown, and was
governed by Sir Gilbert Elliot as viceroy. As for the last
King of Corsica, poor Theodora, whose romantic career
was traced by Boswell in his history of the island, he died
in London, like Paoli; but unlike Paoli, who lies entombed
in Westminster Abbey, he sleeps in St. Anne's, Soho, after
having been released from the King's Bench. His funeral




102   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


expenses were paid by an oilman, and Horace Walpole
wrote his epitaph.
Nelson, who was at first enthusiastic about Corsica and
the advantages which would accrue from its possession, soon
altered his mind, as the following letter will show, when he
became better acquainted with the inhabitants.
To WILLIAM LOCKER.
"CAPTAIN AT SEA. November 51t, 1796.
"... We have now done with Corsica; I have seen the
first and the last of that kingdom. Its situation certainly was
most desirable for us, but the generality of its inhabitants
are so greedy of wealth, and so jealous of each other, that
it would require the patience of Job and the riches of
Crcesus to satisfy them. They say themselves they are
only to be ruled by the Ruling Power, shooting all its
enemies, and bribing all its friends. They already regret
our departure from them, for no more silver harvest will
come to their lot. I remember when we quitted Toulon
we endeavoured to reconile ourselves to Corsica, now we
are content with Elba-such things are; however, we have
a fine port, and no expenses for the government of the
island. The conduct of the Pope is extraordinary; although
he is at war with the French, yet he has not opened his
ports to us; he is fearful of a turn in the present happy
prospects. In short, Italy has been lost by the fear of its
princes; had they expended half the money to preserve
their territories which they have paid the French for
entering them, their countries would have been happy,
instead of being filled with present misery and diabolical
notions of Government."
"VERONA, I2t/ Jzyuy, 796.
".... For several days past we have been in observation
along the Adige. Woe to him who miscalculates!
" We are now engaged in besieging Mantua. I propose
making a bold stroke. The boats, Austrian uniforms, and




FRENCH REVERSES.


IO1


batteries will be ready by the 28th. Ulterior operations
will entirely depend on the success of this sudden attack,
which, like all of a similar nature, will depend upon lucka dog or a goose.... You will find inclosed the copy of
a letter written to the Venetian Senate and the reply.
However, I am master of all the strong places of the
Republic along the Adige. Perhaps you may deem it
advisable to commence a little quarrel with the Venetian
ambassador in Paris, so that after the fall of Mantua, and
when I have driven the Austrians from Brenta, I may find
it easier to put forward the demand for a few millions which
you intend to make.....
"BONAPARTE."
Neither slumbering dog nor cackling goose had aught to
say to the fate of Mantua in July, 1796. That fortress was
saved for the moment by Wurmser, who swept down on the
Adige with 60,ooo men. In the centre of the French line
Joubert and Massena were driven out of Corona and Rivoli.
On the left Sauret was obliged to evacuate Salo, and
Quasdanowich occupied Brescia, while on the right an
Austrian corps made its way to Verona.
How desperate was the condition of French affairs at this
juncture may be gathered from the following letter.
To GENERAL AUGEREAU (besieging Mantua).
".... 30ot JIuy, I796.
"You must fall back upon Roverbella, abandon your line,
destroy the bridge of Porto Legnago, burn the carriages of
your siege-guns, and carry off everything possible....
Every moment is precious. I confide to your ability and
ordinary prudence the execution of these measures.
This is the unfortunate position of the army-the enemy
has broken our line at three places; he is master of the
important points of Corona and Rivoli; Massena and
Joubert have been obliged to yield to force. Sauret has
abandoned Salo and fallen back on Desenzano; the enemy




104   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


has seized upon Brescia and the bridge of San Marco.
You will see that our communications with Milan and
Verona are cut. Await fresh orders at Roverbella, whither
I shall go.
"BONAPARTE."
These orders must have been promptly obeyed, for when
Wurmser reached Mantua the blockading force had entirely
vanished, to the great disappointment of the Austrian
general.
With wonderful rapidity Bonaparte concentrated his
forces. He first fell upon Quasdanowich at Lonato and
drove him from Salo and Brescia, and then attacked and
defeated the two other Austrian corps before they had
completed their junction.
To CITIZEN SALICETTI.
"BRESCIA, 2nd Azgzmst, 1796.
"'Fortune appears adverse for the moment. So many
events have happened within the last few days that it is
impossible for me to send you a detailed report. Thanks,
however, to the victory of Lonato and to the vigorous
measures I have adopted, matters will soon be set right. I
have raised the siege of Mantua and am here with nearly
all my forces..... Louis (Bonaparte) will furnish you
with full information..... See that Milan, Tortona,
Alessandria, and Pavia are well supplied.  I am very
much fatigued, and have ridden five horses to death. I
cannot write to the Directory.
" BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte did, however, write to the Directory the same
day, saying: "We have experienced a reverse. Citizen
Directors, but already victory has returned to our standards.
If the enemy had the good luck to surprise us at Salo and
to take Corona, we have beaten him at Lonato and have




FRENCH VICTORIES.


I05


recaptured Salo. The Austrian army is very strong; we
have 30,000 men under arms and 12,000 in hospital....
It is under these difficult circumstances that I have reason
to admire the courage and the devotion of the troops."
The French recovered the line of the Adige and drove
Wurmser and the remaining half of his army into the
Italian Tyrol. The Austrians in this brief campaign had
20,000 men killed or wounded, and lost I5,000 prisoners
and 70 guns.
On the 6th August Bonaparte furnished the Directory
with a full report of his more recent operations, and his
triumphs at Lonato and Castiglione after the Salo-Corona
affair. In this very long despatch he thus relates one of
the most curious episodes of this splendid campaign.
" During the whole of the 17th Thermidor (or 4th August)
Wurmser was engaged in getting together the remnants of
his army, bringing up his reserve, and drawing all his disposable forces from Mantua, in order to set them in battle
array in the plain between the village of Golferino, on
which he rested his right, and the Chiese, which already
protected his left.  The fate of Italy was about to be
decided. He concentrated some 25,000 men and a large
force of cavalry, feeling that he might still change the fate
of the campaign.
" On my side I issued orders for the concentration of all
the columns of the army. I went myself to Lonato to see
what troops I could draw thence; but what was my
surprise on entering that place to receive an Austrian
parlementaire, who summoned the commandant of Lonato
to surrender, because, he said, he was surrounded on all
sides! In fact, the cavalry vedettes informed me that some
Austrian columns touched our grand guards, and that
already the road from Brescia to Lonato was intercepted at
the bridge of San Marco. I quickly perceived that this
could only be the remnant of one of the enemy's divisions




o16   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


which had been cut off, and which, having wandered about
in the hope of being able to rejoin the main body, was
endeavouring to find a way of escape. The circumstance
was sufficiently embarrassing, for I had only about 1,200
men at Lonato. I sent for the parlenzenztaire, and after
having his eyes unbandaged, told him that if his commanding officer had the presumption to capture the generalin-chief of the army of Italy he would do well to advance;
that he ought to have known I was at Lonato as my whole
army was there, and that all his general and field officers
should be held personally responsible for the insult.  I
declared that if in eight minutes his division had not laid
down its arms, I would not spare a man. The parlementaire
appeared much astonished to find me there, and an instant
afterwards the whole column laid down its arms. It was
4,000 strong, with two guns and 50 cavalry."
The Austrian general, somewhat bewildered, and, in fact,
engaged in endeavouring to effect his escape, was totally
deceived by the presence of Bonaparte, whose ready wit
saved him from falling into the clutches of the enemy.
After giving a few details concerning the battle of Castiglione, Bonaparte continued:
"In five days, therefore, another campaign has been
finished. Wurmser has lost, during these five days, 70
field-pieces, all his infantry caissons, from I2,000 to 15,000
prisoners, 6,ooo men killed or wounded, and almost all the
troops drawn from the Rhine. Independently of this, a
great portion of his force has been dispersed, and we are
picking up men in pursuit....
'" BONAPARTE."
Attacked again on the 7th August, the enemy was obliged
to raise the siege of Peschiera and to abandon the line of
the Mincio.
" The Austrian army which for weeks," wrote Bonaparte,




JOSEPHINE'S TERROR.


io7


"threatened the invasion of Italy, has vanished like a
dream."
In his narrative of the above affair Bonaparte made no
allusion to Josephine, whom he had summoned to Brescia by
means of the most tender entreaties, and who narrowly
escaped capture.  In her terror she wept. "Wurmser,"
said her husband, embracing her, "shall pay dearly for
those tears."  In the end Josephine, more dead than alive,
managed to reach Lucca in a state of terrible anxiety, as
she had left Bonaparte surrounded by foes, and had herself
been exposed to the fire of the enemy.
To CITIZEN CARNOT.
" VERONA, 9th A ugust, 17 96.
"One of my brothers, who is war commissary at Marseilles, has gone to Paris without permission. This young
man combines some talent with a good deal of obstinacy;
he has all his life had the mania of meddling with politics
[had assumed the name of Brutus under the Terror]. At
a moment when it appears that a great many persons
desire to injure me, and when every intrigue is employed to
attach credit to rumours as stupid as they are malevolent,
I beg you to render me an essential service and to order
him to join some army.
" I recommend you the one (id est, Louis) who was my
aide-de-camp, and whom I sent to you on the eve of the
battle of Lonato.  This gallant young man deserves all
the attention you can bestow on him.
"The heat is excessive here, and my health has suffered.
If there be in France a single pure-minded and honest
man capable of suspecting my political intentions, I shall
at once renounce the happiness of serving my country.
Three or four months of obscurity will calm envy, reestablish my health, and place me in a position to fill any
post to which the confidence of the Government may call
me. It was only by leaving Paris at the proper time that




io8


TIHE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


I have been able to serve the Republic. By leaving the
armzy of Italy at the rig/at moment I shall be able to devote
the rest of my life to the defence of the Repzblic.  The
great art of Government is not to let men grow old. In
entering a public career I adopted for principle, 'Everything for the country!'
'i BONAPARTE."
After losing the battles of Roverdo and Bassano,
Wurmser managed, much to the disappointment of
Bonaparte, to cross the Adige and to throw himself into
Mantua, defeating the detachments which endeavoured to
stop him. Bonaparte afterwards gave his venerable opponent great credit for this feat of arms. Under the walls of
Mantua Wurmser once more delivered battle (St. George's),
but he was repulsed and obliged to shut himself up in the
fortress, the siege of which he had forced the French to
raise a few days previously by the impetuosity of his
attack on their lines.
On the I6th September, 1796, Bonaparte despatched
Marmont to Paris with twenty-two captured standards,
and a detailed account of the combats of Cerea, Castellaro,
Porto Legnago, Due Castelli, and the battle of St. George's,
in which the French took a whole regiment of cuirassiers,
a division of hulans, and twenty-five guns, in addition to
infantry.
And yet, with all his victories, Italy was so little French,
that Bonaparte's mind was filled with apprehensions for
the future. The Papal Court had rejected the additional
stipulations which the Directory had attempted to impose.
It positively refused to cancel all the briefs fulminated
against the French Republic and the civil constitution of
the clergy, and to abolish the Inquisition. The waggons
containing the 21,000,000 francs, and which had started for
France, were ordered to return, and Cardinal Mattei took
possession of Ferrara. Naples, too, was restive, the Venetians
more discontented than ever, and affairs with Genoa,




ENGLISH SHIPS AT LEGHORN.


og9


Modena, and Tuscany in the most unsatisfactory condition.
However, Wurmser was shut up in Mantua, and it was not
probable that Austria would give any further trouble for
*some weeks to come.
Tuscany had been alienated by the most cruel injustice.
That state was at peace with France, there was no pretext
for attacking it, and it enjoyed the mildest of governments.
But Tuscany was feeble, at Leghorn lay forty English
merchant vessels, and the Directors had been assured that
heaps of gold were to be found there. The temptation
was too strong, and Napoleon determined to pounce by
stealth on this rich prey. The Grand Duke was living in
fancied security when he heard that a French division
had crossed the Apennines and was marching on Pistoja.
Bonaparte, who accompanied this force, declared that it
was on the way to Rome to intimidate the Pope, and on
the earnest representations of Manfredini, the Grand Duke's
minister, he consented that it should pass through Sienna
instead of through Florence.  In conformity with this
promise, the division marched under the orders of Murat,
but it had not gone far before it changed its direction and
hurried to Leghorn. The English had fortunately taken
alarm, and when Murat and the two Government commissioners, Salicetti and Gareau, thought to sieze on their
booty, great was their mortification at beholding the forty
vessels standing out to sea. Bonaparte in a very respectful
letter explained this flagrant violation of territory by his
desire to " maintain neutrality." He assured the Tuscans
that their flag, their garrison, and their property would be
respected, but his instructions to General Vaubois were in
direct contradiction to these assurances.  On the I th
Bonaparte wrote to Faypoult that it was his firm intention
" to maintain the harmony existing between himself and
the Grand Duke," and on the I2th he wrote to Miot de
Melito, the French minister at Florence, to warn him of
the Grand Duke's departure for Vienna, so that he might
have him seized enz route. It was naturally supposed that




1IO   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


the Grand Duke would fly to the court of his brother, who
was organising another army.
Bonaparte had now time to turn his attention once more
to Rome during the siege of Mantua.
To CARDINAL MATTEI.
" MILAN, 26th Seiptember, I796.
"Your character, sir, which all who know you praise,
induces me to permit you to return to Ferrara and to
throw the veil of oblivion over your conduct of last month.
I flatter myself that you have too much intelligence and
too great a knowledge of the New Testament for that
conduct to have been anything but a temporary forgetfulness; a priest who mixes himself up in political affairs
does not deserve the respect due to his profession.
"Return to your diocese and practise that virtue which
it is unanimously agreed you possess; but never interfere
with politics. Be persuaded, besides, that the clergy, and
all persons connected with public worship, will be specially
respected by the French Republic.
"I am, sir, with esteem and consideration, &c.,
(" BONAPARTE."
The Cardinal had been made prisoner and thrown into
a convent for having re-occupied Ferrara in the name of
the Pope, but now he was to go to Rome with pacific
assurances, in company with a French agent, whose
instructions were to gain time.
To THE DIRECTORY.
" MILAN, Ist October, I796.
"After the battle of St. George's we endeavoured to
entice Wurmser to fight another battle, so as to weaken his
garrison extra nuros... I have now 18,900 men acting as
an army of observation, and 9,000 laying siege to Mantua.
I leave you to think, if I do not receive reinforcements, how
I shall be able to resist the Emperor this winter, who will




MATTERS LOOK GLOOMY.


II I


have 50,000 men in the field in six weeks... Reflect that
you require in Italy, to be able to sustain a winter campaign, 35,000 infantry for the army of observation, and
I8,ooo infantry for siege operations. These two forces
united make 53,000 men, and at present we have only
27,000; cavalry, gunners, sappers, drivers, etc., were also
needed, and -
"If the preservation of Italy be dear to you, Citizen
Directors, send me all this aid....
"BONAPARTE."
Things were again looking black, and an attempt to
cajole the King of Sardinia into an offensive alliance had
failed-his Majesty had demanded too much; nothing less
than Lombardy, which the Directory now wished to offer
to Austria in exchange for Belgium, on the conclusion of
peace. Overtures made to Venice had also broken down
and everything was going wrong on the Rhine.
To THE DIRECTORY.
" MILAN, 2nd October, 1796.
"The Republic of Venice is alarmed, and is plotting with
the King of Naples and the Pope. Of all the people of
Italy the Venetians hate us the most; they are all armed,
and in some of the cantons the inhabitants are brave....
The King of Naples has raised a force of 60,000 men, and
if he is to be attacked and dethroned that will require I8,000
infantry, and 3,000 cavalry..... Rome is strong owing to
her fanaticism, and if she declares against us she will greatly
augment the force of the King of Naples, and will oblige
me to protect my rear with 3,000 men..... I think that
6,ooo infantry and 500 cavalry will be able to keep Rome
in respect..... Should we be beaten on the Rhine [where
Moreau and Jourdan were being severely handled by the
Archduke Charles] it will be necessary to conclude peace
with Rome and Naples.....
" BONAPARTE."




112    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


To HIS MAJESTY THE EMPEROR OF GERMANY.
" MILAN, 211d October, I796.
"Majesty, Europe desires peace. This disastrous war
has lasted too long. I have the honour to notify to your
Majesty that if you do not send plenipotentiaries to Paris
to offer negotiations for peace, the Directory has ordered
me to fill up the port of Trieste, and to ruin all your
Majesty's establishments in the Adriatic. Up to the
present I have refrained from executing this plan in the
hope of not increasing the number of innocent victims of
this war. I hope that your Majesty will be alive to the
misfortunes which menace your subjects, and will restore
that repose necessary for the tranquillity of the world,
&c., &c.
"BONAPARTE."
When Bonaparte wrote the above hectoring demand,
which received no answer, he was hard pressed and in a state
of great anxiety, as is proved by the following letter to the
Directory"MILAN, 8th October, 1796.
"We shall not be able to take Mantua before February;
you will perceive that our position in Italy is uncertain, and
our political system very bad..... We were negotiating
with the Pope when the armistice was broken, and
10,000,000 francs, pictures, and merchandise were about to
be handed over to us. Rome is arming, and arousing the
fanaticism  of the people..... I consider peace with
Naples most essential, and an alliance with Genoa and with
the court of Turin necessary. Make peace with Parma;
take Lombardy, Modena, Reggio, Bologna, and Ferrara
under your protection, and above all send troops.....
Our situation is very precarious; you should adopt a system
capable of insuring us friends amongprincess as well as among
peoples. Diminish our enemies. The influence of Rome is
incalculable; it was a great mistake to quarrel with that




ARMY CONTRACTORS.


II3


Power. Had I been consulted I should have delayed
negotiations as I did with Genoa and Venice. Whenever
your general in Italy is not the centre of everything you
will run great risks. This language will not be imputed to
ambition; I have only too many honours, and my health is
so impaired, that I think I shall be forced to demand a
successor. I can no longer get on horseback; my courage
alone remains, and that is not sufficient in a position like
this.
' BONAPARTE."
The indisposition complained of was not serious, nothing
more was heard of it, and the general continued to display
his usual restless activity. Before Bonaparte received any
reply to the above letter he deposed the Duke of Modena,
and turned his State into a Republic, in direct contradiction
to the positive instructions of his Government. Other States
soon shared the same fate.
On the I2th October, 1796, Bonaparte sent to the
Directory a terrible complaint against the army contractors.
He wrote:" Since I arrived at Milan I have waged war with the
swindlers. I have had several tried and punished; others
I denounce. In making this declaration of war a thousand
voices will be raised against me, and will endeavour to
pervert opinions. If two months ago I wished to be Duke
of Milan, to-day I desire to be King of Italy! [only
assumed the iron crown at Milan in May, 1805] but as long
as my strength remains, and I enjoy your confidence, I
shall show the swindlers no more pity than the Austrians.
" The company Flachat is a nest of robbers [Flachat was
afterwards tried and acquitted] without money, and without
morality."
After giving a long list of "horrors which made him
blush to be a Frenchman " Napoleon added:VOL. I.                                   I




114   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


" You no doubt supposed that your administrators would
rob, but that they would perform their duty and exhibit
some sense of shame; they plunder in a manner so
ridiculous and impudent, that if I had a month's time I
would have every one of them shot. I never cease having
them arrested and tried by court-martial, but they buy the
judges; it is a regular fair here, where everything is sold..... Thevenin is a robber; he indulges in insolent luxury;
he made me a present of several fine horses, of which I was
in need, and would not accept anything for them [a generous
thief]. Have him arrested, and keep him six months in
prison; he is able to pay a war tax of 500,000 francs
(2o,ooo0) in money.....
"BONAPARTE."
And much more did Bonaparte write in a similar strain.
What most troubled him was to see the people emigrating en masse, and whole districts depopulated. If this
continued where were his supplies to come from?
To GENERAL WURMSER.
"MODENA, I6th October, I796.
"The siege of Mantua, sir, is more disastrous for
humanity than two campaigns. Brave men ought to affront
danger, but not the pestilence of a marsh. Your cavalry, so
precious, is without forage; your garrison, so numerous, is
ill-fed; thousands of sick men require change of air,
medicines, and wholesome nourishment.... Restore to
the Emperor your person, your cavalry, your infantry; give
us Mantua; we shall both of us be gainers, and more
especially humanity.
"However, as you may believe, I have special reasons
beyond the interests of humanity.... there will be no
inconvenience in allowing you to make yourself acquainted
with the position of my army, &c., &c.
" BONAPARTE."




THE COURT OF ROME.


I I5


The next day, in a letter to the Directory announcing
the meeting of the Congress of Bologna, Modena, Reggio,
and Ferrara, &c., Bonaparte added:" I await with some impatience the reinforcements you
have announced. I have summoned Wurmser to surrender..... As soon as I know if the English have passed the
Straits, and learn your intentions concerning Naples, I
shall assume a suitable tone with Rome; I hope to make
those fellows restore the money which they sent and then
took back."
Probably finding resistance useless the Directory now
consented to allow Bonaparte to act as he deemed fit with
the Pope.
To CARDINAL MATTEIL
" FERRARA, 2ISt October, 1796.
"The Court of Rome has refused to accept the conditions
of peace offered by the Directory; it has broken the
armistice by suspending the execution of my conditions; it
is arming; it desires war; it shall have it. But before
accomplishing the ruin and death of the madmen who
would oppose the Republican phalanxes, I owe it to the
nation, to humanity, and to myself to make a last effort to
induce the Pope to return to sentiments more moderate and
more in conformity with his true interests, his sacred
character, and common sense. You are aware, Cardinal, of
the strength of the army I command: in order to destroy
the temporal power of the Pope, the will alone is wanting.
Go to Rome, see the Pope, enlighten him with regard to his
true interests..... The French government permits me
once more to reopen negotiations, and everything may be
arranged...
"BON APARTE."
T 2




I I6  THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Three days afterwards Bonaparte wrote to citizen Cacault
from Verona to continue negotiations with Rome, adding:" I only wait for a favourable moment to fall upon Rome
and to avenge the national honour. The chief object is
to gain time..... The great art at present is to indulge
in a little mutual recrimination in order to deceive that old
fox. It would be well to obtain a commencement of the
execution of the armistice...  Victory is returning to our
standards."
To THE DIRECTORY.
"VERONA, 25th October, 1796.
".....There appears to be some intention of according
an amnesty in Corsica. I think it would be well to except
-first, the four deputies who took the crown to London;
second, the six members composing the Council of State of
the Viceroy, and lastly the edmigrs..... I have caused
citizen Panatieri, Paoli's secretary, who came from London
to intrigue, to be arrested at Leghorn.
" BONAPARTE."
The next letter reveals the fact that at a very early date
Bonaparte was considered capable of committing any crime
to further his own ends:To CITIZEN CARNOT.
"VERONA, 25th October, 1796.
"You have seen by the letter of my brother Lucien in
what a state of exaltation he is. He compromised himself
in '93 several times in spite of my reiterated advice. He
wished to play the Jacobin.... His sojourn at Marseilles
would be dangerous for himself and the public weal as
intriguers would get hold of him. Corsica being free
to-day, you would much oblige me by sending him there,
since his hot head will not permit him to remain with the
army of the Rhine."




THE ISLAND OF ELBA.


I I7


Napoleon was sorry to trouble Carnot with his domestic
affairs, but felt that he must keep a lookout on the
political conduct of his relations, since people had such a
bad opinion of him that, " when a man was assassinated
at Lyons, it was at once given out it was by one of my
emissaries or parents-a man I had never heard of!"
"We are anxiously expecting    reinforcements....
Things have taken a favourable turn. The peace concluded with Naples and Genoa has filled our enemies with
despair.  It is unfortunate in our treaty with Naples that
we did not obtain the cession of the Island of Elba. I have
given orders at Leghorn for the occupation of Elba directly it
is evacuated by the English...... I shall obtain the island
in return for our equivalent indemnity taken from the Papal
States. Porto-Ferrajo is necessary to us, &c.
"BONAPARTE."
Porto-Ferrajo, which Nelson, with the consent of the Grand
Duke of Tuscany had occupied by way of compensation
when the French seized on Leghorn. Porto-Ferrajo, with
which Napoleon was destined to make a closer acquaintance
in later years.l
Having received instructions from Paris, Bonaparte wrote
once more to citizen Cacault to reopen negotiations with
the Pope, saying:"You may assure him that I was always opposed
to the treaty, and especially to the manner in. which
it was negotiated [had suggested that only a portion of
it should be revealed to his Holiness at first, so as not to
frighten him], that it is owing to my special and reiterated
1   To ADMIRAL SIR JOHN JERVIS, K.B., Captain.
"PORTO-FERRAJO, Ioth 7u1y, I796.
"SIR,-I have the pleasure to inform you that the troops under the
command of Major Duncan took possession of the forts and town of
Port-Ferrajo this day, at ten o'clock...."




I 8   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


demands that the Directory has empowered me to open up
new negotiations. My ambition is rather to be the saviour
than the destroyer of the Holy See. You know we have
always held the same ideas on this subject, and in consequence of the unlimited powers given to me by the
Directory if they will only act with wisdom at Rome, we
may assure peace to this lovely portion of the world and
tranquillise the timorous consciences of many people."
We have several letters about this date complaining of
the state to which the army was reduced. "The army is
without shoes, without money, without uniforms; the
hospitals are devoid of everything, and our wounded are in
the most horrible state of destitution. All this owing to
want of money, at a moment when we have acquired4,ooo,ooo
francs at Leghorn, when the merchandise at Tortona and
Milan offers a real resource. Modena, too, should pay us,80o0,000 francs, and Ferrara considerable contributions."
And the next day, writing to the Directory:-" We are in
such a state of penury that, unless some remedy be adopted,
you will have to send money to feed the army." On the
30th November, I796, appeared a decree at Milan calling on
Lombardy to pay up 20,000,000 francs; ordering the sale of
the property belonging to the House of Austria, abbey
lands, church plate, &c. " Seeing the state of destitution to
which the army has been reduced." Napoleon attributed
this condition of affairs to the mal-administration of those
Government commissioners who were such thorns in his
side, and the probability is that he made the picture more
gloomy than it really was. The country, however, was evidently becoming exhausted. M. Lanfrey admits that never
had such plundering been seen since the Romans despoiled
Corinth. The Corinthizim wcs was represented by silver
madonas, sacred vessels, and church bells.
At the beginning of November, Alvinzi was at Pavia
with 40,000 men and Davidowich was coming through the
Tyrol with I8,ooo. Bonaparte marched against Alvinzi




TWO DEFEATS.


I I9


and inflicted a check upon him at Carmignano, but bad
news arrived from the Tyrol where Vaubois had been
beaten and Bonaparte had to fall back on Verona. On the
i Ith he once more attacked Alvinzi at Caldiero, but without
being able to carry the position. The situation of the army
appeared desperate, but the incomparable firmness and
decision of its general were equal to the occasion and
saved it.
To THE DIRECTORY.
"VERONA, I3th lNovember, I796.
"I must give you an account of the operations of the
army since the 2nd; if it be not satisfactory the army must
not be blamed; its exhaustion and its inferiority in the
way of men inspire me with alarm. Perhaps we are on the
point of losing Italy. None of the expected reinforcements
have arrived." After many gloomy predictions comes the
account of the corps of General Vaubois being seized with
panic and losing 1,300 prisoners and guns, and the check
experienced at Caldiero; all this and the death of so many
brave men "renders me circumspect; I no longer dare to
expose myself as my death would discourage the troops
and be a misfortune for those who are the object of all my
care. In a few days we shall make a last effort..... 
And that last effort was at Arcola.
To THE DIRECTORY.
"VERONA, Igth November, 1796.
" I am so overcome with fatigue that it is impossible for
me to narrate the movements that preceded the battle of
Arcola, which has just decided the fate of Italy." The
fighting was long and sanguinary, and it was a desperate
affair crossing the bridge; Generals Verdier, Bon, Verne,
and Lannes were all put hors de combat in the attempt.
"Augereau, seizing a standard, shouted to the troops
'Cowards, do you fear death?' —and he remained at the




120   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


extremity of the bridge for several minutes without producing any effect.... I went there myself and asked
the soldiers if they were the conquerors of Lodi; my
presence had such an effect on them that I determined to
make another effort to cross."
After many fluctuations the enemy was beaten, but "I
cannot conceal that I did not find in my phalanxes the
soldiers of Lodi, Millesimo, and Castiglione; fatigue, and
the absence of the gallant fellows who have fallen, have
deprived them of that impetuosity which would have given
me a right to expect the capture of Alvinzi and the greater
portion of his army..... The field and staff officers
displayed an activity and a bravery without example;
twelve or fifteen were killed; not one but had his uniform
riddled with bullets....
"( BONAPARTE."
There is a celebrated painting of Bonaparte, standard in
hand, crossing the bridge of Arcola at the head of his
grenadiers, but the legend appears to have been taken
from the picture instead of the picture from the fact. One
finds, on the other hand no mention in "the Correspondence" of Napoleon having tumbled into a morass
during the action and being rescued from his perilous
position by his brother Louis as was the case.
The fighting at Arcola lasted three days and it was hoped
that the result would lead to peace. The Directory sent
General Clarke to negotiate; he was to conclude an
armistice, but Bonaparte strongly protested, pointing out
that much better terms might be procured after the fall of
Mantua, which was in extremis. " Send me 30,000 men," he
wrote, "and I will march upon Trieste, carry the war into
the states of the Emperor, revolutionise Hungary, and go
to Vienna. You will then have a right to expect millions,
and a good peace."
Under these circumstances hostilities were resumed.
Lord Malmesbury, too, who had been sent to Paris to




CITIZEN HERCULES.


121


negotiate on the basis of the status quo ante bellum, returned
to London, for the British Government would not consent
to restore the Cape to Holland, nor would France renounce
her views upon Belgium.
Venice, having protested against the conduct of the
liberating army, received the following reply:To THE PROVEDITEUR-GENERAL OF THE REPUBLIC
OF VENICE.
" MILAN, 8th December, I796.
"In the note which you have sent me, sir, I do not
recognise the conduct of the French troops on Venetian
territory, but that of the troops of the Emperor who,
wherever they have passed, have committed horrors which
make one shudder." Napoleon then criticised the style of
the document forwarded to him, comparing it to the effort
of an indifferent schoolboy, and added, " Good God! the
ills inseparable from a state of war, and the shock of
passions and interests are already so great and so afflicting
for humanity, that it is not worth while augmenting them
a hundredfold by adorning them with fairy tales which are
either malicious, or extremely ridiculous. I give the lie in
the most formal manner to any one daring to say that in
the Venetian States a single woman has been violated by
the French troops.....             BONAPARTE."
At other moments the atrocities committed by his own
soldiers made him blush to be a man! It must be
remembered that Venice was not at war, but at peace
with France.
To GENERAL BERTHIER.
" VERONA, 21 st December, 1796.
"The citizen Hercules is promoted to the rank of captain.
I grant a gratification of seventy-two francs to each of the
twenty-five guides who accompanied him at the battle
of Arcola.                          BONAPARTE."




122    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Citizen Hercules had been sent round to the rear of
the Austrian army at Arcola at the head of twenty-five
troopers armed with trumpets, and had there blown a
blast such as had never been heard since the fall of Jericho,
to the utter bewilderment of the enemy. This stratagem,
worthy of my Lord Peterborough, had a great influence
on the fortunes of the day.
It is more than probable that in the following despatch
Bonaparte, in accordance with custom, misrepresented
numbers on both sides:To THE DIRECTORY.
" MILAN, 28it December, I796.
"The army of General Alvinzi is on the Brenta and in
the Tyrol, and that of the Republic along the Adige.....
Mantua is invested with the greatest care..... You will
see by the Emperor's letter that Wurmser must be in
extremis..... The army returns which you have sent
are full of errors..... The army of Italy, properly so
called, consisted primitively of 38,500 infantry. It has
been reinforced by 1o,ooo men. We should therefore have
51,100 infantry had the army experienced no losses; but
4,000 men have been killed on the field of battle, there are
i.ooo wounded, unfit for further service, 2,000 men have
died in hospital; total, 7,000. In all, your army has been
reinforced by only I2,500 men, and that in a campaign
during which so many battles have been fought, and where
the same troops have destroyed the Sardinian army and
that of Beaulieu, 73,000 strong; the army of Beaulieu,
reinforced by 20,000 men from the Rhine, commanded by
Wurmser; the army of Wurmser, reinforced by I8,000
men drawn from Poland, 6,000 from the Rhine, and 12,000
recruits commanded by Alvinzi. And we are on the eve
of an affair with the debris of all these armies, reinforced
by 4,000 volunteers from Vienna, 3,000 men from the
Rhine, 3,000 recruits who have already arrived, and 1,5oo
expected in January.




BONAPARTE'S POSITION.


123


"It required good luck, and good play, to beat Alvinzi.
How hope to beat, with the same troops, Alvinzi reinforced by 30,000 men, while we have as yet received only
3,000?" Dwelling then on the merits of the troops-"I
say with true satisfaction that no army more desires the
preservation of the sacred Constitution, sole refuge of the
liberty of the French people. Here, we hate and are ready
to fight against the new revolutionists, no matter what
their aim. No more revolution; this is the hope of the
soldier. He does not demand peace, which he mentally
desires, because he knows that is the only way not to
obtain it, and that those who do not desire it ask for it
loudly so as not to get it. The soldier prepares himself
for new battles, and if he sometimes ponders over the
feeling which animates "several towns in France, his chief
regret is to see deserters received and protected and the
laws without force.....
"BONAPARTE."
At the close of I796 Bonaparte therefore found himself
in a critical position, in spite of a series of brilliant feats
of arms, which elicited the astonishment and admiration of
friend and foe. In the course of a few months he had
accomplished marvels, but his victories still required to be
consolidated. He had beaten all the generals sent against
him, had broken up a formidable coalition, had enriched
his country with plunder, and had made and unmade
governments.  Bonaparte himself desired to go on with
the war, while France and the Directory were in favour
of peace. General Clarke had been directed to conclude
an armistice and to discuss conditions with Austria. Bonaparte protested against an armistice on military grounds,
and he very soon managed to gain Clarke over to his
views and to enlist him on his side. The agent of the
Directory, in fact, soon became the agent of Bonaparte.
It will be well to remember the conditions which Clarke
was empowered to make to the Emperor. First condition




124    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
or combination: " France to keep Belgium; to restore to
Austria her possessions in Italy, and to allow her to seize
upon certain German archbishoprics and a portion of the
Palatinate."  Second combination: "France to keep
Belgium and the Milanais, and to cede to Austria the
Papal States, with the title of King of Rome for the
Grand Duke of Tuscany"! (the brother of the Emperor
of Austria). In a third combination, Bavaria was to be
offered to Austria.




CHAPTER III.


THE YEAR 1797.
AT the beginning of this eventful year Bonaparte
prevented the junction of Alvinzi and Provera and gained
the battle of Rivoli.  Provera was then forced to lay
down his arms, and that gallant veteran, Wurmser, was
obliged to open the gates of Mantua. The Pope, terrified
by the crushing reverses of the Austrians, consented to
sign the treaty of Tolentino, by which he lost Avignon
and the other Papal territories in France, together with
Bologna, Ferrara, and the Romagna; he engaged to pay
30,000,000 francs to the French Republic, and to hand over
a stipulated number of pictures, statues, and manuscripts.
The Archduke Charles in vain attempted to turn the tide
of victory; he was driven back under the walls of Vienna,
and forced to sign the preliminaries of Leoben, which
ended in the treaty of Campo Formio.    Hoche and
Moreau passed the Rhine, and Kray was in a most
critical position, when the news of the armistice put a
stop to further operations, to the great disappointment of
the French generals.  England offered to negotiate for
peace, and a conference was opened at Lille, which, in
consequence of the exorbitant demands of France, led to
no result. In September there was a coup d'etdt operated
by General Augereau, who saved the Directors from the
Royalists who had conspired to upset the Republic and




126   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


restore the Monarchy.  General Pichegru and fifty-two
deputies were transported, and Carnot only escaped the
same fate, owing to the eminent services he had rendered
to his country. Bonaparte was intimately mixed up in
this affair.
One of the most striking and curious events of the
year was the iniquitous destruction of the old Venetian
Republic, which was almost contemporary with the commencement of the Christian era.  Venice, although a
Republic, was handed over by the French Republic to
the Austrian Empire. At the close of the year we find
Bonaparte engaged in preparing to invade England, or
rather seemingly making preparations to effect a landing
on our shores. His ambitious and restless character had
so alarmed the Directors that they desired at any price
to employ his military talents at a secure distance from
the seat of government.
We see that both France and Austria gained by this
war. If Austria ceded Belgium to France, recognised her
right to the Ionian Islands and the left bank of the Rhine,
and acknowledged the Cisalpine Republic, France, on her
side, handed over to the House of Hapsburg Venice,
Istria, Friuli, and Dalmatia.
As regards the negotiations at Lille, where one of the
principal points disputed was the right of the King of
England to style himself King of France, it was not
expected that much good would arise.  The negotiations
were hardly serious, nor was their rupture much regretted.
At the close of the year the army of England was
formed, and the Congress of Rastadt opened, the result
of which was to deprive England of her great ally on the
Continent, to wit, Austria.
On the Ist January, Bonaparte wrote a letter to M.
Battaglia commencing thus: —"The French troops have
occupied Bergamo in order to anticipate the enemy, who
intended to seize upon that essential point. I frankly
acknowledge that I was glad of this opportunity to drive




THE COMMAND OF LOMBARDY.


127


out the dmigres who had sought refuge in the city, and to
punish the libelists who, since the commencement of the
campaign, have not ceased to recommend the assassination
of the soldiers of the French Republic. The Bergamesques
have assassinated more Frenchmen than all the rest of
Italy put together."  If this were the case surely Bonaparte had no need to plead as an excuse for his violation
of Venetian neutrality the necessity of anticipating the
Austrians. The fact is that Bergamo was an important
military position, and the Venetians were to be goaded
into acts of despair so as to furnish Bonaparte with an
excuse for seizing on the country.  It was useless for
M. Battaglia to protest or complain.
A letter of the 5th January shows us that Bonaparte
upon that date confided the command of Lombardy to
General Kilmaine, an Irish officer of considerable merit,
born in Dublin. It is certain that Lombardy had little
reason to congratulate itself on the appointment of this
Milesian commandant, whose rapacity was only surpassed
by that of Massena. As for the conduct of the French
troops, that still left much to be desired.
To GENERAL BERTHIER.
" MILAN, 8th 7anuary, 1797.
"You will have citizens Bockty, Chevilly, and Descrivains, who are employed in the administration of the
army, brought before a court-martial for having robbed
and compromised the safety of the army.   It is this
infamous conduct which has compromised our operations
and caused the loss of a great number of our comrades.... I consequently demand that these three men be
condemned to death in order to alarm their accomplices,
who are only too numerous in the army of Italy.
" BONAPARTE."




128   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


To THE DIRECTORY.
" MILAN, 6th 7anuary, I797.
"The more I examine, during leisure hours, the incurable
defects in the administration of the army of Italy, the
more I am convinced of the necessity of applying a prompt
and infallible remedy. The accounts of the army are in
the greatest disorder; to the well-earned reputation of the
controller for swindling is joined the incapacity of his
subordinates. Everything is sold. The army consumes
five times more than is necessary, because the storekeepers
make out false orders and share the profits with the contractors. The principal actresses of Italy are all living with
emzployes of the French army; luxury, depravation, and
embezzlement are at their height. The laws are insufficient. There is only one remedy-the constitution of a
court with power to shoot any army administrator. Marshal Berwick had the intendant of his army hung because
provisions failed; and in the midst of abundance, and
when paying five times more than is necessary, we are
often in want..
"BONAPARTE."
It is curious to contrast the penury to which the army
was often reduced with the amount of money furnished to
the home Government, and with the official and non-official
plunder. The army contractors were not the only guilty
parties. The rapacity of most of the commanding officers
was notorious. Some of them were always followed by
waggons which contained their ill-gotten gold, which they
were afraid to send home or to allow out of their sight.
To GENERAL RUSCA.
" MILAN, 7th 7anzuary, I797.
"Some unfortunate people have allowed themselves to
be seduced by perfidious agents, who excite them to revolt
and draw down upon them the horrors of war. You will




THE AULIC COUNCIL.


129


march to Castelnovo and shoot the chief of the rebels,
and send twenty hostages to Milan; you will destroy the
house of the confessor of the Duke of Modena, who is the
author of this rebellion, and on the ruins you will cause a
pyramid to be erected with this inscription: Punishment
of an infuriated priest who misused his position as a minister
topreach revolt and assassination. You will assemble the
magistrates, the heads of the various convents, and the
cures, and tell them from me that as long as they are
animated by the true principles of religion, like Cardinal
Mattei and the bishops of Modena and Pavia, I shall
respect them and their property; but if they become
instruments of civil war, I shall have their convents destroyed, and I shall cause the cures of revolted villages to
be personally punished....
'" BONAPARTE."
Considering the fearful exactions to which the Italians
were subjected, and the manner in which their religious
sentiments were offended, it is not astonishing that they
should now and then have broken into revolt, and have
shown a decided preference for the yoke of their old
masters. Cardinal Mattei was now a docile instrument in
the hands of the French general, but rather through fear
than through love.
To GENERAL CLARKE.
"VERONA, I2th January, 1797.
"I had hardly left Roverbella, when I learnt that the
enemy had presented himself at Verona. Massena made
his plans, which were very skilful; we have captured 600
prisoners and three guns. General Brune received seven
bullets in his uniform without being wounded, which was
good luck.
"BONAPARTE."
Alvinzi, acting on the orders of the Aulic council, had
suddenly attacked the French at several points. On the
VOL. I.                                  K




I30   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
1.


same day, in addition to the attack on Verona, other
attacks were directed against Corona and Legnago, while
Provera threatened the lower Adige.  The Aulic council
hoped to be able to deceive Bonaparte as to the point
where the real attack was to be made, to force his lines,
and to oblige him to raise the siege of Mantua. The
Austrian plan was at first successful, but Bonaparte was
too prudent a general to act before learning with certainty
the intentions of the enemy.  During the whole of the
12th and i3th January he remained to the rear of Verona,
at an equal distance from Rivoli and Legnago, ready to
march on either point, and waiting for the reports of his
lieutenants. At IO P.M. Joubert, who had been driven out
of Corona, sent Bonaparte a despatch which removed all
ulncertainty and induced him, without a moment's delay,
to hurry with all his available resources to Rivoli, where
he arrived at 2 A.M. on the I4rh.  The next day the
celebrated battle of Rivoli was fought, which ended in the
almost total destruction of Alvinzi's army, and brought
about the capitulation of Mantua.
On the I7th January, I797, Bonaparte wrote to the
Directory from Roverbella:" Operations of such importance, and military actions so
numerous have happened here since the 12th, that it is
impossible for me to send you a detailed report before
to-morrow.
"On the 12th January the enemy attacked General
Massena's division before Verona, was completely beaten,
and lost 600 prisoners and three guns.
"On the 13th the enemy moved a strong column by
way of Montagna and Caprino, and obliged General
Joubert's division to evacuate Corona and to concentrate
at Rivoli. I foresaw this movement, marched there during
the night, and this gave rise to the battle of Rivoli, which
we gained on the I4th and 15th after an obstinate resistance, during which we captured I3,ooo prisoners and a




MORE AUSTRIAN DEFEATS.


13I


great number of standards and guns.  General Alvinzi,
almost alone, escaped with great difficulty... The enemy
fell back on Mantua. At a cannon shot from the place he
attacked St. George's, a suburb which we had carefully
entrenched, and which he could not carry.  I arrived
during the night with reinforcements, and this brought on
the battle of La Favourite, the fruit of which was 7,000
prisoners, with guns, standards, all the baggage of the
army, a regiment of huzzars, and a considerable convoy
of corn and cattle which the enemy wished to throw into
Mantua.  Wurmser attacked our left wing, but he was
received as usual and forced to retire. In three or four
days the fifth army of the Emperor has been entirely
destroyed.
"We have made 23,000 prisoners; among them      a
lieutenant-general, two generals, 6,ooo men killed or
wounded, 60 guns, and 24 standards. All the battalions
of the Vienna volunteers have been captured; their
standards were embroidered by the hands of the Empress.
"BONAPARTE."
During these affairs, four regiments of Massena's division,
after fighting all day at Verona and deciding the battle of
Rivoli, marched sixteen leagues during the night in order
to cover Mantua; a feat reminding one of our light brigade
in the Peninsula which, about to bivouac after a march of
twenty miles, pushed forward on hearing that Wellington
was engaged at Talavera, and got over sixty-two English
miles in twenty-six hours, leaving only seventeen stragglers
behind, in spite of bad roads, a burning sun, and a scarcity
of water.  Reminds one also of Prince Henry's march
when he vanished from Daun, halting only thrice for
three hours at a time, during fifty-six hours-a march
much admired by Prince Henry's brother, Frederick the
Great.
K 2




132    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


To THE DIRECTORY.
"VERONA, 20th January, I797.
"You will find inclosed, Citizen Directors, some intercepted letters which are exceedingly curious, showing the
obstinacy and bad faith of the Court of Rome, and the
refusal on the part of the cabinet of Vienna to accept the
alliance of the Pope, which no doubt arises from its desire
to conclude peace. I have caused these letters to be
printed in the Bologna gazettes, so as to convince all Italy
of the idiotic doting of these old cardinals. To-morrow I
shall pass the Po, near Ferrara, and march on Rome....
" BONAPARTE."
To CARDINAL MATTEI.
" VERONA, 22i2d January, I797.
"The foreigners who influence the Court of Rome wish
to ruin that beautiful country; the words of peace which
I charged you to convey to the Holy Father have been
stifled by those men for whom the glory of Rome is
nothing, but who are sold to the courts which employ
them.  We are drawing to the close of this ridiculous
comedy. You are a witness of the price I attached to
peace, and of my desire to spare you the horrors of war.
The letters which I sent you, the originals of which are in
my hands, will convince you of the perfidy, the blindness,
and the temerity of those persons who at present influence
the Court of Rome. No matter what may happen, I beg
you, Cardinal, to assure his Holiness that he can remain in
Rome without the least uneasiness.  The first minister of
religion willfind, in this title, protection for himself and the
Church. Assure also all the inhabitants of Rome that
they will find friends in the French army who will congratulate themselves only on victory insomuch as it will
ameliorate the lot of the people, andfree Italy from foreign
domination. I shall take particular care not to suffer any
change to be made in the religion of our fathers, &c.
"( BONAPARTE."




LETTER TO CARNOT.


I33


On the 22nd Bonaparte wrote a letter to citizen Cacault,
the French minister at Rome, telling him to leave that
city six hours after the receipt of his despatch. Bonaparte
had made up his mind to enforce the conditions of the
armistice signed in I796, at all events as far as pecuniary
matters were concerned; but he had already determined
not to destroy the Papacy entirely. Letters from France
had warned him of a reaction in favour of the Catholic
Church, and as the Directory allowed him full liberty in
this question he proceeded to act as gently as circumstances
permitted.
To GENERAL KELLERMANN.
"VERONA, 26th yanuary, 1797.
"MY DEAR GENERAL,-I have not seen your commissioner, but I presume that he will be at Milan. I have
given orders for the IO0,000 francs you require to be
handed to him. I regret that the roguery of FIachat &
Co. prevents me from sending you all the money necessary,
but we are ourselves in very straitened circumstances; I
think, however, that we shall soon settle matters with
the Pope, and this will place some funds at our disposal.
" BONAPARTE."
The army contractors above-mentioned were accused of
having embezzled to the extent of several million francs.
To CITIZEN CARNOT.
"VERONA, 26th January, I797.
"I received your letter, my dear Director, on the
battle-field of Rivoli. Formerly I saw with pity all the
rumours spread concerning me, each one making me speak
according to his passion. I believe you know me too well
to suppose that any one can influence me. I have always
felt thankful for the marks of interest you have given me,
for which I shall ever be grateful. There are men for
whom hate is a necessity, and who being unable to overthrow the Republic, console themselves by sowing discord




134   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


wherever it is possible. As for myself, nothing they can
say affects me: the esteem of a small number of persons
like yourself, that of my comrades and of the soldier,
sometimes also the opinion of posterity, and, above all
my conscience and the prosperity of my country, are the
sole objects which interest me..... I have ordered
citizen Cacault to leave Rome; you can have no idea
of the bad treatment which this pretrazlle [term of contempt for the priesthood] made him undergo.... I told
Manfredini the last time I saw him, that if the Emperor
desired a proof that Thugut was sold to France when
he was ambassador at Constantinople, I could easily
procure it...
" BONAPARTE."
The language of Bonaparte, the amount of independence
he assumed, and the court he held in Italy sorely troubled
the home government. Hence a profusion of professions
on the part of the General-in-Chief and frequent but
insincere demands to be relieved. Nothing more appears
in the correspondence on the subject of Thugut's venality.
The Pope having refused to execute the articles of the
armistice, Bonaparte issued the following:PROCLAMATION TO THE ARMY.
" BOLOGNA, Ist Febrzuary, I797.
"The French army is about to enter the territory of the
Pope; it will be faithful to the maxims it professes, and
will respect the religion of the people.  The French
soldier carries a bayonet in one hand, sure guarantee of
victory, and with the other he offers peace, protection, and
safety."
Then come threats in case of resistance, and" Art. I.-Every town or village which at the approach
of the French army shall sound the alarm bell, shall at
once be burned and the municipality shot.




INVASION OF THE PONTIFICAL STATES.


135


"Art. II.-The Commune in which a Frenchman is
assassinated will be subjected to martial law; a flying
column will be sent there, hostages taken and an extraordinary contribution levied.
"Art. III.-All priests, monks, &c., shall be protected
and maintained in their present position if they conduct
themselves according to the principles of the New Testament; but if they be the first to transgress them they will
be treated in military fashion, and more severely than
other citizens.
" BONAPARTE."
On the same day Bonaparte informed the Directory
that Wurmser had at last offered to capitulate, also that
General Victor had marched on Imola, the first town in
the Pontifical States-" Can we not," added Napoleon,
"if we go to Rome, unite Modena, Ferrara, and the
Romagna, and form them into a powerful Republic?
Might we not give Roze to Spain on the condition that
she guarantees the independence of the new Republic?
We might then restore the Milanais and Mantua to the
Emperor, and even give him Parma if necessary. The
Emperor would lose nothing, Spain would gain a great
deal, and we should gain still more, for we should have
a natural ally in Italy...."
The notion of giving Rome to Spain was only a fugitive
idea, supposing it to have been really entertained. The
principle, however, of mixing up the court of Madrid in
Italian affairs was not abandoned, as was proved when
Napoleon established the son-in-law of the King of Spain
on the throne of Tuscany.
In a letter of the 3rd of February, addressed to the
Directory, Bonaparte said:" I applied myself to show French generosity towards
Wurmser, a general seventy years of age, towards whom
fortune, during this campaign, has been so cruel, but who




136   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


never ceased to exhibit a constancy and a courage which
history will chronicle.  Enveloped on all sides at the
battle of Bassano, losing at a single blow both a portion
of his army and of the Tyrol, he dared to conceive the
hope of being able to seek refuge in Mantua, from which
he was four or five days distant, of passing the Adige, of
defeating our outposts at Cerea, and of crossing the
Molinella. Shut up in Mantua he headed three sorties..."
Bonaparte then gave an account of the defeat of the
Roman army by Lannes. The troops of his Holiness
encamped with great care on the river Senio made no
stand-" although during the fight several priests crucifix
in hand preached to these wretched troops." The French
captured 14 guns, i flags, and I,ooo prisoners.
Faenza offered some resistance. The chiefs, however,
and notably the bishop, were the first to fly. The town
having been taken, Bonaparte instead of pillaging it, sent
fifty Roman officers who had been made prisoners to
remonstrate with the citizens on the folly of their conduct.
"This morning," added Bonaparte, " I sent for the monks
and priests and reminded them of the principles of the
evangelists... "
To THE DIRECTORY.
"FORLI, 3rd February, I797.
"You will find inclosed the memorandum sent to me by
citizen Faipoult; you will shudder with indignation when
you see with what impudence the Republic is robbed. I
have given orders for the arrest of Legros, Controller of
the Treasury, and Lequesne of the commissariat. I have
also recommended Faipoult to have citizens Payan and
Pergallo arrested at Genoa. You will never permit the
robbers of the army of Italy to find refuge in Paris.
While I was away from Milan fighting, citizen Flachat left,
taking with him 5,000,000 francs; he has placed us in the
greatest embarrassment....
"BONAPARTE."




THE REPUBLIC OF SAN MARINO.


I37


On the same day Bonaparte ordered Berthier to have
an inventory made "of all the effects taken from the
Pope."  Official and organised plunder was evidently
regarded in the same light as those " big wars which make
ambition virtue."
The French troops had been specially recommended to
respect Papal territory, but a despatch addressed to
General Victor shows that this order was disregarded.
On the 5th February the general was reminded that he
was at the head of an army corps and not of a horde of
pillagers.
Rimini having been occupied and looted, a sharp note
was addressed to the Regent of the Republic of St. Marino,
in whose territory Monsignor Ceretti, Bishop of Rimini,
had taken refuge. Bonaparte expressed his desire to live
on good terms with the Regent, but he must at once arrest
Monsignor Ceretti, who, after preaching discord and
assassination, had fled carrying all his treasures with him.
If not immediately given up 2,000 men were to be sent in
search of the fugitive.
To THE MINISTER OF WAR.
" PESARO, 8th February, I797.
"The General-in-Chief directs me to send you the flags
captured at Mantua by General Augereau. These new
trophies close the campaign. While the general is engaged
in bringing Rome to its senses, he is also making arrangerrents for the next campaign.
"BY ORDER."
To THE DIRECTORY.
" ANCONA, Ioth February, 1797.
"We have conquered the Romagna, the Duchy of
Urbino, and the marches of Ancona in a very short time.
At Ancona we captured 1,200 Papal soldiers. They were




I38


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


posted very skilfully on the jeiJh/ts in front of t/he city,'
General Victor surrounded th/em and took t/emnz all prisoners
zVithoout firiln  a shot. The Emperor of Austria had just
sent to the Pope 3,000 excellent muskets and 120 heavy
guns which we found in the fortress.... No government
was ever so despised, even by the people who obey it, as
this one. To the first feeling of terror inspired by the
entry of our troops succeeded the joy of being delivered
from the most ridiculous of governments.
"I send you some despatches taken from a courier
coming from St. Petersburg and addressed to the Grand
Master of the Order of Malta. I think some use might
be made of them by sending them to our ambassador at
Constantinople..
" We are masters of Notre Dame de Lorette. There
was gold and silver in the treasury to the value of 7,000,000
francs, and corn, which we took. Before the arrival of
Colli there was 8,000,000 or 9,000,000 francs.
" BONAPARTE.'
It was probably by the despatches m:entioned above
that Bonaparte became aware that the Emperor Paul was
negotiating with the Grand Master Homspesch for the
sale of Malta, a piece of information of which he took
advantage the following year by outbidding Paul.
Colli, thus tacitly accused of having plundered the Santa
Casa to the extent of one or two million francs, after having
fought for his country with distinction, took: service first
under the Emperor of Austria then under the Pope, and
finally under Napoleon.  As for the inage of Notre
Dame de Lorette, after having been transported by angels
from Nazareth to Italy, to escape from the infidel, it was
transported by French soldiers to Paris, and remained in
the National Library until the signing of the Concordat,
when it was restored to Pius VII. to console him for the
loss of the Legations.




NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE POPE.


139


To CARDINAL MATTEI.
"ANCONA, I31th February, I797.
"In the letter which you have given yourself the trouble
to write to me, I recognise that simplicity for which you
are distinguished."
After enumerating the only conditions upon which he
would cease hostilities, Bonaparte added:"These clauses fulfilled, his Holiness may hope to save
his states by reposing more confidence in the generosity of
the Republic.... I know that his Holiness has been
deceived, and I am willing to prove to Europe once more
the moderation of the French Republic by granting him
five days, so that he may send a negotiator to Foligno
whither I shall repair, and where I hope to be able to
contribute personally to an arrangement, and to give the
Holy See a marked proof of my esteem....
(" BONAPARTE."
There was not a word in this letter of the proposal to
hand over Rome to Spain, and the " most ridiculous of
governments" now enjoyed the esteem of the young
general.
In a despatch to the Directory of the i5th February,
Bonaparte related how he had come to the aid of the
French priests who, driven from France, had taken refuge
in the Papal States, and who cried at the sight of a Frenchman. If his measures were not at variance with general
principles, he added, that he thought he might be able to
make use of these ecclesiastics. He went on to say:"Ancona is an excellent port from whence one can sail
to Macedonia in twenty-four hours, and to Constantinople
in ten days. My project is to collect there all the Jews
possible. I am having the forts placed in a state of
defence. We must manage to keep Ancona at the general
peace so that it may remain French for ever; this will give




140    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


us great influence over the Porte, and will render us
masters of the Adriatic, as Marseilles, Corsica, and St.
Pierre, render us masters of the Mediterranean.
"Loretto contained about 3,000,000 livres tournois.
They left us about a million francs out of seven million.
I send you the Madonna with all the relics.1... The
Madonna is in wood.
" This is what I intend doing. I mean to make peace
with the Pope in exchange for the legations of Bologna,
Ferrara, and Romagna, the Duchy of Urbino and the
Marches of Ancona; and he must pay us the 3,000,000
livres (the value of the treasury of Loretto). 2nd. 15,000,000
francs, money remaining due on the armistice; he must
give us all his cavalry and artillery horses; he must dismiss Colli and all his Austrians, &c. If these conditions
be not accepted I shall march on Rome.
" I prefer an arrangement to going to Rome, Ist, because
that will avoid a dispute with the King of Naples which
may become serious; 2nd, because if the Pope and all the
princes were to fly from Rome I should never be able to
obtain what I have demanded; 3rd, because, deprived of
her finest provinces, Rome cannot long exist; 4th, because
the court of Rome ceding to us all its rights over the
provinces above-named will not be able, at the general
peace, to regard this as a temporary arrangement....
" BONAPARTE."
The Pope had been deserted by all the Catholic powers,
beginning with Spain which had cast her lot in with
revolutionary France. If Bonaparte now desired, on the
eve of resuming hostilities with Austria, to avoid any
difficulty with the King of Naples, it was not a religious
but a territorial difficulty which was feared. Both Naples
and Austria coveted the Papal States.
1 Among the relics was a cannon ball, which had nearly killed
Julius II.; offered by that Pope. At a later date a king of Sweden
left in the Santa Casa his coat, vest, and flesh-coloured breeches.




