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362 PRINCESS CHARLOTTE--LETTER OF COUNT DE LILLE.

when the twenty sixth was fired, a general shout of joy resounded throughout Paris, and an immense crowd by a spontaneous movement, flocked to the carousel and the garden of the Thuilleries. With the exception of England, all the Sovereigns in Europe sent embassadors extraordinary to congratulate the French court on the auspicious event. What a wonderful people! How different was this conduct from that of Revolutionary France, when kings and princes were regarded only as men, and the people were considered as the only true Sovereigns. Whilst on the subject of royal weddings we will state another curious fact. It is said that it was the Princess Charlotte eldest sister of George the 4th, Queen of Wirtemberg who made the match, to use a trite phrase between Prince Jerome, and the daughter of the king of Wirtemberg by his first wife, which connected Napoleon's family with that of Brunswick, and formed a new alliance with that of Russia. Madame Bertrand said "Napoleon's family is related to all the reigning families in Europe, even to that of Prussia, for some time back a niece of Murat, married a Prince of Hohenzollern.".

It is a singular fact that after the Bourbons had tried every expedient to effect a counter revolution, and encouraged various attempts to assassinate the first consul, and a short time after the dreadful conspiracy of 1804, the present king of France, then the Count de Lille, addressed a letter to Napoleon, written with his own hand. He gave it to the Abbe Montesquieu, member of the provisional government in 1814, and he handed it to Le Brun, then one of the consuls, who gave it to Napoleon. The following is a transcript:

You lose

"You delay a long time in restoring to me my throne. a precious opportunity which you will never have again. Without me you can never render France happy, and without you I can never maintain her glory-choose your rank-he assured of whatever lot you desire for your friends. Every thing you engage for shall be ratified."

To this curious letter the first consul returned an answer the next morning, in the following words:

"I have received your letter, and thank you for the flattering expressions it contains of me; but neither yourself, nor any other prince of your family, ought ever to desire to enter France againto accomplish that, you must trample over the carcasses of five hun

PROCEEDINGS AT LONGWOOD-INFERNAL MACHINE.

363

dred thousand Frenchmen. I am alive to the unheard of misfortunes of your family, and I will endeavour to do every thing in my power to secure you a retreat and tranquility."

CHAPTER XXI.

Napoleon employs himself in writing his own memoirs....Of the infernal machine....Of the Duc D' Enghein....Of Talleyrand....Las Casas' opinion of the French marshals.... Of the conspiracy of Georges, Pichegru and Moreau....Change in the arrangements at Longwood....Protests against them....Expences of the establish ment....Commissioners of the allied powers....Rigour of the regulations, situation, and some account of the Island....Napoleon's demise....His funeral and interment....Report of Physicians....His will.

BONAPARTE and his associates, at Longwood, employed themselves in writing a history of his reign and life. The manuscript of this work was examined by some of the English who visited Longwood; it was written under the eye and inspection of Napoleon. In this history it is stated, that seven attempts were made by the Bourbons and royalists to assassinate Bonaparte. All of them were discovered before they were brought to maturity, except the plot of the infernal machine. This attempt was made on the 3d Nivose (24th December) 1800. That evening an opera was performed in the hall of the Oratorio, and the artists were desirous to have Napoleon attend. Having been extensively occupied in business during the day, he declined, but was finally over-persuaded by his wife. He set out in his carriage, accompanied by Bessieres and Lasnes, with his usual escort of pages, outriders, and a dozen horse grenadiers. At the corner of reu St. Hilaire, a small two-wheeled cart was observed with a cask mounted upon it, exactly resembling those which were used for watering the streets. This was the infernal machine, which had been prepared by the Chouans, who had a short time before arrived from England, where the French say this machine was contrived and prepared for the destruction of the first consul. On perceiving the carriage, Imolan, one of the conspirators advanced a few paces to ascertain whether it was Napoleon, and being discovered received a blow from one of the grenadiers, which knocked him down; but springing up, he ran to the machine and fired it; the explosion however did not take place until the carriage had turned the corner. The coachman being in liquor mistook the report for a salute fired in honour of the consul, and cracked his whip at the horses, which being also frightened, fortunately made great speed from the scene of danger. One man only of the escort, not having turned the corner, was thrown from his horse and wounded. Bonaparte represen

