ed to concur in it, and impressed a degree of hor ror upon the majority of the French in the prov. inces.

The proposals made to the inhabitants of Toulon by the British admiral Hood, who blockaded that port by sea, were specious in no small degree. "Declare yourselves,” said he, “openly and frankly for the monarchy; hoist the ancient French colours; disarm your ships of war; put us in possession of your forts; and, in the name of his Britannic majesty, I offer you all the succours in my power." These terms being accepted, such a number of English, Spanish, and Neapolitan troops were landed, that it became necessary for the French to assemble an army of 30,000 men, before they could compel the besieged to evacuate the town and the forts.

Assisted by the bravery of the French, General Cartaux, besides gaining some other advantages, took a position before Toulon; but he soon felt his incapacity to carry on such an important operation for any length of time, and General Dugommier, a man of superior genius, was called upon to direct the siege. Previous to this general's arrival, Bonaparte had been appointed to the command of the artillery, and, with a few exceptions, Cartaux placed the most unlimited confidence in the young officer of artillery, whom he called "Captain Cannon."

The success of a siege must depend upon the artillery, especially where they have to contend with artillery.

Bonaparte not only performed all that might have been expected of him, but frequently rectified the errors of others, and displayed the superiority of his genius to more than one officer, his superior in

rank. Preserving his dignity with the representatives that were sent by the Convention to Toulon, as he did with every one else, he trusted that his self-confidence would be justified by his successes. One of the representatives here having made some observation upon the position of a battery, "Mind your own business," said Bonaparte, "and leave mine to me. This battery must remain where it is; I will answer for its effect."

In action he was at all times both officer and soldier: at the taking of a redoubt, and fighting near Marshal Suchet, then a captain, he undertook to load a gun at which an artillery man had just been killed, and, making use of the ramrod whilst it was warm, he contracted a disease which reproduced itself for a long time under a variety of forms: out this he often recollected as one of the first acts of his military career.

The rank of general of brigade was the reward conferred upon Bonaparte for his services at the siege of Toulon.

When Napoleon spoke to Barry O'Meara about the siege of Toulon, he observed, that he had made General O'Hara prisoner-"I may say," said he, "with my own hand. He ran out of the battery, and advanced towards us. In advancing, he was wounded by the fire of a sergeant, and I, who stood at the mouth of the boyau, seized him by the coat, and threw him back amongst my own men, thinking he was a colonel, as he had two epaulets on. While they were taking him to the rear, he cried out that he was the commander-in-chief of the English. He thought they were going to massacre him, as there existed a horrible order at that time

from the Convention, to give no quarter to the English. I ran up, and prevented the soldiers from ill treating him. He spoke very bad French, and, as I saw that he thought they intended to butcher him, I did every thing in my power to console him, and gave directions that his wound should be immediately dressed, and every attention paid to him. He afterwards begged of me to give him a statement of the manner of his capture, to show it to his government in his justification. Those blockheads of deputies," continued Napoleon, "wanted to attack and storm the town first; but I explained to them that it was very strong, and that we should lose many men; that the best way would be to make ourselves masters of the forts first, which commanded the harbour, and then the English would either be taken, or be obliged to burn the greatest part of the fleet, and escape. My advice was taken, and the English, perceiving what would be the result, set fire to the ships, and abandoned the town."

During this early exhibition of his skill and courage, Bonaparte attacked a battery occupied by the English, which, having charged it several times, at length, in order to encourage his men, he jumped into, and almost instantaneously received a deep bayonet wound in the interior of the left thigh, about two inches and a half above the knee. He fell backwards, and was received into the arms of Lieutenant Muiron, who safely bore him from the scene of action. This wound nearly cost Bonaparte the loss of his leg; but he ever after regarded Muiron as his brother.

The simplicity of General Cartaux, whom Bonaparte was sent to act under, or rather supersede, at the siege of Toulon, was striking. He was, how

ever, described as a haughty man, covered with lace from head to foot, who, upon Bonaparte's arrival, asked him what duty he had been sent upon. The young officer modestly presenting the letter he was intrusted with "This," said Cartaux, twirling his whiskers, "was quite unnecessary; we want no assistance to retake Toulon; but, however, you are welcome, and you may share the glory of burning the town to-morrow, without having experienced any of the fatigue."

In all the disputes, and many occurred, between Cartaux and Bonaparte, as commandant of artillery, the wife of the general was commonly present, and uniformly took part with the young officer of artillery, saying with great naivete to her husband, "Let the young man alone; he knows more about it than you do, for he never asks your advice; besides, are you not the responsible person? the glory will be yours."

Soon after the retaking of Toulon, Bonaparte accompanied General Dugommier to Marseilles, and was with him in company there, when some one, struck with his person, asked the general who that little bit of an officer was, and where he had picked him up? "That officer's name," replied the general, ❝is Bonaparte: I picked him up at the siege of Toulon, to the successful termination of which he eminently contributed; and you will probably see, one day, that this little bit of an officer is a greater man than any of us."

Bonaparte, being appointed to the command of the artillery, afterwards repaired to the army of Italy there new persecutions awaited him. He was confident in his own opinions, but these were not conformable to those that had prevailed in the

council. After having seized upon the Col di Tende, Oneglia, and Ormea, in the valley of Tanaro, the army stationary upon the Alps seemed to rest satisfied without extending its conquests. Instead of a war of posts, Bonaparte proposed a war of invasion, and that the army should precipitate itself upon Piedmont from those mountains which no longer afforded it protection.

This advice, given with confidence, though it was afterwards attended with success, was attributed to presumption, and the assurance with which Napoleon repeated it on all occasions, was censured as insubordination. Men of mean talents were only waiting for an opportunity to get rid of the observation of a superior genius. The results of the 10th of Thermidor offered the occasion that was wanted. The connexion between Bonaparte and the commissioners sent by the Convention to superintend the siege of Toulon, was now found useful to the young general. Among these commissioners was the younger Robespierre, who was accused of favouring the projects of his brother. Bonaparte was suspended from his functions, and imprisoned for some time as an accomplice with this commissioner, whom he obeyed in common with the rest of the army. Never despairing, Bonaparte, far from renouncing his system, employed himself in rendering his plan of a campaign as perfect as possible, even when under confinement. In imagination, he had already made a descent upon that beautiful Lombardy which he was soon to conquer in reality. The duration of this imprisonment was not long. The importance of Bonaparte's presence was demonstrated by his absence. Wishing again to conquer, the Convention recalled the man who