OPINION CONCERNING ROME.


14I


To THE DIRECTORY.
" TOLENTINO, 9Ith February, I797.
"The Committee of Savants has reaped a good harvest
at Ravenna, Rimini, Pesaro, Ancona, Loretto, and Perugia
which will be at once forwarded to Paris. Joined to what
is to be sent from Rome we now possess everything that is
beautiful in Italy, with the exception of a small number
of objects at Turin and Naples.
"( BONAPARTE."
On the same date Bonaparte transmitted to the Directory
the treaty of peace concluded with the Pope. In his letter
he said:" My opinion is that Rome deprived of Bologna, Ferrara,
and the Romagna, and the 30,000,000 francs which we take
from her will not be able to exist; this old machine will go
to pieces of itself.
" It is possible that I may have erred in the decision I
have taken, but no one will accuse me of having sacrificed
the interest of my country to my own glory.
" The King of Sardinia asks to make an offensive treaty
with us, &c.
"BONAPARTE."
To the Sovereign Pontiff Napoleon wrote, also on
the g9th:"The French Republic will in future be one of the
sincerest friends of Rome. All Europe is aware of the
pacific intentions and the conciliatory virtues of your
Holiness. I send you my aide-de-camp to express to your
Holiness the esteem and veneration which I entertain for
your person, and I beg you will believe in my desire to
give you, on all occasions, the proofs of respect and
veneration with which I have the honour to be, &c., &c."




142    THE CORRESPtONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
The day before Bonaparte had written to Joubert in a
rather different strain, saying:" The army is within three
marches of Rome.   I am engaged in negotiating with
this pfretraile, and once more St. Peter will save the
capitol...
On the 23rd February, the Pope ratified the treaty of
Tolentino, and thus avoided two great dangers-that of
seeing Rome stormed by the French, or sacked by the
revolutionary party.
It was only some months later, and when Austria was
negotiating at Leoben, that the treaty with the King of
Sardinia was signed.  His majesty signed this treaty
because he had reason to be dissatisfied with Austria, and
because, like the Pope, he dreaded the ultra-Liberals.
In the beginning, of March Bonaparte sent Generals
Casalta, Gentili, and Cervoni, to Corsica to aid in expelling
the English.
PROCIAMa TION TO THE SOLDIERS OF ITALY.
" BASSANO, IOti lMarc/l, 1797.
The capture of Mantua has just terminated a campaign
which entitles you to the eternal gratitude of your country.
You have triumphed in fourteen pitched battles, and in
seventy combats; you have taken more than Io,000
prisoners, 500 field - pieces, 2,000 siege guns, and four
pontoons.
"The contributions levied on the countries you have
conquered have fed, kept, and paid the army during the
whole campaign; you have, in addition, sent 30,000,000
francs to relieve the public treasury at home.
" You have enriched the museum of Paris with more
than 200 objects; masterpieces of old and new Italy, and
which it required thirty centuries to produce....
The remainder of this proclamation was filled with invectives against the Emperor of Austria, who had degraded
himself into being "the paid servant of the merchants of




HOSTILITIES WITH AUSTRIA RESUMED.


143


London," and against those perfidious islanders, who,
"strangers to the ills of war, smile with pleasure at the
woes of the Continent."
Having settled matters with the Pope, Bonaparte, having
issued this address, determined to resume hostilities with
Austria. For the moment he had nothing to dread from
Sardinia or Naples. He had received a strong reinforcement commanded by Bernadotte from the army of the
Rhine, and Mantua had capitulated.  Bonaparte has been
blamed by some writers for having opened this campaign
before he could count upon the assistance of the armies of
Moreau and of Hoche, which were unable to pass the
Rhine for want of money.  Moreau went to Paris, and
went there in vain, to solicit a few thousand pounds for the
purchase of pontoons. It is supposed that Bonaparte was
induced to commence operations alone, in the hope of being
able to compel Austria to sue for peace before Moreau
and Hoche could take the field. At the same time from
the letters which Bonaparte addressed to the Directory,
blaming the dilatory conduct of the army of the Rhine
and that of the Sambre et Meuse, it is conjectured that he
wished to excuse a possible failure by showing that he had
been left to carry on the war against Austria single-handed.
There can be no doubt that more than once during the
brief and brilliant campaign of'97, Bonaparte entertained
serious fears with regard to the result of his temerity, and
hence his eagerness to open negotiations with the enemy,
and to agree to terms which Austria could never have
expected had not the signature of the preliminaries of
peace checked the victorious advance of Hoche and Moreau.
On the 17th March Bonaparte sent to the Directory an
account of his victory over Prince Charles at Tagliamento.
The Archduke had only just time to escape. The Austrians
left six guns, one general, several field officers, and 400
men in the hands of the French. Again Bonaparte pressed
on the Directory the necessity of Moreau crossing the
Rhine, as the Emperor was concentrating his best troops




144    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
in Italy. A few days afterwards he crossed the Isonzo
and boldly entered Austrian territory.
To THE PEOPLE OF THE PROVINCE OF GORITZ.
" GORITz, 2ISt March, 1797.
"An unjust terror has preceded the French army; we
have not come to conquer you, or to change your customs
or your religion. The French Republic is the friend of all
nations. Perdition to those kings who are mad enough to
do it battle.
"Priests, nobles, citizens, people, banish your uneasiness;
we are good and humane, &c. &c."
And before the inhabitants of Goritz had time to look
round, they found themselves in the enjoyment of a constitution and a central government. Judging by the severe
orders of the day, which Bonaparte felt it his duty to issue
against officers and men who indulged in pillage, it is clear
that the terror of the inhabitants of the newly invaded province was justified, and that they required assurances with
regard to the humanity of the invader.
To CITIZEN BOUDET.
" HEAD-QUARTERS, GORITZ, 2 Is March, I797.
" Write to citizen Boudet to approve of his putting on
the colours of the 57th demi-brigade, 'The terrible 57th
demi-brigade which nothing can stop.'
" By order of the General-in-Chief."
On the 25th March Bonaparte again reported proceedings
to the Directory, and was able to announce further successes. The Austrians had been driven into the Noric
Alps, and a battle had been fought at Jarvis, above the
clouds, upon heights which overlooked Germany and Dalmatia. In several places the snow was three feet deep, and
the cavalry had to charge over ice. "It is indispensable
that the armies of the Rhine should enter Germany."




THE ARCHDUKE CHARLES.


I45


Bonaparte added: " Up to the present Prince Charles
has manoeuvred worse than Beaulieu and Wurmser; he has
committed faults at every step, and extremely big ones.
They have cost him dear, and would have cost him more
dearly still if his reputation had not imposed upon me to a
certain extent, and hindered me from taking advantage of
certain blunders which I perceived, but which I attributed
to plans which never existed in reality."
Several years afterwards the Archduke Charles, under
the walls of Vienna, allowed himself to be imposed upon
and completely paralysed by the reputation of Bonaparte.
But for the timidity of the Archduke in the presence of
Bonaparte, the French Emperor would never have crossed
the Danube, or recovered from the check he experienced
at Essling.
It is, however, only fair to observe that while Bonaparte
was his own master, the Archduke was constantly hampered
by the orders of the Aulic council. In this campaign, too,
his forces were numerically weaker than those of his
opponent.
To CITIZEN CARNOT.
"GORITZ, 25/h March/, 1797.
".... Has the Rhine been passed? It is clear that in
a few days my movement will be unmasked, and that the
enemy, perceiving his danger, will abandon the Rhine, in
order to attack me. If Moreau does not then push forward
by forced marches, I shall be beaten, and obliged to fall
back into Italy. You will see by the intercepted letters I
forward that the enemy hopes to open the campaign on
the Rhine at once; but he calculates, as usual, without
taking into consideration what we may do. If Prince
Charles commands the armies of the Rhine and Italy, it
will be necessary for us to have unity of command in
Germany.... If I had 20,000 men more, I think I could
reach Vienna in a fortnight....
'' BONAPARTE."


VOL. I.


L




146    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


To THE BURGOMASTER OF LIENZ.
"VILLACH, 28/h March, I797.
"The General-in-Chief Bonaparte sees with pain the
terror which has preceded the French army. Let the inhabitants be tranquil, and without fear. The General-inChief will protect your religion, your persons, your properties,
and your customs."
On the 3Ist March Bonaparte wrote a long letter to the
Archduke Charles, calling upon him to prove himself the
benefactor of the human race, and to bring the war to a
close. " As for myself," added Bonaparte, "if the overtures
which I have the honour to make, can save the life of a
single man, I shall be more proud of the civic crown I
shall have deserved than of the sad glory which attaches to
military successes," &c. &c. Bonaparte, when he wrote this
strange letter, must have been well aware that the Archduke had no power to conclude peace, and he received a
reply to this effect. This appeal to humanity was owing
to the difficulties by which he found himself surrounded.
On the Ist April Bonaparte had pushed on to Klagenfurt. He was still without news of Moreau, and impatiently
waiting to hear of the passage of the Rhine. He announced
to the Directory his intention of signing the preliminaries
of peace in the event of the Archduke returning a favourable answer. In a proclamation to the inhabitants of
Carinthia, he said that the cabinet of Vienna would not
allow the Emperor to make peace; that the ministers,
corrupted by English gold, betrayed their prince and their
country, and were at the beck of those perfidious islanders
who were hated by the whole of Europe. After the usual
assurances concerning religion, property, &c., the proclamation added: " Innocent victims, have you not already
sufficiently suffered through the folly of others? All the
taxes which you used to pay to the Emperor will serve to indemnify you for the damage inseparable from the march of




THE AUSTRIAN DELEGATES.


I47


an army, and to pay for the provisions zeith zwhich you have
provided us."  And as in the province of Goritz, so in
Carinthia, a central government was established and got
into working order.
On the same day Bonaparte announced that he had sent
40,000/. to the Army of the Sambre and Meuse, 40,ooo00. to
the Army of the Rhine, 20,0001. to the Army of the Alps,
and that he was about to send 40,000o. to Toulon for the
Marine.
On the 4th April Bonaparte announced the conclusion
of an offensive and defensive treaty between the French
Republic and the King of Sardinia, the two most remarkable articles being that his Majesty was to cede the island
of Sardinia to France, and to be compensated for this cession on the conclusion of the general peace; and that for
the present he was to be permitted to maintain neutrality
towards England while taking an active part in the war
against Austria.
The Directory refused to ratify this treaty.
On the 7th April Bonaparte consented to an armistice
with the Austrians, and announced this fact to the
Directory, adding explanations of his conduct. He said
that the Austrian delegates had assured him that the
Emperor rather than lose everything in Italy, would leave
Vienna and would run the risk of continuing the war.
" Our armies," he added, " have not yet passed the Rhine,
and we are within twenty leagues of Vienna; the army of
Italy is, therefore, exposed alone to the efforts of one of
the first powers of Europe.
"The Venetians are arousing their peasants, bringing
their priests into the field, and setting in motion with fury
the whole mechanism of their antiquated government.
Venice has at present 20,000 armed men in my rear."
Thus neatly did Bonaparte prepare the plan he had
conceived for handing over the Venetian Republic to
the tender mercies of Austria.
"In the Papal States, too," continued Bonaparte, "conL 2




148   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


siderable numbers of peasants are descending from the
mountains and threatening to invade the Romagna.
" The different nationalities in Italy, reunited by a spirit
of liberty, and excited in various ways by the most glowing passions require to be restrained and supervised."
And in fact, so long as the struggle with Austria was
doubtful, the whole of Italy was openly hostile to the
liberating army.
On the 9th April Bonaparte wrote a comminatory letter
to the Doge of Venice, threatening war unless he at once
disbanded his armed peasants.
" Do you think," he asked, " that because I am in the
heart of Germany, I am powerless to cause the first nation
in the universe to be respected?  Do you think that the
legions of Italy will tolerate the massacres you have
encouraged?  The blood of my brothers in arms shall
be avenged.... If, contrary to the manifest desire of the
French Government, you oblige me to make war, you must
not suppose that, in imitation of the troops you have armed,
the French soldiers will ravage the properties of the innocent and unfortunate people of the mainland.  I shall
protect them, and one day they will bless even the crimes
which obliged a French army to deliver them from a
tyrannical government.              BONAPARTE."
Junot was the bearer of this missive to the Doge, and he
was to insist upon receiving a reply within twenty-four
hours. In a despatch of the same date, General Kilmaine
was instructed how to act. He was to secure hostages at
Padua, Verona, Treviso, Bassano, Brescia, and Bergamo,
and he was to fall unexpectedly on some village where the
rebels were not in force, and to burn it. All the Venetian
nobles and all the persons attached to the senate were to
be arrested, &c. &c.  Verona, which was in a position to
resist, resisted, and before the French could subdue that
city they lost 300 men.  But "the first nation in the
universe" was not to be braved with impunity.




THE SEDUCTIONS OF PARIS.


I49


To THE GENERAL ADMINISTRATION OF LOMBARDY.
"GRATZ, I2th April, I797.
"You ask for assurances for your future independence;
but those assurances, are they not to be found in the victories which the army of Italy gains every day?... Each
of our victories is a line in your constitutional charter!...
Facts assume the place of declarations.... You cannot
doubt the interest and the desire of the French Government
to render you free and independent."
At this very moment Bonaparte was advising the
Directory to restore Lombardy to Austria in exchange
for her possessions on the left bank of the Rhine. Mantua
was to be exchanged for Mayence, &c.
To THE DIRECTORY.
" LEOBEN, i6th April, I797.
"I send you by General Leclerc some interesting
despatches concerning the situation of the army and the
negotiations which have been commenced.  In passing
through Germany General Leclerc will be able to observe
the various movements of the enemy, and to afford information to Generals Moreau and Hoche on reaching the
Rhine. I beg you will send him back at once. All the
officers whom I despatch to Paris remain there too long;
they spend their money, and over-indulge in pleasure. I
send you, by a captain of huzzars, who has seen eighty
years service, several colours captured from the enemy.
"( BONAPARTE."
The venerable huzzar was one FranSois Jantzon, who
had joined the army in 1738, who had fought in Flanders
and Bohemia from 1741 to I748, then through the campaigns of the Seven Years' War, and afterwards through
those of the Revolution. On the I6th April, I797, Jantzon
was eighty-five years of age, and reckoned sixty years of
active service and twenty campaigns.  The campaigns




150    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
counting double made the eighty years referred to in
Bonaparte's letter.
In another voluminous despatch to the Directory, in
which he reviewed the various measures open to adoption
in the event of his negotiations with Austria being broken
off, Bonaparte again complained of Moreau. He said:"The best troops and the best generals are opposed to
me. When a general is anxious to take the field nothing
can stop him. Ever since history has commenced to chronicle military operations, a river has never been considered a
serious obstacle. If Moreau wishes to cross the Rhine he
will cross it, and if he had already passed it, without raising
so many objections, we should now be in a position to
dictate peace in an imperious manner, and without running
any risk; but the person who is afraid of losing his glory
is sure to lose it. I crossed the Julian and the Noric Alps
when the snow was three feet deep.... Every one believed the feat impossible. If I had only considered my
private interests, I should have halted after crossing the
Isonzo; I flung myself into Germany, in order to disengage the armies of the Rhine, and to prevent the
enemy from assuming the offensive; I am at the gates
of Vienna, and this insolent and arrogant court has sent
its plenipotentiaries to my head-quarters. The armies of
the Rhine can have no blood in their veins. If they leave
me here alone, I shall fall back into Italy, and Europe will
judge the difference between the conduct of the two armies:
they will afterwards have to support the entire weight of
the forces of the Emperor; they will be overwhelmed, and
it will be their fault."
Bonaparte, in fact, was at Leoben, and his advanced
guard could see the spires of Vienna from the top of the
Saemmering. Under these circumstances, the Emperor of
Germany and the Marquis de Gallo and General Merfeldt
repaired to his head-quarters at Leoben with full powers




THE MARQUIS DE GALLO.


I 5 I


At first Bonaparte objected to the Marquis because he was
Neapolitan minister at Vienna, but he added, in a report
to the Directory: " I did not consider it right to persist in
this opposition, because it would have been productive of
delay, and because the Marquis appeared to enjoy the full
confidence of the Emperor of Austria; also, because the
Austrians and Hungarians are greatly irritated at seeing
foreigners play the chief part in so important an affair, and
because, should we break off negotiations, this will be an
excellent means of exciting discontent against the Government of Vienna."
Bonaparte found the negotiators great sticklers in matter
of etiquette. The Marquis de Gallo insisted on the pavilion
in the centre of a garden, where the deliberations took
place, being declared neutral. Bonaparte consented to this
fiction, although, as he remarked, "this neutral point is
surrounded on all sides by the French army, and is in the
midst of our bivouacs."
On the I7th April the General-in-Chief issued the following order, which was to be applied to Bernadotte's
division:" All the women who have not been authorised by the
Council of Administration must leave the division within
twenty-four hours; in default of which they will be
smeared with soot and exposed for two hours in the
market-place. The General-in-Chief is informed that the
disorders which are committed are owing to these
abominable women, who excite the soldiers to pillage."
Now the soldiers belonging to the army of the Rhine,
who were drawn from the north of France, prided themselves on their steady behaviour and their discipline.
They were of quite a different temperament to the soldiers
of the army of Italy. A good deal of jealousy existed
between the forces under Hoche and Moreau and those
under Bonaparte. The probability is that the above order




152


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


of the day was undeserved, and was issued with the view
of reducing, in appearance, the moral qualities of Bernadotte's division to a level with those of the remainder of
the army. It is certain that the disorders complained of
existed before Bernadotte's division reinforced the troops
under General Bonaparte. An Italian writer has left it
on record that Bernadotte's soldiers conducted themselves
with so much steadiness and moderation that the different
towns disputed which should have them for garrison.
On the I8th the preliminaries of peace were signed, and
the news of this important event was at once despatched,
not only to the Directory, but to Generals Hoche and
Moreau, whose operations were thus suddenly interrupted
to their great mortification.
On the 19th April Bonaparte, in a further despatch to
the Directory, made such remarks as these respecting the
negotiations with Austria: " As for the renunciation of
our rights over Bologna, Ferrara, and Romagna in exchange for the Venetian States, those provinces will always
remain in our power...... The Government of Venice is
the most absurd and tyrannical of governments, and it is
beyond doubt that it wished to take advantage of our
being in the heart of Germany to fall upon us..... By
ceding Venice to Austria the Emperor will be bound to
France, and, at least for a time, will be obliged to be
friendly towards us." After some further remarks with
regard to the astute character of his policy, which he very
highly appreciated himself, Bonaparte entered into an
explanation of his military movements. He said: "If at
the commencement of the campaign I had persisted in
marching on Turin, I should never have crossed the Po;
if I had persisted in marching on Rome, I should have lost
Milan; if I had persisted in marching on Vienna, I should
perhaps have lost the Republic. The real plan for destroying the Emperor was the one I adopted, but I required
6,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry in addition to the force
under my command. The plan, too, would have succeeded




TENDERS HIS RESIGNATION.


I53


had the Rhine been passed at the same time that I crossed
the Tagliamento, as I thought would be the case, since two
couriers in rapid succession ordered me to open the campaign."
Referring once more to the negotiations, Bonaparte said
that if peace were concluded " it will be a monument of
glory for the French Republic, and an infallible sign that
it can, in two campaigns, subdue the Continent, provided
it has strongly organised armies..... I have not levied a
single contribution in Germany, and there has not been a
single complaint against us..... In a few days I will send
you the ratification of the Emperor. I shall canton my
army in the Venetian provinces, where its wants shall be
supplied until I receive your orders. As for myself, I ask
for repose. I have justified the confidence you reposed in
me. I have always considered myself as nothing in the
operations I have directed, and I pushed on to Vienna
after having acquired more glory than is necessary to be
happy, leaving behind me the superb plains of Italy, just
as I marched forward at the beginning of the last campaign
in search of bread for the army which the Republic could
not feed.
" Calumny will endeavour in vain to attribute perfidious
intentions to me; my civil career shall resemble my
military career, by its simplicity. However, you must feel
that I ought to leave Italy, and I beg that, when returning
the ratification of the preliminaries of peace, you will give
me permission to return to France.
" BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte was well aware that his presence was not
desired in Paris, and that he could even treat with Austria
with impunity, although that duty really belonged to
General Clarke, the political officer of the Directory. As
for not having levied any contributions in Germany, that
was a strange and also a false statement. It was strange
that Bonaparte should boast of sparing a country with
which he was at war, and of levying his contributions and




154   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


drawing his resources from territories which had done their
best to observe a strict neutrality.  It was false, because
he levied 3,000,000 francs on Goritz, a similar sum on
Trieste, and because he seized stores and appropriated the
taxes in those places. If no complaints were made against
the conduct of the army, why the order of the day aimed
at Bernadotte's division? Why the order that all pillagers
were to be shot? Why did Bonaparte write on the 2Ist
March that " the General-in-Chief receives complaints from
all sides," adding that he would render generals responsible
for the conduct of their men? It was true, however, that,
anxious not to drive Austria to despair, Bonaparte had
avoided treating Germany as he had treated Venice, Genoa,
Lombardy, Modena, &c. He showed himself as lenient
to the strong as he showed himself merciless towards the
weak. It was not altogether Vc victis with him.
To GENERAL DELMAS.
" LEOBEN, 20th April, 1797.
The General-in-Chief is informed that you have beaten
several soldiers with a cane. As this mode of punishment
is contrary to our principles and the system of discipline
established in the army of Italy, you are directed to
conform to one and the other."
On the 22nd April Bonaparte, in a despatch to the
Directory, said that Austria, which refused compensation
in Germany, was very anxious to conclude a definitive
peace.  He afterwards remarked that "the house of
Austria has immense resources. It has waged war with
the money of England; its subjects are not oppressed, and
are attached to the Government. In offering favourable
conditions to Austria we become independent of the King
of Prussia, and able to hold the balance between the two
powers.  The Emperor will lose Belgium, Milan, and
Modena, but he will obtain Venice; he will have less
regret at being obliged to conclude peace, and there will




JEALOUSY OF MOREAU.


I55


remain behind no national hatred.... If you desire to
continue the war, you must send me 25,000 infantry
and 5,000 cavalry, so that I may be independent of the
Rhine..
"BONAPARTE."
In another despatch, dated the 30th, Bonaparte, evidently
feeling that it was necessary to excuse himself in the eyes
of the Directory, wrote that his plan for levying contributions in the faubourgs of Vienna had totally failed, owing
to the inaction of the army of the Rhine. He added: "If
Moreau had been willing to march, we should have made
the most astonishing campaign, and have entirely changed
the situation of Europe. Instead of that, he went to Paris
and would do nothing; and when I saw by your letters
that your only hope was in making Hoche move alone, I
thought the campaign was lost, and I believed we should
have been beaten one after the other.
"As for me, I flung myself without hesitation into the
heart of Germany; I made more than 24,000 prisoners;
I forced the Emperor to evacuate Vienna; and I concluded
peace at my head-quarters. The conditions of this peace
are no doubt advantageous to France and to the Emperor;
that is the beauty of it. It delivers us from the influence
of Prussia."
This jealousy of Moreau broke out upon every occasion,
and yet Moreau had sent Bernadotte and his best troops
to reinforce Bonaparte. Carnot was so enchanted with
this disinterestedness that he wrote to the Commander-inChief of the army of the Rhine, " Oh, my dear Fabius, how
great you were on that occasion!"
On the 20th April a French captain called Laugier, in
spite of regulations, insisted upon mooring his vessel alongside the powder magazine near the Lido. Having refused
to listen to the remonstrances of the commandant of the
fort that officer opened fire, and Laugier and a few men
were killed. This was a most unfortunate affair for Venice,




156   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


and it was speedily turned to account by Bonaparte, who
sent a very exaggerated report of the episode to the
Directory on the 30th. He wrote: " If you wish French
blood to be respected in Europe a terrible example must
be made of Venice. We must have blood; and the noble
Venetian admiral who presided at this assassination must
be publicly punished. M. Quirini may carry on intrigues
in Paris, but the infamous treason of the Venetians is too
notorious." As for the Venetian Government, it was called
upon to dismiss the British ambassador; to deliver up all
the British merchandise; to pay 20,000,000 francs, and to
arrest the assassins; and although the French ambassador
had not left Venice, Bonaparte ordered all the Venetian
ships in Leghorn and Ancona to be seized, and Bernadotte
was directed to embark 300 grenadiers on board five
frigates, and to capture a vessel of war belonging to the
Republic, which was lying at Trieste.
Bonaparte had not to complain of the city of Venice and
of Verona only, but of Padua, Castiglione, and Mantua.
By a decree dated May 6th, we see how Verona was
chastised for endeavouring to shake off the yoke of the
liberators of Italy. It was to pay 170,000 sequins, all the
objects in the pawn-office pledged for more than fifty francs
were to be confiscated; fifty of the chief culprits were to
be garotted and sent to Toulon for transportation to
Cayenne; all their property was to be seized. By Art. 8,
all the plate in the churches and other public establishments was to be appropriated; and by Art. I, all the
pictures, collections of plants and shells belonging to the
city or to private individuals, were to be confiscated for
the benefit of the French Republic.
A deputation of the Venetian senate had gone to Gratz
to apologise for what had passed and to endeavour to save
the existence of the Republic. But before this deputation
arrived, and before Bonaparte had heard of the Laugier
affair, he had given Venice to Austria. He now declared
war against the Republic, and in every place occupied by




POPES ON DEMOCRACY.


J57


the French troops the Lion of St. Mark was torn down
and replaced by a tree of liberty.
In a letter from Milan, addressed to the Bishop of Como,
Bonaparte said: "Throw water and not oil on human
passions; remove prejudices, and fight with ardour against
false priests, who degrade religion by making it the instrument of the ambition of kings. The doctrine of the
Evangelists is that of equality, and hence it is most favourable to that Republican form of government under which
your country is about to exist."
It is curious to find two Popes afterwards expressing
themselves in very similar language. In December, 1798,
during the French occupation of Italy, Cardinal Chiaramonte, Bishop of Imola, who the year following became
Pius VII., wrote a pastoral letter in which he said: "The
democratic form of government adopted by you, my dear
brethren, is not repugnant to the Gospel; it necessitates,
on the contrary, all the sublime virtues which are only to
be learned in the school of Jesus Christ, which, if devoutly
practised, will conduce to your happiness and to the glory
of your Republic."
Just half a century later Leo XII. said to M. de Chateaubriand, who had been sent to Rome to try and settle a
dispute between Charles X. and the French bishops:
"Jesus Christ never pronounced in favour of any peculiar
form  of government..... The Catholic religion has
prospered in the centre of republics as well as in the
bosom of the monarchy," &c.
Embezzlement continued to reign everywhere. On the
6th May Bonaparte complained to the Directory that the
gendarmes in Corsica had revolted in consequence of not
having been paid; the funds sent for that purpose had
been misappropriated. "And yet," added Bonaparte, " since
Corsica has been restored to France we have sent there
700,000 francs and large quantities of corn."
On the 9th May Bonaparte ordered the arrest of Commissary Bouquet, who was found guilty of having robbed




158   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


the pawn-offices of Padua and of Vicenza, and who was
sentenced to five years in chains. On the same date
Bonaparte, writing to Berthier, said: " I see with indignation the thefts which are committed by several French
agents, who place seals on the Venetian pawn-offices so as
to be able to rob them at their leisure."
To THE DIRECTORY.
" MILAN, I4t/z May, I797.
'I am organising the Cisalpine Republic..... Tomorrow I shall conclude a treaty with the Venetian
deputies.  I hope this affair will end well..... The
marine will gain four or five line-of-battle ships, three or
four frigates, and from three to four millions of cordage,
wood, &c..... The million for Toulon will be despatched
to-morrow;' another million, half in gold and half in silver,
will be sent to Paris the day after to-morrow, and may be
usefully employed at Brest. The two millions for which
the Minister of Finance drew upon Citizen Andre will be
paid in merchandise or in land; this, joined to a million
for the army of the Sambre and Meuse, 500,000 francs
for the army of the Alps, and 500,000 francs which Corsica
costs us, will form a sum of 7,000o,ooo, which the army of
Italy has furnished since the commencement of the campaign. We have sent to Toulon from Trieste 25,000
quintals of corn and Ioo,ooo francs of hemp and steel.
The Pope has given us eight millions in diamonds, which,
according to valuation at Modena, are worth not more
than 4,5co,ooo francs.
" BONAPARTE."
On the I6th May the treaty of peace was concluded
with Venice, which renounced its ancient form of government. By Art. 3, the French Republic, in accordance
with request, and in order to guarantee the tranquillity of
Venice and the happiness of its inhabitants, accorded a
division of French troops to maintain order and to protect




SPLENDOURS OF MONTEBELLO.


I59


persons and property. Venice was to pay 15,000,000 francs
twenty pictures, and 500 manuscripts, ships, stores, &c.
A provisional government was named. This treaty was
concluded simply to enable Bonaparte to obtain possession
of Venice without fighting. He had no idea of respecting
it himself.
To GENERAL BERNADOTTE.
"MILAN, I8th May, I797.
"..... In a few days negotiations for a definitive
peace will be opened, and it will be impossible for you to
go to Paris before that date. I have no intention of
quitting the army..... After the signature of peace it
is proposed that an expedition shall be undertaken against
England or Portugal. You shall have the choice of one
or the other.
"I salute you,
" BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte now established himself in the splendid
chateau of Montebello, close to Milan, with his wife, his
mother, his brothers Joseph and Louis, his sister Pauline,
and his uncle Fesch. Count Miot de Melito has left an
account of the brilliant court held by the young general.
A severe etiquette was observed; his aides-de-camp were
no longer received at his table; he was most particular in
the choice of his guests; he dined as it were in public,
after the manner of the French kings; his saloons were
constantly filled by the great nobles and by all the distinguished men in Italy, who came to solicit the favour of
a glance or of a moment's conversation. Bonaparte was
no longer the general of a triumphant Republic, but a conqueror on his own account, imposing his laws on the
vanquished. Among other persons were the two Austrian
plenipotentiaries, Count Merfelt and the Marquis de Gallo.
The marquis was also Neapolitan ambassador at Vienna;
he was afterwards ambassador at Paris, and then minister
of foreign affairs, first to Joseph Bonaparte, King of Naples,




I60   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


and then to Murat. A number of officers from other armies
and distinguished French civilians flocked to Montebello.
To Miot de Melito Bonaparte spoke very plainly. He
said: "What I have accomplished up to the present is
nothing. I am only at the commencement of my career.
Do you think that I have triumphed in Italy for the honour
and glory of the lawyers of the Directory, for Carnot, and for
Barras? Do you think that it is in order to found a Republic?
What an idea! A Republic of 30,000,000 souls, with our
customs and our vices! Where would be the possibility?
It is a chimera with which the French are enamoured, but
which will pass like many others. They require glory, and
their vanity must be satisfied; but they have no conception
of liberty. Look at the army! The victories we have
gained have restored to the French soldier his veritable
character. I am everything for him. Let the Directory
endeavour to deprive me of my command, and it will see
who is master. The nation requires a chief who has
acquired glory, and not theories and phrases. Give them
playthings and they will allow  themselves to be led
anywhere," &c. &c.
To THE DIRECTORY.
" MONTEBELLO, 20th MJay, 1797.
"General Baraguey d'Hilliers has taken possession of
Venice. That unhappy city was a prey to anarchy and
civil war. The French were acclaimed by the people.
The confidence which those persons who have seen the army
of Italy have in its discipline and the good spirit which
animates officers and men, is one of the most pleasant fruits
of good conduct,. it formts a better title to the gratitude of
humanity than the victories it has gained. The ambassadors
of England and of Russia, and M. d'Antrigues, have fled
from the city.
" I beg you will send me instructions concerning Rome.
The health of the Pope is very bad, and he may die at any




THE COMMITTEE OF ARTS.


I6I


moment..... All the merchandise in Venice belonging
to the English, Russians, and Portuguese has been
confiscated.
"BONAPARTE."
To CITIZEN HALLER.
" MONTEBELLO, 20th May, I797.
"You will find inclosed an order given to General
Baraguey d'Hilliers.  My intention is that if you can
procure 3,000,000 or 4,000,000 francs you shall carry out
the confiscation.... The order must be executed gently,
and as little cause of discontent as possible must be given
to the Venetians.
"As for the Duke of Modena, if you can get 6,000,ooo
francs out of him, you must make sure of the money, so
as to be able to seize it on the demand of the inhabitants
of Modena, who have claims to make on this subject....
tt BONAPARTE."
To CITIZEN HALLER.
" MONTEBELLO, 2I t May, I797.
"I have approved of the sale of the Abbey St. Nicholas,
on condition of the price being paid in four months. You
must obtain 500,000 francs down for the property of St.
Martin, and must arrange to pay the other million to
Citizen Andre..... Should the confiscation of the
English merchandise create too much dissatisfaction, and
not promise more than 3,000,000 or 4,000,000 francs, it
need not be effected. I beg that the Venetians may be
treated in general with generosity, and not made to hate
us like the inhabitants of Ancona,
" BONAPARTE."
To THE COMMITTEE OF ARTS.
"MONTEBELLO, 2Ist May, 1797.
"Berthollet and Appiani are at Verona and Venice,
where they are collecting various art treasures. I am
VOL. I.                                  M




162    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


glad to see that some of the objects to be furnished by
Rome have already started.  I am   expecting every
moment a little frigate to transport them to Toulon.
' BONAPARTE."
On the 26th May Bonaparte again asked for instructions
concerning Rome, adding:" Under present circumstances I think it will be well to
ask the King of Spain to send 5,000 men to Parma, so
that in the event of anything happening I may mix the
Spaniards with our troops, and this will have a singular
effect on the King of Naples..... Spain having by her
marine a decided preponderance over Naples, it is indispensable to entangle them a little in the affairs of Italy.
The Emperor and the King of Naples have evidently an
eye on the inheritance of the Pope. I think it would be
preferable to give Spain 5,ooo men more to act against
Portugal, and to have 5,oo000 Spaniards in Parma."
Bonaparte went on to say that he' had despatched
General Gentili to seize upon Corfu, Zante, and Cephalonia; that the isle of Malta was most important to
France; that the Grand Master was dying, and that his
successor would probably be a German. He thought that
with 500,000 francs it would be possible to arrange for a
Spaniard being elected. There were no English, he said,
in the Mediterranean, and a combined French and Spanish
fleet might pass by Lavalette and take possession of it.
" If we don't adopt these means," he added, "Malta will
fall into the power of the King of Naples. This little isle
has no value but for us."
On the same day Bonaparte gave General Gentili his
instructions. "You will act as the auxiliary of the Republic of Venice. You will do all in your power to
captivate the inhabitants. At Corfu, and at sea, you will
seize on all the Venetian vessels of war which are




CHURCH PLATE.


I63


'wavering.' If the inhabitants are in favour of independence: flatter their taste, and do not fail in your various
proclamations to speak of Greece, of Athens, of Sparta."
Bonaparte then informed the general that the Citizen
Arnault, a distinguished man of letters, would follow the
expedition. He was to draw the pay and rations of a
brigadier; he was to study the islands and report on all
he saw, and also to help the general in the manufacture of
his manifestoes.
LIST OF CONTRIBUTIONS RAISED IN THE
COUNTRIES CONQUERED IN ITALY.
In this list, which was made out by Bonaparte himself
and which is in his handwriting, we find that the Church
plate brought in,5oo,oo000 francs; the plate of Rome and
Verona, 760,000 francs; golden ingots, 600,000 francs;
and in all 23,000,000 francs.
To THE DIRECTORY.
"MONTEBELIO, 27th May, I797.
"You will find inclosed the ratification of the Emperor
to the preliminary treaty.  The plenipotentiary of the
Emperor regretted that the treaty had not been drawn up
on parchment and that the seals were not larger. I agree
with the first remark, and think that parchment ought to
be employed for documents meant to be preserved.....
We held the first conference to-day respecting the definitive peace, when we agreed to present the following
plan:" st. The Rhine boundary for France.
" 2nd. Salzburg and Passau for the Emperor.
"3rd. The Duchy of Cleves or an equivalent in Germany
to Prussia.
"4th. The maintenance of the German Confederation.
"5th. The reciprocal guai antee of said articles.
"For Italy:"ist. Venice for the Emperor.
M' 2




164    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
"2nd. Mantua, Brescia to the Adige, for the new
Republic.
"As the Emperor desires an indemnity for the Duke of
Modena, he might be offered the island of Zante....
"To destroy the German Confederation would be to
lose the whole advantage of Belgium and of the Rhine
boundary; it would be to place from Io,ooo,ooo to
I2,000,000 inhabitants in the hands of two powers which
we equally distrust.  If the Germanic Confederation
did not exist it would be necessary to create it for our
convenience.
" Do you approve of our system for Italy?
"Venice, which has been falling into decay since the
discovery of the Cape of Good Hope and the birth of
Trieste and Ancona, will with difficulty survive the blows
we have inflicted upon it. The people are incapable,
cowardly, and in no way fit for liberty; without land and
without water it appears only natural that Venice should
be left to those to whom we give the continent.
"We shall take her vessels, despoil the arsenal, carry
off the guns, destroy the bank, and keep Corfu and
Ancona.
"BONAPARTE."
On the previous day Bonaparte had assured the municipality of Venice that-" Under all circumstances I will
do what I can to consolidate your liberty, and to place unhappy Italy, free and independent of foreigners, on the
stage of the world.... Venice is the only population worthy
of liberty."
At Corfu Gentili behaved with an amount of duplicity
worthy of his chief.  He presented himself as the agent of
the new government, and once admitted into the fortress,
he seized upon it, upon the fleet, and a large quantity of
stores of all kinds. An island more valuable than the
whole of Italy was worth this bit of perfidy.




'VAST SUMS DRAINED FROM ITALY.


i65


To GENERAL JOUBERT.
"i MONTEBELLO, 28th May, I797.
"I am informed that forty-five parishes of the Vicentin
have refused to give up their church plate. I beg you
will take measures to make them furnish it like the
others.
"BONAPARTE."
To THE DIRECTORY.
" MONTEBELLO, 6th June, 1797.
"I have just given orders for two millions in gold or
silver to be sent to Paris for the fortification of Brest....
Since the commencement of the new campaign (against
Austria), the Army of Italy has supplied
Ist. To the Army of the Rhine......  I,ooo,ooo francs.
2nd. To the Army of the Sambre et Meuse... I,ooo,ooo,,
3rd. To the Army of the Alps.........  500,000,
4th. To Toulon..................... I,ooo,000,
5th. To Paris....................  I,ooo,ooo,
6th. About to be sent to Paris......... 2,000,000,,
7th. To  Toulon.....................   000o,,,
TOTAL............  7,500,000,,
Bonaparte was never weary of enumerating his services and of whetting the appetite of his employers, who
were able to maintain themselves in power only by means
of bribery and corruption of the most shameless description, and in this there was a strong contrast between the
men of the Directory and their friends, and the incorruptible
Robespierre.
To THE MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR.
" MONTEBELLO, 6th 7une, 1797.
"I am led to suppose that the celebrated manuscript of
Josephus, from the Ambrosian Library, which was sent to




i66   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Paris from Milan has not arrived. As it is the only manuscript written on papyrus, it is very important that it
should not be lost. I beg you will inform me if it has been
sent to the National Library.
" BONAPARTE."
This precious manuscript was duly received in Paris, but
in 1815 it was restored to Italy, and it is again to be seen
in the Ambrosian Library.
To GENERAL BERTHIER.
" MONTEBELLO, 7th June, 1797.
"I at first thought of sending General Kilmaine to
Marseilles, but he has expressed the desire to take part in
the expedition to England, should it take place....
(C BONAPARTE."
To GENERAL BERNADOTTE.
" MONTEBELLO, 7t/1 7une, I797.
' I beg you will let me know to what sum the church
plate of the town of Udine and of the whole of Friuli,
amounts.
" BONAPARTE."
To CITIZEN HALLER.
" MONTEBELLO, I2/h June, 1797.
"I thought I had informed you that I had granted to
the city of Verona the church plate wherewith to pay its
contribution (?)
" If the letters of change sent to you by the municipality
of Verona have not been paid, inform your agent of this
fact.  I authorise you to sell the Abbey of San-Zeno....
Take the plate in the churches of Venice, but let this be
done through the medium of the provisional government,
and let it go to pay a portion of the 3,000,000 francs which
are due to us.
" BONAPARTE."




DUMOLARD'S MOTION.


I67


On the I3th June Commodore Perree received instructions to seize upon everything in Venice, on the pretext
that "conformity of principles" existed between the two
governments "Send to Toulon," wrote Bonaparte, "all
the marine stores required in that port. By a secret article
the Venetians are bound to supply us with stores to the
value of 3,000,000 francs, but my intention is to seize upon
all the Venetian vessels and all the stores possible."
To THE DIRECTORY.
"MONTEBELLO, 24th 7une, 1797.
"The Pope had an attack of apoplexy on the eve of
Corpus Christi, and was bled several times.  He is eightythree years of age. I beg you will send me positive instructions as to what to do in the event of his death. Am
I to allow a new Pope to be elected?  If there be a
revolution in Rome, and the King of Italy marches on the
city, am I to oppose him?... The Austrians have invaded
Istria and Dalmatia.
" BONAPARTE."
Of what use instructions since Bonaparte always anticipated or disregarded them? But what could a feeble
Directory do with this ever victorious and popular commander, beyond allowing his conduct to be called in
question?
At the end of June, a representative, called Dumolard,
brought a motion before the Assembly, which was aimed
at General Bonaparte. In a very able speech he protested
against the treatment of Venice, and threw doubt on the
crimes attributed to that country, in order to justify the
violation of the right of nations; he complained that the
Assembly, unlike the British Parliament, was not kept
aware of what was passing, and that peace and war and
treaties were concluded without its knowledge. He also
questioned the right of the French Republic to interfere
with the form of government in other countries. Dumolard




168   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


was no adversary of General Bonaparte, but a straightforward Republican, who seems to have had some presentiment of the military tyranny in store for his country, and
to have desired to uphold the authority of parliament and
international law.
Bonaparte wrote in the most indignant terms to the
Directory on the subject of this motion, which, published
by order of the Assembly, was clearly aimed at him. " I
had the right to expect," he wrote, "if not civic triumphs,
at least to be allowed to live tranquilly under the protection
of the Republic, after having concluded peace on five occasions, and having felled the coalition.  To-day I find
myself denounced and persecuted, although my reputation
belongs to my country." After a torrent of complaints
and accusations, the General, as a proof that 400 Frenchmen had been assassinated by the Venetians, sent the
Assembly a dagger.  He concluded by tendering his
resignation.
After writing this letter, Bonaparte proceeded to draw
up a series of vigorous notes, in which he did ample justice
to his great services-notes which must have had a startling
effect on the Directory. In the first he said-" Ignorant
and garrulous lawyers have asked why we occupied Venice..... But I warn you, and I speak in the name of 80,000
men, that the time when cowardly lawyers and wretched
babblers guillotined soldiers, is past; and, if you oblige
them, the troops of Italy will march on the Clichy barrier,
and woe to you!" In another note. explaining his military
operations, which had been criticised, he wrote-" It was said
that Bonaparte entered Germany by the Tyrol, by Carinthia, and by Carniola. But in thus dividing his forces,
he had no fear of finding himself too weak, seeing the
positions occupied by the enemy.... As soon as the
enemy had been beaten and had fled, Bonaparte, knowing
that he might rally his forces behind the mountains, fell
upon his divisions, beat them in detail, concentrated his
army on one point, and was prepared to operate in any




EUGENE DE BEAUHARNAIS.


I69


direction.  On the other hand, the army of Prince Charles
was spread out between Salzburg and Vienna, and was
weakened by detachments sent into the Tyrol and Carniola.... Prince Charles has constantly fallen into all the snares
set for him by General Bonaparte.... The art of war consists in always being, with an inferior force, stronger than
the enemy on the point of attack; but this art is not to be
learned in books, nor by practice; it is a matter of tact
which constitutes military genius."
With regard to the crimes imputed to the Venetians, it
should be borne in mind that in I796 Napoleon wrote to
the Directory, saying-" I am obliged to exaggerate the
assassinations, &c. &c., so as to oblige the Venetians to
furnish me with all I require, in order to appease me. This
is how these people must be treated." It is not astonishing
that one deputy should have protested against the iniquitous
treatment of a sister Republic, which had refused to join
the coalition against France.
To THE MINISTER OF WAR.
" MILAN, 30th June, 1797.
"The General-in-chief begs me to inform you that he has
appointed citizen Eugene de Beauharnais, sub-lieutenant of
hussars and aide-de-camp. The General hopes that the
Directory will confirm the appointment. This young
citizen is the son of General de Beauharnais, whose loss will
long be regretted by the country.   "BONAPARTE."
General de Beauharnais, who was a gallant and upright
soldier, had perished, like several other distinguished
officers, on the scaffold, and Bonaparte had married his
widow and adopted his children.
To GENERAL BERTHIER.
" MONTEBELLO, 6th 7uly, I797.
"Be good enough to order General Dufresse to restore
immediately all that his wife took at Mestre, to their




170   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


different owners, and among other things the carriages
belonging to the house where the citizen Erizzo lodged
her.
"BONAPARTE."
The following proclamation was issued on the anniversary
of the capture of the Bastille. It was a warning to the
Royalist factions in France which were threatening the
existence of the government and the constitution.
To THE ARMY.
" MILAN, I4th 7uly, I797 -"Soldiers-To-day is the anniversary of the I4th July.
You see before you the names of your comrades who have
fallen on the field of honour for the liberty of the country;
they have furnished you with a brilliant example. You
owe yourselves entirely to the Republic, to the welfare of
30,000,000 Frenchmen, and to the glory of that name
which has received new lustre by your victories.
"Soldiers, I know that you are deeply afflicted at the
misfortunes which threaten the country; but the country
is in no real danger.  The same men who triumphed over
Europe coalesced, exist.  Mountains separate us from
France; if necessary, you will cross them with the rapidity
of the eagle, to support the constitution and to protect the
Republican government.
" Soldiers, the government watches over the sanctuary of
the laws.  The Royalists, as soon as they show themselves, will cease to exist. Do not be alarmed; let us
swear by the manes of the heroes who fell beside us in the
struggle for liberty; let us swear on our new standardsImplacable war to the enemies of the Republic and of the
constitution!
" BONAPARTE."




PRESS CALUMNIES.


I 7 


To THE DIRECTORY.
"MILAN, 15th 7uly, I797.
"Inclosed you will find the copy of a letter I have
received from General Clarke. You will perceive that the
negotiations are being drawn out. It is beyond doubt that
the Emperor is waiting to see what turn affairs will take in
France.
"The army receives a great many newspapers from
Paris, and more especially the worst; but they produce the
very contrary effect to that intended.  The indignation
of the army is at its height. The soldiers ask if for the
price of their fatigues and of six years war, they are to be
assassinated.... As for myself, I am accustomed to a
total abdication of my interests; however, I cannot be
insensible to the insults and calumnies spread every day by
eighty journals, and which are not denied by a single one;
nor can I be insensible to the perfidy and the heap of
atrocities contained in the (Dumolard) order of the day.
"I see that the Clichy Club wishes to march over my
dead body in order to destroy the Republic.... You will
find accompanying this, the poinard of the assassins of
Verona.
"But, under all circumstances, the recollection of the
constant proofs you have given me of your unlimited
confidence, shall never be absent from my mind.
" BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte frequently called upon the government to take
active measures against the reactionary journals, to break
their presses, and to tolerate only a few official newspapers.
One could hardly suppose from the following letter that
Bonaparte had no soul for music himself.
To THE INSPECTORS OF THE CONSERVATORY.
" MILAN, 26th 7uly, 1797.
"I have received your letter.  The music for which you
ask is being copied in the various towns of Italy. I shall




172    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


take the greatest care to enrich the conservatory.... Of
all the fine arts, music is that which exercises the most
influence on the passions-that which the legislator should
most encourage. A piece of moral music composed by a
master never fails to touch the feelings, and has more influence than a good philosophic work which convinces the
reason without exercising any effect on our habits.
(' BONAPARTE."
To THE DIRECTORY.
" MILAN, 27th 7Jly, I797.
"General Augereau has asked for permission to go to
Paris, whither he is called by private affairs. I take the
opportunity of forwarding the originals of the addresses to
the army..
"BONAPARTE."
Augereau was going to Paris for something more important than urgent private affairs; he was going to act as
the sword of Bonaparte in the coup d'etdt of the i8th
Fructidor. The Royalists were raising their heads. They
had managed to secure the Presidence of the Five Hundred
for Pichegru, and of the Elders for Barbe-Marbois, and had
procured a seat in the Directory for Barthelemy. Under
these circumstances, Barras and two of his colleagues determined to apply for armed assistance to prevent a Bourbon
restoration. The question was whether they should appeal
to Moreau, to Hoche, or to Bonaparte. As Moreau and
the Army of the Rhine had exhibited but little enthusiasm
on the anniversary of the capture of the Bastille, which had
been noisily celebrated by the other two armies; and as
Bonaparte was rather dreaded, Hoche was first applied to,
and he consented to save the Republic. However, difficulties arose, and the young General, disgusted with what
he had seen in Paris, returned to his head-quarters. It
was the turn of Bonaparte to step in. He had already sent
Lavalette to Paris, with money-bags, and instructions, and




THE ROYALIST FACTIONS.


I73


a bargain was soon struck between Barras and himself.
Hoche had been able to offer the government nothing
beyond his wife's marriage portion.  Bonaparte sent
Barras 3,000,000 francs, and afterwards despatched
Augereau to Paris to employ force.  There was a law
against any body of troops approaching the capital, but
Augereau crossed the rubicon, surrounded and dissolved
the Chambers. Barthelemy, who was a Royalist, Carnot,
who was opposed to violent measures, Pichegru, and fiftytwo other deputies, were sentenced to transportation.
Bonaparte, at this moment, is strongly suspected of
having lent a not unwilling ear to Royalist overtures.
He had no sooner attained power than he recalled Carnot
and made him war minister. Barthelemy, the other exiled
director, made his escape from Cayenne, but was created
a senator in I8oo. Carnot was removed from office for
opposing Bonaparte's nomination as consul for life.  It
was Barthelemy who offered him this dignity on the part
of the Senate. Under the Empire Barthelemy became a
count and under the Restoration a marquis.
Bonaparte now urged upon the Directory the necessity
of dissolving the Royalist clubs and prohibiting the Royalist
journals in Paris. He had heard that negotiations with
England had been opened at Lille, and, in the event of
their success, he gave it as his opinion that Austria should
be chastised for her bad faith.
To THE DIRECTORY.
" MILAN, 28th _7uly, I797.
"I forward the addresses of Joubert's and of Massena's
divisions. The army is devoted to the Republic and to
the constitution.... The soldiers have been greatly distressed by the gossip of that Dumolard, which was printed
by order of the Assembly, and sent in great profusion to
the army. They are indignant to find doubt thrown upon
the massacres of which they were victims.... As for




174    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


myself, I am engaged in endeavouring to restrain that
patriotic ardour which is the distinctive character of all
the soldiers of the army of Italy....
CC BONAPARTE."
Writing from Milan on the 26th to General Clarke, who
was endeavouring to come to terms with the Austrian
plenipotentiaries, Bonaparte said that Talleyrand had replaced Delacroix at the Foreign Office, and that the
journals spoke of a split in the Directory between Carnot
and Barthelemy on one side, and Barras, Rewbell and
Revelliere-Lepeaux on the other.
On the 3rd August Bonaparte forwarded a note to the
Pope on the subject of an arrangement between Church
and State.  After remarking that it was a propitious
moment to put into execution a work in which sound
policy and true religion would play an important part, he
added" The French government has just permitted the Catholic
Apostolic and Roman churches to be opened, and has
granted tolerance and protection to that religion.
" Either the priests will take advantage of this first act of
the French government in the spirit of the evangelists, by
lending their aid to the cause of public tranquillity, and by
preaching those maxims of charity which form the true
basis of religion.... or else they will act in a contrary
manner, and be once more persecuted and expelled."
His Holiness was then called upon for a bull, directing
the French clergy to preach obedience to the government
and the constitution. And " after this operation," Bonaparte
said it would be useful to consider what measures should
be adopted to reconcile the constitutional and the nonconstitutional priests, between whom of course the greatest
enmity existed.  Those members of the clergy who had remained true to the Pope, and had never married or received




GENERAL DESAIX VISITS BONAPARTE.


I75


salary from the Republic, naturally looked upon the constitutional clergy as renegades.  Bonaparte felt the
necessity of effecting a reconciliation between those ecclesiastics who had suffered for their faith, and those who had
cast off their allegiance to Rome in her hour of need, and
in the day of danger.
To THE DIRECTORY.
"MILAN, 28th yuly, I797.
"I forward you a letter from General Clarke. There is
nothing new concerning the negotiations, and it is impossible to trifle with us in a more shameless manner....
Should the war recommence, and you send me reinforcements, &c., I will promise you to be in Vienna by harvest
time, to form a junction there with the army of the
Rhine, and to make the Hungarian peasants drink
Tokay.
"Our troops have arrived at Corfu, and were well received. In Albania the people still remember Greece,
Sparta, and Athens. I have already entered into correspondence with the chiefs of the country, and perhaps
Greece will rise from her ashes....
" The gallant General Desaix has arrived to see the army
of Italy.  What he says concerning the army of the Rhine is
not at all reassuring..
"BONAPARTE."
In a letter to General Clarke of the 29th July, Bonaparte
mentioned that it had been found impossible to make
Hoche minister of war, as he had not the requisite age,
and that he was to go to Ireland. He informed Joubert of
the same fact a few days later, adding-" There is a great
deal of agitation in Paris; the messieurs are divided among
themselves. The army of the Sambre and Meuse has
pronounced with the greatest vigour in favour of the
government.  General Desaix, who has been here for




I76


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


some days assures me that the army of the Rhine shares
the opinions of the army of Italy."
On the ist August Bonaparte gave an account to the
Directory of the occupation of Corfu. The French had
been greeted with shouts of joy, and the papa of the island
had presented General Gentili with a book which he found
to be the Odyssey of Homer. After saying that the tree of
liberty had been planted in Zante, Cephalonia, and other
islands, Bonaparte added-" The island of Corcyra was, according to Homer, the country of the Princess Nausica.
Citizen Arnault, who enjoys a well-deserved reputation in
literature, writes to me that he is about to sail, in order
to plant the tricolour on the ruins of the palace of
Ulysses.. "
If Bonaparte could plunder Italy of her statues, he was
capable of rewarding so renowned a sculptor as Canova,
who ought perhaps to have refused the offer.
To CANOVA, Sculptor at Rome.
" MILAN, 6th August, 1797.
"I have learned through one of your friends that you
have been deprived of the pension you enjoyed at Venice.
The French Republic takes a particular interest in the
great talent which distinguishes you.  As a celebrated
artist you have a right to the special protection of the army
of Italy. I have given orders for your pension to be paid
at once. I beg you will let me know that this order has
been executed, and believe in the pleasure I experience in
being agreeable to you.
"BONAPARTE."
To H.R.H. THE GRAND DUKE OF TUSCANY.
" MILAN, 7th August, 1797.
"Attempts have been made to disturb your Royal
Highness, and to invent motives for dispute between you
and the French Republic.
"I consider it my duty to inform your Royal Highness




THE GRAND DUKE OF TUSCANY.


I77


that the Directory having every reason to be satisfied with
the conduct of your Royal Highness during the whole of
the Italian war, will seize every opportunity to testify to
your Royal Highness the manner in which it regards these
friendly proceedings; in my own name, having witnessed
the reception and the care which your Royal Highness has
always lavished on my brothers in arms, I shall always feel
flattered at being able to be agreeable to you. To this
feeling of gratitude must be joined a feeling of esteem. I
have seen the states of your Royal Highness, and I said to
myself that all the princes of Europe ought to learn in
Tuscany how to preserve their thrones, by founding them
on moderation and the happiness of their people.
" BONAPARTE."
All this did not save the Grand Duke, who was treated
with the same cruelty and perfidy as other Italian princes.
A few years later, and we shall find Bonaparte's sister Eliza
sitting on the Grand Ducal throne, and governing her
husband and her other subjects in a manner which earned
for her the nickname of Semiramis.
To THE DIRECTORY.
" MILAN, 9tf August, 1797.
"I announced the despatch of twenty-one standards
after the battle of Rivoli, and I sent you only fifteen or
sixteen. I now forward the others, which were left behind
by mistake at Peschiera, by General Bernadotte.
" This General, who gained reputation on the left bank
of the Rhine, is now one of the officers the most essential
to the glory of the Army of Italy.... I beg you will send
him back as soon as possible. [After praising the gallantry
and Republican ardour of Bernadotte's troops, which had
been drawn from the army of the Rhine]"You see in General Bernadotte one of the staunchest
friends of the Republic.
"BONAPARTE."


VOL. I.


N




178    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
In a letter to the Directory of the i6th August, Bonaparte once more asked for reinforcements lest hostilities
should be renewed, in spite of all his persuasions and
threats and his direct appeal to the Emperor. In this letter
he wrote-" The isles of Corfu, Cephalonia, and Zante have
a greater interest for us than the whole of Italy. I think
that if we are obliged to choose, it would be better to
restore Italy to the Emperor, and to keep the four islands,
which are a source of wealth and prosperity for our commerce. The Turkish Empire is crumbling to pieces; the
possession of the islands would enable us to support it as
far as possible, or to take our share.
"The time is not far distant when we shall find out that
in order really to destroy England we must seize upon
Egypt. The vast Ottoman Empire which is wasting away
daily renders it obligatory upon us to take measures in
good time for the protection of our commerce in the
Levant..  "
To THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
" MILAN, 22nd August, I797.
'I have the honour of forwarding you a copy of the
reply made by the Pope.  If the Directory desires he will
issue a pastoral letter directing the bishops to preach
obedience to the laws of the Republic. A good deal of
agitation reigns at Rome, and a number of persons have
been arrested. Two porters said to the Pope a few days
ago, 'We no longer want your blessings, but not to pay
taxes.'
" Should the negotiations not take a favourable turn, I
think it will be essential to ratify the treatywith the King
of Sardinia, which will give us Io,ooo men....
C' BONAPARTE."
On the 3rd September Bonaparte wrote a very sharp
letter to the Minister of Finance, complaining of the false




MISAPPROPRIATION OF FUNDS.


