THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES THE CORSICAN. A Diary of Napoleon's Life in his own words. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company. THE ROMAN THEOCRACY AND THE REPUBLIC. London, Macmillan & Co. NAPOLEON, A SHORT BIOGRAPHY. New York, Henry Holt & Co. THE NAPOLEONIC EMPIRE IN SOUTHERN ITALY, 2 vols. London, Macmillan & Co. MEMOIRS OF " MALAKOFF," 2 vols. London, Hutchinson & Co. LEADING AMERICAN SOLDIERS. New York, Henry Holt & Co. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION, A SHORT HISTORY. New York, Henry Holt & Co. THE CORSICAN (To Talleyrand). "If the note contains the word ultimatum, make him understand that that word means war; if the note does not contain it, get him to put it in, on the ground that we must know where we are." THE CORSICAN A Diary of (Napoleon's Life in His Own Words 1 And they have dared to say that I could not write! " BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY <3tbe fiitersibc $w$j Cambribgc COPYRIGHT, 1910, BY R. M. JOHNSTON ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Published November iqto FOURTH IMPRESSION Library J>c PREFACE A FEW words are needed to explain what this book is, and what it is not. The matter, with the exception of the few bracketed passages, is derived entirely from Napoleon's own words, written and spoken. But there are abbreviations, and transpositions of words and of dates. The abbreviations are not shown, for the reason that they are of constant recurrence, and this general warn- ing is therefore substituted for the usual typographical indication. The transpositions of date are made for the purpose of maintaining the journal form, and belong, in all except rare cases, to one of the two following classes: first, the placing of the details of an event that were written a day or two after it, at the very day of that event; secondly, the placing of a statement uttered at St. Helena forward under the date of the event itself. Of this second class there are not many instances. There are also a number of cases of composite texts, as for instance the speech to the Council of Ancients on the 19th of Brumaire, or that to the Polish officers on the retreat from Leipzig, each made up from several ver- sions. Once for all, the warning is given that such is the case, as from the nature of the book the footnotes cov- ering this, and the other matters mentioned, appeared to be out of place; they would have been longer than the text itself. 1568104 vi PREFACE Two minor points also require notice: that the dates in terms of the revolutionary calendar have been modern- ized; and that the names and titles of individuals men- tioned have been used with no attempt at uniformity; thus Ney may be referred to under that name long after he had become Duke of Elchingen, and Prince of the Moskowa. In an appendix the Napoleonic titles are tabulated, so that the reader can always refer back if necessary. In conclusion, what truth this book conveys is not to be sought according to those rules for the treatment of historical documents which it avowedly contravenes, but in such psychological illumination of a great career and character as the method employed has rendered possible. For objectively Napoleon rarely, if ever, speaks the truth; yet subjectively how can he speak otherwise ? R. M. JOHNSTON. CAMBRIDGE, MASS., Sept., 1910. THE CORSICAN A Diary of Napoleon's Life 1769-1795 August 15th, 1769. Birth at Ajaccio. I was called Napoleon; that, for centuries past, had been the name given to the second son in our family. April, 1779. Military school at Brienne. I entered Brienne, and was happy. My mind was be- ginning to work; I was anxious to learn, to know, to get on; I devoured books. I soon became the talk of the school. I was admired, envied; I was conscious of my powers; I enjoyed my superiority. October 12th, 1783. (To Charles Buonaparte.) My dear father: Your letter, as you may well imagine, gave me little enough pleasure; but as your return to Corsica is necessitated by your illness and by that of a family that is so near to me, I can but approve, and must try to con- sole myself. June 25th, 1784. My brother lacks the courage to face the dangers of action, and regards the military profession from the garrison point of view. July 7th. My dear father arrived here on the 21st with Luciano and the two young ladies. Joseph is in the class of rhetoric, and could do better if he would only work. October 29th. (At Brienne) every one said of me : That boy is no good except at geometry. I was not very popu- lar. I was dry as parchment. 4 THE CORSICAN [1784-87 October 30th. Leaves Brienne for the Military College at Paris. March 28th, 1785, Paris: We have lost our father, the sole support of our youth. Our country has lost a keen, enlightened, and honest citi- zen. It was so decreed by the Supreme Being! (To Madame Buonaparte.) My dear mother: It is for you to console us, the event demands it. Our affection, our devotion, will be doubled, to make you forget, so far as it is possible, the incalculable loss of a beloved husband. October 30th. Second lieutenant of artillery, regiment of La Ftre. April 26th, 1786, Valence: To-day Paoli enters his sixty-first year. The Corsicans have already, in a just cause, shaken off the yoke of the Genoese; they can do as much with that of the French. Amen! May 3d. Always solitary among men, I am here, within doors, dreaming, and giving full vent to all my melan- choly. To what will it drive me to-day ? To thoughts of death. Still at the dawn of life, I may hope for many days to come. It is now six or seven years since I last saw my country. What madness, then, drives me to self-destruc- tion ? Doubtless it is the hollowness of life. If one is to die, why not kill one's self ? What spectacle awaits me when I return to my own people? My compatriots laden with chains, and kissing in fear the hand that strikes them ! 9th. Virtue and the love of truth are not enough to enable a man to argue against Rousseau. He was human; and so, one may easily believe, liable to error. JET. 15-18] A DIARY 5 July%9th. (To M. Borde, bookseller, Geneva.) Sir: This is to request you to forward me the Memoirs of Mme. de Valens (sic), sequel to the Confessions of J. J. Rous- seau. Pray send me also the History of the Revolutions of Corsica, and a list of books you may have relating to the island of Corsica, or that you could get for me quickly. I will remit the correct amount on hearing from you. Address your letter: Monsieur Buonaparte, Officer of artillery, regiment of La Fere, Valence, Dauphine. September 20th, Lyons: I leave Lyons with even more reluctance than I did Valence. I like the place so much, I would be content to spend the rest of my days here; but a man must follow his fate, and must accept the conditions of his profession. A soldier can be constant to nothing but his flag. April 2d, 1787. Napoleone Buonaparte, second lieu- tenant in the regiment of La Fere artillery, begs Msgr. Marshal de Segur for leave of absence for five and a half months from the 16th of May next. November 22d, Paris: I had just left the Italian Opera and was facing the walks of the Palais Royal. I had reached the iron gates when my eyes fell on a woman. The time of day, her appearance, her youth, all showed clearly enough what she was. I stared at her; she stopped. Her hesitation encouraged me, and I spoke to her ... I spoke to her, I, who so loathe her vile trade, I, who have always felt my- self contaminated by a single glance! . . . You will be cold, I said, how can you go out there ? Ah, Monsieur, hope keeps me warm. I must finish my evening. The indifference with which she spoke, the calmness of her 6 THE CORSICAN [1787-91 reply, aroused my interest, and I turned back with her. You don't look very strong; I am surprised that you can stand doing what you do. Well, Monsieur, one must do something for one's living. That may be, but surely you could find some employment suited to your health ? No, Monsieur, I must earn the money. I was interested, pleased; here at last was a woman who would answer my questions, a result which previously I had not always attained ! July 1st, 1788, Auxonne: I have no interests outside my work. I get into full dress only once a week. Since my illness I sleep very little, incredibly little! I go to bed at ten, and am up at four. I have but one meal a day, a practice that agrees well with me. April 1st, 1789. This year has begun hopefully for right thinkers, and after all these centuries of feudal barbarism and political slavery it is surprising to see how the word Liberty sets minds on fire that appeared to be demoralized under the influence of luxury, indulgence, and art. While France is being regenerated, what will become of us unfortunate Corsicans ? 16th, Ajaccio: My shattered health will prevent my return to the regiment before the 15th of October. July 14th. Capture of the Bastille, French Revolution. August 28th, 1790. Friday night a gibbet was erected on the quay with this inscription over it: La Lanterne de Paris. February 6th, 1791, St. Vallier: Ivy will cling to the first met tree, that, in a few words, m. 18-21] A DIARY 7 is the whole history of love. What is love ? The realiza- tion of his weakness that sooner or later pervades the solitary man, a sense both of his weakness and of his im- mortality : the soul finds support, is doubled, is forti- fied ; the blessed tears of sympathy flow, there is love. 8th, Serve: Everywhere the peasants stand firm; in Dauphine, specially so. They are ready to die for the Constitution. The women are royalist. This is not surprising, for Lib- erty is lovelier than any of them and eclipses them all! The Patriotic Club would do well to. present Mirabeau with a complete Corsican dress, that is to say, cap, coat, breeches, dagger, pistol, and gun; it would make a fine impression. April 24th, Auxonne: Louis is studying hard, learning to write French; I am teaching him mathematics and geometry. He reads his- tory. He will turn out extremely well. He has already acquired quite the French manner, polish, vivacity; he can enter an assembly, bow gracefully, propound the customary questions with all the seriousness and dignity of a man of thirty. I see well enough that he will turn out the best of us four. It must be said, however, that none of us has had so good an education. June 1st. The royalist orators have undoubtedly done much towards overturning the monarchy, for after spend- ing all their breath in empty argumentation, they inva- riably finish up by declaring that a republican govern- ment is impossible because it is impossible! July 27th, Valence: 8 THE CORSICAN [1791-92 Is it to be war ? The country is full of zeal, of enthusiasm. Two weeks ago, in a meeting of twenty -two clubs from the three Departments, a petition was drawn up demanding that the king be brought to trial. At the banquet on the 14th, I proposed the health of the patriots of Auxonne. September 20th, Corte, in Corsica: M. Volney is here, and in a few days we shall start together on a tour of the island. M. de Volney's reputa- tion in the republic of letters is founded on his Voyage in Egypt. February 1st, 1792, Ajaccio: In these stormy days the duty of a good Corsican is to remain at home. The general in command has offered me a commission as adjutant major of a volunteer battalion. April. War of the First Coalition. May 29th, Paris: I arrived yesterday. Paris is in a state of grave agita- tion. The national guards on duty to protect the king at the Tuileries have been doubled. There is a vast amount of desertion among army offi- cers. From every point of view the situation is most critical. June 14th. The country is distracted by fanatical parties; it is difficult to seize the thread of such complex events; how it will all turn out is more than I can guess, but the aspect of things is very revolutionary. 18th. No news of the army. 20th. Let us follow this rabble ! Seven to eight thou- sand men, armed with pikes, axes, swords, guns, spits, pointed sticks, marched to the Assembly to present a JET. 21-22] A DIARY 9 petition. Thence they proceeded to the king. The garden of the Tuileries was closed, and was guarded by 15,000 national guards. They broke down the gates, entered the palace, placed guns in position opposite the king's lodging, smashed through four doors, and presented to the king two cockades, one white, the other tricolour. Choose, they said, reign here, or at Coblentz ! The king stood it well, and placed a red cap on his head. How could they let the rabble in (to the Palace yard) ? They ought to have mowed down four or five hundred of them with cannon, and the others would still be running. When I was told that Louis had put a red cap on his head I concluded that his reign was over, for in politics an act that degrades can never be lived down. July 3d. I am bound to say that our leaders are a poor lot of men. Seeing the whole business close to, shows clearly enough how little worth while it is to attempt to win the favour of the people. Each one pursues his indi- vidual interest and tries to excel in horrors; intrigues are to-day as base as ever they were. It is enough to destroy all ambition. August 7th. All the symptoms are that violence will break out; many people are leaving Paris. I have been working a good deal at astronomy during my stay here. It's a splendid amusement, and a superb branch of science; with my knowledge of mathematics it required very little effort to learn. It is a great acquisi- tion. 10th. I lodge Rue du Mail, Place des Victoires. At the sound of the tocsin, and at the news that the Tuileries were attacked, I started for the Carrousel. 10 THE CORSICAN [1792-93 Before I had got there, in the Rue des Petits Champs, I was passed by a mob of horrible looking fellows parading a head stuck on a pike. Thinking I looked too much of a gentleman, they wanted me to shout Vive la Nation! which I promptly did, as may easily be imagined. The palace was being attacked by the vilest rabble. After the palace had been captured and the king had withdrawn to the Assembly, I ventured cautiously into the gardens. Never since that day, no, not on all my bat- tlefields, have I had such an impression of masses of dead men as the Swiss then produced on me. As I witnessed the storming of the Tuileries and the capture of the king, I was far from thinking that I should one day stand in his place, and that that palace would be my abode! After the victory of the Marseillais, I came across one who was on the point of killing a Garde du Corps. I said to him: Man of the South, let us save this unfortunate fellow! Are you a Southerner? Yes! All right, we will save him! September 22d. Proclamation of the French Republic. October 18th, Ajaccio: I wanted to get to Bonifacio to restore order, but the general has sent for me, and I shall have to go to Corte. The latest news is to the effect that the enemy have evacuated Verdun and Longwy; our men are not going to sleep. Savoy and Nice are ours, Sardinia will soon be attacked. January llth, 1793, Olmette: (To the municipal officials of Bonifacio.) We shall reach your city to-morrow, under orders from General JST. 22-i24] A DIARY 11 Paoli. I shall have two companies with me. I know your good will and patriotism, and do not doubt you will bestir yourselves to provide for the troops. BUONAPARTE, Lieutenant-Colonel of the National Volunteers of Ajaccio. July. Revolt of southern France against the Republic. August. The supper at Beaucaire. I happened to be at Beaucaire on the last day of the fair, and chanced to sup with two merchants from Mar- seilles, one from Nimes, and a Montpellier manufacturer. (The Soldier.) You see what civil war means; we rend, we hate, we kill one another! Why should you fear the army ? The army respects Marseilles because no city has sacrificed more for the general good. Think better of us, and you will have no better friends. Believe me, shake off the yoke of the handful of rascals who are carry- ing you straight down the path of counter-revolution; reestablish your old authorities; accept the constitution; and the army will immediately march off to make the Spaniards, who are too much puffed up with a few suc- cesses, dance the Carmagnole. 28th. Occupation of Toulon by the British. September 16th, in front of Toulon. It is the guns capture fortresses. 19th. Three days after my arrival the army had its artillery organized. October 25th. The guns are beginning to do things. November 14th. The plan for the capture of Toulon which I have presented to the generals is the only practical one. 12 THE CORSICAN [1793-95 28th. This is the battery of the men without fear! 29th. What is this young man's name ? (Junot!) . He will get on. 30th. The enemy, realizing the importance of the bat- tery, attacked it in strong force, carried it, and spiked the guns. Half an hour later we recaptured it. General Dugommier fought with truly republican courage. December 7th. We are much in the same position. The army is 30,000 strong. 17th. Go and rest, we have captured Toulon; day after to-morrow you shall sleep there. 24th. The enemy beat a very hasty retreat. We have captured most of their baggage. If the wind had held them up another four hours, they were lost. January 4th, 1794, Marseilles: I shall have guns placed at the fort so as to command the city. The batteries are in an absurd state. 20th. Within a fortnight I hope to get the coast from the Rhone to the Var in good shape. February 12th. They have spent lots of money on the coast and made a bad job of it. <> April 1st. In command of the artillery, army of the Alps. 2d. We open the campaign with 30,000 men. June 20th. The army's objective is the valley of the Stura. July 23d. Revolution of Thermidor. August 7th, Antibes: (To the representatives Albitte and Saliceti.) You have relieved me from duty and ordered me under arrest. You have branded me without a sentence, or sentenced me xt. 24-25] A DIARY 13 without a hearing. Have I not, ever since the Revolution began, constantly shown my devotion to right principles? Have I not taken my share in the struggle both against the internal foe and, as a soldier, against the foreigner? I have sacrificed everything for the republic. I served at the siege of Toulon with some distinction, and with the army I earned my share of laurels at the capture of Saorgio. Saliceti, you have known me five years. What have you seen in me that is suspect to the Revolution ? 14th. (To the representatives of the people.) Citizens, herewith you will find my replies to your four questions. Since appearing to have forfeited the esteem of free men, my conscience enables me to remain calm, but my heart is torn, and I feel that, with a cool head but a warm heart, I cannot endure a life that is under the cloud of suspicion. 19th. (To Junot.) I appreciate all the friendliness of the offer you make me, my dear Junot; you know long since all the friendship I feel for you, and that you can count on it. Men may be unjust to me, but my innocence remains. My conscience is easy, therefore do nothing; you would only compromise me. Marched, 1795, Paris: (To Junot.) You have nothing, save your lieuten- ant's shoulder-strap. Paulette hasn't even that. Sum up; you have nothing; she has nothing; what is the total? Nothing. You therefore cannot marry just at present; we must wait. Perhaps we shall see better days, my friend! April 1st. Saliceti has done me a grievous injury. He broke my career just as it was opening out. He withered 14 THE CORSICAN [1795 my ideas of glory on their stem. That man is my evil genius. No, I can forgive; but forget, that is another matter. May 18th. Day of the 1st of Prairial. If we continue to drag our revolution through the mud in this way, one will soon be ashamed of being a French- man. (Barras) is at this moment at the end of the boule- vard with a considerable body of troops, and intends, so he told me, to open with shell. I advised him not to doit. June 22d. I am appointed brigadier-general in the army of the West. I am ill, which compels me to ask for leave. To-day the Constitution is being read in the Conven- tion. July 1st. In the present situation of Europe the King of Sardinia obviously must want peace. We must carry the war into his country, and manoeuvre the Austrians into such a position that we can eventually operate against them. The army of Italy must drive the enemy from Loano, threaten Piedmont, conquer Lombardy, pene- trate into the Tyrol, and effect its junction with the army of the Rhine. 12th. There is an 'astounding revival of luxury, plea- sure, and art. The women are everywhere. 18th. Junot is here, going the pace, and spending as much of his father's money as he can. Marmont is at the siege of Mainz. 24th. The news from the South is distressing. Let us hope for a strong and well-organized government that will put a stop to all this. MT. 25-26] A DIARY 15 25th. (To Joseph Buonaparte). It must be on pur- pose that you make no mention of Desiree (Clary); I don't even know if she is still alive. August 17th. I have been ordered for duty in the army of the Vendee: I refused. 20th. I am appointed to the topographical bureau of the Committee of Public Safety. I could, for the asking, get sent to Turkey as general to reorganize the artillery of the Grand Seignior. Everything is quiet here for the moment, but it may be that a storm is brewing. 25th. (To Joseph.) I hope a consulship can be ob- tained for you. The primaries are to be convened to elect a third of the legislature. 29th. The army of the Interior has accepted the Con- stitution. Some of the Sections of Paris are demanding that the troops be withdrawn, and the decree repealed. September 5th. The Committee thinks that I cannot leave France so long as the war continues. I shall be reinstated in the artillery. If I stay here, I may possibly get bitten with the notion of getting married. 6th. (To Joseph.) The consulship of Chio is vacant; but you told me you had no use for an island. I hope for something better. To-day the primary assemblies for Paris are meeting; there are many posters, but we hope all will go off quietly. I am very pleased with Louis; he fulfils all my hopes; he's a good fellow, but then he is built after the same fashion as I am: vivacity, wit, health, talent, trust- 16 THE CORSICAN [1795 worthiness, benevolence, he has everything for him. You know, my dear fellow, that I live only for the happi- ness of my own family. 7th. All is quiet. It is a mistake to view the situation tragically. The Republic, powerful abroad, will soon succeed in reestablishing order at home. llth. The primary assemblies refuse to accept the decree. 27th. There is considerable uneasiness, and much in- flammable material. October 3d. (11 Vendemiaire.) Paris is ablaze since this morning. I must be cautious. I have little enough influence. 4th. (12 Vendemiaire.) I am going out to get news. I found several deputies in a state of great alarm, among others Cambaceres. They expected to be attacked next day, and didn't know what to do; my reply was, Give me cannon. This suggestion paralyzed them. The night passed, and no decision come to. 5th (13 Vendemiaire), morning : The news was very bad. They then put the matter in my hands, and set to discussing whether they had the right to repel force by force. Do you intend to wait, said I, until the people give you permission to fire at them? You have appointed me, and I am compro- mised; it is only fair that I should do the business my own way. On that I left the lawyers to drown them- selves in their own flood of words, and got the troops on the move. ,ET.26] A DIARY 17 6th, 2 A. if. : (To Joseph.) At last, it 's all over, and my first thought is to send you the news. The royalists were getting bolder every day. The Convention had ordered the Section Lepelletier to be disarmed; but the Section resisted the troops. Menou was immediately relieved from duty. The Convention appointed Barras to command the army; and the Committees selected me as second in command. We made our arrangements; the enemy attacked us; we killed great numbers of them. We have disarmed the Sections. Good fortune is with me. My love to Eugenie and to Julie. llth. I am appointed general second in command of the army of the Interior. 20th. A citoyen Billon has asked for Paulette's hand; he has no money; I have written to Mamma that it is out of the question. 25th. I am appointed to command in chief the army of the Interior. 1796 March 9th. This nineteenth day of the month of Ven- t6se in the fourth year of the Republic, this deed of mar- riage between Napoleone Buonaparte, general-in-chief of the army of the Interior, twenty -eight years of age, born at Ajaccio, Department of Corsica, domiciled in Paris, Rue d'Antin, son of Charles Buonaparte, gentleman, and of Letizia Ramolini; And Marie Joseph Rose Detascher, twenty -eight years of age, born in the island of Martinique, in the Windward Islands, domiciled in Paris, Rue Chantereine, daughter of Joseph Gaspard Detascher, captain of dragoons, and of Rose Claire Desvergers de Lannois, his wife. llth. (To the Directoire.) I had asked citoyen Barras to inform the Directoire of my marriage with the citoy- enne Tascher Beauharnais. The trust which the Direc- toire has reposed in me made it a duty to inform it of all my actions. This is one more bond that draws me to our country; it is a pledge of my firm resolve to seek salva- tion only in the Republic. 21st. Departure for Italy. 27th, Nice: Soldiers! you are naked and starving; the Government owes you much and can give you nothing. Among these rocks, your patience, your courage, are admirable; but not one ray of glory can shine down on you. I will lead you into the most fertile plain of the earth. Wealthy cities, great provinces, will be in your power; and there await jsT.26] A DIARY 19 you honour, glory, and riches. Soldiers of Italy, will your courage, will your constancy fail ? 28th. (To the Directoire.) I joined the army a few days ago; yesterday I assumed command. I have in- formed the troops, in your name, of your satisfaction with their conduct and their patience. This pleased the men, and especially the officers, very much. One battal- ion has mutinied, because it had neither boots nor pay. I ordered the grenadiers under arrest . 29th. General Alexandre Berthier is appointed chief of staff to the army of Italy. April 6th, Albenga: I have shifted headquarters to Albenga. This move- ment has drawn the enemy out of winter quarters. They have moved their outposts up to Dego. The King of Sar- dinia is displaying much activity. The destitution of the army is alarming. I have many difficulties to overcome, but it can be done. The absolute misery of the army has broken its discipline, and without discipline there can be no victories. The Piedmontese are 40,000 strong in infantry; the Austrians have 34,000. I have actually 45,000 men. At Oneglia I found some statuary of considerable value. I ordered an auction, from which we may derive 30,000 or 40,000 francs. llth. Fighting began at eight o'clock this morning. I shall attack. To-morrow we will advance on the enemy all along our right. 12th, Carcare: Vive la Republiguel This day, 23d of Germinal, the divisions of General Massena and of General Laharpe 20 THE CORSICAN [1796 attacked the Austrians, who, under the command of Gen- eral Beaulieu, numbered 13,000, and occupied the impor- tant position of Montenotte. The republicans defeated the Austrians completely, killing and wounding 3000 men. At night: I have just been over the battlefield; there were prison- ers and dead on all sides. 14th. (To the Directoire.) The campaign of Italy has begun. I owe you an account of the battle of Monte- notte. General Beaulieu, with one division, attacked the right of our army. On the (12th) at daybreak, Beaulieu and Laharpe engaged, when Massena appeared on the enemy's flank and rear, spreading destruction and panic. The rout of the enemy was complete. 15th. (To the Directoire.) To-day I have to inform you of the battle of Millesimo. The enemy, surrounded on all sides, had no time even to surrender; our columns scattered death, panic, and flight. General Provera, with the body he commanded, surrendered at Cosseria. Our soldiers pursued the enemy on all sides unflaggingly. We have in this glorious battle taken 7000 to 9000 prisoners, 22 guns, and 15 flags. The chef de brigade of the 39th having been killed, I have appointed citoyen Lannes to replace him. 16th. (To the Directoire.) To-day I must render you an account of our action at Dego. We estimate the enemy's loss at 2000 men. Major Murat contributed largely to our success. The enemy are much stronger than we anticipated, fight well, and outnumber us in cavalry and artillery. JET. 26] A DIARY 21 I have not a single engineer officer to reconnoitre, Ceva, and must go there myself. 22d, Lesegno: (To the Directoire.) I have to render account of the action at Mondovi and of our occupation of that city. Driven from Ceva, the Piedmontese army took up a posi- tion at the confluence of the Corsaglia and the Tanaro, their right on Vico, their centre on the Bicocca. General Serrurier attacked their right, crossed the bridge under fire, and after three hours' fighting drove them from the village. The enemy's position was very strong. We spent the day making demonstrations so as to cover our real intentions. My object was to throw myself on Mondovi. However, at two in the morning, General Colli began his retreat in the direction of that city. At daybreak the struggle began in the village of Vico. The enemy lost 1800 men, 11 flags, and 8 guns. The 20th dragoons, led into action by citoyen Murat, distinguished itself. (To the army.) The general in command congratulates the army on its courage, and on its daily successes against the enemy; but he has seen with horror the frightful pil- lage committed by degraded individuals who rejoin their corps after the battle is over to indulge in excesses that disgrace the army and France. It is therefore ordered: the generals shall, within twenty-four hours, hand in a report on the conduct of all commanding officers under their orders. The generals are empowered to relieve from duty all officers who, by their example, have counte- nanced the horrible pillage of these last few days. Their names shall be sent to their Departments so that they may incur the contempt of their fellow citizens. 22 THE CORSICAN [1796 23d, Carru: (To General Colli.) Sir: The Directoire has reserved to itself the right of negotiating peace; the plenipotentiaries of the king your master must therefore proceed to Paris. The military and moral situation of the two armies makes an armistice pure and simple entirely out of the question. I must decline, on vague presumptions, to suspend my march. There is, however, a way of attaining your object; it is by placing me in possession of Coni, Alessandria, and Tortona. This proposal is a very moderate one. 24th. An armistice for one month, guaranteed by the possession of two fortresses, would be of great service to the Republic. It would give me time enough to overrun Austrian Lombardy. (To the Directoire.) You cannot conceive the state that this army is in, it has no bread, no discipline. Our lack of carts, our bad horses, our rapacious commissaries, have reduced us to absolute destitution. The life I lead is un- believable; worn out with my day's work, I have to sit up all night to administer, and to proceed in person every- where to restore order. Our starving soldiers commit ex- cesses that make one ashamed to be a man. I shall make some terrible examples. I will restore order, or cease to command these bandits. I have to face 100,000 men with only 34,000 infantry and 3500 cavalry. Citoyen Junot, my aide-de-camp, will present 21 flags to you. The army of Italy in sending you these standards, certificates of its valour, charges me to assure you of its devotion to the Constitution. 26th, Cherasco: All goes well. The pillage has decreased. This first AT. 26] A DIARY 23 excess of an army that lacked everything is wearing off. The wretched men are excusable; they have reached the promised land, and cannot but be at it. To-morrow some of the men who have rifled a church will be shot. It is a painful thing to have to do, and costs me many pangs; horrors have been committed that make me shudder; for- tunately the Piedmontese army in its retreat behaved even worse. This splendid country will be of great help to us; from Mondovi alone we can raise a million. (To the army.) Soldiers! In fifteen days you have won six victories, captured twenty-one flags, fifty-five guns, several fortresses, conquered the richest part of Pied- mont; you have made 15,000 prisoners; you have killed or wounded nearly 10,000 men. Until now you have fought for barren rocks. Lacking everything, you have accomplished everything. You have won battles without cannon, crossed rivers without bridges, made forced marches without boots, bivouacked without brandy, and often without bread. Only the phalanx of the Republic, only the soldiers of Liberty, could endure the things that you have suffered. But, soldiers, you have really done nothing, if there still lies a task before you. As yet, neither Milan nor Turin is yours. Our country has the right to expect great things of you; will you be worthy of that trust? There are more battles before you, more cities to capture, more rivers to cross. You all burn to carry forward the glory of the French people; to dictate a glorious peace; and to be able, when you return to your villages, to ex- claim with pride: "I belonged to the conquering army of Italy!" 24 THE CORSICAN [1796 Friends, that conquest, I promise, shall be yours; but there is a condition you must swear to observe : to respect the people you are liberating; to repress horrible pillage. All plunderers will be shot without mercy. People of Italy, the French army is here to break your chains; you may greet it with confidence. 28th. (To the Directoire.) You will find herewith the armistice agreed on last night between General La Tour, commanding the Piedmontese army, and myself. Ceva, Coni, and Alessandria are in our power. If you should fail to come to a settlement with Sardinia, I can hold these fortresses and march on Turin. Meanwhile, to- morrow I move against Beaulieu. I shall seize Lombardy, and before a month has passed I expect to be in the mountains of the Tyrol. As to Sardinia, you can dictate whatever conditions of peace you choose, since I am in possession of the chief fortresses. If you will continue to trust me and to give my plans your approval, success is certain: Italy is yours. (To General Laharpe.) Start forAcquiat once, and pur- sue the Austrians; they are withdrawing and will cross the Po. 29th. (To the Directoire.) My columns are moving; Beaulieu is retreating; I hope I shall catch him. I shall raise several millions from the Duke of Parma. He will send you proposals for peace, but don't be in a hurry; give me time to make him pay the expenses of the cam- paign. If you should not conclude peace with the King of Sardinia, if your intention is to dethrone him, you must play with him for several weeks, and notify me at once; I can then seize Valenza and march on Turin. ^T.26] A DIARY 25 May 1st, Acqui: (To Faypoult, at Genoa. ) We are at Acqui since yester- day. Beaulieu's retreat is so rapid that we have failed to reach him. Send me a memorandum, geographical, his- torical, political, and topographical, on the imperial fiefs in the neighbourhood of Genoa. Send me a memorandum on the Dukes of Parma, of Piacenza, and of Modena, their troops, fortresses, and resources; send me also a schedule of the pictures, statues, cabinets, and curios of Milan, Parma, Piacenza, Modena, and Bologna. The Duke of Parma was to have concurred in the peace we made with Spain; how was it this was not done ? Send 6000 pairs of boots to Tortona immediately. 6th, Tortona: (To the Directoire.) Yesterday we were cannonading the Austrians beyond the Po. This river is wide and very difficult to cross. My plan is to cross it as near Milan as possible, so as to leave no further obstacle between me and that capital. To-day we march on Piacenza. If I were to wait for a couple of pontoon bridges, I am certain we should not get over in July; my plan is to cross with rafts and flying bridges. It would be of advantage if you could send me three or four artists of repute to select the things we want to send to Paris. Since the campaign opened, General Berthier, chief of staff, has been constantly by my side in action, and at night at his desk; it is impossible to display greater en- ergy, together with zeal, courage, and technical knowledge. 7th. Castel San Giovanni: The Austrian army had intrenched itself to cover the 26 THE CORSICAN [1790 Milanese. After various military and diplomatic feints to persuade it that I intended to cross at Valenza, I have made a forced march with 5000 grenadiers and 1500 horse on Castel San Giovanni. 9 A. M. At the crossing of the Po We have reached the crossing of the Po, where the en- emy shows about 150 cavalry; the infantry must still be in the direction of Valenza. The general-in-chief is there- fore determined to cross at once with the advance guard. We jumped into the boats. Chef de brigade Lannes, brave and intelligent, was first on the bank. The divi- sions of the army are hurrying their march, since our movement is now unmasked. Afternoon : All the advance guard and Laharpe's division are across the Po. 8th. Beaulieu, perceiving our movement, realizes too late that his fortifications at Pavia are useless, and that the French republicans are not so foolish as was Francis I! 9th. (To Carnot.) Beaulieu has been surprised; his moves are weak, and he constantly walks into the traps that are set for him. What we have captured from the enemy is incalculable. I am sending you twenty pictures by the greatest masters, Correggio, Michael Angelo. I owe you special thanks for your attentions to my wife; I commend her to your care; I love her madly. I hope, if all goes well, to send about ten millions to Paris, which might be useful for the army of the Rhine. Since Stengel's death I have not one single general officer of artillery who fights. *m26] A DIARY 27 I need two or three adjutant-generals who have dash and a firm resolve not to execute scientific retreats. At night : The enemy is retreating on Lodi. llth, Lodi: We made our way into Lodi, and found the bridge swept by 30 guns. The fire was very hot. As soon as the troops got up they were formed in solid column, sup- ported by the grenadier battalions, the men cheering for the Republic. The bridge, 200 yards in length, was at- tacked. The enemy's fire was terrible. The head of our column appeared to waver. Generals Berthier, Massena, Lannes, rushed to the front and carried uncertain fortune with them. Our stalwart column broke down all resist- ance; in a flash, the hostile army was scattered. The battle of Lodi has conquered Lombardy for the Republic. Evening: (The grenadiers acclaim General Bonaparte as the little corporal.') 14th. (To the Directoire.) Yesterday I sent one divi- sion to Milan; Beaulieu is at Mantua. I think it unwise to divide the army of Italy in two; it is against the interests of the Republic to give it to two generals. The move on Rome, Leghorn, Naples, is a small matter. There should not only be a single general, but he should be unfettered in his judgment and opera- tions. I have conducted this campaign without consulting any one; I would have done no good had I been guided by another's opinions. I have had some measure of success because my moves have been as quick as my thoughts. If you put shackles on me, you must be prepared for poor 28 THE CORSICAN [1796 results. Every man has his own fashion of making war. General Kellermann has had a longer experience and will do better than I; but he and I together will only make a mess of it. If I am to render real service to the country, I must have your absolute confidence. I feel that it requires much courage to write you this letter; it would be so easy to accuse me of ambition or pride. 17th, Milan: The tricolour flag floats over Milan, Pavia, Como, and all the cities of Lombardy. Orders are issued to equip the divisions with all they need, so that they may soon resume active operations and carry them through with the rapid- ity and dash that have given us our victories. I have sent off to Tortona at least two millions' worth of jewels and silver ingots. 20th. Soldiers! You have rolled down from the Apennines like a torrent; you have overthrown and scat- tered all that opposed your advance. Milan is yours, and the republican flag floats over Lombardy. The Po, the Ticino, the Adda, could not stay your advance for a single day. Yes, soldiers, you have accomplished much; but is there nothing left to do ? Come, forward ! We have more forced marches to make, more enemies to conquer, more laurels to win, more wrongs for which to claim revenge. 21st. We have imposed 20 millions of francs on the Milanese. 22d. The troops are marching towards the passes of the Tyrol. The Austrian army receives reinforcements daily. 25th, 2A.M.: (To General Berthier.) I am just back from halfway to Pavia. We met about a thousand peasants at Binasco, *:T.26] A DIARY 29 and defeated them. After killing a hundred or so, we burned the village, a terrible example which will have the desired effect; in an hour we shall start for Pa via, where the report is that our men are still holding out. (To the inhabitants of Lombardy.) A misguided mob, with no real means of defence, has committed acts of vio- lence in several districts. Such incredible folly deserves compassion; this unhappy people is misled and drawn to its own destruction. Those who do not lay their arms down within 24 hours will be treated as rebels; their vil- lages will be burnt. May their eyes be opened by the ter- rible example of Binasco! Every city and village that continues in rebellion will meet with the same fate. General Despinoy will immediately assemble a court- martial to sentence, in the course of the day, persons caught with arms in their possession during the riot that has occurred in Milan, and to have those who are con- victed of participation in the insurrection shot. The exe- cution is to be carried out within 24 hours. 26th, Pavia: At daybreak I marched on Pavia. The city appeared to be defended by a large mass of people, and to be in a state of defence; the citadel had been captured and our soldiers were prisoners. I ordered the guns up. General Dommar- tin formed the 6th grenadiers in solid column, axe in hand, and two fieldpieces at the head. The gates were broken in; the mob scattered to the cellars and to the roofs, at- tempting in vain, by throwing down tiles, to prevent our entering the streets. I had the town councillors shot. To-day everything is quite calm. 30 THE CORSICAN [1796 28th, Brescia: Any village in which the tocsin is rung shall be burned down. We are now on the territory of the Venetian republic, a neutral country, in which individuals and property must be rigidly respected. 30th, Valeggio: To-day Massena's and Augereau's divisions attacked the passage of the Mincio. The enemy have been com- pletely defeated along the line of this river, which was crossed by a part of our troops with water up to their armpits. The enemy left us five guns and the store of medicines for their ambulances. They are in full retreat all along the line. (To Carnot.) I am in despair; my wife doesn't come, some lover keeps her in Paris. I curse all women, but I embrace my excellent friends. 31st, Peschiera: The enemy has crossed the Adige, and only the garri- son of Mantua remains, which will soon be destroyed by the unhealthiness of its marshes ! Vive la Republique I The Austrians are driven entirely out of Italy. June 1st. (To the Directoire.) I could not name all the soldiers who have distinguished themselves for courage. Nothing could equal their bravery. You would suppose that once at their bivouac they would at least sleep; nothing of the sort, every man sets to work spinning yarns or drawing up the next day's plan of operations. The other day I was watching a demi-brigade filing by, a light infantryman steps up to my horse : General, says he, we must do so and so. Rascal, I answered, J5T.26] A DIARY 31 shut your mouth, will you? He promptly vanished; I sent for him in vain; what he had said was precisely what I had given orders to do. I am sending off from Milan to-morrow one hundred carriage horses, the finest that could be found in Lom- bardy; they will replace the mediocre hacks that draw your carriages at present. 5th, Roverbella: The general-in-chief has gone to Milan; headquarters remain at Roverbella. 7th, Milan: (To the Directoire.) When Beaulieu perceived that we were marching on the Mincio, he seized the fortress of Peschiera, which belongs to the Venetians. Two days later, the action at Borghetto and the passage of the Mincio placed it in our hands. The proveditore came to offer me hasty explanations; I received him stiffly, and declared that I would march on Venice in person to pro- test to the Senate against so patent an act of bad faith. There was great alarm in Venice. If you wish to extract 5 or 6 millions from Venice, here is a pretext all ready to your hand. If your policy goes beyond this, my advice would be to keep the matter open and to wait for a fa- vourable moment, for we must not have everybody on our hands at once. I shall soon be at Bologna. Is it your wish that I should then grant an armistice to the Pope, in return for 25 mil- lions in money, 5 millions in foodstuffs, 300 pictures, statues and MSS. in proportion ? 8th. We have surrounded the city of Mantua. This fortress is unapproachable for the moment because of the flooded state of the rivers. 82 THE CORSICAN [1796 llth. Lombardy is perfectly quiet. Political songs are in every mouth. The people are becoming used to Liberty. It might be worth while to form a Lombard battalion. The general-in-chief understands that, notwithstanding his repeated orders, looting still continues. Such infamous conduct makes it impossible longer to delay employing drastic methods. It is therefore ordered that any soldier, of whatsoever rank, caught in the act, shall be shot. 15th, Tortona: The Emperor is saying to everybody that in August he will reenter Italy. His troops are everywhere on the march, even in Poland. (To Faypoult, at Genoa.) I am sending you General Murat, my aide-de-camp; please take him to the Senate immediately so that he may present the letter which he will show you. If you were to present it, it would take two weeks to get an answer, and it is necessary to com- municate after a fashion that is more likely to electrify these gentlemen. 20th, Bologna: We are in Bologna since yesterday. We have made 700 prisoners and found 40 guns. The Cardinal Legate is a prisoner of war. Chef de brigade Lannes commands the infantry of the advance guard; General Murat the ad- vance guard itself. 