AT MALMAttgON,
 
 RECOLLECTIONS 
 
 OK 
 
 THE PRIVATE LIFE 
 
 OF 
 
 NAPOLEON 
 
 BY 
 
 CONSTANT 
 
 PREMIER VALET DE CHAMBRB 
 
 TRANSLATED BY WALTER CLARK 
 
 ILLUSTRATED 
 
 VOLUME I. 
 
 NEW YORK 
 THE MERRIAM COMPANY 
 
 67 FIFTH AVENUE
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1895, 
 BY TUB MEBKIAM COMPANY. 
 
 TrroGBAniY TSY C. J. PKTEBS & SON, 
 BOSTON, U.S.A.
 
 TX. 
 
 05 
 
 v.\ 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THOUGH this work was first published in 1830, it has 
 never before been translated into English. Indeed, the 
 volumes are almost out of print. When hi Paris a few 
 years ago the writer secured, with much difficulty, a copy, 
 from which this translation has been made. Notes have 
 been added by the translator, and illustrations by the pub- 
 lishers, which, it is believed, will enhance the interest of 
 the original work by Constant. 
 
 "To paint Csesar in undress is not to paint Caesar," 
 some one has said. Yet men will always like to see the 
 great en deshabille. In these volumes the hero is painted 
 in undress. His foibles, his peculiarities, his vices, are here 
 depicted without reserve. But so also are his kindness of 
 heart, his vast intellect, his knowledge of men, his extraor- 
 dinary energy, his public spirit. The shutters are taken 
 down, and the workings of the mighty machinery are laid 
 bare. 
 
 The late Prince Napoleon (who was more truly "the 
 nephew of his uncle " than was Napoleon III.), in his Na- 
 poleon and His Detractors, bitterly assails this work of 
 Constant, attacking both its authenticity and the correctness 
 of its statements. But there appears no good reason to 
 doubt its genuineness, and the truthfulness of many of its 
 details is amply supported by other authorities. Notwith- 
 standing its excesses and follies, the great French Revolu- 
 
 3
 
 4 PREFACE. 
 
 tion will ever have an absorbing interest for mankind, be- 
 cause it began as a struggle for the advancement of the 
 cause of manhood, liberty, and equal rights. It was a ter- 
 ribly earnest movement ; and, after the lapse of a century, 
 interest continues unabated in the great soldier who re- 
 stored order, and organized and preserved the new ideas 
 by means of his Civil Code and a firm government. 
 
 Countless memoirs have been published by those who 
 lived in those heroic times. Yet everything which will cast 
 new light upon the chief actors in that great drama of 
 humanity is still seized upon with avidity, especially what- 
 ever concerns the JUmperor. 
 
 This is not merely because he was a great conqueror; 
 for such were, after their fashion, Genghis Khan and 
 Timour, and hundreds of others. But it is because of the 
 human interest which attaches to the wonderful career of 
 Napoleon and the events of which he was the central figure. 
 
 Never did poet or novelist imagine scenes so improbable. 
 The son of an obscure lawyer in an unimportant island 
 becomes Emperor of the French and King of Italy. His 
 brothers and sisters become kings and queens. The sons 
 of innkeepers, notaries, lawyers, and peasants become mar- 
 shals of the empire. The Emperor, first making a West 
 India Creole his wife and Empress, puts her away, and mar- 
 ries a daughter of the haughtiest and oldest royal house in 
 Europe, the niece of a queen whom the people of France had 
 beheaded a few years before. Their son is born a king 
 King of Rome. Then suddenly the pageantry dissolves, 
 and Emperor, kings, and queens become subjects again. 
 Has imagination ever dreamed anything wilder than this? 
 The dramatic interest of this story will always attract, but
 
 PREFACE. 5 
 
 there is a deeper one. The secret spring of all those rapid 
 changes, and the real cause of the great interest humanity 
 will always feel in the story of those eventful times, is to be 
 found in Napoleon's own explanation "A career open to 
 talents, without distinction of birth." Till that day the 
 accident of birth was the key to every honor and every 
 position. No man could hold even a lieutenancy in the 
 army who could not show four quarterings on his coat>-of- 
 arms. 
 
 It was as the " armed apostle of democracy " that Napo- 
 leon went forth conquering and to conquer. He declared 
 at St. Helena that he "had always marched supported by 
 the opinions of six millions of men." 
 
 The old woman who met him incognito climbing the 
 hill of Tarare, and replying to his assertion that "Napoleon 
 was only a tyrant like the rest," exclaimed, " It may be so, 
 but the others are the kings of the nobility, while he is one 
 of us, and we have chosen him ourselves," expressed a great 
 truth. As long as Napoleon represented popular sover- 
 eignty he was invincible ; but when, deeming himself strong 
 enough to stand alone, he endeavored to conciliate the old 
 order of things, and, divorcing the daughter of the people, 
 took for a bride the daughter of kings and allied himself 
 with them at that moment, like another Samson, "his 
 strength departed from him." Disasters came as they had 
 come to him before, but this time the heart of the people 
 was no longer with him. He fell. 
 
 This man has been studied as a soldier, a statesman, an 
 organizer, a politician. In all he was undeniably great. 
 But men will always like to know something about him as 
 a man. Can he stand that ordeal? These volumes will
 
 6 PREFACE. 
 
 answer that question. They are written by one who joined 
 the First Consul at the Hospice on Mt. St. Bernard, on his 
 way to Marengo, in June, 1800, and who was with him 
 as his chief personal attendant, day and night, never leav- 
 ing him "any more than his shadow" (eight days only 
 excepted) until that eventful day, fourteen years later, 
 when, laying aside the sceptre of the greatest empire the 
 world had known for seventeen centuries, he walked down 
 the horseshoe steps at Fontainebleau in the presence of 
 the soldiers whom he had led to victory from Madrid to 
 Moscow, once more a private citizen. 
 
 That men of Anglo-Saxon speech may have an oppor- 
 tunity to see and judge the Emperor from " close at hand," 
 and view him as he appeared in the eyes of his personal 
 attendants, these volumes have been translated, and are now 
 submitted to the public. Though the remark of Frederick 
 the Great that "No man is a hero to his valet" is not 
 altogether borne out in this instance, still it will be seen 
 that there is here nothing of that "divinity which doth 
 hedge a king." In these volumes Napoleon appears as a 
 man, a very great man, still a mere man, not a demigod. 
 Their perusal will doubtless lead to a truer conception of 
 his character, as manifested both in his good and in his evil 
 traits. The former were natural to him; the latter were 
 often produced by the exceptional circumstances which sur- 
 rounded him, and the extraordinary temptations to which 
 he was subjected. 
 
 Certainly a truer and fuller light is cast by these vol- 
 umes, upon the colossal figure which will always remain one 
 of the most interesting studies in all human history. 
 
 THE TRANSLATOR.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 BY CONSTANT. 
 
 THE career of a man compelled to make his own way, 
 who is not an artisan or in some trade, does not usually 
 begin till he is about twenty years of age. Till then he 
 vegetates, uncertain of his future, neither having, nor being 
 able to have, any well-defined purpose. It is only when he 
 has arrived at the full development of his powers, and his 
 character and bent of mind are shown, that he can deter- 
 mine his profession or calling. Not till then does he know 
 himself, and see his way open before him. In fact, it is 
 only then that he begins to live. 
 
 Reasoning in this manner, my life from my twentieth 
 year has been thirty years, which can be divided into equal 
 parts, so far as days and months are counted, but very 
 unequal parts, considering the events which transpired in 
 each of those two periods of my life. 
 
 Attached to the person of the Emperor Napoleon for fif- 
 teen years, I have seen all the men, and witnessed all the 
 important events, which centered around him. I have seen 
 far more than that; for I have had under my eyes all the 
 circumstances of his life, the least as well as the greatest, 
 the most secret as well as those which are known to history, 
 - 1 have had, I repeat, incessantly under my eyes the man 
 whose name, solitary and alone, fills the most glorious pages 
 
 7
 
 8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 of our history. Fifteen years I followed him in his travels 
 and his campaigns, was at his court, and saw him in the 
 privacy of his family. Whatever step he wished to take, 
 whatever order he gave, it was necessarily very difficult for 
 the Emperor not to admit me, even though involuntarily, 
 into his confidence ; so that without desiring it, I have more 
 than once found myself in the possession of secrets I should 
 have preferred not to know. What wonderful things hap- 
 pened during those fifteen years ! Those near the Emperor 
 lived as if in the center of a whirlwind ; and so quick was 
 the succession of overwhelming events, that one felt dazed, 
 as it were, and if he wished to pause and fix his attention 
 for a moment, there instantly came, like another flood, a 
 succession of events which carried him along with them 
 without giving him time to fix his thoughts. 
 
 Succeeding these times of activity which made one's 
 brain whirl, there came to me the most absolute repose in 
 an isolated retreat where I passed another interval of fifteen 
 years after leaving the Emperor. But what a contrast! 
 To those who have lived, like myself, amid the conquests 
 and wonders of the Empire, what is left to-day? If the 
 strength of our manhood was passed amid the bustle of 
 years so short, yet so fully occupied, our careers were suf- 
 ficiently long and fruitful, and it is time to give ourselves 
 up to repose. We can withdraw from the world, and close 
 our eyes. Can it be possible to see anything equal to what 
 we have seen? Such scenes do not come twice in the 
 lifetime of any man ; and having seen them, they suffice to 
 occupy his memory through all his remaining years, and in 
 retirement he can find nothing better to occupy his leisure 
 moments than the recollections of what he has witnessed.
 
 INTRO D UCTION. 9 
 
 Thus it has been with me. The reader will readily 
 believe that I have had no greater pleasure than that of 
 recalling the memories of the years passed in the service 
 of the Emperor. As far as possible, I have kept myself 
 informed as to everything that has been written of my 
 former master, his family, and his court; and while listen- 
 ing to these narrations read by my wife and sister at our 
 fireside, the long evenings have passed like an instant! 
 When I found in these books, some of which are truly only 
 miserable rhapsodies, statements which were incorrect, false, 
 or slanderous, I took pleasure in correcting such statements, 
 or in showing their absurdity. My wife, who lived, as I 
 did, in the midst of these events, also made her correc- 
 tions, and, without other object than our own satisfaction, 
 made notes of our joint observations. 
 
 All who came to see us in our retreat, and took pleas- 
 ure in having me narrate what I had seen, were astonished 
 and often indignant at the falsehoods with which ignorance 
 or malevolence had calumniated the Emperor and the Em- 
 pire, and expressing their gratitude for the correct informa- 
 tion I was able to give them, advised me also to furnish 
 it to the public. But I attached no importance to the 
 suggestion, and was far from dreaming that some day I 
 should be the author of a book, until M. Ladvocat came 
 to our hermitage, and urged me earnestly to publish my 
 memoirs, offering himself to become the publisher. 
 
 At the very time my wife and I received this unex- 
 pected visit, we were reading together the Memoirs of 
 Bourrienne, which the Ladvocat publishing-house had just 
 issued ; and we had remarked more than once how exempt 
 these Memoirs were from both that spirit of disparagement
 
 10 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 and of adulation which we had noticed with disgust in 
 other books on the same subject. M. Ladvocat advised me 
 to complete the sketch of the Emperor, which, owing to 
 his elevated position and habitual occupations, Bourrienne 
 had been able to make only from a political point of view ; 
 and in accordance with his advice, I shall relate in simple 
 words, and in a manner suited to my relations with the 
 Emperor, those things which Bourrienne has necessarily 
 omitted, and which no one could know so well as I. . 
 
 I candidly admit that my objections to M. Ladvocat's 
 advice were entirely overcome when he called my attention 
 to this passage in the introduction to Bourrienne's mem- 
 oirs : " If every one who had any relations with Napoleon, 
 whatever the time and place, will accurately and with- 
 out prejudice record what he saw and heard, the future 
 historian of his life will be rich in materials. I hope that 
 whoever undertakes that difficult task will find in my 
 notes some information which may be useful in perfecting 
 his work." 1 
 
 Having re-read these lines attentively, I said to myself 
 that I could furnish memoranda and information which 
 would refute errors, brand falsehoods, and bring to light 
 what I knew to be the truth. In a word, I felt that I 
 
 1 NOTE BY CONSTANT. I am happy to be able to cite in support of this 
 statement the opinion expressed by Bourrienne in regard to a sad event which 
 I shall notice at the proper time. "It was the night before the return of 
 Marshal Macdonald to Fontainebleau that they say Napoleon attempted to 
 poison himself. But as I have no reliable information in respect to this 
 matter, and as I wish to speak only of matters on which I have reliable infor- 
 mation, I will refrain from giving, as some others have done, their hazardous 
 conjectures upon so grave a matter, which Napoleon positively denied in his 
 conversation at St. Helena. The only person who can solve the doubts which 
 exist on this subject is Constant, who, they assure me, did not quit Napoleon 
 once during the whole night." BOUBRIENNE, vol. x.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 11 
 
 could give in my testimony, and that it was my duty to do 
 so, in the long trial which has been held ever since the over- 
 throw of the Emperor ; for I had been an eye-witness, had 
 seen everything, and could say, "I was there" Others also 
 have been close to the Emperor and his court, and I may 
 often repeat what they have said, for the feats which they 
 describe I had the same opportunity of witnessing ; but, on 
 the other hand, whatever I know of private matters, and 
 whatever I may reveal which was secret and unknown, no 
 one till this time could possibly have known, or conse- 
 quently have related. 
 
 From the departure of the First Consul for the cam- 
 paign of Marengo, whither I went with him, until the 
 departure from Fontainebleau, when I was compelled to 
 leave him, I was absent only twice, once for three days and 
 once for seven or eight days. Excepting these short leaves 
 of absence, the latter of which was on account of my health, 
 I quitted the Emperor no more than his shadow. 
 
 It has been said that no one is a hero to his valet de 
 chambre. I beg leave to dissent from this. The Emperor, 
 as near as I was to him, was always a hero ; and it was a 
 great advantage also to see the man as he was. At a dis- 
 tance you were sensible only of the prestige of his glory 
 and his power; but on getting closer to him you enjoyed, 
 besides, the surprising charm of his conversation, the entire 
 .simplicity of his family life, and I do not hesitate to say, 
 the habitual kindliness of his character. 
 
 The reader, if curious to learn beforehand in what spirit 
 these Memoirs are written, will perhaps read with interest 
 this passage of a letter that I wrote to my publisher: 
 " Bourrienne had, perhaps, reason for treating Napoleon, as
 
 12 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 a public man, with severity. But we view him from 
 different standpoints, and I speak only of the hero in 
 undress. He was then almost always kind, patient, and 
 rarely unjust. He was much attached to those about him, 
 and received with kindness and good nature the services 
 of those whom he liked. He was a man of habit. It is as 
 a devoted servant that I wish to speak of the Emperor, 
 and in no wise as a critic. It is not, however, an apotheo- 
 sis in several volumes that I wish to write: for I am on 
 this point somewhat like fathers who recognize the faults 
 of their children, and reprove them earnestly, while at the 
 same time they are ready to make excuses for their errors." 
 
 I trust that I shall be pardoned the familiarity, or, if 
 you will, the inappropriateness of this comparison, for the 
 sake of the feeling which dictates it. Besides, I do not 
 propose either to praise or blame, but simply to relate that 
 which fell within my knowledge, without trying to preju- 
 dice the opinion of any one. 
 
 I cannot close this introduction without a few words 
 as to myself, in reply to the calumnies which have not 
 spared, even in his retirement, a man who should have no 
 enemies, if, to be protected from malice, it were sufficient 
 to have done a little good, and no harm to any one. I am 
 reproached with having abandoned my master after his fall, 
 and not having shared his exile. I will show that, if I did 
 not follow the Emperor, it was because I lacked not the 
 will but the power to do so. God knows that I do not 
 wish to undervalue the devotion of the faithful servants 
 who followed the fortunes of the Emperor to the end. 
 However, it is not improper to say that, however terrible 
 the fall of the Emperor was for liim, the situation (I speak
 
 INTRODUCTION. 13 
 
 here only of the personal advantages), in the island of Elba, 
 of those who remained in his service, and who were not de- 
 tained in France by an inexorable necessity, was still not 
 without its advantages ; and it was not, therefore, my per- 
 sonal interests which caused me to leave him. I shall 
 explain hereafter my reasons for quitting his service. 
 
 I shall also give the truth as to the alleged abuse of 
 confidence, of which, according to others, I was guilty in 
 respect to the Emperor. A simple statement of the mistake 
 which gave rise to this falsehood, I trust, will clear me of 
 every suspicion of indelicacy ; but if it is necessary to add 
 other proofs, I could obtain them from those who lived 
 nearest to the Emperor, and who were in a condition to 
 both know and understand what passed between us ; and 
 lastly, I invoke fifty years of a blameless life, and I can 
 say : " When I was in a situation to render great services, 
 I did so ; but I never sold them. I could have derived 
 advantages from the petitions that I made for people, who, 
 in consequence of my solicitations, have acquired immense 
 fortunes; but I refused even the proper acknowledgment 
 which in their gratitude (very deep at that time) they felt 
 compelled to offer me, by proposing an interest in their en- 
 terprises. I did not seek to take advantage, for my own 
 benefit, of the generosity with which the Emperor so long 
 deigned to honor me, in order to enrich or secure places for 
 my relatives ; and I retired poor after fifteen years passed 
 in the personal service of the richest and most powerful 
 monarch of Europe." 
 
 Having made these statements, I shall await with con- 
 fidence the judgment of my readers.
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 VOLUME I. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Birth of the author. His father, his relatives. His early patrons. Emi- 
 gration and abandonment. The suspect at 12 years of age. Aldermen 
 or imbeciles. The chief of squadron, Michau. Gobert. Carrat. Ma- 
 dame Bonaparte and her daughter. Bouquets and sentimental scene. 
 Economy of Carrat regarding others and liberality towards himself. 
 Cowardice. Frolicsome tricks of Madame Bonaparte and Hortense. 
 The ghost. The nocturnal shower-bath. The downfall. The author 
 enters the service of Eugene de Beauharnais Pages 35-43. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Prince Eugene apprenticed to a carpenter. Bonaparte and the sword of the 
 Marquis de Beauharnais. First meeting of Napoleon and Josephine. 
 Appearance and character of Eugene. Candor. Kindness of heart. 
 Fond of amusements. Breakfast of young officers and artists. Mysti- 
 fications and the mystified. Thiemet and Dugazon. Stammerers and 
 baptism of ice-water. The former valet resumes his place. Constant 
 enters the service of Madame Bonaparte. Pleased with his new position. 
 
 Recollections of the 18th Brumairo. Political breakfasts. The Direc- 
 tors in charge. Barras in Greek costume. Abbe Sie'yes on horseback. 
 
 The rendezvous. Mistake of Murat. President Gohier, General 
 Jube, and the grand maneuvers. General Marmont. The saloon of 
 Josephine. Talleyrand. The family of General Bonaparte. M. Vol- 
 ney. M. Denon. M. Lemercier. M. do Laigle. General Bournon- 
 ville. Horseback ride. Fall of Hortense. Good family man. The 
 game of prisoners' base. Bonaparte not always conqueror. Net income 
 of Malmaison. Improvements. Theater and amateur actors ; Eugene, 
 Jerome Bonaparte, Lauriston, etc., Mademoiselle Hortenso, Madame 
 Murat, the two young ladies Auguie. Napoleon a simple looker-on . 
 
 Pages 44-61. 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 M. Charvet. Events prior to the author's entrance into the service of 
 Madame Bonaparte. Departure for Egypt. La Pomone. Madame 
 
 15
 
 16 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 Bonaparte at Plombieres. Terrible fall. Madame Bonaparte forced to 
 remain at the Springs, sends for her daughter. Dainties and mischief. 
 Euphe"mia. La Pomone captured by the English. Return to Paris. 
 Purchase of Malmaison. First plots against the life of the First Consul. 
 
 Marble-cutters. Poisoned tobacco. Projects of kidnapping. In- 
 stallation in the Tuileries. The horses and saber of Campo Formio. 
 The heroes of Egypt and Italy. Lannes. Murat. Eugene. Distri- 
 bution of apartments at the Tuileries. Kitchen service of the First 
 Consul. Service of the bedroom. M. do Bourrienne. Game of bil- 
 liards with Madame Bonaparte. The watch-dogs. Accident to a work- 
 man. Holidays of the First Consul. The First Consul much loved by 
 his household. " They would not dare." The First Consul inspecting 
 his household accounts. The yoke of misery Pages 62-75. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The First Consul takes the author into his service. Forgotten. His chagrin. 
 
 Consolation offered by Madame Bonaparte. Reparation. Departure 
 of Constant for the headquarters of the First Consul. Enthusiasm of 
 soldiers setting out for Italy. The author rejoins the First Consul. 
 Hospice of Mt. St. Bernard. The passage. The mountain sledge. 
 Humanity of the monks, and generosity of the First Consul. Passage of 
 Mt. Albaredo. Coup d'ceil of the First Consul. Capture of the fort of 
 Bard. Entry into Milan. Joy and confidence of the Milanese. The 
 colleagues of Constant. Hambard. HeT)ert. Roustan. Ibrahim- 
 Ali. Anger of an Arab. The poniard. The unexpected bath. Con- 
 tinuation of the campaign of Italy. The combat of Montebello. Tho 
 arrival of Desaix. Long interview with the First Consul. Anger of 
 Desaix against the English. Battle of Marengo. Painful uncertainty. 
 
 Victory. Death of Desaix. Grief of the First Consul. Aides-de- 
 camp of Desaix become aides-de-camp of the First Consul. Messieurs 
 Rapp and Savary. Tomb of Desaix on Mt. St. Bernard . Pages 76-91. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Return to Milan en route to Paris. The singer Marches! and the First Con- 
 sul. An impertinence and some days in prison. Madame Grassini. 
 Return to France by way of Mont Cenis. Triumphal Arches. Retinue 
 of young girls. Entrance into Lyons. Couthon and the destroyers. 
 The First Consul orders the rebuilding of the Place Belcour. The car- 
 riage upset. Illuminations at Paris. Kleber. Calumnies against the 
 First Consul. Constant's horse falls. Kindness of the First Consul 
 and Madame Bonaparte to Constant. Generosity of the First Consul. 
 Emotion of the author. The First Consul outrageously misrepresented. 
 
 The First Consul, Je'romo Bonaparte, and Colonel Lacuee. The First
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 17 
 
 Consul's fancy for Madamo D . Jealousy of Madamo Bonaparte and 
 
 precautions of the First Consul. Indiscreet curiosity of a chambermaid. 
 
 Throats and compulsory discretion. The little house in the "Alice 
 des Veuves." The First Consul's attentions to his wife. Morals of the 
 First Consul, and his manner towards women Pages 92-101. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The infernal machine. The most invalid of architects. A fortunate chance. 
 
 Haste and delay equally advantageous. Hortense slightly wounded. 
 
 Fright of Madame Murat and necessary consequences. Germain, the 
 coachman. How he got the name of Csesar. Incorrect statements on 
 the subject. Dinner given him by 500 coachmen. The author at the 
 Feydeau theater at the time of the explosion. Fright. Race bare- 
 headed. The inflexible sentinels. The First Consul returns to the 
 Tuileries. Words of the First Consul to Constant. The Consular 
 guard. The residence of the First Consul put under guard. The 
 utmost fidelity. The Jacobins innocent, and the Royalists guilty. 
 Grand review. Joy of soldiers and people. Universal peace. Public 
 rejoicings and improvised fetes. Reception of Corps Diplomatic and 
 Lord Cornwallis. Military luxury. The Regent diamond. 
 
 Pages 102-112. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The King of Etruria. Madamo de Montesson. A monarch not fond of 
 work. Conversation on the subject between the First and Second Con- 
 suls. A word as to the return of the Bourbons. Intelligence and con- 
 versation of Don Louis. Peculiar economy. A present of a hundred 
 thousand crowns, and a royal gift of six francs. Harshness of Don 
 Louis towards his servants. Haughtiness towards a diplomat and dis- 
 like of business. The King of Etruria installed by the future King 
 of Naples. The Queen of Etruria. Her indifference to dress. Her 
 good sense. Her kindness. Her fidelity in the discharge of her duties. 
 
 Magnificent/e<es at the residence of Talleyrand. At the residence of 
 Madame de Montesson. At the residence of the Minister of the Inte- 
 rior. The anniversary of the battle of Marengo. The departure of 
 their Majesties Pages 113-119. 
 
 CHAPTER Vin. 
 
 Infatuation of a crazy fellow for Hortense. Marriage of Louis Bonaparte 
 and Hortense. Regrets. Character of M. Louis. Atrocious calumny 
 against the Emperor and his step-daughter. General Duroc marries 
 Mademoiselle Hervas d'Almenara. Character of this lady. Piano 
 broken and watch dashed to pieces. Marriage and sadness. Misfor- 
 tunes of Horteuse, before, during, and after her elevation. Visit of the
 
 18 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 First Consul to Lyons. Festivals and congratulations. The soldiers of 
 Egypt. The legate of the Pope. The deputies of the College of Car- 
 dinals. Death of the Archbishop of Milan. Stanzas on the occasion. 
 
 The poets of the Empire. The First Consul and his writing-master. 
 
 The Abbe Dupuis, librarian at Malmaison Pages 120-133. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Proclamation of the law of public worship. Conversation on the subject. 
 The countersign. The Plenipotentiaries of the Concordat. Abbe Ber- 
 nier and Cardinal Caprara. The red hat and the red cap. Costume of 
 the First Consul and his colleagues. The first Te Deum chanted at Notre 
 Dame. Varied feelings of the spectators. The Republican calendar. 
 The beard and the shirt. General Abdallah-Menou. His courage in 
 risking his head with the Jacobins. His flag. His romantic death. 
 Institution of the order of the Legion of Honor. The First Consul at 
 Ivry. The inscriptions of 1802 and 1814. The Mayor of Ivry and the 
 Mayor of Evreux. Simplicity of a high functionary. The cinq-z-en- 
 fants. Arrival of the First Consul at Rouen. M. Beugnot and Arch- 
 bishop Cambaceres. The Mayor of Rouen in the First Consul's carriage. 
 Generals Soult and Moncey. The First Consul has a corporal to take 
 breakfast with him. The First Consul at Havre and Honfleur. De- 
 parture from Havre for Fecamp. Arrival of the First Consul at Dieppe. 
 
 Return to SaintnCloud Pages 134-151. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Influence of the tour of Normandy upon the mind of the First Consul. The 
 genesis of the Empire. Memoirs and history. First ladies and officers 
 of Madame Bonaparte. Mesdames de Re'musat, de Tallouet, de Lucay, 
 de Lauriston. Mademoiselles d'Alberg and de Lufay. Prudence at 
 Court. Messieurs de Remusat, de Cramayel, de Lufay, Didelot. The 
 palace first refused, then accepted. Gewgaws. The servants of Mario 
 Antoinette better treated under the Consulate than since the Restora- 
 tion. Fire at Saint-Cloud. The waiting-room. The bourgeois bed. 
 
 How the First Consul went at night to his wife's room. Duty and 
 conjugal triumph. A gallant caught in the act. Excessive severity 
 towards a young girl. Arms of honor and the soldiers. The baptism 
 of blood. The First Consul following the plow. Laborers and coun- 
 selors of state. The grenadier of the Republic turned laborer. Audi- 
 ence of the First Consul. The author introduces him into the General's 
 cabinet. Kind reception and singular conversation . . Pages 152-164. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 The envoy of the Bey of Tunis and Arab horses. Bad faith of England. 
 Visit to Boulogne. In Flanders and Belgium. Continual journeys.
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 19 
 
 The author does duty as head valet. Debut of Constant as barber 
 of the First Consul. Apprenticeship. Plebeian chins. The eagle 
 glance. The First Consul hard to shave. Constant persuades him to 
 shave himself. His reasons for persuading the First Consul to this. 
 The First Consul's confidence and imprudent sense of security. The 
 first lesson. Some cuts. Mild reproaches. Awkwardness of the 
 First Consul in holding his razor. Leading citizens and their ha- 
 rangues. Arrival of the First Consul at Boulogne. Preliminaries of 
 the formation of the camp of Boulogne. Address of twenty fathers of 
 families. Sea-fight gained by Admiral Bruix against the English. 
 Dinner and victory. The English and the iron-clad coast. An 
 attempt upon the person of the First Consul. Rapidity of the journey. 
 
 The minister of police. Presents offered by the cities. Public works 
 ordered by the First Consul. Munificence. The First Consul a bad 
 coachman. Pallor of Cambaceres. The fainting-fit. The precepts 
 of the gospel. Slumber without dreams. The Ottoman ambassador. 
 
 Cashmere shawls. The Mussulman at prayers and at the theater. 
 
 Pages 165-177. 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Another journey to Boulogne. Visit to the flotilla, and review of the troops. 
 
 Jealousy between the Line and the Guard. The First Consul in 
 camp. The General's anger against the soldiers. Ennui of the offi- 
 cers, and pleasures of the camp. Timidity of the ladies of Boulogne. 
 Jealous husbands. Visits of the ladies of Paris, Abbeville, Dunkirk, 
 and Amiens to the camp of Boulogne. Evenings at the house of the 
 mistress of Colonel Joseph Bonaparte. Generals Soult, Saint-Hilaire, 
 and Andreossy. An intriguing woman and two happy lovers. Curios- 
 ity of the First Consul. The First Consul taken fora commissary of 
 war. Commencement of favor shown to General Bertram!. Superin- 
 tendent Arcambal and the two visitors. The First Consul spying upon 
 his brother, who pretends not to recognize him. The First Consul and 
 innocent sports. He has nothing to give as a pledge. Billet-doux of 
 the First Consul. Naval combat. The First Consul commands a 
 movement, and makes a mistake. The mistake becomes evident, and 
 the general's silence. The First Consul aims the cannon, and has the 
 balls heated. Fight between two Picards. Continual roar of artillery. 
 
 Dining to the sound of cannon. English frigate dismantled, and a 
 brig sunk Pages 178-189. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Return of the First Consul to Paris. Arrival of Prince Camillo Borghese. 
 Pauline Bonaparte and her first husband, General Le Clerc. His love 
 for his wife. Description of General Le Clerc. His departure for San 
 Domingo. The First Consul orders his sister to go with her husband.
 
 20 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 Revolt of Christophe and of Dessalines. Arrival of the general and 
 his wife at the Cape. Courage of Madame Le Clerc. Insurrection of 
 the hlacks. The remnant of the army of Brest and twelve thousand 
 revolted negroes. Heroic courage of the general-iii-chief , attacked by 
 a mortal disease. Nobility and intrepidity. Pauline saves her son. 
 Death of General Le Clerc. [Marriage of Pauline. Chagrin of Lafon, 
 and remark of Mademoiselle Duchesnois. Jules de Canouville and 
 the Princess Borghese. Disgrace of the princess with the Emperor. 
 Generosity of the princess towards her brother. The only friend remain- 
 ing to him. The diamonds of the princess in the Emperor's carriage at 
 Waterloo Pages 190-196. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Arrest of General Moreau. Constant sent as a scout. General Moreau 
 married with the aid of Madame Bonaparte. Mile. Hulot. Madame 
 Hulot's high pretensions. Opposition of Moreau. His railleries. 
 Intrigues and conspiracies of the discontented. Evidences of friendship 
 given to Moreau by the First Consul. What the Emperor said and did 
 the day Moreau's aides-de-camp were arrested. The companion-in-arms 
 of General Foy. Carried off. Excessive harshness towards Colonel 
 Delelee. Ruse of a child. Arbitrary measures. Inflexibility of the 
 Emperor. The deputies of Besan9on and Marshal Moncey. Panic, 
 terror, and firmness. The friends of the court. A solemn audience at 
 the Tuileries. Reception of the Besan9onese. Courageous reply. 
 Reparation. Change of views. The former comrades. Chief of staff 
 of the army of Portugal. Premature death. Surveillance exercised 
 over the people of the Emperor at each new conspiracy. The guardian 
 of the portfolio. Register of custodians of the palaces. The Emperor's 
 anger excited by the name of a suspected person .... Pages 197-209. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Awaking of the First Consul, March 21, 1804. The First Consul's.silence. 
 Josephine comes to the First Consul's room. Distress of Josephine and 
 pallor of the First Consul. "The wretches have been too quick. "- 
 News of the death of the Duke d'Enghien. Agitation of the First Con- 
 sul. Preludes to the Empire. The First Consul, Emperor. The Sen-, 
 ate at Saint-Cloud. Cambaceres first to salute the Emperor as Sire. 
 The Senators pay their respects to the Empress. Joy in the chateau. 
 Everybody promoted. The saloon and the antechamber. Embarrass- 
 ment of all the servants. The first awaking of the Emperor. Tho 
 French princes. Monsieur Lucien and Madame Jouberton. The mar- 
 shals of the Empire. Awkwardness of the new courtiers. Tho cham- 
 berlains and grand officers. Lessons given by officers of the old court.
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 21 
 
 Contempt of the Emperor for the anniversaries of the Revolution. 
 The Emperor's first fete and the first Imperial cortege. The Temple of 
 Mars and the grand master of ceremonies. The Archbishop Du Belloy 
 and the grand chancelor of the Legion of Honor. The man of the peo- 
 ple and the Imperial accolade. Departure from Paris for the camp of 
 Boulogne. The only leave of absence which the Emperor gave me. My 
 arrival at Boulogne. Details of my service with the Emperor. Mes- 
 sieurs de Remusat, Boyer, Yvan. Habits of the Emperor. De Bour- 
 rienne and the tip of the ear. Habit of giving little slaps. Violence 
 of the Emperor towards his equerry. Caulaincourt, grand equerry. 
 Reparation. Liberal indemnification Pages 210-222. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 The Emperor's intense application to work. Roustan and the flask of 
 brandy. Army of Boulogne. The four camps. The Pont-de-Briques. 
 
 The Emperor's barrack. The council-chamber. The eagle guided by 
 its guardian star. The Emperor's bedroom. The bed. Furniture. 
 Telescope-room. Trunk. Distribution of apartments. The sema- 
 phore. The gigantic mortars. The Emperor firing the first bomb. 
 Barrack of Marshal Soult. The Emperor viewing from his chamber 
 Dover and its garrison. The streets of the camp of the right wing. 
 Road cut perpendicularly in the cliff. The forgotten engineer. The 
 flotilla. The forts. Barrack of Prince Joseph. The grenadier stuck 
 in the mud. Instance of the Emperor's kindness. The bridge of ser- 
 vice. Terrible countersign. The sentinels and sailors of the watch. 
 Exclusion of women and strangers. The spies. Discharge of mus- 
 ketry. Schoolmaster shot. The fire-ships. Terror in the town. 
 Military song. False alarm. Consternation. Tranquillity of Madame 
 
 F . The commandant condemned to death, but pardoned by the 
 
 Emperor Pages 223-236. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Distribution of the cross of the Legion of Honor in the camp of Boulogne. 
 The helmet of Duguesclin. Prince Joseph, colonel. Military fete. 
 Racing with launches and on horseback. Jealousy of a council of supe- 
 rior officers. Justice done by the Emperor. Unfortunate fall, fol- 
 lowed by a triumph. Petition at close range. The minister of the 
 navy falls into the water. Hilarity of the Emperor. The gluttonous 
 general. The ball. The boulangere danced by the Emperor and Ma- 
 dame Bertrand. The Boulognese at the ball. The macaroons and ridi- 
 cule. The wife of Marshal Soult queen of the ball. The beautiful 
 suppliant. The magazine guard condemned to death. Clemency of 
 the Emperor Pages 237-245.
 
 22 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Popularity of the Emperor at Boulogne. His fatal obstinacy. Firmness of 
 Admiral Bruix. The Emperor's riding-whip and the admiral's sword. 
 
 Unjust exile. Tempest and shipwreck. Courage of the Emperor. 
 The corpses and the little hat. Infallible means of stifling murmurs. 
 
 The drummer saved on his drum. Dialogue between two sailors. 
 False embarkment. Proclamation. Column of the camp of Boulogne. 
 
 Departure of the Emperor. Accounts to be investigated. Objec- 
 tions made by the Emperor to paying the expenses of furnishing his 
 barracks. Flattery of a creditor. The account of the engineer paid in 
 rix dollars and frederics. Journey to Belgium. Leave for twenty-four 
 hours. The inhabitants of Alost. Warm reception to Constant. He 
 is feted in honor of his master. The Emperor's kindness to him. 
 
 Pages 246-266. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Description of the Emperor. Interest attached to the least details concerning 
 historical personages. Floury and Michelot in the role of Frederick the 
 Great. The memoirs of Constant consulted by authors and artists. 
 Bonaparte on his return from Egypt. His portrait by Horace Vernet. 
 Bonaparte's forehead. His hair. Color and expression of his eyes. 
 His mouth, lips, and teeth. Shape of his nose. His general appear- 
 ance. His extreme leanness. The size and shape of his head. 
 Necessary to line his hats with wadding, and to soften them by previous 
 use. Shape of his ears. Extreme sensitiveness of his scalp. The 
 Emperor's height. His neck. His shoulders. His chest. His leg 
 and foot. His feet. Beauty of his hand and his coquetry with it. 
 Habit of slightly biting his nails. Takes on flesh with the Empire. 
 The Emperor's complexion. Singular convulsive motion. Remarka- 
 ble peculiarity of the heart of Napoleon. Time spent at the table. 
 Wise precaution of Prince Eugene. The Emperor's breakfast. His 
 manner of eating. Accommodating guests. Favorite dishes of the Em- 
 peror. Chicken a la Marengo. Use of coffee. Common error on this 
 point. Conjugal attention of the two Empresses. Use of wine. 
 Anecdote of Marshal Augereau. Error and tales refuted by Constant. 
 
 Imprudent confidence of the Emperor. Bad effects of the habit of 
 eating too fast. Josephine and Constant sick nurses of the Emperor. 
 The Emperor a bad patient. Tenderness, care, and courage of Jose- 
 phine. Diseases of the Emperor. Tenacity of a disease coiitracted 
 at the siege of Toulon. Colonel Bonaparte and the rammer. Wounds 
 of the Emperor. The bayonet wound, and the gun-shot of the Tyro- 
 lese rifleman. Repugnance to medicine. Precaution advised by 
 Doctor Corvisart. The Emperor's hour of rising. His familiarity 
 towards Constant. Conversations with Doctors Corvisart and Yvan.
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 23 
 
 The doctor's ears pulled, and his resistance. Talks of the Emperor 
 with Constant. Occasion neglected and lost. Tea on rising from his 
 hed. The Emperor's bath. Reading the papers. First work with 
 his secretary. Summer and winter dressing-gowns. Night-cap and 
 bath. Ceremony of shaving. Bathings, rubbings, toilet, etc. Cos- 
 tume. Habit of having himself dressed. Napoleon born to have 
 valets de chambre. Royal etiquette not re-established. The Emper- 
 or's hour for retiring. His hasty manner of undressing. How he 
 called Constant. The warming-pan. The night-lamp. The Empress 
 Josephine the Emperor's favorite reader. The perfume-boxes. Na- 
 poleon very sensitive to cold. Passion for bathing. Work at night. 
 Anecdote. Talleyrand asleep in the Emperor's bedroom. Drinks of 
 the Emperor during the night. Excessive economy of the Emperor 
 in his household. New Year's gifts to Constant. Pinching ears. 
 Imperial tenderness and familiarity. Prince of Neuchatel. 
 
 Pages 257-275. 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Sum allowed by the Emperor for his clothing. Estimates cut down. Office 
 of a thousand crowns and revenue of a commune. When I was sub- 
 lieutenant. Fixed ideas of the Emperor in regard to economy. Fur- 
 nishers and agents accountable. Constant's carriage taken away by 
 the grand equerry, and restored by the Emperor. The Emperor throw- 
 ing in the fire books which displeased him. The Germany of the 
 Baroness de Stael. The Emperor superintending the reading of the 
 people of his household. How the Emperor mounted on horseback. 
 The training of his horses. M. Jardin, the Emperor's equerry Favorite 
 horses of the Emperor. The horse of Mt. St. Bernard and Marengo 
 allowed a pension in old age. Intelligence and pride of an Arab horse 
 of the Emperor. Riding and vaulting taught the pages of the Emperor. 
 
 The Emperor in the hunt. The stag saved by Josephine. Ill-tem- 
 per and cruelty of one of the Empress's ladies of honor. Was the 
 Emperor ever wounded in the hunt ? Napoleon a bad shot. A hunt 
 with falcons. Falcons sent by the King of Holland. Fondness of the 
 Emperor for the theater. His favorites. The great Corneille and 
 Cinna. The death of Csesar. Representations at the theater of Saint- 
 Cloud. Baptiste Junior and Michaut. The Venetians of Arnault, 
 Senior. Literary conversations with the Emperor very improving to 
 Constant. Use of tobacco. Popular errors. The Emperor's tobacco- 
 boxes. The gazelles of Saint-Cloud. The Persian ambassador's pipe. 
 
 The Emperor not an adept in smoking. Constant gives him his first 
 and only lesson in smoking. Awkwardness and disgust of the Emperor. 
 
 His opinion of smokers. The Emperor's clothes. The gray over- 
 coat. Aversion of the Emperor to changes in fashion. Subterfuges of 
 Constant in order to persuade the Emperor to adopt them. Elegance of
 
 24 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 the King of Naples. Discussion upon toilet between the Emperor and 
 Murat. Royal pun. Fanciful elegance. The tailor Leger. Napo- 
 leon and the citizen-gentleman. The dress-coat and the black cravat. 
 Vests and knee-breeches of the Emperor. Student habits. Spots of 
 ink. The Emperor's shoes and stockings. Another habit. The Em- 
 peror's buckles. Napoleon still retaining the same shoemaker under 
 the Empire that he employed at the military school. The shoemaker 
 summoned to the Emperor's room. Embarrassment and artlessness. 
 Linen and cipher of the Emperor. English flannel. The Empress 
 Josephine and the cashmere vests. Lie about the cuirass. The Em- 
 peror's bonbonniere. His decorations. The sword of Austerlitz. 
 The swords of the Emperor. His journeys. Why the Emperor did not 
 announce beforehand the moment of his departure and the length of his 
 journeys. Orders as to expenses on the road. -'^Presents, gratuities, and 
 alms. Questions asked the curte. Ecclesiastics decorated with the 
 star of the Legion of Honor. Aversion of the Emperor to embarrassed 
 replies. The service on the journey. Anecdotes. Captain by mistake. 
 
 Wrong done a veteran. Military reply. Reparation. Pages 276-29:?. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 The Pope leaves Rome to attend the coronation of the Emperor. He passes 
 Mont Cenis. His arrival in France. Religious enthusiasm. Meeting 
 of the Pope and the Emperor. Requirements of etiquette. Respect 
 paid to the Pope by the Emperor. Entrance of the Pope into Paris. 
 He lodges at the Tuileries. Delicate attentions of the Emperor, and 
 gratitude of the Holy Father. The new eldest son of the Church. 
 Description of Pius VII. His abstemiousness not imitated by the peo- 
 ple of his suite. The Pope's stay at Paris. Enthusiasm of the faith- 
 ful. Visit of the Pope to the public buildings. Audiences of the Pope 
 in the grand hall of the museum. The author is present at one of these 
 receptions. The blessing of the Pope. The sovereign pontiff and the 
 little children. Costume of the Holy Father. The Pope and the 
 Countess deGenlis. The sellers of beads. The 2d of December, 1804. 
 
 Confusion in the chateau of the Tuileries. Awaking and toilet of the 
 Emperor. Furnishers of his wardrobe, and his maledictions. Costume 
 of the Emperor on the day of his coronation. Constant performing one 
 of the duties of the first chamberlain. The coronation cloak and the 
 grenadier uniform. Jewels of the Empress. Crown, diadem, and gir- 
 dle of the Empress. The coronation scepter, hand of justice, and sword. 
 
 Messieurs Marguerite, Odiot, and Biennais, jewelers. The Pope's 
 carriage. The first chamberlain and his horse. Coronation carriage. 
 
 Singular mistake of their Majesties. Coronation cortege. Reli- 
 gious ceremony. Music at the coronation. Monsieur Lesueur and the 
 Boulogne march. Josephine crowned by the Emperor. Glance of in-
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 25 
 
 telligence. Coronation, and the idea of divorce. Chagrin of the Em- 
 peror, and its cause. Coronation oath. The archbishop's gallery. 
 Throne of their Majesties. Illuminations. Donations made by the 
 Emperor to the church of Notre Dame. The scourge and tunic of St. 
 Louis. The Emperor's coronation medals. Public rejoicings. 
 
 Pages 294-307. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Ceremonies accompanying the distribution of the eagles. The Emperor's 
 address. The oath. The grand review in the rain. Banquet at the 
 Tuileries. Panegyric on conscription made by the Emperor. Grand 
 receptions. Fete at the Hotel do Villo in Paris. Well-regulated dis- 
 tribution of provisions. The vessel of fire. Passage of Mt. St. Ber- 
 nard in a blaze of light. Gold toilet-set presented to their Majesties by 
 the city of Paris. Monsieur Garnerin's balloon. Curious incident. 
 Voyage through the air from Paris to Rome in twenty-four hours. 
 Monsieur Garnerin's note and Cardinal Caprara's letter. The boatman 
 and the floating house. Fifteen leagues an hour. The balloon ascen- 
 sion. Bravery of two women. Gratuities granted by the city of Paris. 
 Kindness of the Emperor and his brother Louis. Pardon granted by the 
 Emperor. Statue erected to the Emperor in the hall of the Corps-Legis- 
 latif . The Empress Josephine and the chorus of Gliick. Happy coin- 
 cidence. The statue unveiled by Marshals Murat and Massena. 
 Selection from an eulogium on the Emperor pronounced by M. de Vau- 
 blanc. The bouquet and the ball. Profusion of flowers in the month 
 of January Pages 30&-321. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 My marriage to Mademoiselle Charvet. Presentation to Madame Bonaparte. 
 General Bonaparte opens letters addressed to his courier. General 
 Bonaparte wishes to see Monsieur and Madame Charvet. Monsieur 
 Charvet follows Madame Bonaparte to Plombieres. Establishment of 
 Monsieur Charvet and his family at Malmaison. Madame Charvet 
 private secretary of Madame Bonaparte. Mademoiselles Louise and Zoe' 
 Charvet favorites of Josephine. Phantasmagoria at Malmaison. 
 Amusements of Bonaparte and the ladies of Malmaison. M. Charvet 
 leaves the house for the chateau of Saint-Cloud. The former porters 
 and scrubbers of the queen are given places. Burning of the chateau, 
 and death of Madame Charvet. The Empress wishes to see Mademoi- 
 selle Charvet. She will be a mother to her, and give her a husband. 
 The Empress complains to M. Charvet of not seeing his daughters. A 
 dowry is promised to my wife. Money wasted and promises forgotten by 
 the Empress Josephine. The Empress gives my sister-in-law in mar- 
 riage. Very kind recommendation of the Empress. My sister-in-law,
 
 26 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 Mademoiselle Josephine Tallien, and Mademoiselle Clemence Cabarus. 
 Madame Vigogne and the protegees of the Empress. The young pupil 
 in danger of being burned. Madame Vigogne's presence of mind. 
 Visit to the Empress Pages 322-328. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Description of the Empress Josephine. Awaking of the Empress. Details 
 of her toilet. Audiences of the Empress. Reception of the furnishers. 
 
 Breakfast of the Empress. Madame de la Rochefoucauld, first lady 
 of honor. The Empress plays billiards. Promenades in the private 
 park. The Empress with her ladies. The Emperor coming to surprise 
 the Empress in the saloon. Dinner of the Empress. The Emperor 
 keeps it waiting. The princes and ministers at the Emperor's table. 
 The Empress and M. de Beaumont. Game of backgammon. The 
 Empress one day at the chase. All the ladies at their Majesties' table. 
 The Empress comes to pass the night with the Emperor. Details of the 
 awaking of the august spouses. Fondness of the Empress for jewelry. 
 
 Anecdote concerning the first marriage of the Empress. Madame do 
 Beauharnais' pockets. The Empress Josephine's jewels. The jewel- 
 case of Marie Antoinette too small to hold Josephine's jewels. The Em- 
 press's remarkable memory. The Empress restores harmony between 
 the Emperor and his brothers. The Empress's kindness to her valet de 
 chambre. Harshness of the Emperor; he wished to send awayM. Frere. 
 
 The valet de chambre restored to favor. Forgets a kindness shown. 
 
 Generosity of the Empress. How the valets of the Empress employ 
 their time. Anecdote concerning a daughter of M. de Beauharnais, first 
 husband of Josephine. The Empress marries her to a prefect of the em- 
 pire. Devotion of the Empress to Eugene and. Hortense. Anecdote 
 concerning the vice-queen (Amelia of Bavaria). The family portrait. 
 The Empress sends for me to see this portrait. Love of Josephine for her 
 grandchildren. A word concerning the divorce. Letter of Prince Eu- 
 gene to his wife. My trips to Malmaison after the divorce. Messages 
 of the Emperor to the Empress Josephine. My adieux to the Empress. 
 
 Recommendations of that Princess. The Empress desires to see the 
 Emperor. Visit to Josephine before the campaign of Russia. Visit 
 to the Empress after this campaign. Letters committed to me. Con- 
 versation with the Empress. My wife goes to see the Empress, and 
 shows her my letters. Items of the Empress's expenses after the di- 
 vorce. Council presided over by the Empress in a linen dress. The 
 Empress imposed upon by the merchants. Politeness of the Empress. 
 
 Manner in which Josephine punished her ladies. Quantity of valua- 
 ble articles belonging to the Empress. Distribution among her chil- 
 dren and the brothers and sisters of the Emperor. M. Denon. The 
 cabinet of antiques at Malmaisou. M. Denon and the collection of
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 27 
 
 medals belonging to the Empress. Visit of the Empress to the Em- 
 peror while I was dressing him. The infant and the petition. The 
 orphan girl rescued from the Seine. M. Fahien Fillet and his wife at 
 the residence of the Empress. Touching scene . . . Pages 32!)-34G. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 General Junot appointed ambassador to Portugal. Anecdote about this 
 general. Powder and the titus. The complainant still rebellious, and 
 Junot performs the office of barber. Junot's fits of rage. Junot, 
 while Governor of Paris, beats the employees of a playhouse. The 
 Emperor reprimands him in terms which bear a sad prediction. 
 Junot's skill with the pistol. The pipe cut in two, etc. The beau- 
 tiful Louise, mistress of Junot. The femme de chambre of Madame 
 Bonaparte rivals her mistress. Indulgence of Josephine. Brutality 
 of an English jockey. Napoleon, King of Italy. Second journey 
 of Constant to Lombardy. Contrast between this journey and the 
 first. Baptism of Prince Louis's second son. The three sons of Hor- 
 tense godsons of the Emperor. The Empress always wishes to fol- 
 low the Emperor in his travels. Anecdote on this subject. The Em- 
 peror obliged, against his will, to take the Empress along. Josephine 
 half-dressed in the Emperor's carriage. Sojourn of the Emperor at Bri- 
 enne. Mesdames de Brienne and de Lomenie. Souvenirs of the Em- 
 peror's childhood. The dinner, whist, etc. The field of la Rothiere. 
 The Emperor takes pleasure in giving the name of each locality. The 
 peasant of Brienne and the Emperor. Mother Marguerite. The Em- 
 peror makes her a visit, talks with her, and invites her to breakfast. 
 Scene of good-will and happiness. New anecdote about the Duke 
 d'Abrantes. Junot and his old schoolmaster. The Emperor and his 
 old teacher. Gifts of the Emperor to Brienne. He passes through 
 Troyes. Distress of the widow of a general officer of the old regime. 
 The Emperor grants this lady a pension of a thousand crowns. Stay at 
 Lyons. Delicate, but not disinterested, attentions of Cardinal Fesch. 
 Generosity of his Eminence well repaid. Passage of Mont Cenis. 
 Sedan chairs for their Majesties. Halt at the Hospice. Donations 
 made by the Emperor to the monks. Stay at Stupinigi. The Pope's 
 visit. Presents of their Majesties to the Pope and the Roman Cardinals. 
 Arrival at Alexandria. Review on the plain of Marengo. The coat 
 and hat worn at Marengo. The costume of the Emperor at Marengo 
 lent to David for one of his pictures. Description of the review. 
 The name of General Desaix. Sad and glorious memories. Interview 
 of the Emperor with Prince Jerome. Cause of the Emperor's displeas- 
 ure. Jerome and Miss Patterson. Prince Jerome goes to deliver the 
 Genoese prisoners at Algiers. Affection of Napoleon for Jerome. 
 
 Pages 347-3G2.
 
 28 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 The Emperor's stay at Milan. Employment of his time. Prince Eugene 
 viceroy of Italy. Breakfast of the Emperor and Empress on the Island 
 of Olona. Visit to the cottage of a poor woman. Conversation of the 
 Emperor. Four happy people. Annexation of the Ligurian Republic 
 to the French Empire. Three new departments in the kingdom of 
 Italy. Journey of the Emperor to Genoa. Senator Lucien at the resi- 
 dence of his hrother. The Emperor wishes to make his brother get a 
 divorce. Reply of Lucien. Anger of the Emperor. Agitation of 
 Lucien. Lucien sets out again for Rome. Silence of the Emperor on 
 retiring. The true cause of the disagreement between the Emperor and 
 his brother Lucien. Details of the first quarrels of the two brothers. 
 Bold reply of Lucien. The Emperor breaks his watch under his feet. 
 Conduct of Lucien while Minister of the Interior. Wheat passes the 
 Straits of Calais. Twenty millions of profit, and the Spanish Embassy. 
 
 Reception of Lucien at Madrid. Understanding between the Prince 
 de la Paix and Lucien. Thirty millions for two plenipotentiaries. 
 Friendship of Charles IV. for Lucien. The King of Spain envies the 
 good fortune of his first groom. Love of Lucien for a princess. The 
 portrait, and the hair chain. The hat-buckle of Lucien's second wife. 
 Details concerning the first marriage of Lucien, related by a person in 
 the same house. Spies. The mayor of the tenth arrondissement, and 
 the register of the civil status. Marriage prevented. A hundred post- 
 horses engaged, and departure for Plessis-Chamant. The assistant 
 cur. The cur conducted from one police band to another. Arrival 
 of the curt at the Tuileries. The curt in the First Consul's cabinet. 
 More frightened than hurt. Conversation between the agent of M. 
 Lucien and his secretary on the day of the proclamation of the French 
 Empire. Details of the enmity between Lucieu and Madame Bonaparte. 
 Love of Lucien for Mademoiselle Meseray. Generosity of Count Lucien. 
 
 Disgust of the count; he does not wish to lose all. Fatal present. 
 Foolish contract. One word as to our sojourn at Genoa. Fetes given 
 to the Emperor. Departure from Turin for Fontainebleau. The old 
 woman of Tarare. Anecdote related by Doctor Corvisart. 
 
 Pages 363-375. 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Sojourn at Munich and Stuttgart. Marriage of Prince Eugene to the Prin- 
 cess Augusta Amelia of Bavaria. Fetes. Mutual affection of the 
 Vice-King and Queen. How the Vice-King reared his children. An 
 incident in the childhood of her Majesty the present Empress of Brazil. 
 
 Sketch of the late King of Bavaria, Maximilian Joseph. Incidents 
 of his former service at Strasburg as colonel in the service of France. 
 
 Love of the Bavarians for that excellent Prince. Devotion of the
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 29 
 
 King of Bavaria to Napoleon. The hand of Constant in a royal hand. 
 
 Contrast between the destiny of the King of Bavaria and that of the 
 Emperor. The two tombs. Description of the Prince Royal, now the 
 King of Bavaria. Deafness and stammering. Gravity and love of 
 study. Opposition of the Prince Royal to the Emperor. Visit of Prince 
 Louis (of Bavaria) to Paris. Slumber of this prince at the theater, and 
 the siesta of the arch-chancelor of the Empire. Sketch of the King of 
 Wiirternberg. His enormous stoutness. His position at table. His 
 passion for hunting. Difficult to find a suitable horse for him. How 
 they trained the king's horses to carry the enormous weight of their mas- 
 ter. Excessive harshness of the King of Wiirtemberg. Singular de- 
 tails on this subject. Fidelity shown by this monarch. Luxury of the 
 King of Wiirtemberg. The Prince Royal of Wiirtemberg. The Prince 
 Primate. Out-of-date toilets and German princesses. Their coaches 
 and hoop-skirts. The journals of fashion x French. Miserable coaches. 
 
 Sketch of the Prince of Saxe-Gotha. Coquetry of this ci-devant 
 young man. Michalon, the hair-dresser, and wigs a la Cupid. Extrava- 
 gant toilette of a princess of the Confederation at a court theater. Ma- 
 dame Cunegonde. The Empress Josephine is reminded of Candide. 
 Prince Murat, Grand Duke of Berg and Cleves. Prince Charles Louis 
 Frederic of Baden comes to Paris to marry a niece of the Empress Jose- 
 phine. Sketch of this prince. The wedding-night. Vigorous resis- 
 tance. Consideration of her good husband. The queue sacrificed. 
 Reconciliation and a happy household. The Grand Duke of Baden at 
 Erfurt. The Emperor of Alexander excites his jealousy. Illness and 
 death of the Grand Duke of Baden. A word as to his family. The 
 Grand Duchess devotes herself to the education of her daughters. 
 Fetes, hunting, etc. Gravity of the Turkish ambassador during an 
 imperial hunt. He refuses the honor of firing the first shot. 
 
 Pages 376-385. 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 Coalition of Russia and England against the Emperor. Army of Boulogne 
 on the march towards the Rhine. Departure of the Emperor. Picture 
 of the interior of the Tuileries before and after the departure of the Em- 
 peror for the army. The civil courtiers, and the day without a sun. 
 Arrival of the Emperor at Strasburg, and passage of the bridge of Kehl. 
 
 The rendezvous. The Emperor in a drenching rain. The coal- 
 burner's hat. Generals Chardon and Vandamme. The rendezvous 
 forgotten, and why. The dozen bottles of Rhine wine. Dissatisfaction 
 of the Emperor. General Vandamme sent to the army of Wiirtem- 
 berg. Plis brave conduct and return to favor. The Emperor precedes 
 his suite and baggage, and passes the night in a cottage. The Emperor 
 before Ulm. Combat to the death. Personal courage and coolness of 
 the Emperor. The military cloak of the Emperor serving as a shroud
 
 30 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 for a veteran. The cannoneer wounded unto death. The surrender of 
 Ulm. Thirty thousand men lay down their arms at the feet of the 
 Emperor. Entrance of the Imperial Guard into Augsburg. Passage 
 through Munich. Oath of mutual alliance taken by the Emperor of 
 Russia and the King of Prussia upon the tomb of Frederick the Great. 
 Reconciliations. Arrival of the Russians. The coronation and the 
 battle of Austerlitz. The Emperor in the bivouac. The Emperor's 
 slumbers. Visit to the advance posts. Military illuminations. The 
 Emperor and his soldiers. Bivouac of his attendants. I make punch 
 for the Emperor. I am overcome with fatigue, and sleep. The awak- 
 ening of an army. Battle of Austerlitz. General Rapp is wounded, 
 and the Emperor goes to see him. The Emperor of Austria at the 
 headquarters of the Emperor Napoleon. Treaty of peace. Sojourn 
 at Vienna and Schoenbrunn. Singular meeting. Napoleon and the 
 daughter of M. de Marboauf . The courier Moustache sent to the Em- 
 press Josephine. Reward worthy of an Empress. Zeal and courage 
 of Moustache. His horse falls dead from fatigue . . . Pages 386-396. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 The Emperor returns to Paris. Adventure while ascending the hill of 
 Meaux. A young girl throws herself into the Emperor's carriage. 
 Rude we.lcome, and pardon refused. I recognize Mademoiselle 
 Lajolais. General Lajolais twice accused of conspiracy. Arrest of his 
 wife and daughter. Excessive severity towards Madame Lajolais. 
 Extraordinary fortitude of Mademoiselle Lajolais. She goes alone to 
 Saint-Cloud, and applies to me. I lay her petition before her Majesty 
 the Empress. Fears of Josephine. Josephine and Hortense have Ma- 
 demoiselle Lajolais placed in the way of his Majesty the Emperor. 
 Attentions and kindness of the two princesses. Unshaken constancy of 
 a child. Mademoiselle Lajolais in the presence of the Emperor. 
 Heartrending scene. Harshness of the Emperor. A pardon forced. 
 She faints. Attentions paid Mademoiselle Lajolais by the Emperor. 
 Generals "Wolff and Lavalette escort her to her father. Interview 
 between General Lajolais and his daughter. Mile. Lajolais also obtains 
 her mother's pardon. She joins the Breton ladies in soliciting the 
 pardon of the companions of Georges. Execution delayed. Fruitless 
 efforts. Warning from the author. Young Destrem asks and obtains 
 the pardon of his father. A useless pardon. The Emperor passes by 
 Saint-Cloud on his return from Austerlitz. Monsieur Barre, Mayor of 
 Saint-Cloud. The arch barred and the most somnolent of the com- 
 munes. Prince Talleyrand and the beds of Saint-Cloud. Singular 
 caprice of the Emperor. Small revolution at the chateau. Manias of 
 sovereigns are epidemic Pages 397-407.
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 31 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Secret liaisons of the Emperor. What is, in the Emperor's opinion, the 
 conduct of a moral man. What Napoleon understood by immorality. 
 
 Temptations of sovereigns. Discretion of the Emperor. Jealousy 
 of Josephine. Madame Gazani. Rendezvous in Bourrienne's former 
 apartment. The Emperor tete-a-tete with a minister. Suspicions and 
 agitation of the Empress. My duty forces me to lie. The Empress 
 telling to my cost a falsehood in order to learn the truth. Jocose repri- 
 mand addressed on my account by the Emperor to the Empress. I am 
 justified. Temporary sulking. Duration of the liaison of the Em- 
 peror with Madame Gazani. Madame de Remusat, lady of honor of 
 the Empress. Nocturnal expedition of Josephine and Madame de 
 Re'musat. Formidable snoring. Panic terror and precipitate flight. 
 Tears and mad laughter. The allee des Veuves. The Emperor's suc- 
 cess witli women. Prince Murat and I await him at the door of . 
 
 Anxiety of Murat. Imperial speech of Napoleon. The official 
 purveyors. I am solicited by certain ladies. My repugnance to secret 
 undertakings. Former duties of the first valet not all restored by 
 the Emperor. Complaisance of a general. Refusal of a lady after 
 her marriage. Mademoiselle E , reader of Princess Murat. De- 
 scription of Mademoiselle E . Intrigue against the Empress. 
 
 Interviews at the Tuileries, and what was the result. Birth of an 
 
 Imperial child. Education of this child. Mademoiselle E at 
 
 Fontainebleau. Displeasure of the Emperor. Harshness towards the 
 mother, and tenderness to the son. The three sons of Napoleon. 
 Distractions of the Emperor at Boulogne. The beautiful Italian. 
 Discovery a:id proposition of Murat. Mademoiselle L. B. Shameful 
 speculation. The ballet dance. Sallow complexion. Ogling to no pur- 
 pose. Visit to Mademoiselle Le Normand. Silence of Mademoiselle 
 L. B. as to the predictions of the fortune-teller. Credulity justified by 
 the occurrence of the predicted event. Trifles .... Pages 408-418. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 The thrones of the imperial family. Rupture of the treaty with Russia. 
 The Queen of Prussia and the Duke of Brunswick. Departure from 
 Paris. One hundred and fifty thousand men dispersed in a few days. 
 Death of Prince Louis of Prussia. Guinde quartermaster of the Tenth 
 Hussars. Constant's carriage upset on the road. Readiness of the sol- 
 diers to assist him. The hat and chief valet of the Little Corporal. 
 Arrival of the Emperor upon the plateau of Weimar. Road cut in the 
 living rock. The Emperor in danger of death. The Emperor extended 
 on the ground. Compliment of the Emperor to the soldier who failed 
 to kill him. Fruits of the Battle of Jena. Death of General Schmet-
 
 32 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 tau and of the Duke of Brunswick. Flight of the King and Queen of 
 Prussia. The Amazon Queen passing her army in review. The Queen's 
 costume. The Queen pursued by French hussars. Enthusiasm and 
 speeches of the soldiers. Klein's dragoons. The soldiers who had pur- 
 sued the Queen of Prussia reprimanded and rewarded by the Emperor. 
 Clemency to the Duke of Weimar. Constant's bed under the Emper- 
 or's tent. Constant shares his bed with the King of Naples. A night 
 passed by the Emperor and Constant on the campaign. Broken slum- 
 bers. The aides-de-camp. The Prince de Neuchatel. Breakfast. 
 Horseback-ride. Roustan and the brandy-flask. Abstinence of the 
 Emperor in the army. A little crust and a glass of wine. Intrepidity 
 of the cook. Visit to the field of battle. The Emperor overcome with 
 fatigue. Agreeable awaking of the Emperor. His facility in falling 
 asleep again. Special work of the Emperor on the eve of the battle. 
 The maps and pins. Activity of the attendants on the campaign, and 
 while traveling. Promptness of the preparations. A hospital changed 
 into a lodging for the Emperor. Corpses, amputated limbs, etc., taken 
 away in a few moments. The Emperor sleeping on the field of battle. 
 En route for Potsdam. Storm. Meeting with an Egyptian woman, 
 widow of a French officer. Gift of the Emperor. The Emperor at 
 Potsdam. The relics of Frederick the Great. Charlottenberg. Toilet 
 of the army before entering Berlin. Entry of Berlin. The Em- 
 peror causing military honors to be rendered to the bust of Frederick 
 the Great. The growlers. The Emperor's respect for the sister of the 
 King of Prussia Pages 411M31.
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 NAPOLEON AT MALMAISON Frontispiece. 
 
 PRINCE EUGKNE Facing Page 41 
 
 JOSEPHINE 97 
 
 NEY " 145 
 
 DAVOUST " 185 
 
 BEBTHIER " 249 
 
 MACDONALD " 309 
 
 AUGEKEAU . " 377
 
 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Birth of the author. His father, his relatives. His early patrons. Emi- 
 gration and abandonment. The suspect at 12 years of age. Aldermen or 
 imbeciles. Thechief of squadron, Michau. Gobert. Carrat. Madame 
 Bonaparte and her daughter. Bouquets and sentimental scene. Econ- 
 omy of Carrat regarding others and liberality towards himself. Cow- 
 ardice. Frolicsome tricks of Madame Bonaparte and Hor tense. The 
 ghost. The nocturnal shower-bath. The downfall. The author enters 
 the service of Eugene de Beauharnais. 
 
 I SHALL refer to myself very little in these memoirs, for 
 I am aware the public will examine them only for details 
 concerning the great man to whom fortune attached me for 
 sixteen years, and whom I scarcely quitted during the 
 whole of that time. Notwithstanding, I ask permission to 
 say a few words as to my childhood, and the circumstances 
 which made me valet de chambre of the Emperor. 
 
 I was born Dec. 2, 1778, at Peruelz, a town which 
 became French on the annexation of Belgium to the 
 Republic, and which then belonged to the Department of 
 Jemmapes. Soon after my birth at the baths of Saint- 
 Amand, my father took charge of a small establishment 
 called the Little Chateau, at which visitors to the waters 
 were boarding, being aided in this enterprise by the Prince 
 de Croi, in whose house he had been steward. Business 
 
 85
 
 36 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 prospered beyond my father's hopes, for a great numoer of 
 invalids of rank came to his house. When I attained my 
 eleventh year, the Count de Lure, head of one of the 
 chief families of Valenciennes, happened to be one of the 
 boarders at the Little Chateau ; and as that excellent man 
 had taken a great fancy to me, he asked my parents' per- 
 mission that I should become a companion to his son, who 
 was about the same age. My family had intended me for 
 the church, to gratify one of my uncles, who was Dean 
 of Lessine, a man of great wisdom and rigid virtue ; and 
 thinking that the offer of the Count de Lure would not 
 affect my intended destination, my father accepted it, judg- 
 ing that some years passed in a family so distinguished 
 would give me a taste for the more serious studies neces- 
 sary to fit me for the priesthood. I set out, therefore, with 
 the Count de Lure, much grieved at leaving my parents, 
 but pleased also at the same time, as is usual with one at 
 my age, with new scenes. The count took me to one of 
 his estates near Tours, where I was received with the 
 greatest kindness by the countess and her children, with 
 whom I was placed on a footing of perfect equality. 
 
 Unfortunately I did not profit very long by the kind- 
 ness of the count and the lessons I was taught at his house, 
 for hardly a year had passed at the chateau when we 
 learned of the arrest of the king at Varennes. The count 
 and his family were in despair ; and child as I was, I re- 
 member that I was deeply pained at the news, without 
 knowing why, but doubtless because it is natural to share 
 the sentiments of those with whom you live, when they 
 treat you with as much kindness as the count and countess 
 had treated me. However, I continued to enjoy the happy
 
 THE SUSPECT AT TWELVE. 37 
 
 freedom from care natural to youth, till one morning I was 
 awakened by a loud noise, and was immediately surrounded 
 by a great number of people, none of whom I knew, and 
 who asked me countless questions which I could not 
 answer. I then learned that the count and his family had 
 emigrated. I was carried to the town hall, where the same 
 questions were renewed, with the same fruitless result ; for 
 I knew nothing of the intentions of my late protectors, and 
 could only reply by a flood of tears when I saw myself 
 abandoned and left to my own resources, at a great distance 
 from my family. 
 
 I was too young then to reflect on the conduct of the 
 count; but I have since thought that his abandonment of 
 me was an act of delicacy on his part, as he did not wish 
 to make me an emigre without the consent of my parents. 1 
 I have always believed that, before his departure, the count 
 had committed me to the care of some one, who subsequently 
 did not dare to claim me, lest he should compromise him- 
 self, which was then, as is well known, exceedingly dan- 
 gerous. Behold me, then, at twelve years of age, left 
 without a guide, without means of support, without any 
 one to advise me, and without money, more than a hundred 
 leagues from my home, and already accustomed to the com- 
 forts of a luxurious life. It is hardly credible that in this 
 state of affairs I was regarded almost as a suspect, and was 
 required each day to present myself before the city author- 
 ities for the greater safety of the Republic. I remember 
 well that whenever the Emperor was pleased to make me 
 
 1 M. Constant was indeed benevolent in wishing to assign such motive 
 to the count. Constant was a Belgian, and his country was not annexed to 
 France till October, 1795, nearly four years and a half later. TJJANS.
 
 38 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 relate these tribulations of my childhood, he never failed to 
 repeat several times, " the fools" referring to these same 
 city authorities. However that may be, the authorities of 
 Tours, coming to the conclusion, at last, that a child of 
 twelve was incapable of overthrowing the Republic, gave 
 me a passport, with the injunction to leave the city within 
 twenty-four hours, which I proceeded to do with a hearty 
 good-will, but not without deep grief also at seeing myself 
 alone, and on foot, with a long journey before me. After 
 much privation and many hardships I arrived at last in the 
 neighborhood of Saint-Amand, which I found in the posses- 
 sion of the Austrians, and that it was impossible for me to 
 reach the town, as the French surrounded it. In my de- 
 spair I seated myself on the side of a ditch and was weep- 
 ing bitterly, when I was noticed by the chief of squadron, 
 Michau, 1 who afterwards became colonel and aide-de-camp 
 to General Loison. 2 Michau approached me, questioned 
 me with great interest, and made me relate my sad adven- 
 tures, which touched him deeply, while he did not conceal 
 his inability to send me back to my family. He had just 
 obtained leave of absence, which he was going to spend 
 with his family at Chinon, and proposed to me to accom- 
 pany him, which invitation I accepted with gratitude. I 
 cannot say too much of the kindness and consideration 
 shown me by his household during the three or four months 
 I spent with them. At the end of that time he took me 
 to Paris, where I was soon after placed in the house of M. 
 
 1 I afterwards had the happiness of obtaining for him, from the Emperor, 
 a position he wished, as a place of retirement, having lost the use of his right 
 arm. CONSTANT. 
 
 2 One of the most rapacious of the French generals in Portugal, born in 
 Lorraine, 1770. Died 1816. TRANS.
 
 MADAME BONAPARTE AND HER DAUGHTER. 39 
 
 Gobert, a rich merchant, who treated me with the greatest 
 kindness. 
 
 I lately visited M. Gobert ; and he recalled to me that, 
 when we traveled together, he gave up to me one of the 
 seats of his carriage, upon which I was permitted to stretch 
 myself out and sleep. I mention this circumstance, other- 
 wise unimportant, to show the kindness he always showed 
 me. 
 
 Some years later I made the acquaintance of Carrat, 
 who was in the service of Madame Bonaparte while the 
 general was absent on the Egyptian expedition. Before 
 relating how I came to enter her household, it is proper to 
 mention how Carrat himself came into her service, and at 
 the same time narrate some anecdotes in regard to him, 
 which will show what were the pastimes of the inhabitants 
 of Malmaison at that date. 
 
 Carrat happened to be at Plombieres when Madame 
 Bonaparte 1 went there to take the waters. Every day he 
 brought her bouquets, and addressed to her little compli- 
 mentary speeches, so singular and so droll, that Josephine 
 was much diverted, as were also the ladies who accom- 
 panied her, among whom were Mesdames de Cambis and 
 de Crigny, 2 and especially her own daughter Hortense, who 
 was convulsed at his oddities. The truth is, he was ex- 
 ceedingly amusing, by reason of a certain simplicity and 
 
 1 Madame Bonaparte, nte Marie Joseph Rose Tascher de la Pagerie, was 
 born in Martinique, 1763 ; became the widow of Viscount Alexander de Beau- 
 harnais, 1794; married Napoleon Bonaparte March, 1796; became Empress 
 May 18, 1801; was divorced Dec. 16, 1809; died at Malmaison, May 20, 1814. 
 TRANS. 
 
 2 Madame do Crigny has since become Madame Denon. Note by CON- 
 STANT.
 
 40 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 originality of character, which, however, did not prevent 
 him from being a person of intelligence ; and his eccentrici- 
 ties did not displease Madame Bonaparte. A sentimental 
 scene took place when this excellent lady left the springs. 
 Carrat wept, bemoaned himself, and expressed his lasting 
 grief at not being able to see Madame Bonaparte daily, as 
 he had been accustomed; and Madame Bonaparte was so 
 kind-hearted that she at once decided to carry him to Paris 
 with her. She taught him to dress hair, and finally ap- 
 pointed him her hair-dresser and valet, at least such were 
 the duties he had to perform when I made his acquaintance. 
 He was permitted a most astonishing freedom of speech, 
 sometimes even scolding her ; and when Madame Bonaparte, 
 who was extremely generous and always gracious towards 
 every one, made presents to her women, or chatted famil- 
 iarly with them, Carrat would reproach her. " Why give 
 that?" he would say, adding, "See how you do, Madame; 
 you allow yourself to jest with your domestics. Some day 
 they will show you a want of respect." But if he thus 
 endeavored to restrain the generosity of his mistress 
 towards those around her, he did not hesitate to stimulate 
 her generosity towards himself; and whenever he took a 
 fancy to anything, would simply say, " You ought to give 
 me that." 
 
 Bravery is not always the inseparable companion of 
 wit, and Carrat gave more than once proof of this. Being 
 endowed with a kind of simple and uncontrollable poltroon- 
 ery, which never fails in comedies to excite the laughter 
 of the spectators, it was a great pleasure to Madame Bona- 
 parte to play on him such pranks as would bring out his 
 singular want of courage.
 
 IPIRflNGIE EUGENIE,
 
 TUE GHOST. 41 
 
 It should be stated, first of all, that one of the great- 
 est pleasures of Madame Bonaparte, at Malmaison, was to 
 take walks on the road just outside the walls of the park ; 
 and she always preferred this outside road, in spite of the 
 clouds of dust which were constantly rising there, to the 
 delightful walks inside the park. One day, accompanied 
 by her daughter Hortense, she told Carrat to follow her 
 in her walk; and he was delighted to be thus honored until 
 he saw rise suddenly out of a ditch ; a great figure covered 
 with a white sheet, in fact, a genuine ghost, such as I have 
 seen described in the translations of some old English 
 romances. 
 
 It is unnecessary to say, that the ghost was some one 
 placed there by order of these ladies, in order to frighten 
 Carrat; and certainly the comedy succeeded marvelously 
 well, for as soon as Carrat perceived the ghost, he was very 
 much frightened, and clutching Madame Bonaparte, said 
 to her in a tremor, "Madame, Madame, do you see that 
 ghost? It is the spirit of the lady who died lately at 
 Plombieres." - " Be quiet, Carrat, you are a coward." - 
 "Ah, but indeed it is her spirit which has come back." 
 As Carrat thus spoke,- the man in the white sheet ad- 
 vanced toward him, shaking it ; and poor Carrat, overcome 
 with terror, fell backwards in a faint, and it required all 
 the attentions which were bestowed upon him to restore 
 him to consciousness. 
 
 Another day, while the general was still in Egypt, and 
 consequently before I was in the service of any member 
 of his family, Madame Bonaparte wished to give some of 
 her ladies an exhibition of Carrat's cowardice ; and for this 
 purpose there was concerted among the ladies of Malmaison
 
 42 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 a plot, in which Madamoiselle Hortense l was chief conspir- 
 ator. This incident has been so often narrated in ruy 
 presence by Madame Bonaparte, that I am familiar with 
 the ludicrous details. Carrat slept in a room adjoining 
 which there was a closet. A hole was made in the wall 
 between these rooms, and a string passed through, at the 
 end of which was tied a can filled with water, this cool- 
 ing element being suspended exactly over the head of the 
 patient's bed. This was not all, for they had also taken 
 the precaution to remove the slats which supported the 
 mattress ; and as Carrat was in the habit of going to sleep 
 without a light, he saw neither the preparations for his 
 downfall, nor the can of water provided for liis new bap- 
 tism. All the members of the plot had been waiting for 
 some moments in the adjoining closet ; when he threw him- 
 self heavily upon his bed, it crashed in, and at the same 
 instant the play of the string made the can of water do its 
 effective work. The victim at the same time of a fall, and 
 of a nocturnal shower-bath, Carrat cried out against his 
 double misfortune. " This is horrible," he yelled at the top 
 of his voice ; while Hortense maliciously said aloud to her 
 mother, Madame de Crigny (afterwards Madame Denon), 
 Madame Charvet, and to several others in the room, " Oh, 
 Mamma, those toads and frogs in the water will get on 
 him." These words, joined to the utter darkness, served 
 only to increase the terror of Carrat, who, becoming seri- 
 ously frightened, cried out, "It is horrible, Madame, it is 
 horrible, to amuse yourself thus at the expense of your 
 servants." 
 
 1 Hortense Beauharnais, born at Paris, 1783, was then just sixteen years 
 of age. Married Louis Bonaparte and became Queen of Holland, 180G. Died 
 1837. She was the mother of Napolen III. TKANS.
 
 EUGENE DE BEAUHARNAIS. 43 
 
 I do not say that the complaints of Carrat were entirely 
 wrong, but they served only to increase the gayety of the 
 ladies who had taken him for the object of their pleasantries. 
 
 However that may be, such was the character and posi- 
 tion of Carrat, whom I had known for some time, when 
 General Bonaparte returned from his expedition into Egypt, 
 and Carrat said to me that Eugene de Beauharnais had 
 applied to him for a confidential valet, his own having been 
 detained in Cairo by severe illness at the time of his depar- 
 ture. He was named Lefebvre, and was an old servant 
 entirely devoted to his master, as was every one who knew 
 Prince Eugene; for I do not believe that there has ever 
 lived a better man, or one more polite, more considerate, or 
 indeed more attentive, to those who served him. 
 
 Carrat having told me that Eugene de Beauharnais l 
 desired a young man to replace Lefebvre, and having rec- 
 ommended me for the place, I had the good fortune to be 
 presented to Eugene, and to give satisfaction ; indeed, he was 
 so kind as to say to me that my appearance pleased him, 
 and he wished me to enter upon my duties immediately. I 
 was delighted with this situation, which, I know not why, 
 painted itself to my imagination in the brightest colors, 
 and without loss of time, went to find my modest baggage, 
 and behold me valet de chambre, ad interim, of M. de Beau- 
 harnais, not dreaming that I should one day be admitted to 
 the personal service of General Bonaparte, and still less 
 that I should become the chief valet of an Emperor. 
 
 1 Born 1781, Viceroy of Italy 1805. In 180G married the daughter of the 
 King of Bavaria. Died 1824. Among his descendants are the present King 
 of Sweden and the late Emperor of Brazil. TRANS.
 
 44 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Prince Eugene apprenticed to a carpenter. Bonaparte and the sword of the 
 Marquis de Beauharnais. First meeting of Napoleon and Josephine. 
 Appearance and character of Eugene. Candor. Kindness of heart. 
 Fond of amusements. Breakfast of young officers and artists. Mysti- 
 fications and the mystified. Thiemet and Dugazon. Stammerers and 
 baptism of ice-water. The former valet resumes his place. Constant 
 enters the service of Madame Bonaparte. Pleased with his new position. 
 Recollections of the 18th Brumaire. Political breakfasts. The Direc- 
 tors in charge. Barras in Greek costume. Abbe Sie'yes on horseback. 
 The rendezvous. Mistake of Murat. President Gohier, General 
 Jube, and the grand maneuvers. General Marmont. The saloon of 
 Josephine. Talleyrand. The family of General Bonaparte. M. Vol- 
 ney. M. Denon. M. Lemercier. M. de Laigle. General Bournon- 
 ville. Horseback ride. Fall of Hortense. Good family man. The 
 game of prisoners' base. Bonaparte not always conqueror. Net income 
 of Malmaison. Improvements. Theater and amateur actors ; Eugene, 
 Jerome Bonaparte, Lauriston, etc., Mademoiselle Hortense, Madame 
 Murat, the two young ladies Auguie. Napoleon a simple looker-on. 
 
 IT was on Oct. 16, 1799, that Eugene de Beauhar- 
 nais arrived in Paris on his return from Egypt ; and almost 
 immediately thereafter I had the good fortune to be taken 
 into his service, M. Eugene being then twenty-one l years 
 of age. I soon after learned a few particulars, which I 
 think are little known, relative to his former life, and the 
 marriage of his mother with General Bonaparte. 
 
 His father, as is well known, was one of the victims of 
 the Revolution ; and when the Marquis de Beauharnais had 
 perished on the scaffold, his widow, whose property had 
 
 1 This is a slight inaccuracy. He was born Sept. 3, 1781, and hence was 
 nineteen years of age. TRANS.
 
 THE MARQUIS DE BEAUHARNAIS' SWORD. 45 
 
 been confiscated, fearing that her son, although still very- 
 young, might also be in danger on account of his belonging 
 to the nobility, placed him in the home of a carpenter on 
 the rue de 1'Echelle where a lady of my acquaintance, who 
 lived on that street, has often seen him passing, carrying a 
 plank on his shoulder. It seems a long distance from this 
 position to the colonelcy of a regiment of the Consular 
 guards, and the vice-royalty of Italy. 
 
 I learned, from hearing Eugene himself relate it, by 
 what a singular circumstance he had been the cause of 
 the first meeting between his mother and his step-father. 
 Eugene, being then not more than fourteen or fifteen years 
 of age, having been informed that General Bonaparte had 
 become possessor of the sword of the Marquis de Beauhar- 
 nais, took a step which seemed hazardous, but was crowned 
 with success. The general having received him gra- 
 ciously, Eugene explained that he came to beg of him 
 the restoration of his father's sword. His face, his bear- 
 ing, his frank request, all made such a pleasant impression 
 on Bonaparte, that he immediately presented him with the 
 sword which he requested. As soon as this sword was in 
 his hands he covered it with kisses and tears; and the 
 whole was done in so artless a manner, that Bonaparte 
 was delighted with him. 
 
 Madame de Beauharnais, being informed of the welcome 
 the general had given her son, thought it her duty to make 
 him a visit of gratitude. 
 
 . Bonaparte, being much pleased with Josephine in this 
 first interview, returned her visit. They met again fre- 
 quently; and as is well known, one event led to another, 
 until she became the first Empress of the French; and I
 
 46 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 can assert from the numerous proofs that I have had of this 
 fact, that Bonaparte never ceased to love Eugene as well 
 as if he had been his own son. 
 
 The qualities of Eugene were both attractive and solid. 
 -His features were not regular, and yet his countenance pre- 
 possessed every one in his favor. He had a well-propor- 
 tioned figure, but did not make a distinguished appearance, 
 on account of the habit he had of swinging himself as he 
 walked. He was about five feet three or four inches l in 
 height. He was kind, gay, amiable, full of wit, intelli- 
 gent, generous; and it might well be said that his frank 
 and open countenance was the mirror of his soul. How 
 many services he has rendered others during the course 
 of his life, and at the very period when in order to do so 
 he had often to impose privations on himself ! 
 
 It will soon be seen how it happened that I passed only 
 a month with Eugene ; but during this short space of time, 
 I recall that, while fulfilling scrupulously his duties to his 
 mother and his step-father, he was much addicted to the 
 pleasures so natural to his age and position. One of his 
 greatest pleasures was entertaining his friends at break- 
 fast ; which he did very often. This amused me much on 
 account of the comical scenes of which I was often a wit- 
 ness. Besides the young officers of Bonaparte's staff, his 
 most frequent guests, he had also frequently at his table the 
 ventriloquist Thiemet, Dugazon, 2 Dazincourt, and Michau 
 of the Theatre Fran9ais, and a few other persons, whose 
 
 1 About five feet six or seven inches in English measurement. TRANS. 
 
 2 J. B. H. Gougault, stage name Dugazon, was a comic actor and dra- 
 matic author born at Marseilles, 1741, died 1809. His wife, Rosalie, was a 
 celebrated actress at the Ope"ra Comique. TBANS.
 
 TIIIEMET AND DUGAZON. 47 
 
 names escape me at this moment. As may be imagined, 
 these reunions were extremely gay; these young officers 
 especially, who had returned like Eugene from the expe- 
 dition to Egypt, seemed trying to indemnify themselves 
 for the recent privations they had had to suffer. At this 
 time ventriloquists, among whom Thiemet held a very dis- 
 tinguished position, were the fashion in Paris, and were 
 invited to private gatherings. I remember on one occa- 
 sion, at one of these breakfasts of Eugene's, Thiemet 
 called by their names several persons present, imitating 
 the voices of their servants, as if they were just outside 
 the door, while he remained quietly in his seat, appearing 
 to be using his lips only to eat and drink, two duties 
 which he performed admirably. Each of the officers 
 called in this manner went out, and found no one; and 
 then Thidmet went out with them, under the pretext of 
 assisting them in the search, and increased their perplexity 
 by continuing to make them hear some well-known voice. 
 Most of them laughed heartily at the joke of which they 
 had just been the victims ; but there was one who, having 
 himself less under control than his comrades, took the 
 thing seriously, and became very angry, whereupon Eugene 
 had to avow that he was the author of the conspiracy. 
 
 I recall still another amusing scene, the two heroes of 
 which were this same Thiemet, of whom I have just spoken, 
 and Dugazon. Several foreigners were present at a break- 
 fast given by Eugene, the parts having been assigned, and 
 learned in advance, and the two victims selected. When 
 each had taken his place at table, Dugazon, pretending to 
 stammer, addressed a remark to Thiemet, who, playing the 
 same role, replied to him, stammering likewise ; then each
 
 48 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 of them pretended to believe that the other was making 
 fun of him, and there followed a stuttering quarrel between 
 the two parties, each one finding it more and more diffi- 
 cult to express himself as his anger rose. Thiemet, who 
 besides his role of stammering was also playing that of 
 deafness, addressed his neighbor, his trumpet in his ear: 
 " Wha-wha-whatnlo-does he say?" -"Nothing," replied 
 the officious neighbor, wishing to prevent a quarrel, and to 
 supply facts while defending the other stammerer. "So- 
 so-he-he-he-he's ma-making fun of me!" Then the quarrel 
 became more violent still; they were a|)out to come to 
 blows, when each of the two stammerers seizing a carafe 
 of water, hurled it at the head of his antagonist, and a 
 copious deluge of water from the bottles taught the offi- 
 cious neighbors the great danger of acting as peacemakers. 
 The two stammerers continued to scream as is the custom 
 of deaf persons, until the last drop of water was spilt; 
 and I remember that Eugene, the originator of this practi- 
 cal joke, laughed immoderately the whole time this scene 
 lasted. The water was wiped off; and all were soon 
 reconciled, glass in hand. Eugene, when he had perpe- 
 trated a joke of this sort, never failed to relate it to his 
 mother, and sometimes to his stepfather, who were much 
 amused thereby, Josephine especially. 
 