I79


statements made by the Treasury with regard to the Army
of Italy, and the swindling practised in that department.
Thle Treasury," he said, " declares that we have 30,000,000
francs in the chest; that is a falsehood.  It is all we
can do to pay the troops.   The pay of the army is
estimated at 1,400,000 francs, whereas it amounts to
3,000,000 francs.  The Treasury says that the Army of
Italy only sent Ioo,ooo francs to the Army of the Rhine;
another falsehood. It sent a million last year and another
million three months ago." Bonaparte then complained
that the million he had sent for Toulon, and the million he
had sent for Brest, had been kept in Paris.  In addition to
providing for all its own wants, the Army of Italy, wrote
Bonaparte, had  procured  for the  Republic  about.~2,000,000.
On the 6th September Bonaparte wrote a long and
amusing despatch to Talleyrand on the still pending negotiations. After giving a sketch of the Austrian negotiators
-Gallo, Merveldt, and Degelmann-concerning whose
individual and collective capacity he spoke in terms
bordering on contempt, he said-" They speak very little
and have no talent for dialectics.  We always end by
making them admit that all they say and all they do
is at variance with common sense; but they always have
Thugut and their instructions in their mouth. In private
they whisper, after looking round to see that no one is
listening, that Thugut is a scamp who ought to be hung;
but Thugut is the real sovereign of Vienna."
In reply to some exorbitant demands, Bonaparte said
that he lost his temper; that he accused the Emperor of
Germany of wishing to make himself King of Rome (he was
afterwards grandfather of the king of Rome), and that he
had informed the negotiators that a fortnight after the
opening of the campaign he would be so close to Vienna
that the people, instead of breaking Thugut's windows as
they had already done, would hang him.


N 2




1 8o  THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


To THE ARCHBISHOP OF GENOA.
"PASSARIANO, IOtlt September, 1797.
"I have just received your pastoral letter of the 5th. I
thought I was listening to one of the twelve apostles. It
was thus that St. Paul spoke. How respectable is religion
when it has ministers like you!  True apostle of the
Evangelists, you oblige your enemies to esteem and to
admire you; you convert even the incredulous.
" How comes it that the Church which has a chief like
you, should contain miserable subalterns who have neither
charity nor peace?" And Napoleon went on to say that
priests like these, with haggard eye, who preached revolt,
murder and blood, who were paid with the gold of the rich,
who betrayed the people like Judas, should be driven from
the Church, which should call down upon them the anathemas and maledictions of Heaven. " The sovereignty of
the people, liberty, this," said the General-in-Chief, " is the
political code of the Gospel.
" BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte was quite as indignant with Naples as with
Austria on the subject of her pretensions, and spoke and
wrote as harshly of Acton as he did of Thugut. Naples
wanted the Ionian islands and half the Papal states,
especially Ancona, for which equivalents she would consent
to cede the island of Elba.
To THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
"PASSARIANO, 3th September, 1797.
".... I think that henceforward the maxim of the
Republic should be never to abandon Corfu, Zante, &c.
We ought, on the contrary, to establish ourselves there
firmly; we shall find immense resources there for our
commerce, and they will be of great use to us in future
European movements.




DESIGNS ON MALTA.


" Why should we not seize upon the island of Malta?
Admiral Brueys might anchor there and seize upon it.
" Four hundred knights and a regiment of 500 men alone
constitute the defenders of La Valette. The inhabitants,
about Ioo,ooo in number, are very favourable to us, and
very much disgusted with their knights, who are dying
of hunger. I confiscated all their property in Italy on
purpose. With the isle of St. Peter, ceded to us by the
King of Sardinia, Malta, Corfu, &c., we shall be masters of
the whole Mediterranean.
" If upon making peace with England we are obliged to
cede the Cape of Good Hope, it will be necessary to seize
upon Egypt. That country has never belonged to an
European nation. The Venetians alone, some centuries
ago, had a certain preponderance there. We could sail
from here with 25,000 men, escorted by eight or ten ships
of the line or Venetian frigates, and seize the country.
Egypt does not belong to the Grand Signor.
" I wish, Citizen Minister, that you would procure some
information in Paris as to the effect which our expedition
to Egypt would have on the Porte.
"With armies like ours, for which all religions are
equally good, Mahometan, Copt, Arab, idolatry, &c. [this
to the ex-Bishop of Autun!], all this is quite indifferent to
us; we respect one like the other.
" BONAPARTE."
We shall find that one of the first things which
Bonaparte did when he got to Malta was to despoil the
Church.
A letter to the Directory dated the I3th September
says that the Government Commissioners appointed to
select works of art in Italy have terminated their labours.
According to Bonaparte"These men, distinguished by their talents, have served
the Republic with a zeal, activity, modesty, and disinterestedness without example; solely occupied with the




I82   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


object of their mission they have acquired the esteem of
the whole army; they have given to Italy, in the delicate
mission they were charged to fulfil, the example of virtue
which always accompanies real talent....
" BONAPARTE."
A note at the end of the third volume of Napoleon's
Correspondence gives a list of 860 statues, pictures, &c.
taken from Rome. The objects marked A belonged to
the gallery of Cardinal Albany; those marked C B were
taken from Cardinal Braschi; those marked P came from
the Vatican; those marked I belonged to English (Inglesi)
living in Rome, &c.
It was at this date that the negotiations of Lille, which
had been opened by Pitt, were broken off. Lord Malmesbury was as unsuccessful as he had been the previous
year. England agreed to restore the Cape of Good Hope
to the Dutch, but refused to restore Ceylon. She also
insisted on keeping Trinidad, which she had taken from
Spain. At the same time she consented to pay half a
million sterling for the ships which had been burned at
Toulon. It is interesting to remark, seeing what happened
at the treaty of Amiens, when Bonaparte was First Consul,
that the Directory refused to sacrifice their allies.
England, left without an ally, was in a terrible predicament. The fleets had mutinied. The bank had suspended
cash payments. A French threat of invasion, however,
aroused the whole energy of the nation and restored union.
On the I6th September (30th Fructidor) Bonaparte
appears to have received from Paris the news of the success
of the coup d'etat of the 4th September or I8th Fructidor.
He at once issued an address "To the sailors of the
squadron of Rear Admiral Brueys," in which he said:"Comrades, the mizzgries had taken possession of the
National tribunal.... the soldiers rallied round the tree
of liberty and the partisans of tyranny are in chains.




TENDERS HIS RESIGNATION ONCE MORE.  I83


" Comrades, as soon as we have pacified the Continent,
we shall join you in conquering the liberty of the seas.... Without you we shall be able to carry the glory of
the French name only into a little corner of the Continent;
with you we shall cross the seas and the national glory
will behold the most distant regions.
" BONAPARTE."
It was on the 22nd September only that Bonaparte
addressed a similar proclamation to the army and adhered
to the new order of things.
On the I9th of September Bonaparte wrote to the
Directory once more for reinforcements. He said that the
Austrians could oppose him with Io,ooo cavalry and
90,000 infantry, while I8,000 cavalry had been raised in
Hungary. To meet this force he had only 4,000 cavalry
and 45,000 infantry, 2,000 Poles, and I,ooo Italians. After
pointing out what should be done he added:" In spite of these measures the enemy will be stronger
than I am. If I can forestall him and assume the offensive
the first, I shall beat him and be under the walls of
Vienna in a fortnight.  If, however, he assumes the
offensive before me everything will become dubious."
On the 25th September Bonaparte complained to the
Directory that an officer had arrived from Paris with a
circular written by Augereau to all the generals of division
in the Army of Italy.
"It is clear," he wrote, "that the Government is acting
towards me as it did towards Pichegru after the I3th
Vendemiaire. I beg you will replace me and accept my
resignation. No power on earth will induce me to remain
in the service after this horrible mark of ingratitude on
the part of the Government, which I was far from expecting.  My health, which is greatly shattered, demands
repose and tranquillity. I experience the necessity of
mingling with my fellow citizens. Too long has a great
power remained in my hands. I have always exercised it




I84


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


for the benefit of my country; so much the worse for
those persons who do not believe in virtue and who suspect
mine. My conscience and the opinion of posterity will be
my recompense.
(' BONAPARTE."
The new Government had shown itself suspicious of
Bonaparte in more ways than one, and thought it could
curtail his power. Orders were sent to him which were
equivalent to saying that he was no longer to exercise unlimited authority in Italy. Bonaparte retorted by tendering
his resignation, an act which brought the Directory to its
knees.  The Government replied to the General in the
most abject terms. It said:"How can you accuse us of ingratitude and injustice
when we have never ceased to repose entire confidence
in you?" It was hinted that the Royalists, after having
poisoned Hoche, wished to deprive the Republic of the
genius of Bonaparte by disgusting him with the Directory.
" You speak of repose, of your health, of resignation," added
the Directors, " but the repose of the Republic which you
protect forbids you to think of your own. Should France
lose the fruit of your victories and be forced to conclude
a disgraceful peace, we shall not only be ill, we shall
perish," &c., &c. And the Directory positively refused to
accept Bonaparte's resignation.
It was clear, after the reception of this letter, that Bonaparte had everything in the hollow of his hand, and that
he could treat the Government as it deserved. Pichegru
was an exile, Moreau in disgrace, Hoche was dead.
Bonaparte was without a military rival.
The Directory had wished to recommence the war with
Austria for two reasons: it objected to the terms offered
by Bonaparte, and it dreaded the presence of the young
general in Paris. On his side, Bonaparte, knowing that he
could gain more popularity in France by concluding peace
than by winning half a dozen more victories, determined




MONARCHS FOR ALLIES.


I85


to go on with the negotiations. The Directory wished to
avoid the shame of abandoning Venice to Austria. Venice
weighed very lightly in the balance with Bonaparte where
his own interests were concerned. He was never tired of
inveighing against its despotic Government and promising
it freedom, but he had no compunction about handing it
over to an absolute monarchy.
On the 26th September Bonaparte urged upon the
Directory the absolute necessity of sending him reinforcements and of ratifying the treaty he had concluded with the
King of Sardinia. He could not understand the reluctance
of the Directory to come to terms with the House of
Savoy.
"Have you any scruples," he wrote, " about forming an
alliance with a king? We have the King of Spain for
ally and perhaps the King of Prussia. Do you wish to
revolutionise Piedmont and to incorporate it with the
Republic? The best way to accomplish this without a
shock and without violating treaties would be to incorporate the o0,0oo Piedmontese troops with ours, and to
associate them with our victories. Six months afterwards
the King of Sardinia would find himself dethroned. When
a giant embraces a pigmy and folding him in his arms
stifles him, he cannot be accused of having committed a
crime. It becomes simply a matter of difference of
organisation!"
General Clarke, who had been acting as the confidential
agent of the Government, was recalled after the i8th
Fructidor. In more than one letter Bonaparte mentioned
'the abilities he had displayed in his civil capacity. He
wrote to Talleyrand on the 26th September saying:"I do not care to inquire if this officer was originally
appointed to act as a spy upon me. If such were the case
I pardon him.   I have seen him groan over the unfortunate reaction which threatened to engulf liberty and
France." And Bonaparte concluded by asking Talleyrand to give the general another appointment. Clarke




186   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


proved himself, before and afterwards, of a very pliant
disposition; he betrayed Carnot and the Royalists in I797
just as, at a later date, he betrayed Napoleon for Louis
XVIII., in connection with Talleyrand.
On the 28th September Bonaparte described to Talleyrand an interview with the Austrian negotiators.
"After dinner," he wrote, "when the Germans speak
freely, I had a conversation of four or five hours with
M. de Cobenzl, who allowed me to perceive a desire on
the part of the Emperor to adhere to our political system
so as to oppose the ambitious projects of Prussia." An
indiscretion which Bonaparte turned to account with
consummate ability.
To CITIZEN JOSEPH BONAPARTE.
"PASSARIANO, 29gh September, 1797.
"Inform the Court of Rome immediately that unless
General Provera be at once expelled, the French Republic
will look upon this refusal on the part of his Holiness as
the commencement of hostilities.... Mention in your
conversation with the Secretary of State that the French
Republic was generous at Tolentino, but it will not be so again....For myself, who know the Italians, I attach great
importance that the Roman troops should not be commanded by an Austrian general... You must insist upon
General Provera leaving Rome within twenty-four hours.... Say publicly that he has been my prisoner twice
during this campaign, and that before long he will be my
prisoner for the third time.... If the Pope dies you
should do all in your power to prevent the election of
another Pope, and to get up a revolution.... The King
of Naples will not move, but if he does on the revolution
being accomplished you will inform his majesty as soon as
he crosses the frontier that the Roman people are under
the protection of the French Republic. You will afterwards have an interview with the Neapolitan general, and




GENERAL PROVERA.


i87


say that the French Republic sees no inconvenience in
opening negotiations with the Court of Naples on the
subject of its demands..
"BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte might very well have left Provera to the Pope
if there was truth in what he wrote of that General at St.
Helena.
"General Provera," he wrote, "who capitulated at La
Favourite, had previously been taken prisoner at Cosseria,
where he had shown little talent.  This was the real
reason which induced me to praise him in order to obtain
him credit, and it succeeded. Provera was re-employed
and was captured a second time. The praise of an enemy
should therefore be regarded with suspicion unless given
after the cessation of hostilities."
On the ist October Bonaparte wrote that matters were
going on badly, but that the position of the French army
in Italy was superb.   Should hostilities recommence
Venice would furnish 25,000,coo francs. He added:" All the arrangements which I make at this moment
constitute the last service I can render to my country.
My health is entirely shattered, and good health is
indispensable in war.
"The Government has, no doubt, taken into consideration the demand which I made a week ago for the
nomination of a commission of publicists to organise a
free Italy; of plenipotentiaries to carry on the negotiations, and a General enjoying its confidence to command
the army. I do not know any one capable of replacing
me in these three functions.... As for myself, I am
seriously affected at finding myself obliged to stop short
at the very moment when perhaps there is nothing but
fruit to gather; but necessity masters my inclination, my
will, and my reason.  I can hardly get on horseback;
I require two years repose...




I88   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


This feeling of despondency, if it ever existed, was not
of long duration, nor did it prevent Bonaparte from displaying his wonted activity in the way of despatch writing
and laying plans for the future.
To CITIZEN HALLER.
"PASSARIANO, 6lh October, 1797.
"The negotiations are almost broken off: the Austrians
demand too much.
"Send me money with all diligence; dip into all the
coffers for we must have some immediately; in twelve
days we shall be campaigning. Look to the Brescians, I
must have a million from them. Tell them, as well as the
Cisalpines, that unless they furnish money I shall leave
them in the lurch and make peace without them....
" BONAPARTE.
"P.S.-Money, money, money!"
To THE FOREIGN MINISTER.
"PASSARIANO, 7tlJ October, I797.
"You will find inclosed, Citizen Minister, the confidential scheme handed to me by the Count de Cobenzl.
I acquainted him with all the indignation you would feel
on reading it.... In two or three days everything will be
settled one way or the other. I acknowledge that I shall
do all I can to conclude peace, as the season is far advanced, and there is no hope of accomplishing anything
important.
" You little know these people here.  They do not
deserve 40,000 Frenchmen being killed for them. I see by
your letters that you always start from a false hypothesis;
you imagine that liberty can make an enervated, superstitious, pantaloon, and cowardly nation accomplish great
things. You desire me to do miracles, and I do not know
how. I have not a single Italian in my army with the
exception, I think, of 1,500 scamps, picked up in the




OPINION OF ITALIANS.


189


streets of various towns, who pillage and are good for
nothing. You must not allow yourself to be imposed upon
by a few Italian adventurers in Paris."
Napoleon had a different opinion of the Piedmontese;
he added:"If the negotiations do not take a favourable turn.
France will ever repent her decision with regard to the
King of Sardinia.  This prince, with one battalion of
infantry and one squadron of cavalry, is stronger than the
whole Cisalpine.
" Since I have been in Italy I have received no aid from
the love of the people for liberty and equality. My only
true auxiliaries have been the good discipline of the army,
and the great respect we have shown for religion, which has
been carried to the extent of cajoling its ministers: justice,
and, above all, the prompt punishment of evil-doers. This
is history; the remainder, which is all very fine in proclamations, printed discourses, &c., is so much romance...
It is only with prudence, wisdom, and great dexterity that
obstacles are surmounted and important ends attained.
There is but one step from triumph to a fall. I have seen
in the greatest circumstances that a little thing has always
decided important events.... The character of our
nation is to be too elated in prosperity. If we take as the
basis for all operations true policy, which is nothing else
than the calculation of combinations and chances, we shall
long remain the grande nation, the arbiter of Europe. I
say more; we shall hold the balance of power in Europe,
and, if destiny decrees this, I see no impossibility in
attaining, in the course of a few years, those splendid
results, of which the heated and enthusiastic imagination
catches a glimpse, but which the extremely cool, persevering and positive man can alone grasp.... I write to
you as I think, which is the greatest mark of esteem I can
give you.
( BONAPARTE."




I90   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


The above was addressed to Talleyrand, who had conceived the highest opinion of the talents of the young
soldier, and who foresaw the brilliant destiny which
awaited him far more clearly than any one else.
Hoche had hardly returned to his head quarters when
he died under the most suspicious circumstances. He is
generally supposed to have been poisoned, but this affair
is still shrouded in mystery.
ORDER OF THE DAY.
"PASSARIANO, I7th October, 1797.
"Art. I. On the ioth Brumaire the army will celebrate a
funeral ceremony in honour of General Hoche.
"Art. 2. The name of General Hoche will be inscribed
on the pyramids of the divisions," &c., &c.
Hymns composed by Chenier and Lebrun were to be
sung in honour of Hoche and of the I8th Fructidor.
On the same day Bonaparte's mind was relieved by the
signing of the treaty of Campo Formio. In a letter to
Talleyrand, he said:" I have no doubt the critics will depreciate the treaty I
have just signed. All those, however, who know Europe
and have the tact of affairs will be convinced that it was
impossible to arrive at a better treaty without recommencing hostilities and conquering two or three more
provinces from Austria. Was that possible? Yes. Was
that probable? No."
Bonaparte then recapitulated all the difficulties with
which he would have been obliged to contend.
"No. 6. We have war with England; that enemy is
sufficiently redoubtable... "
"No. io. The Austrians are dull and avaricious; no
people are less intriguing and less dangerous for our
domestic affairs than the Austrians. The English, on the
contrary, are generous, intriguing, and  active.  Our




THE DESTRUCTION OF ENGLAND.


I91


Government   nlust therefore  destroy  the  Anglican
monarchy, or expect to be itself destroyed by the
corruption of these intriguing and enterprising 'insulars.'
The present moment offers us a capital opportunity. Let
us concentrate all our activity on the marine and destroy
England. That done, Europe is at our feet."
The occupation of Mayence and the destruction of
Carthage were to compensate France for her generosity
towards the Emperor.
Bonaparte was not at all certain that the Directory
would ratify the treaty of Campo Formio concluded in
direct opposition to the formal instructions of the Government, and for this reason he sent: it to Paris by Berthier
and the savant Monge, in order that they might urge its
acceptance. Before the Directory could come to a decision
the news of peace having been concluded spread through
Paris like wild-fire, and created such enthusiasm that the
ratification of the treaty became an act of necessity.
Bonaparte, who had formed a correct idea of public
opinion, now turned his attention in a different direction.
To THE DIRECTORY.
" MILAN, 5th November, I797.
".. I think you might leave 25,000 men in Italy, take
36,000 to England, and order the rest to Nice, Chambery,
and Corsica.... For the expedition to England we
shall require: Ist, good naval officers; 2nd, a great number
of troops well commanded, so as to menace several points
at once, &c.; 3rd, an intelligent and determined admiralI think Truguet the best; 4th, 3o,ooo,ooof. ready money.
General Hoche had some very good maps of England,
which should be obtained from his heirs. You could not
select a more distinguished officer than General Desaix.
Although I truly need repose, I shall never refuse, as far as
possible, to sacrifice myself for my country.
" BONAPARTE."




I92   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


To THE DIRECTORY.
" MILAN, I21h November, I797.
"You will find inclosed the distribution of the Army of
Italy as the Army of England.. I have given all the
necessary orders for moving our column on the ocean. I
shall send Citizen Andreossy to Paris to-morrow, in order
to cast guns of the same calibre as the English field-pieces,
so that, once in the country, we may be able to use their
cannon balls... I have sent Citizen Poussielgue to
Malta under pretext of inspecting the Levant, but really to
put a last touch to our designs upon that island...
"1 BONAPARTE."
It is well known that Bonaparte, at all events at this
date, had no idea of invading England, and the above letter
shows that even before leaving Italy his mind was bent
upon striking a blow at our eastern possessions. The probability is that Citizen Poussielgue entered into negotiations with Homespech for the sale of Malta, over the price
of which island the Czar was haggling.
To THE ARMY.
" MILAN, 14th November, 1797.
"Soldiers, I start to-morrow for the Congress of Rastadt.
"On finding myself separated from the army, I shall
only be consoled by the hope of soon seeing myself once
more among you, struggling against new dangers.
"No matter what post the Government assigns to the
Army of Italy, it will always be worthy to sustain the
liberty and glory of the French name.
"Soldiers, in talking among yourselves of the princes you
have conquered, of the nations who owe you their liberty,
and of the battles you have fought, say-In two campaigns
we would have done more.
" BONAPARTE."




GENERAL CLARKE.


I93


Bonaparte had lived in regal state at the chateau of
Montebello, but it was not without a feeling of surprise
that the diplomats assembled at Rastadt witnessed the
Republican General enter that town in a carriage drawn by
eight horses. He did not tarry long at Rastadt, being
unwilling to take an active part in the negotiations. He
wrote several letters to Joseph, who was French minister at
Rome at this period, complaining of the attitude of the
Papal Government, which he considered as anything but
satisfactory.
General Clarke, whom the following letter concerns, had
formerly served in the dragoons. In I790, however, he
resigned his commission, and was attached to the French
embassy in London. We have seen him acting as a spy
upon Bonaparte, and being won over by the General, Now
he was in disgrace and accused of being the creature of
Carnot, which regicide minister was suspected of royalist
designs, and was openly accused by Barras of having
betrayed the Republic.
To THE DIRECTORY.
"MILAN, I5th November, 1797.
"General Clarke, who is going to Paris, has been
employed in Italy for several months. In all the letters
addressed to him, and which have been intercepted, I have
found nothing out of conformity with the principles of the
Republic.  General Clarke is a hard and conscientious
worker.  If his liasons with Carnot have rendered him
'suspect' in diplomacy, he might be useful in military
matters, and for the expedition to England. If he has need
of indulgence, I beg you will accord him some..
" BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte afterwards employed Clarke as his war
minister, and made him Duc de Feltre.
VOL I.                                    O




I94   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


To THE FOREIGN MINISTER.
" RASTADT, 30ot November, 1797.
"To-day we proceeded to exchange the ratifications of
the treaty of Campo Formio.. All the members of the
Congress have arrived and have paid me a visit. The King
of Sweden has sent the Baron de Fersen as his ambassador.. He came to see me surrounded by all the
fatuities of a courtier of the UCil-de-bwzuf (Versailles). After
the usual compliments... I addressed him in these
terms... How explain the conduct of the Court of
Sweden, which takes every opportunity of sending to Paris
and elsewhere ministers and ambassadors essentially disagreeable to every French citizen? The King of Sweden
would no doubt object to receive a minister who had
endeavoured to excite the people of Stockholm to revolt.
No, sir; the French Republic will not tolerate men who
are too well known by their liasons with the ancient court
of France to come and brave the ministers of the first
people on earth.... During this discourse the Baron
changed colour several times, but acted like a courtier. He
replied that his Majesty would consider what I had said,
and then he left. I naturally re-conducted him to the door
wit/ the usual ceremonoies..;' BONAPARTE."
Baron de Fersen is well known to us for his devotion to
the unfortunate Marie Antoinette, and the effort he made
to save the royal family on the occasion of the flight to
Varen nes.
After having exchanged the ratifications of the treaty of
Campo Formio, and signed the military convention by
which Mayence and Manheim were handed over to France,
Bonaparte left Radstadt for Paris, where he met with an
enthusiastic reception.  On the 5th December he was
received in solemn audience by the Directors and eulogised




PUBLIC RECEPTION.


I95


in the most fulsome manner. Barras, after enumerating his
exploits and comparing him to Socrates, to Caesar, and to
Pompey, said-" Go and chain up that gigantic freebooter
who oppresses the seas.  Go and chastise in London
outrages left too long unpunished. Numerous votaries of
liberty await you."  The fact is that Barras and his
colleagues were far from desiring the presence of the young
General in Paris, as they dreaded his popularity. On his
side, Bonaparte was soon anxious to escape from the capital,
where nothing was to be done for the moment. Even at
St. Helena he dwelt with satisfaction on, and chuckled
over, the line of conduct he pursued at this period. He
avoided, as much as possible, appearing in public, living
quietly with Josephine in the rue Chantereine, now called
the rue de la Victoire, and taking her into the country on
Sundays.  Convinced that the Directors, and especially
Barras, wished to poison him, he carefully avoided arousing
suspicion. On the 28th December he was elected a member of the Institute, and at the fetes given in his honour he
appeared in the costume of that learned body, and affected
to prefer the palm leaves of the savant to the uniform of
the General-in-Chief.
Thus closed 1797. On a flag presented to the General
by the Directory a list of his deeds during that year was
emblazoned —I50,0oo  prisoners-I170 colours-550 siege
guns-600 field pieces-5 pontoons-9 ships of 64 guns12 frigates —I2 corvettes-I8 galleys captured-Armistice
with the King of Sardinia-Convention with Genoa-Armistice with the Duke of Modena, the King of Naples, the
Pope-Treaty of Campo Formio. Then followed a list of
the peoples who had been freed, and of the chief works
of art sent by the General to Paris.
On the ocean the French were not so fortunate; at least
their allies sustained two severe defeats. Admiral Duncan
inflicted a more serious blow on the Dutch fleet than it had
suffered at the hands of Admiral Brisbane in the preceding
year; and the Spanish fleet was more ill-treated by Lord
0 2




196    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
St. Vincent than it had been by Rodney in 1780. With
only 15 sail of the line the English Admiral beat 27
Spanish ships, the smallest of which carried 74 guns. This
will explain a certain aversion on the part of the "gallant
dons'" to put to sea in the following years, in spite of the
remonstrances and entreaties of Bonapartc.




CHAPTER IV.


THE YEAR:1798.
THE chief events of 1798 may be thus summed up. By
the treaty of Campo Formio and the break down of the
negotiations of Lille, England was isolated. The Congress
of Radstadt was sitting.  In February Berthier entered
Rome, and secured the person of the Pope in consequence
of General Duphot, who was attached to the staff of Joseph
Bonaparte, having been killed in a riot. Declining to venture across the Channel, Bonaparte in March was appointed
commander and chief of the Army of the East, and on the
g9th May he sailed for Egypt. The conscription was established in France. In the absence of Bonaparte and his
army, England managed to form a second coalition into
which all the powers, with the exception of Spain and Prussia, entered. Austria desired to revenge her defeats; Germany to recover her Rhenish provinces; Russia, offended
at the treatment of the kings of Naples and of Sardinia,
accepted British subsidies and agreed to furnish troops to
serve with the English in North Germany, and 60,000 men
to act with the Austrians. The Emperor Paul at the same
time offered an asylum to Louis XVIII., and received the
title of Grand Master of the Knights of St. John.
Suwarrow, after having been long in disgrace, was recalled. The invasion of Rome and of Switzerland had
excited wide-spread indignation. In August Nelson gained




I98


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


the battle of the Nile. In September the Sublime Porte
declared war against France, and its action was quickly
followed by the Barbary powers. The new Republics, ruthlessly plundered by French agents, were ready to revolt
at any moment against their liberators, whose exactions
they continued to support with impatience.
To GENERAL BERTHIER, AT MILAN.
"PARIS, 6t yJan1uary, I798.
"I thank you for the observations you have sent me
concerning the French establishments in the Ionian sea.
You waste no time, and devote the hours which peace prevents you from passing on the field of battle, in instructing
yourself.
" I should much like to have you with me in England,
but it seems the government consider your presence
necessary in Italy. That post is so essential, that I should
do wrong to resist, &c.
(' BONAPARTE."
This allusion to the Ionian Islands, which Bonaparte
considered "of more importance to France than the whole
of Italy," shows that his thoughts were still directed
towards the East.
General Duphot, having been massacred at Rome, close
by the side of Joseph Bonaparte, who had a narrow escape,
General Brune was despatched to Naples to threaten war
in the event of the King occupying the Papal States. At
the same time, Bonaparte despatched detailed directions to
Berthier, ordering him to march secretly on Rome. " When
you are at two days' march from that city," he wrote, " yov
will threaten the Pope and all the members of the government, guilty of this greatest of crimes, so as to inspire them
with terror, and make them take to flight.... If it be
proved that the army of the King of Naples is on the march
to Rome, and that the General of the Emperor of Germany




ROME AND GENEVA.


I99


in Italy positively states it to be the intention of the
cabinet of Vienna to support the operation of the King of
Naples, you will declare that no prince has yet put forward
the pretension of keeping the French Republic in tutelage, and of hindering it from punishing offences committed against its ambassadors; and that at the first
movement made by the Austrian General, the French
army will seize on Tuscany. This should be said, and
not written. When you reach Rome you will organise
the Roman Republic, and arrest the principal assassins of
the 8th Nivose, especially Cardinal Albani and his family;
you will seize their papers and confiscate their property."
A portion of the troops destined for England were to
be employed in this expedition, and citizen Faipoult was
to place at the disposal of the army the 8,ooo,ooo francs
worth of diamonds which the Pope had given in payment
of contributions! The venerable Cardinal Albani was very
harshly treated, and was relieved of a splendid collection of
paintings and marbles.
Berthier knew his business well, for he wrote to Bonaparte
saying-" In sending me to Rome you have nominated me
treasurer of the Army of England, and I shall endeavour to
fill your coffers." As a fact, the Papal States and Switzerland were to furnish funds for the expedition to EgyptRome and Geneva!
Berthier had no difficulty in carrying out his instructions.
Having seized upon Pius VI., he sent that Pontiff's walkingstick as a trophy to the Directory.
The same day at midnight Bonaparte wrote a second
letter to Berthier, saying-" The Directory forwards you
precise instructions as to all you are to do. The honour of
taking Rome is reserved for you.... You are appointed
chief of the staff of the Army of England.  Of course
you will first of all pacify Italy, and avenge the national
honour which has been so deeply insulted."
After renouncing the hand of D'siree Clary for himself,
Bonaparte had recommended General Duphot in his stead.




200    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


This match had been arranged, and the marriage was on
the point of being celebrated when the gallant young officer
was assassinated.
To THE MINISTER OF WAR.
" PARIS, 71/h February, 1798.
"I start to-morrow, Citizen Minister, in order to visit
the coasts of the ocean. I shall be back in twelve days.
General Desaix is going to Brest, and General Kleber to
Havre.... I beg you will place 30,000 francs at the disposal of General Desaix, Commander-in-Chief of the Army
of England, for the extraordinary expenses of that
army.
c BONAPARTE."
The appointment of Desaix was only temporary. As
for Bonaparte, he was delighted to get away from Paris,
where he was afraid of his popularity being compromised.
During his stay in the capital he had avoided appearing in
public as much as possible, and had lived the life of a
simple citizen, with his wife.  He knew that the more
he showed himself the faster his popularity would vanish
in so frivolous a capital as Paris.  He knew that the
slightest mistake would interrupt his career and perhaps
cause his ruin. "The Parisians," he remarked, "retain
no impression."
On the 23rd February Bonaparte addressed a long report
to the Directory on " the difficulties of an invasion of England." Before undertaking so bold an operation, it would
be necessary, he said, to obtain command of the sea. It
might be possible to escape the vigilance of the British
squadrons blockading Brest and Texel, or during the long
winter nights to slip across the Channel in boats. The
whole tone of this report however, was, opposed to an
invasion of our shores, and in favour of attacking our
communications with India. The expedition to Egypt




PREPARING FOR EGYPT.


201


was soon decided upon, but it was kept secret till the
last moment, and in the meantime preparations for the
invasion of England were ostensibly carried on.
To GENERAL BERTHIER.
"PARIS, Ioth/ March, I798.
"You ought to have received my letters relative to the
embarkation of troops at Genoa.... Brune has beaten
the Swiss, and has captured thirty colours. Inclosed you
will find commissions for Generals Surrurier and Cervoni,
who are appointed to the Army of England.
"BONAPARTE."
To THE MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR.
" PARIS, 26th March, I798.
"I forward you a letter from the Directory, and beg you
will order the citizens (list inclosed) to hold themselves in
readiness to start for Bordeaux....
" BONAPARTE."
This list included two astronomers, four geometricians,
one aeronaut, three naturalists, one chemist, one mineralogist, one antiquary, six civil engineers, and an interpreter.
These were the savants destined to accompany the young
General to the East.
On the 27th March Bonaparte, as a person conversant
with Italian affairs, wrote very warmly to the Directory,
protesting against the arrest of the citizens Paradisi and
Moscati in the Cisalpine Republic.  "France and liberty,"
he said, "had no more sincere friends.  Citizen Paradisi,
who was a celebrated professor at Reggio, is the only
Italian, who, sword in hand, rendered any service to the
French army....
"Citizen Moscati is known as one of the most renowned
doctors in Europe,being very learned in the moral and political sciences. He devoted himself entirely to the army, and
it is to his advice that we owe the lives of 20,000 men, who




202    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


would otherwise have perished in hospital. The debasement of the Cisalpine Government at its birth, and the loss
of its best citizens, would be a real misfortune to France,
and a triumph for the Emperor and his partisans.
" BONAPARTE."
The work of disintegration had already commenced.
To M. J. B. SAY, Man of Letters.
" PARIS, 28//2 March, I798.
"I thank you, Citizen, in the name of General Bonaparte,
for your kindness in undertaking the purchase of works
destined to form his portable library," &c.
The list consisted of thirteen volumes of arts and sciences;
thirty-nine volumes of geography and voyages, including
those of Cook; 125 historical works, ancient and modern;
forty volumes of poetry, including Napoleon's old favourite,
Ossian, and ten volumes of light verses; twenty volumes of
masterpieces of the French Theatre. In the way of novels,
four volumes of Voltaire, Heloise, Werther; four volumes
of Marmontel; of English novels, forty volumes; Le Sage,
ten; Prevost, ten.  Then works on political and moral
sciences-the Old Testament, the New Testament, the
Koran, the Vedas, Mythology, and Montesquieu (Esprit
des Lois).
Of these works, on the voyage to Egypt, the most carefully studied was the Koran.
To CITIZEN MONGE, AT RCME.
" PARIS, 2nd4 Apriz, 1798.
"I have received, my dear Monge, your letter of the 30th
Ventose. Desaix ought to have arrived; I beg you will
hand him the inclosed. I count upon you and upon him
to embark at Civita Vecchia.... I rely upon the Arab
printing establishment of the Propaganda, and on you,
should I have to ascend the Tiber with a squadron in order
to lay hold of you.                 BONAPARTE."




THE ARMY OF TIlE EAST.


203


Considering the sort of proclamations which the General
afterwards issued in Egypt, it is curious to find they were
printed at Rome, in an establishment intended for the propagation of the Christian religion. Monge had been sent
to Rome to organise the new Republic.
To THE MINISTER OF WAR.
" PARIS, 5th April, 1798.
"General Bonaparte is informed that there exists in
the War Office copies of Major Rennel's map of Bengal,
and special maps of the course of the Ganges, published
by the English.  He begs you will place them at his
disposal, &c.
" BONAPARTE."
For Bonaparte contemplated not only capturing Malta
and Egypt, but taking Vienna and Constantinople a revers,
and re-establishing the Greek Empire, or invading India,
and seating himself on the throne of the Great Mogul.
The following decree by the Directory, but drawn up by
Bonaparte, was published on the I2th April, when the
expedition was almost ready to sail:"Art. I. An army shall be formed called that of the
East.
"Art. 2. This army shall be composed of troops drawn
from, &c., &c,.
"Art. 3. The Citizen Bonaparte, at present General-inchief of the army of England, is named General-in-chief of
the army of the East. He will be replaced in the command
of the first of these armies, &c., &c.
"The present decree is not to be printed."
Then followed other decrees, pointing out the necessity
of driving the English from Egypt. The Beys had formed
intimate relations with them, and had practised cruelties
of the most horrid description on French subjects, who
were daily pillaged and assassinated. The English, aided
by infamous treason, had become masters of the Cape of




204    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Good Hope, to the great detriment of French commerce
with India, rendering it absolutely necessary that a new
route should be opened to Republican enterprise, so as to
wage war with the satellites of Great Britain, and dry up
the sources of their corrupting wealth.
"Art. i. The General-in-chief of the army of the East
will seize on Egypt.
"Art. 2. He will drive the English from  all their
possessions in the East, and above all destroy their
entrepots in the Red Sea.
"Art. 3. He will have the isthmus of Suez cut through,
and will take all the necessary measures to insure the free
and exclusive possession of the Red Sea for the French
Republic," &c., &c.
Next came a violent indictment against the Knights of
Malta, and
"Art. i. The General-in-chief of the army of the East
is to seize on the isle of Malta," &c., &c.
These and other decrees were all dictated by Bonaparte.
Brune had succeeded Berthier in Italy, and had been succeeded in Switzerland by Lannes. To the latter General
Bonaparte wrote on the I3th April:"I await with impatience the 3,000,000 francs from
Berne.  I suppose you sent me news of them  by my
courier who passed through Lyons yesterday."
Art. 3. shows how Bonaparte understood that liberty
of the seas which he so strongly advocated whenever he
referred to England and her naval supremacy.
To THE PRESIDENT OF THE DIRECTORY.
" PARIS, I4th Ap4ril, I798.
"I should like, first, a letter from the Directory authorising the Citizen Monge to embark with General Desaix
as a savant attached to the expedition. Second, to take




TIPPOO SAHIB.


205


with me the Citizen Piveron, who was for some time
employed as agent to Tippoo Sahib. He might be sent to
India in order to re-open relations with that country.
" BONAPARTE."
The agents of Tippoo Sahib had been warmly received
at Versailles at the beginning of the reign of Louis XVI.
To VICE-ADMIRAL BRUEYS.
"PARIS, I7th April, 1798. 
"I have received your different letters, Citizen General.....The Government has entire confidence in you....
On the first decade of Floreal I shall be on board your
ship. Have a good bed prepared for me, as if for a man
who would be sick during the whole voyage. I shall have
eight or ten aides-de-camp with me. Berthier will have
two or three adjutant-generals, &c. Lay in a good stock
of provisions,.... As you are the only person to whom
I have announced my arrival at Toulon, it will be useless
for you to speak about it....
" BONAPARTE."
The following curious instructions were sent to the future
Viceroy of Italy, who, though quite a lad, was to accompany the expedition to Egypt as one of his stepfather's
aides-de-camp; his youthful appearance there earning him
the nickname of Cupid.
To CITIZEN EUGENE BEAUHARNAIS.
"PARIS, 22nd April, 1798.
You will be good enough to start to-morrow at 4 A.M.,
with Citizen Fister, the chambermaid of my wife, and the
Citizen Hebert, who will sit on the box with the coachman.
You will go to Lyons, passing through Auxonne and
Chalons. You will find out at both places whether my
grooms, servants, baggage, &c., have reached those towns,




206   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


and when they will arrive at Lyons. On reaching Lyons
you will alight at an inn, which used to be called the
Palais Royal, if it still exists, &c., &c.
" BONAPARTE."
Josephine accompanied Bonaparte as far as Toulon, and
when the expedition sailed went to take the waters at
Aix, in the hopes they would enable her to bear her
second husband a child.
At this moment the fate of the expedition was held in
suspense, and it appeared probable that Bonaparte's services
would once more be required with the army of Italy.
Bernadotte had been appointed French ambassador at
Vienna, and had given such offence by hoisting the Republican flag that the people had broken his windows.
The Directory wished to recommence the war with Austria,
but to this Bonaparte offered a strenuous opposition.
Words ran so high between the Government and the
general that the latter offered his resignation. Rewbel
handed him a pen, which Bonaparte had hardly taken
when it was snatched from him by Merlin. After this
violent scene matters were more calmly discussed, and the
young general, as on previous occasions, carried his point.
To GENERAL BRUNE.
"PARIS, 23rd April, I798.
"I have given orders to General Baraguay d'Hilliers to
disembark his troops if they have been embarked, and to
return if he has marched.... If affairs go wrong I think
the chief efforts of the Austrians will be made in your
direction, in which case I feel you will stand in need of
more troops, and above all of a great deal of money.
"i BONAPARTE."
Under these circumstances Bonaparte made a direct
appeal to the Count Cobentzel to maintain the good relations established at Campo Formio. In a letter to the




EARLY OPINION OF METTERNICH.


207


Minister of Foreign Affairs, he said he would never be
able to settle anything with Messrs. Lehrbach and Mletternich, who knew nothing of the intentions of their cabinet,
and enjoyed little credit.
When Bonaparte himself commanded in Italy he found
means to send money home; now money would be required from France. The supposition is that Italy had
been drained of her resources.
ORDER.
" PARIS, 28/i April, 1798.
"Bonaparte, member of the National Institute, Generalin-chief of the army of England (?), orders General
Reynier," &c., &c.
"BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte had been elected to the Institute in the place
of his old friend Carnot, and delighted to veil his military
aspirations under the palm-leaves of that learned society,
whose costume he donned on public occasions.
To GENERAL CAFFARELLI.
"PARIS, 2nd May, I798.
"All the obstacles in the way of the expedition have
been removed. I start to-morrow evening, and shall be
at Toulon by the 9th, &c.
" BONAPARTE."
To CITIZEN JOSEPH BONAPARTE.
" AUXERRE, 4th AMay, 1798.
".... I beg you will write to me by the courier who
will hand you this, and send me all the newspapers since
the day I started. I have ordered my couriers to alight
at your house; you will see that they rejoin me at Toulon
without delay, especially Moustache and Lesimple.
"BONAPARTE."




208    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Bonaparte was exceedingly suspicious of the intentions
of the Government, and was convinced that Barras-who
" was capable of anything"-was bent on mischief.
In the following " Proclamation " we see nothing of the
celebrated ten arpents of land (twenty perches each) which
every soldier of the army of the East was promised on his
return to France: possibly because these arpents were
never given.
PROCLAMATION.
" TOULON, IOtl May, 1798.
"Soldiers, you are one of the wings of the army of
England. You have fought on mountain and plain, and
besieged forts; it remained for you to wage a maritime
war.
"The Roman legions, which you have sometimes imitated but not yet equalled, fought against Carthage both
by sea and on the plains of Zama. Victory never abandoned them because they were constantly brave, patient
in the support of fatigue, well disciplined, and united.
"Soldiers, Europe has its eyes upon you.
"You have great destinies to fulfil, battles to fight,
dangers to overcome. You will do more than you have
yet accomplished for the prosperity of your country, for
the happiness of mankind, and for your own glory.
"Sailors, infantry, cavalry, artillery, be united, and
remember that on the day of battle you will stand in
need of each other, &c.
"BONAPARTE."
After being detained at Toulon for a week by contrary
winds and rumours of an English fleet of thirty sail cruising
off the coast, the expedition at length got under way,
Bonaparte still signing himself "Member of the Institute
and General-in-chief of the army of England." On the
23rd May he wrote to the Directory to say he had been




CAPTURE OF MALTA.


209


five days at sea, and was "between the islands of Corsica
and Elba "-his cradle and his prison.
To CITIZEN JOSEPH BONAPARTE.
"ON BOARD ' LORIENT,' 23rd May, I798.
"We have had good and bad weather. We are now
well at sea, sailing for Elba. This evening we shall pass
Bastia. I have not been sea-sick. Let me know all
the news..
"BONAPARTE.
"P.S. My wife will remain a few days at Toulon, and
will then go to take the waters" (waters supposed to be
a cure for sterility).
Little difficulty was experienced in getting possession of
Malta, where the French were fortunate enough, as General
Caffarelli remarked, to find some one to admit them. The
Grand Master having capitulated on the condition of property and religion being respected, Bonaparte wrote this
unctuous letter to the bishop, thanking him for his reception
of the French:To THE BISHOP OF MALTA.
ON BOARD THE ' ORIENT,' I2t 7June, 1798.
"... I know of nothing more respectable and worthy
of the veneration of men than a priest who, imbued with
the true spirit of the Gospel, is persuaded that he is in
duty bound to obey the temporal power, and to maintain
peace, tranquillity, and union in his diocese, &c.
"' BONAPARTE."
ORDER OF THE DAY.
" ON BOARD THE 'ORIENT.' I2th 7une, 1798.
"The army is informed that the enemy has surrendered;
the standard of liberty floats over the forts of Malta. The
VOL. I.                                  P




2 IO  THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOIEON.


General-in-chief insists on the most exact discipline. He
desires that persons and property be respected, and that
the people of Malta be treated with friendship."
The Knights of Malta were to be expelled; but we find
in the correspondence a list of members of the order who
were excepted-fourteen knights, who, six months previously,
had furnished Napoleon with useful information, or who
had offered patriotic subscriptions towards the invasion of
England. These traitors to their order were allowed to
join the French army.
To GENERAL BERTHIER.
"MALTA, I3th yune, I798.
"You will direct citizens Monge and Berthollet to visit
the Mint and the treasury of the church of St. John, and
other places where there may be precious objects.
" BONAPARTE."
And naturally all the treasures which those two citizens
could discover were considered lawful plunder.
To THE DIRECTORY.
"MALTA, I7th 7tne, 1798.
"You will find inclosed the original treaty concluded by
the Order of Malta with Russia. It had been ratified only
five days before.... The Emperor of Russia should thank
us, since an occupation of Malta will save his treasury
400,000 roubles. Had his majesty intended keeping Malta
he ought to have concealed his designs. However, we
now possess, in the Mediterranean, the strongest place in
Europe, and it will cost a good deal to dislodge us.
" BONAPARTE."
On the I8th June Bonaparte wrote fourteen despatches,
orders, &c., some of them several pages in length, and gave
a last touch to the organisation of the island.  Naval,
military, and civil schools, municipal councils, and the




MALTA ORGANISED.


21 I


national guard were created. Slavery was abolished, also
liveries and titles of nobility; and the arms of the Order
were to be everywhere replaced by those of the Republic.
With the exception of the bishop, all priests, monks, and
nuns, not natives, were to leave the island; no one was to
take vows before being thirty years of age; no order was
to have more than one convent; Latin priests were not to
say mass in Greek churches; the Jews desiring to establish
a synagogue were to be protected; no bishop or churchman
was to receive money for administering the sacraments,
nor to acknowledge the supremacy of any foreign prince.
The whole judicial and administrative system was arranged;
the post-office, paving and lighting, public fountains, pawnoffice, hospitals, stamp duty, tobacco, salt, house-rent,
public instruction-nothing escaped the vigilance of this
restless mind. The General created a central school to
replace the university, and other chairs. It was to be
composed ofIst. A professor of arithmetic and stereometry, salary
i,800 francs.
2nd. A professor of algebra and stereotomy, salary
2,000 francs.
3rd. A professor of geometry and astronomy, salary
2,400 francs.
4th. A professor of mechanics and physics, salary 3,000
francs.
5th. A professor of navigation, salary 2,400 francs.
6th. A professor of chemistry, salary 1,200 francs.
7th. A professor of Eastern languages, salary 1,200
francs.
8th. A librarian, who will lecture on geography, salary
I,000 francs.
To this central school shall be attachedIst. A library and cabinet of antiquities.
2nd. A museum of natural history.
3rd. A botanical garden.
4th. An observatory.
P 2




2 I 2  THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Having remained a month at Malta, and escaped Nelson
by a miracle-Nelson, who could not believe a French
army would be landed in Egypt in the middle of summer'
-Bonaparte continued his voyage.
Before landing at Alexandria he issued the following
proclamation:" Soldiers! You are about to undertake a conquest
the effects of which will be incalculable on civilisation
and the commercial world.
"You will deal England the surest and most sensible
blow while waiting to kill her outright.
"We shall make some fatiguing marches; we shall fight
several battles; we shall succeed in all our enterprises;
the fates are for us.
"The Mameluke Beys, who exclusively favour English
commerce, who have ill-treated our merchants, and who
tyrannise over the inhabitants of the Nile, a few days after
our arrival will have ceased to exist.
"The people amongst whom we are going to live are
Mohammedans; the first article of their faith is 'There is
no God but God, and Mahomet is his prophet.'
"Do not contradict them. Deal with them as we dealt
with the Jews and with the Italians. Respect their muftis
and their imauns, as you respected rabbins and bishops.
"Show for the ceremonies prescribed by the Koran, and
for the mosques, the same toleration you have always
1Writing a month afterwards to his wife Nelson said:"SYRACUSE, 7/uly 20th, I798.
"I have not been able to find the French fleet, to my great mortification, or the event I can scarcely doubt. We have been off Malta, to
Alexandria in Egypt, Syria, into Asia, and are returned here without
success; however, no person will say that it has been for want of activity.
I yet live in hopes of meeting these fellows; but it would have been
my delight to have tried Buonaparte on a wind, for he commands the
fleet as well as the army. Glory is my object, and that alone. God
Almighty bless you.
" THORATIO NELSON."




BONAPARTE AND THE KORAN.


213


shown for convents, for synagogues, for the religion of
Moses and that of Jesus Christ.
"The Roman legions protected all religions.1 You will
find customs here different from those of Europe: you
must habituate yourselves to them.
"The people here treat their wives differently from us;
but in all countries the man who commits rape is a
monster.
"Pillage only enriches a few men. It dishonours us;
it destroys our resources; it renders the people hostile
when it is necessary to make them friendly.
"The first town we shall enter was built by Alexander.
We shall find at each step souvenirs worthy of exciting the
emulation of Frenchmen.
" BONAPARTE."
Pillage and rape were to be punished by death, and the
most Draconian laws were to be enforced. In a letter
to the Pasha of Egypt Bonaparte explained his presence.
He had come to deliver him from the Beys. "You have
no doubt been informed," he added, "that I have no
intention of doing anything opposed to the Koran or the
Sultan. You are aware that the French nation is the sole
ally which the Sultan has in Europe. Come therefore to
me, and curse the impious race of the Beys."
In a proclamation dated "14th Messidor, Year VI. (2nd
July, 1798), I8th of the month of Muharrem, year of the
Hegira I213," Bonaparte, after dwelling on the baneful
effects of Mameluke rule, added:" Did we not destroy the Pope, who said it was necessary
to wage war against the Moslems? Have we not destroyed
the Knights of Malta, because those madmen believed that
God desired war with the Moslems? Have we not for
centuries been the friends of the Grand Signor (may God
accomplish his desires!) and the enemy of his enemies?"
1 Before the days of Christ, or of Mohammed.




214   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Then followed comminatory articles like those of Italy,
and any village offering resistance and favouring the
Mamelukes was to be burned to the ground. The slaves
who refused to be liberated from the Mameluke yoke were
to be exterminated without pity.
To THE PASHA OF EGYPT.
" GYZEH, 2nd 7Juy, I795.
"I am very sorry for the violence done to you by
Ibrahim. If you are your own master, return to Cairo,
where you will enjoy the consideration due to the representative of our friend the Sultan.... By the grace of God,
on which all depends, the Mamelukes have been destroyed.
Be assured, and assure the Porte, that the same arms we
have rendered victorious shall be always at the disposal
of the Sultan. May Heaven fulfil his desires against his
enemies.
"BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte experienced no trouble in landing and in
capturing Alexandria, which was taken by surprise, and
hardly defended.
DECISION.
"ALEXANDRIA, 41/1 July, I798.
"Art. I. The names of all the men killed at the
capture of Alexandria shall be engraved on the column
of Pompey.
"Art. 2. They shall be buried at the foot of the
column, &c.
"BONAPARTE."
In the criticism of our operations in Egypt in i8oi,
which Napoleon wrote at St. Helena, he blamed General
Abercrombie for having wasted four days and a half after
landing before he attacked Alexandria. He himself immediately attacked that city with a handful of men, without
waiting for his guns, for, as he wrote, it is one of the great
principles in war to act with celerity, which is even




CAPTURE OF ALEXANDRIA.


215


preferable to artillery. He boasted that eighteen hours
after his fleet had been signalled he stormed Alexandria.
It must be remembered, however, that he disembarked
with the utmost precipitation, fearing lest he should be
caught in fagrante delicto by Nelson; also that he ordered
Colonel Cretin to place Alexandria in a state of defence,
consequently the Alexandria which Abercrombie had to
attack was not the Alexandria surprised by Bonaparte,
and captured with hardly any loss.
In engraving the names of the soldiers who fell at
Alexandria he sought, as usual, to strike the imagination
of the army. He was well aware of the excellent effect
of this system on the Gallic mind. In the course of this
campaign he said that the Directory could not last, as it
did nothing for the imagination of the people. He did
not sin in the same way himself.
On the 24th July Bonaparte addressed a long report to
the Directory, giving an account of his operations, his
triumphs, and especially of the battle of the Pyramids,
where forty centuries looked down on the French army.
In the body of this report we find a strong recommendation
that the Directors should keep Egypt, which "has a rich
soil, a healthy climate, and is close at hand."  But there
were drawbacks.
On the 25th July Bonaparte wrote a letter full of despair
to Joseph. He said-" You will see by the public papers
the results of the battles and the conquest of Egypt, which
was sufficiently disputed to add another leaf to the military
glory of this army. Egypt 'is the richest country in corn,
hemp, &c., which exists in the world.... There is no
money, not even enough to pay the troops.  I may return to France in two months. I recommend you the care
of my interests. I have a great deal of domestic affliction,
for the veil has been entirely raised. You alone upon earth
remain to me; your friendship is very dear.... It is a
sad position when one has all one's affections centred in
one heart. You understand this.




216    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


"Arrange so that on my arrival I may have a country
place either near Paris or in Burgundy; I hope to be able
to spend the winter there in solitude, for I am tired of
human nature.... Glory is insipid at twenty-nine years
of age; I have exhausted everything, and it only remains
for me to become truly egotistical. I intend keeping my
house.  I shall never part with it, to no matter whom. I
have just enough to live upon! Adieu, my only friend; I
have never been unjust towards you.... Embrace your
wife and Jerome."
Bonaparte had just entered the Egyptian capital in
triumph when he wrote this gloomy letter.  Desdemona
was unfaithful, but Othello soon consoled himself, as we
shall see.
To GENERAL KLEBER.
"CAIRO, 271/tz uly, 1798.
"We have at Cairo, Citizen General, a very fine mint.
We require all the ingots which we left at Alexandria, in
exchange for the coin given to us by the merchants. I beg
you will therefore assemble the merchants to whom the
said ingots were given, and ask to have them back. I will
give them in exchange corn and rice, of which we have
enormous quantities.... We have driven 2,000 of the best
mounted Mamelukes into the Nile...
" BONAPARTE."
How Bonaparte acquired his corn and rice is not stated,
nor has history left on record what the merchants of
Alexandria thought of the operation of the French
General. Unfortunately a French gunner was assassinated
in Alexandria, and this laid the city open-as Rome,
Venice, and other cities in Italy had been laid open-to
numerous vexations. No less than fifty hostages were
taken on board the fleet, nor was this all.




SEVERE MEASURES.


21 7


ORDER.
" CAIRO, 30th J7uly, I798.
" Bonaparte, General-in-Chief.
" It being just that the commerce of Alexandria should
contribute, like that of Cairo, towards the keep of the
army, &c.
"Art. I. A contribution of 300,000 francs shall be levied
on the principal merchants.... This sum must be paid in
twenty-four hours after the publication of the present.
"Art. 2. All persons who were employed under the late
administration must pay a share of the contribution.
c( BONAPARTE."
ORDER.
" CAIRO, 30th July, 1798.
"Bonaparte, General-in- Chief, having proofs of the
treason of Seid Mohamed el-Korafm, whom he had
overwhelmed with benefits, orders' Art. I. Seid Mohamed el-Koraim shall pay a contribution of 300,000 francs.
"Art. II. In default of acquitting this debt, five days
after the publication of the present order he shall have his
head cut off.
" BONAPARTE."
And poor Koraim, either unable or unwilling to pay this
price, had his head cut off, and carried through the streets
on a pike, as a warning to all traitors not in a position, or
unwilling, to purchase immunity. Bonaparte had been
informed that Koraim had concealed his money in a
cistern, where it may possibly still lie, for his servants,
though tortured, either would not, or could not, reveal the
hiding place.
Damietta, Rosetta, and other towns were also to
contribute towards the expenses of the French army, each
in due proportion.




218   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


To GENERAL MENON.
"CAIRO, 3Ist 7uly, I798.
"Your presence, Citizen General, is again necessary at
Rosetta for some days, for the organisation of that
province.
" The Turks can only be kept in order by means of the
greatest severity; every day I have five or six heads cut
off in the streets of Cairo.  We have been obliged to spare
the inhabitants up to the present, in order to obliterate the
terrible reputation which preceded us. To-day, on the contrary, we must assume the tone necessary to make ourselves
obeyed; and for them to obey is to fear....
" BONAPARTE."
On hearing of the disaster of the Nile Bonaparte, in
order not to discourage his army, affected to treat the
destruction of the French fleet lightly, saying that the
English would force him to accomplish greater things
than he had proposed.
To REAR-ADMIRAL GANTHAUME.
" CAIRO, I5th August, 1798.
"The situation in which you find yourself, Citizen
General, is horrible.  If you did not perish, fate must
destine you to revenge our navy and our friends; receive
my congratulations (in anticipation).  This is the only
agreeable sentiment I have experienced since the day before
yesterday, when I received at thirty leagues from Cairo
your report, forwarded to me by General Kleber.
"I salute and embrace you.
" BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte was much disappointed with the obstinacy of
other towns which rejected his overtures, and on the
slightest complaint they were to be burned down, &c.




THE BATTLE OF THE NILE.


