Chapter 19

FOOTNOTES:[1]There was an absurd debate about the spelling of the name, which became, as trifles often do, a sort of party question. Buonaparte had disused the superfluousu, which his father retained in the name, and adopted a more modern spelling. This was represented on one side as an attempt to bring his name more nearly to the French idiom; and, as if it had been a matter of the last moment, the vowel was obstinately replaced in the name, by a class of writers who deemed it politic not to permit the successful general to relinquish the slightest mark of his Italian extraction, which was in every respect impossible for him either to conceal or to deny, even if he had nourished such an idea. In his baptismal register, his name is spelled Napoleone Bonaparte, though the father subscribes, Carlo Buonaparte. The spelling seems to have been quite indifferent.—S.—"During Napoleon's first campaign in Italy, he dropped theu. In this change he had no other motive than to assimilate the orthography to the pronunciation, and to abbreviate his signature."—Bourrienne, tom. i., p. 3.[2]The book alluded to is entitled "Ragguaglio Storico di tutto l'occorso, giorno per giorno, nel Sacco de Roma dell anno 1527, scritto da Jacopo Buonaparte, gentiluomo Samminiatese, chi vi si trovò presente." In 1568, a Giuseppe Buonaparte published a comedy, entitled "La Vedova." Copies of both these works are in the British Museum.[3]Paul the Fifth.[4]"I sent Clarke to Florence as ambassador, where he employed himself in nothing but turning over the old musty records of the place, in search of proofs of the nobility of my family. He so plagued me with letters upon the subject, that I was forced to bid him cease from troubling either his head or mine with this nonsense about nobility,—that I was thefirstof my family."—Napoleon,Voice, &c., vol. i., p. 401.[5]"They were of Tuscan origin. In the middle ages they figured as senators of the republics of Florence, San Miniato, Bologna, Sarzana, and Treviso, and as prelates attached to the Court of Rome."—Napoleon,Memoirs, vol. iii., y. 7.[6]Las Cases, vol. i., p. 108.[7]Died at Trieste, 9th August, 1820. "On accidentally reading, at St. Helena, the account of her death, Napoleon exclaimed, 'Eliza has just shown us the way; death, which seemed to have overlooked our family, now begins to strike it. I shall be the next to follow her to the grave.'"—Antommarchi, vol. i., p. 384.[8]She died at the Borghese Palace, near Florence, 9th June, 1825.[9]"I was quietly pursuing my studies whilst my father was struggling against the violence of a painful agony. He died, and I had not the consolation to close his eyes: that sad duty was reserved for Joseph, who acquitted himself of it with all the zeal of an affectionate son."—Napoleon, Antommarchi, vol. i., p. 240.[10]"The patrimonial house of Napoleon, at present in the possession of M. Ramolini, member of the Chamber of Deputies for the department of Corsica, continues an object of great veneration with travellers and military men."—Benson'sCorsica, p. 4.[11]Las Cases, vol. i., p. 120.[12]"In my infancy I was noisy and quarrelsome, and feared nobody. I beat one, scratched another, and made myself formidable to all."—Napoleon, Antommarchi, vol. i., p. 327.[13]Benson's Sketches of Corsica, p. 4.—S.[14]The mother of Letitia Ramolini, wife of Carlo Buonaparte, married a Swiss officer in the French service, named Fesch, after the death of Letitia's father.—S.[15]They were, many years since, communicated to the author by Messrs. Joseph and Louis Law, brothers of General Lauriston, Buonaparte's favourite aide-de-camp. These gentlemen, or at least Joseph, were educated at Brienne, but at a later period than Napoleon. Their distinguished brother was his contemporary.—S.[16]Father Petrault was subsequently secularized, and joined the army of Italy, where he served his pupil in the capacity of secretary. On Buonaparte's return from Egypt, he found him a corpulent financier; but commencing usurer, he was soon reduced to beggary. Napoleon granted him a pension sufficient for his subsistence.—Las Cases, vol. i., p. 119.[17]Las Cases, vol. i., p. 120.[18]The following is a copy of Keralio's report:—"M. de Buonaparte, (Napoleon,) born 15th August, 1769, height four feet, ten inches, ten lines, has finished his fourth course; of good constitution, excellent health, of submissive character, upright, grateful, and regular in conduct; has always been distinguished for application to the mathematics. He is tolerably well acquainted with history and geography; he is deficient in the ornamental branches, and in Latin, in which he has only completed his fourth course. He will make an excellent sailor: he deserves to pass to the military school at Paris."—M. de Keralio, a highly accomplished man, who had been tutor in the royal family of Bavaria, died in 1793.[19]"Paoli often patted me on the head, saying, 'You are one of Plutarch's men.' He divined that I should be something extraordinary."—Napoleon,Voice, &c., vol. i., p. 251.[20]"This story, though incorrect as to Napoleon, was true as to one of his comrades, Dupont de Chambon."—Arnoult,Vie de Napoleon, p. 3.[21]Las Cases, vol. i., p. 129. A copy of the Essay had, however, been taken by his brother Louis. It was published in 1826 by Gourgaud.[22]Las Cases, vol. i., p. 135.