Part 18 (1/2)

PARIS, September, 1805

MY LORD:--Had the citizens of the United States been as submissive to the taxation of your Government as to the vexations of our ruler, America would, perhaps, have been less free and Europe eneral pacification, our Government was seriously determined to reconquer froained during the Revolutionary War, by a neutrality which our policy and interest required, and which the liberality of your Government endured Hence the acquisition we ues of our emissaries in that colony, and the pereo by our Minister and generals Had we been victorious in St Doo, most of our troops there were destined for the A to circumstances, either the Spanish colonies on the terra firma or the States of the American Commonwealth The unforeseen rupture with your country postponed a plan that is far fro laid aside

You may, perhaps, think that since we sold Louisiana we have no footing in America that can threaten the peace or independence of the United States; but may not the same dictates that procured us at Madrid the acquisition of New Orleans, also make us masters of Spanish Florida? And do you believe it ireeues and by our future views?

Would not a word from us settle in an instant at Madrid the differences as well as the frontiers of the contending parties in Aular and systematic plan of our Government to provoke the retaliation of the Ae of neutrality and rights of independence; and that we insult them only because we despise them, and despise them only because we do not apprehend their resentment

I have heard the late American Minister here assert that the American vessels captured by our cruisers and conde the last war, aoes (all American property) to one hundred and fifty o I saw a printed list, presented by the American consul to our Minister of the Marine Depart one hundred and twelve American shi+ps captured in the West Indies and on the coast of Aoes of which have all been confiscated, and most of the crews still continue prisoners at Martinico, Gaudeloupe, or Cayenne Besides these, sixty-six Aoes at sea by our privateers, had been released; and their clai to one million three hundred thousand livres

You overnors in the West Indies, and therefore remember that one dated at Guadeloupe, and another dated at the City of San Doo, both declare, without farther cereood and lawful prizes, when coo, because Bonaparte's subjects there were in a state of rebellion What would these philosophers who, twelve years ago, wrote so ainst your Ministers for their pretended syste the carrying of ammunition and provisions to the ports of France, thus extended their orders without discrimination or distinction? Hoould the neutral Americans, and the neutral Danes, and their then allies, philosophers, and Jacobins of all colours and classes, have coainst the eneroes now, as ht to call upon all those tender-hearted schemers, dupes, or impostors, to interest humanity in their favour? But, as far as I know, no friends of liberty have yet written a line in favour of these oppressed and injured men, whose former slavery was never doubtful, and who, therefore, had ainst their tyrants, and to atteents, who, free before, have never since they revolted against lawful authority enjoyed an hour's freedoators, no eents to preach insurrection in other States, while defending his own usurpation; besides, his treasury is not in thesituation, and the crew of our white revolutionists are less attached to liberty than to cash

Our Ambassador to the United States, General Turreaux, is far fro contented with our friend, the President Jefferson, whose patriotic notions have not yet soared to the level of our patriotic transactions

He refused both to prevent the e of Jerome Bonaparte with a fee when her husband returned to Europe To our continual representation against the liberties which the American newspapers take with our Government, with our Emperor, with our Imperial Family, and with our Imperial Ministers, the answer has always been, ”Prosecute the libeller, and as soon as he is convicted he will be punished” This tardy and negative justice is so opposite to our expeditious and su afterwards, that itand offensive In return, when the Aainst the piracy of our privateers, he has sent them here to seek redress, where they also will, to their cost, discover that in civil cases our justice has not the sa or transporting suspected persons, or of tor a pretended spy, or supposed conspirator

Had the peace of Europe continued, Bernadotte was the person selected by Bonaparte and Talleyrand as our representative in Aotiate But during the present euer was more necessary there than either a warrior or a politician A h all the mire of our own Revolution, who has been in the secrets, and an accomplice of all our factions, is, undoubtedly, a useful instrument where factions are to be created and directed, where wealth is designed for pillage, and a State for overthrow General Turreaux is, therefore, in his place, and at his proper post, as our Ambassador in America

The son of a valet of the late Duc de Bouillon, Turreaux called himself before the Revolution Chevalier de Grambonville, and was, in fact, a 'chevalier d'industrie' (a swindler), who supported hi An associate of Beurnonville, Barras, and other vile characters, he with them joined the colours of rebellion, and served under the former in 1792, in the army of the Moselle, first as a volunteer, and afterwards as an aide-de-camp In a speech at the Jacobin Club at Quesnoy, on the 20th of Novehout the whole republican army, all hats should be prohibited, and red caps substituted in their place; and that, not only portable guillotines, but portable Jacobin clubs, should accompany the soldiers of Liberty and Equality”

A cousin of his was a member of the National Convention, and one of those called Mountaineers, or sturdy partisans of Marat and Robespierre It was to the influence of this cousin, that he was indebted, first for a coeneral, and afterwards for his proade In 1793, he was ordered to march, under the command of Santerre, to La Vendee, where he shared in the defeat of the republicans at Vihiers At the engagene he commanded, for the first time, a separate column, and the capacity and abilities which he displayed on that occasion were such as ht have been expected from a man who had passed the first thirty years of his life in brothels and ga-houses So pleasant were his dispositions, that al been thrown and pushed into the River Loire The battle of Doux was the only one in which he had a share where the republicans were not routed; but some few days afterwards, near Coron, all the troops under him were cut to pieces, and he was himself wounded