2 I 9


To GENERAL BERTHIER.
"CAIRO, Ist August, I798.
"... General Dumuywill disarm the town of Daivanhour, and will cut off the heads of the five chief inhabitants,
one amongst the worst men of law, and four others, who
have most influence with the population, should be
selected. After this he will send twenty-five hostages to
Cairo, &c., &c.
"BONAPARTE."
Frequent orders of this description were despatched by
Bonaparte to his various lieutenants.
In a long despatch to the Directory, giving an account
of the situation, the General-in-Chief criticised the conduct
of Admiral Brueys, adding-"If in this fatal event he
committed errors, he expiated them by a glorious death.
"The fates wished in this, as in many other circumstances, to prove that if they have accorded us the preponderance on the Continent, they have given the empire
of the seas to our rivals. But, no matter how great this
reverse, it cannot be attributed to the inconstancy of
fortune; she has not abandoned us yet; far from that;
she has favoured us in this operation more than ever.
When I arrived before Alexandria, and learned that the
English had passed that place a few days before with a
superiorforce, in spite of the tempest which reigned, and at
the risk of being shipwrecked, I landed. I remember that
when all was ready for disembarking, a vessel of war was
signalled in the distance; it was the Justice 1 coming from
Malta. I cried, Fortune, will you abandon me? What,
only five days! I marched all night, and attacked Alexandria at break of day with 3,000 men worn out with
fatigue, without guns, and almost without cartridges."
In a letter to Marmont, dated the I8th August, Bonaparte showed considerable anxiety to know what the
1 A French frigate coming from Malta.




220   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


English were about. "You will forward me the most
minute details," he wrote, "and let me know the situation of the English, and the manner in which our squadrons behaved during the combat.     In speaking either
to the generals, to the sailors, or to the soldiers, take
care to say and to do all in your power to encourage
them. More especially, have a conference with RearAdmiral Ganthaume, and let me know what he thinks
of the conduct of our fleet, what he thinks of the conduct
of Villeneuve, and what he supposes that the English
intend doing. Assure him of my esteem, &c., &c."
Two days afterwards, writing to Kleber, he said —" The
Turks will think twice before undertaking any important
operation against us; besides, they would soon repent of
it.... I do not fear Ioo,000 Turks. If the English relieve this squadron by another, and continue to infest the
Mediterranean, they will perhaps oblige us to do greater
things than we proposed to perform "-would force the
French to take India.1
On the 22nd August Bonaparte created an institute at
Cairo, which he organised with his usual love of detail. In
the list of persons proposed to form "the Institute of
Egypt," the Correspondence gives, " Mathematical Section,
Bonaparte, Monge, &c."     In  the section  of political
economy, one remarks the name of Tallien.
1 The Mediterranean certainly was infested at this time with British
cruisers, which let very few French vessels through. About this date
Nelson thus wrote to Earl Spencer:"MOUTH OF THE NILE, 9th August, I798.
"I send you a pacquet of intercepted letters, some of them of great
importance: in particular, one from Bonaparte to his brother. He
writes such a scrawl, no one not used to it can read it: but luckily we
have got a man who has wrote in his office to decipher it. Buonaparte
has differed with his Generals here, and he did want-and, if I understand his meaning, does want-and will strive to be the Washington
of France...
"HORATIO NELSON."




BONAPARTE AT THE PYRAMIDS.


221


ORDER.
" CAIRO, 26th Az gust, I793.
"Bonaparte, General-in-Chief, orders"Art. I. The first Vendemieure epoch of the establishment of the Republic shall be celebrated at the different
points occupied by the army, by a civic fte.
Art. 2. The garrison of Alexandria shall celebrate the
fete round the column of Pompey.... The tricoloured
flag shall be planted on top of the column. The needle
of Cleopatra shall be illuminated.
"Art. 6. The troops in Upper Egypt shall celebrate the
fete amid the ruins of Thebes."
Conversation of Bonaparte in the Grand Pyramid with
several imauns and muftis:
Bonaparte.-God is great, and His works are marvellous.
Behold, a great work accomplished by the hand of man.
What was the object of him who built this pyramid?
Soliman.-It was a powerful king of Egypt, whose name
was Cheops. He wished to prevent sacrilegious persons
from disturbing the repose of his ashes.
Bonaparte.-The great Cyrus had himself buried in the
open air, so that his body might return to the elements.
Do you not think he did better?
Soliman (inclining).-Glory to God, to whom all glory
is due.
Bonaparte.-Honour to Allah! Who was the calif
who opened this pyramid and disturbed the ashes of the
dead?
Mohamed.-They think it was the Commander of the
Faithful, Mahmoud, who reigned several centuries ago at
Bagdad.   Others say it was the renowned Aroun al
Raschid in  quest of treasure; but he only found
mummies..
Bonaparte.-Bread stolen by the wicked fills the mouth
with gravel.




222    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Moh/amed (inclining). —That is the  observation of
wisdom.
Bonaparte.-Glory to Allah! There is no other God
but God; Mohammed is His prophet, and I am one of
his friends.
Soliman.-Salutations and peace to the man sent by
God; salutations also to you, invincible general, favourite
of Mohammed!
Bonaparte.-Mufti, I thank you. The Koran delights
my mind.... I love the prophet, and intend to visit and
honour his tomb in the sacred city.l But my mission is
first to exterminate the Mamelukes.
Ibrahim.-May the angels of victory sweep the dust
from your path and cover you with their wings.  The
Mameluke has deserved death.
Bonaparte.-He has been smitten and delivered over to
the angels of darkness, Moukir and Quakir.  God, on
whom all depends, has ordered his domination to be
destroyed.
Soliman.-He extended the hand of rapine over the
land, the harvests, and the horses of Egypt.
Boznaparte.-And over the most lovely slaves, very holy
mufti. Allah has withered up his hand. If Egypt be his
farm, let him have the lease God gave him; but God is
just and merciful for His people.
Ibrahim.-O most valiant amongst the sons of Jesus,
Allah has caused you to be followed by the exterminating
angel, in order to deliver the land of Egypt.
Bonaparte.-This land was in the hands of twenty-four
oppressors (Beys), rebels towards the great Sultan our
ally (whom God surround with glory), and Io,ooo slaves
from the Caucasus and Georgia; Azrael, the angel of
death, has blown upon them, and they have disappeared.
Mohamed.-Noble successor of Alexander, honour to
your invincible arms, and to the unexpected thunderbolts
which issue from the midst of your mounted warriors.
1 Bonaparte went neither to Mecca nor to Rome.




CONVERSATION WITH TIIE MUFTIS.


223


Bonaparte.-Do you believe this thunder to be the work
of the children of men? Allah has caused it to be placed
in my hand by the genius of war.
Ibrahim.-We recognise by His works Allah, who sent
you. Would you conquer without the permission of Allah?
The Delta and all the neighbouring countries resound with
your miracles.
Bonaparte.-A celestial car will ascend by my orders to
the clouds; and the lightning will descend to the earth by
a wire as soon as I command it.1
Soliman.-And the great serpent which issued from the
column of Pompey on the day of your triumphal entry
into Alexandria and was withered up-was this not a
prodigy operated by your hand?
Bonaparte.-Lights of the century, you are destined to
see still greater marvels; for the days of regeneration have
arrived.
Ibrahim.-The divine unity regards you with an eye of
predilection, adorer of Jesus, and renders you the supporter
of the children of the prophet.
Bonaparte.-Mohammed, has he not said, ' Every man
who adores God and does good, no matter what his
religion, shall be saved"?
Soliman, Mohamed, and Ibrahim (all bowing together).He has said it.
Bonaparte.-And if I have tempered, by orders from on
high, the pride of the Vicar of Jesus, by diminishing his
terrestrial possessions, in order to heap up for him celestial
treasures, tell me, was it not rendering glory to God whose
mercy is infinite?
Mohamed (embarrassed).-The Mufti of Rome was rich
and powerful; but we are poor.
Bonaparte.-I know that; do not be alarmed. You
have been weighed in the balance of Balthazar, and have
1 Franklin and Montgolfier were both to be pressed into the
service. It is true that the latter had already succeeded against the
Austrians at Fleurus.




224   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


been found light. This pyramid, then, did not contain
any treasure?
Soliman.-None, 0 lord, we swear it by the holy city
of Mecca.
Bonaparte.-Evil, three times evil to those who search
for perishable riches, and who covet gold and silver, which
resemble dross.
Soliman.-You have spared the Vicar of Christ, and have
treated him with clemency and kindness.
Bonaparte. -He is an old man whom I honour, but he
has done wrong in condemning all Mussulmans to eternal
fire; and Allah forbids intolerance.
Ibrahim.-Glory to God and to his prophet, who has
sent you among us to stimulate the faith of the weak, and
to open the doors of the seventh heaven to the faithful.
Bonaparte.-You have spoken rightly, most zealous
muftis; be faithful to Allah, the sovereign master of the
seven marvellous heavens; to Mohammed, his vizier, who
passed through all the heavens in a night.  Be the friends
of the Franks and Allah; Mohammed and the Franks will
recompense you.
Ibrahim.-May the prophet himself place you on his left
hand on the day of resurrection, after the third sound of
the trumpet.
Bonaparte.-Let him who has ears to hear listen; the
hour of resurrection has arrived for all people who groan
under oppression.  Muftis, imauns, mollahs, dervishes,
calenders, tell this to the people of Egypt.  Encourage
them to join us in finishing to annihilate the Beys and
the Mamelukes; favour trade with the Franks in your
various provinces and in their efforts to reach the ancient
country of Bramah; offer them depots in your ports, and
drive out the islanders of Albion, accursed among the sons
of Jesus; such is the will of Mohammed. The treasures of
industry and the friendship of the Franks will be your
reward until you ascend to the seventh heaven and sit
beside black-eyed houris, always young and always




THE. MOHAMMEDAN RELIGION.


225


maidens, and repose under the shadow of Lama, whose
branches will offer to all true Mussulmans everything
they desire.
Soliman (inclining).-You have spoken like the most
learned of mollahs. We repose faith in your words; we
will serve your cause, and may God hear us.
Bonaparte.-God is great, and His works are marvellous.
Salutations and peace be to you, most holy muftis.1
"I 12th August, 1798."
To GENERAL MARMONT.
" CAIRO, 28th August, I798.
" I have received your letter of the 7th Fructidor. I
flatter myself that you will be able to send us the greater
portion of our artillery.... You may remember our batteries of Toulon, and how little dangerous the English are
by land.2  Artillery, with red-hot cannon balls, served with
sangfroid, is terrible against vessels.
" Our affairs here are improving every day. Go and see
the Sheik El Messiri on my behalf; tell him among other
things of the manner in which we celebrated the fete of the
prophet; that three or four times by decade I hold conferences with the chiefs of the law and the principal cherifs of
Cairo, and that no one more than myself is persuaded of
the purity and sanctity of the Mohammedan religion.
1' BONAPARTE."
Speaking to Madame de Remusat, at Boulogne, Bonaparte thus
excused the idea he had conceived of adopting the Mohammedan
faith:
"After all, circumstances might have induced me to turn Mussulman. It would have been a sign-post; but I should have reached the
Euphrates first. A change of religion, inexcusable for the sake of
private interests, becomes comprehensible where immense political
results are involved. Henri IV. was right in saying, 'Paris is well
worth a mass.' Do you think the Empire of the East, and perhaps
the subjection of the whole of Asia, were not worth a turban and loose
trousers? The state of feeling in the army was such that it would have
undoubtedly lent itself to this joke."
2 Marmont had reason to doubt this afterwards in Spain.
VOL. 1.                                        Q




226    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


On the same day, writing to General Menou, Bonaparte
said-" I cannot approve too highly of the dinner you
gave to the sheiks of the country.  We celebrated the
fete of the prophet here with an amount of pomp and
fervour which almost merited me the title of saint."
When at the camp of Boulogne, Bonaparte confided to
Madame de Remusat that he had some idea at this period
of writing a Koran of his own, of assuming the turban, and
of riding into the desert on an elephanzt; but the Moslems
in Egypt were never deceived by the professions of a
prophet who extended his protection to such dogs as
Copts and Jews.
To THE DIRECTORY.
"CAIRO, 8s1/ September, I798.
"A Portuguese squadron composed of four vessels of war
and two frigates arrived before Alexandria on the 29th
August, and joined the squadron of cruisers left behind
by the English.... Render us justice, Citizen Director,
for this impertinence on the part of the Queen of Portugal.
In order to get to Lisbon, there is no ocean to be crossed..... If we could close the port of Lisbon to the English,
they would have to come from London to Alexandria
without casting anchor.  Besides, this would not fail to
occupy their attention. We might procure at Lisbon the
means for reorganising our fleet.
"I am awaiting news from Constantinople [whither he
thought Talleyrand had been sent].  I could not possibly
return to Paris in October, as Ipromsised, but the delay will
only last a few months. All is going on well here; the
country is subdued, and is becoming accustomed to us.
The rest must be the work of time. All the institutions
which can accelerate the march of events are in active
operation.... Since my departure I have not received a
single letter from you or from any minister or person who
interests me.... Never did colony offer greater advantages. I have no doubt that by means of Egypt you will




TREATMENT OF EGYPT.


227


be in a position to make any terms you wish with England.
Mistress of Egypt, France would be in the long run mistress
of India. The Cabinet of London is well aware of this.
In a fortnight I will send you my brother (Louis) who will
give you all the information you may desire.
" BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte never forgot nor forgave the insult of the
Queen of Portugal. Several years afterwards, when first consul, he wrote to Talleyrand, saying-"If the King of Spain
objects to occupy one of the provinces of Portugal, Lucien
(then ambassador at Madrid) may release him from this
task on condition of the King of Portugal handing us over
the three vessels which blockaded me at Alexandria."
As for the country becoming accustomed to the French,
that was a gross falsehood in the sense Bonaparte applied
the term " accustomed." The resistance on the part of the
inhabitants was never interrupted; oppressors and oppressed
fought against the common enemy. The Correspondence
contains page after page of letters and orders for the
burning of villages, for summary executions, for the securing of hostages, for making severe examples.  Of a
truth the French army soon more than justified the terrible
reputation by which it had been preceded. And this was
the manner in which a neutral country was treated, inr order
to punish England, and to threaten our communications
with India!
Ever anxious to remove blame from his own shoulders, we
find Bonaparte returning to the subject of the battle of the
Nile, and calumniating a gallant officer, if not intentionally,
at all events in the most reckless manner.
To GENERAL KLEBER.
" CAIRO, IOt/ Sepftember, I798.
".... As for the conduct of Rear-Admiral du Chayla,
it would have been glorious for him to have fallen on his
quarter-deck like Petit Thouars. But what deprives him
Q 2




228   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


of all chance of recovering my esteem, is his cowardly
conduct with the English since he became their prisoner.
There are men who have no blood in their veins.  He
will have to listen every evening to the English getting
drunk upon punch, and drinking to the shame of the
French navy! He will be disembarked at Naples as a
trophy for the lazzaroni.  It would have been better
for him to have remained a prisoner on board an English
ship, and to have asked no favour. O'Hara, who was a
vulgar man, when he was taken prisoner at Toulon, and
asked what he wished, replied, 'To be left alone, and to
owe nothing to pity.' Kindness and good treatment only
honour the conqueror; they dishonour the conquered, who
ought to show reserve and pride.
" BONAPARTE."
What a pity it was that the Emperor Napoleon did not
remember these fine sentiments when he was at St. Helena
annoying the world with his petulance! As a matter-offact, Rear-Admiral du Chayla fought in the most gallant
way, and insisted on continuing to fight his ship after being
dangerously wounded, and when only three guns remained
in a condition to reply to the fire of the enemy. He was
complimented by the Minister of Marine.
In one of the letters intercepted by the British cruisers
we find Tallien, who was in Egypt, writing to his wife, the
fair Carrabus, in a different strain to Bonaparte, and saying
among other things:"When you receive this letter it will be already known
without doubt in France that our squadron has been
defeated by the English. We are all here in the greatest
consternation. I am unable to give you any details, because
we do not as yet know them in a positive manner; what is
unfortunately only too certain is, that the superb vessel
L'Orient was blown up during the battle. Being placed on
an eminence overlooking the sea, we were eye-witnesses of
this awful spectacle. The battle lasted over twenty-four




TIlE REPUBLICAN NEW YEAR.


229


hours; the English must have suffered very much. We
are ignorant as to the number of vessels we have lost.
I venture to hope that the alarming rumours which
are afloat may not be confirmed.  Admiral Brueys was
killed, as well as Ducheyla, and a number of other
heroes (not Duchayla).
"One cannot at the first moment form an opinion as to
the causes of this disaster, afflicting to every good Frenchman; on the contrary, it is necessary that one should use
every endeavour to repel calumny, which neither respects
misfortune nor the ashes of the dead.... We leave tomorrow for Cairo; we shall be the first to announce this
afflicting news to Buonaparte, who, I hope, will take a just
view of his position, and support with courage this first reverse of fortune. I confess I am uneasy as to the effect
that this news will produce in France."
THOE REPUBLICAN. NE W         YEAR.
PROCLAMATION TO THE ARMY.
"CAIRO, Ist Vendiminaire, Year VII.
(22nd September, I798.)
"Soldiers, we celebrate the first day of the year VII. of
the Republic.
" Five years ago the independence of the French people
was menaced; but you took Toulon; this presaged the
ruin of our enemies.
"A  year afterwards you beat the Austrians at Dego.
The next year you were on the summits of the Alps..
Who would have thought you would now be on the banks
of the Nile?
"From   the Englishman, celebrated in arts and commerce, down to the hideous and ferocious Bedouin, you
attract the attention of the world, &c.
"Soldiers, your destiny is superb, because you are
worthy of the great things you have done, and of the
opinion formted of you, &c.
" BONAPARTE."




230   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


ORDER OF THE DAY.
" CAIRO, 24th Setemiber, I798.
".... Numerous flying columns march through the
villages of the provinces of Damietta and of Mansourah, in
order to inflict severe punishment on the chiefs of the
revolt, and to visit those unfortunate persons who have
been led astray by the writings and false promises of
Ibrahim Bey, with exemplary vengeance.
" BONAPARTE."
On the 9th of the Republican month we find Bonaparte
issuing this order of the day"Jean-Baptiste Lenati, Benedite, and Francois Sala,
accused and convicted of having cut bunches of dates in a
Turkish garden, have been condemned, in accordance with
the law of the 2ISt Brumaire, to be marched up and down
the camp, in the midst of a detachment, twice a day,
carrying ostensibly the bunches of dates, having their
tunics turned inside out, and wearing on their breast a
placard with the word ' Maraudeur' written on it."
This example of severity in the matter of a few dates
does not appear to have had much effect.
We have seen how poor KoraYm had his head cut off
because he refused to pay the price at which Bonaparte
valued it.
To GENERAL BERTHIER.
" CAIRO, 6th October, 1798.
"You will order General Manscourt to send the mer
chants of the Mamelukes who have arrived at Alexandria,
to Cairo. An inquiry will be held to find out if these
merchants have received any advances.
" You will also order the General to seize the property
of Hassan-Allah, in order that we may repay ourselves the




FRENCH CONSULS.


231


40,000 medins he owes to Kora'im. As for the brother of
Koraym, his property should not be confiscated, as he is
not yet accused of anything.
" BONAPARTE."
Very little progress was made in gaining the affection of
the Egyptians, in spite of all the cajolery to which Bonaparte had recourse. Like the people in Italy, they preferred
their old masters to their new one. This want of sympathy
for the soldiers who were to free them from the tyranny of
the Beys was exhibited by the Egyptians on every opportunity; and no Frenchman could stray from his column
without being massacred.
To THE DIRECTORY.
"CAIRO, 7/t October, I798.
"... I send you my brother (Louis) with the standards taken from the Turks and Mamelukes... The
customs of this country are not ours; it will require a long
time for this people to become used to them. However,
every day they know us better.
" The Porte has nominated Djezzar pasha of Acre and
General-in-chief of all Syria. He has replied to none of
the overtures I have made him. Our consuls1 have been
everywhere arrested, and the Ottoman Empire resounds
with the noise of war... This country swarms with
ferocious Arabs.  All the tribes united muster 12,000
cavalry and 50,000 infantry... The soil is the most
beautiful in the world, and the position as interesting as
it is decisive, with regard to India."
After dwelling at length on the political situation, asking
for news about Spain, Russia, Germany, Turkey, and the
expedition to Ireland, and demanding reinforcements,
Bonaparte added:
1 Consuls at Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers, and Morocco, all thrown into
irons.




232
1)


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


" We want for nothing here; we are fortifying all the
most essential points, and we are full of health, strength,
and gaiety."
However, money was scarce, for we find Napoleon
writing two days later to Citizen Poussielgue"It is indispensable to get money as quickly as possible
so as to pay the troops for the 3rd decade of Vendemiaire:
" Ist. Pay into the chest the remainder of the money
for the cotton.
" 2nd. Sell the coffee derived from the merchants who
did business with the Beys.
"3rd. Sell for ready money the incense, muslin, and
elephants' teeth found in a house, of which the inventory
was recently taken.
" Lastly, hasten the payment of the contributions still
due.                                BONAPARTE."
On the I7th October Bonaparte rendered an account to
the Directory of his various operations, and gave a graphic
description of the intrepidity of the enemy's cavalry, which
galloped close up to the French squares, and died after
having flung "their hatchets, pistols, and guns at the heads
of our men... Here (at Sediman), as at the battle
of the Pyramids, the soldiers reaped a considerable booty,
hardly a Mameluke upon which they found less than 500
louis." And, in fact, French soldiers who had turned their
bayonets into fishing-hooks were to be seen on the banks
of the Nile, angling for defunct Mamelukes, who had been
driven into that river and had perished. The rich booty
offered by the enemy reconciled the French soldiers to
Egypt, and quelled insubordination, which was on the
point of assuming dangerous proportions.
To GENERAL MARMONT.
"CAIRO, I7t/ October, I798.
"That intriguer, Abdallah, the steward of Mourad Bey,
passed through El Choarah three days ago, going in the




MOURAD BEY.


233


direction of Alexandria. I wish you could catch him. I
would give I,OOO crowns for him-not that he is worth
that, but in order to make an example. It is the same
man who went on board the vessel of the English Admiral.
The Arabs might be spoken to; they would do a great
deal for I,000 sequins."
" BONAPARTE."
Mourad Bey was a most implacable and ubiquitous
enemy, and even his steward's head would have been
acceptable.
On the 27th October Bonaparte furnished the Directory
with an account of the revolt at Cairo, during which his
aide-de-camp Sulkowski and General Dupuy perished. To
General Reynier he wrote on the same date, saying tranquillity had been perfectly re-established at Cairo. " Every
night we cut off thirty heads, and a great many chiefs (sic).
Punish the different Arab tribes which have revolted
against you. Try and obtain some horses and hostages. The
best way to punish the revolted villages is to capture the
Sheik-el-Beled, and to cut off his head, for everything
depends on him."   Bonaparte also informed General
Lanusse, the same day, that the diligence of Damietta had
been attacked, and had its throat cut (sic) in the province
of Guelyoub, adding-" Try and get hold of the chiefs and
cut their heads off." On the 27th, too, General Berthier
was ordered to arrest the Sheik-el-Beled of El Ekhsas"and, in case he has run away, four of the principal
inhabitants of the village which fired on our boats."
Cairo was punished in the most merciless manner. On
the 21St October Bonaparte wrote to General Bon to put
to the sword every armed person he met; and the next
day to Berthier-" Be so good as to order the commandant
to cut the throats of all the prisoners who were taken with
arms in their hands. They must be taken to-night to the
banks of the Nile, between Boulak and Old Cairo, and
their headless trunks thrown into the river."  A large




234


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


number of peasants in the neighbourhood of Cairo, who
had taken part in the revolt, were decapitated; and one
morning a long string of donkeys laden with sacks and
escorted by soldiers halted in the middle of the Ezbekieh.
When a crowd had-assembled the sacks were opened, and
the multitude saw with horror and affright the heads of the
massacred peasants roll to the ground.
These orders are not to be found in the correspondence.
In the midst of numerous despatches directing the
severest measures of repression, it is a relief to find an order
which, had it been observed, would have reflected some
credit on the Commander-in-Chief. It appears like an
oasis in the desert.
To GENERAL BERTHIER.
" CAIRO, 4th Novezzber, I793.
"The barbarous custom of inflicting the bastinado on
men supposed to be in the possession of important secrets
ought to be abolished. It has long been recognised that
this manner of examining men, by putting them to torture,
produces no good effect. The unfortunate wretches say
everything that comes into their heads, &c. Consequently
the General-in-chief forbids the employment of this method,
which is contrary both to humanity and to reason.
"BONAPARTE."
Citizen Guibert, a young officer of guides, having been
told off for a mission to the English Admiral, received the
following instructions:"You will hand the Admiral, in a careless way, the
different Egyptian papers and copies of the Decade. You
will try to obtain some European papers. You will give
him to understand that I frequently receive news from
Constantinople by way of land, and that there is no truth
in the rumour of a Russian squadron blockading Corfu.
You will tell him, as if by inadvertence, which will be set




CONTEMPLATES GOING TO SYRIA.


235


down to your youth, that I send to France every day, that
several of my aides-de-camp have been despatched, and,
among others, my brother who left twenty-five days ago. If
he asks where they start from, you will say you d6 not know,
but that ray brother started from Alexandria.... You will
tell him that if he has any difficulty in procuring water,
you know it to be my intention to furnish it; you will
relate that before Mantua, knowing that Wurmser had a
great number of sick, I sent him a large quantity of
medical stores, a piece of generosity which much astonished the old Marshal [and of which he never heard]; also
that I sent him every day a dozen oxen, &c., &c.!
" BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte was exceedingly anxious for news.  His
communications with Europe were almost completely cut
off, and he knew little or nothing of what was passing at
home, for his land communications had been utterly
destroyed since the Barbary powers had turned against
him. His brother Louis, however, was fortunate enough
to escape the British cruisers and to reach France.
To AMED PASHA, GOVERNOR OF LEIDEH.
" CAIRO, I9/th Novemrber, 798.
"I do not wish to declare war if you be not mine
enemy; but it is time that you explain yourself. If you
continue to harbour Ibrahir  Bey on the frontiers of
Egypt, I shall regard that as a mark of hostility, and I
shall go to Acre..
"BONAPARTE."
The fact is that Bonaparte had long determined to carry
his arms into Syria, but he was always glad of a pretext
which would look well in a proclamation, and justify an
attempt should it turn out unsuccessful. Writing to the
Directory on the 2ISt November, Bonaparte said:



236   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


"The Porte has dismissed the Pasha of Egypt, and has
nominated the ex-Pasha of Damascus in his place. The
Porte appears to have written to me several times, but all
the letters have been intercepted by the English.... We
have no news from Europe since the arrival of Lesimple,
that is to say since the I8th Messidor-nearly five months
ago-and we are becoming anxious...."
To GENERAL BERTHIER.
" CAIRO, 2nd December, 1798.
"Order Citizen  Deriot to march with twenty-five
troopers, at 2 A.M., to fort Sulkowski, to pick up thirty
men of the 22nd in garrison there, and with this force to
enter the village of El Matarzeh, where it is indispensable
he should arrive an hour before daybreak, in order to kill
some Arabs.... He will return along the Nile, and will
study the locality so as to be able to form another ambush
the day after to-morrow.
" BONAPARTE."
To CITIZEN POUSSIELGUE.
" CAIRO, 7tL December, I798.
"Considering the loss we have experienced in the sale
of her diamonds, the wife of Mourad Bey must be made
to pay 8,000 talari within five days.
" BONAPARTE."
And this was the way in which Bonaparte revenged
himself on the gallant and indomitable Mameluke leader
fighting for faith and country.
To GENERAL BERTHIER.
" CAIRO, 8th December, 1798.
"Will you make known to the doctor and the surgeonin-chief that I am dissatisfied at the facility with which they




CHILDREN TO BE SEIZED.


237


give certificates to return to Europe, to individuals whom
cowardice, inconstancy, and the absence of love of duty,
induce to leave the   army before the   end  of the
campaign.
"BONAPARTE."
This desire to escape from Egypt was manifested even
in the headquarters staff, and but for the want of means of
transport it is quite possible that the general camp,
pioneers and all, would have insisted upon returning to
France.
ORDER OF THE DAY.
"CAIRO, 8th December, I798.
"... When a village revolts, in order to punish it, the
General in command of the district must seize on all the
children between the ages of twelve and sixteen; a list of
these children must be sent to the General-in-chief, who
will give orders respecting their ulterior destination.
When a village deserves to be burned, care should be
taken to carry off all the children.
" BONAPARTE."
It is curious to find the Imperial Commission of I860
publishing an order which should stamp its author with
infamy. But then there were so many infamies committed
throughout this campaign that it would have been useless
to eliminate one or two.
Bonaparte busied himself a good deal with what was
passing at Constantinople at this moment. He despatched
Citizen Beauchamp thither on a mission, to demand the
release of French prisoners in Syria, to reassure the
Sultan with regard to the expedition to Egypt, to declare
that the French would aid Turkey against the two
Emperors who were bent on dismembering his empire,
and, above all, to see how things were going on at home,




238   TIHE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


and to learn the intentions of the Porte. Bonaparte wrote
the most friendly letter to the Grand Vizier, and also
addressed himself to "Citizen Talleyrand, ambassador at
Constantinople," who was, however, at that period,
Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Citizen Beauchamp was thrown into the Seven Towers,
and two Turkish armies, one in Syria and another at
Rhodes, prepared to assert the sovereign rights of the
Porte in Egypt.
To CITIZEN FOURES, Lieutenant of C/asseurs.
" CAIRO, i8/h December, I798.
"Citizen Foures is ordered to start by the first diligence
from Rosetta for Alexandria, where he will embark on
board a brig.... He will be the bearer of the accompanying despatches, which he will open only at sea, and
in which he will find his instructions. I hand him 3,000
francs to cover the expenses of his mission.
"' BONAPARTE."
There is a little romance attached to the above letter. Junot
having told Bonaparte of several infidelities committed by
Josephine, the General-in-chief determined to console himself
by establishing a harem; but not finding the native women
to his taste, he took for mistress an exceedingly pretty and
lively young woman-Madame Foures. As her husband
was in the way he was ordered to France with despatches,
but he fell into the hands of the English, who, suspecting
the real state of the case, set the unfortunate sub-lieutenant
ashore at Alexandria. Citizen Foures could obtain no
redress at headquarters beyond a divorce, which was pronounced by court martial. The favour of Madame Foures
did not last beyond the campaign. On his return to Paris
Bonaparte pardoned Josephine's frailties, and having taken
Pauline Foures from one husband gave her to another,
although the first spouse wished to have her back.




MOUNT SINAI.


239


ORDER.
" CAIRO, I9/h December, I798.
"Bonaparte, General-in-chief, wishing to favour the
convent of Mount Sinai" ist. In order to transmit to future races the traditions
of our conquest;
" 2nd. Through respect for Moses and the Jewish nation,
whose cosmology retraces the earliest ages;
"3rd. Because the convent of Mount Sinai is inhabited
by well-educated and polished men, living in the midst of
the barbarity of the desert;
"Orders, &c., &c."
And the good monks were afforded protection against
the Bedouins, and granted several religious and commercial
privileges, while Bonaparte signed his name in the register
alongside of that of Mohammed.
To THE INHABITANTS OF CAIRO.
" CAIRO, 21st December, I798.
"Perverse men led some of you astray; they have
perished. God has ordered me to be clement and merciful to the people; I have been clement and merciful
towards you.
"I was angry with you for revolting.  During two
months 1 deprived you of your divan; but to-day I
restore it. Your good conduct has effaced the stain of
your revolt.
"Cherifs, ulemas, preachers in the mosques, make
known to the people that those who deliberately declare
themselves my enemies shall find no refuge in this world
nor the next.... Make known to the people that since
the world was created it was written that after having
destroyed the enemies of Islamism and overthrown the
cross, I should come from the far west to fulfil the duty
imposed upon me. Show the people that in the holy book




240    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
of the Koran, in more than twenty passages, what is
happening was foreseen, and what is to happen is
explained.
" BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte was about to invade Syria with five divisions,
leaving Desaix in Upper Egypt, Marmont at Alexandria,
and Dugua at Cairo. It was hoped that with its divan
restored the inhabitants of Cairo would remain quiet in
the absence of the General-in-chief. Hence this sudden
affability.




CHAPTE R V.


THE YEAR I799.
THIS year was filled with stirring events. The French
had 40,000 men in Egypt under Bonaparte. Scherer commanded 50,000 in Italy; Jourdan 40,000 on the Danube;
Massena 30,000 in Switzerland; Bernadotte 30,000 on the
Rhine; Macdonald 20,000 in Naples, and Brune Io,ooo
in Holland. The coalition had over 300,000 men under
arms. In March Jourdan was defeated by the Archduke
Charles, and Germany was lost. In April Scherer was
beaten by Kray, and after losing the lines of the Adige,
the Mincio, and the Adda was superseded by Moreau, who
in his turn was defeated at Cassano. In June Macdonald,
who had hurried away from Naples, lost the stubbornfought battle of Trebia, where I2,00ooo men fell on each side.
In August Joubert, who had succeeded Moreau and
Macdonald, was beaten on the desperate field of Novi by
Suwarrow, and was himself slain.  The loss was 7,000
men on each side.   Grouchy, after receiving fourteen
wounds, still waved the French flag over his head while
lying on the ground. The Chouans were abroad in Brittany
and La Vendee. It was only in Holland and in Switzerland that the French arms were successful.  A British
force I2,ooo strong under Sir Ralph Abercromby landed
in Holland, took the fort of Helder, repulsed a combined
Dutch and French attack, and captured the whole Dutch
VOL. I.                                 R




242    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


fleet in the Texel. However, disasters followed. No
sooner had the Russian contingent under General Hermann arrived than the French gained the battle of Bergen.
The English who formed the left and centre carried all
before them under Dundas 'and Pulteney, and made I,ooo
prisoners, but the Russian wing having been completely
routed, the Duke of York was obliged to retreat, and to
evacuate Holland.  In Switzerland Massena inflicted on
Korsakow a crushing defeat which prevented Suwarrow
from crossing the Alps, and carrying out his darling scheme
of marching on Paris.  Soured by disappointment the
veteran returned to St. Petersburg and died of a broken
heart. These French successes had an immense influence
on passing events. They drove the Czar, who traced the
reverses of his troops to English and Austrian treachery,
into the arms of France.
In February Bonaparte marched into Syria. In March
Corfu was taken by a combined Russian and Turkish
force. In May the siege of St. Jean d'Acre had to be
raised. In June Bonaparte returned to Egypt. In July
he defeated the Turks at Aboukir, in August he sailed
for France, and in October he landed at Frejus, and set
out for Paris. In November he turned out the chambers,
and in December he became first consul.
It will be remarked from the first letter we quote for
1799 that General Bonaparte was anxious to open negotiations, and to obtain some positive information as to what
was passing in Europe.
To GENERAL MARMONT.
" CAIRO, 7/h 7anuary, 1799.
'C... I authorise you to send a parlementaire to the
English; you will tell them that having learned they have
the plague on board, you desire to render them all the
assistance dictated by humanity. Send an extremely uprzight
man who is not a great talker, and who has good ears..
a man having the rank of captain, who will take with him




MEDICAL OFFICER PUNISHED.


243


Egyptian gazettes, and who must try and obtain European
ones in exchange. Direct the officer to go on board alone
so that there may be no gossip on his return....
" BONAPARTE."
ORDER OF THE DAY.
" CAIRO, 8th January, 1799.
"Any medical man who leaves his ambulance in presence
of the enemy, without orders, or who refuses his aid to
persons suffering from contagious maladies, shall be
arrested....                      BONAPARTE."
And it was directed that Surgeon Boyer, who had refused
to attend to plague-stricken patients, should be dressed as
a woman and paraded through the streets of Alexandria
with a placard on his back with these words-" Unworthy
to be a French citizen; he fears death."  After which
Citizen Boyer was to be put in prison and sent back to
France by the first ship.
A balloon was sent up on the anniversary of the battle
of Rivoli, but it does not appear to have greatly impressed
the Moslem mind.
To GENERAL VERDIER.
" MANSOURAH, I8f//t anuary, 1799..... The Sheik of the village of Myt-Ma'sarah is very
culpable; you will threaten him with the bastinado unless
he tells you where other Mamelukes and other guns are
hidden... After which you will cut off his head and
expose it with an inscription to the effect that he suffered
for having hidden guns.              BONAPARTE."
To GENERAL BERTHIER.
" CAIRO, 25t/ J7anuary, I799.
"You will set out on the loth Pluvi6se for Alexandria,
and embark on board the frigate La Courageuse....
BONAPARTE."
R 2




244    TIIE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Lengthy instructions followed, but Berthier at the last
moment made up his mind to remain with the army which
was about to undertake active operations. The fact of his
contemplated return to France was due to his violent love
for a Madame Visconti whom he had carried off from her
husband in Italy. This singular and extravagant passion
lasted till death, although under the Empire Bonaparte
forced his chief of the staff to marry a German princess.
The three lived together and got on very happily until
poor Berthier either fell from, or was pushed out of, a
window, and died, after having deserted his old master and
taken service under Louis XVIII.
To THE IMAUN OF MUSCAT.
" CAIRO, 25/k J7anzuay, 1799.
"I write you this letter to inform you of the arrival of the
French army in Egypt. As you have always been friendly
you must be convinced of our desire to protect all the
merchant vessels you may send to Suez. I also beg you
will forward the inclosed letter to Tippoo Sahib by the
first opportunity.
"BONAPARTE."
To TIPPOO SAHIB.
"CAIRO, 25th January, I799.
"You have already been informed of my arrival on the
shores of the Red Sea, with a numerous and invincible
army, animated with the desire of delivering you from
the iron yoke of England.
" I hasten to inform you of my desire to receive news
with regard to the political position in which you find
yourself placed. I even desire you will send to Suez some
competent person who enjoys your confidence, and with
whom I can confer.
C" BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte had great hopes of obtaining the alliance
of Tippoo, who had on more than one occasion made
overtures to France. In 1788 Louis XVI. received an




CITIZEN TIPPOO.


245


embassy from Tippoo which was feted at Versailles, but
owing to the state of the French exchequer could obtain
neither men nor money.   This failure so irritated the
Nabob of Mysore that he had two of his ambassadors
executed on their return.  In 1791 Tippoo once more
applied to the French king for assistance, offering to pay
all expenses if his majesty would only send him 6,000
men.   But Louis XVI. at that moment had lost all
authority, and was bewailing the error he had committed
in favouring the independence of the United States merely
to thwart England. In I797 poor Tippoo, sadly shorn of
his glory, saw another chance of revenge. A Jacobin club
had been established at Seringapatamn composed of Frenchmen who had been driven from Pondicherry. They swore
hatred to all royalties and tyrants with the exception of
Citizen Tippoo, the Victorious. An embassy was once more
sent to France, but led to a very trifling result. As to the
overtures made by Napoleon, nothing came of them, for
his letter fell into the hands of a British cruiser. In April
1799 Seringapatam  was stormed, and Tippoo Sahib's
eventful career brought to a close.
In a letter which Nelson wrote to George Baldwin, Esq.,
Consul at Alexandria, he said-" I am persuaded of the
intention of the French to attempt driving us from Egypt
in concert with Tippoo Sahib," and he added that even
at the risk of a war we should get possession of his
sea coast.
To GENERAL BERTHIER.
" CAIRO, 26t/h 7anuary, 1799.
"You will place under arrest the officers and sub-officers
of the detachment charged to bring in the flock of sheep
captured fi-om the Arabs by General Murat, which detachment not only did not prevent pillage, but was the first to
pillage. You will send the names of the officers and men
to the paymaster, so that the value of the sheep stolen
may be stopped.
" BONAPARTE."




246   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


And on the same day Bonaparte wrote to Berthier that
200 soldiers who had lost their sight were to be sent to
Rosetta. An English brig having gone ashore, and sixteen
of the crew having been saved, he had great hopes of
obtaining news from Europe.
ORDER.
" CAIRO, Ist February, I799.
"The house occupied by General Lannes together with
twenty feddans of land is conceded to him for ever."
General Murat and General Dommartin received similar
gifts.  The conquest of the country was regarded as
permanent.
To THE DIRECTORY.
" CAIRO, 5th February, I799.
"Several generals and officers having informed me that
their state of health will not permit them to serve any
longer in this country, I have given them leave to return to
France.... The arrival of a vessel at Alexandria with
letters for me from Genoa and Ancona has just been
announced. This is the first news from Europe for eight
months.... I hope to learn what is passing on the
Continent so as to be able to shape my conduct in
consequence.
" BONAPARTE."
To THE DIRECTORY.
" CAIRO, IOth February, I799.
The ship which arrived at Alexandria merely brought
me a letter from the consul at Ancona saying that all was
quiet in Europe and in France."
Bonaparte made no mention of the letters from Genoa
which were probably written by Joseph and Lucien, whose
efforts to keep the General acquainted with what was going
on were incessant.




THE SUEZ CANAL.


247


The report continued:" I am having a corvette built at Suez, and I have a
flotilla of four despatch boats cruising in the Red Sea.
Ibrahim Pasha and other pashas threaten to invade Egpyt.
I start in an hour to meet them. We shall have to pass nine
days in a desert without grass or water. I have collected
a sufficient number of camels and hope we shall want for
nothing.... In the operation I am undertaking I have
three objects in view. Ist. To insure the conquest of
Egypt by constructing a strong fort beyond the desert, &c.
2nd. To force the Porte to give explanations. 3rd. To
deprive the English cruisers of the supplies they draw
from Syria.
"I am accompanied in this expedition by the Mollah,
who, after the mufti of Constantinople, is the most revered
man in the Mussulman Empire.... The Ramazan, which
commenced yesterday, was celebrated by me with great
pomp.   I performed the same functions that the Pasha
used to perform. General Desaix is I60 leagues from
Cairo making excavations among the ruins of Thebes....
By the first courier I will send you the levels of the
Suez Canal, the vestiges of which are perfectly
preserved....
" BONAPARTE."
A long letter which Bonaparte wrote to Desaix on the
same date shows that the ship which reached Alexandria
must have brought him an ample stock of news. He informed Desaix that the Congress of Rastadt was still
sitting; that recruiting was brisk; that Jourdan commanded the army of the Rhine and Joubert that of Italy;
that when it was known in London that he had landed in
Egypt, all England went mad; that the English had
declared war against the Italian Republics, and were
blockading Malta; that General Humbert had managed to
double Scotland and to land in Ireland, &c.




248   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


On the 6th February Bonaparte set out for Syria,
having little idea of the obstacles he was destined to
encounter, and which proved stronger than his own
imperious will.
To THE SOLDIERS OF KLEBER'S DIVISION.
"THE WELLS OF ZAOUY, 24th February, I799.
"It is not by mutinying that you will remedy matters:
it would be better for you to bury your heads in the sand
and to die with honour, than to indulge in disorder and to
violate discipline."
Kleber had lost his way in the desert for three days, and
a number of soldiers in despair had flung away their
muskets and become insubordinate.
On the 27th February Bonaparte wrote to Desaix,
saying:" We have crossed seventy leagues of desert which is exceedingly fatiguing; we had brackish water and often
none at all. We ate dogs, donkeys, and camels. There
has been a horrible wind blowing for the last three days,
and it is pouring with rain. The sky is overcast, and the
climate resembles that of Paris..."
This letter was from Gaza.
On the 5th March Bonaparte, evidently in bad humour,
was at Jaffa. There he gave General Berthier orders:"Put Adjutant-General Grenier under arrest for not
having sent camels with the head-quarters convoy, and
afterwards having sent them without orders.
"Put Major Faure of the artillery under arrest for
naving sent a man for tools without an escort.
" Put the canteen man of the Guides and the three bandsmen under arrest for having allowed their horses to be
stolen by the Arabs."




BONAPARTE IN SYRIA.


249


Aide-de-camp Beaumont, a surgeon, and other officers
and men were to be punished in a similar manner for
neglect of duty, and although the bastinado had been
condemned on principles of reason and humanity" The officer in command of the convoy is authorised to
administer the bastinado to the camel-drivers who fail to
keep their appointed rank, and to the carters who do not
picquet their horses at the places indicated."
Bonaparte was most prolific in his appeals to the various
civil and religious authorities in Syria, assuring them of
his friendly intentions. He thus addressed:THE SHEIKS, ULEMAS, AND COMMANDANT OF
JERUSALEM.
" JAFFA, 9th March, 1799.
"God is clement and merciful!
"I make known to you that I have driven the Mamelukes and the troops of Djezzar Pasha from the provinces
of Gaza, &c.; that it is not my intention to wage war
against the people; that I am the friend of the Mussulman; that the inhabitants of Jerusalem can choose between
peace and war; if they choose the first let them send
delegates to the camp of Jaffa to promise never to do
anything against me. If they are mad enough to prefer
war I shall march against them. They ought to know that
I am terrible as the fire of heaven for my enemies, but
clement and merciful towards the people, and those who
desire to be my friends.
" BONAPARTE."
On the same day he remonstrated with Djezzar Pasha
and said: —
" In a few day I shall march upon St. Jean d'Acre. But
why should I shorten the life of an old man whom I do not
know? What are the few leagues more, compared with
the country I have conquered? And since God has given




250     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
me the victory I wish to follow his example and to be
clement and merciful, not only towards the people but towards
the great.
" BONAPARTE."
To THE DIRECTORY.
"JAFFA, I3th March, I799.
"On the 5th Fructidor I sent an officer to Djezzar the
Pasha of Acre: he received him badly and sent no reply.
On the 29th Brumaire I wrote to him again, and he cut off
the bearer's head. The Frenchmen arrested at Acre have
been cruelly treated."
Bonaparte then entered into a detailed account of his
various operations-the capture of El Arysch, the battle
of Gaza, "where we charged the enemy by the heights
which look on Hebron, and where Samson carried off the
gates;" and the siege of Jaffa, which place was taken by
storm.
"At five o'clock," he wrote, "we were masters of the
town, which during twenty-four hours was handed over to
pillage and all the horrors of war, which never appeared to
me so hideous; 4,000 of the troops of Djezzar were
slaughtered, and among them 800 gunners and a portion
of the inhabitants."  And, "The Republican army is
master of Palestine.
" BONAPARTE."
To Marmont Bonaparte wrote concerning this hideous
massacre:" The capture of Jaffa was very brilliant, 4,000 of Djezzar's best troops and the best gunners of Constantinople
were slaughtered "-not to talk of 2,500 prisoners massacred
in cold blood three days after the capitulation.1 This
Bonaparte afterwards attempted to justify this barbarous act on
the grounds that he could not feed these prisoners, and that, had he




EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS.


25I


tragedy enacted, Napoleon marched upon St. Jean d'Acre,
laying siege to that place on the i8th March.
To M. SIDNEY SMITH.
"ACRE, 23rd March, 1799.
"The    General-in-Chief Bonaparte    commanding     the
armies of the French Republic begs me to inform you that
in virtue of the cartel of exchange between the two nations,
he sends you the English prisoners captured at Hayfa, &c.,
&c. He hopes you will send to his camp the French
prisoners, especially those taken on board the last vessels,
on condition that they shall not serve against the troops of
allowed them to go, they would have fought against him again.
Lanfrey dismisses both these pleas, saying that Napoleon, who seldom
lost fifty men in his battles in Egypt, had little to fear from these
captives, and that, as he took large quantities of provisions at El
Arysch, Gaza, and Jaffa, there would have been no difficulty in
feeding them. Several officers refused to have anything to do with
the execution.
General Bon commanded the firing party, and his orders (the
original exists) were to shoot the prisoners-" taking precautions so
that none of them can escape."
At the same date (23rd March) we find Nelson writing:To THE HON. WILLIAM      WYNDHAM.
" CULLODEN, PALERMO, 23rd March, 1799.
"MY DEAR SIR,-The ambassador of Buonaparte has been intercepted by my friend Troubridge on his way to Constantinople, and
amongst other articles of his instructions is a very important one-viz.,
an offer to enter on terms for quitting Egypt with his army. This
offer is what I have long expected the glorious battle of the Nile
would produce; but it was my determination from that moment never,
if I could help it, to permit a single Frenchman to quit Egypt.
" Sir Sidney Smith, who has the present command of the squadron
off Alexandria, thinks differently from me, and will grant passports
for the return of that part of the French army which God Almighty
permits to remain. I have therefore thought it highly proper to send
Sir Sidney Smith the order, of which I transmit a copy, for I consider it nothing short of madness to permit that band of thieves to
return to Europe....
" NELSON."




252     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
his Britannic Majesty. The General-in-Chief begs me to
thank you for having sent him back one of his couriers,"
&c., &c.
The courier was the unfortunate Foures i There was
therefore a touch of irony in his expression of gratitude.
The relations between Bonaparte and Sir Sidney Smith
became much less cordial afterwards.
ORDER OF THE DAY.
"ACRE, 8/th April, I799.
".... Soldiers go out on the roads and carry off the
provisions which the peasants are bringing to market;
several complaints have been made against the men of
Kleber's division. For several weeks past there has been
no bread in the market because that which the peasants
were bringing in was taken from them by force, or at an
arbitrary price; several peasants were beaten and not
paid.
" BONAPARTE."
In a long letter to Marmont, Bonaparte, on the I4th
April, gave an account of how matters were progressing at
St. Jean d'Acre.
"There are a large number of English and emigres in
the place," he wrote, " and you may imagine how anxious
we are to enter it. I should bet for ist Floreal (20th
April).... General Caffarelli, my aides-de-camp Duroc,
and Eugene de Beauharnais, General Valentin, Sanson,
Say, and Souhait are among the wounded."
The gallant Caffarelli who had already lost a leg, had
his arm amputated, and died.
Highly indignant with that "grain of sand," as he contemptuously called Acre for presuming to stand in the way
of his destiny and to destroy his illusions, he wrote to
Berthier



SIR SIDNEY SMITII.


253


"The admiral of the English squadron cruising before
Acre having been barbarous enough to embark some
French prisoners on board a ship from Constantinople,
tainted with the plague, on the pretext of sending them to
Toulon but really to make away with them; besides, this
man, being a kind of lunatic, you will inform the commanders along the coast that it is my intention not to hold
any communication with him....
" BONAPARTE."
What Sir Sidney Smith really did was to aid in the
defence of Acre; to publish proclamations in Turkish to
the effect that Bonaparte had been sent to Egypt because
the Directory feared him and his army; to call the
General a renegade, and to offer to meet him in single
combat.
On -the ioth May, Bonaparte sent an account of his
various battles to the Directory, pointing out the rapidity
with which the army had passed the desert.
" Murat," he said, "had gained possession of Safed,
whose inhabitants showed him the spot where Judith had
killed Holofernes."  'The Combat of Nazareth' ended
in the defeat of the enemy, who had crossed the Jordan
coming from Damascus. ' The Combat of Canaan' seems
to have been drawn. At the 'Combat of Mount Tabor'
the cavalry of the enemy behaved with great gallantry,
but was finally dispersed. At St. Jean d'Acre matters
were not going as well as could be wished.
Bonaparte wrote"The season is too far advanced; the end I had in
view has been accomplished (?) My presence is required
in Egypt. I have placed a battery of twenty-four guns so
as to destroy the palace of Djezzar, and the principal
monuments in the town..... Having reduced Acre to
a heap of stones, I shall recross the desert, so as to be
ready to receive any Turkish or European army which




254    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


may attempt to land..... Since crossing the desert I
have lost 500 men killed and I,ooo wounded. The enemy
has lost 15,000.
"BONAPARTE."
This despatch would hardly lead one to believe that
Bonaparte retreated from before Acre only after fourteen
unsuccessful attempts had been made to carry the place by
storm, after his troops had suffered severely, and after
several of his lieutenants had remonstrated with him.
Nothing could equal his fury at being foiled by land as
well as by sea.
After giving orders that the troops should sharpen their
bayonets on all three edges, and informing General Dugna
that Generals Bon, Lannes, and Duroc had been wounded,
and that Ventura his interpreter was dead, Bonaparte
issued one of his usual bombastic proclamations, reminding the army of the great things it had accomplished. To
explain his retreat he said:"A few days more, and you would have captured the
Pasha in the very middle of his palace; but at this season
the capture of Acre would not be worth the loss of some
days; besides, the gallant fellows who would have perished
are required for more essential operations.
"Soldiers, we have a career of dangers and fatigues
before us....
"BONAPARTE."
Everything was now prepared for a retrograde movement. We see by the various orders how the sick and
wounded were to be removed; how General Dommartin
was to throw some of his guns into the sea at dead of
night, and how five spans of an aqueduct and the pillars
of a mosque were to be blown up. Junot was ordered to
burn all the mills on the river Jordan and to sell or destroy
all the corn. Having caused Mount Carmel to be occupied,




RETREAT FROM SYRIA.


255


orders to commence the march back to Egypt were issued
for the 20th May, and everything was to be done at Cairo
to give the return an air of triumph. A great show was
to be made with captured standards and prisoners. The
siege of St. Jean d'Acre cost the French 4,000 men.
To GENERAL BERTHIER.
"JAFFA, 26th May, I799.
c Bonaparte, General-in-Chief, seeing the consequences
of the embezzlements of the magazines under present
circumstances, and the necessity of making a severe
example of a crowd of depredators, orders," &c.
The accused were to be tried by drum-head courtmartial, and summarily shot if found guilty.
On the 27th May Bonaparte gave an account of his
glorious achievements to the Directory, and related that
when he was on the point of carrying Acre, spies, deserters,
and prisoners informed him that the plague was raging in
the place.  Under these circumstances its capture was
renounced. On the 3rd Prairial, the army, he mentioned,
encamped among the ruins of Caesarea, in the midst of the
remains of marble and granite columns, which proved the
truth of what Josephus had written concerning that city.
On the I5th June, Bonaparte, in a letter to Desaix
announced his arrival at Cairo. " I salute and love you,"
he concluded; adding, as P.S.: "Wear a flannel waistcoat;
that is the only way to avoid getting sore eyes."
An officer who took part in this retreat has left a striking
picture of the horrors with which it was accompanied.
The fearful thirst, excessive heat, and want of water demoralised the army, destroying all generous sentiments.
"I saw officers who had suffered amputation," he wrote,
' thrown out of their stretchers though they had paid the
men to carry them. Sick and wounded were abandoned.
All the villages, hamlets, and towns on the line of march
were burned. Those who presided over these disasters,




256   TIlE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


seemed, by spreading desolation round them, bent on
revenging their reverses..... The beautiful sky was
obscured by the smoke of our continual conflagrations."
And in one of the intercepted letters published in England
may be found such paragraphs as these:-" If the army
had known what awaited it, not one of us would have
embarked; death would have been a thousand times
preferable to the misery we endure. We are surrounded
by enemies on all sides. In the space of a week 600 men
have died of thirst.  Discontent is general; never was
despotism carried to such a pitch.  Soldiers have been
seen to kill themselves in presence of the General-in-Chief,
exclaiming, 'This is your work."'
Bonaparte, violently irritated with Sir Sidney Smith,
whom he now called a captain of fire-ships, in an order of
the day of the I8th June, said:"During the absence of the army in Syria, the commander of the British squadron so far forgot himself, and
what he owed to honourable soldiers, as to propose to
General Dugna to take advantage of a moment, when a
portion of the army was beyond the desert, to return to
France..... The General-in-Chief will make known to
the army all the officers, who by their conduct, forget they
are the citizens of the first nation in the world, which, after
having subdued the Continent, has, by founding its power
on the Nile, sapped the gigantic strength of England in
India; a nation, for which he has only one fear, that of
arriving too quickly at the maximum of glory and
prosperity, after which, in the natural order of events,
everything declines."
From this period all the despatches of Bonaparte show
that Egypt continued in a most unsettled condition. One
despatch gives an account of fighting at Thebes and eleven
other places, and although villages which revolted were
burned to the ground and their inhabitants put to the




A GERMAN REPUBIIC.


257


sword, this did not prevent other villages from revolting
and false prophets from  preaching resistance.  On the
28th June Bonaparte asked for reinforcements.
"The army," he said, "has lost 5,344 men since it
landed, but: the Syrian campaign has had a great result;
we are vmasters of the whole desert, and have disconcerted
the plans of our enemies for this season." And then, "If
you could send us 15,000 men we might go anywhere, even
to Constantinople. We require 2,000 men for our cavalry,
with carbines, saddles, &c.; 6,ooo foot soldiers; 600
hussars; 500 gunners; engineers, masons, carpenters,
sappers; 20,000 muskets; 40,000 bayonets; 3,000 sabres;
6,000 brace of pistols; Io,ooo pioneering tools. If you
cannot send this succour you must make peace.....   We
are very anxious for news from France..... It will be
the happiest day in our existence when we hear of the
establishment of the first Republic in Germany.
( BONAPARTE."
The above despatch shows what Bonaparte, driven back
into Egypt, thought of the prospects of the expedition two
months before he left the country.
The Cherif of Mecca having applied for passports for the
Fath-el-Bahri and three other vessels, bound for India,
Bonaparte directed Berthier to make them out in the
following form:"The French Republic makes war against the pashas
and the ministers of the Grand Turk, who, are influenced
by Russia, the eternal enemy of Islam, but the French
Republic is the most sincere friend of the descendant of
the califs, of the chief of the Mussulman religion, the
greatest and the most perfect of princes, the Cherif of
Mecca.
"In consequence the General-in-Chief orders," &c., &c.
VOL. I.                                    S




258   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


To THE DIVAN OF CAIRO.
"2ISt 7july, 1799.
"There is no other God but God, and Mohammed is His
prophet!
" To the Divan of Cairo, chosen among the wisest, the
most educated, and the most enlightened persons. May
the grace of the Prophet be on you!
"I write you this to inform  you that.... eighty
vessels presented themselves before Alexandria, but being
warmly received they have anchored at Aboukir and are
disembarking troops. My intention is, when they are all
disembarked, to attack them, to kill all who refuse to
surrender, and to grant others life in order to bring them
here as prisoners, which will be a fine sight for Cairo.
"Those who brought this fleet here hoped to join the
Arabs and the Mamelukes in pillaging and devastating
Egypt. There are on board this fleet, Russians who hold
in horror those who believe in the unity of God, because,
according to their lies, they believe there are three gods. But
they will soon perceive that the number of gods does not
constitute force, and that there is only one, the Father of
Victory, clement and merciful, always fighting for the good
and confounding the machinations of the wicked, who, in
His wisdom, decided that I should come to Egypt to
change the state of affairs, and to substitute for a regime
of devastation, a regime of order and justice. In thus
acting, He gives a proof of His omnipotence, for what
those who believed in the Trinity were never able to
accomplish, we have done-we who believe that a single
God governs nature and the world.
6' BONAPARTE."
In the next letter, Bonaparte said that General Abdallah
Menou, who had embraced Islamism, and taken to himself
a Turkish wife (from whom he afterwards obtained a
divorce), was going to Rosetta.