[23]A copy of this letter is given in the Appendix,No. I. A few months after it was written, Paoli, in consequence of Mirabeau's motion for the recall of the Corsican exiles, left England for Corsica.[24]Las Cases, vol. ii., p. 345.[25]"This passage is not correct. I recollect very well, that, on my account, a larger and more commodious apartment was assigned to my brother than to the other officers of the same rank. I had a good chamber and an excellent bed. My brother directed my studies, but I had proper masters, even in literature."—Louis Buonaparte, p. 26.[26]Norvins, tom. i., p. 19.[27]The letter to Buttafuoco is a diatribe against that Corsican nobleman, who had been, during the wars with France, a strong opponent of the liberties of his country. He had been, of course, the enemy of the family of Paoli, to which Napoleon at this time was warmly attached. We have preserved the composition entire, because, though the matter be uninteresting, the rough and vivid style of invective is singularly characteristic of the fiery youth, whose bosom one of his teachers compared to a volcano surcharged with molten granite, which it poured forth in torrents, whenever his passions were excited.—See Appendix,No. II.[28]Seeante, vol. i., p.163; Las Cases, vol. iii., p. 143; and Bourrienne, tom. i., p. 48.[29]La Combe Saint Michel was afterwards employed by Napoleon in Italy, Spain, and Germany. He died in 1812.[30]During the reign of Joseph, he was appointed minister of police at Naples, where he died in 1809.[31]Napoleon, Memoirs, vol. iv., p. 51.[32]Such is the report of the Corsicans concerning the alleged first exploit of their celebrated countryman. See Benson'sSketches, p. 4. But there is room to believe that Buonaparte had been in action so early as February, 1793. Admiral Truguet, with a strong fleet, and having on board a large body of troops, had been at anchor for several weeks in the Corsican harbours, announcing a descent upon Sardinia. At length, having received on board an additional number of forces, he set sail on his expedition. Buonaparte is supposed to have accompanied the admiral, of whose talent and judgment he is made in the Saint Helena MSS., to speak with great contempt. Buonaparte succeeded in taking some batteries in the straits of Saint Bonifacio; but the expedition proving unsuccessful, they were speedily abandoned.—S.—For an account of the expedition to Sardinia, seeNapoleon's Memoirs, vol. i., p. 5.[33]"As you quit the town, the first object that presents itself is a little fountain on the left, which, except the pavement of the quay, is the only public work of Buonaparte, for the place of his birth."—Benson.[34]Benson's Sketches of Corsica, p. 121.—S.[35]Not literally, however; for it is worth mentioning, that when he was in full-blown possession of his power, an inheritance fell to the family, situated near Ajaccio, and was divided amongst them. The First Consul, or Emperor, received an olive garden as his share.—Sketches of Corsica.—S.[36]Montholon, tom. iii., p. 14.—Nothing can be more inaccurate than to term theSouper de Beaucairea Jacobin pamphlet, although it is unquestionably written to urge the Federalists to submit to their inevitable fate, and avert extremity by doing so in time. The work is nearly free from the cant language of the day. There is no mention of liberty, equality, fraternity, or the rights of man, &c.—no abstract discussion of political principles. The whole merits of the dispute betwixt Paris and the departments are hurried over with little or no argument. Buonaparte urges the Marseillois to submission, not because the principles which dictated their insurrection were erroneous, but because they had not means to maintain successful resistance; not because they had been confuted by the Jacobins in argument, but because they were unequal to the task of contending with them by force. In after time, however, he called in and destroyed every copy of theSouper de Beaucairewhich could be found, so that only one remained, from which the recent reprint of Monsieur Pancoucke has been executed.—S.—As remarkable specimens of Napoleon's easy style and habits of thinking, the opening and closing parts of this pamphlet are given, translated into English, inNo. III.of the Appendix to this volume.[37]His lordship died the 7th of April, 1831.[38]In 1797 created Baron Keith. He died in 1823.[39]Seeante, vol. i., p.300.[40]This letter appeared in theMoniteur, 10th December, 1793. But as the town of Toulon was taken a few days afterwards, the Convention voted the letter a fabrication.—S.—"This was unfair; for it was genuine, and gave a just idea of the opinion that prevailed when it was written, respecting the issue of the siege, and of the difficulties that prevailed in Provence."—Napoleon,Memoirs, vol. i., p. 22.[41]Las Cases, vol. i., p. 140.[42]It was to Gasparin that Napoleon was indebted for the triumph of his plan over the objections of the committees of the Convention. He preserved a grateful recollection of this circumstance, as appears by his will. It was Gasparin, he used to say, who had first opened his career.—Las Cases, vol. i., p. 144.[43]Las Cases, vol. i., p. 147.[44]Las Cases, vol. i., p. 154.[45]Napoleon says six thousand.—Gourgaud, tom. i., p. 17.[46]Gourgaud, tom. i., p. 24.