The confidence of his friends, the Jacobins, increased, however, in proportion to his disasters, and he was, in 1794, after the superior number of the republican soldiers had forced the remnants of the Royalists to evacuate as properly called La Vendee, appointed a commander-in-chief He had now an opportunity to display his infa established his headquarters at Mantes, where he was safe, amidst the massacres of women and children ordered by his friend Carriere, he commanded the republican army to enter La Vendee in twelve columns, preceded by fire and sword; and within four weeks, one of the most populous departments of France, to the extent and circuues, was laid waste-not a house, not a cottage, not a tree was spared, all was reduced to ashes; and the unfortunate inhabitants, who had not perished as, were shot or stabbed; while atteration On the 22d of January, 1794, he wrote to the Committee of Public Safety of the National Convention: ”Citizen Representatives!--A country of sixty leagues extent, I have the happiness to infor, not a bush, but is reduced to ashes; and of one hundred and eighty thousand worthless inhabitants, not a soul breathes any longer Men and women, old eance, and are no more It was a pleasure to a true republican to see upon the bayonets of each of our brave republicans the children of traitors, or their, heads According to the lowest calculation, I have despatched, within three months, two hundred thousand individuals of both sexes, and of all ages Vive la Republique!!!” In the works of Prudhomme and our republican writers, are inserted hundreds of letters, still ant, from this ci-devant friend of Liberty and Equality, and at present faithful subject, and grand officer of the Legion of Honour, of His Imperial Majesty Napoleon the First

After the death of Robespierre, Turreaux, then a governor at Belleisle, was arrested as a terrorist, and shut up at Du Plessis until the general a his i memoirs of the war of La Vendee, in which he tried to prove that all his barbarities had been perpetrated for the sake of humanity, and to save the lives of republicans He had also the modesty to announce that, as aas those of a Folard and Guibert These norant and wicked, presun of the Directory he was rather discarded, or only e conscripts, but in 1800 Bonaparte gave him a command in the army of reserve; and in 1802, another in the army of the interior He then beca courtiers at the E-room he assumed his for upon those who did not reave him ten years before, of Chevalier of the Guillotine

At a ball of the Bonaparte family to which he was invited, the Ehter, Madame Louis He, therefore, unhooked his sword, which he handed to a young colonel, D'

Avry, standing by his side This colonel, who had been a page at the Court of Louis XVI, knew that it would have been against etiquette, and even unbeco of him, to act as a valet to Napoleon while there were valets in the roo round for a servant

”Oh!” said the Eenerals,”

continued he (addressing hiood breeding he was acquainted), ”take this sword during e, another general and intriguer, were foremost; the latter, however, received the preference On the next day, D' Avry was ordered upon service to Cayenne

Turreaux has acquired, by his patriotic deeds in La Vendee, a fortune of seven hest opinion of his own capacity, while a moment's conversation will inform a man of sense that he is only a conceited fool As to his political transactions, he has by his side, as a secretary, a man of the name of Petry, who has received a diplomatic education, and does not want either subtlety or parts; and on hi a European war, Turreaux's post is of little relative consequence; but should Napoleon live to dictate another general pacification, the United States will be exposed, on their frontiers, or in their interior, to the saes their commercial navy now experiences on the main

LETTER XII

PARIS, Septeeneral officer, who has just arrived from Italy, has assured me that, so far fro contented and attached to his person and Government, were a victorious Austrian areneral insurrection would be the consequence During these last nine years the inhabitants have not enjoyed a moment's tranquillity or safety Every relation or favourite whom Napoleon wished to provide for, or to enrich, he has saddled upon them as in free quarters; and since 1796, when they first had the honour of our Emperor's acquaintance, they have paid more in taxes, in forced loans, requisitions, and extortions of every description, than their ancestors or the the one hundred and ninety-six preceding years

Such is the public spirit, and such have been the sufferings of the people in the ci-devant Lo more national character and hbours, they are also overnor, General De Menou, has caused most of the departht to claim the protection of our happy constitution In every city or town are organized special tribunals, the progeny of our revolutionary tribunals, against the sentences of which no appeal can be h these sentences are always capital ones Before these, suspicion is evidence, and an imprudent word is subject to the saarded as mutiny, and he who complains is shot as a conspirator

There exist only tays for the wretched Piedal assassinations They must either desert their country or sacrifice a part of their property In the forrants; and in the latter they incur the risk that those to whoiven a part of their possessions will also require the re obtained it, to enjoy in security the spoil, will send them to the tribunals and to death De Menou has a fixed tariff for his protection, regulated according to the riches of each person; and the tax-gatherers collect these arbitrary contributions with the regular ones, so little pains are taken to conceal or to disguise these robberies

De Menou, by turns a nobleman and a sans-culotte, a Christian and a Mussulate, not froust of passion, but coldly and deliberately He calculates with sangfroid the profit and the risk of every infaly He owed soeneral to the bounty of Louis XVI, but when he considered the immense value of the revolutionary plunder, called national property, and that those who confiscated could also proenerally a coward; he has everywhere experienced defeats; he was defeated by his Royalist countrymen in 1793, by his Mahometan sectaries in 1800, and by your countrymen in 1801