THE BATTLE OF ABOUKIR.


259


On the 25th of July, Bonaparte gained the Battle of
Aboukir, utterly defeating the Turkish army which had been
landed, without cavalry, in the hope of capturing him and
his host; seized with panic, thousands of Turks were driven
into the sea and drowned.
ORDER OF THE DAY.
"ALEXANDRIA, ISl August, I799.
"The name of Aboukir was bitter to every Frenchmen:
the 7th Thermidor (25th July) has rendered it glorious. The
victory which the army has gained will accelerate its return
to Europe.  We conquered Mayence and the Rhine
boundary by invading a portion of Austria. We have
now re-conquered our establishments in India and those of
our allies. By a single operation we have placed in the
hands of the Government the means of obliging England,
in spite of her maritime triumphs, to sign a peace glorious
for the arms of the Republic.
" BONAPARTE."
However the Aboukir of Bonaparte in no way wiped
out the effect of the Aboukir of Nelson.
To GENERAL DESAIX.
" CAIRO, I Ith August, 1799.
"I have not been well satisfied, Citizen General, with
your operations during the movements which have just
taken place. No matter what events arise, nothing should
hinder a soldier from obeying orders; talent in war consists in overcoming the obstacles in the way of an operation, and not in causing it to fail. I mention this for your
future guidance.
i' BONAPARTE."
On the same day, in an exceedingly long letter, Bonaparte informed Desaix that he had received some English
papers, that several battles had been fought, that Jourdan
had been beaten at Feldkirch, and had re-passed the Rhine;
S 2




260    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


that Scherer who had assumed the command of the army
of Italy, had been beaten at Rivoli, and driven back across
the Mincio and the Ogiio; that the Russians had not yet
arrived, that Prince Charles commanded against Jourdan,
and Kray against Scherer; that Jarvis and Nelson were in
the Mediterranean with fifty vessels; that Toulon and
Carthagena were blockaded; that Corfu had been taken
by famine, but that Malta had been revictualled for two
years. And in the next letter Marmont was directed to
take measures for the defence of Boghaz as "M. Smith is
capable of any act of madness."
It was M. Smith who had sent Bonaparte the English
papers referred to in the hope that the ill news they contained would still further discourage the army under his
command.
ORDER.
CAIRO, i6th August, I799.
"The commanders of the provinces will make known in
an Arabic circular, to be sent to all the villages, the pomp
with which the fere of the Prophet has been celebrated at
Cairo. No celebration within the memory of man was so
brilliant. All the troops in Cairo, lighted by a great
number of torches, went to visit the Sheik El-Bekry. The
General-in-Chief dined with him, as also Mustapha Pasha,
and all the principal officers captured at Aboukir. The
General-in-Chief was present at the reading of several
Arab poems written in honour of the Prophet; after
which, in the midst of the grand sheiks, he said prayers
and heard the genealogy of the Prophet recited. The
Pasha and the Turkish prisoners were overcome with
surprise at the respect shown by the French for Islamism
and the law of the most holy of Prophets....
" BONAPARTE."
The next day Bonaparte wrote once more to the Grand
Vizier to try and bring the war to a close. He asked



RUSSIA AND TURKEY.


26I


" By what fatality comes it that France and Turkey are
at war when their frontiers are so distant from each other,
when France is the enemy of Russia and the Emperor,
and the Porte the enemy of Russia and the Emperor?...
Is not your Excellency aware that Russia is the real enemy
of Islam? The Emperor Paul I. has become Grand Master
of Malta, that is to say he has sworn to wage war against
the Mussulmans. Is he not chief of the Greek Church?.... FFrance, on the contrary, has destroyed the Knights
of Malta, and has broken the chains of the Turks who
were in slavery. Thus the Sublime Porte has declared
war against its true friends, and has entered into an alliance
with its veritable enemies. The Sublime Porte therefore
which was the friend of France as long as that power was
Christian, declares war directly France by her religion
approaches the Mussulman belief. Russia and England
have deceived the Sublime Porte..... My army is
powerful, well disciplined, and supplied with everything
which can render it victorious over all other armies were
they as numerous as the sands of the sea." And many
arguments were employed to induce the Sultan Selim to
open negotiations with France, and to checkmate the perfidious designs of Russia and Austria. " Say but the word,"
added Bonaparte, "we will close the Black Sea to Russia,
ald cease to be the plaything of that hostile Power we
have so many reasons to hate. It is not against the
Mussulmans that the French armies wish to display their
tactics and their courage; but, on the contrary, united some
day with th/e Mussulmans, they will dtrive out the common
enemly.
BONAPARTE."
It was certainly an anomaly, which has not escaped the
historian, to see the Czar, or Patriarch of the Greek church,
assume the office of Grand Master of the Knights of Malta,
and take the Pope, whom he anathematised in his ecclesiastical capacity, under his protection; to see the Grand




262    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Master, whose first vow was to exterminate all Mussulmans,
allied with the Turks; and Russian battalions decorated
with the Catholic cross of St. John of Jerusalem, the
schismatic cross of St. Andrew, and the Protestant cross
of St. Anne, fighting beside the standard of the Prophet to
re-establish the Pope in Rome, Catholicism in France, and
Islamism in Egypt.
To GENERAL KLEBER.
" ALEXANDRIA, 22n1 August, I799.
" You will find inclosed, Citizen General, an order to take
over the command in chief of the army.  The fear of the
English cruisers returning makes me hasten my departure.
I take with me Berthier, Lannes, Murat, Andreossy, and
Marmont, the citizens Monge and Berthollet.
" You will see by the inclosed English papers that we
have lost Italy, and that Mantua, Turin, and Tortona are
blockaded."
In the event of not receiving reinforcements and of
suffering a loss of 1,500 men by plague before the end of
the year Kleber was authorised to come to terms with
Turkey even on the condition of evacuating Egypt. Bonaparte added-" You know how to appreciate, as well as
any one, the importance to France of such a possession as
Egypt. The Turkish empire, which is menaced with ruin
on all sides, is crumbling to pieces to-day, and the evacuation of Egypt by France would be a misfortune all the
greater because we should live to see that fine province in
other European hands."
A great deal of advice was then tendered. If the Porte
replied to the overtures for peace, Kleber was to persist in
assuring the Sultan that France never had any intention of
taking Egypt from the Porte. As for the internal government of Egypt, Kleber was told to lull fanaticism to sleep
until it could be eradicated. Further on, Bonaparte said" I applied several times for a company of actors; I shall




END OF THE EGYPTIAN CAMPAIGN.


263


take particular care to send you some. This article (sic)
is very important for the army, and also for the purpose of
effecting a change in the customs of the country.
"The important command you are about to assume will
enable you to display those talents with which nature has
favoured you....
"Accustomed to see the recompense of the trials and
labours of life in the opinion of posterity, I abandon Egypt
with the greatest regret.
"The interest of the country, its glory, obedience, the
extraordinary events which are passing there, have alone
decided me to return to Europe."
To GENERAL KLIBER.
"ALEXANDRIA, 22nd August, I799.
"The General Kleber is ordered to assume the command
in chief of the army of the east, the Government having
summoned me home.
" BONAPARTE."
Thus terminated the Egyptian expedition as far as
Bonaparte was concerned.  It had ended in failure. At
St. Helena he said that he was aware that the expedition
would end in a catastrophe as soon as the English had
destroyed his fleet at Aboukir, and, by way of excusing
his departure, he added-" There was nothing to detain me
in Egypt; it was an exhausted enterprise. Any general
was good enough to sign a capitulation which time would
render inevitable." The noble-minded Kleber was spared
this task, which fell to the lot of Abdallah Menou.
We have seen how the expedition arose, because Bonaparte wished to leave France for a time, and because the
Directory wished to get rid of a powerful protector and his
army. It has been asserted by most writers that Bonaparte
deserted his army in Egypt and returned to France without
orders. This charge is true, to a certain extent, true as far
as Bonaparte himself was concerned.  The government




264     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
had sent orders for his return. Admiral Bruix had been
instructed to use every effort to bring him back, and negotiations had been opened with the Porte for the evacuation
of Egypt, on the condition of means being furnished to
General Bonaparte and his army to return to France. A
Greek, of the name of Vittallis, had been charged with the
task of conveying the orders of the Directory to Bonaparte,
and Vittallis was on his way to Egypt when he met Napoleon at Aix. The General had therefore anticipated orders.
What finally caused Bonaparte to accelerate his departure from Egypt was a packet of newspapers which
Sir Sidney Smith had sent to him, enumerating the French
reverses in Italy and on the Rhine. The British Commodore thought this intelligence would increase the discouragement which reigned in the French army, and perhaps lead to a capitulation.  He little foresaw the real
consequences of his act.
Before leaving Egypt and his army, Bonaparte gave
Kleber a rendezvous, but he hurried on board ship without waiting for him, and left his successor merely the
written instructions already referred to.  Kleber immediately wrote a report to the Directory, in which he drew
a mournful picture of the state of destitution in which the
army had been left-neither arms, powder, lead, nor
clothing-dysentery and ophthalmia rife. " General Bonaparte," he added, "a few months after our arrival, exhausted the extraordinary resources, and levied war contributions which the country could not support..
However, at his departure, Bonaparte did not leave a sou
or any equivalent object in the military chest. On the
contrary, he left arrears for I2,000,000 francs, which
under present circumstances, means more than a year's
revenue. For the army alone the arrears amount to over
4,000,000 francs...."  It would be difficult to say what
effect this despatch would have created had it been received by the Directory.  Captured by a British cruiser,
however, it did not reach Paris until Kleber had been




THE ENGLISH IN EGYPT.


265


assassinated, and when Bonaparte was First Consul and
master of the situation.
When at St. Helena, Bonaparte wrote a series of observations on the Egyptian campaign, under General Menou,
and the operations of the English. He said that the English Cabinet undertook the war with 6o,oo0 men-34,ooo
Englishmen and 24,000 Turks. These forces were drawn
from England, India, and other places, and the plans were
most defective.... As a proof of this, Bonaparte pointed
out that the division from India reached Kosseir six
months after Abercrornby had landed, that it never
fired a shot; that the reserve drawn from   London
and Gibraltar also reached Egypt six months after
General Abercromby; that the Capitan Pasha with his
6,ooo men arrived at Aboukir twenty days after Abercromby; that the Grand Vizier crossed the desert only
in May, instead of three months sooner.  Consequently
instead of having 60,000 men, Abercromby landed with
I9,500 Englishmen, destitute of everything. He had no
horses for his artillery or for his cavalry, although he had
passed two months at Malta and two months in Asia
Minor (where he might have procured any number of
animals) making preparations. "These faults," said the
writer, "were committed by the cabinet which conceived
the plan of campaign.  They furnish a new proof of the
bad state of English administration, which is the most
defective in Europe."
Respecting the manceuvres of General Abercromby,
Bonaparte had a great deal to say.  He was right in
believing that once master of Alexandria, he would be
able to persuade the French to accept the capitulation of
El Ayrisch; he ought not to have arrived before the I5th
April, when he would have been able to surprise the city,
and when he landed, instead of wasting four days and a
half, he should have marched at once on Alexandria.
He himself had immediately attacked the city with a mere
handful of men, without waiting for his guns, "for it is




266   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


a principle in war that the thunderbolt is preferable to
the cannon."  Admiral Keith, too, should have deceived
the French by threatening Damietta.
The operations of General Hutchinson (who succeeded
Abercromby) were also sharply criticised by the imperial
captive. He was blamed for "running after accessories
when he was within striking distance of the heart.... All
his operations should have been directed against Alexandria, and he ought to have conquered Egypt without
losing sight of the masts of his fleet." He was then blamed
for moving so slowly, but Bonaparte admitted -,tat he
thought the force under General Belliard twice as strong as
it really was.
The Emperor still more severely condemned the operations of the French commanders-those of Generals Friant,
Lanusse, and Lagrange; and the conduct of Colonel Cavalier was pronounced to have been so unjustifiable that he
ought to have been brought before a court-martial.  "The
Romans would have decimated his detachment," wrote
the Emperor, adding, "It was their anxiety to return to
France which led the soldiers to capitulate.... It would
be well to pass a law forbidding all communication with
the enemy; for our soldiers are so good-natured, and so
ready to make friends, and our officers are so easily
deceived, that foreigners perpetually make fools of them."
The conduct of General Belliard was strongly censured.
He thought he had Io,ooo English troops in front of him
at Cairo, whereas he had only 4,000, the remainder of the
enemy's force being Turks and Bedouins. " He surrendered the capital of Egypt," wrote the Emperor, "with
its magazines, 400 guns, &c., without firing a shot. It is
true that the interests of the generals, the officers, and
civil authorities were stipulated for with great care. Of
these 14,000 men, 500 enlisted in the Mamelukes, and the
remainder returned to France. The army brought home
its standards, arms, fifty pieces of artillery, horses, an
immniense amount of baggage, and all the curiosities of the




FRENCH OFFICERS IN EGYPT.


267


country.... When officers consider it possible to escape
from a critical position by means of a convention, everything is lost. Better would it be to confide the defence
and the honour of the country to old women armed with
distaffs.1... The grief felt by the First Consul when he
heard of this capitulation [which he knew to be inevitable]
may be easily imagined. His first impulse was to have
all the generals who took a part in the council of war
arrested.... But on second reflections the First Consul
changed his mind. General Belliard was a very distinguished officer; he had rendered important services during
the campaign; at Arcola he had covered Bonaparte with
his body, and had received a bullet destined for his chief.... He had been abandoned:, without orders, by General
Menou (who had succeeded Kleber) whose irresolution and
want of military talents had destroyed all hope and all
confidence.  The generals who signed the capitulation
were distinguished officers. Would it have been well,
seeing the brilliant situation of the Republic when peace
was concluded with Russia, the Porte, and with England,
to have cast a shadow over its glory, and to have afflicted
the nation by opening an inquiry which would have dishonoured brave men who had deserved well of the country?
Was it not preferable to close one's eyes, and to attribute
all that had happened to fatality, and to the absolute
incapacity of the Commander-in-Chief? For, no matter
what the energy of the Government, an army of lions
commanded by a deer will never be an army of lions."
Naturally all the operations of Abdallah Menou were
severely censured, and he was written down as an
unmitigated blunderer; but this did not prevent his
employment under the empire as governor of Piedmont
and Venice. As for General Belliard, he afterwards distinguished himself at Ulm and Austerlitz. He fought
against us in Spain; he marched to Moscow and back;
1 In the days of Joan of Arc the English sent the French a present
of a flag, with a distaff embroidered on it.




268   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


he lost an arm  at Leipsic; he served Louis XVIII.
as mltajor-general of the army, on the abdication of
Bonaparte; he rejoined his old master on his return from
Elba; after Waterloo he was thrown into prison for a
time, but instead of sharing the fate of Ney, was soon
taken into favour once more. On the fall of Charles X.
he was sent by Louis IPhlippe on a mission to Berlin, and
he died at Brussels in 1832, while engaged in the formation
of the new Belgian Government.
That Bonaparte did not assemble a court-martial to try
the generals who capitulated in Egypt is not astonishing,
for the evidence would certainly have damaged his own
reputition, and have brought to light matters which it
was his interest to keep concealed.
Some years afterwards (24th November, 1803) Napoleon
wrote as follows to Talleyrand:"Write in cipher to Citizen Lesseps that he ought to
go to Cairo; that he did wrong to show the letter of the
Mamelukes to the Pasha of Cairo..... Let him tell
Osman Bey that I received his letter and understood its
contents; that I like the Mamelukes because they are
brave, and especially the Mamelukes of Mourad Bey,
because they took our part and joined the French army;
that my intention is to favour and protect them, and that
they can count upon this. Let him tell the widow of
Mourad Bey that I have received her letter; that I have
given special orders to the French agents in Egypt to
protect her; that she has nothing to fear, and that she
shall wAant for nothing, because Mourad Bey ended by
becoming the friend of France.
" BONAPARTE."
The fact is, that after the departure of Bonaparte, who
had treated Egypt as Sallust treated Numidia, Mourad
Bey, this modern Jugurtha, incensed at the reception he
met with in the camp of the Grand Vizier Mustapha, who




BONAPARTE LANDS AT FREJUS.


269


was marching against the French, first of all retired from
the scene, and then came to terms with Kleber, and aided
that general in his operations against the Turks. Mourad
remained the faithful friend and ally of the French, until
carried off by the plague towards the close of I801, and
he was so deeply regretted by his Mamelukes that they
broke his sword and spear over his grave, considering
no one else worthy to wield them after their beloved
chieftain.
It was on the night of the 22nd August that Bonaparte
left Egypt with his staff. Managing, with his usual good
fortune, to escape the British cruisers, on the Ist October
he landed at Ajaccio, where he remained until the 7th,
making himself thoroughly acquainted with the position
of affairs on the Continent before venturing to continue
his journey. On the 9th he disembarked safely at Frejus,
and on the Ioth he was at Aix, from which place he
wrote:To THE DIRECTORY.
"AIX, ioth October, I799.
"CITIZEN  DIRECTORS,-Since I left France I have
received only one of your despatches, which reached me
when I was before Acre. It contained the news of
our successes at Naples, which made me conjecture an
approaching war on the Continent. From that moment
I considered that I should no longer remain absent from
France.... Egypt, protected from invasion, is entirely
ours." Then came a different excuse, that of the successes in the kingdom of Naples, for his return. " I
procured," added Bonaparte, "after several diplomatic
conferences (?), the English Gazettes up to the 6th June,
by which I learned the defeat of Jourdan in Germany and
of Scherer in Italy. I started at once with the Muiron
and Carrae, although bad sailers. I did not calculate the
danger. It was my duty to be where my presence was
most necessary. Animated with these sentiments, I should




270    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


have thrown my cloak around me and have left in a boat
had I not had frigates. I have left Egypt well organised,
under the orders of General Kleber.....
" BONAPARTE."
Such was the letter in which Bonaparte explained his
sudden return to France-a return which took the Directory
by surprise, but which was hailed with delight by the
nation. With regard to the successes of Championnet and
the establishment of the Parthenopean Republic, Lanfrey
has very clearly pointed out the reason of Bonaparte's
apprehensions.  Their immediate consequence was that
the French armies found themselves called upon to defend
a line which extended from Naples to Amsterdam, and
which was vigorously assailed along almost its whole
length. As for the reverses experienced by Scherer and
other French generals, they had in a great measure been
repaired before Bonaparte landed in France, and the
Republic was safe from its foreign enemies. In Paris,
however, there were nothing but plots and conspiracies;
but what most of the conspirators wanted was an unscrupulous general. Applications had been made to
Bernadotte and to Moreau, who afterwards boasted that
he had refused the Dictatorship.  Sieyes had founded
great hopes on Joubert, and had given him the command
of the army of Italy, so that he might acquire the necessary amount of glory. As Barras had given Josephine
de Beauharnais to Bonaparte, so Sieyes gave Mlle. de
Semonville to Joubert, to attach him to his person and to
the Republic. Unfortunately for Sieyes and fortunately for
Bonaparte, Joubert was killed at Novi. The consequence
was that Bonaparte, not long after reaching Paris, formed an
alliance with Sieyes. A few days before coming to terms
Sieyes had talked of having Bonaparte shot for his breach
of discipline in leaving Egypt, while Bonaparte had proposed that Sieyes should be driven from the Directory in
consequence of having sold himself to Prussia!




THE RUE DE LA VICTOIRE.


27 I


The Directors soon became aware that the popularity of
Bonaparte was too strong for them. He had been received
with enthusiasm at landing at Frejus. He had made a
triumphal march through France, and had been greeted
with delight in Paris. His absence in Egypt, the uncertainty which had long reigned with regard to his fate and
the fate of his army, and the conviction that he had been
exiled by the Government, all served to heighten his
popularity. His little house in the Rue de la Victoire
was soon crowded with men of all parties seeking to win
over the young General to their cause. Jacobins, Republicans, and Royalists received encouragement alike, and as
Bonaparte afterwards confided to Madame de Remusat at
the camp of Boulogne there was not a party in France
which did not place faith in him. He soon ascertained
that "the pear was ripe" as he expressed it, and that he
was the real master of France. All his rivals were out of
the way. Hoche and Joubert were dead, Pichegru was a
rebel, Moreau had been estranged and was willing to
remain neutral, and Bernadotte, who had been removed
from the War Office, was sulking, and had married Desiree
Clary. Writing to Lucien Bonaparte, the future King of
Sweden, then a staunch Republican, said in reference to
the I8th Brumaire-" But is it for me to reproach you for
not having imitated the great models of patriotism to
be found in history, when I myself could yield to the
entreaties of Joseph? Why?  Because Joseph is the
husband of Julie, the sister of my wife Desiree.  See
upon what slight things the destinies of a great Empire
depend."
Distrust and uncertainty everywhere reigned, and under
these circumstances it was decided that the chambers
should remove to St. Cloud in order that they might enjoy
greater freedom.  This did not prevent the chambers
from being dispersed by Bonaparte at the head of his
grenadiers, and thus perished the Constitution of the Year
III. which had formerly excited so much enthusiasm on the




272     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
part of the General and the troops under his command.
In achieving this result Bonaparte was powerfully aided by
several members of his family, by Joseph, by Lucien, and
by Josephine, whose frailties had been pardoned. In fact
Lucien by his courage saved the situation at a moment
when the General, bewildered by the uproar and reproaches
of the representatives of the nation, lost his head, and was
dragged out of the chamber by his grenadiers, livid and
fainting.  Had Lucien not come to the rescue of his
brother and harangued the troops, little more would
probably have been heard of Bonaparte.
The chief power now passed out of the hands of the
Directory into those of three Consuls, Bonaparte, Sieyes,
and Roger-Ducros. Before the end of the year the Constitution of the Year VIII. had created three consuls who
were elected for ten years.  The three Consuls elected
were Bonaparte, Cambaceres, and Lebrun, but all the
prerogatives were centered in the first Consul.  This
Constitution obtained the sanction of over 3,000,000 voters.
Such is the brief sketch of the situation after the return
of Bonaparte from Egypt.
To CITIZEN LAPLACE.
"PARIS, I9th October, I799.
"I have received with gratitude, citizen, the copy of
your fine work (La Mecanique celeste) which you have just
sent me. The first six months I can dispose of shall be
spent in reading it. If you have nothing better to do,
come and dine with me to-morrow. My respects to
Madame Laplace.
"BONAPARTE."
No letter from the g9th October to the 9th November.
On the i8th Brumaire (8th November), after the decree
which transferred the Corps Legislatif to St. Cloud, Bonaparte issued addresses to the Council of Elders, the




ADMIRATION OF THE REPUBLIC.


273


National Guard of Paris, and the army.   In these
addresses we find such phrases as the following:" We desire a Republic founded upon true liberty, upon
civil liberty, and the national representation, and we shall
obtain it. I swear this in my own name and that of my
comrades.... During two years the Republic has been
misgoverned. You hoped that my return would put an
end to so many evils; you celebrated it with a unanimity
which imposes upon me the obligations I am fulfilling....
Liberty, victory, and peace will replace the French
Republic in the rank it formerly occupied in Europe, and
which it lost, thanks to incapacity or treason."
On the following day in a speech to the Council of
Elders Bonaparte complained that he was already overwhelmed with calumnies, that people spoke of Caesar, of
Cromwell, and of a military government.  If he had
desired a military government, he asked, would he have
lent his support to the national representation? Since his
return from Egypt, he said, he had been surrounded by
intrigues. All the factions had tried to gain him over. " I
am no intriguer," he added; "you know me; I believe
I have given pledges enough of my devotion to the
country."
Speeches and proclamations were filled with the most
liberal and Republican sentiments calculated to allay
suspicion.  Then came the following order of the day
dated Paris, 20th Brumaire, Year VIII.
" General Bonaparte is highly satisfied with the conduct
of the troops of the line, pensioners, and national guards,
who yesterday, so fortunate for the Republic, showed
themselves the real friends of the people; he expresses
his particular satisfaction to those brave grenadiers who
covered themselves with glory in saving the life of their
general when on the point of falling beneath the blows
of representatives armed with poniards.
" BONAPARTE."


VOL. I.


T




274     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
At the sitting of St. Cloud, Bonaparte, accused of violating the law, had lost courage, had fainted, and had
been carried out of the Chamber by his grenadiers, but
the fact of any one having attempted to stab the general
is very doubtful. Lucien Bonaparte, who saved the situation by jumping on his horse and haranguing the troops,
spoke of representatives armed with daggers and paid by
England, but this was so much metaphor. Nor did any
one see the twenty assassins who attacked the general, and
pierced private Thome's uniform, and yet one reads in the
Moniteur of the 23rd   Brumaire -" Thomas Thom6,
genadier of the Legislative Body, who had the sleeve of his
coat torn in protecting Bonaparte from the blow of a dagger
aimed at him, dined on the 20th and breakfasted on the
2ist with him.   The citizeness  Bonaparte embraced
Thomas Thome, and placed a diamond ring, worth 2,000
crowns, on his finger."
In a note to the Minister of War, dated the I5th
November, I799, we find General Kleber officially nominated to the command in chief of the army of the East.
Some reinforcements were to be despatched to Egypt, and
-- You can also despatch a troupe of comedians. The
Minister of the Interior will be able to furnish them.
" You will add I,ooo sabres, and I,ooo pair of pistols."
The same day Bonaparte wrote to Citizen Laplace,
Minister of the Interior, and Astronomer"The Consuls of the Republic charge me, Citizen
Minister, to ask you, without loss of time, to compose a
troupe of comedians for Egypt. It will be well to add
some ballet girls. The Minister of Marine will provide
the means of transport."
In the midst of the gravest cares of state Bonaparte
never neglected what appeared to many persons trivial
details, but with the importance of which he was well
acquainted.




THE ARMY OF ENGLAND.


275


To GENERAL, JOURDAN.
"PARIS, 24th November, 1799.
"Citizen General, I have received your letter of the 29th
Brumaire. Your feelings were hurt on the I8th.
"Now that the first moments have passed I have the
greatest desire to see the conqueror of Fleurus constantly
on the road which leads to the organisation of true liberty
and happiness.
"No matter what your position, I beg you will never
doubt the friendship I bear you.
"BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte never got on well with Jourdan, who was the
only marshal who did not receive the title of prince or
duke. He was never forgiven his opposition on the
i8th Brumaire.
On the 24th November, General Hedouville, commanderin-chief of the army of England (!), prematurely announced
the suspension of hostilities in La Vendee, and on the 30th
Bonaparte wrote thus to Berthier:"The War Minister, by special courier, will at once send
the contents of the inclosed to the general-in-chief of the
army of England, ordering him to adopt active measures
against the rebels and Chouans.
" BONAPARTE."
The " inclosed" contained a report of a contemplated
attack on Brest by the English.
By a decree of the 28th November, I799, we find that
the Hotel des Invalides was not large enough to hold all
the pensioners, and consequently "the ancient dwelling of
the kings"' was to receive a "Repzublican destination." In
other words, the chateau of Versailles was to be placed at
the disposal of the war minister for the benefit of wounded
soldiers. Care was to be taken, however, that no works of
T 2




276   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


art were damaged. A couple of days afterwards Bonaparte signed a decree directing that the statue of Mars,
" which came from Rome," should be placed under the
dome of the Invalides-where his own remains now
slumber-together with all the flags captured from the
enemy. A list of the victories of the Republic was to
be engraved upon marble tables.
PROCLAMATION TO THE ARMY OF THE EAST.
"Soldiers! the consuls of the Republic often turn their
attention to the affairs of the army of the East.
" France is aware that your conquests will accelerate
the restoration of her commerce and the civilisation of
the world.
"All Europe watches you.
"I am often with you in spirit.
"No matter in what situation you are placed by the
chances of war, you will always be the soldiers of Rivoli
and Aboukir; you will be invincible.
" Accord to Kleber the same unlimited confidence you
had in me: he deserves it.
" Soldiers! think of the day when, victorious, you will
return to the sacred territory. It will be a day of glory
and joy for the whole nation.
"{ BONAPARTE."
DECREE.
"The Consuls of the Republic, &c., decree". That the emizgre's detained at Ham were wrecked on
the coast of Calais.
"2. That they do not come under any law passed
against the emigrers.
"3. That it is contrary to the usages of nations to take
advantage of a shipwreck in order to deliver to the just
vengeance of the law unfortunate persons who have
escaped the fury of the waves."




LETTER TO KLEBER.


277


And the dmigrds in question were to be conducted to
the frontier.
It is much to the credit of Bonaparte that he at once
abolished the infamous law of hostages, which had been
passed while he was in Egypt. He himself threw open
the doors of the Temple, and announced to the prisoners
their liberty. At the same time the agents of the Government received orders to tolerate the presence of all emnigrds
who remained quiet. Josephine, no doubt, had a good
deal to say to these measures of clemency, which it was
hoped would induce the Royalists to lay down their arms,
and accept the new order of things.
To GENERAL KLEBER.
"PARIS, i8th December, 1799.
"I have despatched several vessels to Egypt, Citizen
General, and hope they have reached you.... I send you
a staff officer who will inform you of all that has passed.
You will see it was high time for me to return to France.
The events which have occurred here should be a new
source of encouragement for your troops.... I dare not
write even in cipher, for there are men in Paris and in
London who decipher everything. Be assured that I do
not lose sight of you.... Why is it that men like you
cannot be in two places at once?
"( BONAPARTE."
War with Austria appearing once more imminent,
Bonaparte sent instructions to Moreau, who commanded
the Army of the Rhine.
"The Government," concluded this letter, "has entire
confidence in the zeal of General Moreau and in his
military talents, which ought, in the forthcoming operations, to efface the shame cast on the French arms during
the last campaign in Italy.
" BONAPARTE."




278


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


On the 23rd December, Bonaparte informed the War
Minister that he had arranged with the Minister of Finance
to send a million francs to the army of Italy, and on the
following day it was decreed that the I4th July (anniversary of the capture of the Bastille), and the ist Vendemiaire (foundation of the Republic), should be observed
as national holidays.
On the 29th December, Bonaparte addressed the following letter to the King of England:"Called by the voice of the French nation to occupy the
post of first magistrate of the Republic, I deem it right, on
assuming power, to inform your Majesty directly of this fact.
"Ought the war, which for the last eight years has
ravaged the four quarters of the globe, to be eternal? Are
there no means of extinguishing it?
" How can the two most enlightened nations in Europe,
which are stronger and more powerful than their safety
and independence require, sacrifice commerce, internal
prosperity, and domestic happiness to ideas of vain
grandeur?  How can they avoid feeling that peace is
the greatest necessity as well as the greatest glory?
" These feelings cannot be foreign to the heart of your
Majesty, who governs a free nation for the sole purpose of
rendering it happy.
"Your Majesty will perceive in this overture nothing
beyond my sincere desire to contribute efficaciously, for
the second time, towards a general pacification, by a
prompt step, entirely confidential and divested of those
forms which, necessary perhaps to disguise the dependence
of feeble states, only reveal in powerful states a mutual
desire to deceive each other.
"France and England, by an abuse of force, can, unfortunately, for a long time to come continue the struggle;
but I presume to say the fate of all civilised nations is
connected with the end of a war which sets the whole
world in a blaze.                   "BONAPARTE."




LETTER TO THE KING OF ENGLAND.


279


The English Government refused to depart from the
ancient forms established for the transaction of diplomatic
affairs. The King of England did not enter into direct
correspondence with the First Consul, and the British
Cabinet refused to treat with a Government which depended on the life of a single man, unless it would abandon
that system of unprovoked aggression from which Holland,
Italy, Switzerland, and Egypt suffered. The above letter
was written for France rather than for England, and to
justify war rather than to secure peace. Such was the impression of the British Parliament, which had no confidence in
Bonaparte.  In the Upper House Lord Grey asked:
"Who concluded a treaty of peace with Sardinia and then
violated it? Bonaparte. Who concluded and then broke
a treaty with the Grand Duke of Tuscany? Bonaparte.
Who concluded and then annulled the armistices with the
petty states of Italy? Bonaparte.  Who plundered the
Duke of Parma in spite of his neutrality? Bonaparte.
By whom was Venice dragged into the war if not by
Bonaparte? Who, after having made peace with Venice
and given her a constitution, delivered her over, bound
hand and foot, to Austria? Bonaparte.  If Genoa has
been subdued and humiliated, it is to Bonaparte that
Republic owes the sacrifice of her wealth and her independence.  If Switzerland, by lying offers of peace and
alliances, has been induced to abandon her rights and
her liberties, it is by Bonaparte she has been despoiled!"
Pitt spoke in the same strain in the Lower House,
borrowing for the occasion the Pacem nolo quia infida
of Cicero.
To HIS MAJESTY THE EMPEROR.
"PARIS, 25th December, 1799.
"On my return to Europe after an absence of eighteen
months, I find war being waged between the French
Republic and your Majesty.




280    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


" The French nation has selected me to occupy the post
of first magistrate.
" Foreign to all sentiments of vain glory my first desire
is to put a stop to the shedding of blood. Everything
leads one to foresee that in the next campaign numerous
armies skilfully commanded will triple the number of
victims who have already fallen since hostilities were
recommenced.
"The well-known character of your Majesty can leave
no doubt as to the desire of your heart. If it be alone
listened to, I foresee the possibility of reconciling the
interests of the two nations.
"In the relations which I previously had with your
Majesty, you showed me personally some esteem, &c.
(C BONAPARTE."
On the same day Bonaparte penned the following " Proclamation to the army of Italy," which revealed a curious
state of affairs:"Soldiers! circumstances which detain me at the head
of the government prevent me from being among you.
" Your wants are great; they shall be provided for.
" The greatest qualities of the soldier are constancy and
discipline; valour is only the second.
"Soldiers! several corps have quitted their positions.
They have remained deaf to the voice of their officers.
"Are all the gallant fellows of Castiglione and Rivoli
dead? They would sooner have perished than have deserted their standards, and they would have brought back
their young comrades to honour and duty.
"Soldiers! you say that your rations are not regularly
served out. What would you have done if, like the 4th,
I8th, 22nd, and 32nd, you had found yourself in the
middle of the desert, without bread and without water,
eating horses and mules?  ' Victory will give us bread,'
they said; and you-you desert your standards!




THE RAPACITY OF MASSENA.


28I


"Soldiers of Italy, a new general commands you. He
was always to be found in the van in the days of your
glory. Accord him your confidence, &c.
t" BONAPARTE."
In the desert there was no help for it, but in Italy the
soldiers revolted because Massena and other officers plundered the military chest, and left them to starve. Count
Miot de Melito says in his memoirs: "Massena, who
succeeded Berthier at Rome, behaved in such a way that
the French troops, left without pay, in the midst of
the immense riches which he appropriated, revolted, and
refused to recognise his authority. His peculations and
pilferings, his shameful avidity, tarnished the laurels with
which he ihad covered himself."
This was not the first time that Massena-whose real
name appears to have been Manasseh-was found guilty
of similar malpractices, nor was it the last. In I798, when
deprived of his command for his dilapzdations, he wrote a
piteous letter to Bonaparte, saying, " What is to become of
me?   I appeal to your kindness. I expect everything
from you; an embassy would save me from the disgrace
of returning to France at once.  I can no longer serve,
yet I have nothing wherewith to reproach myself."
Bonaparte now  threatened him  with a court martial
unless he disgorged.
On the 25th December, too, the citizens of St. Domingo
were informed of the change which had been operated in
the French Government, and told that the colony would
be governed by special laws. A decree was issued, and
Art. VI. set forth that"The following words, 'Gallant blacks, remember that
the French people alone recognise your liberty, your
equality, your rights,' shall be inscribed in letters of gold
on all the flags of the battalions of the National Guard of
the colony of St. Domingo.         "BONAPARTE."




282   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Three years after this Bonaparte re-established slavery
and the slave trade.
To THE SENATE OF THE FREE AND IMPERIAL
TOWN OF HAMBURG.
" PARIS, 3oth December, 1799.
"We have received your letter, which does not justify
your conduct.   Courage and  virtue preserve states;
cowardice and vice ruin them. You have violated host
pitality. This did not happen among the most barbarous
hordes of the desert. Our fellow-citizens will ever reproach
you. The two unfortunate men you have delivered up
will die illustrious; but their blood will do more harm
to their persecutors than would have been done by a
whole army.
" BONAPARTE."
The two unfortunates were Napper Tandy and Blackell,
Irish rebels. Hamburg preferred giving them up to being
bombarded. Napper Tandy did not die illustrious, but
rather obscurely at Bordeaux, to which city he retired
after two years' confinement in Dublin. The above incident may account for the atrocious way in which
Hamburg was afterwards treated. It had not to wait
long for a first instalment of vengeance.
DECREE.
"PARIS, 30/h December, 1799.
" The consuls of the Republic considering that for the
last six months the body of Pius VI. has been in depot at
Valence without having been accorded the honours of
sepulture;
" That if this old man, respectable by his misfortunes,
was for a moment the enemy of France, this was owing to
his having been seduced by the advice of men who
surrounded his old age;




THE BODY OF PIUS VI.            283
"That it is in accordance with the dignity of the French
nation, and in conformity with the sensitiveness of the
national character, to accord marks of consideration to a
man who has occupied one of the first places on earth.
"Art. I. The Minister of the Interior will give orders
for the body of Pius VI. to be buried with the honours
usual to persons of his rank.
"Art. II. There shall be raised over the place of sepulture a simple monument recording the dignity with which
he was clothed.
BONAPARTE."
The body of this ill-used pontiff was sent to Rome at
the time of the Concordat as a kind off-set to the demands
of the Papal Court, which claimed the restoration not
only of the Italian Legations, but of Avignon and
Carpentras.




CHAPTER VI.


THE YEAR i8oo.
THE year I8oo saw Bonaparte master of the destinies
of France. The Directory had disappeared. The sensual
Barras, who had contributed to his rise, had signed his
resignation on the condition of being allowed to keep
possession of his ill-gotten gains. Sieyes, the most avaricious of abbes and lawgivers, allowed himself to be
bribed.  When the Directory was overthrown, it had
600,000 francs in its coffers. Sieyes was presented with
350,000 and the property of Crone.
"Sieyes i Bonaparte avait promis un tr6ne,
Sous ses debris brillants voulant l'ensevelir:
Bonaparte i Sieyes a fait present de Crone
Pour le payer et l'avilir,"
wrote the poet Lebrun.
France, at the commencement of 800o, was at war with
England, Austria, Russia, the Porte, and America.
British fleets blockaded the French and Spanish ports,
intercepting all communication with Malta and Egypt.
The Turks and the English were preparing to attack
Kleber. Kray commanded an Austrian army in Germany,
and Melas had over I00,000 men under his orders in
Italy. The army of the Rhine, under Moreau, was composed of IIo,o00 men; but in Italy, Massena had but an




BONAPARTE'S SINCERITY DOUBTED.


285


army 25,000 strong, and consequently Melas had little
difficulty in forcing that brilliant General to seek refuge
in Genoa. There was a third French army being secretly
formed at ]Dijon.
In addition to suspecting the sincerity of Bonaparte
when holding out an olive branch, the English Government had other motives for rejecting the overtures made
at this moment by the First Consul. Pitt doubted the
stability of the new Government in France; he considered a Royalist restoration imminent, and he was
intent on capturing the French expeditionary force in
Egypt, and on forcing Malta to capitulate. Austria, too,
was unwilling to negotiate on the basis of the treaty of
Campo Formio, and to renounce the territories she had
reconquered during the absence of Bonaparte.
Under the impulsion of Bonaparte an immense change
was operated in every branch of the administration. Prefects and sub-prefects were established in all the departments, and supreme authority was thus vested in the
central government. By a mixture of force, cunning, and
cruelty, the Vendean insurrection was suppressed. Several
of the Chouan leaders laid down their arms and accepted
the new order of affairs, and the Abbe Bernier, who had
been a Royalist firebrand, preaching insurrection, subsided
into Bishop of Orleans, and joined the " sacred gendarmery"
of the First Consul.
When tranquillity had been restored at home, Bonaparte
set out to take the command of his troops in the field.
The Czar, irritated against England and Austria, and
seized with a sudden admiration for Bonaparte, had withdrawn from the coalition, and joined the maritime confederation destined to resist English tyranny on the ocean.
On the 6th May Bonaparte left Paris, and placed himself
at the head of the Army of Reserve. Moreau had commenced operations on the 25th April, and in a fortnight
had five times defeated Melas, and had driven him back
upon Ulm, with the loss of 30,000 men. Another effort,




286


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


and he would have reached Vienna. This was not what the
First Consul intended. Before Bonaparte left Paris, orders
signed by the three consuls were despatched to Moreau,
directing him to detach 25,000 men, who were to join the
Army of Reserve, and to confine his operations to the right
bank of the Danube. These orders were handed to him by
Carnot in person. Moreau, who might at once have forced
Austria to sue for peace, obeyed.  Bonaparte reserved for
himself the honour of striking the blow which was to
decide the campaign. On the I8th he crossed the Alps.
He might have saved Massena by marching to the relief
of Genoa.  He might have beaten the various corps of
Melas in detail, and have reached the beleaguered city in a
week, but he had a more theatrical operation in view, and
Genoa and its starving garrison were sacrificed. Bonaparte
marched on Milan, and he had hardly entered that city
when he learned that Massena had been obliged to
capitulate.
The battle of Marengo was lost by the Austrians on the
I Ith June. In the midst of the fight Melas, worn out with
fatigue, and sure of success, retired to Alexandria, and
despatched couriers in all directions announcing the defeat
of the French; but a surprise similar to that which for a
moment shook the iron nerves of Frederick the Great at
Kunersdorf, awaited Melas.  On the I2th August, I759,
Frederick sent four successive  couriers to Berlin"Russians beaten; rejoice with me!" and then a fifth
courier, to have the archives sent to Potsdam.  At Marengo a cavalry charge changed the fate of the day, after
Melas thought he had obtained a victory. An armistice
followed, in virtue of which the Austrians evacuated the
whole of north Italy, but still occupied Tuscany and
Ancona. Preliminaries of peace were signed, and Bonaparte returned to Paris.  On the I4th July, Kleber, after
having won the battle of Heliopolis, was assassinated. On
the 26th September peace was signed between France
and America. In November, hostilities with Austria were




THE BATTLE OF HOHENLINDEN.


287


recommenced, and on the 2nd December Moreau won
the battle of Hohenlinden. On the 24th of the same month
an attempt was made to blow up the First Consul.
We have seen how strained were the relations between
the Directory and Bonaparte prior to the i8th Fructidor,
when Angereau accomplished the coup d'etat against the
Royalists. In spite of all his professions of Republicanism
and devotion to the Constitution of the Year III. the sincerity of the young General was sorely suspected, and not
without cause. As soon as he became First Consul he
amnestied all the persons proscribed on account 6f that
affair, with the exception of Aubry, and he recalled Carnot
and made him War Minister.
On the 4th January, I8oo, Bonaparte wrote to.Admiral
Bruix, who had received the command of a squadron
destined to succour the army of Egypt. In this letter
the French Admiral was instructed to try and capture
Sydney Smith and his ships, for St. Jean d'Acre was
a sore subject.
La Vendee was giving great trouble, and on the 5th
January Bonaparte wrote to General Hedouville, Commander-in-chief of the army of England, that he was
sending him reinforcements to the extent of I7,400 men.
La Vendee being sincerely Catholic, the General was to
placard everywhere, and to publish in the journals an
account of the funeral honours rendered to Pius VI.
"You are invested, my dear General," continued this
letter, " with full power; act as freely as if you were in the
middle of Germany.  Let minor interests and personal
considerations disappear in presence of the necessity of
suppressing the rebellion, and of causing the government
to be respected.
" It is useless to have courts martial. The consuls opine
that the generals should have all rebels taken in arms
summarily executed.... No matter what accusations are
brought against you the Government will support you;
but your military actions will be examined by a man who




288    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


is accustomed to severe and energetic measures.... The
First Consul thinks that in order to give a salutary lesson
it will be well to burn down two or three large parishes.
Experience has taught him that this is the most humane
way of proceeding. Weakness is inhumanity," &c.
Bonaparte had freely practised this system in Italy and
Egypt, but experience should have taught him that the
" infernal columns" of Thurreau had done less to appease
La Vendee than the milder measures adopted by Hoche.
On the I3th January, 1800, Bonaparte wrote four letters
to Talleyrand-the first to the effect that he had ordered
the reduction of the French army in Batavia by I8,ooo
men, but that the pay, clothing, and rations of this force
were still to be made good by the Dutch Republic. The
sum of a million francs was to be paid at once to the
French War Minister.   The Dutch were to be told
that although these I8,ooo men had been withdrawn from
their territory, they were really employed for Batavia on
the Rhine!
In the second letter Talleyrand was asked to state what
amount of money it would be possible to obtain from
Holland in exchange for Flushing, and whether the French
Government could draw on Holland for 40,000,000 francs.
In the third letter Talleyrand was told that it was most
essential to procure 4,000,000 francs, which Bonaparte
thought might be obtained from Hamburg. "The senate
of that town," added Bonaparte, " thinks there is an agreement between us and Prussia to violate its independence.
Make the most of this, and say that no matter how coveteous Prussia may be, and no matter what her offers, a
reconciliation with the French Government is quite possible..... Six, or even four, millions, would help us to win a
campaign."
In the fourth letter Talleyrand was called upon to furnish
information with regard to negotiations with Portugal, and
to state the pecuniary aid which might be derived from
that country. Bonaparte thought it would be possible to




VENDEAN CHIEFS.


289


obtain 8,000,000 or 9,000,000 francs for the army of Italy,
which would increase his chances of reconquering that
country by thirty per cent. The crime of Portugal was
not closing' her ports to England.
As regards the first letter, the troops which Bonaparte
had maintained in Holland were not for the protection of
the Dutch but to attack England, and they were withdrawn
to reinforce the army in La Vendee! As regards Flushing,
that place had certainly been captured by the French
several years before, but when peace was restored there
had been no question of ceding it to France. Now, on his
sole military authority, Bonaparte forced the Batavian
Republic to pay ransom.
General IHedouville not having shown himself sufficiently
unscrupulous in La Vendee, was superseded by General
Brune, who assumed the title of General-in-Chief of the
army of the West. In the first instructions addressed to
General Brune, he was informed that he had 60,000 men
under his orders; that he was to show himself very tolerant
towards the priests, but that he was to burn some large
villages and farms in the Morbihan. The troops were to
want for nothing, and were to be supported by the guilty
departments. " It is only by rendering war terrible," added
Bonaparte, " that the inhabitants will be induced to shake
off their apathy and unite against the brigands.... You
will inform the chiefs, Chatillon, d'Autichamp, Bourmont,
d'Andigne, and Frotte, that if they accept the propositions
of the Government their persons and their properties will
be respected." These chiefs were also led to believe that
Bonaparte intended to play the part of a Monk, and to
restore the monarchy.
A soldier of the thirty-second demi-brigade having
written to Bonaparte reminding him of his services, his
wounds, &c., received the following reply:" TO THE GALLANT LRON,-I have received your letter,
my gallant comrade. You are the bravest grenadier in the
VOL. I.                                   U




290     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
army now that the gallant Benezette is dead. You received
one of the hundred sabres which I distributed to the army.
All the soldiers admitted that you were the model of the
regiment. I greatly wish to see you. The War Minister
will send you an order.
"I love you as my son.            "BONAPARTE."
And the "gallant Leon " was made a sub-lieutenant in
the Consular Guard.
To GENERAL MASSENA.
" PARIS, 5th February, I8oo.
"I have seen with great pleasure the firm way in which
you have established order in your army. We expect at
each moment 1,500,000 francs drawn from Holland, which
will be forwarded to you. La Vendee is three parts
pacified. Brune has beaten Georges....
" BONAPARTE."
Massena probably disgorged. It is a significant fact
that none of the officers or men who revolted against his
authority were brought to trial.
To LUCIEN BONAPARTE, Minister of the Interior.
" PARIS, 7th February, I8oo.
"I beg you to give the necessary orders for placing in the
grand gallery of the Tuileries the statues of Demosthenes,
Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Scipio, Brutus, Cicero,
Cato, Caesar, Gustavus-Adolphus, Turenne, the great Conde,
Duguay-Trouin, Marlborough, Prince Eugene, Marshal
Saxe, Washington, Frederick the Great, Mirabeau, Dugommier, Dampierre, Marceau, and Joubert.
"By order of the First Consul."
Few persons now remember Dugommier, who was hardly
of a calibre to figure among the sages and heroes above



WASHINGTON'S DEATH.


29I


named. tHe was a gallant old soldier, who had been
Bonaparte's commanding officer at the siege of Toulon.
ORDER OF THE DAY.
" PARIS, 7th February, i8oo.
"Washington is dead. This great man fought against
tyranny. He consolidated the liberty of his country. His
memory will always be dear to the French people, and
especially to French soldiers, who, like American soldiers,
fight for liberty and equality.
" Consequently the First Consul directs that for the next
ten days all the standards and pennons of the Republic
shall be veiled in crape."
Funeral honours were also paid to Washington when
the new standards were distributed to the army, and a
pompous eulogy of the American patriot and soldier was
pronounced by M. de Fontannes, who drew a parallel
between him and General Bonaparte. The day that the
Moniteur published this discourse in honour of the founder
of American democracy, Bonaparte took up his residence
at the Tuileries.
We have seen how Nelson gave Bonaparte credit for
wishing to be the Washington of France. Lanfrey, in his
History of NapolQn (vol. ii. p. 8), says that he more than
once pretended to assume a part which he had no intention
of playing, and that he had neither a sufficient amount of
disinterestedness nor generosity to tread boldly in the footsteps of one who is called by Byron "the first, the last, the
best;-the Cincinnatus of the West."
Matters now began to look brighter in the west; the
back-bone of the rebellion was evidently broken. Abbe
Bernier, one of the most active and influential members of
the clerical party, had made his submission, and had gone
to Paris to offer his services to the Government. Some
chiefs were negotiating: the rebels who still held out were
U 2




292


THlE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


to be utterly destroyed. A reward of I,ooo louis was
offered to any one who would kill or capture Frotte.
On the I3th February Bonaparte wrote:" Frotte{ has asked leave to submit; my reply is that he
must surrender at discretion. Brune is vigorously pursuing
Georges. Operations will be carried on actively against
Bourmont and Frott.... Every day we shoot five or six
chouans here (in Paris)." And on the I4th: "Let Frotte
surrender at discretion, and he will be able to count on the
generosity of the Government, which wishes to forget the
past and to rally all Frenchmen." On the i8th Bonaparte
wrote: " That wretch Frotte has preferred allowing himself
to be captured to laying down his arms." And: " Frotte
has been captured with all his staff, and shot. Bourmont
has laid down his arms, and is coming to Paris. Georges
also is going to surrender. The Russians are returning
home. The Porte is beginning to understand its true
interests. The financial condition of the Republic is improving." And on the 23rd February: "Bourmont is at
Paris, and is going to be married. He desires to reside
here, or elsewhere, in tranquillity, now he has entered into
the good graces of the Government."
During the whole of this affair Bonaparte acted with his
accustomed duplicity. He first of all led the Royalists to
believe that he intended to restore the monarchy. As for
Count Louis de Frotte, the most brilliant of the chouan
leaders, he was not captured, but surrendered to General
Guidal, after having received a safe conduct from that
officer, and being encouraged by the assurances that he
could reckon on the generosity of the Government. His
assassination was due to personal vengeance. Frotte had
held Bonaparte up to ridicule for growing pale and fainting
in the arms of his grenadiers on the 18th Brumaire, and
Frotte's brother had taken part in the defence of St.
Jean d'Acre. These two facts alone were quite sufficient
to seal his doom.
On the 28th February, Bonaparte informed Admiral




A NEW HYMN.


293


Mazzeredo, the Spanish ambassador, that he had given
orders for the Brest squadron to drive off the English
squadron, it being shameful to permit from twenty-one to
twenty-five vessels to blockade from thirty-five to forty.
The expedition to Ireland was to be renounced, and the
combined fleets were to operate in the Mediterranean, and
to relieve Malta.
In a letter to General H~douville, dated 2nd March,
Bonaparte says-" Try and have Charles and Chandelier
arrested. They are two wretches guilty of all sorts of
crimes."  We shall see that an attempt was afterwards
made to prove that Charles and the unfortunate Duc
d'Enghien were one and the same person.
To CITIZEN LUCIEN BONAPARTE.
" PARIS, March 3rd, i8oo.
"Citizen Minister, I beg you will ask the citizens Lebrun
and Rouget de l'Isle to write a ' Hymne aux Combats' to a
well known air like the Marseillaise or the Chant du
Depart.  This hymn must contain things applicable to
all the circumstances of war, and propound the idea that
peace follows in the train of victory.  " BONAPARTE."
It is impossible to read the following letter without
feelings of astonishment:To GENERAL BRUNE.
" PARIS, 5th March, I8oo.
"I have received your despatch of the I Ith Ventose....
I saw Georges this morning; he appeared to me a sturdy
Breton who might be turned to some account in the interest of the country..... I have also seen Chatillon,
who dined with me to-day. I was very well satisfied with
him.... Shall we have peace? Shall we have war?
However this may be, the Emperor treats us with the
greatest politeness. Forms are observed by him as much
as they were neglected by our friend Georges.
" BONAPARTE."




294   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


The gallant Frotte had not been in his grave a month;
a month before Georges and his comrades were wretches of
the deepest dye, and half a dozen chouans, per diem, were
being shot in Paris. The smoke was still going up from
the smouldering villages in La Vend6e and Brittany. It
may be remarked that Bonaparte was much struck with
the military ability exhibited by the Vendean chiefs, and
was anxious to turn their talents to account. The resistance they offered to his arms had at once irritated him as
a despot, and excited his admiration as a soldier.
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
" PARIS, 7th March, i800.
"I beg you will hand this note to the Spanish ambassador" (a note of all the more interest seeing what afterwards happened to Villeneuve and Gravina at Trafalgar).
" Admiral Briux has just informed the Government that he
is blockaded in the port of Brest by twenty-one English
vessels; that he has seventeen well-manned and wellarmed French vessels, and that Admiral Gravina has
fifteen Spanish vessels ready to weigh anchor; that the
First Consul finds it humiliating and shameful for the two
nations to be blockaded by an inferior force; that he has
ordered Briux by telegraph to put to sea, and to give chase
to the English fleet; that the intention of his Catholic
Majesty in leaving fifteen vessels at Brest was not to render
them useless to the advantage and glory of the two nations;
that consequently the First Consul desires orders may be
given to Admiral Gravina by telegraph to second the sortie
of the French fleet.
"' BONAPARTE."
The despatch was forwarded, but the allied squadrons
remained inert or never got beyond Toulon. It was found
impossible to relieve Malta, or to succour the army in
Egypt.
On the 8th March there appeared a violent proclamation




EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS.


295


directed against England, who had "betrayed the secret
of her horrible policy;" who wished "to rend France,
destroy her marine and her ports, efface her from Europe,
or reduce her to the rank of a second-rate power." England was accused of sowing discord among all the nations
of the Continent in order to prey on their commerce. But
neither gold nor promises, nor intrigues, would rivet the
people of Europe to her views. Young citizens were called
upon to offer their services to the state in the sacred
interests of humanity, and were assured that the First
Consul would go and conquer peace at the head of those
warriors he had so often led to victory.
It was generally sufficient to excite the country against
England in order to obtain recruits. English perfidy and
English tyranny excused all kinds of arbitrary measures
at home and abroad. At the present moment, however, the
irritation of Bonaparte arose from a feeling of personal
insecurity, and the assurance that plots were being hatched
against his life by French refugees in London.
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
"PARIS, IOth March, I800.
" You will inform citizen Otto, the French Commissioner
in London, that the Government will consent to the exchange of General Don for Napper Tandy and his companions; and that if this does not suit the English Government, the French Government will exchange Generals
Hermann, Don, and Mack against Generals Colli, Perignon,
and Grouchy. Citizen Otto, in a separate note, will point
out how unworthy it is of the English nation to threaten
to render the captivity of French prisoners in England
harder. Can the nation of Newton and of Locke forget
itself to such a point? Prisoners are not answerable for
the conduct of their Government. The French will never
retaliate. 
" BONAPARTE."




296   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


To CITIZEN FORFAIT.
"PARIS, 12th March, I800.
"How comes it, Citizen Minister, that the English
prisoners receive a pound of beef, while the ration of the
French soldier is only half a pound?
" BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte was certainly not very merciful towards his
prisoners if we take for example his treatment of the Pope
at Savona, of the "black cardinals," and of the Queen
of Etruria, and other captives who had incurred his displeasure. If he did not retaliate it is nevertheless a fact
that the British Government, after the date of the above
letter, complained of the treatment of English prisoners.
Of the generals offered in exchange, Mack was an Austrian
who had been captured by Championnet in Naples, and
who was destined to be captured by Bonaparte at Ulm.
Hermann, it is true, was a Russian who had fallen into the
hands of the French at Bergen when acting with the Duke
of York in the Low Countries.  The French Generals
Perignon and Grouchy, who afterwards became marshals,
were made prisoners by Suwarrow at Novi, and the application for their exchange should have been addressed to
St. Petersburg. Colli was Bonaparte's old antagonist in
Piedmont, who had taken service in France.
To GENERAL MOREAU, Commander-in-Chief of the Army of
the Rhine.
" PARIS, I6th March, I8oo.
"General Dessolles will acquaint you with my views
concerning the campaign which is about to open. He will
inform you that no one more than myself takes an interest
in your personal glory and welfare. The English have
disembarked! What do they want? I am to-day a sort
of lay figure, having lost liberty and happiness. Grandeur
is all very well, as far as recollection and the imagination
are concerned. I envy you your happy lot; you are going




THEATRICAL PERFORMANCES.