[47]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 223; Toulongeon, tom. iv., p. 88; Napoleon's Memoirs, vol. i., p. 25; Rivington's Annual Register, 1793, p. 415.[48]Moniteur, 28th December.[49]"Amongst those who chiefly distinguished themselves are the citizens Buonaparte, commandant of the artillery, Arena, and Gervoni."—Dugommierto the Minister of War.[50]Rivington's Annual Register, 1793, p. 415.[51]James's Naval History, vol. i., p. 115; Thiers, tom. vi., p. 59.—"The total number borne away amounted to 14,877."—Mémoires de Joubert, p. 75.[52]Mr. Graham of Balgowan, now Lord Lynedoch. He marched out on one of the sorties, and when the affair became hot, seized the musket and cartouch-box of a fallen soldier, and afforded such an example to the troops, as contributed greatly to their gaining the object desired.—S.[53]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 226; Lacretelle, tom. xi., p. 189.[54]Montholon, tom. iii., p. 13; Jomini, tom. iv., p. 226; Las Cases, vol. i., p. 153.[55]Las Cases, vol. i., p. 152.[56]"Dugommier wrote to the Committee of Public Safety, soliciting the rank of brigadier-general for him, and concluded with these words, 'Reward this young man, and promote him, for should he be ungratefully treated, he will promote himself.'"—Napoleon,Montholon, tom. iii., p. 15.Dugommier was killed on the following November, by the bursting of a field-piece. Napoleon bequeathed to his descendant 100,000 francs, "as a testimonial of gratitude for the esteem, affection, and friendship of that brave and intrepid general."[57]Gourgaud, tom. i., p. 30.[58]An Englishman will probably remember the sublime passage in "The Mariners of England:"—"Britannia needs no bulwark,No towers along the steep;Her march is on the mountain-wave,Her home is on the deep."[59]"Brunet being unjustly accused of favouring the insurrection at Marseilles, was delivered up to the Revolutionary Tribunal at Paris, and perished on the scaffold."—Napoleon,Montholon, tom. iii., p. 21.[60]"An old and brave officer. His military knowledge was considerable, but he was confined to his bed by the gout half his time."—Napoleon,Gourgaud, tom. i., p. 42."Happily, he allowed himself to be directed entirely by the young Buonaparte."—Thiers, tom. vi., p. 288.[61]Gourgaud, tom. i., p. 42.[62]Jomini, tom. v., p. 204; Thiers, tom. vi., p. 283; Montholon, tom. iii., p. 30; Botta, tom. i., p. 190. General Dumerbion, in his despatch to the government, describing his successes, says, "It is to the talent of General Buonaparte that I am indebted for the skilful plans which have assured our victory."[63]Gourgaud, tom. i., p. 48.[64]General Tilly. SeeNouvelle Biog. de Bruxelles, 1822.[65]"In the despatch of Salicetti and Albitte to the Government, dated 24th August, they declare, that there existed no foundation for the charges made against him."—Jomini, tom. vi., p. 114;Bourrienne et ses Erreurs, tom. i., p. 27.[66]Montholon, tom. iii., p. 50; Las Cases, vol. i., p. 155; Louis Buonaparte, p. 14.[67]Buonaparte is represented by some writers as having at this period found his situation extremely embarrassing, even as regarded pecuniary means, in the capital of which he was at no distant period to be the ruler. Among others who are said to have assisted him was the celebrated actor Talma; and such may have been the case; but the story of Talma's having been acquainted with Napoleon at the Academy of Brienne, and at that early period predicting the greatness of "le petit Buonaparte," has been expressly contradicted by Louis, the ex-King of Holland, who was at this epoch in Paris along with his brother.[68]Seeante, vol. i., p.164.[69]The Memoirs published under the name of Fouché make this assertion. But although that work shows great intimacy with the secret history of the times, it is not to be implicitly relied upon.—S.[70]"Peut-être un jour, on vous nommerait un Bourbon."—Thiers, tom. viii., p. 10.[71]"Its authors were Lesage, Daunou, Boissy d'Anglas, Creuzée-Latouche, Berlier, Louvet, Lareveillèire-Lepaux, Languinais, Durand-Maillanne, Baudin des Ardennes, and Thibaudeau."—Thiers, tom. viii., p. 9.[72]Thiers, tom. viii., p. 13.[73]"La Harpe, Lacretelle, jun., Suard, Morellet, Vaublanc, Pastoret, Dupont de Nemours, Quatremère de Quincy, Delalot, Marchenna, and General Miranda, all either published pamphlets or made speeches in the sections."—Thiers, tom. viii., p. 15.[74]Pekins, a word of contempt, by which the soldiers distinguished those who did not belong to their profession.—S.[75]Muscadins, fops—a phrase applied to the better class ofSans-Culottes.—S.[76]"For several months, Napoleon, not being actively employed, laboured in the military committee, and was well acquainted with Carnot and Tallien, whom he saw daily. How, then, could Barras make them the proposal attributed to him?"—Louis Buonaparte, p. 17.[77]In 1796, the Directory appointed Berruyer commander of the Hôpital des Invalides, which situation he held till his death, in 1804.[78]Las Cases, tom. i., p. 161.[79]Montholon, tom. iii., p. 82.[80]See vol. i., p.355.[81]Buonaparte was then in his twenty-sixth year. Josephine gave herself in the marriage contract for twenty-eight.—S.