 I had led for one month a very pleasant life with Eugene, 
 when Lefebvre, the valet de chambre whom he had left sick 
 at Cairo, returned in restored health, and asked to resume 
 his place. Eugene, whom I suited better on account of 
 my age and activity, proposed to him to enter his mother's 
 service, suggesting to him that he would there have an 
 easier time than with himself; but Lefebvre, who was
 
 CONSTANT LEAVES EUGENE. 49 
 
 extremely attached to his master, sought Madame Bona- 
 parte, and confided to her his chagrin at this decision. 
 Josephine promised to assist him ; and consoled him by 
 assurances that she would suggest to her son that Le- 
 febvre should reassume his former position, and that she 
 would take me into her own service. This was done 
 according to promise ; and one morning Eugene announced 
 to me, in the most gratifying manner, my change of abode. 
 "Constant," he said to me, "I regret very much that 
 circumstances require us to part; but you know Lefebvre 
 followed me to Egypt, he is an old servant, and I feel com- 
 pelled to give him his former position. Besides, you will 
 not be far removed, as you will enter my mother's service, 
 where you will be well treated, and we will see each other 
 often. Go to her this morning; I have spoken to her of 
 you. The matter is already arranged, and she expects 
 you." 
 
 As may be believed, I lost no time in presenting myself 
 to Madame Bonaparte. Knowing that she was at Mal- 
 maison, I went there immediately, and was received by her 
 with a kindness which overwhelmed me with gratitude, as 
 I was not then aware that she manifested this same gra- 
 ciousness to every one, and that it was as inseparable from 
 her character as was grace from her person. The duties 
 required of me, in her service, were altogether nominal ; 
 and nearly all my time was at my own disposal, of which 
 I took advantage to visit Paris frequently. The life that 
 I led at this time was very pleasant to a young man like 
 myself, who could not foresee that in a short while he 
 would be as much under subjection as he was then at 
 liberty.
 
 50 EECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 Before bidding adieu to a service in which I had found 
 so much that was agreeable, I will relate some incidents 
 which belong to that period, and which my situation with 
 the stepson of General Bonaparte gave me the opportunity 
 of learning. 
 
 M. de Bourrienne 1 has related circumstantially in his 
 memoirs the events of the 18th Brumaire ; 2 and the account 
 which he has given of that famous day is as correct as it 
 is interesting, so that any one curious to know the secret 
 causes which led to these political changes will find them 
 faithfully pointed out in the narration of that minister of 
 state. I am very far from intending to excite an interest 
 of this kind, but reading the work of M. Bourrienne put 
 me again on the track of my own recollections. These 
 memoirs relate to circumstances of which he was ignorant, 
 or possibly may have omitted purposely as being of little 
 importance ; and whatever he has let fall on his road I 
 think myself fortunate in being permitted to glean. 
 
 I was still with Eugene de Beauharnais when General 
 Bonaparte overthrew the Directory; but I found myself 
 in as favorable a situation to know all that was passing as 
 if I had been in the service of Madame Bonaparte, or of 
 the general himself, for my master, although he was very 
 
 1 Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne, born at Sens, 1769, was a school- 
 mate of Napoleon at Brienne, became his private secretary, and accompanied 
 him to Egypt. He was detected in some peculations, and dismissed in 1802, 
 but was sent as minister to Hamburg. In 1814 he joined the Bourbons, fled 
 with them to Ghent during the Hundred Days, and was made postmaster- 
 general on their return. He died in a lunatic asylum in 1834. He wrote an 
 interesting but not reliable life of Napoleon, which is tinged with prejudice 
 against his former patron. TRANS. 
 
 2 The 18th Brumaire, Nov. 9, 1799, was the day Napoleon overthrew the 
 Directory and made himself First Consul. TRANS.
 
 POLITICAL BREAKFASTS. 51 
 
 young, had the entire confidence of his stepfather, and, 
 to an even greater degree, that of his mother, who con- 
 sulted him on every occasion. 
 
 A few days before the 18th Brumaire, Eugene ordered 
 *me to make preparations for a breakfast he wished to give 
 on that day to his friends, the number of the guests, all 
 military men, being much larger than usual. This bachelor 
 repast was made very gay by an officer, who amused the 
 company by imitating in turn the manners and appearance 
 of the directors and a few of their friends. To represent 
 the Director Barras, he draped himself a la grecque with 
 the tablecloth, took off his black cravat, turned down his 
 shirt-collar, and advanced in an affected manner, resting 
 his left arm on the shoulder of the youngest of his com- 
 rades, while with his right he pretended to caress his chin. 
 Each person of the company understood the meaning of 
 that kind of charade ; and there were uncontrollable bursts 
 of laughter. 
 
 He undertook then to represent the Abbe Sieyes, * by 
 placing an enormous band of paper inside of his neckcloth, 
 and lengthening thus indefinitely a long, pale face. He 
 made a few turns around the room, astraddle of his chair, 
 and ended by a grand somersault, as if his steed had dis- 
 mounted him. It is necessary to know, in order to under- 
 stand the significance of this pantomime, that the Abbe 
 Sieyes had been recently taking lessons in horseback rid- 
 
 1 One of the five directors who were then the executive government. 
 He was born at Frejus, 1748, and became a canon. As a member of the 
 clergy in the States General, he voted to join the Tiers Etat. In the Conven- 
 tion he voted for the death of the king. Was ambassador to Prussia, 1797. 
 and the next year succeeded Rewbell in the Directory. Was second consul 
 after 18th Brumaire, and then became senator. Died 1836- TRANS.
 
 52 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 ing in the garden of the Luxembourg, to the great amuse- 
 ment of the pedestrians, who gathered in crowds to enjoy 
 the awkward and ungraceful exhibition made by this new 
 master of horse. 
 
 The breakfast ended, Eugene reported for duty to" 
 General Bonaparte, whose aide-de-camp he was, and his 
 friends rejoined the various commands to which they be- 
 longed. 
 
 I went out immediately behind them ; for from a few 
 words that had just been dropped- at my young master's, 
 I suspected that something grave and interesting was 
 about to take place. M. Eugene had appointed a rendez- 
 vous with his comrades at Pont^Tournant ; so I repaired to 
 that spot, and found a considerable gathering of officers in 
 uniform and on horseback, assembled in readiness to escort 
 General Bonaparte to Saint-Cloud. 
 
 The commandant of each part of the army had been 
 requested by General Bonaparte to give a breakfast to 
 their corps of officers ; and they had done so like my 
 young master. Nevertheless, the officers, even the gen- 
 erals, were not all in the secret ; and General Murat him- 
 self, who rushed into the Hall of the Five Hundred at 
 the head of the grenadiers, believed that it was only a 
 question of exemption, on account of age, that General 
 Bonaparte intended to propose, in order that he might 
 obtain the place of director. 
 
 I have learned from an authoritative source, that when 
 General Jube, 1 who was devoted to General Bonaparte, 
 assembled in the court of the Luxembourg, the guard of 
 the directors of which he was commander, the honest M. 
 
 l Historian and general, born 1765 ; died 1824. TRANS.
 
 GENERAL MAEMONT. 53 
 
 Gohier, 1 president of the Directory, put his head out of the 
 window, and cried to Jube : " Citizen General, what are 
 you doing down there ? " " Citizen President, you can 
 see for yourself I am mustering the guard." - "Certainly, 
 I see that very plainly, Citizen General; but why are you 
 mustering them ? " " Citizen President, I am going to 
 make an inspection of them, and order a grand maneuver. 
 Forward march ! " And the citizen general filed out at 
 the head of his troop to rejoin General Bonaparte at Saint- 
 Cloud ; while the latter was awaited at the house of the 
 citizen president, and the breakfast delayed to which Gen- 
 eral Bonaparte had been invited for that very morning. 
 
 General Marmont 2 had also entertained at breakfast 
 the officers of the division of the army which he com- 
 manded (it was, I think, the artillery). At the end of 
 the repast he addressed a few words to them, urging them 
 not to alienate their cause from that of the conqueror of 
 Italy, and to accompany him to Saint-Cloud. "But how 
 can we follow him ? " cried one of his guests. " We have 
 no horses." - " If that alone deters you, you will find 
 horses in the court of this hotel. I have seized all those 
 
 1 Louis Jerome Gohier, born at Semblancay, 1740 ; member of Legislative 
 Assembly in 1791; was made a judge, and in 1790 succeeded Treilhard in tho 
 Directory. In 1801 was consul-general to Holland ; and died in Paris in ob- 
 scurity, 1830, aged 90. TRANS. 
 
 2 Afterwards marshal and Duke of Ragusa, was of noble birth, and was 
 born at Chatillon-sur-Seine, 1774. He was aide-de-camp to Bonaparte in 
 the Italian campaign, and accompanied him as brigadier-general to Egypt. 
 Made general of division at Marengo and marshal at Wagram, 1809. He 
 lost the battle and an arm at Salamanca, 1812. He surrendered Paris in 
 1814, and was denounced by Napoleon as a traitor. In 1830 he unsuccess- 
 fully defended tho Tuileries for Charles X. His name was struck off the 
 army list, and he was exiled. He died at Venice, 1852, the last survivor of 
 Napoleon's marshals. He left his "Memoirs" and other writings. TKANS.
 
 54 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 of the national riding-school. Let us go below and 
 mount." All the officers present responded to the in- 
 vitation except General Allix, 1 who declared he would 
 take no part in all this disturbance. 
 
 I was at Saint^Cloud on the two days, 18th and 19th 
 Brumaire. 2 I saw General Bonaparte harangue the sol- 
 diers, and read to them the decree by which he had been 
 made commander-in-chief of all the troops at Paris, and 
 of the whole of the Seventeenth Military Division. I 
 saw him come out much agitated first from the Council .of 
 the Ancients, and afterwards from the Assembly of the 
 Five Hundred. I saw Lucien Bonaparte brought out of 
 the hall, where the latter assembly was sitting, by some 
 grenadiers, sent in to protect him from the violence of his 
 colleagues. Pale and furious, he threw himself on his 
 horse and galloped straight to the troops to address them ; 
 and when he pointed his sword at his brother's breast, say- 
 ing he would be the first to slay him if he dared to strike 
 at liberty, cries of " Vive Bonaparte ! down with the law- 
 yers ! " burst forth on all sides ; and the soldiers, led by 
 General Murat, rushed into the Hall of the Five Hun- 
 dred. Everybody knows what then occurred, and I will 
 not enter into details which have been so often related. 
 
 The general, now made First Consul, installed himself 
 at the Luxembourg, 3 though at this time he resided also at 
 Malmaison. But he was often on the road, as was also 
 Josephine ; for their trips to Paris when they occupied this 
 
 1 Born at Percy, Dept. of La Manche, 1776; died 1830. He was probably 
 not a general at this time, as he served as colonel at Marengo, 1800. TRANS. 
 
 2 9th and 10th of November, 1799. 
 
 8 In Paris, on the left bank of the Seine. The French Senate now holds 
 its sessions there. TRANS.
 
 MALMAISON. 55 
 
 residence were very frequent, not only on Government busi- 
 ness, which often required the presence of the First Consul, 
 but also for the purpose of attending the theater, of whose 
 performances General Bonaparte was very fond, giving the 
 preference always to the Theatre Frangais and the Italian 
 Opera. This observation I make in passing, preferring to 
 give hereafter the information I have obtained as to the 
 tastes and habits of the emperor. 
 
 Malmaison, at the period of which I speak, was a place 
 of unalloyed happiness, where all who came expressed their 
 satisfaction with the state of affairs ; everywhere also I 
 heard blessings invoked upon the First Consul and Madame 
 Bonaparte. There was not yet the shadow of that strict 
 etiquette which it was necessary afterwards to observe at 
 Saint-Cloud, at the Tuileries, and in all the palaces in 
 which the Emperor held his court. The consular court 
 was as yet distinguished by a simple elegance, equally 
 removed from republican rudeness and the luxuriousness 
 of the Empire. Talleyrand was, at this period, one of 
 those who came most frequently to Malmaison. He some- 
 times dined there, but arrived generally in the evening 
 between eight and nine o'clock, and returned at one, two, 
 and sometimes three in the morning. 
 
 All were admitted at Madame Bonaparte's on a foot- 
 ing of equality, which was most gratifying. There came 
 familiarly Murat, 1 Duroc, Berthier, and all those who 
 
 1 Joachim Murat, born 1771, near Cahors, son of an innkeeper, became 
 one of the body-guard of Louis XVI. First served under Bonaparte on the 
 13th Vendemiare, when he quelled the Sections of Paris. He became his 
 aide, accompanied him as general to Egypt, dispersed the Council of Five 
 Hundred on the 18th Brumaire. He became marshal in 1801," Grand Duke 
 of Berg and Cleves in 1806, and King of Naples in 1808. He commanded the
 
 56 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 have since figured as great dignitaries, and some even as 
 sovereigns, in the annals of the empire. 
 
 The family of General Bonaparte were assiduous in 
 their attentions ; but it was known among us that they 
 had no love for Madame Bonaparte, of which fact I had 
 many proofs. Mademoiselle Hortense never left her 
 mother, and they were devotedly attached to each other. 
 
 Besides men distinguished by their posts under the 
 government or in the army, there gathered others also who 
 were not less distinguished by personal merit, or the posi- 
 tion which their birth had given them before the Revolu- 
 tion. It was a veritable panorama, in which we saw the 
 persons themselves pass before our eyes. The scene it- 
 self, even exclusive of the gayety which always attended 
 the dinings of Eugene, had its attractions. Among 
 those whom we saw most frequently were Volney, 1 
 
 cavalry. He abandoned Napoleon in 1814, lost his own kingdom, and in 
 attempting to regain it was taken and shot, Oct. 13, 1815. He married 
 Caroline, sister of Napoleon. TRANS. 
 
 Duroc, horn at Pont-a-Mousson, 1772. In 1796 became aide-de-camp 
 of Bonaparte, accompanied him to Egypt, and was made general of brigade. 
 In 1805 became Grand Marshal of the Palace, and later Duke of Friuli; 
 commanded a division at Austerlitz, "Wagram, and Essling; and was killed 
 by a cannon-ball, at Bautzen in 1813. TRANS. 
 
 Alexandra Berthier, born 1753, at Versailles, served in America, and 
 was captain of engineers at the surrender of Yorktown. In 1796 he went to 
 Italy as major-general, and made the friendship of Napoleon ; accompanied 
 him to Egypt as chief of staff, and served ever afterwards in that capacity. 
 Became marshal in 1804, Prince of Neuchatel 1806, Prince of Wagram 1809. 
 Was one of the first to submit to the Bourbons in 1814. He married the 
 daughter of the King of Wiirtemberg. On the return from Elba, he was 
 killed at Bamberg by a fall from a balcony while watching troops marching 
 towards the French frontier, whether by his own act, or by masked men, has 
 never been determined. TRANS. 
 
 1 Constapt Francis Chassebeuf, calling himself Volney, celebrated 
 orientalist and philosopher, bom 1757. He published his celebrated KUI'HS
 
 1IOETENSE THROWN FROM HER JJORSE. 57 
 
 Denon, 1 Lemercier, 2 the Prince of Poix, de Laigle, Charles 
 Baudin, General Beurnonville, 3 Isabey, 4 and a number of 
 others, celebrated in science, literature, and art; in short, 
 the greater part of those who composed the society of 
 Madame de Montesson. 
 
 Madame Bonaparte and Mademoiselle Hortense often 
 took excursions on horseback into the country. On 
 these occasions her most constant escorts were the Prince 
 de Poix and M. de Laigle. One day, as this party was 
 re-entering the court-yard at Malmaison, the horse which 
 Hortense rode became frightened, and dashed off. She 
 was an accomplished rider, and very active, so she at- 
 tempted to spring off on the grass by the roadside ; but 
 the band which fastened the end of her riding-skirt under 
 her foot prevented her freeing herself quickly, and she 
 was thrown, and dragged by her horse for several yards. 
 
 in 1791. Came to the United States in 1795. On his return in 1798 he became 
 a member of the Institute, and later senator. He published several volumes 
 of travels and philosophy. Died, April, 1820. TRANS. 
 
 1 Baron Denon, born 1747, at Chalons-sur-Saone, accompanied Bona- 
 parte to Egypt, and afterwards was made director of Museums and the 
 Mint. He wrote several volumes. Died 1825. TRANS. 
 
 2 Nepomucene Lemercier, dramatic writer and author, was born at 
 Paris, 1771. He was elected member of the French Academy in 1810. 
 Talleyrand said he was the best conversationalist in France. Amid all 
 the changes of government he remained a republican. Died 1840. TRANS. 
 
 8 Pierre Kiel de Beurnonville, born in 1752 at Champignoles (Aube). 
 He served in the East Indies under Suffren, returned to France in 1789, 
 was at Jemmapes and Valmy, and became minister of war. Was sent 
 to arrest Dumouriez, but was arrested by him, and delivered up to the 
 Austrians. Under the Consulate and Empire, he was minister to Berlin 
 and to Madrid. Became senator 1805. He joined the Bourbons in 1814, 
 and fled to Ghent in 1815 with the king, who made him a marquis, and 
 subsequently marshal. Died 1821. TRANS. 
 
 4 Jean Baptiste Isabey, Court Painter to Napoleon. Born at Nancy, 
 1707; died 1855. TRANS.
 
 58 RECOLLECTIONS Off NAPOLEOtf. 
 
 Fortunately the gentlemen of the party, seeing her fall, 
 sprang from their horses in time to rescue her; and, by 
 extraordinary good fortune, she was not even bruised, and 
 was the first to laugh at her misadventure. 
 
 During the first part of my stay at Malmaison, the 
 First Consul always slept with his wife, like an ordi- 
 nary citizen of the middle classes in Paris ; and I heard 
 no rumor of any intrigue in the chateau. The persons of 
 this society, most of whom were young, and who were 
 often very numerous, frequently took part in sports which 
 recalled college days. In fact, one of the greatest diver- 
 sions of the inhabitants of Malmaison was to play "pris- 
 oners' base." It was usually after dinner ; and Bonaparte, 
 Lauriston, 1 Didelot, de Lucay, de Bourrienne, Eugene, 
 Rapp, 2 Isabey, Madame Bonaparte, and Mademoiselle Hor- 
 tense would divide themselves into two camps, in which 
 the prisoners taken, or exchanged, would recall to the 
 First Consul the greater game, which he so much pre- 
 ferred. In these games the most active runners were 
 Eugene, Isabey, and Hortense. As to General Bonaparte, 
 he often fell, but rose laughing boisterously. 
 
 General Bonaparte and his family seemed to enjoy 
 almost unexampled happiness, especially when at Mal- 
 
 1 Born at Pondicherry, East Indies, 1768; schoolmate of Napoleon, 
 and served as his aide-de-camp at Marengo. Governor-general of Venice, 
 1807; and in 1809 commander of the artillery of the Guard. Ambassador 
 to Russia 1811, and commanded an army corps 1813. Was made marshal 
 1823; died 1828. He was a great nephew of John Law, the famous financier. 
 TRANS. 
 
 2 Jean Rapp, born at Colmar 1772, was aide-de-camp to Desaix. Was 
 made general of division at Austerlitz ; held Dantzic in 1813, and preserved 
 Alsace in 1815. Became peer, and died 1821. Was remarkably handsome. 
 TRANS.
 
 AMATEUR THEATRICALS. 59 
 
 maison, which residence, though agreeable at that time, 
 was far from being what it has since become. This es- 
 tate consisted of the chateau, which Bonaparte found in 
 bad condition on his return from Egypt, a park already 
 somewhat improved, and a farm, the income of which did 
 not with any certainty exceed twelve thousand francs 
 a year. Josephine directed in person all the improvements 
 made there, and no woman ever possessed better taste. 
 
 From the first, they played amateur comedy at Mal- 
 maison, which was a relaxation the First Consul enjoyed 
 greatly, but in which he took no part himself except that 
 of looker-on. Every one in the house attended these rep- 
 resentations ; and I must confess we felt perhaps even 
 more pleasure than others in seeing thus travestied on the 
 stage those in whose service we were. 
 
 The Malmaison Troupe, if I may thus style actors of 
 such exalted social rank, consisted principally of Eugene, 
 Jerome, Lauriston, de Bourrienne, Isabey, de Leroy, Dide- 
 lot, Mademoiselle Hortense, Madame Caroline Murat, and 
 the two Mademoiselles Auguie, one of whom afterwards 
 married Marshal Ney, 1 and the other M. de Broc. All four 
 were very young and charming, and few theaters in Paris 
 could show four actresses as pretty. In addition to which, 
 they showed much grace in their acting, and played their 
 parts with real talent; and were as natural on the stage as 
 
 1 Michel Ney, styled by Napoleon the "bravest of the brave," was born 
 17G9, at Sarre-Louis (now in Prussia), son of a cooper. Entered the army as a 
 private 1787, adjutant-general 1794, general of brigade 1796, general of divis- 
 ion 1799, marshal 1804, Duke of Elchingen 1805, Prince of Moskwa 1812, and 
 commanded the rear-guard in the famous retreat from Russia. On the return 
 from Elba he went over to Napoleon; was at Waterloo. Was afterwards 
 taken, and in spite of the terms of the surrender of Paris was tried for 
 treason, and shot in the gardens of the Luxembourg, Dec. 8, 1815. TRANS.
 
 60 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 in the saloon, where they bore themselves with exquisite 
 grace and refinement. At first the repertoire contained lit- 
 tle variety, though the pieces were generally well selected. 
 The first representation which I attended was the " Barber 
 of Seville " 1 in which Isabey played the role of Figaro, 
 and Mademoiselle Hortense that of Rosine and the 
 "Spiteful Lover." Another time I saw played the "Un- 
 expected Wager," and " False Consultations." Hortense 
 and Eugene played this last piece perfectly ; and I still 
 recall that, in the role of Madame le Blanc, Hortense ap- 
 peared prettier than ever in the character of an old woman, 
 Eugene representing Le Noir, and Lauriston the charlatan. 
 The First Consul, as I have said, confined himself to the 
 role of spectator; but he seemed to take in these fireside 
 plays, so to speak, the greatest pleasure, laughed and ap- 
 plauded heartily, though sometimes he also criticised. 
 
 Madame Bonaparte was also highly entertained; and 
 even if she could not always boast of the successful acting 
 of her children, " the chiefs of the troupe," it sufficed her 
 that it was an agreeable relaxation to her husband, and 
 seemed to give him pleasure ; for her constant study was 
 to contribute to the happiness of the great man who had 
 united her destiny with his own. 
 
 When the day for the presentation of a play had been 
 appointed, there was never any postponement, but often 
 a change of the play; not because of the indisposition, or 
 fit of the blues, of an actress (as often happens in the 
 theaters of Paris), but for more serious reasons. It some- 
 times happened that M. d'Etieulette received orders to 
 rejoin his regiment, or an important mission was confided 
 1 The celebrated comedy by Beaumarchais. TRANS.
 
 NAPOLEON SIMPLY A SPECTATOR. 61 
 
 to Count Alma viva, though Figaro and Rosin e always re- 
 mained at their posts ; and the desire of pleasing the First 
 Consul was, besides, so general among all those who sur 
 rounded him, that the substitutes did their best in the 
 absence of the principals, and the play never failed for 
 want of an actor. 1 
 
 1 Michau, of the Come'die Fran9aise, was the instructor of the troupe. 
 Wherever it happened that an actor was wanting in animation, Michau 
 would exclaim : "Warmth! Warmth! Warmth!" Note by CONSTANT.
 
 62 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 M. Charvet. Events prior to the author's entrance into the service of 
 Madame Bonaparte. Departure for Egypt. La Pomone. Madame 
 Bonaparte at Plombieres. Terrible fall. Madame Bonaparte forced to 
 remain at the Springs, sends for her daughter. Dainties and mischief. 
 
 Euphemie. La Pomone captured by the English. Return to Paris. 
 Purchase of Malmaison. First plots against the life of the First Consul. 
 
 Marble-cutters. Poisoned tobacco. Projects of kidnapping. In- 
 stallation in the Tuileries. The horses and saber of Campo Formio. 
 The heroes of Egypt and Italy. Lannes. Murat. Eugene. Distri- 
 bution of apartments at the Tuileries. Kitchen service of the First 
 Consul. Service of the bedroom. M. de Bourrienne. Game of bil- 
 liards with Madame Bonaparte. The watch-dogs. Accident to a work- 
 man. Holidays of the First Consul. The First Consul much loved by 
 his household. "They would not dare." The First Consul inspecting 
 his household accounts. The yoke of misery. 
 
 I HAD been only a very short time in the service 
 of Madame Bonaparte when I made the acquaintance 
 of Charvet, the concierge of Malmaison, and in connection 
 with this estimable man became each day more and more 
 intimate, till at last he gave me one of his daughters in 
 marriage. I was eager to learn from him all that he 
 could tell me concerning Madame Bonaparte and the First 
 Consul prior to my entrance into the house; and in our 
 frequent conversations he took the greatest pleasure in 
 satisfying my curiosity. It is to him I owe the following 
 details as to the mother and daughter. 
 
 When General Bonaparte set out for Egypt, Madame 
 Bonaparte accompanied him as far as Toulon, and was 
 extremely anxious to go with him to Egypt. When the
 
 MADAME BONAPARTE AT PLOMBIEEES. 63 
 
 general made objections, she observed that having been 
 born a Creole, the heat of the climate would be more 
 favorable than dangerous to her. By a singular coinci- 
 dence it was on La Pomone that she wished to make the 
 journey; that is to say, on the very same vessel which 
 in her early youth had brought her from Martinique to 
 France. General Bonaparte, finally yielding to the wishes 
 of his wife, promised to send La Pomone for her, and 
 bade her go in the meantime to take the waters at Plom- 
 bieres. The matter being arranged between husband and 
 wife, Madame Bonaparte was delighted to go to the 
 springs of Plombieres which she had desired to visit 
 for a long time, knowing, like every one else, the repu- 
 tation these waters enjoyed for curing barrenness in 
 women. 
 
 Madame Bonaparte had been only a short time at Plom- 
 bieres, when one morning, while occupied in hemming a 
 turban and chatting with the ladies present, Madame de 
 Cambis, who was on the balcony, called to her to come and 
 see a pretty little dog passing along the street. All the 
 company hastened with Madame Bonaparte to the balcony, 
 which caused it to fall with a frightful crash. By a most 
 fortunate chance, no one was killed; though Madame de 
 Cambis had her leg broken, and Madame Bonaparte was 
 most painfully bruised, without, however, receiving any 
 fracture. Charvet, who was in a room behind the sa- 
 loon, heard the noise, and at once had a sheep killed 
 and skinned, and Madame Bonaparte wrapped in the skin. 
 It was a long while before she regained her health, her 
 arms and her hands especially being so bruised that she 
 was for a long time unable to use them ; and it was neces-
 
 64 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 sary to cut up her food, feed her, and, in fact, perform 
 the same offices for her as for an infant. 
 
 I related above that Josephine thought she was to re- 
 join her husband in Egypt, and consequently that her stay 
 at the springs of Plombieres would be of short duration : 
 but her accident led her to think that it would be pro- 
 longed indefinitely; she therefore desired, while waiting 
 for her complete recovery, to have with her her daughter 
 Hortense, then about fifteen years of age, who was being 
 educated in the boarding-school of Madame Canipan. She 
 sent for her a mulatto woman to whom she was much at- 
 tached, named Euphemie, who was the foster-sister of 
 Madame Bonaparte, and passed (I do not know if the 
 supposition was correct) as her natural sister. Euphemie, 
 accompanied by Charvet, made the journey in one of Ma- 
 dame Bonaparte's carriages. Mademoiselle Hortense, on 
 their arrival, was delighted with the journey she was about 
 to make, and above all with the idea of being near her 
 mother, for whom she felt the tenderest affection. Ma- 
 demoiselle Hortense was, I would not say, greedy, but she 
 was exceedingly fond of sweets; and Charvet, hi relating 
 these details, said to me, that at each town of any size 
 through which they passed the carriage was filled with bon- 
 bons and dainties, of which mademoiselle consumed a great 
 quantity. One day, while Euphemie and Charvet were 
 sound asleep, they were suddenly awakened by a report, 
 which sounded frightful to them, and caused them intense 
 anxiety, as they found when they awoke that they were 
 passing through a thick forest. This ludicrous incident 
 threw Hortense into fits of laughter ; for hardly had they 
 expressed their alarm when they found themselves deluged
 
 RETURN TO PARIS. 65 
 
 with an odoriferous froth, which explained the cause of the 
 explosion. A bottle of champagne, placed in one of the 
 pockets of the carriage, had been uncorked; and the heat, 
 added to the motion of the carriage, or rather the malice 
 of the young traveler, had made it explode with a loud 
 report. 
 
 When mademoiselle arrived at Plombieres, her mother's 
 health was almost restored ; so that the pupil of Madame 
 Campan found there all the distractions which please and 
 delight at the age which the daughter of Madame Bona- 
 parte had then attained. 
 
 There is truth in the saying that in all evil there is 
 good, for had this accident not happened to Madame 
 Bonaparte, it is very probable she would have become 
 a prisoner of the English; in fact, she learned that La 
 Pomone, the vessel on which she wished to make the 
 voyage, had fallen into the power of the enemies of France. 
 General Bonaparte, in all his letters, still dissuaded his 
 wife from the plan she had of rejoining him; and, conse- 
 quently, she returned to Paris. 
 
 On her arrival Josephine devoted her attention to 
 executing a wish General Bonaparte had expressed to her 
 before leaving. He had remarked to her that he should 
 like, on his return, to have a country seat ; and he charged 
 his brother to attend to this, which Joseph, however, failed 
 to do. Madame Bonaparte, who, on the contrary, was 
 always in search of what might please her husband, 
 charged several persons to make excursions in the envi- 
 rons of Paris, in order to ascertain whether a suitable 
 dwelling could be found. After having vacillated long 
 between Ris and Malmaison, she decided on the latter,
 
 66 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 which she bought from M. Lecoulteux-Dumoley, for, I 
 think, four hundred thousand francs. 1 Such were the par- 
 ticulars which Charvet was kind enough to give me when I 
 first entered the service of Madame Bonaparte. Every one 
 in the house loved to speak of her; and it was certainly 
 not to speak evil, for never was woman more beloved 
 by all who surrounded her, and never has one deserved 
 it more. General Bonaparte was also an excellent man 
 in the retirement of private life. 
 
 After the return of the First Consul from his cam- 
 paign in Egypt, several attempts against his life had been 
 made ; and the police had warned him many times to be 
 on his guard, and not to risk himself alone in the environs 
 of Malmaison. The First Consul had been very care- 
 less up to this period; but the discovery of the snares 
 which were laid for him, even in the privacy of his family 
 circle, forced him to use precautions and prudence. It 
 has been stated since, that these pretended plots were only 
 fabrications of the police to render themselves necessary 
 to the First Consul, or, perhaps, of the First Consul him- 
 self, to redouble the interest which attached to his person, 
 through fear of the perils which menaced his life ; and the 
 absurdity of these attempts is alleged as proof of this. I 
 could not pretend to elucidate such mysteries ; but it seems 
 to me that in such matters absurdity proves nothing, or, 
 at least, it does not prove that such plots did not exist. 
 The conspirators of that period set no bounds to their 
 extravagance ; for what could be more absurd, and at the 
 same time more real, than the atrocious folly of the infernal 
 machine ? 
 
 1 $80,000. At present it is the property of the French Government. 
 TKANS.
 
 PLOTS AGAINST FIRST CONSUL'S LIFE. 67 
 
 Be that as it may, I shall relate what passed under my 
 own eyes during the first month of my stay at Malmaison. 
 No one there, or, at least, no one in my presence, showed 
 the least doubt of the reality of these attempts. 
 
 In order to get rid of the First Consul, all means 
 appeared good to his enemies : they noted everything in 
 their calculations, even his absence of mind. The follow- 
 ing occurrence is proof of this : - 
 
 There were repairs and ornamentations to be made to 
 the mantel in the rooms of the First Consul at Malmaison. 
 The contractor in charge of this work had sent marble- 
 cutters, amongst whom had slipped in, it seems, a few 
 miserable wretches employed by the conspirators. The per- 
 sons attached to the First Consul were incessantly on the 
 alert, and exercised the greatest watchfulness; and it was 
 observed that among these workmen there were men who 
 pretended to work, but whose air and manner contrasted 
 strongly with their occupation. These suspicions were 
 unfortunately only too well founded ; for when the apart- 
 ments had been made ready to receive the First Consul, 
 and just as he was on the eve of occupying them, some one 
 making a final inspection found on the desk at which he 
 would first seat himself, a snuff-box, in every respect like 
 one of those which he constantly used. It was thought 
 at first that this box really belonged to him, and that 
 it had been forgotten and left there by his valet; but 
 doubts inspired by the suspicious manner of a few of 
 the marble-cutters, leading to further investigation, the 
 tobacco was examined and. analyzed. It was found to 
 be poisoned. 
 
 The authors of this perfidy had, it is said, at this time,
 
 68 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 communication with other conspirators, who engaged to 
 attempt another means of ridding themselves of the First 
 Consul. They promised to attack the guard of the chateau 
 (Malmaison), and to carry off by force the chief of the 
 government. With this intention, they had uniforms 
 made like those of the consular guards, who then stood 
 sentinel, day and night, over the First Consul, and followed 
 him on horseback in his excursions. In this costume, and 
 by the aid of signals, with their accomplices (the pretended 
 marble-cutters) on the inside, they could easily have ap- 
 proached and mingled with the guard, who were fed and 
 quartered at the chateau. They could even have reached 
 the First Consul, and carried him off. However, this first 
 project was abandoned as too uncertain ; and the conspira- 
 tors flattered themselves that they would succeed in their 
 undertaking more surely, and with less danger, by taking 
 advantage of the frequent journeys of the First Consul to 
 Paris. By means of their disguise they planned to dis- 
 tribute themselves on the road, among the guides of the 
 escort, and massacre them, their rallying-point being the 
 quarries of Nanterre ; but their plots were for the second 
 time foiled. There was in the park at Malmaison a deep 
 quarry ; and fears being entertained that they would 
 profit by it to conceal themselves therein, and exercise 
 some violence against the First Consul on one of his 
 solitary walks, it was decided to secure it with an iron 
 door. 
 
 On the 19th of February, at one in the afternoon, the 
 First Consul went in state to the Tuileries, which was then 
 called the Government palace, to install himself there with 
 all his household. With him were his two colleagues ;
 
 INSTALLATION IN THE TUILERIES. 69 
 
 one of whom, the third consul, 1 was to occupy the same 
 residence, and be located in the Pavilion de Flore. The 
 carriage of the consuls was drawn by six white horses, 
 which the Emperor of Germany had presented to the con- 
 queror of Italy after the signature of the treaty of peace 
 of Campo-Formio. The saber that the First Consul wore 
 at this ceremony was magnificent, and had also been pre- 
 sented to him by this monarch on the same occasion. 
 
 A remarkable thing in this formal change of residence 
 was that the acclamations and enthusiasm of the crowd, 
 and even of the most distinguished spectators, who^ filled 
 the windows of rue Thionville and of the quai Voltaire, 
 were addressed only to the First Consul, and to the young 
 warriors of his brilliant staff, who were yet bronzed by the 
 sun of the Pyramids or of Italy. At their head rode 
 General Lannes 2 and Murat ; the first easy to recognize by 
 his bold bearing and soldierly manners ; the second by the 
 same qualities, and further by a striking elegance, both of 
 costume and equipments. His new title of brother-in-law 
 of the First Consul contributed, also, greatly to fix upon 
 him the attention of all. As for myself, all my attention 
 was absorbed by the principal personage of the cortege, 
 
 1 Charles Francis Le Brun, the third consul, was born in Normandy, 
 1739. Translator of the Iliad, and a fine writer. Chief Treasurer in 1804. 
 Duke of Piacenza, 1808. Governor-general of Holland, 1810-1814. Died 
 1824. TRANS. 
 
 2 Jean Lannes, Duke of Montebello, and the ablest of Napoleon's mar- 
 shals, was born at Lectoure, 1769, of an obscure family, and was a dyer by 
 trade when he volunteered in 1792. He rose to be colonel by 1795, and dis- 
 tinguished himself in the army of Italy and in Egypt. He took a leading 
 part in the battles of Austerlitz, Jena, Eylau, and Friedland. His leg was 
 crushed at Essling, 1809, by a cannon-ball, of which he died soon after. He 
 was given a grand funeral ; and his remains, brought to Paris, were deposited 
 in the Pantheon. TRANS.
 
 70 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 whom, like every one around me, I regarded with something 
 like a religious reverence ; and by his stepson, the son of 
 my excellent mistress, himself once my master, the brave, 
 modest, good Prince Eugene, who at that time, however, 
 was not yet a prince. On his arrival at the Tuileries, the 
 First Consul took possession at once of the apartments 
 which he afterwards occupied, and which were formerly 
 part of the royal apartments. These apartments consisted of 
 a bed-chamber, a bathroom, a cabinet, and a saloon, in which 
 he gave audience in the forenoon ; of a second saloon, in 
 which were stationed his aides-de-camp on duty, and which 
 he used as a dining-room ; and also a very large ante- 
 chamber. Madame Bonaparte had her separate apartments 
 on the ground floor, the same which she afterwards occu- 
 pied as Empress. Beneath the suite of rooms occupied by 
 the First Consul was the room of Bourrienne, his private 
 secretary, which communicated with the apartments of the 
 First Consul by means of a private staircase. 
 
 Although at this period there were already courtiers, 
 there was not, however, yet a court, and the etiquette was 
 exceedingly simple. The First Consul, as I believe I have 
 already said, slept hi the same bed with his wife; and they 
 lived together, sometimes at the Tuileries, sometimes at 
 Malmaison. As yet there were neither grand marshal, nor 
 chamberlains, nor prefects of the palace, nor ladies of 
 honor, nor lady ushers, nor ladies of the wardrobe, nor 
 pages. The household of the First Consul was composed 
 only of M. Pfister, steward; Venard, chief cook; Galliot, 
 and Danger, head servants ; Colin, butler. Ripeau was 
 librarian ; Vigogne, senior, in charge of the stables. Those 
 attached to his personal service were Hambard, head valet ;
 
 RECEPTION OF TIIE DIPLOMATIC COEPS. 71 
 
 Herbert, ordinary valet; and Roustan, mameluke of the 
 First Consul. There were, beside these, fifteen persons to 
 discharge the ordinary duties of the household. De Bour- 
 rienne superintended everything, and regulated expenses, 
 and, although very strict, won the esteem and affection of 
 every one. 
 
 He was kind, obliging, and above all very just; and 
 consequently at the time of his disgrace the whole house- 
 hold was much distressed. As for myself, I retain a 
 sincerely respectful recollection of him ; and I believe that, 
 though he has had the misfortune to find enemies among 
 the great, he found among his inferiors only grateful hearts 
 and sincere regrets. 
 
 Some days after this installation, there was at the 
 chateau a reception of the diplomatic corps. It will be 
 seen from the details, which I shall give, how very simple 
 at that time was the etiquette of what they already called 
 the Court. 
 
 At eight o'clock in the evening, the apartments of 
 Madame Bonaparte, situated, as I have just said, on the 
 ground floor adjoining the garden, were crowded with 
 people. There was an incredible wealth of plumes, dia- 
 monds, and dazzling toilets. The crowd was so great that 
 it was found necessary to throw open the bedroom of 
 Madame Bonaparte, as the two saloons were so full there 
 was not room to move. 
 
 When, after much embarrassment and difficulty, every 
 one had found a place as they could, Madame Bonaparte 
 was announced, and entered, leaning on the arm of Talley- 
 rand. She wore a dress of white muslin with short sleeves, 
 and a necklace of pearls. Her head was uncovered ; and
 
 72 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 the beautiful braids of her hair, arranged with charming 
 negligence, were held in place by a tortoise-shell comb. 
 The flattering murmur which greeted her appearance was 
 most grateful to her ; and never, I believe, did she display 
 more grace and majesty. 
 
 Talleyrand, 1 giving his hand to Madame Bonaparte, 
 had the honor of presenting to her, one after another, the 
 members of the Diplomatic Corps, not according to their 
 names, but that of the courts they represented. He then 
 made with her the tour of the two saloons, and the circuit 
 of the second was only half finished when the First Consul 
 entered without being announced. He was dressed in a 
 very plain uniform, with a tricolored silk scarf, with 
 fringes of the same around his waist. He wore close- 
 fitting pantaloons of white cassimere, and top-boots, and 
 held his hat in his hand. This plain dress, in the midst 
 of the embroidered coats loaded with cordons and orders 
 worn by the ambassadors and foreign dignitaries, presented 
 a contrast as striking as the toilette of Madame Bonaparte 
 compared with that of the other ladies present. 
 
 Before relating how I exchanged the service of Madame 
 Bonaparte for that of the chief of state, and a sojourn at 
 Malmaison for the second campaign of Italy, I think I 
 
 1 Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord, born at Paris, 1754, was de- 
 scended from the counts of Perigord. Rendered lame by an accident, he en- 
 tered the clergy, and in 1788 became Bishop of Autun. In the States-General 
 he sided with the Revolution. During the Reign of Terror he visited Eng- 
 land and the United States. Recalled in 1796, he became minister of foreign 
 affairs under the Directory, which post he retained under the Consulate. In 
 1806 he was made Prince of Benevento. He soon fell into disgrace. Sided 
 with the Bourbons in 1814, and was minister at the congress of Vienna, presi- 
 dent of the council, and minister under the king. Died 1838. His long- 
 promised memoirs lately published are disappointing. TRANS.
 
 CONSTANT PLAYS BILLIARDS. 73 
 
 should pause to recall one or two incidents which belong 
 to the time spent in the service of Madame Bonaparte. 
 She loved to sit up late, and, when almost everybody 
 else had retired, to play a game of billiards, or more often 
 of backgammon. It happened on one occasion that, having 
 dismissed every one else, and not yet being sleepy, she 
 asked if I knew how to play billiards, and upon my reply- 
 ing in the affirmative, requested me with charming grace 
 to play with her ; and I had often afterwards the honor of 
 doing so. Although I had some skill, I always managed 
 to let her beat me, which pleased her exceedingly. If this 
 was flattery, I must admit it; but I would have done the 
 same towards any other woman, whatever her rank and 
 her relation to me, had she been even half as lovely as 
 was Madame Bonaparte. 
 
 The concierge of Malmaison, who possessed the entire 
 confidence of his employers, among other means of pre- 
 caution and watchfulness conceived by him in order to 
 protect the residence and person of the First Consul from 
 any sudden attack, had trained for the chateau several 
 large dogs, among which were two very handsome New- 
 foundlands. Work on the improvements of Malmaison 
 went on incessantly, and a large number of workmen 
 lodged there at night, who were carefully warned not to 
 venture out alone ; but one night as some of the watch- 
 dogs were with the workmen in their lodgings, and allowed 
 themselves to be caressed, their apparent docility encour- 
 aged one of these men to attempt the imprudence of 
 venturing out. Believing that the surest way to avoid 
 danger was to put himself under the protection of one of 
 those powerful animals, he took one of them with him,
 
 74 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 and in a very friendly manner they passed out of the door 
 together ; but no sooner had they reached the outside, than 
 the dog sprang upon his unfortunate companion and threw 
 him down. The cries of the poor workman brought some 
 of the guard, who ran to his aid. Just in time ; for the 
 dog was holding him fast to the ground, and had seized 
 him by the throat. He was rescued, badly wounded. 
 Madame Bonaparte, when she was informed of this acci- 
 dent, had him nursed till perfectly cured, and gave him 
 a handsome gratuity, but recommended him to be more 
 prudent in the future. 
 
 Every moment that the First Consul could snatch from 
 affairs of state he passed at Malmaison. The evening of 
 each decadi 1 was a time of expectation and joy at the 
 chateau. Madame Bonaparte sent domestics on horseback 
 and on foot to meet her husband, and often went herself, 
 accompanied by her daughter and her Malmaison friends. 
 When not on duty, I went myself and alone: for every- 
 body felt for the First Consul the same affection, and ex- 
 perienced in regard to him the same anxiety ; and such was 
 the bitterness and boldness of his enemies that the road, 
 though short, between Paris and Malmaison was full of 
 dangers and snares. We knew that many plans had been 
 laid to kidnap him on this road, and that these attempts 
 might be renewed. The most dangerous spot was the 
 quarries of Nanterre, of which I have already spoken; so 
 they were carefully examined, and guarded by his follow- 
 ers each day on which the First Consul was to pass, and 
 
 1 Under the Republic, Sunday was abolished. A decade of ten days was 
 substituted for the week ; and the decadi, or tenth day, took the place of the 
 Sabbath. TRANS.
 
 " TUEY WOULD NOT DARE." 75 
 
 finally the depressions nearest the road were filled up. 
 The First Consul was gratified by our devotion to him, 
 and gave us proofs of his satisfaction, though he himself 
 seemed always free from fear or uneasiness. Very often, 
 indeed, he mildly ridiculed our anxiety, and would re- 
 late very seriously to the good Josephine what a narrow 
 escape he had on the road ; how men of a sinister appear- 
 ance had shown themselves many times on his way; how 
 one of them had had the boldness to aim at him, etc. And 
 when he saw her well frightened, he would burst out laugh- 
 ing, give her some taps or kisses on her cheek and neck, 
 saying to her, "Have no fear, little goose; they would not 
 dare" On these "days of furlough," as he called them, 
 he was occupied more with his private affairs than with 
 those of state ; but never could he remain idle. He would 
 make them pull down, put up again, build, enlarge, set out, 
 prune, incessantly, both in the chateau and in the park, 
 while he examined the bills of expenses, estimated receipts, 
 and ordered economies. Time passed quickly in all these 
 occupations ; and the moment soon came when it was neces- 
 sary to return, and, as he expressed it, put on again the 
 yoke of misery.
 
 76 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The First Consul takes the author into his service. Forgotten. His chagrin. 
 
 Consolation offered by Madame Bonaparte. Reparation. Departure 
 of Constant for the headquarters of the First Consul. Enthusiasm of 
 soldiers setting out for Italy. The author rejoins the First Consul. 
 Hospice of Mt. St. Bernard. The passage. The mountain sledge. 
 Humanity of the monks, and generosity of the First Consul. Passage of 
 Mt. Albaredo. Coup d'oeil of the First Consul. Capture of the fort of 
 Bard. Entry into Milan. Joy and confidence of the Milanese. The 
 colleagues of Constant. Hambard. HeT>ert. Roustan. Ibrahim- 
 Ali. Anger of an Arab. The poniard. The unexpected bath. Con- 
 tinuation of the campaign of Italy. The combat of Montebello. The 
 arrival of Desaix. Long interview with the First Consul. Anger of 
 Desaix against the English. Battle of Marengo. Painful uncertainty. 
 
 Victory. Death of Desaix. Grief of the First Consul. Aides-de- 
 camp of Desaix become aides-de-camp of the First Consul. Messieurs 
 Rapp and Savary. Tomb of Desaix on Mt. St. Bernard. 
 
 TOWARDS the end of March, 1800, five or six months 
 after my entrance into the service of Madame Bonaparte, 
 the First Consul while at dinner one day regarded me 
 intently; and having carefully scrutinized and measured 
 me from head to foot, " Young man," said he, " woulgl 
 you like to go with me on the campaign ? " I replied, 
 with much emotion, that I would ask nothing better. 
 " Very well, then, you shall go with me ! " and on rising 
 from the table, he ordered Pfister, the steward, to place 
 my name on the list of the persons of his household 
 who would accompany him. My preparations did not 
 require much time ; for I was delighted with the idea of 
 being attached to the personal service of so great a man,
 
 CONSTANT LEFT BEHIND. 77 
 
 and in imagination saw myself already beyond the Alps. 
 But the First Consul set out without me. Pfister, by 
 a defect of memory, perhaps intentional, had forgotten 
 to place my name on the list. I was in despair, and 
 went to relate, with teal's, my misfortune to my excellent 
 mistress, who was good enough to endeavor to console me, 
 saying, " Well, Constant, everything is not lost ; you will 
 stay with me. You can hunt in the park to pass the 
 time ; and perhaps the First Consul may yet send for you." 
 However, Madame Bonaparte did not really believe this ; 
 for she thought, as I did, although out of kindness she did 
 not wish to say this to me, that the First Consul having 
 changed his mind, and no longer wishing my services on 
 the campaign, had himself given the counter orders. How- 
 ever, I soon had proof to the contrary. In passing through 
 Dijon, on his way to Mt. St. Bernard, the First Consul 
 asked for me, and learning that they had forgotten me, 
 expressed his dissatisfaction, and directed Bourrienne to 
 write immediately to Madame Bonaparte, requesting her to 
 send me on without delay. 
 
 One morning, when my chagrin was more acute than 
 ever, Madame Bonaparte sent for me, and said, holding 
 Bourrienne's letter in her hand, " Constant, since you have 
 determined to quit us to make the campaign, you may 
 rejoice, for you are now about to leave. The First Consul 
 has sent for you. Go to the office of Maret, and ascertain 
 if he will not soon send a courier. You will accompany 
 him." I was inexpressibly delighted at this good news, 
 and did not try to conceal my pleasure. " You are very 
 well satisfied to leave us," said Madame Bonaparte with 
 a land smile. " It is not leaving Madame, but joining
 
 78 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 the First Consul, which delights me." " I hope so," replied 
 she. " Go, Constant ; and take good care of him." If 
 any incentive had been needed, this injunction of my noble 
 mistress would have added to the zeal and fidelity with 
 which I had determined to discharge my new duties. 
 I hurried without delay to the office of Maret, 1 secretary 
 of state, who already knew me, and had shown his good-will 
 for me. "Get ready at once," said he; "a courier will 
 set out this evening or to-morrow morning." I returned 
 in all haste to Malmaison, and announced to Madame Bo- 
 naparte my immediate departure. She immediately had a 
 good postchaise made ready for me, and Thibaut (for that 
 was the name of the courier I was to accompany) was 
 directed to obtain horses for me along the route. Maret 
 gave me eight hundred francs for the expenses of my trip, 
 which sum, entirely unexpected by me, filled me with won- 
 der, for I had never been so rich. At four o'clock in the 
 morning, having heard from Thibaut that everything was 
 ready, I went to his house, where the postchaise awaited 
 me, and we set out. 
 
 I traveled very comfortably, sometimes in the post- 
 chaise, sometimes on horseback ; I taking Thibaut's place, 
 and he mine. I expected to overtake the First Consul at 
 Martigny ; but his traveling had been so rapid, that I caught 
 up with him only at the convent of Mt. St. Bernard. 
 Upon our route we constantly passed regiments on the 
 march, composed of officers and soldiers who were hasten- 
 ing to rejoin their different corps. Their enthusiasm was 
 
 1 Hugues B. Mare"t, born at Dijon, 1763, one of the founders of the 
 Moniteur, the famous official newspaper, became secretary of state, 1804 ; was 
 created Duke of Bassano ; was exiled in 1815 ; became minister again after 
 the Revolution of 1830; died 1839. TRANS.
 
 HOSPICE OF MT. ST. BEENARD. 79 
 
 irrepressible, those who had made the campaign of Italy 
 rejoiced at returning to so fine a country ; those who had 
 not yet done so were burning with impatience to see the 
 battlefields immortalized by French valor, and by the 
 genius of the hero who still marched at their head. All 
 went as if to a festival, and singing songs they climbed the 
 mountains of Valais. It was eight o'clock in the morning 
 when I arrived at headquarters. Pfister announced me; 
 arid I found the general-in-chief in the great hall, in the 
 basement of the Hospice. He was taking breakfast, 
 standing, with his staff. As soon as he saw me, he said, 
 " Here you are, you queer fellow ! why didn't you come 
 with me ? " I excused myself by saying that to my great 
 regret I had received a counter order, or, at least, they 
 had left me behind at the moment of departure. "Lose 
 no time, my friend ; eat quickly ; we are about to start." 
 From this moment I was attached to the personal service 
 of the First Consul, in the quality of ordinary valet ; 
 that is to say, in my turn. This duty gave me little to 
 do; Hambard, the head valet of the First Consul, being in 
 the habit of dressing him from head to foot. 
 
 Immediately after breakfast we began to descend the 
 mountain, many sliding down on the snow, very much as 
 they coast at the garden Beaujon, from top to bottom of 
 the Montagues Russes, and I followed their example. This 
 they called "sledding." The general-in-chief also de- 
 scended in this manner an almost perpendicular glacier. 
 His guide was a young countryman, active and courageous, 
 *to whom the First Consul promised a sufficiency for the 
 rest of his days. Some young soldiers who had wandered 
 off into the snow were found, almost dead with cold, by the
 
 80 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 dogs sent out by the monks, and carried to the Hospice, 
 where they received every possible attention, and their 
 lives were saved. The First Consul gave substantial proof 
 of his gratitude to the good fathers for a charity so useful 
 and generous. Before leaving the Hospice, where he had 
 found tables loaded with food already prepared awaiting 
 the soldiers as soon as they reached the summit of the 
 mountain, he gave to the good monks a considerable sum 
 of money, in reward for the hospitality he and his com- 
 panions in arms had received, and an order on the treasuiy 
 for an annuity in support of the convent. 1 
 
 The same day we climbed Mount Albaredo ; but as 
 this passage was impracticable for cavalry and artillery, he 
 ordered them to pass outside the town of Bard, under the 
 batteries of the fort. The First Consul had ordered that 
 they should pass it at night, and on a gallop ; and he had 
 straw tied around the wheels of the caissons and on the 
 feet of the horses, but even these precautions were not al- 
 together sufficient to prevent the Austrians hearing our 
 troops. The cannon of the fort rained grape-shot inces- 
 santly; but fortunately the houses of the town sheltered 
 our soldiers from the enemy's guns, and more than half 
 the army passed without much loss. I was with the house- 
 hold of the First Consul, which under the care of General 
 Gardanne 2 flanked the fort. 
 
 The 23d of May we forded a torrent which flowed be- 
 
 1 These supplies for a whole army had been sent up in advance by the 
 First Consul. The hospitality of the monks consisted in dispensing them, and 
 in their care of those discovered half-frozen and brought in. TRANS. 
 
 2 Mathier Claude Gardanne, born at Marseilles, 1766, aide-de-camp to the 
 Emperor, 1804 ; distinguished himself at Austerlitz, Jena, and Eylau ; embas^ 
 sador to Persia, 1807 ; died 1818. TRANS.
 
 PASSAGE OF MT. ALBAREDO. 81 
 
 tween the town and the fort, with the First Consul at our 
 head, and then, followed by General Berthier and some 
 other officers, took the path over the Albaredo, which 
 overlooked the fort and the town of Bard. Directing his 
 field-glass towards the hostile batteries, from the fire of 
 which he was protected only by a few bushes, he criti- 
 cised the dispositions which had been made by the officer 
 in charge of the siege of the fort, and ordered changes, 
 which he said would cause the place to fall into our hands 
 in a short time. Freed now from the anxiety which this 
 fort had caused him, and which he said had prevented his 
 sleeping the two days he had passed in the convent of 
 Maurice, he stretched himself at the foot of a fir-tree and 
 took a refreshing nap, while the army was making good its 
 passage. Rising from this brief interval of repose, he de- 
 scended the mountain and continued his march to Ivree, 
 where we passed the night. 
 
 The brave General Lannes, who commanded the ad- 
 vance guard, acted somewhat in the capacity of quarter- 
 master, taking possession of all the places which barred the 
 road. Only a few hours before we entered he had forced 
 the passage of Ivree. 
 
 Such was this miraculous passage of St. Bernard. 
 Horses, cannon, caissons, and an immense quantity of army 
 stores of all kinds, everything, in fact, was drawn or car- 
 ried over glaciers which appeared inaccessible, and by paths 
 which seemed impracticable even for a single man. The 
 Austrian cannon were not more successful than the snow 
 in stopping the French army. So true is it that the genius 
 and perseverance of the First Consul were communicated, 
 so to speak, to the humblest of his soldiers, and inspired
 
 82 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 them with a courage and a strength, the results of which 
 will appear fabulous to posterity. 
 
 On the 2d of June, which was the day after the pas- 
 sage of the Ticino, and the day of our entrance into Milan, 
 the First Consul learned that the fort of Bard had been 
 taken the evening before, showing that his dispositions had 
 led to a quick result, and the road of communication by 
 the St. Bernard was now free from all obstructions. The 
 First Consul entered Milan without having met much re- 
 sistance, the whole population turned out on his entrance, 
 and he was received with a thousand acclamations. The 
 confidence of the Milanese redoubled when they learned 
 that he had promised the members of the assembled clergy 
 to maintain the catholic worship and clergy as already es- 
 tablished, and had compelled them to take the oath of 
 fidelity to the cisalpine republic. 
 
 The First Consul remained several days in this capi- 
 tal ; and I had time to form a more intimate acquaintance 
 with my colleagues, who were, as I have said, Hambard, 
 Roustan, and Hebert. We relieved each other every 
 twenty-four hours, at noon precisely. As has always been 
 my rule when thrown into association with strangers, I 
 observed, as closely as circumstances permitted, the char- 
 acter and temper of my comrades, so that I could regu- 
 late my conduct in regard to them, and know in advance 
 what I might have to fear or hope from association with 
 them. 
 
 Hambard had an unbounded devotion for the First Con- 
 sul, whom he had followed to Egypt, but unfortunately his 
 temper was gloomy and misanthropic, which made him ex- 
 tremely sullen and disagreeable ; and the favor which Rons-
 
 HAMBAED. 83 
 
 tan enjoyed perhaps contributed to increase this gloomy 
 disposition. In a kind of mania he imagined himself to be 
 the object of a special espionage; and when his hours of 
 service were over, he would shut himself up in his room, 
 and pass in mournful solitude the whole time he was not 
 on duty. The First Consul, when in good humor, would 
 joke with him upon this savage disposition, calling him 
 Mademoiselle Hambard. " Ah, well, what were you doing 
 there in your room all by yourself? Doubtless you were 
 reading some poor romances, or some old books about 
 princesses carried off and kept under guard by a barbarous 
 giant." To which Hambard would sullenly reply, " Gen- 
 eral, you no doubt know better than I what I was doing," 
 referring in this way to the spies by which he believed 
 himself to be always surrounded. Notwithstanding this 
 unfortunate disposition, the First Consul felt very kindly 
 to him. When the Emperor went to camp at Boulogne, 
 Hambard refused to accompany him ; and the Emperor gave 
 him, as a place of retreat, the charge of the palace of 
 Meudon. There he showed unmistakable symptoms of in- 
 sanity, and his end was lamentable. During the Hundred 
 Days, after a conversation with the Emperor, he threw 
 himself against a carving-knife with such violence that 
 the blade came out two inches behind his back. As it 
 was believed at this time that I had incurred the anger 
 of the Emperor, the rumor went abroad that it was I 
 who had committed suicide, and this tragic death was 
 announced in several papers as mine. 
 
 Hebert, ordinary valet, was a very agreeable young 
 fellow, but very timid, and was, like all the rest of the 
 household, devotedly attached to the First Consul. It
 
 84 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 happened one day in Egypt that the latter, who had 
 never been able to shave himself (it was I who taught 
 him how to shave himself, as I shall relate elsewhere at 
 length), called Hebert to shave him, in the absence of 
 Hambard, who ordinarily discharged that duty. As it had 
 sometimes happened that Hebert, on account of his great 
 timidity, had cut his master's chin, on that day the latter, 
 who held a pair of scissors in his hand, when Hebert 
 approached him, holding his razor, said, " Take care, you 
 scamp ; if you cut me, I will stick my scissors into your 
 stomach." This threat, made with an air of pretended 
 seriousness, but which was in fact only a jest, such as I 
 have seen the Emperor indulge in a hundred times, pro- 
 duced such an impression on Hebert, that it was impos- 
 sible for him to finish his work. He was seized with a 
 convulsive trembling, the razor fell from his hand, and 
 the general-in-chief in vain bent his neck, and said to him 
 many times, laughing " Come, finish, you scamp." Not 
 only was Hebert unable to complete his task that day, 
 but from that time he had to renounce the duty of barber. 
 The Emperor did not like this excessive timidity in the 
 servants of his household; but this did not prevent him, 
 when he restored the castle of Rambouillet, from giving 
 to Hebert the place of concierge which he requested. 
 
 Roustan, so well known under the name of Mameluke, 
 belonged to a good family of Georgia ; carried off at the 
 age of six or seven, and taken to Cairo, he was there 
 brought up among the young slaves who attended upon the 
 mamelukes, until he should be of sufficient age to enter 
 this warlike militia. The Sheik of Cairo, in making a 
 present to General Bonaparte of a magnificent Arab horse,
 
 EOUSTAN. 85 
 
 had given him at the same time Roustan and Ibrahim, an- 
 other mameluke, who was afterwards attached to the ser- 
 vice of Madame Bonaparte, under the name of Ali. It is 
 well known that Roustan became an indispensable accom- 
 paniment on all occasions when the Emperor appeared in 
 public. He was with him in all his expeditions, in all 
 processions, and, which was especially to his honor, in all his 
 battles. In the brilliant staff which followed the Em- 
 peror he shone more than all others by the richness of his 
 Oriental costume ; and his appearance made a decided im- 
 pression, especially upon the common people and in the 
 provinces. He was believed to have great influence with 
 the Emperor; because, as credulous people said, Roustan 
 had saved his master's life by throwing himself between 
 him and the saber of an enemy who was about to strike 
 him. I think that this belief was unfounded, and that the 
 especial favor he enjoyed was due to the habitual kindness 
 of his Majesty towards every one in his service. Besides, 
 this favor affected in no wise his domestic relations; for 
 when Roustan, who had married a young and pretty 
 French girl, a certain Mademoiselle Douville, whose father 
 was valet to the Empress Josephine, was reproached by 
 certain journals in 1814 and 1815 with not having fol- 
 lowed to the end of his fortunes the man for whom he 
 had always expressed such intense devotion, Roustan re- 
 plied that the family ties which he had formed prevented 
 his leaving France, and that he could not destroy the hap- 
 piness of his own household. 
 
 Ibrahim took the name of Ali when he passed into the 
 service of Madame Bonaparte. He was of more than 
 Arabic ugliness, and had a wicked look. I recall in this
 
 86 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 connection a little incident which took place at Malmaison, 
 which will give an idea of his character. One day, while 
 playing on the lawn of the chateau, I unintentionally threw 
 him down while running ; and furious at his fall, he rose 
 up, drew his poniard, which he always wore, and dashed 
 after me to strike me. I laughed at first, like every one 
 else, at the accident, and amused myself by making him 
 run ; but warned by the cries of my comrades, and looking 
 back to see how close he was, I perceived at the same time 
 his dagger and his rage. I stopped at once, and planted 
 my foot, with my eye fixed upon his poniard, and was for- 
 tunate enough to avoid his blow, which, however, grazed 
 my breast. Furious in my turn, as may be imagined, I 
 seized him by his flowing pantaloons, and pitched him ten 
 feet into the stream of Malmaison, which was barely two 
 feet deep. The plunge brought him at once to his senses ; 
 and besides, his poniard had gone to the bottom, which made 
 him much less dangerous. But in his disappointment he 
 yelled so loudly that Madame Bonaparte heard him ; and as 
 she had quite a fancy for her mameluke, I was sharply 
 scolded. However, this poor AH was of such an unsocial 
 temperament that he got into difficulties with almost every 
 one in the household, and at last was sent away to Fon- 
 tainebleau, to take the place of man-servant there. 
 
 I now return to our campaign. On the 13th of June 
 the First Consul spent the night at Torre-di-Galifolo, where 
 he established his headquarters. From the day of our entry 
 into Milan the advance of the army had not slackened ; 
 General Murat had passed the Po, and taken possession of 
 Piacenza; and General Lannes, still pushing forward with 
 his brave advance guard, had fought a bloody battle at
 
 MONTEBELLO. 87 
 
 Montebcllo, a name which, he afterwards rendered illus- 
 trious by bearing it. The recent arrival of General Desaix, 
 who had just returned from Egypt, completed the joy of 
 the general-iii-chief, and also added much to the confidence 
 of the soldiers, by whom the good and modest Desaix l was 
 adored. The First Consul received him with the frankest 
 and most cordial friendship, and they remained together 
 three consecutive hours in private conversation. At the 
 end of this conference, an order of the day announced to 
 the army that General Desaix would take command of 
 the division Boudet. I heard some persons in the suite 
 of General Desaix say that his patience and evenness of 
 temper were rudely tried during his voyage, by contrary 
 winds, forced delays, the ennui of quarantine, and above 
 all by the bad conduct of the English, who had kept him 
 for some time a prisoner in their fleet, in sight of the 
 shores of France, although he bore a passport, signed by 
 the English authorities in Egypt, in consequence of the 
 capitulation which had been mutually agreed upon. Con- 
 sequently his resentment against them was very ardent ; 
 and he regretted much, he said, that the enemy he was 
 about to fight was not the English. 
 
 In spite of the simplicity of his tastes and habits, no 
 one was more ambitious of glory than this brave general. 
 All his rage against the English was caused by the fear 
 that he might not arrive in time to gather new laurels. 
 He did indeed arrive in time, but only to find a glorious 
 death, alas, so premature ! 
 
 1 Louis Charles Antoine Desaix, born in Auvergne, 1768, distinguished 
 himself in the army of the Rhine, defended Kohl 1798, accompanied Bona- 
 parte to Egypt, where he acquired from the natives the title of " Sultan the 
 Just," commanded two divisions at Marengo, which victory was due to him, 
 and was killed in that battle, aged thirty-two. TRANS.
 
 88 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 It was on the fourteenth that the celebrated battle of 
 Marengo took place, which began early in the morning, and 
 lasted throughout the day. I remained at headquarters 
 with all the household of the First Consul, where we were 
 almost within range of the cannon on the battlefield. 
 Contradictory news constantly came, one report declaring 
 the battle completely lost, the next giving us the victory. 
 At one time the increase in the number of our wounded, 
 and the redoubled firing of the Austrian cannon, made us 
 believe that all was lost ; and then suddenly came the news 
 that this apparent falling back was only a bold maneuver 
 of the First Consul, and that a charge of General Desaix 
 had gained the battle. But the victory was bought at a 
 price dear to France and to the heart of the First Consul. 
 Desaix, struck by a bullet, fell dead on the field ; and the 
 grief of his soldiers serving only to exasperate their cour- 
 age, they routed, by a bayonet charge, the enemy, who were 
 already shaken by the brilliant cavalry charge of General 
 Kellermann. The First Consul slept upon the field of 
 battle, and notwithstanding the decisive victory that he had 
 gained, was very sad, and said that evening, in the presence 
 of Hambard and myself, many things which showed the 
 profound grief he experienced in the death of General 
 Desaix. He said, "France has lost one of her bravest 
 defenders, and I one of my best friends; no one knew 
 how much courage there was in the heart of Desaix, nor 
 how much genius in his head." He thus solaced his grief 
 by making to each and all a eulogy on the hero who had 
 died on the field of honor. 
 
 "My brave Desaix," he further said, "always wished 
 to die thus;" and then added, almost with tears in his
 
 DEATH OF DESAIX. 89 
 
 eyes, "but ought death to have been so prompt to grant 
 his wish ? " 
 
 There was not a soldier in our victorious army who 
 did not share so just a sorrow. Rapp and Savary, the 
 aides-de-camp of Desaix, remained plunged in the most 
 despairing grief beside the body of their chief, whom they 
 called their father, rather to express his unfailing kind- 
 ness to them than the dignity of his character. Out of 
 respect to the memory of his friend, the general-in-chief, 
 although his staff was full, added these two young officers 
 in the quality of aides-de-camp. 
 
 Commandant 1 Rapp (for such only was his rank at 
 that time) was then, as he has ever been, good, full of 
 courage, and universally beloved. His frankness, which 
 sometimes bordered on brusqueness, pleased the Emperor; 
 and I have many times heard him speak in praise of his 
 aide-de-camp, whom he always styled, "My brave Rapp." 
 Rapp was not lucky in battle, for he rarely escaped without 
 a wound. While thus anticipating events, I will mention 
 that in Russia, on the eve of the battle of La Moskwa, the 
 Emperor said, in my presence, to General Rapp, who had 
 just arrived from Dantzic, " See here, my brave fellow, we 
 will beat them to-morrow, but take great care of yourself. 
 You are not a favorite of fortune." " That is," said the 
 general, " the premium to be paid on the business, but I 
 shall none the less on that account do my best." 
 
 Savary manifested for the First Consul the same fervid 
 zeal and unbounded devotion which had attached him to 
 General Desaix ; and if he lacked any of the qualities of 
 General Rapp, it was certainly not bravery. Of all the 
 
 1 About equivalent to major. TRANS.
 
 90 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 men who surrounded the Emperor, no one was more abso- 
 lutely devoted to his slightest wishes. In the course of 
 these memoirs, I shall doubtless have occasion to recall 
 instances of this unparalleled enthusiasm, for which the 
 Duke de Rovigo 1 was magnificently rewarded; but it is 
 just to say that he did not bite the hand which rewarded 
 him, and that he gave to the end, and even after the end, 
 of his old master (for thus he loved to style the Emperor) 
 an example of gratitude which has been imitated by few. 
 
 A government decree, in the month of June follow- 
 ing, determined that the body of Desaix should be carried 
 to the Hospice of St. Bernard, and that a tomb should be 
 erected on that spot, in the country where he had covered 
 himself with immortal glory, as a testimonial to the grief 
 of France, and especially that of the First Consul. 
 
 NOTE BY CONSTANT. Two memorials have been erected in Paris to the 
 brave Desaix, a statue on the Place des Victoires, and a bust in the Place 
 Dauphine. The statue affects a theatrical pose, which is little in accord 
 with the natural manners and quiet bearing of the original. Besides, the 
 complete nudity, poorly veiled by the classical affectation in the arrange- 
 ment of the sword belt, shocks all who see it, and gives rise to poor jests. 
 The great conqueror of "Waterloo was represented, while living, in Hyde 
 Park as a colossal Achilles ; and his Grace (that is to say the statue of his 
 Grace) is executed in such a manner that the curious do not lose a single 
 outline or a single muscle of his heroic person. That nothing should be 
 wanting to this parody, it was the English ladies, who are so punctilious in all 
 matters of decency and propriety, who raised this monument to the fame 
 of my lord duke. 
 
 To return to Dosaix (and it is a return from a great distance), the statue 
 
 1 Savary, Duke of Rovigo, born 1774, at Marc in Champaigne, served with 
 Desaix in Egypt, and was with him at Marengo. In 1804 he was president of 
 the court martial which tried the Duke D'Enghien. At Friedland he was 
 created Duke of Rovigo. Embassador to Russia 1807, sent to Spain 1808, 
 minister of police 1810. He wished to accompany the Emperor to St. Helena, 
 but was imprisoned at Malta and condemned to death. He was, however, par- 
 doned, and died 1833. TRANS.
 
 SAVAET AND PICHEGRU. 91 
 
 raised to him, in the Place des Victoires, was removed under the Empire 
 by order of the government. As to the bust that one still sees in the Place 
 Dauphine, it would be difficult to conceive anything meaner, more blackened 
 with smoke, or more neglected. Thus they have treated the figure of Desaix. 
 On the other hand, Pichegru 3 has his statues of bronze. 
 
 1 Charles Pichegru, born at Arbois, 1761 ; fellow-student and afterwards tutor 
 to Napoleon at Brienne. In 1793 he commanded the army of the Rhine, and gained 
 many battles. He negotiated with the Prince of Cond6 for the restoration of the 
 Bourbons, and was arrested and imprisoned September, 1797. He escaped to England. 
 In 1803 he returned secretly to Paris with George Cadoudal. He was arrested, and 
 soon afterwards was found dead in prison. TKAUS.
 
 92 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Return to Milan en route to Paris. The singer Marches! and the First Con- 
 sul. An impertinence and some days in prison. Madame Grassini. 
 Return to France by way of Mont Cenis. Triumphal Arches. Retinue 
 of young girls. Entrance into Lyons. Couthon and the destroyers. 
 The First Consul orders the rebuilding of the Place Belcour. The car- 
 riage upset. Illuminations at Paris. Kleber. Calumnies against the 
 First Consul. Constant's horse falls. Kindness of the First Consul 
 and Madame Bonaparte to Constant. Generosity of the First Consul. 
 Emotion of the author. The First Consul outrageously misrepresented. 
 The First Consul, Jerome Bonaparte, and Colonel Lacuee. The First 
 
 Consul's fancy for Madame D . Jealousy of Madame Bonaparte and 
 
 precautions of the First Consul. Indiscreet curiosity of a chambermaid. 
 Threats and compulsory discretion. The little house in the "Alle'e 
 des Veuves." The First Consul's attentions to his wife. Morals of the 
 First Consul, and his manner towards women. 
 
 THE victory of Marengo had rendered the conquest of 
 Italy certain. Therefore the First Consul, thinking his 
 presence more necessary at Paris than at the head of his 
 army, gave the command in chief to General Massdna, and 
 made preparations to repass the mountains. On our return 
 to Milan, the First Consul was received with even more 
 enthusiasm than on his first visit. 
 
 The establishment of a republic was in accordance 
 with the wishes of a large number of the Milanese; and 
 they called the First Consul their Savior, since he had 
 delivered them from the yoke of the Austrians. There 
 was, however, a party who detested equally these changes, 
 the French army which was the instrument of them, and 
 the young chief who was the author. In this party figured 
 a celebrated artist, the singer MarchesL
 
 SIGNOR MAECHESI. 93 
 
 During our former visit, the First Consul had sent for 
 him; and the musician had waited to be entreated, acting 
 as if he were much inconvenienced, and at last presented 
 himself with all the importance of a man whose dignity 
 had been offended. The very simple costume of the First 
 Consul, his short stature, thin visage, and poor figure were 
 not calculated to make much of an impression on the hero 
 of the theater ; and after the general-in-chief had welcomed 
 him cordially, and very politely asked him to sing an air, he 
 replied by this poor pun, uttered in a tone the impertinence 
 of which was aggravated by his Italian accent: "Signor 
 general, if it is a good air which you desire, you will find 
 an excellent one in making a little tour of the garden." 
 The Signor Marchesi was for this fine speech immediately 
 put out of the door, and the same evening an order was 
 sent committing the singer to prison. On our return the 
 First Consul, whose resentment against Marchesi the can- 
 non of Marengo had doubtless assuaged, and who thought 
 besides that the penance of the musician for a poor joke 
 had been sufficiently long, sent for him again, and asked 
 him once more to sing ; Marchesi this time was modest and 
 polite, and sang in a charming manner. After the concert 
 the First Consul approached him, pressed his hand warmly, 
 and complimented him in the most affectionate manner; and 
 from that moment peace was concluded between the two 
 powers, and Marchesi sang only praises of the First 
 Consul. 
 
 At this same concert the First Consul was struck with 
 the beauty of a famous singer, Madame Grassini. He 
 found her by no means cruel, and at the end of a few 
 hours the conqueror of Italy counted one conquest more.
 
 94 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 The following day she breakfasted with the First Consul 
 and General Berthier in the chamber of the First Consul. 
 General Berthier was ordered to provide for the journey 
 of Madame Grassini, who was carried to Paris, and attached 
 to the concert-room of the court. 
 
 The First Consul left Milan on the 24th; and we 
 returned to France by the route of Mont Cenis, traveling 
 as rapidly as possible. Everywhere the Consul was re- 
 ceived with an enthusiasm difficult to describe. Arches of 
 triumph had been erected at the entrance of each town, and 
 in each canton a deputation of leading citizens came to 
 make addresses to and compliment him. Long ranks of 
 young girls, dressed in white, crowned with flowers, bear- 
 ing flowers in their hands, and throwing flowers into the 
 carriage of the First Consul, made themselves his only 
 escort, surrounded him, followed him, and preceded him, 
 until he had passed, or as soon as he set foot on the ground 
 wherever he stopped. 
 
 The journey was thus, throughout the whole route, a 
 perpetual fete ; and at Lyons it amounted to an ovation, in 
 which the whole town turned out to meet him. He en- 
 tered, surrounded by an immense crowd, amid the most 
 noisy demonstrations, and alighted at the hotel of the Ce- 
 lestins. In the Reign of Terror the Jacobins had spent their 
 fury on the town of Lyons, the destruction of which they 
 had sworn ; and the handsome buildings which ornamented 
 the Place Belcour had been leveled to the ground, the 
 hideous cripple Couthon, 1 at the head of the vilest mob of 
 
 1 Georges Couthon, born at Orsay in Auvergne, 1756. He was chief judge 
 at Clermont, also member of the Legislative Assembly and the Convention, 
 and voted for the death of the king. A friend of Robespierre, he perished 
 With him, July 28, 1794. TRANS,
 
 THE FIRST CONSUL'S CAREIAGE UPSETS. 95 
 
 the clubs, striking the first blow with the hammer. The 
 First Consul detested the Jacobins, who, on their side, hated 
 and feared him ; and his constant care was to destroy their 
 work, or, in other words, to restore the ruins with which 
 they had covered France. He thought then, and justly too, 
 that he could not better respond to the affection of the 
 people of Lyons, than by promoting with all his power the 
 rebuilding of the houses of the Place Belcour ; and before 
 his departure he himself laid the first stone. The town of 
 Dijon gave the First Consul a reception equally as bril- 
 liant. 
 
 Between Villeneuve-le-Roi and Sens, at the descent to 
 the bridge of Montereau, while the eight horses, lashed 
 to a gallop, were bearing the carriage rapidly along (the 
 First Consul already traveled like a king), the tap of one 
 of the front wheels came off. The inhabitants who lined 
 the route, witnessing this accident, and foreseeing what 
 would be the result, used every effort to stop the pos- 
 tilions, but did not succeed, and the carriage was violently 
 upset. The First Consul received no injury ; General 
 Berthier had his face slightly scratched by the windows, 
 which were broken; and the two footmen, who were on 
 the steps, were thrown violently to a distance, and badly 
 wounded. The First Consul got out, or rather was pulled 
 out, through one of the doors. This occurrence made no 
 delay in his journey ; he took his seat in another carriage 
 immediately, and reached Paris with no other accident. 
 The night of the 2d of July, he alighted at the Tuileries ; 
 and the next day, as soon as the news of his return had 
 been circulated in Paris, the entire population filled the 
 courts and the garden. They pressed around the windows
 
 96 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 of the pavilion of Flora, in the hope of catching a glimpse of 
 the savior of France, the liberator of Italy. 
 
 That evening there was no one, either rich or poor, who 
 did not take delight in illuminating his house or his garret. 
 It was only a short time after his arrival at Paris that the 
 First Consul learned of the death of General Kleber. 1 The 
 poniard of Suleyman had slain this great captain the same 
 day that the cannon of Marengo laid low another hero of 
 the army of Egypt. This assassination caused the First 
 Consul the most poignant grief, of which I was an eye- 
 witness, and to which I can testify; and, nevertheless, 
 his calumniators have dared to say that he rejoiced at 
 an event, which, even considered apart from its political 
 relations, caused him to lose a conquest which had cost him 
 so much, and France so much blood and expense. Other 
 miserable wretches, still more stupid and more infamous, 
 have even gone so far as to fabricate and spread abroad 
 the report that the First Consul had himself ordered the 
 assassination of his companion in arms, whom he had placed 
 in his own position at the head of the army in Egypt. To 
 these I have only one answer to make, if it is necessary 
 to answer them at all; it is this, they never knew the 
 Emperor. 
 
 After his return, the First Consul went often with his 
 wife to Malmaison, where he remained sometimes for several 
 
 1 John Baptist Kleber, born at Strasburg, 1754 ; educated at the military 
 school of Munich ; In 1793 made general of brigade for gallant conduct at 
 siege of Mayence. He commanded the left wing at Fleurus, accompanied 
 Bonaparte to Egypt, who placed him in command of the army on his return 
 to France, and showed talents as a soldier and an administrator of the highest 
 order. At St. Helena Napoleon said, " Of all the generals I had under me, 
 Desaix and Kleber possessed the greatest talents." TRANS.
 
 CONSTANT'S HORSE FALLS. 97 
 
 days. At this time it was the duty of the valet de chambre 
 to follow the carriage on horseback. One day the First 
 Consul, while returning to Paris, ascertained a short dis- 
 tance from the chateau that he had forgotten his snuff-box, 
 and sent me for it. I turned my bridle, set off at a gallop, 
 and, having found the snuff-box on his desk, retraced my 
 steps to overtake him, but did not succeed in doing so till 
 he had reached Ruelle. Just as I drew near the carriage 
 my horse slipped on a stone, fell, and threw me some 
 distance into a ditch. The fall was very severe ; and I 
 remained stretched on the ground, with one shoulder dis- 
 located, and an arm badly bruised. The First Consul 
 ordered the horses stopped, himself gave orders to have 
 me taken up, and cautioned them to be very careful in 
 moving me ; and I was borne, attended by him, to the 
 barracks of Ruelle, where he took pains before continuing 
 his journey to satisfy himself that I was in no danger. 
 The physician of his household was sent to Ruelle, my 
 shoulder set, and my arm dressed ; and from there I was 
 carried as gently as possible to Malmaison, where good 
 Madame Bonaparte had the kindness to come to see me, 
 and lavished on me every attention. 
 
 The day I returned to service, after my recovery, I was 
 in the antechamber of the First Consul as he came out of 
 his cabinet. He drew near me, and inquired with great in- 
 terest how I was. I replied that, thanks to the care taken 
 of me, according to the orders of my excellent master and 
 mistress, I was quite well again. " So much the better," 
 said the First Consul. "Constant, make haste, and get your 
 strength back. Continue to serve me well, and I will take 
 care of you. Here," added he, placing in my hand three
 
 98 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 little crumpled papers, " these are to replenish your ward- 
 robe,*" and he passed on, without listening to the profuse 
 thanks which, with great emotion, I was attempting to 
 express, much more for the consideration and interest in 
 me shown by him than for his present, for I did not then 
 know of what it consisted. After he passed on I unrolled 
 my papers : they were three bank-bills, each for a thou- 
 sand francs ! I was moved to tears by so great a kindness. 
 We must remember that at this period the First Consul 
 was not rich, although he was the first magistrate of the 
 republic. How deeply the remembrance of this generous 
 deed touches me, even to-day. I do not know if details so 
 personal to me will be found interesting ; but they seem to 
 me proper as evidence of the true character of the Emperor, 
 which has been so outrageously misrepresented, and also as 
 an instance of his ordinary conduct towards the servants of 
 his house ; it shows too, at the same time, whether the 
 severe economy that he required in his domestic manage- 
 ment, and of which I will speak elsewhere, was the result, 
 as has been stated, of sordid avarice, or whether it was not 
 rather a rule of prudence, from which he departed willingly 
 whenever his kindness of heart or his humanity urged him 
 thereto. 
 
 I am not certain that my memory does not deceive me 
 in leading me to put in this place a circumstance which 
 shows the esteem in which the First Consul held the brave 
 soldiers of his army, and how he loved to manifest it on all 
 occasions. I was one day in his sleeping-room, at the usual 
 hour for his toilet, and v was performing that day the duties 
 of chief valet, Hambard being temporarily absent or indis- 
 posed, there being in the room, besides the body servants,
 
 JEROME BONAPARTE. 99 
 
 only the brave and modest Colonel Gerard Lacuee, one of 
 the aides-de-camp of the First Consul. Jerome Bonaparte, 
 then hardly seventeen years of age, was introduced. This 
 young man gave his family frequent cause of complaint, 
 and feared no one except his brother Napoleon, who repri- 
 manded, lectured, and scolded him as if he had been his 
 own son. There was a question at the time of making 
 him a sailor, less with the object of giving him a career, 
 than of removing him from the seductive temptations which 
 the high position of his brother caused to spring up inces- 
 santly around his path, and which he had little strength to 
 resist. It may be imagined what it cost him to renounce 
 pleasures so accessible and so delightful to a young man. 
 He did not fail to protest, on all occasions, his unfitness for 
 sea-service, going so far, it is said, that he even caused him- 
 self to be rejected by the examining board of the navy as 
 incompetent, though he could easily have prepared himself 
 to answer the few questions asked. However, the will of 
 the First Consul must be obeyed, and Jerome was compelled 
 to embark. On the day of which I have spoken, after some 
 moments of conversation and scolding, still on the sub- 
 ject of the navy, Jerome said to his brother, " Instead of 
 sending me to perish of ennui at sea, you ought to take 
 me for an aide-de-camp" " What, take you, greenhorn" 
 warmly replied the First Consul ; " wait till a ball has fur- 
 rowed your face and then I will see about it," at the same 
 time calling his attention to Colonel Lacuee, 1 who blushed, 
 and dropped his eyes to the floor like a young girl, for, 
 
 1 Gerard Jean Lacuee, by birth Comte de Cessac, was born near Agen, 
 1752. He became general, a member of the Institute, minister of state (1807), 
 minister in the war department (1810), and died 1841. Constant has either 
 mistaken the name or the fate of this gallant officer. TRANS.
 
 100 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 as is well known, he bore on his face the scar made by a 
 bullet. This gallant colonel was killed in 1805 before 
 Guntzbourg; and the Emperor deeply regretted his loss, 
 for he was one of the bravest and most skillful officers of 
 the army. 
 
 It was, I believe, about this time that the First Consul 
 conceived a strong passion for a very intelligent and hand- 
 some young woman, Madame D . Madame Bonaparte, 
 
 suspecting this intrigue, showed jealousy ; and her husband 
 did all he could to allay her wifely suspicions. Before 
 going to the chamber of his mistress he would wait until 
 every one was asleep in the chateau ; and he even carried 
 his precautions so far as to go from his room to hers in his 
 night-dress, without shoes or slippers. Once I found that 
 day was about to break before his return ; and fearing scan- 
 dal, I went, as the First Consul had ordered me to do in such 
 
 a case, to notify the chambermaid of Madame D to go 
 
 to her mistress and tell her the hour. It was hardly five 
 minutes after this timely notice had been given, when I saw 
 the First Consul returning, in great excitement, of which I 
 soon learned the cause. He had discovered, on his return, 
 one of Madame Bonaparte's women, lying in wait, and who 
 had seen him through the window of a closet opening upon 
 the corridor. The First Consul, after a vigorous outburst 
 against the curiosity of the fair sex, sent me to the young 
 scout from the enemy's camp to intimate to her his orders 
 to hold her tongue, unless she wished to be discharged 
 without hope of return. I do not know whether I added a 
 milder argument to these threats to buy her silence ; but, 
 whether from fear or for compensation, she had the good 
 sense not to talk. Nevertheless, the successful lover, fear-
 
 THE FIRST CONSUL'S MANNER TOWARDS WOMEN. 101 
 
 .ing another surprise, directed me to rent in the Alice des 
 
 Veuves a little house where he and Madame D met 
 
 from time to time. Such were, and continued to be, the 
 precautions of the First Consul towards his wife. He had 
 the highest regard for her, and took all imaginable care to 
 prevent his infidelities coming to her knowledge. Besides, 
 these passing fancies did not lessen the tenderness he felt 
 for her ; and although other women inspired him with love, 
 no other woman had his confidence and friendship to the 
 same extent as Madame Bonaparte. There have been a 
 thousand and one calumnies repeated of the harshness and 
 brutality of the First Consul towards women. He was not 
 always gallant, but I have never seen him rude ; and, how- 
 ever singular it may seem after what I have just related, 
 he professed the greatest veneration for a wife of exemplary 
 conduct, speaking in admiring terms of happy households ; 
 and he did not admire cynicism, either in morals or in lan- 
 guage. When he had any liaisons he kept them secret, and 
 concealed them with great care.
 
 102 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The infernal machine. The most invalid of architects. A fortunate chance. 
 Haste and delay equally advantageous. Hortense slightly wounded. 
 'Fright of Madame Murat and necessary consequences. Germain, the 
 coachman. How he got the name of Caesar. Incorrect statements on 
 the subject. Dinner given him by 500 coachmen. The author at the 
 Feydeau theater at the time of the explosion. Fright. Race bare- 
 headed. The inflexible sentinels. The First Consul returns to the 
 Tuileries. Words of the First Consul to Constant. The Consular 
 guard. The residence of the First Consul put under guard. The 
 utmost fidelity. The Jacobins innocent, and the Royalists guilty. 
 Grand review. Joy of soldiers and people. Universal peace. Public 
 rejoicings and improvised fetes. Reception of Corps Diplomatic and 
 Lord Cornwallis. Military luxury. The Regent diamond. 
 
 THE 3d Nivose, 1 year IX. (Dec. 21, 1800), the Opera 
 presented, by order, The Creation of Haydn ; and the First 
 Consul had announced that he would be present, with all 
 his household, at this magnificent oratorio. He dined on 
 that day with Madame Bonaparte, her daughter, and Gen- 
 erals Rapp, Lauriston, Lannes, and Berthier. I was on 
 duty; but as the First Consul was going to the Opera, 
 I knew that I should not be needed at the chateau, 
 
 1 Under the Republican regime the years were counted from the proc- 
 lamation of the Republic, Sept. 22, 1792. The year was divided into twelve 
 months of thirty days each, re-named from some peculiarity, as Brumaire 
 (foggy) ; Nivose (snowy) ; Thermidor (hot) ; Fructidor (fruit), etc. ; besides five 
 supplementary days of festivals, called sans-culottides. The months were 
 divided into three decades of ten days instead of weeks, the tenth day (de- 
 cadi) being in lieu of Sunday. The Republican calendar lasted till Jan. 1, 
 1806, as to the years and months at least, though the Concordat had restored 
 the weeks and Sabbaths. TRANS.
 