297


to accomplish great things with your gallant men.  I
would willingly exchange my consular purple for the
epaulette of a brigadier under your orders.
" I hope circumstances will permit me to come and give
you a helping hand. At all events my confidence in you,
in every respect, is unlimited.
1~ BONAPARTE."
What afterwards happened leads one to doubt the
sincerity of this letter; but it is possible that Moreau by
his vanity and his indiscretion may have brought his trials
on his own head, and that Bonaparte was really anxious to
secure his services in the field. It is certain, however,
that Bonaparte was on the point of himself assuming the
command of the army of the Rhine at this juncture, and
that he was irritated with Moreau for not accepting his
plans.
To CITIZEN LUCIEN BONAPARTE.
" PARIS, 5thl April, I8oo.
"The Consuls of the Republic desire you will inform the
managers of the different theatres that no dramatic work
ought to be accepted without your permission. The head
of the department of Public Instruction should be held
responsible for the performance of all pieces contrary to
good morals and social order.... The First Consul would
see with pleasure the suppression of the couplet alluding
to him in the Tableau des Sabines."
On the 7th April, I880, a note addressed by the order of
the First Consul to the French ambassador at Vienna contained the following phrase: —" The overtures made by the
French Government to the Cabinet of St. James's and the
different answers of that Cabinet have been published
and discussed in the British Parliament.  They prove
that France desires a general peace and that England
does not."
In one of the discussions thus alluded to Mr. Dundas,
who doubted the sincerity of these overtures, said, "The




298   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


French Republic has waged war with Spain, Naples, Sardinia, Tuscany, Genoa, Geneva, Venice, Modena, Austria,
Russia, Egypt, England, and even with that creature of its
own creation-the Cisalpine Republic." And other speakers
in Lords and Commons spoke in a similar strain!
To GENERAL KLEBER.
" PARIS, 19th April, I8oo.
"When you receive this letter the gallant army of the
East will have re-entered the ports of the Republic after
having left in Egypt immortal traces of its glorious works.... As for you, Citizen General, who have so well justified
the choice of the First Consul, when, on his departure from
Egypt, he confided to you the command of the army, you
will not doubt the satisfaction he experiences at the
prospect of your return, &c.
" BONAPARTE."
It is difficult to reconcile this letter with what Bonaparte
wrote on the I 5th May, and with what he said at St.
Helena-" If Kleber had evacuated Egypt I should have
had him tried by court martial. All the documents had
already been laid before the Council of State." In a long
note on the Egyptian campaign, which is to be found in
the tenth volume of Napoleon's Military Correspondence, we
find the treaty of El Arish thus spoken of: " When armies
believe it possible to get out of difficulties by means of a
convention, all is lost. Just as well confide the honour and
defence of the country to old women armed with distaffs."
We shall refer to this "note" again when we come to
the final capitulation of Abdallah Menou.
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
" PARIS, 23rd April, I8oo.
"There will be no harm in sending some fowling-pieces
of various models to the King of Spain.
" You can inform M. Musquiry, who spoke to me of the
desire of his Catholic Majesty to obtain an increase of




THE SPANISH TREATY.


299


territory in Italy for the Duke of Parma, that when
negotiations are opened the French Government will be
delighted to convince Europe of its esteem for the house of
Spain; that in this matter the private feelings I entertained
for the Duke of Parma in Italy accord with the policy of
the Republic.... Tell Alquier that I wish him to buy me
eight saddle horses of Spanish breed. Ask him why, since
Portugal refuses to make peace, Spain does not seize on
severalprovinces of that kingdom, which might be exchanged
at the general peace for Minorca.
"Mention to M. Urquijo how unfortunate it will be
should Malta fall into the hands of our enemies, and ask
him to send five or six vessels there laden with corn,
brandy, meat, and flour.           "BONAPARTE."
The Court of Spain hastened to offer the horses as a
gift, and endeavoured, but in vain, to elude the demand
concerning Portugal. Nowhere had the execution of Louis
XVI. created greater indignation than in Spain. War
between the two countries had ensued, and the general of
the Franciscans offered to march upon France at the head
of o1,ooo monks. In 1795, however, the French having
obtained possession of the Ebro provinces, Spain treated
for peace at Bale, and agreed among other things to cede
to France the Spanish portion of the island of St. Domingo.
In the event of war either power was to aid the other with
ships and troops, and the King of Spain was to press his
son-in-law, the King of Portugal, to close his ports to
British vessels. And it was for concluding this treaty,
which was a millstone round the neck of the weaker power,
that Manuel Godoi, the lover of the queen, was created
Prince of the Peace.
To GENERAL BERTHIER, AT DIJON.
"PARIS, 27th Apri[, I8oo.
".... My plan is not to cross the St. Gothard. I do
not consider this operation as possible, supposing the




3o0


TIHE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


ordinary rules of prudence to be observed, until Moreau
has obtained a great advantage over the enemy. Besides
it is possible we may be obliged to hurry to Tortone in
order to disengage Massena, who, if he has been beaten,
must be shut up in Genoa where he has only a month's
rations.... The operation of crossing the St. Bernard
appears much more in proportion to our present means.
" BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte was about to place himself at the head of the
Army of Reserve, 60,000 strong, in order to attack Melas,
who had conceived the plan of retaking Nice, and of then,
in conjunction with a British force assembled at Minorca,
capturing Toulon.
To GENERAL MOREAU.
" PARIS, 5th May, I800.
"I was just starting for Geneva when the telegraph
brought the news of your victory over the Austrians;
glory, three times glory! The position of the army of
Italy is critical.  Massena is shut up in Genoa.  The
army of Melas, although weakened, is considerable. I
salute you affectionately.
" BONAPARTE"
The victory here alluded to was that of Hochstedt over
Kray, which was to be followed up by more brilliant
triumphs.
To GENERAL DESAIX.
" LAUSANNE, 14th May, Igoo.
"C MY DEAR DESAIX,-I have just received your letter of
the I5th Floreal.... I was very uneasy on seeing a month
elapse without receiving any news from you; I feared
everything from the punic faith. But at last you have
arrived —good news for the Republic, but especially for
me.... Two months ago I received the capitulation, but




THE REFURN OF DESAIX.


301


made no remark about it because it bore your signature;
but how came it that I6,ooo or I8,ooo Frenchmen were
afraid of 30,000 Turks? Six thousand men would have
been sufficient to have beaten them, captured their guns
and camels, &c.
" On arriving in France I found the Republic lost; La
Vendee at the gates of Paris; the fleet blocked up in
Brest, &c. It was necessary to find money and to refit
the squadron; thirty-six ships with stores and 6,ooo troops
were just going to sail for Egypt when the news came
of the capitulation.
"But don't let us talk of this any more. Come and
join me as quickly as possible....
" BONAPARTE."
Desaix had been allowed to leave Egypt on the signing
of the treaty of El Arish, which the British Government
refused to ratify.
There are several facts to be borne in mind while reading
the following letter. Bonaparte would never have sailed
for Egypt had Talleyrand not promised to go to Constantinople in order to secure the neutrality of the Porte. As
soon as Bonaparte left France Tallyrand determined to
remain in Paris. Before leaving Egypt Bonaparte earnestly
appealed for reinforcements, and attempted to open negotiations with the Porte. Before sailing for France he
promised to despatch reinforcements, and his frequent
efforts to keep his word show that he considered them
absolutely necessary.
To THE CONSULS OF THE REPUBLIC.
" LAUSANNE, I5h May, 800oo.
"I have just received your letter of the 22nd Floreal.
I beg you will have the inclosed printed at length in the
official journal, for it is well for the public to know the
situation of the army of Egypt when I left it, and how




302   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


exaggerated are the reports made by the agents of England. You can add that during two years campaigning in
Egypt and Syria, in spite of the great battles fought, the
army was not diminished one-fifth.
" There was no plague in Egypt this year; it is therefore
infamous that the country should have been abandoned.
The only thing which could have justified an evacuation
was the fact of the army having been greatly weakened by
the plague. By letters I have received it appears that
Desaix, Menou, Davoust, and several other generals of
courage were opposed to the evacuation of Egypt. All
that I say here is intended for you. I think it will be
necessary for you to say that the Brest squadron, with
stores of all kinds and 6,ooo men, was about to sail when
the news of the capitulation arrived. It will be well to
remark that when the I8th Brumaire happened the war in
the West had intercepted our communications with Brest
to such an extent that Admiral Briux took more than a
month to go from Paris to that port. I wish Citizen
Lebrun to draw up this article himself, which should
show Europe that had I remained in Egypt that country
would have belonged to France.
" BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte made several misrepresentations. The army
of the Grand Vizier was not 30,000 but 80,000 strong, and
English and Russian armies were approaching.  The
capitulation not having been ratified Bonaparte was
afforded an opportunity of despatching his men and
supplies from Brest, an opportunity of which he did not
avail himself.
Numerous despatches were written at this moment on
the subject of the passage of the Alps; sledges were
ordered for the artillery, and all the details of the march
were carefully sketched out and clearly explained by
Bonaparte to his lieutenants.




CROSSING TIHE ALPS.


303


To THE CONSULS OF THE REPUBLIC.
" MARTIGNY, I8t/h May, I800.
"I have received your letter of the 24th Floreal, and
thank you for your expressions concerning the death of
my brother's wife " (the first wife of Lucien). "She had
been suffering for a long time.
"We are struggling against ice, snow, storms, and
avalanches. The St. Bernard, astonished to see so many
persons crossing it, throws obstacles in our way. However,
the third of our field artillery has already passed.... I
am in the midst of the Valais, at the foot of the great
Alps. In three days all the army will have crossed....
" BONAPARTE."
And the next day from the same place"The weather has become fine, which was necessary
for the rapid passage of our artillery by the St. Bernard.... The Minister of the Interior" (Lucien) " has informed
me of his desire to come and join me, wishing for distraction since the death of his wife; but in addition to the
fact that in two or three days operations here will be
carried on with great activity, I think it necessary under
all circumstances that he should remain in Paris.
"I read in the papers that I wrote a letter to my
mother in which I said I should be at Milan in a month.
That is at variance with my character. Very often I do
not say what I know, but I never say what will happen.
I beg you will insert a jocular kind of note to this effect
in the Moniteur.                    BONAPARTE."
And on the 24th May from Aosta" You will find inclosed the bulletin of the army, which
you can publish in the official journal.
"Events are about to succeed each other with rapidity,
and I hope to be back in Paris in a fortnight....
" BONAPARTE."




304    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Bonaparte was at Milan before a month (on the 3rd June),
and not back in Paris until the 3rd July!
To CITIZEN JOSEPH BONAPARTE.
" AOSTA, 24th May, 80oo.
" I beg you will give my wife 30,000 francs. The
greatest obstacles have been overcome. We are masters of
Ivree and of the citadel, where we found ten guns. We fell
down here like lightning; the enemy, who in no way
expected us, can hardly believe his eyes. Great events
are about to occur. I hope the results will redound to
the honour and glory of the Republic.
~~ BONAPARTE."
Bernadotte replaced General Brune in command of the
army of the West, for the chouans still required to be
watched. Writing to Bernadotte on the 24th May, and
giving him an account of his operations, Bonaparte
addedc" A thousand amiable things to Madame Bernadotte if
she is at Brest."
On the 27th May Bonaparte announced to his two
colleagues that everything was going on well, and, " before
the end of Prairial I shall be back in Paris "-did not get
back till the i4th Messidor.
On the 28th May Bonaparte addressed a long report to
the Government showing that he was displaying his
wonted activity and genius at the opening of this campaign.  He began by saying that the perspective of
marching along a road several leagues in length and
eighteen inches broad, hewn in perpendicular rocks, with
mountains of snow threatening to fall on their heads, &c.
did not frighten his soldiers. Next came a brief allusion
to the combat of Aosta, then accounts of the affairs of
Chatillon, the capture of Ivree, the combat of Chinsella,
the taking of Susa and la Brunetta on the 2nd Prairial, and
that of Verceil on the 7th. The following passage is from




THE CAPTURE OF BARD.


305


the report on the affair of Chatillon.  The success of the
campaign depended on the capture of Bard in the mountain
passes.
" The same day the advanced guard arrived at half a
league from the chateau of Bard. The enemy occupied
the heights which commanded the village.... I ordered
the village to be stormed. The sappers and grenadiers
lowered the draw-bridge, broke in the gates, and the town
was carried. Three companies of grenadiers established
themselves there and the citadel was blockaded. On the
5th I ordered General Loison to close round the place and
to break all the barriers in order to facilitate the passage
of our artillery. The grenadiers of the 28th behaved with
the greatest intrepidity. The enemy considered Bard,
constructed to close the entry to Piedmont, where two
mountains form the valley of Aosta, as an insurmountable
obstacle. A road was hewn in the mountain of Albard.
Where the slope was too steep steps were cut, and where the
path became still more narrow, with a precipice on either
side, walls were erected; where the rocks were separated
by deep fissures bridges were thrown, and the French cavalry
marched over a mountain which had been for centuries
considered inaccessible for infantry. By an extraordinary
effort, which again astonished the enemy, while 1,500 men
were working incessantly at the Albard road, the soldiers
carried on their backs two pieces of four to the defile of
the Con, and after having clambered with them over fearful
rocks for thirty hours, got them into position on the heights
which commanded the citadel...."
And it was only after the accomplishment of this
difficult feat that Bard was taken and the read to Italy
cleared.
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
" NOVARA, Ist 7zne, 8co.
"You will find inclosed your letter to M. de Thugut
with a few alterations. As it closes the negotiations which
VOL. I.                                   X




306


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


my letter opened with the Emperor of Austria, I have
thought it ri-ht to give it the form of a peroration.
"Should the news from Egypt be confirmed it will be
important to have some one in Russia. The Ottoman
Empire has not long to exist, and if Paul I. turns his eyes
in that direction our interests will become common. Beurnonville is right in saying that we shall never do anything
with Prussia.                      "BONAPARTE."
In a bulletin to the army dated Milan, 3rd June, the
First Consul relates that twenty-four hours before he
entered that city the inhabitants did not know the French
were in Italy; also that a letter from the Prince de Hohenzollern, who commanded the army blockading Genoa, had
been intercepted.  By this letter it appeared that the
Prince and Melas were entirely ignorant of the movements
of the French, and thought the army of reserve had been
sent back to Paris. It is true that Bonaparte had taken
every possible means to conceal his movements.
To CITIZEN FOUCHI.
" MILAN, 4t/. 7une, I800.
" I am assured that Georges has returned from England.
It is indispensable to have him arrested, as well as the
father of Frotte who is in the Orne. Spare no means to
take these men dead or alive.      "BONAPARTE."
We have seen how Talleyrand received permission to
send some fowling-pieces to the King of Spain.  In a
letter, dated the 4th June, Bonaparte wrote:" I do not see any inconvenience in your sending some
dresses to the Queen of Spain: you may lay out a thousand
louis in this affair. However, the necessary decorum must
be observed, so that there may be nothing ridiculous in
the matter.                        "BONAPARTE."




THE CATHOLIC RELIGION.


307


It is not said whether Talleyrand himself selected the
dresses, and with due decorum.
In the bulletin of the Army of Italy of the 4th June,
Bonaparte announced that "a Te Deumz has been chanted
in the cathedral of Milan in honour of the happy delivery
of Italy from heretics and infidels... The Austrians
have the talent to make enemies of all parties; tjieir rapacity is unexampled; they have carried off the very trees.
Even the priests are discontented at seeing English heretics and infidel Mussulmans profane the territory of holy
Italy.1 Add to this none of them have been paid for; the
Austrians have taken everything. The university of Pavia
has been destroyed, and the instruction of the young men
in the various colleges confided to the Jesuits." And, in
fact, a fearful picture was drawn of the atrocities perpetrated by the enemy.
On the 5th June, Bonaparte pronounced a long allocution
to the clergy of Milan. "I have assembled you," he said,
" in order to have the pleasure of acquainting you with the
sentiments which animate me towards the Catholic,
Apostolic, and Roman religion." He was persuaded that
that religion could alone secure happiness and good
government. He would punish, even with death, any one
who should insult that religion or their sacred persons. He
had disapproved of all that had been done against religion
when he was a simple agent of the government. " Modern
philosophers," he added, "have tried to persuade France
that the Catholic religion is the implacable enemy of every
democratic system and of every republican government.
Hence the cruel persecution of religion and its ministers by
the French Republic.. Experience has undeceived the
French, and has convinced themn that the Catholic religion
is better adapted than any other to divers forms of
government, and is particularly favourable to republican
institutions. I myself am a philosopher, and I know that,
1 A few days later Napoleon made Abdallah Menou a governor in
holy Italy.
X 2




308    TIIE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


in no matter what society, no man is considered just and
virtuous who does not know whence he came and whither
he is going.  Simple reason cannot guide you in this
matter; without religion one walks continually in darkness; and the Catholic religion alone gives to man certain
and infallible information concerning his origin and his
latter end. It is the same with morality," &c.
Then followed a description of the restoration of the
Catholic religion in France, and"The manner in which the defunct Pope has been
treated should inspire you with confidence: Pius VI. owed
his misfortunes partly to those persons in whom he reposed
confidence, and partly to the cruel policy of the Directory.
When I am able to negotiate with the present Pope I hope
I shall be able to remove all the obstacles in the way of a
complete reconciliation between France and the head of
the Church." And Bonaparte concluded by saying he had
ordered that at least a portion of their property should be
restored to the clergy.
This manifestation, which was the prelude of the
Concordat, occurred just a year after Bonaparte had
boasted in Egypt that he had destroyed the Pope, overthrown the cross, and wrested Malta from the enemies of
the crescent.
On the 8th June, Bonaparte, in a letter to Berthier, says
he is busy examining the contents of an intercepted letterbag, and that "one despatch from Melas to the Aulic
Council, dated Turin, 5th June, announces that Massena
has capitulated."
Bonaparte in his memoirs blamed Massena. "Genoa,"
he said, "opened its gates when it was saved.. When
Caesar besieged Alise he blockaded the place so closely
that it could receive no news from without. When the date
upon which the relieving army had promised to arrive was
passed, the Gauls assembled under Vercingetorix: Critognat rose and said: 'You have no news of the army of
succour; but does not Caesar give you news every day? Do




MARENG-O.


309


you think he would work so hard at his entrenchments if he
did not fear the approach of the army assembled by the
Gauls? Persevere and you will be saved;' and, in fact,
the Gauls arrived 200,000 strong and attacked Caesar.
" The proposition made by General Ott and Lord Keith
to allow the garrison to leave the city with its arms, was it
not as good as an explanatory letter from Bonaparte
announcing his approach?"
There is abundant proof to show that Genoa was reduced
to the very last extremity when Massena capitulated.
General Ott was not so anxious for a capitulation because
he expected the place to be relieved, but because he wished
to rejoin M]elas; and Bonaparte had no intention of
marching on Genoa until he had disposed of the Austrian
army on the Po.
To THE CONSULS OF THE REPIBLIC.
" TORRE DEI GAROFFOLI, I5th/ June, I800.
" The news from the army is good. I shall be soon in Paris.
I cannot say any more. I am plunged in the deepest grief
by the death of the man I loved and esteemed the most.
" BONAPARTE."
Marengo had been fought and won.   In his bulletin
Bonaparte said that "the enemy passed the Bormida by
three bridges and surprised our advanced guard.. Four
times during the battle we had to retreat, and four times
we advanced... More than sixty guns on each side, at
different hours, were taken and re-taken.  There were
twelve charges of cavalry with varied success.  At
3 P.M. 10,000 cavalry out-flanked our right in the superb
plain of San Giuliano... The Grenadiers of the
Guard stood like a granite redoubt, and could not be
broken.  After an obstinate resistance the enemy's left
was checked, and our right carried the village of Castel
Ceriolo at the bayonet. The enemy's cavalry then rapidly
attacked  our left, which was repulsed.  The enemy




3 Io


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


advanced along the whole line; the roads were covered
with fugitives and wounded. The battle appeared lost."
At this critical moment Desaix arrived and changed the
fortunes of the day. Desaix himself fell mortally wounded,
and, according to the bulletin, had only time to exclaim,
before breathing his last: " Go and tell the First Consul
that I die with the regret of not having done sufficient for
posterity."
It is curious that Bonaparte should have acquired more
fame by Marengo than by any other battle he ever fought,
and yet there is abundant proof to show that Marengo
represented a series of military blunders. The extract we
have given from Bonaparte's bulletin shows that the battle
was won by dint of hard fighting, and not by generalship.
The first fault committed by Bonaparte was venturing into
"the superb plain of St. Giuliano" in presence of the
Austrian cavalry, which was far superior to his own in
numbers. The fact is that he was ignorant of the position of the enemy; he thought Melas had fallen back
in the direction of Genoa, and he was not aware that
the Austrians had thrown any bridges over the Bormida.
Had it been otherwise, he would have displayed greater
caution, and would never have detached the division of
Desaix which had been ordered to Novi.
That Bonaparte was himself ill-satisfied with Marengo is
shown by the care with which he doctored his own
accounts of the battle, and the orders he gave for the
destruction of all the original reports. Up to a certain
point the campaign had been splendidly conceived and ably
executed; but at Marengo itself Bonaparte had failed to
place all the chances on his side, according to his own maxim,
before going into action. The fact is that Marengo was a
surprise, and that but for the rapid return of Desaix, the
French army would have met with an overwhelming disaster.
As for Desaix he fell shot through the heart, and his body
was recovered only at a late hour in the evening. The
words put into his mouth by Bonaparte were never uttered.




LETTER TO THE EMPEROR OF AUSTRIA.


311


Jomini says: "Of all the battles gained by Napoleon
there is not one of which he should have been less proud
than that of Marengo.   Unexpectedly attacked, as at
Eylau, he was saved at both battles by a corps detached
several leagues from the field of battle... A few
battalions and 600 horse decided the fate of the Continent
and changed the face of Europe."
The glory of Marengo certainly belonged to Desaix and
to Kellermann whose cavalry decided the fate of the day.
The long letter addressed to the Emperor of Germany
contained such paragraphs as these:" English cunning has marred the effect which my overtures should have produced in the mind of your Majesty.
The war has taken place, and thousands of Frenchmen and
Austrians have lost their lives.. I implore your Majesty
to put an end to the misfortunes of the Continent. It is
from the battle-field of Marengo, in the midst of suffering
and surrounded by I,500 corpses, that I supplicate your
Majesty to listen to the cry of humanity. What reasons
can be urged in favour of continuing hostilities?  The
interests of religion and of the Church?  Why not
declare war against the English, the Muscovites, the
Prussians? They are further from the Church than we are."
England was accused of having instigated the war and
of having seized on the commerce of the world and the
empire of the seas; and the Emperor was informed that he
had a large commerce and was interested in the liberty of the
ocean. Austria, however, was not demoralised by Marengo.
She had lost Italy before, and it was not in Italy that her
fate could be decided, but in Germany. Austria accepted
further subsidies from England, who was intent on securing
the evacuation of Egypt, and pledged herself not to conclude
a separate peace before February, I8oI. An ambassador was
sent to Paris to gain time, Comte de St. Julien by name.
In his bulletin of the I7th June, Bonaparte condescended
to treat his army to such childish inventions as these:"The generals, officers, and soldiers of the Austrian




312    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


army are indignant with Thugut. They render justice to
the good intentions of their Emperor, and appear convinced that we are fighting against each other to raise the
price of English sugar and coffee. An Austrian general of
great merit said at head-quarters: 'We shall have no
repose or happiness until, by unanimous consent, we banish
from the continent that venal and commercial nation which
speculates on our blood for the extension of its commerce.'. At Paris as at Vienna; in France as in Germany; in
the French as in the Austrian army, every one desires
peace.  The intrigues and guineas of the English, the
influence of the Empress, and the disgrace of the Archduke Charles alone prevent it."
In a second bulletin, dated the i8th June, Bonaparte
said: "General Desaix brought from Egypt two little
negroes given to him by the King of Darfour.  These
children wore mourning for their deceased master, after
the manner of their country, and in an exceedingly
touching way.
"The body of the general has been conveyed by post to
Milan, where it will be embalmed. It is not yet decided
whether the First Consul will send it to Paris or place it in
a monument which is to be erected on the St. Bernard to
commemorate the passage of the French army.
" General Desaix was the first European who carried
the glory of the French arms beyond the Cataracts. He
was adored by the inhabitants of Upper Egypt, who called
him 'The Just Sultan.' He was greatly irritated by the
bad treatment he received from Admiral Keith."
Then followed all kinds of accusation against the British
admiral, "who invented so many ridiculous things while
drinking punch off Genoa," and had forged a letter full of
absurdities which the First Consul was supposed to have
written to Massena.
Massena, by the way, has left a very different story of
how he was treated by Lord Keith when he was forced to
capitulate at Genoa. Bonaparte, when he arrived from




MRS. BILLINGTON.


313


Egypt, refused to observe quarantine, and one of the
principal grievances of Desaix was that he was obliged to
submit to that precautionary measure before landing at
Leghorn. Inde ira.
To CITIZEN CARNOT.
" MILAN, 20/t June, i800.
"Write to General Kleber that when the news of the
capitulation arrived, the Brest squadron was about to sail
with 4,000 troops and war stores; that we have only just
learned the capitulation has beeh broken, and that he has
reconquered Egypt; that it will be impossible to send him
reinforcements during the months of Messidor, Thermidor,
and Fructidor, but that during the winter, if peace be not
concluded, he shall receive powerful succour; that in all
probability peace will be signed in six months.
" Send this despatch in cipher and make General Kleber
understand that it is necessary for the interest and safety
of his army, the glory of the French arms, and the prosperity of our commerce, that he should keep Egypt.
" BONAPARTE."
To GENERAL BERTHIER.
" MILAN, 21St 7une, I8oo.
"I beg you will invite two of the best virtuosos to go to
Paris in order to sing a duo in Italian at the fete of the
14th July. You will give them all that is necessary for
their voyage, &c.
" BONAPARTE."
Another letter, dated the same day and addressed to
brother Lucien, gives the names of the two virtuososMadame B3illington and Madame Grassini. Bonaparte,
was so much smitten with the charms of the latter that he
gave her a place in Josephine's household. Madame Billington (whose memoirs were translated by no less a person




314    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


than M. Thiers) had at that epoch married a French army
contractor.
BULLETIN TO THE ARMY.
"MILAN, 23rd 7une, I800.
"A Turkish ambassador coming from Leghorn on board
an English frigate has arrived at Genoa. He has informed
Admiral Keith of the deplorable condition of the Grand
Vizier who has been driven back across the desert.
" Generals Willot and Danican, paid by England, have
despatched eight or ten agents to the south of France to
organise assassination and to pillage diligences, these two
wretches have fallen into the greatest contempt.
" General Pichegru was also destined to command a force
which was to be landed in France. It is to be regretted
that a man who rendered such great services to the Republic
should have tarnished his glory by meddling in wretched
intrigues..,c BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte now determined to hand over the command
of the army of Italy to Massena, and to return to Paris.
ORDER OF THE DAY TO THE ARMY.
" MILAN, 24th zJ7ue, i8oo.1
"On leaving the army the First Consul congratulates it
on the victories it has gained. The battle of Marengo will
On the same day we find Nelson, who had evidently not heard of
Marengo, writing an encouraging letter to the Pope thus worded:"LEGHORN, 24/t ti une, I800.
"HOLY FATHER,-AS an individual who, from his public situation,
has had an opportunity of using his utmost exertions to assist in
bringing about the happy event of your Holiness's return to Rome, I
presume to offer my most sincere congratulations on this occasion;
and with my most fervent wishes and prayers that your residence may
be blessed with health and every comfort this world can afford.
"Your Holiness will, I am sure, forgive my mentioning a circumstance
which, although at the time it was spoken of appeared impossible,




NEGOTIATIONS OF LUNEVILLE.


3 I 5


be celebrated in history.  Thirteen fortified places, containing I,O0O heavy guns have fallen into our power, and
we find ourself in a position to conclude a solid peace, or,
should the enemy be blindly opposed to this, to commence
a brilliant and decisive campaign for the repose of Europe
and the glory of the nation, &c.
" BONAPARTE."
Negotiations for peace were opened at Luneville.
To LUCIEN BONAPARTE.
" LYONS, 28th 7une, I800.
"I have received your letter, Citizen Minister.  I shall
arrive unexpectedly in Paris. It is not my intention to
have triumphal arches or any kind of ceremony. I have
too good an opinion of myself to care about such nonsense.
I know no other triumph than public satisfaction.:
"BONAPARTE."
On the 4th July Bonaparte put two questions to
Talleyrand —
"ISt. Are  there any means of communicating with
Constantinople?
"2nd. In the event of means existing why not employ
them for making known the situation of Europe to the
Grand Signor, and convincing him that he should labour
under no apprehensions as regards Egypt, which will be
and yet the fact did happen. Father MacCormack, a friar, coming
to the house of Sir W. Hamilton in September, 1798, to congratulate
me on the battle of the Nile, said:-' What you have done is great,
but you will do a greater thing-you will take Rome with your ships.'
And although I do not believe that the father had the gift of prophecy, yet his guess was so extraordinary, and has turned out so
exactly, that I could not in my conscience avoid telling your Holiness
of it. I will now only trespass on your time by assuring your Holiness
with what respect I am your most obedient servant,
" BRONTE NELSON OF THE NILE."




316   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


restored to him as soon as the Porte resumes its ancient
relations with France? "
It was only on the 20th June that Carnot had been told
to order Kleber to hold Egypt, and had been promised
reinforcements.
To GENERAL MOREAU.
"PARIS, I Ith J7uly, I800.
"I congratulate you, General, on the brilliant results of
your campaign.   We are expecting every moment an
answer from Vienna, and if it does not arrive in a few days
we shall recommence hostilities in Italy.
" Although we are threatened with several invasions and
although the English squadrons swarm along our coasts, a
strong force of Batavians and Frenchmen are going to take
up a position on the other side of Mayence.
"The organisation of the second army of reserve is
actively progressing.
BONAPARTE."
And in fact since Moreau opened the campaign he had
gained five victories, and had inflicted a loss of 30,000 men
upon Kray, who was driven back upon Ulm.
To CITIZEN LUCIEN BONAPARTE.
" PARIS, 1t5 liu ly, I800.
"The Minister of the Interior will inform the members
who wrote to him"ist. That there is no French Academy.
"2nd. That they ought to know that it was dissolved by
a law of the Republic.
"3rd. That the Institute [of which Bonaparte was a
member] represents the ex-Academies of Science, French,
and belles-lettres.
"4th. That I do not, however, see any inconvenience in
citizens uniting in order to form a literary society on the
condition of its not assuming a name capable of recalling




THE FRENCH ACADEMY.


317


abolished institutions, that its rules contain nothing contrary
to the Republic, and that it resembles the Lyceum of Arts
and other establishments of the kind.
"5th. As for the proposal that I should become a
member of this society, you will cause it to be understood
that I have more important affairs to attend to.
" 6th. And if this society continues to take the ridiculous
title of French Academy and to observe is ancient statutes,
it is the intention of the Government to suppress it at
once.1
" BONAPARTE."
To THE CONSERVATIVE SENATE.
" PARIS, I8t/t 7uly, I8oo.
" Senators, for the last two years the garrison 'of Malta
has resisted the greatest privations. In taking the oath to
the social pact the garrison of Malta promised to hold out
to the last ounce of bread, and to bury themselves under
1 The Academy, which was quite contrary to all ideas of equality
was naturally abolished during the Revolution. The Academicians
were regarded as belonging to a patrician order of letters. When
calmer times came, the Institute, which had also been abolished, was reestablished, and the French Academy became the second class of that
body. In the year VIII. (I8oo) an attempt was made to re-establish
the Academy on its ancient footing, and the idea was encouraged by
Lucien Bonaparte, then Minister of the Interior. There were still
fifteen Academicians alive, and it was proposed to complete the forty
by electing Napoleon Bonaparte, his brother Lucien, the third Consul
Lebrun, Talleyrand, &c., &c. Bonaparte, houever, on his return from
Marengo, disapproved of the scheme. It became repugnant to his
feelings to be called cher coleggue by the members of the Institute, and
he had no desire to be elected a member of the Academy. Bernardin
de St. Pierre, the author of Paul and Virginia, in his reception speech
(I807), spoke of Napoleon as having, among other glorious actions,
re-established the French Academy; and in I81o, on a similar occasion, Esmenard said that the Academy " buried under the ruins of the
throne" had been " re-animated by the voice of a hero."  As a matter
of fact, however, the Academy was re-established only in I816 by a
Royal Ordinance.




3i8


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON


the ruins of that impregnable fortress. The First Consul
believes that he cannot give a greater proof of his satisfaction of the French people and of the interest which he
takes in the gallant garrison of Malta than by proposing
General Vaubois, who commands it, as a member of the
Conservative Senate, &c.
" BONAPARTE."
It was only in September that Malta, which neither
French nor Spanish fleets could relieve, was obliged to
capitulate. Out of ten tartansl despatched to Malta in
rapid succession, one only had run the blockade.
DECISION.
" PARIS, 201/oh Jly, I800.
"The Minister of War is authorised to pay the Citoyenne
Beaufranchet, the mother of General Desaix, killed at
Marengo, the sum of 3,000 francs by way of indemnity."
Madame Beaufranchet was also to have a pension of
~I20 a year, which was not much for the mother of a hero
who had saved the country and whose bones were deposited
on the summit of the Alps, especially if one takes into
account the enormous sums lavished by Bonaparte on his
lieutenants.
To GENERAL MASSENA.
" PARIS, 22nd July, I800.
"I have received your different letters.... The contribution of Milan, that which you have imposed on
Lucca, the extraordinary contribution which you have
levied in Piedmont, and the million in gold which I sent
you by Savary, ought to enable you to meet the wants of
your army.
" It is necessary to make some examples. Plunder and
burn the first village which revolts in Piedmont
" BONAPARTE."
Boats with one mast and a lateen sail.




CAPITULATION OF MANTUA.


319


Bonaparte himself when campaigning in Italy managed
to pay his troops and to send money home, but in I800
Italy was well-nigh exhausted.
To GENERAL SUCHET.
" PARIS, 24/k J7uly, I800.
"I received your letter of the 23rd Messidor. I am
very glad that General Massena has given you the. command of his centre. He has made the most favourable
report of your operations... I see by your letter that you
are zealous to acquire glory; this is the way to accomplish
great things,, Count upon my esteem and friendship.
" BONAPARTE."
Suchet was one of the most gallant and humane lieutenants of Bonaparte. We shall find him hereafter commanding in Spain, where his conduct formed a strong
contrast to that of the other French marshals.
To CITIZEN CARNOT.
"PARIS, 24t/ 7Juy, I800.
"The Consuls have been informed that the citizen
Foissac-Latour has returned from Austria and dishonours
the French uniform by wearing it. Let him know that he
ceased to belong to the service of the Republic the day he
basely surrendered the citadel of Mantua.... He is more
accountable to public opinion than to the courts for his
conduct at Mantua. The intention of the Government is
to hear nothing more of that shameful siege which will
long be a stain on our arms.
" BONAPARTE."
This gives one an idea of the authority usurped by
Bonaparte at this epoch. Mantua had been surrendered in
July, I799, and Bernadotte, who was then War Minister,
had ordered a court martial. The First Consul, however,
without awaiting the decision of the court, took upon




320


TIIE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


himself to pronounce the condemnation of the general.
Whatever may have been the merits of the case it is
certain that Foissac-Latour obtained better terms from
Souwarrow than Wurmser did from Bonaparte, and that he
was allowed to march out with the honours of war. Bonaparte, however, held that good terms were equivalent to a
bad defence.
" In order to be honourable," he wrote, "a capitulation
ought to stipulate hard conditions for the garrison. There
is always a presumption unfavourable to a garrison which
marches out of a place over a bridge of gold."1
One of General Foissac-Latour's sons afterwards served
on Napoleon's staff.
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
"PARIS, 28th 7zLy, I8oo.
"It is my intention to send General Berthier to Spain
without any apparent diplomatic title. He will take a
letter from you to M. Urquijo, and from me to the King
of Spain."
Berthier was to negotiate the cession of Tuscany to the
Duke of Parma (the son-in-law of the King of Spain) in
exchange for Louisiana and twelve vessels of war.
2nd. He was to excite Spain to declare war against
Portugal (the King of Portugal was the King of Spain's
son-in-law).
3rd. He was to visit the naval ports of Spain, and report
on her maritime resources.
4th. He was to send corn and other stores to Malta
from Barcelona, or any other Spanish ports along the
Mediterranean.
The feeble King of Spain, who had become irretrievably
entangled in the meshes of the crafty First Consul was
destined to pay dearly for that French alliance, which was
productive of nothing but a series of cruel humiliations
Vol. x. p. 204, Military Correspondence of Napoleon I




MASSENA REMOVED.


321


and ultimate imprisonment and ruin. He was only at
the commencement of his tribulations.
Great deference was shown at this period to the Czar and
the King of Prussia. All the Russian prisoners in France
received new uniforms and were sent home, and the
Prussian monarch was assured that he enjoyed the
peculiar esteem  of the First Consul.  Negotiations,
however were dragging on very slowly with Austria.
At this critical moment an important change was made
in the army.
To GENERAL BRUNE.
"PARIS, I3th August, I800.
" The War Minister will forward you an order to assume
the command of the army of Italy, which is the principal
army of the Republic in a military, and more especially
in a political, point of view. This is the greatest mark
of confidence I can accord you.... You will find the
army in a tolerable condition, but embezzlement is at its
height, and the individuals who are the most closely
in  contact with  Massena  are the   most seriously
compromised..
" BONAPARTE."
To GENERAL MAASSENA.
" PARIS, I3/i Azugust, I80o.
"The First Consul has just appointed General Brune
to the command of the army of Italy. You will consequently hand him over the command of that army should
he have reached your head-quarters on the receipt of this.
In the contrary case hand over the command to one of
your lieutenant-generals.
" It is the intention of the First Consul to employ your
talents and your zeal in a different manner equally useful
to the Republic, and he authorises you to come straight to
Paris if you desire to do so, or to return home for a while
in order to enjoy some necessary repose....
"BONAPARTE."


VOL. I.


Y




322   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


It is suspected that Massena on this occasion was removed from his command on political grounds and not for
larceny. His rapacity had not prevented Napoleon from
employing his great talents before, and did not prevent
him from having recourse to them again.
To GENERAL MOREAU.
" PARIS, 24th August, I8oo.
" I have already informed you that you have been called
by the esteem and confidence of the Consuls to the chief
command of the forces in Germany. The modesty with
which you refused to accept this important command has
proved an additional motive for conferring it upon you.
They anticipate that the delays of the Court of Vienna
may render it necessary at any moment for the Government to break the armistice."
And in order to insure unity of action and energy the
army corps commanded by Angereau was placed under
the orders of General Moreau, who this time was allowed
complete liberty of action.
It does not appear that Moreau refused the command;
he merely objected, and this much to the annoyance of
Bonaparte, to the plan of campaign drawn out for his
guidance in Paris.
DECREE.
"PARIS, 6tl Septemnber, I8oo.
"Art. Ist. A monument shall be raised to the memory
of Generals Desaix and Kleber, who fell the same day, at
the same hour, the one in Europe after the battle of
Marengo, by which the arms of the Republic reconquered
Italy, the other in Africa, after the battle of Heliopolis,
which reconquered Egypt for the French.
"Art. 2nd. This monument shall be raised in the centre
of the Place des Victoires" [where a statue to Louis XIV.
stood, and still stands!] "The first stone will be laid by
the First Consul on the Ist Vendemiaire. An orator shall
pronounce the funeral oration of these two illustrious
citizens.                          "BONAPARTE."




LETTER ATTRIBUTED TO LOUIS XVIII.


323


To THE COMTE DE PROVENCE.
"PARIS, 7th September, I800.
"SIR, —I have received your letter, and I thank you for
the flattering things it contains.
"You ought not to desire your return to France; you
would be obliged to march over IO10,00 dead bodies.
"Sacrifice your interests to the repose and happiness of
France.... (words omitted). History will not forget
this.
"I am not insensible to the misfortunes of your family..... (more words omitted).  I shall contribute with
pleasure to the pleasantness and tranquillity of your
retreat.
" BONAPARTE."
It is much doubted whether Louis XVIII. ever wrote
the letter referred to above. VVhat is certain, however, is
that Bonaparte wrote to Louis XVIII. when he was at
Warsaw in I803, offering him, 80,ooo a year if he would
renounce his claims to the French throne, and that this
proposition was refused with great dignity in a letter
which was published in the Morning Chronicle on the
25th July, 1803.
To LUCIEN BONAPARTE.
"PARIS, Ioth Sefitember, I8oo.
"I beg you will send me a list of our ten best painters,
our ten best sculptors, our ten best composers, our ten
best singers, besides those on the stage, our ten best
architects, as well as the names of artists in any other
line who are deserving of public attention..
" BONAPARTE."
In spite of a certain desire to patronise art, the
Napoleonic was certainly not an Augustan age.
Y 2




324   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


To CITIZEN CARNOT.
"PARIS, I3th Seprtember, I8oo.
"Telegraph to Strasburg for a courier to take this
despatch to General Moreau.
"The courier who was expected has returned from
Vienna, bringing no positive answer. This proves that
the Court of Vienna wishes to gain the winter. Inform
the Austrian General that you are obliged to recommence
hostilities because his Imperial Majesty has refused to
ratify the preliminaries of peace signed by the Comte de
St. Julien..
'" BONAPARTE."
And hostilities once more commenced.  On the one
hand Austria refused to negotiate without England, and
on the other it is doubtful if Bonaparte really desired
peace. Count Miot de Melito says he merely wished to
persuade the French people that he was anxious to bring
the war to a close. The maritime truce alluded to below
was out of the question, as in accepting it England would
have lost all the trouble and expense of blockading Malta
and Egypt.
To THE PUBLIC FUNCTIONARIES.
" PARIS, 23rd September, I8oo.
"The preliminaries of peace were signed at Paris on the
9th Thermidor (28th July), between Citizen Talleyrand
and the Count St. Julien, and ratified twenty-four hours
afterwards by the Consuls. Citizen Duroc was charged to
carry them  to Vienna.  The intrigues of the faction
opposed to peace have induced the Emperor to refuse his
ratification. This refusal was caused by a note from the
King of England, who demanded that his envoys should
be admitted to the Congress of Luneville conjointly with
the plenipotentiaries of the Emperor. The Government
therefore felt obliged to break the armistice so as not to




THE TELEGRAPH.


325


lose the rest of the autumn in vain discussions.... The
Government have also informed the King of England that
there will be no inconvenience to admit his envoys if he
will consent to a maritime truce...
S" BONAPARTE. '
To CITIZEN LUCIEN BONAPARTE.
"PARIS, 24th Sepytember, 8o00.
"I beg you will give an employment at Marseilles to
Citizen Gamier, a friend of General Dugommier, who for a
long time has taken care of his daughter.
"( BONAPARTE."
Dugommier was the gallant old officer under whose
orders Bonaparte distinguished himself at Toulon, and he
seems always to have remembered him with the most lively
affection.
DECIS[ON.
"PARIS, 26th Septemzber, I8oo.
"Art. Ist. Citizen Chappe must not, no matter under
what pretext, transmit any order by telegraph which has
not been signed by the First Consul....
"( BONAPARTE."
Poor Chappe was not allowed the use of his own invention. A few years later, disgusted with life, he threw
himself down a well and perished.
Having received an address on escaping an attempt
made on his life, Bonaparte replied:" I6th October, I8oo.
"I thank the Tribunate for this proof of affection. I did
not run any real danger. The seven or eight wretches, in
spite of their desire, were unable to commit the crimes they
meditated... I enter into details because it is necessary
for France to know that the life of her first magistrate is
never in danger.
" BONAPARTE."




326   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


The attempt referred to above is known as the CeracchiArena conspiracy, in which Demerville, Topino-Lebrun, the
Duke of Bonnelli, and the Prince of Santa-Croce were implicated. The plan of the conspirators was to assassinate
the First Consul as he left the opera. It was afterwards
suspected that this affair was got up by the police, and the
fact is that the accused were never tried: not that this
prevented several of them from being executed.
THE FIRST CONSUL TO THE MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR,
on Presenting General Moreau wi/i a Pair of Pistols Ornamented
with Diamonds.
"PARIS, 2ISt October, I8oo.
" Have the names of some of the battles gained by
General Moreau engraved on them; do not put all, for
there would not be sufficient place for the diamonds.
Although General Moreau does not attach a great price to
them, the design of the artist ought not be too much
interfered with.
" BONAPARTE."
To GENERAL LACNEE.
" PARIS, 22nd October, I8oo.
"General Brune writes to me that General Dupont
has entered Tuscany and has beaten the insurgents who
had invaded the Cisalpine..... General Brune must
disarm Tuscany as quickly as possible and make some
severe examples.
" Inform the General also that the Government desire he
will not touch the pictures and statues in the gallery of
Florence. For the moment he will merely send the statue of
Venus de Medecis by way of Lucca and Genoa....
" BONAPARTE."
And a few days later General Brune was instructed to
hold Tuscany; to despatch a vessel from   Leghorn to




ENGLISH SHIPS AT LEGHORN.


327


Alexandria with newspapers, muskets, and sabres for
General Menou; to live in harmony with the Pope; to levy
a war contribution of 2,000,000 or 3,000,000 francs on
Leghorn in order to pay a month's arrears to the army, &c.
And in the event of the Tuscans resenting these exactions
and exhibiting a spark of patriotism, they were to be treated
like brigands. They had done nothing to deserve these
arbitrary measures, but Leghorn was a port much frequented by English ships, and Tuscany was required to
enable Bonaparte to pay the King of Spain for Louisiana!
To GENERAL MENOU.
" PARIS, 24th October, 1800.
"Rear-Admiral Ganteaume will hand you this letter.
Peace has been concluded with America, Algeria, and
Tunis. The separate negotiations with Austria, Russia,
and England lead us to hope in the conclusion of a
general peace.... The news received from  Constantinople acquaints us with the disorganisation of the army
of the Grand Vizier and the dissolution with which that
vast empire is menaced.... All those officers and men
who have returned to France in an honourable manner
have received proofs of public esteem and gratitude. I pity
those who have not sufficient virtue to second you in your
noble resolution, and whose courage has failed them. They
will find in France that contempt due to men who, no
matter what their services, are deficient in the necessary
amount of constancy.
" BONAPARTE."
It is almost needless to remark that this letter never
reached its destination. The number of officers who, in
imitation of Bonaparte, considered their presence necessary
in France, and who found means to return home, was
highly displeasing to the First Consul.




328


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


To GENERAL BRUNE.
"PARIS, 4t// November, I8oo.
"Citizen Dupard ought to have reached you with
2,50o,000f. in gold.... I hope you have made a severe
example of the inhabitants of Arezzo. When a town
allows itself to be taken by assault it must pay the penalty.
You must show no pity in such cases. If any revolts take
place in remote corners, make severe examples. Allforeign
people, but especially Italians, require to be dealt with
severely from time to time... 
" BONAPARTE."
On the 5th November, I8oo, Bonaparte caused a note to
be sent to General Toussaint Louverture, congratulating him
on the end of the civil war in St. Domingo, and saying:"The happiness of the inhabitants of this beautiful
colony interests the Government as much as even that of
the inhabitants of France.... The First Consul will
shortly write to you himself. He has already bestowed
attention on an organisation for St. Domingo, which will
convince you of the peculiar esteem in which he holds the
gallant blacks. 
"' BONAPARTE."
TO THE KING OF SPAIN.
" PARIs, 8th November, I8oo.
"Seeing the present state of Europe, I have thought fit
to charge the Citizen Lucien Bonaparte, my brother, to
represent to your Majesty the utility of the conquest of
Portugal. Malta and Mahon have fallen into the power of
our enemies, and even Louisiana is threatened.
"The greatest damage we could inflict upon English
commerce would be to seize upon Portugal. Besides, this
conquest would compensate Spain for her losses and expenses, and would illustrate the reign of your Majesty..
" BONAPARTE."




THE NA UTIL US.


329


Then followed the usual invectives against England, and
a promise of French troops should the king deem their
assistance necessary.
To REAR-ADMIRAL GANTEAUME.
" PARIS, 22znd November, 1800.
"I send you the Citizen Jerome Bonaparte to serve his
apprenticeship in the marine. You know he will have to
be kept in order so as to make up for lost time. See that
he performs all the duties of the career he has embraced
with exactitude.... I need not say how impatient I am
to learn that you have succeeded in your new mission....
( BONAPARTE."
DECISION.
" PARIS, 4th December, I800.
"The Minister will treat this affair with Fulton, Volney,
and others."
This was the abrupt note dictated by Bonaparte on the
subject of the steamship Nautilus, which had been submitted by Fulton to the French Minister of Marine.
On the I4th December Bonaparte issued confidential
instructions with the view of sending aid to Egypt.
Citizen Miot de Melito, who has left us an account of
his expedition, was to be dropped at Ajaccio. He was to
proclaim  Corsica hors la Constitution; to establish an
extraordinary tribunal, and to judge and execute all the
robbers, assassins, and persons guilty of provoking rebellion,
detained in prison. He was to burn down the houses of
the principal rebels, like the Quenzas and the Cesares, and
to re-establish tranquillity in the island. The real destination of the naval force, which was commanded by Admiral
Ganteaume, was kept secret.  It was supposed to be
bound for St. Domingo, and it was only when the squadron had passed the Straits of Gibraltar that a number of




330


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


coloured officers, who were under the impression they
were going to serve under Toussaint Louverture discovered they had been misled.
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
" PARIS, i6/h December, I8oo.
" I think that a letter written to the Grand Seignor, and
sent through the channel of the Ottoman Ambassador in
Paris, might be useful under present circumstances. The
situation of Europe should be laid before him in a suitable
manner, and the fact that the English alone are opposed to
the evacuation of Egypt; that we shall evacuate it only on
the conclusion of a general peace, and that it is in the
interest of the Porte to resume its ancient relations with
France.                             "BON APARTE."
To CITIZEN CHAPTAL.
"PARIS, 22nd December, I800.
I wish you to send a company of French comedians to
Egypt; the state of prosperity in which the army of the
East finds itself, and its idleness in the great city of Cairo,
render this matter, which at first sight may appear trivial,
necessary, even from a political point of view. A sufficient
number of artists might be found at Marseilles and
Toulon.... I should not regret expending 40,000
francs in this affair....          "BONAPARTE."
On the same day Talleyrand was ordered to see that
every vessel which tried to reach Egypt carried 1,000
muskets, o0,000 cannon balls, 250 pairs of pistols, 250
sabres, and medical stores.
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
" PARIS, 24tl December, I8oo.
"I beg you will inform Citizen Belleville that according
to all accounts received from England he showed too much




ATTEMPTS ON BONAPARTE'S LIFE.


33I


indulgence towards the neutral vessels in Leghorn, so that
the English managed to save over 500,0001. which ought to
belong to the Republic.
"BONAPARTE."
No letters are published for the 4th and 5th Nivose, a
fact which may be attributed to the attempt made to blow
up the First Consul on the 3rd, as he was on the way to
the theatre to see one of his favourite actresses perform.
On the 7th Nivose Bonaparte called for a report on this
affair, the number of people wounded, and the amount of
damage done.  Thanks to the dexterity of his coachman,
Caesar, Bonaparte's carriage cleared the " infernal machine,"
and the First Consul and his party escaped unhurt.
The consequence of this attempt fell upon the innocent
and the guilty alike.  Ceracchi, Arena, Demerville, and
Topino-Lebrun were at once condemned to death and
executed.
A Cabinet Council was held on the I Ith Nivose, at
which a report by the Prefect of Police, Dubois, was read,
enumerating the various attempts on the life of the First
Consul. In addition to the Ceracchi-Arena affair and that
in the Rue St. Nicaise, a man called Chevalier had formed
a plan for blowing up Bonaparte. He and his accomplices
were arrested on the 5th November, I8oo. A plot was
then formed to introduce several assassins into the Grenadiers of the Guard; but this conspiracy was discovered and
frustrated. A French Brutus then appeared in the shape
of one Metgen, who was to stab the tyrant at the Theatre
FranSais during the performance of Britannicus.  The
First Consul did not go to the play on the evening in
question, and the attempt was adjourned.  GombaultLachaise then invented a machine with which the First
Consul was to have been slaughtered during the funeral
ceremony in honour of Desaix and Kleber, but the decorations were in the way. A machine containing " Greek
fire " was about to be tried, when it fell into the hands of




332    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


the police. All these and other attempts were laid to the
charge of a company of tyrannicides.
Bonaparte determined to visit the attempt of the 3rd
Nivose on the Jacobins, although soon made aware by
Fouche that the guilty parties were Royalists. He selected
I33 names from "his dictionary," the names of Jacobins
who had opposed him on the I8th Brumaire; and a few
days later most of these innocent victims were transported
to Cayenne, from which place only two lived to return. It
is related that the list was so carelessly made out, that it
included not only people quite inoffensive, but several
persons in the employment of the Government, such as
Baudray, who had been acting as a judge at Guadaloupe
for five years; and Paris, who had been dead for six
months when the explosion in the Rue St. Nicaise took
place.
Before the end of Nivose the real authors of the crime
of the 3rd were arrested.  They were Carbon, a Vendean who had served under Bourmont, Timoleon, who
had been chief of Bourmont's staff; and St. Regeant, a
Chouan.
The attempt to blow up the First Consul resulted therefore in the execution of Ceracchi, Arena, Demerville, and
Topino-Lebrun; of Chevalier and four of his accomplices;
of Carbon and St. Regeant (Timoleon made his escape),
and the transportation of 130 Jacobins.
On the 7th Nivose Bonaparte called for a report on this
affair, from which it appeared that ten persons had been
killed on the spot, or had died of their wounds, and that
forty-six houses had been damaged. It was decided that
the damaged houses should be pulled down in order to
carry out improvements, which was turning the crime to
some advantage.




CHAPTER. VII.


THE YEAR I8oI.
THE principal events of I80o wereThe signature of the treaty of Luneville between France
and Austria, by which the independence of the Batavian, Helvetic, Ligurian, and Cisalpine Republics was
guaranteed. Austria lost Tuscany, which was ceded to
the son of the Duke of Parma.
The reconstruction of the League of Neutres under
the auspices of Russia and Prussia.
The victory of Nelson in the Baltic.
The assassination of Paul I.
The dissolution of the League of Ncutres.
England makes proposals of peace.
The coronation of the Emperor Alexander.  Peace
concluded between Russia and England.
Preliminaries of peace with France signed on the 2Ist
October. England consented to restore the Cape of Good
Hope, Guiana, Tobago, Martinique, St. Lucia, and Pondicherry, and to evacuate Minorca and Elba. Malta was to
be given back to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, and
Egypt to the Sultan. The preliminaries also stipulated
the integrity of Portugal; the evacuation of the Papal
and Neapolitan States by the French troops. General
Lauriston, who brought these conditions to England was




334    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
received with every demonstration of delight; the horses
were taken out of his carriage and he was drawn by the
people to Whitehall.
By this treaty England gave up all her conquests with
the exception of Ceylon, which had been taken from the
Dutch, and Trinidad, which had been taken from Spain.
France sacrificed nothing but two islands belonging to
her allies, and agreed to evacuate the Papal States.  If
she consented to withdraw her troops from Naples, that
was owing to pressure on the part of Russia, which Power
protested strongly against French interference, not only in
the south of Italy, but in Piedmont, Switzerland, Bavaria,
and Portugal.
In July the Concordat between France and Rome was
signed, but owing to certain difficulties respecting the
nomination of bishops it was not promulgated for more
than a year.
In I801 the King of Spain, who had been forced to make
war on his son-in-law, the King of Portugal, signed the
treaty of Badajoz.
Tuscany was erected into the kingdom of Etruria, and
in exchange France received Louisiana from Spain.
A great many efforts were made by France to reinforce
her army in Egypt, but they all failed, thanks to the
vigilance of the British navy. An English force under
Abercromby landed at Aboukir, and beat General Menou
in March. In April the French, after the defeat of
Canope, capitulated at Cairo and Alexandria, and in
September they evacuated Egypt.
The Emperor Paul and Bonaparte had agreed to invade
India. A force of 35,ooo French soldiers under the command
of Massena was to march to Ulm, thence to descend the
Danube to the Black Sea, and to be transported on board
a Russian fleet to Taganrog, to make its way to the Volga,
and to be conveyed in boats to Astrakan, where the
French were to be joined by 35,000 Russians and 50,oco
Cossacks; this force was to cross the Caspian to Astrabad




INVASION OF INDIA.


335


and to push on for Candahar by way of Herat. It was
calculated that Massena would be able to reach the Indus
in I30 days. With the death of Paul, and the succession
of Alexander, who, as a French writer remarked, referring to the coronation ceremonies, walked preceded by
the assassins of his grandfather, followed by those of
his father, and surrounded by his own, the scheme was
abandoned.
Several camps were formed along the coast of the
Channel with the view of invading England.
ORDER.
" PARIS, 4th 7anuary, I80I.
"Art. ISt. The Minister of Marine will have Citizen
Tallien placed under arrest for having left Egypt without
a passport after having fomented troubles there.
" Art. 2nd. Citizen Gilot, apothecary, will be sent back to
Egypt to be brought before a court-martial of the Army of
the East on the charge of having left the army without
leave.                            " BONAPARTE."
In a letter of the 7th January, addressed to Talleyrand,
Bonaparte wrote:-" Since the English appear desirous of
attacking Egypt, the Republic must deprive them of the
only ally which remains to them on the Continent," meaning
Portugal.
To GENERAL MOREAU.
"PARIS, 9th January, i8oi.
"I have received your letter, and thank you for what
you say on the subject of the extraordinary event of the
3rd Nivose. I need not tell you with what interest I have
followed your splendid and skilful manceuvres; you have
again surpassed yourself during this campaign.  These
wretched Austrians are very obstinate; they counted upon
the snow and ice; they were not yet acquainted with you.
" I salute you affectionately,
" BONAPARTE."




336


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


There was a good deal of rejoicing over the victory of
Hohenlinden, which brought Austria to her knees, and
almost completed the isolation of England on the Continent.
Salutes were fired in honour of this important event,
especially at Calais, with the view of announcing the defeat
of our last ally of any importance; but the admiration
expressed by the First Consul was hardly sincere.
When at St. Helena, Napoleon, in his " Observations on
the Military Events of I80o in Germany,"' said Moreau did
not understand his plan of campaign, and that had it been
possible for him to leave Paris he would have placed
himself at the head of the army of the Rhine; that Moreau
might have defeated and have captured half the Austrian
army in a fortnight; that Moreau spread out his army and
compromised it; that he remained inactive after the battle
of Egen, and by his faal indecision rendered the blood
shed there useless.  "Moreau," wrote Napoleon, "three
times in forty days repeated the same demonstrations
without attacking; he only succeeded in rendering his
enemy bolder, and in giving him an opportunity of beating
his divisions separately.... During this campaign the
French army, which was the more numerous, was always
inferior in number on the field of battle. This is what
happens to irresolute generals, who act without principles
and without plans. This feeling your way, this mezzo
termine, is fatal in war." Napoleon terminated a long
criticism on the operations which terminated with the
battle of Hohenlinden by saying-" No doubt the battle
of Hohenlinden was very glorious for General Moreau and
for the French army. It was one of the most decisive of
the war, but it cannot be attributed to any manceuvre, to
any combination, or to any military genius." Not a word
is said of the manner in which Moreau's summer operations were hampered; nor is he accorded the slightest
praise for his "skilful and splendid manceuvres" in
December.
1 Napoleon's Military Correspondence, vol. x., chapters viii. and ix.