21st. The Modena pictures have started. Citoyen Barthelemy is now engaged selecting the Bologna ones. He expects to take about fifty. Monge, Berthollet, and Thouin are at Pavia, at work enriching our natural his- tory specimens. I hope they will not overlook a complete *!T.26] A DIARY 33 collection of snakes which seemed to be well worth the journey. An intercepted letter from Vienna states that General Wurmser will command the army in Italy. One division has already occupied the passes of the Grisons. I have given the Cardinal Legate leave to proceed to Rome. I told him that if the Pope would send us peace proposals and would pay a contribution of war promptly, he might perhaps find a support yet in the French Repub- lic. The heat is excessive; and we have not one moment to spare for recrossing the Po and concentrating our troops against the Austrians. I shall be at Leghorn on the 29th; I hope we shall have concluded an armistice with the Pope by then. As we shall have concluded this armistice more with the dog days than with the Pope, my feeling is against making peace, so that in September, if we prosper, we can seize Rome. 26th, Pistoja: (To the Directoire.) You will find herewith the condi- tions of the armistice with the Pope. M. D'Azara had the impudence to offer us five millions in money and three millions in foodstuffs. Seeing he could get no abatement out of me, he turned to the Government Commissioners, and worked them so well that he discovered our secret, which is the impossibility of our marching to Rome. On that we could only get 20 millions out of him, by making a march on Ravenna. I had always stipulated that we should get the treasure of Our Lady of Loretto, which, I thought, was agreed; but he so twisted and turned that we had to accept one million instead. This manner of ne- gotiating three handed is very prejudicial to the interests 34 THE CORSICAN [1796 of the Republic. This negotiation, in which the Republic has lost 10 millions, has been extremely disagreeable to me. There was no difficulty as . to the other conditions save for the MSS., which they did not want to give up; on that score, too, we had to come down from two or three thousand to five hundred. July 2d, Bologna: I saw at Florence the famous Venus, for which there should be room in our Museum, and a collection of ana- tomical models in wax which it would be desirable to acquire. Fontana is willing to undertake having these copied for us. It would cost little, and would be of advan- tage to us in a matter so useful to humanity. Our art commissioners behave well and work hard. The scientists have garnered a fine harvest at Pa via. I am starting for Mantua. I expect to open the trenches on the 9th. The enemy will probably manoeuvre to relieve the fortress; we shall then engage, if necessary. 5th, Roverbella: (To General Despinoy.) Hurry on the artillery; don't go to sleep among the pleasures of Milan; and whatever you do, don't write letters to upset our poor chief of staff, who, ever since you mentioned a lovely actress who awaits him in Milan, is dying of impatience to get there. (To Josephine.) I am dead tired. Please start at once for Verona; I need you, for I feel as though I were going to be seriously ill. A thousand kisses. I am in bed. 9th, Verona: (To General Despinoy.) I am in a rage with every one at Milan. Nothing gets here, no artillery, no officers, no gunners. I am sending you an aide-de-camp to stir *:T.26] A DIARY 35 things up. In the present situation days equal centuries. There is a company of artillery I have been expecting this last century; it has stopped on the way. I had ordered 600 horses to Coni ; they are all dead on the road I suppose, as I haven't heard a word of them. llth, Marmirolo: (To Faypoult.) I have not yet seen M. Cattaneo; when I do I shall not forget to put him to sleep, and to inspire the Senate with a little more confidence. The hour of Genoa has not struck, because the Austrians are growing in numbers and we shall soon have a battle. The policy of the Directoire as to Genoa does not as yet seem quite clear. 12th, Verona: (To the Directoire.) Would it not be as well to start a little quarrel at once with the Minister of Venice in Paris, so that as soon as I have taken Mantua I can make an opportunity for asking them, as you desire I should, for several millions ? 17th, Marmirolo: (To Josephine.) I have received your letter, adorable friend, and it has filled my heart with joy. I thank you for troubling to send me news of yourself. Since leaving you, I have been constantly sad. Your kisses, your tears, your playful jealousy, haunt my mind; and the charms of the incomparable Josephine set a bright and burning , flame blazing in my heart and in my senses. When shall I be free from all worries, from all business, so as to spend my hours near you, with nothing to do but to love you, and nothing to think of but to tell it and to prove it you ? Since I first knew you, I adore you more and more every 36 THE CORSICAN [1796 day, which proves the untruth of La Bruyere's maxim, that love comes suddenly. All things in nature run their course, and vary in their growth. Ah ! I implore you, let me witness some of your defects; be less beautiful, less amiable, less tender, less good, above all, above all, never be jealous, never weep; your tears affect my reason and scorch my blood. 18th. I passed the night under arms. A bold and fortunate stroke would have given me Mantua; but the waters in the lake began to go down rapidly, so that the column in the boats was not able to disembark. I was in the village of Virgil, on the shore of the lake, by a silvery moonlight; and I could not cease thinking of Josephine for one moment. 19th. We attacked Mantua yesterday. We warmed it up with two batteries firing red-hot shot, and with mortars. All through the night the wretched city was blazing, a horrible but grand spectacle. We captured sev- eral outworks, and shall open our trenches to-night. I start to-morrow for Castiglione with headquarters, and expect to sleep there. 22d, Castiglione: (To Josephine.) The situation of the army makes my presence here necessary; it is out of the question for me to go so far as Milan. Come, quickly, and join me; be happy and without fear. 29th, Montechiaro, morning : The enemy have forced our positions at La Corona. An effort will be made for their recapture. We must attack them, and defeat them. Afternoon: General Augereau is to retreat on Roverbella. ajT.26] A DIARY 37 Roverbella, evening : The fighting at La Corona makes it necessary to move the heavy baggage of the army back to Milan by Cre- mona. I am expecting Berthier impatiently. The situa- tion is decidedly critical. To-morrow will, I hope, turn out better for us. Part of Massena's division has been driven in. I am starting for Castelnovo with a few demi-brigades. Per- haps we can reestablish things. 30th, Castelnovo: The army's unfortunate position is this : that the enemy have broken through our lines at three points; they hold Rivoli; Massena and Joubert have had to retreat; Sauret has fallen back on Desenzano; the enemy have seized Brescia. Our communications with Milan are cut. 31st, Roverbella: (To General Kilmaine.) It is absolutely necessary that you should attack the enemy at Montechiaro. As I am in great haste, send a copy of this order to General Massena. Generals Augereau, Rampon, Cervoni, are marching on Montechiaro, which their advance guard will reach at 4 A. M. The attack on Brescia must be renewed. General Serrurier on receiving the order to evacuate (the lines of) Mantua will occupy Marcaria. August 2d, Brescia: (To Saliceti.) For a moment fortune appeared to have turned against us. So much has happened these last five or six days, that I can render you no complete account; but at last, thanks to the battle of Lonato and my vigor- ous measures, things are beginning to look better. I have 38 THE CORSICAN [1796 raised the siege of Mantua, and am here with nearly the whole army. I shall seize the first opportunity of engaging the enemy, and thereby settling the fate of Italy. We are worn out; I have killed five horses. We have had reverses, but victory is inclined to rejoin our standards. 6th, Castiglione: All through the 2d Wurmser was concentrating, draw- ing all the troops he could from Mantua, ranging them between Solferino and the Chiese. He brought together 25,000 men. The fate of Italy was still in suspense. I also gave orders for concentrating my columns. I proceeded in person to Lonato; imagine my surprise when a flag came in summoning the commandant of Lonato to surrender because, so it was said, he was surrounded! There were, in point of fact, columns in touch with our outposts, and the Brescia road was cut. I realized that these troops could be only the debris of a division that had been cut off and was trying to force its way through our lines. The position was an awkward one, as I had not more than 1200 men with me. I ordered the officer with the flag to be brought before me and his eyes unbandaged. I informed him that if, within the space of eight minutes, his division had not surrendered, I should give no quarter. The officer was astounded at seeing me there, and a mo- ment later his column laid down their arms; it was 4000 strong. On the 3d, at daybreak, the armies were in presence. I ordered our troops to fall back so as to draw the enemy towards us while Serrurier was turning Wurmser's left. The moment we saw Serrurier's division, I ordered Adju- xc.96] A DIARY 39 tant-General Verdier to attack. After a heavy cannonade the enemy's left was routed. Augereau attacked their centre; Massena their right. We were victorious all along the line. We have, therefore, in five days, fought another cam- paign. Wurmser has lost 70 guns, all his transport, 12,000 to 15,000 prisoners, 6000 killed and wounded. At night, on the battlefield : The moonlight was lovely; suddenly, from out the deep solitude of the night, a dog, crawling from under a dead man's clothes, dashed at us, but only to return quickly to his lair, howling plaintively. He licked his master's face, then turned on us again; it seemed as though he both asked for help and cried out for vengeance. Whether it was my mood, or the place, the hour, the incident itself, or something unaccountable, yet I can truly say that never anything on a field of battle moved me so much. Involuntarily I stopped to watch. Perhaps, said I to my- self, the man has friends, and he lies here abandoned by all except his dog! What a lesson for nature to read us through the act of a dog! 8th, Verona: Here we are, back in our old positions. The enemy's retreat has carried them far into the Tyrol. The Austrian army has vanished like a dream, and threatened Italy is at peace once more. 13th, Brescia: The Court of Rome believed we were lost, and sent a legate to Ferrara. I have ordered this Cardinal to come to headquarters. 14th. (To the Directoire.) I think it as well, Citoyens 40 THE CORSICAN [1795 Directeurs, to give you my opinion of the generals on duty with this army: Berthier: talent, energy, courage, force, everything. Augereau: strong character, courage, firmness, energy; has much experience of war, is liked by the soldiers, and is fortunate in what he undertakes. Massena: active, indefatigable; has boldness, instinct, and decision. Serrurier: fights like a soldier; lacks initiative; firm; has too low an opinion of his men; is ill. Despinoy: flabby, no energy, no boldness; is not made for warfare; is not liked by his men, and won't lead them into action; but high-minded, intelligent, and sound in politics; good for a home command. Sauret: good, very good soldier; not enough education for a general; not lucky. Abbatucci : not fit to command fifty men. Gamier, Meunier, Casabianca: incapable; not fit to command a battalion in so lively and difficult a campaign as this. Macquart: a good fellow; no talent; dash. Gaultier: good for office work; has never seen active service. How many blunders Murat has committed for the sake of placing his headquarters in a castle where there were women ! 18th. My wife has arrived. In four or five days the invincible army of Italy will open a new campaign. We shall force the passes of the Tyrol and conclude the war in Germany. jsT.27] A DIARY 41 31st. (To Josephine.) I am just starting for Verona. I had expected a letter from you; it makes me most anxious. You were not very well when I left you; I beg of you don't keep me in such anxiety. Three days and no letter; I have written several. Your absence is hor- rible, the nights are long, boresome, dull, the days are monotonous. To-day, alone with my thoughts, my work, my busi- ness, with men and their vain projects, I have not a single line from you to press to my heart. The headquarters have moved; I start in an hour. September 3d, Ala: (To Josephine.) We are on the march, adorable friend. We have swept back the enemy's outposts. The troops are gay and in high spirits. No letters from you, I am really worried ; however, I am told you are well, that you have even made an excursion on the lake of Como. Every day I am waiting impatiently a letter with news from you; you know how precious it will be. Away from you I don't exist; the happiness of life is at the side of my gentle Josephine. Think of me! Write often, very often; it's the only cure for absence. 6th, Trent: 6000 or 7000 prisoners, 25 guns, 7 flags, these are the results of the battle of Roveredo, one of the most success- ful of the campaign. At eight o'clock in the morning of the 5th Massena occupied Trent. Wurmser abandoned the city to seek refuge towards Bassano. General Vaubois is pursuing the enemy. I shall reach Bassano on the 8th. If the enemy stand their ground, there will be a battle. 42 THE CORSICAN [1796 9th, Bassano: Our march of twenty leagues in two days has com- pletely disconcerted the enemy. We have captured five flags; chef de brigade Lannes took two with his own hand. We are pursuing a division of 8000 men, all that is left of the formidable army which, a month ago, threatened to drive us from Italy. In six days we have fought two battles and four engagements. We have captured 21 flags, and have taken 16,000 prisoners. We have covered more than 45 leagues. Chef de brigade Lannes to be brigadier-general. 10th, Montebello: (To Josephine.) We have never met with such great and steady successes. Italy, the Friuli, the Tyrol, are safe for the Republic. In a few days we shall meet; that will be the sweetest reward for all my troubles and labours. A thousand burning and loving kisses. 15th, Verona: I like the Poles. The partition of Poland was an iniqui- tous deed that cannot stand. When I have finished the war in Italy, I will lead the French myself and force the Russians to reestablish Poland. 17th. (To Josephine.) I write frequently, dear friend, and you very seldom. You are perverse, and wicked, very wicked, and your conduct is frivolous. Don't you think it's a little too bad to deceive a poor husband, a tender lover ? Must he lose every claim because he is at a distance, loaded with work, fatigue, and care ? Without his Josephine, without her love, what would there be left on earth ? What could he live for ? Adieu, adorable Josephine, one of these nights your door will aw.*?] A DIARY 43 burst open; the rush of a jealous man, and I am in your arms! 26th, Milan: (To Cardinal Mattei.) Sir, I am persuaded because of your high character, which is praised by every one, to permit you to return to Ferrara, and to draw the veil over your conduct last month. I shall assume that you merely forgot for a moment a principle which your knowledge of the Scriptures will recall to you: that the priest who intervenes in political matters forfeits the privileges of his position. Return to your bishopric;, practise virtue; and don't ever meddle in politics. October 1st. The army of observation is 18,000 strong; the blockading army 9000. The Emperor will have 50,000 men in six weeks. 2d. (To the Directoire.) Venice is alarmed, and is hatching something with the King of Naples and the Pope. We can do nothing with them till Mantua is ours. The King of Naples has 60,000 men on foot. The Grand Duke of Tuscany is a cipher, from every point of view. The Duke of Parma behaves fairly well; he also is a cipher, from every point of view. Rome is strong on the score of fanaticism. If you insist on making war against Rome and Naples, we must be reinforced with 45,000 men. Keep negotia- tions with Rome open until we are ready to march on that proud city. (To His Majesty the Emperor of Germany.) Your Majesty, Europe wants peace. This disastrous war has 44 THE CORSICAN [1796 lasted too long. I have the honour of warning your Majesty that unless plenipotentiaries are sent to Paris, my orders from the Directoire are to fill in the port of Trieste. I hope that your Majesty will restore peace and repose to the world. (To General Kellermann, at Lyons.) However much the 40th may be needed at Lyons, it is indispensable that it should be sent here. On the whole, I think it will pay better to risk some fisticuffs in Lyons, but to maintain our conquest of Italy. Think this over, my dear general, with your usual pa- triotic sentiments; send us help as promptly as you can, if you want us to continue sending you 700,000 francs. 8th. (To the Directoire.) My health is so shattered that I must ask you to find me a successor. llth. The national colours of the Lombard legion are green, white, and red. Large bodies of the Emperor's troops are moving in the Tyrol. The rains still cause much sickness in our ranks. 12th. (To the Directoire.) You doubtless assumed that your commissaries would steal, but do their work; they steal so impudently that had I a month to spare, there is not one I could not have shot. I am constantly having them arrested; but the judges are bought up: this is a fair, everything is for sale. Thevenin is a thief; he flaunts his extravagance in our faces; he has sent me several fine horses that I needed; I took them, but cannot make him accept payment. Have him arrested; keep him six months in prison; he is good for 500,000 francs in cash. *T.27] A DIARY 45 The transport service is full of emigres; they call them- selves Royal-Charrois, and sport green collars under my very eyes. As you may imagine, I am constantly ordering arrests, but they have a habit of being where I am not. The new agent appears to be an improvement on Thevenin. This, you understand, refers only to the thieves on a large scale. Would you believe that attempts are made to bribe my secretaries in my very office ? This denunciation is on my soul and conscience, as member of the jury. They are all spies. There is not an army agent who is not hoping for our defeat, and corre- sponding with the enemy; most of them are emigres; it is they reveal our numbers; and I have to be more careful of them than of Wurmser. 17th, Modena: Bologna, Modena, Reggio, and Ferrara have convened a congress. They are animated with the greatest enthusi- asm and the purest patriotism; they see already Italy new made. A legion of 2500 men is being organized, equipped, clothed, and paid at their own expense, and without our intervention. Should these troops make a good showing, the consequences might be very important. (To Josephine.) I was in the saddle all yesterday; to-day I am in bed. Fever and a bad headache have prevented me from writing to my adorable friend; but her letters have reached me, I have pressed them to my heart and to my lips, and the pangs of absence have vanished. For a moment I could imagine you at my side, no longer capri- cious and vexed, but gentle, tender, with all that gra- ciousness and goodness that belong only to Josephine. It was a dream ; guess whether it cured my fever. Your let- 46 THE CORSICAN [1796 ters are as frigid as fifty years old; they suggest fifteen years of marriage. They convey the friendship, the senti- ments, of the winter of life. Fie, Josephine! It is wicked, it is bad, it is treasonable of you ! What more can you do to make me unhappy? Love me no more? Eh! That's already done! Hate me? Well, let it be! Everything degrades save hatred. But indifference, with its marble pulse, its steady stare, its even step . . . ! 21st, Ferrara: (To Cardinal Mattei.) The Court of Rome has declined the offers of the Directoire; it is arming, it wants war; it shall have it. But I owe to my country, to humanity, to myself, one last effort to bring the Pope to sentiments more moderate and more in keeping with his sacred office. Go to R6me, see the Holy Father, enlighten him as to his true interests. An arrangement is still possible. 24th, Verona: The bishop cardinal of Ferrara, a Roman prince with a revenue of 150,000 francs, gives all to the people and lives in his church. I have sent him to Rome on the pretext of negotiating, but really to get rid of him: he was delighted with his mission. The Pope's folly is incredible. My intention is to get as far as Ancona under cover of the armistice, and there to declare myself. The art of the thing will be to keep on juggling for the present, so as to deceive the old fox. 25th. (To Carnot.) You will have seen by my brother's (Lucien) letter, what a hothead he is. He got himself compromised several times in '93, notwithstanding my constant advice. He was bound he would be a Jacobin. As Corsica is now free you would oblige me by ordering jsT.27] A DIARY 47 him there, since his wrongheadedness makes his stay with the army of the Rhine no longer possible. 26th. I have appointed Muiron, Sulkowsky, and Duroc my aides-de-camp. November 2d. (To Massena.) Send me a galloper every three hours with news. We are ready to move forward. 3d. The enemy have crossed the Piave. 5th. Last night General Vaubois fell back on Rove- redo. 7th, Rivoli: Soldiers! I am no longer proud of you! You have shown no discipline, no steadiness, no courage; you have abandoned every position. Men of the 39th and of the 85th, you are no longer French soldiers. Chief of staff, put on their flags: They are no longer of the army of Italy! % 13th, Verona: I am doing my duty, so is the army. My feelings are torn, but my conscience is at rest. Send us help ! Send us help! The Minister of War sends me 6000 effectives, 3000 present; when they reach Milan, they number 1500. At 3 o'clock in the morning of the llth, hearing that the enemy had camped at Villanova, we marched from Verona. On the 12th, at dawn, we found the enemy. They had 22,000 men, and we 12,000. General Augereau got possession of the village of Caldiero, and Massena of the hill on the enemy's flank. But the rain was all for our opponents, (and they remained) masters of the position. The weather is still bad. The army is harassed with fatigue and short of boots. I have led it into Verona, which we have just reached. For to-day we must rest the troops. To-morrow we can act. 48 THE CORSICAN [me The pick of the army is wounded; all our generals are off duty. The army of Italy, now a, handful of men, is at the last gasp. Joubert, Lannes, Lanusse, Victor, Murat, Chabot, Dupuy, Rampon, Pijon, Chabran, St. Hilaire, are wounded. The few who are left feel death inevitable with such depleted ranks. Perhaps the knell of brave Augereau, of indomitable Massena, of Berthier, my own, is about to ring. We shall make one last effort. (To Josephine.) I love you no longer; indeed, I hate you. You are a wicked woman, stupid, tactless, and fool- ish. You have stopped writing to me; you don't love your husband; you know how much pleasure your letters give him, and you don't write him so much as six hap- hazard lines. How is your day spent, madame ? What are the impor- tant matters that give you no time to write to your good lover ? What passion stifles the love, the tender and con- stant love, that you promised him ? Seriously, I am anxious, dear friend, at not hearing from you. Quick, write me four pages, and some of those sweet things that fill my heart with sentiment and pleasure. Soon I hope to clasp you in my arms, and to cover you with a million kisses as burning as the equator. 14th, Villafranca: Should General Vaubois be attacked at Rivoli, he is to resist stiffly, and hang on till night. The army is making a movement to cross the Adige and attack the enemy to-morrow. 19th, Verona: (To the Directoire.) I am so exhausted that I cannot give JDT.27] A DIARY 49 you the detail of the movements preceding the battle of Arcola, which has just decided the fate of Italy. Getting information that Marshal Alvintzy was march- ing on Verona, I slipped away along the Adige with Augereau's and Massena's divisions. At Ronco, I threw a bridge of boats. I hoped to strike at Villanova and cap- ture the artillery and baggage of the enemy, and attack their rear. The enemy, however, had thrown several reg- iments into the village of Arcola, in the midst of the marshes and canals. This village held our advance guard in check all day. Generals Verdier, Bon, Verne, and Lannes were put out of action. Augereau, seizing a flag, carried it to the end of the bridge. Cowards, he shouted to his men, do you fear death ? He staid there several minutes. We had got to carry the bridge. I went to the front myself. I asked the soldiers if they were still the victors of Lodi. My appear- ance produced such an impression on the men that I decided to attempt the passage once more. General Lannes, already twice wounded, returned and received a third wound. General Vignolle was wounded. We had to give up the frontal attack on the village, and wait for the arrival of General Guieu's column from Albaredo. It did not come up till night. At earliest dawn the fighting was renewed with great spirit. On the left Massena routed the enemy and pur- sued them to Arcola. The trophies of the battle of Arcola are 4000 or 5000 prisoners, 4 flags, 18 guns. Two of my aides-de-camp were killed, Elliot and Muiron, both offi- cers of great promise. (To Carnot.) There was never a more desperate fight 50 THE CORSICAN [1796 than at Arcola. I have hardly any generals left; their devotion and courage are unparalleled. Lannes came to the battlefield from a sick-bed. On the first day he was twice wounded; he was lying on a bed of suffering when he was informed that I myself had gone to the head of the column. He jumped out of bed, got on a horse, and sought me out. As he couldn't stand on his feet, he had to remain on horseback; and at the head of the bridge of Arcola a shot struck him down senseless. I can assure you that all that was needed to give us a victory. You must send us reinforcements promptly, for we cannot repeat what we have already accomplished. You know what the French temperament is, rather inconstant. Our splendid demi-brigades, weakened by so many victories, are now but ordinary troops. 22d. (To Josephine.) I am just off to bed, dear little Josephine, my heart full of your adorable face, and in bitter sorrow at being kept so long from your side; but I hope to be better situated in a few days, and to be able to give you proof of the ardent love with which you have filled me. Cruel woman! You no longer write to me, you no longer think of your good friend. Don't you know that, deprived of you, of your love, there is no peace, no happi- ness, no life for your husband ? Heavens ! how happy I would be watching you making your charming toilet; a little shoulder, a little white breast, so firm and so soft, and above it all that fascinating little face in its Creole handkerchief ! Life, happiness, pleasure, are only what you make them. To live with Josephine is to live in Elysium, kisses on your mouth, your eyes, your shoulder, your breast. ,ET.27] A DIARY 51 27th, Milan: (To Josephine.) I arrive at Milan, I rush to your room; I had left everything to see you, to press you in my arms, you were not there, you were junketing in other cities; you run away when I come; you care no more for your dear Napoleon. Your love was a caprice; inconstancy makes you indifferent. Accustomed as I am to danger, I know W 7 here to find a remedy for the worries and woes of existence. My misfor- tune is incalculable; I was entitled not to expect it. I shall stay here till the afternoon of the 29th. That need not interfere with your arrangements; amuse your- self; happiness was made for you. All the world is happy if it can please you; your husband alone is unhappy. Ah! Josephine! Josephine! December 5th. (ToLalande.) I have received your letter. I have immediately forwarded the one inclosed for the Milan astronomer. Whenever I am able to render a ser- vice to science, I gratify my own feelings and am sure that I am acquiring honour. Among all the sciences astronomy is the one which has rendered the greatest services to rea- son and to commerce. To share the night between a beautiful woman and a lovely sky; to spend the day checking observation by calculation, that is happiness on earth. 8th. (To the Proveditore of the Republic of Venice.) Sir: I have failed to recognise in the note which you have handed me the conduct of French troops, but have rather seen that of those of the Emperor, who have every- where committed horrors at which I shudder. The style of the note issued from Verona is that of a 52 THE CORSICAN [1796 poor student of rhetoric. Eh! good God! Mr. Provedi- tore, the evils of war are bad enough, I assure you, not to magnify them a hundred fold, and to broider on them ridiculous fairy tales! I give the lie in due form to any one who dares assert that there has been one single woman raped by the French troops in Venetian territory. One would imagine, from the ridiculous note handed to me, that not one church, not one woman, in the provinces of Verona and Brescia, has been respected! You threaten me with riot- ing and the rising of the cities. This looks very like de- fiance. Are you authorized to take this step by your government ? Does Venice wish to declare against us ? 21st, Verona: The general-in-chief has reviewed Massena's and Augereau's divisions. He has seen with pleasure the good condition of the troops, but with regret the scarcity of bayonets. I had sooner see a soldier without his breeches than without his bayonet. 28th, Milan: Alvintzy's army is on the Brenta and in the Tyrol. The army of the Republic is along the Adige, an advance guard in front of Verona and of Legnago. Mantua is closely blockaded. The art of war lies in calculating odds very closely to begin with, and then in adding exactly, almost mathe- matically, the factor of chance. Chance will always remain a sealed mystery for average minds. 1797 January 3d, Milan: (To General Berthier.) Give General Lannes orders to start for the 19th demi-brigade in two hours, to take command. All the officers must march with their com- panies, and not in postchaises; they must look like a demi- brigade of the army of Italy, and not like a demi-brigade of the King of Persia. I will cashier any officer who trav- els by stage and is not with his company. 6th. The more I study, in my leisure moments, the hopeless defects in the army service, the more I am convinced something must be done quickly. Everything is bought and sold. The army consumes five times as much as is necessary. The leading actresses of Italy are kept by the employes of the French army; extravagance, immorality, and graft have reached their limit. There is only one remedy, a judicial body that can sentence any army administrator to be shot. Marshal Berwick hanged his commissary because his army was short of food ; and we, we are often short. It is not that I am weak ; I have employes arrested every day, but nobody backs me up. 12th, Rpverbella: Orders for the reserve cavalry to march to-night to Legnago, and for General Massena to be ready to move to-night so as to check the enemy's possible plan of cross- ing the Adige. General Joubert, who has 10,000 men with him, is undisturbed; in any case, even if he were beaten while we are at Legnago, we should still have time. 54 THE CORSICAN [1797 13th, 9 A. M., Verona: (To General Joubert, at Rivoli.) Let me know as soon as you can if the enemy in front of you number more than 9000 men. It is very important I should be able to judge whether it is a minor movement, meant to deceive us. The enemy show about 6000 men in the direction of Verona. 3 P.M.: The enemy's movement is unmasked; his forces are moving on Rivoli. Night: General Joubert having concentrated to defend the plateau of Rivoli, the general-in-chief is moving the greater part of Mass6na's division to support him. 17th, Roverbella: (To the Directoire.) On the 14th we won the battle of Rivoli. We captured 13,000 prisoners, several flags, and some guns. On the 14th General Augereau attacked the enemy at Anghiari. He captured 2000 prisoners and 16 guns; but in the night the enemy got away towards Mantua. Augereau got within cannon-shot, attacked St. George, but failed to carry it. I arrived in the night with reinforcements, which led to the battle of La Favor- ita, from which battlefield I am writing. The results of this battle are 7000 prisoners. So here, in three or four days, is the fifth army of the Emperor destroyed. 18th, Verona: I reached Rivoli (on the 14th) at 2 A. M. I immediately ordered the important position of San Marco to be reoc- cupied; and lined the plateau of Rivoli with artillery. At daybreak the fighting was fast and furious. Joubert with JET. 27] A DIARY 55 the 33d supported his light infantry. Alvintzy didn't suspect that I had arrived in the night. Our left was briskly attacked, it fell back, and the enemy pushed in on our centre. The 14th held them up with great pluck. On the 16th brave General Provera asked to surrender. The army of the Republic has therefore in the space of four days made nearly 25,000 prisoners, taken 20 flags, 60 guns, and killed or wounded at least 6000 men. All our demi-brigades covered themselves with glory. It is said that the Roman legions could march 24 miles a day; our brigades cover thirty, and do some fighting in between times. 19th. A regiment is never destroyed by the enemy, sir; it is immortalized! 20th. (To the Directoire.) I move 5000 men over the Po to-morrow, who will march straight on Rome. I send you 11 flags taken from the enemy in the battles of Rivoli and La Favorita. Bessieres, who will hand them to you, is a brave and distinguished officer. 22d. (To Cacault, at Rome.) Citoyen Ministre: Pray leave Rome six hours after receiving this letter. They have made you stand endless humiliations; now you can leave. (To Cardinal Mattel.) The words of peace with which I sent you to the Holy Father have been stifled. It is time the curtain fell on this ridiculous comedy. Whatever hap- pens, the Holy Father may stay in Rome in full security. As chief priest of religion he is assured of protection, both for himself and his church. I shall see that no attempt is made to touch the religion of our fathers. 56 THE CORSICAN [1797 28th. Nothing new at Mantua. On the 3d we shall open with shell. The weather is horrible, rain in buckets for 48 hours. February 1st, Bologna: The armistice has been broken by the Roman govern- ment; I therefore declare that the armistice of the 2d of Messidor is at an end. The French army is entering Papal territory; it will be true to its principles and will protect religion and the people. 2d. Capitulation of Mantua. 3d, Faenza: I have made a point of displaying French generosity towards Wurmser, a general 70 years of age who has been very unfortunate. Besieged in Mantua, he made two or three sorties; they were all unlucky; he led them all in person. 4th, Forli: Soldiers of Victor's division, I am not pleased with you! The only glory you can reap in our present expedition is that which comes of good conduct. I therefore order: every soldier convicted of any injury to persons or pro- perty of the conquered shall be shot at the head of his battalion. 10th, Ancona: (To Josephine.) We have been at Ancona these last two days. I have never been so bored as by this sorry campaign. 15th, Macerata: (To the Directoire.) Ancona is a very good port, within 24 hours of Macedonia and ten days of Constantinople. JET. 27] A DIARY 67 We must keep Ancona when peace is made, and maintain it under the French flag; it will give us a hold on Tur- key. The treasure of Loretto amounted to three millions francs. They left about one million behind. I am sending , you in addition the Madonna and all the relics. The Madonna is made of wood. Our troops will reach Foligno to-night. Here is what I expect to do : I will grant the Pope peace provided he cedes Bologna, Ferrara, Urbino, and Ancona, and that he pays us three millions for the treasure of Loretto and fifteen millions that he owed us on the armistice treaty. If he doesn't accept, I shall go to Rome. 16th. (To Josephine.) You are sad; you are ill; you have stopped writing; you want to go to Paris. Do you love your friend no longer ? This thought makes me wretched. Sweet friend, life has become unbearable since hearing that you are sad. Perhaps I can get a peace with the Pope soon, and be back at your side; it is my most ardent wish. A hundred kisses. Nothing equals my love save my anxiety. 17th, Tolentino: The army is within three days' march of Rome; I am negotiating with the gang of priests; doubtless St. Peter will once more save the capitol! 18th. I hear from Venice that Prince Charles has reached Trieste, and that the Austrians are everywhere in motion. 19th. (TotheDirectoire.) Herewith the treaty of peace which has just been signed between the French Republic 58 THE CORSICAN [1797 and the Pope. I start to-night for Mantua. We shall soon be across the Piave. March 6th, Mantua: (To the Directoire.) When you receive this letter we shall be in active operations again. A ten days' armistice has been proposed to me, which I have declined. The Pope has ratified the treaty of peace concluded at Tolentino. Our situation in Italy appears very satisfac- tory. This is not yet the moment for carrying out your instructions as to Venice. 10th, Bassano: Soldiers of the army of Italy ! The capture of Mantua gives you an eternal claim to the gratitude of our country. You have been victorious in fourteen pitched battles and seventy engagements; you have captured more than 100,000 prisoners and 2500 guns; you have fed, supplied, and paid the army; you have remitted 30 millions to the Public Treasury. You have enriched the Museum of Paris with three hundred objects, the products of 30 cen- turies. But your work is not complete. A great destiny is yours: the country reposes in you its dearest hopes. Of all our foes the Emperor alone still faces us; he has ac- cepted the wages of the merchants of London; his policy has become that of those perfidious islanders who, im- mune from the dangers of war, laugh at the woes of the continent. The Directoire has made every effort to restore peace to Europe. But Vienna has turned a deaf ear. The house of Austria, which for three centuries past has lost in every war some portion of its power, will be reduced at the close jsT.27] A DIARY 59 of this sixth campaign to accept the peace it shall please us to grant, and will fall to the rank of the lesser powers, which it already touched when it accepted the salary of England. llth. Our advance guard reached Felke yesterday, but found no enemy. 13th, Conegliano: We are over the Piave. The enemy is retreating and is apparently taking position behind the Tagliamento. 16th, 11.30 P.M., Valvasone: This morning we reached the Tagliamento, and found Prince Charles with 16,000 men in line. Serrurier and Bernadotte forced their way over. We captured 8 guns. 17th. The passage of the Tagliamento is auspicious; but the further I advance into Germany, the more troops will be accumulated against me. I can't do everything with 50,000 men. 20th, Palmanova: We have forced the line of the Isonzo. 21st, Goritz: Write to Boudet to approve placing on the flag of the 57th demi-brigade: "The terrible 57th demi-brigade, that nothing can stop." It is easy enough to say to a general, go to Italy, win battles, and sign peace at Vienna. But the doing of it is not so easy. I have never paid the least attention to the plans sent to me by the Directoire. Only fools could take stock in such rubbish. As to Berthier, you see what he is: he's an ass! Well, he it is who does everything, he it is who reaps a large share of the glory of the army of Italy ! 60 THE CORSICAN [1797 22d. In a week I may reach Klagenfurt, fifteen post- houses from Vienna. If the Rhine is not crossed soon, we shall be unable to maintain ourselves. 25th. Are we over the Rhine yet ? My movement has got to be unmasked, and the enemy will at once realize the danger. They will withdraw everything from the Rhine to concentrate on me. 28th, Villach: The demi-brigades are expressly forbidden to carry with them more women than the laundresses the law pro- vides for. Every woman found with the army and not duly authorized shall be publicly whipped. 31st, Klagenfurt: (To the Archduke Charles.) Brave soldiers wage war, but hope for peace. Has not this one now lasted six years ? Have we not killed enough people ? Europe, which had taken up arms against the French Republic, has laid them down. Is there no hope, then, of coming to terms, and must we continue to cut each other's throats ? If the overture I have the honour of making can save the life of one single individual, I shall be more proud of the civic crown I should earn than of the sad glory that comes of military success. April 1st. I have sent off the letter to Prince Charles. Should his reply be favourable, and the Court of Vienna be inclined for peace, I shall take it on myself to sign a convention. With 20,000 men more, I would have car- ried the army through to Vienna almost posthaste. 3d, Friesach: Prince Charles is drawing in all the troops he can to cover Vienna. jsT.27] A DIARY 61 Massena and Guieu are pursuing the enemy on the Miir. Yesterday we made 600 prisoners, and killed and wounded a number of their rear guard, which Prince Charles commanded in person. 4th, Scheifling: Massena's division will advance along the road to Leoben. 5th, Judenburg: The enemy appear to be retreating more hastily. Prince Charles has sent in a staff officer to ask for a suspension of hostilities for four hours, an absolutely inadmissible proposal. 7th, morning : (To Generals Merveldt and Bellegarde.) In the present situation of the two armies a suspension of hostilities is all against the interests of the French army; but if it is intended as a step towards the peace that is so needed by both peoples, I readily accede to your wishes. 6 P.M.: Order for General Massena to start with his whole division for Leoben, which he is to occupy. Midnight : An armistice is agreed on until the 13th of April. 8th, Judenburg: (To the Directoire.) You will find herewith the note handed me by Generals Merveldt and Bellegarde. I have told them that the condition preliminary to a treaty of peace is the cession of all territory to the Rhine. They asked for an explanation as to Italy, but I declined. We are here about 20 leagues from Vienna; the army of Italy is therefore isolated and exposed. Our armies have not yet crossed the Rhine. 62 THE CORSICAN [1797 Everything leads me to think we have reached the moment for concluding peace, and we must do so. If, contrary to my expectations, the negotiations went off, I should be very embarrassed as to what to do next. 9th. All goes well. (To the Most Serene Doge of Venice.) All the Venetian mainland is in arms. The watchword of the peasants you have armed is: "Death to the French!" Is it your belief that because I am in the centre of Germany I am unable to compel due respect for the greatest Power in the world ? Do you think the legions of Italy will quietly submit to the massacres you have stirred up ? The blood of my comrades shall be avenged. I send you this letter by my first aide-de-camp. War or peace! We are not living in the days of Charles VIII! (This) letter is for Junot to take to Venice, and to get answered within 24 hours. It would be dangerous to give time for the Venetian troops to assemble. 16th, Leoben: (To the Directoire.) I am sending you by Adjutant-Gen- eral Leclerc this dispatch on the negotiations. Pray send him back at once. All the officers I send to Paris stay there too long; they spend their money, and kill them- selves with fast living. General Merveldt and Count di Gallo are great sticklers /or etiquette; they always want to put the Emperor be- fore the Republic; I have declined flatly. We have reached the matter of recognition. I told them the Republic did not want to be recognised; it is in Europe what the sun is on the horizon; those who can't see it must take their chances. *5T.27] A DIARY 63 On the 15th M. di Gallo came to see me at eight in the morning : he said he desired to have some spot neutralized so that we could continue our negotiations in correct form. We selected a garden with a summer-house in the middle; we have declared the place neutral, a farce which I took part in to soothe the childish vanity of these peo- ple. This so-called neutral spot is in the midst of the bivouacs of our divisions. When one wants to open a campaign there is nothing can stand as an obstacle, and a river has never been a real obstacle. If Moreau wants to cross the Rhine, he will cross; if he had already crossed it, we could dictate our conditions of peace imperiously; but the man who fears for his reputation is certain to lose it. I have crossed the Julian Alps over three feet of ice; I have carried my artillery through places where never a cart has passed. Had I thought only of the repose of my army and my private interests, I should have stopped on the banks of the Isonzo; I threw myself into Germany to disengage the army of the Rhine. I am at the gates of Vienna, and its haughty court has sent its plenipotentiaries to my head- quarters. 18th, Castle of Eggenwald: His Majesty the Emperor and the Directoire have con- cluded peace preliminaries. 19th. (To the Directoire.) I expect to send you within three days, by General Massena, the Emperor's ratifica- tion. I shall quarter the army in Venetia. As for myself, I ask for rest. I have justified the trust you confided in me. I have accounted myself as nothing in all I have done; and now I have thrown myself on Vienna, hav- 64 THE CORSICAN [1797 ing won more glory than should make me happy, and with the splendid plains of Italy behind me, just as I be- gan the previous campaign by seeking bread for an army which the Republic could no longer feed. I insist, there- fore, that together with the ratification of the peace pre- liminaries you should send me leave to return to France. 30th, Trieste: The conduct of the Venetians gets each day worse and worse; we are really in a state of war. The Senate has sent me a deputation; I treated it as it deserved. I told them to drive out the English minister; to hand us twenty millions, and all merchandise belonging to the English. May 3d, Palmanova: I can see no other course than to obliterate the Vene- tian name from the earth. 13th, Milan: Order to General Baraguay d'Hilliers to enter Venice and seize all military positions. 14th. I have just received from the Directoire the rati- fication of the peace preliminaries. The citizens of Venice are under the protection of the French Republic. I am organizing the Cisalpine Republic; I have four committees working hard at framing the Constitution. (To the national guards of the Cisalpine Republic.) Yours is the task, brave comrades, of consolidating the liberty of your country. It is the soldier who founds republics, it is the soldier who maintains them. Without armies, without force, without discipline, neither political independence nor civil liberty can exist. JET.V7] A DIARY 65 15th. Heavens! how scarce men are! There are in* Italy 18 millions of men, and I can barely find two, Dan- dolo and Melzi! 20th, Mombello: General Baraguay d'Hilliers has occupied Venice. June 30th. (To the Directoire.) I have this moment received (a copy of) Dumolard's resolution. This motion, which the Assembly has ordered to be printed, is directed against me. I had a right, after concluding five treaties of peace, and after dealing the last blow to the Coalition, to expect, if not a civic triumph, yet at least to be left in peace; but I see myself denounced, persecuted, hounded down by every means, I whose reputation is part of that of my country ! After having earned a decree that I had deserved well of my country, I should not have been subjected to such absurd and atrocious accusations. I repeat the demand I have already made to retire. I want to live in peace, if the daggers of Clichy spare me. I understand why Bonaparte is accused; it's for con- cluding peace. But I warn you, I speak in the name of 80,000 men; the time when cowardly lawyers and low chatterers could send soldiers to the guillotine has passed, and if you drive them to it, the soldiers of Italy will march to the Clichy gate with their general: but, if they do, look out for yourselves ! The general-in-chief appoints citoyen Eugene Beau- harnais supernumerary sub-lieutenant in the 1st hussars, and his aide-de-camp. This young and talented citizen is 66 THE CORSICAN [1797 the son of General Beauharnais, whose loss will long be mourned by his country. July 4th. I am receiving so many letters from all parts of the Republic that I cannot answer them all. The esteem of his fellow citizens is the only worthy reward for the ser- vices rendered by a soldier to his country. 