Part 25 (2/2)

Before Napoleon left this capital to head his armies in Germany, he is stated to have sent despatches to all those traitors dispersed in different countries whom he has selected to commence the new dynasties, under the protection of the Bonaparte Dynasty They were, no doubt, advised of this being the crisis when they had to begin their ainst thrones A courier fro to Bonaparte at Ulm was ordered to pass by the corps under the command of Marmont, to whom, in case the Emperor had advanced too far into Germany, he was to deliver his papers This courier was surprised and interrupted by soht troops; and, as it was only so informed of this capture that Bonaparte expressed himself frankly, as related above, it was supposed by his army that the Austrian Government had already in its power despatches which er any secrets at Vienna The writer of this letter added that General Marhly distressed on account of this accident, whichlost peace and tranquillity

This officer ru in 1794, and was, in 1796, appointed by Bonaparte one of his aides-de-camp His education had been entirely military, and in the practice the war afforded him he soon evinced hoell he remembered the lessons of theory In the year 1796, at the battle of Saint-Georges, before Mantua, he charged at the head of the eighth battalion of grenadiers, and contributed much to its fortunate issue In October of the same year, Bonaparte, as a mark of his satisfaction, sent him to present to the Directory the numerous colours which the army of Italy had conquered; from whom he received in return a pair of pistols, with a fraternal hug from Carnot On his return to Italy he was, for the first time, employed by his chief in a political capacity A republic, and nothing but a republic, being then the order of the day, soe a plan for a Cisalpine Republic, and for the incorporation with it of Modena, Bologna, and other neutral States; Marmont was nominated a French republican plenipotentiary, and assisted as such in the organization of a Commonwealth, which since has been by turns a province of Austria or a tributary State of France

Mar for a bad cause, is an honest man; his hands are neither soiled with plunder, nor stained with blood Bonaparte, aood qualities, wishes to see every one about him rich; and those who have been too delicate to accuenerally provides for, by putting into requisition soreat heiress

After the Peace of Campo Fore for his aide-de-caeaux, the sole child of the first banker in France, a well-educated and accoreeable did not her continual sree of self-satisfaction and coht never to be published

The banker, Perregeaux, is one of those fortunate beings who, by drudgery and assiduity, has succeeded in some few years to make an ample fortune

A Swiss by birth, like Necker, he also, like hi the passion of avidity, showed an a-house and upon the exchange Under La Fayette, in 1790, he was the chief of a battalion of the Parisian National Guards; under Robespierre, a co provisions; and under Bonaparte he is becoion of Honour

I am told that he has made all his money by his connection with your country; but I know that the favourite of Napoleon can never be the friend of Great Britain He is a er; but Mademoiselle Mars, of the Emperor's theatre, consoles him for the loss of his wife

General Maruished hi year, the siege of St Jean d'Acre was undertaken, he was ordered to extend the fortifications of Alexandria; and if, in 1801, they retarded your progress, it ing to his abilities, being an officer of engineers as well as of the artillery He returned with Bonaparte to Europe, and was, after his usurpation, o he coned afterwards, with the Austrian general, Count Hohenzollern, the Armistice of Treviso, which preceded shortly the Peace of Luneville Nothing has abated Bonaparte's attachment to this officer, whoe of Government was intended there, and whonty is to be abolished, or thrones and dynasties subverted

LETTER xxxVII

PARIS, October, 1805

MY LORD:--Many wise people are of the opinion that the revolution of another great Ereat impulse occasioned by the Revolution of France, before Europe can recover its long-lost order and repose Had the subjects of Austria been as disaffected as they are loyal, the world ht have witnessed such a terrible event, and been enabled to judge whether the hypothesis was the production of an ingenious schemer or of a profound statesman Our armies under Bonaparte have never before penetrated into the heart of a country where subversion was not prepared, and where subversion did not follow

How relatively insignificant, in the eyes of Providence, must be the independence of States and the liberties of nations, when such a relatively insignificant personage as General von Mack can shake theene, a Laudon, a Lasci, a Beaulieu, a Haddick, a Bender, a Clairfayt, and nureat warriors--left no posterity behind them; or has the presument of the Counsellors of his Prince? This latter must have been the case; how otherwise could the welfare of their Sovereign have been entrusted to a y and bad disposition had, in 1799, delivered up the capital of another Sovereign to his eneained by an impudent assurance, and lost when the man of talents is called upon to act and the fool presents himself

Baron von Mack served as an aide-de-ca the last war between Austria and Turkey, and displayed some intrepidity, particularly before Lissa The Austrian arues from that place, and the co it to be defended by thirty thousandthis attack, Baron von Mack left hiht, crossed the Danube, accole Uhlan, and penetrated into the suburb of Lissa, where heat seven o'clock, he presented to his general, and froarrison contained only six thousand, men This personal temerity, and the applause of Field-marshal Laudon, procured him then a kind of reputation, which he has not since been able to support Soreat facility of conversing on h opinion of this officer; but it has long been proved, and experience confirms it every day, that the difference is ienerals of Cabinets are often indifferent captains when in the camp or in the field

Preceded by a certain celebrity, Baron von Mack served, in 1793, under the Prince of Coburg, as an adjutant-general, and was called to assist at the Congress at Antwerp, where the operations of the caulated Everywhere he displayed activity and bravery; ounded twice in theperfor that evinced the talents which fame had bestowed on hie, in concert with your Govern opened; and when he returned to the Low Countries he was advanced to a quartereneral of the arn without having done anything to justify the reputation he had before acquired or usurped His Sovereign continued, nevertheless, to employ him in different armies; and in January, 1797, he was appointed a Field-eneral of the army of the Rhine In February he conducted fifteen thousand of the troops of this army to reinforce the army of Italy; but when Bonaparte in April penetrated into Styria and Carinthia, he was ordered to Vienna as a second in command of the levy 'en masse'

Real military characters had already formed their opinion of this officer, and saw a presumptuous charlatan where others had admired an able warrior His own conduct soon convinced the of Naples de, in 1798, froanize and head his troops, Baron von Mack was presented to hiainst France he obtained soeneral battle by an enedom of Naples, as well as in the Eotiation seized hiht, and when he should have remembered that no compacts can ever be entered into with political and military earthquakes, more than with physical ones This iner, excited suspicion a to battle, he deserted, under the pretence that his life was in danger, and surrendered hieneral who is too fond of his life ought never to enter a camp, much less to command armies; and a military chief who does not consider the happiness and honour of the State as his first passion and his first duty, and prefers existence to glory, deserves to be shot as a traitor, or dru the nu this can, it is impossible to deny that, with respect to his own troops, he conducted himself in the most pusillanimous manner It has often been repeated that e and that necessary presence of mind which kno to direct or repress multitudes, how to command obedience and obtain popularity; but when a man is entrusted with the safety of an Empire, and assumes such a brilliant situation, he must be weak-minded and despicable indeed, if he does not show hi to succeed, or perish in the atteht have been done, even with the dispirited Neapolitan troops, whom he neither deserted, nor hom he offered to capitulate

Baron von Mack is in a very infir carried on a litter; and his bodily coour of his ment in proportion as its real value di betrayed his trust in exchanging honour for gold, I believe it totally unfounded Our intriguers , but our traitors would never have been able to seduce or shake his fidelity His head is weak, but his heart is honest

Unfortunately, it is too true that, in turbulent times, irresolution and weakness in a coerous as, treason