 THE INFERNAL MACHINE. 103 
 
 and resolved, for my part, to go to the Feydeau, occupy- 
 ing the box which Madame Bonaparte allowed us, and 
 which was situated under hers. After dinner, which the 
 First Consul holted with his usual rapidity, he rose from 
 the table, followed by his officers, with the exception of 
 General Rapp, who remained with Madame Josephine and 
 Hortense. About seven o'clock the First Consul entered 
 his carriage with Lannes, Berthier, and Lauriston, to go 
 to the Opera. When they arrived in the middle of Rue 
 Sainte-Nicaise, the escort who preceded the carriage found 
 the road obstructed by a cart, which seemed to be aban- 
 doned, and on which a cask was found fastened strongly 
 with ropes. The chief of the escort had this cart removed 
 to the side of the street; and the First Consul's coachman, 
 whom this delay had made impatient, urged on his horses 
 vigorously, and they shot off like lightning. Scarcely two 
 seconds had passed when the barrel which was on the cart 
 burst with a frightful explosion. No one of the escort or 
 of the companions of the First Consul was slain, but several 
 were wounded; and the loss among the residents in the 
 street and the passers-by near the horrible machine was 
 much greater. More than twenty of these were killed, and 
 more than sixty seriously wounded. Trepsat, the architect, 
 had his thigh broken. The First Consul afterwards deco- 
 rated him, and made him the architect of the Invalides, 
 saying that he had long enough been the most invalid of 
 architects. All the panes of glass at the Tuileries were 
 broken, and many houses thrown down. 1 All those of the 
 
 1 The prefect of police made his report to the Consul, in which, after hav- 
 ing related the details of this frightful event, he gave the list of the dead and 
 wounded, eight of the first, and twenty-eight of the second. The report
 
 104 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 Rue Sainte-Nicaise, and even some in the adjacent streets, 
 were badly damaged, some fragments being blown into the 
 house of the Consul Cambaceres. The glass of the First 
 Consul's carriage was shivered to fragments. 
 
 By a fortunate chance, the carriages of the suite, which 
 should have been immediately behind that of the First 
 Consul, were some distance in the rear, which happened in 
 this way : Madame Bonaparte, after dinner, had a shawl 
 brought to wear to the opera ; and when it came, General 
 Rapp jestingly criticised the color, and begged her to 
 choose another. Madame Bonaparte defended her shawl, 
 and said to the general that he knew as much about criti- 
 cising a toilet as she did about attacking a fort. This 
 friendly banter continued for some moments ; and in the 
 interval, the First Consul, who never waited, set out in 
 advance, and the miserable assassins and authors of the 
 conspiracy set fire to the infernal machine. Had the 
 coachman of the First Consul driven less rapidly, and 
 thereby been two seconds later, it would have been all over 
 with his master ; while, on the other hand, if Madame Bona- 
 
 added: forty-six houses are badly damaged. The injury to buildings is esti- 
 mated at 40,854 francs, and to furniture, 123,645 francs. The national build- 
 ings are not included in this estimate. The horse, the remnants of the cart, 
 and some parts of the barrel, were brought to the prefecture. 
 
 These remnants were scrupulously collected. The description of the 
 horse was also taken with the greatest care. 
 
 Dubois (the prefect) thought proper to close his report with a compli- 
 ment to the First Consul, in which, however, there was some truth, that the 
 attempt of the 3d Nivose had increased the attachment of the French for the 
 head of the state. The last paragraph of the report was as follows : 
 
 "From the very instant of the explosion investigation has been made on 
 the very spot. Depositions were taken ; and in the midst of cries which pain 
 wrested from the unfortunate victims of this most atrocious plot, there was 
 this gratification that the wounded forgot their wounds to think of the First 
 Consul. On his account they demanded vengeance." Note by CONSTANT.
 
 HOUTENSE SLIGHTLY WOUNDED. 105 
 
 parte had followed her husband promptly, it would have 
 been certain death to her and all her suite. It was, in fact, 
 the delay of an instant which saved her life, as well as 
 that of her daughter, her sister-in-law, Madame Murat, and 
 all who were to accompany them, since the carriage of these 
 ladies, instead of being immediately behind that of the First 
 Consul, was just leaving the Place Carrousel, 1 when the 
 machine exploded. The glass was shivered; and though 
 Madame Bonaparte received no injury except the terrible 
 fright, Hortense was slightly wounded in the face by a 
 piece of glass, and Madame Caroline Murat, who was then 
 far advanced in pregnancy, was so frightened that it was 
 necessary to carry her back to the Tuileries. This catas- 
 trophe had its influence, even on the health of her child ; 
 for I have been told that Prince Achille Murat 2 is subject, 
 to this day, to frequent attacks of epilepsy. As is well 
 known, the First Consul went on to the opera, where he 
 was received with tumultuous acclamations, the immobility 
 of his countenance contrasting strongly with the pallor and 
 agitation of Madame Bonaparte's, who had feared not so 
 much for herself as for him. 
 
 The coachman who had driven the First Consul with 
 such good fortune was named Germain. He had followed 
 him in Egypt, and in a skirmish had killed an Arab 
 with his own hand, under the eyes of the general-in-chief, 
 who, struck with his courage, had cried out, " Diable 
 that's a brave man, he is a Csesar." The name had clung 
 to him. It has been said that this brave man was drunk 
 
 1 The Place Carrousel was the interior courtyard of the Tuileries. 
 TRANS. 
 
 2 Prince Achille came to America, and married a grand-niece of Daniel 
 Webster. He resided many years in Florida. TRANS.
 
 106 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 at the time of this explosion ; but this is a mistake, which 
 his conduct under the circumstances contradicts in the 
 most positive manner. When the First Consul, after he 
 became Emperor, went out, incognito, in Paris, it was 
 Caesar who was his escort, without livery. It is said 
 in the Memorial de Sainte Hglene that the Emperor, in 
 speaking of Caesar, stated that he was in a complete state 
 of intoxication, and took the noise of the explosion for 
 an artillery salute, nor did he know until the next day 
 what had taken place. This is entirely untrue, and the 
 Emperor was incorrectly informed in regard to his coach- 
 man. Csesar drove the First Consul very rapidly because 
 he had been ordered to do so, and because he considered 
 his honor interested in not allowing the obstacle which the 
 infernal machine placed in his way before the explosion 
 to delay him. The evening of the event I saw Csesar, who 
 was perfectly sober, and he himself related to me part of 
 the details that I have just given. A few days after, four 
 or five hundred hackney-coachmen clubbed together to 
 honor him, and gave him a magnificent dinner at twenty- 
 four francs per head. 
 
 While the infernal plot was being executed, and cost- 
 ing the lives of many innocent citizens, without attaining 
 the object the assassins proposed, I was, as I have said, at 
 the Theatre Feydeau, where I had prepared myself to enjoy 
 at my leisure an entire evening of freedom, amid the pleas- 
 ures of the stage, for which I had all my life a great liking. 
 Scarcely had I seated myself comfortably, however, when 
 the box-keeper entered in the greatest excitement, crying 
 out, " Monsieur Constant, it is said that they have just 
 blown up the First Consul ; there has been a terrible explo-
 
 CONSTANT'S FltlGIIT. 107 
 
 sion, and it is asserted that he is dead." These terrible 
 words were like a thunderbolt to me. Not knowing what 
 I did, I plunged down-stairs, and, forgetting my hat, ran 
 like mad to the chateau. While crossing Rue Vivienne 
 and the Palais Royal, I saw no extraordinary disturbance ; 
 but in Rue Sainte Honore there was a very great tumult, 
 and I saw, borne away on litters, many dead and wounded, 
 who had been at first carried into the neighboring houses 
 of Rue Sainte Nicaise. Many groups had formed, and with 
 one voice all were cursing the still unknown authors of this 
 dastardly attempt. Some accused the Jacobins of this, 
 because three months before they had placed the poniard in 
 the hands of Cerrachi, 1 of Arena, 2 and of Topino Lebrun ; 3 
 whilst others, less numerous perhaps, thought the aristo- 
 crats, the Royalists, could alone be guilty of this atrocity. 
 I could give no time to these various accusations, except 
 as I was detained in forcing my way through an immense 
 and closely packed crowd, and as rapidly as possible went 
 on, and in two seconds was at the Carrousel. I threw 
 myself against the wicket, but the two sentinels instantly 
 crossed bayonets before my breast. It was useless to cry 
 out that I was valet de chambre of the First Consul ; for 
 my bare head, my wild manner, the disorder, both of my 
 dress and ideas, appeared to them suspicious, and they 
 refused energetically and very obstinately to allow me to 
 
 1 Joseph Ceracchi, an Italian sculptor who had made a statue of Bonaparte 
 in Italy in 1796. He was executed with Arena and Topino-Lebruu. TRANS. 
 
 2 Joseph Arena, born in Corsica, served with Bonaparte at Toulon, mem- 
 ber of Legislative Assembly, 1797, left the army after 18th Brumaire, guillo- 
 tined Jan. 30, 1802, on the charge of complicity in this attempt. TRANS. 
 
 a Topino-Lebrun, a French painter and ardent Republican, born at Mar- 
 seilles, 1769. TRANS.
 
 108 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 enter. I then begged them to send for the gatekeeper of 
 the chateau ; and as soon as he came, I was admitted, or 
 rather rushed into the chateau, where I learned what had 
 just happened. A short time after the First Consul 
 arrived, and was immediately surrounded by his officers, 
 and by all his household, every one present being in the 
 greatest state of anxiety. When the First Consul alighted 
 from his carriage he appeared calm and smiling ; he even 
 wore an air of gayety. On entering the vestibule he said to 
 his officers, rubbing his hands, " Well, sirs, we made a fine 
 escape ! " They shuddered with indignation and anger. 
 He then entered the grand saloon on the ground floor, 
 where a large number of counselors of state and digni- 
 taries had already assembled ; but hardly had they begun to 
 express their congratulations, when he interrupted them, 
 and in so vehement a manner that he was heard outside 
 the saloon. We were told that after this council he had 
 a lively altercation with Fouche, 1 Minister of Police, whom 
 he reproached with his ignorance of this plot, openly 
 accusing the Jacobins of being the authors. 
 
 That evening, on retiring, the First Consul asked me 
 laughingly if I was afraid. "More than you were, my 
 general," I replied ; and I related to him how I had heard 
 the fatal news at the Feydeau, and had run without my 
 hat to the very wicket of the Carrousel, where the senti- 
 nels tried to prevent my entering. He was amused at the 
 
 1 Joseph Fouche, the celebrated minister of police, was born at Marti- 
 niere, Loire Infe'rieure, 1763. Deputy to the Convention, he voted for the 
 death of the king. He was minister of police 18th Brumaire, and continued 
 in that office till 1810, when he fell into disgrace and was succeeded by Sa- 
 vary. He was recalled to his post by the Emperor during the Hundred 
 Days. Died at Trieste, 1820. TRANS.
 
 THE CONSULAR GUARD. 109 
 
 oaths and abusive epithets with which they had accom- 
 panied their defense of the gate, and at last said to me, 
 "After all, my dear Constant, you should not be angry 
 with them ; they were only obeying orders. They are brave 
 men, on whom I can rely." The truth is, the Consular 
 Guard was at this period no less devoted than it has been 
 since as the Imperial Guard. At the first rumor of the 
 great risk which the First Consul had run, all the soldiers 
 of that faithful band had gathered spontaneously in the 
 court of the Tuile'ries. 
 
 After this melancholy catastrophe, which carried dis- 
 tress into all France, and mourning into so many families, 
 the entire police were actively engaged in searching for the 
 authors of the plot. The dwelling of the First Consul 
 was first put under surveillance, and we were incessantly 
 watched by spies, without suspecting it. All our walks, 
 all our visits, all our goings and comings, were known; 
 and attention was especially directed to our friends, and 
 even our liaisons. But such was the devotion of each 
 and all to the person of the First Consul, such was the 
 affection that he so well knew how to inspire in those 
 around him, that not one of the persons attached to his 
 service was for an instant suspected of having a hand in 
 this infamous attempt. Neither at this time, nor in any 
 other affair of this kind, were the members of his house- 
 hold ever compromised; and never was the name of the 
 lowest of his servants ever found mixed up in criminal 
 plots against a life so valued and so glorious. 
 
 The minister of police suspected the Royalists of this 
 attempt ; but the First Consul attributed it to the Jacobins, 
 because they were already guilty, he said, of crimes as
 
 110 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 odious. One hundred and thirty of the most noted men 
 of this party were transported on pure suspicion, and 
 without any form of trial. It is now known that the dis- 
 covery, trial, and execution of Saint Regent and Carbon, 
 the true criminals, proved that the conjectures of the min- 
 ister were more correct than those of the chief of state. 
 
 The 4th Nivose, at noon, the First Consul held a grand 
 review in the Place Carrousel, where an innumerable crowd 
 of citizens were collected to behold, and also to testify their 
 affection for his person, and their indignation against the 
 enemies who dared attack him only by assassination. 
 Hardly had he turned his horse towards the first line of 
 grenadiers of the Consular Guard, when their innumerable 
 acclamations rose on all sides. He rode along the ranks, 
 at a walk, very slowly, showing his appreciation, and 
 replying by a few simple and affectionate words to this 
 effusion of popular joy; and cries of "Vive Bonaparte! 
 Vive the First Consul! " did not cease till after he had 
 re-entered his apartments. 
 
 The conspirators who obstinately persisted, with so 
 much animosity, in attacking the life of the First Consul, 
 could not have chosen a period in which circumstances 
 would have been more adverse to their plans than in 1800 
 and 1801 ; for then the Consul was beloved not only for 
 his military deeds, but still more for the hope of peace that 
 he gave to France, which hope was soon realized. As 
 soon as the first rumor spread abroad that peace had been 
 concluded with Austria, the greater part of the inhabitants 
 of Paris gathered under the windows of the Pavilion of 
 Flora. Blessings and cries of gratitude and joy were heard 
 on all sides ; then musicians assembled to give a serenade
 
 IMPROVISED FETES. Ill 
 
 to the chief of state, and proceeded to form themselves 
 into orchestras ; and there was dancing the whole night 
 through. I have never seen a sight more striking or more 
 joyous than the bird's-eye view of this improvised jubilee. 
 When in the month of October, the peace of Amiens 
 having been concluded with England, France found her- 
 self delivered from all the wars that she had maintained 
 through so many years, and at the cost of so many sacri- 
 fices, it would be impossible to form an idea of the joy 
 which burst forth on all sides. The decrees which ordered 
 cither the disarmament of vessels of war, or the placing 
 of the forts on a peace footing, were welcomed as pledges 
 of happiness and security. The day of the reception of 
 Lord Cornwallis, Ambassador of England, the First Consul 
 ordered that the greatest magnificence should be displayed. 
 " It is necessary," he had said the evening before, " to 
 show these proud Britons that we are not reduced to 
 beggary." The fact is, the English, before setting foot 
 on the French continent, had expected to find only ruins, 
 penury, and misery. The whole of France had been 
 described to them as being in the most distressing condi- 
 tion, and they thought themselves on the point of landing 
 in a barbarous country. Their surprise was great when 
 they saw how many evils the First Consul had already 
 repaired in so short a time, and all the improvements that 
 he still intended to carry out ; and they spread through their 
 own country the report of what they themselves called the 
 prodigies of the First Consul, by which thousands of their 
 compatriots were influenced to come and judge with their 
 own eyes. At the moment that Lord Cornwallis entered 
 the great hall of the Ambassadors with his suite, the eyes
 
 112 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 of all the English must have been dazzled by the sight 
 of the First Consul, surrounded by his two colleagues, 
 with all the diplomatic corps, and with an already brilliant 
 military court. 
 
 In the midst of all these rich uniforms, his was remark- 
 able for its simplicity ; but the diamond called the Regent, 
 which had been put in pawn under the Directory, and 
 redeemed a few days since by the First Consul, sparkled 
 on the hilt of his sword.
 
 THE KING OF ETRURIA. 113 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The King of Etruria. Madame de Montesson. A monarch not fond of 
 work. Conversation on the subject between the First and Second Con- 
 suls. A word as to the return of the Bourbons. Intelligence and con- 
 versation of Don Louis. Peculiar economy. A present of a hundred 
 thousand crowns, and a royal gift of six francs. Harshness of Don 
 Louis towards his servants. Haughtiness towards a diplomat and dis- 
 like of business. The King of Etruria installed by the future King 
 of Naples. The Queen of Etruria. Her indifference to dress. Her 
 good sense. Her kindness. Her fidelity in the discharge of her duties. 
 Magnificent/eies at the residence of Talleyrand. At the residence of 
 Madame de Montesson. At the residence of the Minister of the Inte- 
 rior. The anniversary of the battle of Marengo. The departure of 
 their Majesties. 
 
 IN the month of May, 1801, there came to Paris, on his 
 way to take possession of his new kingdom, the Prince of 
 Tuscany, Don Louis the First, whom the First Consul had 
 just made King of Etruria. He traveled under the name 
 of the Count of Leghorn, with his wife, who was the 
 infanta of Spain, Maria Louisa, third daughter of Charles 
 the Fourth ; but in spite of the incognito, which, from the 
 modest title he had assumed, he seemed really anxious to 
 preserve, especially, perhaps, on account of the poor appear- 
 ance of his small court, he was, notwithstanding, received 
 and treated at the Tuileries as a king. This prince was in 
 feeble health, and it was said had epilepsy. They were 
 lodged at the residence of the Spanish Embassy, formerly 
 the Hotel Montesson ; and he requested Madame de Montes- 
 son, who lived in the next house, to reopen a private com-
 
 114 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 munication between the houses which had long been closed. 
 He, as well as the Queen of Etruria, greatly enjoyed the 
 society of this lady, who was the widow of the Duke of 
 Orleans, and spent many hours every day in her house. 
 A Bourbon himself, he doubtless loved to hear every par- 
 ticular relating to the Bourbons of France, which could so 
 well be given by one who had lived at their court, and on 
 intimate terms with the royal family, with which she was 
 connected by ties which, though not official, were none the 
 less well known and recognized. 
 
 Madame de Montesson received at her house all who 
 were most distinguished in Parisian society. She had 
 reunited the remnants of the most select society of former 
 times, which the Revolution had dispersed. A friend of 
 Madame Bonaparte, she was also loved and respected by the 
 First Consul, who was desirous that they should speak 
 and think well of him in the most noble and elegant 
 saloon of the capital. Besides, he relied upon the experi- 
 ence and exquisite refinement of this lady, to establish in 
 the palace and its society, out of which he already dreamed 
 of making a court, the usages and etiquette customary 
 with sovereigns. 
 
 The King of Etruria was not fond of work, and in this 
 respect did not please the First Consul, who could not 
 endure idleness. I heard him one day, in conversation 
 with his colleague, Cambaceres, score severely his royal 
 protege (in his absence, of course). "Here is a prince," 
 said he, " who does not concern himself much with his very- 
 dear and well-beloved subjects, but passes his time cack- 
 ling with old women, to whom he dilates in a loud tone on 
 m y good qualities, while he complains in a whisper of
 
 THE KING OF ETRURIA. 115 
 
 owing his elevation to the chief of this cursed French Re- 
 public. His only business is walking, hunting, balls, and 
 theaters." "It is asserted," remarked Cambaceres, "that 
 you wished to disgust the French people with kings, by 
 showing them such a specimen, as the Spartans disgusted 
 their children with drunkenness by exhibiting to them a 
 drunken slave." 
 
 " Not so, not so, my dear sir," replied the First Consul. 
 " I have no desire to disgust them with royalty ; but the 
 sojourn of the King of Etruria will annoy a number of 
 good people who are working incessantly to create a feel- 
 ing favorable to the Bourbons." Don Louis, perhaps, did 
 not merit such severity, although he was, it must be 
 admitted, endowed with little mind, and few agreeable 
 traits of character. When he dined at the Tuileries, he 
 was much embarrassed in replying to the simplest ques- 
 tions the First Consul addressed him. Beyond the rain 
 and the weather, horses, dogs, and other like subjects 
 of conversation, he could not give an intelligent reply on 
 any subject. The Queen, his wife, often made signs to 
 put him on the right road, and even whispered to him, 
 what he should say or do ; but this rendered only the more 
 conspicuous his absolute want of presence of mind. People 
 made themselves merry at his expense ; but they took good 
 care, however, not to do this in the presence of the First 
 Consul, who would not have suffered any want of respect to 
 a guest to whom he had shown so much. What gave 
 rise to the greatest number of pleasantries, in regard 
 to the prince, was his excessive economy, which reached a 
 point truly incredible. Innumerable instances were quoted, 
 of which this is perhaps the most striking. The First Con-
 
 116 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 sul sent him frequently during his stay, magnificent 
 presents, such as Savonnerie carpets, Lyons cloths, and 
 Sevres porcelain ; and on such occasions his Majesty would 
 give some small gratuity to the bearers of these precious 
 articles. One day a vase of very great value (it cost, I 
 believe, a hundred thousand crowns) was brought him 
 which it required a dozen workmen to place in the apart- 
 ments of the king. Their work being finished, the work- 
 men waited until his Majesty should give them some token 
 of his satisfaction, and flattered themselves he would dis- 
 play a truly royal liberality. As, notwithstanding, time 
 passed, and the expected gratuity did not arrive, they 
 finally applied to one of his chamberlains, and asked him to 
 lay their petition at the feet of the King of Etruria. His 
 Majesty, who was still hi ecstasy over the beauty of the 
 present, and the munificence of the First Consul, was as- 
 tounded at such a request. " It was a present," said he ; 
 " and hence it was for him to receive, not to give;" and it 
 was only after much persistence that the chamberlain ob- 
 tained six francs for each of these workmen, which were 
 refused by these good people. The persons of the prince's 
 suite asserted that to this extreme aversion to expense he 
 added an excessive severity towards themselves; however, 
 the first of these traits probably disposed the servants of 
 the King of Etruria to exaggerate the second. 
 
 Masters who are too economical never fail to be deemed 
 severe themselves, and at the same time are "severely criti- 
 cised by their servants. For this reason, perhaps (I would 
 say in passing), there is current among some people a cal- 
 umny which represents the Emperor as often taking a fancy 
 to beat his servants. The economy of the Emperor Napo-
 
 HAUGHTINESS OF THE KING. 117 
 
 leon was only a desire for the most perfect order in the 
 expenses of his household. One thing I can positively 
 assert in regard to his Majesty, the King of Etruria, is that 
 he did not sincerely feel either all the enthusiasm or all the 
 gratitude which he expressed towards the First Consul, and 
 the latter had more than one proof of this insincerity. 
 As to the king's talent for governing and reigning, the 
 First Consul said to Cambaceres at his levee, in the same 
 conversation from which I have already quoted, that the 
 Spanish Ambassador had complained of the haughtiness 
 of this prince towards him, of his extreme ignorance, and 
 of the disgust with which all kind of business inspired him. 
 Such was the king who went to govern part of Italy, and 
 was installed in his kingdom by General Murat, who appar- 
 ently had little idea that a throne was in store for himself, 
 a few leagues distant from that on which he seated Don 
 Luis. 
 
 The Queen of Etruria was, in the opinion of the First 
 Consul, more sagacious and prudent than her august hus- 
 band. This princess was remarkable neither for grace nor 
 elegance ; she dressed herself in the morning for the whole 
 day, and walked in the garden, her head adorned with 
 flowers or a diadem, and wearing a dress, the train of 
 which swept up the sand of the walks ; often, also, carrying 
 in her arms one of her children, still in long dresses, from 
 which it can be readily understood that by night the toilet 
 of her Majesty was somewhat disarranged. She was far 
 from pretty, and her manners were not suited to her rank. 
 But, which fully atoned for all this, she was good-tempered, 
 much beloved by those in her service, and fulfilled scrupu- 
 lously all the duties of wife and mother ; and in conse-
 
 118 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 quence the First Consul, who made a great point of domes- 
 tic virtues, professed for her the highest and most sincere 
 esteem. 
 
 During the entire month which their Majesties spent 
 in Paris, there was a succession of fetes, one of which 
 Talleyrand gave in their honor at Neuilly, of great mag- 
 nificence and splendor, and to which I, being on duty, 
 accompanied the First Consul. The chateau and park 
 were illuminated with a brilliant profusion of colored 
 lights. First there was a concert, at the close of which 
 the end of the hall was moved aside, like the curtain of a 
 theater, and we beheld the principal square in Florence, 
 the ducal palace, a fountain playing, and the Tuscans giv- 
 ing themselves up to the games and dances of their country, 
 and singing couplets in honor of their sovereigns. Talley- 
 rand came forward, and requested their Majesties to mingle 
 with their subjects ; and hardly had they set foot in the 
 garden than they found themselves in fairyland, where fire- 
 works, rockets, and Bengal fires burst out in every direc- 
 tion and in every form, colonnades, arches of triumph, and 
 palaces of fire arose, disappeared, and succeeded each other 
 incessantly. Numerous tables were arranged in the apart- 
 ments and in the garden, at which all the spectators were 
 in turn seated, and last of all a magnificent ball closed 
 this evening of enchantments. It was opened by the King 
 of Etruria and Madame Le Clerc (Pauline Borghese). 
 
 Madame de Montesson also gave to their Majesties a 
 ball, at which the whole family of the First Consul was 
 present. But of all these entertainments, I retain the most 
 vivid recollection of that given by Chaptal, Minister of 
 the Interior, the day which he chose being the fourteenth
 
 BALL GIVEN BY CHAPTAL. 119 
 
 of June, the anniversary of the battle of Marengo. After 
 the concert, the theater, the ball, and another representa- 
 tion of the city and inhabitants of Florence, a splendid 
 supper was served in the garden, under military tents, 
 draped with flags, and ornamented with groupings of arms 
 and trophies, each lady being accompanied and served at 
 table by an officer in uniform. When the King and Queen 
 of Etruria came out of their tent, a balloon was released 
 which carried into the heavens the name of Marengo in 
 letters of fire. 
 
 Their Majesties wished to visit, before their departure, 
 the chief public institutions, so they were taken to the Con- 
 servatory of Music, to a sitting of the Institute, of which 
 they did not appear to comprehend much, and to the 
 Mint, where a medal was struck in their honor. Chaptal 1 
 received the thanks of the queen for the manner in which 
 he had entertained and treated his royal guests, both as a 
 member of the Institute, as minister at his hotel, and in the 
 visits which they had made to the different institutions of 
 the capital. On the eve of his departure the king had a 
 long private interview with the First Consul ; and though I 
 do not know what passed, I observed that on coming out 
 neither appeared to be satisfied with the other. However, 
 their Majesties, on the whole, should have carried away 
 a most favorable impression of the manner in which they 
 had been received. 
 
 1 Jean Antoine Chaptal, Count de Chanteloup, a distinguished chemist 
 and statesman, was born at Nogaret (Lozere), 1756. In 1781, Professor of 
 Chemistry at Montpellier; in 1796, member of the Institute, then just founded ; 
 Councillor of State, 1800 ; and Minister of the Interior, 1801-1805 ; in 1805 Sena- 
 tor; later created Count; in Chamber of Peers, 1819. Died 1832. TEAKS.
 
 120 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Infatuation of a crazy fellow for Hortense. Marriage of Louis Bonaparte 
 and Hortense. Regrets. Character of M. Louis. Atrocious calumny 
 against the Emperor and his step-daughter. General Duroc marries 
 Mademoiselle Hervas d'Almenara. Character of this lady. Piano 
 broken and watch dashed to pieces. Marriage and sadness. Misfor- 
 tunes of Hortense, before, during, and after her elevation. Visit of the 
 First Consul to Lyons. Festivals and congratulations. The soldiers of 
 Egypt. The legate of the Pope. The deputies of the College of Car- 
 dinals. Death of the Archbishop of Milan. Stanzas on the occasion. 
 The poets of the Empire. The First Consul and his writing-master. 
 The Abbe Dupuis, librarian at Malmaison. 
 
 IN all the fetes given by the First Consul in honor of 
 their Majesties, the King and Queen of Etruria, Mademoi- 
 selle Hortense shone with that brilliancy and grace which 
 made her the pride of her mother, and the most beautiful 
 ornament of the growing court of the First Consul. 
 
 About this time she inspired a most violent passion 
 in a gentleman of a very good family, who was, I think, 
 a little deranged before this mad love affected his brain. 
 This poor unfortunate roamed incessantly around Mal- 
 maison; and as soon as Mademoiselle Hortense left the 
 house, ran by the side of her carriage with the liveliest 
 demonstrations of tenderness, and threw through the win- 
 dow flowers, locks of his hair, and verses of his own 
 composition. When he met Mademoiselle Hortense on 
 foot, he threw himself on his knees before her with a 
 thousand passionate gestures, addressing her in most en- 
 dearing terms, and followed her, in spite of all opposition,
 
 MARRIAGE OF HORTENSE. 121 
 
 even into the courtyard of the chateau, and abandoned him- 
 self to all kinds of folly. At first Mademoiselle Hortense, 
 who was young and gay, was amused by the antics of 
 her admirer, read the verses which he addressed to her, 
 and showed them to the ladies who accompanied her. One 
 such poetical effusion was enough to provoke laughter (and 
 can you blame her ?) ; but after the first burst of laughter, 
 Mademoiselle Hortense, good and charming as her mother, 
 never failed to say, with a sympathetic expression and 
 tone, "The poor man, he is much to be pitied!" At last, 
 however, the importunities of the poor madman increased to 
 such an extent that they became insupportable. He placed 
 himself at the door of the theaters in Paris at which Made- 
 moiselle Hortense was expected, and threw himself at her 
 feet, supplicating, weeping, laughing, and gesticulating all 
 at once. This spectacle amused the crowd too much to 
 long amuse Mademoiselle de Beauharnais ; and Carrat was 
 ordered to remove the poor fellow, who was placed, I think, 
 in a private asylum for the insane. 
 
 Mademoiselle Hortense would have been too happy if 
 she could have known love only from the absurd effects 
 which it produced on this diseased brain, as she thus saw it 
 only in its pleasant and comic aspect. But the time came 
 when she was forced to feel all that is painful and bitter in 
 the experience of that passion. In January, 1802, she was 
 married to Louis Bonaparte, brother of the First Consul, 
 which was a most suitable alliance as regards age, Louis 
 being twenty-four years old, and Mademoiselle de Beau- 
 harnais not more than eighteen; and nevertheless it was 
 to both parties the beginning of long and interminable 
 sorrows.
 
 122 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 Louis, however, was kind and sensible, full of good 
 feeling and intelligence, studious and fond of letters, like 
 all his brothers (except one alone l ) ; but he was in feeble 
 health, suffered almost incessantly, and .was of a melancholy 
 disposition. All the brothers of the First Consul resembled 
 him more or less in their personal appearance, and Louis 
 still more than the others, especially at the time of the 
 Consulate, and before the Emperor Napoleon had become 
 so stout. But none of the brothers of the Emperor pos- 
 sessed that imposing and majestic air and that rapid and 
 imperious manner which came to him at first by instinct, 
 and afterwards from the habit of command. Louis had 
 peaceful and modest tastes. It has been asserted that at 
 the time of his marriage he was deeply attached to a person 
 whose name could not be ascertained, and who, I think, is 
 still a mystery. 
 
 Mademoiselle Hortense was extremely pretty, with an ex- 
 pressive and mobile countenance, and in addition to this was 
 graceful, talented, and affable. Kindhearted and amiable 
 like her mother, she had not that excessive desire to oblige 
 which sometimes detracted from Madame Bonaparte's char- 
 acter. This is, nevertheless, the woman whom evil reports, 
 disseminated by miserable scandal-mongers, have so out- 
 rageously slandered ! My heart is stirred with disgust and 
 indignation when I hear such revolting absurdities repeated 
 and scattered broadcast. According to these honest fab- 
 ricators, the First Consul must have seduced his wife's 
 daughter, before giving her in marriage to his own brother. 
 Simply to announce such a charge is to comprehend all the 
 falsity of it. I knew better than any one the amours of the 
 1 Jerome. TRANS.
 
 CHARACTER OF HORTENSF 123 
 
 Emperor. In these clandestine liaisons he feared scandal, 
 hated the ostentations of vice, and I can affirm on honor 
 that the infamous desires attributed to him never entered 
 his mind. Like every one else, who was near Mademoiselle 
 de Beauharnais, and because he knew his step-daughter 
 even more intimately, he felt for her the tenderest affection; 
 but this sentiment was entirely paternal, and Mademoiselle 
 Hortense reciprocated it by that reverence which a well- 
 born young girl feels towards her father. She could have 
 obtained from her step-father anything that she wished, if 
 her extreme timidity had not prevented her asking ; but, 
 instead of addressing herself directly to him, she first had 
 recourse to the intercession of the secretary, and of those 
 around the Emperor. Is it thus she would have acted if 
 the evil reports spread by her enemies, and those of the 
 Emperor, had had the least foundation? 
 
 Before her marriage Hortense had an attachment for 
 General Duroc, who was hardly thirty years of age, had a 
 fine figure, and was a favorite with the chief of state, who, 
 knowing him to be prudent and discreet, confided to him 
 important diplomatic missions. As aide-de-camp of the 
 First Consul, general of division, and governor of the 
 Tuileries, he lived long in familiar intimacy at Malmaison, 
 and in the home life of the Emperor, and during necessary 
 absences on duty, corresponded with Mademoiselle Hor- 
 tense ; and yet the indifference with which he allowed 
 the marriage of the latter with Louis to proceed, proves 
 that he reciprocated but feebly the affection which he had 
 inspired. It is certain that he could have had Mademoiselle 
 de Beauharnais for his wife, if he had been willing to accept 
 the conditions 011 which the First Consul offered the hand
 
 124 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 of his step-daughter ; but he was expecting something better, 
 and his ordinary prudence failed him at the time when it 
 should have shown him a future which was easy to foresee, 
 and calculated to satisfy the promptings of an ambition 
 even more exalted than his. He therefore refused posi- 
 tively ; and the entreaties of Madame Bonaparte, which had 
 already influenced her husband, succeeded. 
 
 Madame Bonaparte, who saw herself treated with so 
 little friendship by the brothers of the First Consul, tried 
 to make his family a defense for herself against the plots 
 which were gathering incessantly around her to drive her 
 away from the heart of her husband. It was with this 
 design she worked with all her might to bring about the 
 marriage of her daughter with one of her brothers-in- 
 law. 
 
 General Duroc doubtless repented immediately of his 
 precipitate refusal when crowns began to rain in the august 
 family to which he had had it in his power to ally himself ; 
 when he saw Naples, Spain, Westphalia, Upper Italy, the 
 duchies of Parma, Lucca, etc., become the appendages of 
 the new imperial dynasty ; when the beautiful and graceful 
 Hortense herself, who had loved him so devotedly, mounted 
 in her turn a throne that she would have been only too 
 happy to have shared with the object of her young affec- 
 tions. As for him, he married Mademoiselle Hervas 
 d'Almenara, daughter of the banker of the court of Spain. 
 She was a little woman with a very dark complexion, very 
 thin, and without grace ; but, on the other hand, of a most 
 peevish, haughty, exacting, and capricious temper. As she 
 was to have on her marriage an enormous dowry, the First 
 Consul had demanded her hand in marriage for his senior
 
 MADAME DUROC. 125 
 
 aide-de-camp. Madame Duroc forgot herself, I have heard, 
 so far as to beat her servants, and to bear herself in a most 
 singular manner toward people who were in no wise her 
 dependants. When M. Dubois came to tune her piano, 
 unfortunately she was at home, and finding the noise 
 required by this operation unendurable, drove the tuner 
 off with the greatest violence. In one of these singular 
 attacks she one day broke all the keys of his instrument. 
 Another time Mugnier, clockmaker of the Emperor, and 
 the head of his profession in Paris, with Breguet, having 
 brought her a watch of very great value that madame, the 
 Duchess of Friuli l had herself ordered, but which did not 
 please her, she became so enraged, that, in the presence of 
 Mugnier, she dashed the watch on the floor, danced on it, 
 and reduced it to atoms. She utterly refused to pay for it, 
 and the marshal 2 was compelled to do this himself. Thus 
 Duroc's want of foresight in refusing the hand of Hortense, 
 together with the interested calculations of Madame Bona- 
 parte, caused the misery of two households. 
 
 The portrait I have sketched, and I believe faithfully, 
 although not a flattering picture, is merely that of a young 
 woman with all the impulsiveness of the Spanish character, 
 spoiled as an only daughter, who had been reared in indul- 
 gence, and with the entire neglect which hinders the educa- 
 tion of all the young ladies of her country. Time has 
 calmed the vivacity of her youth ; and madame, the Duchess 
 of Friuli, has since given an example of most faithful devo- 
 tion to duty, and great strength of mind in the severe 
 trials that she has endured. In the loss of her husband, 
 
 1 Duroc was created Duko of Friuli by the Emperor. TKANS. 
 
 2 Duroc was grand marshal of the palace. TK.ANS.
 
 126 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 however grievous it might be, glory had at least some con- 
 solation to offer to the widow of the grand marshal. But 
 when her young daughter, sole heiress of a great name and 
 an illustrious title, was suddenly taken away by death from 
 all the expectations and the devotion of her mother, who 
 could dare to offer her consolation ? If there could be any 
 (which I do not believe), it would be found in the remem- 
 brance of the cares and tenderness lavished on her to the 
 last by maternal love. Such recollections, in which bitter- 
 ness is mingled with sweetness, were not wanting to the 
 duchess. 
 
 The religious ceremony of marriage between Louis and 
 Hortense took place Jan. 7, in a house in the Rue de la 
 Victoire ; and the marriage of General Murat with Caro- 
 line Bonaparte, which had been acknowledged only before 
 the civil authorities, was consecrated on the same day. 
 Both Louis and his bride were very sad. She wept bit- 
 terly during the whole ceremony, and her tears were not 
 soon dried. She made no attempt to win the affection of 
 her husband ; while he, on his side, was too proud and too 
 deeply wounded to pursue her with his wooing. The good 
 Josephine did all she could to reconcile them ; for she must 
 have felt that this union, which had begun so badly, was 
 her work, in which she had tried to combine her own 
 interest, or at least that which she considered such, and 
 the happiness of her daughter. But her efforts, as well as 
 her advice and her prayers, availed nothing; and I have 
 many a time seen Hortense seek the solitude of her own 
 room, and the heart of a friend, there to pour out her 
 tears. Tears -fell from her eyes sometimes even in the 
 midst of one of the First Consul's receptions, where we
 
 UNUAPPINESS OF HOETENSE. 127 
 
 saw with sorrow this young woman, brilliant and gay, who 
 had so often gracefully done the honors on such occasions 
 and attended to all the details of its etiquette, retire into 
 a corner, or into the embrasure of a window, with one of 
 her most intimate friends, there to sadly make her the 
 confidante of her trials. During this conversation, from 
 which she rose with red and swollen eyes, her husband 
 remained thoughtful and taciturn at the opposite end of 
 the room. 
 
 Her Majesty, the Queen of Holland, has been accused of 
 many sins ; but everything said or written against tliis prin- 
 cess is marked by shameful exaggeration. So high a for- 
 tune drew all eyes to her, and excited bitter jealousy; 
 and yet those who envied her would not have failed to 
 bemoan themselves, if they had been put in her place, on 
 condition that they were to bear her griefs. The misfor- 
 tunes of Queen Hortense began with life itself. Her father 
 having been executed on a revolutionary scaffold, and her 
 mother thrown into prison, she found herself, while still a 
 child, alone, and with no other reliance than the faithful- 
 ness of the old servants of the family. Her brother, the 
 noble and worthy Prince Eugene, had been compelled, it is 
 said, to serve as an apprentice. She had a few years of 
 happiness, or at least of repose, during the time she was 
 under the care of Madame Campan, and just after she left 
 boarding-school. But her evil destiny was far from quit- 
 ting her ; and her wishes being thwarted, an unhappy mar- 
 riage opened for her a new succession of troubles. The 
 death of her first son, whom the Emperor wished to adopt, 
 and whom he had intended to be his successor in the Em- 
 pire, the divorce of her mother, the tragic death of her
 
 128 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 best-loved friend, Madame de Brocq, 1 who, before her eyes, 
 slipped over a precipice; the overturning of the imperial 
 throne, which caused her the loss of her title and rank as 
 queen, a loss which she, however, felt less than the mis- 
 fortunes of him whom she regarded as her father; and 
 finally, the continual annoyance of domestic dissensions, of 
 vexatious lawsuits, and the agony she suffered in behold- 
 ing her oldest surviving son removed from her by order 
 of her husband, such were the principal catastrophes in 
 a life which might have been thought destined for so much 
 happiness. 
 
 The day after the marriage of Mademoiselle Hortense, 
 the First Consul set out for Lyons, where there awaited him 
 the deputies of the Cisalpine Republic, assembled for the 
 election of a president. Everywhere on his route he was 
 welcomed with fetes and congratulations, with which all 
 were eager to overwhelm him on account of the miraculous 
 manner in which he had escaped the plots of his enemies. 
 This journey differed in no wise from the tours which he 
 
 1 Mademoiselle Adele Auguie", sister of the wife of Marshal Ney, had 
 married General de Brocq, Grand Marshal of the court of Holland. Her Maj- 
 esty, Queen Hortense, being at the waters of Aix in Savoy, in 1812, took much 
 pleasure in making with her friend excursions over the steepest mountains. 
 In one of these excursions a torrent was found in their way, and across it only 
 a fragile plank. The queen, led by her guide, passed first ; and she turned to 
 encourage Madame de Brocq, when she saw her slipping and gliding straight 
 down the precipice. At this horrible sight the queen uttered piercing cries. 
 Her agitation did not deprive her of her presence of mind. She gave orders, 
 multiplied her prayers and promises. But all help was useless. The body of 
 the young lady had been broken to pieces by the fall, and some time passed 
 before the cold and mutilated body could be gotten out of the water. The un- 
 fortunate remains were carried to Sainte Leu, where all the inhabitants were 
 plunged into the deepest grief. Madame de Brocq had charge of distributing 
 the numerous charities of the queen. She deserved all the tears that her 
 death caused to be shed. Note by CONSTANT.
 
 THE FIRST CONSUL AT LYONS. 129 
 
 afterwards made as Emperor. On his arrival at Lyons, he 
 received the visit of all the authorities, the constituent 
 bodies, the deputations from the neighboring departments, 
 and the members of the Italian councils. Madame Bona- 
 parte, who accompanied him on this journey, attended with 
 him these public displays, and shared with him the magnifi- 
 cent fete given to him by the city of Lyons. The day on 
 which the council elected and proclaimed the First Consul 
 president of the Italian Republic he reviewed, on the Place 
 des Brotteaux, the troops of the garrison, and recognized 
 in the ranks many soldiers of the army of Egypt, with 
 whom he conversed for some time. On all these occasions 
 the First Consul wore the same costume that he had worn 
 at Malmaison, and which I have described elsewhere. He 
 rose early, mounted his horse, and visited the public works, 
 among others those of the Place Belcour, of which he 
 had laid the corner-stone on his return from Italy, passed 
 through the Place des Brotteaux, inspected, examined 
 everything, and, always indefatigable, worked on his re- 
 turn as if he had been at the Tuileries. He rarely 
 changed his dress, except when he received at his table 
 the authorities or the principal inhabitants of the city. He 
 received all petitions most graciously, and before leaving 
 presented to the mayor of the city a scarf of honor, and 
 to the legate of the Pope a handsome snuff-box orna- 
 mented with his likeness. 
 
 The deputies of the council received presents, and were 
 most generous in making them, presenting Madame Bona- 
 parte with magnificent ornaments of diamonds and precious 
 stones, and other most valuable jewelry. 
 
 The First Consul, on arriving at Lyons, had been deeply
 
 130 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 grieved at the sudden death of a worthy prelate whom he 
 had known in his first campaign in Italy. 
 
 The Archbishop of Milan had come to Lyons, notwith- 
 standing his great age, in order to see the First Consul, 
 whom he loved with such tenderness that in conversation 
 the venerable old man continually addressed the young gen- 
 eral as " my son." The peasants of Pavia, having revolted 
 because their fanaticism had been excited by false asser- 
 tions that the French wished to destroy their religion, the 
 Archbishop of Milan, in order to prove that their fears were 
 groundless, often showed himself in a carriage with General 
 Bonaparte. 
 
 This prelate had stood the journey well, and appeared 
 in good health and fine spirits. Talleyrand, who had ar- 
 rived at Lyons a few days before the First Consul, gave 
 a dinner to the Cisalpine deputies and the principal notables 
 of the city, at which the Archbishop of Milan sat on his 
 right. He had scarcely taken his seat, and was in the act 
 of leaning forward to speak to M. de Talleyrand, when he 
 fell dead in his armchair. 
 
 On the 12th of January the town of Lyons gave, in 
 honor of the First Consul and Madame Bonaparte, a mag- 
 nificent fete, consisting of a concert, followed by a ball. 
 At eight o'clock in the evening, the three mayors, accom- 
 panied by the superintendents of the fete, called upon their 
 illustrious guests in the government palace. I can imagine 
 that I see again spread out before me that immense amphi- 
 theater, handsomely decorated, and illuminated by innumer- 
 able lusters and candles, the seats draped with the richest 
 cloths manufactured in the city, and filled with thousands 
 of women, some brilliant in youth and beauty, and all mag-
 
 THE FETE AT LYONS. 131 
 
 nificently attired. The theater had been chosen as the 
 place of the fete ; and on the entrance of the First Consul 
 and Madame Bonaparte, who advanced leaning on the arm 
 of one of the mayors, there arose a thunder of applause 
 and acclamations. Suddenly the decorations of the theater 
 faded from sight, and the Place Bonaparte (the former 
 Place Belcour) appeared, as it had been restored by order 
 of the First Consul. In the midst rose a pyramid, sur- 
 mounted by the statue of the First Consul, who was rep- 
 resented as resting upon a lion. Trophies of arms and 
 bas-reliefs represented on one side the battle of Arcola, on 
 the other that of Marengo. 
 
 When the first transports excited by this spectacle, 
 which recalled at once the benefits and the victories of 
 the hero of the fete, had subsided, there succeeded a 
 deep silence, and delightful music was heard, mingled 
 with songs, dedicated to the glory of the First Consul, to 
 his wife, the warriors who surrounded him, and the repre- 
 sentatives of the Italian republics. The singers and the 
 musicians were amateurs of Lyons. Mademoiselle Longue, 
 Gerbet, the postmaster, and Theodore, the merchant, who 
 had each performed their parts in a charming manner, re- 
 ceived the congratulations of the First Consul, and the 
 most gracious thanks of Madame Bonaparte. 
 
 What struck me most forcibly in the couplets which 
 were sung on that occasion, and which much resembled all 
 verses written for such occasions, was that incense was of- 
 fered to the First Consul in the very terms which all the 
 poets of the Empire have since used in their turn. All 
 the exaggerations of flattery were exhausted during the 
 Consulate ; and in the years which followed, it was neces-
 
 132 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 sary for poets often to repeat themselves. Thus, in the 
 couplets of Lyons, the First Consul was the Grod of vic- 
 tory, the conqueror of the Nile and of Neptune, the savior 
 of his country, the peacemaker of the world, the arbiter of 
 Europe. The French soldiers were transformed into friends 
 and companions of Alcides, etc., all of which was cutting 
 the ground from under the feet of the singers of the future. 
 
 The fete of Lyons ended in a ball which lasted until 
 daylight, at which the First Consul remained two hours, 
 which he spent in conversation with the magistrates of the 
 city. While the better class of the inhabitants gave these 
 grand entertainments to their guests, the people, notwith- 
 standing the cold, abandoned themselves on the public 
 squares to pleasure and dancing, and towards midnight 
 there was a fine display of fireworks on the Place 
 Bonaparte. 
 
 After fifteen or eighteen days passed at Lyons, we 
 returned to Paris, the First Consul and his wife continu- 
 ing to reside by preference at Malmaison. It was, I think, 
 a short time after the return of the First Consul that a 
 poorly dressed man begged an audience ; an order was 
 given to admit him to the cabinet, and the First Consul 
 inquired his name. " General," replied the petitioner, 
 frightened by his presence, " it is I who had the honor of 
 giving you writing lessons in the school of Brienne." 
 "Fine scholar you have made!" interrupted vehemently 
 the First Consul; "I compliment you on it!" Then he 
 began to laugh at his own vehemence, and addressed a 
 few kind words "to this good man, whose timidity such a 
 compliment had not reassured. A few days after the mas- 
 ter received, from the least promising, doubtless, of all his
 
 THE ABBE DUPUIS. 133 
 
 pupils at Brienne (you know how the Emperor wrote), a 
 pension amply sufficient for his needs. 
 
 Another of the old teachers of the First Consul, the 
 Abbe Dupuis, was appointed by him to the post of private 
 librarian at Malmaison, and lived and died there. He was 
 a modest man, and had the reputation of being well-edu- 
 cated. The First Consul visited him often in his room, and 
 paid him every imaginable attention and respect.
 
 134 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Proclamation of the law of public worship. Conversation on the subject. 
 The countersign. The Plenipotentiaries of the Concordat. Abbe Ber- 
 nier and Cardinal Caprara. The red hat and the red cap. Costume of 
 the First Consul and his colleagues. The first Te Deum chanted at Notre 
 Dame. Varied feelings of the spectators. The Republican calendar. 
 The beard and the shirt. General Abda.llah-M.enou. His courage in. 
 risking his head with the Jacobins. His flag. His romantic death. 
 Institution of the order of the Legion of Honor. The First Consul at 
 Ivry. The inscriptions of 1802 and 1814. The Mayor of Ivry and the 
 Mayor of Evreux. Simplicity of a high functionary. The cinq-z-en- 
 fants. Arrival of the First Consul at Rouen. M. Beugnot and Arch- 
 bishop Cambaceres. The Mayor of Rouen in the First Consul's carriage. 
 
 Generals Soult and Moncey. The First Consul has a corporal to take 
 breakfast with him. The First Consul at Havre and Honfleur. De- 
 parture from Havre for Fecamp. Arrival of the First Consul at Dieppe. 
 
 Return to Saint-Cloud. 
 
 THE day on which the First Consul promulgated the 
 law of public worship, he rose early, and entered the 
 dressing-room to make his toilet. While he was dressing 
 I saw Joseph Bonaparte enter his room with Cambaceres. 
 
 " Well," said the First Consul to the latter, " we are 
 going to mass. What do they think of that in Paris ? " 
 
 "Many persons," replied M. Cambaceres, "will go to 
 the representation with the intention of hissing the piece, 
 if they do not find it amusing." 
 
 " If any one thinks of hissing, I will have him put out- 
 of-doors by the grenadiers of the Consular Guard." 
 
 " But if the grenadiers begin to hiss like the others ? " 
 
 " I have no fear of that. My old soldiers will go
 
 THE CONCORDAT. 135 
 
 to Notre Dame exactly as they went to the mosque at 
 Cairo. They will watch me ; and seeing their general re- 
 main quiet and reverent, they will do as he does, saying 
 to themselves, " That is the countersign I " 
 
 "I am afraid," said Joseph Bonaparte, "that the 
 general officers will not be so accommodating. I have just 
 left Augereau, who was vomiting fire and fury against 
 what he calls your capricious proclamations. He, and a 
 few others, will not be easy to bring back into the pale of 
 our holy mother, the church." 
 
 " Bah ! that is like Augereau. He is a bawler, who 
 makes a great noise ; and yet if he has a little imbecile 
 cousin, he puts him in the priests' college for me to make 
 a chaplain of him. 
 
 " That reminds me," continued the First Consul, ad- 
 dressing his colleague, " when is your brother going to 
 take possession of his see of Rouen ? Do you know it has 
 the finest archiepiscopal palace in France? He will be 
 cardinal before a year has passed; that matter is already 
 arranged." 
 
 The second consul bowed. From that moment his 
 manner towards the First Consul was rather that of a 
 courtier than an equal. 
 
 The plenipotentiaries who had been appointed to exam- 
 ine and sign the Concordat were Joseph Bonaparte, Crdtet, 
 and the Abbe Bernier. This latter, whom I saw some- 
 times at the Tuileries, had been a chief of the Chouans, 1 
 and took a prominent part in all that occurred. The 
 First Consul, in this same conversation, the opening of 
 which I have just related, discussed with his two com- 
 
 1 The Chouans were Koyalists iu insurrection in Brittany. TRANS.
 
 136 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 panions the subject of the conferences on the Concordat. 
 " The Abbe Bernier," said the First Consul, " inspired fear 
 in the Italian prelates by the vehemence of his logic. It 
 might have been said that he imagined himself living over 
 again the days in which he led the Vende'ens to the charge 
 against the blues. Nothing could be more striking than 
 the contrast of his rude and quarrelsome manner with the 
 polished bearing and honeyed tones of the prelates. Car- 
 dinal Caprara came to me two days ago, with a shocked 
 air, to ask if it is true that, during the war of the Vendee, 
 the Abbe Bernier made an altar on which to celebrate 
 mass out of the corpses of the Republicans. I replied 
 that I knew nothing of it, but that it was possible. * Gen- 
 eral, First Consul,' cried the frightened cardinal, 'it is 
 not a red hat, but a red cap, which that man should 
 have! ' 
 
 " I am much afraid," continued the First Consul, " that 
 that kind of cap would prevent the Abbe Bernier from 
 getting the red hat." 
 
 These gentlemen left the First Consul when his toilet 
 was finished, and went to make their own. The First 
 Consul wore on that day the costume of the consuls, which 
 consisted of a scarlet coat without facings, and with a broad 
 embroidery of palms, in gold, on all the seams. His sword, 
 which he had worn in Egypt, hung at his side from a belt, 
 which, though not very wide, was of beautiful workman- 
 ship, and richly embroidered. He wore his black stock, 
 in preference to a lace cravat, and like his colleagues, wore 
 knee-breeches and shoes ; a French hat, with floating plumes 
 of the three colors, completed this rich costume. 
 
 The celebration of this sacrament at Notre Dame was a
 
 THE FIH8T TE DEUM AT NOTRE DAME. 137 
 
 novel sight to the Parisians, and many attended as if it were 
 a theatrical representation. Many, also, especially amongst 
 the military, found it rather a matter of raillery than of 
 edification ; and those who, during the Revolution, had con- 
 tributed all their strength to the overthrow of the worship 
 which the First Consul had just re-established, could with 
 difficulty conceal their indignation and their chagrin. 
 
 The common people saw in the Te Deum which was 
 sung that day for peace and the Concordat, only an addi- 
 tional gratification of their curiosity ; but among the middle 
 classes there was a large number of pious persons, who had 
 deeply regretted the suppression of the forms of devotion in 
 which they had been reared, and who were very happy in 
 returning to the old worship. And, indeed, there was then 
 no manifestation of superstition or of bigotry sufficient 
 to alarm the enemies of intolerance. 
 
 The clergy were exceedingly careful not to appear too 
 exacting ; they demanded little, condemned no one ; and 
 the representative of the Holy Father, the cardinal legate, 
 pleased all, except perhaps a few dissatisfied old priests, by 
 his indulgence, the worldly grace of his manners, and the 
 freedom of his conduct. This prelate was entirely in accord 
 with the First Consul, and he took great pleasure in con- 
 versing with him. 
 
 It is also certain, that apart from all religious sentiment, 
 the fidelity of the people to their ancient customs made 
 them return with pleasure to the repose and celebration 
 of Sunday. The Republican calendar was doubtless wisely 
 computed ; but every one is at first sight struck with the 
 ridiculousness of replacing the legend of the saints of the 
 old calendar with the days of the ass, the hog, the turnip,
 
 138 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 the onion, etc. Besides, if it was skillfully computed, it 
 was by no means conveniently divided. I recall on this 
 subject the remark of a man of much wit, and who, notwith- 
 standing the disapprobation which his remark implied, 
 nevertheless desired the establishment of the Republican 
 system, everywhere except in the almanac. When the 
 decree of the Convention which ordered the adoption of the 
 Republican calendar was published, he remarked : " They 
 have done finely ; but they have to fight two enemies 
 who never yield, the beard, and the white shirt." 1 
 
 The truth is, the interval from one decadi to another 
 was too long for the working-classes, and for all those who 
 were constantly occupied. I do not know whether it 
 was the effect of a deep-rooted habit, but people accustomed 
 to working six days in succession, and resting on the 
 seventh, found nine days of consecutive labor too long, 
 and consequently the suppression of the decadi was uni- 
 versally approved. The decree which ordered the publi- 
 cation of marriage bans on Sunday was not so popular, for 
 some persons were afraid of finding in this the revival of 
 the former dominance of the clergy over the civil authorities. 
 
 A few days after the solemn re-establishment of the 
 catholic worship, there arrived at the Tuileries a general 
 officer, who would perhaps have preferred the establishment 
 of Mahomet, and the change of Notre Dame into a mosque. 
 He was the last general-in-chief of the army of Egypt, and 
 was said to have turned Mussulman at Cairo, ex-Baron de 
 Menou. 2 In spite of the defeat by the English which he 
 
 1 That is to say, the barber and tho washerwoman, for whom ten days 
 was too long an interval. TRANS. 
 
 2 Jaques Francois, Baroii de Menou, born in Touraiue, 1750, was of high
 
 GENERAL MENOU. 139 
 
 had recently undergone in Egypt, General Abdallah-Menou 
 was well received by the First Consul, who appointed 
 him soon after governor-general of Piedmont. General 
 Menou was of tried courage, and had given proof of it 
 elsewhere, as well as on the field of battle, and amid the 
 most trying circumstances. 
 
 After the 10th of August, 1 although belonging to the 
 Republican party, he had accompanied Louis Sixteenth to 
 the Assembly, and had been denounced as a Royalist by 
 the Jacobins. In 1795 the Faubourg Saint Antoine hav- 
 ing risen en masse, and advanced against the Convention, 
 General Menou had surrounded and disarmed the sedi- 
 tious citizens ; but he had refused to obey the atrocious 
 orders of the commissioners of the Convention, who decreed 
 that the entire faubourg should be burned, in order to 
 punish the inhabitants for their continued insurrections. 
 Some time afterwards, having again refused to obey the 
 order these commissioners of the Convention gave, to mow 
 down with grape-shot the insurrectionists of Paris, he had 
 been summoned before a commission, which would not 
 have failed to send him to the guillotine, if General Bo- 
 naparte, who had succeeded him in the command of the 
 army of the interior, had not used all his influence to save 
 his life. Such repeated acts of courage and generosity 
 
 rank in the army prior to 1789. He sat with the Tiers ltat in the States-Gen- 
 eral, notwithstanding his noble birth. ' Served in La Vende'e and in Egypt. 
 Succeeded as coinmander-in-chief on the death of Kleber. His subsequent 
 career is above stated. TRANS. 
 
 1 The 10th of August, 1792, when the mob sacked the Tuileries, mas- 
 sacred the Swiss Body Guard, placed the red cap on the king's head, and 
 carried him to the Convention, which sent him to prison. The fidelity of the 
 Swiss Guard is nobly commemorated by the lion hewn in the solid rock 
 by Thorwaldsen at Lucerne. TRANS.
 
 140 EECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 are enough, and more than enough, to cause us to par- 
 don in this brave officer, the very natural pride with 
 which he boasted of having armed the National Guards, 
 and having caused the tricolor to be substituted for the 
 white flag. The tricolor he called my flag. From the 
 government of Piedmont he passed to that of Venice ; and 
 died in 1810 for love of an actress, whom he had followed 
 from Venice to Reggio, in spite of his sixty years. 
 
 The institution of the order of the Legion of Honor 
 preceded by a few days the proclamation of the Consulate 
 for life, which proclamation was the occasion of a fete, 
 celebrated on the 15th of August. This was the anniver- 
 sary of the birth of the First Consul, and the opportunity 
 was used in order to make for the first time this anniversary 
 a festival. On that day the First Consul was thirty-three 
 years old. 
 
 In the month of October following I went with the 
 First Consul on his journey into Normandy, where we 
 stopped at Ivry, and the First Consul visited the battle- 
 field. He said, on arriving there, " Honor to the memory 
 of the best Frenchman who ever sat upon the throne of 
 France," and ordered the restoration of the column, which 
 had been formerly erected, in memory of the victory 
 achieved by Henry the Fourth. The reader will perhaps 
 desire to read here the inscriptions, which were engraved 
 by his order, on the four faces of the pyramid. 
 
 First Inscription. 
 
 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE, FIRST CONSUL, TO THE MEMORY 
 OF HENRY THE FOURTH, VICTORIOUS OVER THE 
 ENEMIES OF THE STATE, ON THE FIELD 
 OF IVRY, 14TH MARCH, 1890.
 
 THE TWO MAYORS. 141 
 
 Second Inscription, 
 
 GREAT MEN LOVE THE GLOKY OF THOSE WHO RESEMBLE THEM. 
 
 Third Inscription. 
 
 THE 7TH BRUMAIRE, YEAR XI, OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC, 
 
 NAPOLEON BONAPARTE, FIRST CONSUL, 
 
 HAVING VISITED THIS FIELD, ORDERED THE REBUILDING 
 
 OF THE MONUMENT DESTINED TO PERPETUATE THE MEMORY OF 
 
 HENRY IV., AND THE VICTORY OF IVRY. 
 
 Fourth Inscription. 
 
 THE WOES EXPERIENCED BY FRANCE, AT THE EPOCH 
 
 OF THE BATTLE OF IVRY, WERE THE RESULT 
 
 OF THE APPEAL MADE BY THE OPPOSING PARTIES IN FRANCE TO 
 SPAIN AND ENGLAND. EVERY FAMILY, EVERY PARTY, 
 
 WHICH CALLS IN FOREIGN POWERS TO ITS AID, 
 
 HAS MERITED AND WILL MERIT, TO THE MOST DISTANT POSTERITY, 
 THE MALEDICTION OF THE FRENCH PEOPLE. 
 
 All these inscriptions have since been effaced, and re- 
 placed by this, " On this spot Henry the Fourth stood the 
 day of the battle of Ivry, 14th March, 1590." 
 
 Monsieur Ledier, Mayor of Ivry, accompanied the First 
 Consul on this excursion ; and the First Consul held a long 
 conversation with him, in which he appeared to be agree- 
 ably impressed. He did not form so good an opinion of 
 the Mayor of Evreux, and interrupted him abruptly, in the 
 midst of a complimentary address which this worthy magis- 
 trate \yas trying to make him, by asking if he knew his 
 colleague, the Mayor of Ivry. " No, general," replied the 
 mayor. " Well, so much the worse for you ; I trust you 
 will make his acquaintance." 
 
 It was also at Evreux that an official of high rank
 
 142 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 amused Madame Bonaparte and her suite, by a naivete 
 which the First Consul alone did not find diverting, be- 
 cause he did not like such simplicity displayed by an of- 
 ficial. Monsieur de Ch - did the honors of the country 
 town to the wife of the First Consul, and this, in spite 
 of his age, with much zeal and activity ; and Madame 
 Bonaparte, among other questions which her usual kind- 
 ness and grace dictated to her, asked him if he was mar- 
 ried, and if he had a family. " Indeed, Madame, I should 
 think so," replied Monsieur de Ch - with a smile and 
 a bow, "fai cinq-z-enfants." - " OA, mon Dieu" cried 
 Madame Bonaparte, "what a regiment! That is extraor- 
 dinary; what, sir, seize enfants?" "Yes, Madame, cinq-z- 
 enfants, cinq-z-enfants" repeated the official, who did not 
 see anything very marvelous in it, and who wondered at 
 the astonishment shown by Madame Bonaparte. At last 
 some one explained to her the mistake which la liaison 
 dangereuse of M. de Ch - had caused her to make, and 
 added with comic seriousness, "Deign, Madame, to excuse 
 M. de Ch . The Revolution has interrupted the prose- 
 cution of his studies." He was more than sixty years of 
 age. 
 
 From Evreux we set out for Rouen, where we arrived 
 at three o'clock in the afternoon. Chaptal, Minister of the 
 Interior, Beugnot, Prefect of the Department, and Cam- 
 baceres, Archbishop of Rouen, came to meet the First Con- 
 sul at some distance from the city. The Mayor Fontenay 
 waited at the gates, and presented the keys. The First 
 Consul held them some time in his hands, and then re- 
 turned them to the mayor, saying to him loud enough 
 to be heard by the crowd which surrounded the carriage,
 
 AT EOUEN. 143 
 
 " Citizens, I cannot trust the keys of the city to any one 
 better than the worthy magistrate who so worthily enjoys 
 my confidence and your own ; " and made Fontenay enter 
 his carriage, saying he wished to honor Rouen in the per- 
 son of its mayor. 
 
 Madame Bonaparte rode in the carriage with her hus- 
 band ; General Moncey, 1 Inspector-general of the Constabu- 
 lary, on horseback on the right ; in the second carriage was 
 General Soult 2 and his aides-de-camp ; in the third carriage, 
 General Bessieres 3 and M. de Lugay ; in the fourth, Gen- 
 eral Lauriston ; then came the carriages of the personal 
 attendants, Hambard, Hebert, and I being in the first. 
 
 It is impossible to give an idea of the enthusiasm of the 
 inhabitants of Rouen on the arrival of the First Consul. 
 The market-porters and the boatmen in grand costume 
 awaited us outside the city ; and when the carriage which 
 
 1 Adrian Moncey, born at Besan9on, 1754, entered the army at fifteen 
 years of age. In 1793 he was as yet only a captain. As general of division, 
 served in Spain and Italy, 1795 and 1796. In 1804: made m&rshal, and later 
 Duke of Conegliano. He refused, after Waterloo, to preside in the court- 
 martial that tried Marshal Ney, and was imprisoned. Governor of the In- 
 valides on the return of the ashes of Napoleon, 1840 ; died 1842. 
 
 2 Nicolas Soult, born at St. Amand (Tarn), 1769, served in the campaigns 
 1794-1799 in the army of the Rhine. Was with Masse'na in Genoa, 1800. Made 
 marshal 1804. Served at Austerlitz 1805, and in Spain 1808 to 1814. Was 
 minister of war to Louis XVIII. in 1814, but resigned to join Napoleon on 
 his return from Elba, and was chief of staff at Waterloo. Peer under 
 Charles X., and minister of war and premier under Louis Philippe. Died 
 November, 1851. Was created Duke of Dalmatia by Napoleon. 
 
 3 John Baptist Bessieres, born in 1768 at Prayssac (Lot), served under 
 Bonaparte in Italy, 1796, followed him to Egypt as brigadier-general, general 
 of division under the Consulate, marshal 1804, and later Duke of Istria. 
 Commanded the Imperial Guard at Austerlitz, Je'na, Eylau, and Wagram. 
 Commanded an army corps in Spain, 1811, and the cavalry of the guard in 
 Russia in 1813. Was killed in a skirmish just before the battle of Lutzen, 
 May, 1813.
 
 144 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 held the two august personages was in sight, these brave 
 men placed themselves in line, two and two, and preceded 
 thus the carriage to the hotel of the prefecture, where the 
 First Consul alighted. 
 
 The prefect and the mayor of Rouen, the archbishop, 
 and the general commanding the division dined with the 
 First Consul, who showed a most agreeable animation dur- 
 ing the repast, and with much solicitude asked information 
 as to the condition of manufactures, new discoveries in the 
 art of manufacturing, in fact, as to everything relating to 
 the prosperity of this city, which was essentially industrial. 
 
 In the evening, and almost the whole night, an immense 
 crowd surrounded the hotel, and filled the gardens of the 
 prefecture, which were illuminated and ornamented with 
 allegorical transparencies in praise of the First Consul; 
 and each time he showed himself on the terrace of the 
 garden the air resounded with applause and acclamations 
 which seemed most gratifying to him. 
 
 The next morning, after having made on horseback the 
 tour of the city, and visited the grand sites by which it is 
 surrounded, the First Consul heard mass, which was cele- 
 brated at eleven o'clock by the archbishop in the chapel of 
 the prefecture. An hour after he had to receive the gen- 
 eral council of the department, the council of the prefec- 
 ture, the municipal council, the clergy of Rouen, and the 
 courts of justice, and was obliged to listen to a half-dozen 
 discourses, all expressed in nearly the same terms, and to 
 which he replied in such a manner as to give the orators 
 the highest opinion of their own merit. All these bodies, 
 on leaving the First Consul, were presented to Madame 
 Bonaparte, who received them with her accustomed grace,
 
 PTIEY,
 
 AT ROUEN. -145 
 
 In the evening Madame Bonaparte held a reception for 
 the wives of the officials, at which the First Consul was 
 present, of which fact some availed themselves to present 
 to him several emigres, who had recently returned under 
 the act of amnesty, and whom he received graciously. 
 
 After which followed crowds, illuminations, acclama- 
 tions, all similar to those of the evening before. Every 
 one wore an air of rejoicing which delighted me, and 
 contrasted strangely, I thought, with the dreadful wooden 
 houses, narrow, filthy streets, and Gothic buildings which 
 then distinguished the town of Rouen. 
 
 Monday, Nov. 1, at seven o'clock in the morning, the 
 First Consul mounted his horse, and, escorted by a detach- 
 ment of the young men of the city, forming a volunteer 
 guard, passed, the bridge of boats, and reached the Fau- 
 bourg Saint-Sever. On his return from this excursion, we 
 found the populace awaiting him at the head of the bridge, 
 whence they escorted him to the hotel of the prefecture, 
 manifesting the liveliest joy. 
 
 After breakfast, there was a high mass by the arch- 
 bishop, the occasion being the fete of All Saints ; then 
 came the learned societies, the chiefs of administration, and 
 justices of the peace, with their speeches, one of which 
 contained a remarkable sentence, in which these good 
 magistrates, in their enthusiasm, asked the First Consul's 
 permission to surname him the great justice of the peace of 
 Europe. As they left the Consul's apartment I noticed 
 their spokesman ; he had tears in his eyes, and was repeat- 
 ing with pride the reply he had just received. 
 
 I regret that I do not remember his name, but I was 
 told that he was one of the most highly esteemed men in
 
 146 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 Rouen. His countenance inspired confidence, and bore an 
 expression of frankness, which prepossessed me in his favor. 
 
 In the evening the First Consul went to the theater, 
 which was packed to the ceiling, and offered a charming 
 sight. The municipal authorities had a delightful fete pre- 
 pared, which the First Consul found much to his taste, and 
 upon which he complimented the prefect and the mayor on 
 several different occasions. After witnessing the opening 
 of the ball, he made two or three turns in the hall, and 
 retired, escorted by the staff of the National Guard. 
 
 On Tuesday much of the day was spent by the First 
 Consul in visiting the workshops of the numerous factories 
 of the city, accompanied by the minister of the interior, the 
 prefect, the mayor, the general commanding the division, 
 the inspector-general of police, and the staff of the Consu- 
 lar Guard. In a factory of the Faubourg SaintrSever, the 
 minister of the interior presented to him the dean of the 
 workmen, noted as having woven the first piece of vel- 
 vet in France ; and the First Consul, after complimenting 
 this honorable old man, granted him a pension. Other 
 rewards and encouragements were likewise distributed to 
 several parties whose useful inventions commended them 
 to public gratitude. 
 
 Wednesday morning early we left for Elbeuf, where we 
 arrived at ten o'clock, preceded by threescore young men 
 of the most distinguished families of the city, who, .fol- 
 lowing the example of those of Rouen, aspired to the honor 
 of forming the guard of the First Consul. 
 
 The country around us was covered with an innu- 
 merable multitude, gathered from all the surrounding com- 
 munes. The First Consul alighted at Elbeuf, at the house
 
 AT ELBEUF. 147 
 
 of the mayor, where he took breakfast, and then visited 
 the town in detail, obtaining information everywhere ; and 
 knowing that one of the first wishes of the citizens was the 
 construction of a road from Elbeuf to a small neighboring 
 town called Romilly, he gave orders to the minister of the 
 interior to begin work upon it immediately. 
 
 At Elbeuf, as at Rouen, the First Consul was over- 
 whelmed with homage and benedictions ; and we returned 
 from this last town at four o'clock in the afternoon. 
 
 The merchants of Rouen had prepared a fete in the hall 
 of the Stock Exchange, which the First Consul and his 
 family attended after dinner. He remained a long time 
 on the ground floor of this building, where there were dis- 
 played magnificent specimens from the industries of this 
 Department. He examined everything, and made Madame 
 Bonaparte do the same ; and she also purchased several 
 pieces of cloth. 
 
 The First Consul then ascended to the first floor, 
 where, in the grand saloon, were gathered about a hundred 
 ladies, married and single, and almost all pretty, the wives 
 and daughters of the principal merchants of Rouen, who 
 were waiting to compliment him. He seated himself in this 
 charming circle, and remained there perhaps a quarter of an 
 hour ; then passed into another room, where awaited him 
 the representation of a little proverb, containing couplets 
 expressing, as may be imagined, the attachment and grati- 
 tude of the inhabitants of Rouen. This play was followed 
 by a ball. 
 
 Thursday evening the First Consul announced that he 
 would leave for Havre the next morning at daybreak ; and 
 exactly at five o'clock I was awakened by Hebert, who
 
 148 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 said that at six o'clock we would set out. I awoke feeling 
 badly, was sick the whole day, and would have given much 
 to have slept a few hours longer ; but we were compelled to 
 begin our journey. Before entering his carriage, the First 
 Consul made a present to Monseigneur, the archbishop, 
 of a snuff-box with his portrait, and also gave one to the 
 mayor, on which was the inscription, Peuple Franfais. 
 
 We stopped at Caudebec for breakfast. The mayor of 
 this town presented to the First Consul a corporal who had 
 made the campaign of Italy (his name was, I think, Rous- 
 sel), and who had received a sword of honor as a reward 
 for his brave conduct at Marengo. He was at Caudebec 
 on a half-year's furlough, and asked the First Consul's 
 permission to be a sentinel at the door of the apartment 
 of the august travelers, which was granted ; and after the 
 First Consul and Madame Bonaparte were seated at the 
 table, Roussel was sent for, and invited to breakfast with 
 his former general. At Havre and at Dieppe the First 
 Consul invited thus to his table all the soldiers or sailors 
 who had received guns, sabers, or boarding-axes of honor. 
 The First Consul stopped an hour at Bolbec, showing much 
 attention and interest in examining the products of the in- 
 dustries of the district, complimenting the guards of honor 
 who passed before him on their fine appearance, thanking 
 the clergy for the prayers in his behalf which they ad- 
 dressed to Heaven, and leaving for the poor, either in their 
 own hands, or in the hands of the mayor, souvenirs of his 
 stay. On the arrival of the First Consul at Havre, the city 
 was illuminated; and the First Consul and his numerous 
 cortege passed between two rows of illuminations and col- 
 umns of fire of all kinds. The vessels in the port appeared
 
 AT HAVRE. 149 
 
 like a forest on fire ; being covered with colored lamps to 
 the very top of their masts. The First Consul received, 
 the day of his arrival at Havre, only a part of the author- 
 ities of the city, and soon after retired, saying that he 
 was fatigued ; but at six o'clock in the morning of the 
 next day he was on horseback, and until two o'clock he 
 rode along the seacoast and low hills of Ingouville for 
 more than a league, and the banks of the Seine as far as 
 the cliffs of Hoc. He also made a tour outside of the cita- 
 del. About three o'clock the First Consul began to receive 
 the authorities. He conversed with them in great detail 
 upon the work that had been done at this place in order 
 that their port, which he always called the port of Paris, 
 might reach the highest degree of prosperity, and did the 
 sub-prefect, the mayor, the two presidents of -the tribunals, 
 the commandant of the place, and the chief of the tenth 
 de mi-brigade of light infantry the honor of inviting them to 
 his table. 
 
 In the evening the First Consul went to the theater, 
 where they played a piece composed for the occasion, 
 about as admirable as such pieces usually are, but on which 
 the First Consul and Madame Bonaparte especially compli- 
 mented the authors. The illuminations were more brilliant 
 even than on the evening before ; and I remember especially 
 that the largest number of transparencies bore the inscrip- 
 tion, 18th Brumaire, year VIIL l 
 
 Sunday, at seven o'clock in the morning, after having 
 visited the Marine Arsenal and all the docks, the weather 
 being very fine, the First Consul embarked in a little barge, 
 and remained in the roadstead for several hours, escorted 
 
 1 The day (Nov. 9, 1799) 011 which he was made First Consul. TRANS.
 
 150 EECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 by a large number of barges rilled with men and elegantly 
 dressed women, and musicians playing the favorite airs of 
 the First Consul. Then a few hours were again passed in 
 the reception of merchants, the First Consul assuring them 
 that he had taken the greatest pleasure in conferring with 
 them in regard to the commerce of Havre with the colonies. 
 In the evening, there was a fete prepared by the merchants, 
 at which the First Consul remained for half an hour ; and 
 on Monday, at five o'clock in the morning, he embarked on 
 a lugger for Honfleur. At the time of his departure the 
 weather was a little threatening, and the First Consul was 
 advised not to embark. Madame Bonaparte, whose ears 
 this rumor reached, ran after her husband, begging him 
 not to set out ; but he embraced her, laughing, calling her 
 a coward, and entered the vessel which was awaiting him. 
 He had hardly embarked when the wind suddenly lulled, 
 and the weather became very fine. On his return to Havre, 
 the First Consul held a review on the Place de la Citadelle, 
 and visited the artillery barracks, after which he received, 
 until the evening, a large number of public dignitaries and 
 merchants ; and the next day, at six o'clock in the morn- 
 ing, we set out for Dieppe. 
 
 When we arrived at Fecamp, the town presented an 
 extremely singular spectacle. All the inhabitants of the 
 town, and of the adjoining towns and villages, followed 
 the clergy, chanting a Te Deum for the anniversary of the 
 18th Brumaire ; and these countless voices rising to heaven 
 for him affected the First Consul profoundly. He repeated 
 several times during breakfast that he had felt more emotion 
 on hearing these chants under the dome of heaven than he 
 had ever felt while listening to the most brilliant music.
 
 AT DIEPPE. 151 
 
 We arrived at Dieppe at six o'clock in the evening. 
 The First Consul retired, only after having received all 
 their felicitations, which were certainly very sincere there, 
 as throughout all France at that time. The next day, at 
 eight o'clock, the First Consul repaired to the harbor, where 
 he remained a long while watching the return of the fisher- 
 men, and afterwards visited the faubourg of Pollet, and the 
 work on the docks, which was then just beginning. He 
 admitted to his table the sub-prefect, the mayor, and three 
 sailors of Dieppe who had been given boarding-axes of 
 honor for distinguishing themselves in the combat off 
 Boulogne. He ordered the construction of a breakwater 
 in the inner port, and the continuation of a canal for navi- 
 gation, which was to be extended as far as Paris, and of 
 which, until this present time, 1 only a few fathoms have 
 been made. From Dieppe we went to Gisors and to 
 Beauvais ; and finally the First Consul and his wife 
 returned to Saint-Cloud, after an absence of two weeks, 
 during which workmen had been busily employed in re- 
 storing the ancient royal residence, which the First Consul 
 had decided to accept, as I have before stated. 
 * In 1830. TRANS.
 
 152 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Influence of the tour of Normandy upon the mind of the First Consul. The 
 genesis of the Empire. Memoirs and history. First ladies and officers 
 of Madame Bonaparte. Mesdames de Re'musat, de Tallouet, de Lucay, 
 de Lauriston. Mademoiselles d'Alberg and de Lucay. Prudence at 
 Court. Messieurs de Remusat, de Cramayel, de Lupay, Didelot. The 
 palace first refused, then accepted. Gewgaws. The servants of Marie 
 Antoinette better treated under the Consulate than since the Restora- 
 tion. Fire at Saint-Cloud. The waiting-room. The bourgeois bed. 
 How the First Consul went at night to his wife's room. Duty and 
 conjugal triumph. A gallant caught in the act. Excessive severity 
 towards a young girl. Arms of honor and the soldiers. The baptism 
 of blood. The First Consul following the plow. Laborers and coun- 
 selors of state. The grenadier of the Republic turned laborer. Audi- 
 ence of the First Consul. The author introduces him into the General's 
 cabinet. Kind reception and singular conversation. 
 
 THE tour of the First Consul through the wealthiest and 
 most enlightened departments of France had removed from 
 his mind the apprehension of many difficulties which he 
 had feared at first in the execution of his plans. Every- 
 where he had been treated as a monarch, and not only he 
 personally, but Madame Bonaparte also, had been received 
 with all the honors usually reserved for crowned heads. 
 There was no difference between the homage offered them 
 at this time, and that which they received later, even during 
 the Empire, when their Majesties made tours of their states 
 at different times. For this reason I shall give some de- 
 tails ; and if they should seem too long, or not very novel, 
 the reader will remember that I am not writing only for 
 those who lived during the Empire. The generation which
 
 THE GENESIS OF THE EMPIRE. 153 
 
 witnessed such great deeds, and which, under their very 
 eyes, and from the beginning of his career, saw the greatest 
 man of this century, has already given place to another 
 generation, which can judge him only by what others may 
 narrate of him. What may be familiar to those who saw 
 with their own eyes is not so to others, who can only 
 take at second-hand those things which they had no oppor- 
 tunity of seeing for themselves. Besides, details omitted 
 as frivolous or commonplace by history, which makes a pro- 
 fession of more gravity, are perfectly appropriate in simple 
 memoirs, and often enable one to understand and judge 
 the epoch more correctly. For instance, it seems to me 
 that the enthusiasm displayed by the entire population and 
 all the local authorities for the First Consul and his wife 
 during their tour in Normandy showed clearly that the 
 chief of the state would have no great opposition to fear, 
 certainly none on the part of the nation, whenever it should 
 please him to change his title, and proclaim himself Emperor. 
 Soon after our return, by a decree of the consuls four 
 ladies were assigned to Madame Bonaparte to assist her in 
 doing the honors of the palace. They were Mesdames de Re- 
 musat, de Tallouet, de Lugay, and de Lauriston. Under the 
 Empire they became ladies-in-waiting. Madame de Lau- 
 riston often raised a smile by little exhibitions of parsimony, 
 but she was good and obliging. Madame de Remusat 
 possessed great merit, and had sound judgment, though 
 she appeared somewhat haughty, which was the more re- 
 markable as M. de Remusat was exactly the reverse. Sub- 
 sequently there was another lady of honor, Madame de La 
 Rochefoucault, of whom I shall have occasion to speak 
 later.
 
 154 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 The lady of the robes, Madame de Lugay, was succeeded 
 by Madame La Vallette, so gloriously known afterwards by 
 her devotion to her husband. There were twenty-four 
 French ladies-in-waiting, among whom were Mesdames de 
 Remusat, de Tallouet, de Lauriston, Ney, d'Arberg, Louise 
 d'Arberg (afterwards the Countess of Lobau), de Walsh- 
 Serent, de Colbert, Lannes, Savary, de Turenne, Octave de 
 Segur, de Montalivet, de Marescot, de Bouille Solar, Las- 
 caris, de Brignole, de Canisy, de Chevreuse, Victor de 
 Mortemart, de Montmorency, Matignon, and Maret. There 
 were also twelve Italian ladies-in-waiting. 
 
 These ladies served in turn one month each, there being 
 thus two French and one Italian lady on duty together. 
 The Emperor at first did not admit unmarried ladies among 
 the ladies-in-waiting ; but he relaxed this rule first in favor 
 of Mademoiselle Louise d'Arberg (afterwards Countess of 
 Lobau), and then in favor of Mademoiselle de Luc, ay, who 
 has since married Count Philip de Segur, author of the 
 excellent history of the campaign in Russia ; and these two 
 young ladies by their prudence and circumspect conduct 
 proved themselves above criticism even at court. 
 
 There were four lady ushers, Mesdames Soustras, 
 Ducrest-Villeneuve, Felicite Longroy, and Egle Marchery. 
 
 Two first ladies' maids, Mesdames Roy and Marco de 
 St. Hilaire, who had under their charge the grand wardrobe 
 and the jewel-box. 
 
 There were four ladies' maids in ordinary. 
 
 A lady reader. 
 
 The men on the staff of the Empress's household were 
 the following : 
 
 A grand equerry, Senator Harville, who discharged the 
 duties of a chevalier of honor.
 
 THE EMFHEUS'S HOUSEHOLD. 155 
 
 A head chamberlain, the general of division, Nansouty. 1 
 
 A vice-chamberlain, introducer of the ambassadors, de 
 Beaumont. 
 
 Four chamberlains in ordinary, de Courtomer, Degrave, 
 Galard de Beam, Hector d'Aubusson de la Feuillade. 
 
 Four equerries, Corbineau, Berckheim, d'Audenarde, 
 and Fouler. 
 
 A superintendent-general of her Majesty's household, 
 Hinguerlot. 
 
 A secretary of commands, Deschamps. 
 
 Two head valets, Frere and Douville. 
 
 Four valets in ordinary. 
 
 Four men servants. 
 
 Two head footmen, L'Esperance and d'Argens. Six 
 ordinary footmen. The staff of the kitchen and sanitation 
 were the same as in the household of the Emperor; and 
 besides these, six pages of the Emperor were always in 
 attendance upon the Empress. 
 
 The chief almoner was Ferdinand de Rohan, former 
 archbishop of Cambray. 
 
 Another decree of the same date fixed the duties of the 
 prefects of the palace. The four head prefects of the con- 
 sular palace were de Remusat, de Crayamel (afterwards 
 appointed introducer of ambassadors, and master of cere- 
 monies), de Luc,ay, and Didelot. The latter subsequently 
 became prefect of the Department of the Cher. 
 
 Malmaison was no longer sufficient for the First Consul, 
 whose household, like that of Madame Bonaparte, became 
 
 1 Count Stephen Champhion de Nansouty was born at Bordeaux, 17G8. 
 One of the best cavalry officers of his time. He closed the battle at Auster- 
 litz, 1805, and opened that of Wagrani, 1809. Wounded at Borodino, 1812; 
 and commanded the cavalry at Leipsic. Died, February, 1815. TKANS.
 
 156 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 daily more numerous. A much larger building had become 
 necessary, and the First Consul fixed his choice upon Saint- 
 Cloud. 
 
 The inhabitants of Saint-Cloud addressed a petition to 
 the Corps Legislatif, praying that the First Consul would 
 make their chateau his summer residence ; and this body 
 hastened to transmit it to him, adding their prayers to 
 the same effect, and making comparisons which they be- 
 lieved would be agreeable to him. The general refused 
 formally, saying that when he should have finished and 
 laid down the duties with which the people had charged 
 him, he would feel honored by any recompense which the 
 popular will might award him ; but that so long as he was 
 the chief of the Government he would accept nothing. 
 
 Notwithstanding the determined tone of this reply, the 
 inhabitants of the village of Saint^Cloud, who had the great- 
 est interest in the petition being granted, renewed it when 
 the First Consul was chosen consul for life ; and he then 
 consented to accept. The expenses of the repairs and 
 furnishing were immense, and greatly exceeded the calcula- 
 tions that had been made for him ; nevertheless, he was 
 not satisfied either with the furniture or ornaments, and 
 complained to Charvet, the concierge at Malmaison, whom 
 he appointed to the same post in the new palace, and whom 
 he had charged with the general supervision of the furnish- 
 ing and the placing of the furniture, that he had fitted up 
 apartments suitable only for a mistress, and that they con- 
 tained only gewgaws and spangles, and nothing substan- 
 tial. On this occasion, also, he gave another proof of his 
 habitual desire to do good, in spite of prejudices which had 
 not yet spent their force. Knowing that there were at
 
 FIRE AT SAINT-CLOUD. 157 
 
 Saint-Cloud a large number of the former servants of Queen 
 Marie Antoinette, he charged Charvet to offer them either 
 their old places or pensions, and most of them resumed their 
 former posts. In 1814 the Bourbons were far from acting 
 so generously, for they discharged all employees, even those 
 who had served Marie Antoinette. 
 
 The First Consul had been installed at Saint-Cloud only 
 a short while, when the chateau, which had thus again 
 become the residence of the sovereign at enormous ex- 
 pense, came near falling a prey to the flames. The guard- 
 room was under the vestibule, in the center of the palace ; 
 and one night, the soldiers having made an unusually large 
 fire, the stove became so hot that a sofa, whose back 
 touched one of the flues which warmed the saloon, took fire, 
 and the flames were quickly communicated to the other 
 furniture. The officer on duty perceiving this, immediately 
 notified the concierge, and together they ran to General 
 Duroc's room and awoke him. The general rose in haste, 
 and, commanding perfect silence, made a chain of men. 
 He took his position at the pool, in company with the con- 
 cierge, and thence passed buckets of water to the soldiers 
 for two or three hours, at the end of which time the fire 
 was extinguished, but only after devouring all the furni- 
 ture ; and it was not until the next morning that the 
 First Consul, Josephine, Hortense, in short, all the other 
 occupants of the chateau, learned of the accident, all of 
 whom, the First Consul especially, expressed their appre- 
 ciation of the consideration shown in not alarming them. 
 To prevent, or at least to render such accidents less likely 
 in future, the First Consul organized a night-guard at Saint- 
 Cloud, and subsequently did the same at all his residences ; 
 which guard was called "the watch."
 