14th, Milan: Soldiers! I know that you feel deeply the misfortunes that threaten our country; but it will not run any real danger. Mountains lie between us and France; you would surmount them as rapidly as the eagle, to main- tain the Constitution, to defend liberty, to protect the government and all republicans. Soldiers, dismiss all uneasiness, and let us swear on our new standards : Eternal war on the enemies of the Repub- lic and of the Constitution! 17th. The Emperor is trying to gain time. What is his motive ? It is difficult to imagine, unless it lies in the direction of the Clichy Club, and the return of the royal- ists. What is the use of our constant victories ? The blood we have shed for the country is made useless by internal factions. 23d. Without question the Court of Vienna hopes everything from time, and expects to make a useful diversion in favour of England. 27th. (To the Directoire.) General Augereau has asked leave to proceed to Paris, where he has business to attend to. He will inform you verbally of the absolute devo- tion of the soldiers of Italy to the Constitution and to the Directoire. 28th. The tone of the notes handed to the French JET. 28] A DIARY 67 plenipotentiaries, the protests, the extraordinary demands they contain, the movements of Austrian troops, every- thing, in a word, points to war. 29th. There is much dissension between the Council of Five Hundred and the Directoire. It appears that Hoche is about to embark for Ire- land. August 1st. The agitation in Paris continues; the gen- tlemen are divided among themselves. The army of Sambre et Meuse has declared itself vigorously. General Desaix is here; he assures me that the army of the Rhine is at one with the army of Italy. General Serrurier has just arrived; he is indignant at the royalist agitation. 16th. The Emperor is apparently concentrating all his forces on Italy. The large number of recruits, together with the prisoners we have sent back, will enable him to place a formidable army in line against me. The time is fast coming when we shall realize that really to destroy England we must seize Egypt. General Augereau has been appointed to command the 17th (Paris) military division. 28th. (To citoyenne Marie Dauranne, laundress of the 51st of the line.) Worthy citoyenne: The general- in-chief, in making public your civic and courageous deed at the crossing of the Piave, in saving at the risk of your own life one of our brave companions in arms, has awarded you a civic crown. You will find engraved on it the record of a deed that honours not you only but your sex; you may add to it your own name, and that of the 68 THE CORSICAN [1797 brave man whose life you saved, but whose name we do not know. September 4th. Revolution of Fructidor; B arras and Augereau. 6th. (To the Minister of Foreign Affairs.) It would be impossible to carry on so weighty a discussion with more timid negotiators, worse logicians, or men less in- fluential with their own court. When they have said: Those are our instructions, they have done their utmost. I said to them: If your instructions stated that it is now actually night-time, would you ask us to accept it ? Yesterday they proposed that we should give them Romagna, Mantua, and the Venetian state. I asked them how many miles from Paris their army was, and I got vigorously angry at the impertinence of such proposals. In private conversation I told them that I would give them my opinion confidentially, to them, because they knew better than outsiders that I was not given to gas- conading, and that it was that two weeks after the campaign opened I should be very close to Vienna. 7th. The army is warned to be ready to move on the 24th. 8th. The plenipotentiaries continue willing nilling, say- ing unsaying, somewhat disconcerted by my measures. I have moved Dumas' cavalry forward. 12th. (To the Directoire.) Herewith you will find my proclamation to the army announcing the events of the 18th of Fructidor. You may reckon that here are 100,000 men who can by their own effort safeguard the measures you have taken to place liberty on solid founda- tions. AT. 88] A DIARY 69 13th. Why not seize the island of Malta? If, when we conclude peace with England, we have to give up the Cape of Good Hope, we should take Egypt. 16th. (To the sailors of Admiral Bruey's fleet.) Com- rades: As soon as we have pacified the continent, we will join you in conquering the liberty of the seas. We will recall the horrid spectacle of Toulon in ashes, and victory will attend our efforts. Without you we could only carry the glory of the French name to a small part of the continent; with you, we will cross the seas and our national glory shall be witnessed by the most distant shores. 19th. Notwithstanding our pride, our thousand and one pamphlets, our endless speechifyings, we are very ignorant in political and social science. We have not yet defined what we mean by the executive, legislative, and judicial powers. Montesquieu's definitions are false. In fifty years I can see but one thing that we have defined clearly, which is the sovereignty of the people; but we have done no more towards settling what is constitu- tional than we have in the distribution of powers. The organization of the French nation is, therefore, still in- complete. This legislature, without eyes or ears for what surrounds it, should no longer overwhelm us with a thousand laws passed on the spur of the moment, that negative one ab- surdity by another, and that leave us, with three hundred folios of laws, a lawless nation. Here, I think, is a political creed which our present cir- cumstances render excusable. What a misfortune for a nation of 30 millions of people, and in the eighteenth cen- 70 THE CORSICAN [1797 tury, to be driven to the support of bayonets to save the country ! 25th. (To the Directoire.) An officer arrived from Paris day before yesterday; he has let it be known that he left Paris the 12th, and that there was anxiety there as to how I would take the event of the 18th of Fructidor; he was armed with a sort of circular to all the divisional generals of the army. From this it clearly appears that the Government is acting towards me very much as it acted towards Piche- gru after Vendemiaire. I ask you, Citoyens Directeurs, to replace me and to accept my resignation. No power on earth can make me continue to serve the Government after this horrible display of ingratitude, which I was en- titled not to expect. I am also in need of tuning my mind once more to the opinion of the public. I have too long wielded excep- tional power. I have always used it for the good of the country, despite what those may think who doubt my rectitude. My reward must lie in my own conscience and the opinion of posterity. Now that the country is paci- fied and freed from danger, I can leave the post confided to me without any ill effects. Great events hang by a thread. The able man turns everything to profit, neglects nothing that may give him one chance more; the man of less ability, by overlooking just one thing, spoils the whole. October 1st. After dinner I had a private conversation with Count Cobenzl. He said that the Emperor might give us the Rhine, if we made great concessions in Italy; JBT.28] A DIARY 71 his proposals were absurd. My health is ruined, and nothing can replace good health, which is essential to carrying on war. I can barely get into the saddle, and need two years' rest. 6th. The negotiations are at a standstill; the Austrians ask for too much. In twelve days we shall be in the field. 10th. At last the peace negotiations look like coming to a head. To-night peace will be signed, or the negotia- tions will be broken off. Then a war with England will open for us a wider, more essential, more splendid field of opportunity. The Eng- lish nation is worthier than the Venetian, and its libera- tion will forever consolidate the liberty and the happi- ness of France; or if we can compel the government to make peace, the advantages which we shall secure for our commerce all over the world will mark a great step in the consolidation of liberty and national prosperity. As for me, there is nothing left but to return from whence I came, to take up the plough of Cincinnatus, and to set the example of obedience to the laws and of aversion from military rule, which has destroyed so many republics. 16th, Campo Formic: Count Cobenzl and I met for our concluding session in a room where, according to Austrian custom, a dais had been installed with a chair of state representing that of the Austrian Emperor. On entering I asked what this meant, and (on being told), I said to the Austrian minis- ter: Come, before we begin, you had better have that chair taken away, because I have never yet seen a chair set higher than others without immediately wanting to get into it. 72 THE CORSICAN (1797 Count Cobenzl, is that your ultimatum ? Before three months are over I shall have smashed your monarchy, as I now smash this tray of glasses. I break off negotia- tions. 18th, Passariano: Peace was signed one hour after midnight at Campo Formio. I am quite sure there will be much criticism and carping. November 2d. The army of England is already formed. 5th. General Hoche had some good maps of England, which might be got from his heirs. 9th. About half the troops will pass through Milan on the llth of December on their way to France to form the nucleus of the army of England. Order for Generals Massena, Bernadotte, Brune, Joubert, Victor, Rampon, Gardanne, Belliard, Lannes, to be ready to start to take up commands in the army of England. 13th. I am off to-morrow for Rastadt, to exchange ratifications, to execute the clauses of the treaty, and to take part in the Congress of the Empire. My wife expects to start on a trip to Rome in two or three days. 26th, Rastadt: (To the Directoire.) As you perceive, I have travelled at breakneck speed, and I am not a little surprised to find that the Emperor's booby plenipotentiaries are not here yet, except General Merveldt. General Berthier has handed me the treaty of peace, which this time, I am sure, will please the plenipotentiaries of the Emperor, for it is all splendour and gilt edges! J5T.28] A DIARY 73 30th. To-morrow we complete everything relating to the secret clauses; in which case I shall start that very night. December 26th, Paris: (To the President of the National Institute.) I am hon- oured by the vote of the distinguished members of your society. I am only too conscious that before becoming their equal I must long remain their pupil. Were there any stronger way of expressing the esteem in which I hold them, I would use it. The real conquests, those that leave no regrets behind, are those made over ignorance. The most honourable occupation, that which is most useful to nations, is to help on the diffusion of humane ideas. Henceforth the real strength of the French Republic must consist in not fail- ing to make every new idea her own. 31st. On my return from Italy I took up my abode in a little house, Rue Chantereine. The Municipality of Paris ordered its name changed to Rue de la Victoire. 1798 January 1st, Paris: Paris has a short memory. If I remain longer doing nothing, I am lost. In this great Babylon one reputation quickly succeeds another. After I have been seen three times at the theatre, I shall not be looked at again ; I shall therefore not go very frequently. 9th. I have laid a number of proposals before the Direc- toire relating to the composition of the army of England. llth. All goes well. We are working hard at the reor- ganization of our navy, and at the formation of the army of England. Kleber, Desaix, Gouvion Saint-Cyr, Lefebvre, Championnet, are to be of the army. Joubert has gone to Holland. 29th. I will not remain here; there is nothing to be done. They will listen to nothing. I realize that if I stay my reputation will soon be gone. All things fade here, and my reputation is almost forgotten; this little Europe affords too slight a scope; I must go to the Orient; all great reputations have been won there. If the success of an expedition to England should prove doubtful, as I fear, the army of England will become the army of the East, and I shall go to Egypt. The Orient awaits a man! February 7th. I leave to-morrow to inspect the Atlantic coast. I shall be back in twelve days. 12th, Dunkirk: It is said that the Dutch have numbers of fast-sail- JET. 28] A DIARY 75 ing flatboats; we must obtain from 150 to 250, with as many gunboats as possible. We must then get these vessels to Dunkirk at once, so as to be able to leave that port a month hence, with 50,000 men, artillery, sup- plies, etc. 23d, Paris: Whatever we do, we cannot command the sea for sev- eral years to come. To effect a landing in England with- out controlling the sea is the boldest and most difficult military operation ever attempted. It would seem, then, that the expedition to England is not feasible. We must therefore merely keep up the pretence of it, and concen- trate our attention and our resources on the Rhine, or else undertake an expedition to the Levant so as to threaten the trade with India. And if none of these oper- ations is feasible, I can see no other course than to make peace with England. March 26th. (To the Minister of the Interior.) Please give positive orders that all the Arabic type we have be packed immediately, and that citoyen Langles take charge of it. I also beg you to give orders that the Greek type be packed; I know we have some, as Xenophon is being printed; and it won't matter so very much if Xeno- phon is held up for three months. 30th. I have just heard from Admiral Brueys; he left Corfu on the 25th of February with six French and five Venetian men of war. I hope these ships can start again two weeks after their arrival. April 5th. (To Monge.) We shall take one third of the Institute and many scientific instruments with us. I place the Arabic printing-press under your special care. 76 THE CORSICAN [1798 14th. I would like to take with me citoyen Piveron, who was for many years the king's agent at the court of Tippoo Sahib. We could try to get him through to India. 17th. (To Vice-Admiral Brueys.) I expect to join you during the first week of Floreal. Have a good bed for me, as I expect to be sick during the whole journey. Get good supplies. 18th. (To Eugene Beauharnais.) You will start at four o'clock on the 3d of Flore'al. You should reach Lyons on the 4th before noon. Travel in mufti, and don't let it be known that you are my aide-de-camp. You will give out everywhere that I am going to Brest. (To General Kleber.) Orders for General Kleber and his staff to proceed at once to Toulon, where he will receive further instructions. 28th. Bonaparte, member of the National Institute, general-in-chief of the army of England, orders General Regnier to embark the men of his divi- sion at Marseilles on the 6th of May on the transports that will be there ready for him. May 10th, Toulon: Soldiers of the army of the Mediterranean! You are a wing of the army of England! You have fought among mountains, in plains, before fortresses; but you had yet to carry out a naval campaign. The Roman legions that you have sometimes rivalled, but never equalled, fought Carthage on this very sea and on the plains of Zama. Victory never forsook them. Soldiers! Europe is watching you! llth. (To Admiral Brueys.) As the fleet is made up of JBT.28] A DIARY 77 15 of the line, 12 frigates, and over 200 transports, you are to assume the rank and fly the flag of Admiral. 17th, on board the Orient: We have been riding at anchor these last three days ready to start, but a strong wind continues to blow from the wrong quarter. 19th, 7 A. M.: The frigates are at sea; the convoy is standing out; we are weighing anchor; the weather is lovely. 23d, between Corsica and Elba: English ships have been reported cruising off Sicily. I cannot believe they are in sufficient force to interfere with our plans. 27th. We have been becalmed these two days, ten leagues from the strait of Bonifacio. Our dispatch boat, Le Corcyre, chased an English brig, which was run on to the Sardinian coast and burnt. The crew of this brig speak of an English fleet. 28th, 8 p M.: We are carrying full sail and heading for our goal. June 13th, Malta: (To the Directoire. ) At dawn on the 1 Oth we sighted the island of Gozzo. At night I sent one of my aides-de-camp to ask for the Grand Master's leave to water in the bays of the island. Our consul at Malta brought me his an- swer, which was a flat refusal. The need of the army was pressing, and placed the duty on me of employing force. General Lannes and chef de brigade Marmont landed within cannon-shot of the works. At daybreak our troops had landed at all points, notwithstanding a brisk but ill- directed cannonade. On the 12th I began sending guns 78 THE CORSICAN [1798 ashore. We have few fortresses in Europe so strong and scientifically planned as Malta. The Grand Master asked for a suspension of hostilities on the morning of the 12th. At midnight his representatives came aboard the Orient and concluded the convention, which I inclose you here- with. 16th, on board the Orient : The fleet is working out of the harbour, and we expect to be on our way once more on the 19th. 22d, at sea: (Proclamation to the army.) Soldiers! You are about to attempt a conquest, the effect of which will be incal- culable on civilization and the commerce of the world! You are about to deal England the most certain and telling blow she can suffer, until the time comes when you can strike her death-stroke. Not many days after our arrival, the Mameluk beys, who have exclusively favoured English commerce, who have injured our mer- chants and tyrannized over the wretched inhabitants of the Nile, will have ceased to exist. The people among whom we are going are Mahometans; the chief article of their creed is : God is God, and Ma- homet is his prophet. Do not contradict them; deal with them as we have dealt with the Jews, with the Italians; show respect for their muftis and their imams, as you have for rabbis and bishops. The legions of Rome pro- tected all religions. You will meet with customs different from those of Europe; you must learn to accept them. The first city we shall see was built by Alexander. Our every step will evoke memories of the past worthy of the emulation of Frenchmen. JET. 28] A DIARY 79 30th. (To the Pasha of Egypt.) The Directoire of the French Republic has on several occasions requested the Sublime Porte to punish the beys of Egypt for the dam- age which they have caused to French merchants. The French Republic has decided to send a powerful army to put a stop to the piracy of the beys of Egypt. You, who should be the master of the beys, but whom they hold powerless and without authority at Cairo, should greet my arrival with joy. Come and meet me, therefore, and join me in cursing the unholy race of the beys. July 1st, off Alexandria: The expedition was off Alexandria at dawn. An English fleet, described as very strong, was here three days ago, and left a packet for transmission to India. Admiral, we have not one moment to lose. Fortune has given me three days; if I don't profit by it we are lost. To-morrow I must be in Alexandria. The wind was very strong and the sea very rough; I decided, however, to land at once. We spent the day in preparations. The coast near Alexandria, 11 P.M. . I disembarked with General Kleber and a part of the troops at 11 P. M. We immediately began our march on Alexandria. July 2d. At daybreak we caught sight ofPompey's column. The walls of the Arab city were lined with men. General Kleber picked out the point of the wall at 80 THE CORSICAN [1798 which his grenadiers were to scale it, but received a shot in the head that stretched him senseless. The grenadiers of his division, spurred by this event, fought their way into the town. The old harbour of Alexandria can shelter a fleet, how- ever large; but there is a place in the channel where there is no more than 15 feet of water, which makes the sailors doubt whether the 74's can get in. This affects my plans very seriously. (Proclamation.) Bonaparte, member of the National Institute, general-in-chief, People of Egypt: You will be told that I have come to destroy your faith ; believe it not ! Answer that I am here to maintain your rights, to punish usurpers, and that I respect even more than do the Mameluks, God, his Prophet, and the Koran! Tell them that in the eyes of God all men are equal; wisdom, talent, and virtue alone make the inequality of mankind. And what wisdom, what talent, what virtue, distinguish the Mameluks and entitle them to the exclu~ sive enjoyment of all that makes life lovely and pleas- ant? To whom belong the great estates ? To the Mameluks. To whom belong lovely slaves, splendid horses, fine houses? To the Mameluks. If Egypt, then, is their farm, let them display the lease that God has granted them. But God is just and merciful unto his people. All Egyptians will be called on to fill public stations; the most wise, the most virtuous, the best educated, will govern the country, and the people will be happy. *:T.28] A DIARY 81 Is it not we who destroyed the Pope who urged war against all Mussulmans ? Is it not we who destroyed the Knights of Malta because they foolishly believed that God had bidden them wage war against all Mussulmans ? Is it not we who in centuries past have befriended the Grand Seignior, may God fulfil his wishes, and been the enemy of his enemies ? Have not the Mameluks, on the contrary, always revolted against the authority of the Grand Seignior, which they still refuse to recognise ? They act merely at their own pleasure. Let those who arm on behalf of the Mameluks and fight against us beware, and three times beware! For them there is no hope: they will perish! It is a bit quackish! 3d, Alexandria: (To General Desaix.) You will probably not meet more than a few squadrons of cavalry; mask your cavalry; don't use your fieldpieces. Save them for the day when we shall have to fight four or five thousand horse. (To Admiral Brueys.) The general-in-chief feels certain that you have already had the channel sounded. He wants the fleet to be brought into port. It is essential that the fleet should be sheltered from the superior forces that the English may have in these seas. The Admiral is to notify the general-in-chief to-morrow whether the fleet could defend itself against a superior force of the enemy if it were anchored across the bay of Aboukir. 10th, El Ramanyeh: Desaix had a skirmish with about a thousand mounted Mameluks this morning. The country is splendid. 82 THE CORSICAN [1798 12th. The general-in-chief s intention is to attack the enemy reported in Chobrakyt at daybreak. 15th, Chabour: We met and defeated the enemy yesterday. Murad Bey with 3000 or 4000 mounted Mameluks, twenty guns, and a few gunboats attempted to hold the crossing at Chobrakyt. The army was drawn up with each division in battalion squares, baggage in the centre, the guns in the battalion intervals. 21st, The Pyramids: At dawn we met their advance guard, which we drove back from village to village. At two in the afternoon we discovered the intrenchments and the enemy's army. Soldiers! Forty centuries behold you! The instant Murad Bey perceived Desaix' movement he decided to attack. One of his bravest beys at the head of a picked body of cavalry charged down like lightning on our two divisions. We let them come to within fifty paces, and mowed them down with a hail of bullets and grape that stretched great numbers on the battlefield. They pushed right into the intervals between the two divisions, where they were caught by a crossfire that completed their defeat. Our columns of attack, under the command of brave General Rampon, rushed on the intrenchments, in the face of a heavy artillery fire, with their usual dash, when the Mameluks (again) charged them. They came out of the earthworks at full gallop; our columns had just time to halt, face outwards, and receive them with their bayonets and a storm of bullets. In a flash the field was covered with their bodies. Our troops soon carried the intrench- ments. JET. 28} A DIARY 83 22d, Gyzeh: (To the Sheiks and Notables of Cairo.) You will judge of my sentiments by the proclamation which I inclose. Yesterday the Mameluks were for the most part killed or made prisoners, and I am in pursuit of the few who survive. Send over to this bank what boats you have, and a deputation to announce your submission. Have bread, meat, straw, and forage collected for my army, and be without uneasiness, for no one could wish you better than I. 26th, Cairo: No news from France since our departure. (To Joseph.) Be kind to my wife. Go and see her oc- casionally. I am asking Louis to give her good advice. I wish Desiree all happiness if she marries Bernadotte. She deserves it. I embrace your wife and Lucien. I am sending a handsome shawl to Julie. Don't be quite so unfaithful to her; she is an excellent woman; make her happy. 28th. Perree should be sent out with three frigates, having on board: a company of actors; a corps de bal- let; three or four marionette showmen for the people; a hundred or so French women; the wives of all who are employed here; 20 surgeons, 30 chemists, 10 physi- cians. I will colonize this country. I am twenty-nine now, and shall then be thirty-five; that's nothing; six years gives me long enough, if all goes well, to reach India. 31st. Severity is needed to govern the Turks; I order five or six heads to be sliced off every day in the streets of Cairo. Up till now we have had to behave mildly so as 84 THE CORSICAN to counteract the reputation of terror that preceded us; at present it is, on the contrary, better to assume the tone that commands obedience with these people, for with them obedience signifies fear. August 1st. Battle of the Nile ; Nelson and Brueys. Adjutant-General Bribes is to occupy Damanhour. He will disarm the city, and will have the heads of five of the chief inhabitants cut off; one chosen from the lawyers who have behaved worst, and the four others from the most influential people. He is specially enjoined to see to the clearing of the canal to Alexandria that begins at El Ramanyeh so that the Nile may enter it. 15th. (To Rear-Admiral Ganteaume.) The account of what you have been through is truly horrible. If you have come out alive, it is clearly that you are destined by fate to avenge our navy and our friends; on this I con- gratulate you. This is the only cheering thought that has occurred to me since I received your report day before yesterday, thirty leagues from Cairo. You are to assume command of all that is left of our naval forces in Egypt. You will do your utmost to withdraw from the Bay of Aboukir anything we may have left there. I imagine that by this time the English have moved their shattered ships away. (To General Kleber.) I have just received the news of the battle of the 1st. I promptly returned to Cairo. Things are not quite settled yet in these parts; but every day there is a perceptible, improvement, and I am justified in thinking that very soon we shall be really masters of the country. Our enterprise demands more than one sort of courage. JET. 29] A DIARY 85 19th. (To the Directoire.) Fate has ordained, in this event as in so many others, that if we are given a great preponderance on the continent, to our rivals is given the dominion of the seas. However great our defeat, it is not attributable to the inconstancy of Fortune, for she has not yet abandoned us; far from it, she has favoured us more than ever before in our present undertaking. Collect all our ships from Toulon, Malta, Ancona, Corfu, Alexandria, to form a new fleet. Had I been master of the sea, I would have been lord of the Orient. 22d, Cairo: There shall be an Institute for Science and Art in Egypt, established in Cairo: The chief object of this Society shall be, to develop and encourage learning in Egypt. All general officers of the French army shall be entitled to attend its sessions. The proceedings of the Society shall be printed. 23d. The Egyptian Institute held its first session on the 6th of Fructidor; citoyen Bonaparte propounded the following questions: Can the ovens used for baking army bread be improved in regard to expense or fuel, and if so, how ? Does Egypt afford any substitute for hops in the brew- ing of beer ? How can Nile water best be filtered and sweetened ? What means are there in Egypt for manufacturing gunpowder ? How is Egypt situated in the matter of jurisprudence, of civil and criminal judges, of education ? 86 THE CORSICAN [1798 What improvements, approved of by the people, can be introduced in these matters ? (To General Menou.) Don't put the sailors forward. Try to inspirit them and to dispel their belief in the su- periority of the English. September 8th. (To the Directoire.) I await news from Constantinople. I cannot be back in Paris, as I had pro- mised, in October; but it is only a matter of a few months. Everything here is going well. The country is quiet and getting used to us. For the rest, let time work. Since our departure I have not heard one word from you, nor from the ministers, nor from a single person who is related to me. My dispatches have, I expect, been more fortunate than yours. October 4th. No news from Europe. (To General Kleber.) I regret to hear you are not well. Desaix has reached Syout. He drove the Mameluks into the desert, and part of them have reached the oases. Ibrahim Bey is at Gaza, and threatens invasion; it will not come to anything; but we, who are not threatening any- body, might very well dislodge him from where he is. Believe me when I say that I hope for your speedy cure, and that I rate high your good-will and your friendship. I fear that we have had a little misunderstanding; you would be doing me an injustice if you doubted that this gives me much concern. In the land of Egypt, clouds, when we have any, pass away in six hours; if there should seem to be any between us, they will pass in three. My high regard for you is at least equal to that which you have on occasion manifested for me. (To the French Commissioners to the Divan.) The ob- jsr.29] A DIARY 87 ject for which the Divan has been convened is tentative, the intention being to accustom the notables of Egypt to the idea of assemblies and legislation. You must tell them that I have convened them to obtain their advice, and to ascertain what can be done for the benefit of the people, 'and what they themselves would do had they the power which conquest has given us. 7th. (To the Directoire.) The Porte has appointed Djezzar pasha of Acre and general-in chief of all Syria. He has taken no notice of the overtures I have made. Our consuls have been arrested everywhere, and the Ottoman Empire is full of martial sounds. You will not abandon your army in Egypt; you will send us help and news; and you will do all that I have urged to place a large fleet in this sea. When I know for certain what the Porte intends, when the country is more settled and our fortifications are completed, which will be before long, I may decide to return to Europe; especially if news reaches me that the continent is not at peace. 16th. (To General Manscourt.) Pray forward me the report that mentions the rumour of an insurrection in the garrison. If a demi-brigade under my orders mutinies, I will disband it, and I will have every officer who fails to maintain discipline shot. 18th. Not the least bit of news from France. Bour- rienne! what am I thinking of ? (Bourrienne : In truth that 's rather difficult, you think of so many things!) I don't know whether I shall ever see France again, but if I do, my sole ambition is to fight one great campaign in Germany, in the plains of Bavaria, to win a great victory, 88 THE CORSICAN [1798 and to avenge France for her defeat at Blenheim. After that I will retire to the country and live quietly. 21st. The Turkish army is concentrating at Damascus, and, it is reported, will amount to 60,000 men. 22d. (To General Bon.) It is essential for us to attack the insurgent quarters. Bombard the mosque. All armed men caught in the streets are to be killed at sight. 23d. Order for levelling the grand mosque in the course of the night by breaking down some of the pillars if possible. (To General Berthier.) Please order the commandant of the town to have the heads of all prisoners caught in arms cut off. They are to be taken to-night to the bank of the Nile between Boulaq and old Cairo; the bodies can be thrown into the river. ^ (To Louis Bonaparte.) I inclose you an order for the commandant at Alexandria to send you off on a brig, the Vif or the Independant. We have been busy these last two days appeasing a revolt in Cairo. I was compelled to throw shells into a quarter which the insurgents had barricaded. About a thousand Turks have been killed. To-day everything is calm and orderly again. Good-bye, good health; a pros- perous journey. November 20th. (To General Desaix.) We have got French and English gazettes to the 10th of August; up till then there was no new development in Europe; I am sending them on. December 10th. (To General Dommartin.) The gen- eral-in-chief acknowledges receipt of the request of chef de brigade Grobert to return to France. The general-in- jcr.29] A DIARY 89 chief's reply is that in view of the fact that citoyen Grobert got his step as chef de brigade in Paris, and without even having heard a shot fired, his intention is that you should keep this officer continuously on outpost duty. 21st. (Order.) At noon each day the regimental bands shall play in the public square, opposite the hospital, pieces of music that will cheer the patients and recall the great events of former campaigns. 23d. I leave to-morrow. 29th, Suez: Order for the commanding officers of engineers and artil- lery to accompany the general-in-chief on a survey of the Suez Canal. 1799 January 2d, Belbeys: I am working to determine the line along which a water- way can be run to join the Nile and the Red Sea. This waterway once existed, for I have found traces of it at several points. 8th, Cairo: (Order.) Citoyen Boyer, surgeon, who has been so cowardly as to refuse help to some wounded because they were supposed to be infected, is unworthy of being a French citizen. He is to be dressed in women's clothes, and paraded through the streets of Alexandria on a donkey, with a board on his back, on which shall be written : Unworthy of being a French citizen he fears death. After which he is to be placed in prison, and sent back to France by the first ship. 25th. (To Tippoo Sahib.) You have already learned of my arrival on the shores of the Red Sea with an in- numerable and invincible army, anxious to free you from the iron yoke of England. I take the first opportunity of letting you know that I am anxious that you should send me information through Moka and Muscat as to your political situation. I hope you can send to Suez or to Cairo, some able and trust- worthy person with whom I can discuss matters. 28th. (To General Marmont.) I can't understand Commissary Michaud's obstinacy in remaining in a house when the plague is in it; why doesn't he go into jsT.29] A DIARY 91 camp out towards Pompey's column? Put the 75th in the grove where you camped so long with the 4th light in- fantry; it can be barracked there, and all communication with Alexandria cut off. As to the unlucky demi-brigade of light infantry, have the men strip and take sea-baths; they must be rubbed from head to heel; they must wash their clothes and keep themselves clean. Give orders to have the men wash their feet, their hands, their faces, every day. February 5th. I have just heard of the arrival at Alex- andria of a merchantman from Ragusa with a cargo of wine, and with letters for me from Genoa and from Ancona; it is the first news from Europe since eight months. The troops are now on the march across the desert. (To Kleber.) At last we have news from France. Jour- dan has left the Legislative Assembly and is in command of the army of the Rhine. Joubert has the army of Italy. Steps have been taken to recruit the armies; it appears that all young men of eighteen years of age are called on, and are known as conscripts. Europe is arming on all sides. 10th. I have observed the Ramadan, which began yesterday, with the greatest ceremony; I carried out the duties which formerly devolved on the Pasha. (To the Directoire.) When you read this letter I may be standing among the ruins of the temple of Solomon. Djezzar Pasha, an old man 70 years of age, is a ferocious person, who has unbounded hatred of the French. He has treated with disdain the friendly advances which I made. 92 THE CORSICAN [1799 On the 29th of Brumaire I sent him a letter; he had the messenger's head chopped off. Egypt was inundated with firmans that revealed Djezzar's hostile intentions and announced his arrival. His advance guard occupied El Arych, where there are a few good wells and a fort in the desert. There was therefore no choice. I was challenged; I promptly decided to carry the war into the enemy's coun- try. 17th, in front of El Arych: The divisions of the army started from different points to meet at El Arych, where we have now established con- tact with the enemy. The Mameluks, supported by a body of Djezzar Pasha's troops, were there. Regnier's division came up an4 immediately attacked the Mameluks, killed about 400, and now holds the rest blockaded in the fort. You are not my friend ! The women ! Josephine ! If you were my friend, you would long ago have told me what I have just learned from Junot, there is a true friend. Josephine ! and I am six hundred leagues away you ought to have told me ! Josephine ! to deceive me in such a fashion ! she ! Let them beware ! I will wipe out these dandies and exquisites ! As for her a divorce. Yes, a divorce, publicly, scandalously! I must write, I know everything! It's your fault, you ought to have told me! My reputation? "Ehl I don't know what I wouldn't give if only what Junot has told me were not true I love that woman so! If Josephine is guilty, a divorce must separate us forever. I will not be the laughing-stock of all ^r.29] A DIARY 93 the wastrels of Paris ! I will write to Joseph, he will get me a divorce. 18th. The artillery is having great difficulties owing to the quicksands, and the army is so placed that the least delay may be fatal. The capture of El Arych makes a good beginning for the campaign. 26th, Gaza: We are in water and mud up to our knees; the cold and weather are just what we get at Paris at this season. The country is finer than we supposed, and we have unexpect- edly found stores of provisions and war material, includ- ing many cannon-balls of European make. (To General Marmont.) Send the three ships to Jaffa; their cargoes may help us in besieging St. John of Acre. (To General Menou.) I have learned with pleasure that you have been attending worship in the mosque. 27th. We crossed 70 leagues of desert with much fatigue; the water was brackish, when there was any. We eat dogs, donkeys, and camels. March 6th, in front of Jaffa: At eight o'clock to-morrow morning Delignette's bat- tery will open. General Bon will support the mortar bat- tery. General Lannes will place six companies of grena- diers at the breaching battery before daylight. When the firing between the town and our light infantry is well de- veloped, two columns, each of three companies of grena- diers, will move on the breach and carry it. Battalions will be pushed up successively in support of the grenadiers and light infantry. 94 THE CORSICAN [1799 7th. (To Abdallah-Aga, commandant of Jaffa.) God is merciful and longsuffering! Bonaparte, general-in-chief, informs you that he is in Palestine for no other purpose than to drive out the troops of Djezzar Pasha. Jaffa is completely blockaded, and in two hours our batteries will break down your walls and shatter your fortifications. His heart is touched by the suffering that would result to the city were it cap- tured by assault. He offers his safeguard to the garrison and protection to the city, and will therefore delay open- ing fire until seven o'clock this morning. 8th. At dawn, I summoned the governor to surrender: he had my messenger's head cut off, and made no reply. At seven, we opened fire; at one, I judged the breach to be practicable. General Lannes made the arrangements for the attack; Adjutant Netherwood with ten riflemen led the way. At five, we were in possession of the city, which was sacked for twenty -four hours and given up to all the horrors of war, which never appeared more hid- eous. 9th. (To General Berthier.) Summon the artillery colonel, get from him the names of the twenty principal artillery officers; have him take them with him to the village where the battalion is that is going to Cairo. There they are to be placed in the fort until further orders. When they have started for the village, order the adjutant-gen- eral on duty to take the artillerymen down to the coast, and to have them all shot, taking every precaution to pre- vent their escaping. 18th, Mount Carmel: Captain Smith, with two English men-of-war has ar- *=T.29] A DIARY 95 rived at St. John of Acre from Alexandria. Acre will be surrounded to-night. 23d, in front of Acre: (To Sidney Smith.) Do not doubt my desire of showing you every courtesy and of making myself useful to any of your compatriots who may be victims of the mischance of war. 29th. Since our arrival in front of Acre, plenty reigns in our camp. We have opened trenches against the city, and the work is being pushed on energetically. We have established a breaching battery, and have opened fire on the wall; we hope to carry the place very quickly. April 4th. (Order.) All soldiers who in the course of to-day and to-morrow bring in cannon-balls found in the open will receive 20 sous for each cannon-ball. 5th. We are very short of cannon-balls. Commodore Smith with his two ships, the Theseus and the Tiger, has just returned after being away ten days. 8th. We have now been a fortnight in front of Acre, where we hold Djezzar Pasha blockaded. The great quantity of artillery which the English have thrown into the town,, with a reinforcement of gunners and officers, together with our own lack of guns, has delayed its cap- ture. But yesterday the two English men-of-war got an- noyed with us, and fired more than 2000 shot, which has given us a good supply. 14th. The siege progresses. We have run a gallery beyond the counterscarp, 30 feet below the ditch, which is now only 18 feet from the wall. We have not fired a shot for two weeks; the enemy blaze away like mad; and we merely pick up their cannon-balls humbly, pay 20 96 THE CORSICAN [1799 sous for them, and pile them up so that we already have about 4000. That will be enough to pour in a hot fire for twenty-four hours, and to batter a fine breach. I am waiting before giving the signal for the sappers to be ready to blow up the counterscarp at the end of a double sap that runs straight to a tower; we are still 50 feet from the counterscarp, which is a matter of a couple of nights. There are many French emigres and English in the town; we are dying to get at them; the chances are it will be on the 21st. 18th. The Janissaries of Damascus, with the cavalry of Djezzar, the Arabs, and the Mameluks of Ibrahim Bey, crossed the Jordan to relieve Acre; they have been com- pletely defeated in engagements at Nazareth, Safed, and Cana, and in the battle of Mount Thabor. 19th. (To citoyen Fourier.) Tell the Divan that when this letter reaches you, Acre will be ours, and that I shall be on my way to Cairo. I am as anxious to be there as you are to see me. One of the first things I shall do will be to convene the Institute and to see whether we cannot do something to extend the bounds of human knowledge. 21st. Mr. Smith is firing away hot and heavy. (Order.) The general-in-chief, as a mark of his great satisfaction with the 300 brave men commanded by Briga- dier-General Junot, who, in the engagement at Nazareth, held in check 5000 cavalry, captured 5 flags, and covered the battlefield with dead, orders: A medal worth 500 louis is offered for the best picture representing the battle of Nazareth. In this picture the French shall be shown in the uni- forms of the 2d light infantry and 14th dragoons. jsT.29] A DIARY 97 The staff will have sketched by our artists in Egypt, dresses of the Mameluks, of the Janissaries of Damascus, of the Arabs, and will send them to the Minister of the Interior at Paris so that copies may be made and sent to the best .artists of Paris, Milan, Florence, Rome, and Naples, and that a day may be set and judges chosen for the competition. This order shall be communicated to the communes of all the brave soldiers present at the battle of Naza- reth. 23d, (To General Lannes.) The mine can be fired at the moment when our guns have silenced the enemy's; the general-in-chief will give the order himself. As soon as the mine is fired, the breach is to be stormed. Have a band placed in the 1st parallel, and have it strike up the instant our men have got into the breach. I am ordering all the grenadiers to report at your quarters before 4 o'clock in the morning. 25th. More than 300 men were blown up by the mine. It did not (however) produce all the effect the engineers expected; part of the earthworks caved in; the ditch was completely filled for twenty feet on either side. Several burning barrels of gunpowder which the enemy threw into the breach demoralized the thirty grenadiers we had lodged there, and we had to abandon our lodg- ment before morning. General Caffarelli is dead. May 2d. Our 18-pounders have been at work these last two days. The tower is now a ruin. The enemy have only one gun left with which they can fire; realizing that they cannot defend their walls much longer, they are crowning their glacis with parapets. The day after to- 98 THE CORSICAN [1799 morrow we shall get our 24-pounders up so as to make a breach, and as soon as it is practicable we shall deliver a general assault en masse. 8th. Last night at ten o'clock we captured the breach tower. 9th. This wretched clump of hovels has cost me many lives and much time. But things have gone so far that we must make a last attempt. If I succeed, as I hope and believe, I shall raise and arm all Syria. I shall march on Damascus and Aleppo. As I advance, I shall swell my ranks with all the discontented; I shall announce the end of slavery and of the tyrannous rule of the pashas. I shall reach Constantinople at the head of an armed multitude. I shall establish in the East a new and great Empire. If I fail in the last assault I mean to deliver, I shall leave at once, as time is pressing. I cannot reach Cairo before the middle of June. As Kleber's division is on the point of arriving, the in- tention of the general-in-chief is that as soon as this divi- sion is rested it shall move to the breach to attack and capture the city. Night : The troops will leave camp at two o'clock in the morn- ing and march to the positions allotted to them in the plan of attack. 10th. We have carried the principal parts of the wall, (but) the enemy have built a second wall abutting on Djezzar's palace. We should have to sap through the town, to open trenches before every house, and to lose more lives than I am willing to lose. In any case, the sea- jsT.29] A DIARY 99 son is too far spent. My object is accomplished; Egypt calls me. I am planting a battery of 24-pounders to raze Djez- zar's palace and the principal buildings of the town; I shall blaze away about a thousand shells, which, in so small a space, will do considerable damage. With Acre reduced to a heap of stones, I shall recross the desert, so as to be ready for any European or Turkish army that attempts to disembark in Egypt in July or August. 