Part 17 (1/2)
LETTER IX
PARIS, September, 1805
MY LORD:--Bonaparte did not at first intend to take his ith hi; but her tears, the effect of her tenderness and apprehension for his person, at last altered his resolution Madame Napoleon, to tell the truth, does not like much to be in the power of Joseph, nor even in that of her son-in-law, Louis Bonaparte, should any accidentthe Emperor's absence, the former is the President of the Senate, and the latter the Governor of this capital, and commander of the troops in the interior; so that the one dictates the Senatus Consultum, in case of a vacancy of the throne, and the other supports these civil determinations with his military forces Even with the army in Germany, Napoleon's brother-in-law, Murat, is as a pillar of the Bonaparte dynasty, and to prevent the intrigues and plots of other generals froene de Beauharnais, as a viceroy, coranted that the Emperor has so ably taken his precautions that it is almost certain that, at first, his orders will be obeyed, even after his death; and the will deposited by him in the Senate, without opposition, carried into execution These very precautions evince, however, how uncertain and precarious he considers his existence to be, and that, notwithstanding addresses and oaths, he apprehends that the Bonaparte dynasty will not survive hienerals now employed by him are either of his own creation, or ht consider unsafe under any other Prince but a Bonaparte The superior officers, not included in the above description, are such insignificant characters that, though he e, he does not fear their views or a the men, all those who have displayed, either at reviews or in battles, capacity, activity, or valour, are all ion of Honour; and are bound to hiratitude and self-interest They look to him alone for future advancements, and for the preservation of the distinction they have obtained from him His emissaries artfully disse a Bonaparte has erected; and that all military and civil officers rewarded or favoured by Napoleon the First will not only be discarded, but disgraced, and perhaps punished, by a Louis XVIII Any person ould be ih to attempt to prove the impossibility, as well as the absurdity, of these impolitic and retrospective measures, would be instantly taken up and shot as an emissary of the Bourbons
I have often aenerals and new officers; there is such a curious norance and infor and affectedthey say or do in coant, but also very distant froarity; they do not reseens comme il faut', and 'la bonne societe'!
nor those of the bourgeoisie, or the lower classes They form a new species of fashi+onables, and a 'haut ton militaire', which strikes a person accustonation; though, after a time, those of our sex, at last, become reconciled, if not pleased with it, because there is a kind of hness Our ladies, however (I mean those who have seen other Courts, or remember our other coteries), complain loudly of this alteration of address, and of this fashi+onable innovation; and pretend that ourfrank, are rude, and by the negligence of their e, are not only offensive, but inattentive and indelicate This is soto them, as our Imperial courtiers and Imperial place our entry, who take Napoleon for their exclusive , even in manners
What I have said above applies only to those officers whose parents are not of the lowest class, or who entered so early or so young into the army that they may be said to have been educated there, and as they advanced, have assumed the 'ton' of their coo, to a wedding, by a jeweller whose sister had been hter was to be rooed several other officers to assist at the cereeneral of the name of Liebeau was also of the party, and obtained the place of honour by the side of the bride's mother At his entrance into the apartment I for the ball confiret that he had a knife and a fork, and he did not eat of a dish (and he ate of the or beslasses and one plate, and, for equality's sake, I suppose, when he threw the wine on the lady to his right, the lady to his left was inundated with sauces In getting up fro to our custom, as he took the hand of the mistress of the house, he seized at the same time a corner of the napkin, and was not aware of his blunder till the destruction of bottles, glasses, and plate, and the screams of the ladies, inforallantry had occasioned When the ball began, he was too vain of his rank and precedency to suffer any one else to lead the bride down the first dance; but she was not, I believe, ed to hiown and a broken nail, and she continued lay to her for his want of dexterity, and assuring her that he was not so aard in handling the ene friends he esteeave no quarter to an old esticulation, he knocked doith his elbow and laid sprawling on the ground He was sober when these accidents literally occurred
Of this original I collected the following particulars: Before the Revolution he was a soldier in the regiment of Flanders, froiment; in 1793 he was a druarrison in Paris You reles of factions in the latter part of May and in the beginning of June, the sa with Marat, Robespierre, and their adherents for the reins of power On the 1st of June the latter party could not get a druh they offered money and advancement At last Robespierre stepped forward to Liebeau and said, ”Citizen, beat the alareneral” Liebeau obeyed, Robespierre became victorious and kept his proained his rank He has since been employed under Jourdan in Germany, and under Le Courbe in Switzerland When, under the former, he was ordered to retreat towards the Rhine, he pointed out the raphical knowledge, but mistook upon the map the River Main for a turnpike road, and coly Ever since, our troops have called that river 'La chausee de Liebeau' He was notordered to cross one of the lacier, where twelve perished before he are of his overnor of Blois, he there became a petty, insupportable tyrant, and laid all the inhabitants indiscriminately under arbitrary contribution Those who refused to pay were imprisoned as aristocrats, and their property confiscated in the name and on the part of the nation; that is to say, he appropriated to hi that struck his fancy; and if any complaints were made, the owners were seized and sent to the Revolutionary Tribunal at Paris to be condemned as the correspondents or adherents of the royalists of La Vendee After the death of Robespierre he was deprived of this profitable place, in which, during the short space of eleven months, he aave him a division, first under Jourdan, and afterwards under Le Courbe
Bonaparte, after witnessing his incapacity in Italy, in 1800, put him on the full half-pay, and has lately ion of Honour
His dear spouse, Madame Liebeau, is his counterpart When he s in our streets; but she toldseated by my side, that her father was an officer of fortune, and a Chevalier of the Order of St
Louis She assured reater services to his country than Bonaparte; and that, had it not been for his patriotism in 1793, the Austrians would have taken Paris She was very angry with Madame Napoleon, to whom she had been presented, but who had not shown her so much attention and civility, as was due to her husband's rank, having never invited her to more than one supper and two tea-parties; and when invited by her, had sent Duroc with an apology that she was unable to co she went to the opera
Another guest, in the regimentals of a colonel, seemed rather bashful when I spoke to him I could not comprehend the reason, and therefore inquired of our host who he was (You know that with us it is not the custom to introduce persons by na in mixed companies) He answered:
”Do you not remember your brother's jockey, Prial?”
”Yes,” said I, ”but he was established by my brother as a hairdresser”
”He is the very saht very bravely, and is now a colonel of dragoons, a great favourite with Bonaparte, and will be a general at the first promotion”
As the colonel did not seem to desire a renewal of acquaintance withthe supper the room, and the bottle went round very freely; and the reater and more violent became their political discussions
Liebeau vociferated in favour of republican and revolutionary measures, and avowed his approbation of requisitions, confiscations, and the guillotine; while Frial inclined to the regular and organized despotism of one, to secret trial, and stillarbitrary imprisonments, exiles, and transportations This displeased Madame Liebeau, who exclaimed:
”Since the colonel is so fond of an Imperial Government, he can have no objection to remain a faithful subject whenever my husband, Liebeau, becomes, an Antoine the First, Emperor of the French”
Frial smiled with contempt
”You seem to think it improbable,” said Liebeau ”I, Antoine Liebeau, I havean Eo, when he was only a colonel, and was arrested as a terrorist
And aner? Come, shake hands with eneral, and a grand officer of the Legion of Honour”
”Ah! my jewel,” interrupted Madame Liebeau, ”how happy will France then be You are such a friend of peace We will then have no wars, no contributions; all the English milords may then come here and spend their money, nobody cares about where or how Will you not, then, entlemen here your chamberlains, and permit me to accept all the ladies of the co?”