THE TREATY OF EL ARISH.


337


On the same day, in a message to the legislative body,
Bonaparte referred at some length to the situation in
Egypt.- He said El Arish had fallen into the hands of
the Grand Vizier, thanks to the intrigues of the English
and the discouragement of the French army. Kleber, he
said falsely, had men and supplies sufficient to enable him
to resist the forces with which he was menaced. "But
our warriors had only one desire, one hope, that of returning to save their country. Kleber yielded to their
impatience. The English deceived, menaced, caressed,
and finally, by means of artifice, tore from him the capitulation of El Arish. The most courageous and skilful
generals were in despair. The virtuous Desaix groaned
on signing a treaty of which he disapproved."
Bonaparte then referred in violent language to the
refusal of the British Cabinet to ratify the treaty of El
Arish (of which he himself so highly disapproved), to which
conduct, he said, France owes the finest of her possessions.
It was this refusal, in fact, which enabled Bonaparte to
assure Selim III. that he desired to evacuate Egypt, but
that he was prevented from doing so by England. This
was certainly turning a misfortune to the best account.
On the I3th January Bonaparte ordered the Minister
of Marine to organise an expedition to the Cape of Good
Hope, which was to be undertaken in connection with the
Batavian Republic.
INSTRUCTIONS.
"' PARIS, I4th January, I8oI.
"General Toussaint Louverture, in the midst of the
storms and ravages of the Revolution, has managed, by
his prudence and courage, to save France a large and
important colony.  His virtues have merited the confidence of all parties; and his successes the admiration
of Europe."
And by way of reward, Toussaint Louverture was
appointed Captain-General of the French part of St.
VOL. I.                                   Z




338   TILE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Domingo. At the same time, however, Citizen Lequoy
Montgiraud was nominated Colonial Prefect, with special
powers from the First Consul, who protested that he had
no intention of interfering with the liberty which had been
acquired, but merely of regulating its enjoyment, &c., &c.
We shall presently see how the coloured general was
rewarded for saving a large and important colony.
On the I5th January Bonaparte wrote to Abdallah
Menou that the armies of the Republic were under the
walls of Prague, Vienna, and Venice, and that the Army
of the East, operating on the Red Sea, in Syria, and in
Africa excited the hopes, the curiosity, and the solicitude
of all; that the Englishman trembled and shuddered,
being abandoned by all Europe and being at war with
Russia, which had become one of the best friends of France.
Hopes were held out of relief arriving from Ancona and
other Italian and Spanish ports, as well as from Brest and
Rochefort. The letter concluded: " Let the Army of the
East remain worthy of itself; let it not be frightened at
phantoms, and it will have rendered the Republic the
most signal service."
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
"PARIS, 27th 7anuary, I80I.
"I beg you will send a courier to Madrid, and inform
the ambassador of the Republic (Lucien Bonaparte) that
the Emperor of Russia has written me a very friendly letter
with his own hand; that already the relations between
France and the northern Powers are on the best footing;
that the influence of France and Russia will decide
Prussia, and that then England will be entirely cut off
from the Continent; that France, Spain, and Holland
should take advantage of this circumstance to strike a
blow, and thus change the aspect of the war.... The
naval forces of the three powers can undertake-ist, an
expedition against Ireland; 2nd, against Brazil and India




TIHE CZAR'S LETTER.


339


(sic); 3rd, against Surinam, Trinidad, and the American
isles; 4th, several expeditions in the Mediterranean."
And the Spanish Government was to be asked to place
at the disposal of France the fifteen Spanish ships of war
lying in Brest; to send four ships of the line and two
frigates, with 2,000 soldiers, to Trinidad; and to arm all
the vessels it possessed at Cadiz, Barcelona, and Carthagena, in order to attack Mahon. "The King of Spain,"
concluded these long and elaborate instructions, "has ten
frigates at Carthagena and Barcelona; he would much
please us by selling, ceding, or lending us three or four.
" BONAPARTE."
The letter to which Bonaparte referred as having been
written to him by Paul III., was in reality a very imperious
note drawn up by Count Rostopchine. In this kind of
ukase, as Lanfrey calls it, the Count informed the First
Consul, not of the wishes, but of the will of the Emperor
his master, and the conditions upon which harmony might
be restored between the two countries. These conditions
were-the restitution of Malta, the restoration of the King
of Sardinia, the integrity of the states of the King of
Naples, of Bavaria, and of Wurtemburg.
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
4' PARIS, 4th February, 80i.
"I beg you will send a courier to Madrid to acquaint
the ambassador of the Republic with the nomination and
departure of General St. Cyr, and to inform him that
Admiral Ganteaume sailed from Brest on the 3rd Pluviose
with seven ships of the line, two frigates, and 4,000 troops;
that his destination is Egypt; that this must be kept
secret.... The frigates La Justice and L'Egyptienne left
Toulon on the 4th, with 500 men and supplies for Egypt.
They must stir themselves at Madrid... Make the
z 2




340    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Spaniards feel how shameful it is for the Spanish monarchy
that two vessels should blockade seven in the port of Cadiz.
If they are no longer the proud Castilians who subdued
the New World, at least let them not become the last nation
in the world.... Reiterate my desire to see Mazarredo
recalled; let him be given an honourable place in Spain;
but he has neither the genius nor the heart for war....
Tell our ambassador to let the Prince of the Peace understand that instead of Tuscany it is Naples itself that we
may give to the young Prince of Parma, a kingdom upon
which he has incontestable claims....
" BONAPARTE."
The idea of giving Naples to the Duke of Parma was
never seriously entertained, and was certainly never carried
out. Ganteaume, after passing the Straits, was obliged
to seek shelter in Toulon; while, after the battle of
Algesiras, Saumarez blockaded Linois and the "proud
Castilians" in Cadiz with a force, numerically speaking,
only half as strong as that of the enemy.
On the 4th February we see by instructions sent to
Murat and Berthier that the King of Naples was to be
warned that, if he did not evacuate the Papal States and
lay an embargo on English vessels, the French army would
pay him a visit. On the same day the First Consul complained of the apathy reigning in French ports, and sent
instructions to Rear-Admiral Villaret Joyeuse to sally out
of Brest with twenty vessels every time the blockading
squadron was reduced below eighteen.
On the 6th February Bonaparte issued orders for the
reception of the new Russian ambassador, M. de Kalitcheff.
Commandant Caffarelli was to go to the frontier to meet
him, and was to accompany him to Paris. He was to be
escorted by detachments of cavalry and gendarmerie, &c.
This system of personal cajolery was frequently resorted
to. Bonaparte had soon to complain of the ambassador
and his instructions.




ATTACKS UPON ENGLAND.


34t


MESSAGE TO THE SENATE.
'' PARIS, I3th February, I8oI.
"Peace has been signed at Luneville; it was such as
the French people desired; "-Rhine boundary; liberty of
Cisalpine, Batavian, Helvetic, and Ligurian Republics, &c.
"The King of Spain has been our faithful ally and has
suffered in our cause. Neither reverses nor the perfidious
insinuations of our enemies could detach him from our
interests; he shall receive his recompense. A prince of
his' blood is about to seat himself on the throne of
Tuscany. He will remember that he owes it to the
fidelity of Spain and the friendship of France; his roads
and his ports will be closed to our enemies and will
become the asylum of our commerce and our ships.
"Austria-and this is a pledge of peace-Austria,
separated henceforward from France by vast regions, will
no longer suffer from that rivalry which for several centuries has caused so many troubles to two great Powers,
and so many calamities to Europe."
These assurances were followed by the usual invectives
against England, whose ambition was boundless, and who
was arming against Russia, Sweden, and Denmark. The
Message terminated thus:"The French Government will avenge with them  an
insult common to all nations, without, however, losing
sight of this fact, that it should fight only to secure the
peace and happiness of the world.
" BONAPARTE."
This last phrase was considered necessary because the
French nation was most anxious for tranquillity, and had
hailed the signature of the treaty of Luneville with unmistakable symptoms of delight. People, however, were
beginning to regard with suspicion this continual fighting
in order to secure the blessings of peace. They were




342    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


doubtless reminded of the sonnet in Moliere's lisanthrope,
ending"Belle Phillis, on ddsesp6re,
Alors qu'on espere toujours."
On the 9th January Talleyrand had declared that
Tuscany should be restored to the Grand Duke, but on
the 24th he informed Austria that she must for ever
relinquish the possession of that country. Between those
two days the Neutral League, under the auspices of
the Czar, had been reconstituted, and Russia, Sweden,
Denmark, and Prussia went over to the enemy. Austria
was obliged to accept any terms, deeming it fortunate
that Bonaparte did not carry out a threat to restore
to Venice her ancient organisation.  How Spain was
rewarded for her fidelity will be seen.
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
" PARIS, I3/t February, I80i.
"By a secret treaty concluded with Spain, she is to give
us six ships of the line..... As for Portugal, independently of the conditions inserted in the treaty, we
must insist upon having I5,000,000 or 20,000,000 francs,
and above all, the four ships of the line and the frigate
which blockaded me at Alexandria. Make the Spanish
ambassador feel the importance of this condition: it will
be a lesson given to small powers to respect France.....
You will also inform the ambassador of the Republic at
Madrid that we wish to preserve the portion of the island
of Elba which belongs to Tuscany, and that we hope to
be able to obtain that portion which belongs to the King
of Naples. In settling with Naples we will arrange for
the union of Piombino to Tuscany, in which case Spain
must give us five out of the ten frigates lying out of
commission at Barcelona....
BONAPARTE."




THE ARMY OF THE EAST.


343


Bonaparte could never get over those Portuguese
vessels which helped the English squadron to maintain
the blockade of Alexandria. He constantly reverted to
this subject, which evidently influenced the relentless policy
he adopted towards the House of Braganza. It will be
remarked that Portugal, instead of 8,000,000, was now
called upon to pay from 15,000,000 to 20,000,000 francs.
It becomes difficult to follow all the territorial combinations in which the First Consul indulged. He was
constantly robbing Peter to pay Paul, and finally cheating
both parties.
PROCLAMATION TO THE ARMY OF THE EAST.
" PARIS, 20th February, 80oi.
"Soldiers, the French people triumph in Europe: the
Army of tlne East will never betray its destinies! It will
defend that land, the object of so many hopes, the fruit of
so many labours.
"You are numerous, you are brave, all covered with
wounds, and escaped from the chances of a hundred
fights..... If bravery is the first quality of the soldier,
constancy is the second.
"To-day a European    army, which has dishonoured
itself in Batavia, at Ferrol, and at Cadiz, has joined the
contemptible army of the Grand Vizier.  It has been
wandering for nine months on the ocean.
"The seas of Egypt have been fatal to our sailors;
let them witness the shame and defeat of the English
battalions; let all who disembark remain dead or captive;
let the desert be the tomb of the Grand Vizier, and let so
many lofty deeds attest to future ages the glory of a great
people, &c,                        " BONAPARTE."
Bad news had been received respecting the discipline
of the army of the East, in which partial revolts had
occurred, and in which suicides were rife. A little flattery
was deemed essential.




344


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


On the 25th Bonaparte sent further urgent instructions
to Admiral Ganteaume:-" Take advantage of the remainder of the bad season to fulfil your mission, for you
must relieve the army of the East at no matter what price.
If Admiral Warren has only four ships of the line and
a few frigates, do not allow yourself to be blockaded
by him."
To THE EMPEROR OF RUSSIA.
" PARIS, 27th February, I8oi.
"I have received your Majesty's letter of the I8th
December.
"The arrogance and insolence of the English exceed
all example. I am going to assemble, as your Majesty
appears to wish, 300 or 400 gun launches in the ports
of Flanders, where I shall concentrate an army. I have
given orders for an army to be assembled in Brittany,
which can be embarked on board the Brest squadron."
Bonaparte added that the ports of Naples and Sicily
were closed to the English, and that a corps of observation
at Bordeaux was forcing Portugal to close hers; he expressed the hope that the Emperor Paul would prevent all
British commerce with the northern powers.
"The English," he continued, " are attempting to invade
Egypt. The interest of all the Mediterranean Powers, and
those of the Black Sea, is that Egypt should belong to
France. The Suez Canal, which will join the Indian
Ocean to the Mediterranean, is already traced; it is a
work which could be easily accomplished in a short time
and which would be of incalculable advantage to Russian
commerce.   If your Majesty is of the same opinion as
before with regard to a portion of the commerce of the
north passing through the south, you can attach your
name to a great undertaking, which will exercise immense
influence on the future of the Continent, by bringing
pressure to bear on the Porte in the matter of Egypt.....
" BONAPARTE."




THE SUEZ CANAL.


345


The Czar probably failed to see how Russian commerce
was to be benefited by the Suez Canal as long as
Constantinople remained in the hands of the Turks.
Aides-de-camp were sent in hot haste to Brest, Rochefort,
Toulon, Marseilles, Lorient, &c., touching the great expedition, and General Lacuee was to harangue the naval
captains at Toulon on the immense interest which a
favourable issue would have on the general peace.
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
"PARIS, 2nd March, 1801.
"Send a courier to the Ambassador of the Republic at
Madrid, and say that I attach great importance-Ist, to
see activity displayed at Cadiz, so that the Spaniards may
have ten vessels in a month's time, either to intercept the
English squadrons in the Straits, or to act with the French
and Russian squadrons in the Mediterranean.  2nd, to
obtain the six vessels which are owing to us. 3rd, you
will authorise him to offer Lucca for the Duke of Parma,
in addition to Tuscany; but on the condition of the
Spaniards giving us three of the frigates at Barcelona or
Carthagena, and six of the line of battle ships at the
Havannah. 4th, if the King of Spain wants to avoid
occupying one of the provinces of Portugal, he can do
so on condition of the King of Portugal handing us the
three ships which blockaded me at Alexandria, and that
independently of other conditions..
" BONAPARTE."
For the moment ships were absolutely necessary, and
ulterior designs were to be temporarily sacrificed in order
to procure them. It is not so clear where the requisite
officers and crews were to come from.
On the 4th March, I8oI, Bonaparte decided that there
should be an annual exhibition held in Paris during the
five complementary days, or the sans culottides of the
Republican calendar. The objects to be admitted were




346    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


new inventions or manufactured goods very highly
finished.
On the 6th March, Bonaparte sent several pages of instructions to General Schuguet who was about to embark
for Egypt, and to take with him 200,000 francs in gold.
He was to sail on board Admiral Ganteaume's squadron,
which had managed to get out of Brest, and through the
Straits, but alarmed by the appearance of a large English fleet had taken shelter in Toulon. Bonaparte was
greatly incensed at this mishap. He wrote to Ganteaume
saying:"Since you are not blockaded there can be no doubt
that you fell in with Admiral Warren's squadron only.
You missed a fine opportunity. You might have been at
Alexandria by this time, and Egypt would have been
saved. It now remains for you to make up for lost time.
Admiral Keith will soon learn that you have entered the
Mediterranean.... The English have only eighteen
vessels of the line in the Mediterranean. Admiral Warren
and the officers of the English navy know their duty too
well not to blockade Toulon if they had ships at their
disposal.... With promptitude, boldness, and skilful
manoeuvres you will able to throw a body of troops into
Egypt..
" BONAPARTE."
Numerous were the letters and despatches now written
on the subject of Egypt. On the I2th March, referring to
the armistice between the French and Neapolitan armies,
Bonaparte wrote to Talleyrand saying that he was in a
hurry to conclude something with Naples in order to be
able to send succour to the army of the East, " which is
the principal motive of our conduct."
What Bonaparte wished and intended was to establish
himself in the Gulf of Taranto, so as to be as near Egypt
as possible.




FULTON'S INVENTION.


347


To CITIZEN FORFAIT.
"PARIS, 13th March, I8oI.
"Order Brigadier-General Houdetot to start immediately
for Rochefort. Give the same order to two or three officers
who can fix public attention on the proposed expedition
to India.                          "BONAPARTE."
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
"PARIS, I4/h March, I8oI.
"The ambassador of the Republic at Madrid writes
that the King of Spain has decided on giving us the three
vessels at Cadiz, and a 5o-gun ship, and two frigates which
are at Carthagena....              BONAPARTE."
On the 20th March, Bonaparte issued a pompous proclamation in which he announced that a glorious peace
had terminated the war on the Continent. He was not
then aware that the maritime confederation had experienced two fatal blows, and that the Russian alliance was
at an end, owing to the death of Paul, and Nelson's
victory in the Baltic.
DECISION.
" PARIS, 20th March, i80I.
"The First Consul consents to this arrangement"-an
arrangement authorising the Minister of Marine to advance
IO,OOO francs to Fulton to enable him to terminate his
trials with the Nautilus at Brest, and to give him certain
sums by way of recompense.
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
" PARIS, 22nd March, I80I.
"I beg you will write to our minister at Rome telling
him to inform the Pope that I regret to see the reception
accorded to Cardinal Maury in his States, and the bad
conduct of that prelate.           " BONAPARTE."




348    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Maury, of lamp-post fame, the inventor of the appellation
sans culottes, was at that moment acting as agent for
Louis XVIII. at the Papal Court. He soon afterwards
became the devoted adherent of Bonaparte, and remained
devoted until I 84.
To GENERAL BERTHIER.
"PARIS, 25th March, I80o.
"The English when in dread of an invasion had carriages
constructed capable of transporting twenty-two men, which,
drawn by four horses, conveyed them rapidly from one
point to another.
" Circumstances constantly occur when similar carriages
might be employed with advantage. I beg you will have
one constructed. If it succeeds, you can have others
built.
' BONAPARTE."
The interest of this letter lies not only in the fact of
Bonaparte borrowing from us, but because when he
broke up the camp at Boulogne some years later, he
hurried a portion of his army into Germany in waggons,
and thus caught Mack at Ulm.
On the 5th April, Bonaparte sent instructions to General
Berthier on the subject of Soult's conduct in Naples. He
was to maintain strict discipline; he was not to mix
himself up with any revolutions; he was to go to mass on
allfete days, with the military bands; he was to live on
good terms with the priests, and the officers of the King
of Naples. Efforts were to be made to get hold of the
Isle of Elba. Murat was to take measures for occupying
Porto-Longone and Porto-Ferrajo, and an expedition was
to be directed against the island from Corsica.
SouIt was also to be informed that-" We are so pressed
for money, owing to all our armies re-entering the territory
of the Republic, that we cannot send him a sou." Tuscany
was to provide him  with funds.  Tuscany which had




THE PRINCE OF THE PEACE.


349


recently been exchanged against Louisiana! The fact
is that the " Exterior Receipts" which used to figure in
the budget as a regular item, and which represented so
much plunder, could no longer be counted upon. Hence
the penury to which the French treasury was temporarily
reduced.
Writing on the 7th April to Talleyrand on the subject
of Parma Bonaparte said:" Tell M. Azara what measures have been adopted, so
that he may acquaint his Cabinet with them. Let him
know that we have no desire to take that country. The
question is whether we shall unite it to the Italian Republic or to Tuscany. If Spain is in favour of its being
united to Tuscany, she must give us Florida! "
Lucien Bonaparte having asked for the portrait of the
First Consul, &c., for the Prince of the Peace, received
this reply:" Ist. The French Government gives presents only on
the conclusion of treaties of alliance.
"2nd. None of the treaties mentioned enter into this
category. The usual presents will be made on peace with
Portugal being concluded.
"4th. I shall never send my portrait to a man who
keeps his predecessor in a dungeon, and who adopts the
customs of the Inquisition. I may make use of him, but I
owe him nothing but contempt.
(' BONAPARTE."
Urquijo, the minister referred to, had been confined at
Pampeluna and then transported to the Philippine Islands
for slighting the advances of the Queen of Spain and for
attempting to suppress the Inquisition.  Such was his
hostility to the Church of Rome, relates Lord Holland, that,
when chargZed'affaires in London, on hearing that General




350    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
Bonaparte, by the peace of Tolentino, had spared the
Papal Government, he ran like a maniac for more than
a mile along the Uxbridge Road and threw himself into
a pond, out of which he was dragged in a state of
insensibility.
To CITIZEN JOSEPH BONAPARTE.
" PARIS, 12th April, i8oI.
"The Emperor of Russia died on the night of the
24th March of an [attack of apoplexy. The grief I experience at the death of a prince I held in such great
esteem prevents me from entering into details. His eldest
son, who has succeeded him, has received the oath of the
army and of the capital.
c BONAPARTE."
It was probably at first repugnant to the feelings of Bonaparte to admit publicly that Paul had been assassinated.
When Talleyrand brought him the news he said:- " The
English missed me on the 3rd Nivose, but they did not miss
me at St. Petersburg." And he afterwards caused it to be
inserted in the MIoniteur that " Paul met his death on the
24th, and on the 3Ist March the English fleet passed the
Sound.  History will unveil the connection which may
exist between these two events."
The fact is that the alliance with Paul was of the most
flimsy description, and would soon have come to a natural
termination. Paul was the sworn champion of all legitimate sovereigns, and Bonaparte had determined to seize
upon Piedmont and Naples. Paul could not bear to hear
even of the revolution of heavenly bodies, and Bonaparte
was engaged in revolutionising all Europe.
On this same I2th April the First Consul wrote several
other letters and despatches, which show the little effect
created on his mind by the tragedy enacted at St.
Petersburg.




EXTRADITION OF GEORGES DEMANDED.  351


To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
"PARIS, I2th April, I80I.
"I beg you will forward the inclosed note to Citizen
Otto. You will let him know that after having presented
it he must endeavour to have Dutheil and Georges
arrested, or at least sent to America, should objections be
raised to handing them over to the French Government.
" BONAPARTE."
INCLOSURE.
"The undersigned has received orders from his Government to present the following note to His Excellency
Mr. Addington.
"Europe has resounded with the event of the 3rd Nivose.
The attempt on the life of the First Consul, which compromised the innocent population of a portion of the
city of Paris, bears a dreadful character, almost without
example in modern history.
"The First Consul is far from thinking the late or the
present ministry capable of having paid for, or ordered,
a crime which would be disavowed by the least civilised
hordes.
" However Dutheil and Georges are both in England, in
the pay of the British Government; they ordered this and
other crimes which have resulted in the death of several
unfortunate persons. Two paid journals have publicly
written, in London, an apology of this crime, and have
expressed the regret that it did not succeed."
After blaming this protection accorded to monsters who
dishonoured human nature, Bonaparte went on to say that
if a similar crime had been perpetrated in London he
would have handed over the guilty parties, and would
have acted as Fabricius did towards the King of Epirus.
On the same date (I2th April), in spite of the emotion
caused by the death of Paul, Bonaparte wrote instructions




352    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


to General Berthier concerning the French troops in Piedmont, how they were to be reinforced, where quartered,
how fed, and that they were to be paid out of the Sardinian
treasury. He entered into minute details on military and
civil administration, finance, judicial affairs, and police.
He then wrote a long despatch to the War Minister, complaining of certain errors committed in the remount
department.
"The commandant of the depot of Versailles," he said,
" makes no mention of 1,226 horses inscribed in return No. 4
as having been delivered by the depot of Bec; of 209 horses
delivered by the depot of Rouen; of 60 horses delivered
by the depot of Vaugirard; of one horse delivered by the
depot of Compiegne... The depots of Bec should, according to the returns, have sent 2,235 horses to Milan,
700 to Turin, 884 to Pavia, 200 to the army of Italy," and
so on for pages.
On the I3th Bonaparte, who appears to have been often
better informed than his Minister of Police, wrote as
follows to Fouche:" Here are some notes on the fidelity of which you can
count: Ist, Georges has sent some money to Maine.
2nd, Chandelier is in London.  3rd, On the 20th Germinal, at 2 P.M., two individuals named Eward were met
in the Rue de la Loi; they are brothers, satellites of
Georges, and his usual emissaries. The elder is tall and
slight; the younger small, with a full dark face. Although
they have good sight, they both wear spectacles. The
younger has long whiskers.
" A third sabreur of Georges was seen in Paris on the
20th Germinal at 7 P.M.; he goes by the name of Sans
Quartier.
" Guillot,who goes frequently from Paris to Versailles,
has recently received I5,000 francs from Hamburg. He is
shortly to receive more....
( BONAPARTE,"




DUROC'S INSTRUCTIONS.


353


To CITIZEN DUROC.
"PARIS, 24th April, I80I.
"You will start on the 6th Floreal (26th April) for St.
Petersburg. You will pass through Berlin, where you can
remain for two days. You will get presented to the king.
You will seize a favourable opportunity to tell him that I
have taken advantage of your passage through Berlin to
congratulate his Majesty on the occupation of Hanover,
and to reiterate my sentiments of esteem, &c... On reaching St. Petersburg you will ask permission to deliver the
inclosed letter into the hands of the Emperor. You will
get presented to the Empress and you will take care to
speak to her of my esteem and attachment for her family,
and that of the Margrave of Baden... Both at Berlin and
St. Petersburg you will speak as if we are sure of being
able to hold Egypt. You will speak of the King of Sardinia as pitying us greatly because the English fleets
revictualled at Cagliari, and because large convoys supplied the army of Abercromby; of the King of Naples
as being on excellent terms with him, and decided to support him and to preserve the integrity of his states; of the
English expedition to Egypt as a failure, adding, however,
that should it succeed it will be a great misfortune for
Europe; of Catherine as a princess who foresaw the fall of
the Turkish Empire, and who felt that there would be no
prosperity for Russian commerce until it passed through
the South.... You will say that we always considered
the interest which Paul I. took in some Italian princes as a
personal and not a political interest...
"< BONAPARTE."
On the I3th, Bonaparte, in a letter to Talleyrand, said-" Tell Mde.
Kalitcheff that I feel indignant at the little respect which the King of
Sardinia has shown me during these negotiations. Besides, the Duke
of Aosta, who is in Sardinia, never ceases sending corn to Malta,
aiding the English, and fomenting disturbances in Corsica, &c."
VOL. I.                                    A A




354


THIE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Duroc was naturally to visit all the naval and military
establishments and to see all he could see without
exciting displeasure and uneasiness.
The paragraph concerning Paul and the Italian princes
proves that Bonaparte had little idea of sacrificing his own
political views to the caprices of his imperial friend, and
that he was entirely ignorant of the views of Alexander.
To GENERAL MURAT.
"PARIS, 24t April, I801.
" The King of Tuscany has left Madrid and will arrive
in Paris in twenty days. He will be at Florence in forty
days, and I desire you will remain there in order to instal
him.... I await with impatience the news of the occupation of the isle of Elba. Gauteaume has returned to
Toulon; but he has no doubt sailed again by this. We
are impatiently expecting news from Egypt.... Let me
know if the Abbe Bonaparte of San-Miniato is still alive.
"( BONAPARTE."
"P.S. I have authorised your wife (Sister Caroline) to
go to Florence."
Two days later Bonaparte received anything but good
news from Egypt. He learned the arrival at Toulon of a
large number of officers and men who had been made
prisoners by the English at the battle of Canope, and had
been sent home on parole. He wrote to General Cervoni,
who commanded at Marseilles, for information respecting
this disaster and the capture of Aboukir.
In spite of promises concerning the integrity of the
kingdom of Naples, Murat was ordered to fortify a position in the neighbourhood of Tarentum. "Give Murat
to understand," wrote Bonaparte to Berthier on the Iith
May, that the Government attaches the greatest importance to having a good port, and erecting fortifications




THE FRENCH FLEET READY TO SAIL.


355


there, capable of resisting all the efforts of the kingdom of
Naples; in a word, a kind of Gibraltar, giving us influence
in the Adriatic and in the Mediterranean."
To ADMIRAL BRUIX.
" PARIS, I6th SMay,, I80I.
"I see with pleasure that you are ready to sail. Your
arrival in the Mediterranean is all the more important
because the English are preparing to reinforce their army
at Aboukir.... Gauteaume has passed in sight of the isle
of Elba, which is in our power, and has continued his
voyage so as to throw reinforcements into Egypt. Admiral
Villeneuve is at Tarentum arming three Neapolitan frigates,
and he writes that forty ships of the line might take shelter
in the roads.,..                 " BONAPARTE."
Despatch after despatch followed in rapid succession on
the subject of this attempt to relieve the army of the East,
the First Consul doing all in his power to stimulate the
zeal of Bruix, Gauteaume, Villeneuve, Rosily, and Linois.
Lannes was sent to Toulon to encourage the crews of the
vessels lying in that port; rumours were spread that the
English had been beaten in a second battle, and that their
sailors were exterminated with fatigue. Accidents, however, were always happening; now the Spanish contingent
either could not or would not sail; again, a ship got
aground; then an epidemic broke out; and the encounters
with the English fleet were far from satisfactory.
To CITIZEN CHAPTAL.
" PARIS, 22nd May, 80oi.
"The prefects in the departments, owing to over zeal,
have exceeded the honours to be paid to the Count and
Countess of Leghorn. I beg you will inform the Prefect
of the Seine that none of the civil authorities are to visit
these travellers.                   "BONAPARTE."
A A 2




356   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


To CITIZEN FOUCHE.
"PARIS, 22nd May, I80I.
"The commissary-general of police at Bordeaux was
stupid enough to allow couplets to be sung in honour of
the King of Tuscany. As he is called Louis this gave
rise to ill-natured allusions.  I need hardly recommend
you to see that no verses be either read or sung in the
theatres or other public places.
" BONAPARTE."
The Count of Leghorn was the Duke of Parma, who
had married a daughter of the King of Spain. The
First Consul had made him King of Etruria, giving him
Tuscany to reign over. Tuscany, as we have seen had
been wrested from Austria at Luneville. It was made
over to the son-in-law of the King of Spain in exchange
for Louisiana, which Bonaparte afterwards sold to the
United States.
The First Consul forced the royal couple to visit Paris,
to see what reception Bourbon princes would meet with
in France. At that time he had some idea of divorcing
Josephine and marrying another daughter of Charles IV.
The Count and Countess of Leghorn were nearly
frightened out of their lives on entering France; but
looking at the above letters, their minds must soon have
been set at ease. They expected to be guillotined, and
met with nothing but adulation.
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
"PARIS, 28th Maay, I80i.
"You will inform citizen Otto that the insinuations of
Lord Hawkesbury, that infuential persons surrounding the
First Consul desire peace, should be regarded as anecdotes.
Let him tell this Lord Hawkesbury that the French
cabinet is one, it no doubt wishes for peace, but an
honourable peace, founded on the equilibrium of the seas




THE EMPEROR ALEXANDER.


357


and other portions of the world;... that neither the
French nation nor the First Consul are to be intimidated;
that the feelings of Alexander I. and his cabinet are ill
known in London if it be supposed he will ever betray the
cause of the continental Powers; that the French and
Spanish armies have entered Portugal;... that as for
the few assassins acting in the interior at the instigation
of England, they are not very formidable, and that the
Government would be wrong to repose much hope in
their aid; that it is in the power of the English ministry
to terminate negotiations in the course of a few days,
and thus prove its love for humanity and the repose
of the world..
" BONAPARTE."
The English cabinet was better acquainted with the
intentions of the cabinet of St. Petersburg than was
supposed. Alexander cared little for the grand-mastership of Malta, about which Paul had made a casus belli.
Bonaparte was soon aware of the great change which had
been operated by the haughty demands of the Russian
ambassador, who threatened to leave Paris if the First
Consul did not fulfil his five promises, which, in addition
to the restoration of Malta to the Order, included the
re-establishment of the King of Sardinia, and that the
integrity of the states of the King of Naples, of Bavaria,
and of Wirtemburg should be guaranteed.
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
" PARIS, I5\th 7Jne, I801.
"I send you a copy of the magnificent treaty concluded
by our ambassador. I beg you will let him know by an
extraordinary courier that this treaty is contrary to his
instructions, contrary to the treaty with Spain, contrary
to the interests of the Republic, and favourable to those
of England; that the treaty has not been, and is not
capable of being, ratified; that if the three provinces be




358    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


not immediately occupied by the French and Spanish
troops I shall not be able to answer for the restitution of
the Spanish colonies.
"That this treaty is an unexpected blow, which the
First Consul regards as one of the most signal reverses
he has experienced during his magistrature....
"BONAPARTE."
This "magnificent treaty" was the treaty of Badajos,
concluded between Spain and Portugal. In obedience to
the orders of Bonaparte, Charles IV. had invaded the latter
country, which was also menaced by a French force under
Generals Leclerc and Gouvion St. Cyr. Under these circumstances the King of Portugal agreed to close his ports
to England, to cede Olivenza to Spain, and to pay France
20,000,000 francs.  This treaty was signed by Lucien
Bonaparte, who was heavily bribed by the two contracting
parties. The First Consul blustered in the most formidable manner, and swore that the last hour of the Spanish
monarchy had sounded. Lucien was recalled, although the
order to occupy the Portuguese provinces never assumed
an absolute character.'
Fortunately for Spain and Portugal, continental affairs
at this juncture wore so gloomy an aspect that Bonaparte
was unable to put his threats into execution. His intention was to get possession of Portugal, to enable him
to exchange that country against Malta or Egypt with
England, and not that a treaty should be concluded.
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
"PARIS, I7th rune, I8oI.
"I beg you will inform M. Azara that it will be necessary for him to write to the Spanish minister at Rome
for the Pope to send a legate to Florence in order to
compliment the King of Etruria, in conformity with time1 Vide Despatch, March 2, I8oi.




THE KING OF ETRURIA.


359


honoured custom.... It will be proper for the Batavian,
Helvetic, Ligurian, and Cisalpine Republics to recognise
the new monarch..
" BONAPARTE."
It was only fitting that this puppet, who owed his crown
to the eldest son of the Church, should be recognised
by the Pontiff and by the lesser republics revolving in
the French system.
To CITIZEN FORFAIT.
" PARIS, I7tfi June, I8oI.
"The sick are not well cared for at Toulon. The naval
officers do not visit them frequently enough. They are
nursed by convicts. Would it not be possible to establish
Sisters of Charity at Toulon as at Brest?
" BONAPARTE."
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
" PARIS, 7th 7Jly, I80I.
"You will see by the inclosed letters that the Prince
of the Peace, who has captured nine fortresses and delivered I know not how many battles, assumes the tone
of Suwarrow with our ambassador. Let me know your
opinion on this subject as soon as possible. I am awaiting
a reply from Otto. It appears as if we shall be able to
settle matters with the Cardinal. It was necessary to
address him a few observations. I had a second blister
on my arm yesterday. It is a fitting moment to come to
terms with the priests when one is laid up ill. News from
Egypt, melancholy. The army, however, will be able to
hold Alexandria for eight or ten months....
"' BONAPARTE."
The Prince of the Peace seems to have compared
himself rather favourably to Frederick the Great!




360     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
Concerning Egypt, Bonaparte had learned the defeat of
Generals Friant and Lanusse on the I3th March; the more
serious defeat of Abdallah Menou on the 2ISt March; the
loss of Rosetta, the capitulation of Cairo by General
Belliard, and the failure of Gauteaume's last attempt to
succour the army of the East.
It was under these circumstances that the First Consul,
a few days later, consented to the restoration of Egypt
to the Porte.
On the loth of July Bonaparte wrote a very long and
comminatory despatch to be forwarded to Lucien at
Madrid.  The King and Queen of Spain were to be
warned that if they followed the advice of the Prince of
the Peace, who had been bought by England, they might
consider the doom of the Spanish monarchy sealed. His
Majesty was to be informed that any movement of his army
in the direction of the French troops would be regarded as
a declaration of war; that the First Consul would never
ratify the treaty of Badajos, &c., &c.
Bonaparte then condescended to explain his reasons for
furnishing the King of Etruria with a minister, and for not
ordering his troops to evacuate the territory of the new
sovereign, both of which acts infringed the conditions upon
which Louisiana had been ceded to France.
To CITIZEN JOSEPH BONAPARTE.
"PARIS, 20ot yuZy, I80I.
"I beg you will continue your conferences with Cardinal
Consalvi and your other colleagues (on the subject of the
Concordat):
" It. To settle what appertains to the Constitutional
clergy, and to make arrangements for the Constitutional
bishops being as eligible as the others.
" 2nd. Agree as to the wording of the Bull. I wish this
Bull to be published in France as soon as possible, so
that I may at once nominate bishops and archbishops.




THE CONCORDAT.


361.... Let it be understood that: I attach great importance
to this matter, and that I desire to see it concluded with
celerity.
" BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte was doomed to experience many vexations in
this matter, the machinery of the Sacred College not at all
keeping pace with his own impetuosity.
The Concordat itself had been signed on the I5th July,
but a Bull was still necessary to confirm the nomination of
the new bishops. Bonaparte had several times given
Consalvi to understand that he had abandoned the Constitutional clergy, but the legate in this, as in many other
matters, had been deceived. The First Consul insisted
upon having Gallican bishops, and would not hear of the
Constitutionals retracting. Rome was powerless to offer
any open resistance, but excuses were found for delaying
the despatch of the necessary Bull, and it was more than a
year before the Concordat was promulgated.
At the time the Concordat was signed there were
50 Constitutional bishops in France and 10,000 married
priests.
NOTE TO BE HANDED TO LORD HAWKESBURY.
" PARIS, 23rd July, 18oI.
"... The question divides itself into three parts:
the Mediterranean-India-America. Egypt to be restored
to the Porte. The Republic of the Seven Isles to be
recognised. All the ports in the Adriatic and the Mediterranean occupied by French troops to be restored to the
King of Naples and the Pope. Mahon to be restored to
the King of Spain. Malta to be restored to the Order, and
if the King of England deems it to be in conformity with
his interests, as preponderating Power on the high seas,
that the fortifications be demolished, this clause will be
accepted. ]n India England to keep Ceylon... The
other establishments, including the Cape of Good Hope, to
be restored to the allies.




362


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


" In America everything to be restored to the ancient
possessors. The King of England is so powerful in that
part of the world that to desire more is to wish to be
absolute master of America (West Indies). Portugal to be
maintained in all its integrity.
"These are the conditions which the French Government
is ready to sign."
Bonaparte added that France would never renounce
Martinique, which had not been conquered. As the birthplace of Josephine, the First Consul was naturally anxious
that this island should remain in the possession of France.
On the same day a note was forwarded to the above
effect to Citizen Otto-a note in which, however, one finds
that " France may consent to England keeping Trinidad, but
not Tobago."
It was in this way that Spain was to be punished for
signing the treaty of Badajos; the Spanish island was to be
ceded, and the French island retained.
During the alliance with Paul it had been agreed that
35,000 French soldiers under Massena should descend the
Danube to the Black Sea, and be transported to Taganrog
by a Russian fleet. Thence they were to reach the Volga
and be conveyed in boats to Astracan, at which point they
were to be joined by 35,000 Russian troops and 50,000
Cossacks. This combined force was to cross the Caspian
to Astrabad, where large magazines were to be established.
It was calculated that it would require eighty days to
march from the French frontier to Astrabad, and fifty to
march from Astrabad, via Herat, Ferah, and Candahar, to
the banks of the Indus. Bonaparte considered this march
perfectly practicable, and he more than once returned to
the idea of commanding such an expedition, and seating
himself for a while on the throne of Delhi. We shall have
more to say on this subject when we come to General
Gardanne's mission to Persia.




CARDINAL CONSALVI.             363
To H.H. THE POPE.
"PARIS, 27th July, I8oI,
MOST HOLY FATHER,-Cardinal Consalvi has handed
me the letter of your Holiness. I recognise in it those evangelical sentiments which distinguish you. Cardinal Consalvi
will inform you of my desire to do all in my power to
contribute to your happiness.
"It will depend only on you to find in the French
Government the support which has always been accorded
to your predecessors, when they regarded it as their first
duty to preach maxims of peace, morality; and obedience to the
civil power.
" It does not depend upon me to dry up the tears of
Europe and to cause an era of peace to succeed wars and
revolutions.
" On all occasions I beg your Holiness to count upon the
aid of your devoted son.
"BONAPARTE."
To GENERAL MURAT.
"PARIS, 27lh JulyE, 180I.
"I have received your letter... Troops are stationed
on the Adriatic in order to menace the Turks and the
English.... Since you have not been to Naples I see no
objection to your going there after you have arranged
matters in Tuscany.  One never repents picking up local
information. Examine Capua and the other forts. You
can return by Ancona. 
" BONAPARTE."
The General little thought, at that epoch, that he would
one day sit on the throne of Naples.
To CITIZEN CHAPTAL.
" PARIS, ioth August, i8oi.
"I beg you will give orders to the prefects of the five
departments in which there are the largest number of
Protestants, and to the Prefect of Geneva, to send, each of




364     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
them, to Paris, one of the principal ministers of the Protestant religion, taking care to select a man who is not
fanatical, who is upright, sensible, enlightened, and who
enjoys general esteem. You will inform the prefects that
the despatch of these citizens should be made without
noise, and that the object of this measure is to arrange
means for maintaining order, liberty, and independence of
worship.
" BONAPARTE."
After a long period of persecution Lomenie de Brienne,
Archbishop of Toulouse, in I787, two years before the
Revolution, laid before the Parliament of Paris a royal
edict removing Protestant disabilities, and the Parliament
did not for an instant hesitate to register the edict.
Naturally, under the Revolution, the Protestants enjoyed
freedom. When settling the bases of the Concordat with
the Pope, Bonaparte, who was determined to tolerate no
religious persecution, confirmed the privileges of the
Reformed Church. It was hardly to be supposed that the
First Consul would leave that Church entirely free; he
gave it an official status which, at the same time, fettered
and protected it. It was recognised by the Government,
and subjected to the administrative machinery of local
consistories, and provincial and general synods.
It is melancholy to think that the toleration shown by
Bonaparte in I80I should have brought down on the Protestants the most dire revenge when the Empire fell. After
the battle of Waterloo the most terrible scenes were
enacted in the south of France under the pretext that the
Protestants were Bonapartists. Bonnechose says: "The
Calvinists were massacred even in the prisons; their wives
were outraged, and their houses and temples burned to the
ground; and these atrocities remained unpunished. The
Chamber of I815 branded itself with infamy by calling
Deputy d'Argenson to order with frantic transports, when
he demanded an inquiry into those horrible crimes. The




LORD BROUGHAM.


365


cry of justice and humanity arose from a foreign tribunal;
the illustrious Brougham invoked the intervention of his
Government in favour of the Protestants of France, and in
various places Austrian bayonets intervened between the
victims and their persecutors."
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
"PARIS, 6th September, I8oI.
"You will find inclosed a despatch from Citizen Otto. I
beg that before you go to bed you will send him a courier,
stating in the most positive manner that the French
Government will never consent to the demands of the
English Government respecting Essequibo and Demerara.
"As for the prisoners, the governments will pay the
different indemnities, inserting a clause that what France
has expended for the prisoners of the Powers in the pay of
England, such as the Russians, the Bavarians, and the
princes of Italy, shall be carried forward by way of
compensation.
" BONAPARTE."
The First Consul had excited the admiration, the gratitude, and the sympathy of the Emperor Paul by sending
home the Russian prisoners in new uniforms; but it
appears that, after all, England was to bear the expense of
this extravagant fit of generosity.
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
"PARIS, 17th September, I80I.
"You will find inclosed a letter from Citizen Otto.
Reply that we will not cede Tobago.... It appears that
we have come to terms as regards Demerara and Portugal.
The equinox is approaching; time is precious, and
the First Consul, who is engaged in diplomatic negotiations with all the Powers of Europe, has adopted as a
rule never to give the slightest colouring of ill faith to any of
his acts; and, in his opinion, it would be an act of bad




366


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


faith to order the squadrons of Toulon, Brest, and Cadiz to
sail [squadrons which, for months, had been unable to
leave port], which, by their success or non-success, would
change the state of the question.
"The preliminaries must be signed in the first decade of
Vendemiaire (before the ist of October) or the negotiations
must be broken off.
"Citizen Otto will distinctly state that in addition to
Trinidad the First Consul will not only refuse to cede
Tobago but even a rock....
" BONAPARTE."
The above letter concerns the preliminaries of London
which preceded the treaty of Amiens. It is interesting
to see what the A nnual Register for 1802 has to say on
this matter.  It commences by remarking that it was
shrewdly suspected when the first article of the treaty was
signed, "Egypt shall be evacuated," the French Government was aware of the capitulation of Alexandria and of
the French army. Therefore this concession to England
was in fact no concession.  The Annzual Register then
relates how, after the signature of the preliminaries, other
treaties were brought to light, adding" Among those treaties were one with Turkey and
another with Portugal. In our treaty, as an equivalent
for the vast colonial restitutions we made to France and
her allies, we had expressly stipulated for the integrity of
the territory of those two Powers, and the evacuation of
the kingdom of Naples; but although the negotiation in
London lasted a considerable time, and France expressly
stated those cessions to our allies as equivalents for the
cessions we had agreed to make to her and to her allies,
yet, when the preliminaries were signed, and she had
calculated that the English ministry would rather submit
to be so imposed upon than recede from them, she produced the underhand, clandestine, and fraudulent treaties




THE BATAVIAN REPUBLIC.


367


that she had been making at the same time separately
with our allies.
"By those treaties the Porte had engaged that the
French should be on an equality with the most favoured
nation throughout the whole extent of the Turkish
empire, and consequently that the best of its allies should
not, even in a commercial view, be more faxoured than
those who, without provocation, invaded and plundered
its dominions."
As regards Portugal, the breach of faith was so flagrant
that England insisted upon and obtained concessions, but
for which, the congress at Amiens would have been broken
up. The concession, however, which had been obtained
from Turkey, on condition of the evacuation of Egypt,
which had been evacuated when the Turkish ambassador
signed the treaty, was not disputed.
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
" PARIS, i9th September, I8oI.
"I beg you will send a copy of the convention concluded
with the Batavian Government to the Minister of War
mentioning at the same time that we maintain our rights
on Flushing, and that secret instructions should be given
to the French officer commanding in Batavia to this
effect.
"BONAPARTE."
Thus after having forced the Batavian Republic to purchase a town which belonged to it, that town was to remain
at the disposal of the French military commander!
On the 25th Bonaparte wrote to Talleyrand, begging
him to ask M. Markoff for passports for Russia whither he
wished to send Duroc (who was to have started on the
26th of April), in order to open up direct communications
with the new Czar similar to those engaged in with Paul.
On the same date he wrote a second letter to his Foreign
Minister, saying



368


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


" I beg you will write to Citizen Clarke, our minister at
Florence, saying I have received the letters addressed to
me by the King of Etruria; that I authorise Murat to
withdraw all the troops not necessary for the internal and
external safety of Tuscany."
Bonaparte went on to say that it would be necessary to
keep at leatst 6,ooo men in the country; that he desired
the king should be quite independent,- that the 6,ooo men
would cost i6,oool. a month, a considerable sum for
Tuscany, but necessary for her interests. General Clarke
was also to try and persuade his majesty to raise a Polish
legion.
This was Bonaparte's manner of giving Tuscany in
exchange for Louisiana.  He everywhere pursued the
same system of quartering troops on feeble states, and
making them pay for them.
To CITIZEN ABRIAL, Minister of Justice.
" PARIS, 30th September, I80I.
"The criminal tribunal instituted by Citizen Miot (who
had been sent on a mission to Corsica) has failed in its
objects. He composed it of five jurisconsults of the most
respectable character, but too old, and remarkably weak.
Tell him to suppress this tribunal and to create a new one,
which must reside at Ajaccio, and be composed of five
judges, two of them  being military men.  The three
jurisconsults must be French, foreign to the enmities of
the island.  If he cannot find these three men, let the
court be entirely composed of moderate and enlightened
officers.
" BONAPARTE."
Corsica was in a very disturbed state, but according to
his own account, Miot de Melito, by a mixture of justice
and severity restored order in the course of three months.
His stories concerning the vendetta and other Corsican




THE GRAND MASTER OF MALTA.


369


customs are highly interesting, and are to be found in
his memoirs.
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
(' PARIS, 30th Sep5tember, I801.
"It will be necessary to know what the courts of Vienna
and Rome think of Hompesch. I beg you will instruct
Champagny and Cacault to give those two courts to
understand, in an off-hand way, the interest we take in
him, and that if they are disposed to support him, we
are quite prepared to lend them our aid.
" Let Citizen Cibou also know that I take an interest in
Hompesch, and that I shall see him with great pleasure
resume his functions of Grand Master; as I know he is in
distress, authorise Citizen Cacault to give him 500 louis,
without a letter or anything ostensible.
" BONAPARTE."
The last Grand Master, on the capitulation of Malta,
had been conveyed to Trieste, after receiving I2,ooo/. for
his plate and the promise of a pension, which was not
paid.  He consequently protested against his deposition,
and made over his rights to Paul I., who accorded him an
annuity. On the death of Paul, Hompesch found himself
in reduced circumstances, and was no doubt glad to receive
the 500 louis referred to above. He afterwards sent in a
claim for 8o,ooo/. arrears of pension, but was only granted
600oo. He had been originally promised 24,000/. and a
German principality, or I2,ooo. a year, by the French,
who also agreed to indemnify the other knights.
To CITIZEN CHAPTAL.
" PARIS, 6th October, I8oi.
"The First Consul begs that you will have made the
model of a sabre of moderate and commodious dimensions,
to be worn by him on the occasion of great solemnities;
it should agree with the usages and with the civil cut of
VOL. I.                                BB




370   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


the consular costume, and be designed to receive for
ornament the Regent and other diamonds of great price.
The First Consul begs you will present him this model
as soon as possible; his intention being to have that
weapon for the I8th Brumaire, and to wear it at the
Feast of Peace."
The preliminaries of London having been signed, we
now come to a series of despatches relating to the St.
Domingo expedition, to the Concordat, and to the
Congress at Amiens, where Joseph Bonaparte and Lord
Cornwallis met to discuss the conditions of a definitive
peace.
To H.H. THE POPE.
"PARIS, IOth October, I80I.
"The peace with England, Portugal, Russia, and the
Ottoman Porte having been signed, I hasten to inform
your Holiness of this fact, knowing the interest you take
in the happiness and tranquillity of nations. The French
are about to evacuate Southern Italy, and I beg your
Holiness will let me know if you have made any arrangement with the court of Naples respecting the principality
of Beneventum, and if you desire that I should take any
steps to have it restored to you.
"Your Holiness should also think about organising a
corps of troops as promptly as possible, in order to occupy
Ancona. I beg also that you will use your influence
with the different courts for the reorganisation of the
Order of Malta, which is about to be reinstated in
the island.
"BONAPARTE."
Ancona was one of those positions which Bonaparte
had no idea of giving up; its strategical importance was
too great. The Pope naturally requested the First Consul
to aid him in recovering Beneventum, which the French
Emperor afterwards seized for himself and presented to




SEBASTIANI SENT TO CONSTANTINOPLE.


37I


Talleyrand. After the abdication of Fontainebleau the
quondam Bishop of Autun restored the principality to
Pius VII.
On the ioth October Bonaparte wrote several other
letters; he wrote at considerable length to the Emperor
Alexander. He said it had been agreed to restore Malta
to the Order under the protection of one of the great
Powers, and he asked the Czar, "whose august father was
recognised as Grand Master," to let him know his wishes on
this subject. In a letter to the King of Etruria he said that
peace having been signed with England, Portugal, Russia,
and Turkey, he was prepared to give orders for the
French troops to evacuate Tuscany. He then directed
the Minister of the Interior to give Io,ooo francs to the
"Buffons italiens," and to remove any obstacles in the
way of their performing-" it being well to improve the
taste of song in France, and advisable, in a political
point of view, owing to our preponderance in Italy."
In another letter he gave orders for the sum of 6o0,oo0
francs to be laid out in preparing St. Cloud for a consular
residence.  The furniture was to be taken from the
national museums in Paris and Versailles, the tapestry
from the Gobelins, la Savonnerie, and Beauvais, &c. The
sixth letter, written on the Ioth October, deals with
Batavian finance. The next clay Bonaparte despatched
General Sebastiani to Constantinople with a letter to the
Sultan Selim, in which he expressed the desire to see the
ancient friendship which had endured for many centuries
between the two states re-established.
"The expedition to Egypt," he added, "was not undertaken through any feeling of hostility towards the Ottoman
Empire. But God willed that it should be the pretext for
a rupture between the two nations, in order to convince
both the one and the other that their true interests are
union and peace. If your Highness shares the sentiments
which animate the French Government, the past will be
for ever forgotten, and a solid peace and reciprocal
B B 2




372   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


commercial advantages will consolidate the prosperity of
both nations."
On the same day the First Consul wrote a letter to
Berthier on the subject of the return of the army of the
East. This army was to be broken up, and Leopold
Berthier was to thank the various corps in the name of
Bonaparte for the gallant efforts they had made to
preserve Egypt.
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
"PARIS, I2th October, i8oi.
"I beg you will send me back the minute relative to
the Prince of the Peace, on the margin of which I wrote a
note expressing my opinion concerning that prince.
"BONAPARTE."
The probability is that Bonaparte considered he might
soon stand in need of the services of Manuel Godoi.
To GENERAL BERTHIER.
" PARIS, 14th October, I80I.
"Lord Cornwallis is going to land at Calais in order to
come to Paris. I beg you will give orders that he may be
received with the greatest distinction. On his arrival at
Calais a salute must be fired, and he must have a guard
of honour to escort him on his journey.
" BONAPARTE."
Lord Cornwallis, who narrowly escaped shipwreck, was
received with every demonstration of delight. There were
public rejoicings and illuminations in Paris, and when
he repaired to Amiens he was visited by all the local
authorities, and treated with an amount of respect which
soon aroused his suspicions concerning its sincerity.




THE ST. DOMINGO EXPEDITION.


373


To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
"PARIS, 2Ist October, I80I.
"I beg you will desire Citizen Otto to inform Lord
Hawkesbury without delay that the French Government
intends sending the Rochefort squadron and a portion of
the Brest squadron with 12,000 troops, to re-establish order
at St. Domingo.
'" It will be necessary to inform the court of Spain that
it is essential for it to send some one with full powers
to Amiens, the English and ourselves being determined to
arrange matters promptly.....
" BONAPARTE."
Spain was sorely tempted not to send an ambassador
to Amiens, knowing the fate that awaited her, and the
manner in which Bonaparte had determined to avenge
himself for the over-hasty conclusion of the treaty of
Badajos with Portugal. King Charles knew, in fact, that
all his ambassador would have to do would be to consent
to England keeping Trinidad.
It was a bold stroke on the part of Bonaparte despatching so large an expedition to St. Domingo before
the conclusion of a definitive peace, but the prize was
worth a considerable amount of risk. The French portion
of St. Domingo before the war was more productive than
all our West Indian possessions put together, and that
portion was barely a third of the least fertile part of the
island.  Its annual exports were valued at 7,ooo,ooo0.,
giving employment to 1,640 ships and 26,770 seamen.
It was not likely that Napoleon, with time and means at
his disposal, should consent to leave so rich a prize in the
hands of the blacks, without making an effort to secure its
possession for himself.
The Spanish Government exhibited a certain amount of
objection to take part in the expedition to St. Domingo in
spite of the assertion of Bonaparte that it was "in the




374    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


interest of civilisation to destroy this new Algiers organised
in the middle of America."  Hence the following violent
letter to Citizen Talleyrand:"I beg you will see M. Azara on the subject of the
inclosed letter. You will ask him categorically if he has
been authorised to take this step; you will say that the
King of Spain never mentioned the matter; that his
vessels are bound by treaty to serve us; that I shall forte
them to sail; that I shall never forget this proof of illfeeling on the part of the ministry. If M. Azara has
acted on his own authority, let him know that he exposes
himself to nothing more nor less than the seizure of the
Spanish fleet; for I am tired of dealing with an idiotic
cabinet. I beg you will send me an answer to-morrow...
"BONAPARTE."
To CITIZEN FOUCHE.
"PARls, 2nd November, 180i.
"You will find inclosed fourteen decrees of radiation
which I have signed. You will send passports to the
persons concerned, and when they arrive in Paris you
will hand them the decrees, but only after they have sworn
fidelity to the Republic and have renounced all foreign
naturalisation.                      BONAPARTE."
Being desirous of conciliating the Royalists, the First
Consul struck a great many members of that party off
the list of emigres, allowing them  to return to France,
restoring to several their property which had been confiscated, and employing others in offices of great trust.
The amount of ingratitude he afterwards encountered was
perfectly disgraceful.
PROCLAMATION.
PARIS, 8th November, I8ox.
"Inhabitants of St. Domingo, no matter what your
origin and your colour, you are Frenchmen. You are all
free and equal before God and before the Republic.




PROCLAMATION.


375


"France has been, like St. Domingo, the prey of
factions, and torn by civil and foreign war. But everything
is changed. All the nations have embraced the French and
have vowed them peace and friendship; Frenchmen have
also embraced each other and have sworn to remain friends
and brothers. Come and embrace the French and rejoice
yourselves with the sight of your friends anJ brothers of
Europe.
"The Government sends you General Leclerc. He takes
with him a large force to protect: you against your enemies
and the enemies of the Republic. If people say,' These forces
are destined to deprive us of our liberty;' answer, 'The
Republic has given us liberty, it will not suffer us to be
deprived of it!'
"Rally round the Captain-General.  He bears you
abundance and peace. Whoever dares to separate himself
from the Captain-General shall be considered as a traitor to
his country, and the wrath of the Republic shall consume
him as the fire burns up your withered sugar-canes.
" BONAPARTE."
The inhabitants of St. Domingo naturally suspected the
intentions of this mighty host which came to protect them
against enemies which had no existence. St. Domingo
itself was at peace, and had not all the nations of the
world embraced France, and all Frenchmen embraced
each other? Where were the enemies?
On the I 3th November Bonaparte wrote to Talleyrand
complaining of the suspicious manner in which England
watched the St. Domingo expedition. Citizen Otto was
to give the British Government all kinds of explanations,
and to dwell on the incalculable benefits which would
result for England in consequence of France preventing
the sceptre of the new world from falling into the hands of
the blacks.
In a long letter addressed to General Toussaint Louvcr



376   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


ture, in which he announced the departure of his brotherin-law, General Leclerc, Bonaparte said:" He is accompanied by forces suitable to cause the
sovereignty of the French people to be respected....
We have conceived esteem for you, and we are pleased to
acknowledge and to proclaim the great services which you
have rendered to the French people [helping them to drive
out the English]. If their flag floats over St. Domingo
they owe this to the gallant blacks.  Called by your
talents, and by the force of circumstances, to the chief
command, you destroyed civil war, put a bridle on the persecutions of atrocious men, and re-established religion and
the worship of God from whom all things emanate."
However, he was told that his constitution was at variance with that of France, and contained clauses contrary
to the dignity and sovereignty of the French people.
Bonaparte then expressed the hope that the gallant blacks
would accept the authority of his Captain-General, as it
would greatly distress him to have to punish rebellion.
The expedition to St. Domingo was undertaken not only
on account of the value of the colony, but because Bonaparte, who feared Moreau, desired to get rid of the army of
the Rhine which was devoted to that general.
On the i8th November, in a further letter to Toussaint
Louverture, the First Consul said:" What do you desire? The liberty of the blacks? You
know that we have given liberty to all the nations which
were deprived of it."
What instructions were given to General Leclerc it
would be difficult to say, for they have been suppressed in
the Correspondence, but it is very improbable that Napoleon,
who re-established slavery in Guadeloupe, Martinique,
Tobago, St. Lucia Guiana, and the Mauritius had any
idea of allowing the gallant blacks of St. Domingo to
enjoy their liberty, and it was when this fact became
apparent that Toussaint Louverture took up arms against
the Captain-General and his host.