16th. We have razed the palace of Djezzar and crushed the city under our shell fire. 17th. Soldiers! With the swiftness of an Arab host you have crossed the desert that separates Africa from Asia. The army that was marching to invade Egypt is destroyed; you have captured its general, its material, its waterskins, and its camels. On the battlefield of Mount Thabor, you dispersed a horde that had gathered from the extreme parts of Asia for the pillage of Egypt. A few days more and you hoped to capture the pasha himself in his palace; but at this season of the year the citadel of Acre is not worth the loss of even a few days; the brave lives its capture would cost are needed for more important operations. 20th. (To the Divisional Generals.) The assembly will be beaten at seven o'clock at night by one drum only for each company. General Murat with .all the cavalry will not start until eleven o'clock at night. I have been through some trying moments. I allowed my imagination to interfere with my practice; but I think St. John of Acre has killed it. I shall take good care not to let it run away with my judgment again! 100 THE CORSICAN [1799 27th, Jaffa: We reached Jaffa on the 25th. Detachments have been starting on the march to Egypt these last two days. I shall stay here a few more days to have the fortifications blown up. 28th, Jaffa: There were fourteen or sixteen ill of the plague. I as- sembled a medical board, they said the sick would die in twenty-four hours. I determined to wait that time rather than leave them to the Turks, who would cut off their noses and ears. At the end of the time only one or two were alive, and they were dying when my army marched. June 9th, Salheyeh: We got over the desert pretty well. The English com- modore who has summoned Damietta to surrender is a lunatic. As he has always been in command of fireships, he has no notion of the manners that are called for in an important command. The allied army of which he speaks was destroyed in Acre. 15th, Cairo: My entry took place in the midst of an immense throng that lined the streets, of all the muftis riding on their mules, because the Prophet had a preference for riding these beasts, of all the bodies of Janissaries, of the agas of police, of the descendants of Abou Bekr, of Fatima, and of the descendants of many saints revered by true believ- ers. The chief merchants walked in front, as well as the Coptic Patriarch; the procession was closed by the Greek auxiliaries. To General Desaix.) I am here with part of the army* ^x.29] A DIARY 101 We have reached the season when a landing is possible. I shall lose not one hour in making ready. Why don't you wear a flannel vest? It 's the only way to protect yourself against eye-trouble. 19th. Still no news from France. 28th. The French army has lost 5344 men since its arrival in Egypt. Next season we shall be reduced to 15,000 effectives, from which deduct 2000 in hospital, 500 veterans, 500 artificers who don't go into action, and we have 12,000 left. 29th. (To citoyen Poussielgue.) Kindly let me know the ages of the three male slaves that have just come in from Upper Egypt; I want to buy them. July 15th. On the 13th a Turkish fleet made up of 5 ships of the line, 3 frigates, 50 or 60 transports, anchored in the bay of Aboukir. 20th, El Ramanyeh: (To General Kleber.) We have reached El Ramanyeh. Adjutant-General Jullien informs me that your advance guard has reached Rosetta, and that you are close up with the rest of your division. It appears certain that the enemy have landed at Abou- kir. My line of front will be Alexandria, Birket, and Ro- setta. I shall hold Birket in person with the main body. General Marmont will be at Alexandria, you at Rosetta, each with about the same number of troops; so that you are my right, General Marmont my left. If the enemy are in force, I shall fight them on good ground, bringing either my right or my left in to me. I shall hope that the wing that is not with me can get up fast enough to act as my reserve. Birket is one league off the parallel of Leloha, 102 THE CORSICAN [1799 and one league from Besentonay. Get all the information you need, and try to place yourself so that instantly on my order you can march rapidly on Edkou or Birket; and as it is quite likely that communications will be cut, get plenty of men out reconnoitring so as to know what I am doing and where I am; and should circumstances point to a movement that you are free to make, and you think it likely from your information that I would have or- dered you to make it, you can go ahead. 21st. (To the Divan of Cairo.) They are begin- ning to disembark at Aboukir; I am not interfering with them. There are Russians on the fleet, people who hold in horror those who believe in the unity of God because, according to their lies, they believe that there are three Gods. 22d. The enemy's fleet has been reinforced by 30 ships. Their army is in position in front of Aboukir; I am starting in two hours to reconnoitre. 24th. At the well between Alexandria and Aboukir. (To General Murat.) Take command of all the cavalry. The advance guard will march on the enemy at two o'clock in the morning; no drums will be beaten. 25th, near Aboukir: At seven o'clock we were in presence of the enemy, who were in position one league in front of the fort of Aboukir. We attacked them, completely defeated them, captured their redoubts, intrenchments, and camp. The enemy ran into the sea in an attempt to reach their ships three quar- ters of a league away. They were all drowned, the most horrible sight I ever witnessed. We have captured the general-in-chief who is wounded, his name is Mustafa JCT. 29-30] A DIARY 103 Pasha; I shall take him to Cairo with me. We had 100 killed and 400 wounded, among the latter General Murat. The battle of Aboukir is one of the most successful I have seen. Of the army which the enemy disembarked, not a man has escaped. This victory, which will have so much influence on the fortunes of the Republic, is due chiefly to General Murat. 27th. (Order.) The general-in-chief, as a mark of his satisfaction with General Murat's cavalry brigade, which covered itself with glory at the battle of Aboukir, directs the commanding officer of the artillery to hand over to this brigade the two English fieldpieces which had been sent by the Court of London as a present to Constanti- nople, and that were captured in the battle. The names of each of the three regiments of this bri- gade, the 7th hussars, the 3d and 4th dragoons, and the names of General Murat and of Adjutant-General Roize, shall be engraved on each gun; on the breach shall be inscribed : Battle of Aboukir. August llth, Cairo: I have English gazettes to the 10th of June. France declared war against the Emperor on the 13th of March. Jourdan has been defeated at Feldkirch and has with- drawn across the Rhine. Scherer, who had been given the army of Italy, has been beaten at Rivoli, and is back across the Mincio. Mantua is blockaded. If ever I have the luck to set foot in France again, the reign of chatter is over. 16th. (Order.) The commandants of provinces will make known by a circular in Arabic sent to all villages, 104 THE CORSICAN [1799 the pomp with which the festival of the Prophet has been observed in Cairo. All the army, carrying a great num- ber of torches, proceeded to the house of Sheik El Bekry ; the general-in-chief had dined with him, as had Mustafa Pasha and the principal officers made prisoners at the bat- tle of Aboukir. The general-in-chief was present at the reading of various Arabic poems in honour of the Prophet, after which, surrounded by the principal sheiks, he at- tended worship and ordered the genealogy of the Prophet to be read. The Pasha and the Turkish prisoners could not overcome their surprise at seeing the respect professed by the French for Islam and the law of the most holy of Prophets. 19th, Menouf: (To General Kleber.) I am convinced that there is no hostile fleet of any size in the Mediterranean. Please start for Rosetta at once. I have to confer with you on mat- ters of extreme importance. 22d, Alexandria: I leave to-night for France. (To General Kleber.) You will find herewith an order for assuming command of the army. I am taking with me Generals Berthier, Lannes, Murat, Androssy, and Marmont, citoyens Monge and Berthollet. I inclose you the English papers to the 10th of June. You will see that we have lost Italy; that Mantua, Turin, and Tortona are besieged. I have reason to expect that the first named fortress will hold out until the end of November. I hope, if fate is propitious, to reach Europe before the beginning of October. Accustomed as I am to view the good opinion of poster- JET. 30} A DIARY 105 ity as the fit reward for the pains and labours of life, I leave Egypt with the deepest regret. The interests of our country, her destiny, my duty, the extraordinary events that are occurring, have decided me to pass through the enemy's fleets to return to Europe. In mind and in heart I shall be with you; I will value your successes as highly as if I were still among you, and I shall reckon ill-employed every day on which I do nothing to help the army I place under your orders. The army I am leaving you is made up of my children, who have at all times, even in the greatest affliction, given me constantly tokens of their affection; maintain them in these sentiments; it is your duty because of the esteem and affection I have for you, and because of my real attachment to them. (To General Junot.) When you receive this letter I shall be far away from Egypt. I regretted not being able to take you with me; you were too far from our starting- point. I have left orders with Kleber to send you off in October. In any case, wherever and however we may be situated, believe in the continuance of my devoted friend- ship. October 7th, Ajaccio : At Ajaccio we got news of our continued reverses in Italy, the capture of Mantua, the battles of Novi and La Trebbia, the landing of the Anglo-Russians in Holland, and the events of Prairial. 8th, Frejus: At nightfall we sighted the French coast. Universal en- thusiasm broke out on its becoming known that General Bonaparte was on board the frigates. As in Corsica 106 THE CORSICAN [1799 the two ships were at once invaded by a crowd, notwith- standing repeated and pressing warnings of the danger of not observing the laws of quarantine. 9th. The quarantine officers gave us a clean bill, and at noon we went ashore, the forty-seventh day since our departure from Alexandria. On the same day General Bonaparte started for Paris; on his way he was received with demonstrations of joy that showed the political effect of his unexpected return. 10th, Aix: Citoyens Directeurs : Since leaving France I have re- ceived only one dispatch from you; it found me in front of Acre, and from that moment I judged that I could not re- main absent from France much longer. I obtained copies of the English gazettes to the 6th of June, and from them learned of the defeats of Jourdan in Germany and of Scherer in Italy. I started immediately, that very hour, with the frigates La Muiron and La Carrere, although both slow sailers. I did not stop to reckon the risk; my duty was to proceed wherever I might be most useful. That being my view, I would have wrapped myself in my cloak and started in an open boat, if I had had no frigates. I have made my way through the English cruisers. I have landed at Frejus safely. I shall be in Paris nearly as soon as my letter. 15th. Arrival in Paris, rue de la Vidoire. No further relations between us ! She shall not set foot in my house! What do I care what people will say? They will gossip for one or two days, and talk of something else the third. Forgive her ? Never ! J5T.80] A DIARY 107 Well! well! She is here! Don't believe that I have for- given her; never while I live. I wanted to doubt! Her truthfulness! I drove her out when I arrived. And that fool Joseph who was here ! But what could I do ? As she came down the staircase in tears, I saw Eugene, Hortense, who were following her sobbing. I was not given a heart for nothing, and I can- not remain unmoved when I see tears flowing. Eugene followed me to Egypt; I have accustomed myself to look on him as my adopted son; he is so brave, he is such a good boy! Hortense is just coming out; all who know her speak highly of her. I confess, I was deeply moved, I couldn't resist the sobs of those two poor children; I said to myself: Are they to be the victims of their mother's ill conduct? I stopped Eugene. Hortense turned back with her mother; I said nothing. How could I help it ? Every man is weak ! 17th. So you believe that the thing can be done ? 22d. I have already learned a good deal : but we shall see. I think I shall have Bernadotte and Moreau against me. I am not afraid of Moreau ; he is soft, has no energy. But Bernadotte! He has Moorish blood in his veins; he is bold and enterprising; he is related by marriage to my brothers; he dislikes me; I am pretty sure he will be against me. Well, we have only just arrived, we '11 see. 24th. Patience ! The pear is nearly ripe. November 1st. Well, Bourrienne, I '11 bet that you can't guess with whom I breakfasted to-day, eh? With Berna- dotte, and the joke is that I invited myself. Yes. You would have seen the whole business if you had come to the 108 THE CORSICAN [1799 Theatre Frangais with me last night. I ran right into Bernadotte as we were coming out, and upon my word, not knowing what on earth to say to him on the spur of the moment, I asked him if he would join our party to-day. He replied that he would, and as we were then in front of his house in the rue Cisalpine, I plain asked him for a cup iof coffee and said I would be delighted to have some talk with him. He made himself quite pleasant to me. What do you think of it, Bourrienne ? No, no, I was right, you may be sure; it will compromise him with (the Directeur) Gohier. Remember one thing: always take the first step towards your enemies and put on a good countenance, otherwise they think you are afraid and are encouraged. 6th. (Brumaire 15.) To subvert a representative form of government is a criminal proposal in this century of enlightenment and liberty. (Vive Bonaparte! Peace! Peace!) I raise my glass to the union of all Frenchmen! 7th. (Brumaire 16.) Well, general, what is your opinion as to the state of the Republic ? (Jourdan : Unless some more stable order can be evolved we shall have to despair of saving the country.) We need a stronger government. Don't be uneasy; all will be done in the interests of the Republic. 8th. (Brumaire 17.) When it comes to conspiracy, everything is permis- sible. I have accepted an invitation to dine with Gohier to- morrow: but you may be sure I shan't go. I regret his ^r.30] A DIARY 109 obstinacy, however. To reassure him a little my wife is inviting him to breakfast. I have seen Barras this morn- ing, and he was in a state of great anxiety when I left him. He begged me to call this evening: I promised him I would, but I don't want to ; to-morrow it will all be over. That's not a great while to gain. Come, good-night; be here at seven o'clock in the morning. 9th. (Brumaire 18.) The army has come to me, and I have come to the legis- lative body. What have you done with France which I left in your hands so prosperous ? I left you peace, I find war ! I left you victories, I find defeats! I left you millions, I find beggary! This state of things must cease. Citoyens Representants: The Republic was perishing, you perceived it, and your decree has saved it. Let those who seek to foment disorder beware ! I will arrest them with the help of my companions in arms. Your wisdom has framed this decree; our arms will carry it out. We want a Republic founded on real liberty, on civil liberty, on national representation; we will succeed, we swear it. (To the Army.) Soldiers! The extraordinary decree of the Council of Ancients has placed me in command of the city and army. For two years past the Republic has been badly governed. You had hoped that my return would bring our afflictions to an end; you have hailed it with an unanimity that imposes on me the obligation I am now fulfilling; you will fulfil yours and support your general with energy and firmness, and with that same confidence which I have always reposed in you. 110 THE CORSICAN [1799 Liberty, victory, and peace will restore to the French Republic the rank she formerly held in Europe, and that only ineptitude or treason could make her lose. Vive la Republique! Night : It is peace we have conquered: that is what must be said in every newspaper, every theatre; what must be repeated in prose, in verse, even in ballads. Things went pretty well to-day. We'll see to-mor- row. 10th. (Brumaire 19.) The two Councils meet at Saint Cloud. 9 A. M., Place de la Concorde: To-morrow we shall sleep in the Luxembourg, or finish here. 2 p. M., Saint Cloud : The wine is drawn, we must drink it. Augereau, remem- ber Arcola! (To the Council of Ancients.) Citoyens Representants: The existing circumstances are extraordinary; you are on a volcano. Yesterday I was living quietly in Paris when you charged me to carry out your decree for transferring (the session of the Legislature to Saint Cloud). I immedi- ately called together my comrades, and we flew to your help. Well, to-day, I am already overwhelmed with cal- umny. Caesar, Cromwell, a military government, are spoken of. Had I aimed at a military government, would I have lent my support to the national representatives ? The Republic is without a government. The Council of Five Hundred is divided against itself. There is only the J5T.30] A DIARY 111 Council of Ancients. It is from that Council I derive my powers: it is for you to take steps, speak, I am here to carry out your measures. Let us save liberty; let us save equality! (A voice: And what about the Constitution ?) The Constitution ? You yourselves have torn it up. You broke it on the 18th of Fructidor; you broke it on the 22d of Floreal; you broke it on the 30th of Prairial. Not a soul respects it any longer. I will speak out. Since my return, I have been surrounded with intrigues. Every faction has approached me. And men who arrogantly describe them- selves as the only patriots have urged me to thrust the Constitution aside. (Several voices: Names! names!) Outspokenness of a soldier agitation (increasing confusion and noise) victories Constitution broken Caesar, Cromwell, tyrant that's all I have to say to you. Liberty! Equality! You forget the Constitution! Hypocrites, intriguers I am not I will abdi- cate from power the instant the Republic is free from danger. The God of War and the God of Fortune is with me! (Bourrienne: Come away, general: you don't know what you are saying.) My friends will follow me! And you, brave grenadiers, if any speaker dares to ap- ply the word outlaw to your general, let the thunders of war crush him instantly. So I talked a lot of nonsense, did I ? (Well, yes, general.) 112 THE CORSICAN [1799 I had rather talk to soldiers than to lawyers. Those . . . made me nervous. I am not accustomed to assemblies; it may come in time. 4 P.M.: I entered the Council of Five Hundred, alone, un- armed. The daggers of the deputies are at once raised against their liberator. Twenty assassins rush at me. (Down with the tyrant! Dictator! Dictator! Outlaw him!) 4.30 P.M.: To arms ! My horse ! Soldiers ! can I trust you ? I will bring them to reason! (Murat: Grenadiers, forward! Vive la Republique! Vive Bonaparte!) 5 p. M. .- The Council of Five Hundred is cleared by the troops. II P.M.: I have tried not to be the man of a party. Conserva- tive, paternal, liberal ideas have been restored to their rightful place among us. (Proclamation.) On my return to Paris I found the Government divided, and all men agreed on this truth, that the Constitution was half ruined and could not save the cause of liberty. All parties came to me, told me their plans, revealed their secrets, and asked for my support : I refused to be the tool of any party. The Council of Ancients summoned me; I answered its appeal. I thought it my duty to my fellow citizens, to the soldiers who are dying with our armies, to the na- tional glory purchased with their blood, to accept the com- JET. so] A DIARY 113 mand. The Councils met at Saint Cloud; the troops guar- anteed the maintenance of order outside, but inside a gang of assassins establish terror. Several deputies of the Coun- cil of Five Hundred, armed with daggers and firearms, uttered threats of death. I laid my complaints before the Council of Ancients; I called on it to insure the execution of its beneficent decrees; it joined me by renewed demon* strations of its unaltered resolve. I entered the Council of Five Hundred, alone, unarmed, my head uncovered. Daggers are at once raised against me; twenty assassins fly at me and strike at my breast. The grenadiers of the legislative body, whom I had left at the door, rush in to interpose between the assassins and me. They drag me out. At the same moment cries of Outlaw are raised against the protector of the law. They crowd around the presi- dent (Lucien Bonaparte) with threats in their mouths, and arms in their hands; they call on him for a declaration of outlawry; word is sent out to me; I give orders to have him saved from their rage, and six grenadiers bring him out. Immediately after this the grenadiers of the legisla- tive body charge into the hall and clear it. Alarmed, the factions disperse and go away. People of France, you will doubtless recognize in my conduct the zeal of a soldier of liberty, of a citizen devoted to the Republic. llth, Paris: Have you no muster rolls at the war office ? At all events, you must have an account of the pay, which will give us the same result? An account of the stores ? Of the clothing ? 114 THE CORSICAN [1799 You have worked a long time in the Ministry of Fi- nance? (Gaudin : Twenty years, general.) We need your help. Come, take the oath, we are in a hurry. 12th. People of France: Swear with us to be true to the Republic one and indivisible, founded on equality, liberty, and the representative system. The Consuls of the Republic : BONAPARTE, ROGER Ducos, SIEYES. 15th. Every day must be marked by one step forward in the creation of a general system of finance. 24th. (To General Jourdan.) I have received your letter of the 20th. You were vexed at the events of the 10th. But the worst is over now, and I am more than anxious to see the victor of Fleurus remain in the path that will lead us to organization, true liberty, and hap- piness. You must rally to the mass of citizens. Is not the plain designation French citizen equal to that of royalist, of Clichien, of Jacobin, of Feuillant, and of those thousand and one denominations born of a factious spirit that for ten years past have threatened to plunge the nation into an abyss from which it is time it should be drawn for- ever. Sieyes thinks that he alone can arrive at truth; when an objection is raised, he replies as though he were inspired, and there 's an end to the matter. (Sieyes : Do you want to be king, then ?) xr. so] A DIARY 115 December 1st. The Minister of War will take steps for having at least 100 fieldpieces of the army of Italy horsed and made ready for active service as rapidly as possible. Have a plan drawn up for placing all flags captured from the enemy under the dome of the Invalides ; have the chronology of the victories of the Republic engraved on marble tablets. 4th. The Minister of War will send for Generals Moreau and Clarke to draw up a plan of operations for the new army of the Rhine. It will be reinforced. 5th. Concentrate at Lyons the remnants of the demi- brigades of the 8th military division that were formerly with the army of Italy, and reorganize them so that in three or four months we can form an army of reserve. 6th. If Sieyes goes to the country, draw up the plan of a constitution quickly; I will push it through. 7th. Inform General Moreau that the Consuls think there is urgent need he should join the army. 14th. The Constitution is being drawn up. Citoyen Daunou, Sit down there, (and write.) The decision of the First Consul shall be sufficient! (Sieyes: my only wish is to retire.) 15th. A constitution should be short and obscure. (To the People of France.) A constitution is submitted to you. It will bring to an end the uncertainties which attended the provisional government in all its dealings, exterior, military, and interior. The Constitution is based on the true principles of re- presentative government, on the sacred rights of property, of equality, of liberty. 116 THE CORSICAN [1799 The powers it provides for are strong and stable, as they should be to guarantee the rights of citizens and the interests of the State. Citizens, the Revolution is now anchored to the princi- ples which gave it birth. The Revolution is finished. BONAPARTE, ROGER Ducos, SIEYES. 18th. I trust that the ensuing campaign will be more honourable to the French arms than the last. 21st. The object of the Republic in prosecuting the war is to bring about a peace. It is on the army com- manded by General Moreau that rests the Republic's chief hope of peace for the moment. The Government has absolute confidence in the zeal and military capacity of General Moreau. 22d. Considering the present condition of the army of Italy, the Consuls of the Republic declare: that General Massena is intrusted with extraordinary powers. He may suspend and dismiss any general who has lost his confidence. He may disband corps and cashier officers for insubordination . 25th. (To His Majesty the King of Great Britain and Ireland.) Called by the wishes of the French nation to the first magistracy of the Republic, I think it proper, on taking up my duties, to notify Your Majesty of the fact in person. Is the war that for eight years past has devastated the four quarters of the world to be eternal ? Is there no possi- bility of coming to an agreement ? How can the two most enlightened nations of Europe, both more powerful than is needed to secure their safety and independence, sacri- fice to some vague notion of superiority the interests of jcT.so] A DIARY 117 commerce, internal prosperity, and the happiness of fami- lies ? How can they fail to see that peace is the first of necessities and the greatest of glories ? Your Majesty must see in this overture nothing but my sincere desire by prompt action to contribute efficaciously for the second time to a general pacification. (To His Majesty the Emperor, King of Hungary and of Bohemia.) Once more in Europe after an absence of eight- een months, I find war raging between the French Repub- lic and Your Majesty. The French nation has summoned me to its chief magistracy. Far as I am from any sen- timents of vainglory, my greatest desire is to prevent the effusion of the blood that is about to flow. Your Ma- jesty's reputation leaves me no doubt as to your most heartfelt desire. If that sentiment is given its course, I do not doubt that we can conciliate the interests of the two countries. (To the army of Italy.) Soldiers! The circumstances that have placed me at the head of the Government pre- vent me from being in your midst. Soldiers ! Several corps have abandoned their positions, have refused to listen to the voice of their officers. The 17th light infantry is one of them. Are the brave soldiers of Castiglione and of Rivoli all dead, then? They would have perished rather than abandon their flags. Soldiers of Italy! A new general commands you. He was always in the front rank in the days of your glory. Give him your confidence; he will bring victory back to your standards. I shall have a daily account rendered me of the conduct of all the corps, especially of the 17th light infantry and 118 THE CORSICAN [1799 of the 63d of the line. Let them remember how I once trusted them ! 26th. (To Lucien Bonaparte, Minister of the Interior.) If war were not a necessity, my first care would be to found the prosperity of France on the communes. It is a much simpler matter, when reconstructing a nation, to deal with one thousand of its inhabitants at a time in- stead of striving romantically for the individual happiness of every one. In France a commune stands for 1000 inhabitants. To work at the prosperity of the 36,000 communes is to work at the prosperity of the 36,000,000 inhabitants, while simplifying the question, and reducing the difficulty by the proportion that exists between 36,000 and 36,000,000. The Minister of the Interior will carefully consider the following ideas : Before the Revolution the commune belonged to the lord and to the priests; the vassal and the parishioner had no right to the roads; no ditches, nor fields for pasturing their cows or their sheep. Since 1790, when, suddenly and righteously, these common rights of communication and pasturage were snatched from the hands of the feudal lord, each municipality has, under the protection of the laws, become a real person, having the right to hold, to acquire, and to sell property, and to perform every deed known to our law for the benefit of the municipal com- munity. France was therefore suddenly divided into 36,000 individualities, each one of which was subject to all the instincts of the proprietor, which are to increase his possessions, to improve his products, to swell his reve- nue. The root of the prosperity of France, therefore, lay at that point. anr.so] A DIARY 119 The reason why nothing has grown from this root is this: that an individual proprietor is always alive to his interests, while a community is, on the contrary, sleepy and sterile; the interests of an individual are a matter of simple instinct; those of a commune demand virtue, and virtue is rare. Since 1790 the 36,000 communes are but 36,000 orphans, heiresses of the old feudal privileges, neglected or plundered these ten years by the municipal tutors of the Convention and of the Directoire. They have stolen from the roads, from the pathways, from the trees, from the churches. What would become of the communes if this went on another ten years ? The first duty of a Minister of the Interior is to stop an evil which will otherwise in- fect these 36,000 members of the social body. The first condition, when dealing with a great evil, is to diagnose carefully its gravity and its incidents. The Min- ister of the Interior will therefore begin by drawing up a general schedule of the situation of the 36,000 communes of France. We have never had such a schedule. Here are the principal heads to be set down. There will be three classes: Communes that are in debt; communes whose accounts balance; communes with assets. The last two classes are not numerous, and their case is not pressing. The real question is how to clear the communes that are in debt. The Schedule will show: 1. Details of property accruing to the commune after the division of communal property. 2. Details of the loans, of outstanding debts, and of dates of payment. 3. Valuation of revenues under specified heads, as rents, leases, etc. 120 THE CORSICAN [1799 4. Charges other than those that are strictly com- munal, as payments to hospitals, charities, etc. 5. Details of the roads with a general indication of those that are useful and those that might be sold. 6. Condition of the rectories, churches, and annexes. 7. Details of rebates to be got from owners of foreshore who have plundered the commune. 8. Timber, and of what kind, that might profitably be sold. 9. Whether leases, rights of fishery and of pasturing might be made more remunerative. When this schedule is drawn up, the prefect will be noti- fied that the whole effort of the administration must be brought to bear on the communes that are in debt, and that the mayors who do not come into line with these ideas of communal improvement must be removed. The prefect is to visit these communes at least twice a year, and the sub-prefect four times a year, under penalty of removal from office. A monthly report shall be sent to the minister of what is being done and of what remains to be done in these communes. Suggestions may be sent in to me for a prize to be awarded to mayors who free their communes from debt within two years, and the Government will appoint a special Commissioner to administer every commune that is not free in five years. In five years, therefore, there will be only two classes of communes in France: Communes with assets; communes whose accounts balance. Having reached this first level- ling up, the efforts of the minister and of the communes will be directed towards bringing up the communes whose JET. so] A DIARY 121 accounts balance into the class of the communes with assets, so that in ten years France will have none but the latter class. Then the trend towards prosperity resulting from 36,000,000 individual efforts will be intensified by the power of 36,000 communal entities, all acting under the guidance of Government in the line of greater and greater improvement. Every year the fifty mayors who have done most to free their communes, or to increase their resources, shall be brought to Paris at the expense of the State and presented ceremonially to the three Consuls. A column erected at the expense of the Government at the principal entrance of the city or village will hand the name of the mayor down to posterity. On it shall be inscribed: "A grateful country to the guardian of his commune!" 29th. (To General Berthier.) You will find herewith a proclamation and several decrees of the Government relating to the Vendee. You will note that the inhabitants are free to practise their religion; that unsold churches are handed over to the communes; that the priests are to be asked for no other oath than that of fidelity to the Constitution; and that the priests are at liberty to cele- brate mass whenever they wish. 1800 January 12th, Paris: On the first day of each decade there shall be held a gen- eral council of finance; on the fourth day a council of mili- tary administration; on the sixth day a council of naval administration. On the 8th day of each month there shall be a council of judicial administration; on the 18th, one for foreign affairs; and on the 28th, one for internal and police matters. These Councils will meet at the First Con- sul's at half-past nine in the evening. When I want to close off one matter, I push in its file, and pull out another. I never get them mixed up, and they never bother nor fatigue me. If I want to sleep, I push in all the files at once, and I'm asleep. 13th. Four millions are all important to us in the pre- sent situation. Perhaps we could raise them at Hamburg. 14th. (TocitoyenGaudin.) General Moreau complains that his drafts on Bale have not been honoured. His army is in absolute want. It is urgent to send him money. Couldn't you get some drafts on Marseilles or Cor- sica? 15th. (To brave Leon.) I have received your letter, my brave comrade; there was no necessity to remind me of your deeds. Since the death of brave Benezette you are the bravest grenadier of the army. One of the hundred swords I am giving to the army goes to you. All the men agreed that you were the model of your regiment. I am JBT.SO] A DIARY 123 anxious to see you; the Minister of War will issue an order to that effect. I regard you as my son. General Murat will give him a brevet as sub-lieutenant in the Consular Guard, and will write him a letter. 25th. I intend to organize a Reserve army, of which the command will go to the First Consul. February 7th. (Order.) Washington is dead. That great man fought against despotism. He established the liberty of his country. His memory will always be trea- sured by the French people, as it will by the free men of both continents, and especially by the French soldiers who, like him and the American soldiers, are fighting for equality and liberty. The First Consul therefore orders that, for the space of ten days, a black crape shall be draped on the standards and guidons of the Republic. 13th. (To General Hedouville.) Inform Bourmont that he must surrender his guns within twenty-four hours of your summons, and 3000 muskets within three days. On his refusal put yourself at the head of your troops and don't take your boots off till you've destroyed him. 18th. At the palace of the Tuileries: To be here is nothing, we've got to stay here! (To General Brune.) From what you write about Georges (Cadoudal) I shall be glad to see him in Paris. Send me a list of the leaders. Frotte has been captured with all his staff; I had refused to negotiate with him. At this writing he should be shot; so that peace is pretty well established in Normandy. 124 THE CORSICAN [isoo 27th. Announce the Civil Code for next session. Give me the names of men who can carry through the work, and draw up a decree. March 1st. There will be a grand parade of all the troops of the garrison in the Court of the Tuileries every decade. 5th. I saw Georges this morning; he looks a burly Breton who might be turned to some useful account for his country. Will it be peace ? Or will it be war ? That is still very uncertain. However, the Emperor negotiates with some politeness; so far as manners go it all looks well. 8th. (Proclamation.) People of France, you want peace. Your Government desires it even more ardently than you. Our first hopes, our constant endeavours, have been to secure it. The English Government has betrayed the secret of its horrible policy. To tear France asunder; to destroy her navy and her ports ; to efface her name from Europe ; to reduce her to the rank of a second rate power; to divide the nations of the continent so as to seize their commerce and enrich herself with their spoils : these are the hideous successes for which England lavishes her gold, her pro- mises, and her intrigues. If any Power still insists on at- tempting the fate of arms, the First Consul has promised peace; he will conquer it at the head of those warriors he has more than once led to victory. With them he will know how to find once more the fields of their former exploits; but in the midst of battle he will invoke peace, and he swears to fight for nothing but the happiness of France and the repose of the world. 12th. (To General Massena.) The campaign will soon jsT.30] A DIARY 125 open on the Rhine. Melas, who is against you, is not very deep. He is far from having your military ability, or your activity. I am very distressed at your situation, but I count on your zeal and on your talent. 15th. The first division of the Reserve army, about 12,000 strong, will start from Paris to-morrow. The two other divisions left Nantes and Rennes on the 12th. 16th. (To General Moreau.) I have become a sort of lay figure, having lost my liberty of action and happiness. I envy you your lucky fate. At the head of brave men you will accomplish great things. I would willingly trade off my consular purple for the stripe of a chef de brigade under your orders. I hope that circumstances will allow me to come to your help. In any case, I have the fullest confidence in you. (To a journalist.) I am trying my strength against Europe; you are trying yours against the spirit of the Revolution. Your ambition is greater than mine, and I have more chances of success than you. 20th, Malmaison: I was here last Sunday, walking, alone with the silence of nature. The sound of the church-bell of Rueil suddenly struck my ear; it gave me a sharp sensation. So strong is the power of early habit and education over us ! I said to myself : How great must that impression be on simple and credulous men ! Let the philosophers and rationalists get over that ! The people need a religion. April 4th. General Berthier is starting for the Reserve army; I have appointed Carnot minister of war. I have 126 THE CORSICAN [isoo not yet sent my baggage off; I am daily expecting decisive information from Vienna. 5th. The First Consul would be gratified by the sup- pression of the couplet that alludes to him in the Tableau des Sabines. (To citoyen Fouche.) The Consuls intend that the journals Le Bien Informe, Les Hommes libres, and Les De- fenseurs de la Patrie be suppressed. Inform Mr. (Tom) Paine that the police are aware that his conduct is not good; at the first complaint he will be sent to America, his own country. 9th. (To General Berthier.) The Reserve army which you command is to establish harmony between the armies of the Rhine and of Italy in view of the operations that are about to take place. It is to be the centre of a grand line of which the right is at Genoa and the left on the Danube. (To General Massena.) The army of the Rhine will open the campaign between the 10th and 20th of this month. As soon as this is done, General Lecourbe will be transferred to the command of General Berthier; he will cross the St. Gothard and descend into Italy. At the same moment part of the Reserve army will enter the Valais, and thence cross into Italy, either by the Simplon or by the St. Gothard. 21st. (Proclamation to the youth of France.) Young Frenchmen: If you are burning to belong to an army that is intended to bring the wars of the Revolution to a close, by securing the independence, the liberty, and the glory of the great nation : to arms ! to arms ! Rush to Dijon ! JEI. so] A DIARY 127 Generally speaking, the best way to praise me is to do all things that inspire the nation, the youth, the army, with heroic sentiments. 24th. (To Carnot.) The army of Italy is in contact with the Austrian army. The Reserve army must not lose a single hour. Therefore pray order General Ber- thier to move the army as rapidly as possible to Geneva. I have nothing new by the semaphore from Bale to-day. Repeat the order to General Moreau to attack the en- emy. 25th. (To General Berthier.) Everything is going smoothly here, and the instant you think my presence nec- essary because of events either on the Rhine or in Italy, I can start one hour after receiving your letter. I regret to see that residing in Dijon makes you melancholy. Cheer up! 27th. (To General Berthier.) My plan is no longer to cross the St. Gothard; I think that move possible and within the bounds of prudence only if General Moreau should win some success over the enemy. Besides, Milan may not be our objective after all, for we may have to hasten to Tortona to relieve Massena, who, if he has been defeated, has doubtless shut himself up in Genoa, where he has food for thirty days. We shall therefore have to cross by the St. Bernard. There is no greater coward than I when I am drawing up a plan of campaign. I magnify every danger, every dis- advantage that can be conceived. My nervousness is pain- ful; not but that I show a cool face to those who are about me." I am like a woman in the throes of childbirth. When 128 THE CORSICAN [isoo once my decision is made, however, I forget all, except what may carry it through to success. I love power; but I love it as an artist, as a musician loves his violin. I love to draw sounds from it, chords, harmony ! Midnight : I am waiting impatiently for news from the Rhine and from Italy. May 1st. (To Carnot.) Please send an intelligent staff or engineer officer to General Suchet and then on to General Massena. He will inform them that the Reserve army is in full march for the passes of the Alps, and will debouch in Piedmont on the llth of May. 2d. (To Berthier.) The enemy is far from suspecting your march. I have sure information that at Vienna and in Italy they are laughing at our Reserve army; they think August will be here before it is ready, and that it is merely a levy of conscripts to fill the ranks of the army of the Rhine. 3d. (To the Presidents of the Tribunals of the De- partment of the Seine.) While France was torn by fac- tions, justice was badly administered, as was indeed inevi- table. For ten years have these conditions lasted; it is for you to bring them to an end. You are never to ask to what party the man who demands justice belongs; but you are to weigh the rights of all men with severe impar- tiality. It is for the army to secure peace with foreign countries; it is for Justice to secure peace between our citi- zens. You are appointed for life; no one has the right to remove you ; you are responsible for your judgments only to your conscience; you will be as impassive as the law. *T.SO] A DIARY 129 With laws that actually interfere with the action of jus- tice, I myself am compelled to prosecute disorders that affect the security of the state and to repress them arbi- trarily. Penal laws should read as though engraved on tables of marble, and should be as concise as the Decalogue. A law should always lay down a general principle; it would be futile to attempt to foresee all possible cases. 4th. (To General Berthier.) I have just received your dispatch. The last news from Italy is that on the 23d Massena was at the bridge of Cornigliano; he is there- fore really blockaded in Genoa. It may happen: that Massena will capitulate and evacuate Genoa; (or that) Massena's positions at Genoa will be carried. In either case, you must see that General Melas can move from Genoa to Aosta in eight days, and if he reached there be- fore you could debouch with 20,000 men, the odds would be much in his favour in attempting to hold the passage into Italy. Therefore try to get General Chabran's (com- mand), together with a thousand cavalry, to Aosta by the 10th of May, and the rest by the 12th and 13th. I leave to-morrow night, and will be at Genoa on the 18th. 5th. (To Berthier.) I have just learned by sema- phore that Moreau has been engaged with the enemy at Stockach, that he has made 7000 prisoners, captured nine guns, and large magazines. All is going well. Massena's aide-de-camp has reached me; he assures me they have rations for twenty-five days. Order forced marching. (To Moreau.) I was starting for Geneva when the semaphore brought me news of your victory over the Austrians: glorious, and three times glorious! 130 THE CORSICAN [isoo The situation of the army of Italy is somewhat critical ; Massena is cooped up in Genoa with rations that will last till the 25th or 26th. The army of Melas appears to be quite large. I greet you cordially. (To Massena.) The Reserve army is marching fast. I leave to-night. I count on you to hold out as long as you can, but at the least until the 30th. 9th, Geneva: (To the Consuls of the Republic.) I reached here at midnight. The whole army is moving and in good order. I note with pleasure that Paris is calm. But in any case, I repeat, strike hard at any one, whoever he may be, who shows the first signs of wobbling. What I witnessed on my journey through France is indescribable. Had I not frequently changed my route I would have been another eight days getting here. llth. (To Saliceti.) Write to Malta by every ship, and give them news from Europe, insisting on the fact that France and Europe confidently expect them to hold their posts to the last mouthful of bread. 12th, Lausanne: (To General Dupont.) Give orders that, beginning to- morrow, in every demi-brigade the conscripts shall be made to fire a few shots, shall be shown with which eye to aim, and how to load a musket. 13th. I have news from Massena up to the 30th. He was completely surrounded in Genoa, and fighting every day. 14th. (To General Desaix.) My dear Desaix: I re- ceive your letter this very moment. Here you are at last; splendid news for the whole Republic, but especially for jw.30] A DIARY 131 me who hold you in the esteem due to men of your talent, and in a friendship which my heart, so old now and know- ing mankind but too well, feels for no one else. On my arrival in France I found the Republic lost; the Vendee was at the gates of Paris; the fleet instead of being at Toulon was at Brest, and dismantled; Brest was even threatened by the English. I have had to destroy the Vendee, find money, refit the fleet. But don't let us talk of those things; come and join me as quickly as you can. (To the Consuls of the Republic.) I wish you to have printed in the Journal Officiel that Generals Desaixand Davout have arrived at Toulon, with a few words added to the effect that these generals maintained, after my de- parture, the reputation they had won in the campaigns of Holland and the Rhine. 15th. (To the Consuls.) The advance guard com- manded by General Lannes is at this moment crossing the St. Bernard. Hold back the news from the army for a few days; merely say that it is in full march. 