[82]A lady of high rank, who happened to live for some time in the same convent at Paris, where Josephine was also a pensioner or boarder, heard her mention the prophecy, and told it herself to the author, just about the time of the Italian expedition, when Buonaparte was beginning to attract notice. Another clause is usually added to the prediction—that the party whom it concerned should die in an hospital, which was afterwards explained as referring to Malmaison. This the author did not hear from the same authority. The lady mentioned used to speak in the highest terms of the simple manners and great kindness of Madame Beauharnais.—S.[83]"It was I who proposed Buonaparte for the command of the army of Italy, not Barras."—Carnot,Réponse à Bailleul."Napoleon owed the appointment to the command of the army of Italy to his signal services under Dumerbion."—Jomini, tom. viii., p. 49.[84]Napoleon, Memoirs, tom. iii., p. 91.[85]Victor Amadeus III. He was born in 1726, and died in 1796.[86]"The Neapolitan army was 60,000 strong; the cavalry was excellent."—Napoleon,Memoirs, tom. iii., p. 134.[87]Viz. in April, 1794.—See Napoleon, Memoirs, tom. iii., p. 28.[88]Napoleon states his fighting force, fit for duty, at about 30,000 men.—Montholon, tom. iii., p. 140; Jomini, tom. viii., p. 59, at 42,400.[89]Las Cases, tom. i., p. 162.[90]This reminds us of the liberality of the Kings of Brentford to their Knightsbridge forces—First King.Here, take five guineas to these warlike men.Second King.And here, five more, which makes the sum just ten.Herald.We have not seen so much the Lord knows when!—S.[91]"The state of the finances was such, that the government, with all its efforts, could only furnish the chest of the army, at the opening of the campaign, with 2000 louis in specie, and a million in drafts, part of which were protested."—Napoleon,Montholon, tom. iii., p. 140; Thiers, tom. viii., p. 174.[92]"An idea of the penury of the army may be collected from the correspondence of the commander-in-chief, who appears to have once sent Massena a supply of twenty-four francs to provide for his official expenses."—Jomini, tom. viii., p. 96.[93]Napoleon, Memoirs, tom. iii., p. 54.[94]"He received a thrust of a bayonet in the abdomen: he was dragged into the streets, holding his bowels in his hands, and at length left on a field-bed in a guard-house, where he expired."—Montholon, tom. iii., p. 41; Botta, Storia d'Italia, tom. i., p. 271. Basseville, in 1789, was editor of theMercure National. He publishedElémens de Mythologie, &c.[95]Montholon, tom. iii., p. 43; Thibaudeau, Hist. Gen. de Napoleon, tom. i., p. 139; Jomini, tom. viii., p. 49.[96]"Salicetti was never the personal friend of Napoleon, but of his brother Joseph; with whom, in 1792 and 1793, he had been member for the department of Corsica."—Joseph Buonaparte,Notes sur les Mémoires de Bourrienne, tom. i., p. 238.[97]"I am particularly gratified with my reception by General Scherer; who, by his honourable deportment and readiness to supply me with all useful information, has acquired a right to my gratitude. To great facility in expressing himself, he unites an extent of general and military knowledge, which may probably induce you to deem his services useful in some important station."—Napoleonto the Directory, March 30.[98]Jomini, tom. viii., p. 62; Thiers, tom. viii., p. 329.[99]Thiers, tom. viii., p. 178; Lacretelle, tom. xiii., p. 153.[100]Napoleon, Memoirs, tom. iii., p. 145; Jomini, tom. viii., p. 70; Las Cases, tom. ii., p. 187.[101]"Napoleon placed himself on a ridge in the centre of his divisions, the better to judge of the turn of affairs, and to prescribe the manœuvres which might become necessary."—Jomini, tom. viii., p. 72.[102]Montholon, tom. iii., p. 145; Las Cases, tom. ii., p. 190; Thiers, tom. viii., p. 178.[103]Montholon, tom. iii., p. 146; Las Cases, tom. ii., p. 192; Jomini, tom. viii., p. 76.[104]Las Cases, tom. ii., p. 193; Montholon, tom. iii., p. 148; Thiers, tom. viii., p. 181.[105]Montholon, tom. iii., p. 148; Las Cases, tom. ii., p. 193; Lacretelle, tom. xiii., p. 59.[106]"Annabal a forcé les Alpes; nous nous les avons tournées!"—Napoleon,Montholon, tom. iii., p. 151.[107]"The rapidity of Massena's movements was a subject of astonishment and terror with the Piedmontese, who regarded him as a rebel. He was born at Nice, but attached himself early in his youth to the French service. The Revolution found him a sergeant in the Royal Italian regiment."—Lacretelle, tom. xiii., p. 161.[108]"General Stengel, a native of Alsace, was an excellent hussar officer; he had served under Dumouriez, and in the other campaigns of the North; he was adroit, intelligent, and active, combining the qualities of youth with those of maturity, he was the true general for advanced posts."—Napoleon,Montholon, tom. iii., p. 152.[109]Montholon, tom. iii., p. 151; Jomini, tom. viii., p. 93.[110]Murat was despatched to Paris with them, and the treaty for the armistice of Cherasco. His arrival, by way of Mount Cenis, with so many trophies, and the King of Sardinia's submission, caused great joy in the capital. Junot, who had been despatched after the battle of Millesimo by the Nice road, arrived later than Murat.[111]The treaty was concluded at Paris, on the 15th May. For a copy of it, seeAnnual Register, vol. xxxviii., p. 262.[112]Victor Amadeus died of apoplexy, in the following October, and was succeeded by his son, Charles Emanuel.[113]See Correspondence Inédite, tom. i., p. 85.