364

INFERNAL MACHINE-CONSPIRACY OF GEORGES, &c.

ted, that before he heard the explosion, he felt a rocking motion as if the carriage had been borne upon the waves of the sea, and in an instant the windows of the carriage were shivered to pieces, and he saw the roofs of houses falling. Josephine, Bonaparte's wife, and Caroline, his sister, with general Rapp, were in a carriage about one hundred paces in the rear of the Consul's, and the machine exploded between them; they were dreadfully frightened but not injured. Five or six houses were destroyed by the explosion, and about a dozen persons killed, and thirty wounded. The conspirators, who were secured, were immediately brought to trial before the criminal tribunal of Paris. St. Regent and Carbon were found guilty and executed; Imolan escaped to America where it is said he turned monk. From the disclosures during the trial, it appeared that the plot was contrived by Georges, then in Brittany, and the Count d'Artois, then in London. This base and villainous attempt to destroy the first consul and endanger the lives of the citizens, excited the highest indignation in Paris. The manuscript also stated, that after the Duc d' Enghein had been sentenced, he wrote a letter to Napoleon, in which he proposed, "if pardon was granted to him, to discover every thing he knew of the plots of the enemies of France, and to serve the first consul faithfully."-This letter was detained by Talleyrand until the fate of the unfortunate duke was decided. It is added, that if this letter had been delivered in season, the first consul might bave been induced to pardon the young prince.

With respect to Talleyrand, the whole French party uniformly expressed the same opinion concerning him. They manifested the most exalted opinion of his talents; but considered him as entirely destitute of principle. The motives of his conduct were always to be discovered in objects connected with his own aggrandizement, and with,

piling up canker'd

Heaps, of strange achieved gold.

At the first interview which took place between Moreau, Pichegru and Georges, which was in the Boulevard de la Madelaine at night, the following conversation is said to have occurred:

"Here

am," cried Pichegru, "there is not a moment's time to be lost in overthrowing the First Consul." Moreau answered, "Against the First Consul, living, I can undertake nothing; but I can undertake any thing against the First Consul, dead. Kill the First Consul; and the senate, the people, and the army will unanimously nominate me in his place. I will change the commanders of the troops encamped at Boulogne, and I will name a commission to try you, Pichegru; acquitted, you will be appointed second consul.” Very well," cried Georges, but in that case I must be third consul." "That is impossible," said Moreau. "If it were known that

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66

I had ever seen you, I should be a lost man; I should scarcely have my valet de chambre on my side." "This is all a farce," said Georges. You mean to betray us. You, Moreau and Pichegru! You are both two blues. When you get into power you will have us shot. I declare frankly to you that, blue for blue, Bonaparte is much better than any body else,"

CHANGE IN THE ARRANGEMENTS-HIS PROTEST. 365

After this conférence, Moreau was to sound his friends; but he did not disclose to them, the extent of his views. The first step was to dispatch the First Consul; various schemes were adopted; six desperadoes, armed with concealed poniards, were to assassinate him on parade the moment he went to the gate of the carousal to receive petitions: but the parade did not take place at the day it was supposed it would. Another scheme was, that thirty fellows, equipped in the uniform of the chasseurs of the guard were to charge his picquet, which did not consist of more than fifteen men, who it was expected would be nearly all killed by the first discharge of pistols, when passing to Malmaison, which was usually in the night, and then to attack the carriage and massacre Bonaparte with their poniards. The plot was discovered before the time of execution; and it being ascertained that Pichegru and Georges were in Paris, the city was blockaded and no person suffered to go out of it without a pass. Pichegru and Georges were finally discovered and secured, and the latter, with a number of others, was tried and executed. Pichegru underwent several examinations in prison; he denied his having come to Paris with Georges, or ever having seen him; but afterwards learning that every thing was known, he put an end to his own existence in prison. Moreau was tried and found guilty, but from his great services and popularity with the army, was sentenced to be banished for two years, and immediately sailed for America.