16th. (To Josephine.) I am just starting for St. Maurice, where I shall sleep. I have had no letters from you; that 's not nice; I write to you by every courier. A thousand tender things, my good little Josephine, for you and for yours. 17th, Martigny: I have just arrived at Martigny. I shall stay the night here in hopes of getting news of the capture of Fort Bard to-morrow morning. 18th. We are struggling against ice, snow, storms, and avalanches. The St. Bernard, amazed at the sight of so 132 THE CORSICAN [isoo great a multitude attempting to pass so rapidly, places obstacles in our way. Not since Charlemagne has so large an army been seen here. A third of our fieldpieces are over. General Berthier is at Aosta. In three days the whole army will have crossed. 19th. (To the Consuls.) I hear from General Suchet that the enemy are showing signs of being disturbed at the movement of the Reserve army, and that they have sent a detachment towards Berthier. I see that I am reported in the papers as writing to my mother that I should be in Milan in a month. It doesn't sound like me. I often don't say what I know, but I never pro- phesy what will happen. I wish you to send a note to the Moniteur on this subject, written in a bantering tone. 20th. On the St. Bernard: The St. Bernard was covered with snow, and the climb was very stiff. General Marmont, in command of the artillery, employed two methods. The first was to take a tree-trunk hollowed out like a trough in which the 8-pounders and howitzers were placed; a hundred men hitched to a cable dragged it, taking two days to cross the St. Bernard. In the worst places the men were cheered on by the drums beating the charge, a striking spectacle! The First Consul descended the St. Bernard sitting on the snow, crossing precipices and sliding over torrents by this means. 24th, Aosta: On the 19th, Melas was at Nice, still unsuspecting. Our artillery continues crossing the St. Bernard. Fort Bard, at the mouth of the valley, makes the passage of the artillery very difficult. jsT.30] A DIARY 133 (To Joseph Bonaparte.) Please give 30,000 francs to my wife. We have dropped here like a thunderbolt; the enemy didn't expect it, and hardly believe it yet. 27th, Ivrea: I reached Ivrea last night. Everything is going as well as possible. I shall be back in Paris before the end of Prairial. 29th. At Chivasso the First Consul reviewed the advance guard. He said to the 28th of the line: You have spent two years on these mountains, often de- prived of everything, and you have always done your work without a murmur. That is a good soldier's first duty. The First Consul ordered that, as a sign of his satisfaction with the good appearance of this demi-brigade it should be placed in the van at the next engagement. Two couriers have been intercepted, and it is clear that General Melas is still at Turin. The greater part of his army, which was tucked away at Nice, is making forced marches towards the Po. 30th, Vercelli: I leave to-night for Novara. To-morrow I shall reach the banks of the Ticino to see how we can get across; the river is very large and swift. The advance guard remained at Chivasso the whole of the 29th. The enemy have moved all their available infantry from Turin along the right bank of the Po, op- posite Chivasso. In the meanwhile, General Murat was completing his bridge over the Sesia, crossed that river, reached Novara, and took up a position along the right bank of the Ticino. The inhabitants of Milan could hear the guns at our outposts to-day. 134 THE CORSICAN [isoo June 1st, Novara: The First Consul arrived at the Ticino on the morning of the 31st. The enemy showed a considerable force of cavalry and a few guns on the left bank. General Murat got a battery in position, and a cannonade followed for an hour. After six hours' work we got nearly 1500 men and two guns over. Murat is now halfway to Milan. 3d, Milan: General Murat reached Milan on the 2d. He immedi- ately surrounded the citadel. Three hours later the First Consul and his staff made their entry, surrounded by a crowd displaying the greatest enthusiasm. Night : Our movement has been so rapid that it was only twenty-four hours before our entry that the people of Milan knew the French were in Italy. 4th. (To Talleyrand.) Please have a pamphlet printed with the following title: Letter of a patriotic member of the Germanic body on the policy of the House of Austria. The object is to show that Austria has always striven to en- large herself at the expense and to the detriment of the Empire. It would be a good thing to have this letter printed in German and to have it distributed broadcast in Germany. I see no objection to your sending some dresses to the Queen of Spain; you may spend about a thousand louis for this purpose. However, see that proprieties are ob- served and that nothing ridiculous is done. (To General Bernadotte.) I will say nothing more, my dear General, than that we are in Milan, that we have asT.so] A DIARY 135 captured the enemy's train, 300 field and siege guns, all their hospitals and magazines. Moreau is holding his own near Ulm. Capture that rascal Georges dead or alive. If you ever catch him, have him shot within 24 hours. 5th. (Speech to the priests of Milan.) It was my wish to meet you here so as to be able to inform you in person of my sentiments towards the Roman, Catholic and Apos- tolic faith. Convinced as I am that it is the only faith that can assure real happiness to a well-ordered society and strengthen the foundations of good government, I assure you that at all times and in every way I shall en- deavour to protect and defend it. Ministers of a religion which is also mine, I regard you as my dearest friends. My firm intention is that the Christian religion, Catholic and Roman, shall be maintained untouched. Now that power is in my hands I am resolved to put everything in operation to secure and guarantee the faith. Have no alarm because of the way in which the late Pope was treated : the misfortunes of Pius VI were partly due to the wretched intrigues of his advisers and partly to the cruel policy of the Directoire. When I am able to discuss matters with the new Pope I hope I shall be fortunate enough to remove every obstacle that may still remain in the way of a reconciliation between France and the head of the Church. 6th. Our men are over the Po and hold the position of Stradella; the enemy's army is therefore cut off. 7th. Most of the army will be concentrated by to- morrow. There is nothing Melas can do but to offer battle, and he has no retreat open save the fortresses of Alessan- dria and of Tortona. 136 THE CORSICAN [isoo 8th. (To General Berthier.) General Murat has sent me some intercepted dispatches that give us interesting particulars. A letter from Melas to the Aulic Council of the 5th of June from Turin states that Massena capitu- lated on the 4th. It looks as though the enemy could not complete their concentration at Alessandria before the 12th or 13th. Send detachments forward rapidly and crush everything you come across. The advance guard can move as far as Voghera. 9th. (To Carnot.) I still fail to see how Melas can get out of it: either he must attack us at Stradella, and be de- feated and destroyed; or he can attempt to get over the Po, the Sesia, and the Ticino, and will get no better result. His position is somewhat amusing, and if Genoa had held out only 72 hours more but little of his army would ever have got away. I start in an hour to cross the Po on my way to Stra- della. 10th, Stradella: General Ott got from Genoa to Voghera in three forced marches with 15,000 of the besieging troops. He was rein- forced by 4000 or 5000 men detached by General Melas to guard the Po. The advance guards of the two armies met about noon. The enemy held the heights in front of Casteggio. Determined fighting took place and lasted all day. The 96th decided the long uncertain result with a bayonet charge. The enemy left 3000 killed and wounded, 6000 prisoners, and 5 guns on the field. Their rout was complete. 14th. Battle of Marengo. 15th. Torre dei Garoffoli: jDT.30] A DIARY 137 (To the Consuls of the Republic.) All the news from the army is very good. I shall be in Paris soon. I can write no more, I am prostrated by the death of the man whom I most loved and esteemed. (Bulletin.) After the battle of Montebello the army marched to cross the Scriva. The enemy appeared to have no plan and was making uncertain movements. On the 14th at daybreak the enemy crossed the Bor- mida on three bridges, determined to cut their way through; they debouched in force, surprised our advance guard, and briskly opened the celebrated battle of Ma- rengo which has at last decided the fate of Italy and of the Austrian army. Four times during the battle we were falling back, and four times we were moving forward. At different moments and at one point and another, more than sixty guns were captured and recaptured. More than twelve charges of cavalry were delivered, with varied success. At 3 in the afternoon 10,000 cavalry outflanked our right in the splendid plain of San Giulano. They were supported by a line of infantry and many guns. The gren- adiers of the Guard stood like a granite redoubt in the midst of this immense plain; nothing could shake them. This desperate resistance contained the enemy's left, and supported our right until General Mounier got up, and carried the village of Castel Ceriolo at the point of the bayonet. The enemy's cavalry now made a rapid move- ment on our left, which was already shaken; this attack hastened our retreat. The enemy were advancing along the whole line, pour- ing grape from a hundred guns. The roads were packed 138 THE CORSICAN [isoo with fugitives and wounded: the battle appeared to be lost. The enemy were allowed to continue their advance as far as the village of San Giulano, where Desaix' division had been deployed, with eight fieldpieces on its front, and two battalions thrown back and in column on the wings. All the fugitives were rallying behind. The enemy were already making mistakes that presaged their catastrophe, they were extending their wings too much. The presence of the First Consul was restoring the morale of the troops : My lads, he called out, remember that my habit is to sleep on the battlefield ! With shouts of Vive la Republique! Vive le Premier Consul ! Desaix moved forward by his centre at the charge. In a moment the enemy's line was broken. General Keller- mann, who, with his brigade of heavy cavalry, had been protecting the retirement of our left wing all day, charged at just the right moment, and so hard that 6000 grena- diers, with General Zach, chief of staff, were made prison- ers, while several generals were killed. The whole army followed up this attack. The enemy's right was cut off; surprise and panic seized their ranks. The Austrian cavalry moved to the centre to protect their retreat. Brigadier-General Bessieres, at the head of the Cassecous and the grenadiers of the Guard, bravely and promptly charged them and broke through them, which completed the rout of their army. We have captured 15 flags, 40 guns, and 6000 or 8000 prisoners. More than 6000 of the enemy remained on the battlefield. General Berthier had his clothes full of bullets and several of his staff were unhorsed. But a grave loss for the army, and for the whole Republic takes all rejoic- jBT.soj A DIARY 139 ing from our hearts : Desaix was struck by a bullet just as his division went into action; he was killed on the spot. He lived just long enough to say to young Lebrun who was near him: " Go tell the First Consul that I die regretting I have not lived long enough to be known to posterity! " He had joined headquarters only three days before; he was ardent for the fray, and the day before he had several times repeated to the officers of his staff: "It is long since I fought in Europe. The bullets will have forgotten me; something will happen." When, in the midst of heavy firing, the news of Desaix' death was brought to the First Consul, he merely said: "Why may I not weep ?" His body has been removed to Milan for embalming. Little Kellermann made a very lucky charge; it was in the nick of time; we owe him a lot. To think that great events turn on such things! (To Kellermann.) Your charge was pretty good! 16th, Marengo: (To the Consuls.) The day following the battle of Marengo General Melas sent a request to our outposts that he might send General Skal to confer with me, and in the course of the day the inclosed convention was agreed on, and was signed in the night by General Berthier and General Melas. I hope the French people will be pleased with its army. I shall be at Milan to-night. (To His Majesty the Emperor and King.) I have the honour of writing to Your Majesty to communicate the wish of the French people to bring to an end the war that desolates our countries. It is on the battlefield of Marengo, in the midst of suffering and surrounded by 15,000 corpses, 140 THE CORSICAN [isoo that I beg Your Majesty to listen to the cry of suffering. It is for me to urge Your Majesty, as I am nearer the field of conflict. The arms of Your Majesty have earned enough glory, and control enough territory. What reasons can Your Majesty's ministers allege for continuing hostilities ? I think it my duty to propose to Your Majesty : that the armistice be extended to all the armies; and that negotia- tors be instructed on both sides. 17th, Milan: I have just reached Milan, somewhat fatigued. Some Hungarian grenadiers and German prisoners pass- ing by, who had already been prisoners in the campaigns of 1796 and 1797, recognized the First Consul. Many began to shout, with apparent enthusiasm: "Vive Bona- parte!" What a thing is imagination! Here are men who don't know me, who have never seen me, but who only knew of me, and they are moved by my presence, they would do anything for me ! And this same incident arises in all cen- turies and in all countries ! Such is fanaticism ! Yes, imag- ination rules the world. The defect of our modern institu- tions is that they do not speak to the imagination. By that alone can man be governed; without it he is but a brute. 18th. To-day, whatever our Paris atheists may say, I am going in full state to the Te Deum that is to be sung in the Cathedral of Milan. An imposing and splendid ceremony! *!T.so] A DIARY 141 21st. (To the Consuls.) I have sent a courier to the Emperor, with a letter which the Minister of Foreign Af- fairs will transmit to you. You may think it rather in- formal in style, but it was written on a battlefield. Part of the Guard started for Paris to-day with the flags cap- tured at Marengo. Their route is arranged so that they shall reach Paris on the 14th of July. You must work at making the celebration a brilliant one, and don't ape pre- vious ones. Fireworks would be effective. Chariot races are all right for Greece, where chariots were implements of war; with us they mean nothing. 25th. I am starting for Paris. 26th, Turin: The Reserve army and the army of Italy are united as the army of Italy. General Massena will be commander- in-chief. 29th, Lyons: I have reached Lyons. I am stopping to lay the corner- stone of the place Bellecour, which is being rebuilt. I am told that we may hope to have it finished in two years. I hope that before then the trade of this great city, once the pride of Europe, will have recovered its prosperity. I shall arrive in Paris unexpectedly. I wish no triumphal arches, no ceremonies. I have too good an opinion of myself to put any value on such flim-flam. The only real triumph is the satisfaction of the public. July 2d, Paris, the Tuileries: Well, citizens, here we are. Come, have you been hard at work since I left? (Not as hard as you, general!) 142 THE CORSICAN [1800 I only gain battles, but Josephine by her sweetness, wins every heart. Josephine the most amiable and the best of women ! 4th. I ! a royal maggot ! I am a soldier, I come from the people, I have made myself! Am I to be compared with Louis XVI ? I listen to everybody, but my own mind is my only counsellor. There are some men who have done France more harm than the wildest revolutionaries, the talkers, and the rationalists. Vague and false thinkers, a few lessons of geometry would do them good ! My policy is to govern men as the great number wish to be governed. That, I think, is the way to recognise the sovereignty of the people. 14th. To the 14th of July! To the French people, the sovereign of us all! 24th. (To His Majesty the Emperor.) I have received the letter which Your Majesty has sent me by Count St. Julien. The peace preliminaries it contains will soon, I hope, be followed by a final peace. 25th. When a Frenchman has to choose between a po- liceman and the devil, he is for the devil, but when it is between the devil and fashion, he follows fashion, and pro- viding the government does well, all that it does will be in the fashion. 28th. At Marengo Desaix had a presentiment of his death. I could see that he was gloomy, and as at the crisis there was much anxiety, I got off my horse and said to him, let us sit down here for a moment on the grass to show our confidence. It was at that moment that Desaix said to me, the bullets don't recognise me now. 30th. Well, Junot, so you were fool enough to get caught ^T.SO] A DIARY 143 by those . . . English. What do you want to do ? Shall I send you to the army of the Rhine ? You need to put on another ten years. The impact of an army, like the total of mechanical co- efficients, is equal to the mass multiplied by the velocity. A battle is a dramatic action which has its beginning, its middle, and its conclusion. The result of a battle de- pends on the instantaneous flash of an idea. When you are about to give battle concentrate all your strength, neglect nothing ; a battalion often decides the day. In warfare every opportunity must be seized; for for- tune is a woman: if you miss her to-day, you need not expect to find her to-morrow. There is nothing in the military profession I cannot do for myself. If there is no one to make gunpowder, I know how to make it; gun carriages, I know how to construct them; if it is founding a cannon, I know that; or if the details of tactics must be taught, I can teach them. The presence of a general is necessary: he is the head, he is the all in all of an army. It was not the Roman army conquered Gaul, but Caesar; it was not the Carthaginians made the armies of the Republic tremble at the very gates of Rome, but Hannibal; it was not the Macedonian army marched to the Indus, but Alexander; it was not the French army that carried war to the Weser and to the Inn, but Turenne; it was not the Prussian army that defended Prussia during seven years against the three strongest Powers of Europe, but Frederick the Great. Concentration of forces, activity, activity with the 144 THE CORSICAN [isoo firm resolve to die gloriously: these are the three great principles of the military art that have always made for- tune favourable in all my operations. Death is nothing; but to live defeated and ingloriously, is to die every day. I am a soldier, because that is the special faculty I was born with; that is my life, my habit. I have commanded wherever I have been. I commanded, when twenty-three years old, at the siege of Toulon; I commanded in Paris at Vendemiaire; I carried the soldiers of the army of Italy with me as soon as I appeared among them; I was born that way. August 12th. (Decree.) The Minister of Justice will call together at the ministry citoyens Tronchet, Bigot de Preameneu, and Portalis, to confer on the draft of the Civil Code. 13th. Wealth cannot confer a privilege. I have no in- tention of preaching collectivism; I am speaking between ourselves; I even want to have rich men, for that is the only way of supporting the poor; but I cannot admit that wealth is entitled to social or political distinction. How can a state be well governed without the aid of religion ? Society cannot exist save with inequality of for- tune, and inequality of fortune cannot be supported with- out religion. When a man dies of hunger by the side of another who is gorged, he cannot accept that disparity without some authority that shall say to him: "God has decreed it thus: there must be rich and poor in the world; but in the hereafter, and for all eternity, it will be the other way about." It was by becoming a Catholic that I pacified the Ven- m.3l] A DIARY 145 dee, and a Mussulman that I established myself in Egypt; it was by becoming ultramontane that I won over public opinion in Italy. If I ruled a people of Jews, I would re- build the temple of Solomon! Paradise is a central spot whither the souls of men proceed along different roads; every sect has a road of its own. September 6th. A monument shall be erected to the memory of Generals Desaix and Kleber, who died on the same day, at the same moment : one in Europe, at the battle of Marengo, which reconquered Italy for the Re- public; the other in Africa, after the battle of Heliopolis, which reconquered Egypt for France. 7th. The King is at Mittau; let him stay there! (To the Comte de Provence (Louis XVIII).) I have received your letter, sir, and I thank you for the polite expressions it contains. You must give up all hope of re- turning to France; you would have to step over 100,000 dead bodies. Sacrifice your personal interest to the peace and happiness of France. History will remember you for it. I am not unmindful of the misfortunes of your family. I would be glad to contribute to the comfort and security of your retirement. My poor Cambaceres, I can't help it, but your case is clear; if ever the Bourbons return, you will be hanged! 10th. (To Lucien Bonaparte, Minister of the Interior.) Please send me a list of our ten best painters, of our ten best sculptors, of our ten best composers, of our ten best musicians, of our ten best architects, and the names of any artists in other lines who deserve public recognition. 23d. The Government notifies the King of England 146 THE CORSICAN [isoo that it would raise no objection to admit his envoys to the Congress of Luneville, on the basis of a truce at sea. ' October 17th. To govern France, after ten such ex- traordinary years, is no easy task! November 22d. (To Savary.^ Kindly start for Brest to- morrow. You will take with you citoyen Jerome Bona- parte, whom you will put on board Admiral Ganteaume. Stay there until that rear-admiral has made sail and is out of sight. (To Rear-Admiral Ganteaume.) I am sending you cito- yen Jerome Bonaparte, to serve his apprenticeship at sea. You know that he needs a firm hand, and has lost time to make up. Insist on his carrying out every one of the duties of the profession he has entered. December 1st. If I die four or five years hence, the ma- chine will be in order, it will run. If I die before then, I don't know what would happen. (Devaismes : We should make some general First Con- sul.) You don't want a general in that position ; you want a civilian. The army will obey a civilian better than it will a soldier. If three or four years from now I were dying in my bed, of a fever, and if to crown my romance I were to make my will, I would warn the nation against a military government; I would tell it to choose a civilian for its first magistrate. 9th. Order salutes of all the artillery in the shore bat- teries and ships at Calais and Boulogne to announce the victory of Hohenlinden. 24th. I had been greatly occupied with business all day, and in the evening was sleepy and tired. I threw myself mi. si] A DIARY 147 on a sofa in my wife's salon, and fell asleep. Josephine came down some time after, awoke me, and insisted that I should go to the theatre. You know that when women take a thing into their heads, they will go through with it, and you must gratify them. Well I got up much against my inclination, and went in my carriage, accompanied by Lannes and Bessieres. I was so drowsy that I fell asleep in the coach. I was asleep when the explosion took place; and I recollect when I woke experiencing a sensation as if the vehicle had been raised up, and was passing through a great body of water. The contrivers of this were a man named St. Regent, Imolan, and some others. They got a cart and barrel resembling that with which water is sup- plied through the streets of Paris, with this exception, that the barrel was put crossways. This he had filled with gun- powder, and placed it nearly in the turning of the street through which I was to pass. Possibly my coachman may have assisted by driving furiously round the corner, as he was drunk and not afraid of anything. He was so far gone that he thought the report of the explosion was that of a salute fired in honour of my visit to the theatre. 25th. They want to attack the Revolution by destroy- ing me; I will defend it because I am the Revolution! 31st. (General, you are taking longer over your meals ! ) Already! The corruption of power! 1801 January 2d, Paris: Moreau is not more than five days' march from Vienna, and in control of all the magazines of the enemy. M. de Cobenzl, the Emperor's plenipotentiary at Lune- ville, has declared, in a note dated the 31st of December, that he was prepared to negotiate a separate peace. Austria is thus free from the influence of the English Gov- ernment. 9th. (To General Moreau.) I need not express how much interest I have taken in your skilful and beautiful manreuvres; you have surpassed yourself this campaign. The wretched Austrians are very obstinate; they were counting on the ice and snow; they don't really know you yet. 13th. (To Forfait.) Citoyen Ministre : Kindly draw me up a report on Madagascar. Pray order Vice-Admiral Bruix to The Hague. His special business will be to con- cert measures with the Dutch Minister of the Navy for the expedition to the Cape of Good Hope. 15th. The great thing is to support (the army in) Egypt. 19th. (To Talleyrand.) Please prepare the draft of a treaty with Switzerland, so as to obtain the cession of the Valais up to Brieg. 21st. A courier arrived from Russia yesterday, who had done the journey in fifteen days; he brought me a very friendly letter in the Emperor's own hand. Russia is in- clined to be hostile to England. jsT.31] A DIARY 149 (To Forfait.) I inclose your report on Madagascar; I find it insufficient. 25th. Are you rich, Maret? (No, general.) So much the worse for you, a man ought to be independ- ent. (General, I wish never to be dependent on any one but you.) Hem! Not so bad! Maret is a good fellow, he's no fool; he answered me cleverly. February 10th, St. Quentin: I arrived at St. Quentin yesterday, at four in the after- noon. I was on horseback all the morning inspecting the canal. The weather is cold, and there has been much snow. All I have seen of the plans and the preliminary works of the St. Quentin canal appears satisfactory. I went down the stairway into the tunnel. The manufactures of the city, which formerly gave employment to 70,000 work- people and brought fifteen millions of money into France, have gone down five sixths. The hope of restoring one of our most important and exclusive manufactures, and of giving a livelihood to so many French families, is just the thing to bring cambric into fashion again. 13th, Paris: Peace has been signed for the continent at LuneVille; its terms are such as the French people desired. By our secret treaty with Spain, she is to give us six men-of-war. 25th. General Murat is sending a division of 10,000 150 THE CORSICAN [isoi men to occupy Taranto, Brindisi, and all the smaller ports of the peninsula beyond the line Taranto Brindisi. 27th. (To the Emperor of Russia.) The pride and ar- rogance of the English are unparalleled. I will bring together, as Your Majesty appears to wish, 300 or 400 gunboats in the ports of Flanders, where I will collect an army. I have given orders for concentrating an army in Brittany that can be put on board ship at Brest. The English have attempted to land in Egypt. The interest of all the Mediterranean and Black Sea Powers is that Egypt should remain in the possession of France. The Suez canal, which would join the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean is already surveyed; the work is easy and will not take long, it will confer incalculable bene- fits on Russian commerce. March 1st. Lafayette is an obstinate political mono- maniac; he cannot understand me; I regret it, because he is an honest man. I wanted to make him Senator; he re- fused. Let him go his own way then, I can get on without him. 4 4th. There shall be held in Paris, each year, an exhibi- tion of the products of French industry. 20th. Do you know why I allow such free discussion in the Council of State? It's because I 'm the best of them all in an argument. I let them attack me because I know how to defend myself. I am a doctor of laws! (To a Tribune.) Why don't you come and discuss things with me in my study ? We might have little fireside con- versations. 21st. If the minutes of the Council of State are well jsT.si] A DIARY 151 drafted, they will constitute a document worthy of pos- terity. If we turn over the minutes of the reign of Louis XVI, we find only chatter. The little slips our jurists make must not appear in ours, for during protracted ses- sions inattention may occur at times. As for me, a man of the sword and of finance, not a jurist but a legisla- tor, my opinions matter little. In an argument I may say things that fifteen minutes later I disapprove; but I do not wish to be made to appear any better than I am. The woman owes obedience to her husband. The civil magistrate should have a formula covering the woman's oath of obedience and faithfulness. She must be instructed that on passing out of the care of her family she enters under that of her husband. The civil magistrate celebrates marriage without any solemnity, which is too arid. There should be some moral appeal; look at the priests. (A Councillor of State : Did the old laws prescribe obe- dience ?) The angel declared it to Adam and Eve. In the mar- riage ceremony it was said in Latin, so the woman under- stood nothing. But the word is well suited to Paris, where the women think they can do what they like. I don't say that it will have any effect on all of them, but it will on some. (To Portalis.) If you were in power, you would permit no divorce, for it comes to the same thing to make it so degrading to apply for it that none but a man with a brazen face would do so. That's your scheme, isn't it? (Portalis: If we were dealing with a brand new people I would not admit divorce.) 152 THE CORSICAN [isoi If the marriage is unhappy, should not the civil law, which has no cognizance of the lofty sacramental theory, provide for the happiness of the individuals ? (Portalis: Man is sociable, and marriage is in nature.) 1 deny that ! Marriage does not derive from nature, but from society and from morality. I do not accept the opin- ion that the family proceeds from civil law, and civil law from the law of nature. Divorce was bound to come into our legislation, freedom of religion implied it; but it would be a great misfortune if it became a national habit. What becomes of the family when it is broken asunder ? What are husbands and wives who, after having lived in the closest union that nature and law can tie, suddenly become strangers, yet unable to forget one another ? What are children without a father, who cannot join in the same embrace their disunited parents ? Ah! let us do nothing to encourage divorce! Of all social habits it would be the most fatal. Let us not brand with shame the man who demands it; but let us rather pity him as the victim of a great misfortune. And custom must frown down the sad resource which the law cannot refuse to the unfortunate. 2 A. M. Come, come, citoyens, wake up; it's only two o'clock; we must earn the money the French people pay us! March 22d. (To General Murat.) Should the negotia- tions drag, enter the Neapolitan state, place your head- quarters at Aquila, and raise all obstacles. If on your arrival the King declines to accept the moderate terms proposed by citoyen Alquier, march on Naples. April 12th. The Emperor of Russia died on the night xr. 31-32] A DIARY 153 of the 24th or 25th of March of an attack of apoplexy. The lively sorrow I feel at the death of a prince whom I valued so highly prevents my entering into details. His eldest son has succeeded and has been recognised by the army and the capital. 26th. (To the Emperor of Russia.) M. de Kalitchy has handed us the letter in which Your Majesty announces his accession to the throne of all the Russias and the death of his father. We have been profoundly affected by the un- expected loss which Your Majesty has suffered. Our only consolation is in learning the accession of Your Majesty to the Empire. July 10th. (To Talleyrand.) I have read the note of General the Prince of Peace; it is so ridiculous that it is not worth a serious answer. But if this Prince, paid by England, should persuade the King and Queen into steps contrary to the dignity and interests of the Republic, the last hour of the Spanish monarchy has rung. 20th. (To Joseph Bonaparte.) Please continue your negotiations with Cardinal Consalvi and your other col- leagues. I would like the bull to be published in France as soon as possible, so that I can make nominations to the archbishoprics and bishoprics at once. I would like it if we could publish the bull in Paris on the 15th of August. August 6th. (To Fouche.) The First Consul wants you to inform the journalists, political and literary, that they must abstain from discussing religion, its priests and cere- monies. 16th. (To Jerome Bonaparte.) I learn with pleasure that you are becoming accustomed to the sea; there only can the greatest glory be won. 154 THE CORSICAN [isoi 25th. (To the men of the 1st Artillery.) Soldiers, your conduct in the citadel of Turin is known throughout Europe. You forced your way into a fortress in a disor- derly and tumultuous manner, disregarding the French flag which floated there. You killed the brave officer whose duty it was to defend it. You passed over his body. You are all guilty! The officers who failed to keep you under control are unfit to command you. The flag which you have deserted, to which you refused to rally, will be placed in the temple of Mars and hung with crape. Your regiment is disbanded ! 30th. Cardinal Caprara is coming to Paris as papal legate. October 6th. (To Talleyrand.) I inclose the ratifications of the peace preliminaries signed at London on the 1st, and of the secret clause. 10th. (To His Holiness the Pope.) I have received Cardinal Caprara, Your Holiness' legate, with great plea- sure. Peace has been signed with England, Portugal, Russia, and the Porte. I hasten to send this information, well knowing the interest Your Holiness takes in the hap- piness and peace of nations. (To the Emperor of Russia.) In the peace preliminaries happily signed between France and England it is provided that Malta shall be restored to the Order under the protec- tion of a great Power. Will Your Majesty let me know your views relatively to the island and to the Order of Malta, of which your august father was recognised as Grand Master. December 1st. (To Lucien Bonaparte.) I can't in the least make out the conduct of the Cabinet of Madrid. 'xr.sq A DIARY 155 Please express to Their Majesties my extreme dissatisfac- tion with the wrongful and illogical action of the Prince of Peace. During these six months past this minister has not spared us insulting notes and rash steps; all that could be done against France, he has done; speak out and tell the Queen and the Prince of Peace that if things go on this way the end will come like a thunderbolt. 1802 January 7th, Paris*: (To Joseph Bonaparte.) To-morrow, at midnight, I start for Lyons. I think General Bernadotte has gone to Amiens. Whether he has or not, I want him to tell you if it would suit him to go to Guadeloupe as captain-general. 13th, Lyons: I took sixty-nine hours to get to Lyons ; from Lyons to Paris everything is covered with snow. I arrived at nine o'clock at night, and have every reason to be satisfied with the marks of attachment that the people of Lyons are giving me, and of the activity I find in their workshops, and in their minds, to restore the prosperity of the chief manufacturing city of the Republic. 14th. The cold here is excessive. I am spending my mornings, from six till twelve, receiving the prefects and notables of the neighbouring departments. In confer- ences of this sort one has to talk at length. To-night the City gives a concert and a ball; I am starting in an hour. My satisfaction with all I see of the people of Lyons and of southern France continues. 16th. It is very fine but very cold. The internal im- provement of the Republic is very apparent since two years ago. Lyons must have increased its population by 20,000 people in 1800 and 1801. All the manufacturers of St. Etienne and of Annonay with whom I talked re- ported that their works were in full swing. On the 18th I shall review six demi-brigades of the army of the West. jsT.32] A DIARY 157 18th. (To the Consul Cambaceres.) Your letter of the 15th has posted me on the debates in the Senate. I trust that you will not fail to have the twenty and sixty unde- sirable members in our constitutional bodies promptly removed. The will of the Nation is that this Government shall not be hindered in its beneficent work, and that the Head of Medusa shall not be permitted to appear again in our assemblies. The conduct of Sieyes at this juncture shows conclusively that after taking a hand in the destruc- tion of every constitution since 1791, he wants to have a go at this one. It is very curious that he can't see the folly of it. He ought to be glad to burn a candle at Notre Dame for having so happily and unexpectedly come through. But the older I get the more clearly I perceive that a man must accomplish his destiny! The cold is less intense. 21st. I went for an hour to the ball given to my wife by the Commerce (of Lyons) ; it was very fine. 25th. Held a parade to-day, place Bellecour. The weather was splendid, the sun as in Floreal. The gen- erals who were in Lyons thought it proper to give a grand ball to-night, for my wife; I shall look in for half an hour. February 19th, Paris: If by ill luck peace should not be maintained, what could be undertaken? (To Fouche.) As the reestablishment of peace with the Powers gives me time to pay special attention to the po- lice, I want to be posted in the smallest details, and to work with you at least once, sometimes twice a day, when necessary. The most convenient hours for me are. in the morning at eleven and at night at eleven. 158 THE CORSICAN [1802 April 9th. (To Portalis.) The intention of the First Consul is to present each archbishop and bishop, at his consecration, with a cross, a crozier, and a mitre. You will therefore arrange to have these articles ready in time, and bought as cheaply as possible. 12th. Note the insolence of the priests who, in the divi- sion of authority with what they call the temporal power, reserve for themselves the dominion of the mind, of the noble part of man, and have the pretension of leaving me dominion over the body. They keep the soul and throw me the carcase! There will be no stable political conditions until we have a teaching body acting on fixed principles. So long as men are not taught from childhood whether to be republican or monarchist, Catholic or freethinking, the state will not be a nation. May 4th. In every country force bows to the civilian virtues. The bayonets fall before the priest who speaks in the name of religion, and before the man of science. I foretold that a military government would never take in France unless the nation were degraded by fifty years of ignorance. Every attempt would fail, and their authors would be the first victims. It is not as a general that I govern, but because the nation believes that I have civil- ian qualities that make me fit for governing, otherwise the government could not maintain itself. I knew what I was about when, as a general, I assumed the title of Member of the Institute; my meaning was clear even to the last drummer of the army. We cannot argue on the analogy of the dark ages. We are thirty millions of men held together by enlightenment, jsT.32] A DIARY 159 property, and commerce; three or four hundred thousand soldiers are nothing in such a mass. The soldiers them- selves are the children of the citizens. The army is the nation. The distinctive mark of the soldier is that all his desires are despotic; that of the civilian is that he submits every- thing to discussion, to truth, to reason. 7th. The bishops who have not yet taken the oath will take it Sunday next in the chapel of the First Consul. This chapel shall be arranged in the First Consul's study. The Archbishop of Paris will consecrate it at ten; at eleven he will say mass. The bishops will take the oath after the gospel has been read. 9th. The Consulate renewed for ten years. Senators: The testimonial of your esteem contained in your debate of the 8th will remain forever engraved in my heart. My reputation and my happiness would seem to have marked as the term of my public life a moment when the peace of the world has been attained. But the glory and the interests of the private citizen must be sub- dued when the interest of the State and the good opinion of the public call on him. You have decided that I owe a new sacrifice to the people; I will make it. 12th, Saint Cloud: Gobain, a grenadier, has committed suicide because of a love affair; he was, however, a good soldier. This is the second incident of this nature in the regiment within a month. The First Consul directs that there shall be in- serted in the Guard's orders: That a soldier must overcome grief and the melancholy of love; that there is as much courage in supporting with 160 THE CORSICAN [1802 firmness the afflictions of the soul as there is in standing steady under the grape of a battery of guns. To give one's self up to grief without resistance, to kill one's self to escape it, is to abandon the battlefield defeated. 14th, Paris: By virtue of clause 87 of the Constitution concerning military rewards, and to recompense distinction and ser- vice among civilians, a Legion of Honour shall be insti- tuted. Where is the republic, ancient or modern, that has not granted honours ? Call them trifles if you like, but it is by trifles that men are influenced. I would not utter such a sentiment as this in public, but here, among statesmen and thinkers, things should be spoken of as they are. In my opinion the French do not care for liberty and equal- ity; they have but one sentiment, that of honour. There- fore that sentiment must be gratified; they must be given distinctions. Do you suppose you can persuade men to fight by a process of analysis? Never; that process is valid only for the man of science in his study. The soldier de- mands glory, distinction, rewards. August 6th. The Minister of the Interior is directed, apart from the Simplon, to build roads over the Mont Cenis, and the Mont Genevre, and to improve the one over the Pass of Tenda. (To Jerome.) I have received your letter, Mr. Mid- shipman. I am anxious to hear that you are aboard your corvette, on the high seas, which you must make your road to glory. I am willing you should die young, but not if you live ingloriously, useless to your country, without XT. 32-33] A DIARY 161 leaving a trace of your existence, for that is not to have lived. 7th. We must bear in mind to help the trade of Nice; for instance, Piedmont can get its sugar, coffee, and other colonial produce through Nice, and in the same way soap and every other article that Marseilles and our manu- factories can supply. (To Talleyrand.) Let me know within twenty-four hours of its reception the contents of every dispatch from an ambassador or minister plenipotentiary. At the time I was opening the bag of the ministry of foreign affairs I realized that you received official reports on matters that I have often tried to get knowledge of by indirect means. 13th. (To Fouche.) Keep all English papers out of France, and in particular prevent their circulating in public places and reading-rooms. 15th. (To Talleyrand.) Citoyen Lannes, Minister of the Republic at Lisbon, was wrong in leaving that city. He has broken every rule, every form, failed in the first duty of a public official, which is not to leave his post without the positive order of his Government. The French Minister has been rude to the Court of Lisbon by employing dictatorial manners, and by going away without leave. He must be recalled. October 18th, Saint Cloud: Secret instructions for the Ambassador at Constanti- nople: The intentions of the Government are that the Am- bassador at Constantinople should regain, by all possi- ble means, the supremacy that France enjoyed in that capital during 200 years. The Ambassador has the finest 164 THE CORSICAN [1802 I am as pleased with Rouen as I was with Lyons. The city's demonstrations have touched me. Everything one sees here is fine and does one good. I really love this beau- tiful, excellent Normandy; it is the real France. (To Cardinal Fesch.) You must delay no longer and proceed to your archbishopric. Do not forget that in the station to which you are called you will be the focus of all eyes. Be strict in your morals and hold yourself as you should, and devote yourself exclusively to the duties of your office. 3d, Elbeuf : This morning at eight o'clock I started for a visit to Elbeuf, which is nothing but one great factory. I found everything in good shape. Its prosperity has increased by a third since 1788. 4th. I have held a parade which was very good. I was delighted with the appearance of the troops. 6th. I arrived at Havre at six o'clock this evening. I was surrounded by throngs of people all the way and had to make frequent stops. It would be difficult to real- ize the manner in which I am received. In every village, at the church doors, the priests under their canopies, sur- rounded by many people, sing hymns and throw incense. The illumination of Havre was very striking. I am several days behind on my journey, but it is not easy to do other- wise. 10th, Dieppe : I arrived at Dieppe last night. The city was very taste- fully illuminated, but owing to petty municipal pride I am lodged in a wretched house in which all the chimneys smoke. SIT. 33] A DIARY 165 I passed through Fecamp and St. Valery. As the road from Havre to Dieppe is only a crossroad, our carriages were often brought to a walk, which enabled the inhab- itants of the neighbouring villages to follow me all the way; so we held frequent conversations. 26th, Saint Cloud: (To Laplace.) I thank you for your dedication, which I accept with great pleasure, and I hope that when future generations are reading La Mecanique Celeste, they will not forget the esteem and friendship I felt for the author. December 4th. Citoyen Duroc may inform citoyen Beau- voisin that he may send me all the numbers he has of the Ambigu, and also the pamphlet of Ivernois. He may instruct him to make up a sheet on all he has seen in England, in which he can state what he knows about Pichegru and Willot, and about the obscure life of the royal princes. As I intend having it printed, he can aim at Pitt, Grenville, Wyndham, and the Court. Let him know that when this is done he is to return to England. He must find pretexts for inspecting the coast from the Thames to beyond Plymouth, the bay of Bristol, Edin- burgh, and the coasts of Scotland. 28th. (To Talleyrand.) Please inform Lord Whitworth how surprised and annoyed I am to learn that the Count d'Artois, wearing the star of the Order of a monarchy that England no longer recognises, should have reviewed a regiment; that we have long kept silence; but that it touches our dignity, and we venture to say the honour of the British Government, that the princes should be ex- pelled from England, or at all events, if hospitality is to be extended to them, that they should not be permitted to 164 THE CORSICAN [1802 I am as pleased with Rouen as I was with Lyons. The city's demonstrations have touched me. Everything one sees here is fine and does one good. I really love this beau- tiful, excellent Normandy; it is the real France. (To Cardinal Fesch.) You must delay no longer and proceed to your archbishopric. Do not forget that in the station to which you are called you will be the focms of all eyes. Be strict in your morals and hold yourself as you should, and devote yourself exclusively to the duties of your office. 