FOOTNOTES:

[1]There was an absurd debate about the spelling of the name, which became, as trifles often do, a sort of party question. Buonaparte had disused the superfluousu, which his father retained in the name, and adopted a more modern spelling. This was represented on one side as an attempt to bring his name more nearly to the French idiom; and, as if it had been a matter of the last moment, the vowel was obstinately replaced in the name, by a class of writers who deemed it politic not to permit the successful general to relinquish the slightest mark of his Italian extraction, which was in every respect impossible for him either to conceal or to deny, even if he had nourished such an idea. In his baptismal register, his name is spelled Napoleone Bonaparte, though the father subscribes, Carlo Buonaparte. The spelling seems to have been quite indifferent.—S.—"During Napoleon's first campaign in Italy, he dropped theu. In this change he had no other motive than to assimilate the orthography to the pronunciation, and to abbreviate his signature."—Bourrienne, tom. i., p. 3.

[2]The book alluded to is entitled "Ragguaglio Storico di tutto l'occorso, giorno per giorno, nel Sacco de Roma dell anno 1527, scritto da Jacopo Buonaparte, gentiluomo Samminiatese, chi vi si trovò presente." In 1568, a Giuseppe Buonaparte published a comedy, entitled "La Vedova." Copies of both these works are in the British Museum.

[3]Paul the Fifth.

[4]"I sent Clarke to Florence as ambassador, where he employed himself in nothing but turning over the old musty records of the place, in search of proofs of the nobility of my family. He so plagued me with letters upon the subject, that I was forced to bid him cease from troubling either his head or mine with this nonsense about nobility,—that I was thefirstof my family."—Napoleon,Voice, &c., vol. i., p. 401.

[5]"They were of Tuscan origin. In the middle ages they figured as senators of the republics of Florence, San Miniato, Bologna, Sarzana, and Treviso, and as prelates attached to the Court of Rome."—Napoleon,Memoirs, vol. iii., y. 7.

[6]Las Cases, vol. i., p. 108.

[7]Died at Trieste, 9th August, 1820. "On accidentally reading, at St. Helena, the account of her death, Napoleon exclaimed, 'Eliza has just shown us the way; death, which seemed to have overlooked our family, now begins to strike it. I shall be the next to follow her to the grave.'"—Antommarchi, vol. i., p. 384.

[8]She died at the Borghese Palace, near Florence, 9th June, 1825.

[9]"I was quietly pursuing my studies whilst my father was struggling against the violence of a painful agony. He died, and I had not the consolation to close his eyes: that sad duty was reserved for Joseph, who acquitted himself of it with all the zeal of an affectionate son."—Napoleon, Antommarchi, vol. i., p. 240.

[10]"The patrimonial house of Napoleon, at present in the possession of M. Ramolini, member of the Chamber of Deputies for the department of Corsica, continues an object of great veneration with travellers and military men."—Benson'sCorsica, p. 4.

[11]Las Cases, vol. i., p. 120.

[12]"In my infancy I was noisy and quarrelsome, and feared nobody. I beat one, scratched another, and made myself formidable to all."—Napoleon, Antommarchi, vol. i., p. 327.

[13]Benson's Sketches of Corsica, p. 4.—S.

[14]The mother of Letitia Ramolini, wife of Carlo Buonaparte, married a Swiss officer in the French service, named Fesch, after the death of Letitia's father.—S.

[15]They were, many years since, communicated to the author by Messrs. Joseph and Louis Law, brothers of General Lauriston, Buonaparte's favourite aide-de-camp. These gentlemen, or at least Joseph, were educated at Brienne, but at a later period than Napoleon. Their distinguished brother was his contemporary.—S.

[16]Father Petrault was subsequently secularized, and joined the army of Italy, where he served his pupil in the capacity of secretary. On Buonaparte's return from Egypt, he found him a corpulent financier; but commencing usurer, he was soon reduced to beggary. Napoleon granted him a pension sufficient for his subsistence.—Las Cases, vol. i., p. 119.

[17]Las Cases, vol. i., p. 120.

[18]The following is a copy of Keralio's report:—"M. de Buonaparte, (Napoleon,) born 15th August, 1769, height four feet, ten inches, ten lines, has finished his fourth course; of good constitution, excellent health, of submissive character, upright, grateful, and regular in conduct; has always been distinguished for application to the mathematics. He is tolerably well acquainted with history and geography; he is deficient in the ornamental branches, and in Latin, in which he has only completed his fourth course. He will make an excellent sailor: he deserves to pass to the military school at Paris."—M. de Keralio, a highly accomplished man, who had been tutor in the royal family of Bavaria, died in 1793.

[19]"Paoli often patted me on the head, saying, 'You are one of Plutarch's men.' He divined that I should be something extraordinary."—Napoleon,Voice, &c., vol. i., p. 251.

[20]"This story, though incorrect as to Napoleon, was true as to one of his comrades, Dupont de Chambon."—Arnoult,Vie de Napoleon, p. 3.

[21]Las Cases, vol. i., p. 129. A copy of the Essay had, however, been taken by his brother Louis. It was published in 1826 by Gourgaud.

[22]Las Cases, vol. i., p. 135.

[23]A copy of this letter is given in the Appendix,No. I. A few months after it was written, Paoli, in consequence of Mirabeau's motion for the recall of the Corsican exiles, left England for Corsica.

[24]Las Cases, vol. ii., p. 345.

[25]"This passage is not correct. I recollect very well, that, on my account, a larger and more commodious apartment was assigned to my brother than to the other officers of the same rank. I had a good chamber and an excellent bed. My brother directed my studies, but I had proper masters, even in literature."—Louis Buonaparte, p. 26.

[26]Norvins, tom. i., p. 19.

[27]The letter to Buttafuoco is a diatribe against that Corsican nobleman, who had been, during the wars with France, a strong opponent of the liberties of his country. He had been, of course, the enemy of the family of Paoli, to which Napoleon at this time was warmly attached. We have preserved the composition entire, because, though the matter be uninteresting, the rough and vivid style of invective is singularly characteristic of the fiery youth, whose bosom one of his teachers compared to a volcano surcharged with molten granite, which it poured forth in torrents, whenever his passions were excited.—See Appendix,No. II.