 158 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 During his early occupation of Saint-Cloud the First 
 Consul slept in the same bed with his wife ; afterwards eti- 
 quette forbade this ; and as a result, conjugal affection was 
 somewhat chilled, and finally the First Consul occupied an 
 apartment at some distance from that of Madame Bona- 
 parte. To reach her room it was necessary to cross a long 
 corridor, on the right and left of which were the rooms of 
 the ladies-in-waiting, the women of the service, etc. When 
 he wished to pass the night with his wife, he undressed 
 in his own room, and went thence in his wrapper and 
 night-cap, I going before him with a candle. At the end 
 of this corridor a staircase of fifteen or sixteen steps led 
 to the apartment of Madame Bonaparte. It was a great 
 joy to her to receive a visit from her husband, and every 
 one was informed of it next morning. I can see her now 
 rubbing her little hands, saying, "I rose late to-day; but, 
 you see, it is because Bonaparte spent the night with me." 
 On such days she was more amiable than ever, refused no 
 one, and all got whatever they requested. I experienced 
 proofs of this myself many times. 
 
 One evening as I was conducting the First Consul on 
 one of these visits to his wife, we perceived in the corridor 
 a handsome young fellow coming out of the apartment of 
 one of Madame Bonaparte's women servants. He tried to 
 steal away; but the First Consul cried in a loud voice, 
 " Who goes there ? Where are you going ? What do you 
 want? What is your name?" He was merely a valet. of 
 Madame Bonaparte, and, stupefied by these startling in- 
 quiries, replied in a frightened voice that he had just exe- 
 cuted an errand for Madame Bonaparte. "Very well," 
 replied the First Consul, "but do not let me catch you
 
 EXCESSIVE SEVEEITY. 159 
 
 again." Satisfied that the gallant would profit by the 
 lesson, the general did not seek to learn his name, nor that 
 of his inamorata. This reminds me of an occasion on 
 which he was much more severe in regard to another 
 chambermaid of Madame Bonaparte. She was young, 
 and very pretty, and inspired very tender sentiments in 
 Rapp and E , two aides-de-camp, who besieged her 
 with their sighs, and sent her flowers and billets-doux. 
 The young girl, at least such was the opinion of every 
 one, gave them no encouragement, and Josephine was 
 much attached to her; nevertheless, when the First Con- 
 sul observed the gallantries of the young men, he be- 
 came angry, and had the poor girl discharged, in spite 
 of her tears and the prayers of Madame Bonaparte and of 
 the brave and honest Colonel Rapp, who swore naively 
 that the fault was entirely on his side, that the poor child 
 had not listened to him, and that her conduct was worthy 
 of all praise. Nothing availed against the resolution of 
 the First Consul, whose only reply was, "I will have 
 nothing improper in my household, and no scandal." 
 
 Whenever the First Consul made a distribution of arms 
 of honor, there was always a banquet at the Tuileries, to 
 which were admitted, without distinction, and whatever their 
 grade, all who had a share in these rewards. At these 
 banquets, which took place in the grand gallery of the 
 chateau, there were sometimes two hundred guests ; and 
 General Duroc being master of ceremonies on these occa- 
 sions, the First Consul took care to recommend him to in- 
 termingle the private soldiers, the colonels, the generals, 
 etc. He ordered the domestics to show especial attention 
 to the private soldiers, and to see that they had plenty
 
 160 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 of the best to eat and to drink. These are the longest 
 repasts I have seen the emperor make ; and on these occa- 
 sions he was amiable and entirely unconstrained, making 
 every effort to put his guests entirely at their ease, 
 though with many of them this was a difficult task. Noth- 
 ing was more amusing than to see these brave soldiers 
 sitting two feet from the table, not daring to approach 
 their plates or the food, red to the ears, and with their 
 necks stretched out towards the general, as if to receive the 
 word of command. The First Consul made them relate 
 the notable deeds which had brought each his national 
 recognition, and often laughed boisterously at their singu- 
 lar narrations. He encouraged them to eat, and frequently 
 drank to their health ; but in spite of all this, his encour- 
 agement failed to overcome the timidity of some, and the 
 servants removed the plates of each course without their 
 having touched them, though this constraint did not prevent 
 their being full of joy and enthusiasm as they left the 
 table. " Au revoir, my brave men," the First Consul would 
 say to them; "baptize for me quickly these new-born," 
 touching with his fingers their sabers of honor. God 
 knows whether they spared themselves ! 
 
 This preference of the First Consul for the private 
 soldier recalls an instance which took place at Malmaison, 
 and which furnishes, besides, a complete refutal of the 
 charges of severity and harshness which have been brought 
 against him. 
 
 The First Consul set out on foot one morning, dressed 
 in his gray riding-coat, and accompanied by General Duroc, 
 on the road to Marly. Chatting as they walked, they saw 
 a plowman, who turned a furrow as he came towards them.
 
 THE PLOWMAN. 161 
 
 c ' See here, my good man," said the First Consul, stopping 
 him, " your furrow is not straight. You do not know your 
 business."- "It is not you, my fine gentleman, who can 
 teach me. You cannot do as well. No, indeed you 
 think so; very well, just try it," replied the good man, 
 yielding his place to the First Consul, who took the plow- 
 handle, and making the team start, commenced to give his 
 lesson. But he did not plow a. single yard of a straight 
 line. The whole furrow was crooked. "Come, come," 
 said the countryman, putting his hand on that of the gen- 
 eral to resume his plow, " your work is no good. Each one 
 to his trade. Saunter along, that is your business." But 
 the First Consul did not proceed without paying for the 
 lesson he had received. General Duroc handed the laborer 
 two or three louis to compensate him for the loss of time 
 they had caused him ; and the countryman, astonished by 
 this generosity, quitted his plow to relate his adventure, 
 and met on the way a woman whom he told that he had 
 met two big men, judging by what he had in his hand. 
 The woman, better informed, asked him to describe the 
 dress of the men, and from his description ascertained that 
 it was the First Consul and one of his staff ; the good 
 man was overcome with astonishment. The next day he 
 made a brave resolution, and donning his best clothes, pre- 
 sented himself at Malmaison, requesting to speak to the 
 First Consul, to thank him, he said, for the fine present 
 he had given him the day before. 1 
 
 1 The author of the Memorial quotes of the Emperor at St. Helena an 
 incident similar to that above stated. His Majesty professed the highest 
 esteem for the cultivators of the soil, and consulted them even on matters 
 foreign to their occupation, but as to which their good sense and experience 
 could offer wise advice. He was accustomed to say that he submitted to 
 peasants the difficult questions before the Council of State, and reported to the 
 Council of State the observations of the peasants. NOTE BY CONSTANT.
 
 162 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 I notified the First Consul of this visit, and he ordered 
 me to bring the laborer in. While I was gone to announce 
 him, he had, according to his own expression, taken his cour- 
 age in both hands to prepare himself for this grand inter- 
 view ; and I found him on my return, standing in the center 
 of the antechamber (for he did not dare to sit upon the 
 sofas, which though very simple seemed to him magnifi- 
 cent), and pondering what he should say to the First 
 Consul in token of his gratitude. I preceded him, and he 
 followed me, placing each foot cautiously on the carpet; 
 and when I opened the door of the cabinet, he insisted 
 with much civility on my going first. When the First 
 Consul had nothing private to say or dictate, he permitted 
 the door to stand open ; and he now made me a sign not 
 to close it, so that I was able to see and hear all that 
 passed. 
 
 The honest laborer commenced, on entering the cabinet, 
 by saluting the back of de Bourrienne, who could not see 
 him, occupied as he was in writing upon a small table 
 placed in the recess of a window. The First Consul saw 
 him make his bows, himself reclining in his armchair, one 
 of the arms of which, according to habit, he was pricking 
 with the point of his knife. Finally he spoke. " Well, my 
 brave fellow." The peasant turned, recognized him, and 
 saluted anew. "Well," continued the First Consul, "has 
 the harvest been fine this year ? " " No, with all respect, 
 Citizen General, but not so very bad." 
 
 " In order tHat the earth should produce, it is necessary 
 that it should be turned up, is it not so? Fine gentlemen 
 are no good for such work." 
 
 " Meaning no offense, General, the bourgeois have hands
 
 THE OLD SOLDIER. 163 
 
 too soft to handle a plow. There is need of a hard fist 
 to handle these tools." 
 
 " That is so," replied the First Consul, smiling. " But 
 big and strong as you are, you should handle something 
 else than a plow. A good musket, for instance, or the 
 handle of a good saber." 
 
 The laborer drew himself up with an air of pride. 
 " General, in my time I have done as others. I had been 
 
 married six or seven years when these d d Prussians 
 
 (pardon me, General) entered Landrecies. The requisition 
 came. They gave me a gun and a cartridge-box at the 
 Commune headquarters, and march ! My soul, we were 
 not equipped like those big gallants that I saw just now 
 on entering the courtyard." He referred to the grenadiers 
 of the Consular Guard. 
 
 " Why did you quit the service ? " resumed the First 
 Consul, who appeared to take great interest in the conversa- 
 tion. 
 
 " My faith, General, each one in his turn, and there are 
 saber strokes enough for every one. One fell on me there " 
 (the worthy laborer bent his head and divided the locks of 
 his hair) ; " and after some weeks in the field hospital, they 
 gave me a discharge to return to my wife and my plow." 
 
 " Have you any children ? " 
 
 " I have three, General, two boys and a girl." 
 
 " You must make a soldier of the oldest. If he will 
 conduct himself well, I will take care of him. Adieu, my 
 brave man. Whenever I can help you, come to see me 
 again." The First Consul rose, made de Bourrienne give 
 him some louis, which he added to those the laborer had 
 already received from him, and directed me to show him
 
 164 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 out, and we had already reached the antechamber, when the 
 First Consul called the peasant back to say to him, 
 " You were at Fleurus ? " 
 " Yes, General." 
 
 " Can you tell me the name of your general-in-chief ? " 
 " Indeed, I should think so. It was General Jourdan." 
 "That is correct. Au revoir;" and I carried off the 
 old soldier of the Republic, enchanted with his reception.
 
 VISIT TO BOULOGNE. 165 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 The envoy of the Bey of Tunis and Arab horses. Bad faith of England. 
 Visit to Boulogne. In Flanders and Belgium. Continual journeys. 
 The author does duty as head valet. D6but of Constant as barber 
 of the First Consul. Apprenticeship. Plebeian chins. The eagle 
 glance. The First Consul hard to shave. Constant persuades him to 
 shave himself. His reasons for persuading the First Consul to this. 
 The First Consul's confidence and imprudent sense of security. The 
 first lesson. Some cuts. Mild reproaches. Awkwardness of the 
 First Consul in holding his razor. Leading citizens and their ha- 
 rangues. Arrival of the First Consul at Boulogne. Preliminaries of 
 the formation of the camp of Boulogne. Address of twenty fathers of 
 families. Sea-fight gained by Admiral Bruix against the English. 
 Dinner and victory. The English and the iron-clad coast. An 
 attempt upon the person of the First Consul. Rapidity of the journey. 
 
 The minister of police. Presents offered by the cities. Public works 
 ordered by the First Consul. Munificence. The First Consul a bad 
 coachman. Pallor of Cambaceres. The fainting-fit. The precepts 
 of the gospel. Slumber without dreams. The Ottoman ambassador. 
 
 Cashmere shawls. The Mussulman at prayers and at the theater. 
 
 AT the beginning of this year (1803), there arrived at 
 Paris an envoy from Tunis, who presented the First Con- 
 sul, on the part of the Bey, with ten Arab horses. The 
 Bey at that time feared the anger of England, and hoped 
 to find in France a powerful ally, capable of protecting 
 him; and he could not have found a better time to make 
 the application, for everything announced the rupture of the 
 peace of Amiens, over which all Europe had so greatly re- 
 joiced, for England had kept none of her promises, and had 
 executed no article of the treaty. On his side, the First 
 Consul, shocked by such bad faith, and not wishing to be a
 
 166 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 dupe, openly prepared for war, and ordered the filling up of 
 the ranks, and a new levy of one hundred and twenty thou- 
 sand conscripts. War was officially declared in June, but 
 hostilities had already begun before this time. 
 
 At the end of this month the First Consul made a 
 journey to Boulogne, and visited Picardy, Flanders, and 
 Belgium, in order to organize an expedition which he was 
 meditating against the English, and to place the northern 
 seacoast in a state of defense. He returned to Paris in 
 August, but set out in November for a second visit to 
 Boulogne. 
 
 This constant traveling was too much for Hambard, 
 who for a long time had been in feeble health; and when 
 the First Consul was on the point of setting out for his 
 first tour in the North, Hambard had asked to be excused, 
 alleging, which was only too true, the bad state of his 
 health. "See how you are," said the First Consul, "always 
 sick and complaining ; and if you stay here, who then will 
 shave me ? " - " General," replied Hambard, " Constant 
 knows how to shave as well as I." I was present, and oc- 
 cupied at that very moment in dressing the First Consul. 
 He looked at me and said, " Well, you queer fellow, since 
 you are so skilled, you shall make proof of it at once. We 
 must see how you will do." I knew the misadventure of 
 poor Hebert, which I have already related ; and not wishing 
 a like experience, I had been for some time practicing the 
 art of shaving. I had paid a hairdresser to teach me his 
 trade : and I had even, in my moments of leisure, served an 
 apprenticeship in his shop, where I had shaved, without 
 distinction, all his customers. The chins of these good 
 people had suffered somewhat before I had acquired suifi-
 
 CONSTANT AS BARBER. 167 
 
 cient dexterity to lay a razor on the consular chin ; but by 
 dint of repeated experiments on the beards of the common- 
 alty I had achieved a degree of skill which inspired me 
 with the greatest confidence; so, in obedience to the order 
 of the First Consul, I brought the warm water, opened the 
 razor boldly, and began operations. Just as I was going to 
 place the razor upon the face of the First Consul, he raised 
 himself abruptly, turned, and fastened both eyes upon me, 
 with an expression of severity and interrogation which I am 
 unable to describe. Seeing that I was not at all embar- 
 rassed, he seated himself again, saying to me in a mild 
 tone, " Proceed." This I did with sufficient skill to satisfy 
 him ; and when I had finished, he said to me, " Hereafter 
 you are to shave me ;" and, in fact, after that he was unwil- 
 ling to be shaved by any one else. From that time also my 
 duties became much more exacting, for every day I had to 
 shave the First Consul ; and I admit that it was not an easy 
 thing to do, for while he was being shaved, he often spoke, 
 read the papers, moved about in his chair, turned himself 
 abruptly, and I was obliged to use the greatest precautions 
 in order not to cut him. Happily this never occurred. 
 When by chance he did not speak, he remained immobile 
 and stiff as a statue, and could not be made to lower, nor 
 raise, nor bend his head to one side, as was necessary to 
 accomplish the task easily. He also had a singular fancy 
 of having one half of his face lathered and shaved before 
 beginning the other, and would not allow me to pass to the 
 other side of his face until the first half was completely 
 finished, as the First Consul found that plan suited him 
 best. 
 
 Later, when I had become his chief valet, and he
 
 168 RECOLLECTIONS OF XAPOLEON. 
 
 deigned to give me proofs of his kindness and esteem, and 
 I could talk with him as freely as his rank permitted, I 
 took the liberty of persuading him to shave himself ; for, 
 as I have just said, not wishing to be shaved by any one 
 except me, he was obliged to wait till I could be notified, 
 especially in the army, when his hour of rising was not 
 regular. He refused for a long time to take my advice, 
 though I often repeated it. "Ah, ha, Mr. Idler ! " he would 
 say to me, laughing, "you are very anxious for me to do 
 half your work ;" but at last I succeeded in satisfying him 
 of my disinterestedness and the wisdom of my advice. The 
 fact is, I was most anxious to persuade him to this ; for, 
 considering what would necessarily happen if an unavoid- 
 able absence, an illness, or some other reason, had separated 
 me from the First Consul, I could not reflect, without a 
 shudder, of his life being at the mercy of the first comer. 
 As for him, I am sure he never gave the matter a thought ; 
 for whatever tales have been related of his suspicious nature, 
 he never took any precaution against the snares which trea- 
 son might set for him. His sense of security, in this regard, 
 amounted even to imprudence ; and consequently all who 
 loved him, especially those who surrounded him, endeav- 
 ored to make up for this want of precaution by all the vigi- 
 lance of which they were capable ; and it is unnecessary to 
 assert that it was this solicitude for the precious life of my 
 master which had caused me to insist upon the advice I had 
 given him to shave himself. 
 
 On the first occasions on which he attempted to put my 
 lessons into practice, it was even more alarming than laugh- 
 able to watch the Emperor (for such he was then) ; as in 
 spite of the lessons that I had given him with repeated
 
 NAPOLEON SHAVES HIMSELF. 169 
 
 illustrations, he did not yet know how to hold his razor. 
 He would seize it by the handle, and apply it perpen- 
 dicularly to his cheek, instead of laying it flat ; he would 
 make a sudden dash with the razor, never failing to give 
 himself a cut, and then draw back his hand quickly, crying 
 out, "See there, you scamp; you have made me cut my- 
 self." I would then take the razor and finish the operation. 
 The next day the same scene would be repeated, but with 
 less bloodshed ; and each day the skill of the Emperor im- 
 proved, until at last, by dint of numberless lessons, he be- 
 came sufficiently an adept to dispense with me, though he 
 still cut himself now and then, for which he would always 
 mildly reproach me, though jestingly and in kindness. Be- 
 sides, from the manner in which he began, and which he 
 would never change, it was impossible for him not to cut 
 his face sometimes, for he shaved himself downward, and 
 not upward, like every one else; and this bad method, 
 which all my efforts could not change, added to the habitual 
 abruptness of his movements, made me shudder every time 
 I saw him take his razor in hand. 
 
 Madame Bonaparte accompanied the First Consul on the 
 first of these journeys ; and there was, as on that to Lyons, 
 a continued succession of fetes and rejoicing. 
 
 The inhabitants of Boulogne had, in anticipation of the 
 arrival of the First Consul, raised several triumphal arches, 
 extending from the Montreuil gate as far as the great road 
 which led to his barrack, which was situated in the camp 
 on the right. Each arch of triumph was decorated with 
 evergreens, and thereon could be read the names of the 
 skirmishes and battles in which he had been victorious. 
 These domes and arches of verdure and flowers presented
 
 170 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 an admirable coup-d^-ceil. One arch of triumph, higher than 
 the others, was placed in the midst of the Rue de 1'ficu (the 
 main street), and the Slite of the citizens had assembled 
 around it ; while more than a hundred young people with 
 garlands of flowers, children, old men, and a great number 
 of brave men whom military duty had not detained in the 
 camp, awaited with impatience the arrival of the First Con- 
 sul. At his approach the joyful booming of cannon an- 
 nounced to the English, whose fleet was near by in the sea 
 off Boulogne, the appearance of Napoleon upon the shore 
 on which he had assembled the formidable army he had 
 determined to hurl against England. 
 
 The First Consul was mounted upon a small gray horse, 
 which was active as a squirrel. He dismounted, and fol- 
 lowed by his brilliant staff, addressed these paternal words 
 to the citizens of the town: "I come to assure the hap- 
 piness of France. The sentiments which you express, and 
 all your evidences of gratitude, touch me; I shall never 
 forget my entrance into Boulogne, which I have chosen as 
 the center of the reunion of my armies. Citizens, do not 
 be alarmed by this multitude. It is that of the defenders 
 of your country, soon to be the conquerors of haughty 
 England." 
 
 The First Consul proceeded on his route, surrounded by 
 the whole populace, who accompanied him to the door of 
 his headquarters, where more than thirty generals received 
 him, though the firing of cannon, the ringing of bells, the 
 cries of joy, ceased only when this great day ended. 
 
 The day after our arrival, the First Consul visited the 
 Pont de Brique, a little village situated about half a league 
 from Boulogne. A farmer read to him the following com- 
 plimentary address : -
 
 VISIT TO BOULOGNE. 171 
 
 " General, in the name of twenty fathers we offer you 
 a score of fine fellows who are, and always will be, at your 
 command. Lead them, General. They can strike a good 
 blow for you when you march into England. As to us, we 
 will discharge another duty. We will till the earth in 
 order that bread may not be wanting to the brave men 
 who will crush the English." 
 
 Napoleon, smiling, thanked the patriotic countrymen, 
 and glancing towards the little country house, built on 
 the edge of the highway, spoke to General Berthier, say- 
 ing, "This is where I wish my headquarters established." 
 Then he spurred his horse and rode off, while a general and 
 some officers remained to execute the order of the First 
 Consul, who, on the very night of his arrival at Boulogne, 
 returned to sleep at Pont de Brique. 
 
 They related to me at Boulogne the details of a naval 
 combat which had taken place a short time before our 
 arrival between the French fleet, commanded by Admiral 
 Bruix, 1 and the English squadron with which Nelson l 
 blockaded the port of Boulogne. I will relate this as 
 told to me, deeming very unusual the comfortable mode 
 in which the French admiral directed the operations of the 
 sailors. 
 
 About two hundred boats, counting gunboats and mor- 
 tars, barges and sloops, formed the line of defense, the 
 
 1 Admiral Bruix, born in St. Domingo in 1759. Ho was minister of the 
 navy, and admiral. Died, worn out by his labors, at Boulogne, 1805. TRANS. 
 
 2 Horatio Nelson, born in County of Norfolk, England, 1758. Entered the 
 navy at twelve years of age. Gained the battle of Aboukir, destroying the 
 French fleet, in 1799, was at the taking of Copenhagen, and won the celebrated 
 battle of Trafalgar, October, 1805, in which ho was killed. His body was car- 
 ried to London and buried in St. Paul's. TRANS.
 
 172 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 shore and the forts bristling with batteries. Some frigates 
 advanced from the hostile line, and, preceded by two or 
 three brigs, ranged themselves in line of battle before us 
 and in reach of the cannon of our flotilla ; and the combat 
 began. Balls flew in every direction. Nelson, who had 
 promised the destruction of the flotilla, re-enforced his line 
 of battle with two other lines of vessels and frigates ; and 
 thus placed en echelon, they fought with a vastly superior 
 force. For more than seven hours the sea, covered with 
 fire and smoke, offered to the entire population of Bou- 
 logne the superb and frightful spectacle of a naval combat 
 in which more than eighteen hundred cannon were fired at 
 the same time ; but the genius of Nelson could not avail 
 against our sailors or soldiers. Admiral Bruix was at his 
 headquarters near the signal station, and from this posi- 
 tion directed the fight against Nelson, while drinking with 
 his staff and some ladies of Boulogne whom he had invited 
 to dinner. The guests sang. the early victories of the First 
 Consul, while the admiral, without leaving the table, ma- 
 neuvered the flotilla by means of the signals he ordered. 
 Nelson, eager to conquer, ordered all his naval forces to 
 advance ; but the wind being in favor of the French, he was 
 not able to keep the promise he had made in London to 
 burn our fleet, while on the contrary many of his own boats 
 were so greatly damaged, that Admiral Bruix, seeing the 
 English begin to retire, cried "Victory!" pouring out 
 champagne for his guests. The French flotilla suffered 
 very little, while the enemy's squadron was ruined by the 
 steady fire of our stationary batteries. On that day the 
 English learned that they could not possibly approach 
 the shore at Boulogne, which after this they named the Iron 
 Coast (Cote de Fer~).
 
 ASSASSINATION FRUSTRATED. 173 
 
 When the First Consul left Boulogne, he made his ar- 
 rangements to pass through Abbeville, and to stop twenty- 
 four hours there. The mayor of the town left nothing 
 undone towards a suitable reception, and Abbeville was 
 magnificent on that day. The finest trees from the neigh- 
 boring woods were taken up bodily with their roots to form 
 avenues in all the streets through which the First Consul 
 was to pass; and some of the citizens, who owned magnifi- 
 cent gardens, sent their rarest shrubs to be displayed along 
 his route ; and carpets from the factory of Hecquet^Dorval 
 were spread on the ground, to be trodden by his horses. 
 But unforeseen circumstances suddenly cut short the fete. 
 A courier, sent by the minister of police, 1 arrived as we 
 were approaching the town, who notified the First Consul 
 of a plot to assassinate him two leagues farther on ; the very- 
 day and hour were named. To baffle the attempt that they 
 intended against his person, the First Consul traversed the 
 city in a gallop, and, followed by some lancers, went to the 
 spot where he was to be attacked, halted about half an 
 hour, ate some Abbeville cakes, and set out. The assassins 
 were deceived. They had not expected his arrival until 
 the next day. 
 
 The First Consul and Madame Bonaparte continued 
 their journey through Picardy, Flanders, and the Low 
 Countries. Each day the First Consul received offers of 
 vessels of war from the different council-generals, the 
 citizens continued to offer him addresses, and the mayors 
 to present him with the keys of the cities, as if he 
 exercised royal power. Amiens, Dunkirk, Lille, Bruges, 
 Ghent, Brussels, Liege, and Namur distinguished them- 
 
 i Fouchd. TRANS.
 
 174 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 selves by the brilliant receptions they gave to the illus- 
 trious travelers. The inhabitants of Antwerp presented 
 the First Consul with six magnificent bay horses. Every- 
 where also, the First Consul left valuable souvenirs of his 
 journey; and by his orders, works were immediately com- 
 menced to deepen and improve the port of Amiens. He 
 visited in that city, and in all the others where he stopped, 
 the exposition of the products of industry, encouraging 
 manufacturers by his advice, and favoring them in his 
 decrees. At Liege, he put at the disposal of the prefect 
 of the Ourthe the sum of three hundred thousand francs 
 ($60,000) to repair the houses burned by the Austrians, 
 in that department, during the early years of the Revolu- 
 tion. Antwerp owes to him the inner port, a basin, and 
 the building of carpenter-shops. At Brussels, he ordered 
 that the Rhine, the Meuse, and the Scheldt should be con- 
 nected by a canal. He gave to Givet a stone bridge over 
 the Meuse, and at Sedan the widow Madame Rousseau 
 received from him the sum of sixty thousand francs 
 ($12,000) for the re-establishment of the factory destroyed 
 by fire. Indeed, I cannot begin to enumerate all the bene- 
 fits, both public and private, which the First Consul and 
 Madame Bonaparte scattered along their route. 
 
 A little while after our return to Saint^Cloud, the First 
 Consul, while riding in the park with his wife and Cam- 
 baceres, took a fancy to drive the four horses attached to 
 the carriage which had been given him by the inhabitants 
 of Antwerp. He took his place on the driver's seat, and 
 took the reins from the hands of Caesar, his coachman, 
 who got up behind the carriage. At that instant they 
 were in the horse-shoe alley, which leads to the road of
 
 NAPOLEON A BAD COACHMAN. 175 
 
 the Pavilion Breteuil, and of Ville d'Avray. It is stated 
 in the Memorial of St. Helena, that the aide-de-camp, having 
 awkwardly frightened the horses, made them run away ; but 
 Csesar, who related to me in detail this sad disaster a few 
 moments after the accident had taken place, said not a 
 word to me about the aide-de-camp ; and, in truth, there 
 was needed, to upset the coach, nothing more than the 
 awkwardness of a coachman with so little experience as the 
 First Consul. Besides, the horses were young and spirited, 
 and Csesar himself needed all his skill to guide them. 
 Not feeling his hand on the reins, they set out at a gallop, 
 while Caesar, seeing the new direction they were taking to 
 the right, cried out, "To the left," in a stentorian voice. 
 Consul Cambaceres, even paler than usual, gave himself 
 little concern as to reassuring Madame Bonaparte, who was 
 much alarmed, but screamed with all his might, " Stop ! 
 stop ! you will break all our necks ! " That might well 
 happen, for the First Consul heard nothing, and, besides, 
 could not control the horses ; and when he reached, or rather 
 was carried with the speed of lightning to, the very gate, he 
 was not able to keep in the road, but ran against a post, 
 where the carriage fell over heavily, and fortunately the 
 horses stopped. The First Consul was thrown about ten 
 steps, fell on his stomach, and fainted away, and did not 
 revive until some one attempted to lift him up. Madame 
 Bonaparte and the second consul had only slight con- 
 tusions ; but good Josephine had suffered horrible anxiety 
 about her husband. However, although he was badly 
 bruised, he would not be bled, and satisfied himself with a 
 few rubbings with eau de Cologne, his favorite remedy. 
 That evening, on retiring, he spoke gayly of his misadven-
 
 176 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 ture, and of the great fright that his colleague had shown, 
 and ended by saying, " We must render unto Caesar that 
 which is Caesar's ; let him keep his whip, and let us each 
 mind his own business." 
 
 He admitted, however, notwithstanding all his jokes, 
 that he had never thought himself so near death, and that 
 he felt as if he had been dead for a few seconds. I do not 
 remember whether it was on this or another occasion that I 
 heard the Emperor say, that " death was only a sleep with- 
 out dreams." 
 
 In the month of October of this year, the First Consul 
 received in public audience Haled-Effendi, the ambassador 
 of the Ottoman Porte. 
 
 The arrival of the Turkish ambassador created a sensa- 
 tion at the Tuileries, because he brought a large number of 
 cashmere shawls to the First Consul, which every one was 
 sure would be distributed, and each woman flattered her- 
 self that she would be favorably noticed. I think that, 
 without his foreign costume, and without his cashmere 
 shawls, he would have produced little effect on persons 
 accustomed to seeing sovereign princes pay court to the 
 chief of the government at his residence and at their own. 
 His costume even was not more remarkable than that of 
 Roustan, to which we were accustomed ; and as to his bows, 
 they were hardly lower than those of the ordinary courtiers 
 of the First Consul. At Paris, it is said, the enthusiasm 
 lasted longer " It is so odd to be a Turk !" A few ladies 
 had the honor of seeing the bearded ambassador eat. He 
 was polite and even gallant with them, and made them a 
 few presents, which were highly prized ; his manners were 
 not too Mohammedan, and he was not much shocked at see,-
 
 THE TURKISH AMBASSADOR. 177 
 
 ing our pretty Parisians without veils over their faces. One 
 day, which he had spent almost entirely at Saint-Cloud, I 
 saw him go through his prayers. It was in the court of 
 honor, on a broad parapet bordered with a stone balustrade. 
 The ambassador had carpets spread on the side of the apart- 
 ments, which were afterwards those of the King of Rome ; 
 and there he made his genuflexions, under the eyes of 
 many people of the house, who, out of consideration, kept 
 themselves behind their casements. In the evening he was 
 present at the theater, and Zaire or Mahomet, I think, was 
 played; but of course he understood none of it.
 
 178 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Another journey to Boulogne. Visit to the flotilla, and review of the troops. 
 
 Jealousy between the Line and the Guard. The First Consul in 
 camp. Tne General's anger against the soldiers. Ennui of the offi- 
 cers, and pleasures of the camp. Timidity of the ladies of Boulogne. 
 Jealous husbands. Visits of the ladies of Paris, Abbeville, Dunkirk, 
 and Amiens to the camp of Boulogne. Evenings at the house of the 
 mistress of Colonel Joseph Bonaparte. Generals Soult, Saint-Hilaire, 
 and Andreossy. An intriguing woman and two happy lovers. Curios- 
 ity of the First Consul. The First Consul taken for a commissary of 
 war. Commencement of favor shown to General Bertraud. Superin- 
 tendent Arcambal and the two visitors. The First Consul spying upon 
 his brother, who pretends not to recognize him. The First Consul and 
 innocent sports. He has nothing to give as a pledge. Billet-doux of 
 the First Consul. Naval combat. The First Consul commands a 
 movement, and makes a mistake. The mistake becomes evident, and 
 the general's silence. The First Consul aims the cannon, and has the 
 balls heated. Fight between two Picards. Continual roar of artillery. 
 
 Dining to the sound of cannon. English frigate dismantled, and a 
 brig sunk. 
 
 IN the month of November of this year, the First Con- 
 sul returned to Boulogne to visit the fleet, and to review 
 the troops who were already assembled in the camps pro- 
 vided for the army with which he proposed to descend on 
 England. I have preserved a few notes and many recol- 
 lections of my different sojourns at Boulogne. Never did 
 the Emperor make a grander display of military power; nor 
 has there ever been collected at one point troops better dis- 
 ciplined or more ready to march at the least signal of their 
 chief} and it is not surprising that I should have retained 
 in my recollections of this period details which no one has
 
 REVIEW OF THE TROOPS. 179 
 
 yet, I think, thought of publishing. Neither, if I am not 
 mistaken, could any one be in a better position than I to 
 know them. However, the reader will now judge for him- 
 self. 
 
 In the different reviews which the First Consul held, he 
 seemed striving to excite the enthusiasm of the soldiers, 
 and to increase their attachment for his person, by assidu- 
 ously taking advantage of every opportunity to excite their 
 vanity. 
 
 One day, having especially noticed the excellent bearing 
 of the Thirty-sixth and Fifty-seventh regiments of the line, 
 and Tenth of light infantry, he made all the officers, from 
 corporal to colonel, come forward ; and, placing himself in 
 their midst, evinced his satisfaction by recalling to them 
 occasions when, in the past under the fire of cannon, he 
 had remarked the bearing of these three brave regiments. 
 He complimented the sub-officers on the good drilling of 
 the soldiers, and the captains and chiefs of battalion on the 
 harmony and precision of their evolutions. In fine, each 
 had his share of praise. 
 
 This flattering distinction did not excite the jealousy of 
 the other corps of the army, for each regiment had on that 
 day its own share of compliments, whether small or great ; 
 and when the review was over, they went quietly back to 
 their quarters. But the soldiers of the Thirty-sixth, Fifty- 
 seventh, and Tenth, much elated by having been so specially 
 favored, went in the afternoon to drink to their triumph in 
 a public house frequented by the grenadiers of the cavalry 
 of the Guard. They began to drink quietly, speaking of 
 campaigns, of cities taken, of the First Consul, and finally 
 of that morning's review. It then occurred to the young
 
 180 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 men of Boulogne, who were among the drinkers, to sing 
 couplets of very recent composition, in which were extolled 
 to the clouds the bravery and the exploits of the three regi- 
 ments, without one word of praise for the rest of the army, 
 not even for the Guard ; and it was in the favorite resort 
 of the grenadiers of the Guard that these couplets were 
 sung ! These latter maintained at first a gloomy silence ; 
 but soon finding it unendurable, they protested loudly 
 against these couplets, which they said were detestable. 
 The quarrel became very bitter; they shouted, heaped 
 insults on each other, taking care not to make too much 
 noise, however, and appointed a meeting for the next day, 
 at four o'clock in the morning, in the suburbs of Marquise, 
 a little village about two leagues from Boulogne. It was 
 very late in the evening when these soldiers left the pub- 
 lic house. 
 
 More than two hundred grenadiers of the Guard went 
 separately to the place of meeting, and found the ground 
 occupied by an almost equal number of their adversaries 
 of the Thirty-sixth, Fifty-seventh, and Tenth. Wasting no 
 time in explanations, hardly a sound being heard, each 
 soldier drew his sword, and for more than an hour they 
 fought in a cool, deliberate manner which was frightful to 
 behold. A man named Martin, grenadier of the Guard, 
 and of gigantic stature, killed with his own hand seven or 
 eight soldiers of the Tenth. They would probably have 
 continued till all were massacred if General Saint-Hilaire, 1 
 informed too late of this bloody quarrel, had not sent out 
 in all haste a regiment of cavalry, who put an end to the 
 
 1 Louis Joseph Saint-Hilaire, born at Ribemont (Picardy), 1766, died of a 
 wound received at Essling, 1809. TRANS.
 
 THE OFFICERS TIRE OF BOULOGNE. 181 
 
 combat. The grenadiers had lost two men, and the sol- 
 diers of the line thirteen, with a large number of wounded 
 on both sides. 
 
 The First Consul visited the camp next day, and had 
 brought before him those who had caused this terrible 
 scene, and said to them in a severe tone : " I know why 
 you fought each other ; many brave men have fallen in a 
 struggle unworthy of them and of you. You shall be 
 punished. I have given orders that the verses which have 
 been the cause of so much trouble shall be printed. I hope 
 that, in learning your punishment, the ladies of Boulogne 
 will know that you have deserved the blame of your com- 
 rades in arms." 
 
 However, the troops, and above all the officers, began 
 to grow weary of their sojourn at Boulogne, a town less 
 likely, perhaps, than any other to render such an inactive 
 existence endurable. They did not murmur, however, 
 because never where the First Consul was did murmuring 
 find a place ; but they fumed nevertheless under their 
 breath at seeing themselves held in camp or in fort, with 
 England just in sight, only nine or ten leagues distant. 
 Pleasures were rare at Boulogne ; the women, generally 
 pretty, but extremely timid, did not dare to hold recep- 
 tions at their own houses, for fear of displeasing their 
 husbands, very jealous men, as are all those of Picardy. 
 There was, however, a handsome hall in which balls and 
 soirees could easily have been given ; but, although very 
 anxious to do this, these ladies dared not make use of it. 
 At last a considerable number of Parisian beauties, touched 
 by the sad fate of so many brave and handsome officers, 
 came to Boulogne to charm away the ennui of so long
 
 182 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 a peace. The example of the Parisian women piqued 
 those of Abbeville, Dunkirk, Amiens ; and soon Boulogne 
 was filled with strangers, male and female, who came to 
 do the honors of the city. Among all these ladies the 
 one most conspicuous for style, intellect, and beauty was 
 a Dunkirk lady, named Madame F , an excellent musi- 
 cian, full of gayety, grace, and youth ; it was impossible 
 
 for Madame F not to turn many heads. Colonel 
 
 Joseph, 1 brother of the First Consul, General Soult, who 
 was afterwards Marshal, Generals Saint-Hilaire and Andre- 
 ossy, 2 and a few other great personages, were at her feet ; 
 though two alone, it is said, succeeded in gaining her affec- 
 tions, and of those two, one was Colonel Joseph, who soon 
 had the reputation of being the preferred lover of Madame 
 
 F . The beautiful lady from Dunkirk often gave 
 
 soirees, at which Colonel Joseph never failed to be pres- 
 ent. Among all his rivals, and certainly they were very 
 numerous, one alone bore him ill-will ; this was the gene- 
 ral-in-chief, Soult. This rivalry did no injury to the inter- 
 ests of Madame F ; but like a skillful tactician, she 
 
 adroitly provoked the jealousy of her two suitors, while 
 accepting from each of them compliments, bouquets, and 
 more than that sometimes. 
 
 1 Joseph Bonaparte, oldest brother of the Emperor, was horn at Corte, in 
 Corsica, Jan. 7, 1768. He and Bernadotte married sisters. Negotiated the 
 treaties of Luneville, 1801, and Amiens, 1802. Made King of Naples, 1806, 
 and King of Spain, 1808. After Waterloo he resided several years at Borden- 
 town, New Jersey, under the title of Count Survilliers. Died in Florence, 
 1844. 
 
 2 Antoine Francois Andreossy, distinguished general and engineer, born 
 in Languedoc, at Castelnaudary, in 1761. Served in Italian campaigns, 1796 and 
 1797, and in Egypt. Was chief of staff to Bonaparte, 18th Brumaire. Suc- 
 cessively minister to London, Vienna, and Constantinople. Wrote several 
 works. Died 1828.
 
 NAPOLEON WATCHES JOSEPH. 183 
 
 The First Consul, informed of the amours of his brother, 
 concluded one evening to go and make himself merry in 
 
 the little salon of Madame F , who was very plainly 
 
 domesticated in a room on the first floor in the house of a 
 joiner, in the Rue des Minhnes. In order not to be recog- 
 nized, he was dressed as a citizen, and wore a wig and spec- 
 tacles. He took into his confidence General Bertrand, 1 
 who was already in great favor with him, and who did all 
 in his power to render his disguise complete. 
 
 Thus disguised, the First Consul and his companion 
 
 presented themselves at Madame F 's, and asked for 
 
 Monsieur the Superintendent Arcambal. The most perfect 
 incognito was impressed on Arcambal by the First Consul, 
 who would not for all the world have been recognized ; 
 and M. Arcambal promising to keep the secret, the two 
 visitors were announced under the title of commissaries 
 of war. 
 
 They were playing bouillotte ; gold covered the tables, 
 and the game and punch absorbed the attention of the 
 happy inmates to such a degree, that none of them took 
 note of the persons who had just entered. As for the mis- 
 tress of the lodging, she had never seen the First Consul 
 except at a distance, nor General Bertrand ; consequently, 
 there was nothing to be feared from her. I myself think 
 that Colonel Joseph recognized his brother, but he gave no 
 evidence of this. 
 
 The First Consul, avoiding as best he could all glances, 
 
 1 Count Henry G ration Bertrand, bom at Chateauroux in 1773. Served in 
 Egypt, Austria, and Russia, and accompanied Napoleon to Elba and St. 
 Helena, and was with him till his death. He had been made grand marshal 
 of the palace on the death of Duroc, 1813. He is interred in the Invalides, 
 by the side of the Emperor.
 
 184 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 spied those of his brother and of Madame F . Think- 
 ing signals were passing between them, he was preparing 
 to quit the salon of the pretty Dunkirkess, when she, very 
 anxious that the number of her guests should not yet be 
 diminished, ran to the two false commissaries of war, and 
 detained them gracefully, saying that all were going to play 
 forfeits, and they must not go away without having given 
 pledges. The First Consul having first consulted General 
 Bertrand by a glance, found it agreeable to remain and 
 play those innocent games. 
 
 Indeed, at the end of a few moments, at the request of 
 
 Madame F , the players deserted the bouillotte, and 
 
 placed themselves in a circle around her. They began by 
 dancing the Boulangere ; then the young innocents kept the 
 ball in motion. The turn of the First Consul came to give 
 a forfeit. He was at first very much embarrassed, having 
 with him only a piece of paper, on which he had written 
 the names of a few colonels ; he gave, however, this paper 
 to Madame F , begging her not to open it. 
 
 The wish of the First Consul was respected, and the 
 paper remained folded on the lap of the beautiful woman 
 until the time came to redeem the forfeits. Then the 
 queer penalty was imposed on the great captain of making 
 
 him doorkeeper, while Madame F -, with Colonel Joseph, 
 
 made the voyage a Cythere in a neighboring room. The 
 First Consul acquitted himself with a good grace of the 
 role given him ; and after the forfeits had been redeemed, 
 made a sign to General Bertrand to follow him, and they 
 went out. The joiner who lived on the ground floor 
 soon came up to bring a little note to Madame F . 
 This was the note:
 
 
 UAVOUST.
 
 NAVAL COMBAT AT BOULOGNE. 185 
 
 I thank you, Madame, for the kind welcome you have given me. 
 If you will come some day to my barracks, I will act as doorkeeper, 
 if it seems good to you ; but on that occasion I will resign to no other 
 the pleasure of accompanying you in the voyage a Cyth&re. 
 
 (Signed) BONAPARTE. 
 
 The pretty woman did not read the note aloud ; neither 
 did she allow the givers of forfeits to remain in ignorance 
 that she had received a visit from the First Consul. At the 
 end of an hour the company dispersed, and Madame F 
 remained alone, reflecting on the visit and the note of the 
 great man. 
 
 It was during this same visit that there occurred a 
 terrible combat in the roadstead of Boulogne to secure the 
 entrance into the port of a flotilla composed of twenty or 
 thirty vessels, which came from Ostend, from Dunkirk, and 
 from Nieuport, loaded with arms for the national fleet. 
 
 A magnificent frigate, carrying thirty-six pounders, a 
 cutter, and a brig, detached themselves from the English 
 fleet, in order to intercept the route of the Dutch flotilla ; 
 but they were received in a manner which took away all 
 desire to return. 
 
 The port of Boulogne was defended by five forts ; the 
 Fort de la Creche, the Fort en Bois, Fort Musoir, Castle 
 Croi, and the Castle d'Ordre, all fortified with large num- 
 bers of cannon and howitzers. The line of vessels which 
 barred the entrance was composed of two hundred and fifty 
 gunboats and other vessels ; the division of imperial gun- 
 boats formed a part of this. 
 
 Each sloop bore three pieces of cannon, twenty-four 
 pounders, two pieces for pursuit, and one for retreat ; and 
 five hundred mouths of fire were thus opened on the enemy,
 
 186 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 independently of all the batteries of the forts, every 
 cannon being fired more than three times a minute. 
 
 The combat began at one o'clock in the afternoon. The 
 weather was beautiful. At the first report of the cannon 
 the First Consul left the headquarters at the Pont de 
 Brique, and came at a gallop, followed by his staff, to 
 give orders to Admiral Bruix ; but soon wishing to examine 
 for himself the operations of the defense, and to share in 
 directing them, he threw himself, followed by the admiral 
 and a few officers, into a launch which was rowed by sailors 
 of the Guard. Thus the First Consul was borne into the 
 midst of the vessels which formed the line of defense, 
 through a thousand dangers, amid a tempest of shells, 
 bombs, and cannon-balls. With the intention of landing at 
 Winiereux, after having passed along the line, he ordered 
 them to steer for the castle of Croi, saying that he must 
 double it. Admiral Bruix, alarmed at the danger he was 
 about to incur, in vain represented to the First Consul the 
 imprudence of doing this. "What shall we gain," said 
 he, "by doubling this fort? Nothing, except to expose 
 ourselves to the cannon-balls. General, by flanking it we 
 will arrive as soon." The First Consul was not of the 
 admiral's opinion, and insisted on doubling the fort. The 
 admiral, at the risk of being reprimanded, gave contrary 
 orders to the sailors ; and the First Consul saw himself 
 obliged to pass behind the fort, though much irritated and 
 reproaching the admiral. 
 
 This soon ceased, however ; for, hardly had the launch 
 passed, when a transport, which had doubled the castle 
 of Croi, was crashed -into and sunk by three or four shells. 
 
 The First Consul became silent, on seeing how correct
 
 NAPOLEON AND ADMIRAL BRUIX 187 
 
 the admiral's judgment had been ; and the rest of the 
 journey, as far as the little port of Wimereux, was made 
 without hindrance from him. Arriving there, he climbed 
 upon the cliff to encourage the cannoneers, spoke to all 
 of them, patted them on the shoulder, and urged them 
 to aim well. "Courage, my friends," said he, "remember 
 you are not fighting fellows who will hold out a long time. 
 Drive them back with the honors of war." And noticing 
 the fine resistance and majestic maneuvers of a frigate, he 
 asked, " Can you believe, my children, that captain is Eng- 
 lish ? I do not think so." 
 
 The artillerymen, animated by the words of the First 
 Consul, redoubled their zeal and the rapidity of their fire. 
 One of them said, "Look at the frigate, General; her 
 bowsprit is going to fall." He spoke truly, the bowsprit 
 was cut in two by his ball. " Give twenty francs to that 
 brave man," said the First Consul to the officers who were 
 with him. Near the batteries of Wimereux there was a fur- 
 nace to heat the cannon-balls ; and the First Consul noticed 
 them operating the furnaces, and gave instructions. " That 
 is not red enough, boys ; they must be sent redder than that, 
 come, come." One of them had known him, when a lieu- 
 tenant of artillery, and said to his comrades, "He under- 
 stands these little matters perfectly, as well as greater ones, 
 you see." 
 
 That day two soldiers without arms were on the cliff 
 noticing the maneuvers. They began a quarrel in this 
 singular manner. " Look," said one, " do you see the Little 
 Corporal down there?" (they were both Picards). "No; 
 I don't see him." " Do you not see him in his launch ? " 
 " Oh, yes, now I do ; but surely he does not reineni-
 
 188 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 ber, that if anything should strike him, it would make the 
 whole army weep why does he expose himself like that? " 
 - " Indeed, it is his place ! " - " No, it's not " " It is " 
 " It isn't. Look here, what would you do to-morrow if 
 the Little Corporal was killed ? " " But I tell you it is his 
 place ! " And having no other argument on either side, 
 they commenced to fight with their fists. They were sepa- 
 rated with much difficulty. 
 
 The battle had commenced at one o'clock in the after- 
 noon, and about ten o'clock in the evening the Dutch flotilla 
 entered the port under the most terrible fire that I have 
 ever witnessed. In the darkness the bombs, wliich crossed 
 each other in every direction, formed above the port and 
 the town a vault of fire, while the constant discharge of all 
 this artillery was repeated by echoes from the cliffs, mak- 
 ing a frightful din; and, a most singular fact, no one in 
 the city was alarmed. The people of Boulogne had be- 
 come accustomed to danger, and expected something ter- 
 rible each day. They had constantly going on, under their 
 eyes, preparations for attack or defense, and had become 
 soldiers by dint of seeing tliis so constantly. On that day 
 the noise of cannon was heard at dinner-time ; and still 
 every one dined, the hour for the repast being neither 
 advanced nor delayed. Men went about their business, 
 women - occupied themselves with household affairs, young 
 girls played the piano, all saw with indifference the cannon- 
 balls pass over their heads ; and the curious, whom a desire 
 to witness the combat had attracted to the cliffs, showed 
 hardly any more emotion than is ordinarily the case on 
 seeing a military piece played at Franconi's. 
 
 I still ask myself how three vessels could have endured
 
 RESULT OF TILE NAVAL COMBAT. 189 
 
 for nine hours so violent a shock; for when at length the 
 flotilla entered the fort, the English cutter had foundered, 
 the brig had been burnt by the red-hot cannon-balls, and 
 there was left only the frigate, with her masts shivered and 
 her sails torn, but she still remained there immovable as 
 a rock, and so near to our line of defense that the sailors 
 on either side could be seen and counted. Behind her, at 
 a modest distance, were more than a hundred English ships. 
 At length, after ten o'clock, a signal from the English 
 admiral caused the frigate to withdraw, and the firing 
 ceased. Our line of ships was not greatly damaged in this 
 long and terrible combat, because the broadsides from the 
 frigate simply cut into our rigging, and did not enter the 
 body of our vessels. The brig and the cutter, however, did 
 more harm.
 
 190 liECOLLECTIONti OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Return of the First Consul to Paris. Arrival of Prince Camille Borghese. 
 Pauline Bonaparte and her first husband, General Leclerc. His love 
 for his wife. Description of General Leclerc. His departure for San 
 Domingo. The First Consul orders his sister to go with her husband. 
 Revolt of Christophe and of Dessalines. Arrival of the general and 
 his wife at the Cape. Courage of Madame Leclerc. Insurrection of 
 the blacks. The remnant of the army of Brest and twelve thousand 
 revolted negroes. Heroic courage of the general-in-chief , attacked by 
 a mortal disease. Nobility and intrepidity. Pauline saves her son. 
 Death of General Leclerc. Marriage of Pauline. Chagrin of Lafon, 
 and remark of Mademoiselle Duchesnois. Jules de Canouville and 
 the Princess Borghese. Disgrace of the princess with the Emperor. 
 Generosity of the princess towards her brother. The only friend remain- 
 ing to him. The diamonds of the princess in the Emperor's carriage at 
 Waterloo. 
 
 THE First Consul left Boulogne to return to Paris, 
 in order to be present at the marriage of one of his sisters. 
 Prince Camille Borghese, 1 descendant of the noblest family 
 of Rome, had already arrived at Paris to marry Madame 
 Pauline Bonaparte, 2 widow of General Leclerc, 3 who had 
 
 1 Camille Borghese, Prince of Sulmono, born at Rome, 1775 ; died at 
 Florence, 1832. Under the Empire he was charged with the government of 
 Piedmont. He was a man of feeble character, and soon separated from his 
 wife. TRANS. 
 
 2 Pauline Bonaparte, the favorite sister of Napoleon, born 1780. Married 
 first, General Leclerc; secondly (1803), Prince Borghese. She was of remark- 
 able beauty. Died 1825. TRANS. 
 
 8 Victor Emmanuel Leclerc, born at Pontoise, 1772 ; served with Bona- 
 parte at Toulon and in the Italian campaign, in Egypt, and aided in the 18th 
 Brumaire. Soon afterwards he married Pauline Bonaparte, and was sent to 
 San Domingo at the head of 35,000 men. He sent Toussaint L'Ouverture as 
 a prisoner to France. Leclerc died of yellow fever, 1802. TRANS.
 
 GENERAL LECLERC. 191 
 
 died of yellow fever in San Domingo. I recollect having 
 seen this unfortunate general at the residence of the First 
 Consul some time before his departure on the ill-starred 
 expedition which cost him his life, and France the loss of 
 many brave soldiers and much treasure. General Leclerc, 
 whose name is now almost forgotten, or held in light esteem, 
 was a kind and good man. He was passionately in love 
 with his wife, whose giddiness, to put it mildly, afflicted 
 him sorely, and threw him into a deep and habitual melan- 
 choly painful to witness. Princess Pauline (who was then 
 far from being a princess) had married him willingly, and of 
 her own choice ; but this did not prevent her tormenting 
 her husband by her innumerable caprices, and repeating to 
 him a hundred times a day that he was indeed a fortunate 
 man to marry the sister of the First Consul. I am sure that 
 with his simple tastes and quiet disposition General Leclerc 
 would have preferred less distinction and more peace. 
 
 The First Consul required his sister to accompany her 
 husband to San Domingo. She was forced to obey, and 
 to leave Paris, where she swayed the scepter of fashion, and 
 eclipsed all other women by her elegance and coquetry, as 
 well as by her incomparable beauty, to brave a dangerous 
 climate, and the ferocious companions of Christophe and 
 Dessalines. At the end of the year 1801 the admiral's 
 ship, The Ocean, sailed from Brest, carrying to the Cape 
 (San Domingo) General Leclerc, his wife, and their son. 
 
 After her arrival at the Cape, the conduct of Madame 
 Leclerc was beyond praise. On more than one occasion, but 
 especially that which I shall now attempt to describe, she 
 displayed a courage worthy of her name and the position of 
 her husband. I obtained these details from an eye-witness
 
 192 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 whom I had known at Paris in the service of Princess 
 Pauline. 
 
 The day of the great insurrection of the blacks in 
 September, 1802, the bands of Christophe and Dessalines, 
 composed of more than twelve thousand negroes, exasperated 
 by their hatred against the whites, and the certainty that 
 if they yielded no quarter would be given, made an assault 
 on the town of the Cape, which was defended by only one 
 thousand soldiers ; for only this small number remained of 
 the large army which had sailed from Brest a year before, 
 in brilliant spirits and full of hope. This handful of brave 
 men, the most of them weakened by fever, led by the general- 
 in-chief of the expedition, who was even then suffering from 
 the malady which caused his death, repulsed by unheard of 
 efforts and heroic valor the repeated attacks of the blacks. 
 
 During this combat, in which the determination, if not 
 the number and strength, was equal on both sides, Madame 
 Leclerc, with her son, was under the guard of a devoted 
 friend who had subject to his orders only a weak company 
 of artillery, which still occupied the house where her hus- 
 band had fixed his residence, at the foot of the low hills 
 which bordered the coast. The general-in-chief, fearing lest 
 this residence might be surprised by a party of the enemy, 
 and being unable to foresee the issue of the struggle which 
 he was maintaining on the heights of the Cape, and against 
 which the blacks made their most furious assaults, sent an 
 order to convey his wife and son on board the fleet. 
 Pauline would not consent to this. Always faithful to the 
 pride with which her name inspired her (but this time there 
 was in her pride as much greatness as nobility), she spoke 
 to the ladies of the city who had taken refuge with her, and
 
 HEROISM OF MADAME LECLERC. 193 
 
 begged them to go away, giving them a frightful picture 
 of the horrible treatment to which they would be exposed 
 should the negroes defeat the troops. " You can leave. 
 You are not the sisters of Bonaparte." 
 
 However, as the danger became more pressing every 
 moment, General Leclerc sent an aide-de-camp to his resi- 
 dence, and enjoined on him, in case Pauline still persisted 
 in her refusal, to use force, and convey her on board against 
 her will. The officer was obliged to execute this order to 
 the letter. Consequently Madame Leclerc was forcibly 
 placed in an arm-chair which was borne by four soldiers, 
 while a grenadier marched by her side, carrying in his arms 
 the general's son. During this scene of flight and terror 
 the child, already worthy of its mother, played with the 
 plume of the soldier who was carrying him. Followed by 
 her cortege of trembling, tearful women, whose only source 
 of strength during this perilous passage was in her cour- 
 age, she was thus conveyed to the seashore. Just as they 
 were going to place her in the sloop, however, another aide- 
 de-camp of her husband brought news of the defeat of the 
 blacks. " You see now," said she, returning to her resi- 
 dence, " I was right in not wishing to embark." She 
 was not yet out of danger, however ; for a troop of negroes, 
 forming part of the army which had just been so miracu- 
 lously repulsed, in trying to make good their retreat to 
 the dikes, met the small escort of Madame Leclerc. As 
 they appeared disposed to attack, it was necessary to scatter 
 them by shots at short range. Throughout this skirmish 
 Pauline preserved a perfect equanimity. 
 
 All these circumstances, which reflected so much honor 
 on Madame Leclerc, were reported to the First Consul,
 
 194 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 His self-love was flattered by it ; and I believe that it was 
 to Prince Borghese that he said one day at his Iev6e, " Pau- 
 line is predestined to marry a Roman, for from head to foot 
 she is every inch a Roman." 
 
 Unfortunately this courage, which a man might have 
 envied, was not united in the Princess Pauline with those 
 virtues which are less brilliant and more modest, and also 
 more suitable for a woman, and which we naturally expect 
 to find in her, rather than boldness and contempt of danger. 
 
 I do not know if it is true, as has been written some- 
 where, that Madame Leclerc, when she was obliged to set 
 out for San Domingo, had a fancy for an actor of the 
 Theatre Frangais. Nor am I able to say whether it is true 
 that Mademoiselle Duchesnois had the naivete to exclaim 
 before a hundred people in reference to this departure, 
 "Lafon will never be consoled; it will kill him!" but 
 what I myself know of the frailty of this princess leads me 
 to believe that the anecdote is true. 
 
 All Paris knew the special favor with which she hon- 
 ored M. Jules de Canouville, 1 a young and brilliant col- 
 
 1 Monsieur Bousquet was called to Neuilly (residence of the Princess 
 Pauline) in order to examine the beautiful teeth of her Imperial Highness. 
 Presented to her, he prepared to begin work. "Monsieur," said a charming 
 young man in a wrapper, negligently lying on a sofa, " take care, I pray, what 
 you do. I feel a great interest in the teeth of my Paulette, and I hold you 
 responsible for any accident." " Be tranquil, my Prince; I can assure your 
 Imperial Highness that there is no danger." During all the time that Bous- 
 quet was engaged in working on the pretty mouth, these recommendations 
 continued. At length, having finished what he had to do, he passed into the 
 waiting-room, where he found assembled the ladies of the palace, the cham- 
 berlains, etc., who were awaiting to enter the apartments of the Princess. 
 
 They hastened to ask Bousquet news of the princess, "Her Imperial 
 Highness is very well, and must be happy in the tender attachment her 
 august husband feels for her, which he has shown in my presence in so 
 touching a manner. His anxiety was extreme. It was only with difficulty I
 
 ANECDOTE OF PRINCESS BORGRESE 195 
 
 onel who was handsome and brave, with a perfect figure, 
 and an assurance which was the cause of his innumerable 
 successes with certain women, although he used little dis- 
 cretion in respect to them. The liaison of Princess Pau- 
 line with this amiable officer was the most lasting that she 
 ever formed; and as, unfortunately, neither of them was 
 discreet, their mutual tenderness acquired in a short while 
 a scandalous publicity. I shall take occasion later to 
 relate in its proper place the incident which caused the dis- 
 grace, banishment, and perhaps even the death, of Colonel 
 de Canouville. A death so premature, and above all so 
 cruel, since it was not an enemy's bullet which struck 
 him, 1 was deplored by the whole army. 
 
 Moreover, however great may have been the frailty of 
 Princess Pauline in regard to her lovers, and although 
 most incredible instances of this can be related without 
 infringing on the truth, her admirable devotion to the 
 person of the Emperor in 1814 should cause her faults to 
 be treated with indulgence. 
 
 could reassure him as to the result of the simplest thing in the world ; I shall 
 tell everywhere what I have just witnessed. It is pleasant to be able to cite 
 such an example of conjugal tenderness in so high a rank. I am deeply 
 impressed with it." They did not try to stop good M. Bousquet in these 
 expressions of hi% enthusiasm. The desire to laugh prevented a single word ; 
 and he left convinced that nowhere existed a better household than that of 
 the Prince and Princess Borghese. The latter was in Italy, and the hand- 
 some young man was M. de Canouville. 
 
 I borrow this curious anecdote from the "Memoirs of Josephine," the 
 author of which, who saw and described the Court of Navarre and Malmaison 
 with so much truth and good judgment, is said to be a woman, and must be 
 in truth a most intellectual one, and in a better position than any other 
 person to know the private affairs of her Majesty, the Empress. CONSTANT. 
 
 1 He was slain by a ball from a French cannon, which was discharged 
 after the close of an action in which he had shown the most brilliant courage. 
 CONSTANT.
 
 196 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 On innumerable occasions the effrontery of her con- 
 duct, and especially her want of regard and respect for 
 the Empress Marie Louise, irritated the Emperor against 
 the Princess Borghese, though he always ended by pardon- 
 ing her; notwithstanding which, at the time of the fall of 
 her august brother she was again in disgrace, and being 
 informed that the island of Elba had been selected as a 
 prison for the Emperor, she hastened to shut herself up 
 there with him, abandoning Rome and Italy, whose finest 
 palaces were hers. Before the battle of Waterloo, his 
 Majesty at the critical moment found the heart of his 
 sister Pauline still faithful. Fearing lest he might be in 
 need of money, she sent him her handsomest diamonds, the 
 value of which was enormous ; and they were found in the 
 carriage of the Emperor when it was captured at Water- 
 loo, and exhibited to the curiosity of the inhabitants of 
 London. But the diamonds have been lost; at least, to 
 their lawful owner.
 
 ARREST OF GENERAL MOREAU. 197 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Arrest of General Moreau. Constant sent as a scout. General Moreau 
 married with the aid of Madame Bonaparte. Mile. Hulot. Madame 
 Hulot's high pretensions. Opposition of Moreau. His railleries. 
 Intrigues and conspiracies of the discontented. Evidences of friendship 
 given to Moreau by the First Consul. What the Emperor said and did 
 the day Moreau's aides-de-camp were arrested. The companion-in-arms 
 of General Foy. Carried off. Excessive harshness towards Colonel 
 Delelee. Ruse of a child. Arbitrary measures. Inflexibility of the 
 Emperor. The deputies of Besancon and Marshal Moncey. Panic, 
 terror, and firmness. The friends of the court. A solemn audience at 
 the Tuileries. Reception of the Besan9onese. Courageous reply. 
 Reparation. Change of views. The former comrades. Chief of staff 
 of the army of Portugal. Premature death. Surveillance exercised 
 over the people of the Emperor at each new conspiracy. The guardian 
 of the portfolio. Register of custodians of the palaces. The Emperor's 
 anger excited by the name of a suspected person. 
 
 ON the day of General Moreau's 1 arrest the First Con- 
 sul was in a state of great excitement. The morning was 
 passed in interviews with his emissaries, the agents of 
 police ; and measures had been taken that the arrest should 
 be made at the specified hour, either at Gros-Bois, or at 
 the general's house in the street of the Faubourg Saint- 
 Honore. The First Consul was anxiously walking up and 
 
 1 Jean Victor Moreau, born at Morlaix in Brittany, 1763, son of a prom- 
 inent lawyer. At one time he rivaled Bonaparte in reputation. He was 
 general-in-chief of the army of the Rhine, 17%, and again in 1800, in which 
 latter year he gained the battle of Hohenlinden. Implicated in the con- 
 spiracy of Pichegru, he was exiled, and went to the United States. He re- 
 turned to Europe in 1813, and, joining the allied armies against France, was 
 killed by a cannon-shot in the attack on Dresden in August of that year. 
 TRANS.
 
 198 EECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 down his chamber, when he sent for me, and ordered me 
 to take position opposite General Moreau's house (the one 
 in Paris), to see whether the arrest had taken place, and 
 if there was any tumult, and to return promptly and make 
 my report. I obeyed ; but nothing extraordinary took place, 
 and I saw only some police spies walking along the street, 
 and watching the door of the house of the man whom 
 they had marked for their prey. Thinking that my pres- 
 ence would probably be noticed, I retired; and, as I 
 learned while returning to the chateau that General 
 Moreau had been arrested on the road from his estate of 
 Gros-Bois, which he sold a few months later to Marshal 
 Berthier, before leaving for the United States, I quickened 
 my pace, and hastened to announce to the First Consul 
 the news of the arrest. He knew this already, made no 
 response, and still continued thoughtful, and in deep 
 reflection, as in the morning. 
 
 Since I have been led to speak of General Moreau, I 
 will recall by what fatal circumstances he was led to 
 tarnish his glory. Madame Bonaparte had given to him in 
 marriage Mademoiselle Hulot, her friend, and, like herself, 
 a native of the Isle of France. This young lady, gentle, 
 amiable, and possessing those qualities which make a good 
 wife and mother, loved her husband passionately, and 
 was proud of that glorious name which surrounded her 
 with respect and honor; but, unfortunately, she had the 
 greatest deference for her mother, whose ambition was great, 
 and who desired nothing short of seeing her daughter 
 seated upon a throne. The influence which she exercised 
 over Madame Moreau soon extended to the general him- 
 self, who, ruled by her counsels, became gloomy, thought-
 
 CAUSE OF GENERAL MOREAU'S FALL. 199 
 
 ful, melancholy, and forever lost that tranquillity of mind 
 which had distinguished him. From that time the general's 
 house was open to intrigues and conspiracies ; and it was 
 the rendezvous of all the discontented, of which there were 
 many. The general assumed the task of disapproving all 
 the acts of the First Consul; he opposed the re-establish- 
 ment of public worship, and criticised as childish and ridic- 
 ulous mummery the institution of the Legion of Honor. 
 These grave imprudences, and indeed many others, came 
 to the ears of the First Consul, who refused at first to 
 believe them; but how could he remain deaf to reports 
 which were repeated each day with more foundation, 
 though doubtless exaggerated by malice? 
 
 In proportion as the imprudent speeches of the general 
 were depriving him of the esteem of the First Consul, his 
 mother-in-law, by a dangerous obstinacy, was encouraging 
 him in his opposition, persuaded, she said, that the future 
 would do justice to the present. She did not realize that 
 she spoke so truly ; and the general rushed headlong into 
 the abyss which opened before him. How greatly his con- 
 duct was in opposition to his character ! He had a pro- 
 nounced aversion to the English, and he detested the 
 Chouans, and everything pertaining to the old nobility; 
 and besides, a man like General Moreau, who had served 
 his country so gloriously, was not the one to bear arms 
 against her. But he was deceived, and he deceived himself, 
 in thinking that he was fitted to play a great political part; 
 and he was destroyed by the flatteries of a party which 
 excited all possible hostility against the First Consul by 
 taking advantage of the jealousy of his former comrades 
 in arms. I witnessed more than one proof of affection
 
 200 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 shown by the First Consul to General Moreau. In the 
 course of a visit of the latter to the Tuileries, and dur- 
 ing an interview with the First Consul, General Carnot 
 arrived from Versailles with a pair of pistols of costly 
 workmanship, which the manufactory of Versailles had 
 sent as a gift to the First Consul. He took these hand- 
 some weapons from the hands of General Carnot, admired 
 them a moment, and immediately offered them to General 
 Moreau, saying to him, " Take them, truly they could not 
 have come at a better time." All this was done quicker 
 than I can write it ; the general was highly flattered by 
 this proof of friendship, and thanked the First Consul 
 warmly. 
 
 The name and trial of General Moreau recall to me 
 the story of a brave officer who was compromised in this 
 unfortunate affair, and who after many years of disgrace 
 was pardoned only on account of the courage with 
 which he dared expose himself to the anger of the Em- 
 peror. The authenticity of the details which I shall 
 relate can be attested, if necessary, by living persons, 1 
 whom I shall have occasion to name in my narrative, and 
 whose testimony no reader would dream of impeacliing. 
 
 The disgrace of General Moreau extended at first to all 
 those who surrounded him ; and as the affection and devo- 
 tion felt for him by all the officers and soldiers who had 
 served under him was well known, his aides-de-camp were 
 arrested, even those who were not then in Paris. One of 
 them, Colonel Delelee, had been many months on furlough 
 at Besangon, resting after his campaigns in the bosom of 
 his family, and with a young wife whom he had recently 
 
 1 Living in 1830, when Constant wrote. TRANS.
 
 COLONEL DELE LEE. 201 
 
 married. Besides, he was at that time concerning himself 
 very little with political matters, very much with his pleas- 
 ures, and not at all with conspiracies. Comrade and 
 brother in arms of Colonels Guilleminot, 1 Hugo, 2 Foy, 3 
 all three of whom became generals afterwards, he 
 was spending his evenings gayly with them at the garrison, 
 or in the quiet pleasures of his family circle. Suddenly 
 Colonel Delelee was arrested, placed in a postchaise, and it 
 was not until he was rolling along in a gallop on the road 
 to Paris, that he learned from the officer of the gendarmes 
 who accompanied him, that General Moreau had conspired, 
 and that in his quality as aide-de-camp he was counted 
 among the conspirators. 
 
 Arrived at Paris, the colonel was put in close confine- 
 ment, in La Force I believe. His wife, much alarmed, 
 followed his footsteps ; but it was several days before she 
 obtained permission to communicate with the prisoner, 
 and then could do so only by signs from the court- 
 yard of the prison while he showed himself, for a few 
 moments, and put his hands through the bars of the 
 window. However, the rigor of these orders was relaxed 
 
 1 Comte Armand Charles Guilleminot, born at Dunkirk, 1774, served 
 under Moreau on the Rhine and in Italy ; was in Russian campaign. Gene- 
 ral of division, 1813 ; minister to Turkey, 1824 ; died 1840. TRANS. 
 
 2 Father of Victor Hugo, who is himself the god-son of Madame Delele"e. 
 CONSTANT. 
 
 General Hugo was marshal of the palace of Joseph Bonaparte, at Naples ; 
 afterwards served in Spain under him, and became general of division. He 
 was born at Nancy, 1774 ; died 1828. TRANS. 
 
 8 The illustrious General Foy. CONSTANT. 
 
 Maxiniilien Sebastien Foy, general and orator, was born at Ham, in 
 Picardy, 1775. Was commander of cavalry under Moreau, and opposed the 
 assumption of imperial power by Napoleon. Served in Spain, and became 
 general of division, 1810, and led a division at "Waterloo. After the war, he 
 took first rank as an orator. Died 1825. TRANS.
 
 202 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 for the colonel's young child three or four years of age, and 
 his father obtained the favor of embracing him. He came 
 each morning in his mother's arms, and a turnkey carried 
 him in . to the prisoner, before which inconvenient witness 
 the poor little thing played his role with all the skill of 
 a consummate actor. He would pretend to be lame, and 
 complain of having sand hi his shoes which hurt him- 
 and the colonel, turning his back on the jailer, and taking 
 the child in his lap to remove the cause of the trouble, 
 would find in his son's shoe a note from his wife, inform- 
 ing him in a few words of the state of the trial, and what 
 he had to hope or fear for himself. At length, after many 
 months of captivity, sentence having been pronounced 
 against the conspirators, Colonel Delelee, against whom 
 no charge had been made, was not absolved as he had a 
 right to expect, but was struck off the army list, arbi- 
 trarily put under surveillance, and prohibited from coming 
 within forty leagues of Paris. He was also forbidden to 
 return to Besangon, and it was more than a year after 
 leaving prison before he was permitted to do so. 
 
 Young and full of courage, the Colonel saw, from the 
 depths of his retirement, his friends and comrades make 
 their way, and gain upon the battlefield fame, rank, and 
 glory, while he himself was condemned to inaction and ob- 
 scurity, and to pass his days in following on the map the 
 triumphant march of those armies in which he felt himself 
 worthy to resume his rank. Innumerable applications were 
 addressed by him and his friends to the head of the Empire, 
 that he might be allowed to go even as a common volun- 
 teer, and rejoin his former comrades with his knapsack on 
 his shoulder; but these petitions were refused, the will of
 
 THE DEPUTATION FROM BESAN^ON. 203 
 
 the Emperor was inflexible, and to each new application he 
 only replied, " Let him wait." The inhabitants of Besan- 
 9on, who considered Colonel Delelee as their fellow-citizen, 
 interested themselves warmly in the unmerited misfortunes 
 of this brave officer ; and when an occasion presented itself 
 of recommending him anew to the clemency, or "rather to 
 the justice, of the Emperor, they availed themselves of it. 
 
 It was, I believe, on the return from Prussia and Poland 
 that from all parts of France there came deputations charged 
 with congratulating the Emperor upon his several victories. 
 Colonel Delelee was unanimously elected member of the 
 deputation of Doubs, of which the mayor and prefect of 
 Besanon were also members, and of which the respectable 
 
 Marshal M 1 was president, and an opportunity was thus 
 
 at last offered Colonel Delelee of procuring the removal of 
 the long sentence which had weighed him down and kept 
 his sword idle. He could speak to the Emperor, and com- 
 plain respectfully, but with dignity, of the disgrace in 
 which he had been so long kept without reason. He 
 could render thanks, from the bottom of his heart, for the 
 generous affection of his fellow-citizens, whose wishes, he 
 hoped would plead for him with his Majesty. 
 
 The deputies of Besangon, upon their arrival at Paris, 
 presented themselves to the different ministers. The min- 
 ister of police 2 took the president of the deputation aside, 
 and asked him the meaning of the presence among the 
 deputies of a man publicly known to be in disgrace, and 
 the sight of whom could not fail to be disagreeable to the 
 chief of the Empire. 
 
 Marshal M - , on coming out from this private inter- 
 
 1 Marshal Moncey. TKANS. 2 Savary. TRANS.
 
 204 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 view, pale and frightened, entered the room of Colonel 
 Delelee. 
 
 " My friend," said he, " all is lost, for I have ascertained 
 at the bureau that they are still hostile to you. If the Em- 
 peror sees you among us, he will take it as an open avowal 
 of disregard for his orders, and will be furious." 
 " Ah, well, what have I to do with that? " 
 "But in order to avoid compromising the department, 
 the deputation, and, indeed, in order to avoid compromising 
 yourself, you would perhaps do well " the Marshal hesi- 
 tated. "I will do well?" demanded the Colonel. 
 " Perhaps to withdraw without making any display " 
 Here the colonel interrupted the president of the depu- 
 tation : " Marshal, permit me to decline this advice ; I have 
 not come so far to be discouraged, like a child, before the 
 first obstacle. I am weary of a disgrace which I have not 
 deserved, and still more weary of enforced idleness. Let the 
 Emperor be irritated or pleased, he shall see me ; let him 
 order me to be shot, if he wishes. I do not count worth 
 having such a life as I have led for the last four years. 
 Nevertheless, I will be satisfied with whatever my col- 
 leagues, the deputies of BesanQon, shall decide." 
 
 These latter did not disapprove of the colonel's resolu- 
 tion, and he accompanied them to the Tuileries on the day 
 of the solemn reception of all the deputations of the Empire. 
 All the halls of the Tuileries were packed with a crowd 
 in richly embroidered coats and brilliant uniforms. The 
 military household of the Emperor, his civil household, the 
 generals present at Paris, the diplomatic corps, ministers 
 and chiefs of the different administrations, the deputies of 
 the departments with their prefects, and mayors decorated
 
 THEIR RECEPTION. 205 
 
 with tricolored scarfs, were all assembled in numerous 
 groups, and conversed in a low tone while awaiting the 
 arrival of his Majesty. 
 
 In one of these groups was seen a tall officer dressed in 
 a veiy simple uniform, cut in the fashion of several years 
 past. He wore neither on his collar, nor even on his breast 
 the decoration which no officer of his grade then lacked. 
 This was Colonel Delelee. The president of the deputa- 
 tion of which he was a member appeared embarrassed and 
 almost distressed. Of the former comrades of the colonel, 
 very few dared to recognize him, and the boldest gave him 
 a distant nod wliich expressed at the same time anxiety and 
 pity, while the more prudent did not even glance at him. 
 
 As for him, he remained unconcerned and resolute. 
 
 At last the folding doors were opened, and an usher 
 cried "The Emperor, gentlemen." 
 
 The groups separated, and a line was formed, the colonel 
 placing himself in the first rank. 
 
 His Majesty commenced his tour of the room, wel- 
 coming the president of each delegation with a few flatter- 
 ing words. Arrived before the delegation from Doubs, the 
 Emperor, having addressed a few words to the brave mar- 
 shal who was president, was about to pass on to the next, 
 when his eyes fell upon an officer he had not yet seen. 
 He stopped in surprise, and addressed to the deputy his 
 familiar inquiry, " Who are you ? " 
 
 "Sire, I am Colonel Delelee, former aide-de-camp of 
 General Moreau." 
 
 These words were pronounced in a firm voice, which 
 resounded in the midst of the profound silence which 
 the presence of the sovereign imposed.
 
 206 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 The Emperor stepped back, and fastened both eyes on 
 the colonel. The latter showed no emotion, but bowed 
 slightly. 
 
 Marshal M was pale as death. 
 
 The Emperor spoke. "What do you come to ask 
 here ? " 
 
 " That which I have asked for many years, Sire : that 
 your Majesty will deign to tell me wherein I have been 
 in fault, or restore to me my rank." 
 
 Among those near enough to hear these questions and 
 replies, few could breathe freely. At last a smile half 
 opened the firmly closed lips of the Emperor; he placed 
 his finger on his mouth, and, approaching the colonel, said 
 to him in a softened and almost friendly tone, " You have 
 reason to complain a little of that, but let us say no more 
 about it," and continued his round. He had gone ten steps 
 from the group formed by the deputies of Bescangon, when 
 he came back, and, stopping before the colonel, said, 
 
 "Monsieur Minister of War, take the name of this 
 officer, and be sure to remind me of him. He is tired of 
 doing nothing, and we will give him occupation." 
 
 As soon as the audience was over, the struggle was, 
 who should be most attentive to the colonel. He was sur- 
 rounded, congratulated, embraced, and pulled about. Each 
 of his old comrades wished to carry him off, and his hands 
 were not enough to grasp all those extended to him. 
 General Savary, who that very evening had added to the 
 fright of Marshal Moncey, by being astonished that any one 
 could have the audacity to brave the Emperor, extended 
 his arm over the shoulders of those who pressed around 
 the colonel, and shaking his hand in the most cordial
 
 COLONEL DELE LEE'S RANK RESTORED. 207 
 
 manner possible, "Delelee," cried he, "do not forget that 
 I expect you to-morrow to breakfast." 
 
 Two days after this scene at court, Colonel Delelee 
 received his appointment as chief of staff of the army 
 of Portugal, commanded by the Duke d'Abrantes. 1 His 
 preparations were soon made ; and just before setting out 
 he had a last interview with the Emperor, who said to him, 
 " Colonel, I know that it is useless to urge you to make 
 up for lost time. In a little while I hope we shall both 
 be satisfied with each other." 
 
 On coming out from this last audience, the brave 
 Delelee said there was nothing wanting to make him 
 happy except a good opportunity to have himself cut to 
 pieces for a man who knew so well how to close the 
 wounds of a long disgrace. Such was the sway that his 
 Majesty exercised over the minds of men. 
 
 The colonel had soon crossed the Pyrenees, passed 
 through Spain, and been received by Junot with open arms. 
 The army of Portugal had suffered much in the two years 
 during which it had struggled against both the population 
 and the English with unequal forces. Food was secured 
 with difficulty, and the soldiers were badly clothed, and 
 half-shod. The new chief of staff did all that was possible 
 to remedy this disorder ; and the soldiers had just begun to 
 feel the good effects of his presence, when he fell sick from 
 overwork and fatigue, and died before being able, accord- 
 
 1 Andoche Junot, born near Semur in 1771, was a sergeant at Toulon, and 
 by his coolness attracted the attention of Bonaparte, who made him his sec- 
 retary. He was general of brigade in Egypt ; governor of Paris, 1806 ; created 
 Duke d'Abrantes and general-in-chief of the army of Portugal, 1809, which 
 he surrendered at Cintra; made the Spanish and Russian campaign, and was 
 then governor of Illyria, but became insane, and died in 1813. TRANS.
 
 208 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 ing to the Emperor's expression, to "make up for lost 
 time." 
 
 I have said elsewhere that upon each conspiracy against 
 the life of the First Consul all the members of his house- 
 hold were at once subjected to a strict surveillance ; 
 their smallest actions were watched; they were followed 
 outside the chateau; their conduct was reported even to 
 the smallest details. At the time the conspiracy of Piche- 
 gru was discovered, there was only a single guardian of 
 the portfolio, by the name of Landoire; and his position 
 was very trying, for he must always be present in a little 
 dark corridor upon which the door of the cabinet opened, 
 and he took his meals on the run, and half-dressed. Hap- 
 pily for Landoire, they gave him an assistant ; and this was 
 the occasion of it. 
 
 Augel, one of the doorkeepers of the palace, was ordered 
 by the First Consul to place himself at the barrier of Bons- 
 hommes during the trial of Pichegru, to recognize and 
 watch the people of the household who came and went 
 in the transaction of their business, no one being allowed to 
 leave Paris without permission. Angel's reports having 
 pleased the First Consul, he sent for him, was satisfied with 
 his replies and intelligence, and appointed him assistant to 
 Landoire in the custody of the portfolio. Thus the task 
 of the latter became lighter by half. In 1812 Augel was 
 in the campaign of Russia, and died on the return, when 
 within a few leagues of Paris, in consequence of the fatigue 
 and privations which we shared with the army. 
 
 However, it was not only those attached to the service 
 of the First Consul, or the chateau, who were subject to 
 this surveillance.
 
 THE OFFICIAL REGISTER. 209 
 
 When Napoleon became Emperor, the custodians of all 
 the imperial palaces were furnished with a register upon 
 which all persons from outside, and all strangers who came 
 to visit any one in the palace were obliged to inscribe their 
 names, with that of the persons whom they came to see. 
 Every evening this register was carried to the grand mar- 
 shal of the palace, and in his absence to the governor, and 
 the Emperor often consulted it. He once found there a 
 certain name which, as a husband, he had lii.s reasons, and 
 perhaps good ones, to suspect. His Majesty had previously 
 ordered the exclusion of this person ; arid finding this un- 
 lucky name again upon the custodian's register, he was 
 angry beyond measure, believing that they had dared on 
 both sides to disobey his orders. Investigation Avas immedi- 
 ately made ; and it was fortunately ascertained that the 
 visitor was a most insignificant person, whose only fault 
 was that of bearing a name which was justly compromised.
 
 210 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Awaking of the First Consul, March 21, 1804. The First Consul's silence. 
 Josephine comes to the First Consul's room. Distress of Josephine and 
 pallor of the First Consul. " The wretches have heen too quick." 
 News of the death of the Duke d'Enghien. Agitation of the First Con- 
 sul. Preludes to the Empire. The First Consul, Emperor. The Sen- 
 ate at Saint-Cloud. Cambaceres first to salute the Emperor as Sire. 
 The Senators pay their respects to the Empress. Joy in the chateau. 
 Everybody promoted. The saloon and the antechamber. Embarrass- 
 ment of all the servants. The first awaking of the Emperor. The 
 French princes. Monsieur Lucien and Madame Jouberton. The mar- 
 shals of the Empire. Awkwardness of the new courtiers. The cham- 
 berlains and grand officers. Lessons given by officers of the old court. 
 Contempt of the Emperor for the anniversaries of the Revolution. 
 The Emperor's first fete and the first Imperial cortege. The Temple of 
 Mars and the grand master of ceremonies. The Archbishop du Belloy 
 and the grand chancelor of the Legion of Honor. The man of the peo- 
 ple and the Imperial accolade. Departure from Paris for the camp of 
 Boulogne. The only leave of absence which the Emperor gave me. My 
 arrival at Boulogne. Details of my service with the Emperor. Mes- 
 sieurs de Re'musat, Boyer, Yvan. Habits of the Emperor. De Bour- 
 rienne and the tip of the ear. Habit of giving little slaps. Violence 
 of the Emperor towards his equerry. Caulaiucourt, grand equerry. 
 Reparation. Liberal indemnification. 
 
 THE year 1804, which was so full of glory for the 
 Emperor, was also the year which brought him more care 
 and anxiety than all others, except those of 1814 and 
 1815. It is not my province to pass judgment on such 
 grave events, nor to determine what part was taken in them 
 by the Emperor, or by those who surrounded and coun- 
 seled him, for it is my object to relate only what I saw and 
 heard. On the 21st of March of that year I entered the
 
 MARCH gl. 180A. 211 
 
 Emperor's room at an early hour, and found him awake, 
 leaning on his elbow. He seemed gloomy and tired ; but 
 when I entered he sat up, passed his hand many times 
 over his forehead, and said to me, " Constant, I have a 
 headache." Then, throwing off the covering, he added, " I 
 have slept very badly." He seemed extremely preoccupied 
 and absorbed, and his appearance evinced melancholy and 
 suffering to such a degree that I was surprised and some- 
 what anxious. While I was dressing him he did not utter 
 a word, which never occurred except when something agi- 
 tated or worried him. During this time only Roustan and 
 I were present. His toilet being completed, just as I was 
 handing him his snuff-box, handkerchief, and little bon- 
 bon box, the door opened suddenly, and the First Consul's 
 wife entered, in her morning negligSe, much agitated, with 
 traces of tears on her cheeks. Her sudden appearance as- 
 tonished, and even alarmed, Roustan and myself ; for it 
 was only an extraordinary circumstance which could have 
 induced Madame Bonaparte to leave her room in this 
 costume, before taking all necessary precautions to conceal 
 the damage which the want of the accessories of the toilet 
 did her. She entered, or rather rushed, into the room, 
 crying, " The Duke d'Enghien is dead ! Ah, my friend ! 
 what have you done ? " Then she fell sobbing into the 
 arms of the First Consul, who became pale as death, and 
 said with extraordinary emotion, " The miserable wretches 
 have been too quick ! " He then left the room, supporting 
 Madame Bonaparte, who could hardly walk, and was still 
 weeping. The news of the prince's death spread consterna- 
 tion in the chateau ; and the First Consul remarked this uni- 
 versal grief, but reprimanded no one for it. The fact is,
 
 212 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 the greatest chagrin which this mournful catastrophe caused 
 his servants, most of whom were attached to him by affec- 
 tion even more than by duty, came from the belief that it 
 would inevitably tarnish the glory and destroy the peace of 
 mind of their master. 
 
 The First Consul probably understood our feelings per- 
 fectly ; but however that may be, I have here related all 
 that I myself saw and know of this deplorable event. I do 
 not pretend to know what passed in the cabinet meeting, 
 but the emotion of the First Consul appeared to me sincere 
 and unaffected; and he remained sad and silent for many 
 days, speaking very little at his toilet, and saying only 
 what was necessary. 
 
 During this month and the following I noticed con- 
 stantly passing, repassing, and holding frequent inter- 
 views with the First Consul, many persons whom I was 
 told were members of the council of state, tribunes, or sen- 
 ators. For a long time the army and a great number 
 of citizens, who idolized the hero of Italy and Egypt, had 
 manifested openly their desire to see him wear a title 
 worthy of his renown and the greatness of France. It was 
 well known, also, that he alone performed all the duties of 
 government, and that his nominal colleagues were really his 
 subordinates. It was thought proper, therefore, that he 
 should become supreme head of the state in name, as he 
 already was in fact. I have often since his fall heard 
 his Majesty called an usurper : but the only effect of this on 
 me is to provoke a smile of pity ; for if the Emperor usurped 
 the throne, he had more accomplices than all the tyrants of 
 tragedy and melodrama combined, for three-fourths of the 
 French people were hi the conspiracy. As is well known,
 
 NAPOLEON, EMPEROR. 213 
 
 it was on May 18 that the Empire was proclaimed, and 
 the First Consul (whom I shall henceforward call the 
 Emperor) received at Saint-Cloud the Senate, led by 
 Consul Cambaceres, who became, a few hours later, arch- 
 chancellor of the Empire ; and it was by him that the 
 Emperor heard himself for the first time saluted with 
 the title of Sire. After this audience the Senate went to 
 present its homage to the Empress Josephine. The rest of 
 the day was passed in receptions, presentations, interviews, 
 and congratulations ; everybody in the chateau was drunk 
 with joy; each one felt that he had been suddenly pro- 
 moted in rank, so they embraced each other, exchanged 
 compliments, and confided to each other hopes and plans 
 for the future. There was no subaltern too humble to be 
 inspired with ambition ; in a word, the antechamber, saving 
 the difference of persons, furnished an exact repetition of 
 what passed in the saloon. Nothing could be more amus- 
 ing than the embarrassment of the whole service when it 
 was necessary to reply to his Majesty's questions. They 
 would begin with a mistake, then would try again, and do 
 worse, saying ten times in the same minute, " Sire, general, 
 your Majesty, citizen, First Consul." The next morning 
 on entering as usual the First Consul's room, to his cus- 
 tomary questions, "What o'clock is it? What is the 
 weather?" I replied, " Sire, seven o'clock ; fine weather." 
 As I approached his bed, he seized me by the ear, and 
 slapped me on the cheek, calling me "Monsieur le drdle" 
 which was his favorite expression when especially pleased 
 with me. His Majesty had kept awake, and worked late 
 into the night, and I found him serious and preoccupied, 
 but well satisfied. How different this awakening to that
 
 214 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 of the 21st of March preceding ! On this day his Majesty 
 went to hold his first grand levee at the Tuileries, where 
 all the civil and military authorities were presented to him. 
 The brothers and sisters of the Emperor were made princes 
 and princesses, with the exception of Lucien, who had 
 quarreled with his Majesty on the occasion of his marriage 
 with Madame Jouberton. Eighteen generals were raised to 
 the dignity of marshals of the empire. 1 Dating from this 
 day, everything around their Majesties took on the appear- 
 ance of a court and royal power. Much has been said of 
 the awkwardness of the, first courtiers, not yet accustomed 
 to the new duties imposed upon them, and to the cere- 
 monials of etiquette ; and there was, indeed, hi the begin- 
 ning some embarrassment experienced by those in the 
 immediate service of the Emperor, as I have said above ; 
 but this lasted only a short while, and the chamberlains 
 and high officials adapted themselves to the new regime 
 almost as quickly as the valets de chambre. They had also 
 as instructors many personages of the old court, who had 
 been struck out of the list of emigres by the kindness of 
 the Emperor, and now solicited earnestly for themselves 
 and their wives employment in the new imperial court. 
 His majesty had no liking for the anniversaries of 
 
 1 Berthier, Murat, Moncey, Jourdan, Massena, Augereau, Bemadotte, 
 Soult, Brune, Lannes, Mortier, Ney, Davoust, Bessieres, Kellerman, Le- 
 febvre, Perignon, and Serrurier. The last four were then in the Senate, and 
 were called honorary marshals, though Lefebvre afterwards served on the 
 active list. Victor was made a marshal 1807, at Friedland ; MacDonald, Ou- 
 dinot, and Marmont at Wagram, 1809; Suchet in 1811; St. Cyr in 1812; Ponia- 
 towski, 1813; Grouchy, 1815; total, twenty-six. Twelve of these had served 
 under him in Italy in 1796 and 1797. Three were killed in war, Lannes, 
 Bessieres, and Poniatowski. Murat and Ney were shot; and three others, 
 Berthier, Brune, and Mortier, came to violent deaths. TRANS.
 