3d, Elbeuf : This morning at eight o'clock I started for a visit to Elbeuf, which is nothing but one great factory. I found everything in good shape. Its prosperity has increased by a third since 1788. 4th. I have held a parade which was very good. I was delighted with the appearance of the troops. 6th. I arrived at Havre at six o'clock this evening. I was surrounded by throngs of people all the way and had to make frequent stops. It would be difficult to real- ize the manner in which I am received. In every village, at the church doors, the priests under their canopies, sur- rounded by many people, sing hymns and throw incense. The illumination of Havre was very striking. I am several days behind on my journey, but it is not easy to do other- wise. 10th, Dieppe : I arrived at Dieppe last night. The city was very taste- fully illuminated, but owing to petty municipal pride I am lodged in a wretched house in which all the chimneys smoke. siT.33] A DIARY 165 I passed through Fecamp and St. Valery. As the road from Havre to Dieppe is only a crossroad, our carriages were often brought to a walk, which enabled the inhab- itants of the neighbouring villages to follow me all the way; so we held frequent conversations. 26th, Saint Cloud: (To Laplace.) I thank you for your dedication, which I accept with great pleasure, and I hope that when future generations are reading La Mecanique Celeste, they will not forget the esteem and friendship I felt for the author. December 4th. Citoyen Duroc may inform citoyen Beau- voisin that he may send me all the numbers he has of the Ambigu, and also the pamphlet of Ivernois. He may instruct him to make up a sheet on all he has seen in England, in which he can state what he knows about Pichegru and Willot, and about the obscure life of the royal princes. As I intend having it printed, he can aim at Pitt, Grenville, Wyndham, and the Court. Let him know that when this is done he is to return to England. He must find pretexts for inspecting the coast from the Thames to beyond Plymouth, the bay of Bristol, Edin- burgh, and the coasts of Scotland. 28th. (To Talleyrand.) Please inform Lord Whitworth how surprised and annoyed I am to learn that the Count d'Artois, wearing the star of the Order of a monarchy that England no longer recognises, should have reviewed a regiment; that we have long kept silence; but that it touches our dignity, and we venture to say the honour of the British Government, that the princes should be ex- pelled from England, or at all events, if hospitality is to be extended to them, that they should not be permitted to 166 THE CORSICAN [1802 wear the Orders of a monarchy England no longer recog- nises. It is a perpetual insult to the French people, and the time has come for quiet in Europe. It really looks as though there were not a peace between the two countries, but only a truce, and the English Government is entirely to blame. 30th. My power proceeds from my reputation, and my reputation from the victories I have won. My power would fall if I were not to support it with more glory and more victories. Conquest has made me what I am; only conquest can maintain me. Friendship is only a word; I love nobody; no, not even my brothers. Perhaps Joseph a little; even then it's a matter of habit, it 's because he is my elder. Duroc ? Ah, yes, I love him; but why ? His character attracts me: he is cool, dry, severe; and Duroc never sheds tears. As for me, you don't suppose I care; I know perfectly well I have no real friends. As long as I remain what I am, I shall have as many as I need so far as the appearance goes. Let the women whimper, that 's their business, but for me, give me no sentiment. A man must be firm, have a stout heart, or else leave on one side war and govern- ment. 1803 January 12th, Paris: Until I was sixteen I would have fought for Rousseau against all the supporters of Voltaire. Now it 's the other way about. 25th. Josephine is always afraid I may fall seriously in love; she doesn't realize that love was not made for me. For what is love ? A passion that leaves the universe on one side, to place the loved one on the other. And, surely, such an exclusion is not in my character! I have always enjoyed the analytic process, and if I fell seriously in love I would analyze my feelings step by step. February 10th. (To Regnier.) Notwithstanding the pro- hibition, Mme. de Stael will arrive at Melun on the 15th. Please order a police agent there to make her return to the frontier at once, and to take her to the country either of her late husband or of her father. The intention of the Government is that this intriguing foreigner should not stay in France, where her family is already responsible for enough evils. 20th. British troops continue to occupy Alexandria and Malta; this gave the Government good ground for complaint; but it appears the transports that are to bring them back to Europe are now in the Mediterranean. March llth. Are all the efforts I have made for liber- ating Italy to remain unfruitful ? Is that country irrevo- 168 THE CORSICAN [isos cably fated to remain nothing? The feebleness of the Government at Milan surpasses all that can be imagined. (To Chef de brigade Colbert.) You will proceed to Russia. You will hand the inclosed letter to the Emperor. In conversation you will emphasize the esteem in which Russians are held in Paris. Dwell on liberal and philo- sophic ideas when talking with the Emperor. In case war with England should be mentioned, you can say that in view of the existing antipathy the French nation is perfectly ready for a conflict. Be civil to the diplomatic corps, to the English minister just like the others. You will speak of the First Consul as very busy planning canals, starting manufactories, and working at matters of public education. Go, sir, gallop, and don't forget that the world was made in six days. You can ask me for anything you like, except time. (To the Emperor of Russia.) A more serious contest has arisen with England. Under the provisions of the treaty of Amiens she was held to evacuate Malta within three months, and France on her side to evacuate Taranto within the same period. I have faithfully evacuated Ta- ranto. On inquiring why Malta was not evacuated, I received the reply that there was as yet no Grand Master: that was adding a clause to the treaty. The Grand Master is appointed: I am told it was necessary to await the accession of Your Majesty, to which I agreed, and which is now accomplished; I notified the British Cabinet to this effect. Then England raised the mask and informed me that she wished to hold Malta for seven years. an. 33] A DIARY 169 13th. Diplomatic reception at Madame Bonaparte's at the Tuileries: So it 's war you want ? (Lord Whit worth: No, First Consul; we appreciate too deeply the benefits of peace.) We have already been at war for fifteen years ! (Whitworth : That is already too much.) But you want to continue for another fifteen years, you force me to it. The English want war, but if they are first to draw the sword, I shall be last to place it in the scabbard. They don't observe treaties; we shall have to veil them in crape. If you want to arm, I will arm too; if you want to fight, I too will fight. Woe betide those who do not respect treaties ! The French people can be killed, but cannot be intimidated! 16th. (To General Hedouville.) The First Consul is distressed to see that, in the face of all Europe, aspersions have been cast on his good faith, and that the English Ministry, in a public document, have suggested that at a time of peace the First Consul was meditating a military operation. This attack on his good faith has wounded him deeply, and Sunday last, at Madame Bonaparte's reception, he seized the opportunity of expressing his sen- timents on an occasion that was likely to lend emphasis to what he said. May 1st. So the English Ambassador is not here to-day ? He is probably packing up ! (To Talleyrand.) Your letter was handed to me at Malmaison. If the note contains the word ultimatum, make him understand that that word means war; if the note does not contain it, get him to put it in, on the ground that we must know where we are. 170 THE CORSICAN [isos 13th. The British Ambassador has just left Paris. 23d. The intention of the Government is that General St. Cyr should march immediately from Rimini, with his corps, to enter the states of the King of Naples. On reach- ing Taranto General St. Cyr will start throwing up forti- fications at once. I have just given orders to General Mortier to enter the Electorate of Hanover with a corps of 25,000 men. 26th. If the English want to make us jump the ditch, we will jump. They may capture a few frigates or a few colonies, but I will strike terror in London, and I pro- phesy that before the war is over they will weep tears of blood. June 20th. From the date of these presents no colonial produce coming from English colonies shall be admitted to French ports, nor shall any merchandise coming di- rectly or indirectly from England. 26th, Amiens: I arrived here Saturday at seven in the evening. I am sending to Paris the four swans presented to me by the city of Amiens according to an ancient custom; I expect to have them placed in the ponds at the Tuileries. July 1st, Calais: I went to Boulogne, which I reached at ten o'clock at night. I employed the day, starting on horseback at three in the morning, in inspecting the port. I had the gun- boats out, and they had a brisk engagement with two English frigates which finally bore off, one having lost an anchor. To-day I breakfasted at Ambleteuse, and thence rode along the coast. In a marsh I discovered a very favourable sjT.33] A DIARY 171 spot for my plans, at the point that is nearest to England. I returned to Calais on horseback; it is nine o'clock, and I am going to dine. I saw all the merchant and the Government ships; I took a boat to inspect Fort Rouge; so I am free to start to-morrow for Dunkirk, where I shall find my wife and the Ministers of the Interior and of Foreign Affairs. I shall stay there three days to catch up current business, and to give my suite some rest. 5th, Dunkirk: I have spent the last two days in the saddle or at sea. To-day I have done no riding, which has rested us all. 7th, Lille: I reached Lille at six in the evening. (To Regnier.) I think it would be well for the prefect of police to draft a circular to the booksellers to prevent their selling books until seven days after sending you a copy, so that in the case of pernicious works, like the book of citoyen Salis, The Correspondence of Louis XVI, and the poem Pity, they can be stopped. llth, Ostend: I have crossed parts of Belgium and am pleased with the attitude of the people. Yesterday I visited Ostend, and viewed several points that are of importance to the town and its inhabitants. I am just starting on my way along the coast to Blankenberghe. To-night I shall reach Bruges, where my wife has preceded me. 17th, Ghent: I was present yesterday at a splendid fete given by the Commerce of Ghent in the market-place. To-day I pro- ceeded in full state to the cathedral to attend mass. 172 THE CORSICAN [isos 23d, Brussels: I am here since two days, but have not gone out. Fete given by the municipality, that seemed to me badly managed. Five or six times more people than the place could hold. Oh ! what an ugly headdress ! Who fiddled your hair like that ? No children ? Perhaps it 's not your fault. See that you get some! 26th. All the Belgian ladies were presented to my wife to-day. Illuminations are blazing in the Allee Verte. Hav- ing spent the day in the saddle, I prefer attending to my letters while the ladies have gone off. The way in which the troops are placed near Boulogne, Etaples, and Ambleteuse is very important, and an essen- tial feature of the operations; for the troops will have to embark and disembark frequently: their embarkation must be very prompt. From the giving of the order to its execution there must be only an hour or two. August 4th, Namur: Mortier has just sent me a Latin MS. by Leibnitz ad- dressed to Louis XIV proposing the conquest of Egypt. It is a very curious work. 23d, Saint Cloud: England will never get other terms from me than those of Amiens; I will face everything, but I will never consent to her holding anything in the Mediterranean. From Malta, Nelson holds all Italy blockaded. By the help of God and a good cause, the war, however unfortu- nate it may be, will never make the French people bow jiT.34] A DIARY 173 before this proud nation that makes its sport of all that is sacred on earth, and that has, especially these last twenty years, assumed a predominance and arrogance in Europe that menace the very existence of all nations in their industry and commerce, those mainsprings of national existence. September 6th. The winter will be a severe one; meat very high. There must be plenty of employment in Paris. Push on the construction of the Ourcq canal. Start work on the quais Desaix and d'Orsay. Have the new streets paved. Get other work for the masses. October 1, Paris: There shall be erected in Paris, in the centre of the place Vendome, a column on the same lines as that erected at Rome in honour of Trajan. The column shall be surmounted by a pedestal adorned with an olive wreath on which there shall be a statue of Charlemagne. 3d. (To Regnier.) I am informed that Madame de Stael has arrived at Maffliers. Have her informed by one of her friends, and without any fuss, that if she is still there on the 7th she will be taken to the frontier by the gendarmerie. The appearance of this woman has al- ways been like that of a bird of ill omen, a symptom of trouble. My intention is that she should remain out of France. 29th. (To Admiral Bruix.) I am glad to see that your port at Boulogne is beginning to fill up. Havre, Cher- bourg, Granville, St. Malo, have large flotillas ready that may reach you at any moment. They will double your strength. In the meanwhile I have much satisfaction in 174 THE CORSICAN [isos hearing of the good spirit of the troops and of the zeal with which they work at their naval tactics. 30th. (To Rear-Admiral Decres.) Please collect at Rochefort and Brest the transports for the expedition to Ireland. November 5th, Boulogne: I arrived unexpectedly at Boulogne on Friday at one o'clock. I set to inspecting with the liveliest interest the preparations for our great expedition; at midnight I was still at it. I am in barracks in the centre of the camp on the seashore, where the eye can measure the space that separates us from England. 9th. I spent Sunday visiting our new ports at Amble- teuse and Wimereux, and in manoeuvring the troops. I inspected to-day, in the closest detail, the naval work- shops; their condition is as bad as it well could be. I have just converted some barracks into a naval arsenal. I have to look after the smallest details in person. I have spent some hours in inspecting the troops man by man. Our fleet, which already numbers one hundred men-of- war, remains at anchor in the bay, and the English don't dare to close in to short range. Lord Keith is apparently in command and has several 64's; he has suffered some damage even at long range. I passed some part of last night in making the troops perform night evolutions; these manoeuvres may often be profitably undertaken by well- trained and disciplined troops against a militia. Things are taking on a formidable appearance. llth. The sea is heavy, and the rain is unceasing. I jsT.34] A DIARY 175 spent yesterday in the port inspecting, there is always something to see. 12th. Rain in torrents. I spent all day yesterday in boats or on horseback. It seems to agree with me. I have never had such good health. I hope I shall soon reach the goal that Europe is watch- ing. We have the insults of six centuries to avenge. 16th. From the cliff at Ambleteuse I had a sight of the English coast. I could make out houses and movement. The thing is a ditch, and with a pinch of courage it can be jumped. December 7th, Paris: The combined fleets will start (in March), and reach Boulogne (in April). At the end of February I shall be at Boulogne with 130,000 men. With a good wind we need the fleet for only twelve hours. 29th. I start to-morrow at six in the morning for Boulogne. I shall be back for the opening session of the Legislative Body. 1804 January 1st, Boulogne: To-morrow at eight I shall inspect the whole flotilla. As I go on board the first cutter, the Admiral's ship will fire a salute of 60 guns. 2d, Etaples: This country resembles that of ^Eolus ! 4th, Boulogne:. (To the Consul Cambaceres.) There is no objection to a sword being presented to General Junot, and it is not unseemly that a plain statement of the fact should be made public. Beyond that the thing would be absurd. One might well ask: What would the city of Paris do at that rate for the general who first set foot in England ? The City of London gave Nelson a sword after the battle of the Nile. I say this not in the sense that General Junot does not deserve a sword, but that he has done nothing noteworthy since becoming governor of Paris. 12th, Paris: The land tax must be cut down by 10 millions of francs in the budget of 1804. This reduction will act as a pass- port for the new tax on alcohol. One must know where to give, and where to take. 16th. Lyceums and secondary schools are going up everywhere. February 13th, Malmaison: (To General Soult.) These last eight days we have been jsT.34] A DIARY 177 hunting a band of 40 ruffians, headed by Georges, who landed in three batches between Treport and Dieppe. That scoundrel Pichegru has followed Georges and the rest to Paris; we know where they slept Sunday. The depositions of some whom we have arrested implicate generals of the highest rank. If we can verify this, justice shall be done. I thought it best to notify you at once so that you can get on the track of any intrigues there may be in your army. From the veiled character of part of my dispatch, you must see that I do not care to speak out for the moment. The police hold out hopes that they will catch Pichegru and Georges to-day. 16th. (To Regnier.) Please issue a writ to arrest General Souham and General Liebert, charged with con- spiracy against the state with Generals Moreau, Pichegru, and the outlaw Georges. Guess what I 've just done ! I have ordered the arrest of Moreau; it will make a fine scandal, won't it ? People will not omit to say that I am jealous of Moreau, that it 's a revenge, and a thousand silly things of the same kind. I, jealous of Moreau! 18th. (To the Senate.) Since the day on which I at- tained the Chief Magistracy numerous plots have been formed to kill me; they were really conspiracies against the glory, the liberty, the destinies of the French nation. Our citizens must allay their fears; my life will last as long as it is necessary to the nation. 19th. (To General Soult.) Moreau has been arrested; and fifteen or sixteen of the ruffians; the rest have taken to flight. Fifteen horses and some uniforms have been 178 THE CORSICAN [ISM found that were to have been used in attacking me on the road between Malmaison and Paris. March 1st. Pichegru was arrested yesterday. He was not able to use either his pistols or his dagger. He fought with his fists for half an hour against three or four picked policemen. 8th, Malmaison: We are making arrests every day. I think it is certain that Georges and a few of his men are still in Paris. 9th, Paris: The case against Moreau and Pichegru is being worked up by the Criminal Tribunal of the Seine. 10th. (To General Berthier.) Please give orders to General Ordener, whom I place at your disposal, to start to-night for Strassburg. He is to proceed to Ettenheim, to surround the city, and to seize the Duke d'Enghien, Dumouriez, an English colonel, and any other persons in the party. 12th, Malmaison: (To General Soult.) Paris is still held closed by the police, and will be kept so until these ruffians are all under arrest. I may tell you, in the strictest confidence, that I hope to get Dumouriez. The rascal is near our frontiers. (To General Marmont.) As soon as you reach the camp, form a line of battalions, and spend eight hours in reviewing the men one by one; listen to their com- plaints, inspect their arms, and see that nothing is missing. These reviews of seven or eight hours are very profitable; they accustom the men to remain under arms, and show them that their officers are not dissipating, but are con- ^T.34] A DIARY 179 cerned for their welfare, a thing that inspires the soldier with much confidence. 14th. In the present situation of Europe my policy aims straight at England. I have at Boulogne 1000 gun- boats and flatboats that will carry 100,000 men and 10,000 horses. 19th. Citoyen General Murat : I have received your letter. If the Duke de Berry were in Paris at the house of M. de Cobenzl, and if M. d'Orleans were staying with the Marquis di Gallo, not only would I have them arrested this very night and shot, but I would also have these am- bassadors arrested and make them suffer the same fate; the law of nations would not be seriously affected. There is no other prince in Paris than the Duke d'Enghien, who will arrive at Vincennes to-morrow. Get that well into your head, and don't listen to anything you may hear to the contrary. 20th. The ci-devant Duke d'Enghien, accused of hav- ing carried arms against the Republic, of having been and still being in the pay of England, of plotting with that Power against the security, internal and external, of the Republic, shall be tried by a court-martial of seven mem- bers appointed by the governor of Paris, assembled at Vincennes. 4 P.M. (To General Murat.) The Duke d'Enghien is to be taken to the fort of Vincennes, where arrangements have been made to receive him. He is travelling under the name of Plessis. 4.30 P. M. (To citoyen Harel.) A person whose name is to re- 180 THE CORSICAN [1304 main unknown to you is to be sent to the fort which you command; place him in the room that is vacant, taking proper precautions against his escape. The inten- tion of the Government is that everything relating to him should be kept very secret, and that no questions should be addressed to him as to his identity, or the reason for his arrest. (To citoyen Real.) Apparently the Duke d'Enghien started at midnight on the 17th. He will therefore soon be here. I have just issued the decree of which I enclose you a copy. Proceed to Vincennes at once to examine the prisoner. Here are the questions to put to him: Have you borne arms against your country ? Have you accepted the pay of England ? What knowledge have you of the plot formed by Eng- land for overturning the Government of the Republic ? On that plot meeting with success, were you not to enter Alsace, and even march on Paris, in given circumstances ? You must take with you the public prosecutor, who is to be the major of the special gendarmerie, and you must instruct him to put things through quickly. 21st. Execution of the Duke d'Enghien. I will respect the judgment of public opinion when it is well founded; but when capricious it must be met with contempt. I have behind me the will of the nation and an army of 500,000 men. With that I can command respect for the Republic. I could have had the Duke d'Enghien shot publicly; and if I have not done so, I held back not from fear, but to prevent the secret adherents of his House from breaking out and ruining themselves. They have kept quiet; it is all I ask of them. jsT.34] A DIARY 181 I will not consent to a peace with England unless she expels the Bourbons, just as Louis XIV expelled the Stu- arts, because their presence in England will always be dangerous for France. Russia, Sweden, Prussia have driven them out. 22d. These people wanted an upheaval in France, and by killing me to kill the Revolution; it has been for me to defend and to avenge it. I have shown what it can do. The Duke d'Enghien was a conspirator just like any other, and it was necessary to treat him as any other might be treated. The Bourbons will always look at things through the (Eil de Bceuf, and are fated to live under an eternal delusion. Ah! it would have been a different matter had they appeared like Henry IV on a battlefield, all covered with dust and with blood. Kingdoms are not won by letters dated "London" and signed "Louis." I have shed blood, I shall perhaps shed more, but never in anger, and merely because bloodletting enters into the practice of political medicine. April 5th. Mr. Edward Livingston, President of the Academy of Arts of New York: I have learned with inter- est of the formation of a literary society in New York; and as your Academy has been so kind as to elect me a member, pray inform it that I accept with pleasure, and that I am grateful for its good opinion of me. 6th. (To Pauline Borghese.) Madam and dear sister: I learn with regret that you have not enough good sense to conform with the customs and habits of the city of Rome; that you show contempt for the inhabitants, and that Paris is your constant model. Although busy with matters of grave importance, yet I have thought it best 182 THE CORSICAN [ISM to inform you of my views, hoping that you will conform with them. Love your husband and your family; be obliging; accus- tom yourself to the habits of the city of Rome; and be persuaded that if at the age you have now reached you give way to bad advice, you can no longer count on me. 14th. The General Councils of Departments, the Electoral Colleges, and all the great Bodies of the State, demand that an end should be made of the hopes of the Bourbons by securing the Republic from the upheavals of elections and the uncertainty attending the life of an individual. 15th. It is not as a general that I rule, but because the nation believes I have the civilian qualifications for governing. My system is quite simple. It has seemed to me that under the circumstances the thing to do was to centralize power and increase the authority of the Gov- ernment, so as to constitute the Nation. I am the con- stituent power. I can best compare a constitution to a ship; if you allow the wind to fill your sails, you go you know not whither, according to the wind that drives you; but if you make use of the rudder, you can go to Martinique with a wind that is driving you to San Domingo. No constitution has remained fixed. Change is governed by men and by cir- cumstances. If an overstrong government is undesirable, a weak one is much worse. 25th. Senators: I have constantly kept in mind your address of the 6th of Germinal; I have carefully medi- tated on it. You have decided that the heredity of the supreme magistracy was necessary to protect the French aT.34] A DIARY 183 people from the plots of our enemies and from the dis- sensions of conflicting factions. I therefore invite you to disclose your intentions fully. May 18th. Proclamation of the Empire. (To the Consul Cambaceres.) Citoyen Consul: your title is about to change; your functions and my confidence in you remain unchanged. You will continue to display in the high dignity of Arch Chancellor of the Empire, as you did in that of Consul, the wisdom in counsel and the distinguished talent that have made your share so large in all that I may have accomplished. Settle the titles to be given to the Senators and high dignitaries of the Empire. Call the high dignitaries Highness, the Senators Ex- cellency. The Senate as a body is to be known as Senat Con- servateur. In private, use Monsieur, and to the Ministers as well. Everything that can increase the happiness of the country is completely bound up with my own. I accept a title that you believe will be of service to the nation. I will submit to the people the law concerning the hered- itary power. I hope that France will never regret the honours she has showered on my family. The members of the Senate, of the Council of State, and of the Tribunate, the presidents and secretaries of the Legislative Body, and the president of the Court of Ap- peal will take the oath to the Emperor in person. i84 THE CORSICAN [ISM 20th. For the moment I shall exclude two of my bro- thers from the succession, one of them because, despite his intelligence, he has contracted a masquerade mar- riage; the other because he has had the impudence, with- out my consent, to marry an American. I will reinstate them if they give up their wives. , 29th. You Frenchmen love monarchy. It is the only government you really like. I will bet that you, Monsieur Re"musat, are a hundred times more comfortable now that you address me as Sire. June 3d, Saint Cloud: Russia, which has assumed mourning for the Duke d'Enghien, has thereby reminded Europe of the assassi- nation of Paul I, which was nearly forgotten. 18th. The trial of the conspirators has started much gossip in Paris. The more than merciful judgment of the weak Tribunal of the Seine will be carried out as soon as the lawful period for entering an appeal has expired. Although I have pardoned several persons, there will still be a dozen ruffians who cannot be pardoned and who must meet their fate. As to General Moreau, although he was not condemned to death, he has been dishonoured by the verdict. July 1st. Imagine the effect of the Emperor and his family decked in their imperial robes and exposed to the effects of the weather, the mud, the dust, or the rain! What a joke for the Parisians, who are so keen to ridicule everything, and who are used to seeing Cheron at the Opera and Talma at the Theatre Francais play the Em- peror a good deal better than I can. It has been suggested that the ceremony should take place at the Church of the M-i.Si] A DIARY 185 Invalides because of its military associations, but Notre Dame will be better; it is larger, and also has associations that appeal more strongly to the imagination. It will lend dignity to the ceremony. 2d, Malmaison: All this will last as long as I do; when I am gone, my son may think himself lucky if he has 40,000 francs a year! (To Vice-Admiral Latouche-Treville.) Let me know by return what day you can weigh anchor, weather per- mitting. Inform me also*as to the position of the enemy, where Nelson is. Think over carefully the great enter- prise you are about to carry out; and let me know, before I sign your final orders, your own views as to the best way of carrying it out. We have 1800 gunboats and cutters carrying 120,000 men and 10,000 horses between Staples, Boulogne, Wimereux, and Ambleteuse. If we are masters of the Channel for six hours, we are masters of the world! If you take Nelson in he will sail for Sicily, Egypt, or Ferrol. It would seem better, therefore, to sail very wide, to appear before Rochefort, which would give you a fleet of 16 of the line and 11 frigates, and then without delay, without touching, whether by circling around Ireland, or by carrying out the first plan, proceed to Boulogne. Our Brest fleet, 23 of the line, will have troops on board, and will remain constantly under sail, so that Cornwallis must keep close in to the coast of Brittany to prevent its getting out. But before my ideas are quite settled about these operations, which offer great risks but of which 186, THE CORSICAN [1804 the success would mean so much, I shall wait for the plan you are to send me. 21st, Pont-de-Briques: (To Josephine.) Madam and dear wife: It is now four days since I left you. I have spent them in the saddle and otherwise active, without any ill effect on my health. The wind freshened to-night, and one of our gunboats dragged its anchor and struck on the rocks about one league from Boulogne; I thought all would be lost, the ship and the crew, but we were able to save them. The sight was a grand one; alarm guns were being fired; the shore seemed to blaze with fire; the sea roared furiously; all through the night we anxiously awaited the destruction or the safety of the unhappy men. My soul was in com- munion with Eternity, the Ocean, and Night ! At five in the morning the weather cleared; all were saved; and I went to bed under the impression of a romantic and epic dream; a state that might have suggested to me my own solitude, were it not that fatigue and my soaked condi- tion had left me with no other desire than sleep. 27th. Yesterday I reviewed the whole flotilla. Com- pared with that of England, our situation is most favour- able. The war has no ill effect on France, because of its weighing so heavily on England, and I have here around me 120,000 men, and 3000 cutters and gunboats, that only await a favourable breeze to carry the Imperial eagle to the Tower of London. Time and Fate alone can tell what will come of it all. 30th. Order for the return to England of Lord Tweed- dale, an English prisoner at Verdun, as a tribute to the talents and character of Mr. Fox. xt. 34-35] A DIARY 187 August 3d. There are signs of a coalition forming; I shall not give them time to complete it; it is not right that Austria, by such equivocal conduct, should hold 300,000 men at attention on the shores of the Channel. The court of Vienna will have to come out of its ambigu- ous attitude, and if Vienna is so mad as to attempt the fortune of war again, and listen to the suggestions of London, woe betide the Austrian monarchy! 6th. The police commissioner at Boulogne is an excel- lent young man, but very young; at his age it is not pos- sible to realize the depth of human perversity. 17th. The ceremony went off splendidly yesterday, except for a high wind. The spectacle was novel and im- posing. Rarely have so many bayonets, been seen to- gether. September 3d, Aix-la-Chapelle : I must have a talk with Villeneuve about the great plan his fleet is to carry out. 6th. (To Vice-Admiral Ganteaume.) If you could carry 16,000 men and 1000 horses to Ireland in Novem- ber, it would be fatal to our enemies. Tell me if you could be ready, and what are the . probabilities of success. Have a talk with the Irish general O'Connor about the points where we might disembark. I have no naval commanders. I would like to create a few rear-admirals, but I would prefer to select the men who showed most promise, regardless of seniority. 12th. Castle of La Haye, near Guelders: I am here to-day in a little castle on the border of the Empire. I visited Crevelt yesterday, and am going to Venloo this morning. It was time this country was looked 188 THE CORSICAN [1804 up both from the point of view of military fortification and of administration. (To Decres.) The navy must be tuned up by making a few examples. It 's the only way to get a navy. Every naval expedition we have attempted since I have been at the head of the Government has failed, because the ad- mirals see double and have picked up the idea, I don't know where, that you can make war without running risks. I have sent you some reports on St. Helena. 15th, Cologne: (To the Pope.) Holy Father: The excellent influence which the reestablishment of the Christian religion has had on the habits and character of my people leads me to beg Your Holiness to give me a new proof of your interest in me and in this great nation, in one of the most important events recorded in the annals of humanity. I ask you to give the sanction of religion to the ceremony attending the consecration and coronation of the first Emperor of the French. Treat the Pope as though he had 200,000 men. 27th. (To Marshal Berthier.) My Cousin : The expedi- tion to Ireland will take place. You must confer with Marshal Augereau on the matter. We have at Brest transports for 18,000 men. General Marmont is ready on his side with 25,000. He will attempt to land in Ire- land and will be under the orders of Marshal Augereau. At the same time the Grand Army will embark at Boulogne, and will make every effort to effect a landing in Kent. The navy holds out hopes of being ready on the 22d of October. SIT. 35] A DIARY 189 November 4th. It is from a sense of justice that I will not divorce her! It may be that my personal interests, or even the interests of my system call for my marrying again. But I said to myself: How can I put away this excellent woman, just because I am becoming great ? No, that is beyond me. I have the heart of a man ; it was not a tigress gave me birth. When she dies I will marry again, and perhaps I shall have children. But I will not make her unhappy. Joseph is not marked out for my succession; he is older than I am; I shall probably outlive him, my health is good; and then he was not born in a high enough rank to maintain the illusion. I was born in poverty; he also was born in the most mediocre of surroundings; I have risen by my deeds; he has remained where his birth placed him. To reign in France, one must be born great, have been seen in childhood in a palace, surrounded with guards, or else be a man capable of raising himself above all others. My mistress is power; I have done too much to conquer her to let her be snatched away from me. Although it may be said that power came to me of its own accord, yet I know what labour, what sleepless nights, what scheming, it has involved. They are jealous of my wife, of Eugene, of Hortense, of all that is near me. What does it amount to ? My wife has diamonds, and debts ! Eugene has an income of 20,000 francs a year! I love those children, because they are always trying to please me. If the cannon is fired, it is Eugene who runs out to see what it 's about. If I have to cross a ditch, his hand is ready to help me. I love Hor- 190 THE CORSICAN [1804 tense, yes, I love her; she and her brother always take my side, even against their mother, when she gets angry about some girl or such trivial matters. I/ Hortense should ask to see me while I was in the Council of State, I would go out to receive her. If Madame Murat (Caroline Bona- parte) asked for me, I would not go out. With her it 's always a pitched battle; to bring a chit of a woman of my own family to reason, I must needs deliver harangues as long as if she were the Senate and the Council of State together. They say my wife is unfaithful, and that the attentions of her children are forced. Well! so be it! They treat me like an old uncle, and it makes the pleasant side of my life; I am getting old, I 'm thirty -six, I need rest. They say I am going to give Italy to Eugene: so help me, I am not mad enough for that! I think myself capable of governing Italy, and even the Venetian state ! My wife is a good wife, who does them no harm. She merely plays the Empress a little, has diamonds, fine dresses, the trifles of her age. I have never loved her blindly. If I have created her Empress, it was but bare justice. Yes, she shall be crowned! She shall be crowned if it costs me 200,000 men! And then you are always talking to me about my death ! My death! Always, my death! A very unpleasant idea to have constantly thrust under one's nose ! If I could not find a little happiness in my family life, I should be a very unfortunate being. My death! My death! Always my death! Eh! may the universe break up after I 've gone, if I am always to have the thought of death before me. I speak to you as a friend, as the president of the Com- JET. 35] A DIARY 191 mittee of the Interior. I know you, but I don't know the other persons who revolve about Joseph. How on earth could he have gone to Fouche, a little while ago, to com- plain that Madame Joseph would have to carry the train of the Empress at the Coronation ? Well, if the restive- ness of Joseph comes from the acrid blood that flows in his veins, he must retire to the country. He enjoys the rustic life and pastoral poetry; let him go off and compose idylls. 5th, Saint Cloud: (To Cardinal Fesch.) It is absolutely necessary for the Pope to accelerate his journey. I am willing to postpone things till the 2d of December, which is my latest possible date. If the Pope is not here by then, the Coronation will take place, and the Consecration will be deferred. It is not possible to detain in Paris the troops and the depart- mental deputations, amounting to 50,000 persons. December 1st, Paris: I ascend the throne to which the unanimous votes of the Senate, the People, and the Army have called me, my heart full of the destinies of a Nation which I, from the midst of camps, first proclaimed great. My descendants will long fill this throne. 2d, Notre Dame. The Coronation. I swear that I will govern with the sole purpose of se- curing the interests, the happiness, and the glory of the French people. 5th, Paris. Soldiers, here are your standards; these eagles must always be your rallying points. 27th. Deputies of the Departments to the Legislative 192 THE CORSICAN . [1804 Body, Tribunes, and Members of the Council of State, I have come among you to preside over your opening session. I have sought to lend a more imposing dignity to your labours. Prince, magistrates, soldiers, citizens, each in his own sphere, will have but one aim, the inter- ests of the country. If this throne, to which Providence and the will of the people have called me, is precious in my eyes, it is for the sole reason that by it alone can the most precious rights of the French nation be preserved. With- out a strong and paternal government, France would have to fear a return of the evils from which she once suffered. Weakness in the executive power is the greatest calamity of nations. As soldier, or First Consul, I had but one purpose; as Emperor, I have none other: the prosperity of France. If death does not surprise me in the midst of my labours, I hope to leave to posterity a renown that may always serve as an example, or as a reproach, to my successors. 1805 January 1st, Paris: Ah! Good God! What red arms you've got! What a dirty dress ! Don't you ever change your dress ? I 've seen that one at least twenty times ! Why don't you put on rouge ? You 're too pale. What ? A woman who forgets her rouge ? That wouldn't happen to you, would it, Josephine ? February 1st. We appoint our brother-in-law, Marshal Murat, Grand Admiral of the Empire. 27th. The time is drawing near when we can begin operations. March 15th, Malmaison: (To Vice-Admiral Ganteaume.) We have reached the 15th of March; there is not a day to spare. Be mindful of the greatness of the results that depend on you. If you show plenty of boldness, success is certain. In the Med- iterranean Nelson has been damaged by the storms; he has only twelve of the line. 17th, Paris: The Emperor of the French, Napoleon I, is King of Italy. The crown of Italy is hereditary by direct descent. 20th, Malmaison: (To Marshal Berthier.) My Cousin: I would like you to write to Marshal Bernadotte to have him send out people travelling under various pretexts in the provinces of Polish Russia, so that we may be well posted as to any movements of the Russian troops. 194 THE CORSICAN [isos 21st. (To Marshal Berthier.) I regret to find every day proposals placed before me for the quick promotion of staff officers, lieutenants of not more than two, three, or four years' service. They think themselves veterans if they date back to 1799. And yet there is no regiment that does not average eight captains dating from 1792, wounded, and who have fought in every campaign. I count seven of them in the 1st regiment, eight in the 3d, fourteen in the 4th, fourteen in the 5th, fifteen in the 6th, and so on. 22d. (To Vice-Admiral Villeneuve.) I am awaiting the news of your departure with impatience. (To General Lauriston.) It is intended that the Toulon fleet shall combine with two other fleets. It is essential that it should weigh anchor by the 26th; hasten its de- parture by every possible means; let nothing delay you. Encourage the admiral to keep steadily on towards his objective, and to avoid hesitation in an operation of which the result is so vital to the future of France. My admirals lack boldness; they mistake frigates for line of battle ships, and merchant vessels for hostile fleets. De- cision must be shown, and once the fleet is out it must fly straight to its mark and not go into port or turn back. April 3d, Troyes : Word has just come from Toulon stating that the fleet has sailed. 7th, Chalons-sur-Saone: I reckon that with the weather we are having and with the wind prevailing when the fleet started, Nelson has probably returned to Maddalena or some port of Sar- dinia. arr.35] A DIARY 195 llth, Lyons: (To Ganteaume.) A message from Cadiz of the 29th states that Admiral Gravina is ready to sail with 8 ships and 2 frigates, which will bring the fleet of Admiral Villeneuve up to 20 of the line. You will find 8 Spanish and 4 French ships at Ferrol: I expect, therefore, that you can start from the point of concentration with 50 line of battle ships. The destinies of the world are in your hands. (To Vice-Admiral Ver Huell.) I intend to concentrate the Dutch flotilla at Ambleteuse. The hour of glory is perhaps on the point of striking; it is all a matter of a few chances, of a few incidents. 20th, Stupinigi: (To Decres.) Admiral Nelson has once more been taken in about our fleet. I am beginning to feel a little easier about it. You will see that Admiral Villeneuve is not under instructions to return immediately, but to wait thirty-five days so that the Brest fleet may have time enough to join him. By Heaven ! stir them up ! 22d. (To Madame Mere.) Mr. Jerome Bonaparte has arrived at Lisbon with the woman with whom he is living. I have ordered this prodigal son to Milan. Miss Patterson, who is with him, has prudently got her brother with her as an escort. I have ordered her sent back to America. I shall treat the boy harshly if, in the one in- terview I give him, he shows himself unworthy of his family and wishes to continue his liaison. Unless he is disposed to wipe out the dishonour he has attached to my name in abandoning his flag and his nationality for an unworthy woman, I shall wash my hands of him, and per- 196 THE CORSICAN [1805 haps I shall strike an example to show young soldiers how sacred are their duties and how serious is the crime of abandoning their flag for a woman. 23d. Villeneuve joined Gravina off Cadiz on the 10th. (To Decres.) Keep the event at Cadiz, and the depart- ure of the fleets secret. See that the Dutch gazettes pub- lish that a French fleet has landed 10,000 men in Egypt; that the Admiral manoeuvred very skilfully so as to throw Nelson off the track; that he made a show of passing the straits (of Gibraltar), but that at night he turned back and sailed along the African coast. 24th. (To Cambaceres.) My Cousin: I think the Council of State is not attending sufficiently to our man- ufactures; it is not idealism makes countries prosper- ous. (To Fouche.) Have some well written articles pub- lished deriding the military movements of the Russians, the interview of the Emperor of Russia with the Emperor of Austria, and the absurd reports, phantoms born of the fogs and the spleen of England. Get active, and keep public opinion up. Tell the editors that although I am far away, I still read the papers, and that if they continue- on the present tack I shall close their accounts. (To Marshal Soult.) Let me know whether the horses, the supplies, the men, will all be ready for embarkation in two weeks. Don't reply in terms of metaphysics, but inspect your magazines and depots. 26th. (To Marshal Davout.) Don't let appearances send you to sleep. It may take me two months to travel down to Milan, but only a very few days to get back from Milan to Boulogne. jsT.35] A DIARY 197 May 2d, Alessandria: (To Talleyrand.) As the wording of the letters signed by me, when I have not drafted them in person, is often the work of Durand and his crew, it is not at all re- markable that, after the letter I was made to write to the Equestrian Order, the Emperor of Germany should have been encouraged to attack the princes. There are people in existence who imagine I have no teeth and no claws. By God, write to them not to trust to it! The habit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is always to write dispatches according to the protocol; there should be a special office for this duty; I am made to play too silly a part signing such letters. Word reaches me from Naples that Nelson was at Maritime on the 22d, and had only just learnt that the Toulon fleet had passed the straits. 