[28]Seeante, vol. i., p.163; Las Cases, vol. iii., p. 143; and Bourrienne, tom. i., p. 48.

[29]La Combe Saint Michel was afterwards employed by Napoleon in Italy, Spain, and Germany. He died in 1812.

[30]During the reign of Joseph, he was appointed minister of police at Naples, where he died in 1809.

[31]Napoleon, Memoirs, vol. iv., p. 51.

[32]Such is the report of the Corsicans concerning the alleged first exploit of their celebrated countryman. See Benson'sSketches, p. 4. But there is room to believe that Buonaparte had been in action so early as February, 1793. Admiral Truguet, with a strong fleet, and having on board a large body of troops, had been at anchor for several weeks in the Corsican harbours, announcing a descent upon Sardinia. At length, having received on board an additional number of forces, he set sail on his expedition. Buonaparte is supposed to have accompanied the admiral, of whose talent and judgment he is made in the Saint Helena MSS., to speak with great contempt. Buonaparte succeeded in taking some batteries in the straits of Saint Bonifacio; but the expedition proving unsuccessful, they were speedily abandoned.—S.—For an account of the expedition to Sardinia, seeNapoleon's Memoirs, vol. i., p. 5.

[33]"As you quit the town, the first object that presents itself is a little fountain on the left, which, except the pavement of the quay, is the only public work of Buonaparte, for the place of his birth."—Benson.

[34]Benson's Sketches of Corsica, p. 121.—S.

[35]Not literally, however; for it is worth mentioning, that when he was in full-blown possession of his power, an inheritance fell to the family, situated near Ajaccio, and was divided amongst them. The First Consul, or Emperor, received an olive garden as his share.—Sketches of Corsica.—S.

[36]Montholon, tom. iii., p. 14.—Nothing can be more inaccurate than to term theSouper de Beaucairea Jacobin pamphlet, although it is unquestionably written to urge the Federalists to submit to their inevitable fate, and avert extremity by doing so in time. The work is nearly free from the cant language of the day. There is no mention of liberty, equality, fraternity, or the rights of man, &c.—no abstract discussion of political principles. The whole merits of the dispute betwixt Paris and the departments are hurried over with little or no argument. Buonaparte urges the Marseillois to submission, not because the principles which dictated their insurrection were erroneous, but because they had not means to maintain successful resistance; not because they had been confuted by the Jacobins in argument, but because they were unequal to the task of contending with them by force. In after time, however, he called in and destroyed every copy of theSouper de Beaucairewhich could be found, so that only one remained, from which the recent reprint of Monsieur Pancoucke has been executed.—S.—As remarkable specimens of Napoleon's easy style and habits of thinking, the opening and closing parts of this pamphlet are given, translated into English, inNo. III.of the Appendix to this volume.

[37]His lordship died the 7th of April, 1831.

[38]In 1797 created Baron Keith. He died in 1823.

[39]Seeante, vol. i., p.300.

[40]This letter appeared in theMoniteur, 10th December, 1793. But as the town of Toulon was taken a few days afterwards, the Convention voted the letter a fabrication.—S.—"This was unfair; for it was genuine, and gave a just idea of the opinion that prevailed when it was written, respecting the issue of the siege, and of the difficulties that prevailed in Provence."—Napoleon,Memoirs, vol. i., p. 22.

[41]Las Cases, vol. i., p. 140.

[42]It was to Gasparin that Napoleon was indebted for the triumph of his plan over the objections of the committees of the Convention. He preserved a grateful recollection of this circumstance, as appears by his will. It was Gasparin, he used to say, who had first opened his career.—Las Cases, vol. i., p. 144.

[43]Las Cases, vol. i., p. 147.

[44]Las Cases, vol. i., p. 154.

[45]Napoleon says six thousand.—Gourgaud, tom. i., p. 17.

[46]Gourgaud, tom. i., p. 24.

[47]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 223; Toulongeon, tom. iv., p. 88; Napoleon's Memoirs, vol. i., p. 25; Rivington's Annual Register, 1793, p. 415.

[48]Moniteur, 28th December.

[49]"Amongst those who chiefly distinguished themselves are the citizens Buonaparte, commandant of the artillery, Arena, and Gervoni."—Dugommierto the Minister of War.

[50]Rivington's Annual Register, 1793, p. 415.

[51]James's Naval History, vol. i., p. 115; Thiers, tom. vi., p. 59.—"The total number borne away amounted to 14,877."—Mémoires de Joubert, p. 75.

[52]Mr. Graham of Balgowan, now Lord Lynedoch. He marched out on one of the sorties, and when the affair became hot, seized the musket and cartouch-box of a fallen soldier, and afforded such an example to the troops, as contributed greatly to their gaining the object desired.—S.

[53]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 226; Lacretelle, tom. xi., p. 189.

[54]Montholon, tom. iii., p. 13; Jomini, tom. iv., p. 226; Las Cases, vol. i., p. 153.

[55]Las Cases, vol. i., p. 152.

[56]"Dugommier wrote to the Committee of Public Safety, soliciting the rank of brigadier-general for him, and concluded with these words, 'Reward this young man, and promote him, for should he be ungratefully treated, he will promote himself.'"—Napoleon,Montholon, tom. iii., p. 15.Dugommier was killed on the following November, by the bursting of a field-piece. Napoleon bequeathed to his descendant 100,000 francs, "as a testimonial of gratitude for the esteem, affection, and friendship of that brave and intrepid general."