 THE FIRST IMPERIAL FETE. 215 
 
 the Republic ; some of which had always seemed to him 
 odious and cruel, others ridiculous ; and I have heard him 
 express his indignation that they should have dared to 
 make an annual festival of the anniversary of the 21st of 
 January, 1 and smile with pity at the recollection of what 
 he called the masquerades of the theo-philanthropists, who, 
 he said, " would have no Jesus Christ, and yet made saints 
 of Fenelon and Las Casas Catholic prelates." 
 
 Bourrienne, in his Memoirs, says that it was not one of 
 the least singular things in the policy of Napoleon, that dur- 
 ing the first years of his reign he retained the festival' of 
 14th July. 2 I will observe, as to this, that if his Majesty 
 used this annual solemnity to appear in pomp in public, on 
 the other hand, he so changed the object of the festival that 
 it would have been difficult to recognize in it the anniver- 
 sary of the taking of the Bastile and of the First Federa- 
 tion. I do not think that there was one word in allusion 
 to these two events in the whole ceremony; and to con- 
 fuse still further the recollections of the Republicans, the 
 Emperor ordered that the festival should be celebrated on 
 the 15th, because that was Sunday, and thus there would 
 result no loss of time to the inhabitants of the capital. 
 Besides, there was no allusion made to honoring the captors 
 of the Bastile, this being made simply the occasion of a 
 grand distribution of the cross of the Legion of Honor. 
 
 It was the first occasion on which their Majesties showed 
 themselves to the people in all the paraphernalia of power. 
 
 1 The anniversary of the execution of Louis XVI., Jan. 21, 1793. 
 TKANS. 
 
 2 The anniversary of the taking of the Bastile, 1789. This has been re- 
 vived, and is to the present Republic what the 4th of July is to us. TRANS.
 
 216 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 The cortege crossed the grand alley of the Tuileries on 
 their way to the Hotel des Invalides, the church of which 
 (changed during the Revolution into a Temple of Mars) had 
 been restored by the Emperor to the Catholic worship, and 
 was used for the magnificent ceremonies of the day. This 
 was also the first time that the Emperor had made use of 
 the privilege of passing in a carriage through the garden 
 of the Tuileries. His cortege was superb, that of the 
 Empress Josephine not less brilliant; and the intoxication 
 of the people reached such a height, that it was beyond 
 expression. By order of the Emperor I mingled in the 
 crowd, to learn in what spirit the populace would take part 
 in the festival ; and I heard not a murmur, so great was the 
 enthusiasm of all classes for his Majesty at that time, what- 
 ever may have been said since. The Emperor and Em- 
 press were received at the door of the Hotel des Invalides 
 by the governor and by Count de Segur, 1 grand master of 
 ceremonies, and at the entrance of the church by Cardinal 
 du Belloy 2 at the head of a numerous clergy. After the 
 mass, de Lacepede, 3 grand chancellor of the Legion of 
 Honor, delivered a speech, followed by the roll-call of the 
 grand officers of the Legion, after which the Emperor took 
 his seat, and putting on his hat, repeated in a firm voice 
 
 1 Count Louis Philippe de Segur, born in Paris, 1753; served under 
 Rochambeau in the American Revolutionary War; ambassador to Russia, 
 1784 ; died 1830. He was father of Count Philippe de Segur, historian of the 
 campaign in Russia. TRANS. 
 
 2 Jean Baptiste du Belloy, born 1709, bishop 1761, archbishop of Paris 
 1802, died 1808, aged ninety-nine. TRANS. 
 
 Etienne de Lacepede, celebrated naturalist and musician, born at Agen, 
 1756; Austrian colonel before the Revolution, member of Legislative As- 
 sembly, Council of Five Hundred, and the Senate, peer 1819, died 1825. 
 TRANS.
 
 DEPARTURE FROM PARIS. 217 
 
 the formula of the oath, at the end of which all the mem- 
 bers of the Legion cried, " Je le jure I " (I swear it) ; and 
 immediately shouts of " Vive I 'Empereur" repeated a thou- 
 sand times, were heard in the church and outside. 
 
 A singular circumstance added still more to the interest 
 which the ceremony excited. While the chevaliers of the 
 new order were passing one by one before the Emperor, who 
 welcomed them, a man of the people, wearing a rounda- 
 bout, placed himself on the steps of the throne. His 
 Majesty showed some astonishment, and paused an instant, 
 whereupon the man, being interrogated, showed his war- 
 rant. The Emperor at once and with great cordiality bade 
 him advance, and gave him the decoration, accompanied 
 by a sharp accolade. The cortege, on its return, followed 
 the same route, passing again through the garden of the 
 Tuileries. 
 
 On the 18th of July, three days after this ceremony, 
 the Emperor set out from Saint-Cloud for the camp of 
 Boulogne. Believing that his Majesty would be willing to 
 dispense with my presence for a few days, and as it was a 
 number of years since I had seen my family, I felt a natural 
 desire to meet them again, and to review with my parents 
 the singular circumstances through which I had passed 
 since I had left them. 
 
 I should have experienced, I confess, great joy in talk- 
 ing with them of my present situation and my hopes ; and I 
 felt the need of freely expressing myself, and enjoying the 
 confidences of domestic privacy, in compensation for the 
 repression and constraint which my position imposed on 
 me. Therefore I requested permission to pass eight days 
 at Perueltz. It was readily granted, and I lost no time in
 
 218 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 setting out ; but my astonishment may be imagined when, 
 the very day after my arrival, a courier brought me a letter 
 from the Count de Remusat, ordering me to rejoin the Em- 
 peror immediately, adding that his Majesty needed me, and 
 I should have no other thought than that of returning 
 without delay. In spite of the disappointment induced by 
 such orders, I felt flattered nevertheless at having become 
 so necessary to the great man who had deigned to admit 
 me into his service, and at once bade adieu to my family. 
 His Majesty had hardly reached Boulogne, when he set 
 out again immediately on a tour of several days in the 
 departments of the north. I was at Boulogne before his 
 return, and had organized his Majesty's service so that he 
 found everything ready on his arrival ; but this did not 
 prevent his saying to me that I had been absent a long time. 
 While I am on this subject, I will narrate here, although 
 some years in advance, one or two circumstances which 
 will give the reader a better idea of the rigorous confine- 
 ment to which I was subjected. I had contracted, in con- 
 sequence of the fatigues of my continual journeyings in 
 the suite of the Emperor, a disease of the bladder, from 
 which I suffered horribly. For a long time I combated the 
 disease with patience and dieting; but at last, the pain 
 having become entirely unbearable, in 1808 I requested of 
 his Majesty a month's leave of absence in order to be cured, 
 Dr. Boyer having told me that a month was the shortest 
 time absolutely necessary for my restoration, and that with- 
 out it my disease would become incurable. I went to 
 Saint-Cloud to visit my wife's family, where Yvan, surgeon 
 of the Emperor, came to see me every day. Hardly a week 
 had passed, when he told me that his Majesty thought I
 
 CONSTANT'S LEAVES OF ABSENCE. 219 
 
 ought to be entirely well, and wished me to resume my 
 duties. This wish was equivalent to an order; it was 
 thus I understood it, and returned to the Emperor, who 
 seeing me pale, and suffering excruciatingly, deigned to 
 say to me many kind things, without, however, mentioning a 
 new leave of absence. These two were my only absences 
 for sixteen years ; therefore, on my return from Moscow, 
 and during the campaign of France, my disease having 
 reached its height, I quitted the Emperor at Fontainebleau, 
 because it was impossible for me, in spite of all my attach- 
 ment to so kind a master, and all the gratitude which I felt 
 towards him, to perform my duties longer. Even after this 
 separation, which was exceedingly painful to me, a year 
 hardly sufficed to cure me, and then not entirely. But I 
 shall take occasion farther on to speak of this melancholy 
 event. I now return to the recital of facts, which prove 
 that I could, with more reason than many others, believe 
 myself a person of great importance, since my humble ser- 
 vices seemed to be indispensable to the master of Europe, 
 and many frequenters of the Tuileries would have had 
 more difficulty than I in proving their usefulness. Is there 
 too much vanity in what I have just said ? and would not 
 the chamberlains have a right to be vexed by it? I am 
 not concerned with that, so I continue my narrative. The 
 Emperor was tenacious of old habits ; he preferred, as we 
 have already seen, being served by me in preference to 
 all others ; nevertheless, it is my duty to state that his 
 servants were all full of zeal and devotion, though I had 
 been with him longest, and had never left him. One day 
 the Emperor asked for tea in the middle of the day. M. 
 Seneschal was on duty, consequently made the tea, and pre-
 
 220 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 sented it to his Majesty, who declared it to be detestable, 
 and had me summoned. The Emperor complained to me 
 that they were trying to poison him (this was his expression 
 when he found a bad taste in anything) ; so going into the 
 kitchen, I poured out of the same teapot, a cup, which I 
 prepared and carried to his Majesty, with two silver-gilt 
 spoons as usual, one to taste the tea in the presence of the 
 Emperor, and the other for him. This time he said the tea 
 was excellent, and complimented me on it with a kind fa- 
 miliarity which he deigned at times to use towards his 
 servants. On returning the cup to me, he pulled my ears, 
 and said, "You must teach them how to make tea; they 
 know nothing about it." De Bourrienne, whose excellent 
 Memoirs I have read with the greatest pleasure, says some- 
 where, that the Emperor in his moments of good humor 
 pinched the tip of the ears of his familiars. I myself think 
 that he pinched the whole ear, often, indeed, both ears at 
 once, and with the hand of a master. He also says in 
 these same Memoirs, that the Emperor gave little friendly 
 slaps with two fingers, in which De Bourrienne is very mod- 
 erate, for I can bear witness in regard to this matter, that 
 his Majesty, although his hand was not large, bestowed his 
 favors much more broadly ; but this kind of caress, as well 
 as the former, was given and received as a mark of particu- 
 lar favor, and the recipients were far from complaining then. 
 I have heard more than one dignitary say with pride, like 
 the sergeant in the comedy, 
 
 " Sir, feel there, the blow upon my cheek is still warm." 
 
 In his private apartments the Emperor was almost 
 always cheerful and approachable, conversing freely with
 
 HABITS OF THE EMPEROR. 221 
 
 the persons in his service, questioning them about their 
 families, their affairs, and even as to their pleasures. His 
 toilet finished, his appearance suddenly changed ; he be- 
 came grave and thoughtful, and assumed again the bearing 
 of an emperor. It has been said, that he often beat the 
 people of his household, which statement is untrue. I saw 
 him once only give himself up to a transport of this kind ; 
 and certainly the circumstances which caused it, and the 
 reparation which followed, ought to render it, if not excus- 
 able, at least easily understood. This is the incident, of 
 which I was a witness, and which took place in the suburbs 
 of Vienna, the day after the death of Marshal Lannes. 
 The Emperor was profoundly affected, and had not spoken 
 a word during his toilet. As soon as he was dressed he 
 asked for his horse ; and as an unlucky chance would have 
 it, Jardin, superintendent of the stables, could not be found 
 when the horse was saddled, and the groom did not put 
 on him his regular bridle, in consequence of which his 
 Majesty had no sooner mounted, than the animal plunged, 
 reared, and the rider fell heavily to the ground. Jardin 
 arrived just as the Emperor was rising from the ground, 
 beside himself with anger ; and in his first transport of rage, 
 he gave Jardin a blow with his riding-whip directly across 
 his face. Jardin withdrew, overwhelmed by such cruel 
 treatment, so unusual in his Majesty ; and a few hours after, 
 Caulaincourt, 1 grand equerry, finding himself alone with 
 
 1 Armaiu? August Louis, Marquis de Caulaincourt by birth, created 
 Duke of Vicenza by Napoleon, was bom in Picardy, 1772, served in nearly all 
 the wars of the Republic. Napoleon made him grand equerry, general of 
 division, and sent him in 1807 as minister to Russia. He made the Rus- 
 sian campaign, and was later minister of foreign affairs and envoy to the 
 allied army. He was faithful to the Emperor to the last. Died, 1827.
 
 222 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 his Majesty, described to him Jardin's grief and mortifica- 
 tion. The Emperor expressed deep regret for his anger, 
 sent for Jardin, and spoke to him with a kindness which 
 effaced the remembrance of his ill treatment, and sent him 
 a few days afterward three thousand francs. I have been 
 told that a similar incident happened to Vigogne, senior, 
 in Egypt. 1 But although this may be true, two such in- 
 stances alone in the entire life of the Emperor, which was 
 passed amid surroundings so well calculated to make a man, 
 even though naturally most amiable, depart from his usual 
 character, should not be sufficient to draw down upon Na- 
 poleon the odious reproach of beating cruelly those in his 
 service. 
 
 1 NOTE BY CONSTANT. We arrived at Tentoura on the 20th of May. 
 The day was intensely hot, which produced a general feeling of depression. 
 We had no place to rest but on the arid, burning sands. On our right was 
 a hostile sea, and on the left the desert. Our loss in wounded and sick was 
 already considerable since we had left Acre. The future offered nothing to 
 cheer us. This truly afflicting condition in which the remnants of the army 
 which had been called triumphant found itself made upon the general-in- 
 chief a profound impression, as was inevitable. As soon as he arrived at Ten- 
 toura he had his tent pitched, and dictated to me absent-mindedly an order 
 that everybody should go on foot, and that they should give up all the horses, 
 camels, and mules to the wounded, the sick, and the plague-stricken, who 
 had been brought along, and who might still show any signs of life. " Carry 
 that to Eerthier." The order was sent immediately. Hardly had I returned 
 to the tent, when Vigogne, senior, equerry of the general-in-chief, entered 
 and touching his hat, said, " General, what liorse will you keep foryourself ? " 
 In the first emotions of anger excited by this question, the general-in-chief 
 struck the equerry violently with his whip, and then added in a terrible 
 voice, " Let everybody go on foot, fool, and I the first. Do you understand 
 the order now ? Go I " Memoirs of Bourrienne, vol. ii. ch. xvi.
 
 NAPOLEON A HARD WORKER. 223 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 The Emperor's intense application to work. Roustan and the flask of 
 brandy. Army of Boulogne. The four camps. The Pont-de-Briques. 
 The Emperor's barrack. The council-chamber. The eagle guided by 
 its guardian star. The Emperor's bedroom. The bed. Furniture. 
 Telescope-room. Trunk. Distribution of apartments. The sema- 
 phore. The gigantic mortars. The Emperor firing the first bomb. 
 Barrack of Marshal Soult. The Emperor viewing from his chamber 
 Dover and its garrison. The streets of the camp of the right wing. 
 Road cut perpendicularly in the cliff. The forgotten engineer. The 
 .flotilla. The forts. Barrack of Prince Joseph. The grenadier stuck 
 In the mud. Instance of the Emperor's kindness. The bridge of ser- 
 vice. Terrible countersign. The sentinels and sailors of the watch. 
 Exclusion of women and strangers. The spies. Discharge of mus- 
 ketry. Schoolmaster shot. The fire-ships. Terror in the town. 
 Military song. False alarm. Consternation. Tranquillity of Madame 
 
 F . The commandant condemned to death, but pardoned by the 
 
 Emperor. 
 
 IN his headquarters at the Pont des Briques the 
 Emperor worked as regularly as in his cabinet at the 
 Tuileries. After his rides on horseback, his inspections, 
 his visits, his reviews, he took his meals in haste, and retired 
 into his cabinet, where he often worked most of the night, 
 thus leading the same life as at Paris. In his horseback 
 rides Roustan followed him everywhere, always taking with 
 him a little silver flask of brandy for the use of his Maj- 
 esty, who rarely asked for it. 
 
 The army of Boulogne was composed of about one 
 hundred and fifty thousand infantiy and ninety thousand 
 cavalry, divided into four principal camps, the carnp of
 
 224 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 the right wing, the camp of the left wing, the camp of 
 Wimereux, and the camp of Ambleteuse. 
 
 His Majesty the Emperor had his headquarters at Pont 
 de Briques ; thus named, I was told, because the brick foun- 
 dations of an old camp of Caesar's had been discovered there. 
 The Pont de Briques, as I have said above, is about half 
 a league from Boulogne ; and the headquarters of his 
 Majesty were established in the only house of the place 
 which was then habitable, and guarded by a detachment of 
 the cavalry of the Imperial Guard. 
 
 The four camps were on a very high cliff overlooking 
 the sea, so situated that in fine weather the coast of Eng- 
 land could be seen. 
 
 In the camp on the right they had established barracks 
 for the Emperor, Admiral Bruix, Marshal Soult, and Decres, 1 
 who was then minister of the navy. 
 
 The Emperor's barrack was constructed under the direc- 
 tion of Sordi, engineer, performing the functions of engineer- 
 in-chief of military roads; and his nephew, Lecat de Rue, 
 attached at that time to the staff of Marshal Soult as aide- 
 de-camp, has been kind enough to furnish me with informa- 
 tion which did not come within my province. 
 
 The Emperor's barrack was built of plank, like the 
 booths of a country fair ; with this difference, that the planks 
 were neatly planed, and painted a grayish white. In form 
 it was a long square, having at each end two pavilions of 
 semicircular shape. A fence formed of wooden lattice 
 
 1 Denis Decres, created a duke by Napoleon, was born at Chaumont in 
 Champagne, 1761, entered the navy at seventeen years of age, and was rear- 
 admiral in 1798. In 1801 he was made minister for the navy, and filled the 
 post with ability for thirteen years. In 1820 he was killed by his valet, who 
 designed to rob him. TKANS.
 
 THE EMPEROR'S BARRACK. 225 
 
 inclosed this barrack, which was lighted on the outside by 
 lamps placed four feet apart, and the windows were placed 
 laterally. The pavilion next to the sea consisted of three 
 rooms and a hall, the principal room, used as a council- 
 chamber, being decorated with silver-gray paper. On the 
 ceiling were painted golden clouds, in the midst of which 
 appeared, upon the blue vault of the sky, an eagle hold- 
 ing the lightning, and guided towards England by a star, 
 the guardian star of the Emperor. In the middle of this 
 chamber was a large oval table with a plain cover of green 
 cloth; and before this table was placed only his Majesty's 
 armchair, which could be taken to pieces, and was made 
 of natural wood, unpainted, and covered with green morocco 
 stuffed with hair, while upon the table was a boxwood writ- 
 ing-desk. This was the entire furniture of the council-cham- 
 ber, in which liis Majesty alone could be seated. The 
 generals stood before him, and had during these councils, 
 which sometimes lasted three or four hours, no other support 
 than the handles of their sabers. 
 
 The council-chamber was entered from a hall. On the 
 right of this hall was his Majesty's bedroom, which had a 
 glass door, and was lighted by a window which looked out 
 upon the camp of the right wing, while the sea could be 
 seen on the left. In this room was the Emperor's iron bed, 
 with a large curtain of plain green sarsenet, fastened to the 
 ceiling by a gilded copper ring ; and upon this bed were two 
 mattresses, one made of hair, two bolsters, one at the head, 
 the other at the foot, no pillow, and two coverlets, one of 
 white cotton, the other of green sarsenet, wadded and 
 quilted; by the side of the bed two very simple folding- 
 seats, and at the window short curtains of green sarsenet.
 
 226 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 This room was papered with rose-colored paper, stamped 
 with a pattern in lace-work, with an Etruscan border. 
 
 Opposite the bedroom was a similar chamber, in which 
 was a peculiar kind of telescope which had cost twelve 
 thousand francs. This instrument was about four feet 
 long, and about a foot in diameter, and was mounted on 
 a mahogany support, with three feet, the box in which it 
 was kept being almost in the shape of a piano. In the 
 same room, upon two stools, was a little square chest, which 
 contained three complete suits and the linen which formed 
 the campaign wardrobe of his Majesty. Above this was 
 a single extra hat, lined with white satin, and much the 
 worse for wear; for the Emperor, as I shall say later in 
 speaking of his personal peculiarities, having a very tender 
 scalp, did not like new hats, and wore the same a long time. 
 
 The main body of the imperial barrack was divided into 
 three rooms, a saloon, a vestibule, and a grand dining-room, 
 which communicated with the kitchens by a passage paral- 
 lel to that I have just mentioned. Outside the barrack, 
 and connected with the kitchen, was a little shed, covered 
 with thatch, which served as a washroom, and which was 
 also used as a butler's pantry. 
 
 The barrack of Admiral Bruix was arranged like that of 
 the Emperor, but on a smaller scale. 
 
 Near this barrack was the semaphore of the signals, a 
 sort of marine telegraph by which the fleet was maneu- 
 vered. A little farther on was the Tour d'Ordre, with a 
 powerful battery composed of six mortars, six hovdtzers, 
 and twelve twenty-four pounders. 
 
 These six mortars, the largest that had ever been 
 made, were six inches thick, used forty-five pounds of
 
 THE CAMP AT BOULOGNE. 227 
 
 powder at a charge, and threw bombs fifteen hundred 
 toises 1 in the air, and a league and a half out to sea, 
 each bomb thrown costing the state three hundred francs. 
 To fire one of these fearful machines they used port-fires 
 twelve feet long; and the cannoneer protected himself as 
 best he could by bowing his head between his legs, and 
 not rising until after the shot was fired. The Emperor 
 decided to fire the first bomb himself. 
 
 To the right of the headquarters battery was the bar- 
 rack of Marshal Soult, which was constructed in imitation 
 of the hut of a savage, and covered with thatch down to the 
 ground, with glass in the top, and a door through which 
 you descended into the rooms, which were dug out like cel- 
 lars. The principal chamber was round; and in it was a 
 large work-table covered with green cloth, and surrounded 
 with small leather folding-chairs. 
 
 The last barrack was that of Decres, minister of the 
 navy, which was furnished like that of Marshal Soult. 
 From his barrack the Emperor could observe all the ma- 
 neuvers at sea ; and the telescope, of which I have spoken, 
 was so good that Dover Castle, with its garrison, was, so to 
 speak, under the very eyes of his Majesty. The camp of 
 the right wing, situated upon the cliff, was divided into 
 streets, each of which bore the name of some distinguished 
 general ; and this cliff bristled with batteries from Cologne 
 to Ambleteuse, a distance of more than two leagues. 
 
 In order to go from Boulogne to the camp of the right 
 wing, there was only one road, which began in the Rue des 
 Vieillards, and passed over the cliff, between the barrack 
 
 1 A toise is six feet, and a league is three miles. A franc is eighteen and 
 three-fifths cents. TKANS.
 
 228 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 of his Majesty and those of Bruix, Soult, and Decres, so 
 that if at low tide the Emperor wished to go down upon 
 the beach, a long detour was necessary. One day when he 
 was complaining greatly of this, it occurred to Bonnefoux, 
 maritime prefect of Boulogne, to apply to Sordi, engineer 
 of military roads, and ascertain if it was not possible to 
 remedy this great inconvenience. 
 
 The engineer replied that it was feasible to provide a 
 road for his Majesty directly from his barrack to the beach ; 
 but that in view of the great height of the cliff it would be 
 necessary to moderate the rapidity of the descent by making 
 the road zigzag. "Make it as you wish," said the Emperor, 
 " only let it be ready for use in three days." The skillful 
 engineer went to work, and in three days and three nights 
 the road was constructed of stone, bound together with iron 
 clamps ; and the Emperor, charmed with so much diligence 
 and ingenuity, had the name of Sordi placed on the list for 
 the next distribution of the cross of the Legion of Honor, 
 but, owing to the shameful negligence of some one, the 
 name of this man of talent was overlooked. The port of 
 Boulogne contained about seventeen hundred vessels, such 
 as flatboats, sloops, turkish boats, gunboats, prames, mor- 
 tar-boats, etc. ; and the entrance to the port was defended 
 by an enormous chain, and by four forts, two on the right, 
 and two on the left. 
 
 Fort Musoir, placed on the left, was armed with three 
 formidable batteries ranged one above the other, the lower 
 row bearing twenty-four pounders, the second and third, 
 thirty-six pounders. On the right of this fort was the re- 
 volving bridge, and behind this bridge an old tower called 
 Castle Croi, ornamented with batteries which were both
 
 THE CAMP AT BOULOGNE. 229 
 
 handsome and effective. To the left, about a quarter of 
 a league from Fort Musoir, was Fort La Creche, projecting 
 boldly into the sea, constructed of cut stone, and crowned 
 by a terrible battery ; and finally, on the right of Fort La 
 Creche, was the Fort en Bois, perfectly manned, and pierced 
 by a large opening which was uncovered at low tide. 
 
 Upon the cliff to the left of the town, at nearly the 
 same elevation as the other, was the camp of the left wing. 
 Here was situated the barrack of Prince Joseph, at that time 
 colonel of the Fourth Regiment of the line ; this barrack 
 was covered with thatch. Below the camp, at the foot of 
 the cliff, the Emperor had a basin hollowed out, in which 
 work a part of the troops were employed. 
 
 It was in this basin that one day a young soldier of the 
 Guard, who had stuck in the mud up to his knees, tried 
 with all his strength to pull out his wheelbarrow, which 
 was even worse mired than himself ; but he could not suc- 
 ceed, and covered with sweat, swore and stormed like an 
 angry grenadier. By chance lifting his eyes, he suddenly 
 perceived the Emperor, who was passing by the works on 
 his way to visit his brother Joseph in the camp on the left. 
 The soldier looked at him with a beseeching air and ges- 
 ture, singing in a most sentimental tone, " Come, oh, come, 
 to my aid." His Majesty could not help smiling, and made 
 signs to the soldier to approach, which the poor fellow 
 did, after extricating himself with great difficulty. " What 
 is your regiment ? " " Sire, the First of the Guard." - 
 " How long have you been a soldier ? " " Since you have 
 been Emperor, Sire." - " Indeed, that is not a long time ! 
 It is not long enough for me to make you an officer, is 
 it? But conduct yourself well, and I will have you made
 
 230 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 sergeant-major. After that, the cross and epaulets on 
 the first battlefield. Are you content ? " " Yes, Sire." 
 " Chief of Staff," continued the Emperor, addressing Gen- 
 eral Berthier, "take the name of this young, man. You 
 will give him three hundred francs to clean his pantaloons 
 and repair his wheelbarrow." And his Majesty rode on 
 in the midst of the acclamations of the soldiers. 
 
 At the inside extremity of the port, there was a wooden 
 bridge which they called the Service bridge. The powder 
 magazines were behind it, containing an immense amount 
 of ammunition ; and after nightfall no one was allowed to 
 go upon this bridge without giving the countersign to the 
 second sentinel, for the first always allowed him to pass. 
 He was not allowed to pass back again, however ; for if 
 any person entering the bridge was ignorant of the counter- 
 sign, or had happened to forget it, he was stopped by the 
 second sentinel, and the first sentinel at the head of the 
 bridge had express orders to pass his bayonet through the 
 body of the rash man if he was unable to answer the ques- 
 tions of this last sentinel. These rigorous precautions were 
 rendered necessary by the vicinity of these terrible powder 
 magazines, which a single spark might blow up, and with it 
 the town, the fleet, and the two camps. 
 
 At night the port was closed with the big chain I have 
 mentioned, and the wharves were picketed by sentinels 
 placed fifteen paces from each other. Each quarter of an 
 hour they called, " Sentinels, look out !" And the soldiers of 
 the marine, placed in the topsails, replied to this by, " All's 
 well," pronounced in a drawling, mournful tone. Nothing 
 could be more monotonous or depressing than this continual 
 murmur, this lugubrious mingling of voices all in the same
 
 THE CAMP AT BOULOGNE. 231 
 
 tone, especially as those making these cries endeavored to 
 make them as inspiring as possible. 
 
 Women not residing in Boulogne were prohibited from 
 remaining there without a special permit from the minister 
 of police. This measure had been judged necessary on 
 account of the army; for otherwise each soldier perhaps 
 would have brought a woman to Boulogne, and the disorder 
 would have been indescribable. Strangers were admitted 
 into the town with great difficulty. 
 
 In spite of all these precautions, spies from the English 
 fleet each day penetrated into Boulogne. When they were 
 discovered no quarter was given ; and notwithstanding this, 
 emissaries who had landed, no one knew where, came each 
 evening to the theater, and carried their imprudence so far 
 as to write their opinion of the actors and actresses, whom 
 they designated by name, and to post these writings on the 
 walls of the theater, thus defying the police. One day 
 there were found on the shore two little boats covered 
 with tarpaulin, which these gentry probably used in their 
 clandestine excursions. 
 
 In June, 1804, eight Englishmen, perfectly well dressed, 
 in white silk stockings, etc., were arrested, and on them 
 was found sulphurated apparatus with which they had in- 
 tended to burn the fleet. They were shot within an hour, 
 without any form of trial. 
 
 There were also traitors in Boulogne. A schoolmaster, 
 the secret agent of Lords Keith and Melville, was surprised 
 one morning on the cliff above the camp of the right wing, 
 making telegraphic signals with his arms ; and being ar- 
 rested almost in the act by the sentinels, he protested his 
 innocence, and tried to turn the incident into a jest, but
 
 232 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 his papers were searched, and correspondence with the 
 English found, which clearly proved his guilt. He was de- 
 livered to the council of war, and shot the next day. 
 
 One evening between eleven o'clock and midnight, a 
 fire-ship, rigged like a French ship, flying French colors, and 
 in every respect resembling a gunboat, advanced towards 
 the line of battle and passed through. By unpardonable 
 negligence the chain had not been stretched that evening. 
 This fire-ship was followed by a second, which exploded, 
 striking a sloop, which went down with it. This explosion 
 gave the alarm to the whole fleet ; and lights instantly shone 
 in every direction, revealing the first fire-ship advancing 
 between the jetties, a sight which was witnessed with in- 
 expressible anxiety. Three or four pieces of wood con- 
 nected by cables fortunately stopped her progress ; but she 
 blew up with such a shock that the glasses of all the win- 
 dows in town were shattered, and a great number of the 
 inhabitants, who for want of beds were sleeping upon 
 tables, were thrown to the floor, and awakened by the fall 
 without comprehending what had happened. In ten min- 
 utes everybody was stirring, as it was thought that the 
 I^nglish were in the port; and there ensued such confu- 
 sion, such a mingled tumult of noises and screams, that 
 no one could make himself understood, until criers pre- 
 ceded by drums were sent through the town to reassure 
 the inhabitants, and inform them that all danger was 
 past. 
 
 The next day songs were composed on this nocturnal 
 alarm, and were soon in every mouth. I have preserved 
 one, which I copy here, and which the soldiers sang long 
 afterwards.
 
 THE PIKE-SHIPS. 233 
 
 For a long time Britain, 
 
 Imitating the mountain, 
 
 Has menaced the continent 
 
 With a terrible event. 
 
 In the darkness of mystery 
 
 Twenty monsters l she brought forth. 
 
 Pitt cried, " I am their father," 
 
 And no one doubted it. 
 
 Soon in the middle of the night, 
 Melville 2 launches upon the wave 
 All these new-born monsters, 
 Destined for Boulogne. 
 Lord Keith, like a good nurse, 
 Keeps them concealed in his bosom. 
 The tide is propitious to him, 
 And the children are turned loose. 
 
 The Frenchman, ever on the watch, 
 
 Towards the noise bends his ear ; 
 
 But he did not suspect 
 
 His neighbors were such scoundrels. 
 
 His guardian star shines in his eyes. 
 
 Danger enlightens him 
 
 While lighting its fires. 
 
 This accursed family 
 
 Approaches the flotilla. 
 
 In expiring it makes 
 
 Much noise, little harm. 
 
 The marks that it has left 
 
 Of its brilliant valor 
 
 Are some broken window-panes, 
 
 And the shame of the author. 
 
 Mr. Pitt, upon your shores 
 You defy our courage, 
 
 1 It had been known for a long time that the enemy had twenty fire- 
 ships destined to destroy our flotilla. CONSTANT. 
 
 2 The English fleet was commanded by Lord Melville and Lord Keith. 
 CONSTANT.
 
 234 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 Well convinced that never 
 Will you see there the French. 
 You rely upon the distance, 
 Tour vessels and your yeomen, 
 But the soldiers of France 
 Will make you reconsider all that. 
 
 In our swift sloops, 
 The wind becoming docile, 
 Retaining you in your ports, 
 We will land upon your shores; 
 Forcing you to an equal fight, 
 You shall see that our soldiers 
 Have the infernal machine 
 Placed at their finger-ends. 
 
 Another alarm, but of an entirely different kind, upset 
 all Boulogne in the autumn of 1804. About eight o'clock 
 in the evening a chimney caught fire on the right of the 
 port ; and the light of this fire, shining through the masts of 
 the flotilla, alarmed the commandant of a post on the oppo- 
 site shore. At this time all the vessels had powder and 
 ammunition on board; and the poor commandant, beside 
 himself with terror, cried, " Boys, the fleet is on fire ; " and 
 immediately had the alarm beaten. The frightful news 
 spread like lightning ; and in less than half an hour more 
 than sixty thousand men appeared upon the wharves, the 
 tocsin was sounded in all the churches, the forts fired alarm 
 guns, while drums and trumpets sounded along the streets, 
 the whole making an infernal tumult. 
 
 The Emperor was at headquarters when this terrible 
 cry, " The fleet is on fire," came to his ears. " It is im- 
 possible ! " he immediately exclaimed, but, nevertheless, 
 rushed out instantly. 
 
 On entering the town, what a frightful spectacle we
 
 THE FALSE ALARM. 235 
 
 beheld. Women in tears, holding their children in their 
 arms, ran like lunatics, uttering cries of despair, while 
 men abandoned their houses, carrying off whatever was 
 most valuable, running against and knocking each other 
 over in the darkness. On all sides was heard, " Sauve qui 
 pent; we are going to be blown up, we are all lost;" and the 
 maledictions, lamentations, blasphemies, were sufficient to 
 make your hair stand on end. 
 
 The aides-de-camp of his Majesty and those of Mar- 
 shal Soult galloped in every direction, forcing their way 
 through the crowds, stopping the drummers, and asking 
 them, "Why do you beat the alarm? Who has ordered you 
 to beat the alarm ? " ." We don't know," they replied; and 
 the drums continued to beat, while the tumult kept on in- 
 creasing, and the crowd rushed to the gates, struck by a 
 terror which a moment's reflection would have dissipated. 
 But, unfortunately, fear gives no time for reflection. 
 
 It is true, however, that a considerable number of in- 
 habitants, less excitable than these I have described, re- 
 mained quietly at home, well knowing that if the fleet had 
 really been on fire, there would have been no time to give 
 an alarm. These persons made every effort to quiet the 
 
 excited crowd. Madame F , the very pretty and very 
 
 amiable wife of a clockmaker, was in her kitchen making 
 preparations for supper, when a neighbor, thoroughly 
 frightened, entered, and said to her, " Save yourself Ma- 
 dame; you have not a moment to lose!" "What is the 
 matter? " " The fleet is on fire ! " " Ah-pshaw ! " " Fly 
 then, Madame, fly! I tell you the fleet is on fire." And 
 the neighbor took Madame F - by the arm, and en- 
 deavored to pull her along. Madame F - held at the
 
 236 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 moment a frying-pan in which she was cooking some frit- 
 ters. "Take care; you will make me burn my fritters," 
 said she, laughing. And with a few half serious, half jest- 
 ing words she reassured the poor fellow, who ended by 
 laughing at himself. 
 
 At last the tumult was appeased, and to this great fright 
 a profound calm succeeded. No explosion had been heard ; 
 and they saw that it must have been a false alarm, so each 
 returned home, thinking no longer of the fire, but agitated 
 by another fear. The robbers may have profited by the 
 absence of the inhabitants to pillage the houses, but as luck 
 would have it no mischance of this kind had taken place. 
 
 The next day the poor commandant who had so inop- 
 portunely taken and given the alarm was brought before 
 the council of war. He was guilty of no intentional wrong ; 
 but the law was explicit, and he was condemned to death. 
 His judges, however, recommended him to the mercy of 
 the Emperor, who pardoned him.
 
 DISTRIBUTION OF CROSSES OF HONOR. 237 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Distribution of the cross of the Legion of Honor in the camp of Boulogne. 
 The helmet of Duguesclin. Prince Joseph, colonel. Military fete. 
 Racing with launches and on horseback. Jealousy of a council of supe- 
 rior officers. Justice done by the Emperor. Unfortunate fall, fol- 
 lowed by a triumph. Petition at close range. The minister of the 
 navy falls into the water. Hilarity of the Emperor. The gluttonous 
 general. The ball. The boulangere danced by the Emperor and Ma- 
 dame Bertram!. The Boulognese at the ball. The macaroons and ridi- 
 cule. The wife of Marshal Soult queen of the ball. The beautiful 
 suppliant. The magazine guard condemned to death. Clemency of 
 the Emperor. 
 
 MANY of the brave soldiers who composed the army 
 of Boulogne had earned the cross (of the Legion of 
 Honor) in these last campaigns ; and his Majesty desired 
 that this distribution should be made an impressive oc- 
 casion, which should long be remembered. He chose the 
 day after his fete, Aug. 16, 1804. Never has there been 
 in the past, nor can there be in the future, a more impos- 
 ing spectacle. 
 
 At six o'clock in the morning, more than eighty thou- 
 sand men left the four camps, at their head drums beat- 
 ing and bands playing, and advanced by divisions 
 towards the "Hubertmill" field, which was on the cliff 
 beyond the camp of the right wing. On this plain an 
 immense platform had been erected, about fifteen feet above 
 the ground, and with its back toward the sea. It was 
 reached by three flights of richly carpeted steps, situated in 
 the middle and on each side. From the stage thus formed,
 
 238 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 about forty feet square, rose three other platforms, the 
 central one bearing the imperial armchair, decorated with 
 trophies and banners, while that on the left held seats for 
 the brothers of the Emperor, and for the grand dignita- 
 ries, and that on the right bore a tripod of antique form, 
 surmounted by a helmet (the helmet of Duguesclin, I 
 think), covered with crosses and ribbons. By the side of 
 the tripod had been placed a seat for the arch-chancellor. 
 
 About three hundred steps from the throne, the land 
 rose in a slight and almost circular ascent; and on this 
 ascent the troops were arranged as in an amphitheater. 
 To the right of the throne, on an eminence, were placed 
 sixty or eighty tents made of naval flags ; these tents were 
 intended for the ladies of the city, and made a charming 
 picture, but they were so far from the throne that the 
 spectators who filled them were obliged to use glasses. 
 Between these tents and the throne a part of the Imperial 
 Guard was ranged in line of battle. 
 
 The weather was perfect ; there was not a cloud in the 
 sky; the English cruisers had disappeared; and on the sea 
 could be seen only our line of vessels handsomely deco- 
 rated with flags. 
 
 At ten o'clock in the morning, a discharge of artillery 
 announced the departure of the Emperor ; and his Majesty 
 left his barrack, surrounded by more than eighty gen- 
 erals and two hundred aides-de-camp, all his household fol- 
 lowing him. The Emperor was dressed in the uniform of 
 the colonel-general of the infantry of the guard. He rode 
 at a gallop to the foot of the throne, in the midst of uni- 
 versal acclamations and the most deafening uproar made 
 by drums, trumpets, and cannon, beating, blowing, and 
 roaring all together.
 
 DISTRIBUTION OF CROSSES OF HONOR. 239 
 
 His Majesty mounted the throne, followed by his 
 brothers and the grand dignitaries ; and when he was 
 seated each one took his designated place, and the distri- 
 bution of the crosses began in the following manner : 
 
 An aide-de-camp of the Emperor called by name the 
 soldiers to be honored, who one by one stopped at the foot 
 of the throne, bowed, and mounted the steps on the right. 
 There they were received by the arch-chancellor, who de- 
 livered to them their commissions ; and two pages, placed 
 between the Emperor and the tripod, took the decoration 
 from the helmet of Duguesclin, and handed it to his 
 Majesty, who fastened it himself on the breast of the 
 brave fellow. Instantly more than eight hundred drums 
 beat a tattoo ; and when the soldier thus decorated de- 
 scended from the throne by the steps on the left, as he 
 passed before the brilliant staff of the Emperor a burst of 
 music from more than twelve hundred musicians signaled 
 the return to his company of the Knight of the Legion 
 of Honor. It is needless to say that the cry of Vive 
 VEmpereur was repeated twice at each decoration. 
 
 The distribution began at ten o'clock, and ended about 
 three. Then, according to orders borne by the aides-de- 
 camp to the divisions, a volley of artillery was heard, and 
 eighty thousand men advanced in close columns to within 
 twenty or thirty steps of the throne. The most profound 
 silence succeeded the noise of drums ; and, the Emperor 
 having given his orders, the troops executed maneuvers 
 for about an hour, at the end of which each division defiled 
 before the throne as they returned to the camp. Each chief, 
 on passing, saluted by lowering the point of his sword. 
 Specially noticeable among them was Prince Joseph, newly
 
 240 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 appointed colonel of the Fourth Regiment of the line, who 
 made his brother a salute more graceful than military. The 
 Emperor frowned slightly at the somewhat critical remarks 
 which his old companions in arms seemed inclined to make 
 on this subject ; but except for this slight cloud, the counte- 
 nance of his Majesty was never more radiant. 
 
 Just as the troops were filing off, the wind, which for 
 two or three hours had been blowing violently, became a 
 perfect gale, and an orderly officer came in haste to inform 
 his Majesty that four or five gunboats had just been driven 
 ashore. The Emperor at once left the plain at a gallop, 
 followed by some of the marshals, and took his position on 
 the shore until the crews of the gunboats were saved, and 
 the Emperor then returned to the Pont des Briques. 
 
 This immense army could not regain its quarters before 
 eight o'clock in the evening. The next day the camp of 
 the left wing gave a military fete, at which the Emperor 
 was present. 
 
 From early in the morning, launches mounted on wheels 
 ran at full speed through the streets of the camp, driven 
 by a favorable wind. Officers amused themselves riding 
 after them at a gallop, and rarely overtaking them. This 
 exercise lasted an hour or two; but, the wind having 
 changed, the launches upset, amid shouts of laughter. 
 
 This was followed by a horseback race, the prize being 
 twelve hundred francs. A lieutenant of dragoons, very 
 popular in his company, asked as a favor to be allowed to 
 compete ; but the haughty council of superior officers re- 
 fused to admit him, under the pretext that his rank was 
 not sufficiently high, but, in reality, because he had the 
 reputation of being a splendid horseman. Stung to the
 
 MILITARY FETE AT BOULOGNE. 241 
 
 quick by this unjust refusal, the lieutenant of dragoons 
 applied to the Emperor, who gave him permission to race 
 with the others, after having learned that this brave officer 
 supported by his own exertions a numerous family, and that 
 his conduct was irreproachable. 
 
 At a given signal the races began. The lieutenant of 
 dragoons soon passed his antagonists, and had almost 
 reached the goal, when, by an unfortunate mischance, a 
 little poodle ran between the legs of his horse, and threw 
 him down. An aide-de-camp who came immediately after 
 was proclaimed victor. The lieutenant picked himself up 
 as well as he could, and was preparing, very sadly, to retire, 
 somewhat consoled by the signs of interest which the 
 spectators manifested, when the Emperor summoned him, 
 and said, " You deserve the prize, and you shall have it; I 
 make you captain." And addressing himself to the grand 
 marshal of the palace, " You will pay twelve hundred francs 
 to the Captain - ' (the name does not occur to me), 
 while all cried, " Vive Vempereur" and congratulated the 
 new captain on his lucky fall. 
 
 In the evening there were fireworks, which could be 
 seen from the coast of England. Thirty thousand soldiers 
 executed all sorts of maneuvers, firing sky-rockets from 
 their guns. The crowning piece, which represented the 
 arms of the Empire, was so fine that for five minutes 
 Boulogne, the country, and all the coast, were lighted up 
 as if it were broad daylight. 
 
 A few days after these fetes, as the Emperor was pass- 
 ing from one camp to the other, a sailor who was watching 
 for him in order to hand him a petition was obliged, as the 
 rain was falling in torrents, and he was afraid of spoiling
 
 242 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 the sheet of paper, to place himself under shelter in an 
 isolated barrack on the shore, used to store rigging. He 
 had been waiting a long time, and was wet to the skin, 
 when he saw the Emperor coming from the camp of the 
 left wing at a gallop. Just as his Majesty, still gallop- 
 ing, was about to pass before the barrack, the brave sailor, 
 who was on the lookout, sprang suddenly from his hiding- 
 place, and threw himself before the Emperor, holding out 
 his petition in the attitude of a fencing-master defending 
 himself. The Emperor's horse, startled by this sudden 
 apparition, stopped short; and his Majesty, taken by sur- 
 prise, gave the sailor a disapproving glance, and passed on 
 without taking the petition which was offered him in so 
 unusual a manner. 
 
 It was on this day, I think, that Monsieur Decres, 
 minister of the navy, had the misfortune to fall into the 
 water, to the very great amusement of his Majesty. To 
 enable the Emperor to pass from the quay to a gunboat, 
 there had been a single plank thrown from the boat to the 
 quay. Napoleon passed, or rather leaped, over this light 
 bridge, and was received on board in the arms of a soldier 
 of the guard; but M. Decres, more stout, and less active 
 than the Emperor, advanced carefully over the plank that 
 he found to his horror was bending under his feet, until 
 just as he arrived in the middle, the weight of his body 
 broke the plank, and the minister of the navy was precipi- 
 tated into the water, midway between the quay and the 
 boat. His Majesty turned at the noise that M. Decres 
 made in falling, and leaning over the side of the boat, 
 exclaimed, " What ! Is that our minister of the navy who 
 has allowed himself to fall in the water? Is it possible it
 
 THE BALL GIVEN BY TUE GENERALS. 243 
 
 can be he ? " The Emperor during this speech laughed 
 most uproariously. Meanwhile, two or three sailors were 
 engaged in getting M. Decres out of his embarrassing posi- 
 tion. He was with much difficulty hoisted on the sloop, 
 in a sad state, as may be believed, vomiting water through 
 his nose, mouth, and ears, and thoroughly ashamed of his 
 accident, which the Emperor's jokes contributed to render 
 still more exasperating. 
 
 Towards the end of our stay the generals gave a mag- 
 nificent ball to the ladies of the city, at which the Emperor 
 was present. 
 
 For this purpose a temporary hall had been erected, 
 which was tastefully decorated with garlands, flags, and 
 tropliies. 
 
 General Bertrand was appointed master of ceremonies 
 by his colleagues ; and General Bisson l was put in charge 
 of the buffet, which employment suited General Bisson 
 perfectly, for he was the greatest glutton in camp, and 
 his enormous stomach interfered greatly with his walking. 
 He drank not less than six or seven bottles of wine at 
 dinner, and never alone ; for it was a punishment to him 
 not to talk while eating, consequently he usually invited his 
 aides-de-camp, whom, through malice no doubt, he chose 
 always from among the most delicate and abstemious in the 
 army. The buffet was worthy of the one who had it in 
 charge. 
 
 The orchestra was composed of musicians from twenty 
 regiments, who played in turn. But on the opening of the 
 ball the entire orchestra executed a triumphal march, dur- 
 
 1 Count P. F. J. G. Bisson, born at Montpellier, 17(57 ; served in the Prus- 
 sian campaign, 1807; created count, 1808; died 1811. TRANS.
 
 244 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 ing which the aides-de-camp, most elegantly attired, received 
 the ladies invited, and presented them with bouquets. 
 
 In order to be admitted to this ball, it was necessary to 
 have at least the rank of commandant. It is impossible to 
 give an idea of the scene presented by this multitude of 
 uniforms, each vying in brilliancy with the other. The 
 fifty or sixty generals who gave the ball had ordered from 
 Paris magnificently embroidered uniforms, and the group 
 they formed around his Majesty as he entered glittered 
 with gold and diamonds. The Emperor remained an hour 
 at this fete, and danced the Boulangere with Madame Ber- 
 trand. He wore the uniform of colonel-general of the 
 cavalry of the guard. 
 
 The wife of Marshal Soult was queen of the ball. She 
 wore a black velvet dress besprinkled with the kind of 
 diamonds called rhinestones. 
 
 At midnight a splendid supper was served, the prepara- 
 tion of which General Bisson had superintended, which 
 is equivalent to saying that nothing was wanting thereto. 
 
 The ladies of Boulogne, who had never attended such 
 a fete, were filled with amazement, and when supper was 
 served advised each other to fill up their reticules with 
 dainties and sweets. They would have carried away, I 
 think, the hall, with the musicians and dancers; and for 
 more than a month this ball was the only subject of their 
 conversation. 
 
 About this time his Majesty was riding on horseback 
 near his barracks, when a pretty young girl of fifteen or 
 sixteen, dressed in white, her face bathed in tears, threw 
 herself on her knees in his path. The Emperor imme- 
 diately alighted from his horse, and assisted her to rise,
 
 CLEMENCY OF THE EMPERO1L 245 
 
 asking most compassionately what he could do for her. 
 The poor girl had come to entreat the pardon of her 
 father, a storekeeper in the commissary department, who 
 had l>een condemned to the galleys for grave crimes. His 
 Majesty could not resist the many charms of the youthful 
 suppliant, and the pardon was granted.
 
 246 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Popularity of the Emperor at Boulogne. His fatal obstinacy. Firmness of 
 Admiral Bruix. The Emperor's riding-whip and the admiral's sword. 
 
 Unjust exile. Tempest and shipwreck. Courage of the Emperor. 
 The corpses and the little hat. Infallible means of stifling murmurs. 
 
 The drummer saved on his drum. Dialogue between two sailors. 
 False embarkment. Proclamation. Column of the camp of Boulogne. 
 
 Departure of the Emperor. Accounts to be investigated. Objec- 
 tions made by the Emperor to paying the expenses of furnishing his 
 barracks. Flattery of a creditor. The account of the engineer paid in 
 rix dollars and frederics. Journey to Belgium. Leave for twenty-four 
 hours. The inhabitants of Alost. Warm reception to Constant. He 
 is feted in honor of his master. The Emperor's kindness to him. 
 
 AT Boulogne, as everywhere else, the Emperor well 
 knew how to win all hearts by his moderation, his justice, 
 and the generous grace with which he acknowledged the 
 least service. All the inhabitants of Boulogne, even all 
 the peasants of the suburbs, would have died for him, and 
 the smallest particulars relating to him were constantly 
 repeated. One day, however, his conduct gave rise to 
 serious complaints, and he was unanimously blamed; for 
 his injustice was the cause of a terrible tragedy. I will 
 now relate this sad event, an authentic account of which 
 I have never seen in print. 
 
 One morning, as he mounted his horse, the Emperor an- 
 nounced that he would that day review the naval forces, 
 and gave orders that the boats which occupied the line of 
 defense should leave their position, as he intended to hold 
 the review in the open sea. He set out with Roustan for
 
 THE EMPEROR'S FATAL OBSTINACY. 247 
 
 his morning ride, and expressed a wish that all should be 
 ready on his return, the hour of which he designated. 
 Every one knew that the slightest wish of the Emperor 
 was law ; and the order was transmitted, during his absence, 
 to Admiral Bruix, who replied with imperturbable sang 
 froid, that he much regretted it, but the review would not 
 take place that day, and in consequence no boat stirred. 
 
 On his return from his ride, the Emperor asked if 
 everything was ready, and the admiral's answer was reported 
 to him. Astonished by its tone, so different from what 
 he was accustomed to, he had it repeated to him twice, 
 and then, with a violent stamp of his foot, ordered the 
 admiral to be summoned. He obeyed instantly ; but the 
 Emperor, thinking he did not come quickly enough, met 
 him half-way from his barracks. The staff followed his 
 Majesty, and placed themselves silently around him, while 
 his eyes shot lightning. 
 
 "Admiral Bruix," said the Emperor in a tone show- 
 ing great excitement, "why have you not obeyed my 
 orders ? " 
 
 "Sire," responded Bruix with respectful firmness, "a 
 terrible storm is gathering. Your Majesty can see this as 
 well as I ; are you willing to uselessly risk the lives of 
 so many brave men?" In truth, the heaviness of the 
 atmosphere, and the low rumbling which could be heard 
 in the distance, justified only too well the admiral's fears. 
 " Monsieur," replied the Emperor, more and more irri- 
 tated, " I gave the orders ; once again, why have you not 
 executed them? The consequences concern me alone. 
 Obey!" "Sire, I will not obey!" -"Monsieur, you 
 are insolent ! " And the Emperor, who still held his
 
 248 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 riding-whip in his hand, advanced on the admiral, making a 
 threatening gesture. Admiral Braix retreated a step, and 
 placed his hand on the hilt of his sword : " Sire," said he, 
 growing pale, " take care ! " All those present were para- 
 lyzed with terror. The Emperor remained for some time 
 immovable, with his hand raised, and his eyes fixed on the 
 admiral, who still maintained his defiant attitude. At last 
 the Emperor threw his whip on the ground. Admiral 
 Bruix relaxed his hold on his sword, and, with uncovered 
 head, awaited in silence the result of this terrible scene. 
 
 "Rear-admiral Magon!" said the Emperor, "you will 
 see that the orders which I have given are executed 
 instantly. As for you, sir," continued he, turning to Ad- 
 miral Bruix, " you will leave Boulogne within twenty- 
 four hours, and retire to Holland. Go ! " His Majesty 
 returned at once to headquarters ; some of the officers, 
 only a small number, however, pressed in parting the hand 
 that the admiral held out to them. 
 
 Rear-admiral Magon l immediately ordered the fatal 
 movement commanded by the Emperor ; but hardly had the 
 first dispositions been made when the sea became frightful 
 to behold, the sky, covered with black clouds, was furrowed 
 with lightning, the thunder roared incessantly, and the 
 wind increased to a gale. In fact, what Admiral Bruix 
 had foreseen occurred ; a frightful tempest scattered the 
 boats in every direction, and rendered their condition des- 
 perate. The Emperor, anxious and uneasy, with lowered 
 head and crossed arms, was striding up and down the shore, 
 when suddenly terrible cries were heard. More than twenty 
 gunboats, filled with soldiers and sailors, had just been 
 
 i Born in 1763, at Paris. Killed at Trafalgar, 1805. TRANS.
 
 BEMTMIIIEIR,
 
 THE STORM, 249 
 
 driven on the shore ; and the poor unfortunates who manned 
 them, struggling against furious waves, were imploring help 
 which none could venture to render. The Emperor was 
 deeply touched by this sight, while his heart was torn by the 
 lamentations of an immense crowd which the tempest had 
 collected on the shore and the adjoining cliffs. He beheld 
 his generals and officers stand in shuddering horror around 
 him, and wishing to set an example of self-sacrifice, in spite 
 of all efforts made to restrain him, threw himself into a life- 
 boat, saying, " Let me alone ; let me alone ! They must 
 be gotten out of there." In an instant the boat filled with 
 water, the waves dashed over it, and the Emperor was sub- 
 merged, one wave stronger than the others threw his Majesty 
 on the shore, and his hat was swept off. 
 
 Electrified by such courage, officers, soldiers, sailors, and 
 citizens now began to lend their aid, some swimming, others 
 in boats ; but, alas ! they succeeded in saving only a very 
 small number of the unfortunate men who composed the 
 crews of the gunboats, and the next day the sea cast upon 
 the shore more than two hundred men, and with them the 
 hat of the conqueror of Marengo. 
 
 The next was a day of mourning and of grief, both in 
 Boulogne and the camp. The inhabitants and soldiers cov- 
 ered the beach, searching anxiously among the bodies which 
 the waves incessantly cast upon the shore ; and the Emperor 
 groaned over this terrible calamity, which in his inmost 
 heart he could not fail to attribute to his own obstinacy. 
 By his orders agents entrusted with gold went through the 
 city and camp, stopping the murmurs which were ready to 
 break forth. 
 
 That day I saw a drummer, who had been among the
 
 250 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 crew of the shipwrecked vessels, washed upon the shore 
 upon his drum, which he had used as a raft. The poor 
 fellow had his thigh broken, and had remained more than 
 twenty hours in that horrible condition. 
 
 In order to complete in this place my recollections of the 
 camp of Boulogne, I will relate the following, which did not 
 take place, however, until the month of August, 1805, after 
 the return of the Emperor from his journey to Italy, where 
 he had been crowned. 
 
 Soldiers and sailors were burning with impatience to 
 embark for England, but the moment so ardently desired was 
 still delayed. Every evening they said to themselves, " To- 
 morrow there will be a good wind, there will also be a fog, 
 and we shall start," and lay down with that hope, but arose 
 each day to find either an unclouded sky or rain. 
 
 One evening, however, when a favorable wind was blow- 
 ing, I heard two sailors conversing together on the wharf, 
 and making conjectures as to the future. " The Emperor 
 would do well to start to-morrow morning," said one ; " he 
 will never have better weather, and there will surely be a 
 fog." "Bah!" said the other, "only he does not think so. 
 We have now waited more than fifteen days, and the fleet 
 has not budged; however, all the ammunition is on board, 
 and with one blast of the whistle we can put to sea." 
 
 The night sentinels came on, and the conversation of the 
 old sea-wolves stopped there ; but I soon had to acknowl- 
 edge that their nautical experience had not deceived them. 
 In fact, by three o'clock in the morning, a light fog was 
 spread over the sea, which was somewhat stormy, the wind 
 of the evening before began to blow again, and at daylight 
 the fog was so thick as to conceal the fleet from the Eng-
 
 FALSE EMBAEKMENT. 251 
 
 lish, while the most profound silence reigned everywhere. 
 No hostile sails had been signaled through the night, and, 
 as the sailors had predicted, everything favored the descent. 
 At five o'clock in the morning, signals were made from the 
 semaphore ; and in the twinkling of an eye all the sailors 
 were in motion, and the port resounded with cries of joy, for 
 the order to depart had just been received. While the sails 
 were being hoisted, the long roll was beaten in the four 
 camps, and the order was given for the entire army to take 
 arms ; and they marched rapidly into the town, hardly be- 
 lieving what they had just heard. " We are really going to 
 start," said all the soldiers ; " we are actually going to say 
 a few words to those Englishmen," and the joy which ani- 
 mated them burst forth in acclamations, which were silenced 
 by a roll of the drums. The embarkation then took place 
 amid profound silence, and in such perfect order that I 
 can hardly give an idea of it. At seven o'clock two hun- 
 dred thousand soldiers were on board the fleet ; and when a 
 little after midday this fine army was on the point of start- 
 ing amidst the adieus and good wishes of the whole city, 
 assembled upon the walls and upon the surrounding cliffs, 
 and at the very moment when all the soldiers standing 
 with uncovered heads were about to bid farewell to the soil 
 of France, crying, " Vive I 'Empereur ! " a message arrived 
 from the imperial barrack, ordering the troops to disembark, 
 and return to camp. A telegraphic dispatch just then 
 received by his Majesty had made it necessaiy that he 
 should move his troops in another direction ; and the sol- 
 diers returned sadly to their quarters, some expressing in 
 a loud tone, and in a very energetic manner, the disap- 
 pointment which this species of mystification caused them.
 
 252 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 They had always regarded the success of the enterprise 
 against England as assured, and to find themselves stopped 
 on the eve of departure was, in their eyes, the greatest mis- 
 fortune which could happen to them. 
 
 When order had again been restored, the Emperor re- 
 paired to the camp of the right wing, and made a proclama- 
 tion to the troops, which was sent into the other camps, 
 and posted everywhere. This was very nearly the tenor of 
 it : " Brave soldiers of the camp of Boulogne ! you will not 
 go to England. English gold has seduced the Emperor of 
 Austria, who has just declared war against France. His 
 army has passed the line which he should have respected, 
 and Bavaria is invaded. Soldiers ! new laurels await you 
 beyond the Rhine. Let us hasten to defeat once more 
 enemies whom you have already conquered." This proc- 
 lamation called forth unanimous acclamations of joy, and 
 every face brightened, for it mattered little to these in- 
 trepid men whether they were to be led against Austria 
 or England; they simply thirsted for the fray, and now 
 that war had been declared, every desire was gratified. 
 
 Thus vanished all those grand projects of descent 
 upon England, which had been so long matured, so wisely 
 planned. There is no doubt now that with favorable 
 weather and perseverance the enterprise would have been 
 crowned with the greatest success ; but this was not to be. 
 
 A few regiments remained at Boulogne ; and while their 
 brethren crushed the Austrians, they erected upon the sea- 
 shore a column destined to recall for all time the memory 
 of Napoleon and his immortal army. 
 
 Immediately after the proclamation of which I have 
 just spoken, his Majesty gave orders that all should pre-
 
 DEPARTURE FROM BOULOGNE. 253 
 
 pare for immediate departure ; and the grand marshal of the 
 palace was charged to audit and pay all the expenses which 
 the Emperor had made, or which he had ordered to be 
 made, during Ms several visits, not without cautioning 
 him, according to custom, to be careful not to pay for too 
 much of anything, nor too high a price. I believe that I 
 have already stated that the Emperor was extremely eco- 
 nomical in everything which concerned him personally, and 
 that he was afraid of spending twenty francs unless for some 
 directly useful purpose. Among many other accounts to be 
 audited, the grand marshal of the palace received that of 
 Sordi, engineer of military roads, whom he had ordered to 
 decorate his Majesty's barrack, both inside and out. The 
 account amounted to fifty thousand francs. 1 The grand 
 marshal exclaimed aloud at this frightful sum. He was 
 not willing to approve the account of Sordi, and sent it 
 back to him, saying that he could not authorize the pay- 
 ment without first receiving the orders of the Emperor. 
 The engineer assured the grand marshal that he had over- 
 charged nothing, and that he had closely followed his 
 instructions, and added, that being the case, it was impos- 
 sible for him to make the slightest reduction. The next 
 day Sordi received instructions to attend his Majesty. 
 The Emperor was in his barrack, which was the subject 
 under discussion, and spread out before him was, not the 
 account of the engineer, but a map, upon which he was 
 tracing the intended march of his army. Sordi came, and 
 was admitted by General Caffarelli. 2 The half-open door 
 
 1 810,000, equal probably to $30,000 of this day. TRANS. 
 
 2 Francois Mario Caffarelli, born at Falga in 1766 ; was a general of divis- 
 ion at Austerlitz, 1805 ; was minister of war for the kingdom of Italy, 1806-
 
 254 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 permitted the general, as well as myself, to hear the con- 
 versation which followed. "Monsieur," said his Majesty, 
 "you have spent far too much money in decorating this 
 miserable barrack. Yes; certainly far too much. Fifty 
 thousand francs! Just think of it, monsieur! That is 
 frightful ; I will not pay you !" The engineer, silenced by 
 this abrupt entrance upon business, did not at first know 
 how to reply. Happily the Emperor, again casting his eyes 
 on the map winch lay unrolled before him, gave him time 
 to recover himself; and he replied, "Sire, the golden clouds 
 which ornament this ceiling " (for all this took place in the 
 council-chamber), "and which surround the guardian star of 
 your Majesty, cost twenty thousand francs in truth ; but if 
 I had consulted the hearts of your subjects, the imperial 
 eagle which is again about to strike with a thunderbolt 
 the enemies of France and of your throne, would have 
 spread its wings amid the rarest diamonds." - " That is very 
 good," replied the Emperor, laughing, " very good ; but I 
 will not have you paid at present, and since you tell me 
 that this eagle which costs so dear will strike the Aus- 
 trians with a thunderbolt, wait until he has done so, and I 
 will then pay your account in rix dollars of the Emperor of 
 Germany, and the gold frederics of the King of Prussia." 
 His Majesty, resuming his compass, began to move his 
 armies upon the map ; and truth to tell, the account of the 
 engineer was not paid until after the battle of Austerlitz, 
 and then, as the Emperor had said, in rix dollars and 
 frederics. 
 
 1810, after which ho served in Spain. He conducted Marie Louise to Vienna 
 in 1814. Died 1849. He was brother to the Caffarelli (born 1756) who was 
 killed at the siege of Acre, 1799. TRANS.
 
 TOUR THROUGH BELGIUM. 255 
 
 About the end of July (1804), the Emperor left Bou- 
 logne in order to make a tour through Belgium before rejoin- 
 ing the Empress, who had gone direct to Aix-la-Chapelle. 
 Everywhere on this tour he was welcomed, not only with 
 the honors reserved for crowned heads, but with hearty 
 acclamations, addressed to him personally rather than to 
 his official position. I will say nothing of the fetes which 
 were given in his honor during this journey, nor of the re- 
 markable things which occurred. Descriptions of these can 
 easily be found elsewhere ; and it is my purpose to relate 
 only what came peculiarly under my own observation, or 
 at least details not known to the general public. Let 
 it suffice, then, to say that our journey through Arras, 
 Valenciennes, Mons, Brussels, etc., resembled a triumphal 
 progress. At the gate of each town the municipal council 
 presented to his Majesty the wine of honor and the keys of 
 the place. We stopped a few days at Lacken ; and being 
 only five leagues from Alost, a little town where my rela- 
 tives lived, I requested the Emperor's permission to leave 
 him for twenty-four hours, and it was granted, though 
 reluctantly. Alost, like the remainder of Belgium at this 
 time, professed the greatest attachment for the Emperor, 
 and consequently I had hardly a moment to myself. I 
 
 visited at the house of Monsieur D , one of my friends, 
 
 whose family had long held positions of honor in the gov- 
 ernment of Belgium. There I think all the town must 
 have come to meet me ; but I was not vain enough to 
 appropriate to myself all the honor of this attention, for 
 each one who came was anxious to learn even the most 
 insignificant details concerning the great man near whom 
 I was placed. On this account I was extraordinarily feted,
 
 256 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 and my twenty-four hours passed only too quickly. On 
 my return, his Majesty deigned to ask innumerable ques- 
 tions regarding the town of Alost and its inhabitants, and 
 as to what was thought there of his government and of 
 himself. I was glad to be able to answer without flattery, 
 that he was adored. He appeared gratified, and spoke to 
 me most kindly of my family and of my own small inter- 
 ests. 
 
 We left the next day for Lacken, and passed through 
 Alost ; and had I known this the evening before, I might 
 perhaps have rested a few hours longer. However, the 
 Emperor found so much difficulty in granting me even one 
 day, that I would not probably have dared to lose more, 
 even had I known that the household was to pass by this 
 town. 
 
 The Emperor was much pleased with Lacken; he 
 ordered considerable repairs and improvements to be made 
 there, and the palace, owing to this preference, became a 
 charming place of sojourn. 
 
 This journey of their Majesties lasted nearly three 
 months ; and we did not return to Paris, or rather to Saint- 
 Cloud, until November. The Emperor received at Cologne 
 and at Coblentz the visits of several German princes and 
 princesses ; but as I know only from hearsay what passed 
 in these interviews, I shall not undertake to describe 
 them.
 
 DESCRIPTION OF T1IE EMPEROR. 257 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Description of the Emperor. Interest attached to the least details concerning 
 historical personages. Fleury and Michelot in the role of Frederick the 
 Great. The memoirs of Constant consulted by authors and artists. 
 Bonaparte on his return from Egypt. His portrait by Horace Vernet. 
 Bonaparte's forehead. His hair. Color and expression of his eyes. 
 His mouth, lips, and teeth. Shape of his nose. His general appear- 
 ance. His extreme leanness. The size and shape of his head. 
 Necessary to line his hats with wadding, and to soften them by previous 
 use. Shape of his ears. Extreme sensitiveness of his scalp. The 
 Emperor's height. His neck. His shoulders. His chest. His leg 
 and foot. His feet. Beauty of his hand and his coquetry with it. 
 Habit of slightly biting his nails. Takes on flesh with the Empire. 
 The Emperor's complexion. Singular convulsive motion. Remarka- 
 ble peculiarity of the heart of Napoleon. Time spent at the table. 
 Wise precaution of Prince Eugene. The Emperor's breakfast. His 
 manner of eating. Accommodating guests. Favorite dishes of the Em- 
 peror. Chicken a la Marengo. Use of coffee. Common error on this 
 point. Conjugal attention of the two Empresses. Use of wine. 
 Anecdote of Marshal Augereau. Error and tales refuted by Constant. 
 Imprudent confidence of the Emperor. Bad effects of the habit of 
 eating too fast. Josephine and Constant sick nurses of the Emperor. 
 The Emperor a bad patient. Tenderness, care, and courage of Jose- 
 phine. Diseases of the Emperor. Tenacity of a disease contracted 
 at the siege of Toulon. Colonel Bonaparte and the rammer. Wounds 
 of the Emperor. The bayonet wound, and the gun-shot of the Tyro- 
 lese rifleman. Repugnance to medicine. Precaution advised by 
 Doctor Corvisart. The Emperor's hour of cising. His familiarity 
 towards Constant. Conversations with Doctors Corvisart and Yvan. 
 The doctor's ears pulled, and his resistance. Talks of the Emperor 
 with Constant. Occasion neglected and lost. Tea on rising from his 
 bed. The Emperor's bath. Reading the papers. First work with 
 his secretary. Summer and winter dressing-gowns. Night-cap and 
 bath. Ceremony of shaving. Bathings, rubbings, toilet, etc. Cos- 
 tume. Habit of having himself dressed. Napoleon born to have 
 valets de chambre. Royal etiquette not re-established. The Emper- 
 or's hour for retiring. His hasty manner of undressing. How he
 
 258 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 called Constant. The warming-pan. The night-lamp. The Empress 
 Josephine the Emperor's favorite reader. The perfume-boxes. Na- 
 poleon very sensitive to cold. Passion for bathing. Work at night. 
 Anecdote. Talleyrand asleep in the Emperor's bedroom. Drinks of 
 the Emperor during the night. Excessive economy of the Emperor 
 in his household. New Year's gifts to Constant. Pinching ears. 
 Imperial tenderness and familiarity. Prince of Neuchatel. 
 
 NOTHING is too trivial to narrate concerning great men ; 
 for posterity shows itself eager to learn even the most insig- 
 nificant details concerning their manner of life, their tastes, 
 their slightest peculiarities. When I attended the theater, 
 whether in my short intervals of leisure or in the suite of 
 his Majesty, I remarked how keenly the spectators enjoyed 
 the presentation on the stage of some grand historic per- 
 sonage ; whose costume, gestures, bearing, even his infirmi- 
 ties and faults, were delineated exactly as they have been 
 transmitted to us by contemporaries. I myself always took 
 the greatest pleasure in seeing these living portraits of cele- 
 brated men, and well remember that on no occasion did I 
 ever so thoroughly enjoy the stage as when I saw for the 
 first time the charming piece of The Two Pages. Fleury 
 in the rdle of Frederick the Great reproduced so perfectly 
 the slow walk, the dry tones, the sudden movements, and 
 even the short-sightedness of this monarch, that as soon 
 as he appeared on the stage the whole house burst into 
 applause. It was, in the opinion of persons sufficiently 
 well informed to judge, a most perfect and faithful presen- 
 tation ; and though for my own part, I was not able to say 
 whether the resemblance was perfect or not, I felt that it 
 must be. Michelot, whom I have since seen in the same 
 role, gave me no less pleasure than his predecessor ; and it 
 is evident that both these talented actors must have studied
 
 DESCRIPTION OF THE EMPEROR. 259 
 
 the subject deeply, to have learned so thoroughly and 
 depicted so faithfully the characteristics of their model. 
 
 I must confess a feeling of pride in the thought that 
 these memoirs may perhaps excite in my readers some of 
 the same pleasurable emotions which I have here attempted 
 to describe ; and that perhaps in a future, which will inevi- 
 tably come, though far distant now perhaps, the artist who 
 will attempt to restore to life, and hold up to the view of 
 the world, the greatest man of this age, will be compelled, 
 in order to give a faithful delineation, to take for his 
 model the portrait which I, better than any one else, have 
 been able to draw from life. I think that no one has done 
 this as yet ; certainly not so much in detail. 
 
 On his return from Egypt the Emperor was very thin 
 and sallow, his skin was copper-colored, his eyes sunken, 
 and his figure, though perfect, also very thin. The likeness 
 is excellent in the portrait which Horace Vernet drew in 
 his picture called " A Review of the First Consul .on the 
 Place du Carrousel." His forehead was very high, and 
 bare ; his hair thin, especially on the temples, but very fine 
 and soft, and a rich brown color ; his eyes deep blue, ex- 
 pressing in an almost incredible manner the various emo- 
 tions by which he was affected, sometimes extremely gentle 
 and caressing, sometimes severe, and even inflexible. His 
 mouth was very fine, his lips straight -and rather firmly 
 closed, particularly when irritated. His teeth, without 
 being very regular, were very white and sound, and he 
 never suffered from them. His nose of Grecian shape, was 
 well formed, and his sense of smell perfect. His whole 
 frame was handsomely proportioned, though at this time his 
 extreme leanness prevented the beauty of his features being
 
 260 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 especially noticed, and had an injurious effect on his whole 
 physiognomy. 
 
 It would be necessary to describe his features separately, 
 one by one, in order to form a correct idea of the whole, 
 and comprehend the perfect regularity and beauty of each. 
 His head was very large, being twenty-two inches in cir- 
 cumference ; it was a little longer than broad, consequently 
 a little flattened on the temples ; it was so extremely sensi- 
 tive, that I had his hats padded, and took the trouble to 
 wear them several days in my room to break them. His 
 ears were small, perfectly formed, and well set. The Em- 
 peror's feet were also very tender; and I had his shoes 
 broken by a boy of the wardrobe, called Joseph, who wore 
 exactly the same size as the Emperor. 
 
 His height was five feet, two inches, three lines. 1 
 He had a rather short neck, sloping shoulders, broad chest, 
 almost free from hairs, well shaped leg and thigh, a small 
 foot, and well formed fingers, entirely free from enlarge- 
 ments or abrasions ; his arms were finely molded, and well 
 hung to his body ; his hands were beautiful, and the nails 
 did not detract from their beauty. He took the greatest 
 care of them, as in fact of his whole person, without foppish- 
 ness, however. He often bit his nails slightly, which was 
 a sign of impatience or preoccupation. 
 
 Later on he grew much stouter, but without losing any 
 of the beauty of his figure ; on the contrary, he was 
 handsomer under the Empire than under the Consulate; 
 his skin had become very white, and his expression ani- 
 mated. 
 
 The Emperor, during his moments, or rather his long 
 
 1 French measure, and equal to 5 foet 6 inches English. TKANS.
 
 DESCRIPTION OF THE EMPEROR. 261 
 
 hours, of labor and of meditation, was subject to a pecul- 
 iar spasmodic movement, which seemed to be a nervous 
 affection, and which clung to him all his life. It consisted 
 in raising his right shoulder frequently and rapidly; and 
 persons who were not acquainted with this habit sometimes 
 interpreted this as a gesture of disapprobation and dissatis- 
 faction, and inquired with anxiety in what way they could 
 have offended him. He, however, was not at all affected 
 by it, and repeated the same movement again and again 
 without being conscious of it. 
 
 One most remarkable peculiarity was that the Emperor 
 never felt his heart beat. He mentioned this often to M. 
 Corvisart, as well as to me ; and more than once he made 
 us pass our hands over his breast, in order to prove this 
 singular exception. Never did we feel the slightest pul- 
 sation. 1 
 
 The Emperor ate very fast, and hardly spent a dozen 
 minutes at the table. When he had finished he arose, 
 and passed into the family saloon ; but the Empress Jose- 
 phine remained, and made a sign to the guests to do the 
 same. Sometimes, however, she followed his Majesty; and 
 then, no doubt, the ladies of the palace indemnified them- 
 selves in their apartments, where whatever they wished 
 was served them. 
 
 One day when Prince Eugene rose from the table im- 
 mediately after the Emperor, the latter, turning to him, 
 said, " But you have not had time to dine, Eugene." 
 " Pardon me," replied the Prince, " I dined in advance ! " 
 The other guests doubtless found that this was not a 
 
 1 Another peculiarity was that his pulse ( or heartbeat ) was only forty to 
 the minute. TRANS.
 
 262 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 useless precaution. It was before the Consulate that things 
 happened thus ; for afterwards the Emperor, even when he 
 was as yet only First Consul, dined tete-d-tete with the 
 Empress, except when he invited some of the ladies of the 
 household, sometimes one, sometimes another, all of whom 
 appreciated highly this mark of favor. At this time there 
 was already a court. 
 
 Most frequently the Emperor breakfasted alone, on a 
 little mahogany candle-stand with no cover, which rneal, 
 even shorter than the other, lasted only eight or ten 
 minutes. 
 
 I will mention, later on, the bad effects which the habit 
 of eating too quickly often produced on the Emperor's 
 health. 1 Besides this, and due in a great measure to his 
 haste, the Emperor lacked much of eating decently ; and 
 always preferred his ringers to a fork or spoon. Much care 
 was taken to place within his reach the dish he preferred, 
 which he drew toward him in the manner I have just 
 described, and dipped his bread in the sauce or gravy it 
 contained, which did not, however, prevent the dish being 
 handed round, and those eating from it who could; and 
 there were few guests who could not. 
 
 I have seen some who even appeared to consider this 
 singular act of courage a means of making their court. I 
 can easily understand also that with many their admiration 
 for his Majesty silenced all repugnance, for the same reason 
 that we do not scruple to eat from the plate, or drink from 
 the glass, of a person whom we love, even though it might 
 be considered doubtful on the score of refinement ; this is 
 
 1 Possibly the disease of which he died, cancer of the stomach, was 
 aggravated, if not, indeed, caused, by this habit. TRANS.
 
 DESCRIPTION OF THE EMPEROR. 263 
 
 never noticed because love is blind. The dish which the 
 Emperor preferred was the kind of fried chicken to which 
 this preference of the conqueror of Italy has given the 
 name of poulet d la Marengo. He also ate with relish 
 beans, lentils, cutlets, roast mutton, and roast chicken. The 
 simplest dishes were those he liked best, but he was fas- 
 tidious in the article of bread. It is not true, as reported, 
 that he made an immoderate use of coffee, for he only 
 took half a cup after breakfast, and another after dinner; 
 though it sometimes happened when he was much preoc- 
 cupied that he would take, without noticing it, two cups 
 in succession, though coffee taken in this quantity always 
 excited him and kept him from sleeping. 
 
 It also happened frequently that he took it cold, or 
 without sugar, or with too much sugar. To avoid all 
 which mischances, the Empress Josephine made it her 
 duty to pour out the Emperor's coffee herself ; and the 
 Empress Marie Louise also adopted the same custom. 
 When the Emperor had risen from the table and entered 
 the little saloon, a page followed him, carrying on a silver- 
 gilt waiter a coffee-pot, sugar-dish and cup. Her Majesty 
 the Empress poured out the coffee, put sugar in it, tried a 
 few drops of it, and offered it to the Emperor. 
 
 The Emperor drank only Chambertin J wine, and rarely 
 without water ; for he had no fondness for wine, and was a 
 poor judge of it. This recalls that one day at the camp of 
 Boulogne, having invited several officers to his table, his 
 Majesty had wine poured for Marshal Augereau, and 
 asked him with an air of satisfaction how he liked it. The 
 Marshal tasted it, sipped it critically, and finally replied, 
 
 1 Chambertin is in Burgundy ; and this wine is heady. TRANS.
 
 264 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 " There is better," in a tone which was unmistakable. The 
 Emperor, who had expected a different reply, smiled, as 
 did all the guests, at the Marshal's candor. 
 
 Every one has heard it said that his Majesty used great 
 precautions against being poisoned, which statement must 
 be placed beside that concerning the cuirass proof against 
 bullet and dagger. On the contrary, the Emperor carried 
 his want of precaution only too far. His breakfast was 
 brought every day into an antechamber open to all to 
 whom had been granted a private audience, and who some- 
 times waited there for several hours, and his Majesty's 
 breakfast also waited a long time. The dishes were kept 
 as warm as possible until he came out of his cabinet, and 
 took his seat at the table. Their Majesties' dinner was 
 carried from the kitchen to the upper rooms in covered 
 hampers, and there was every opportunity of introducing 
 poison; but in spite of all this, never did such an idea 
 enter the minds of the people in his service, whose devo- 
 tion and fidelity to the Emperor, even including the very 
 humblest, surpassed any idea I could convey. 
 
 The habit of eating rapidly sometimes caused his 
 Majesty violent pains in his stomach, which ended almost 
 always in a fit of vomiting. 
 
 One day the valet on duty came in great haste to tell 
 me that the Emperor desired my presence immediately. 
 His dinner had caused indigestion, and he was suffering 
 greatly. I hurried to Ms Majesty's room, and found him 
 stretched at full length on the rug, which was a habit of 
 the Emperor when he felt unwell. The Empress Jose- 
 phine was seated by his side, with the sick man's head on 
 her lap, while he groaned or stormed alternately, or did
 
 DESCRIPTION OF THE EMPEROR. 265 
 
 both at once : for the Emperor bore this kind of misfor- 
 tune with less composure than a thousand graver mis- 
 chances which the life of a soldier carries with it ; and the 
 hero of Arcola, whose life had been endangered in a hun- 
 dred battles, and elsewhere also, without lessening his for- 
 titude, showed himself unequal to the endurance of the 
 slightest pain. Her Majesty the Empress consoled and 
 encouraged him as best she could; and she, who was so 
 courageous herself in enduring those headaches which, on 
 account of their excessive violence, were a genuine disease, 
 would, had it been possible, have taken on herself most 
 willingly the ailment of her husband, from which she suf- 
 fered almost as much as he did, in witnessing his suffer- 
 ings. " Constant," said she, as I entered, " come quick ; 
 the Emperor needs you ; make him some tea, and do not 
 go out till he is better." His Majesty had scarcely taken 
 three cups before the pain decreased, while she continued 
 to hold his head on her knees, pressing his brow with her 
 white, plump hands, and also rubbing his breast. " You 
 feel better, do you not? Would you like to lie down 
 a little while ? I will stay by your bed with Constant." 
 This tenderness was indeed touching, especially in one 
 occupying so elevated a rank. 
 
 My intimate service often gave me the opportunity of 
 enjoying this picture of domestic felicity. While I am on 
 the subject of the Emperor's ailments, I will say a few 
 words concerning the most serious which he endured, with 
 the exception of that which caused his death. 
 
 At the siege of Toulon, in 1793, the Emperor being 
 then only colonel of artillery, a cannoneer was killed at 
 his gun ; and Colonel Bonaparte picked up the rammer and
 
 266 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 rammed home the charge several times. The unfortunate 
 artilleryman had an itch of the most malignant kind, which 
 the Emperor caught, and of which he was cured only after 
 many years ; and the doctors thought that his sallow com- 
 plexion and extreme leanness, which lasted so long a time, 
 resulted from this disease being improperly treated. At the 
 Tuileries he took sulphur baths, and wore for some time a 
 blister plaster, having suffered thus long because, as he 
 said, he had not time to take care of himself. Corvisart 
 warmly insisted on a cautery ; but the Emperor, who wished 
 to preserve unimpaired the shapeliness of his arm, would 
 not agree to this remedy. 
 
 It was at this same siege that he was promoted from the 
 rank of chief of battalion to that of colonel in consequence 
 of a brilliant affair with the English, in which he received a 
 bayonet wound in the left thigh, the scar of which he often 
 showed me. The wound in the foot which he received at 
 the battle of Ratisbonne left no trace ; and yet, when the 
 Emperor received it, the whole army became alarmed. 
 
 We were about twelve hundred yards from Ratisbonne, 
 when the Emperor, seeing the Austrians fleeing on all 
 sides, thought the combat was over. His dinner had been 
 brought in a hamper to a place which the Emperor had 
 designated ; and as he was walking towards it, he turned to 
 Marshal Berthier, and exclaimed, " I am wounded ! " The 
 shock was so great that the Emperor fell in a sitting pos- 
 ture, a bullet having, in fact, struck his heel. From the 
 size of this ball it was apparent that it had been fired by 
 a Tyrolean rifleman, whose weapon easily carried the dis- 
 tance we were from the town. It can well be understood 
 that such an event troubled and frightened the whole staff.
 
 THE EMPEROR WOUNDED. 267 
 
 An aide-de-camp summoned me ; and when I arrived I found 
 Dr. Yvan cutting his Majesty's boot, and assisted him in 
 dressing the wound. Although the pain was still quite 
 severe, the Emperor was not willing to take time to put on 
 his boot again ; and in order to turn the enemy, and reassure 
 the army as to his condition, he mounted his horse, and 
 galloped along the line accompanied by his whole staff. 
 That day, as may be believed, no one delayed to take break- 
 fast, but all dined at Ratisbonne. 
 
 His Majesty showed an invincible repugnance to all 
 medicine ; and when he used any, which was very rarely, 
 it was chicken broth, chicory, or cream of tartar. 
 
 Corvisart recommended him to refuse every drink which 
 had a bitter or disagreeable taste, which he did, I believe, 
 in the fear that an attempt might be made to poison him. 
 
 At whatever hour the Emperor had retired, I entered 
 his room at seven or eight o'clock in the morning ; and I 
 have already said that his first questions invariably were 
 as to the hour and the kind of weather. Sometimes he 
 complained to me of looking badly ; and if this was true, I 
 agreed with him, and if it were not, I told him the truth. 
 In this case he pulled my ears, and called me, laughing, 
 "grosse bete," and asked for a mirror, sometimes saying he 
 was trying to fool me and that he was very well. He read 
 the daily papers, asked the names of the people in the 
 waiting-room, named those he wished to see, and conversed 
 with each one. When Corvisart came, he entered without 
 waiting for orders ; and the Emperor took pleasure in teasing 
 him by speaking of medicine, which he said was only a con- 
 jectural art, that the doctors were charlatans, and cited 
 instances in proof of it, especially in his own experience,
 
 268 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 the doctor never yielding a point when he thought he was 
 right. During these conversations, the Emperor shaved 
 himself ; for I had prevailed on him to take this duty on 
 himself, often forgetting that he had shaved only one side of 
 his face, and when I called his attention to this, he laughed, 
 and finished his work. Yvan, doctor-in-ordinary, as well as 
 Corvisart, came in for his share in the criticisms and attacks 
 on his profession; and these discussions were extremely 
 amusing. The Emperor was very gay and talkative at 
 such times, and I believe, when he had at hand no examples 
 to cite in support of his theories, did not scruple to invent 
 them ; consequently these gentlemen did not always rely 
 upon his statements. One day his Majesty pulled the ears 
 of one of his physicians (Halle, I believe). The doctor 
 abruptly drew himself away, crying, " Sire, you hurt me." 
 Perhaps this speech was tinged with some irritation, and 
 perhaps, also, the doctor was right. However that may be, 
 his ears were never in danger again. 
 