THE POSITION OF FRANCE.


377


In a long message, dated 22nd November, I801, Bonaparte announced that brigancage had been put down;
that religious peace had been established and the liberty
of conscience proclaimed; that the continental war had
been brought to a conclusion; that the Government enjoyed
the love and respect of the country, and had such confidence in public opinion that it had ventured to offer
honours and hospitality to a prince sprung from a house
which had reigned over France. The people had remained
perfectly calm, and had forced the enemies of the country
to acknowledge that the Republic had already attained
the maturity of centuries in the hearts of Frenchmen.
After paying a tribute of praise to the army and the
navy he declared that the soldiers of the army of the East
had yielded rather to the force of circumstances than to
the Turks and the English.
St. Domingo was to be entirely subjected to French
law; slavery had been abolished in that island and in
Guadeloupe, but it would be maintained at Martinique"it having cost humanity too much to warrant a new
revolution."
Finance, public instruction, public works, commerce,
fine arts, hospitals were all dwelt upon, and it is astonishing to remark the vast impulse which this master mind
gave to every branch of the administration.
Turning to foreign affairs, one perceives that Batavia
had voted a new constitution, which had been recognised
by France, but Io,ooo French troops were to be quartered
on the country.
The French troops had received orders to evacuate
Helvetia, but 6,ooo men were to remain behind.
The King of Tuscany, or Etruria, reigned tranquilly
on his throne, but 4,000 French soldiers were to hold
Leghorn.
Piedmont had been turned into the twenty-seventh French
military division, " and under a milder r/gime is forgetting
the misfortunes of a long anarchy."




378     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
The Holy Father, sovereign of Rome, possessed his
states in all their integrity, but 1,500 French soldiers
occupied Ancona in order to preserve communications
with the army of the south!
"Paul I.," said Bonaparte, "loves France; he desires
the peace of Europe and especially the liberty of the seas.
His great soul is affected by the pacific sentiments manifested by the First Consul; 8,ooo Russians were made
prisoners fighting with the allies, but England refused to
exchange them against French prisoners." [The proposition was made after Paul had receded from the alliance.]
" The Government restored these brave warriors, abandoned
by their allies, to their native country."
After referring to various other foreign states, Bonaparte
then made the following perfidious remarks:"Portugal, which had become a province of Gt. Britain,
alone remained to England. It was there that Spain ought
to have found a compensation for the restitution of the island
of Trinidad.  But after a few skirmishes the Spanish
minister ratified separately the treaty of Badajos.  From
that moment it was clear that Trinidad was lost for
Spain, and in fact England regarded it henceforth as a
possession acquired by her...."
It would be difficult to crowd a greater number of
falsehoods into so small a space.
After writing a letter to the King of England expressing
the hope that, seeing the good faith which had been
observed on both sides, a definitive treaty of peace would
soon be concluded between the two countries, Bonaparte
begged Talleyrand to send a certain. inclosure to the
French ambassador at Madrid.
"Tell him," he continued, " to procure an interview with
the Queen, to show her the letter, and to let her understand that she will never be able to count upon the
support of France as long as her lot remains bound up
with that of the Prince of the Peace. Let him explain
himself publicly and strongly respecting that prince, to




THE BEY OF TUNIS.


379


whom he should attribute the loss of Trinidad. Let him
protest against the title of generalissimo by land and sea
given to that prince, which tends to eclipse the King, and
which reveals ambitious projects. Let him keep us informed of the opinions of their Majesties, those of the
public, and the court intrigues.. "
Bonaparte, whose wrath was often manifested in the
most grotesque manner, also wrote very strongly to
General Gouvion St. Cyr, who had succeeded Lucien Bonaparte as ambassador at Madrid. He concluded his letter
thus:" Tell the Queen and the Prince of the Peace boldly
that if this system continues it will end in a thunderclap."
To GENERAL MENOU.
"PARIS, ISt December, I8oI.
"I have received your letter. I am aware that it was
no want of will on your part or of love for the fine
countries of Egypt that this conquest did not remain to the
Republic. Your long resistance at Alexandria was useful
to the negotiations....
"BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte had a strange liking for this incompetent
general-a liking which sprang from the fact thatAbdallah
Menou thoroughly believed in him. Menou was never
again employed in any active military capacity, but was
made governor of an Italian province, and treated the
inhabitants with unnecessary severity.
To HAMUDA PASHA, Bey of Tunis.
" PARIS, 5th December, I8or.
"ILLUSTRIOUS AND MAGNIFICENT SIGNOR,-I know
that among the princes of Barbary those of the kingdom
of Tunis have always been distinguished by their love of
France, and that you interrupted that friendship with regret,
to owing your habitual respect for the Ottoman Porte....
" BONAPARTE."




380     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
And the illustrious and magnificent signor was informed
that the First Consul was about to send him an envoy in the
person of M. Devoise, who had already represented France
at Tunis, and had been cast fettered into a dungeon when
the war resulting from the invasion of Egypt broke out.
At that period the Bey was on intimate terms with us, as
the following letter from Nelson shows-a letter all the
more interesting now that the French have seized on
Tunis:To HIS HIGHNESS THE BEY OF TUNIS.
"' VANGUARD.' PALERMO, ISit M~arch, 799.
" SIR,-I have received through the hands of Mr. Magra
the very interesting letters from the French at Malta, for
which I beg leave to thank your Highness, and return them
by a vessel I have fitted out for that express purpose. The
infamous conduct of the French during the whole war,
which they have wantonly waged against all religion and
civil order, has at last called down the vengeance of all
true Mussulmans; and your Highness, I am sure, will agree
with me that Divine Providence never will permit these
infidels to God to go unpunished.
" The conduct of your Highness reflects upon you the
very highest honour, and if any state has failed to exert
its utmost abilities against the enemies of God and His
Holy Prophet, I rely with confidence that they will be
your enemies, as they will be of all good men.
'( NELSON."
To CITIZEN HAUTERIVE.
"PARIS, 26t/z Decemzber, i8oi.
"You will inform M. Azara that the negotiations of
Amiens are drawing to a close; that they have been
delayed by Spain for six weeks; that France and England
cannot possibly lose another day; that peace will therefore
be promptly signed whether Spain participates in it or not;
and that the First Consul, who has a personal feeling of




CHARLES IV. OF SPAIN.


38I


kindness and attachment for his Majesty the King of
Spain, will sign in the name of his majesty, not wishing that Clharles IV. should be offended by finding himself
constrained, in spite of himself, to agree to what is done.
"That as the King of Spain is the most intimate ally of
the Republic, the First Consul considers it his duty to act
according to the domestic circumstances of that court; that
the illness of the King, and of the Queen, and the extraordinary, not to say insane, conduct of the Prince of the
Peace, oblige him treat the interests of the King of Spain
like those of France.
"That the confidence of his Majesty Charles IV. will
be better placed in the First Consul, and that his interests
will be better defended by him than by his present
minister.
" BONAPARTE."
It is to be doubted whether a similar communication
was ever before addressed to a power occupying the rank
which Spain enjoyed at the commencement of this century,
even by the most arrogant ruler. Bonaparte afterwards
fell into a grievous error concerning the Spanish nation,
but he made no mistake in his estimate of the Spanish
court.




CHAPTER VIII.


THE YEAR I802.
IN this year we find Bonaparte exciting the distrust of
Europe by accepting the Presidency of the new Italian
Republic, by concluding clandestine treaties with Spain,
Portugal, and Turkey, by his violent interference in
Switzerland, and his expedition to St. Domingo.  In
March the treaty of Amiens, after a long negotiation,
which is said to have cost England I,ooo,ooo/. a week,
was signed. Ceylon and Trinidad remained in the possession of England; the Cape of Good Hope was restored
to the Dutch, and Malta was to have a garrison of Neapolitan troops until a Maltese force could be raised to protect
the island. This peace excited very little enthusiasm in
England when proclaimed with great pomp throughout
the cities of London and Westminster by Garter King-ofArms at the head of a procession in which figured Rouge
Dragon, Portcullis, and Rouge Croix, Norrey King-atArms, Horse Guards, beadles, constables, &c., &c. In
April Bonaparte signed the Concordat with Rome, and in
August he was invested with the consulship for life. In
June General Andreossi came as French ambassador to
London.  He was represented as a man universally
admired and esteemed, eminent alike for his learning
and his urbanity. In October Switzerland took up arms
to oppose the new constitution which Bonaparte wished to




ADDRESS IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS.


383


force upon her, and the consequence was that on the I5th
Ney entered at the head of 40,000 troops. A mild protest
addressed to France by the British Government was received with the greatest indignation. The order of the
Legion of Honour was instituted. Slavery was re-established in some of the French colonial possessions; it was
the same with the system of the marque, and convicts
were once more marked with a red-hot iron on the
right shoulder.
On moving the Address in the House of Lords in
October, Lord Bolton said: "It was a grand and magnificent triumph for England to make a peace when her
navies and armies were everywhere conquerors, from the
frozen seas of the north to the Pillars of Hercules, and
from Africa to the remotest shores of Asia and America.
When the unexampled achievements of that band of
heroes, who had rescued Egypt from the invaders, were
made only to restore it to its rightful owner, and the
triumphs of our armies were only accessary to that spirit
of moderation which dictated an appeal to arms.... "
Mr. Fox, in the House of Commons, expressed himself
delighted with the peace, but this enthusiasm was shared
neither by Mr. Pitt, Mr. Wyndham, nor Mr. Sheridan.
One of the most beneficial measures of this year was
the creation of Commercial Chambers in Paris and in all
the principal towns of France.
To CITIZEN JOSEPH BONAPARTE.
" PARIS, 7th yanuary, 1802.
"I am about to start for Lyons.... I believe that General
Bernadotte [Joseph's brother-in-law] is at Amiens. I beg
that he will let you know whether it will suit him to go to
Guadeloupe as Captain-General. That island is prosperous; it is well cultivated; but Lacrosse having offended
the inhabitants, and having only 500 whites with him, has
been driven out, and a mulatto has been placed at the
head of the colony. They were ignorant of the peace




384    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Three vessels and four frigates, with 3,000 infantry are
about to sail in order to disarm the blacks and to restore
tranquillity. It is an important and agreeable mission...
c( BONAPARTE."
Bernadotte naturally refused this tempting offer, being
probably aware that it was made with the intention of
getting rid of him. The command of the expedition was
afterwards confided to the able lieutenant of Moreau,
General Richpance, who tranquillised the island by exterminating the blacks.  The mulatto leader, Pelagie,
submitted, like Toussaint Louverture, but his fate is a
mystery to this day.
At Lyons Bonaparte found the soldiers who had
returned from Egypt.
This visit to Lyons formed part of a bold conception.
While Lord Cornwallis and Joseph Bonaparte were discussing at Amiens, Bonaparte was busy establishing his
authority over the Batavian, Helvetic, and Cisalpine
Republics. He forced a constitution down the throats
of the Dutch in order to secure their independence; he
behaved with great duplicity in Switzerland, so as to
prevent the people having a popular government; and he
treated the Cisalpine in this wise. He presented a constitution to that Republic, and, the constitution accepted,
it became necessary to select the authorities. Napoleon
was asked to make the necessary nominations. He consented, and directed the representatives of the Cisalpine
to meet him at Lyons to arrange matters, thus obliging
450 notabilities to cross the Alps in the depth of winter.
Matters went on smoothly until the question of electing
a president came on. The Cisalpines had cast their eyes
on Melzi, but on perceiving that Bonaparte desired to be
chosen himself, they at once implored him to accept the
post of chief magistrate. The offer was not rejected. The
Cisalpine became the Italian Republic, and Napoleon
Bonaparte became President.




THE HELVETIAN REPUBLIC.


385


To THE CONSULS CAMBACIRES AND LEBRUN.
"LYONS, 23rd January, I802.
"... All the officers of the army of the East whom
I meet here confirm the reports made against several
generals of that army.... I suppose that by this time
M. Azara has left for Amiens....
" BONAPARTE."
To THE EMPEROR OF RUSSIA.
" PARIS, I6th February, I802.
"I have received your majesty's letter of the 5th
December. The tender interest which you take in the
affairs of Helvetia is in every way worthy of the paternal
character your majesty displays in the government of
your own states, which causes you to be blessed by your
people.  I have great pleasure in acquainting your
majesty with what I have done in order to restore the
tranquillity of that estimable nation....
" BONAPARTE."
The French troops were to be withdrawn as soon as a
definitive organisation had been adopted. Bonaparte also
expressed the hope that the treaty of Amiens would soon
be signed; that Malta would be handed over to the Grand
Master; that direct commerce would be established
between France and Russia by way of the Mediterranean
and the Black Sea, &c. At the same time the Czar was
implored not to repose faith in evil rumours circulated by
designing persons. M. de Markoff, the Russian ambassador, had been prying into the Sebastiani and other
affairs, to the great irritation of the First Consul.
On the 24th February Bonaparte addressed two letters
to Fouche. In the first he gave orders that Laharpe
should be told to leave Paris within twenty-four hours,
and to take up his residence in some small village at
twenty-five leagues from the capital, where he was to
VOL. I.                                 C C




386


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


remain under the supervision of the police.  As for
Madame Champcentz and Madame Damas, those ladies
were to be shown over the frontier.  Bonaparte thus
concluded his second letter, after dealing with a variety
of brigands:"The re-establishment of peace with the Powers allowing me to pay more attention to the police, I desire to
be informed at greater length of all that passes, and to do
business with you at least once, and often twice, a day,
when that is necessary. The hours which will suit me
best are II A.M. and I P.M.
" BONAPARTE."
To CITIZEN JOSEPH BONAPARTE.
" LA MALMAISON, IIth March, 1802.
"It is 5 P.M., and the courier you announced has not
yet arrived. However, the despatches from Otto and all
the letters from England confirm the report of considerable armaments and the departure of successive squadrons.
Lord Hawkesbury has informed Otto that Cornwallis has
received his last instructions.... Let me know twice a
day, morning and evening, all that is done and all that is
said. It is clear to me that if peace has not been signed
by this, or has not been agreed to, there must be a change
of system in London.
" BONAPARTE."
Brother Joseph was then instructed to assure Lord
Cornwallis that the First Consul had received the most
flattering letters from Russia, Prussia, and Austria, and
that those three Powers and all the princes of Italy had
recognised the Italian Republic. Citizen Otto was directed
to speak up, and to protest against the threatening tone
adopted by the British Government, which could not be
tolerated by a Power like France.




ST. DOMINGO REBELS.


387


To CAPTAIN GENERAL LECLERC.
"PARIS, i6lz March, I802.
".... France has learned with delight your successful
commencement, which presages the return of St. Domingo
to the mother country. The squadrons of Toulon, of
Cadiz, of Flushing, and of Havre ought to have reached
you.... Follow out yozr inzstructions to the letter, and
as soon as you can get rid of Toussaint, Christophe,
Dessalines, and the principal brigands, and that the mass
of the blacks has been disarmed, despatch all the coloured
men who have taken a part in the troubles to the
Continent.
"BONAPARTE."
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
" PARIS, I8/z March, 1802.
"I beg you will have the accouchements of princesses,
and the deaths which are notified to us, inserted in the
Moniteur, for I know  that the courts pay particular
attention to this publication. The elector of Bavaria and
the princesses of Baden and Denmark are in this category.
" BONAPARTE."
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
" PARIS, 20th March, 1802.
"The Valais affair must be settled. You will perceive
how I look upon the question. Have inquiries made, and
draw me up a memorandum on the ancient organisation
of that country.... W.rite to Citizen Verhinac that
Helvetia, not being a French province, and having recognised its government, I ought to allow it to govern itself;
what interests me is the affair of the Valais. Let Citizen
Reding be informed that if he is not satisfied with the
mezzo termine which I have taken he will lose all...
" BONAPARTE. '
C C 2




388   THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
J


A great many of Bonaparte's negotiations were opened
and carried on with the view of making persons believe
that, while he was actuated by the purest and most
philanthropic motives, it was quite the contrary with his
opponents. As a curious example of this we may quote
the following paragraph from a letter to Talleyrand, dated
the 24th March, and dealing with the Malta affair during
negotiations at Amiens:"As far as the Barbary Powers are concerned it must be
inserted in a protocol, or a note must be presented setting
forth how improper it will be for the Order of Malta,
instituted to wtage war against the Barbary Powers, to
receive the ships of those Powers in their ports, from
which they will be able to ravage the States even of the
Pope.... 'IThat this upsets all received ideas, and is contrary to the nature of things.... At the sametime, after
having remained firm, and above all, after having recorded
the presentation of the note, or the insertion in the protocol, the French ambassador is authorised to waive the
matter, and must not for a single hour delay his signature
to the treaty on account of this article; it will be sufficient
for me to be able to show that it was England which
desired this absurd injustice."
Neither before nor after this despatch did Bonaparte
show himself a respecter of Papal territory.
On the 26th March Bonaparte informed the Pope that
the peace with England had been signed, and desired to
have his opinion with regard to Malta. On the same day
the First Consul wrote:To CITIZEN MELZI.
" PARIS, 26tk March, I802.
"You will find inclosed the definitive treaty of peace
with England.   There is no question of the King of
Etruria, nor of the Ligurian, Italian, or Helvetian
Republics; but they will shortly be recognised in a
suitable manner.....               "BONAPARTE."




CHURCH AFFAIRS.


389


The Republics were not mentioned because it was felt
on both sides that no agreement could be arrived at
respecting them. From this fact alone it soon became
clear that the peace was nothing but a truce.
ALLOCUTION TO CARDINAL CAPRARA, LEGATE A LATERE.
" PARIS, 9th April, I802,
"The apostolical virtues which distinguish you cause
me to see you with pleasure the depositary of so great an
influence over the consciences of the people.
"You will draw   from  the  Gospel rules for your
conduct; and in this manner you will contribute powerfully to the quelling of hatred and to the consolidation of
union in this vast empire....  The result of your
mission will be, for the Christian religion, which in all ages
has done so much for mankind, a new subject of triumph,
and you will receive congratulations both from the
enlightened philosopher and from the veritable friends
of men."
To CITIZEN PORTALIS.
" PARIS, 9th April, 1802.
"You will find inclosed a list of the ecclesiastical nominations. The First Consul desires that you will inform
the citizens in question that their nominations have been
definitively settled, although I cannot yet deliver them
their brevets.... The First Consul begs you will settle
with the Legate so that the archbishops and bishops
nominated may be consecrated and receive canonical
institution before the 27th. They will take the oath, in
presence of the First Consul, on Easter-day."
The archbishops were to receive 15,000, and the bishops
Io,ooo francs each for preliminary expenses, but this
matter was to be kept secret.




390


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


To CITIZEN BARB] MARBOIS.
"PARIS, I7/ t April, I802.
"I beg you will select nine diamonds among those in
the Public Treasury, suitable for rings for the archbishops,
and have them mounted. Select a tenth for the Cardinal
Legate of superior quality and greater value.
" BONAPARTE."
To GENERAL BERTHIER.
"PARIS, 20th April, I802.
" I beg you will inform General Thurreau, while recommending him to treat the Valaisians well and to push on
with the Simplon road, that the Government is aware of
the obstacles thrown in his way, and is satisfied with
his conduct.                        " BONAPARTE."
Thurreau was the general who commanded the " Infernal
Columns" in La Vendee, and the Valaisians soon became
painfully aware that he was not to be trifled with.
WORDS PRONOUNCED IN THE COUNCIL OF STATE.
" PARIS, 4/tf May, I802.
"In all countries force yields to civil qualities. Bayonets
are lowered before the priest, who speaks in the name of
heaven, and before man, who imposes by his science. I
have predicted to military men with sczipules that a
military government will never take root in France unless
the nation be besotted by fifty years of ignorance. All
attempts will fail, and their authors will be the victims.
It is not as a general that I govern, but because the
nation believes that I possess civil capacity....  I
knew what I was about when, a general in the army, I
accepted the title of Member of the Institute; I felt sure
of being comprehended by the smallest drummer..."
This hardly tallies with what Bonaparte said about governing
France booted and spurred, and with his making a soldier of Joseph
as he might have been called on to succeed him.




THE TRINIDAD BUSINESS.


39t


In a message to the Legislative Body of the 6th May,
I802, Bonaparte thus referred to the Trinidad affair:"The Republic was bound by its engagements, and by
the fidelity of Spain, to make every effort to preserve the
integrity of that kingdom. This duty it fulfilled with
energy as far as circumstances would permit. The King
of Spain has acknowledged the loyalty of his allies, and in
the interest of peace he has generously made a sacrifice
which they fain would have spared him. He acquires by
this new claims to the attachment of France, and a sacred
title to the gratitude of Europe."
With regard to St. Domingo, the First Consul declared
that that brigand Toussaint, with some other brigands like
himself, was wandering about without men and without
money.
ALLOCUTION TO GENERAL MENOU.
" PARIS, 7/h May, I802.
"The fate of battles is uncertain. You did all in your
power after the unfortunate day of the 30th [battle of
Canope] which could be done by a man of heart and
experience. Your long resistance at Alexandria contributed to the happy issue of the preliminaries of London..... I know all that happened in your army.  Your
misfortunes have no doubt been great, but they have not
made you lose my esteem, ard I shall hasten to show
this openly, in order that no public clamour may assail
your conduct."
In the tenth volume of Napoleon's Military Correspondence the reputation of Abdallah Menou, as we have seen,
is very rudely assailed. The whole collapse in Egypt was
attributed to him. " His irresolution and want of talent,"
wrote Napoleon at St. Helena, "banished all hope and all
confidence." But, for the moment, all this was to be kept
dark, and everything was to be painted in the brightest
colours.




392    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


ORDER OF THE DAY.
" ST. CLOUD, I2h1/ May, I802.
"The Grenadier Gobain committed suicide through love.
He was a very good fellow. This is the second event of
the same nature which has taken place in the corps within
a month.
" The First Consul directs that it be put in the orders of
the Guard: ' That a soldier should know how to conquer
the pain and the melancholy of his passions; that there is
as much courage evinced in suffering with constancy
mental pain as in remaining firm under a storm of grape.
That to give oneself up to chagrin without resistance and
to kill oneself is to abandon the battlefield before being
conquered.'"
To REAR-ADMIRAL DECRPS.
" PARIS, 2IS Aayy, 1802.
You will order Major Hercules [who distinguished himself, with his trumpeters, at Arcola] to embark on the first
vessel that sails.  He will carry despatches to General
Leclerc, and will serve on his staff. You will acquaint
General Leclerc of all the succours which are leaving our
ports. You will inform him that more shall be sent, and
that the Government has full confidence in all the measures
he may take to re-establish the metropolis in all its rights,
and to subdue those African felons for ever.
" BONAPARTE."
Bonaparte was beginning to find out that the St.
Domingo affair was more serious than he had anticipated,
and that Colonel Vincent, who had warned him of the
difficulties of the undertaking, was not mistaken.
In a letter to the King of Spain on the subject of the
King- of Etruria, who was in a precarious state of health
and might soon leave his throne vacant, Bonaparte
mentioned that



SECULARISATION OF TALLEYRAND.


393


"Admiral Gravina has rendered such signal services to
the French army at St. Domingo that I beg your Majesty
will accord him some special mark of favour.... I must
thank your Majesty for the horses you gave me, which
I ride every day..
'i BONAPARTE."
Gravina endeavouring to recover for France a colony
which she had wrested from Spain! What humiliation!
But the unfortunate Admiral had not yet finished with
Bonaparte.
To H.H. THE POPE.
" PARIS, 24t/, May, I802.
"MOST HOLY FATHER,-I have left it to Cardinal Caprara
to inform you of all that happened on Easter Day. You
would have been greatly affected at the splendid spectacle
offered by the entire Republic upon that occasion....
General Murat, who has arrived here, assures me that your
Holiness is afflicted in consequence of some "constitutionals" having been nominated to French bishoprics. Your
Holiness will perceive that I have also nominated a great
number of ex-bishops, and the history of the Church
clearly proves that schisms have never been terminated except by the reconciliation of parties. Your Holiness has,
therefore, no cause for sadness. The whole of France has
adhered to the Concordat, and astonished Europe admires
a work which consolidates religion and re-establishes the
Holy See upon bases which, for a moment, appeared to
have been compromised.
" I send your Holiness a note, which has been handed to
me, on the subject of a demand for a brief for the secularisation of Citizen Talleyrand. This demand is personally
agreeable to me.
"I beg your Holiness to believe me, with all filial
respect, the very devoted son of your Holiness.
" BONAPARTE."




394     THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.
Although the Concordat had been signed on the 15th
July, i8oi, it was not sanctioned by the French Chambers
until May, I802. To celebrate the reconciliation between
Church and State the First Consul ordered a Te Deuim to
be performed at Notre Dame, to which all the authorities
were bidden. The army alone made some show of resistance, Augereau, on the part of several of his comrades,
requesting permission not to attend-a permission which
Bonaparte refused. Delmas, having been asked what he
thought of the ceremony, replied: "Very fine, General, but
there are missing a million men who have perished in order
to destroy'what you are re-establishing." Delmas was exiled.
Bonaparte had employed his usual perfidy in this matter.
Cardinal Consalvi relates in his memoirs how, when after
much squabbling, the treaty between France and Rome
had been drawn up and the copies made, he went to Joseph
Bonaparte's house to affix his signature. What was his
astonishment, on taking up his pen, to perceive that the
document laid before him was the exact reproduction of
the primitive proposals of the French Government which
he had rejected.  The Cardinal was highly indignant.
Joseph declared that he was ignorant of the substitution,
and the Abbe Bernier, who had brought the fraudulent
copy, affirmed that he had received it from the hands of the
First Consul. The question was re-discussed during nineteen consecutive hours, and the text previously accepted
by Cardinal Consalvi was restored. This treaty Bonaparte
tore in pieces, threatening, at the same time, to change the
religion not only of France, but of Europe.  "Rome," he
added, "shall shed tears of blood."  After a few slight
concessions Consalvi signed the treaty, which, like many
other treaties enforced by Bonaparte on negotiators who
could offer but a feeble resistance, in no way answered the
purpose for which it was concluded.
In signing the Concordat Bonaparte had several objects
in view; he thought that he would be able to attach the
clergy to the new order of things and to utilise them; that




A BARBARY SHIP.


395


they would become, as the saving went, his sacred gen_
darrnerie, and that he would thus snap the last link which
existed between France and the ancient regime, and would
appease La Vendee, which, like Rachael weeping for her
children, was not to be comforted. Bonaparte, as usual,
wished to have the lion's share., At St. Helena Napoleon
aid that had he returned victorious from Moscow he would
have made Paris the capital of the Christian world; he
would have held his councils there, and the Popes would
have been merely Presidents. As it was he forced Pius
VII. to concede all he asked for the moment. His Holiness
consented even to secularise the ex-bishop of Autun, who
became his "very dear son," though he would never acknowledge Madame de Talleyrand. And what did he receive in
return for his concessions? Neither Avignon, nor Carpentras, nor the Legations which he had been led to
expect; nothing but a few spiritual advantages-the
remains of Pius VI., and the image of Our Lady of Loretto
which had been stolen some years previously from the
Santa Casa.
To CITIZEN TALLEYRAND.
" PARIS, 30/t MAay, 1802.
"It is indispensable for you to inform Citizen Alquier
that the King of Naples must: allow the Pope to enjoy
the integrity of his States, and that Beneventum and
Ponte Corvo should be placed on their ancient footing.
" BONAPARTE."
Soon afterwards Bonaparte seized on both these principalities, and gave the first to Talleyrand and the second
to Bernadotte.
To REAR-ADMIRAL DECRES.
" PARIS, 7tlh une, I802.
"A Barbary ship has been blockading a dozen Ligurian
vessels at St. Tropez, and the Maritime Prefect has done
nothing to disengage the port. It is a dishonour to the




396    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


Republic that these Barbary wretches should insult our
coasts. Take measures to prevent any vessel, no matter to
what nation it belongs, being blockaded or captured in our
waters.
" BONAPARTE."
After having set forth all the benefits he had conferred
on the Church, the First Consul ordered the following note
to be despatched to Rome:" Ist. At the epoch of the Revolution France possessed
five cardinals, to wit, Cardinals Bernis, Larochefoucault,
Rohan, Lomenie, and Montmorency. The two first are
dead; the third is no longer a Frenchman; the fourth is
dead; and the fifth is a rebel to the State and to the
Holy See."
Then followed a demand that France should have seven
cardinals, the same number as Austria, so that she might
exercise an equal amount of influence with that Power in
future conclaves.
To THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC.
"PARIS, ISt Zuly, 1802.
"I hasten to lay before you the constitution of the
Republic of the Valais, and to communicate to you my
intention, as President of the Italian Republic, to place
that Republic under the protection of France and of the
Italian and Helvetian Republics, so that the Republic of
the Valais, guaranteed by three powers, may be sheltered
from the vicissitudes of time, and be able to preserve a
strict neutrality..
" BONAPARTE."
A few days afterwards Bonaparte commenced a long
note to his War Minister in these terms: "The independence of the Valais, with the exclusive faculty of the
French to march their armies through it, will change the
system  of war in Italy."  The independent Valaisians




THE ISLAND OF ELBA.


397


were to keep the military roads in proper repair at their
own expense.
In a letter to Captain-General Leclerc, Bonaparte gave
a very brilliant account of the political situation in France
at this epoch:"Affairs in Germany," he wrote, "have been settled to
our advantage and to that of our allies. By our peace
with the Turk we have obtained the commerce of the
Black Sea. We have gained possession of the Isle of
Elba, which has been united to France. Piedmont is
definitively united to the Republic. The English have
evacuated Malta, Mahon, and Egypt. Our colonies in
Asia are prosperous, and so are Guadeloupe, Tobago, and
Martinique. Rid us of those 'gilded Africans' and there
will remain nothing for us to desire... As for you, you
are on the road to glory.  The Republic will enable
you to enjoy a suitable fortune, and my friendship is
unchangeable."
There were several misstatements in the above extract.
The English had not evacuated all the positions alluded
to. As for Elba, we find the First Consul writing to
Berthier on the 3rd July, to disarm the inhabitants of
Porto-Ferrajo, to arrest a dozen of them and to send them
on board a frigate by way of hostages. A government commissioner was to select a dozen of the most honest families
in the island and to send their children to school in Paris
so as to attach them to France.
This is the way in which Elba was treated by its
future sovereign.
To TALLEYRAND.
" PARIS, 7th July,, 1802.
"Write to Citizen Dubois-Thainville at Algiers that by
order of the First Consul he is to demand the head of the
reis who bastinadoed the French captain in the roads of
Algiers; that the vessel must be restored;... that the
Dey must be informed that should he listen to the
counsels of Vekhil Hardgi, who is the enemy of France,




398


THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


he will be ruined; that no one has ever insulted me with
impunity; that unless he behaves well I shall punish him
as I did the Mamelukes."
And the consul was to be instructed to speak imperiously to the Dey, and not to fear bringing about a
rupture. No less a personage than General Hulin was to
be the bearer of the following letter, which was to be
backed up by three ships of the line:" PARIS, iSlh J7uly, 1802.
"To THE MOST HIGH AND MOST MAGNIFICENT DEY
OF ALGIERS.
"May God preserve him in prosperity and in glory!
"I write this letter direct to you because I know that
you are deceived by your ministers, who lead you to act
in a manner which may be productive of great misfortunes."
And the Dey was called upon to give satisfaction.
The First Consul wrote three other letters on the same
subject on the I8th, and declared to his Minister of Marine
that unless the French flag were treated with due respect
by Tunis and Algiers, he was to send ten ships of the
line and five frigates to punish the Barbary Powers and
to insist upon reparation being made.
On the 22nd July Bonaparte wrote to General Leclerc,
saying"We await with impatience the arrival of Christophe
and Dessalines in France. The capture of Toussaint was
extremely honourable to you, and is a cause of tranquillity
and hope for our commerce."
On the same day the following decree was issued:"Art. 1. The so-called Toussaint Louverture shall be
transferred to and detained as a prisoner in the fort of
Joux. He shall be kept in solitary confinement, without
the power of writing or of communicating with any one
but his domestic,




THE DEY OF ALGIERS.


399


"Art II. The Ministers of War and of Marine are
charged with the execution of this decree."
Nothing could exceed the perfidious conduct of Bonaparte on this occasion. Toussaint Louverture had laid
down his arms on the solemn promise of pardon, which
was basely violated. He was never even tried, but was
flung into a cold underground dungeon, where he did not
long survive. The precise cause of his death remains a
mystery. Christophe did not share the fate of his chief,
but revenged him.
To THE DEY OF ALGIERS.
"PARIS, 27th July, I802.
"GREAT AND MAGNIFICENT DEY,-An adjutant of my
palace has been sent to demand reparation for insults to
my flag.... I must also express my indignation at the
demand for 200,000 piastres which your ministers have
dared to make [because French subjects had been coral
fishing on the coast of Algiers'. I have never paid anything to any one, and, thank God, I have imposed the law
on all my enemies. I destroyed the Mamelukes because
they dared to demand money after having insulted the
French flag..... Before marching against you with land
and sea forces I have communicated with the ambassador
of the Sublime Porte," &c.
Bonaparte threatened the Dey with an army of 80,000
men, and the Dey threatened the First Consul with the
horrors of war unless he were paid his 200,000 piastres,
and there the matter stopped.
To CITIZEN ABRIAL, Minister of Justice.
" PARIS, 2ISt AZugust, 1802.
"I have the honour to forward you the Papal brief
which restores Citizen Charles Maurice Talleyrand to his
secular and lay existence. I beg you will have the same
inserted in the Bulletin des Lois.
" BONAPARTE."




400    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


The Bishop of Meaux, having asked permission to repair
to Paris in order to have his eyes looked afterDECISION.
"I shall see him with pleasure in Paris, where he will
be able to attend to the affairs of his diocese.
" BONAPARTE."
Cazenove, Archbishop of St. Domingo, having asked
what day he could take the oath to the First ConsulDECISION.
"To be sent to Citizen Portalis, to ask him why he
assumes the title of archbishop, and if he is one, who
nominated him.
" BONAPARTE."
To H.H. THE POPE.
"PARIS, 28th August, 1802.
"MOST HOLY FATHER,-I have read the letter of your
Holiness with the greatest attention. I can but approve
of the intention of your Holiness to nominate one of my
subjects Grand Master of Malta.
" I see with pain that your Holiness does not consider
that you can conclude a Concordat with the Italian Republic..... The cardinals I would propose to your
Holiness are the Archbishop of Paris (de Belloy), the
Archbishop of Lyons (Fesch), and the Bishops of Troyes
and of Autun. Your Holiness knows the Archbishop of
Paris.... Although ninety-three years of age his mind
and body are still unimpaired.
" The Archbishop of Lyons, young and less deserving,
is an ecclesiastic distinguished for the severity of his
moralityl and for the attachment I bear him, being my
near relative....
1 No mention is made of the sums embezzled by his future
eminence when he was acting as army contractor in Italy.




THE DEY OF ALGIERS.


401


" I must inform your Holiness that I have just obtained
from the Dey of Algiers the release of a great number of
Christians, several of whom are subjects of your Holiness;
this was brought about in connection with the arrangements
made with the Dey to repair an insult offered to the
French flag.
"I have caused the Holy Sepulchre, all the Christians
in Syria, and all the churches of Constantinople to be
placed under the protection of France....
" I should like to give a fresh impulse to the missions in
China, and I will not conceal from your Holiness that, independently of the general welfare of religion, I am
actuated in this matter by a desire to deprive the English
of the direction of those missions [which were somewhat
commercial].
"BONAPARTE."
Sebastiani was to look after the Christians in the Levant,
and other matters.
DECISION.
" PARTS, 30f/i August, 1802.
"Sent back to the Minister of the Interior. It is not
proper that Vestris should leave. I desire that when he
no longer performs he shall be granted a pension. The
Minister will make a report on the subject of Vestris and
his debts.
"BONAPARTE."
Vestris had asked permission to pass six months a
year in England, where he had been offered 1,300 guineas
for the season.
In a letter to the Minister of Marine Bonaparte said
that he desired to make the Pope a present of two brigs,
the Speedy and the Colibri; the names of these vessels
were to be altered to the St. Peter and the St. Paul; on
the poop of each was to be inscribed in letters of goldVOI,. I.                                D D




402    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


"Given by the First Consul Bonaparte to the Pope Pius
VII.;" and they were to be " painted and carved internally
in a manner analogous to their new names."
Many little facts of the above description show how
times had changed. In I796 General Bonaparte had levied
"black mail" on the Pope, and had forced him to contribute 4,000,000 francs towards the expenses of the French
navy! A year afterwards, when the General seized on
Venice, he announced to the Directory that he had
changed the names of the nine ships and the twelve
frigates he had captured-vessels ayant des noms de sai/zts
incolnveenanzts.
As a matter of fact none of the Venetian vessels were
called after saints with the exception of the St. George!
It may be asked how it came that Bonaparte, who was
intent upon levying ships from Spain and Portugal, should
have presented even two brigs to the Pope. We know
something of the 3peed,. She had been captured by the
squadron under Admiral Linois after a resistance so
gallant that her captain had his sword returned to him.
The captain in question was Thomas Cochrane, afterwards
Earl of Dundonald. He described the Speedy as "the least
efficient craft on the station." The probability is that the
St. Paul was not worth much more than the St. Peter.
On the 5th September Bonaparte addressed a series of
instructions to Sebastiani, who was to visit Tripoli, Alexandria, Cairo, Jaffa, St. Jean d'Acre, Jerusalem, &c., with
what view is tolerably well known. He was to assure
every one of the good wishes of France, and was to avoid
compromising himself.
To CITIZEN PORTALIS.
" PARIS, 6th September, I802.
"I send you a note which has been forwarded to me by
the Inspector General of Gendarmery concerning the
Bishop of Rennes. Write to him that all this must come
to an end; that he makes me regret the conidence I




GENDARMES AND BISHOPS.


403


reposed in him; that he is culpable in removing a Constitutional priest; that a prelate who, after ten years of
revolution and trouble, does not experience the necessity
of peace is deserving of no consideration."
And the bishop, whose passions were not to be restrained by the morality of the Evangelists, was threatened
with criminal proceedings.
The Bishop of Clermont was to be written in language
less harsh, and told that his conduct was "the art of
rendering religion odious and impotent." Other prelates,
no doubt, on the report of the Inspector General of
Gendarmes, were to be sharply reprimanded.
On the 23rd September Bonaparte, in a long letter to
Talleyrand, said he had his eye on the Helvetian Republic,
and that unless the terms of his proclamation were accepted he would send Ney into that country at the head of
30,000 men. He was determined, he wrote, to have a
frontier to cover Franche-Comte; there was no middle
course between a Swziss Government solidly organised and
friendly to France, and no Szvitzerland.
On the 2nd October Bonaparte drew out an elaborate
document on the organisation of the Isle of Elba, which
was to have its Captain General, a Government Commissioner, a Council of Administration and Justice. No
more young men were to be sent to the schools or universities of Tuscany.  A  French master was to be
established in every parish, and the French language was
to be used in the courts of law, &c., &c.
The Archbishop of Turin, having asked to be dispensed
from coming to Paris owing to his great age, his ill-health,
the requirements of his diocese, and want of means:
DECISION.
"PARIS, I th October, I802.
"The weather is about to become severe; it is necessary
for him to hasten his departure. Send him 3,000 francs
for his travelling expenses.       "BONAPARTE."
D D 2




4C4    TIE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE AMBASSADOR AT CONSTANTINOPLE (GENERAL BRUNE).
" ST. CLOUD, I8th October, I802.
"The intention of the Government is that the Ambassador at Constantinople shall recover the supremacy which
France has exercised in that city for 200 years. He has
a splendid residence and he ought constantly to occupy a
rank superior to that of other nations; be surrounded by a
numerous suite, and make a great display.... He must
give it to be understood that if Russia and Austria have
an interest in dividing the states of the Sultan, it is the
interest of France to maintain the balance between those
two powers.... If any events happen in the vicinity ot
Constantinople he must offer his mediation, and as a
general rule the French Ambassador must seize every opportunity to attract attention. Acting upon this principle
there will be no inconvenience in illuminating the French
Embassy on the fete day of the prophet.... Care must
be taken never to shock the habits and customs of the
people, &c.                        " BONAPARTE."
To CONSUL CAMBACERES.
" ROUEN, 3Isf October, I802.
"I rode at 8 A.M. to visit the heights of Rouen. The
Archbishop, who is much loved and esteemed here, was
good enough to say mass, but he gave us neither holy
water nor oraison. We shall take our revenge to-morrow,
which is All Saints' Day.... The Grand Judge should
not lose a moment in having the notary Petit arrested and
confined in the Temple. The eight cures ought to be
arrested at once and sent to Italy under safe guard....
" BONAPARTE."
To THE ARCHBISHOP OF LYONS.
" ROUEN, 2nd November, I802.
"I have been for the last three days at Rouen. I am
highly satisfied with the people of this department, with




INSTRUCTIONS TO UNCLE FESCIt.       405
the feelings which animate the clergy, and especially with
the archbishop.
"It is time for you to start for your diocese, you must
keep up a handsome establishment, but without luxury;
regulating it by the most considerable households in Lyons.
You must act with dexterity, but you must in reality
appoint as many constitutional priests as possible..
You must unite to this a great respect for the Pope..
I beg you will send me your pastoral before publishing it.
You will greatly displease me, and. you will damage the
state if you say anything to offend the Constitutionals..... Do not forget that in the position where you have
been placed you will be closely watched. Act with the
strictest morality and decorum, and devote  yourself
entirely to your duties. Pretend not to meddle with
politics, and if petitions are presented to you for me say
that you are a minister of religion. Do not exhibit too
much zeal even in the administration of the hospitals, or as
regards the poor.... I should like you to take by the
hand one of the most prominent bishops of the refractory
party and one of those having the most weight among the
Constitutionals, to bless them and to embrace them,
telling them that union and fraternity form the fundamental basis of religion. Something striking in this line
would have a good effect..
" BONAPARTE."
The nephew evidently did not place unweening confidence in the Cardinal, and in this he showed the keenness
of his perception.
On the 4th November Bonaparte wrote to Talleyrand
evidently in reply to a despatch which had been forwarded
from London by General Andrreossy. In this letter the
First Consul questioned the right of England to interfere
with the affairs of the Italian, Ligurian, and Helvetian Republics, since nothing had been said about those Republics
in the Treaty of Amiens. He expressed himself in a tone
of irritation which boded ill for the peace of the Continent.




406    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


In several despatches Bonaparte speaks in glowing
terms of the position of Alessandria from a military
point of view.
DECREE.
" PARIS, I 8tz November, 1802.
"Art. I. The cathedral of Alessandria, which 'encumbers' the place d'arms, shall be demolished. The materials
shall be employed on the fortifications.
" Art 2. The Ministers of the Interior, of Finance, and
of War are charged with the execution of this decree.
" BONAPARTE."
To THE KING OF SPAIN.
" ST. CLOUD, 27h/ Nlovember, 1802.
" I have received your letter of the i8th October, and
I beg you will present my compliments of condolence to
the Queen on the death of the Duke of Parma. Your
Majesty is well aware that the French Republic had a
right to take possession of your states two years ago
according to the treaty of the 2Ist NMarc/i, I S....
However, desiring to be agreeable to your Majesty, I did
not press for the execution of the treaty....  Your
Majesty will at present feel that it has become impossible
for me to violate a treaty signed and ratified at my own
instigation, and that Europe might see with jealousy and
displeasure that while Prince Ferdinand1 is deprived of
his states, and while the King of Sardinia, in whom so
many princes are interested, remains uncompensated for
the losses he has sustained, his Majesty the King of
Tuscany should obtain, independently of his kingdom,
a considerable increase of territory. 'The French Republic
is at the present moment in possession of the States of
Parma, and several demands have been made by other
Powers. However, I am willing to do anything your
Majesty may desire; but this can never be accomplished
without an equivalent compensation, of which Florida
might form a portion....
" BONAPARTE."
Brother of the Emperor of Austria, the dispossessed Grand-Duke
of Tuscany.




" MECANIQUE CELESTE."


407


To CITIZEN LAPLACE.
" ST. CLOUD, 26/h 7 ovember, I802.
"All that I have read of your work appears to me
perfectly clear. I long to be able to devote a few weeks
to finish reading it, and I much regret not being able to
give it the time and attention it deserves. This affords me
a new opportunity for bewailing the force of circumstances
which have diverted me into another career where I find
myself so far removed from the sciences.  I thank you
for your dedication, which I accept with pleasure, and I
desire that future generations in reading your Mecanique
Ce7este may remember my esteem and friendship for
the author.
BONAPARTE."
In a letter to General Leclerc, dated 27th November,
I802, Bonaparte said that he took the greatest interest in
the sufferings of the troops, and acknowledged that he
had miscalculated the difficulties of the St. Doningo
expedition. He concluded by saying:"I am highly satisfied with the conduct of Paulette.
She ought not to fear death, since she would die with
glory in dying with the army and in being useful to her
husband. Everything passes rapidly upon earth with the
exception of the mark we leave in history. I am well
satisfied with your brother-in-law and your sister; when
you read this letter she will have made an addition to
her family."
General Leclerc had been dead a week when this letter
was written. As for Paulette, who had been forced by
her inexorable brother to accompany the expedition, she
appears to have behaved with considerable resolution in
St. Domingo. She exhibited great grief at the loss of her
husband, and returned to France with his dead body. It
is true, however, that she did not long remain a widow,
and that she gave her hand to Prince Borghese.




408    THE CORRESPONDENCE OF NAPOLEON.


In a letter to the Pope, on the I3th December,
Bonaparte said:"The Legate has informed me that the Grand Master
nominated by your Holiness has refused the post. I have
advised the Legate to send him, on the part of your
Holiness, who is his spiritual and temporal superior, an
order to accept it, and to tell him that he was not created
a Knight of Malta to run about the world amusing himself,
but to support religion..
"There are some small Swiss cantons containing a
certain number of religious convents which during a portion
of the war showed themselves favourable to England;
they remain under the same influence without perceiving
that everything has changed, and that it is not natural for
Catholic monks to submit to English influence in preference to ours. I beg that your Holiness will write to
the generals of their orders in Rome to enlighten them
with regard to their duties. There is amongst others a
Capuchin who wears the cross of a Protestant order which
was given to him during the war by the King of England;
this appears scandalous and contrary to the principles of
Catholicism..
" The Bey of Tunis having sent me an ambassador, I
have concluded a convention with him by which Christians
falling into his hands will no longer experience illtreatment, and will be allowed rations..... "
It is amusing to find Bonaparte appealing to the
spiritual power to help him in his temporal designs, and
tacitly acknowledging the supremacy of the Pontiff. It
is not mentioned what cross was conferred on the Capuchin,
and the wonder is that the First Consul did not say he
had been invested with the garter as well.
END OF VOL. I.


R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, BREAD STREET IILL, E.C.




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20


DICKENS'S (CHARLES) WORKS.
ORIGINAL      EDITIONS.
In Demy 8vo.
THE MYSTERY         OF   EDWIN     DROOD.      With Illustrations
by S. L. Fildes, and a Portrait engraved by Baker. Cloth, 7s. 6d.
OUR MUTUAL FRIEND. With Forty Illustrations by Marcus
Stone. Cloth, i iis.
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by Seymour and Phiz. Cloth, Zi is.
NICHOLAS NICKLEBY. With Forty Illustrations by Phiz.
Cloth, Z~ is.
SKETCHES BY " BOZ."          With Forty Illustrations by George
Cruikshank. Cloth, Li is.
MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT. With Forty Illustrations by Phiz.
Cloth, ~I is.
DOMBEY       AND    SON.    With   Forty  Illustrations  by Phiz.
Cloth, ~i is.
DAVID COPPERFIELD. With Forty Illustrations by Phiz.
Cloth, XI Is.
BLEAK HOUSE. With Forty Illustrations by Phiz. Cloth,
ZI Is.
LITTLE DORRIT. With Forty Illustrations by Phiz. Cloth,
XI is.
THE     OLD    CURIOSITY      SHOP.     With   Seventy-five  Illustrations by George Cattermole and H. K. Browne. A New Edition. Uniform with
the other volumes, Li is.
BARNABY RUDGE: a Tale of the Riots of 'Eighty. With
Seventy-eight Illustrations by George Cattermole and H. K. Browne. Uniform with
the other volumes, Li is.
CHRISTMAS BOOKS: Containing-The Christmas Carol;
The Cricket on the Hearth; The Chimes; The Battle of Life; The Haunted House.
With all the original Illustrations. Cloth, I2s.
OLIVER TWIST and TALE OF TWO CITIES. In one
volume. Cloth, ~i is.
OLIVER TWIST. Separately. With Twenty-four Illustrations
by George Cruikshank. Cloth, uxs.
A TALE OF TWO CITIES. Separately. With Sixteen Illustrations by Phiz. Cloth, 9s.
T** The remainder of Dickens's Works were not originally printed in Demy 8vo,




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DICKENS'S (CHARLES) WORKS- Continued.
LIBRARY EDITION.
In Post 8vo. With the Original Illustrations, 30 vols., cloth, ~,12.
s. d.
PICKWICK PAPERS............... 43 Illustrns., 2 vols. i6 o
NICHOLAS NICKLEBY............ 39,,   2 vols. 16 o


MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT............ 40
OLD CURIOSITY SHOP & REPRINTED PIECES 36
BARNABY RUDGE and HARD TIMES..... 36
BLEAK  HOUSE..................  40
LITTLE  DORRIT............... 40
DOMBEY AND  SON............... 38
DAVID COPPERFIELD............ 38
OUR MUTUAL FRIEND............ 40
SKETCHES BY "BOZ".......... 39
OLIVER  TWIST............... 24
CHRISTMAS BOOKS............ 17
A TALE OF TWO CITIES............ 6
GREAT EXPECTATIONS............ 8
PICTURES FROM ITALY & AMERICAN NOTES 8
UNCOMMERCIAL TRAVELLER....... 8
CHILD'S HISTORY OF ENGLAND...... 8
EDWIN DROOD and MISCELLANIES..... 12


2 vols. i6  o
2 vols. i6  o
2 vols. i6  o,  2 vols.  6  o
2 vols. I6  o
2 vols. i6  o
2 vols. I6  o,, 2 ols.  6 o,, I vol.  8,, I vol.  8 o,, I vol.  8 o,,      vol.  8 o,,     vol.   8  o,, I vol.  8  0,,   vol.  8 o,,     vol.   8 0,  I vol.  8 


CHRISTMAS STORIES from " Household Words," &c. 14,,     I vol.  8 o
THE LIFE OF CHARLES DICKENS. ByJoHN FORSTER. With Illustrations.
Uniform with this Edition. I vol. Ios. 6d.
THE "i CHARLES DICKENS" EDITION.
In Crown 8vo. In 2r vols., cloth, with Illustrations, ~3 I6s.




s. d.


PICKWICK  PAPERS..............  8 Illustrations... 4  o
MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT.............. 8,... 4 o
DOMBEY AND SON............ 8..4 o
NICHOLAS NICKLEBY.............  8,... 4  o
DAVID COPPERFIELD............ 8,,...  4 o
BLEAK  HOUSE..................  8,,... 4  o
LITTLE  DORRIT.................  8,,... 4  o
OUR MUTUAL FRIEND.......... 8...          4 o
BARNABY RUDGE................ 8         3 6
OLD CURIOSITY SHOP..............  8,,... 3  6
A CHILD'S HISTORY OF ENGLAND..... 4,,... 3 6
EDWIN DROOD and OTHER STORIES....8,,... 3 6
CHRISTMAS STORIES, from "Household Words"  8,,... 3 6
SKETCHES BY "BOZ".............  8,,... 3  6
AMERICAN NOTES and REPRINTED PIECES.. 8,,.. 3 6
CHRISTMAS BOOKS...............   8,,... 3 6
OLIVER TWIST............... 8... 3  6
GREAT EXPECTATIONS........... 8.,,... 3  6
TALE OF TWO CITIES.......... 8,,... 3 o
HARD TIMES and PICTURES FROM ITALY... 8,... 3 
UNCOMMERCIAL TRAVELLER........ 4.. 3 o
THE LIFE OF CHARLES DICKENS. Numerous Illustrations. 2 vols, 7 o
THE LETTERS OF CHARLES DICKENS.,.........2 vols. 8 o




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DICKENS'S (CHARLES) WORKS-Continued.
THE ILLUSTRATED LIBRARY EDITION.
Complete in o Volumes. Demy 8vo, zos. aIck; or set, Lzi.
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widely-increasing popularity, have never yet been worthily presented in a really
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The collection comprises all the minor writings it was Mr. Dickens's wish to
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DAVID COPPERFIELD. 2 vols. With 40 Illustrations by Phiz.
BLEAK HOUSE. 2 vols. With 40 Illustrations by Phiz.
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A TALE OF TWO CITIES. With I6 Illustrations by Phiz.
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GREAT EXPECTATIONS. With 8 Illustrations by Marcus Stone.
OUR MUTUAL FRIEND. 2 vols. With 40 Illustrations by Marcus Stone.
CHRISTMAS BOOKS. With 17 Illustrations by Sir Edwin Landseer, R.A.,
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HISTORY OF ENGLAND. With 8 Illustrations by Marcus Stone.
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DICKENS'S (CHARLES) WORKS-Continued.
HOUSEHOLD EDITION.
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A TALE OF TWO CITIES, with 25 Illustrations, cloth, 3s.
HARD TIMES, with 20 Illustrations, cloth, 2s. 6d.
MR. DICKENS'S READINGS.
Fcap. 8vo, sewed.
CHRISTMAS CAROL IN        PROSE.     STORY OF LITTLE DOMBEY. is.
Is.                               POOR   TRAVELLER, BOOTS AT
CRICKET ON THE HEARTH. is.              THE   HOLLY-TREE     INN, and
CHIMES: A GOBLIN STORY. Is.             MRS. GAMP. Is.


A CHRISTMAS CAROL, with the Original Coloured Plates,
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DICKENS'S (CHARLES) WORKS-Continued.
THE POPULAR LIBRARY EDITION
OF THE WORKS OF
CHARLES DICKENS,
In 30 Vols., large crown 8vo, pJjce ~6; separate Vols. 4s. each.
An Edition printed on good paper, containing Illustrations selected from
the Household Edition, on Plate Paper. Each Volume has about 450 pages
and I6 full-page Illustrations.
SKETCHES BY "BOZ."            OLD CURIOSITY    SHOP AND
PICKWICK. 2 vols.               REPRINTED PIECES. 2 vols.
OLIVER TWIST.                 BARNABY RUDGE. 2 vols.
NICHOLAS NICKLEBY. 2 vols.    UNCOMMERCIAL       TRAVELMARTIN CHUZZLEWIT. 2 vols.      LER.
DOMBEY AND SON. 2 vols.       GREAT EXPECTATIONS
DAVID COPPERFIELD. 2 vols.    TALE OF TWOR      O ENG
CHRISTMAS BOOKS.              CHILDS HISTOR       OF ENGOUR MUTUAL FRIEND. 2 vols.E      DWIN DROOD AND MISCELCHRISTMASSTOR.       EDWIN DROOD AND MISCELCHRISTMAS STORIES.              LANIES.
BLEAK HOUSE.     2 vols.      PICTURES FROM ITALY AND
LITTLE DORRIT.    2 vols.       AMERICAN NOTES.
The Cheapest and Handiest Edition of
THE WORKS OF CHARLES DICKENS.
The Pocket-Volume Edition of Charles Dickens's Works.
In 30 Vols. small fcap. 8vo, /2 5s.
New and Cheap Issue of
THE WORKS OF CHARLES DICKENS.
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NICHOLAS NICKLEBY, with 8 Illustrations, cloth, 2S.
OLIVER TWIST, with 8 Illustrations, cloth, is.
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AMERICAN NOTES AND PICTUR ES FROM ITALY, with 8 Illustrations, cloth,:is.6d.
CHRISTMAS BOOKS, with 8 Illustrations, cloth, is. 6d.
SIXPENNY      REPRINTS.
(I.)
A CHRISTMAS CAROL AND THE
HAUNTED MAN.
By CHARLES DICKENS. Illustrated.
(II.)
READINGS FROM                 THE WORKS OF
CHARLES DICKENS.
As selected and read by himself and now published for the first time. Illustrated.
(III.)
THE CHIMES: A GOBLIN STORY, AND THE
CRICKET ON THE HEARTH.
Illustrated.




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BENSON ( W )PRINCIPLES    OF THE    SCIENCE    OF  COLOUR.
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MANUAL OF THE SCIENCE OF COLOUR. Coloured
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Glumaceous                                  9....  9
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CHAPMAN & HALL, LIMITED.                                  31
3 Siisitir of Srt in iha1b a                                      s& rt.
By GEORGES PERROT AND CHARLES CHIPIEZ.
Translated by WALTER ARMSTRONG, B.A., Oxon. With 452 Illustrations.
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jistor           of       ndient           gptptian Art.
BY GEORGES PERROT AND CHARLES CHIPIEZ.
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for the cultivated idle who live at ease to turn over-every page is full of artistic interest."




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