Dugommier was killed on the following November, by the bursting of a field-piece. Napoleon bequeathed to his descendant 100,000 francs, "as a testimonial of gratitude for the esteem, affection, and friendship of that brave and intrepid general."

[57]Gourgaud, tom. i., p. 30.

[58]An Englishman will probably remember the sublime passage in "The Mariners of England:"—"Britannia needs no bulwark,No towers along the steep;Her march is on the mountain-wave,Her home is on the deep."

[58]An Englishman will probably remember the sublime passage in "The Mariners of England:"—

"Britannia needs no bulwark,No towers along the steep;Her march is on the mountain-wave,Her home is on the deep."

[59]"Brunet being unjustly accused of favouring the insurrection at Marseilles, was delivered up to the Revolutionary Tribunal at Paris, and perished on the scaffold."—Napoleon,Montholon, tom. iii., p. 21.

[60]"An old and brave officer. His military knowledge was considerable, but he was confined to his bed by the gout half his time."—Napoleon,Gourgaud, tom. i., p. 42."Happily, he allowed himself to be directed entirely by the young Buonaparte."—Thiers, tom. vi., p. 288.

[60]"An old and brave officer. His military knowledge was considerable, but he was confined to his bed by the gout half his time."—Napoleon,Gourgaud, tom. i., p. 42.

"Happily, he allowed himself to be directed entirely by the young Buonaparte."—Thiers, tom. vi., p. 288.

[61]Gourgaud, tom. i., p. 42.

[62]Jomini, tom. v., p. 204; Thiers, tom. vi., p. 283; Montholon, tom. iii., p. 30; Botta, tom. i., p. 190. General Dumerbion, in his despatch to the government, describing his successes, says, "It is to the talent of General Buonaparte that I am indebted for the skilful plans which have assured our victory."

[63]Gourgaud, tom. i., p. 48.

[64]General Tilly. SeeNouvelle Biog. de Bruxelles, 1822.

[65]"In the despatch of Salicetti and Albitte to the Government, dated 24th August, they declare, that there existed no foundation for the charges made against him."—Jomini, tom. vi., p. 114;Bourrienne et ses Erreurs, tom. i., p. 27.

[66]Montholon, tom. iii., p. 50; Las Cases, vol. i., p. 155; Louis Buonaparte, p. 14.

[67]Buonaparte is represented by some writers as having at this period found his situation extremely embarrassing, even as regarded pecuniary means, in the capital of which he was at no distant period to be the ruler. Among others who are said to have assisted him was the celebrated actor Talma; and such may have been the case; but the story of Talma's having been acquainted with Napoleon at the Academy of Brienne, and at that early period predicting the greatness of "le petit Buonaparte," has been expressly contradicted by Louis, the ex-King of Holland, who was at this epoch in Paris along with his brother.

[68]Seeante, vol. i., p.164.

[69]The Memoirs published under the name of Fouché make this assertion. But although that work shows great intimacy with the secret history of the times, it is not to be implicitly relied upon.—S.

[70]"Peut-être un jour, on vous nommerait un Bourbon."—Thiers, tom. viii., p. 10.

[71]"Its authors were Lesage, Daunou, Boissy d'Anglas, Creuzée-Latouche, Berlier, Louvet, Lareveillèire-Lepaux, Languinais, Durand-Maillanne, Baudin des Ardennes, and Thibaudeau."—Thiers, tom. viii., p. 9.

[72]Thiers, tom. viii., p. 13.

[73]"La Harpe, Lacretelle, jun., Suard, Morellet, Vaublanc, Pastoret, Dupont de Nemours, Quatremère de Quincy, Delalot, Marchenna, and General Miranda, all either published pamphlets or made speeches in the sections."—Thiers, tom. viii., p. 15.

[74]Pekins, a word of contempt, by which the soldiers distinguished those who did not belong to their profession.—S.

[75]Muscadins, fops—a phrase applied to the better class ofSans-Culottes.—S.

[76]"For several months, Napoleon, not being actively employed, laboured in the military committee, and was well acquainted with Carnot and Tallien, whom he saw daily. How, then, could Barras make them the proposal attributed to him?"—Louis Buonaparte, p. 17.

[77]In 1796, the Directory appointed Berruyer commander of the Hôpital des Invalides, which situation he held till his death, in 1804.

[78]Las Cases, tom. i., p. 161.

[79]Montholon, tom. iii., p. 82.

[80]See vol. i., p.355.

[81]Buonaparte was then in his twenty-sixth year. Josephine gave herself in the marriage contract for twenty-eight.—S.

[82]A lady of high rank, who happened to live for some time in the same convent at Paris, where Josephine was also a pensioner or boarder, heard her mention the prophecy, and told it herself to the author, just about the time of the Italian expedition, when Buonaparte was beginning to attract notice. Another clause is usually added to the prediction—that the party whom it concerned should die in an hospital, which was afterwards explained as referring to Malmaison. This the author did not hear from the same authority. The lady mentioned used to speak in the highest terms of the simple manners and great kindness of Madame Beauharnais.—S.

[83]"It was I who proposed Buonaparte for the command of the army of Italy, not Barras."—Carnot,Réponse à Bailleul."Napoleon owed the appointment to the command of the army of Italy to his signal services under Dumerbion."—Jomini, tom. viii., p. 49.