4th. If Spain will send her six ships from Carthagena to Toulon, I will frighten the English so that they will keep an imposing force there; for I shall threaten Egypt in so many ways, and so obviously, that they will expect a big stroke; they believe my fleets are bound for the East Indies, and so it would appear as though I were carrying out a concerted scheme. 8th, Pavia: On the 14th of July I shall be on the coast, and I expect the return of the fleets on the 29th. 22d, Milan: (To Fouche.) Have some articles written against Prin- cess Dolgorouki, who is spreading scandalous and ridicu- lous reports in Rome. You probably know that she long 198 THE CORSICAN [isos lived with an actor, and that the diamonds she displays so ostentatiously were given her by Potemkin and are the price of her dishonour. You can get information about her, and make her a laughingstock. She poses for a clever woman ; she is on friendly terms with the Queen of Naples, and, which is equally surprising, with Mme. de Stael. 26th. Assumption of the Iron Crown as King of Italy. Dio mi la donna, guai a chi la tocca! 27th. The coronation took place yesterday with much pomp. The cathedral was splendidly decorated. The ceremony went off just as well as in Paris, with this differ- ence, that the weather was splendid. When I took the Iron Crown and placed it on my head, I added these words: "God gave it me, touch it who dares!" I hope I was prophesying! 30th. (To Decres.) Why are you so anxious I should come back to Paris ? Nothing is better adapted to conceal my plans and deceive the enemy than my absence. It will give them confidence, and they will allow a few more ships to get away to distant seas. (ToFouche.) Have some caricatures made: an Eng- lishman, his purse in his hand, begging the various Powers to accept his money, etc. That is the note to strike. Have printed in Holland that advices from Madeira state that Villeneuve met a convoy of 100 English merchantmen bound for India, and captured it. June 1st. I shall unite the territory of Genoa to my Em- pire. (To Fouche.) I read in a paper that a tragedy on Henry IV is to be played. The epoch is recent enough to excite political passions. The theatre must dip more jsT.35] A DIARY 199 into antiquity. Why not commission Raynouard to write a tragedy on the transition from primitive to less prim- itive man ? A tyrant would be followed by the Saviour of his country. The oratorio " Saul " is on precisely that text, a great man succeeding a degenerate king. 7th. Anxious to confer on our stepson, Prince Eugene, an emphatic testimonial of our confidence in his devotion to ourselves, and also to provide during our absence for the government of our kingdom of Italy, we hereby desig- nate and appoint him by these presents Viceroy of our said kingdom. (Instructions for Prince Eugene.) My Cousin: In en- trusting you with the government of our kingdom of Italy, we cannot too strongly recommend that you should use circumspection and prudence. Our Italian subjects are of a more dissembling character than are French citizens. There is but one sure way of keeping their esteem and of helping them, which is to give your com- plete trust to no one, and to let none know what you think of the ministers and high officials about you. Make show of a good opinion of the people you govern, and all the more when you discover motives to the con- trary. A time will come when you will realize that there is little enough difference between one nation and an- other. Speak as little as possible; you have not sufficient knowledge, and your education has been too much neglected for you to plunge into impromptu debate. Learn how to listen, and remember that silence often pro- duces as much effect as knowledge. Don't blush to ask questions. Though a viceroy, you are but twenty-three 200 THE CORSICAN [isos years old, and whatever flattery may tell you, people are perfectly aware of just how much you know, and think better of you for what you may become, than for what they know you to be. Don't preside over your Council of State frequently; you have too little knowledge to do so with success. 9th. Lucien prefers a dishonoured woman, who bore him a child before they were married, to the honour of his name and of his family. I can only lament such an aber- ration in a man whom nature endowed with talents. An unexampled egotism has drawn him away from a splendid career, away from the path of duty and honour. 28th, Piacenza: Nelson has sailed for America; Villeneuve's objective is so hard to guess that even Nelson, after victualling at Barbadoes, will not think himself at fault letting three or four days slip by, as Villeneuve cannot be attacked in the bay of Martinique. I calculate that Villeneuve should start for Ferrol between the 9th and the 29th of June, before Nelson could sight him. I shall hasten my return by a few days, because I think that possibly Nelson's arrival in America might decide Villeneuve to start for Ferrol. July 13th, Fontainebleau : I arrived at Fontainebleau 85 hours after leaving Turin. I lost three hours at the Mont Cenis, and I fre- quently stopped one or two hours for breakfast, and one or two hours for dinner, on account of the Empress, which cost me another eight or nine hours. 14th. Our papers are publishing a genealogy of the House of Bonaparte which is both flat and ridiculous. MT. 35} A DIARY 201 Such performances are childish, and when people ask for the origin of the House of Bonaparte, the answer is easy : it dates from the 18th of Brumaire. 18th, Saint Cloud: I had foreseen in my instructions that the enemy might withdraw from in front of Brest; for four days they are reported to have been out of sight. This, together with the disappearance of the squadron blockading Rochefort, leaves little doubt as to Villeneuve's return. Admiral Gardner has sailed to meet Villeneuve, who will probably need several days to effect the concentration at Ferrol. 20th. (To Vice-Admiral Ganteaume, at Brest.) You have already received the order to proceed to sea; chase the enemy's frigates, and ascertain their movements. If the enemy are out of sight and have sailed for Ferrol, or are well out to sea heading for Villeneuve, our orders are that you should proceed to Boulogne where all is ready, and where, if we are masters of the sea three days, you will enable us to ring the knell of England. When you receive this letter we shall already be at Boulogne in person, and everything will be packed on board. Great events are happening, or will shortly happen; don't let your fleet remain useless. If the enemy weaken their numbers in your front, it will be because they sup- pose that it is Villeneuve who is to make the offensive move. Counter their move by taking the initiative your- self. Be prudent; but know when to be bold. 31st. The news from Italy all points to war, and really Austria is barely keeping up appearances. August 3d, Boulogne : A Without question, Austria is getting ready for war. 202 THE CORSICAN [isos 6th. (To Dam.) My intention is to turn Art specially in the direction of subjects that would tend to perpetuate the memory of the events of the last fifteen years. It is astonishing, for instance, that I have not been able to get the Gobelins to give up Sacred History and to employ their artists on those numerous actions of all sorts that have won glory for the army and for the nation, the events that have created our throne. 8th. The combined fleet has been in action near Ferrol; it has accomplished its object by effecting its junction with the Ferrol squadron. The fleet gave chase to the enemy, and for four days remained in possession of the field of battle. 9th. (To Barbe Marbois.) Reassure the financiers; explain to them that no imprudent risk will be run; that matters are going too favourably at present for foolishly hazarding the happiness and prosperity of my people. Undoubtedly I shall land at the head of my army. Every- body must see that this is necessary; but neither I nor my army will disembark unless we have every chance in our favour. llth. The fleets have come to anchor at Corunna. Lauriston writes that they will keep on, that the captains and crews are all right, that Villeneuve, who is not without talent, is too slow in making up his mind. 13th. (To Cambaceres.) You will read in the Moniteur some articles that will make you think war with Austria is coming. The fact is that this Power is arming. I want her to disarm; if she won't, I shall pay her a little visit with 200,000 men which she will not soon forget. How- ever, if any one asks you, and in your speeches, say that asT.35] A DIARY 203 you don't believe in it, because I have had ample warning. For it would obviously be sheer folly to make war on me. There is certainly not in all Europe a finer army than the one I command to-day. Pont-de-Briques : I have made up my mind: I will either attack Austria and reach Vienna before November to face the Russians, should they put in an appearance; or else my will, and that is the word, is that there should be but one Austrian regiment in the Tyrol. I want to be left to conduct my war against England in quiet. , Boulogne: (To Decres.) Send a special messenger to Ferrol. In- form Admiral Villeneuve of my dissatisfaction at his losing precious time. (To Villeneuve.) Inform Admiral Ganteaume of your departure by a special courier. Never will a fleet have faced risks for a more important object, and never will my soldiers and sailors have an opportunity of shedding their blood for a greater and more noble result. We might all of us well die content for the sake of helping on the invasion of the Power that has for six centuries oppressed France. Such are the sentiments that should animate you, that should animate all my soldiers. England has not more than four line of battle ships in the Downs. (To Josephine.) It is not often one hears from you. You forget your friends, which is wrong. I did not know that the waters of Plombieres had the same effect as those of Lethe. It seems to me that it was drinking these same Plombieres waters once made you say, "Ah, Bonaparte, if ever I die, who will there be to 204 THE CORSICAN [1805 love you ?" That was a very long time ago, wasn't it ? Everything passes, beauty, wit, sentiment, even the sun, all but one thing that is endless: the good I wish you, your happiness. I cannot be more loving even if you laugh at me for my pains. Good-bye, dear friend. I had the English cruisers attacked yesterday; everything passed off well. 20th. The weather is very unsettled; there is much, rain. The combined fleets left Ferrol with 34 sail of the line. At this moment a division of the flotilla is working around Cape Grisnez in action with the English. On the 2d Nelson was still off Cape St. Vincent; he was apparently short of provisions. 22d. I believe that Villeneuve hasn't enough in him to command a frigate. He has no decision and no moral courage. Two Spanish ships have been in collision, a few men are sick on his own ships, add to that two days of unfavourable winds, an enemy's ship reconnoitring, a report that Nelson has joined Calder: and his plans are changed, when, taking these facts one by one, they amount to nothing. He has not the experience of war, nor the instinct for it. (To Villeneuve.) I hope you have reached Brest. Start; lose not a minute, and, with my combined fleets, sail up the Channel. England is ours. We are all ready, everything is embarked. Appear here for twenty-four hours, and all is over. 23d. I perceive the urgency of coming to a decision. In reality there is no point in demanding an explanation of Austria. My mind is made up. it. 36] A DIARY 205 My fleet sailed from Ferrol on the 17th with 34 ships of the line; there was no enemy in sight. If my instruc- tions are followed, if it joins the Brest fleet and enters the Channel, there is still time; I am master of England. If, on the contrary, my admirals hesitate, manoeuvre badly, and don't carry out my plans, all I can do is to await winter and then cross with the flotilla; it's a risky opera- tion. Such being the state of things, I must attend to the more urgent matter. I can place 200,000 men in Germany, and 25,000 in the kingdom of Naples. I march on Vienna, and do not lay down my arms until Naples and Venice are mine, and I have so increased the electorate of Ba- varia that I have nothing further to fear from Austria. I can certainly pacify Austria after this fashion during the course of the winter. I shall not return to Paris until I have touched my goal. My plan is to gain two weeks. I want to get into the heart of Germany with 300,000 men before any one sus- pects it. 24th. No more news of the fleets. I continue review- ing the various divisions of my army. 25th. (To Talleyrand.) My movement is begun. You can say that, as my frontiers are exposed, I am moving 25,000 men to protect them. Don't show boldness, but absolute cowardice. It's a matter of gaining twenty days and of preventing the Austrians from crossing the Inn while I am marching on the Rhine. I did not suppose the Austrians would be so active, but I have made so many mistakes in my life, that I am past blushing for them. Marshal Murat will start to-morrow under the name 206 THE CORSICAN [isos of Colonel Beaumont; he will proceed directly to Mainz, where he will change horses only. He will pass through Frankfort, reconnoitring Offenbach on the way; will go to Wiirzburg, reconnoitre it, staying a day and a half and having a look at the roads between that place, Mainz, and the Danube, getting some notions of the debouches on Ulm, Ingolstadt, and Ratisbon. He will proceed from there to Bamberg, and must plan to reach Strassburg on the llth of September. 26th. Prince Murat is appointed lieutenant of the Emperor, commander-in-chief of the army in the absence of His Majesty. 29th. How small England will become when France gets two or three admirals who are willing to face death! 31st. Everything has gone; I shall be ready on the 27th of September. I have given the army of Italy to Massena. Austria is. very insolent, and is redoubling her efforts. My fleet has gone into Cadiz. September 2d. I start in one hour for Paris. ! 4th, Malmaison: (To Vice-Admiral Decres.) Admiral Villeneuve has touched the limit! The thing is unthinkable! Send me a report covering the whole expedition. Villeneuve is a low rascal who must be ignominiously cashiered. With- out plans, without courage, he would sacrifice everything to save his skin! 13th, Saint Cloud: The Austrians crossed the Inn on the 10th. The Elector of Bavaria retired to Wiirzburg. .BT.36] A DIARY 207 My plan was to concentrate 40 or 50 battleships at Martinique by movements concerted from Toulon, Cadiz, Ferrol, and Brest; then have them return suddenly to Boulogne; get control of the straits for fifteen days; have 150,000 men and 10,000 horses ready; disembark in Eng- land, seize London and the Thames. This plan almost succeeded. Had Admiral Villeneuve, instead of going into Ferrol, merely effected his junction with the Spanish squadron, and made sail for Brest to join Admiral Gan- teaume, my army was over, and there was an end to Eng- land. To carry out this plan, it was necessary to collect 150,000 men at Boulogne, a flotilla of 4000 boats, and im- mense stores; get all this on board ship, and yet prevent the enemy from guessing my intentions: this seemed im- possible. If I was to succeed it was by doing the reverse of what seemed obvious. If 50 ships of the line were going to cover the passage of the army to England, all that we needed at Boulogne were transports; and the immense display of gunboats and floating batteries of various kinds was absolutely useless. Collecting 4000 vessels of this sort was opposing cannon to cannon, ship of war to ship of war; and the enemy were taken in. They believed I intended to force the passage by means of the flotilla, and never realized my actual plan. When, after my fleet had failed to carry out its manoeuvre, they perceived the danger they had run, fear seized on the Cabinet of Lon- don, and every thinking man admitted that England had never been so near disaster. 18th. (To Marshal Massena, commanding in chief the army of Italy, at Valeggio.) You have nearly 60,000 men under your orders; that is one third more than ever I had. 208 THE CORSICAN [isos I have full confidence in your courage and ability. Win me some victories. 23d. I leave for Strassburg to-morrow at half-past four in the morning. 26th, Strassburg: The whole army is across the Rhine. We shall soon be manoeuvring. 27th. Events are moving rapidly. The Austrians are at the debouches of the Black Forest. Heaven keep them there! My only anxiety is lest we frighten them away. If I am lucky enough, and the Austrians remain asleep three or four days more on the Iller, I shall be around them, and I hope that only debris will escape me. 29th. The King of Prussia has called up his reservists. The weather is glorious; I hope I shall have a fine autumn. (To Marshal Ney.) I assume you have reached Stutt- gardt. Marshal Lannes is marching on Ludwigsburg; he can move rapidly to support you if it should be neces- sary. Prince Murat is marching on Rastadt. Keep him informed of everything. 30th. Soldiers! The war of the Third Coalition has begun. The Austrian army has crossed the Inn, has broken all treaties, has attacked our ally and driven him from his capital. You have been compelled to rush to the defence of our frontiers by forced marches. But you are already across the Rhine. We will not stay our march until we have secured the independence of the Germanic body, succoured our allies, and confounded the pride of our unjust aggressors! JET. 36] A DIARY 209 I shall start to-night to back up Marshal Soult and out- flank Ulm. Woe betide the Austrians if they let me gain a few more marches! I hope to concentrate my whole army between the Lech and the Isar. October 2d, Imperial Headquarters, Ettlingen: The enemy are marching forward and backward and appear to be completely puzzled. (To Josephine.) I am starting for Stuttgardt, which I shall reach to-night. Our grand manoeuvres are in full swing. The armies of Wiirtemberg and Baden are joining mine. I am in good position, and I love you. 3d, Ludwigsburg: I am with the Elector (of Wiirtemberg), who has defi- nitely joined our side. 4th. No new developments. The whole army is march- ing. The weather is splendid. I have effected my junc- tion with the Bavarians. (To Champagny.) I am at the Court of Wiirtemberg, and, though conducting war, I am hearing some very good music. The German style of singing, however, strikes me as rather queer. Are the reservists coming in ? How goes the conscription of 1806 ? 5th. Between the 15th and 16th the whole army will be between Donauwerth and Ingolstadt; there never will have been so many troops packed into so small a space. 8th, Donauwerth: Yesterday I crossed the Danube and the Lech. I or- dered Augsburg and Aichach to be attacked. Twelve battalions of grenadiers have been surrounded at Wer- tingen between the Lech and the Danube; and the greater 210 THE CORSICAN [isos r" 1 v part of them, with their standards and artillery, has been captured. I am marching to get behind Ulm. Each day becomes more critical, and if the enemy make a few mistakes, the consequences may be disastrous. (To Marshal Soult.) Lannes' grenadiers will not stop till they reach Zusmarshausen, and to-night I shall move Suchet's division according to the reports that reach me before two o'clock. Allow no halts, and make up your mind to move night and day until you have captured their main body. The least you can send me is 3000 or 4000 prisoners. 4th. (To Prince Murat.) I have ordered d'Hautpoul to Wertingen. I shall sleep at Augsburg with the Guard, where I expect Marshal Soult has already arrived. Cut the main road from Augsburg to Ulm; push General Walther between Augsburg and Landsberg, and place Marshal Lannes so that if Augsburg is attacked at day- break his three divisions could get there. 10th, Zusmarshausen: The weather has broken, there is much rain. The fight at Wertingen is very creditable to the dragoons and the cavalry. It 's a minor success, and very gratifying to Murat, who was in command. I hold the enemy sur- rounded at Ulm; they were defeated last night by Ney's corps. No army has ever marched with greater good will, dash, and confidence. The Emperor reviewed the dragoons at Zusmarshausen. He ordered Marcate, of the 4th dragoons, who is one of JBT.36J A DIARY 211 the bravest men in the army, to be brought before him. At the passage of the Lech he saved the life of his cap- tain, who, a few days previously, had reduced him to the ranks. His Majesty gave him the Legion of Honour. llth, Augsburg: The army of Prince Ferdinand is outflanked, and Prince Murat with the dragoons and the corps of Marshal Lannes and Marshal Ney is pursuing him. Marshal Bernadotte should reach Munich to-day. 12th. The Austrian army is completely demoralized. Our worst regiments of chasseurs attack, with odds against them, heavy cuirassier regiments and rout them; the infantry make no stand at all. (To Josephine.) My army holds Munich. On one side the enemy are beyond the Inn; I have the other army of 60,000 men penned on the Iller. The enemy are beaten and don't know what they are about. It all looks like the most successful, the shortest, and the most brilliant cam- paign ever fought. I start in one hour for Burgau. (To Marshal Soult.) To-night, if my information from Munich warrants it, I shall move one of Davout's divi- sions to Landberg, where it will be at your disposal. See that your aide-de-camps and adjutants kill their horses. It is not a question of defeating the enemy, but of not a single man escaping. When you reach Mem- mingen assemble your generals and tell them that I ex- pect, in such important circumstances, that nothing will be left undone that can make our success more complete and more absolute; that the event must be ten times more glorious than Marengo, and that in the most remote ages posterity must relate what each one of them accomplished; 212 THE CORSICAN [isos that if I had intended merely to defeat the enemy we need not have undertaken such marches and such fa- tigues, but that I must capture them. 10.30 P.M.: I have just received a dispatch from Prince Murat. The enemy hold Ulm with 40,000 men. The Emperor was at the bridge over the Lech when General Marmont's corps passed. He ordered each regi- ment to form circle, spoke to the men about the position of the enemy, told them a great battle would soon be fought, and that he had complete confidence in them. He delivered these harangues under awful weather condi- tions. A heavy snow was falling, and the men were in mud up to their knees; but the words of the Emperor were so vivid that the men, as they listened, forgot their fatigues and hardships, and only showed impatience to get into battle. k 15th, Elchingen: The weather is dreadful. The Emperor has not taken his boots off these last eight days. 19th. (To Josephine.) I have been rather overdone, my good Josephine. Eight days spent in the soaking rain and with cold feet have told on me a little; but I have stayed indoors the whole of to-day and am rested. I have accomplished my object; I have destroyed the Austrian army by simple marching. I have made 60,000 prisoners, taken 120 guns, more than 90 flags, and more than 30 generals. I am on the point of marching against the Russians; they are ruined. I am satisfied with my army. I have lost JET.SQ] A DIARY 213 only 1500 men, of whom two thirds are slightly wounded. Good-bye, my Josephine, a thousand friendly sentiments. Werneck's corps has just capitulated to Prince Murat at Noerdlingen. The garrison of Ulm will lay down their arms to-morrow at 3 in the afternoon. There are 27,000 men, including 3000 cavalry, with 60 guns fully horsed. 21st, Elchingen. (Battle of Trafalgar.) Soldiers of the Grand Army! In fifteen days we have fought a campaign; we have accomplished our purpose! We have driven the troops of the House of Austria from Bavaria, and reestablished our ally in the possession of his states. This army, that had with equal impudence and ostentation placed itself on our frontiers, has been annihilated. But what cares England for that? Her object is gained, we are no longer at Boulogne. Of the one hundred thousand men who made up this army, 60,000 are prisoners; they will fill the places of our conscripts in the labours of the field. Two hundred guns, the whole train, ninety colours, all their generals are ours. Soldiers! you owe this success to your boundless confi- dence in your Emperor, to your patience in supporting all kinds of fatigues and privations, to your splendid valour. But we cannot rest yet. You are impatient for a second campaign. The Russian army, drawn by the gold of England from the furthest limits of the earth, must suffer the same fate. In this contest the honour of the French infantry is more especially at stake; for the second time the question must be decided, whether the French infantry is the first or the second in Europe. 214 THE CORSICAN [isos There are no generals to lead them from whom I have any glory to win. My whole anxiety shall be to obtain the victory with the least possible effusion of blood: my soldiers are my children! 22d, Augsburg: The march of Prince Murat from Albeck to Nuremberg amazes us all. Fighting every inch of the way, he has outmarched and overtaken the enemy, who had two days start of him. The result of this marvellous activity has been the capture of 1500 wagons, 50 guns, and 16,000 men, including those who surrendered with General Wer- neck, together with a great number of flags, and 18 gen- erals, of whom 3 were killed. 23d. I am thoroughly rested after these last two nights, and am starting for Munich to-morrow. 27th, Munich: I am manoeuvring against the Russian army, which is in considerable strength behind the Inn. In another two weeks I shall have 100,000 Russians, and 60,000 Austrians in front of me. I shall beat them, but probably not with- out some loss. 30th, Braunau: It is snowing heavily. . November 2, Ried: It has turned cold, there is a sharp frost. This dry weather has the advantage of being healthier and better for marching. 3d, Haag: We are in full march. All is going well; my enemies are probably more worried than I am. ; asT.36] A DIARY 215 5th, Linz: My advance guard is within six days' march of Vienna. Murat keeps in touch with the enemy. 6th. (To Prince Murat.) The officer you have sent me is such a fool that he could explain nothing, and your letter gives no details, so that I can't tell whether the enemy are retreating or are in position, the number of guns, and what part of Oudinot's division was engaged. 13th, Burkersdorf : I entered Vienna this morning. 14th, Schoenbrunn: Marshal Soult's corps passed through Vienna at nine o'clock this morning; Marshal Davout's is passing through now. 15th. All our columns are in Moravia at several days' march from the Danube. (To Prince Joseph Napoleon.) I am now manoeuvring against the Russian army, and have not had occasion to be very satisfied with Bernadotte. He has lost me a day, and the fate of the world may depend on a day. I should much like to see Junot, for I am each day more firmly convinced that the men I have trained myself are far and away the best. I am still very pleased with Murat, Lannes, Davout, Soult, Ney, and Marmont. I intend to make the generals and officers who have served me well so rich that there can be no excuse for their dishonouring the most noble of professions by their greed, while draw- ing down on themselves the contempt of the soldiers. 16th. (To Josephine.) I am writing to M. d'Harville that you can proceed to Baden, from there to Stuttgardt, and from there to Munich. Be gracious, but accept all 216 THE CORSICAN [isos the honours: it is to you they are due, while from you there is nothing due save what pleases you. I am off to join my advance guard. The weather is horrible, with much snow; all is going well, however. 20th. Marshal Soult will move to Austerlitz. 23, Brunn: (To Talleyrand.) I think the Austrians have more im- portant matters on hand than the abduction of the Electress. Supposing they did abduct her, what the devil do you suppose they could do with her ? I shall soon be at Vienna, as I have decided to give my troops a much needed rest. 25th. (To the Emperor of Russia.) Sire : I am sending my aide-de-camp, General Savary, to convey my compli- ments on the occasion of your joining your army. I have commissioned him to express all the esteem I have for you, and my anxiety to find opportunities for proving how high I value your friendship. I hope you will receive him with that graciousness which is peculiarly your own, and will hold me as one who desires to do what may be agreeable to you. fr 26th. The Emperors of Germany and of Russia are at Olmiitz. The Russian army is receiving reinforcements. 28th. General Caffarelli will see that all arms are cleaned in his division, that the men have their cartridges; there will be a pitched battle. He must speak to his brigadiers and colonels, and he is to start with his division at one o'clock in the morning. Well, Marbot, how many mounted chasseurs are there in my Guard? Are there 1200 ? J3T.S6] A DIARY 217 % (No, sire, I could count only 1120.) I was sure there were a lot missing! December 1st, bivouac near Austerlitz: Soldiers ! The Russian army is marching on you to avenge the Austrians. Our position is strong, and while they march to turn our right, they will expose their own flank. Soldiers! I will command your battalions in person, and I shall not expose myself if, with your usual courage, you throw the enemy's ranks into disorder and confusion. But should victory be for one moment uncertain, you would see your Emperor expose himself in the front rank, for there must be no question of victory on an occasion when the honour of the French infantry is at stake. Before to-morrow night that army will be destroyed! 8.30 p. M. '- x The marshals will join the Emperor at his bivouac at seven thirty, so that fresh instructions may be given should the enemy have developed any new movements during the night. 9 P.M. (The Emperor) decided to go the round of the biv- ouacs on foot and incognito; he was nearly at once recognised. It would be impossible to describe the enthu- siasm of the soldiers when they saw him. In an instant blazing torches of straw were raised on a thousand poles, and 80,000 men were standing and acclaiming their Emperor, some for the anniversary of his coronation, others saying that the army would present the Emperor with a bouquet on the following day. An old grenadier 218 THE CORSICAN [isos came up to him and said: "Sire, keep out of the firing, I promise you in the name of the grenadiers, that you need not fight otherwise than as a spectator, for we will bring you the standards and the guns of the Russian army to celebrate the anniversary of your coronation." When the Emperor returned to his own bivouac, a straw shanty without a roof that the grenadiers had built for him, he said: "This is the most glorious night of my life; but I regret that so many of these brave fellows will be lost. They really are my children." 2d, Austerlitz: As the sun rose the plateau of Pratzen could be dis- tinguished, and the enemy moving down from it, like a torrent rushing to the plain. How long will it take you to occupy the plateau of Pratzen? (Soult : Less than twenty minutes.) If that is so, we will wait fifteen minutes more. Prince Murat, Marshals Lannes and Soult start off at a gallop. Each marshal rejoined his corps. The Emperor said, as he passed along the front of several regiments: "Soldiers, we must finish this campaign with a thunder- bolt that will shatter the pride of our enemies." At once the shakos were hoisted on the men's bayonets, and acclamations of Vive UEmpereur were the real signal for opening the battle. 3d. Well done, soldiers! In the battle of Austerlitz you have accomplished all I expected of your valour; you have crowned your eagles with immortal glory. An army of 100,000 men commanded by the Emperors of Russia and of Austria has been dispersed or captured in less than ^T.36] A DIARY 219 four hours. What escaped your arms was drowned in the lakes. Forty flags, the standards of the Russian Imperial Guard, 120 guns, 20 generals, more than 30,000 prisoners are the result of this eternally glorious battle. This famous infantry, that outnumbered you, was unable to resist your attack, and henceforth you have no rivals to fear. Soldiers ! When we have completed all that is necessary to secure the happiness and prosperity of our country, I will lead you back to France; there you will be the con- stant objects of my loving care. My people will hail your return with joy, and you will have but to say, " I was at the battle of Austerlitz," to hear the reply, "He is one of the brave!" The battle of Austerlitz is the most splendid of all I have fought. I have fought thirty battles of the same sort, but none in which the victory was so decisive, and so little in doubt. The infantry of the Guard was not sent into action, the men were weeping with rage. To-night I am lying in a bed, in the beautiful castle of Count Kaunitz, and I have changed my shirt, which I hadn't done for a week past. I shall get two or three hours' sleep. The Emperor of Germany sent Prince Liechtenstein to me this morning to ask for an interview. We may possibly get peace before long. 4th. (To Talleyrand.) The Emperor of Germany has asked me for an interview, which I have granted; it lasted from two till four o'clock. I will tell you what I think of him when I see you. He wanted to make peace on the 220 THE CORSICAN [isos spot; he attacked me with fine sentiments; I defended myself, a manner of fighting which, I can assure you, I did not find very difficult. He asked me for an armistice, which I granted; the conditions are to be drawn up to- night. 10th, Briinn: (To the Empress Josephine.) It is a long time since I heard from you. Do the festivities of Baden, of Stuttgardt, and of Munich make you forget the poor soldiers who live splashed with mud, blood, and rain? I am starting very soon for Vienna. The peace is being negotiated. Good-bye, dear friend. 19th. (To Josephine.) Mighty Empress, I have had not one single line from you since you left Strassburg. You have passed through Baden, Stuttgardt, and Munich without writing me one word. That is not very nice, not very loving. I am still at Briinn. The Russians have gone. There is an armistice. In a few days I shall be able to see how I am coming out. Deign from the height of your splen- dours to take a little notice of your slaves. 20th, Schoenbrunn: The weather is very cold; winter is coming on, but it is still fine. It is curing our wounded, and setting up the army. We are resting, and getting into shape again. We have already moved a part of the arsenal of Vienna to Braunau, and many valuable objects. Peace will un- doubtedly be concluded. 23d. (To Talleyrand.) I have received your letter of to-day, and see with pleasure that you expect to con- clude. But I expressly instruct you not to mention ^T. 36] A DIARY 221 Naples. The insults of the rascally Queen increase with each courier. Her reign has got to come to an end. I will therefore absolutely not have her name mentioned. Whatever happens, my instructions are positive, do not mention her. 25th. The Emperor and Prince Charles have written to me. I will have an interview with Prince Charles on the 27th at two in the afternoon at a hunting box of the Emperor's, three leagues from Vienna. I wouldn't agree to meet Prince Charles here, because I am disinclined to talk business with him. At the rendezvous I have fixed, we can spend two hours together; one of them will go hi dining, the other in talking war and in compliments. In any event, get (the treaty) signed to-morrow if you can. 27th. Peace was signed at Presburg this morning at four o'clock between M. de Talleyrand and Prince Liech- tenstein and General Gyulai. The city and mainland of Venice, as ceded by the treaty of Campo Formio, are incorporated with my kingdom of Italy. (To the army.) Soldiers ! for ten years I have left no- thing undone to save the King of Naples; he has left no- thing undone for his ruin. After the battles of Dego, of Mondego, of Lodi, he could have offered but the feeblest resistance. I listened to the promises of this Prince, and I treated him with generosity. When the Second Coalition was destroyed at Marengo, the King of Naples, first to wage an unjust war, remained isolated and defenceless; he implored me, and for the second time I pardoned him. 222 THE CORSICAN [isos But a few months have passed since you were at the gates of Naples. I had good grounds for suspecting the treason hatching there, and for avenging the insults we had already suffered. Again I was generous. I allowed the neutrality of Naples; I ordered you to evacuate that kingdom ; and for the third time the House of Na- ples was saved. Shall we pardon for the fourth time ? Shall we trust for the fourth time a Court without faith, without honour, without judgment? No! No! The dynasty of Naples has ceased to reign; its continued existence is incompatible with the repose of Europe and the honour of my Crown. Forward, soldiers! Hurl into the waves, if they should await you, the feeble battalions of the tyrants of the seas; show the world how we chastise perjury. Send me word promptly that all Italy is subject to my laws, that the most lovely land on earth is freed from the yoke of the most perfidious of nations, that the sanctity of treaties is vindicated, and that the spirits of my brave soldiers, slaughtered in the ports of Sicily on their return from Egypt after escaping the dangers of shipwreck, of the desert, and of battle, are at last appeased. Soldiers! my brother will lead you; he knows my plans; he carries my authority; he has my complete confidence; encircle him with yours. 31st, Munich: (To Prince Joseph.) I have reached Munich. I propose seizing the kingdom of Naples. Start for Rome forty hours after receiving this letter; and let your first dispatch inform me that you have entered Naples. I have asked for the hand of Princess Augusta, daughter a:T.36] A DIARY '223 of the Elector of Bavaria, a very pretty girl, for Prince Eugene. The marriage is settled. I have asked for an- other princess for Jerome. (To Prince Eugene.) My Cousin: I have arrived at Munich. I have arranged a marriage for you with Prin- cess Augusta. The matter is public. The Princess called on me this morning, and we had a long talk. She is very pretty. I am sending you her portrait on a cup, but it doesn't do her justice. 1806 January 2d, Munich: Yesterday the Elector was proclaimed King. 3d, 2 P. M. (To Prince Eugene.) My Cousin: Not later than twelve hours after the receipt of this letter you must start for Munich, travelling posthaste. 7th. (To Cardinal Fesch.) On the 13th of November the Pope wrote me a letter of the most ridiculous, most insane, character: those people think I am dead! I am a religious man, but I am not a bigoted idiot. For the Pope I am Charlemagne, because like Charle- magne I unite the Crowns of France and of the Lombards, and my Empire touches the East. I will reduce the Pope to be the mere bishop of Rome. 9th. I had long ago decided on a marriage between my son Prince Eugene, and the Princess Augusta, daughter of the King of Bavaria. The Elector of Ratisbon will marry them on the 15th of January. Princess Augusta is one of the most lovely and accomplished persons of her sex. 14th. The betrothal and marriage of Prince Eugene took place yesterday. 19th, Stuttgardt: I am very impatient to be back in Paris. I arrived in Stuttgardt last night at six o'clock. 27th, Paris: I arrived in Paris yesterday at midnight and incognito. jsT.361 A DIARY 225 February 4th. The English Cabinet has been completely changed since the death of Mr. Pitt. If it is true that Mr. Fox is Secretary for Foreign Affairs, we could hand over Hanover to Prussia only as part of a general arrange- ment. (To Prince Eugene.) My Son : I am surprised that you have not written me one word about your journey. Your wife has been more polite than you. I must insist on your writing me enough to inform me as to where you are, where you are going, and what you are doing; how do you get on with her, and how much do you care for her? 6th. The Emperor incloses an extract from the Bay- reuih Gazette for M. Talleyrand. We are threatened with the advance of 200,000 Russians. The Prussians must really be mad. M. Talleyrand must tell M. de Haugwitz that this sort of thing must be put a stop to. 14th. (To Marshal Berthier.) Stick closely to your orders; carry out instructions promptly; have every one on his guard and at his post; I alone know what I have to do. If the Prussian Minister at Munich should call on you and speak of the occupation of Anspach, reply that it is done by my orders. Have not the Prussians occupied Hanover? For the rest give Prussia plenty of fine speeches. 28th. I have 510,000 men with the colours; I have or- dered heavy expenditures for the ports and the increase of the navy; I am going to increase the army by 100,000 men, and I am going to impose additional taxation on France. March 1st. I want to create in France a lay state. Up till now the world has only known two forms of govern- 226 THE CORSICAN [isoe ment, the ecclesiastic and the military. Constantine was the first to establish, by means of the priests, a sort of civilian state; Clovis succeeded in founding the French monarchy only with this same support. Monks are the natural enemies of soldiers, and have more than once served to check them. The lay order will be strengthened by the creation of a teaching body, and even more strengthened by the creation of a great corporation of magistrates. I think it is unnecessary to take into consideration a system of education for girls, they can get no better teach- ing than that of their mothers. A public education does not suit them, for the reason that they are not called on to live in public; for them habit is everything, and mar- riage is the goal. If we are to establish the nation, we must hasten to regulate by means of codes the principal fields of legisla- tion. The Civil Code, though imperfect, has done much good. Every one is familiar now with the first principles of conduct, and governs his property and business accord- ingly. 4th. In the report on burials I see that in the average year there are 14,000 deaths in Paris; that is enough for a splendid battle. I have declined to commit myself to issuing tickets for the service in my chapel; I think the seats should go to the first comers. At Cairo, and in the desert, the mosques are inns as well; as many as 6000 persons may shelter and eat in them; or even use the fountains and water for bathing. Our ceremony of baptism comes from this; it could not ST. 36] A DIARY 227 have arisen in our climate, in which water is not precious enough, this year we are deluged. When water fails the Egyptians baptize with sand. As for me, it is not the mystery of the Incarnation that I see in religion, but the mystery of social order. Heaven suggests an idea of equality which saves the rich from being massacred by the poor. To look at it another way, religion is a sort of in- oculation or vaccine which, while satisfying our sense of the supernatural, guarantees us from the charlatans and the magicians : the priests are better than the Cagliostros, the Kants, and all the dreamers of Germany. I need a special Tribunal to judge public functionaries for certain infractions of the laws. There must be some arbitrary exercise of power in such a matter, and this should not be left in the hands of the Sovereign, because he will either abuse it or neglect to use it. I complain every day of the number of arbitrary acts I am made to commit; they would come with more propriety from such a tribunal. I want the State to be governed according to law, and that the things that have to be done despite the law should be legalized by the operation of a duly constituted body. Forty-eight hours after peace with England is signed, I will shut out foreign produce and manufactures, and issue a Navigation Act that will exclude all but French ships from our ports. There will be a tremendous outcry, but in six years' time we shall be in the fullest pros- perity. 6th. (To Joseph.) Shoot without pity any lazzaroni 228 THE CORSICAN [1806 who indulge in dagger play. You can keep an Italian population down only by holy fear. Impose a war con- tribution of 30 millions on the kingdom. Your policy is too hesitating. 8th. I shall grant the duchies of Cleves and Berg to Prince Murat. 9th. (To Prince Eugene.) Instruct your engineers to reconnoitre the roads from Zara and from Ragusa to Constantinople. llth. In the teaching body we must imitate the classi- fications of military rank. I hold strongly to the idea of a corporation, because a corporation never dies. There need be no fear that I want to bring back the monks; even if I wanted to I couldn't. The vices and scandal that arose among the monks are well known; I had opportu- nities for forming my own opinion in that matter, having been in part educated by them. I respect what religion holds in respect; but as a states- man I dislike the fanaticism of celibacy; it was one of the means whereby the Court of Rome attempted to rivet the chains of Europe by preventing the cleric from being a citizen. Military fanaticism is the only sort that is of any use to me; a man must have it to get himself killed. My principal object in instituting a teaching body is to have some means of directing political and moral opinion. 14th. Holland is without an executive head; she should have one; I shall give her Prince Louis. Instead of a Grand Pensionary there will be a king. 20th. I think the teaching body should include about 10,000 persons. The essential thing is that the members of the University, for that is what we will call it, should asT.36] A DIARY 229 hold the exclusive privilege of teaching, and that they should be under an oath. We must succeed in making our young men neither too bigoted nor too sceptical; they should be in harmony with the conditions of the nation and of civilization. My usual reading after going to bed is in the old Chronicles of the 3d, 4th, 5th, and 6th centuries; I either read them or have them translated to me. Nothing is more curious, and so little known, as the transition from the ancient states to the new ones that arose on their ruins. The Governments had little to do with education in Western Europe, especially under Christianity, because the clergy were intrusted with it. The Governments of the East, however, were much concerned with the matter, especially before the advent of Christianity. If the kings of France have neglected education, is that a reason for following their example, in view of our am- bition of doing better than they did ? Emerging from the fog of ignorance hand in hand with the clergy, they found the rudiments of public instruction in existence, and were obliged to leave things to the Power at their side. : I want the members of the teaching body to take, not a religious vow as was the case formerly, but to enter into a civil contract before a notary or justice of the peace. They will embrace Public Instruction as their predecessors embraced the Church, with the difference that their en- gagement will be less sacred, and less binding; I wish, however, that some ceremonial may be put into the mat- ter, even if it takes another name. , 27th. I am willing that the head of the Bank should be called Governor if that pleases him, because titles cost 230 THE CORSICAN [isoe nothing. I am also willing that his salary should be as high as you want it, because it is the Bank that will pay- '-< 3 i April 1st, Malmaison: (To Marshal Berthier.) I inclose you the Moniteur; you will see what I am doing for you. I make only one condition, which is that you get married, and that is a condition that goes with my friendship. Your liaison has lasted too long; it has become ridiculous; and I am entitled to hope that he whom I have named my companion in arms, whom posterity will always place at my side, will not continue to show such an extraordinary example of weakness. I insist, therefore, that you should marry; otherwise I shall refuse to receive you. You are fifty years old, but you belong to a family that reaches eighty, and it is during these next thirty years that the comforts of marriage will be of most service to you. You know that you have no warmer friend than I am, but you also know that the first condition of my friend- ship is that it should be based on my esteem. Until now you have deserved it. Continue to do so by concurring in my plans, and by becoming the stem of a good and great family. 