 Sometimes before beginning my labors, his Majesty 
 questioned me as to what I had done the evening before, 
 asked me if I had dined in the city, and with whom, if 
 I had enjoyed myself, and what we had for dinner. He 
 often inquired also what such or such a part of my clothing 
 cost me; and when I told him he would exclaim at the 
 price, and tell me that when he was a sub-lieutenant every- 
 thing was much cheaper, and that he had often during 
 that time taken his meals at Roze's restaurant, and dined 
 very well for forty cents. Several times he spoke to me of 
 my family, and of my sister, who was a nun before the Rev- 
 olution, and who had been compelled to leave her convent ; 
 and one day asked me if she had a pension, and how much
 
 HABITS OF THE EMPEROR. 269 
 
 it was. I told him, and added, that this not being suffi- 
 cient for her wants, I myself gave an allowance to her, 
 and also to my mother. His Majesty told me to apply to 
 the Duke of Bassano, and report the matter to him, as he 
 wished to treat my family handsomely. I did not avail 
 myself of this kind intention of his Majesty; for at that 
 time I had sufficient means to be able to assist my rela- 
 tives, and did not foresee the future, which I thought would 
 not change my condition, and felt a delicacy in putting my 
 people, so to speak, on the charge of the state. I confess 
 that I have been more than once tempted to repent this 
 excessive delicacy, which I have seen few persons above 
 or below my condition imitate. On rising, the Emperor 
 habitually took a cup of tea or orange water; and if he 
 desired a bath, had it immediately on getting out of bed, 
 and while in it had his dispatches and newspapers read to 
 him by his secretary (Bourrienne till 1804). If he did not 
 take a bath, he seated himself by the fire, and had them 
 read to him there, often reading them himself. He dictated 
 to the secretary his replies, and the observations which the 
 reading of these suggested to him ; as he went through each, 
 throwing it on the floor without any order. The secretary 
 afterwards gathered them all up, and arranged them to be 
 carried into the Emperor's private room. His Majesty, 
 before making his toilet, in summer, put on pantaloons of 
 white piqu6 and a dressing-gown of the same, and in winter, 
 pantaloons and dressing-gown of swanskin, while on his 
 head was a turban tied in front, the two ends hanging down 
 on his neck behind. When the Emperor donned this 
 headdress, his appearance was far from elegant. When he 
 came out of the bath, we gave him another turban ; for the
 
 270 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 one he wore was always wet in the bath, where he turned 
 and splashed himself incessantly. Having taken his bath 
 and read his dispatches, he began his toilet, and I shaved 
 him before he learned to shave himself. When the Emperor 
 began this habit, he used at first, like every one, a mirror 
 attached to the window ; but he came up so close to it, and 
 lathered himself so vigorously with soap, that the mirror, 
 window-panes, curtains, his dressing-gown, and the Emperor 
 himself, were all covered with it. To remedy this incon- 
 venience, the servants assembled in council, and it was de- 
 cided that Roustan should hold the looking-glass for his 
 Majesty. When the Emperor had shaved one side, he 
 turned the other side to view, and made Roustan pass 
 from left to right, or from right to left, according to the 
 side on which he commenced. After shaving, the Emperor 
 washed his face and hands, and had his nails carefully 
 cleaned ; then I took off his flannel vest and shirt, and 
 rubbed his whole bust with an extremely soft silk brush, 
 afterwards rubbing him with eau-de-cologne, of which he 
 used a great quantity, for every day he was rubbed and 
 dressed thus. It was in the East he had acquired this 
 hygienic custom, which he enjoyed greatly, and which is 
 really excellent. All these preparations ended, I put on 
 him light flannel or cashmere slippers, white silk stockings, 
 the only kind he ever wore, and very fine linen or fustian 
 drawers, sometimes knee-breeches of white cassimere, with 
 soft riding-boots, sometimes pantaloons of the same stuff 
 and color, with little English half-boots which came to the 
 middle of the leg, and were finished with small silver spurs 
 which were never more than six lines in length. All 
 his boots were finished with these spurs. I then put on
 
 , DRESSING THE EMPEROR. 271 
 
 him his flannel vest and shirt, a neck-cloth of very fine 
 muslin, and over all a black silk stock ; finally a round 
 vest of white pique, and either a chasseur's or grenadier's 
 coat, usually the former. His toilet ended, he was presented 
 with his handkerchief, his tobacco-box, and a little shell box 
 filled with aniseed and licorice, ground very fine. It will 
 be seen by the above that the Emperor had himself dressed 
 by his attendants from head to foot. He put his hand to 
 nothing, but let himself be dressed like an infant, his mind 
 filled with business during the entire performance. 
 
 I had forgotten to say that he used boxwood toothpicks, 
 and a brush dipped in some opiate. The Emperor was 
 born, so to speak, to be waited on (homme d valets de cJiam- 
 Ire). When only a general, he had as many as three 
 valets, and had himself served with as much luxury as at 
 the height of his fortunes, and from that time received all 
 the attentions I have just described, and which it was 
 almost impossible for him to do without ; and in this partic- 
 ular the etiquette was never changed. He increased the 
 number of his servants, and decorated them with new titles, 
 but he could not have more services rendered him person- 
 ally. He subjected himself very rarely to the grand eti- 
 quette of royalty, and never, for example, did the grand 
 chamberlain hand him his shirt; and on one occasion only, 
 when the city of Paris gave him a dinner at the time of 
 his coronation, did the grand marshal hand him water to 
 wash his hands. I shall give a description of his toilet 
 on the day of his coronation ; and it will be seen that even 
 on that day his Majesty, the Emperor of the French, did 
 not require any other ceremonial than that to which he had 
 been accustomed as general and First Consul of the Republic.
 
 272 EECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 The Emperor had no fixed hour for retiring : some- 
 times he retired at ten or eleven o'clock in the evening; 
 oftener he stayed awake till two, three, or four o'clock in 
 the morning. He was soon undressed ; for it was his habit, 
 on entering the room, to throw each garment right and left, 
 his coat on the floor, his grand cordon on the rug, his 
 watch hap-hazard at the bed, his hat far off on a piece of fur- 
 niture; thus with all his clothing, one piece after another. 
 When he was in a good humor, he called me in a loud voice, 
 with this kind of a cry: " Ohe, oh! oh!" at other times, 
 when he was not in good humor, " Monsieur, Monsieur 
 Constant!" 
 
 At all seasons his bed had to be warmed with a warming- 
 pan, and it was only during the very hottest weather that he 
 would dispense with this. His habit of undressing himself 
 in haste rarely left me anything to do, except to hand him 
 his night-cap. I then lighted his night-lamp, which was of 
 gilded silver, and shaded it so that it would give less light. 
 When he did not go to sleep at once, he had one of his 
 secretaries called, or perhaps the Empress Josephine, to 
 read to him ; which duty no one could discharge better than 
 her Majesty, for which reason the Emperor preferred her to 
 all his readers, for she read with that especial charm which 
 was natural to her hi all she did. By order of the Em- 
 peror, there was burnt in his bedroom, in little silver per- 
 fume-boxes, sometimes aloes wood, and sometimes sugar or 
 vinegar ; and almost the year round it was necessary to have 
 a fire hi all his apartments, as he was habitually very sen- 
 sitive to cold. When he wished to sleep, I returned to 
 take out his lamp, and went up to my own room, my bed- 
 room being just above that of his Majesty. Roustan and
 
 HABITS OF THE EMPEROR. 273 
 
 a valet on service slept in a little apartment adjoining the 
 Emperor's bedroom ; and if he needed me during the night, 
 the boy of the wardrobe, who slept in an antechamber, came 
 for me. Water was always kept hot for his bath, for often 
 at any hour of the night as well as the day he might sud- 
 denly be seized with a fancy to take one. 
 
 Doctor Yvan appeared every morning and evening, at the 
 rising and retiring of his Majesty. 
 
 It is well known that the Emperor often had his secre- 
 taries, and even his ministers, called during the night. Dur- 
 ing his stay at Warsaw, the Prince de Talleyrand once 
 received a message after midnight ; he came at once, and 
 had a long interview with the Emperor, and work was pro- 
 longed late into the night, when his Majesty, fatigued, at 
 last fell into a deep slumber. The Prince of Benevento, 
 who was afraid to go out, fearing lest he might awaken the 
 Emperor or be recalled to continue the conversation, casting 
 his eyes around, preceived a comfortable sofa, so he stretched 
 himself out on it, and went to sleep. Meneval, 1 secretary 
 to his Majesty, not wishing to retire till after the minister 
 had left, knowing that the Emperor would probably call for 
 him as soon as Talleyrand had retired, became impatient at 
 such a long interview ; and as for me, I was not in the best 
 humor, since it was impossible for me to retire without 
 taking away his Majesty's lamp. Meneval came a dozen 
 times to ask me if Prince Talleyrand had left. " He is 
 there yet," said I. " I am sure of it, and yet I hear 
 nothing." At last I begged him to place himself in the 
 
 1 Baron Claude Francis de Meneval, born in Paris, 1778, was private secre- 
 tary of Napoleon, 1804-1815. He wrote Napoleon and Marie Louise. His 
 memoirs have been lately published. He died 1850. TKANS.
 
 274 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 room where I then was, and on which the street-door opened, 
 whilst I went to act as sentinel in a vestibule on which the 
 Emperor's room had another opening ; and it was arranged 
 that the one of us who saw the prince go out would inform 
 the other. Two o'clock sounded, then three, then four; 
 no one appeared, and there was not the least movement in 
 his Majesty's room. Losing patience at last, I half opened 
 the door as gently as possible; but the Emperor, whose 
 sleep was very light, woke with a start, and asked in a loud 
 tone : " Who is that ? Who comes there ? What is that ? " 
 I replied, that, thinking the Prince of Benevento had gone 
 out, I had come for his Majesty's lamp. "Talleyrand! 
 Talleyrand!" cried out his Majesty vehemently. "Where 
 is he, then?" and seeing him waking up, "well, I declare he 
 is asleep! Come, you wretch; how dare you sleep in my 
 room ! ah ! ah ! " I left without taking out the lamp ; they 
 began talking again, and Meneval and I awaited the end 
 of the tete-d-tete, until five o'clock in the morning. 
 
 The Emperor had a habit of taking, when he thus 
 worked at night, coffee with cream, or chocolate ; but he 
 gave that up, and under the Empire no longer took any- 
 thing, except from time to time, but very rarely, either 
 punch mild and light as lemonade, or when he first awoke, 
 an infusion of orange-leaves or tea. 
 
 The Emperor, who so magnificently endowed the most 
 of his generals, who showed himself so liberal to his armies, 
 and to whom, on the other hand, France owes so many and 
 such handsome monuments, was not generous, and it must 
 even be admitted was a little niggardly, in his domestic af- 
 fairs. Perhaps he resembled those foolishly vain rich per- 
 sons, who economize very closely at home, and in their own
 
 HABITS OF THE EMPEROE. 275 
 
 households, in order to shine more outside. He made very 
 few, not to say no, presents to members of his household; 
 and the first day of the year even passed without loosening 
 his purse-strings. While I was undressing him the evening 
 before, he said, pinching my ear, " Well, Monsieur Constant, 
 what will you give me for my present?" The first time 
 he asked this question I replied I would give him whatever 
 he wished ; but I must confess that I very much hoped it 
 would not be I who would give presents next day. It 
 seemed that the idea never occurred to him ; for no one 
 had to thank him for his gifts, and he never departed 
 afterwards from this rule of domestic economy. Apropos 
 of this pinching of ears, to which I have recurred so often, 
 because his Majesty repeated it so often, it is necessary that 
 I should say, while I think of it, and in closing this sub- 
 ject, that any one would be much mistaken in supposing 
 that he touched lightly the party exposed to his marks of 
 favor ; he pinched, on the contrary, very hard, and pinched 
 as much stronger in proportion as he happened to be in a 
 better humor. 
 
 Sometimes, when I entered his room to dress him, he 
 would run at me like a mad man, and saluting me with 
 his favorite greeting, " Well, Monsieur le drole" would 
 pinch my ears in such a manner as to make me cry out ; he 
 often added to these gentle caresses one or two taps, also 
 well applied. I was then sure of finding him all the rest 
 of the day in a charming humor, and full of good-will, as 
 I have seen him so often. Roustan, and even Marshal 
 Berthier, received their due proportion of these imperial 
 tendernesses.
 
 276 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Sum allowed by the Emperor for his clothing. Estimates cut down. Office 
 of a thousand crowns and revenue of a commune. When I was sub- 
 lieutenant. Fixed ideas of the Emperor in regard to economy. Fur- 
 nishers and agents accountable. Constant's carriage taken away by 
 the grand equerry, and restored by the Emperor. The Emperor throw- 
 ing in the fire books which displeased him. The book of the Baroness 
 de Stael. The Emperor superintending the reading of the people 
 of his household. How the Emperor mounted on horseback. The 
 training of his horses. M. Jardin, the Emperor's equerry Favorite 
 horses of the Emperor. The horse of Mt. St. Bernard and Marengo 
 allowed a pension in old age. Intelligence and pride of an Arab horse 
 of the Emperor. Riding and vaulting taught the pages of the Emperor. 
 
 The Emperor in the hunt. The stag saved by Josephine. Ill-tem- 
 per and cruelty of one of the Empress's ladies of honor. Was the 
 Emperor ever wounded in the hunt ? Napoleon a bad shot. A hunt 
 with falcons. Falcons sent by the King of,Holland. Fondness of the 
 Emperor for the theater. His favorites. The great Corneille and 
 Cinna. The death of Csesar. Representations at the theater of Saint- 
 Cloud. Baptiste Junior and Michaut. The Venetians of Arnault, 
 Senior. Literary conversations with the Emperor very improving to 
 Constant. Use of tobacco. Popular errors. The Emperor's tobacco- 
 boxes. The gazelles of Saint-Cloud. The Persian ambassador's pipe. 
 
 The Emperor not an adept in smoking. Constant gives him his first 
 and only lesson in smoking. Awkwardness and disgust of the Emperor. 
 
 His opinion of smokers. The Emperor's clothes. The gray over- 
 coat. Aversion of the Emperor to changes in fashion. Subterfuges of 
 Constant in order to persuade the Emperor to adopt them. Elegance of 
 the King of Naples. Discussion upon toilet between the Emperor and 
 Murat. Royal pun. Fanciful elegance. The tailor Le"ger. Napo- 
 leon and the citizen-gentleman. The dress-coat and the black cravat. 
 Vests and knee-breeches of the Emperor. Student habits. Spots of 
 ink. The Emperor's shoes and stockings. Another habit. The Em- 
 peror's buckles. Napoleon still retaining the same shoemaker under 
 the Empire that he employed at the military school. The shoemaker 
 summoned to the Emperor's room. Embarrassment and artlessness. 
 Linen and cipher of the Emperor. English flannel. The Empress
 
 COST OF THE EMPEROR'S CLOTHES. 277 
 
 Josephine and the cashmere vests. Lie about the cuirass. The Em- 
 peror's bonbonniere. His decorations. The sword of Austerlitz. 
 The swords of the Emperor. His journeys. Why the Emperor did not 
 announce beforehand the moment of his departure and the length of his 
 journeys. Orders as to expenses on the road. Presents, gratuities, and 
 alms. Questions asked the curds. Ecclesiastics decorated with the 
 star of the Legion of Honor. Aversion of the Emperor to embarrassed 
 replies. The service on the journey. Anecdotes. Captain by mistake. 
 Wrong done a veteran. Military reply. Reparation. 
 
 THE allowance made by his Majesty for the yearly 
 expenses of his dress was twenty thousand francs ($4,000) ; 
 and the year of the coronation he became very angry be- 
 cause that sum had been exceeded. It was never without 
 trepidation that the various accounts of household expenses 
 were presented to him ; and he invariably retrenched and 
 cut down, and recommended all sort of reforms. I remem- 
 ber after asking for some one a place of three thousand 
 francs, which he granted me, I heard him exclaim, " Three 
 thousand francs ! but do you understand that this is the 
 revenue of one of my communes ? When I was sub-lieu- 
 tenant I did not spend as much as that." This expression 
 recurred incessantly in his conversations with those with 
 whom he was familiar; and "when I had the honor of 
 being sub-lieutenant " was often on his lips, and always 
 in illustration of comparisons or exhortations to economy. 
 
 While on the subject of accounts, I recall a circum- 
 stance which should have a place in my memoirs, since it 
 concerns me personally, and moreover gives an idea of the 
 manner in which his Majesty understood economy. He set 
 out with the idea, which was, I think, often very correct, 
 that in private expenses as in public ones, even granting 
 the honesty of agents (which the Emperor was always, I 
 admit, very slow to do), the same tilings could have been
 
 278 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 done with much less money. Thus, when he required re- 
 trenchment, it was not in the number of objects of expense, 
 but only in the prices charged for these articles by the fur- 
 nishers; and I will elsewhere cite some examples of the 
 effect which this idea produced on the conduct of his 
 Majesty towards the accounting agents of his government. 
 Now I am relating only private matters. One day when 
 investigating various accounts, the Emperor complained 
 much of the expenses of the stables, and cut off a con- 
 siderable sum ; and the grand equerry, in order to put into 
 effect the required economy, found it necessary to deprive 
 several persons in the household of their carriages, mine 
 being included in this number. Some days after the exe- 
 cution of this measure, his Majesty charged me with a com- 
 mission, which necessitated a carriage ; and I was obliged to 
 inform him that, no longer having mine, I should not be 
 able to execute his orders. The Emperor then exclaimed 
 that he had not intended this, and M. Caulaincourt must 
 have a poor idea of economy. When he again saw the 
 Duke of Vicenza, he said to him that he did not wish any- 
 thing of mine to be touched. 
 
 The Emperor occasionally read in the morning the new 
 works and romances of the day; and when a work dis- 
 pleased him, he threw it into the fire. This does not mean 
 that only improper books were thus destroyed ; for if the 
 author was not among his favorites, or if he spoke too well 
 of a foreign country, that was sufficient to condemn the 
 volume to the flames. On this account I saw his Majesty 
 throw into the fire a volume of the works of Madame de 
 Stael, on Germany. If he found us in the evening enjoy- 
 ing a book in the little saloon, where we awaited the hour
 
 HABITS OF THE EMPEROR. 279 
 
 for retiring, he examined what we were reading ; and if he 
 found they were romances, they were burned without pity, 
 his Majesty rarely failing to add a little lecture to this con- 
 fiscation, and to ask the delinquent "if a man could not 
 find better reading than that." One morning he had 
 glanced over and thrown in the fire a book (by what 
 author I do not know) ; and when Roustan stooped down 
 to take it out the Emperor stopped him, saying, " Let that 
 filthy thing burn ; it is all that it deserves." 
 
 The Emperor mounted his horse most ungracefully, and 
 I think would not have always been very safe when there, if 
 so much care had not been taken to give him only those 
 which were perfectly trained; but every precaution was 
 taken, and horses destined for the special service of the 
 Emperor passed through a rude novitiate before arriving 
 at the honor of carrying him. They were habituated to 
 endure, without making the least movement, torments of 
 all kinds ; blows with a whip over the head and ears ; the 
 drum was beaten; pistols were fired; fireworks exploded in 
 their ears ; flags were shaken before their eyes ; heavy 
 weights were thrown against their legs, sometimes even 
 sheep and hogs. It was required that in the midst of the 
 most rapid gallop (the Emperor liked no other pace), he 
 should be able to stop his horse suddenly ; and in short, it 
 was absolutely necessary to have only the most perfectly 
 trained animals. 
 
 M. Jardin, senior, equerry of his Majesty, acquitted 
 himself of this laborious duty with much skill and ability, 
 as the Emperor attached such importance to it; he also 
 insisted strongly that his horses should be very handsome, 
 and in the last years of his reign would ride only Arab 
 horses.
 
 280 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 There were a few of those noble animals for which 
 the Emperor had a great affection; among others, Styria, 
 which he rode over the St. Bernard and at Marengo. 
 After this last campaign, he wished his favorite to end his 
 days in the luxury of repose, for Marengo and the great 
 St. Bernard were in themselves a well-filled career. The 
 Emperor rode also for many years an Arab horse of rare 
 intelligence, in which he took much pleasure. During the 
 time he was awaiting his rider, it would have been hard 
 to discover in him the least grace ; but as soon as he heard 
 the drums beat the tattoo which announced the presence 
 of his Majesty, he reared his head most proudly, tossed his 
 mane, and pawed the ground, and until the very moment 
 the Emperor alighted, was the most magnificent animal 
 imaginable. 
 
 His Majesty made a great point of good equerries, and 
 nothing was neglected in order that the pages should re- 
 ceive in this particular the most careful education. To 
 accustom them to mount firmly and with grace, they prac- 
 ticed exercises hi vaulting, for which it seemed to me they 
 would have no use except at the Olympic circus. And, 
 in fact, one of the horsemen of Messieurs Franconi had 
 charge of this part of the pages' education. 
 
 The Emperor, as has been said elsewhere, took no pleas- 
 ure in hunting, except just so far as was necessary to con- 
 form to the usage which makes this exercise a necessary 
 accompaniment to the throne and the crown ; and yet I have 
 seen him sometimes continue it sufficiently long to justify 
 the belief that he did not find it altogether distasteful. He 
 hunted one day in the forest of Rambouillet from six in the 
 morning to eight in the evening, a stag being the object of
 
 HABITS OF THE EMPEKOR. 281 
 
 this prolonged excursion; and I remember they returned 
 without having taken him. In one of the imperial hunts 
 at Rambouillet, at which the Empress Josephine was pres- 
 ent, a stag, pursued by the hunters, threw himself under 
 the Empress's carriage ; which refuge did not fail him, for 
 her Majesty, touched by the misery of the poor animal, 
 begged his life of the Emperor. The stag was spared ; and 
 Josephine placed round its neck a silver collar to attest 
 its deliverance, and protect it against the attacks of all 
 hunters. 
 
 One of the ladies of the Empress one day showed less 
 humanity than she, however ; and the reply which she made 
 to the Emperor displeased him exceedingly, for he loved 
 gentleness and pity in women. When they had hunted for 
 several hours in the Bois de Boulogne, the Emperor drew 
 near the carriage of the Empress Josephine, and began 
 talking with a lady who bore one of the most noble and 
 most ancient names in all France, and who, it is said, 
 had been placed near the Empress against her wishes. The 
 Prince of Neuchatel (Berthier) announced that the stag 
 was at bay. " Madame," said the Emperor gallantly to 
 
 Madame de C , " I place his fate in your hands." 
 
 "Do with him, Sire," replied she, "as you please. It 
 makes no difference to me." The Emperor gave her a 
 glance of disapproval, and said to the master of the 
 hounds, " Since the stag in his misery does not interest 
 Madame de C , he does not deserve to live ; have him 
 put to death ; " whereupon his Majesty turned his horse's 
 bridle, and rode off. The Emperor was shocked by such 
 an answer, and repeated it that evening, on his return 
 from the hunt, in terms by no means flattering to Madame 
 deC .
 
 282 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 It is stated in the Memorial of Saini^Helena that the 
 Emperor, while hunting, was thrown and wounded by a 
 wild boar, from which one of his fingers bore a bad scar. I 
 never saw this, and never knew of such an accident having 
 happened to the Emperor. The Emperor did not place his 
 gun firmly to his shoulder, and as he always had it heavily 
 loaded and rammed, never fired without making his arm 
 black with bruises ; but I rubbed the injured place with eau 
 de Cologne, and he gave it no further thought. 
 
 The ladies followed the hunt in their coaches ; a table 
 being usually arranged in the forest for breakfast, to 
 which all persons in the hunt were invited. 
 
 The Emperor on one occasion hunted with falcons on 
 the plain of Rambouillet, in order to make a trial of the fal- 
 conry that the King of Holland (Louis) had sent as a 
 present to his Majesty. The household made a fete of 
 seeing this hunt, of which we had been hearing so much ; 
 but the Emperor appeared to take less pleasure in this than 
 in the chase or shooting, and hawking was never tried again. 
 
 His Majesty was exceedingly fond of the play, pre- 
 ferring greatly French tragedy and the Italian opera. Cor- 
 neille was his favorite author ; and he had always on his 
 table some volume of the works of this great poet. I have 
 often heard the Emperor declaim, while walking up and 
 down in his room, verses of China, or this speech on the 
 death of Caesar : 
 
 " Caesar, you will reign ; see the august day 
 In which the Koman people, always unjust to thee," etc. 
 
 At the theater of Saint-Cloud, the piece for the even- 
 ing was often made up of fragments and selections from
 
 THE EMPEROR FOND OF THE THEATER. 283 
 
 different authors, one act being chosen from one opera, one 
 from another, which was very vexatious to the spectators 
 whom the first piece had begun to interest. Often, also, 
 comedies were played, on which occasions there was great 
 rejoicing in the household, and the Emperor himself took 
 much pleasure in them. How many times have I seen him 
 perfectly overcome with laughter, when seeing Baptiste 
 junior in les Heritiers, and Michaut also amused him in la 
 Partie de Ohasse de Henry IV. 
 
 I cannot remember in what year, but it was during one 
 of the sojourns of the court at Fontainebleau, that the 
 tragedy of the Venetians was presented before the Emperor 
 by Arnault, senior. That evening, as he was retiring, his 
 Majesty discussed the piece with Marshal Duroc, and gave 
 his opinion, adducing many reasons, in support of it. 
 These praises, like the criticisms, were all explained and dis- 
 cussed; the grand marshal talking little, and the Emperor 
 incessantly. Although a poor judge myself of such mat- 
 ters, it was very entertaining, and also very instructive, to 
 hear the Emperor's opinion of pieces, ancient and modern, 
 which had been played before him; and his observations 
 and remarks could not have foiled, I am sure, to be of 
 great profit to the authors, had they been able like myself 
 to hear them. As for me, if I gained anything from it, it is 
 being enabled to speak of it here a little (although a very 
 little), more appropriately .than a blind man would of 
 colors ; nevertheless, for fear of saying the wrong thing, I 
 return to matters which are in my department. 
 
 It has been said that his Majesty used a great quantity 
 of tobacco, and that in order to take it still more frequently 
 and quickly, he put it in a pocket of his vest, lined with
 
 284 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 skin for that purpose. This is an error. The Emperor 
 never took tobacco except in his snuff-boxes ; and although 
 he wasted a great quantity of it, he really used very little, 
 as he took a pinch, held it to his nose simply to smell it, and 
 let it fall immediately. It is true that the place where he 
 had been was covered with it ; but his handkerchiefs, irre- 
 proachable witnesses in such matters, were scarcely stained, 
 and although they were white and of very fine linen, cer- 
 tainly bore no marks of a snuff-taker. Sometimes he simply 
 passed his open snuff-box under his nose in order to breathe 
 the odor of the tobacco it contained. These boxes were of 
 black shell, with hinges, and of a narrow, oval shape ; they 
 were lined with gold, and ornamented with antique cameos, 
 or medallions, in gold or silver. At one time he used 
 round tobacco-boxes ; but as it took two hands to open 
 them, and in this operation he sometimes dropped either 
 the box or the top, he became disgusted with them. His 
 tobacco was grated very coarse, and was usually composed 
 of several kinds of tobacco mixed together. Frequently 
 he amused himself by making the gazelles that he had at 
 Saint-Cloud eat it. They were very fond of it, and although 
 exceedingly afraid of every one else, came close to his 
 Majesty without the slightest fear. 
 
 The Emperor took a fancy on one occasion, but only 
 one, to try a pipe, as I shall now relate. The Persian 
 ambassador (or perhaps it was the Turkish ambassador 
 who came to Paris under the Consulate) had made his 
 Majesty a present of a very handsome pipe such as is used 
 by the Orientals. One day he was seized with a desire to 
 try it, and had everything necessary for this purpose pre- 
 pared. The fire having been applied to the bowl, the only
 
 THE EMPEROR NOT A SMOKER. 285 
 
 question now was to light the tobacco ; but from the manner 
 in which his Majesty attempted this it was impossible for 
 him to succeed, as he alternately opened and closed his lips 
 repeatedly without drawing in his breath at all. " Why, 
 what is the matter? " cried he ; "it does not work at all." 
 I called his attention to the fact that he was not inhaling 
 properly, and showed him how it ought to be done ; but the 
 Emperor still continued his performances, which were like 
 some peculiar kind of yawning. Tired out by his fruitless 
 efforts at last, he told me to light it for him, which I did, 
 and instantly handed it back to him. But he had hardly 
 taken a whiff when the smoke, which he did not know how 
 to breathe out again, filled his throat, got into his windpipe, 
 and came out through his nose and eyes in great puffs. As 
 soon as he could get his breath, he panted forth, " Take it 
 away ! what a pest ! Oh, the wretches ! it has made me 
 sick." In fact, he felt ill for at least an hour after, and 
 renounced forever the "pleasure of a habit, which," said he, 
 " is only good to enable do-nothings to kill time." 
 
 The only requirements the Emperor made as to his 
 clotliing was that it should be of fine quality and perfectly 
 comfortable ; and his coats for ordinary use, dresscoats, and 
 even the famous gray overcoat, were made of the finest cloth 
 from Louviers. Under the Consulate he wore, as was then 
 the fashion, the skirts of his coat extremely long; after- 
 wards fashion changed, and they were worn shorter ; but the 
 Emperor held with singular tenacity to the length of his, 
 and I had much trouble in inducing him to abandon this 
 fashion, and it was only by a subterfuge that I at last suc- 
 ceeded. Each time I ordered a new coat for his Majesty, 
 I directed the tailor to shorten the skirts by an inch at
 
 286 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 least, until at last, without his being aware of it, they were 
 no longer ridiculous. He did not abandon his old habits 
 any more readily on this point than on all others ; and his 
 greatest desire was that his clothes should not be too tight, 
 in consequence of which there were times when he did not 
 make a very elegant appearance. The King of Naples, the 
 man in all France who dressed with the most care, and 
 nearly always in good taste, sometimes took the liberty of 
 bantering the Emperor slightly about his dress. " Sire," said 
 he to the Emperor, " your Majesty dresses too much like a 
 good family man. Pray, Sire, be an example to your faith- 
 ful subjects of good taste in dress." - " Would you like me, 
 in order to please you," replied the Emperor, " to dress like 
 a scented fop, like a dandy, in fine, like the King of Naples 
 and the Two Sicilies. As for me, I must hold on to my old 
 habitudes" " Yes, Sire, and to your habits tues," added the 
 king on one occasion. " Detestable ! " cried the Emperor ; 
 "that is worthy of Brunet;" and they laughed heartily 
 over this play on words, while declaring it what the 
 Emperor called it. 
 
 However, these discussions as to his dress being re- 
 newed at the time of his Majesty's marriage to the Empress 
 Marie Louise, the King of Naples begged the Emperor to 
 allow him to send him his tailor. His Majesty, who sought 
 at that time every means of pleasing his young wife, 
 accepted the offer of his brother-in-law ; and that very day I 
 went for Leger, King Joachim's tailor, and brought him 
 with me to the chateau, recommending him to make th^ 
 suits which would be ordered as loose as possible, certain 
 as I was in advance, that, Monsieur Jourdain 1 to the con- 
 
 1 The well-known character in Molicre's comedy. TRANS.
 
 HABITS OF THE EMPEROR. 287 
 
 trary, if the Emperor could not get into them easily, he 
 would not wear them. Leger paid no attention to my 
 advice, but took his measure very closely. The two coats 
 were beautifully made ; but the Emperor pronounced them 
 uncomfortable, and wore them only once, and Leger did no 
 more work for his Majesty. At one time, long before this, 
 he had ordered a very handsome coat of chestnut brown 
 velvet, with diamond buttons, which he wore to a reception 
 of her Majesty the Empress, with a black cravat, though 
 the Empress Josephine had prepared for him an elegant 
 lace stock, which all my entreaties could not induce him 
 to put on. 
 
 The Emperor's vest and breeches were always of white 
 cassimere ; he changed them every morning, and they were 
 washed only three or four times. Two hours after he had 
 left his room, it often happened that his breeches were all 
 stained with ink, owing to his habit of wiping his pen on 
 them, and scattering ink all around him by knocking his 
 pen against the table. Nevertheless, as he dressed in the 
 morning for the whole day, he did not change his clothes 
 on that account, and remained in that condition the re- 
 mainder of the day. I have already said that he wore 
 none but white silk stockings, his shoes, which were very 
 light and thin, being lined with silk, and his boots lined 
 throughout inside with white fustian ; and when he felt an 
 itching on one of his legs, he rubbed it with the heel of 
 his shoe or the boot on the other leg, which added still 
 more to the effect of the ink blotches. His shoe-buckles 
 were oval, either plain gold or with medallions, and he also 
 wore gold buckles on his garters. I never saw him wear 
 pantaloons under the Empire.
 
 288 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 Owing to the Emperor's tenacity to old customs, his 
 shoemaker in the first days of the Empire was still the 
 same he employed at the military school ; and as his shoes 
 had been made by the same measure, from that time, and 
 no new one ever taken, his shoes, as well as his boots, were 
 always badly made and ungraceful. For a long time he 
 wore them pointed ; but I persuaded him to have them en bee 
 de canne, as that was the fashion. At last his old measure 
 was found too small, and I got his Majesty's consent to 
 have a new one taken ; so I summoned the shoemaker, who 
 had succeeded his father, and was exceedingly stupid. 
 He had never seen the Emperor, although he worked for 
 him ; and when he learned that he was expected to appear 
 before his Majesty, his head was completely turned. How 
 could he dare to present himself before the Emperor? 
 What costume must he wear? I encouraged him, and 
 told him he would need a black French coat, with 
 breeches, and hat, etc. ; and he presented himself thus 
 adorned at the Tuileries. On entering his Majesty's cham- 
 ber he made a deep bow, and stood much embarrassed. 
 "It surely cannot be you who made shoes for me at the 
 ficole militaire 2 " " No, your Majesty, Emperor and King, 
 it was my father." "And why don't he do so now?" 
 " Sire, the Emperor and King, because he is dead." - " How 
 much do you make me pay for my shoes ? " " Your Maj- 
 esty, Emperor and King, pays eighteen francs for them." - 
 " That is very dear." - " Your Majesty, Emperor and King, 
 could pay much more for them if he would." The Em- 
 peror laughed heartily at this simplicity, and let him take 
 his measure ; but the Emperor's laughter had so completely 
 disconcerted the poor man that, when he approached him,
 
 THE EMPEROR'S SHOEMAKER. 289 
 
 his hat under his arm, making a thousand bows, his sword 
 caught between his legs, was broken in two, and made him 
 fall on his hands and knees, not to remain there long, 
 however, for his Majesty's roars of laughter increasing, and 
 being at last freed from his sword, the poor shoemaker took 
 the Emperor's measure with more ease, and withdrew 
 amidst profuse apologies. 
 
 All his Majesty's linen was of extremely fine quality, 
 marked with an " N " in a coronet ; at first he wore no 
 suspenders, but at last began using them, and found 
 them very comfortable. He wore next his body vests made 
 of English flannel, and the Empress Josephine had a dozen 
 cashmere vests made for his use in summer. 
 
 Many persons have believed that the Emperor wore a 
 cuirass under his clothes when walking and while in the 
 army. This is entirely false : the Emperor never put on a 
 cuirass, nor anything resembling one, under his coat any 
 more than over it. 
 
 The Emperor wore no jewelry; he never had in his 
 pockets either purse or silver, but only his handkerchief, 
 his snuff-box, and his bonbon-box. 
 
 He wore on his coat only a star and two crosses, that of 
 the Legion of Honor, and that of the Iron Crown. Under 
 his uniform and on his vest he wore a red ribbon, 1 the ends 
 of which could just be seen. 
 
 When there was a reception at the chateau, or he held a 
 review, he put this grand cordon outside his coat. 
 
 His hat, the shape of which it will be useless to de- 
 scribe while portraits of his Majesty exist, was extremely 
 fine and very light, lined with silk and wadded ; and on it 
 i The grand Cordon Rouge. TRAKS.
 
 290 BECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 he wore neither tassels nor plumes, but simply a narrow, 
 flat band of silk and a little tricolored cockade. 
 
 The Emperor purchased several watches from Breguet 
 and Meunier, very plain repeaters, without ornamentation 
 or figures, the face covered with glass, the back gold. M. 
 Las Cases speaks of a watch with a double gold case, 
 marked with the cipher " B," and which never left the Em- 
 peror. I never saw anything of the sort, though I was 
 keeper of all the jewels, and even had in my care for 
 several days the crown diamonds. The Emperor often 
 broke his watch by throwing it at random, as I have said 
 before, on any piece of furniture in his bedroom. He had 
 two alarm-clocks made by Meunier, one in his carriage, the 
 other at the head of his bed, which he set with a little 
 green silk cord, and also a third, but it was old and worn- 
 out so that it would not work; it is this last which had 
 belonged to Frederick the Great, and was brought from 
 Berlin. 
 
 The swords of his Majesty were very plain, with gold 
 mountings, and an owl on the hilt. 
 
 The Emperor had two swords similar to the one he 
 wore the day of the battle of Austerlitz. One of these 
 swords was given to the Emperor Alexander, as the reader 
 will learn later, and the other to Prince Eugene in 1814. 
 That which the Emperor wore at Austerlitz, and on which 
 he afterwards had engraved the name and date of that 
 memorable battle, was to have been inclosed in the column 
 of the Place Vendome ; but his Majesty still had it, I think, 
 while he was at St. Helena. 
 
 He had also several sabers that he had worn in his first 
 campaigns, and on which were engraved the names of the
 
 THE EMPEROR'S SWORDS. 291 
 
 battles in which he had used them. They were distributed 
 among the various general officers of his Majesty the Em- 
 peror, of which distribution I will speak later. 
 
 When the Emperor was about to quit his capital to re- 
 join his army, or for a simple journey through the depart- 
 ments, we never knew the exact moment of his departure. 
 It was necessary to send in advance on various roads a 
 complete service for the bedroom, kitchen, and stables ; 
 this sometimes waited three weeks, or even a month, and 
 when his Majesty at length set out, that which was waiting 
 on the road he did not take was ordered to return. I have 
 often thought that the Emperor acted thus in order to dis- 
 concert those who spied on his proceedings, and to baffle 
 their schemes. 
 
 The day he was to set out no one could discover that 
 fact from him, and everything went on as usual. After a 
 concert, a play, or any other amusement which had col- 
 lected a large number of people, his Majesty would simply 
 remark on retiring, " I shall leave at two o'clock !" Some- 
 times the time was earlier, sometimes later; but he always 
 began his journey at the designated hour. The order was 
 instantly announced by each of the head servants ; and all 
 were ready at the appointed time, though the chateau was 
 left topsy-turvy, as may be seen from the picture I have 
 given elsewhere of the confusion at the chateau which pre- 
 ceded and followed the Emperor's departure. Wherever 
 his Majesty lodged on the journey, before leaving he had all 
 the expenses of himself and of his household paid, made 
 presents to his hosts, and gave gratuities to the servants 
 of the house. On Sunday the Emperor had mass cele- 
 brated by the curate of the place, giving always as much
 
 292 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 as twenty napoleons, 1 sometimes more, and regulating the 
 gift according to the needs of the poor of the parish. He 
 asked many questions of the cures concerning their re- 
 sources, that of their parishioners, the intelligence and mo- 
 rality of the population, etc. He rarely failed to ask the 
 number of births, deaths, marriages, and if there were many 
 young men and girls of a marriageable age. If the cur 6 
 replied to these questions in a satisfactory manner, and if 
 he had not been too long in saying mass, he could count on 
 the favor of his Majesty ; his church and his poor would 
 find themselves well provided for; and as for himself, the 
 Emperor left on his departure, or had sent to him, a 
 commission as chevalier of the Legion of Honor. His 
 Majesty preferred to be answered with confidence and 
 without timidity ; he even endured contradiction ; and 
 one could without any risk reply inaccurately ; this was 
 almost always overlooked, for he paid little attention to 
 the reply, but he never failed to turn away from those who 
 spoke to him in a hesitating or embarrassed manner. 
 Whenever the Emperor took up his residence at any place, 
 there were on duty, night and day, a page and an aide-de- 
 camp, who slept on sacking beds. There was also con- 
 stantly in attendance, in an antechamber, a quartermaster 
 and sergeant of the stables prepared to order, when neces- 
 sary, the equipages, which they took care to keep always in 
 readiness to move ; horses fully saddled and bridled, and 
 carriages harnessed with two horses, left the stables on the 
 first signal of his Majesty. These attendants were relieved 
 every two hours, like sentinels. 
 
 I said above that his Majesty liked prompt replies, and 
 i $80. TRANS.
 
 ANECDOTES CONCERNING THE EMPEROR. 293 
 
 those which showed vivacity and sprightliness. I will give 
 two anecdotes in support of this assertion. Once, while 
 the Emperor was holding a review on the Place du Carrou- 
 sel, his horse reared, and in the efforts his Majesty made to 
 control him, his hat fell to the ground; a lieutenant (his 
 name, I think, was Rabusson), at whose feet the hat fell, 
 picked it up, and came out from the front ranks to offer it 
 to his Majesty. " Thanks, Captain," said the Emperor, still 
 engaged in quieting his horse. " In what regiment, Sire ? " 
 asked the officer. The Emperor, then regarding him more 
 attentively, and perceiving his mistake, said to him, smil- 
 ing, " Ah, that is so, monsieur ; in the Guard." 
 
 The new captain received the commission which he 
 owed to his presence of mind, but which he had in fact 
 well earned by his bravery and devotion to duty. 
 
 At another review, his Majesty perceived in the ranks 
 of a regiment of the line an old soldier, whose arms 
 were decorated with three chevrons. He recognized him 
 instantly as having seen him in the army of Italy, and 
 approaching him, said, " Well, my brave fellow, why have 
 you not the cross? You do not look like a bad fellow." 
 " Sire," replied the old soldier, with sorrowful gravity, 
 " I have three times been put on the list for the cross." - 
 " You shall not be disappointed a fourth time," replied the 
 Emperor; and he ordered Marshal Berthier to place on 
 the list, for the next promotion, the brave soldier, who was 
 soon made a chevalier of the Legion of Honor.
 
 294 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 The Pope leaves Rome to attend the coronation of the Emperor. He passes 
 Mont Cenis. His arrival in France. Religious enthusiasm. Meeting 
 of the Pope and the Emperor. Requirements of etiquette. Respect 
 paid to the Pope by the Emperor. Entrance of the Pope into Paris. 
 He lodges at the Tuileries. Delicate attentions of the Emperor, and 
 gratitude of the Holy Father. The new eldest son of the Church. 
 Description of Pius VII. His abstemiousness not imitated by the peo- 
 ple of his suite. The Pope's stay at Paris. Enthusiasm of the faith- 
 ful. Visit of the Pope to the public buildings. Audiences of the Pope 
 in the grand hall of the museum. The author is present at one of these 
 receptions. The blessing of the Pope. The sovereign pontiff and the 
 little children. Costume of the Holy Father. The Pope and the 
 Countess de Genlis. The sellers of beads. The 2d of December, 1804. 
 
 Confusion in the chateau of the Tuileries. Awaking and toilet of the 
 Emperor. Furnishers of his wardrobe, and his maledictions. Costume 
 of the Emperor on the day of his coronation. Constant performing one 
 of the duties of the first chamberlain. The coronation cloak and the 
 grenadier uniform. Jewels of the Empress. Crown, diadem, and gir- 
 dle of the Empress. The coronation scepter, hand of justice, and sword. 
 
 Messieurs Marguerite, Odiot, and Biennais, jewelers. The Pope's 
 carriage. The first chamberlain and his horse. Coronation carriage. 
 
 Singular mistake of their Majesties. Coronation cortege. Reli- 
 gious ceremony. Music at the coronation. Monsieur Lesueur and the 
 Boulogne march. Josephine crowned by the Emperor. Glance of in- 
 telligence. Coronation, and the idea of divorce. Chagrin of the Em- 
 peror, and its cause. Coronation oath. The archbishop's gallery. 
 Throne of their Majesties. Illuminations. Donations made by the 
 Emperor to the church of Notre Dame. The scourge and tunic of St. 
 Louis. The Emperor's coronation medals. Public rejoicings. 
 
 POPE Pius VII. had left Rome early in November, 
 1804; and his Holiness, accompanied by General Menou, 1 
 administrator of Piedmont, arrived at Mont Cenis, on the 
 
 1 Singularly enough, this general had turned Mahometan in Egypt. 
 TRANS.
 
 THE EMPEROR MEETS PIUS VII. 295 
 
 morning of Nov. 15. The road of Mont Cenis had been 
 surveyed and smoothed, and all dangerous points made 
 secure by barriers. The Holy Father was received by 
 M. Poitevin-Maissemy, prefect of Mont Blanc, and after a 
 short visit to the hospice, crossed the mountain in a sedan 
 chair, escorted by an immense crowd, who knelt to receive 
 his blessing as he passed. 
 
 Nov. 17 his Holiness resumed his carriage, in which he 
 made the remainder of the journey, accompanied in the same 
 manner. The Emperor went to meet the Holy Father, 
 and met him on the road to Nemours in the forest of 
 Fontainebleau. The Emperor dismounted from his horse, 
 and the two sovereigns returned to Fontainebleau in the 
 same carriage. It is said that neither took precedence 
 over the other, and that, in order to avoid this, they both 
 entered the carriage at the same instant, his Majesty by 
 the door on the right, and his Holiness by that on the left. 
 
 I do not know whether it is true that the Emperor used 
 devices and stratagems in order to avoid compromising his 
 dignity, but I do know that it would have been impossible 
 to show more regard and attention to the venerable old 
 man. The day after his arrival at Fontainebleau, the Pope 
 made his entrance into Paris with all the honors usually 
 rendered to the head of the Empire. Apartments had been 
 prepared for him at the Tuileries in the Pavilion of Flora ; 
 and as a continuation of the delicate and affectionate 
 consideration which his Majesty had shown from the begin- 
 ning in welcoming the Holy Father, he found his apart- 
 ments, in arrangement and furniture, an exact duplicate of 
 those he occupied at Rome. He evinced much surprise 
 and gratitude at this attention, which he himself, it is said,
 
 296 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 with his usual delicacy, called entirely filial; desiring thus 
 to acknowledge the respect which the Emperor had shown 
 him on every occasion, and the new title of eldest son of 
 the Church, which his Majesty was about to assume with 
 the imperial crown. 
 
 Every morning I went, by order of his Majesty, to in- 
 quire after the health of the Holy Father. Pius VII. had 
 a noble and handsome countenance, an air of angelic 
 sweetness, and a gentle, well modulated voice; he spoke 
 little, and always slowly, but with grace ; his tastes were 
 extremely simple, and his abstemiousness incredible ; he 
 was indulgent to others and most lenient in his judg- 
 ments. I must admit that on the score of good cheer the 
 persons of his suite made no pretense of imitating the 
 Holy Father, but, on the contrary, took most unbecoming 
 advantage of the Emperor's orders, that everything re- 
 quested should be furnished. The tables set for them were 
 abundantly and even magnificently served; which, how- 
 ever, did not prevent a whole basket of Chambertin being 
 requested each day for the Pope's private table, though he 
 dined alone and drank only water. 
 
 The sojourn of nearly five months which the Holy 
 Father made at Paris was a time of edification for the 
 faithful; and his Holiness must have carried away a 
 most flattering opinion of the populace, who, having 
 ceased to practice, and not having witnessed for more than 
 ten years, the ceremonies of the Catholic religion, had re- 
 turned to them with irrepressible zeal. When the Pope 
 was not detained in his apartments by his delicate health 
 (in regard to which the difference in the climate, compared 
 with that of Italy, and the severity of the winter, required
 
 THE POPE IN PARIS. 297 
 
 him to take great precautions), he visited the churches, 
 the museum, and the establishments of public utility; and 
 if the severe weather prevented his going out, the persons 
 who requested this favor were presented to Pius VII. 
 in the grand gallery of the Museum Napoleon. I was 
 one day asked by some ladies of my acquaintance to ac- 
 company them to this audience of the Holy Father, and 
 took much pleasure in doing so. 
 
 The long gallery of the museum was filled with ladies 
 and gentlemen, arranged in double lines, the greater part 
 of whom were mothers of families, with their children at 
 their knees or in their arms, ready to be presented for 
 the Holy Father's blessing; and Pius VII. gazed on these 
 children with a sweetness and mildness truly angelic. 
 Preceded by the governor of the museum, and followed by 
 the cardinals and lords of his household, he advanced 
 slowly between these two ranks of the faithful, who fell on 
 their knees as he passed, often stopping to place his hand 
 on the head of a child, to address a few words to the 
 mother, or to give his ring to be kissed. His dress was a 
 plain white cassock without ornament. Just as the Pope 
 reached us, the director of the museum presented a lady 
 who, like the others, was awaiting the blessing of his Holi- 
 ness on her knees. I heard the director call this lady Ma- 
 dame, the Countess de Genlis, upon which the Holy Father 
 held out to her his ring, raised her in the most affable 
 manner, and said a few flattering words complimenting her 
 on her works, and the happy influence which they had exer- 
 cised in re-establishing the Catholic religion in France. 
 
 Sellers of chaplets and rosaries must have made their 
 fortunes during this winter, for in some shops more than
 
 298 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 one hundred dozen were sold per day. During the month 
 of January, by this branch of industry alone, one mer- 
 chant of the Rue Saint^Denis made forty thousand francs. 
 All those who presented themselves at the audience of the 
 Holy Father, or who pressed around him as he went out, 
 made him bless chaplets for themselves, for all their rela- 
 tions, and for their friends in Paris or in the provinces. 
 The cardinals also distributed an incredible quantity in 
 their visits to the various hospitals, to the Hotel des Inva- 
 lides, etc., and even at private houses. 
 
 It was arranged that the coronation of their Majesties 
 should take place on Dec. 2. On the morning of this 
 great day all at the chateau were astir very early, espe- 
 cially the persons attached to the service of the wardrobe. 
 The Emperor himself arose at eight o'clock. It was no 
 small affair to array his Majesty in the rich costume which 
 had been prepared for the occasion ; and the whole time I 
 was dressing him he uttered unlimited maledictions and 
 apostrophes against embroiderers, tailors, and furnishers 
 generally. As I passed him each article of his dress, 
 "Now, that is something handsome, Monsieur le droU" 
 said he (and my ears had their part in the play), " but we 
 shall see the bills for it." This was the costume : silk 
 stockings embroidered in gold, with the imperial coronet on 
 the clocks ; white velvet boots laced and embroidered with 
 gold ; white velvet breeches embroidered in gold on the 
 seams ; diamond buckles and buttons on his garters ; his 
 vest, also of white velvet, embroidered in gold with dia- 
 mond buttons ; a crimson velvet coat, with facings of 
 white velvet, and embroidered on all the seams, the whole 
 sparkling with gold and gems. A short cloak, also of
 
 THE CORONATION COSTUME. 299 
 
 crimson, and lined with white satin, hung from his left 
 shoulder, and was caught on the right over his breast 
 with a double clasp of diamonds. On such occasions it 
 was customary for the grand chamberlain to pass the shirt ; 
 but it seems that his Majesty did not remember this law of 
 etiquette, and it was I alone who performed that office, as 
 I was accustomed. The shirt was one of those ordinarily 
 worn by his Majesty, but of very beautiful cambric, for the 
 Emperor would wear only very fine linen; but ruffles of 
 very handsome lace had been added, and his cravat was 
 of the most exquisite muslin, and his collar of superb 
 lace. The black velvet cap was surmounted by two white 
 aigrettes, and surrounded with a band of diamonds, caught 
 together by the Regent. The Emperor set out, thus 
 dressed, from the Tuileries ; and it was not till he had 
 reached Notre-Dame, that he placed over his shoulders the 
 grand coronation mantle. This was of crimson velvet, 
 studded with golden bees, lined with white satin, and fas- 
 tened with a gold cord and tassel. The weight of it was 
 at least eighty pounds, and, although it was held up by 
 four grand dignitaries, bore him down by its weight. 
 Therefore, on returning to the chateau, he freed himself as 
 soon as possible from all this rich and uncomfortable 
 apparel ; and while resuming his grenadier uniform, he 
 repeated over and over, " At last I can get my breath." 
 He was certainly much more at his ease on the day of 
 battle. 
 
 The jewels which were used at the coronation of her 
 Majesty the Empress, and which consisted of a crown, a dia- 
 dem, and a girdle, came from the establishment of M. Mar- 
 gueritte. The crown had eight branches, which supported
 
 300 RECOLLECTIONS Of NAPOLEON. 
 
 a golden globe surmounted by a cross, each branch set with 
 diamonds, four being in the shape of palm and four of 
 myrtle leaves. Around the crown ran a band set with 
 eight enormous emeralds, while the bandeau which rested 
 on the brow shone with amethysts. 
 
 The diadem was composed of four rows of magnificent 
 pearls entwined with leaves made of diamonds, each of 
 which matched perfectly, and was mounted with a skill as 
 admirable as the beauty of the material. On her brow were 
 several large brilliants, each one alone weighing one hun- 
 dred and forty-nine grains. The girdle, finally, was a 
 golden ribbon ornamented with thirty-nine rose-colored 
 stones. The scepter of his Majesty the Emperor had been 
 made by M. Odiot ; it was of silver, entwined with a golden 
 serpent, and surmounted by a globe on which Charlemagne 
 was seated. The hand of Justice and the crown, as well 
 as the sword, were of most exquisite workmanship, but it 
 would take too long to describe them; they were from 
 the establishment of M. Biennais. 
 
 At nine o'clock in the morning the Pope left the 
 Tuileries for Notre Dame, in a carriage drawn by eight 
 handsome gray horses. From the imperial of the coach 
 rose a tiara surrounded by the insignia of the papacy in gilt 
 bronze, while the first chamberlain of his Holiness, mounted 
 on a mule, preceded the carriage, bearing a silver gilt cross. 
 
 There was an interval of about one hour between the 
 arrival of the Pope at Notre Dame and that of their Majes- 
 ties, who left the Tuileries precisely at eleven o'clock, 
 which fact was announced by numerous salutes of artillery. 
 Their Majesties' carriage, glittering with gold and adorned 
 with magnificent paintings, was drawn by eight bay horses 
 superbly caparisoned.
 
 THE CORONATION. 301 
 
 Above the imperial of this coach was a crown supported 
 by four eagles with extended wings. The panels of this 
 carnage, which was the object of universal admiration, 
 were of glass instead of wood ; and it was so built that the 
 back was exactly like the front, which similarity caused 
 their Majesties, on entering it, to make the absurd mistake 
 of placing themselves on the front seat. The Empress was 
 first to perceive this, and both she and her husband were 
 much amused. 
 
 I could not attempt to describe the cortege, although 
 I still retain most vivid recollections of the scene, because I 
 should have too much to say. Picture to yourself, then, 
 ten thousand cavalry superbly mounted, defiling between 
 two rows of infantry equally imposing, each body covering 
 a distance of nearly half a league. Then think of the 
 number of the equipages, of their magnificence, the splen- 
 dor of the trappings of the horses, and of the uniforms of 
 the soldiers ; of the crowds of musicians playing coronation 
 marches, added to the ringing of bells and booming of 
 cannon; then to all this add the effect produced by this 
 immense multitude of from four to five hundred thousand 
 spectators ; and still one would be very far from obtaining 
 a correct idea of this astonishing magnificence. 
 
 In the month of December it is very rare that the 
 weather is fine, but on that day the heavens seemed auspi- 
 cious to the Emperor ; and just as he entered the archiepis- 
 copal church, quite a heavy fog, which had lasted all the 
 morning, was suddenly dissipated, and a brilliant flood of 
 sunlight added its splendor to that of the cortege. This 
 singular circumstance was remarked by the spectators, and 
 increased the enthusiasm.
 
 302 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 All the streets through which the cortege passed were 
 carefully cleared and sanded; and the inhabitants decorated 
 the fronts of their houses according to their varied taste 
 and means, with drapery, tapestry, colored paper, and some 
 even with garlands of yew-leaves, almost all the shops on 
 the Quai des Orfevres being ornamented with festoons of 
 artificial flowers. 
 
 The religious ceremony lasted nearly four hours, and 
 must have been extremely fatiguing to the principal actors. 
 The personal attendants were necessarily on duty contin- 
 ually in the apartment prepared for the Emperor at the 
 archiepiscopal palace ; but the curious (and all were so) re- 
 lieved each other from time to time, and each thus had an 
 opportunity of witnessing the ceremony at leisure. 
 
 I have never heard before or since such imposing music : 
 it was the composition of Messieurs Paesiello, Rose, and Le- 
 sueur, precentors of their Majesties ; and the orchestra and 
 choruses comprised the finest musicians of Paris. Two 
 orchestras with four choruses, including more than three 
 hundred musicians, were led, the one by M. Persuis, the 
 other by M. Rey, both leaders of the Emperor's bands. M. 
 Lais, first singer to his Majesty, M. Kreutzer, and M. Bail- 
 lot, first violinists of the same rank, had gathered the 
 finest talent which the imperial chapel, the opera, and the 
 grand lyric theaters possessed, either as instrumental play- 
 ers or male and female singers. Innumerable military 
 bands, under* the direction of M. Lesueur, executed heroic 
 marches, one of which, ordered by the Emperor from M. 
 Lesueur for the army of Boulogne, is still to-day, according 
 to the judgment of connoisseurs, worthy to stand in the first 
 rank of the most beautiful and most imposing musical com-
 
 THE CORONATION. 303 
 
 positions. As for me, this music affected me to such an 
 extent that I became pale and trembling, and convulsive 
 tremors ran through all my body while listening to it. 
 
 His Majesty would not allow the Pope to touch the 
 crown, but placed it on his head himself. It was a golden 
 diadem, formed of oak and laurel leaves. His Majesty then 
 took the crown intended for the Empress, and, having 
 donned it himself for a few moments, placed it on the 
 brow of his august wife, who knelt before him. Her agita- 
 tion was so great that she shed tears, and, rising, fixed on 
 the Emperor a look of tenderness and gratitude ; and the 
 Emperor returned her glance without abating in the least 
 degree the dignity required by such an imposing ceremony 
 before so many witnesses. 
 
 In spite of this constraint their hearts understood each 
 other in the midst of the brilliancy and applause of the 
 assembly, and assuredly no idea of divorce entered the Em- 
 peror's mind at that moment ; and, for my part, I am very 
 sure that this cruel separation would never have ibaken 
 place if her Majesty the Empress could have borne chil- 
 dren, or even if the young Napoleon, son of the King of 
 Holland and Queen Hortense, had not died just at the time 
 the Emperor had decided to adopt him. Yet I must admit 
 that the fear, or rather the certainty, of Josephine not bear- 
 ing him an heir to the throne, drove the Emperor to 
 despair ; and I have many times heard him pause suddenly 
 in the midst of his work, and exclaim with- chagrin, " To 
 whom shall I leave all this ? " 
 
 After the mass, his Excellency, Cardinal Fesch, grand 
 almoner of France, bore the Book of the Gospels to the 
 Emperor, who thereupon, from his throne, pronounced the
 
 304 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 imperial oath in a voice so firm and distinct that it was 
 heard by all present. Then, for the twentieth time perhaps, 
 the cry of Vive I 'Empereur sprang to the lips of all, the Te 
 Deum was chanted, and their Majesties left the church in 
 the same manner as they had entered. The Pope remained 
 in the church about a quarter of an hour after the sover- 
 eigns ; and, when he rose to withdraw, universal acclama- 
 tions accompanied him from the choir to the portal. 
 
 Their Majesties did not return to the chateau until 
 half-past six, and the Pope not till nearly seven. On their 
 entrance to the church, their Majesties passed through the 
 archbishop's palace, the buildings of which, as I have said, 
 communicated with Notre Dame by means of a wooden 
 gallery. This gallery, covered with slate, and hung with 
 magnificent tapestry, ended in a platform, also of wood, 
 erected before the principal entrance, and made to harmonize 
 perfectly with the gothic architecture of this handsome met- 
 ropolitan church. This platform rested upon four columns, 
 decorated with inscriptions in letters of gold, enumerating 
 the names of the principal towns of France, whose mayors 
 had been deputized to attend the coronation. Above these 
 columns was a painting in relief, representing Clovis and 
 Charlemagne seated on their thrones, scepter in hand; and 
 in the center of this frontispiece were presented the arms 
 of the Empire, draped with the banners of the sixteen 
 cohorts of the Legion of Honor, while on each side were 
 towers, surmounted by golden eagles. The inside of this 
 portico, as well as the gallery, was shaped like a roof, 
 painted sky-blue, and sown with stars. 
 
 The throne of their Majesties was erected on a stage 
 in the shape of a semicircle, and covered with a blue,
 
 THE CORONATION. 305 
 
 carpet studded with bees, and was reached by twenty-two 
 steps. The throne, draped in red velvet, was also covered 
 by a pavilion of the same color, the left wing of which ex- 
 tended over the Empress, the princesses, and their maids of 
 honor, and the right over the two brothers of the Emperor, 
 with the arch-chancelor and the arch-treasurer. 
 
 Nothing could be grander than the bird's-eye view of 
 the garden of the Tuileries on the evening of this auspi- 
 cious day, the grand parterre, encircled by illuminated 
 colonnades from arch to arch of which were festooned gar- 
 lands of rose-colored lights ; the grand promenade outlined 
 by columns, above which stars glittered; the terraces on 
 each side filled with orange-trees, the branches of which 
 were covered with innumerable lights ; while every tree on 
 the adjoining walks presented as brilliant a spectacle ; and 
 finally, to crown all this magnificent blaze of light, an im- 
 mense star was suspended above the Place de la Con- 
 corde, and outshone all else. This might in truth be called 
 a palace of fire. 
 
 On the occasion of the coronation his Majesty made 
 magnificent presents to the metropolitan church. I re- 
 marked, among other things, a chalice ornamented with 
 bas-reliefs, designed by the celebrated Germain, a pyx, two 
 flagons with the waiter, a holy-water vessel, and a plate for 
 offerings, the whole in silver gilt, and beautifully engraved. 
 By the orders of his Majesty, transmitted through the minis- 
 ter of the interior, there was also presented to M. d' Astros, 
 canon of Notre Dame, a box containing the crown of thorns, 
 a nail, and a piece of the wood of the true cross, and 
 a small vial, containing, it was said, some of the blood of 
 our Lord, with an iron scourge which Saint Louis had
 
 306 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 used, and a tunic which had also belonged to that 
 king. 
 
 In the morning Marshal Murat, Governor of Paris, had 
 given a magnificent breakfast to the princes of Germany 
 who had come to Paris in order to be present at the corona- 
 tion; and after breakfast the marshal-governor conveyed 
 them to Notre Dame in four carriages, each drawn by six 
 horses, accompanied by an escort of a hundred men on 
 horseback, and commanded by one of his aides-de-camp. 
 This escort was especially noticeable for the elegance and 
 richness of its uniforms. 
 
 The day after this grand and memorable solemnity was 
 one of public rejoicing. From the early morning an 
 immense crowd of the populace, enjoying the magnificent 
 weather, spread itself over the boulevards, the quays, and 
 the public squares, on which were prepared an infinite 
 variety of amusements. 
 
 The heralds-at-arms went at an early hour through all 
 the public places, throwing to the crowd, which pressed 
 around them, medals struck in memory of the coronation. 
 These medals represented on one side the likeness of the 
 Emperor, his brow encircled with the crown of the Caesars, 
 with this motto : Napoleon, Empereur. On the reverse 
 side was the figure of a magistrate, with the attributes of 
 his office around him, and that of an ancient warrior, bear- 
 ing on a shield a hero crowned, and covered with the im- 
 perial mantle. Above was written: The Senate and the 
 People. Soon after the passage of the heralds-at-arms the 
 rejoicings commenced, and were prolonged far into the 
 evening. 
 
 There had been erected on the Place Louis XV., which
 
 PUBLIC REJOICINGS. 307 
 
 was called then the Place de la Concorde, four large square 
 rooms of temporary woodwork, for dancing and waltzing. 
 Stages for the presentation of pantomimes and farces were 
 placed on the boulevards here and there ; groups of singers 
 and musicians executed national airs and warlike marches ; 
 greased poles, rope-dancers, sports of all kinds, attracted 
 the attention of promenaders at every step, and enabled 
 them to await without impatience the illuminations and 
 the fireworks. 
 
 The display of fireworks was most admirable. From 
 the Place Louis XV. to the extreme end of the Boulevard 
 Saint-Antoine, ran a double line of colored lights in fes- 
 toons. The palace of the Corps-Legislatif, formerly the 
 Garde-Meuble, was resplendent with lights, and the gates 
 of Saint^Denis and Saint-Martin were covered with lamps 
 from top to bottom. 
 
 In the evening all those interested betook themselves to 
 the quays and bridges, in order to witness the fireworks 
 which were set off from the Bridge de la Concorde (now 
 called 1 Bridge Louis XVI.), and which far surpassed in 
 magnificence all that had ever been seen. 
 
 1 1830. Now it is again the Bridge de la Concorde. TRANS.
 
 308 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Ceremonies accompanying tho distribution of the eagles. The Emperor's 
 address. The oath. The grand review in the rain. Banquet at tho 
 Tuileries. Panegyric on conscription made by the Emperor. Grand 
 receptions. fete at the Hotel de Ville in Paris. "Well-regulated dis- 
 tribution of provisions. The vessel of fire. Passage of Mt. St. Ber- 
 nard in a blaze of light. Gold toilet-set presented to their Majesties by 
 the city of Paris. Monsieur Garnerin's balloon. Curious incident. 
 Voyage through the air from Paris to Rome in twenty-four hours. 
 Monsieur Garnerin's note and Cardinal Caprara's letter. The boatman 
 and the floating house. Fifteen leagues an hour. The balloon ascen- 
 sion. Bravery of two women. Gratuities granted by the city of Paris. 
 Kindness of the Emperor and his brother Louis. Pardon granted by the 
 Emperor. Statue erected to the Emperor in the hall of the Corps-Legis- 
 latif. The Empress Josephine and the chorus of Gliick. Happy coin- 
 cidence. Tho statue unveiled by Marshals Murat and Massena. 
 Selection from an eulogium on the Emperor pronounced by M. de Vau- 
 blanc. The bouquet and the ball. Profusion of flowers in the month 
 of January. 
 
 WEDNESDAY, Dec. 5, three days after the coronation, 
 the Emperor made a distribution of the colors on the 
 Champ-de-Mars. 
 
 In front of 1'^cole-Militaire a balcony was erected, cov- 
 ered with awnings, and placed on a level with the apart- 
 ments on the first floor. The middle awning, supported by 
 four columns, each one of which was a gilded figure repre- 
 senting Victory, covered the throne on which their Majes- 
 ties were seated. A most fortunate precaution, for on that 
 day the weather was dreadful ; the thaw had come sud- 
 denly, and every one knows what a Paris thaw is. 
 
 Around the throne were ranged princes and princesses,
 
 PDA.CJBOKAE
 
 DISTRIBUTION OF THE EAGLES. 309 
 
 grand dignitaries, ministers, marshals of the Empire, grand 
 officers of the crown, the ladies of the court, and the council 
 of state. 
 
 This balcony was divided on the right and left into 
 sixteen compartments, decorated with banners, and crowned 
 with eagles, these divisions representing the sixteen cohorts 
 of the Legion of Honor. Those on the right were occu- 
 pied by the Senate, the officers of the Legion of Honor, 
 the court of appeals, and the chiefs of the national treasuiy, 
 and those on the left by the Tribunate and the Corps- 
 Legislatif. 
 
 At each end of the balcony was a pavilion. That on 
 the side next the city was styled the imperial tribune, and 
 intended for foreign princes, while the diplomatic corps and 
 foreign personages of distinction filled the other pavilion. 
 
 From this gallery an immense staircase descended into 
 the Champ-de-Mars, the first step of which formed a bench 
 below the tribunes, and was occupied by the presidents of 
 the cantons, the prefects, the sub-prefects, and the members 
 of the municipal council. On each side of this staircase 
 were placed the colossal figures of France making peace 
 and France making war. Upon the steps were seated the 
 colonels of regiments, and the presidents of the electoral 
 colleges of the department, holding aloft the imperial 
 eagles. 
 
 The cortege of their Majesties set out at noon from 
 the chateau of the Tuileries, in the same order adopted at 
 the coronation : the chasseurs of the guard and the squad- 
 rons of mamelukes marcliing in front, the Legion d' Elite 
 and the mounted grenadiers following the municipal guard ; 
 while the grenadiers of the guard closed up the line. Their
 
 310 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 Majesties having entered 1'Ecole-Militaire, received the 
 homage of the diplomatic corps, who were stationed for this 
 purpose in the reception-rooms. Then the Emperor and 
 Empress, having donned their insignia of royalty, took their 
 seats upon the throne, while the air was rent with reiter- 
 ated discharges of artillery and universal acclamations. At 
 a given signal the deputations of the army, scattered over 
 the Champ-de-Mars, placed themselves in solid column, 
 and approached the throne amid a flourish of trumpets. 
 The Emperor then rose, and immediately a deep silence 
 ensued, while in a loud, clear tone he pronounced these 
 words, " Soldiers, behold your standards ! These eagles will 
 serve you always as a rallying-point. They will go wher- 
 ever your Emperor may judge their presence necessary 
 for the defense of his throne and of his people. Will 
 you swear to sacrifice even your lives in their defense, and 
 to keep them always by your valor in the path to vic- 
 tory? Do you swear it?" "We swear it," repeated all 
 the colonels in chorus, while the presidents of the colleges 
 waved the flags they bore. " We swear it," said in its 
 turn the whole army, while the bands played the celebrated 
 march known as " The March of the Standards." 
 
 This intense enthusiasm was communicated to the spec- 
 tators, who, in spite of the rain, pressed in crowds upon 
 the terraces which surrounded the inclosure of the Champ- 
 de-Mars. Soon the eagles took their designated places, 
 and the army denied in divisions before the throne of 
 their Majesties. 
 
 Although nothing had been spared to give this ceremony 
 every possible magnificence, it was by no means brilliant. 
 It is true, the object of the occasion was imposing; but
 
 THE BANQUET AT THE TUILERIES. 311 
 
 how could an impressive ceremony be held in a deluge 
 of melted snow, and amid a sea of mud, which was the 
 appearance the Champ-de-Mars presented that day? The 
 troops were under arms from six in the morning, exposed 
 to rain, and forced to endure it with no apparent necessity 
 so at least they regarded it. The distribution of stan- 
 dards was to these men nothing more than a review; 1 and 
 surely it must strike a soldier as a very different matter 
 to brave the weather on the field of battle, from what it 
 is to stand idle, exposed to it for hours, with shining gun 
 and empty cartridge-box, on a parade-day. 
 
 The cortege returned to the Tuileries at five o'clock, 
 after which there was a grand banquet in the gallery of 
 Diana, at which the Pope, the sovereign elector of Ratis- 
 bonne, the princes and princesses, the grand dignitaries, the 
 diplomatic corps, and many other persons were guests. 
 Their Majesties' table was placed in the midst of the gal- 
 lery, upon a platform, and covered with a magnificent 
 canopy, under which the Emperor seated himself on the 
 right of the Empress, and the Pope on her left. The ser- 
 ving was done by the pages. The grand chamberlain, the 
 grand equerry, and the colonel-general of the guard stood 
 before his Majesty; the grand marshal of the palace on his 
 right, and in front of the table, and lower down, the pre- 
 fect of the palace ; on the left, and opposite the grand 
 marshal, was the grand master of ceremonies ; all these 
 also standing. On either side of their Majesties' table 
 were those of their imperial highnesses, of the diplomatic 
 corps, of the ministers and grand officers, and lastly that 
 of the ladies of honor. At night there was given a recep- 
 
 1 Had Constant been a soldier he would not have said this. TRANS.
 
 312 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 tion, concert, and ball. The day after the distribution of 
 the eagles, his imperial highness Prince Joseph presented to 
 his Majesty the presidents of the electoral colleges of the 
 departments ; and the presidents of the colleges of the 
 arrondissements and their prefects were next introduced, 
 and received by his Majesty. 
 
 The Emperor conversed with the greater part of these 
 officials on the needs of each department, and thanked 
 them for their zeal in assisting him. Then he recom- 
 mended to them especially the execution of the conscript 
 law. "Without conscription," said his Majesty, "we 
 should have neither power nor national independence. All 
 Europe is subject to conscription. Our success and the 
 strength of our position depend on our having a national 
 army, and it is necessary to maintain this advantage with 
 the greatest care." 
 
 These presentations occupied several days, during which 
 his Majesty received in turn, and always with the same cere- 
 monial, the presidents of the high courts of justice, the 
 presidents of the councils-general of departments, the sub- 
 prefects, the deputies of the colonies, the mayors of the 
 thirty-six principal cities, the presidents of the cantons, the 
 vice-presidents of the chambers of commerce, and the presi- 
 dents of the consistories. 
 
 Some days later the city of Paris gave, in honor of their 
 Majesties, a, fete whose brilliance and magnificence surpassed 
 any description that could possibly be given. On this occa- 
 sion the Emperor, the Empress, and the princes Joseph and 
 Louis, rode together in the coronation carriage ; and batteries 
 placed upon the Pont-Neuf announced the moment at which 
 their Majesties began to ascend the steps of the Hotel de
 
 FETE AT THE HOTEL DE V1LLE. 313 
 
 Ville. At the same time, buffets with pieces of fowl and 
 fountains of wine attracted an immense crowd to the chief 
 squares of each of the twelve municipalities of Paris, 
 almost every individual of which had his share in the dis- 
 tribution of eatables, thanks to the precaution which the 
 authorities took of distributing to none except those who 
 presented tickets. The front of the Hotel de Ville was 
 brilliant with colored lamps ; but what seemed to me the 
 finest part of the whole display was a vessel pierced for 
 eighty cannon, whose decks, masts, sails, and cordage were 
 distinctly outlined in colored lights. The crowning piece 
 of all, which the Emperor himself set off, represented 
 the Saint-Bernard as a volcano in eruption, in the midst of 
 glaciers covered with snow. In it appeared the Emperor, 
 glorious in the light, seated on his horse at the head of 
 his army, climbing the steep summit of the mountain. 
 More than seven hundred persons attended the ball, and 
 yet there was no confusion. Their Majesties withdrew 
 early. The Empress, on entering the apartment prepared 
 for her at the Hotel de Ville, had found there a most mag- 
 nificent toiletrservice, all in gold. After it was brought 
 to the Tuileries it was for many days her Majesty's chief 
 source of entertainment and subject of conversation. She 
 wished every one to see and admire it; and, in truth, no 
 one who saw it could fail to do so. Their Majesties gave 
 permission that this, with a service which the city had 
 presented to the Emperor, should be placed on exhibition 
 for several days, for the gratification of the public. 
 
 After the fireworks a superb balloon was sent up, the 
 whole circumference of which, with the basket, and the 
 ropes which attached it to the balloon, were decorated with
 
 314 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 countless festoons of colored lights. This enormous body 
 of colored fire rising slowly and majestically into the air 
 was a magnificent spectacle. It remained suspended for a 
 while exactly over the city of Paris, as if to wait till pub- 
 He curiosity was fully satisfied, then, having reached a height 
 at which it encountered a more rapid current of air, it 
 suddenly disappeared, driven by the wind towards the 
 south. After its disappearance it was thought of no more, 
 but fifteen days later a very singular incident recalled it 
 to public attention. 
 
 While I was dressing the Emperor the first day of the 
 year, or the day before, one of his ministers was intro- 
 duced ; and the Emperor having inquired the news in 
 Paris, as he always did of those whom he saw early in the 
 morning, the minister replied, "I saw Cardinal Caprara 
 late yesterday evening, and I learned from him a very 
 singular circumstance." " What was it? about what?" 
 and his Majesty, imagining doubtless that it was some 
 political incident, was preparing to carry off his min- 
 ister into his cabinet, before having completed his toilet, 
 when his Excellency hastened to add, " Oh, it is nothing 
 very serious, Sire ! Your Majesty doubtless remembers 
 that they have been discussing lately in the circle of her 
 Majesty the Empress the chagrin of poor Garnerin, who 
 has not succeeded up to this time in finding the balloon 
 which he sent up on the day of the fete given to your 
 Majesty by the city of Paris. He has at last received news 
 of his balloon." - " Where did it fall?" asked the Emperor. 
 "At Rome, Sire! " "Ah, that is really very singular." 
 " Yes, Sire ; Garnerin's balloon has thus, in twenty- 
 four hours, shown your imperial crown in the two capitals
 
 MONSIEUR GABNEEIN'S BALLOON. 315 
 
 of the world." Then the minister related to his Majesty 
 the following details, which were published at the time, 
 but which I think sufficiently interesting to be repeated 
 here. 
 
 Garnerin had attached to his balloon the following 
 notice : 
 
 " The balloon carrying this letter was sent up at Paris on the 
 evening of the 25th Frimaire (Dec. 16) by Monsieur Garnerin, special 
 aeronaut of his Majesty the Emperor of Russia, and ordinary aero- 
 naut of the French government, on the occasion of a fete given by the 
 city of Paris to the Emperor Napoleon, celebrating his coronation. 
 Whoever finds this balloon will please inform M. Garnerin, who will 
 go to the spot." 
 
 The aeronaut expected, doubtless, to receive notice 
 next day that his balloon had fallen in the plain of Saints 
 Denis, or in that of Grenelle ; for it is to be presumed 
 that he hardly dreamed of going to Rome when he en- 
 gaged to go to the spot. More than fifteen days passed 
 before he received the expected notice ; and he had prob- 
 ably given up his balloon as lost, when there came the 
 following letter from the nuncio of his Holiness : 
 
 "Cardinal Caprara is charged by his Excellency Cardinal Gon- 
 salvi, Secretary of State of His Holiness, to remit to M. Garnerin a 
 copy of a letter dated Dec. 18. He hastens to send it, and also to 
 add a copy of the note which accompanied it. The cardinal also takes 
 this occasion to assure Monsieur Garnerin of his highest esteem." 
 
 To this letter was added a translation of the report 
 made to the cardinal, secretary of state at Rome, by the 
 Duke of Mondragone, and dated from Anguillora, near 
 Rome, Dec. 18 :
 
 316 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 " Yesterday evening about twenty-four o'clock * there passed 
 through the air a globe of astonishing size, which fell upon Lake 
 Bracciano, and had the appearance of a house. Boatmen were sent 
 to bring it to land ; but they were not able to do so, as a high wind 
 prevailed, accompanied by snow. This morning early they succeeded 
 in bringing it ashore. This globe is of oiled silk, covered with net- 
 ting, and the wire gallery is a little broken. It seems to have been 
 lighted by lamps and colored lanterns, of which much debris remains. 
 Attached to the globe was found the following notice " (which is 
 given above). 
 
 Thus we see that this balloon, which left Paris at seven 
 o'clock on the evening of Dec. 16, had fallen next day, the 
 17th, near Rome, at twenty-four o'clock, that is to say, at 
 sunset. It had crossed France, the Alps, etc., and passed 
 over a space of more than three hundred leagues hi twenty- 
 two hours, its rate of speed being then fifteen leagues (45 
 miles) per hour; and, what renders this still more remark- 
 able, is the fact that its weight was increased by decora- 
 tions weighing five hundred pounds. 
 
 An account of the former trips of this balloon will not 
 be without interest. Its first ascension was made in the 
 presence of their Prussian Majesties and the whole court, 
 upon which occasion it carried M. Garnerin, his wife, and 
 M. Gaertner, and descended upon the frontiers of Saxony. 
 
 The second ascension was at St. Petersburg, in the pres- 
 ence of the Emperor, the two Empresses, and the court, 
 carrying Monsieur and Madame Garnerin; and it fell a 
 short distance off in a marsh. This was the first balloon 
 ascension ever seen in Russia. 
 
 The third trial was also at St. Petersburg, in the presence 
 of the imperial family. M. Garnerin ascended, accompanied 
 
 1 In Italy the hours are numbered up to twenty-four. TRANS.
 
 MONSIEUR GARNERIN 'S BALLOON. 317 
 
 by General Suolf ; and the two travelers were transported 
 across the Gulf of Friedland in three-quarters of an hour, 
 and descended at Krasnoe-selo, twenty-five versts from St. 
 Petersburg. The fourth trial took place at Moscow, and 
 Garnerin ascended more than four thousand toises. 1 He 
 had many harrowing experiences, and at the end of seven 
 hours descended three hundred and thirty versts 2 from 
 Moscow, in the neighborhood of the old frontiers of Russia. 
 This same balloon was again used at the ascension which 
 Madame Garnerin made at Moscow with Madame Touche- 
 ninolf, in the midst of a frightful storm, and amid flashes 
 of lightning which killed three men within three hundred 
 paces of the balloon, at the very instant of the ascension. 
 These ladies descended without accident twenty-one versts 
 from Moscow. 
 
 The city of Paris gave a gratuity of six hundred francs 
 to the boatmen who had drawn out of Lake Bracciano the 
 balloon, which was brought back to Paris, and placed in 
 the museum of the Hotel de Ville. 
 
 I was a witness that same day of the kindness with which 
 the Emperor received the petition of a poor woman, a no- 
 tary's wife, I believe, whose husband had been condemned 
 on account of some crime, I know not what, to a long 
 imprisonment. As the carriage of their Imperial Majesties 
 passed before the Palais-Royal, two women, one already old, 
 the other sixteen or seventeen years of age, sprang to the 
 door, crying, "Pardon for my husband, pardon for my 
 father." 
 
 The Emperor immediately, in a loud tone, gave the 
 order to stop his carriage, and held out his hand for the 
 1 24,000 feet, or about 4 miles. TRANS. 2 About 200 miles. TRANS.
 
 318 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 petition which the older of the two women would give to 
 no one but him, at the same time consoling her with kind 
 words, and showing a most touching interest lest she might 
 be hurt by the horses of the marshals of the empire, who 
 were on each side of the carriage. While this kindness of 
 his august brother was exciting to the highest pitch the en- 
 thusiasm and sensibilities of the witnesses of this scene, 
 Prince Louis, seated on the front seat of the carriage, also 
 leaned out, trying to reassure the trembling young girl, and 
 urging her to comfort her mother, and count with certainty 
 on the Emperor's favorable consideration. The mother and 
 daughter, overcome by their emotion, could make no reply ; 
 and as the cortege passed on, I saw the former on the point 
 of falling in a swoon. She was carried into a neighboring 
 house, where she revived, and with her daughter shed tears 
 of gratitude and joy. 
 
 The Corps Legislatif had decreed that a statue, in white 
 marble, should be erected to the Emperor in their assembly 
 hall, to commemorate the completion of the Civil Code. 
 On the day of the unveiling of this monument, her Majesty 
 the Empress, the princes Joseph, Louis, Borghese, Bacci- 
 ochi, and their wives, with other members of the imperial 
 family, deputations of the principal orders of the state, the 
 diplomatic corps, and many foreigners of distinction, the 
 marshals of the empire, and a considerable number of gen- 
 eral officers, assembled at seven o'clock in the evening at 
 the palace of the Legislative Corps. 
 
 As the Empress appeared in the hall, the entire assem- 
 bly rose, and a band of music, stationed in the neighboring 
 stand, rendered the well-known chorus from Gliick, "How 
 many charms! What majesty!" Scarcely had the first
 
 UNVEILING OF THE STATUE. 319 
 
 strains of this chorus been heard than each one was struck 
 with the happy coincidence, and applause burst forth from 
 all sides. 
 
 By invitation of the president, Marshals Murat and 
 Massena unveiled the statue ; and all eyes were fixed on this 
 image of the Emperor, his brows encircled with a crown of 
 laurel, and entwined with oak and olive leaves. When 
 silence had succeeded to the acclamations excited by this 
 sight, M. de Vaublanc mounted the tribune, and pronounced 
 a discourse, which was loudly applauded in the assembly, 
 whose sentiments it faithfully expressed. 
 
 " Gentlemen," said the orator, " you have celebrated 
 the completion of the Civil Code of France by an act 
 of admiration and of gratitude ; you have awarded a statue 
 to the illustrious prince whose firmness and perseverance 
 have led to the completion of that grand work, while at 
 the same time his vast intelligence has shed a most 
 glorious light over this noble department of human insti- 
 tutions. First Consul then, Emperor of the French to-day, 
 he appears in the temple of the laws, his head adorned 
 with a triumphal crown as victory has so often adorned it, 
 while foretelling that this should change to the diadem 
 of kings, and covered with the imperial mantle, noble 
 attribute of the highest of dignities. 
 
 " Doubtless, on this solemn day, in presence of the 
 princes and the great of the state, before the august person 
 whom the Empire honors for her beautiful character even 
 more than for the high rank of which her virtues render 
 her so worthy, in this glorious fete in which we would re- 
 unite all France, you will permit my feeble voice to be 
 raised a moment, and to recall to you by what immortal
 
 320 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 actions Napoleon entered upon this wonderful career of 
 power and honor. 
 
 "If praise corrupts weak minds, it is the nourishment 
 of great souls ; and the grand deeds of heroes are ties which 
 bind them to their country. To recapitulate them is to 
 say that we expect from them a combination of those 
 grand thoughts, those generous sentiments, those glorious 
 deeds, so nobly rewarded by the admiration and gratitude 
 of the public. 
 
 " Victorious in the three quarters of the world, peace- 
 maker of Europe, legislator of France, having bestowed 
 and added provinces to the Empire, does not this glorious 
 record suffice to render him worthy at one and the same 
 time both of this august title of Emperor of the French, 
 and this monument erected in the temple of the laws? 
 And yet I would wish to make you forget these bril- 
 liant recollections which I have just recalled. With a 
 stronger voice than that which sounded his praises, I 
 would say to you: erase from your minds this glory of 
 the legislator, this glory of the warrior, and say to your- 
 selves, before the 18th Brumaire, when fatal laws were 
 promulgated, and when the destructive principles pro- 
 claimed anew were already dragging along men and things 
 with a rapidity which it would soon have been impossible 
 to arrest who appeared suddenly like a beneficent star, 
 who came to abrogate these laws, who filled up the half- 
 open abyss? You have survived, each one of you, through 
 those threatening scenes ; you live, and you owe it to him 
 whose image you now behold. You, who were miserable
 
 VAUBLANC'S EULOGIUM. 321 
 
 outlaws, have returned, you breathe again the gentle air of 
 your native land, you embrace your children, your wives, 
 your friends ; and you owe it to this great man. I speak 
 no longer of his glory, I no longer bear witness to that; 
 but I invoke humanity on the one side, gratitude on the 
 other ; and I demand of you, to whom do you owe a hap- 
 piness so great, so extraordinary, so unexpected ? . . . And 
 you, each and all, reply with me to the great man whose 
 image we behold." 
 
 The president repeated in his turn a similar eulogium, in 
 very similar terms ; and few persons then dreamed of think- 
 ing these praises exaggerated, though their opinions have 
 perhaps changed since. 
 
 After the ceremony the Empress, on the arm of the 
 president, passed into the hall of conference, where her 
 Majesty's table had been prepared under a magnificent 
 dais of crimson silk, and covers for nearly three hundred 
 guests had been laid by the caterer Robert, in the dif- 
 ferent halls of the palace. To the dinner succeeded a 
 brilliant ball. The most remarkable thing in this fete was 
 the indescribable luxury of flowers and shrubs, which must 
 doubtless have been collected at great expense, owing 
 to the severity of the winter. The halls of Lucrece and 
 of La Reunion, in which the dancing quadrilles were 
 formed, resembled an immense parterre of roses, laurel, 
 lilac, jonquils, lilies, and jessamine.
 
 322 EECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 My marriage to Mademoiselle Charvet. Presentation to Madame Bonaparte. 
 General Bonaparte opens letters addressed to his courier. General 
 Bonaparte wishes to see Monsieur and Madame Charvet. Monsieur 
 Charvet follows Madame Bonaparte to Plombieres. Establishment of 
 Monsieur Charvet and his family at Malmaison. Madame Charvet 
 private secretary of Madame Bonaparte. Mademoiselles Louise and Zoe 
 Charvet favorites of Josephine. Phantasmagoria at Malmaison. 
 Amusements of Bonaparte and the ladies of Malmaison. M. Charvet 
 leaves the house for the chateau of Saint-Cloud. The former porters 
 and scrubbers of the queen are given places. Burning of the chateau, 
 and death of Madame Charvet. The Empress wishes to see Mademoi- 
 selle Charvet. She will be a mother to her, and give her a husband. 
 The Empress complains to M. Charvet of not seeing his daughters. A 
 dowry is promised to my wife. Money wasted and promises forgotten by 
 the Empress Josephine. The Empress gives my sister-in-law in mar- 
 riage. Very kind recommendation of the Empress. My sister-in-law, 
 Mademoiselle Josephine Tallien, and Mademoiselle Clemeuce Cabarus. 
 Madame Vigogne and the prottgdes of the Empress. The young pupil 
 in danger of being burned. Madame Vigogne's presence of mind. 
 Visit to the Empress. 
 
 IT was the 2d of January, 1805, exactly a month after 
 the coronation, that I formed with the eldest daughter of 
 M. Charvet a union which has been, and will I trust ever 
 be, the greatest happiness of my life. I promised the reader 
 to say very little of myself ; and, in fact, how could he be 
 interested in any details of my own private life which did 
 not throw additional light upon the character of the great 
 man about whom I have undertaken to write? Neverthe- 
 less, I will ask permission to return for a little while to this, 
 the most interesting of all periods to me, and which ex-
 
 MARRIAGE OF CONSTANT. 323 
 
 erted such an influence upon my whole life. Surely he who 
 recalls and relates his souvenirs is not forbidden to attach 
 some importance to those which most nearly concern himself. 
 Moreover, even in the most personal events of my life, 
 there were instances in which their Majesties took a part, 
 and which, from that fact, are of importance in enabling 
 the reader to form a correct estimate of the characters of 
 both the Emperor and the Empress. 
 
 My wife's mother had been presented to Madame Bona- 
 parte during the first campaign in Italy, and she had 
 been pleased with her; for Madame Bonaparte, who was 
 so perfectly good, had, in her own experience, also en- 
 dured trials, and knew how to sympathize with the sor- 
 rows of others. 
 