[83]"It was I who proposed Buonaparte for the command of the army of Italy, not Barras."—Carnot,Réponse à Bailleul.

"Napoleon owed the appointment to the command of the army of Italy to his signal services under Dumerbion."—Jomini, tom. viii., p. 49.

[84]Napoleon, Memoirs, tom. iii., p. 91.

[85]Victor Amadeus III. He was born in 1726, and died in 1796.

[86]"The Neapolitan army was 60,000 strong; the cavalry was excellent."—Napoleon,Memoirs, tom. iii., p. 134.

[87]Viz. in April, 1794.—See Napoleon, Memoirs, tom. iii., p. 28.

[88]Napoleon states his fighting force, fit for duty, at about 30,000 men.—Montholon, tom. iii., p. 140; Jomini, tom. viii., p. 59, at 42,400.

[89]Las Cases, tom. i., p. 162.

[90]This reminds us of the liberality of the Kings of Brentford to their Knightsbridge forces—First King.Here, take five guineas to these warlike men.Second King.And here, five more, which makes the sum just ten.Herald.We have not seen so much the Lord knows when!—S.

[90]This reminds us of the liberality of the Kings of Brentford to their Knightsbridge forces—

First King.Here, take five guineas to these warlike men.

Second King.And here, five more, which makes the sum just ten.

Herald.We have not seen so much the Lord knows when!—S.

[91]"The state of the finances was such, that the government, with all its efforts, could only furnish the chest of the army, at the opening of the campaign, with 2000 louis in specie, and a million in drafts, part of which were protested."—Napoleon,Montholon, tom. iii., p. 140; Thiers, tom. viii., p. 174.

[92]"An idea of the penury of the army may be collected from the correspondence of the commander-in-chief, who appears to have once sent Massena a supply of twenty-four francs to provide for his official expenses."—Jomini, tom. viii., p. 96.

[93]Napoleon, Memoirs, tom. iii., p. 54.

[94]"He received a thrust of a bayonet in the abdomen: he was dragged into the streets, holding his bowels in his hands, and at length left on a field-bed in a guard-house, where he expired."—Montholon, tom. iii., p. 41; Botta, Storia d'Italia, tom. i., p. 271. Basseville, in 1789, was editor of theMercure National. He publishedElémens de Mythologie, &c.

[95]Montholon, tom. iii., p. 43; Thibaudeau, Hist. Gen. de Napoleon, tom. i., p. 139; Jomini, tom. viii., p. 49.

[96]"Salicetti was never the personal friend of Napoleon, but of his brother Joseph; with whom, in 1792 and 1793, he had been member for the department of Corsica."—Joseph Buonaparte,Notes sur les Mémoires de Bourrienne, tom. i., p. 238.

[97]"I am particularly gratified with my reception by General Scherer; who, by his honourable deportment and readiness to supply me with all useful information, has acquired a right to my gratitude. To great facility in expressing himself, he unites an extent of general and military knowledge, which may probably induce you to deem his services useful in some important station."—Napoleonto the Directory, March 30.

[98]Jomini, tom. viii., p. 62; Thiers, tom. viii., p. 329.

[99]Thiers, tom. viii., p. 178; Lacretelle, tom. xiii., p. 153.

[100]Napoleon, Memoirs, tom. iii., p. 145; Jomini, tom. viii., p. 70; Las Cases, tom. ii., p. 187.

[101]"Napoleon placed himself on a ridge in the centre of his divisions, the better to judge of the turn of affairs, and to prescribe the manœuvres which might become necessary."—Jomini, tom. viii., p. 72.

[102]Montholon, tom. iii., p. 145; Las Cases, tom. ii., p. 190; Thiers, tom. viii., p. 178.

[103]Montholon, tom. iii., p. 146; Las Cases, tom. ii., p. 192; Jomini, tom. viii., p. 76.

[104]Las Cases, tom. ii., p. 193; Montholon, tom. iii., p. 148; Thiers, tom. viii., p. 181.

[105]Montholon, tom. iii., p. 148; Las Cases, tom. ii., p. 193; Lacretelle, tom. xiii., p. 59.

[106]"Annabal a forcé les Alpes; nous nous les avons tournées!"—Napoleon,Montholon, tom. iii., p. 151.

[107]"The rapidity of Massena's movements was a subject of astonishment and terror with the Piedmontese, who regarded him as a rebel. He was born at Nice, but attached himself early in his youth to the French service. The Revolution found him a sergeant in the Royal Italian regiment."—Lacretelle, tom. xiii., p. 161.

[108]"General Stengel, a native of Alsace, was an excellent hussar officer; he had served under Dumouriez, and in the other campaigns of the North; he was adroit, intelligent, and active, combining the qualities of youth with those of maturity, he was the true general for advanced posts."—Napoleon,Montholon, tom. iii., p. 152.

[109]Montholon, tom. iii., p. 151; Jomini, tom. viii., p. 93.

[110]Murat was despatched to Paris with them, and the treaty for the armistice of Cherasco. His arrival, by way of Mount Cenis, with so many trophies, and the King of Sardinia's submission, caused great joy in the capital. Junot, who had been despatched after the battle of Millesimo by the Nice road, arrived later than Murat.

[111]The treaty was concluded at Paris, on the 15th May. For a copy of it, seeAnnual Register, vol. xxxviii., p. 262.

[112]Victor Amadeus died of apoplexy, in the following October, and was succeeded by his son, Charles Emanuel.

[113]See Correspondence Inédite, tom. i., p. 85.

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