14th, Saint Cloud: (To Prince Eugene.) My son, you are working too hard; your life is too monotonous. It is all right for you, because work should be your pleasure; but you have a young wife, who will soon be a mother. I think you ought to arrange things so as to spend the evenings with her and so as to have a small social circle. Why don't you go to the theatre once a week in the State box ? You must have ^T.36] A DIARY 231 a little more gaiety about you; it is necessary for the happiness of your wife, and your own health. One can get through a lot of work in very little time. I lead the life you lead, but my wife is old and doesn't need me for her amusement; and yet it is quite true to say that I have more pleasures and dissipation than you. A young woman needs amusement, especially when in that condi- tion. 18th, Paris: The Opera costs the Government 800,000 francs a year; we must keep up an institution that flatters the national vanity. May 31st, Saint Cloud: (To the King of Naples.) You trust the Neapolitans too much, especially in the matter of your kitchen and your personal guards, which means that you are taking chances of being poisoned or assassinated. You have not known enough of my domestic arrangements to realize that, even in France, I have always been guarded by my most faithful and my oldest soldiers. No one should enter your room at night except your aide-de-camp, who should sleep in the room next to your bedroom; your door should be locked on the inside, and you should not let your aide-de-camp in before having recognised his voice, and he should not knock at your door until after closing the door of his room, so as to be sure no one can follow him. These precautions are important; they are not troublesome, and they inspire confidence, quite apart from the fact that actually they may save your life. You should regulate your way of living this way once and for all. Don't be obliged to adopt it in 232 THE CORSICAN [1806 an emergency, which would be humiliating both for you and for those about you. Trust my experience. June 3d. (To the King of Naples.) I have read your speech, and you must permit me to say that I find some of its sen- tences bad. You compare the attachment of the Neapo- litans to you with that of the French to me; it sounds like an epigram! What affection do you expect from a people for whom you have done nothing, among whom you are by right of conquest, at the head of 40,000 or 50,000 foreigners ? As a general rule the less you speak, directly or indirectly, of me and of France in your doc- uments, the better. 5th. (To Joseph.) You will understand that if I have given the titles of Duke and Prince to Bernadotte, it was out of consideration for your wife; for I have generals in my army who have served me better, and in whom I place more reliance. 7th. (To Joseph.) I can send you no reinforcements. I can't coop up my whole army in Naples. (To Talleyrand.) I have asked you for a report on the Prussian forces. I have no use for the information you have sent me. I need a complete statement as to the army of the King of Prussia. July 4th. Up to the present the negotiations with England have made no headway. By acquiring the Cape of Good Hope England will forever insure her control of India. But if England held Malta and Sicily, she would erect an insurmountable barrier between the Adriatic and Constantinople. It would be difficult ever to accede to such a condition- . an-.sei A DIARY 233 13th. (To the Princess Stephanie of Baden.) I have received your letter. I see with pleasure that you are well. Love your husband, who deserves it for the affection he bears you. Treat your people kindly, for sovereigns are made for the happiness of their people. Accustom yourself to the country, and think well of everything, for nothing would be more impertinent than constantly to speak of Paris and of the splendours which you know perfectly well you can't enjoy; it's a French fault, don't fall into it. Carlsruhe is an agreeable spot. You will be loved and well thought of in the same degree as you love and think well of the country in which you are placed: it is the most sensitive point men have. 19th. The English landed 5000 men in the bay of Saint Euphemia on the 3d of July. General Regnier marched on them; I don't know what resulted. It is probable that they had cause to repent. 21st. (To Joseph.) I have received your letters of the llth and 12th of July; you then had no news of Regnier, and had made no movement from Naples. The art of war, which is so much talked about, is a difficult art; you have not one man among your ministers who has any knowledge of its elements. But, by Heaven! with 36,000 men, don't allow one of your divisions to be crushed! Since you have no news from Regnier, you may infer that communications are cut, and that an insurrection has broken out. 26th. (To Joseph.) The enemy would have to be quite mad to make any attempt against Naples. What! with 36,000 men you are placed on the defensive by 8000 234 THE CORSICAN [isoe English, and you give up two thirds of your kingdom to them ! There are not two soldierlike ideas in your whole Council of Ministers. It would cause you useless pain if I were to tell you all I think. 26th. (To Joseph.) What is the meaning of this na- tional guard of Naples ? It is leaning on a reed, perhaps even placing a weapon in the enemy's hands. Oh! how little you know men ! Come, take some vigorous decision. The whole art of war consists in a well thought out and prudent defensive, and in an offensive that is bold and rapid. 30th. (To Prince Joachim Murat.) Wesel can belong to none other than a great Power. As to the guarantee for your children, your arguments are pitiful and made me shrug my shoulders; I blush for you. I hope that you are a Frenchman; so will your children be; any other idea would be so dishonouring that I must ask you never to mention such a thing again. It would be a very extraor- dinary thing, if after all the benefits the French nation has showered on you, you thought of placing your chil- dren in such a way that they might injure France. Once more, never speak on that subject again, it 's too ridicu- lous! * August 1st. (To the King of Holland.) Circumstances may make it necessary for you to form a camp of Dutch troops at Utrecht. ; 2d. (To Prince Joachim.) Your public utterances must be reassuring. I can hardly express the pain your letters cause me; your heedlessness is enough to drive me to despair. Dupont's division is moving to the Inn; you must give MI. 36-37]] A DIARY 235 it no orders of any sort. You don't know what I am doing. Keep quiet. With a Power like Prussia we cannot proceed too gently. 5th. The English are getting more accommodating. Lord Lauderdale and Lord Yarmouth are the negotiators. The first arrived this morning. 12th. The illness of Mr. Fox makes the negotiations with England drag. 17th, Rambouillet: (To the King of Naples.) It would be a good thing if the Neapolitan rabble attempted a revolt. So long as you have not made an example you will not be their master. Every conquered nation should revolt at least once, and I would view an insurrection at Naples as the father of a family views measles in his children, providing the patient is not too much weakened. It marks a healthy crisis. 19th. (To Fouche.) If you know where General Dumoulin is, send for him and question him about a lady named Keilenfels, whom he married two months before abducting Mile. d'Eckhardt. I have no power over the judges, and there must be an exemplary punishment for so detestable an offence. Does this general realize that the Criminal Court will condemn him to the galleys ? How can he have been so unmindful of the laws of honour ? The whole business is very humiliating for the French army. 23d. (To the King of Naples.) I have received your letter of the 13th. I regret that you anticipate never meeting your brother again, save in the Elysian Fields. It is a simple enough matter that I should not have the same sentiments for you at forty as I had at twelve! S36 THE CORSICAN [1806 29th, Saint Cloud: The negotiations drag. The outcome is very doubtful. 31st. (To the Princess Augusta.) My Daughter : I have read your letter of the 10th of August with great pleasure. I thank you for all your compliments. Take great care of yourself in your present state, and try not to give us a daughter. I could give you the recipe, but you wouldn't believe me: it is to drink a little pure wine every day. September 5th. The altered conditions in Europe make it necessary that I should seriously consider the situation of my armies. (To Marshal Berthier.) Send engineer officers to recon- noitre carefully and in all directions the debouches of the roads leading from Bamberg to Berlin. 8th. (To Lucchesini.) I always carry my heart in my head. I shall undertake a war against Prussia only for the honour of my country and the security of myt allies. If your young officers and women at Berlin want war, they shall have it; I am preparing to satisfy them. But all my ambitions turn on Italy; there is a mistress whose favours I will divide with none. 10th. The attitude of Prussia is still provocative. They are dying to be taught a good lesson. (To Caulaincourt.) Have all my field glasses over- hauled. Send off sixty horses from my stables to-morrow, including eight of my saddlehorses. Do this as secretly as possible. To-morrow have my baggage carts got ready. One of them must carry a tent and an iron bed. The tent must be stout, and not a grand opera tent. You can add a few thick carpets. You will send off with the horses to- morrow my little'campaigning chaise. asT.371 A DIARY 237 Marshal Bessieres and Prince Borghese will also send their horses off. When you mention the matter to these officers, you will say that they are accompanying me to the Diet at Frankfort. 12th, Saint Cloud: (To the King of Prussia.) Monsieur mon Frdre : I have received your Majesty's letter. The friendly sentiments you express are all the more agreeable to me in that everything that has occurred these last two weeks gave me ground for supposing the contrary. If I am compelled to take up arms to defend myself, it will be with the great- est regret that I shall use them against Your Majesty's troops. (To the King of Naples.) Prussia is arming in ridiculous fashion: she will, however, soon disarm, or pay dear for it. Nothing could be more foolish and more hesitating than the conduct of the (Prussian) cabinet. The Court of Vienna makes great protestations of friendship, which its extreme weakness makes me believe in. Whatever hap- pens, I can and will face it out. The conscription which I have just levied is coming in on all sides; I shall call up the reserves; I am thoroughly supplied, and lack nothing. I may possibly take command of the Grand Army in a few days. It numbers about 150,000 men, enough to put down Vienna, Berlin, and St. Petersburg. The negotiations with England still continue; whether it is peace or war will be decided within a week. Fox is altogether out of it, owing to an illness that will probably carry him down to the grave. If I really have to strike once more, Europe will know that I have left Paris only by hearing of the complete destruction of my enemies. It 238 THE CORSICAN [isoe would be as well to have your newspapers speak of me as at Paris, occupied in amusements, in hunting, and in negotiating. 17th. I have just got the news of the death of Mr. Fox. In the present state of things, it is the death of a man who is regretted by two nations. 19th. The situation is becoming more critical daily. My Guard has started by stage, to travel from Paris to Mainz in six days. 24th. (To Joachim Murat, Grand Duke of Berg.) Send your horses to Bamberg rapidly. Wait for me at Mainz, which you can leave one hour after my arrival, so that you can reach Bamberg on the 1st of October at noon. 28th, Mainz: I arrived this morning. 29th. There is no declaration of war yet. Midnight : (To Marshal Augereau.) Do not unmask your move- ment. 30th. (To the King of Wurtemberg.) I should like to see Your Majesty. I shall be at Wiirzburg on the 2d of October, at Bamberg on the 5th. I should much like, under existing circumstances, to have an hour's conversation. I would have been glad to await Your Majesty's visit at Mainz, if I were not the most complete slave, compelled to obey a heartless master: the calculation of events and the nature of things. As for myself, Your Majesty must see that no man is less able than I to make precise arrangements at this moment. Not that war is declared yet; I have not heard J5T.S7] A DIARY 239 that M. Laforest has left Berlin; I am told that a Prussian officer has been sent to me by the King of Prussia with a letter; for three days past I have been hearing about him, but I have not yet seen him. October 1st. I start to-night at nine. . 3d, Wiirzburg: I reached Wiirzburg yesterday. 5th. The armies are in touch. We shall soon have fighting. The King of Wiirtemberg came here two days ago. He can't make heads or tails of what is going on. The Duke of Brunswick has written him a very pernicious letter, to the tune of the German nationalistic excitement. All my columns are marching. I start to-night for Bam- berg. (To Marshal Soult.) I am debouching in Saxony with my whole army in three columns. You lead the right; half a day's march behind you is the corps of Marshal Ney, and one day's march behind you are 10,000 Bava- rians; all of which totals more than 50,000 men. Marshal Bernadotte leads the centre; behind him Marshal Davout's corps is marching, with the greater part of the Reserve Cavalry and my Guard; which totals over 70,000 men. (Bernadotte) will debouch through Kronach. The 5th corps leads my left, and is followed by the corps of Mar- shal Augereau. They will come through Coburg and Saalfeld, and will make upwards of 40,000 men. The day you reach Hof , the rest of the army will be in line with you. I shall hold myself in general at the centre. With so great a preponderance in numbers, and so closely concen- trated, you will realize that my purpose is not to jump at chances but to attack the enemy, wherever they choose to make a stand, with double their numbers. 240 THE CORSICAN [isoe My information to-day seems to show that if the enemy are manoeuvring, it is against my left; their prin- cipal forces appear to be at Erfurt. I cannot urge you too strongly to communicate with me very frequently, and to inform me of all you can hear from the Dresden road. You can see what a splendid manoeuvre it would be to move towards that city in a battalion square of 200,000 men. All this demands some skill, however, and some happenings. 10 P.M.: I am leaving for Bamberg. All our corps are marching. I am in excellent health, and in great hopes of soon bringing this business to a good end. 6th. Soldiers ! The orders were already issued for your return to France. Triumphal festivities awaited you. But just as we were lulled by a sense of false security, new plots were brewing under the mask of friendship and of alliance. Cries of war have been raised in Berlin. These two months past we are daily more loudly challenged. The same faction, the same vertigo, that carried Prussia to the plains of Champagne fourteen years ago, dominate their councils. They want us to evacuate Germany at the sight of their arms. Fools! Let them learn that it would be a thousand times more easy to de- stroy the great capital than to smirch the honour of the children of the great nation and its allies! Then their schemes were dashed to pieces; in the plains of Cham- pagne they found only death, defeat, and shame. But the lessons of experience fade away, and with some men hatred and jealousy never die. Soldiers! Not one of you would wish to regain France LETIZIA RAMOLINO > Joseph m. Julie Clary. Desiree Clary m. Bernadotte. NAPOLEON m. (1) Josephine Beauharnais. (2) Marie Louise. King of Rome. Lucien. Louis m. Hortense Beauharnais. Jerome m. (1) Miss Patterson. (2) Catherine of Wiirtemberg. Elisa m. Prince Baciocchi. Pauline m. (1) Gen. Leclerc. (2) Prince Borghese. Caroline, m. Joachim Murat. JOSEPHINE BEAUHARNAIS (1) Eugene, m. Augusta of Bavaria. (2) Hortense, m. Louis Bonaparte. INDEX Abbatucci, 40. Abdullah- Aga, 94. Abeille, 442, 446. Abensberg, 310. Abou Bekr, 100. Aboukir, 81, 84, 85, 101-104. Acqui, 24, 25. Acre, St. John of, 87, 93, 95-99, 106, 473,488. Actium, 482. Adige, 30. Adriatic, 232. Africa, 288. Aichach, 209. Aix-la-Chapelle, 187. Aix-en-Proyence, 106. Ajaccio, 3, 6, 10, 105. Ala, 41. Albaredo, 49. Albeck, 214. Albenga, 191. Albitte, 12, 13. Albufera, Duke of, see Suchet. Alessandria, 22, 24, 135, 136, 197. Alexander, Czar, 143, 153, 154, 168,196, 216, 269, 274-276, 280, 284, 285, 297, 298, 327, 330, 336, 338, 344, 348, 355, 356, 370, 382, 383, 437, 438, 472, 493, 494. Alexander the Great, 485, 498. Alexandria, 78, 79, 84, 85, 90, 91, 101, 104, 167. Allenstein, 271. Alquier, 152, 279. Alt Reichau, 271 Alvintzy, 49, 52, 55. Ambleteuse, 170, 172, 174, 175, 185, 195. Amherst, 495. Amiens, 163, 168, 170. Amsterdam, 253-255, 411, 486. Ancona, 46, 56, 57, 85. Andr6ossy, 104. Andromaque, 420, 501. * Anger, 479. Anghiari, 54. Annonay, 156. Antommarchi, 501-607. Anspach, 225. Antonio, Don, 289. Antwerp, 340, 486. Aosta, 129, 132. Arabic, 75. Aranda, 300, 301. Arcola, 49, 50, 110. Armies, 485. Arnott, 506. Art, 162, 163, 201. Artois, Count d', 165. Aspern, 312, 313. Astorga, 303-305. Astronomy, 9. Asturias, Prince of, see Ferdinand VII. Astyanax, 420, 435. Aube, 430. Aubert, 263. Audenar de, 328. Augereau, 30, 36-40, 47-49, 52, 54, 66-68, 110, 188, 238, 239, 242, 245, 261, 326, 391, 400, 427, 428, 441. Augsburg, 209-211, 214. Augusta, Princess, 222-225, 236, 257, 265, 280, 497. Augustus, Prince, of Prussia, 249, 283. Auma, 243. Austerlitz, 216-219, 243, 273, 274, 380, 475, 485. Austria, 294, 306, 386. Auxonne, 6-8. Avesnes, 452, 455, 456. Baden, 209, 220. Bagration, 350. Baking, 85. Bale, 412. Bamberg, 238-240. Bank, 229. Baraguay d'Hilliers, 64, 65, 361. Baran, 362. BarbiS Marbois, 202. Barbier, 293, 336, 351, 464. Barclay de Tolly, 383. Bard, Fort, 131, 132. Ban-as, 14, 17, 18, 68, 109. Bartbelemy, 62. Bassano, 41, 58. Basiano, Duke of, eee Maret. 514 INDEX Batallle, 279. Bathurst, 484. Bautzen, 382-385, 393-397. Bavaria, Max. Jos., King of, 224, 241, 307, 497, 498. Bavaria, Queen of, 498. Bavaria, Princess Augusta, see Au- gusta. Bayonne, 281, 285, 287, 299, 486. Bayreuth, 241. Beaucaire, 11. Beauharnais, Vcte de, 66. Beauharnais, M. de, 286. Beauharnais, Eugene, see Eugene. Beaubarnais, Hortense, see Hortense. Beauharnais, Josephine, see Jose- phine. Beaulieu, 20-24, 27, 31. Beaumont, 456. Beaumont, Col., see Murat. Beauvoisin, 165. Beker, 465. Belbeys, 90. Belfort, 412. Bellegarde, 61. ellerophon, 465, 466. Belliard, 72, 416. Belluno, Duke of, see Victor. Benavente, 303, 304. Benevento, Prince of, see Talleyrand. Benezette, 122. Bennigsen, 258. Berezina, 362-365, 367. Berg, 228, 371. Berg, Grand Duke of, see Murat. Berlin, 242, 243, 249, 344, 373, 374, 381, 385, 393. Bernadotte, 59, 72, 83, 107, 108, 134, 156, 193, 211, 215, 232, 239, 245, 247- 250, 259, 271, 284, 317, 432. Bernardin de St. Pierre, 470. Berthier, 19, 25, 27, 28, 37, 40, 48, 53, 59, 72, 88, 94, 104, 121, 125-129, 132- 139, 178, 188, 193, 194, 225, 230, 236, 263, 284, 299, 302, 307, 308, 319, 329, 336, 343, 344, 346-353, 357-362, 365, 367-369, 391, 392, 396-400, 413, 416, 424, 433, 436-438, 489, 492. Berthollet, 32, 104, 338. Bertrand, 370, 379, 387, 400, 404, 442- 444, 447, 449, 452, 488. Berry-au-bac, 432. Berry, Duke of, 179. Berwick, 53. Besentonay, 102. Bessieres, 55, 138, 147, 237, 261, 288, 289, 293, 300, 343, 358, 366, 467, 495. Bezu, 431. Biancbi, 426. Bible, 479. Biccoca, 21. Biechenkovitchi, 350. Bigot de Preameneu, 144. Billon, 17. Binasco, 28, 29. Binitsa, 365. Birket, 101, 102. Black Forest, 208. Blake, 300. Blankenberghe, 171. Blenheim, 88. Blucher, 249, 250, 382, 400-403, 415, 417, 421, 423, 427, 428, 430, 432, 488. Bobr, 362. Bologna, 25, 31, 32, 34, 45, 56, 57. Bon, 49, 88, 93. Bonaparte, House of, 200, 201. Bonaparte, Caroline, 190, 371. Bonaparte, Charles, 3, 4. Bonaparte, Eliza, 341, 342, 504. Bonaparte, Jerome, 146, 153, 160, 195, 196, 269, 279, 282, 284, 314, 317, 345, 455. Bonaparte, Joseph, 3, 15, 17, 43, 83, 93, 133, 153, 156, 163, 166, 188, 191, 215, 222, 227, 228, 231-237, 254, 259, 262, 267, 269, 282, 292-296, 299-305, 369, 414-416, 419, 420, 430, 433, 435, 461, 500, 501. Bonaparte, Letizia, 4, 195, 442, 443, 478, 479, 502. Bonaparte, Louis, 7, 15, 16, 83, 88, 228, 235, 255, 266, 267, 269, 286, 332. Bonaparte, Lucien, 3, 46, 113, 118, 145, 154, 200, 282, 442, 463. Bonaparte, Pauline, 13, 17, 443, 444. Bonet, 383. Bonifaccio, 10. Borde, 5. Bordeaux, 287, 294, 451, 486. Borghese, Prince, 237. Borghese, Princess, see Bonaparte, Pauline. Borghetto, 31. Borisof , 363. Borisovka, 354. Bormida, 137, Borna, 402. Borodino, 353-357. Borovsk, 359. INDEX 515 Boudet, 59. Boulaq, 88. Boulogne, 170, 172-176, 185, 186, 201, 203, 207. Bourbons, 181, 288, 294, 433, 441. Bourg des Noes, 429. Bourmont, 123, 457. Bourrienne, 87, 88, 107, 108, 111. Boyarintsova, 351. Boyer, 90. Braunau, 214, 307. Bray, 263, 427. Breitenau, 397. Brescia, 30, 37, 39. Breslau, 374, 383. Brest, 131, 174. Brewing, 85. Briare, 441. Bribes, 84. Bridges, 486. Brieg, 148. Brienne, 3, 417. Brindisi, 150. Bristol, 165. Brizzi, 254. Brueys, 69, 75, 76, 81, 84. Bruges, 171, 332. Bruix. 148, 173. Brumaire, 108-113. Brune, 72, 123. Brunn, 216, 220. Brunswick, 239, 244, 246. Brussels, 172, 457. Bubna, 386, 429. Buitrago, 301. Biilow, 415, 433, 460. Bunzlau, 388. Burgau, 211. Burgbausen, 310. Burgos, 281, 300. Burkersdorf, 215. Bussy, 458, 459. Cacault, 55. Cadiz, 195. Cadore, Duke of, see Champagny. Cadoudal, 123, 124, 134, 177. Caen, 338. Caesar, 143. Caffarelli, 97. Cagliostro, 227. Cairo, 83, 85, 88, 90, 98, 103, 104. Calais, 170, 171. Calder, 204. Caldiero, 47. Cambaceres, 16, 145, 157, 163, 176, 183, 196, 202, 255, 256, 292, 324, 376, 377, 387, 388, 410, 419. Campo Formio, 71, 72, 221. Cana, 96. Canals, 281, 486. Cape of Good Hope, 69, 148, 255. Caprara, 154. Carcare, 19. Carnot, 26, 30, 46, 49, 125, 127, 128, 136, 463. Carrii, 22. Casablanca, 40. Casteggio, 136. Castelnovo, 37. Castel San Giovanni, 25, 26. Carthage, 76. Castaflos, 310. Castel Ceriolo, 137. Castiglione, 36, 38, 39, 117. Castiglione, Duke of, see Augereau. Castlereagh, 484. Cattaneo, 35. Catherine of Wurtemberg, 279, 348. Caulaincourt, 236, 284, 321, 330, 382, 385, 386, 413, 418, 422, 424, 426, 437, 453. Cervoni, 37. Ceva, 21, 24. Chabot, 48. Chabour, 82. Chabran, 48, 129. Chalons, 194. Chamartin, 302. Chambord, 319. Chameroi, Mile., 162. Champagny, 209, 251, 254, 279-281, 300, 320, 323, 328-330, 334. Champaubert, 421, 425, 426. Championnet, 74. Chantereine, Rue, 73. Charlemagne, 132, 173, 224, 278, 312, 328, 339. Charlemagne, the, 339. Charleroi, 456, 457. Charles IV of Spain, 286-290. Charles VTII of France, 62. Charles XII of Sweden, 342. Charles XIII of Sweden, 333. Charles, Archduke, 67, 59-61, 221, 309, 316, 331. Chateau du Plessis, 436. Chateau-Thierry, 422, 431. Chatillon, 426. Chenier, 256. 516 INDEX Cberasco, 22. Cherbourg, 173, 481, 482, 486. Charon, 184. Chiese, 38. Chios, 15. Chivasso, 133. Chobrakyt, 82. Christ, 278, 496. Cincinnatus, 71. Cisalpine Republic, 64. Ciudad Rodrigo, 343. Clarke, 115, 244, 283, 295, 314, 319, 324, 345, 367, 369, 375, 377, 392, 418, 431. Clary, Eug6nie, 17. Clary, D6sir6e, 15, 83. Clary, Julie, 17, 83. Clause!, 473. Cleves, 228. Clichy, 65. Clouet, 457. Cobenzl, 70-72, 148, 179. Coburg, 239, 242. Cockburn, 473, 484, 493. Cocherel, 431. Code, 124, 144, 226, 299, 469. Colbert, 168. Colditz, 380. Colli, 22. Cologne, 188, 340. Colonna, 444. Comet, 505. Como, 281. Compiegne, 290, 331, 332. Conegliano, 59. Conegliano, Duke of, see Moncey. Confederation of the Rhine, 341. Coni, 22, 24. Consalvi, 153. Conscription, 91, 499. Conservatory, 357, 358. Constantinople, 56, 161, 162, 228, 232, 291, 475. Continental blockade, 251, 255, 277, 283, 339. Copenhagen, 279. Coppet, 283. Corbineau, 394. Cor eyre, the, 77. Cordova, 292. Corfu, 75, 85. Corneille, 469. Cornigliano, 129. Cornwallis, 185. Coronation, 191, 192. Correggio, 26. Corsaglia, 21. Corsica, 3-6, 8, 46, 601. Corte, 8. Corunna, 202. Corvisart, 337, 338, 440, 503. Cossacks, 349, 361, 365, 373, 374, 411, 418. Cosseria, 20. Council of State, 150, 151. Cour de France, 437. Craonne, 432. Crassus, 293. Cretet, 296. 297. Crevelt, 187. Cubo, 300. Cuesta, 293. Czartoriski, 253. Dalesme, 441. Dalmatia, Duke of, see Soult. Damanhour, 84. Damascus, 88. Damietta, 100. Dandolo, 65. Dantzig, 264, 265, 267, 269, 270, 341, 345, 346. Dantzig, Duke of, see Lefebvre. Daru, 201, 264, 290, 313, 398. Daunou, 115. Dauranne, 67. Daure, 420. Davout, 131, 196, 211, "215, 239, 243, 246, 248, 262, 263, 296, 308, 319, 339, 340, 342, 347, 348, 350, 352, 358-360, 376, 381, 449, 450, 455. D'Azara, 33. Decres, 174, 188, 196, 198, 203, 206, 291, 329, 341, 370. Dego, 19, 20, Delignette, 93. Delort, 458. Denmark, 279. Desaix, 67, 74, 81, 86, 88, 100, 101, 130, 131, 138, 139, 142, 145, 450, 476, 504, 508. Desaix, quai, 173. Deschamps, 346. Desenzano, 37. Despinoy, 29, 34, 40. Dessau, 247, 399, 401. Devaismes, 146. Dieppe, 164. Dijon, 127. Directoire, 18-25, 27-31, 33, 35, 39, 43- 45, 48, 54-62, 65-70, 72, 74, 79, 85-87, 91, 106. Divorce, 151, 152, 291, 292. INDEX 517 Djezzar Pasha, 87, 91, 92, 94-96, 98, 99. Dnieper, 351. Dniester, 334. Doktourof, 348. Dolgorouki, 197, 198. Dombrowski, 3C2, 376. Dommartin, 29, 88. Domnau, 271. Donauwerth, 209, 308.. Dornburg, 245. Dorogobouje, 352, 360. Doubrovna, 361. Dresden, 240, 242, 243, 276,345,367, 375, 380, 381, 383, 388, 389, 392, 395, 397, 399. Drinking, 473. Drissa, 350. Drouot, 379, 404, 441-446, 453. Duben, 401. Dubois, 337. Ducos, 114, 116. Dugommier, 12. Duhesme, 460. Dulanloy, 406. Dumas, 68. Dumolard, 66. Dumoulin, 236. Dumouriez, 178. Dunkirk, 74, 75, 171, 486. Dupont, 130, 235, 283, 291-296. Dupuy, 48. Durand, 197. Duroc, 47, 165, 166, 247, 274, 385, 388. Durosnel, 397. Durutte, 406. DUsseldorf, 340. Dwina, 334. Ebelsberg, 311. Ebersdorf , 312, 313. Eble, 363. Eckhardt, 235. Eckmubl, 309, 310, 319. Eckmuhl, Duke of, see Davout. Edinburgh, 165. Edkou, 102. Education, 85, 226, 228, 229, 469. Eggenwald, 63. Egypt, 8, 67, 69, 74, 75, 150, 172. El Arych, 92, 93. Elbe, 439-442, 445, 447. El Bekry, 104. Elbing, 258. ElbcEuf, 164. Elchingen, 212, 213. Elchingen, Duke of, see Ney. Electricity, 490. Elliot, 49. El Ramanyeh, 81, 84, 101. Empire proclaimed, 183. Enghien, Duke of, 179-181, 184, 473. England, 67, 69, 71, 72, 74, 75, 78, 121, 173, 179, 196, 203, 206, 207, 213, 227, 232, 251, 279, 469, 471, 474. Enns, 311. Enzersdorf, 312. Epernay, 436. Equality, 299. Erfurt, 240, 244, 246, 297, 298, 327, 376, 407, 408. Ergoltsbach, 309. Erlon d', 459, 481. Escurial, 287. Espinas, 303. Espinosa, 300, 301. Essling, 312, 313, 319. Ess! ing, Prince of, see Mass^na. Essonne, 437. Etaples, 172, 176, 185. Ettlingen. 209. Etoges, 423. Eugene, Prince, 65, 76, 107, 189, 190, 199, 223-224, 228, 230, 231, 265, 277, 279, 280, 310, 315, 316, 327, 344, 346, 348, 351, 352, 358, 359, 367,370, 371,373-377, 380, 381, 425, 434, 474, 497. Euphrates, 293, 474. Excommunication, 317. Eylau, 260-264, 271. Faenza, 56. Faypoult, 25, 31, 35. Fecamp, 165. Feldkirch, 103. Felke, 59. Feltre, Duke of, see Clarke. Ferdinand, Archduke, 211, 444. Ferdinand VII, of Spain, 286-290. Ferrara, 39, 45, 46, 57. Ferrol, 201-207. Fesch, 164, 191, 224, 442, 491. Finance, 114, 122, 176, 202, 229, 319, 320, 326, 372, 373, 452. Finkenstein, 266. Fismes, 432. Five Hundred, 67. Flahault, 457. Fleets, 291. Fleurus, 457, 458. Florence, 34. Flushing, 486. 518 INDEX Foligno, 67. Fontainebleau, 200, 280, 281, 324, 334. Fontana, 34. Forfait, 148, 148. Forli, 19. Fortune, 467, 474. Fouche, 126, 153, 157, 161, 191, 196-198, 235, 249, 256, 269, 275, 292, 315, 316, 319, 323, 330, 449, 463, 491. Fourier, 96. Fox, 186, 225, 235, 238, 480,481. Francis I, King of France, 26. Francis, Emperor, 43, 44, 63, 117, 139, 140, 142, 196, 219, 221, 317, 320, 323, 331, 334, 354, 367, 369, 382, 383, 428, 451, 483. Frankfort, 409. Frederick the Great, 143, 248, 485, 500. Frederick, King of Saxony, 367, 382. Frederick William III, 208, 237, 239, 241, 244, 246, 247, 275, 383, 493, 494. Freising, 309. Frejus, 105, 441. French Revolution, 7-16, 125, 147, 157. Friant, 396, 439. Friedland, 271-273, 380. Friendship, 166. Friesach, 60. Friuli, Duke of, see Duroc. Frotte, 123. Fructidor, 68, 70. Furstenstein, 284. Gallo, 62, 63, 179. Ganteaume, 84, 146, 187, 193-195, 201, 203, 207, 488. Gap, 448. Gardanne, 72, 267. Gardner, 201. Gamier, 40. Gatelli, 443. Gaud in, 114, 122. Gaultier, 40. Gaza, 86, 93. Gembloux, 458. Geneva, 130. Genoa, 4, 25, 35, 129, 130, 136. Geometry, 3, 7. George III, 116, 117. George, Prince Regent, 465, 474. Gera, 243, 244. Gerard, 420, 436, 455, 457, 473. Germany, 340, 341. Gerona, 326. Gersdorf, 380. Geyersberg, 397. Ghent, 171. Ghjiatsk, 352, 360. Girard, 379. Glory, 467, 469, 470. Glogau, 344. Gloubokoie, 350. Gobain, 159, 160. Gobelins, 202. God, 479, 480. Godoy, see Prince of Peace. Goerlitz, 393, 394, 397. Gohier, 108, 109. Golfe Jouan, 447. Golymin, 256. Goritz, 59. Gotha, 408. Gourgaud, 479, 494. Government, 69, 118, 121, 122, 140, 146, 158, 182, 184, 199, 200, 225, 226, 268, 281, 282, 321. Gozzo, 77. Granville, 173. Gravina, 195, 196. Greece, 472. Grenoble, 448, 449. Grenville, 165. Grobert, 88, 89. Grouchy, 365, 432, 458-460, 462, 481. Guadarrama, 302, 303. Guadeloupe, 156. Guieu, 49, 61. Guignes, 423, 424. Gustavus Adolphus, 403. Guttstadt, 273. Guyon, 351. Gyulai, 221. Gyzeh, 83. Haag, 214. Habits, 6, 231. Hagenau, 387. Halle, 402-404, 408. Hamburg, 374, 381, 385. Hanau, 409. Hannibal, 143, 485. Hanover, 225. Harel, 179. Hartau, 398. Harville, 215. Hatzfeldt, 225, 250. Hautpoul, d', 210. Havre, 164, 173, 486. H^douville, 123, 169. Heilsberg, 273. Heinrichsdorf, 272. INDEX 519 Henry IV, 181, 198, 294, 474. Henry, Prince, of Prussia, 246. History, 229, 268, 475, 481, 487, 492. Hoche, 67, 72, 476. Hof, 239, Hohenlinden, 146. Hohenlohe, 249, 295. Holland, 228, 332. Holzhausen, 406. Hortense, 107, 189, 190, 266, 267, 317, 464. Humanity, 468, 480. Hungary, 341. Ibrahim Bey, 86, 96. Ikazni, 349. Iller, 211. Imagination, 140, 482, 483, 503. Imolan, 147. India, 285. Ingolstadt, 209, 308. Inn, 211. Inquisition, 302. Insterburg, 346. Institute of Egypt, 85. Institute of France, 321. Ireland, 187, 188. Isar, 209. Isonzo, 59, 63. Italian Opera, 5. Ivan, 337. Ivernoie, 165. Ivrea, 133. Jaffa, 93, 94, 100. Jauer, 387. Jena, 242-247, 251, 253, 273, 380, 475, 485, 494. John, Archduke, 315. Jomini, 350, 393. Josephine, 18, 26, 30, 34-36, 40-51, 56, 57, 83, 92, 93, 106, 107, 131, 133, 142, 147, 167, 185, 189-191, 193, 203, 204, 209, 211- 213, 215, 220, 244, 245-247, 250, 252,254, 256-259, 265, 270, 273, 275, 276, 280, 298, 304, 311, 313, 315, 317, 323-328, 332,346, 442, 477, 478, 497, 500. Jouarre, 431. Joubersthon, 282. Joubert, 37, 48, 53, 54, 72, 74, 91. Jourdan, 103, 106, 108, 114. Judenburg, 61. Jullien, 101. Junot, 12-14, 22, 62, 92, 96, 105, 142, 176, 215, 265, 281, 286, 296, 299, 357, 359. Kaja, 378-380. Kalitchy, 155. Kalmucks, 273. Kaluga, 357. Kamen, 350. Kant, 227. Kaunitz, 219. Keilenfels, 235. Keith, 174. Kellermann, Marshal, 28, 44, 371, 373, 408. Kellermann, General, 139. Kent, 188. Kief, 356, 357. Kilmaine, 37. Kirgener, 385. Klagenfurt, 60. Kleber, 74, 76, 79, 84, 86, 91, 98, 101, 104, 105, 145, 476, 505. Klein, 245. Kleist, 429, 433. Klix, 384. Knobelsdorf , 241. Koenigsberg, 255, 262, 276, 346. Koscziusko, 249. Kotzebue, 383. Kourakine, 321. Koutousoff, 357. Kovno, 347. Kozieltuski, 301. Krasnoie, 359. Kremlin, 358, 359. Kronach, 241. Kiistrin, 249, 252. La Bouillerie, 258. La Bruyere, 36. La Corona, 36, 37. Lacretelle, 260. Lacroix, 375. La Favorita, 53. Lafayette, 150, 435. La F6re, 4. La Ferte-sous-Jouarre, 423. Lantte, 507. Laforest, 239. Laharpe, 19, 20, 24, 26. La Haye, 187. Lalande, 51. Landsberg, 210, 211, 262. Landshut, 309. Langeron, 432. Langles, 75. Lannes, 20, 26, 27, 32, 42, 48-60, 53, 72, 77, 93, 94, 97, 104, 131, 147, 161, 208, 520 INDEX 210, 211, 215, 218, 242, 243, 245, 249, 255, 271, 272, 284, 313, 314, 467, 473. Lanusse, 48. Laon, 432, 433, 456. Laplace, 165, 338. La Rothiere, 417. Las Cases, 472, 489, 490. La Touche TrevUle, 186. La Tour, 24. Latour-Maubourg, 401. Lauben, 394. Lauderdale, 235. Lauriston, 194, 202, 344, 370, 378, 382, 385, 405, 407. Lausanne, 130. Lavalette, 462. Law, 69, 85, 122, 124, 128, 129, 144, 150, 151, 227, 299. Learning, 73. Lebmn, 453. Lecamus, 284. Lech, 209, 211, 308. Lecourbe, 126. Leczinski, 443. Lefebvre, Marshal, 74, 265, 308, 365. Lefebvre, Gen., 292. Legendre, 305. Leghorn, 27, 33. Legion of Honour, 160. Legnago, 52, 53. Leibnitz, 172. Leignitz, 386, 387. Leipzig, 334, 377, 378, 399, 400, 402-406. Leloha, 101. Leoben, 61, 62. L6on, 122. Lesegno, 21. Levenkau, 378. Liberty, 6, 32, 299. Liebert, 177. Liebstadt, 271, 397. Liechtenstein, 219, 221, 323. Ligny, 458, 481. Lindenau, 407. Linz, 215. Lippe, 339. Lisbon, 281, 283, 295, 299, 336. Literature, 251, 252. Livingston, 181. Loano, 14. Lobau, 312, 313, 316. Lobau, Cte. de, see Mouton. Lochnitza, 313. Lodi, 27. Loewenberg, 327. Loison, 375. Lombardy, 14, 24, 32. Lonato, 37, 38, 494. London, 58, 170. Long-wood, 470, 481. Longwy, 10. Loretto, 33, 57. Louis XVI, 9, 10, 142. Louis XVIII, 145, 451. Louis le D^bonnaire, 278. Louis, Prince of Prussia, 243. Louisa, Queen, 241, 244, 246, 247, 249, 257, 275, 276. Love, 6, 7, 36, 167. Lowe, Hudson, 476, 477, 482-484, 493, 495-498, 505. Llibeck, 250. Lucay, 251. Lucca, 439. Lucchesini, 236, 247. Ludwigsburg, 209, 308. Lun6ville, 146, 149. LUtzen, 377-380. Lyons, 5, 141, 156, 157, 195, 255, 449,487. Macdonald, 379, 394, 396, 403, 406, 407, 415, 436. Macerata, 56. Mack, 295. Macquart, 40. Madagascar, 148, 149. Madrid, 287, 288, 301, 302. Maffliers, 173. Magdeburg, 247, 250. Maida, 234. Mainz, 14, 238, 376, 396, 410, 486. Maison, 451. Maitland, 465. Makow, 259. Malesherbes, 439. Malmaison, 125, 332, 464. Malo-Yaroslavetz, 359. Malta, 69, 77, 78, 81, 85, 130, 154, 167, 168, 232. Mameluks, 78-81, 83, 86, 92. Manners, 473. 474, 493. Mantua, 27, 30, 31, 34-38, 52, 54, 56, 58, 68, 103-105. Manscourt, 87. Manufactures, 85, 149, 156, 196. Marbot, 216, 272. Marcaria, 37. Marcate, 210, 211. Marceau, 476. Marchand, 506. INDEX 521 Marengo, 136-139, 142, 145, 211,272-274, 485. Marat, 149, 267, 283, 319, 320, 339, 360, 361, 363, 365, 371, 385-387, 398. Maria Louisa, 328-331,337-340, 344, 387, 391, 410, 415, 419, 420, 422, 435, 440, 443, 444, 449, 453, 454, 480, 486, 491, 500, 503, 506, 507. Marmirolo, 35. Marmont, 14, 77, 90, 93, 101, 104, 132, 178, 188, 212, 215, 343, 370, 377, 378, 381, 384, 398, 399, 402-106, 419, 421,431-433,437, 438. Marracq, 292, 411. Marriage, 151, 152, 258, 259, 266, 267, 477, 478. Marseillais, 10. Marseilles, 11, 12, 161. Martigny, 131. Mary Caroline, 221. Massena, 19, 20, 27, 30, 37, 39-41, 47-49, 52-54, 61, 63, 72, 116, 124, 126, 128, 129, 130, 136, 141, 206-208, 308-310, 319, 335, 451, 473, 476, 508. Mathematics, 7, 9, 488, 499, 501. Mattel, 43, 46, 55. Maximilian Joseph, see Bavaria, King of. Meaux, 423, 435. Mfcanique Ctteste, 165. Mecca, 498. Medicine, 503. Medina de Rio Seco, 293. Meissen, 400. Melas, 125, 129, 130, 132-139. Melzi, 65. Memmingen, 211. Memory, 306. Meneval, 443, 453, 486. Menou, 17, 86, 93. Menouf, 104. Merseburg, 377. Merveldt, 61, 62, 72, 405. Mery, 436. Metternich, 279, 306, 307, 382, 389, 390, 414, 429. Metz, 437, 486. Meunier, 40. Michaud, 90. Michael Angelo, 2. Mikhailovka, 360. Milan, 25, 27-29, 43, 51, 63, 66, 133, 134, 140, 197, 282, 283, 605. Milhaud, 392, 458. Military art, see War. Millesimo, 20. Miloradovitch, 380. Mincio, 30, 31. Minsk, 354, 361. Miot, 434. Mirabeau, 7. Miseritz, 252. Modena, 25, 45. Moka, 90. Mohilef, 350. Mohrungen, 271. Mojaisk, 353, 354, 357, 359. Moldavia, 251, 356, 357. Mollendorf, 246. Mollien, 452. Molodetchna, 364. Mombello, 65. Moncey, 238, 285, 438. Mondovi, 21, 23. Monge, 32, 33, 75, 104. Moniteur, 263, 481. Montalivet, 411, 429. Mt. Cenis, 160, 200, 486. Montebello, 42, 136, 137. Montebello, Duke of, see Lannes. Montebello, Duchess of, 337. Montechiaro, 36, 37. Montenotte, 20, 466. Montereau, 424, 425, 427. Montesquieu, 69. Montesquieu, 364. Montesquieu, Mme. de, 351, 387, 444, 454. Mt. Genevre, 160, 486. Montholon, 479, 507. Montholon, Mme. de, 485. Montmirail, 419, 421, 423, 425, 426. Mont St. Jean, 459-461. Monuments, 487. Moore, 303, 474. Morand, 387. Moravia, 215. Moreau, 63, 107, 115, 116, 122, 125, 127, 129, 135, 148, 177, 178, 184, 393, 396. Mortier, 170, 172, 272, 358, 359, 373, 379, 385, 396, 404, 411. Moscow, 352, 354-358, 495. Moskowa, Prince of, see Ney. Mounier, 137. Mount Carmel, 94. Mount Thabor, 96, 99. Moustache, 304. Mouton, 449, 459. Muhldorf, 310. Muiron, 47, 49. 522 INDEX Afwiron, la, 106, 270. Munich, 211, 214, 215, 220, 222, 323. Munster, 339. Murad Bey, 82. Murat, 20, 21, 32, 40, 48, 99, 102-104, 112, 123, 133, 134, 136, 149, 152, 179, 193, 205-208, 210-215, 218, 228, 238, 242, 245, 247, 249, 250, 252-255, 261, 271, 285-293, 311, 315, 321, 349-353, 358, 365, 367, 371, 393, 395, 401-405, 422, 430, 434, 444, 470, 471, 473. Muscat, 90. Music, 254. Mustafa Pasha, 102-104. Namur, 172. Nancy, 436. Nangis, 424. Naples, 27, 170, 221, 222, 290. Naples, King of, see Bonaparte, Jo- seph, and Murat. Napoleon, see St. Napoleon. Narbonne, Cte., 398. Narew, 255. Naumburg, 243, 245, 246, 377. Navy, 487, 488. . Nazareth, 96, 97. Nelson, 84, 172, 176, 185, 193, 193-197, 200,204. Netherwood, 94. Neufchatel, Prince of, see Berthier. Ney, 208-211, 215, 239, 245, 247, 270,272, 285, 295, 300, 346, 349, 352, 353, 359, 361, 362, 373, 375, 377-379, 381-383,385, 393, 396-399, 402, 430, 449, 450, 452, 455, 457-459, 462, 481. Nice, 10, 18, 161, 486. Nieder Kayna, 383. Niemen, 260, 273, 274. Nile, 78. Nogent, 419, 427. Nois, 105. Normandy, 164. Northumberland, 466. Novara, 133, 134. Nuremberg, 214. Ochmiana, 348. O'Connor, 187. Okunin, 255. Old Guard, 327, 418, 419, 422, 434, 437, 439-441, 459, 461. Olmette, 10. O'Meara, 473, 495, 497, 500. Otranto, Duke of, see Fouche. Oneglia, 19. Opera, 231. Opportunity, 70. Orange, Prince of, 246. Orcha, 361, 362. Orient, 74, 75, 77, 78, 85, 98. Orleans, Duke of, 179. Orsay, quai d', 173. Ostend, 171. Osterode, 262, 264. Ott, 136. Otto, 307, 329. Oudinot, 215, 272, 308, 346, 362, 363, 383, 386, 393, 395, 396, 404, 438. Ourcq canal, 173. Pae'r, 254. Paine, 126. Pajol, 392, 458. Palafox, 292, 301, 315. Palais Royal, 6. Palmanova, 59, 63. Pamplona, 392. Paoli, 4, 11. Papacy, 33, 39, 43, 46, 56-58, 312, 328, 336. Parma, 25, 486. Parma, Duke of, 24, 25, 43. Partha, 405. Passariano, 72. Passenheim, 260. Patterson, Miss, 195, 196, 300, 301. Paul, Czar, 152, 153, 184. Pauline, 181, 182, 296. Pavia, 26, 28, 29, 32, 34, 197. Peace, Prince of, 153, 154, 286-288, 290. Pegri, 387. People, 467. Perree, 83. Persia, 162, 267. Peschiera, 30, 31. Pfaflenhofen, 309. Philip V, 294. Philippeville, 461. Piacenza, 25, 200. Piacenza, Duke of, 25. Piave, 59, 67, 310. Pichegru, 165, 177, 178, 476. Piedmont, 14, 161. Pillage, 21-23, 44, 53. Pijon, 48. Piney, 417. Pitt, 165, 225, 471, 481. Pire, 301. Pirna, 397. INDEX 523 Pistoja, 33. Pithiviers, 438, 439. Pius VII, 154, 188, 191, 224, 277, 278, 368, 434. Piveron, 76. Plechtchennisky, 364. Plombteres, 203. Plymouth, 165. Po, 24-26. Poland, 42, 252-254, 258, 318, 333, 357, 358,409. Police, 490. Polotsk, 350, 360. Pompey's Column, 79, 91. Foniatowski, 253, 352, 353, 406, 407. Pons, 447. Pont de Briques, 185, 203. Portalis, 144, 152, 158. Porto Ferrajo, 441. Portugal, 277, 281, 290. Fosthenen, 272. Post Office, 491. Potsdam, 248. Poussielgue, 101. Poverty, 144. Prague, 392. Preilitz, 384. Pressburg, 221. Provera, 20, 56. Prussia, 225, 232, 240, 340. Prussia, King of, see Frederick Wil- liam III. Przasnysz, 259. Pultusk, 255, 256. Pyramids, 82. Raab, 315. Racine, 469, 501. Ragusa, 228. Ragusa, Duke of, see Marmont. Ramadan, 91. Rambouillet, 235, 279, 307, 329. Rampon, 37, 48, 72, 82. Rapp, 341, 358, 450. Rastadt, 72. Ratisbon, 307-310. Raynouard, 199, 256. Real, 180. Red Sea, 90. Reggio, 45. Reggio, Duke of, see Oudinot. Regnier, 76, 92, 167, 171, 173, 177, 234, 375, 401. Reichenbach, 393. Reims, 434. Reinosa, 300. Religion, 43, 78, 80, 81, 102, 135, 144, 145, 158, 159, 162, 188, 226, 229, 288, 480, 496, 507. Remusat, 184, 388. Rendnitz, 403. Revolution, 413. Rhone, 12. Ried, 214. Rimini, 170. Rivoli, 37, 47, 48, 54, 55, 103, 117. Rivoli, Duke of, see Massena. Rochefort, 295, 465. Rohr, 309. Roize, 103. Romagna, 68. Romanzoff, 285, 327. Rome, 27, 55, 285, 302, 487. Rome, King of, 337, 338, 352, 414, 419, 420, 430, 431, 435, 451, 453. 454, 463, 491, 500, 506. Ronco, 49. Rosetta, 101, 104. Rostock, 340. Rostopchin, 355. Rotterdam, 255. Rouen, 163, 164. Rousseau, 4, 5, 167. Roustan, 396. Roverbella, 31, 34, 36, 37, 53, 64. Roveredo, 41, 42, 47. Rovigo, Duke of, see Savary. RUchel, 246. Rurik, 128. Russia, 333, 340. Saalfeld, 239, 242, 243, 271. Sacken, 417, 421, 432, 433. Safed, 96. St. Amand, 458. St. Bernard, 127, 131, 132. St. Cloud, 279, 296, 299. St. Cyr, 74, 170, 373, 395, 401. St. Dizier, 417. Ste. Croix, 315. Ste. Marguerite, 256. St. Etienne, 156. St. George, 54. St. Germain, 285. St. Gotthard, 126, 127. St. Helena, 188, 466. St. Hilaire, 48, 261. St. .Ii jlm, see Acre. St. Malo, 173. St. Marsan, 371. 524 INDEX St Napoleon, 497. St. Petersburg, 345. St. Poelten, 311. St. Quentin, 149. St. Regent, 147. St. Valery, 165. Salheyeh, 100. Saliceti, 12-14, 37, 130, 320. San Giulano, 137, 138. San Marco, 54. Sans Souci, 248. Santander, 289, 292. Santarem, 335. Santini, 483. Saragossa, 292. Sardinia, 10, 14, 19, 24. Sauret, 37, 40. Savary, 146, 265, 280, 281, 284, 292, 308, 334, 341, 388, 392, 399, 410, 416, 420, 426, 434. Savona, 486. Savoy, 10. Scheiffling, 61. Scherer, 103, 106. Schleiz, 243. Schlitt, 260. Schoenbrunn, 215, 220, 311, 314, 315, 317, 320, 322. Schwarzenberg, 328, 363, 401, 418, 422, 424, 425, 429, 430. Schwerin, 249. Science, 73. Scipio, 485. Scotland, 165. Scriva, 137. Sebastiani, 349, 358, 408. Segur, 5. Selim, Sultan, 250, 251. Sembvo, 360. Senno, 443. Sepulveda, 302. Serrurier, 21, 37, 38, 40, 59, 67. Serve, 7. Sesia, 133. Sevres, 280. Sezanne, 421, 430, 435. Shakespeare, 469. Sicily, 232. Sieves, 114-116, 157. Simplon, 126, 160, 486. Skaisgirren, 273. Skal, 139. Slavery, 469. Smith, S., 94, 95, 488. Smolensk, 351, 354, 356, 360, 361, 364. Smorgoni, 367. Society, 227. Soissons, 432, 433, 456. Soldiers, 30, 31, 154. Solferino, 38, 39. Solomon, 91. Sombreffe, 458. Somosierra, 301, 302. Sorbier, 362, 406. Souham,177, 379. Soult, 176-178, 196, 209-211, 215, 216, 218, 239, 241, 243, 245, 247, 250, 261, 304, 369, 384, 385, 390, 392, 455, 467. Spain, 318, 340, 341. Spain, Queen of, 134. Spezzia, 486. Spree, 399. Stael, Mme. de, 167, 173, 198, 265, 209, 283, 487. Stahremberg, 444. Staps, 322, 323. Stein, 370, 383. Steingel, 26, 508. Stephanie of Baden, 233. Stettin, 249. Stockach, 129. Stolpen, 394. Stradella, 135, 136. Strassburg, 208, 308. Studienka, 363, 365. Stupinigi, 195. Stuttgardt, 215, 220, 224. Suchet, 128, 132, 210, 336, 473. Suez, 89, 90, 150. Suicide, 4, 502. Sulkowsky, 47. Surinam, 255. Swiss Guard, 10. Switzerland, 148. Syout, 86. Syria, 87. Tiger, 95. Tilsit, 273, 274-276, 327, 339, 348, 493, 494. Tippoo Sahib, 76, 90. Title, 321. Toby, 469. Tolentino, 57, 68. Tolosa, 300. Tolstoi, 281, 284. Torgau, 397. Tortona, 22, 25, 28, 32, 104, 127, 134. Toulon, 11-13, 69, 76, 85, 144. Toulouse, 294. INDEX 525 Tournon, 286. Tragedy, 256. Traun, 311. Trebbia, 105. Trelliard, 438. Trent, 41. Treviso, Duke of, see Mortier. Trianon, 326, 328, 339. Trieste, 44, 63. Troitzkoie, 358. Tableau des Sabines, 126. Tagliamento, 59. Talavera, 319. Talleyrand, 134, 148, 153, 154, 161, 165, 169, 197, 205, 216, 219-221, 225, 232, 264, 267, 271, 277, 305, 306, 419, 420, 473, 491. Talma, 184. Taranto, 150, 168. Taranto, Duke of, see Macdonald. Tarragona, 337. Tascher, Count, 425. Tauenzien, 242. Tchichagof, 363. Tenda, 160. Teplitz, 397. Thames, 165. Thann, 310. Theatre Franyais, 357,358. Theseus, 95. Thevenin, 44. Thorn, 345. Thouin, 32. Ticino, 134. Tronchet, 144. Troyes, 194, 427, 430, 436. Tschernitchef , 336, 344. Tudela, 301. Tuileries, 9, 10. Turenne, 143. Turin, 24, 104, 200, 487. Turkey, 15, 57. Tuscany, 324. Tuscany, Duke of, 43. Tweeddale, Lord, 186. Tyrol, 14, 24. Ulm, 135, 209-213. Undaunted, 441. Urbino, 57. Valais, 148. Valeggio, 30, 207. Valence, 4, 7, 441. Valenza, 24, 26. Valladolid, 283, 304, 305. Valmy, Duke of, see Kellennann. Valvasone, 59. Vandamme, 395, 396. Var, 12. Vaubois, 41, 47, 48. Vauchamps, 423. Vedel, 293. Velije, 351. Velitchevo, 352. Vence, 308. Vendee, 15, 131. Vendemiaire, 16, 17, 70, 144, 466. Venice, 31, 35, 43, 51, 52, 58, 62, 63, 65, 68, 71, 221, 486, 505. Venloo, 187. Vercelli, 133. Verdier, 39, 49. Verdun, 10. Ver Huell, 195. Verne, 49. Verona, 34, 39, 42, 46-52, 54. Viazma, 352, 358, 360. Vicenza, Duke of, see Caulaincourt. Vico, 21. Victoire, rue de la, 73. Victor, 48, 56, 57, 72, 272, 283, 344, 360, 361, 363, 395, 411, 415, 420, 424, 426, 432, 437, 438, 451. Vienna, 60, 63, 68, 215. Vignolle, 49. Villacastin, 303. Villach, 60. Villaf ranca, 48. Villanova, 47, 49. Villeneuve, 187, 194-198, 200-207. Villoutreys, 457. Vilna, 345, 347, 348, 350, 354, 363, 367. Vincennes, 179. Virgil, 36, 502. Visconti, Mme., 489. Vistula, 345. Vitebsk, 350, 351. Vittoria, 281, 283, 300, 390, 496. Vitry, 416. Voghera, 136. Vohburg, 309. Volney, 8. Voltaire, 167. Voronzoff, 432. Voronovo, 349. Wachau, 405. Wagram, 317, 319, 475. WalUheim, 386. 526 INDEX Walewska, Mme., 237, 258, 439. Wallachia, 251. Walther, 210. War, 52, 12V, 128, 143, 144, 166, 262, 263, 269, 2%, 306, 310, 311, 316, 318, 321, 322, 498, 499. Warden, 490. Warsaw, 253, 255-257, 264, 266, 334, 364, 386. Washington, 123. Waterloo, 459, 470, 471, 479, 481, 495. Wealth, 144. Wehlau, 346. Weimar, 246, 249, 298, 376, 377. Weissenfels, 377, 408. Wellington, 335, 365, 469, 488. Werneck, 213, 214. Wertingen, 209, 210. Wesel, 340. Whitworth, 165, 169. Wilkowyski, 347. Willenberg, 259. Willot, 165. Wimereux, 174, 185. Wittenberg, 248, 400. Wittgenstein, 363, 402. Witziugerode, 432, 433. Wolkersdorf , 317. Women, 5, 7, 14, 172, 193, 230, 231, 254, 256,494. Words, 495. Work, 122, 485, 486. Wrede, 308. Wurmser, 33, 38, 39. Wurschen, 384, 385. Wurtemberg, 209. Wurtemberg, King of, 238, 239. Wiirzburg, 238, 239. WUrzen, 401. Wyndham, 165. Xenophon, 75. Yarmouth, Lord, 235. Yelvia, 360. York T. Wartenberg, 370, 433. Zach, 138. Zama, 76. Zanivki, 363. Zajonchek, 362. Zara, 228. Zeeland, 319. Zittau, 394. Znaym, 317. Zusmarshuusen, 210. CAMBRIDGE . MASSACHUSETTS U . S . A RETURN TO ^ COLLEGE LIBRARY, UCLA LOAN PERIOD 1^ ^ 2 - 3 4 5 6 DUE AS STAMPED BELOW MW 08 '80 14 DAY ~*. M/V - - 1 - j HIM ^J '01 1/1 HAV JM ol UMT. Mfi/2181 RECCL 31'82 14UAY. w , H2^ C i UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES, CA. 90024 UCLA-College UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY A 001 015022 5