 She promised to interest the General in the fate of my 
 father-in-law, who had just lost his place in the treasury. 
 During this time Madame Charvet was in correspondence 
 with a friend of her husband, who was, I think, the courier 
 of General Bonaparte ; and the latter having opened and read 
 these letters addressed to his courier, inquired who was this 
 young woman that wrote such interesting and intelligent 
 letters, and Madame Charvet well deserved this double 
 praise. My father-in-law's friend, while replying to the 
 question of the General-in-chief, took occasion to relate the 
 misfortunes of the family, and the General remarked that, 
 on his return to Paris, he wished to meet M. and Madame 
 Charvet; in consequence of which they were presented to 
 him, and Madame Bonaparte rejoiced to. learn that her pro- 
 tegSes had also become those of her husband. It had been 
 decided that M. Charvet should follow the General to 
 Egypt ; but when my father-in-law arrived at Toulon,
 
 324 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 Madame Bonaparte requested that he should accompany her 
 to the waters of Plombieres. I have previously related the 
 accident which occurred at Plombieres, and that M. Charvet 
 was sent to Saint-Germain to bring Mademoiselle Hortense 
 from the boarding-school to her mother. On his return to 
 Paris, M. Charvet searched through all the suburbs to find 
 a country-seat, as the General had charged his wife to 
 purchase one during his absence. 
 
 When Madame Bonaparte decided on Malmaison, M. 
 Charvet, his wife, and their three children were installed in 
 this charming residence. 
 
 My father-in-law was very faithful to the interests of 
 these benefactors of his family, and Madame Charvet often 
 acted as private secretary to Madame Bonaparte. 
 
 Mademoiselle Louise, who became my wife, and Made- 
 moiselle Zoe, her younger sister, were favorites of Madame 
 Bonaparte, especially the latter, who passed more time 
 than Louise at Malmaison. The condescension of their 
 noble protectress had rendered this child so familiar, that 
 she said thou habitually to Madame Bonaparte. One day 
 she said to her, " Thou art happy. Thou hast no mamma 
 to scold thee when thou tearest thy dresses." 
 
 During one of the campaigns that I made while in the 
 service of the Emperor, I wrote to my wife, inquiring about 
 the life that her sister led at Malmaison. In her answer, 
 among other things, she said (I copy a passage from one 
 of her letters) : " Sometimes we take part in performances 
 such as I had never dreamed of. For instance, one even- 
 ing the saloon was divided in half by a gauze curtain, 
 behind which was a bed arranged in Greek style, on which 
 a man lay asleep, clothed in long white drapery. Near
 
 PASSAGE FROM A LETTER. 325 
 
 the sleeper Madame Bonaparte and the other ladies beat 
 in unison (not in perfect accord, however) on bronze vases, 
 making, as you may imagine, a terrible kind of music. 
 During this charivari, one of the gentlemen held me 
 around the waist, and raised me from the ground, while I 
 shook my arms and legs in time to the music. The con- 
 cert of these ladies awoke the sleeper, who stared wildly 
 at me, frightened at my gestures, then sprang up and ran 
 with all his might, followed by my brother, who crept on 
 all fours, representing a dog, I think, which belonged to 
 this strange person. As I was then a mere child, I have 
 only a confused idea of all this ; but the society of Madame 
 Bonaparte seemed to be much occupied with similar amuse- 
 ments." 
 
 When the First Consul went to live at Saint-Cloud, he 
 expressed his high opinion of my father-in-law in the most 
 flattering manner, and made him concierge of the chateau, 
 which was a confidential position, the duties and responsi- 
 bilities of which were considerable. 
 
 M. Charvet was charged with organizing the household ; 
 and, by orders of the First Consul, he selected from among 
 the old servants of the queen those to whom he gave places 
 as porters, scrubbers, and grooms of the chateau, and he 
 gave pensions to those unable to work. 
 
 When the chateau took fire in 1802, as I have related 
 previously, Madame Charvet, being several months preg- 
 nant, was terribly frightened ; and as it was not thought 
 best to bleed her, she became very ill, and died at the age 
 of thirty years. Louise had been at a boarding-school for 
 several years ; but her father now brought her home to 
 keep house for him, though she was then only twelve years
 
 326 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 old. One of her friends has kindly allowed me to see 
 a letter which Louise addressed to her a short time after 
 our marriage, and from which I have made the following 
 extracts : 
 
 "On my return from boarding-school I went to see her Majesty 
 the Empress (then Madame Bonaparte) at the Tuileries. I was in 
 deep mourning. She took me on her knee, and tried to console me, 
 saying that she would be a mother to me, and would find me a hus- 
 band. I wept, and said that I did not wish to marry. ' Not at pres- 
 ent,' replied her Majesty, ' but that will come ; be sure of it.' I was, 
 however, by no means persuaded that this would be the case. She 
 caressed me a while longer, and I withdrew. When the First Consul 
 was at Saint-Cloud, all the chiefs of the different departments of the 
 household service assembled in the apartments of my father, who was 
 the most popular, as well as the eldest, member of the household. 
 M. Constant, who had seen me as a child at Malmaison, found me 
 sufficiently attractive at Saint^Cloud to ask me of my father, subject 
 to the approval of their Majesties ; and it was decided that we should 
 be married after the coronation. I was fourteen years old fifteen days 
 after our marriage. 
 
 " Both my sister and I are always received with extreme kind- 
 ness by her Majesty the Empress ; and whenever, for fear of annoying 
 her, we let some time pass without going to see her, she complains of 
 it to my father. She sometimes admits us to her morning toilet, 
 which is conducted in our presence, and to which are admitted in her 
 apartments only her women, and a few persons of her household, who, 
 like us, count among their happiest moments those in which they can 
 thus behold this adored princess. The conversations are almost al- 
 ways delightful, and her Majesty frequently relates anecdotes which a 
 word from one or another of us recalls to her." 
 
 Her Majesty the Empress had promised Louise a dowry ; 
 but the money which she intended for that she spent other- 
 wise, and consequently my wife had only a few jewels of 
 little value and two or three pieces of stuff.
 
 TUE EMPRESS FORGETFUL. 327 
 
 M. Charvet was too refined to recall this promise to her 
 Majesty's recollection. However, that was the only way 
 to get anything from her; for she knew no better how 
 to economize than how to refuse. The Emperor asked me 
 a short time after my marriage what the Empress had given 
 my wife, and on my reply showed the greatest possible 
 vexation ; no doubt because the sum that had been de- 
 manded of him for Louise's dowry had been spent other- 
 wise. His Majesty the Emperor had the goodness, while 
 on this subject, to assure me that he himself would here- 
 after look after my interests, and that he was well satisfied 
 with my services, and would prove it to me. 
 
 I have said above that my wife's younger sister was the 
 favorite of her Majesty the Empress ; and yet she received 
 on her marriage no richer dowry than Louise, nevertheless, 
 the Empress asked to have my sister-in-law's husband pre- 
 sented to her, and said to him in the most maternal tone, 
 "Monsieur, I recommend my daughter to you, and I en- 
 treat you to make her happy. She deserves it, and I 
 earnestly hope that you know how to appreciate her!" 
 When my sister-in-law, fleeing from Compiegne, in 1814, 
 went with her husband's mother to Evreux for her confine- 
 ment, the Empress sent by her first valet de chambre every- 
 thing necessary for a young woman in that condition, and 
 even reproached her with not having come to Navarre. 
 
 My sister-in-law had been reared in the same boarding- 
 school as Mademoiselle Josephine Tallien, god-daughter of 
 the Empress, who has since married M. Pelet de la Lozere, 
 and another daughter of Madame Tallien, Mademoiselle 
 Clemence Cabarus. The school was conducted by Madame 
 Vigogne, widow of the colonel of that name, and an old
 
 828 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 friend of the Empress, who had advised her to take a 
 boarding-school, and promised to procure for her as many 
 pupils as she could. This institution prospered under the 
 direction of this lady, who was distinguished for her intelli- 
 gence and culture ; and she frequently brought to the Em- 
 press these protegees, with other young persons who by good 
 conduct had earned this reward; and this was made a 
 powerful means of exciting the emulation of these children, 
 whom her Majesty overwhelmed with caresses, and pre- 
 sented with little gifts. 
 
 One morning just as Madame Vigogne was about to 
 visit the Empress, and was descending the staircase to enter 
 her carriage, she heard piercing cries in one of the school- 
 rooms, and, hastening to the spot, saw a young girl with 
 her clothing on fire. With a presence of mind worthy of 
 a mother, Madame Vigogne wrapped her pupil in the long 
 train of her dress, and thus extinguished the flames, not, 
 however, until the hands of the courageous instructress 
 had been most painfully burned. She made the visit to her 
 Majesty in this condition, and related to her the sad acci- 
 dent which had occurred ; while her Majesty, who was easily 
 moved by eveiything noble and generous, overwhelmed her 
 with praises for her courage, and was so deeply touched 
 that she wept with admiration, and ordered her private 
 physician to give 'his best services to Madame Vigogne and 
 her young pupil.
 
 THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE. 329 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Description of the Empress Josephine. Awaking of the Empress. Details 
 of her toilet. Audiences of the Empress. Reception of the furnishers. 
 
 Breakfast of the Empress. Madame de la Rochefoucauld, first lady 
 of honor. The Empress plays billiards. Promenades in the private 
 park. The Empress with her ladies. The Emperor coming to surprise 
 the Empress in the saloon. Dinner of the Empress. The Emperor 
 keeps it waiting. The princes and ministers at the Emperor's table. 
 The Empress and M. de Beaumont. Game of backgammon. The 
 Empress one day at the chase. All the ladies at their Majesties' table. 
 The Empress comes to pass the night with the Emperor. Details of the 
 awaking of the august spouses. Fondness of the Empress for jewelry. 
 
 Anecdote concerning the first marriage of the Empress. Madame de 
 Beauharnais' pockets. The Empress Josephine's jewels. The jewel- 
 case of Marie Antoinette too siffall to hold Josephine's jewels. The Em- 
 press's remarkable memory. The Empress restores harmony between 
 the Emperor and his brothers. The Empress's kindness to her valet de 
 chambre. Harshness of the Emperor; he wished to send away M. Frere. 
 
 The valet de chambre restored to favor. Forgets a kindness shown. 
 
 Generosity of the Empress. How the valets of the Empress employ 
 their time. Anecdote concerning a daughter of M. de Beauharnais, first 
 husband of Josephine. The Empress marries her to a prefect of the em- 
 pire. Devotion of the Empress to Eugene and Hortense. Anecdote 
 concerning the vice-queen (Amelia of Bavaria). The family portrait. 
 The Empress sends for me to see this portrait. Love of Josephine for her 
 grandchildren. A word concerning the divorce. Letter of Prince Eu- 
 gene to his wife. My trips to Malmaison after the divorce. Messages 
 of the Emperor to the Empress Josephine. My adieux to the Empress. 
 
 Recommendations of that Princess. The Empress desires to see the 
 Emperor. Visit to Josephine before the campaign of Russia. Visit 
 to the Empress after this campaign. Letters committed to me. Con- 
 versation with the Empress. My wife goes to see the Empress, and 
 shows her my letters. Items of the Empress's expenses after the di- 
 vorce. Council presided over by the Empress in a linen dress. The 
 Empress imposed upon by the merchants. Politeness of the Empress. 
 
 Manner in which Josephine punished her ladies. Quantity of valua- 
 ble articles belonging to the Empress. Distribution among her chil-
 
 330 EECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 dren and the brothers and sisters of the Emperor. M. Denon. The 
 cabinet of antiques at Malmaison. M. Denon and the collection of 
 medals belonging to the Empress. Visit of the Empress to the Em- 
 peror while I was dressing him. The infant and the petition. The 
 orphan girl rescued from the Seine. M. Fabien Fillet and his wife at 
 the residence of the Empress. Touching scene. 
 
 THE Empress Josephine was of medium height, with an 
 exquisite figure ; and in all her movements there was an airi- 
 ness and grace which gave to her walk something ethereal, 
 without detracting from the majesty of the sovereign. Her 
 expressive countenance portrayed all the emotions of her 
 soul, while retaining the charming sweetness which was its 
 ruling expression. In pleasure, as in grief, she was beau- 
 tiful, and even against your will you would smile when she 
 smiled ; if she was sad, you would be also. Never did a 
 woman justify better than she the expression that the eyes 
 are the mirror of the soul. Hers were of a deep blue, and 
 nearly always half closed by her long lids, which were 
 slightly arched, and fringed with the most beautiful lashes 
 in the world ; in regarding her you felt yourself drawn to 
 her by an irresistible power. It must have been difficult 
 for the Empress to give severity to that seductive look ; but 
 she could do this, and well knew how to render it imposing 
 when necessary. Her hair was very beautiful, long and 
 silken, its nut-brown tint contrasting exquisitely with the 
 dazzling whiteness of her fine fresh complexion. At the 
 commencement of her supreme power, the Empress still 
 liked to adorn her head in the morning with a red ma- 
 dras handkerchief, which gave her a most piquant Creole 
 air, and rendered her still more charming. 
 
 But what more than all else constituted the inexpres- 
 sible charm of the Empress's presence were the ravishing
 
 HABITS OF THE EMPRESS. 331 
 
 tones of her voice. How many times have I, like many 
 others, stopped suddenly on hearing that voice, simply to 
 enjoy the pleasure of listening to it. It cannot perhaps be 
 said that the Empress was a strictly beautiful woman ; but 
 her lovely countenance, expressing sweetness and good na- 
 ture, and the angelic grace diffused around her person, made 
 her the most attractive of women. 
 
 During her stay at SaimVCloud, the Empress rose habits 
 ually at nine o'clock, and made her first toilet, which lasted 
 till ten ; then she passed into a saloon, where she found 
 assembled those persons who had solicited and obtained the 
 favor of an audience ; and sometimes also at this hour, and 
 in the same saloon, her Majesty received her tradespeople ; 
 and at eleven o'clock, when the Emperor was absent, she 
 breakfasted with her first lady of honor and a few others. 
 Madame de la Rochefoucauld, first lady of honor to the 
 Empress, was a hunchback, and so small that it was neces- 
 sary, when she was to have a place at the table, to heighten 
 the seat of her chair by another very thick cushion made of 
 violet satin. Madame de la Rochefoucauld knew well how 
 to efface, by means of her bright and sparkling, though 
 somewhat caustic wit, her striking elegance, and her ex- 
 quisite court manners, any unpleasant impression which 
 might be made by her physical deformity. 
 
 Before breakfast the Empress had a game of billiards ; 
 or, when the weather was good, she walked in the gardens 
 or in the inclosed park, which recreation lasted only a 
 short while, and her Majesty soon returned to her apart- 
 ments, and occupied herself with embroidery, while talking 
 with her ladies, like herself, occupied with some kind of 
 needlework. When it happened that they were not inter-
 
 332 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 rupted by visits, between two and three o'clock in the 
 afternoon the Empress took a drive in an open barouche ; 
 and on her return from this the grand toilet took place, at 
 which the Emperor was sometimes present. 
 
 Now and then, also, his Majesty surprised the Empress 
 in her saloon; and we were sure to find him, on those 
 occasions, amusing, amiable, and in fine spirits. 
 
 At six o'clock dinner was served ; this the Emperor 
 frequently forgot, and delayed it indefinitely, in conse- 
 quence of which dinner was more than once eaten at nine 
 or ten o'clock in the evening. Their Majesties dined to- 
 gether alone, or in the company of a few invited guests, 
 princes of the imperial family, or ministers, after which 
 there was a concert, reception, or the theater ; and at mid- 
 night every one retired except the Empress, who greatly 
 enjoyed sitting up late, and then played backgammon with 
 one of the chamberlains. The Count de Beaumont was thus 
 honored most frequently. 
 
 On the days of the chase the Empress and her ladies 
 followed in the coach. They had a special costume for this 
 occasion, consisting of a kind of green riding-habit, and 
 a hat ornamented with white plumes. All the ladies who 
 followed the chase dined with their Majesties. 
 
 When the Empress spent the night in the Emperor's 
 apartment, I entered in the morning, as usual, between 
 seven and eight o'clock, and nearly always found the 
 august spouses awake. The Emperor usually ordered 
 tea, or an infusion of orange flowers, and rose immediately, 
 the Empress saying to him, with a laugh, " What, rising 
 already? Rest a little longer." --" Well, you are not 
 asleep, then ? " replied his Majesty, rolling her over in the
 
 HABITS OF THE EMPRESS. 333 
 
 covering, giving her little slaps on her cheeks and shoul- 
 ders, laughing, and kissing her. 
 
 At the end of a few moments the Empress rose also, 
 put on a wrapper, and read the journals, or descended by 
 the little communicating stairway to her own apartment, 
 never leaving the Emperor without a few words expressing 
 the most touching affection and good-will. 
 
 Elegant and simple in her dress, the Empress submitted 
 with regret to the necessity of toilets of state. Jewels, how- 
 ever, were much to her taste ; and, as she had always been 
 fond of them, the Emperor presented her with them often 
 and in great quantities ; and she greatly enjoyed adorning 
 herself with them, and still more exhibiting them to the 
 admiration of others. 
 
 One morning, when my wife was present at her toilet, 
 her Majesty related that, being newly married to M. de 
 Beauharnais, and much delighted with the ornaments he 
 had given her, she was in the habit of carrying them around 
 in her reticule (reticules were then an essential part of a 
 woman's dress), and showing them to her young friends. 
 
 As the Empress spoke of her reticule, she ordered 
 one of her ladies to hunt for one to show my wife. The 
 lady whom the Empress addressed could scarcely repress 
 a laugh at this singular request, and assured her Majesty 
 that there was nothing similar to that now in her wardrobe ; 
 to which the Empress replied, with an air of regret, that 
 she would have really liked to see again one of her old 
 reticules, and that the years had brought great changes. 
 The jewels of the Empress Josephine could hardly have 
 been contained in the reticule of Madame de Beauharnais, 
 however long or deep it might have been ; for the jewel-
 
 334 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 case which had belonged to Queen Marie Antoinette, and 
 which had never been quite full, was too small for the 
 Empress. One day, when she wished to exhibit all her 
 ornaments to several ladies who expressed a desire to see 
 them, it was necessary to prepare a large table on which to 
 place the caskets ; and, as this table was not sufficient, 
 several other pieces of furniture were also covered with 
 them. 
 
 Good to excess, as every one knows, sympathetic beyond 
 all expression, generous even to prodigality, the Empress 
 made the happiness of v all who surrounded her; loving her 
 husband with a devotion which nothing ever changed, and 
 which was as deep in her last moments as at the period 
 when Madame Beauharnais and General Bonaparte made 
 to each other a mutual avowal of their love. Josephine 
 was long the only woman loved by the Emperor, as she 
 well deserved to have ever been ; and for several years the 
 harmony of this imperial household was most touching. 
 Attentive, loving, and entirely devoted to Josephine, the 
 Emperor took pleasure in embracing her neck, her figure, 
 giving her taps, and calling her ma grosse bete; all of 
 which did not prevent, it is true, his being guilty of some 
 infidelities, but without failing otherwise in his conjugal 
 duties. On her side the Empress adored him, sought by 
 every means to please him, to divine his wishes, and to 
 forestall his least desires. 
 
 At first she gave her husband cause for jealousy. 
 Having been strongly prejudiced against her by indiscreet 
 reports, during the campaign of Egypt, the Emperor on 
 his return had explanations with her, which did not always 
 end without lamentations and violent scenes ; but peace was
 
 THE EMPRESS'S MEMORY. 335 
 
 soon restored, and was thereafter very rarely broken, for 
 the Emperor could not fail to feel the influence of so many 
 attractions and such loveliness. 
 
 The Empress had a remarkable memory, of which the 
 Emperor often availed himself; she was also an excellent 
 musician, played well on the harp, and sang with taste. 
 She had perfect tact, an exquisite perception of what was 
 suitable, the soundest, most infallible judgment imaginable, 
 and, with a disposition always lovely, always the same, in- 
 dulgent to her enemies as to her friends, she restored peace 
 wherever there was quarrel or discord. When the Emperor 
 was vexed with his brothers or other persons, which often 
 happened, the Empress spoke a few words, and everything 
 was settled. If she demanded a pardon, it was very rare 
 that the Emperor did not grant it, however grave the 
 crime committed; and I could cite a thousand examples of 
 pardons thus solicited and obtained. One occurrence which 
 is almost personal to me will sufficiently prove how all- 
 powerful was the intercession of this good Empress. 
 
 Her Majesty's head valet being one day a little affected 
 by the wine he had taken at a breakfast with some friends, 
 was obliged, from the nature of his duties, to be present at 
 the time of their Majesties' dinner, and to stand behind the 
 Empress in order to take and hand her the plates. Excited 
 by the fumes of the champagne, he had the misfortune to 
 utter some improper words, which, though pronounced in a 
 low tone, the Emperor unfortunately overheard. His Maj- 
 esty cast lightning glances at M. Frere, who thus perceived 
 the gravity of his fault ; and, when dinner was over, gave 
 orders to discharge the impudent valet, in a tone which 
 left no hope and permitted no reply.
 
 336 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 Monsieur Frere was an excellent servant, a gentle, good, 
 and honest man ; it was the first fault of tin's kind of which 
 he could be accused, and consequently he deserved indul- 
 gence. Application was made to the grand marshal, who 
 refused to intercede, well knowing the inflexibility of the 
 Emperor; and many other persons whom the poor man 
 begged to intercede for him having replied as the grand 
 marshal had done, M. Frere came in despair to bid us adieu. 
 I dared to take his cause in hand, with the hope that by 
 seizing a favorable moment I might succeed in appeasing 
 his Majesty. The order of discharge required M. Frere to 
 leave the palace in twenty-four hours ; but I advised him not 
 to obey it, but to keep himself, however, constantly con- 
 cealed in his room, which he did. That evening on retiring, 
 his Majesty spoke to me of what had passed, showing much 
 anger, so I judged that silence was the best course to take, 
 and therefore waited ; but the next day the Empress had the 
 kindness to tell me that she would be present at her hus- 
 band's toilet, and that, if I thought proper to open the 
 matter,, she would sustain me with all her influence. Con- 
 sequently, finding the Emperor in a good humor, I spoke of 
 M. Frere; and depicting to his Majesty the despair of this 
 poor man, I pointed out to him the reasons which might ex- 
 cuse the impropriety of his conduct. " Sire," said I, " he 
 is a good man, who has no fortune, and supports a numerous 
 family ; and if he has to quit the service of her Majesty the 
 Empress, it will not be believed that it was on account of a 
 fault for which the wine was more to be blamed than he, and 
 he will be utterly ruined." To these words, as well as to 
 many other suggestions, the Emperor only replied by inter- 
 ruptions, made with every appearance of a decided opposi-
 
 KINDHEARTEDNESS OF THE EMPRESS. 337 
 
 tion to the pardon which I had requested. Fortunately the 
 Empress was good enough to come to my assistance, and 
 said to her husband in her own gentle tones, always so 
 touching and full of expression, " Mon ami, if you are 
 willing to pardon him, you will be doing me a favor." 
 Emboldened by this powerful patronage, I renewed my 
 solicitations ; to which the Emperor at last replied abruptly, 
 addressing himself to both the Empress and myself, " In 
 short, you wish it ; well, let him stay then." 
 
 Monsieur Frere thanked me with his whole heart, and 
 could hardly believe the good news which I brought him ; 
 and as for the Empress, she was made happy by the joy of 
 this faithful servant, who gave her during the remainder 
 of his life every proof of his entire devotion. I have been 
 assured that, in 1814, on the departure of the Emperor for 
 the Island of Elba, Monsieur Frere was by no means the 
 last to blame my conduct, the motive of which he could 
 not possibly know ; but I am not willing to believe this, for 
 it seems to me that in his place, if I thought I could not 
 defend an absent friend, I should at least have kept silence. 
 
 As I have said, the Empress was extremely generous, 
 and bestowed much in alms, and was most ingenious in find- 
 ing occasions for their bestowal. Many emigres lived solely 
 on her benefactions ; she also kept up a very active corre- 
 spondence with the Sisters of Charity who nursed the sick, 
 and sent them a multitude of things. Her valets were 
 ordered to go in every direction, carrying to the needy the 
 assistance of her inexhaustible benevolence, while numer- 
 ous other persons also received each day similar commis- 
 sions; and all these alms, all these multiplied gifts which 
 were so widely diffused, received an inestimable value from
 
 338 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON 
 
 the grace with which they were offered, and the good judg- 
 ment with which they were distributed. I could cite a 
 thousand instances of this delicate generosity. 
 
 Monsieur de Beauharnais had at the time of his mar- 
 riage to Josephine a natural daughter named Adele. The 
 Empress reared her as if she had been her own daughter, 
 had her carefully educated, gave her a generous dowry, and 
 married her to a prefect of the Empire. 
 
 If the Empress showed so much tenderness for a daugh- 
 ter who was not her own, it is impossible to give an idea of 
 her love and devotion to Queen Hortense and Prince Eu- 
 gene, which devotion her children fully returned ; and there 
 was never a better or happier mother. She was very proud 
 of her children, and spoke of them always with an enthusi- 
 asm which seemed veiy natural to all who knew the Queen 
 of Holland and the Vice-King of Italy. I have related 
 how, having been left an orphan at a very early age by the 
 Revolutionary scaffold, young Beauharnais had gained the 
 heart of General Bonaparte by an interview in which he 
 requested of him his father's sword, and that this action 
 inspired in the General a wish to become acquainted with 
 Josephine, and the result of that interview, all of which 
 events are matters of history. When Madame de Beau- 
 harnais had become the wife of General Bonaparte, Eugene 
 entered on a military career, and attached himself immedi- 
 ately to the fortunes of his step-father, whom he accom- 
 panied to Italy in the capacity of aide-de-camp. He was 
 chief of squadron in the chasseurs of the Consular Guard, 
 and at the immortal battle of Marengo shared all the 
 dangers of the one who took so much pleasure in calling 
 him his son. A few years later the chief of squadron had
 
 JOSEPHINE'S MATERNAL LOVE. 339 
 
 become Vice-King of Italy, the presumptive heir of the 
 imperial crown (a title which, in truth, he did not long 
 preserve), and husband of the daughter of a king. 
 
 The vice-queen (Augusta Amelia of Bavaria) was hand- 
 some and good as an angel. I happened to be at Mal- 
 maison on the day the Empress received the portrait of her 
 daughter-in-law, surrounded by three or four children, one 
 upon her shoulder, another at her feet, and a third in her 
 arms, all of whom had most lovely faces. The Empress, 
 seeing me, deigned to call me to admire with her this col- 
 lection of charming heads ; and I perceived that, while 
 speaking, her eyes were full of tears. The- portraits were 
 well painted, and I had occasion later to find that they 
 were perfect likenesses. From this time the only question 
 was playthings and rare articles of all sorts to be bought 
 for these dear children, the Empress going in person to 
 select the presents she desired for them, and having them 
 packed under her own eyes. 
 
 The prince's valet has assured me that, at the time of 
 the divorce, Prince Eugene wrote his wife a very despond- 
 ing letter, and perhaps expressed in it some regret at not 
 being an adopted son of the Emperor, to which the Prin- 
 cess replied most tenderly, saying, among other things, " It 
 is not the heir of the Emperor whom I married and whom 
 I love, but it is Eugene de Beauharnais." The Prince read 
 this sentence and some others in the presence of the person 
 from whom I have these facts, and who was touched even 
 to tears. Such a woman deserved more than a throne. 
 
 After that event, so grievous to the heart of the Em- 
 press, and for which she never found consolation, she left 
 Malmaison no more, except to make a few visits to Navarre.
 
 340 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 Each time that I returned to Paris with the Emperor, I had 
 no sooner arrived than my first duty was to go to Malmaison, 
 though I was rarely the bearer of a letter from the Em- 
 peror, as he wrote to Josephine only on extraordinary 
 occasions. " Tell the Empress I am well, and that I wish 
 her to be happy," were almost invariably the parting words 
 of the Emperor as I set out. The moment I arrived the 
 Empress quitted everything to speak to me; and I fre- 
 quently remained an hour and often two hours with her ; 
 during which time there was no question of anything save 
 the Emperor. I must tell her all that he had suffered on 
 the journey, if he had been sad or gay, sick or well ; while 
 she wept over the details as I repeated them, and gave 
 me a thousand directions regarding his health, and the cares 
 with which she desired I should surround him. After this 
 she deigned to question me about myself, my prospects, 
 the health of my wife, her former protegee ; and at last 
 dismissed me, with a letter for his Majesty, begging me to 
 say to the Emperor how happy she would be if he would 
 come to see her. 
 
 Before his departure for Russia, the Empress, dis- 
 tressed at this war, of which she entirely disapproved, 
 again redoubled her recommendations concerning the Em- 
 peror, and made me a present of her portrait, saying to 
 me, "My good Constant, I rely on you; if the Emperor 
 were sick, you would inform me of it, would you not? 
 Conceal nothing from me, I love him so much." 
 
 Certainly the Empress had innumerable means of hear- 
 ing news of his Majesty ; but I am persuaded that, had she 
 received each day one hundred letters from those near 
 the Emperor, she would have read and reread them with 
 the same avidity.
 
 JOSEPHINE'S LASTING AFFECTION. 341 
 
 When I had returned from Saini>-Cloud to the Tuile- 
 ries, the Emperor asked me how Josephine was, and if I 
 found her in good spirits ; he received with pleasure the 
 letters I brought, and hastened to open them. All the 
 time I was traveling, or on the campaign in the suite of 
 his Majesty, in writing to my wife, I spoke of the Emperor, 
 and the good princess was delighted that she showed my 
 letters to her. In fact, everything having the least con- 
 nection with her husband interested the Empress to a 
 degree which proved well the singular devotion that she 
 still felt for him after, as before, their separation. Too 
 generous, and unable to keep her expenses within her 
 income, it often happened that the Empress was obliged 
 to send away her furnishers unpaid the very day she had 
 herself fixed for the settlement of their bills ; and as this 
 reached the ears of the Emperor on one occasion, there 
 ensued a very unpleasant scene between the Empress and 
 himself, ending in a decision, that in future no merchant 
 or furnisher should come to the chateau without a letter 
 from the lady of attire or secretary of orders ; and this 
 plan, once decided upon, was followed very closely until 
 the divorce. During this explanation the Empress wept 
 freely, and promised to be more economical, upon which 
 the Emperor pardoned and embraced her, and peace was 
 made, this being, I think, the last quarrel of this nature 
 which disturbed the imperial household. 
 
 I have heard that after the divorce, the allowance of 
 the Empress having been exceeded, the Emperor reproached 
 the superintendent of Malmaison with this fact, who in 
 turn informed Josephine. His kind-hearted mistress, much 
 distressed at the annoyance which her steward had expe-
 
 342 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 rienced, and not knowing how to establish a better order 
 of things, assembled a council of her household, over which 
 she presided in a linen dress without ornament ; this dress 
 had been made in great haste, and was used only this 
 once. The Empress, whom the necessity for a refusal 
 always reduced to despair, was continually besieged by 
 merchants, who assured her that they had made such or 
 such a thing expressly for her own use, begging her not 
 to return it because they would not be able to dispose of 
 it; in consequence of which the Empress kept everything 
 they brought, though they afterwards had to be paid for. 
 
 The Empress was always extremely polite in her inter- 
 course with the ladies of her household; and a reproach 
 never came from those lips which seemed formed to say 
 only pleasant things ; and if any of her ladies gave her 
 cause of dissatisfaction, the only punishment she inflicted 
 was an absolute silence on her part, which lasted one, two, 
 three, or even eight days, the time being longer or shorter 
 according to the gravity of the fault. And indeed this 
 penalty, apparently so mild, was really very cruel to many, 
 so well did the Empress know how to make herself adored 
 by those around her. 
 
 In the time of the Consulate, Madame Bonaparte often 
 received from cities which had been conquered by her hus- 
 band, or from those persons who desired to obtain her 
 intercession with the First Consul, quantities of valuable 
 furniture, curiosities of all kinds, pictures, stuffs, etc. At 
 first these presents delighted Madame Bonaparte greatly; 
 and she took a childish pleasure in having the cases opened 
 to find what was inside, personally assisting in unpacking 
 them, and rummaging through all these pretty things. But
 
 HABITS OF TUE EMPRESS. 343 
 
 soon these consignments became so considerable, and were 
 so often repeated, that it was found necessary to place them 
 in an apartment, of which my father-in-law kept the key, 
 and where the boxes remained untouched until it pleased 
 Madame Bonaparte to have them opened. 
 
 When the First Consul decided that he would take up 
 his residence at Saint-Cloud, my father-in-law was obliged 
 to leave Malmaison, and install himself in the new palace, 
 as the master wished him to take charge there. 
 
 Before leaving Malmaison, my father-in-law rendered 
 an account to Madame Bonaparte of everything committed 
 to his care, and all the cases which were piled up from 
 floor to ceiling in two rooms were opened in her pres- 
 ence. Madame Bonaparte was astonished at such mar- 
 velous riches, comprising marbles, bronzes, and magnificent 
 pictures, of which Eugene, Hortense, and the sisters of the 
 First Consul received a large part, and the remainder was 
 used in decorating the apartments of Malmaison. 
 
 The Empress's love of ornaments included for a while 
 antique curiosities, cut stones, and medals. M. Denon 
 flattered this whim, and ended by persuading the good 
 Josephine that she was a perfect connoisseur in antiques, 
 and that she should have at Malmaison a cabinet, a keeper 
 for it, etc. This proposition, which flattered the self-love of 
 the Empress, was favorably received ; the room was selected, 
 
 M. de M made keeper, and the new cabinet enriched 
 
 by diminishing in the same proportion the rich furniture 
 of the apartments of the chateau. M. Denon, who had ori- 
 ginated this idea, took upon himself to make a collection 
 of medals ; but this idea, which came so suddenly, vanished 
 as suddenly; the cabinet was changed into a saloon for
 
 344 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 guests, and the antiques relegated to the antechamber of the 
 bathing-hall, while M. de M , having no longer any- 
 thing to keep, remained constantly in Paris. 
 
 A short time after this, two ladies of the palace took a 
 fancy to persuade the Empress that nothing could be hand- 
 somer or more worthy of her than a necklace of Greek 
 and Roman antique stones perfectly matched. Several 
 chamberlains approved the idea, which, of course, pleased 
 the Empress, for she was very fond of anything unique ; 
 and consequently one morning, as I was dressing the Em- 
 peror, the Empress entered, and, after a little conversation, 
 said, "Bonaparte, some ladies have advised me to have a 
 necklace made of antique stones, and I came to ask you 
 to urge M. Denon to select only very handsome ones." 
 The Emperor burst out laughing, and refused flatly at 
 first ; but just then the grand marshal of the palace arrived, 
 and the Emperor informed him of this request of the Em- 
 press, asking his opinion. M. le due de Frioul l thought it 
 very reasonable, and joined his entreaties to those of the 
 Empress. "It is an egregious folly," said the Emperor; 
 "but we are obliged to grant it, because the women wish 
 it, so, Duroc, go to the cabinet of antiques, and choose 
 whatever is necessary." 
 
 M. le due de Frioul soon returned with the finest stones 
 in the collection, which the crown jeweler mounted magnif- 
 icently; but this ornament was of such enormous weight 
 that the Empress never wore it. 
 
 Though I may be accused of making tiresome repeti- 
 tions, I must say that the Empress seized, with an eagerness 
 which cannot be described, on all occasions of making bene- 
 i Duroc. TBANS.
 
 HABITS OF THE EMPRESS. 345 
 
 factions. For instance, one morning when she was break- 
 fasting alone with his Majesty, the cries of an infant were 
 suddenly heard proceeding from a private staircase. The 
 Emperor was annoyed at this, and with a frown, asked 
 sharply what that meant. I went to investigate, and found 
 a new-born child, carefully and neatly dressed, asleep in a 
 kind of cradle, with a ribbon around its body from which 
 hung a folded paper. I returned to tell what I had seen ; 
 and the Empress at once exclaimed, " O Constant ! bring 
 me the cradle." The Emperor would not permit this at 
 first, and expressed his surprise and disapprobation that it 
 should have been thus introduced into the interior of his 
 apartments, whereupon her Majesty, having pointed out to 
 him that it must have been done by some one of the house- 
 hold, he turned towards me, and gave me a searching look, 
 as if to ask if it was I who had originated this idea. I 
 shook my head in denial. At that moment the baby began 
 to cry, and the Emperor could not keep from smiling, still 
 growling, and saying, "Josephine, send away that monkey !" 
 The Empress, wishing to profit by this return of good 
 humor, sent me for the cradle, which I brought to her. 
 She caressed the little new-born babe, quieted it, and 
 read the paper attached to which was a petition from its 
 parents. Then she approached the Emperor, insisting on 
 his caressing the infant himself, and pinching its fat little 
 cheeks ; which he did without much urging, for the Em- 
 peror himself loved to play with children. At last her 
 Majesty the Empress, having placed a roll of napoleons in 
 the cradle, had the little bundle in swaddling clothes car- 
 ried to the concierge of the palace, in order that he might 
 restore it to its parents.
 
 346 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 I will now give another instance of the kindness of 
 heart of her Majesty the Empress, of which I had the 
 honor to be a witness, as well as of the preceding. 
 
 A few days before the coronation, a little girl four and 
 a half years old had been rescued from the Seine ; and a 
 charitable lady, Madame Fabien Fillet, was much interested 
 in providing a home for the poor orphan. At the time of 
 the coronation, the Empress, who had been informed of this 
 occurrence, asked to see this child, and having regarded it 
 a few moments with much emotion, offered her protection 
 most gracefully and sincerely to Madame Fillet and her 
 husband, and announced to them that she would take upon 
 herself the care of the little girl's future ; then, with her 
 usual delicacy and in the affectionate tone which was so nat- 
 ural to her, the Empress added, " Your good action has 
 given you too many claims over the poor little girl for me 
 to deprive you of the pleasure of completing your work, I 
 therefore beg your permission to furnish the expenses of 
 her education. You have the privilege of putting her in 
 boarding-school, and watching over her ; and I wish to take 
 only a secondary position, as her benefactress." It was the 
 most touching sight imaginable to see her Majesty, while 
 uttering these delicate and generous words, pass her hands 
 through the hair of the poor little girl, as she had just called 
 her, and kiss her brow with the tenderness of a mother. 
 M. and Madame Fillet withdrew, for they could no longer 
 bear this touching scene.
 
 GENERAL JUNOT. 347 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 General Junot appointed ambassador to Portugal. Anecdote about tbis 
 general. Powder and the titus. The complainant still rebellious, and 
 Junot performs the office of barber. Junot's fits of rage. Junot, 
 while Governor of Paris, beats the employees of a playhouse. The 
 Emperor reprimands him in terms which bear a sad prediction. 
 Junot's skill with the pistol. The pipe cut in two, etc. The beau- 
 tiful Louise, mistress of Junot. The femme de chambre of Madame 
 Bonaparte rivals her mistress. Indulgence of Josephine. Brutality 
 of an English jockey. Napoleon, King of Italy. Second journey 
 of Constant to Lombardy. Contrast between this journey and the 
 first. Baptism of Prince Louis's second son. The three sons of Hor- 
 tense godsons of the Emperor. The Empress always wishes to fol- 
 low the Emperor in his travels. Anecdote on this subject. The Em- 
 peror obliged, against his will, to take the Empress along. Josephine 
 half-dressed in the Emperor's carriage. Sojourn of the Emperor at Bri- 
 enne. Mesdames de Brienne and de Lomenie. Souvenirs of the Em- 
 peror's childhood. The dinner, whist, etc. The field of la Rothiere. 
 The Emperor takes pleasure in giving the name of each locality. The 
 peasant of Brienne and the Emperor. Mother Marguerite. The Em- 
 peror makes her a visit, talks with her, and invites her to breakfast. 
 Scene of good-will and happiness. New anecdote about the Duke 
 d'Abrantes. Junot and his old schoolmaster. The Emperor and his 
 old teacher. Gifts of the Emperor to Brienne. He passes through 
 Troyes. Distress of the widow of a general officer of the old rdgime. 
 The Emperor grants this lady a pension of a thousand crowns. Stay at 
 Lyons. Delicate, but not disinterested, attentions of Cardinal Fesch. 
 Generosity of his Eminence well repaid. Passage of Mont Cenis. 
 Sedan chairs for their Majesties. Halt at the Hospice. Donations 
 made by the Emperor to the monks. Stay at Stupinigi. The Pope's 
 visit. Presents of their Majesties to the Pope and the Roman Cardinals. 
 Arrival at Alexandria. Review on the plain of Marengo. The coat 
 and hat worn at Marengo. The costume of the Emperor at Marengo 
 lent to David for one of his pictures. Description of the review. 
 The name of General Desaix. Sad and glorious memories. Interview 
 of the Emperor with Prince Je'rome. Cause of the Emperor's displeas- 
 ure. Jerome and Miss Patterson. Prince Jerome goes to deliver the 
 Genoese prisoners at Algiers. Affection of Napoleon for Jerome.
 
 348 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 THE appointment of General Junot as ambassador to 
 Portugal recalled to my recollection a laughable anecdote 
 concerning him, which greatly amused the Emperor. While 
 in camp at Boulogne, the Emperor had published in the 
 order of the day that every soldier should discard powder, 
 and arrange his hair a la Titus, on which there was much 
 murmuring ; but at last all submitted to the order of the 
 chief, except one old grenadier belonging to the corps com- 
 manded by General Junot. Not being able to decide on 
 the sacrifice of his oily tresses or his queue, the old soldier 
 swore he would submit to it only in case his general would 
 himself cut off the first lock ; and all the officers interested 
 in this affair having succeeded in getting no other reply, 
 at last reported him to the general. "That can be man- 
 aged; bring the idiot to me! " replied he. The grenadier 
 was called, and General Junot himself applied the scissors 
 to an oiled and powdered lock ; after which he gave twenty 
 francs to the grumbler, who went away satisfied to let the 
 barber of the regiment finish the operation. 
 
 The Emperor having been informed of this adventure, 
 laughed most heartily, and praised Junot, complimenting 
 him on his condescension. 
 
 I could cite a thousand similar instances of the kindness 
 of heart joined to military brusqueness which characterized 
 General Junot, and could also cite those of another kind, 
 which would do less honor to his name. The slight con- 
 trol he had over himself often threw him into transports 
 of rage, the most ordinary effect of which was forgetful- 
 ness of his rank and the dignity of demeanor which it 
 demanded of him. Every one has heard the adventure of 
 the gambling-house, when he tore up the cards, upset the
 
 ANECDOTE OF GENERAL JUNOT. 349 
 
 furniture, and beat both bankers and croupiers, to indemnify 
 himself for the loss of his money ; and the worst of it was, 
 he was at that very time Governor of Paris. The Em- 
 peror, informed of this scandal, sent for him, and de- 
 manded of him (he was still very angry), if he had sworn 
 to live and die mad. This might have been, from the 
 sequel, taken as a prediction ; for the unfortunate general 
 died at last in a fit of mental aberration. He replied in 
 such improper terms to the reprimands of the Emperor that 
 he was sent, perhaps in order that he might have time to 
 calm himself, to the army of England. It was not only in 
 gaming-houses, however, that the governor thus compro- 
 mised his dignity ; for I have heard other stories about him 
 of a still more shocking character, which I will not allow 
 myself to repeat. The truth is, General Junot prided him- 
 self much less on respecting the proprieties than on being 
 one of the best pistol-shots in the army. While riding in 
 the country, he would often put his horse into a gallop, 
 and with a pistol in each hand, never fail to cut off, in 
 passing, the heads of the ducks or chickens which he took 
 as his target. He could cut off a small twig from a tree 
 at twenty-five paces ; and I have even heard it said (I am 
 far from guaranteeing the truth of this) that on one oc- 
 casion, with the consent of the party whose imprudence 
 thus put his life in peril, he cut half in two the stem of a 
 clay pipe, hardly three inches long, which a soldier held 
 between his teeth. 
 
 In the first journey which Madame Bonaparte made into 
 Italy to rejoin her husband, she remained some time at 
 Milan. She had at that time in her service a femme de 
 chambre named Louise, a large and very beautiful woman,
 
 350 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 and who showed favors, well remunerated however, to the 
 brave Junot. As soon as her duties were ended, Louise, 
 far more gorgeously attired than Madame Bonaparte, en- 
 tered an elegant carriage, and rode through the city and 
 the principal promenades, often eclipsing the wife of the 
 General-in-chief. On his return to Paris, the latter obliged 
 his wife to dismiss the beautiful Louise, who, abandoned 
 by her inconstant lover, fell into great destitution ; and I 
 often saw her afterwards at the residence of Josephine 
 begging aid, which was always most kindly granted. 
 This young woman, who had dared to rival Madame 
 Bonaparte in elegance, ended by marrying, I think, an 
 English jockey, led a most unhappy life, and died in a 
 miserable condition. 
 
 The First Consul of the French Republic, now become 
 Emperor of the French, could no longer be satisfied with 
 the title of President of Italy. Therefore, when new depu- 
 ties of the Cisalpine Republic passed over the mountains, 
 and gathered at Paris for consultation, they conferred on 
 his Majesty the title of King of Italy, which he accepted, 
 and a few days after his acceptance he set out for Milan, 
 where he was to be crowned. 
 
 I returned with the greatest pleasure to that beautiful 
 country, of which, notwithstanding the fatigues and dangers 
 of war, I retained the most delightful recollections. How 
 different the circumstances now ! As a sovereign the Em- 
 peror was now about to cross the Alps, Piedmont, and Lom- 
 bardy, each gorge, each stream, each defile of which we had 
 been obliged in a former visit to carry by force of arms. In 
 1800 the escort of the First Consul was a warlike army; 
 in 1805 it was a peaceful procession of chamberlains, pages, 
 maids of honor, and officers of the palace.
 
 SECOND VISIT TO ITALY. 351 
 
 Before his departure the Emperor held in his arms at 
 the baptismal font, in company with Madame his mother, 
 Prince Napoleon Louis, second son of his brother Prince 
 Louis. The three sons of Queen Hortense had, if I am 
 not much mistaken, the Emperor as godfather; but he 
 loved most tenderly the eldest of the three, Prince Napo- 
 leon Charles, who died at the age of five years, Prince 
 Royal of Holland. 1 I shall speak afterwards of this lovely 
 child, whose death threw his father and mother into the 
 most overwhelming grief, was the cause of great sorrow to 
 the Emperor, and may be considered as the source of the 
 gravest events. 
 
 After the baptismal fetes we set out for Italy, accom- 
 panied by the Empress Josephine. Whenever it was con- 
 venient the Emperor liked to take her with him ; but she 
 always desired to accompany her husband, whether or not 
 this Avas the case. 
 
 The Emperor usually kept his journey a profound secret 
 up to the moment of his departure, and ordered at midnight 
 horses for his departure to Mayence or Milan, exactly as if 
 a hunt at Saint-Cloud or Rambouillet was in question. 
 
 On one of his journeys (I do not remember which), his 
 Majesty had decided not to take the Empress Josephine. 
 The Emperor was less disturbed by this company of ladies 
 and women who formed her Majesty's suite, than he was by 
 the annoyance of the bandboxes and bundles with which 
 they were usually encumbered, and wished on this occasion 
 to travel rapidly, and without ostentation, and spare the 
 towns on his route an enormous increase of expense. 
 
 He therefore ordered everything to be in readiness for 
 
 1 The third sou lived to become Napoleon III. TRANS.
 
 352 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 his departure at one o'clock in the morning, at which hour 
 the Empress was generally asleep ; but, in spite of all pre- 
 cautions, some slight noise warned the Empress of what 
 was taking place. The Emperor had promised her that she 
 should accompany him on his first journey ; but he had de- 
 ceived her, nevertheless, and was about to set out without 
 her ! She instantly called her women ; but vexed at their 
 slowness, her Majesty sprang out of bed, threw on the first 
 clothing she found at hand, and ran out of her room in 
 slippers and without stockings. Weeping like a little child 
 that is being taken back to boarding-school, she crossed the 
 apartments, flew down the staircase, and threw herself into 
 the arms of the Emperor, as he was entering his carriage, 
 barely in time, however, for a moment later he set out. As 
 almost always happened at the sight of his wife's tears, 
 the Emperor's heart was softened ; and she, seeing this, had 
 already entered the carriage, and was cowering down in the 
 foot, for the Empress was scantily clad. The Emperor cov- 
 ered her with his cloak, and before starting gave the order 
 in person that, with the first relay, his wife should receive 
 all she needed. 
 
 The Emperor, leaving his wife at Fontainebleau, re- 
 paired to Brienne, where he arrived at six o'clock in the 
 evening, and found Mesdames de Brienne and Lomenie, 
 with several ladies of the city, awaiting him at the foot of 
 the staircase to the chateau. He entered the saloon, and 
 received most graciously all persons who were presented to 
 him, and then passed into the garden, conversing familiarly 
 with Mesdames Brienne and Lomenie, and recalling with 
 surprising accuracy the smallest particulars of the stay 
 which he made during his childhood at the military school 
 of Brienne.
 
 THE EMPEROR VISITS BRIENNE, 353 
 
 His Majesty invited to his table at dinner his hostesses 
 and a few of their friends, and afterwards made a party at 
 a game of whist with Mesdames de Brienne, de Vandeuvre, 
 and de Nolivres. During this game, as also at the table, 
 his conversation was animated and most interesting, and 
 he displayed such liveliness and affability that every one 
 was delighted. 
 
 His Majesty passed the night at the chateau of Brienne, 
 and rose early to visit the field of la Rothiere, one of his 
 favorite walks in former days. He revisited with the 
 greatest pleasyre those spots where his early youth had 
 been passed, and pointed them out with a kind of pride, all 
 his movements, all his reflections, seeming to say, "See 
 whence I set out, and where I have arrived." 
 
 His Majesty walked in advance of the persons who 
 accompanied him, and took much pleasure in being first to 
 call by their names the various localities he passed. A 
 peasant, seeing him thus some distance from his suite, cried 
 out to him familiarly, " Oh, citizen, is the Emperor going to 
 pass soon ? " " Yes," replied the Emperor, " have patience." 
 
 The Emperor had inquired the evening before, of Ma- 
 dame Brienne, news of Mother Marguerite. Thus was 
 styled a good woman who dwelt in a cottage, in the midst 
 of the forest, and on whom the pupils of the military 
 academy were accustomed to make frequent visits. He had 
 not forgotten her name, and learning, with as much joy 
 as surprise, that she still lived, the Emperor, extended his 
 morning ride, and galloping up to the door of the cottage, 
 alighted from his horse, and entered the home of the good 
 old peasant. Her sight was impaired by age ; and besides, 
 the Emperor had changed so much since she had seen him
 
 354 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 that it would have been difficult even for the best eyes 
 to recognize him. "Good-day, Mother Marguerite," said 
 his Majesty, saluting the old woman ; "so you are not curi- 
 ous to see the Emperor ? " - " Yes, indeed, my good sir ; I 
 am very curious to see him ; so much so, that here is a little 
 basket of fresh eggs that I am going to carry to Madame ; 
 and I shall then remain at the chateau, and endeavor to 
 see the Emperor. But the trouble is, I shall not be able 
 to see him so well to-day as formerly, when he came with 
 his comrades to drink milk at Mother Marguerite's. He 
 was not Emperor then ; but that was nothing, he made the 
 others step around ! Indeed, you should have seen him ! 
 The milk, the eggs, the brown bread, the broken dishes 
 though he took care to have me paid for everything, and be- 
 gan by paying his own bill." - " What ! Mother Margue- 
 rite," replied his Majesty, smiling, " you have not forgotten 
 Bonaparte ! " " Forgotten ! my good sir; you think that any 
 one would forget such a young man as he, who was wise, 
 serious, and sometimes even sad, but always good to poor 
 people ? I am only a poor peasant woman, but I could 
 have predicted that this young man would make his way. 
 He has not done it very badly, has he ? Ah, no, indeed !" 
 During this short dialogue, the Emperor had at first 
 turned his back to the door, and consequently to the light, 
 which entered the cottage only by that means. But, by 
 degrees, the Emperor approached the good woman; and 
 when he was quite near her, with the light shining full on 
 his face from the door, he began to rub his hands and say, 
 trying to recall the tone and manner of the days of his 
 early youth, when he came to the peasant's house, " Come, 
 Mother Marguerite, some milk and fresh eggs ; we are
 
 NAPOLEON AND MOTHER MARGUERITE. 355 
 
 famishing." The good old woman seemed trying to revive 
 her memories, and began to observe the Emperor with the 
 closest attention. " Oh, yes, Mother, you were so sure 
 a while ago of knowing Bonaparte again. Are we not old 
 acquaintances, we two ? " The peasant, while the Emperor 
 was addressing these last words to her, had fallen at his 
 feet ; but he raised her with the most touching kindness, 
 and said to her, " The truth is, Mother Marguerite, I have 
 still a schoolboy's appetite. Have you nothing to give 
 me ? " The good woman, almost beside herself with happi- 
 ness, served his Majesty with eggs and milk ; and when this 
 simple repast was ended, his Majesty gave his aged hostess 
 a purse full of gold, saying to her, " You know, Mother 
 Marguerite, .that I believe in paying my bills. Adieu, I 
 shall not forget you." And while the Emperor remounted 
 his horse, the good old woman, standing on the threshold of 
 her door, promised him, with tears of joy, to pray to the 
 good God for him. 
 
 One morning, when he awoke, his Majesty was speaking 
 of the possibility of finding some of his old acquaintances ; 
 and an anecdote concerning General Junot was related 
 to him, which amused him greatly. The General finding 
 himself, on his return from Egypt, at Montbard, where 
 he had passed several years of his childhood, had sought 
 with the greatest care for his companions in school and 
 mischief, and had found several, with whom he had talked 
 gayly and freely of his early frolics and his schoolboy 
 excursions. As they went together to revisit the different 
 localities, each of which awakened in them some memory 
 of their youth, the general saw an old man majestically 
 promenading on the public square with a large cane in
 
 356 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 his hand. He immediately ran up to him, threw his arms 
 around him, and embraced him many times, almost suffocat- 
 ing him. The promenader disengaged himself with great 
 difficulty from his warm embraces, regarded General Junot 
 with an amazed air, and remarked that he was ignorant 
 to what he could attribute such excessive tenderness from a 
 soldier wearing the uniform of a superior officer, and all the 
 indications of high rank. " What," cried he, " do you not 
 recognize me ? " " Citizen General, I pray you to excuse 
 me, but I have no idea " - " Ah, morbleu, my dear master, 
 have you forgotten the most idle, the most lawless, the most 
 incorrigible of your scholars ? " "A thousand pardons, 
 you are Monsieur Junot." - " Himself ! " replied Junot, 
 renewing his embraces, and laughing with his friends at 
 the singular characteristics by which he had caused himself 
 to be recognized. As for his Majesty the Emperor, if any 
 of his old masters had failed to recognize him, it could not 
 be by reminiscences of this kind that he could have recalled 
 himself to them ; for every one knows that he was distin- 
 guished at the military school for his application to work, 
 and the regularity and sobriety of his life. 
 
 A meeting of the same nature, saving the difference 
 in recollections, awaited the Emperor at Brienne. While 
 he was visiting the old military school, now falling to ruin, 
 and pointing out to the persons who surrounded him the 
 situation of the study halls, dormitories, refectories, etc., 
 an ecclesiastic who had been tutor of one of the classes 
 in the school was presented to him. The Emperor recog- 
 nized him immediately ; and, uttering an exclamation of 
 surprise, his Majesty conversed more than twenty min- 
 utes with this gentleman, leaving him full of gratitude.
 
 LIBERALITY OF THE EMPEEOE. 357 
 
 The Emperor, before leaving Brienne to return to Fon- 
 tainebleau, required the mayor to give him a written 
 account of the most pressing needs of the commune, and 
 left on his departure a considerable sum for the poor and 
 the hospitals. 
 
 Passing through Troyes, the Emperor left there, as 
 everywhere else, souvenirs of his generosity. The widow 
 of a general officer, living in retirement at Joinville (I 
 regret that I have forgotten the name of this venerable 
 lady, who was more than an octogenarian), came to Troyes, 
 notwithstanding her great age, to ask aid from his Majesty. 
 Her husband having served only before the Revolution, 
 the pension which she had enjoyed had been taken 
 from her under the Republic, and she was in the greatest 
 destitution. The brother of General Vouittemont, mayor 
 of a commune in the suburbs of Troyes, was kind enough 
 to consult me as to what should be done in order to present 
 this lady to the Emperor; and I advised him to have her 
 name placed on the list of his Majesty's private audiences. 
 I myself took the liberty of speaking of Madame de - - to 
 the Emperor; and the audience was granted, though I do 
 not pretend to attribute the merit of it to myself, for in 
 traveling the Emperor was always very accessible. 
 
 When the good lady came to attend the audience with 
 M. de Vouittemont, to whom his municipal scarf gave the 
 right of entrance, I happened to meet them, and she stopped 
 to thank me for the little service which she insisted I had 
 rendered her, and mentioned that she had been obliged to 
 pawn the six silver plates which alone remained to her, in 
 order to pay the expenses of her journey ; that, having ar- 
 rived at Troyes in a poor farm wagon, covered with a cloth
 
 358 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 thrown over a hoop, and which had shaken her terribly, she 
 could find no place in the inns, all of which were filled on 
 account of the arrival of their Majesties; and she would 
 have been obliged to sleep in her wagon had it not been for 
 the kind consideration of M. de Vouittemont, who had given 
 up his room to her, and offered his services. In spite of her 
 more than eighty years, and her distress, this respectable 
 lady related her story with an air of gentle gayety, and at 
 the close threw a grateful glance at her guide, on whose 
 arm she was leaning. 
 
 At that moment the usher came to announce that her 
 turn had come, and she entered the saloon of audience. M. 
 de Vouittemont awaited her return while conversing with 
 me ; and on her return she related to us, scarcely able to 
 control her emotion, that the Emperor had in the kindest 
 manner received the memorial she presented to him, had 
 read it attentively, and passed it to a minister who was 
 near him, with the order to do her justice this very day. 
 
 The next day she received the warrant for a pension 
 of three thousand francs, the first year's pay being handed 
 her at once. 
 
 At Lyons, of which Cardinal Fesch l was archbishop, the 
 Emperor lodged in the archiepiscopal palace. 
 
 During the stay of their Majesties the cardinal exerted 
 himself to the utmost to gratify every wish of his nephew ; 
 and in his eagerness to please, monseigneur applied to me 
 many times each day to be assured that nothing was lack- 
 ing; so everything passed off admirably. The zeal of the 
 cardinal was remarked by all the household; but for my 
 
 1 Joseph Fesch, born in Corsica, 1763, was half-brother to Napoleon's 
 mother. Archbishop of Lyons 1801, cardinal 1803, died 1839. TRANS.
 
 CARDINAL FESCH. 359 
 
 part I thought I perceived that the zeal displayed by mon- 
 seigneur in the reception of their Majesties took on an 
 added strength whenever there was a question of all the 
 expenses incurred by this visit, which were considerable, 
 being paid by them. His eminence, I thought, drew very 
 fine interest on his investment, and his generous hospitality 
 was handsomely compensated by the liberality of his guests. 
 
 The passage of Mont Cenis was by no means so difficult 
 as had been that of Mont St. Bernard ; although the road, 
 which has since been made by the Emperor's orders, was 
 not then commenced. At the foot of the mountain they 
 were obliged to take the carriage to pieces, and transport 
 it on the backs of mules ; and their Majesties crossed the 
 mountain partly on foot, partly in very handsome sedan 
 chairs which had been made at Turin, that of the Em- 
 peror lined with crimson satin, and ornamented with gold 
 lace and fringes, and that of the Empress in blue satin, 
 with silver lace and fringes. The snow had been carefully 
 swept off and removed. On their arrival at the convent 
 they were most warmly received by the good monks; and 
 the Emperor, who had a singular affection for them, held 
 a long conversation with them, and did not depart without 
 leaving rich and numerous tokens of his liberality. As 
 soon as he arrived at Turin he gave orders for the im- 
 provement of their hospice, which he continued to support 
 till his fall. 
 
 Their Majesties remained several days at Turin, where 
 they occupied the former palace of the kings of Sardinia, 
 constituted the imperial residence by a decree of the Em- 
 peror made during our stay, as was also the castle of Stu- 
 pinigi, situated a short distance from the town.
 
 360 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 The Pope rejoined their Majesties at Stupinigi; the 
 Holy Father had left Paris almost at the same time as our- 
 selves, and before his departure had received from the 
 Emperor magnificent presents. Among these was a golden 
 altar with chandeliers, and holy vessels of the richest work- 
 manship, a superb tiara, Gobelin tapestries, and carpets from 
 the Savonnerie, with a statue of the Emperor in Sevres 
 porcelain. The Empress also made to his Holiness a pres- 
 ent of a vase of the same manufacture, adorned with paint- 
 ings by the best artists. This masterpiece was at least four 
 feet in height, and two feet and a half in diameter at the 
 mouth, and was made expressly to be offered to the Holy 
 Father, the painting representing, if my memory is correct, 
 the ceremony of the coronation. 
 
 Each of the cardinals in the suite of the Pope had re- 
 ceived a box of beautiful workmanship, with the portrait of 
 the Emperor set in diamonds ; and all the persons attached 
 to the service of Pius VII. had presents more or less con- 
 siderable, all these various articles being brought by the 
 furnishers to the apartments of his Majesty, where I took 
 a list of them, by order of his Majesty, as they arrived. 
 
 The Holy Father also made in return very handsome 
 presents to the officers of the Emperor's household whose 
 duties had brought them near his person during his stay 
 at Paris. 
 
 From Stupinigi we went to Alexandria. The Emperor, 
 the next day after his arrival, rose early, visited the fortifi- 
 cations of the town, reviewed all the positions of the battle- 
 field of Marengo, and returned only at seven o'clock, and 
 after having broken down five horses. A few days after 
 he wished the Empress to see this famous plain, and by his
 
 REVIEW AT tiARENGO. 361 
 
 orders an army of twenty-five or thirty thousand men was 
 assembled. The morning of the day fixed for the review 
 of these troops, the Emperor left his apartment dressed in 
 a blue coat with long skirts, much worn, and even with 
 holes in some places. These holes were the work of moths 
 and not of balls, as has been said in certain memoirs. On 
 his head his Majesty wore an old hat edged with gold lace, 
 tarnished and frayed, and at his side a cavalry saber, such 
 as the generals of the Republic wore; this was the coat, 
 hat, and sword that he had worn on the day of the battle of 
 Marengo. I afterwards lent these articles to Monsieur 
 David, first painter to his Majesty, for his picture of the 
 passage of Mont St. Bernard. A vast amphitheater had 
 been raised on this plain for the Empress and the suite of 
 their Majesties ; the day was perfect, as is each day of 
 the month of May in Italy. After riding along the ranks, 
 the Emperor took his seat by the side of the Empress, and 
 made to the troops a distribution of the cross of the Legion 
 of Honor, after which he laid the corner-stone of a monu- 
 ment, which he had directed to be raised on the plain to the 
 memory of the soldiers who had fallen on the battlefield. 
 When his Majesty, in the short address which he made to 
 the army on this occasion, pronounced in a strong voice, vi- 
 brating with emotion, the name of Desaix, who here died glo- 
 riously for his country, a murmur of grief ran through the 
 ranks of the soldiers. As for me, I was moved to tears ; 
 and as my eyes fell on this army, on its banners, on the 
 costume of the Emperor, I was obliged to turn from time 
 to time towards the throne of her Majesty the Empress, to 
 realize that this was not the 14th of June in the year 1800. 
 I think it was during this stay at Alexandria, that
 
 362 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON'. 
 
 Prince Jerome Bonaparte had an interview with the Em- 
 peror, in which the latter seriously and earnestly remon- 
 strated with his brother, and Prince Jerome left the cabinet 
 visibly agitated. This displeasure of the Emperor arose 
 from the marriage contracted by his brother, at the age 
 of nineteen, with the daughter of an American merchant. 
 
 His Majesty had this union annulled on the plea of 
 minority, and made a decree forbidding the officers of the 
 civil state to receive, on their registers, the record of the 
 certificate of the celebration of the marriage of Monsieur 
 Jerome with Mademoiselle Patterson. For some time the 
 Emperor treated him with great coolness, and kept him 
 at a distance ; but a few days after the interview at Alex- 
 andria, he sent him to Algiers to claim as subjects of the 
 Empire two hundred Genoese held as slaves. The young 
 prince acquitted himself handsomely of this mission of hu- 
 manity, and returned in the month of August to the port 
 of Genoa, with the captives whom he had just released. 
 The Emperor was well satisfied with the manner in which 
 his brother had carried out his instructions, and said on 
 this occasion, that " Prince Jerome was very young and very 
 thoughtless, that he needed more weight in his head, but 
 that, nevertheless, he hoped to make something of him." 
 
 This brother of his Majesty was one among the few 
 persons whom he really loved, although he had often given 
 him just cause for anger.
 
 SOJOURN AT MILAN. 363 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 The Emperor's stay at Milan. Employment of his time. Prince Eugene 
 viceroy of Italy. Breakfast of the Emperor and Empress on the Island 
 of Olona. Visit to the cottage of a poor woman. Conversation of the 
 Emperor. Four happy people. Annexation of the Ligurian Republic 
 to the French Empire. Three new departments in the kingdom of 
 Italy. Journey of the Emperor to Genoa. Senator Lucien at the resi- 
 dence of his brother. The Emperor wishes to make his brother get a 
 divorce. Reply of Lucien. Anger of the Emperor. Agitation of 
 Lucien. Lucien sets out again for Rome. Silence of the Emperor on 
 retiring. The true cause of the disagreement between the Emperor and 
 his brother Lucien. Details of the first quarrels of the two brothers. 
 Bold reply of Lucien. The Emperor breaks his watch under his feet. 
 Conduct of Lucien while Minister of the Interior. Wheat passes the 
 Straits of Calais. Twenty millions of profit, and the Spanish Embassy. 
 Reception of Lucien at Madrid. Understanding between the Prince 
 de la Paix and Lucien. Thirty millions for two plenipotentiaries. 
 Friendship of Charles IV. for Lucien. The King of Spain envies the 
 good fortune of his first groom. Love of Lucien for a princess. The 
 portrait, and the hair chain. The hat-buckle of Lucien's second wife. 
 Details concerning the first marriage of Lucien, related by a person in 
 the same house. Spies. The mayor of the tenth arrondissement, and 
 the register of the civil status. Marriage prevented. A hundred post- 
 horses engaged, and departure for Plessis-Chamant. The assistant 
 cur. The cur conducted from one police band to another. Arrival 
 of the curf at the Tuileries. The cur in the First Consul's cabinet. 
 More frightened than hurt. Conversation between the agent of M. 
 Lucien and his secretary on the day of the proclamation of the French 
 Empire. Details of the enmity between Lucien and Madame Bonaparte. 
 Love of Lucien for Mademoiselle Meseray. Generosity of Count Lucien. 
 Disgust of the count; he does not wish to lose all. Fatal present. 
 Foolish contract. One word as to our sojourn at Genoa. Fetes given 
 to the Emperor. Departure from Turin for Fontainebleau. The old 
 woman of Tarare. Anecdote related by Doctor Corvisart. 
 
 THEIR Majesties remained more than a month at Milan, 
 and I had ample leisure to acquaint myself with this
 
 364 EECOLLECTlONS Of 1 NAPOLEON. 
 
 beautiful capital of Lombardy. This visit was a con- 
 tinual succession of fetes and gayeties ; and it seemed that 
 the Emperor alone had time to give to work, for he shut 
 himself up, as was his custom, with his ministers, while 
 all the persons of his suite and of his household, whose 
 duties did not detain them near his Majesty, were eagerly 
 taking part' in the sports and diversions of the Milanese. I 
 will enter into no details of the coronation, as it was almost 
 a repetition of what had taken place at Paris a few months 
 before ; and as all solemnities of this sort are alike, every- 
 one is familiar with the least details. Amid all these fete 
 days there was one day of real happiness to me : it was 
 that on which Prince Eugene, whose kindness to me I have 
 never forgotten, was proclaimed viceroy of Italy. Truly, 
 no one could be more worthy than he of a rank so elevated, 
 if to attain it only nobility, generosity, courage, and skill 
 in the art of governing, were needed ; for never did prince 
 more sincerely desire the prosperity of the people con- 
 fided to his care. I have often observed how truly happy 
 he was, and what genuine delight beamed from his counte- 
 nance when he had shed happiness around him. 
 
 The Emperor and Empress went one day to breakfast 
 in the environs of Milan, on a little island called Olona. 
 While walking over it, the Emperor met a poor woman, 
 whose cottage was near the place where their Majesties' 
 table had been set, and he addressed to her a number of 
 questions. " Monsieur," replied she (not knowing the 
 Emperor), "I am very poor, and the mother of three 
 children, whom I have great difficulty in supporting, 
 because my husband, who is a day laborer, has not always 
 work." "How much would it take," replied his Majesty,
 
 GENEROSITY OF THE EMPEROR. 365 
 
 "to make you perfectly happy?" "O Sire, it would 
 take a great deal of money." " But how much, my good 
 woman, how much would be necessary?"- "Ah, Monsieur, 
 unless we had twenty louis, 1 we would not be above want ; 
 but what chance is there of our ever having twenty louis?" 
 
 The Emperor gave her, on the spot, the sum of three 
 thousand francs 2 in gold, and ordered me to untie the rolls 
 and pour them all into the good woman's lap. 
 
 At the sight of so much gold the latter grew pale, 
 reeled, and I saw she was fainting. " Ah, that is too 
 much, Monsieur, that is indeed too much. Surely you 
 could not be making sport of a poor woman ! " 
 
 The Emperor assured her that it was indeed all hers, 
 and that with this money she could buy a little field, a 
 flock of goats, and raise her children well. 
 
 His Majesty did not make himself known ; for he liked, 
 in dispensing his benefits, to preserve his incognito, and I 
 knew, during his life, a large number of instances similar 
 to the foregoing. It seems that historians have made it a 
 point to pass them over in silence ; and yet it is, I think, by 
 the rehearsal of just such deeds that a correct idea of the 
 Emperor's character can and should be formed. 
 
 Deputations from the Ligurian Republic, with the Doge 
 at their head, had come to Milan to entreat the Emperor to 
 annex Genoa and its territory to the Empire, which demand 
 his Majesty took care not to refuse, and by a decree 
 formed of the Genoese states three departments of his 
 Italian kingdom. The Emperor and Empress set out from 
 Milan to visit these departments and some others. 
 
 We had been at Mantua a short time, when one even- 
 
 1 Eighty dollars. TRANS. 2 Six hundred dollars. TRANS.
 
 366 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 ing, about six o'clock, Grand Marshal Duroc gave me an 
 order to remain alone in a little room adjoining that of the 
 Emperor, and informed me that Count Lucien Bonaparte 
 would arrive soon. He came in a few moments ; and as 
 soon as he announced himself, I introduced him into the 
 Emperor's bedroom, and then knocked at the door of the 
 Emperor's cabinet, to inform him of his arrival. After 
 saluting each other, the two brothers shut themselves up 
 in the room, and there soon arose between them a very ani- 
 mated discussion; and being compelled to remain in the 
 little saloon, much against my will, I overheard a great part 
 of the conversation. The Emperor was urging his brother 
 to get a divorce, and promised him a crown if he would do 
 this ; but Lucien replied that he would never abandon the 
 mother of his children, which refusal irritated the Emperor 
 so greatly, that his expressions became harsh and even 
 insulting. When this altercation had lasted more than an 
 hour, M. Lucien came out from it in a deplorable condition, 
 pale and disheveled, his eyes red and filled with tears ; 
 and we did not see him again, for, on quitting his brother, 
 he returned to Rome. 
 
 The Emperor was greatly troubled by this refusal of 
 his brother, and did not open his mouth on retiring. It 
 has been maintained that the disagreement between the 
 brothers was caused by the elevation of the First Consul 
 to the Empire, and Lucien's disapproval of this step; but 
 that is a mistake. It is indeed true that the latter had pro- 
 posed to continue the Republic under the government of 
 two consuls, who were to be Napoleon and Lucien, one to 
 be at the head of the department of war and foreign rela- 
 tions, the other of everything connected with the affairs of
 
 NAPOLEON AND LUCIEN, 367 
 
 the interior ; but although the failure of this plan must have 
 disappointed Lucien, the avidity with which he accepted 
 the titles of senator and count of the Empire proved that 
 he cared very little for a republic of which he was not to be 
 one of the heads. I am sure that the marriage of Monsieur 
 Lucien to Madame Jouberthon was the only cause of this 
 disagreement. The Emperor disapproved of this union 
 because the lady's reputation was somewhat doubtful, and 
 she was also divorced from her husband, who had become 
 insolvent, and had . fled to America. This insolvency, and 
 the divorce especially, offended Napoleon deeply, who 
 always felt a great repugnance for divorced people. 
 
 Before this, the Emperor had wished to raise his brother 
 to the rank of sovereign, by making him marry the Queen 
 of Etruria, who had lost her husband. Lucien had refused 
 this alliance on several different occasions ; and at last the 
 Emperor became angry, and said to him, " You see how 
 far you are carrying your infatuation and your foolish love 
 for afemme galante." "At least," replied Lucien, "mine 
 is young and pretty," alluding to the Empress Josephine, 
 who had been both the one and the other. 
 
 The boldness of this reply excited the Emperor's anger 
 beyond all bounds. At that moment he held in his hands 
 his watch, which he dashed with all his might on the floor, 
 crying out, "Since you will listen to nothing, see, I will 
 break you like this watch." 
 
 Differences had arisen between the brothers before the 
 establishment of the Empire ; and among the acts which 
 caused the disgrace of Lucien, I have often heard the fol- 
 lowing cited. 
 
 Lucien, being minister of the interior, received the
 
 368 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 order of the First Consul to let no wheat go out of the 
 territory of the Republic. Our warehouses were filled, and 
 France abundantly supplied; but this was not the case in 
 England, and the scarcity of it was beginning to be felt 
 there. It was never known how it happened ; but the larger 
 part of this grain passed the Strait of Calais, and it was 
 stated positively that the sum of twenty millions was 
 received for it. On learning this, the First Consul took 
 away the portfolio of the interior from his brother, and 
 appointed him ambassador to Spain. 
 
 At Madrid, Monsieur Lucien was well received by the 
 king and the royal family, and became the intimate friend 
 of Don Manuel Godoy, Prince de la Paix. It was during 
 this mission, and by agreement with the Prince de la Paix, 
 that the treaty of Badajos was concluded, in order to pro- 
 cure which it is said that Portugal gave thirty millions. 
 It has been also declared that more than this sum, paid 
 in gold and diamonds, was divided between the two pleni- 
 potentiaries, who did not think it necessary to render an 
 account of this transaction to their respective courts. 
 
 Charles IV. loved Lucien tenderly, and felt for the First 
 Consul the greatest veneration. After examining carefully 
 several Spanish horses which he intended for the First 
 Consul, he said to his head groom : " How fortunate you 
 are, and how I envy your happiness ! you are going to see 
 the great man, and you will speak to him ; how I should 
 like to take your place ! " 
 
 During his embassage Lucien had paid his court to a 
 person of most elevated rank, and had received her portrait 
 in a medallion surrounded with very fine brilliants. I have 
 seen a hundred times this portrait which he wore sus-
 
 LUMEN'S FIRST MARRIAGE. 369 
 
 pendcd from his neck by a chain of most beautiful black 
 hair ; and far from making a mystery of it, he endeavored, 
 on the contrary, to show it, and bent over so that the rich 
 medallion could be seen hanging on his breast. 
 
 Before his departure from Madrid, the king likewise 
 made him a present of his own portrait in miniature, also 
 set in diamonds. 
 
 These stones, remounted and set in the form of a hat 
 buckle, passed to the second wife of Lucien. I will now 
 give an account of his marriage with Madame Jouberthon, 
 as related to me by a person who resided in the same 
 house. 
 
 The First Consul was informed each day, and very 
 promptly, of all that took place in the interior of the homes 
 of his brothers, a circumstantial account being rendered, 
 even as to the smallest particulars and the slightest details. 
 Lucien, wishing to marry Madame Jouberthon, whom he 
 had met at the house of the Count de L , an inti- 
 mate friend of his, wrote between two and three o'clock in 
 the afternoon to Duquesnoy, mayor of the tenth arrondisse- 
 ment, requesting him to come to his residence, Rue Saint 
 Dominique, about eight o'clock in the evening, and bring 
 the marriage register. 
 
 Between five and six o'clock Monsieur Duquesnoy, 
 mayor of the tenth arrondissement, received from the 
 chateau of the Tuileries an order not to take the register 
 out of the municipality, and above all not to celebrate any 
 marriage whatever, unless, in accordance with the law, the 
 names of the parties thereto had been published for eight 
 days. 
 
 At the hour indicated Duquesnoy arrived at the resi-
 
 370 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 dence, and asked to speak in private to the count, to 
 whom he communicated the order emanating from the 
 chateau. 
 
 Beside himself with anger, Lucien immediately hired 
 a hundred post-horses for himself and friends; and with- 
 out delay he and Madame Jouberthon, with these friends 
 and the people of his household, took carriages for the cha- 
 teau of Plessis-Chamant, a pleasure-house half a league 
 beyond Senlis. The cure of the place, who was also asso- 
 ciate mayor, was summoned, and at midnight pronounced 
 the civil marriage ; then, putting on his sacerdotal robes 
 over the scarf he wore as an officer of the civil state, 
 he bestowed on the fugitives the nuptial benediction. A 
 good supper was then served, at which the assistant and 
 cure were present ; but, as he returned to his vicarage about 
 six o'clock in the morning, he saw at his gate a post- 
 chaise, guarded by two soldiers, and on entering his house, 
 found there an officer of the armed police, who invited 
 him politely to be kind enough to accompany him to Paris. 
 The poor curate thought himself lost; but he was com- 
 pelled to obey, under penalty of being carried to Paris 
 from one guard-house to another by the police. 
 
 Nothing was left for him but to enter the fatal chaise, 
 which was drawn at a gallop by two good horses, and soon 
 arrived at the Tuileries, where he was brought into the 
 cabinet of the First Consul, who said to him in a voice of 
 thunder, " It is you, then, Monsieur, who marry members of 
 my family without my consent, and without having pub- 
 lished the bans, as is your duty in your double character 
 of cure" and assistant mayor. You well know that you 
 deserve to be deprived of your office, excommunicated,
 
 ANGER OF THE FIRST CONSUL. 371 
 
 and tried before the courts." The unfortunate priest 
 believed himself already in prison ; but after a severe lec- 
 ture he was sent back to his curacy, and the two brothers 
 were never reconciled. 
 
 In spite of all these differences, Lucien always counted 
 on the affection of his brother to obtain him a kingdom. 
 I guarantee the authenticity of the following incident, 
 wliich was related to me by a reliable person: Lucien 
 had in charge of his establishment a friend of his early 
 youth, the same age as himself, and like him born in 
 Corsica, who was named Campi, and enjoyed the most 
 confidential relations in the count's household. On the 
 day that the Moniteur gave a list of the new French 
 princes, Campi was promenading in the handsome gallery 
 of pictures collected by Lucien, with the latter's young 
 secretary, when the following conversation occurred be- 
 tween them. " You have no doubt read the Moniteur 
 of to-day?" "Yes."- -"You have seen that all the 
 members of the family have had the title of French 
 princes bestowed on them, and the name of monsieur le 
 count alone is wanting to the list." "What matters 
 that ? There are kingdoms." - " Considering the care 
 that sovereigns take to keep them, there will hardly be 
 any vacancy." " Ah, well, they will be made. All the 
 royal families of Europe are worn out, and we must have 
 new ones." Thereupon Campi was silent, and advised 
 the young man to hold his tongue, if he wished to pre- 
 serve the favor of the count. However, it was not long 
 after this before the young secretary repeated this confi- 
 dential conversation, wliich, without being singularly strik- 
 ing, gives, however, an idea of the amount of confidence
 
 372 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 which should be placed in the pretended moderation of 
 Count Lucien, and in the epigrams against his brother and 
 his family which have been attributed to him. 
 
 No one in the chateau was ignorant of the hostility 
 which existed between Lucien Bonaparte and the Empress 
 Josephine; and to make their court to the latter the 
 former habitues of Malmaison, now become the courtiers of 
 the Tuileries, were in the habit of relating to her the most 
 piquant anecdotes they could collect relative to the 
 younger brother of the Emperor. Thus it happened that 
 by chance one day I heard a dignified person and a 
 senator of the Empire give the Empress, in the gayest 
 manner imaginable, very minute details as to one of the 
 temporary liaisons of Count Lucien. I do not guaran- 
 tee the authenticity of the anecdote, and I experience 
 in writing it more embarrassment than the senator dis- 
 played in relating it, and omit, indeed, a mass of details 
 which the narrator gave without blushing, and without 
 driving off his audience ; for my object is to throw light 
 upon the family secrets of the imperial household, and 
 on the habits of the persons who were nearest the Em- 
 peror, and not to publish scandal, though I could justify 
 myself by the example of a dignitary of the Empire. 
 
 Count Lucien (I do not know in what year) estab- 
 lished himself in the good graces of Mademoiselle Mese- 
 rai, an actress of the Theatre Franais, who was both 
 pretty and sprightly. The conquest was not difficult, in 
 the first place, because this had never been her character 
 towards any one, and, secondly, because the artiste knew 
 the great wealth of the count, and believed him to be 
 prodigal. The first attentions of her lover confirmed her
 
 ANECDOTE OF LUCIEN. 373 
 
 in this opinion, and she demanded a house. He at once 
 presented her with one richly and elegantly furnished, 
 the deed being put in her hands on the day she took 
 possession; and each visit of the count added to the 
 actress's wardrobe or jewel-case some new gifts. This 
 lasted some months, at the end of which Lucien became 
 disgusted with his bargain, and began to consider by 
 what means to break it without losing too much. Among 
 other things, he had made mademoiselle a present of a 
 pair of girandoles, containing diamonds of great value. 
 In one of the last interviews, before the count had 
 allowed any signs of coldness to be seen, he perceived 
 the girandoles on the toilet-table of his mistress, and, 
 taking them in his hands, said, " Really, my dear, you 
 do me injustice; why do you not show more confidence 
 in me? I do not wish you to wear jewelry so much 
 out of date as these." " Why, it has been only six 
 months since you gave them to me." - " I know it ; but 
 a woman of good taste, a woman who respects herself, 
 should never wear anything six months old. I will take 
 the ear-rings and send them to de Villiers [he was the 
 count's jeweler], with orders to mount them as I wish." 
 The count was tenderly thanked for so 'delicate an atten- 
 tion, and put the girandoles in his pocket, with one or 
 two necklaces which had also been his gift, and which 
 did not appear to him sufficiently new in style, and the 
 breach took place before any of these had been returned. 
 Notwithstanding this, Mademoiselle believed herself 
 well provided for with her furniture and her house, until 
 one morning the true proprietor came to ask her wishes as 
 to making a new lease. She ran to examine her deed,
 
 374 EECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 which she had not yet thought to do, and found that it 
 was simply a description of the property, at the end of 
 which was a receipt for two years' rent. 
 
 During our stay at Genoa the heat was insupportable ; 
 from this the Emperor suffered greatly, saying he had 
 never experienced the like in Egypt, and undressed many 
 times a day. His bed was covered with a mosquito net- 
 ting, for the insects were numerous and worrying. The 
 windows of the bedroom looked out upon a grand terrace 
 on the margin of the sea, and from them could be seen the 
 gulf and all the surrounding country. The fetes given 
 by the city were superb. An immense number of vessels 
 were fastened together, and filled with orange- and citron- 
 trees and shrubs, some covered with flowers, some with 
 fruits, and all combined formed a most exquisite floating 
 garden which their Majesties visited on a magnificent 
 yacht. 
 
 On his return to France, the Emperor made no halt be- 
 tween Turin and Fontainebleau. He traveled incognito, in 
 the name of the minister of the interior, and went at such 
 speed that at each relay they were obliged to throw water 
 on the wheels ; but in spite of this his Majesty complained 
 of the slowness of the postilions, and cried continually, 
 " Hurry up I hurry up ! we are hardly moving." Many 
 of the servants' carriages were left in the rear; though 
 mine experienced no delay, and I arrived at each relay at 
 the same time as the Emperor. 
 
 In ascending the steep hill of Tarare, the Emperor 
 alighted from the carriage, as did also Berthier, who accom- 
 panied him ; the carriages of the suite being some distance 
 behind, as the drivers had stopped to breathe their horses.
 
 THE OLD WOMAN OF TARARE. 375 
 
 His Majesty saw, climbing the hill a few steps before him, 
 an old, decrepit woman, who hobbled along with great dif- 
 ficulty. As the Emperor approached her he inquired why, 
 infirm as she was, and apparently so fatigued, she should 
 attempt to travel so difficult a road. 
 
 " Sir," replied she, "they tell me the Emperor is to pass 
 along here, and I wish to see him before I die." His Maj- 
 esty, who liked to be amused, said to her, "Ah, but why 
 trouble yourself about him? He is a tyrant, like all the 
 rest." The good woman, indignant at this remark, angrily 
 replied, " At least, Sir, he is our choice ; and since we must 
 have a master, it is at least right that we should choose 
 him." I was not an eye-witness of this incident; but I 
 heard the Emperor himself relate it to Dr. Corvisart, 
 with some remarks upon the good sense of the masses, 
 who, according to the opinion of his Majesty and his chief 
 doctor, had generally formed very correct opinions.
 
 376 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Sojourn at Munich and Stuttgart. Marriage of Prince Eugene to the Prin- 
 cess Augusta Amelia of Bavaria. Fetes. Mutual affection of the 
 Vice-King and Queen. How the Vice-King reared his children. An 
 incident in the childhood of her Majesty the present Empress of Brazil. 
 
 Sketch of the late King of Bavaria, Maximilian Joseph. Incidents 
 of his former service at Strasburg as colonel in the service of France. 
 Love of the Bavarians for that excellent Prince. Devotion of the 
 King of Bavaria to Napoleon. The hand of Constant in a royal hand. 
 
 Contrast between the destiny of the King of Bavaria and that of the 
 Emperor. The two tombs. Description of the Prince Royal, now the 
 King of Bavaria. Deafness and stammering. Gravity and love of 
 study. Opposition of the Prince Royal to the Emperor. Visit of Prince 
 Louis (of Bavaria) to Paris. Slumber of this prince at the theater, and 
 the siesta of the arch-chancelor of the Empire. Sketch of the King of 
 Wurtemberg. His enormous stoutness. His position at table. His 
 passion for hunting. Difficult to find a suitable horse for him. How 
 they trained the king's horses to carry the enormous weight of their mas- 
 ter. Excessive harshness of the King of Wurtemberg. Singular de- 
 tails on this subject. Fidelity shown by this monarch. Luxury of the 
 King of Wurtemberg. The Prince Royal of Wurtemberg. The Prince 
 Primate. Out-of-date toilets and German princesses. Their coaches 
 and hoop-skirts. The journals of fashion, French. Miserable coaches. 
 
 Sketch of the Prince of Saxe-Gotha. Coquetry of this ci-devant 
 young man. Michalon, the hair-dresser, and wigs la Cupid. Extrava- 
 gant toilette of a princess of the Confederation at a court theater. Ma- 
 dame Cuntgonde. The Empress Josephine is reminded of Candide. 
 Prince Murat, Grand Duke of Berg and Cleves. Prince Charles Louis 
 Frederic of Baden comes to Paris to marry a niece of the Empress Jose- 
 phine. Sketch of this prince. The wedding-night. Vigorous resis- 
 tance. Consideration of her good husband. The queue sacrificed. 
 Reconciliation and a happy household. The Grand Duke of Baden at 
 Erfurt. The Emperor Alexander excites his jealousy. Illness and 
 death of the Grand Duke of Baden. A word as to his family. The 
 Grand Duchess devotes herself to the education of her daughters. 
 Fetes, hunting, etc. Gravity of the Turkish ambassador during an 
 imperial hunt. He refuses the honor of firing the first shot.
 
 AJUGEIREAIU.
 
 MASRIAGE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 377 
 
 His Majesty the Emperor passed the month of January, 
 1806, at Munich and Stuttgard, during which, in the first 
 of these two capitals, the marriage of the vice-king and the 
 Princess of Bavaria was celebrated. On this occasion there 
 was a succession of magnificent fetes, of which the Em- 
 peror was always the hero, and at which his hosts tried, by 
 every variety of homage, to express to this great man the 
 admiration with which liis military genius inspired them. 
 