The arrangements respecting Bonaparte and his followers, underwent a change in 1816, which subjected them to much greater restrictions and inconveniences. In June of that year, three commissioners, one in behalf of Austria, one of Russia, and one of France, arrived at St. Helena, with admiral Malcombe. Sir Hudson Lowe, then Governor of the island, announced their arrival to the ex-emperor, and communicated the treaty concluded between Great Britain, Austria, Russia and Prussia, on the 2d of August 1815.

Count Montholon was instructed to protest against this treaty, which he accordingly did. The protest or declaration stated that Napoleon was not the prisoner of England; that he voluntarily threw himself into the arms of the English nation, as a private individual, and expected to enjoy its hospitality, and the protection of its laws; that his being in the power of the English nation, gave it no right to deprive him of his liberty; that he had never been even in the power of Austria, Russia or Prussia, which states had neither in fact, much less in right, any constraint over the person of Napoleon whatsoever; and their interference could only be considered as a coalition of four of the greatest powers in Europe for the oppression of one man. He stated that he had been entirely mistaken in the reliance he had placed on the influence of a people calling themselves free, upon their government, and that he might have experienced in all probability greater justice and humanity from the emperor of Austria, his fatherin-law, or even from the emperor of Russia or Prussia. He intimated that he might have put himself at the head of the army of the Loire, and secured terms guaranteeing his personal rights. The protest complained of the injustice and cruelty of Napoleon's being sent three thousand leagues from Europe, and confined on a rock in a

366 HIS SITUATION AT LONGWOOD-THE EXPENDiture.

strange and inhospitable climate, and of the severe and unnecessary restrictions imposed upon him, especially since the arrival of the present Governor; of the vexations and mortifications, which seemed to have no other object than to harass and oppress him; being deprived of all newspapers excepting a few straggling copies of the Times; of books sent to him by their authors, and his friends, and of letters, although delivered to the Governor unsealed to be sent to Longwood -of the impossibility of communicating by letter in consequence of the forms and regulations imposed; of the general tenor of the res trictions to which he was subjected; of his wretched situation at Longwood, destitute of water and shade; of the obstructions to intercourse with Longwood, which amounted to little short of a prohi bition,-all of which restrictions, oppressions, and grievances, appeared to have no other object than to afflict the illustrious subject of them, and to shorten his days.

The British government had settled the expenditure of Longwood at eight thousand pounds a year; including the salary of the purveyor of supplies, the salary of the officers and surgeon, and one thousand pounds for repairs; making in all two thousand seven hundred and thirty pounds, and leaving only the sum of five thousand two hundred and seventy pounds for the other expenses of the establishment.

But so scanty was the supply of provisions, that the maitre d'hotel declared that there was not one third enough to meet the requirements of the establishment. The consequence was, that Napoleon was obliged to break up his plate, and dispose of one thousand pounds worth of it.

Bonaparte offered to receive the commissioners as private individuals, and in the same manner he did other distinguished strangers, but they declined an introduction upon these terms.

Previously to this period, sir Hudson Lowe had established new regulations, restraining the limits formerly prescribed, and increasing the embarrassments of the French. The pretence for restricting the limits was that Bonaparte never used them; and even these limits were denied to his followers, who were allowed to remain on the high road only, and were not permitted to turn to the right or the left of it; and Napoleon and all his suit were prohibited from the use of speech; they were forbidden to speak to any person they might meet farther than to say, "how d'ye do," or a customary salutation. A visitor at Longwood, who had obtained a pass for that purpose, was not permitted to converse with any other person than Napoleon, unless he had a license so to do, expressed in his pass.

Indignant at these oppressive and wantonly cruel regulations, the illustrious exile declared “ that considering all laws and every consideration of respect towards him were violated, he had refused to receive the governor again, regarding him in no other light than that of a turnkey."

At this period, the governor of St. Helena adopted such regulations as he pleased, and enforced them as he pleased, limited only by the instructions of Lord Bathurst, which gave him general discretion; thus the man who had long exercised almost absolute power himself, became subject to the arbitrary and capricious tyranny of a provin cial Governor. He had at last an opportunity of experiencing what

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