 The vice-king and vice-queen had never met before 
 their marriage, but were soon as much attached to each 
 other as if they had been acquainted for years, for never 
 were two persons more perfectly congenial. No princess, 
 ajid indeed no mother, could have manifested more affec- 
 tion and care for her children than the vice-queen ; and she 
 might well serve as a model for all women. I have been 
 told an incident concerning this admirable princess which 
 I take pleasure in relating here. One of her daughters, 
 who was quite young, having spoken in a very harsh tone 
 to her maid, her most serene highness the vice-queen was 
 informed of it, and in order to give her daughter a lesson, 
 forbade the servants to render the young princess any ser- 
 vice, or to reply to any of her demands, from that time. 
 The child at once complained to her mother, who told her 
 gravely that when any one received, like her, the care and 
 attention of all around them, it was necessary to merit this, 
 and to show her appreciation by consideration and an obli- 
 ging politeness. Then she required her to ask pardon of the 
 femme de chambre, and henceforward to speak to her po- 
 litely, assuring her that by this means she would always 
 obtain compliance with all reasonable and just requests she 
 might make.
 
 378 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 The child obeyed ; and the lesson was of such benefit to 
 her that she became, if general report is to be believed, one 
 of the most accomplished princesses of Europe. The re- 
 port of her perfections spread abroad even to the New 
 World, which contended for her with the Old, and has 
 been fortunate enough to obtain her. She is at this time, 
 I think, Empress of Brazil. 
 
 His Majesty the King of Bavaria, Maximilian Joseph, 
 then about fifty years of age, was very tall, with a noble 
 and attractive physiognomy and fascinating manners. Be- 
 fore the Revolution he had been colonel of an Alsatian 
 regiment in the service of France, under the name of Prince 
 Maximilian, or Prince Max as the soldiers called him, and 
 stationed at Strasburg, where he left a reputation for ele- 
 gance and chivalrous gallantry. His subjects, his family, 
 his servants, everybody, adored him. He often took long 
 walks through the city of Munich in the morning, went to 
 the market, inquired the price of grain, entered the shops, 
 spoke to every one, especially the children, whom he per- 
 suaded to go to school. This excellent prince did not fear 
 to compromise his dignity by the simplicity of his manners ; 
 and he was right, for I do not think any one ever failed to 
 show him respect, and the love which he inspired lessened 
 in no wise the veneration which was felt for him. Such 
 was his devotion to the Emperor, that his kindly feelings 
 extended even to the persons who by their functions ap- 
 proached nearest to his Majesty, and were in the best posi- 
 tion to know his needs and wishes. Thus (I do not relate 
 it out of vanity, but in proof of what I have just said) his 
 Majesty the King of Bavaria never came to see the Emperor, 
 that he did not take my hand and inquire first after the
 
 LOUIS OF BAVARIA. 379 
 
 health of his Imperial Majesty, then after my own, adding 
 many things which plainly showed his attachment for the 
 Emperor and his natural goodness. 
 
 His Majesty the King of Bavaria is now in the tomb, 
 like him who gave him a throne ; but this tomb is still a 
 royal tomb, and the loyal Bavarians can come to kneel 
 and weep over it. The Emperor, on the contrary l 
 The virtuous Maximilian was able to leave to a worthy son 
 the scepter which he had received from him who perished 
 an exile at St. Helena. 
 
 Prince Louis, the present King of Bavaria, and to-day 
 perhaps the best king in Europe, was not so tall as his 
 august father, neither was his face so handsome ; and, un- 
 fortunately, he was afflicted with an extreme deafness, 
 which made him raise his voice without knowing it, and 
 in addition to this his utterance was impeded by a slight 
 stammering. This prince was grave and studious ; and the 
 Emperor recognized his merit, but did not rely upon his 
 friendship. This was not because he thought him wanting 
 in loyalty, for the prince royal was above such suspicion ; 
 but the Emperor was aware that he belonged to a party 
 which feared the subjection of Germany, and who suspected 
 that the French, although they had so far attacked only 
 Austria, had ideas of conquest over all the German powers. 
 
 However, what I have just stated in regard to the prince 
 royal relates only to the years subsequent to 1806 ; for I 
 am certain that at that epoch his sentiments did not differ 
 
 1 Constant wrote this before the return, in 1840, of the ashes of Napoleon 
 to rest on " the banks of the Seine, amid the French people whom he loved so 
 well," where in a massive urn of porphyry, and beneath the gilded dome of 
 the Invalides, in the most splendid tomb of the centuries, sleeps now the sol- 
 dier of Lodi, Marengo, Austerlitz, Wagram, and Waterloo. TRANS.
 
 380 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 from those of the good Maximilian, who was, as I have 
 said, full of gratitude to the Emperor. Prince Louis came 
 to Paris at the beginning of this year ; and I saw him many 
 times at the court theater in the box of the prince arch- 
 chancelor, where they both slept hi company and very pro- 
 foundly. This was also such a habit with Cambaceres, 
 that when the Emperor asked for him, and was told that 
 monseigneur was at the theater, he replied, "Very well, 
 very well ; he is taking his siesta ; let us not disturb him !" 
 The King of Wiirtemburg was large, and so fat that it 
 was said of him God had put him in the world to prove 
 how far the skin of a man could be stretched. His stomach 
 was of such dimensions that it was found necessary to 
 make a broad, round incision in front of his seat at the 
 table; and yet, notwithstanding this precaution, he was 
 obliged to hold his plate on a level with his chin to drink 
 his soup. He was very fond of hunting, either on horse- 
 back, or in a little Russian carriage drawn by four horses, 
 which he often drove himself. He was fond of horseback 
 riding, but it was no easy task to find a mount of size 
 and strength sufficient to carry so heavy a burden. It was 
 necessary that the poor animal should be progressively 
 trained ; and in order to accomplish this the king's equerry 
 fastened round the horse a girth loaded with pieces of lead, 
 increasing the weight daily till it equalled that of his 
 Majesty. The king was despotic, hard, and even cruel, 
 ever ready to sign the sentence of the condemned, and in 
 almost all cases, if what is said at Stuttgart be true, in- 
 creased the penalty inflicted by the judges. Hard to 
 please, and brutal, he often struck the people of his house- 
 hold; and it is even said that he did not spare her Maj-
 
 THE KING OF WURTEMBURG. 381 
 
 esty the queen, his wife, who was a sister of the present 
 King of England. Notwithstanding all this, he was a 
 prince whose knowledge and brilliant mind the Emperor 
 esteemed; for they had a mutual affection for each other, 
 and he found him faithful to his alliance to the very end. 
 King Frederic of Wiirtemburg had a brilliant and numer- 
 ous court, at which he displayed great magnificence. 
 
 The hereditary prince was much beloved; he was less 
 haughty and more humane than his father, and was said 
 to be just and liberal. 
 
 Besides those crowned by his hand, the Emperor, while 
 in Bavaria, received a great number of the princes of the 
 Confederation ; and they usually dined with his Majesty. 
 In this crowd of royal courtiers the prince primate was 
 noticeable, who differed in nothing as to manners, bearing, 
 and dress from the most fashionable gentlemen of Paris. 
 The Emperor paid him special attention. I cannot pay the 
 same eulogy to the toilet of the princesses, duchesses, and 
 other noble ladies ; for most of them dressed in exceedingly 
 bad taste, and, displaying neither art nor grace, covered 
 their heads with plumes, bits of gold, and silver gauze, fas- 
 tened with a great quantity of diamond-headed pins. 
 
 The equipages the German nobility used were all very 
 large coaches, which were a necessity from the enormous 
 hoops still worn by those ladies; and this adherence to 
 antiquated fashions was all the more surprising, because 
 at that time Germany enjoyed the great advantage of pos- 
 sessing two fashion journals. One was the translation of 
 the magazine published by Mesangere ; and the other, also 
 edited at Paris, was translated and printed at Mannheim. 
 These ridiculous carriages, which much resembled our an-
 
 382 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 cient diligences, were drawn by very inferior horses, har- 
 nessed with ropes, .and placed so far apart that an immense 
 space was needed to turn the carriage. 
 
 The Prince of Saxe-Gotha was long and thin. In spite 
 of his great age, he was enough of a dandy to order at 
 Paris, from our hairdresser Michalon, some pretty little 
 wigs of youthful blonde, curled like the hair of Cupid; but, 
 apart from this, he was an excellent man. I recollect, d 
 propos of the noble German ladies, to have seen at the court 
 theater at Fontainebleau a princess of the Confederation 
 who was being presented to their Majesties. The toilet of 
 her Highness announced an immense progress in the ele- 
 gance of civilization beyond the Rhine ; for, renouncing 
 the Gothic hoops, the princess had adopted the very latest 
 fashions, and, though nearly seventy years of age, wore a 
 dress of black lace over red satin, and her coiffure consisted 
 of a white muslin veil, fastened by a wreath of roses, in 
 the style of the vestals of the opera. She had with her 
 a granddaughter, brilliant with the charm of youth, and 
 admired by the whole court, although her costume was 
 less stylish than that of her grandmother. 
 
 I heard her Majesty, the Empress Josephine, relate one 
 day that she had much difficulty in repressing a smile 
 when, among a number of German princesses presented to 
 her, one was announced under the name of Cunegonde. 1 
 Her Majesty added that, when she saw the princess take her 
 seat, she imagined she saw her lean to one side. Assuredly 
 the Empress had read the adventures of Candide and the 
 daughter of the very noble baron of Thunder-Ten-Trunck. 
 
 1 Cunegonde was the mistress of Candide in Voltaire's novel of Candide. 
 TRANS.
 
 PRINCESS STEPHANIE. 383 
 
 At Paris, in the spring of 1806, I saw almost as many 
 members of the Confederation as I had seen in the capitals 
 of Bavaria and Wiirtemburg. A French name had the 
 precedence among these names of foreign princes. It was 
 that of Prince Murat, who in the month of March was made 
 Grand-duke of Berg and Cleves. After Prince Louis of 
 Bavaria, arrived the hereditary prince of Baden, who came 
 to Paris to marry a niece of the Empress. 
 
 At the beginning this union was not happy. The Prin- 
 cess Stephanie (de Beauharnais) was a very pretty woman, 
 graceful and witty ; and the Emperor had wished to make 
 a great lady of her, and had married her without consulting 
 her wishes. Prince Charles-Louis-Frederic was then twenty 
 years of age, and though exceedingly good, brave, and gen- 
 erous, and possessing many admirable traits, was heavy and 
 phlegmatic, ever maintaining an icy gravity, and entirely 
 destitute of the qualities which would attract a young 
 princess accustomed to the brilliant elegance of the im- 
 perial court. 
 
 The marriage took place in April, to the great satisfac- 
 tion of the prince, who that day appeared to do violence to 
 his usual gravity, and even allowed a smile to approach his 
 lips. The day passed off very well; but, when the time 
 came for retiring, the princess refused to let him share her 
 room, and for eight days was inexorable. 
 
 He was told that the princess did not like the arrange- 
 ment of his hair, and that nothing inspired her with more 
 aversion than a queue ; upon which the good prince hastened 
 to have his hair cut close, but when she saw him thus shorn, 
 she laughed immoderately, and exclaimed that he was more 
 ugly a la Titus than he was before. It was impossible
 
 384 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 that the intelligence and the kind heart of the princess 
 could fail to appreciate the good and solid qualities of her 
 husband; she learned to love him as tenderly as she was 
 loved, and I am assured that the august couple lived on 
 excellent terms. 
 
 Three months after this marriage, the prince left his 
 wife to follow the Emperor, first on the campaign in 
 Prussia, and afterwards in Poland. The death of his 
 grandfather, which happened some time after the Austrian 
 campaign of 1809, put him in possession of the grand 
 duchy, whereupon he resigned the command of his troops 
 to his uncle the Count of Hochberg, and returned to his 
 government, never more to leave it. 
 
 I saw him again with the princess at Erfurt, where they 
 told me he had become jealous of the Emperor Alexander, 
 who paid assiduous court to his wife ; at which the prince 
 took alarm and abruptly left Erfurt, carrying with him the 
 princess, of whom it must in justice be said that there had 
 been on her part not the slightest imprudence to arouse 
 this jealousy, which seems very pardonable, however, hi 
 the husband of so charming a woman. 
 
 The prince's health was always delicate, and from his 
 earliest youth alarming symptoms had been noticed in him ; 
 and this physical condition was no doubt, in a great meas- 
 ure, the main source of the melancholy which marked his 
 character. He died in 1818, after a very long and painful 
 illness, during which his wife nursed him with the most 
 affectionate care, leaving four children, two sons and two 
 daughters. The two sons died young, and would have left 
 the grand duchy of Baden without heirs, if the Counts 
 Hochberg had not been recognized as members of the
 
 PRINCESS STEPHANIE. 385 
 
 ducal family. The grand-duchess is to-day devoting her life 
 to the education of her daughters, who promise to equal 
 her in graces and virtues. The nuptials of the Prince and 
 Princess of Baden were celebrated by brilliant fetes ; at 
 Rambouillet took place a great hunting-party, in which 
 their Majesties, with many members of their family, and 
 all the princes of Baden, Cleves, etc., traversed on foot the 
 forests of Rambouillet. 
 
 I recollect another hunting-party, which took place 
 about the same time in the forest of Saint-Germain, to which 
 the Emperor invited the ambassador of the Sublime Porte, 
 then just arrived at Paris. His Turkish Excellency fol- 
 lowed the chase with ardor, but without moving a muscle 
 of his austere countenance. The animal having been 
 brought to bay, his Majesty had a gun handed to the 
 Turkish ambassador, that he might have the honor of firing 
 the first shot; but he refused, not conceiving, doubtless, 
 that any pleasure could be found in slaying at short range 
 a poor, exhausted animal, who no longer had the power to 
 protect itself, even by flight.
 
 386 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 Coalition of Russia and England against the Emperor. Army of Boulogne 
 on the march towards the Rhine. Departure of the Emperor. Picture 
 of the interior of the Tuileries before and after the departure of the Em- 
 peror for the army. The civil courtiers, and the day without a sun. 
 Arrival of the Emperor at Strasburg, and passage of the bridge of Kehl. 
 
 The rendezvous. The Emperor in a drenching rain. The coal- 
 burner's hat. Generals Chardon and Vanclamme. The rendezvous 
 forgotten, and why. The dozen bottles of Rhine wine. Dissatisfaction 
 of the Emperor. General Vandamme sent to the army of Wiirtem- 
 berg. His brave conduct and return to favor. The Emperor precedes 
 his suite and baggage, and passes the night in a cottage. The Emperor 
 before Ulm. Combat to the death. Personal courage and coolness of 
 the Emperor. The military cloak of the Emperor serving as a shroud 
 for a veteran. The cannoneer wounded unto death. The surrender of 
 Ulm. Thirty thousand men lay down their arms at the feet of the 
 Emperor. Entrance of the Imperial Guard into Augsburg. Passage 
 through Munich. Oath of mutual alliance taken by the Emperor of 
 Russia and the King of Prussia upon the tomb of Frederick the Great. 
 
 Reconciliations. Arrival of the Russians. The coronation and the 
 battle of Austerlitz. The Emperor in the bivouac. The Emperor's 
 slumbers. Visit to the advance posts. Military illuminations. The 
 Emperor and his soldiers. Bivouac of his attendants. I make punch 
 for the Emperor. I am overcome with fatigue, and sleep. The awak- 
 ening of an army. Battle of Austerlitz. General Rapp is wounded, 
 and the Emperor goes to see him. The Emperor of Austria at the 
 headquarters of the Emperor Napoleon. Treaty of 'peace. Sojourn 
 at Vienna and Schoenbrunn. Singular meeting. Napoleon and the 
 daughter of M. de Marboauf . The courier Moustache sent to the Em- 
 press Josephine. Reward worthy of an Empress. Zeal and courage 
 of Moustache. His horse falls dead from fatigue. 
 
 THE Emperor remained only a few days at Paris, after 
 our return from Italy, before setting out again for the camp 
 of Boulogne. The fetes of Milan had not prevented him
 
 AUSTRIA JOINS THE COALITION. 387 
 
 from maturing his political plans, and it was suspected 
 that not without good reason had he broken down his 
 horses between Turin and Paris. These reasons were 
 plainly evident, when it was learned that Austria had en- 
 tered secretly into the coalition of Russia and England 
 against the Emperor. The army collected in the camp of 
 Boulogne received orders to march on the Rhine, and his 
 Majesty departed to rejoin his troops about the end of Sep- 
 tember. As was his custom, he informed us only an hour in 
 advance of his departure ; and it was curious to observe the 
 contrast of the confusion which preceded this moment with 
 the silence that followed it. Hardly was the order given, 
 than each one busied himself hastily with his own wants 
 and those of his Majesty; and nothing could be heard in 
 the corridors but the sound of domestics coming and going, 
 the noise of cases being nailed down, and boxes being car- 
 ried out. In the courts appeared a great number of car- 
 riages and wagons, with men harnessing them, the scene 
 lighted by torches, and everywhere oaths and cries of impa- 
 tience ; while the women, each in her own room, were 
 sadly occupied with the departure of husband, son, or 
 brother. During all these preparations the Emperor was 
 making his adieux to her Majesty the Empress, or taking 
 a few moments of repose ; but at the appointed hour he 
 rose, was dressed, and entered his carriage. Soon after 
 everything was silent in the chateau, and only a few iso- 
 lated persons could be seen flitting about like shadows ; 
 silence had succeeded to noise, solitude to the bustle of a 
 brilliant and numerous court. Next morning this deep 
 silence was broken only by a few scattered women who 
 sought each other with pale faces and eyes full of tears,
 
 388 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 to communicate their grief and share their apprehensions. 
 Many courtiers, who were not of the party, arrived to make 
 their court, and were stupefied on learning of his Majesty's 
 absence, feeling as if the sun could not have risen that 
 day. 
 
 The Emperor went without halting as far as Strasburg ; 
 and the day after his arrival in this town, the army began 
 to file out over the bridge of Kehl. 
 
 On the evening before this march, the Emperor had 
 ordered the general officers to be on the banks of the Rhine 
 on the following day, at exactly six in the morning. An 
 hour before that set for the rendezvous, his Majesty, not- 
 withstanding the rain which fell in torrents, went alone to 
 the head of the bridge, to assure himself of the execution 
 of the orders he had given, and stood exposed to this rain 
 without moving, till the first divisions commenced to file 
 out over the bridge. He was so drenched that the drops 
 which fell from his clothing ran down under his horse, and 
 there formed a little waterfall ; and his cocked hat was so 
 wet that the back of it drooped over his shoulders, like 
 the large felt hats of the coal-burners of Paris. The 
 generals whom he was awaiting gathered around him ; 
 and when he saw them assembled, he said, "All goes 
 well, messieurs ; this is a new step taken in the direction of 
 our enemies ; but where is Vandamme ? Why is he not 
 here ? Can he be dead ? " No one said a word. " An- 
 swer me, what has become of Vandamme ? " General 
 Chardon, general of the vanguard, much loved by the 
 Emperor, replied, " I think, Sire, that General Vandamme 1 
 
 1 Dominique Rene Vandamme, Count d'Unebourg, born at Cassel, 1770, 
 general of division, 1799, presented by the Emperor for bis conduct at Auster-
 
 389 
 
 is still asleep; we drank together last evening a dozen 
 bottles of Rhine wine, and doubtless "- " He does very- 
 well to drink, sir ; but he is wrong to sleep when I am 
 waiting for him." General Chardon prepared to send an 
 aide-de-camp to his companion in arms ; but the Emperor 
 prevented him, saying, " Let Vandamme sleep ; I will speak 
 to him later." At this moment General Vandamme ap- 
 peared. "Well, here you are, sir; you seem to have for- 
 gotten the order that I gave yesterday." - " Sire, this is 
 the first time this has happened, and " " And to avoid a 
 repetition of it, you will go and fight under the banner 
 of the King of Wiirtemburg; I hope you will give them 
 lessons in sobriety." 
 
 General Vandamme withdrew, not without great cha- 
 grin, and repaired to the army of Wiirtemburg, where he 
 performed prodigies of valor. After the campaign he re- 
 turned to the Emperor, his breast covered with decora- 
 tions, bearing a letter from the King of Wiirtemburg to 
 his Majesty, who, after reading it, said to Vandamme : 
 "General, never forget that, if I admire the brave, I do 
 not admire those who sleep while I await them." He 
 pressed the general's hand, and invited him to breakfast, 
 in company with General Chardon, who was as much grati- 
 fied by this return to favor as was his friend. 
 
 On the journey to Augsburg, the Emperor, who had set 
 out in advance, made such speed that his household could 
 not keep up with him; and consequently he passed the 
 
 litz with twenty thousand francs, and commander of a corps in the Austrian 
 campaign, 1809. In 1813 commanded a separate army and captured Ham- 
 burg, but was forced to surrender his army near Kulm. He had a high com- 
 mand at Ligny (1815), and died 1830. TRANS.
 
 390 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 night, without attendants or baggage, in the best house of 
 a very poor village. When we reached his Majesty next 
 day, he received us laughing, and threatened to have us 
 taken up as stragglers by the provost guard. 
 
 From Augsburg the Emperor went to the camp before 
 Ulm, and made preparations to besiege that place. 
 
 A short distance from the town a fierce and obstinate 
 engagement took place between the French and Austrians, 
 and had lasted two hours, when cries of Vive V Empereur ! 
 were suddenly heard. This name, which invariably carried 
 terror into the enemy's ranks, and always imparted fresh 
 courage to our soldiers, now electrified them to such an 
 extent that they put the Austrians to flight, while the 
 Emperor showed himself in the front ranks, crying "For- 
 ward," and making signs to the soldiers to advance, his 
 Majesty's horse disappearing from time to time in the 
 smoke of the cannon. During this furious charge, the 
 Emperor found himself near a grenadier who was terribly 
 wounded ; and yet this brave fellow still shouted with the 
 others, "Forward! forward!" 
 
 The Emperor drew near him, and threw liis military 
 cloak over him, saying, " Try to bring it back to me, and 
 I will give you in exchange the cross that you have just 
 won." The grenadier, who knew that he was mortally 
 wounded, replied that the shroud he had just received was 
 worth as much as the decoration, and expired, wrapped in 
 the imperial mantle. 
 
 At the close of the battle, the Emperor had this grena- 
 dier, who was also a veteran of the army of Egypt, borne 
 from the field, and ordered that he should be interred in 
 the cloak.
 
 BATTLE OF ULM. 
 
 Another soldier, not less courageous than the one of 
 whom I have just spoken, also received from his Majesty 
 marks of distinction. The day after the combat before 
 Ulm, the Emperor, in visiting the ambulances, had his 
 attention attracted by a cannoneer of light artillery, who 
 had lost one leg, but in spite of this was still shouting with 
 all his might, Vive I 'Empereur ! He approached the soldier 
 and said to him, " Is this, then, all that you have to say to 
 me ? " " No, Sire, I can also tell you that I, I alone, have 
 dismounted four pieces of the Austrian cannon; and it is 
 the pleasure of seeing them silenced which makes me for- 
 get that I must soon close my eyes forever." The Emperor, 
 moved by such fortitude, gave his cross to the cannoneer, 
 noted the names of his parents, and said to him, " If 
 you recover, the Hotel des Invalides is at your service." - 
 "Thanks, Sire, but the loss of blood has been too great; 
 my pension will not cost you very dear ; I know well that 
 I must soon be off duty, but long live the Emperor all the 
 same!" Unfortunately this brave man realized his real 
 condition only too well, for he did not survive the ampu- 
 tation of his leg. 
 
 We followed the Emperor into Ulm after the occupa- 
 tion of that place, 1 and saw a hostile army of more than 
 thirty thousand men lay down their arms at the feet of his 
 Majesty, as they denied before him ; and I have never be- 
 held a more imposing sight. The Emperor was seated on 
 his horse, a few steps in front of his staff, his countenance 
 wearing a calm and grave expression, in spite of which the 
 joy which filled his heart was apparent in his glance. 
 
 He raised his hat every moment to return the salutes of 
 
 1 Oct. 17, 1805. TRANS.
 
 S92 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 the superior officers of the Austrian troops. When the Im- 
 perial Guard entered Augsburg, eighty grenadiers marched 
 at the head of the columns, each bearing a banner of the 
 enemy. 
 
 The Emperor, on his arrival at Munich, was wel- 
 comed with the greatest respect by his ally, the Elector of 
 Bavaria. His Majesty went several times to the theater 
 and the hunt, and gave a concert to the ladies of the 
 court. It was, as has been since ascertained, during this 
 stay of the Emperor at Munich that the Emperor Alex- 
 ander and the King of Prussia pledged themselves at 
 Potsdam, on the tomb of Frederick the Great, to unite 
 their efforts against his Majesty. 
 
 A year later Napoleon also made a visit to the tomb of 
 the great Frederick. 
 
 The taking of Ulm had finished the conquest of the 
 Austrians, and opened to the Emperor the gates of Vienna: 
 but meanwhile the Russians were advancing by forced 
 marches to the help of their allies ; his Majesty hastened to 
 meet them, and the 1st of December the two hostile armies 
 found themselves face to face. By one of those happy co- 
 incidences made only for the Emperor, the day of the battle 
 of Austerlitz was also the anniversary of the coronation. 
 
 I do not remember why there was no tent for the 
 Emperor at Austerlitz ; but the soldiers made a kind of 
 barrack of limbs of trees, with an opening in the top for the 
 passage of the smoke. His Majesty, though he had only 
 straw for his bed, was so exhausted after having passed 
 the day on horseback on the heights of Santon, that on 
 the eve of the battle he was sleeping soundly, when Gen- 
 eral Savary, one of his aides-de-camp, entered, to give an
 
 BATTLE OF AUSTERL1TZ. 393 
 
 account of the mission with which he had been charged ; 
 and the general was obliged to touch his shoulder, and 
 shake him, in order to rouse him. He then rose, and 
 mounted his horse to visit his advance posts. The night 
 was dark; but the whole camp was lighted up as if by 
 enchantment, for each soldier put a bundle of straw on the 
 end of his bayonet, and all these firebrands were kindled in 
 less time than it takes to describe it. The Emperor rode 
 along the whole line, speaking to those soldiers whom he 
 recognized. "Be to-morrow what you have always been, 
 my brave fellows," said he, "and the Russians are ours; 
 we have them!" The air resounded with cries of Vive 
 VEmpereur, and there was neither officer nor soldier who 
 did not count on a victory next day. 
 
 His Majesty, on visiting the line of battle, where there 
 had been no provisions for forty-eight hours (for that day 
 there had been distributed only one loaf of ammunition 
 bread for every eight men), saw, while passing from 
 bivouac to bivouac, soldiers roasting potatoes in the ashes. 
 Finding himself before the Fourth Regiment of the line, of 
 which his brother was colonel, the Emperor said to a 
 grenadier of the second battalion, as he took from the fire 
 and ate one of the potatoes of the squad, "Are you satisfied 
 with these pigeons? " "Humph! They are at least bet- 
 ter than nothing ; though they are very much like Lenten 
 food." - " Well, old fellow," replied his Majesty to the 
 soldier, pointing to the fires of the enemy, " help me to dis- 
 lodge those rascals over there, and we will have a Mardi 
 Gras at Vienna." 
 
 The Emperor returned to his quarters, went to bed again, 
 and slept until three o'clock in the morning, while his suite
 
 394 EECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 collected around a bivouac fire near his Majesty's barracks, 
 and slept on the ground, wrapped in their cloaks, for the 
 night was extremely cold. For four days I had not closed 
 my eyes, and I was just falling asleep, when about three 
 o'clock the Emperor asked me for punch. I would have 
 given the whole empire of Austria to have rested another 
 hour; but notwithstanding this, I carried his Majesty the 
 punch, which I made by the bivouac fire, and the Emperor 
 insisted that Marshal Berthier should also partake of it ; 
 the remainder I divided with the attendants. Between 
 four and five o'clock the Emperor ordered the first move- 
 ments of his army, and all were on foot in a few moments, 
 and each at his post; aides-de-camp and orderly officers 
 were seen galloping in all directions, and the battle was 
 begun. 
 
 I will not enter into the details of this glorious day, 
 which, according to the expression of the Emperor himself, 
 terminated the campaign by a thunderbolt. Not one of the 
 plans of the Emperor failed in execution, and in a few 
 hours the French were masters of the field of battle and 
 of the whole of Germany. 
 
 The brave General Rapp was wounded at Austerlitz, as 
 he was in every battle in which he took part, and was 
 carried to the chateau of Austerlitz, where the Emperor 
 visited him in the evening, and returned to pass the night 
 in the chateau. 
 
 Two days after, the Emperor Francis sought an audience 
 of his Majesty, to demand peace ; and before the end of 
 December a treaty was concluded, by which, the Elector 
 of Bavaria and the Duke of Wurtemburg, faithful allies of 
 the Emperor Napoleon, were made kings. In return for
 
 SCHOENBRUNN. 395 
 
 this elevation, of which he alone was the author, his Majesty 
 demanded and obtained for Prince Eugene, viceroy of Italy, 
 the hand of the Princess Augusta Amelia of Bavaria. 
 
 During his sojourn at Vienna, the Emperor had estab- 
 lished his headquarters at Schoenbrunn, the name of which 
 has become celebrated by the numerous sojourns of his 
 Majesty there, and is to-day, by a singular coincidence, the 
 residence of his son. 1 
 
 I am not certain whether it was during this first sojourn 
 at Schoenbrunn that his Majesty had the extraordinary 
 encounter that I shall now relate. His Majesty, in the 
 uniform of colonel of the chasseurs of the guard, rode 
 every day on horseback, and one morning, while on the road 
 to Vienna, saw approaching a clergyman, accompanied by a 
 woman weeping bitterly, who did not recognize him. Napo- 
 leon approached the carriage, and inquired the cause of her 
 grief, and the object and end of her journey. " Monsieur," 
 replied she, " I live at a village two leagues from here, in 
 a house which has been pillaged by soldiers, and my gardener 
 has been killed. I am now on my way to demand a safe- 
 guard from your Emperor, who knew my family well, and 
 is under great obligations to them."- "What is your name, 
 Madame ? " " De Bunny. I am the daughter of Monsieur 
 de Marbeuf, former governor of Corsica." " I am charmed, 
 Madame," replied Napoleon, " to find an opportunity of serv- 
 ing you. I am the Emperor." Madame de Bunny remained 
 speechless with astonishment ; but Napoleon reassured her, 
 and continuing his route, requested her to go on and await 
 him at his headquarters. On his return he received her, 
 
 1 The Duke do Reichstadt, born King of Rome, died July, 1832, soon 
 after Constant wrote. TRANS.
 
 396 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 and treated her with remarkable kindness, gave her an 
 escort of the chasseurs of the guard, and dismissed her 
 happy and satisfied. 
 
 As soon as the day of Austerlitz was gained, the Em- 
 peror hastened to send the courier Moustache to France 
 to announce the news to the Empress, who was then at the 
 chateau of Saint-Cloud. It was nine o'clock in the evening 
 when loud cries of joy were suddenly heard, and the gallop- 
 ing of a horse at full speed, accompanied by the sound of 
 bells, and repeated blows of the whip which announced a 
 courier. The Empress, who was awaiting with the greatest 
 impatience news from the army, rushed to the window, 
 opened it hurriedly, and the words victory and Austerlitz 
 fell on her ears. Eager to know the details, she ran down 
 the steps, followed by her ladies ; and Moustache in the 
 most excited manner related the marvelous news, and 
 handed her Majesty the Emperor's letter, which Josephine 
 read, and then drawing a handsome diamond ring from 
 her finger, gave it to the courier. Poor Moustache had 
 galloped more than fifty leagues 1 that day, and was so 
 exhausted that he had to be lifted from his horse and 
 placed in bed, wliich it required four persons to accomplish. 
 His last horse, which he had doubtless spared less than 
 the others, fell dead in the court of the chateau. 
 
 1 150 miles. TRANS.
 
 RETURN TO PARIS. 397 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 The Emperor returns to Paris. Adventure while ascending the hill of 
 Meaux. A young girl throws herself into the Emperor's carriage. 
 Rude welcome, and pardon refused. I recognize Mademoiselle 
 Lajolais. General Lajolais twice accused of conspiracy. Arrest of his 
 wife and daughter. Excessive severity towards Madame Lajolais. 
 Extraordinary fortitude of Mademoiselle Lajolais. She goes alone to 
 Saint-Cloud, and applies to me. I lay her petition before her Majesty 
 the Empress. Fears of Josephine. Josephine and Hortense have Ma- 
 demoiselle Lajolais placed in the way of his Majesty the Emperor. 
 Attentions and kindness of the two princesses. Unshaken constancy of 
 a child. Mademoiselle Lajolais in the presence of the Emperor. 
 Heartrending scene. Harshness of the Emperor. A pardon forced. 
 She faints. Attentions paid Mademoiselle Lajolais by the Emperor. 
 Generals Wolff and Lavalette escort her to her father. Interview 
 between General Lajolais and his daughter. Mile. Lajolais also obtains 
 her mother's pardon. She joins the Breton ladies in soliciting the 
 pardon of the companions of Georges. Execution delayed. Fruitless 
 efforts. Warning from the author. Young Destrem asks and obtains 
 the pardon of his father. A useless pardon. The Emperor passes by 
 Saint-Cloud on his return from Austerlitz. Monsieur Barre, Mayor of 
 Saint-Cloud. The arch barred and the most somnolent of the com- 
 munes. Prince Talleyrand and the beds of Saints-Cloud. Singular 
 caprice of the Emperor. Small revolution at the chateau. Manias of 
 sovereigns are epidemic. 
 
 THE Emperor having left Stuttgard, stopped only 
 twenty-four hours at Carlsruhe, and forty-eight hours at 
 Strasburg, and between that place and Paris made only 
 short halts, without manifesting his customary haste, how- 
 ever, or requiring of the postilions the break-neck speed he 
 usually demanded. 
 
 As we were ascending the hill of Meaux, and while 
 the Emperor was so engrossed in reading a book that he
 
 398 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 paid no attention to what was passing on the road, a young 
 girl threw herself against the door of his Majesty's carriage, 
 and clung there in spite of the efforts to remove her, not 
 very vigorous in truth, made by the cavaliers of the escort. 
 At last she succeeded in opening the door, and threw her- 
 self at the Emperor's feet. The Emperor, much surprised, 
 exclaimed, "What the devil does this foolish creature 
 want with me?" Then recognizing the young lady, after 
 having scrutinized her features more closely, he added 
 in very evident anger, "Ah, is it you again? will you 
 never let me alone ? " The young girl, without being 
 intimidated by this rude welcome, said through her sobs 
 that the only favor she now came to ask for her father 
 was that his prison might be changed, and that he might 
 be removed from the Chateau d'lf, 1 the dampness of which 
 was ruining his health, to the citadel of Strasburg. " No, 
 no," cried the Emperor, "don't count on that. I have 
 many other things to do beside receiving visits from you. 
 If I granted you this demand, in eight days you would 
 think of something else you wished." The poor girl in- 
 sisted, with a firmness worthy of better success ; but the 
 Emperor was inflexible, and on arriving at the top of the 
 hill he said to her, " I hope you will now alight and let me 
 proceed on my journey. I regret it exceedingly, but what 
 you demand of me is impossible." And he thus dismissed 
 her, refusing to listen longer. 
 
 While tliis was occurring I was ascending the hill on 
 foot, a few paces from his Majesty's carriage ; and when 
 this disagreeable scene was over, the young lady, being 
 
 1 Chateau d'lf is on the coast near Marseilles. It figures in Dumas' 
 Monte Cristo. TKANS.
 
 MADEMOISELLE LAJOLAIS. 399 
 
 forced to leave without having obtained what she desired, 
 passed on before me sobbing, and I recognized Mademoiselle 
 Lajolais, whom I had already seen in similar circumstances, 
 but where her courageous devotion to her parents had met 
 with better success. 
 
 General Lajolais had been arrested, as well as all his 
 family, on the 18th Fructidor. 1 After being confined for 
 twenty-eight montlis, he had been tried at Strasburg by 
 a council of war, held by order of the First Consul, and 
 acquitted unanimously. 
 
 Later, when the conspiracy of Generals Pichegru, 
 Moreau, George Cadoudal, 2 and of Messieurs de Polignac, 3 
 de Riviere, 4 etc., were discovered, General Lajolais, who 
 was also concerned therein, was condemned to death. His 
 daughter and his wife were transferred from Strasburg to 
 Paris by the police, and Madame Lajolais was placed in 
 the most rigorous close confinement, while her daughter, 
 now separated from her, took refuge with friends of her 
 
 1 The Coup d'Etat to prevent a Bourbon counter-revolution, Sept. 4, 
 1797. TRANS. 
 
 2 George Cadoudal, a famous royalist, born in Brittany, 1769, fought in 
 the Vendean war, 1793, was a Chouan chief, and defeated by Hoche, 1795 and 
 1796. Ho refused Bonaparte's offers in 1800, and in 1803 entered into a con- 
 spiracy against him. Having ventured to Paris in 1804, he was taken, tried, 
 and executed. TRANS. 
 
 3 August Jules Armand, Prince do Polignac, born at Versailles, 1780. 
 His father was minister of state and his mother a favorite of Marie Antoi- 
 nette. Ho was prime minister in 1830, and greatly contributed, by his want 
 of perception of popular feeling, to the final downfall of the elder branch of 
 the Bourbons. Was imprisoned till 1836, when, being released, he retired to 
 England and died there, 1847. TRANS. 
 
 4 Charles Francis, Due de Riviere, born at Ferte sur Cher, 1763. Was 
 condemned to death for his share in Pichegru's conspiracy, 1804, but his life 
 was saved by the Empress Josephine ; died 1828. TRANS. Notes on Pichegru 
 and Moreau, ante.
 
 400 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 family. It was then that this young person, barely fourteen 
 years old, displayed a courage and strength of character 
 unusual at her age ; and on learning that her father was 
 condemned to death, she set out at four o'clock in the 
 morning, without confiding her resolution to any one, alone, 
 on foot, and without a guide, with no one to introduce 
 her, and presented herself weeping at the chateau of 
 Saint-Cloud, where the Emperor then was. 
 
 She succeeded in gaining an entrance into the chateau 
 only after much opposition ; but not allowing herself to be 
 rebuffed by any obstacle, she finally presented herself be- 
 fore me, saying, "Monsieur, I have been promised that 
 you would conduct me instantly to the Emperor " (I do 
 not know who had told her this). " I ask of you only this 
 favor ; do not refuse it, I beg ! " and moved by her confi- 
 dence and her despair, I went to inform her Majesty the 
 Empress. 
 
 She was deeply touched by the resolution and the tears 
 of one so young, but did not dare, nevertheless, to promise 
 her support at once, for fear of awakening the anger of 
 the Emperor, who was very much incensed against those 
 who were concerned in this conspiracy, and ordered me to 
 say to the young daughter of Lajolais that she was grieved 
 to be able to do nothing for her just then; but that she 
 might return to Saint-Cloud the next day at five o'clock 
 in the morning, and meanwhile she and Queen Hortense 
 would consult together as to the best means of placing her 
 in the Emperor's way. The young girl returned next day 
 at the appointed hour ; and her Majesty the Empress had 
 her stationed in the green saloon, and there she awaited 
 ten hours, the moment when the Emperor, coming out from
 
 MADEMOISELLE LAJOLAIS. 401 
 
 the council-chamber, would cross this room to enter his 
 cabinet. 
 
 The Empress and her august daughter gave orders that 
 breakfast, and then dinner, should be served to her, and 
 came in person to beg her to take some nourishment; but 
 their entreaties were all in vain, for the poor girl had no 
 other thought, no other desire, than that of obtaining her 
 father's life. At last, at five o'clock in the afternoon, the 
 Emperor appeared ; and a sign being made to Mademoiselle 
 Lajolais by which she could designate the Emperor, who 
 was surrounded by several councilors of state and officers 
 of his household, she sprang towards him ; and there fol- 
 lowed a touching scene, which lasted a long while. The 
 young girl, prostrating herself at the feet of the Emperor, 
 supplicated him with clasped hands, and in the most touch- 
 ing terms, to grant her father's pardon. The Emperor at 
 first repulsed her, and said in a tone of great severity, 
 "Your father is a traitor; this is the second time he has 
 committed a crime against the state ; I can grant you 
 nothing." Mademoiselle Lajolais replied to this outburst 
 of the Emperor, "The first time my father was tried and 
 found innocent ; this time it is his pardon I implore ! " 
 Finally the Emperor, conquered by so much courage and 
 devotion, and a little fatigued besides by an interview 
 which the perseverance of the young girl would doubtless 
 have prolonged indefinitely, yielded to her prayers, and the 
 life of General Lajolais J was spared. 
 
 Exhausted by fatigue and hunger, the daughter fell un- 
 
 1 It is well known that the sentence of General Lajolais was commuted 
 to four years detention in a prison of state, that his property was confis- 
 cated and sold, and that ho died in the Chateau d'lf much beyond the time 
 set for the expiration of his captivity. Note by CONSTANT.
 
 402 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 conscious at the Emperor's feet ; he himself raised her, gave 
 her every attention, and presenting her to the persons who 
 witnessed this scene, praised her filial piety in unmeasured 
 terms. 
 
 His Majesty at once gave orders that she should be 
 reconducted to Paris, and several superior officers disputed 
 with each other the pleasure of accompanying her. Gen- 
 erals Wolff, aide-de-camp of Prince Louis, and Lavalette l 
 were charged with this duty, and conducted her to the con- 
 ciergerie where her father was confined. On entering his 
 cell, she threw herself on his neck and tried to tell him of 
 the pardon she had just obtained ; but overcome by so many 
 emotions, she was unable to utter a word, and it was Gen- 
 eral Lavalette who announced to the prisoner what he owed 
 to the brave persistence of his daughter. The next day 
 she obtained, through the favor of the Empress Josephine, 
 the liberty of her mother, who was to have been trans- 
 ported. 
 
 Having obtained the life of her father and the liberty 
 of her mother, as I have just related, she still further 
 exerted herself to save their companions in misfortune, who 
 had been condemned to death, and for this purpose joined 
 the ladies of Brittany, who had been led to seek her co- 
 operation by the success of her former petitions, and went 
 with them to Malmaison to beg these additional pardons. 
 
 These ladies had succeeded in getting the execution of 
 
 1 Mario Cbamans, Count de Lavalette, was born in Paris, 17G9. Entered 
 the army 1792, made Captain at Arcola 1796, and served in Egyptian cam- 
 paign. Married Emilie de Beauhamais, a niece of Josephine. Postmaster- 
 general, 1800-1814. Condemned to death during the Hundred Days, he escaped 
 from prison in his wife's dress. His wife was tried, but became insane from 
 excitement. He was pardoned 1822, and died 1830, leaving two volumes of 
 Memoirs. TRANS
 
 MADEMOISELLE LAJOLAIS. 403 
 
 the condemned delayed for two hours, with the hope that 
 the Empress Josephine would be able to influence the 
 Emperor; but he remained inflexible, and their generous 
 attempt met with no success, whereupon Mademoiselle La- 
 jolais returned to Paris, much grieved that she had not 
 been able to snatch a few more unfortunates from the rigor 
 of the law. 
 
 I have already said two things which I am compelled to 
 repeat here : the first is, that, not feeling obliged to relate 
 events in their chronological order, I shall narrate them 
 as they present themselves to my memory; the second is, 
 that I deem it both an obligation and a duty which I owe 
 to the Emperor to relate every event which may serve to 
 make his true character better known, and which has been 
 omitted, whether involuntarily or by design, by those who 
 have written his life. I care little if I am accused of 
 monotony on this subject, or of writing only a panegyric; 
 but, if this should be done, I would reply : So much the 
 worse for him who grows weary of the recital of good 
 deeds ! I have undertaken to tell the truth concerning the 
 Emperor, be it good or bad ; and every reader who expects 
 to find in my memoirs of the Emperor only evil, as well 
 as he who expects to find only good, will be wise to go no 
 farther, for I have firmly resolved to relate all that I know ; 
 and it is not my fault if the kind acts performed by the 
 Emperor are so numerous that my recitals should often 
 turn to praises. 
 
 I thought it best to make these short observations before 
 giving an account of another pardon granted by his Maj- 
 esty at the time of the coronation, and which the story of 
 Mademoiselle Lajolais has recalled to my recollection.
 
 404 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 On the day of the last distribution of the decoration of 
 the Legion of Honor in the Church of the Invalides, as the 
 Emperor was about to retire at the conclusion of this im- 
 posing ceremony, a very young man threw himself on his 
 knees on the steps of the throne, crying out, " Pardon, par- 
 don for my father." His Majesty, touched by his interest- 
 ing countenance and deep emotion, approached him and 
 attempted to raise him; but the young man still retained 
 his beseeching posture, repeating his demand in moving 
 tones. "What is your father's name?" demanded the 
 Emperor. "Sire," replied the young man, hardly able to 
 make himself heard, "it is well known, and has been 
 only too often calumniated by the enemies of my father 
 before your Majesty; but I swear that he is innocent. I 
 am the son of Hugues Destrem." - " Your father, sir, is 
 gravely compromised by his connection with incorrigible 
 revolutionists ; but I will consider your application. Mon- 
 sieur Destrem is happy in having so devoted a son." .The 
 Emperor added a few consoling words, and the young man 
 retired with the certainty that his father would be par- 
 doned; but unfortunately this pardon which was granted 
 by the Emperor came too late, and Hugues Destrem, 
 who had been transported to the Island of Oleron after 
 the attempt of the 3d Nivose, 1 in which he had taken no 
 part, died in his exile before he bad even learned that 
 the solicitations of his son had met with such complete 
 success. 
 
 On our return from the glorious campaign of Austerlitz, 
 the commune of Saint-Cloud, so favored by the sojourn of 
 the court, had decided that it would distinguish itself on 
 
 1 Tho affair of the iuferual machine hi tlio Rue Sainto Nicaise. TRANS.
 
 FETE AT SAINT-CLOUD. 405 
 
 this occasion, and take the opportunity of manifesting its 
 great affection for the Emperor. 
 
 The mayor of Saint-Cloud was Monsieur Barre, a well- 
 informed man, with a very kind heart. Napoleon esteemed 
 him highly, and took much pleasure in his conversation, 
 and he was sincerely regretted by his subordinates when 
 death removed him. 
 
 M. Barre had erected an arch of triumph, of simple but 
 noble design, in excellent taste, at the foot of the avenue 
 leading to the palace, which was adorned with the following 
 inscription : - 
 
 " TO HEK BELOVED SOVEREIGN ; 
 THE MOST FOBTUNATE OF THE COMMUNES." 
 
 The evening on which the Emperor was expected, the 
 mayor and his associates, armed with the necessary ha- 
 rangue, passed a part of the night at the foot of the monu- 
 ment. M. Barre, who was old and feeble, then retired, 
 after having placed as sentinel one of his associates, whose 
 duty it was to inform him of the arrival of the first cou- 
 rier; and a ladder was placed across the entrance of the 
 arch of triumph, so that no one might pass under it before 
 liis Majesty. Unfortunately, the municipal argus went to 
 sleep ; and the Emperor arrived in the early morning, and 
 passed by the side of the arch of triumph, much amused 
 at the obstacle which prevented his enjoying the distin- 
 guished honor which the good inhabitants of SainkCloud 
 had prepared for him. 
 
 On the day succeeding this event, a little drawing was 
 circulated in the palace representing the authorities asleep 
 near the monument, a prominent place being accorded the
 
 406 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 ladder, which barred the passage, and underneath was 
 written the arch barre, alluding to the name of the mayor. 
 As for the inscription, they had travestied it in this 
 manner : 
 
 "TO HER BELOVED SOVEREIGN; 
 THE SLEEPIEST OF THE COMMUNES." 
 
 Their Majesties were much amused by this episode. 
 
 While the court was at Saint-Cloud, the Emperor, who 
 had worked very late one evening with Monsieur de Talley- 
 rand, invited the latter to sleep at the chateau; but the 
 prince, who preferred returning to Paris, refused, giving 
 as an excuse that the beds had a very disagreeable odor. 
 There was no truth whatever in this statement, for there 
 was, as may be believed, the greatest care taken of the 
 furniture, even in the store-rooms of the different imperial 
 palaces; and the reason assigned by M. de Talleyrand being 
 given at random, he could just as well have given any 
 other; but, nevertheless, the remark struck the Emperor's 
 attention, and that evening on entering his bedroom he 
 complained that his bed had an unpleasant odor. I as- 
 sured him to the contrary, and told his Majesty that he 
 would next day be convinced of his error ; but, far from 
 being persuaded, the Emperor, when he rose next morning, 
 repeated the assertion that his bed had a very disagreeable 
 odor, and that it was absolutely necessary to change it. 
 M. Charvet, concierge of the palace, was at once summoned ; 
 his Majesty complained of his bed, and ordered another to 
 be brought. 
 
 M. Desmasis, keeper of the furniture-room, was also 
 called, who examined mattress, feather-beds, and covering, 
 turned and returned them in every direction ; other persons
 
 THE BEDS AT SAINT-CLOUD. 407 
 
 did the same, and each was convinced that there was 
 no odor about his Majesty's bed. In spite of so many wit- 
 nesses to the contrary, the Emperor, not because he made it 
 a point of honor not to have what he had asserted proved 
 false, but merely from a caprice to which he was very sub- 
 ject, persisted in his first idea, and required his bed to be 
 changed. Seeing that it was necessary to obey, I sent this 
 bed to the Tuileries, and had the one which was there 
 brought to the chateau of Saint-Cloud. The Emperor was 
 now satisfied, and, on his return to the Tuileries, did not 
 notice the exchange, and thought his bed in that chateau 
 very good ; and the most amusing part of all was that the 
 ladies of the palace, having learned that the Emperor had 
 complained of his bed, all found an unbearable odor in 
 theirs, and insisted that everything must be overhauled, 
 which created a small revolution. The caprices of sov- 
 ereigns are sometimes epidemic.
 
 408 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Secret liaisons of the Emperor. What was, in the Emperor's opinion, the 
 conduct of a moral man. What Napoleon understood by immorality. 
 Temptations of sovereigns. Discretion of the Emperor. Jealousy 
 of Josephine. Madame Gazani. Rendezvous in Bourrienne's former 
 apartment. The Emperor tete-a-tete with a minister. Suspicions and 
 agitation of the Empress. My duty forces me to lie. The Empress 
 telling to my cost a falsehood in order to learn the truth. Jocose repri- 
 mand addressed on my account by the Emperor to the Empress. I am 
 justified. Temporary sulking. Duration of the liaison of the Em- 
 peror with Madame Gazani. Madame de Remusat, lady of honor of 
 the Empress. Nocturnal expedition of Josephine and Madame de 
 Remusat. Formidable snoring. Panic terror and precipitate flight. 
 Tears and mad laughter. The allee des Veuves. The Emperor's suc- 
 cess with women. Prince Murat and I await him at the door of . 
 
 Anxiety of Murat. Imperial speech of Napoleon. The official 
 purveyors. I am solicited by certain ladies. My repugnance to secret 
 undertakings. Former duties of the first valet not all restored by 
 the Emperor. Complaisance of a general. Refusal of a lady after 
 her marriage. Mademoiselle .E , reader to Princess Murat. De- 
 scription of Mademoiselle E . Intrigue against the Empress. 
 
 Interviews at the Tuileries, and what was the result. Birth of an 
 Imperial child. Education of this child. Mademoiselle E - at 
 Fontainebleau. Displeasure of the Emperor. Harshness towards the 
 mother, and tenderness to the son. The three sons of Napoleon. 
 Distractions of the Emperor a* Boulogne. The beautiful Italian. 
 Discovery and proposition of Murat. Mademoiselle L. B. Shameful 
 speculation. The ballet dance. Sallow complexion. Ogling to no pur- 
 pose. Visit to Mademoiselle Le Normand. Silence of Mademoiselle 
 L. B. as to the predictions of the fortune-teller. Credulity justified by 
 the occurrence of the predicted event. Trifles. 
 
 His Majesty was accustomed to say that one could 
 always tell an honorable man by his conduct to his wife, 
 his children, and his servants ; and I hope it will appear 
 from these memoirs that the Emperor conducted himself as
 
 THE EMPEROR'S VIEWS ON MOllALlTY. 409 
 
 an honorable man, according to his own definition. He said, 
 moreover, that immorality was the most dangerous vice of a 
 sovereign, because of the evil example it set to his subjects. 
 What he meant by immorality was doubtless a scandal- 
 ous publicity given to liaisons which might otherwise have 
 remained secret; for, as regards these liaisons themselves, 
 he withstood women no more than any other man when 
 they threw themselves at his head. Perhaps another man, 
 surrounded by seductions, attacks, and advances of all 
 kinds, would have resisted these temptations still less. 
 Nevertheless, please God, I do not propose to defend his 
 Majesty in this respect. I will even admit, if you wish, 
 that his conduct did not offer an example in the most 
 perfect accord with the morality of his discourses ; but 
 it must be admitted also that it was somewhat to the credit 
 of a sovereign that he concealed, with the most scrupulous 
 care, his frailties from the public, lest they should be a sub- 
 ject of scandal, or, what is worse, of imitation ; and from his 
 wife, to whom it would have been a source of the deepest 
 grief. 
 
 On this delicate subject I recall two or three occur- 
 rences which took place, I think, about the period which 
 my narrative has now reached. 
 
 The Empress Josephine was jealous, and, notwithstand- 
 ing the prudence which the Emperor exercised in his secret 
 liaisons, could not remain in entire ignorance of what was 
 passing. 
 
 The Emperor had known at Genoa Madame Gazani, 
 the daughter of an Italian dancer, whom he continued to 
 receive at Paris ; and one day, having an appointment with 
 her in his private apartments, ordered me to remain in
 
 410 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 his room, and to reply to whoever asked for him, even 
 if it was her Majesty the Empress herself, that he was 
 engaged in his cabinet with a minister. 
 
 The place of the interview was the apartment formerly 
 occupied by Bourrienne, communicating by a staircase 
 which opened on his Majesty's bedroom. This room had 
 been arranged and decorated very plainly, and had a second 
 exit on the staircase called the black staircase, because it 
 was dark and badly lighted, and it was through this that 
 Madame Gazani entered, while the Emperor came in by 
 the other door. They had been together only a few mo- 
 ments when the Empress entered the Emperor's room, and 
 asked me what her husband was doing. "Madame, the 
 Emperor is very busy just now; he is working in his 
 cabinet with a minister." - " Constant, I wish to enter." 
 "That is impossible, Madame. I have received a formal 
 order not to disturb his Majesty, not even for her Majesty 
 the Empress;" whereupon she went away dissatisfied and 
 somewhat irritated, and at the end of half an hour re- 
 turned ; and, renewing her demand, I was obliged to repeat 
 my reply, and, though much distressed in witnessing the 
 chagrin of her Majesty the Empress, I could not disobey my 
 orders. That evening on retiring the Emperor said to me, 
 in a very severe tone, that the Empress had informed liim 
 she had learned from me, that, at the time she came to 
 question me in regard to him, he was closeted with a lady. 
 Not at all disturbed, I replied to the Emperor, that of 
 course he could not believe that. " No," replied the 
 Emperor, returning to the friendly tone with which he 
 habitually honored me, "I know you well enough to be 
 assured of your discretion ; but woe to the idiots who are
 
 MADAME GAZANL 411 
 
 gossiping, if I can get hold of them." The next night the 
 Empress entered, as the Emperor was retiring, and his 
 Majesty said to her in my presence, " It is very bad to im- 
 pute falsehood to poor Monsieur Constant; he is not the 
 man to make up such a tale as that you told me." The 
 Empress, seated on the edge of the bed, began to laugh, 
 and put her pretty little hand over her husband's mouth ; 
 and, as it was a matter concerning myself, I withdrew. For 
 a few days the Empress was cool and distant to me ; but, as 
 this was foreign to her nature, she soon resumed the gra- 
 cious manner which attached all hearts to her. 
 
 The Emperor's liaison with Madame Gazani lasted 
 nearly a year, but they met only at long intervals. 
 
 The following instance of jealousy is not as personal to 
 me as that which I have just related. 
 
 Madame de Remusat, 1 wife of one of the prefects of the 
 palace, and one of the ladies of honor to whom the Em- 
 press was most attached, found her one evening in tears 
 and despair, and waited in silence till her Majesty should 
 condescend to tellher the cause of this deep trouble. She 
 had not long to wait, however ; for hardly had she entered 
 the apartment than her Majesty exclaimed, " I am sure 
 that he is now with some woman. My dear friend," added 
 she, continuing to weep, "take this candle and let us go 
 and listen at his door. We will hear much." Madame de 
 Remusat did all in her power to dissuade her from this 
 project, representing to her the lateness of the hour, the 
 darkness of the passage, and the danger they would run 
 of being surprised; but all in vain, her Majesty put the 
 
 1 Authoress of the well-known Memoirs. Born in Paris, 1780, died 1821. 
 Her husband was first chamberlain to the Emperor. TRANS.
 
 412 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 candle in her hand, saying, " It is absolutely necessary that 
 you should go with me, but, if you are afraid, I will go in 
 front." Madame de Remusat obeyed ; and behold the two 
 ladies advancing on their tiptoes along the corridor, by 
 the light of a single candle flickering in the air. Having 
 reached the door of the Emperor's antechamber, they 
 stopped, hardly daring to breathe, and the Empress softly 
 turned the knob; but, just as she put her foot into the 
 apartment, Roustan, who slept there and was then sleeping 
 soundly, gave a formidable and prolonged snore. These 
 ladies had not apparently remembered that they would 
 find him there ; and Madame de Remusat, imagining that 
 she already saw him leaping out of bed saber and pistol in 
 hand, turned and ran as fast as she could, still holding the 
 candle in her hand, and leaving the Empress in complete 
 darkness, and did not stop to take breath until she reached 
 the Enipress's bedroom, when she remembered that the 
 latter had been left in the corridor with no light. Madame 
 de Remusat went back to meet her, and saw her returning, 
 holding her sides with laughter, and forgetting her chagrin 
 in the amusement caused by this adventure. Madame de 
 Remusat attempted to excuse herself. " My dear friend," 
 said her Majesty, "you only anticipated me, for that pig- 
 headed Roustan frightened me so that I should have run 
 first, if you had not been a greater coward than I." 
 
 I do not know what these ladies would have discovered 
 if their courage had not failed them before reaching the 
 end of their expedition, but probably nothing at all, for the 
 Emperor rarely received at the Tuileries any one for 
 whom he had a temporary fancy. I have already stated 
 that, under the consulate, he had his meetings in a small
 
 PRINCE MURAT'S UNEASINESS. 413 
 
 house in the allee des Veuves ; and after he became Em- 
 peror, such meetings still took place outside the chateau ; 
 and to these rendezvous he went incognito at night, ex- 
 posing himself to all the chances that a man runs in such 
 adventures. 
 
 One evening, between eleven o'clock and midnight, the 
 Emperor called me, asked for a black frock coat and round 
 hat, and ordered me to follow him ; and with Prince Murat 
 as the third party, we entered a close carriage with Ca3sar 
 as driver, and only a single footman, both without livery. 
 
 After a short ride, the Emperor stopped in the rue de , 
 
 alighted, went a few steps farther, and entered a house 
 alone, while the prince and I remained in the carriage. 
 Some hours passed, and we began to be uneasy ; for the life 
 of the Emperor had been so often menaced, that it was very 
 natural to fear some snare or surprise, and imagination takes 
 the reins when beset by such fears. Prince Murat swore 
 and cursed with all his might, sometimes the imprudence 
 of his Majesty, then his gallantry, then the lady and her 
 complaisance. I was not any better satisfied than he, but 
 being calmer I tried to quiet him; and at last, unable 
 longer to restrain his impatience, the prince sprang out of 
 the carriage, and I followed ; but, just as his hand was 
 on the knocker of the door, the Emperor came out. It was 
 then already broad daylight, and the Prince informed him 
 of our anxiety, and the reflections we had made upon his 
 rashness. "What childishness!" said his Majesty; "what 
 is there to fear? Wherever I am, am I not in my own 
 house ? " 
 
 It was as volunteers that any courtiers mentioned to 
 the Emperor any young and pretty persons who wished to
 
 414 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 make his acquaintance, for it was in no wise in keeping 
 with his character to give such commissions. I was not 
 enough of a courtier to think such an employment honor- 
 able, and never voluntarily took part in any business of the 
 kind. 
 
 It was not, however, for want of having been indirectly 
 sounded, or even openly solicited, by certain ladies who 
 were ambitious of the title of favorites, although this title 
 would have given very few rights and privileges with the 
 Emperor ; but I would never enter into such bargains, 
 restricting myself to the duties which my position imposed 
 on me, and not going beyond them; and, although his 
 Majesty took pleasure in reviving the usages of the old 
 monarchy, the secret duties of the first valet de chambre 
 were not re-established, and I took care not to claim them. 
 
 Many others (not valets de chambre} were less scrupu- 
 lous than I. General L spoke to the Emperor one day 
 
 of a very pretty girl whose mother kept a gambling-house, 
 and who desired to be presented to him ; but the Emperor 
 received her once only, and a few days afterwards she was 
 married. Some time later his Majesty wished to see her 
 again, and asked for her ; but the young woman replied that 
 she did not belong to herself any longer, and refused all the 
 invitations and offers made to her. The Emperor seemed 
 in no wise dissatisfied, but on the contrary praised Madame 
 D - for her fidelity to duty, and approved her conduct 
 highly. 
 
 In 1804 her imperial highness Princess Murat had in 
 
 her household a young reader named Mademoiselle E , 
 
 seventeen or eighteen years of age, tall, slender, well made, 
 a brunette, with beautiful black eyes, sprightly, and very
 
 MADEMOISELLE E . 415 
 
 coquettish. Some persons who thought it to their interest 
 to create differences between his Majesty and the Empress, 
 liis wife, noticed with pleasure the inclination of this young 
 reader to try the power of her glances upon the Emperor, 
 and his disposition to encourage her ; so they stirred up the 
 fire adroitly, and one of them took upon himself all the 
 diplomacy of this affair. Propositions made through a 
 third party were at once accepted ; and the beautiful E 
 came to the chateau secretly, but rarely, and remained there 
 only two or three hours. When she became enciente, the 
 Emperor had a house rented for her in the Rue Chantereine, 
 where she bore a fine boy, upon whom was settled at his 
 birth an income of thirty thousand francs. He was con- 
 fided at first to the care of Madame L , nurse of Prince 
 
 Achille Murat, who kept him three or four years, and then 
 Monsieur de Meneval, his Majesty's secretary, was ordered 
 to provide for the education of this child ; and when the 
 Emperor returned from the Island of Elba, the son of Made- 
 moiselle E - was placed in the care of her Majesty, the 
 Empress-mother. The liaison of the Emperor with Made- 
 moiselle E did not last long. She came one day with 
 
 her mother to Fontainebleau, where the court then happened 
 to be, went up to his Majesty's apartment, and asked me 
 to announce her; and the Emperor, being exceedingly dis- 
 pleased by this step, directed me to saj r to Mademoiselle 
 E - that he forbade her to present herself before him 
 again without his permission, and not to remain a moment 
 longer at Fontainebleau. In spite of this harshness to the 
 mother, the Emperor loved the son tenderly ; and I brought 
 him to him often, on which occasions he caressed the child, 
 gave him a great many dainties, and was much amused by
 
 416 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 his vivacity and repartees, which showed remarkable intelli- 
 gence for his age. 
 
 This child and that of the Polish beauty, 1 of whom I 
 will speak later, and the King of Rome, were the only 
 children of the Emperor. He never had a daughter, and I 
 believe he desired none. 
 
 I have seen it stated, I know not where, that the Em- 
 peror, during the long stay we made at Boulogne, indem- 
 nified himself at night for the labors of the day with a 
 beautiful Italian, and I will now relate what I know of this 
 adventure. His Majesty complained one morning, while I 
 was dressing him, in the presence of Prince Murat, that he 
 saw none but moustached faces, which he said was very 
 tiresome ; and the prince, ever ready on occasions of this 
 kind to offer his services to his brother-in-law, spoke to him 
 of a handsome and attractive Genoese lady, who had the 
 greatest desire to see his Majesty. The Emperor laughingly 
 granted a tete-d-tete, the prince himself offering to send the 
 message; and two days later, by his kind assistance, the 
 lady arrived, and was installed in the upper town. The 
 Emperor, who lodged at Pont des Briques, ordered me one 
 evening to take a carriage, and find this protegee of Prince 
 Murat. I obeyed, and brought the beautiful Genoese, ulm, 
 to avoid scandal, although it was a dark night, was intro- 
 duced through a little garden behind his Majesty's apart- 
 ments. The poor woman was much excited, and shed 
 tears, but controlled herself quickly on finding that she 
 was kindly received, and the interview was prolonged until 
 
 1 This son of Countess "Walewska became Count Walowski, a leading 
 statesman of the Second Empire, ambassador to London, 1852, minister of 
 foreign affairs, 1855, minister of state, 1860, president of Corps Le'gislatif, 18G5. 
 Bom 1810, died 1868. TRANS.
 
 LIAISONS OF THE EMPEROR. 417 
 
 three o'clock in the morning, when I was called to carry 
 her back. She returned afterwards four or five times, and 
 was with the Emperor afterwards at Rambouillet. She was 
 gentle, simple, credulous, and not at all intriguing, and did 
 not try to draw any benefit from a liaison which at best was 
 only temporary. 
 
 Another of these favorites of the moment, who threw 
 themselves so to speak into the arms of the Emperor with- 
 out giving him time to make his court to them, was Made- 
 moiselle L. B , a very pretty girl. She was intelligent, 
 
 and possessed a kind heart, and, had she received a less 
 frivolous education, would doubtless have been an estimable 
 woman ; but I have reason to believe that her mother had 
 from the first the design of acquiring a protector for her 
 second husband, by utilizing the youth and attractions of 
 the daughter of her first. I do not now recall her name, 
 but she was of a noble family, of which fact the mother and 
 daughter were very proud, and the young girl was a good 
 musician, and sang agreeably; but, which appeared to me 
 as ridiculous as indecent, she danced the ballet before a 
 large company in her mother's house, in a costume almost 
 as light as those of the opera, with castanets or tambou- 
 rines, and ended her dance with a multiplicity of attitudes 
 and graces. With such an education she naturally thought 
 her position not at all unusual, and was very much chagrined 
 at the short duration of her liaison with the Emperor ; while 
 the mother was in despair, and said to me with disgusting 
 simplicity, " See my poor Lise, how she has ruined her com- 
 plexion in her vexation at seeing herself neglected, poor 
 child. How good you will be, if you can manage to have 
 her sent for." To secure an interview for which the mother
 
 418 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 and daughter were both so desirous, they came together 
 to the chapel at Saint-Cloud, and during mass the poor 
 Lise threw glances at the Emperor which made the young 
 ladies blush who witnessed them, and were, nevertheless, 
 all in vain, for the Emperor remained unmoved. 
 
 Colonel L. B was aide-de-camp to General L , 
 
 the governor of Saint-Cloud; and the general was a wid- 
 ower, which facts alone furnish an excuse for the intimacy 
 
 of his only daughter with the family of L. B , which 
 
 astonished me greatly. One day, when I was dining at 
 the house of the colonel, with his wife, his step-daughter, 
 and Mademoiselle L , the general sent for his aides- 
 de-camp, and I was left alone, with the ladies ; who so 
 earnestly begged me to accompany them on a visit to 
 Mademoiselle le Normand, that it would have been impo- 
 lite to refuse, consequently we ordered a carriage and went 
 to the Rue de Tournon. Mademoiselle L. B - was first 
 to enter the sybil's cave, where she remained a long while, 
 but on her return was very reserved as to any commu- 
 nications made to her, though Mademoiselle L - told 
 us very frankly that she had good news, and would soon 
 marry the man she loved, which event soon occurred. 
 These ladies having urged me to consult the prophetess 
 in my turn, I perceived plainly that I was recognized ; for 
 Mademoiselle le Normand at once discovered in my hand 
 that I had the happiness of being near a great man and 
 being highly esteemed by him, adding much other non- 
 sense of the same kind, which was so tiresome that I 
 thanked her, and made my adieux as quickly as possible.
 
 THRONES OF TUE IMPERIAL FAMILY. 419 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 The thrones of the imperial family. Rupture of the treaty with Russia. 
 The Queen of Prussia and the Duke of Brunswick. Departure from 
 Paris. One hundred and fifty thousand men dispersed in a few days. 
 Death of Prince Louis of Prussia. Guinde quartermaster of the Tenth 
 Hussars. Constant's carriage upset on the road. Readiness of the sol- 
 diers to assist him. The hat and chief valet of the Little Corporal. 
 Arrival of the Emperor upon the plateau of Weiinar. Road cut in the 
 living rock. The Emperor in danger of death. The Emperor extended 
 on the ground. Compliment of the Emperor to the soldier who failed 
 to kill him. Fruits of the Battle of Jena. Death of General Schmet- 
 tau and of the Duke of Brunswick. Flight of the King and Queen of 
 Prussia. The Amazon Queen passing her army in review. The Queen's 
 costume. The Queen pursued by French hussars. Enthusiasm and 
 speeches of the soldiers. Klein's dragoons. The soldiers who had pur- 
 sued the Queen of Prussia reprimanded and rewarded by the Emperor. 
 Clemency to the Duke of Weimar. Constant's bed under the Emper- 
 or's tent. Constant shares his bed with the King of Naples. A night 
 passed by the Emperor and Constant on the campaign. Broken slum- 
 bers. The aides-de-camp. The Prince de Neuchatel. Breakfast. 
 Horseback-ride. Roustan and the brandy-flask. Abstinence of the 
 Emperor in the army. A little crust and a glass of wine. Intrepidity 
 of the cook. Visit to the field of battle. The Emperor overcome with 
 fatigue. Agreeable awaking of the Emperor. His facility in falling 
 asleep again. Special work of the Emperor on the eve of the battle. 
 The maps and pins. Activity of the attendants on the campaign, and 
 while traveling. Promptness of the preparations. A hospital changed 
 into a lodging for the Emperor. Corpses, amputated limbs, etc., taken 
 away in a few moments. The Emperor sleeping on the field of battle. 
 En route for Potsdam. Storm. Meeting with an Egyptian woman, 
 widow of a French officer. Gift of the Emperor. The Emperor at 
 Potsdam. The relics of Frederick the Great. Charlottenberg. Toilet 
 of the army before entering Berlin. Entry of Berlin. The Em- 
 peror causing military honors to be rendered to the bust of Frederick 
 the Great. The growlers. The Emperor's respect for the sister of the 
 King of Prussia. Grand review. Petition presented by two women.
 
 420 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 The Emperor's curiosity. Mission entrusted to Constant. A sup- 
 pliant of sixteen. Etiquette. Mute interview. The Emperor not 
 much pleased with his tete-a-tete. Carried off. Singular meeting. 
 Adventures of a young Prussian girl. Credulity followed by distress. 
 Constant recommends the beautiful Prussian to the Emperor. Return 
 of a caprice. Objections of Constant. The Emperor's generosity. 
 
 WHILE the Emperor was giving crowns to his brothers 
 and sisters, to Prince Louis, the throne of Holland ; Na- 
 ples to Prince Joseph ; the Duchy of Berg to Prince Murat ; 
 to the Princess Eliza, Lucca and Massa-Carrara ; and Guas- 
 talla to the Princess Pauline Borghese ; and while, by means 
 of treaties and family alliances, he was assuring still more 
 the co-operation of the different states which had entered 
 into the Confederation of the Rhine, war was renewed 
 between France and Prussia. It is not my province to in- 
 vestigate the causes of this war, nor to decide which first 
 gave cause of offense. 
 
 All I can certify is this, frequently at the Tuileries, 
 and on the campaign, I heard the Emperor, in conversa- 
 sation with his intimate friends, accuse the old Duke of 
 Brunswick, whose name had been so odious in France since. 
 1792, and also the young and beautiful Queen of Prussia, 
 of having influenced King Frederic William to break the 
 treaty of peace. The Queen was, according to the Em- 
 peror, more disposed to war than General Blucher himself. 
 She wore the uniform of the regiment to which she had 
 given her name, appeared at all reviews, and commanded 
 the maneuvers. 
 
 We left Paris at the end of September. I will not 
 enter into the details of this wonderful campaign, in which 
 the Emperor in an incredibly short time crushed to pieces 
 an army of one hundred and fifty thousand men, perfectly
 
 PRINCE LOUIS OF PRUSSIA 421 
 
 disciplined, full of enthusiasm and courage, and fighting in 
 defense of their country. In one of the first battles, the 
 young Prince Louis of Prussia, brother of the king, was 
 killed at the head of his troops by Guinde, quartermaster 
 of the Tenth Hussars. The prince fought hand to hand 
 with this brave sub-officer, who said to him, "Surrender, 
 Colonel, or you are a dead man," to which Prince Louis 
 replied only by a saber stroke, whereupon Guinde plunged 
 his own into the body of his opponent, and he fell dead on 
 the spot. 
 
 On this campaign, as the roads had become very rough 
 from the continual passage of artillery, my carriage was 
 one day upset, and one of the Emperor's hats fell out of 
 the door ; but a regiment which happened to pass along the 
 same road having recognized the hat from its peculiar 
 shape, my carriage was immediately set up again, " For," 
 said these brave soldiers, "we cannot leave the first valet 
 of the little corporal in trouble ; " and the hat, after pass- 
 ing through many hands, was at last restored to me before 
 my departure. 
 
 On the Emperor's arrival at the plateau of Weimar, he 
 arranged his army in line of battle, and bivouacked in the 
 midst of his guard. About two o'clock in the morning he 
 arose and went on foot to examine the work on a road, 
 that was being cut in the rock for the transportation of 
 artillery, and after remaining nearly an hour with the 
 workmen, decided to take a look at the nearest advance 
 posts before returning to his bivouac. 
 
 This round, which the Emperor insisted on making 
 alone and with no escort, came near costing him his life. 
 The night was so dark that the sentinels of the camp could
 
 422 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 not see ten steps in front of them; and the first, hearing 
 some one in the darkness approaching our line, called 
 out " Qui vive ? " and prepared to fire. The Emperor 
 being lost in thought, as he himself told me afterwards, 
 did not notice the sentinel's challenge, and made no reply 
 until a ball, whistling by his ears, woke him from his rev- 
 erie, when immediately perceiving his danger, he threw 
 himself face downwards on the ground, which was a very 
 wise precaution ; for hardly had his Majesty placed himself 
 in this position, than other balls passed over his head, the 
 discharge of the first sentinel having been repeated by the 
 whole line. This first fire over, the Emperor rose, walked 
 towards the nearest post, and made himself known. 
 
 His Majesty was still there when the soldier who had 
 fired on him joined them, being just relieved at his post; he 
 was a young grenadier of the line. The Emperor ordered 
 him to approach, and, pinching his cheeks hard, exclaimed, 
 "What, you scamp, you took me for a Prussian! This 
 rascal does not throw away his powder on sparrows ; he 
 shoots only at emperors." The poor soldier was com- 
 pletely overcome with the idea that he might have killed 
 the little corporal, whom he adored as much as did the rest 
 of the army ; and it was with great difficulty he could say, 
 " Pardon, Sire, but I was obeying orders ; and if you did not 
 answer, it was not my fault. I was compelled to have the 
 countersign, and you would not give it." The Emperor 
 reassured him with a smile, and said, as he left the post, 
 " My brave boy, I do not reproach you. That was pretty 
 well aimed for a shot fired in the dark ; but after awhile it 
 will be daylight; take better aim, and I will remember 
 you."
 
 BATTLE OF JENA, 423 
 
 The results of the Battle of Je"na, fought on the 14th of 
 October (1806), are well known. Almost all the Prussian 
 generals, at least the bravest among them, were there taken 
 prisoners, or rendered unable to continue the campaign. 1 
 
 The king and queen took flight, and did not halt till 
 they had reached Koenigsberg. 
 
 A few moments before the attack, the Queen of Prussia, 
 mounted on a noble, graceful steed, had appeared in the 
 midst of the soldiers ; and, followed by the Mite of the youth 
 of Berlin, this royal Amazon had galloped down the front 
 rank of the line of battle. The numerous banners which 
 her own hands had embroidered to encourage her troops, 
 with those of the great Frederick, blackened by the smoke 
 of many battles, were lowered at her approach, amid shouts 
 of enthusiasm which rang through the entire ranks of the 
 Prussian army. The atmosphere was so clear, and the two 
 
 1 Besides Prince Louis, the Prussians lost in a few days two of their best 
 general officers. General Schmettau died at Weimar of his wounds, and at 
 his burial the Emperor was present; and the old Duke of Brunswick, already 
 more than seventy and very infirm, met at Auerstadt a glorious death. 
 
 "The Duke of Brunswick, grievously wounded at the battle of Auer- 
 stadt, arrived Oct. 29 at Altona. His entrance to this city was a new and 
 striking example of the vicissitudes of fortune. Behold a sovereign prince, 
 enjoying (whether rightfully or not) a great military reputation, but lately 
 powerful and tranquil in his capital, now overcome and wounded to the 
 death, making his entrance into Altona on a miserable litter borne by ten 
 men, without officers, without servants, escorted by a crowd of children and 
 vagabonds, who crowded around him from curiosity, placed in a poor inn, and 
 so exhausted by fatigue and the pain of his eyes, that the next day there 
 was a general rumor of his death. The unfortunate duke immediately had 
 Doctor Unzer sent for, to ease the terrible suffering caused by his wounds. 
 During the few days that the Duke of Brunswick survived, he saw only his 
 wife, who reached him the 1st of November. He constantly refused all visits, 
 and died Nov. 10." Memoirs of M. DE BOURRIENNE, vol. vii. 
 
 By the defeat of Jena and Auerstadt the Prussian monarchy was hope- 
 lessly shattered, till restored by the downfall of the Emperor in 1814. TRANS.
 
 424 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 armies so near each other, that the French could easily 
 distinguish the costume of the queen. 
 
 This striking costume was, in fact, one great cause of 
 the danger she encountered in her flight. Her head was 
 covered with a helmet of polished steel, above which 
 waved a magnificent plume, her cuirass glittered with 
 gold and silver, while a tunic of silver cloth completed her 
 costume and fell to her feet, which were shod in red boots 
 with gold spurs. This dress heightened the charms of the 
 beautiful queen. 
 
 When the Prussian army was put to flight, the queen 
 was left alone with three or four young men of Berlin, 
 who defended her until two hussars, who had covered them- 
 selves with glory during the battle, rushed at a gallop with 
 drawn sabers on this little group, and they were instantly 
 dispersed. Frightened by this sudden onset, the horse 
 which her Majesty rode fled with all the strength of his 
 limbs ; and well was it for the fugitive queen that he was 
 swift as a stag, else the two hussars would infallibly have 
 made her a prisoner, for more than once they pressed so 
 close that she heard their rude speeches and coarse jests, 
 which were of such a nature as to shock her ears. 
 
 The queen, thus pursued, had arrived in sight of the 
 gate of Weimar, when a strong detachment of Klein's 
 dragoons were perceived coming at full speed, the chief 
 having orders to capture the queen at any cost ; but, the 
 instant she entered the city, the gates swung to behind her, 
 and the hussars and the detachment of dragoons returned 
 disappointed to the battle-field. 
 
 The particulars of this singular pursuit soon reached 
 the Emperor's ears, and he summoned the hussars to his
 
 CONSTANT'S BED. 425 
 
 presence, and having in strong terms testified his disap- 
 proval of the improper jests that they had dared to make 
 regarding the queen, at a time when her misfortunes 
 should have increased the respect due both to her rank 
 and her sex, the Emperor then performed the duty of 
 rewarding these two hrave fellows for the manner in which 
 they had borne themselves on the field of battle. Know- 
 ing that they had done prodigies of valor, his Majesty 
 gave them the cross, and ordered three hundred francs to 
 be given each one as gratuity. 
 
 The Emperor exercised his clemency toward the Duke 
 of Weimar, who had commanded a Prussian division. The 
 day after the battle of Jena, his Majesty, having reached 
 Weimar, lodged at the ducal palace, where he was received 
 by the duchess regent, to whom he said, " Madame, I owe 
 you something for having awaited me ; and in apprecia- 
 tion of the confidence you have manifested in me, I pardon 
 your husband." 
 
 While we were in the army I slept in the Emperor's 
 tent, either on a little rug, or on the bearskin which he 
 used in his carriage ; or when it happened that I could not 
 make use of these articles, I tried to procure a bed of straw, 
 and remember one evening having rendered a great service 
 to the King of Naples, by sharing with him the bundle of 
 straw which was to have served as my bed. 
 
 I here give a few details from which the reader can 
 form an idea of the manner in which I passed the nights on 
 the campaign. 
 
 The Emperor slept on his little iron bedstead, and I 
 slept where I could. Hardly did I fall asleep before the 
 Emperor called me, " Constant." " Sire." " See who is
 
 426 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 on duty" (it was the aides-de-camp to whom he referred). 
 
 " Sire, it is M ." " Tell him to come to me." I 
 
 then went out of the tent to summon the officer, and 
 brought him back with me. On his entrance the Emperor 
 said to him, " Report to such a corps, commanded by such 
 a marshal ; you will request him to send such a regiment 
 to such a position ; you will ascertain the position of the 
 enemy, then you will return to report." The aide-de-camp, 
 having left on horseback to execute these orders, I lay 
 down again, and the Emperor now seemed to be going to 
 sleep; but, at the end of a few moments, I heard him call 
 again, "Constant." " Sire." - " Have the Prince de Neu- 
 chatel summoned." I sent for the prince, who came at 
 once ; and during the conversation I must remain at the 
 door of the tent, until the prince wrote several orders and 
 withdrew. These interruptions took place many times 
 during the night, and at last towards morning his Majesty 
 slept, when I also had a few moments of repose. 
 
 When aides-de-camp arrived, bringing any news to the 
 Emperor, I awoke him, by shaking him gently. 
 
 " What is it ? " said his Majesty, waking with a start ; 
 " what o'clock is it ? Let him enter." The aide-de-camp 
 made his report ; and if it was necessary, his Majesty rose 
 immediately, and left the tent, his toilet never occupying 
 much time. If a battle was in contemplation the Emperor 
 scanned the sky and the horizon carefully, and often re- 
 'marked, " We are going to have a beautiful day." 
 
 Breakfast was prepared and served in five minutes, and 
 at the end of a quarter of an hour the cloth was removed. 
 The Prince de Neuchatel breakfasted and dined every day 
 with his Majesty ; and, in eight or ten minutes, the Ion-
 
 CAMPAIGN LIFE. 427 
 
 gest meal was over. " To horse," then exclaimed the 
 Emperor, and set out, accompanied by the Prince de Neu- 
 chatel, and an aide-de-camp or two, with Roustan, who 
 always carried a silver flask of brandy, which, however, the 
 Emperor rarely ever used. His Majesty passed from one 
 corps to the other, spoke to the officers and soldiers, ques- 
 tioned them, and saw with his own eyes all that it was 
 possible to see. 
 
 If a battle was on hand, dinner was forgotten, and the 
 Emperor ate only after his return ; but, if the engagement 
 lasted too long, there was carried to him, without his order- 
 ing it, a crust of bread and a little wine. 
 
 M. Colin, chief of the culinary department, many times 
 braved the cannon to carry a light repast to the Emperor. 
 
 At the close of the combat, his Majesty never failed to 
 visit the battle-field, where he had aid given the wounded, 
 and encouraged them with cheering words. 
 
 The Emperor sometimes returned overcome by fatigue ; 
 he then took a light repast, and lay down again to begin 
 his interrupted sleep. 
 
 It was remarkable, that, each time that unexpected cir- 
 cumstances forced the aides-de-camp to have the Emperor 
 waked, he was as ready for work as he would have been 
 at the beginning or in the middle of the day, and his 
 awaking was as amiable as his manner was pleasant. The 
 report of an aide-de-camp being finished, Napoleon went to 
 sleep again as easily as if his sleep had not been inter- 
 rupted. 
 
 During the three or four hours preceding an engage- 
 ment, the Emperor spent most of the time with large maps 
 spread out before him, the places on which he marked with 
 pins with heads of different colored wax.
 
 428 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 I have already said that all the persons of the Emper- 
 or's household emulated each other in seeking the surest 
 and promptest means of carrying out his wishes ; and every- 
 where, whether in traveling or on the campaign, his table, 
 his coffee, his bed, or even his bath could be prepared hi 
 five minutes. How many times were we obliged to remove, 
 in still less time, corpses of men and horses, to set up his 
 Majesty's tent. 
 
 In one of the campaigns beyond the Rhine we were 
 delayed in a poor village, and, in order to prepare the 
 Emperor's lodging, were obliged to use a peasant's hut, 
 which had served as a field hospital ; and we began prepa- 
 rations by carrying away the dismembered limbs, and wash- 
 ing up the stains of blood, this labor being finished, and 
 everything almost in order, in less than half an hour. 
 
 The Emperor sometimes slept a quarter or half an hour 
 on the field of battle when he was fatigued, or wished to 
 await more patiently the result of the orders he had given. 
 
 While on the road to Potsdam, we were overtaken by 
 a violent storm, which became so severe, and the rain so 
 heavy, that we were obliged to stop and take refuge in 
 a neighboring house on the road. Well wrapped in his 
 gray overcoat, and not thinking that he could be recognized, 
 the Emperor was much surprised to see, as he entered the 
 house, a young woman who seemed to tremble at his pres- 
 ence. He ascertained that she was an Egyptian, who. had 
 retained for my master the religious veneration which all 
 the Arabs bore him, and was the widow of an officer of 
 the army of Egypt, whom chance had led to the same 
 house in Saxony where he had been welcomed. The Em- 
 peror granted her a pension of twelve hundred francs, and
 
 NAPOLEON AT POTSDAM. 429 
 
 took upon liimself the education of her son, the only legacy 
 left her by her husband. "This is the first time," said 
 Napoleon, " that I have alighted to avoid a storm ; I had 
 a presentiment that an opportunity of doing good awaited 
 me here." 
 
 The loss of the battle of Jena had struck the Prussians 
 with such terror, and the court had fled with such precipi- 
 tation, that everything had been left in the royal residences ; 
 and, consequently, on his arival at Potsdam, the Emperor 
 found there the sword of the great Frederick, his gorget, the 
 grand cordon of his order, and his alarm-clock, and had 
 them carried to Paris, to be preserved at the Hotel des In- 
 valides. "I prefer these trophies," said his Majesty, "to 
 all the treasures of the King of Prussia ; I will send them to 
 my old soldiers of the campaign of Hanover, who will guard 
 them as a trophy of the victories of the grand army, and of 
 the revenge that it has taken for the disaster of Rosbach." 
 The Emperor the same day ordered the removal to his cap- 
 ital of the column raised by the great Frederick to per- 
 petuate the remembrance of the defeat of the French 
 at Rosbach. 1 He might have contented himself with 
 changing the inscription. 
 
 Napoleon remained at the chateau of Charlottenburg, 
 where he had established his headquarters, until the regi- 
 ments of the guard had arrived from all points ; and as 
 soon as they were assembled, orders were given to put 
 themselves in full uniform, which was done in the little 
 wood before the town. The Emperor made his entry into 
 the capital of Prussia between ten and eleven o'clock in 
 
 1 At Rosbach, November, 1757, the French, under Prince de Soubise, had 
 been shamefully defeated by Frederick the Great. TRANS.
 
 430 RECOLLECTIONS OF NAPOLEON. 
 
 the morning, surrounded by his aides-de-camp, and the offi- 
 cers of his staff, all the regiments filing before him in the 
 most perfect order, drums and music at their head ; and 
 the fine appearance of the troops excited the admiration 
 of the Prussians. 
 
 Having entered Berlin in the suite of the Emperor, we 
 arrived at the town square, in the midst of which a bust of 
 the great Frederick had been placed. The name of this 
 monarch is so popular at Berlin, and, in fact, throughout 
 all Prussia, that on many occasions, when any one by 
 chance pronounced it, either in a caf or in any other pub- 
 lic place, or even in private assemblies, I have seen every 
 one present rise, and lift his hat with an air of the most 
 profound respect and genuine adoration. 
 
 When the Emperor arrived in front of the bust, he 
 described a semicircle at a gallop, followed by his staff, 
 and lowering the point of his sword, while uncovering his 
 head, was the first to salute the image of Frederick II. 
 His staff followed his example ; and all the general and 
 other officers who composed it ranged themselves in a 
 semicircle around the bust, with the Emperor in the cen- 
 ter. His Majesty gave orders that each regiment should 
 present arms in defiling before the bust, which maneuver 
 was not to the taste of some grumblers of the first regi- 
 ment of the Guard, who, with moustaches scorched, and 
 faces still blackened with the powder of Jena, would have 
 better liked an order for lodgings with the bourgeois than 
 all this parade, and took no pains to conceal their ill- 
 humor. There was one, among others, who, as he passed 
 in front of the bust and before the Emperor, exclaimed 
 between his teeth, without moving a muscle of his face,
 
 THE GRUMBLERS. 431 
 
 but still loud enough to be heard by his Majesty, " Damn 
 the bust." His Majesty pretended not to hear, but that 
 evening he repeated with a laugh the words of the old 
 soldier. 
 
 His Majesty alighted at the chateau, where his lodging 
 was prepared, and the officers of his household had pre- 
 ceded him. Having learned that the electoral princess of 
 Hesse-Cassel, sister of the king, was still ill at the end 
 of her confinement, the Emperor ascended to the apartment 
 of this princess, and, after quite a long visit, gave orders 
 that she should be treated with all the deference due to 
 her rank and unfortunate situation.
 
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