Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte — Complete
negotiations with England did not terminate so happily, although, after
the first overtures made to Lord Yarmouth, the Earl of Lauderdale
had been sent to Paris by Mr. Fox. In fact, these negotiations wholly
failed. The Emperor had drawn enormous sums from Austria, without
counting the vases, statues, and pictures. With which he decorated the
Louvre, and the bronze with which he clothed the column of the Place
Vendome,--in my opinion the finest monument of his reign and the most
beautiful one in Paris. As Austria was exhausted all the contributions
imposed on her could not be paid in cash, and they gave the Emperor
bills in payment. I received one for about 7,000,000 on Hamburg on
account of the stipulations of the treaty of Presburg.
The affairs of the Bourbon Princes became more and more unfavourable,
and their finances, as well as their chances of success, were so much
diminished that about this period it was notified to the emigrants in
Brunswick that the pretender (Louis XVIII.) had no longer the means of
continuing their pensions. This produced great consternation amongst
those emigrants, many of whom had no other means of existence; and
notwithstanding their devotion to the cause of royalty they found a
pension very useful in strengthening their zeal.
--[When Louis XVIII. returned to France, and Fouché was his Minister
of Police, the King asked Fouché whether during his (the King's)
exile, had not set spies over him, and who they were. Fouché
hesitated to reply, but the King insisting he said: "If your Majesty
presses for an answer, it was the Duc de Blacas to whom this matter
was confided."--"And how much did you pay him?" said the King.
"Deux cents mille livres de rents, Sire."--"Ah, so!" said the King,
"then he has played fair; we went halves."--Henry Greville's Diary,
p. 430.]--
Amongst those emigrants was one whose name will occupy a certain place
in history; I mean Dumouriez, of whom I have already spoken, and who had
for some time employed himself in distributing pamphlets. He was then at
Stralsund; and it was believed that the King of Sweden would give him
a command. The vagrant life of this general, who ran everywhere hegging
employment from the enemies of his country without being able to obtain
it, subjected him to general ridicule; in fact, he was everywhere
despised.
To determine the difficulties which had arisen with regard to Holland,
which Dumouriez dreamed of conquering with an imaginary army, and being
discontented besides with the Dutch for not rigorously excluding English
vessels from their ports, the Emperor constituted the Batavian territory
a kingdom under his brother Louis. When I notified to the States of the
circle of Lower Saxony the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of
Holland, and the nomination of Cardinal Fesch as coadjutor and successor
of the Arch-chancellor of the Germanic Empire, along with their official
communications, the Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was the only member of
the circle who forebore to reply, and I understood he had applied to the
Court of Russia to know "whether" and "how" he should reply. At the
same time he made known to the Emperor the marriage of his daughter,
the Princess Charlotte Frederica, with Prince Christian Frederick of
Denmark.
At this period it would have been difficult to foresee the way in which
this union would terminate. The Prince was young and handsome, and of an
amiable disposition, which seemed to indicate that he would prove a good
husband. As for the Princess, she was as beautiful as love; but she was
heedless and giddy; in fact, she was a spoiled child. She adored her
husband, and during several years their union proved happy. I had the
honour of knowing them at the period when the Duke of Mecklenburg,
with his family, sought refuge at Altona. Before leaving that town the
Duchess of Mecklenburg, a Princess of Saxony, paid a visit to Madame de
Bourrienne and loaded her with civilities. This Princess was perfectly
amiable, and was therefore generally regretted when, two years
afterwards, death snatched her from her family. Before leaving Altona
the Duke of Mecklenburg gave some parties by way of bidding adieu to
Holstein, where he had been so kindly received; and I can never forget
the distinguished reception and many kindnesses Madame de Bourrienne and
myself received from that illustrious family.
It consisted of the hereditary Prince, so distinguished by his talents
and acquirements (he was at that time the widower of a Grand Duchess
of Russia, a sister of the Emperor Alexander), of Prince Gustavus, so
amiable and graceful, and of Princess Charlotte and her husband, the
Prince Royal of Denmark.
This happy couple were far from foreseeing that in two years they
would be separated for ever. The Princess was at this period in all the
splendour of her beauty; several fetes were given on her account on
the banks of the Elbe, at which the Prince always opened the ball
with Madame de Bourrienne. Notwithstanding her amiability the Princess
Charlotte was no favourite at the Danish Court. Intrigues were formed
against her. I know not whether any foundation existed for the calumnies
spread to her disadvantage, but the Court dames accused her of great
levity of conduct, which, true or false, obliged her husband to separate
from her; and at the commencement of 1809 he sent her to Altona,
attended by a chamberlain and a maid of honour. On her arrival she was
in despair; hers was not a silent grief, for she related her story to
every one. This unfortunate woman really attracted pity, as she shed
tears for her son, three years of age, whom she was doomed never again
to behold. But her natural levity returned; she did not always maintain
the reserve suitable to her rank, and some months afterwards was sent
into Jutland, where I believe she still lives.
The enemies of the French Government did not confine themselves to
writing and publishing invectives against it. More than one wretch was
ready to employ daggers against the Emperor. Among this number was a
man named Louis Loizeau, recently arrived from London. He repaired to
Altona, there to enjoy the singular privilege which that city afforded
of sheltering all the ruffians, thieves, and bankrupts who fled from the
justice of their own Governments. On the 17th of July Loizeau presented
himself to Comte de Gimel, who resided at Altona, as the agent of
the Comte de Lille. He offered to repair to Paris and assassinate the
Emperor. Comte de Gimel rejected the proposal with indignation; and
replied, that if he had no other means of serving the Bourbons than
cowardly assassination he might go elsewhere and find confederates.
This fact, which was communicated to me by a friend of M. de Gimel,
determined me to arrest Loizeau. Not being warranted, however, to take
this step at Altona, I employed a trusty agent to keep watch, and draw
him into a quarrel the moment he should appear on the Hamburg side of a
public walk which divides that city from Altona, and deliver him up
to the nearest Hamburg guard-house. Loizeau fell into the snare; but
finding that he was about to be conducted from the guardhouse to the
prison of Hamburg, and that it was at my request he had been arrested,
he hastily unloosed his cravat, and tore with his teeth the papers it
contained, part of which he swallowed. He also endeavoured to tear some
other papers which were concealed under his arm, but was prevented by
the guard. Furious at this disappointment, he violently resisted the
five soldiers who had him in custody, and was not secured until he had
been slightly wounded. His first exclamation on entering prison was, "I
am undone!" Loizeau was removed to Paris, and, though I am ignorant of
the ultimate fate of this wretch, I am pretty certain that Fouché would
take effectual means to prevent him from doing any further mischief.
CHAPTER VI.
1806.
Menaces of Prussia--Offer for restoring Hanover to England--Insolent
ultimatum--Commencement of hostilities between France and Prussia--
Battle of Auerstadt--Death of the Duke of Brunswick--Bernadotte in
Hamburg--Davonet and Bernadotte--The Swedes at Lübeck--Major Amiel--
Service rendered to the English Minister at Hamburg--My appointment
of Minister for the King of Naples--New regulation of the German
post-office--The Confederation of the North--Devices of the Hanse
Towns--Occupation of Hamburg in the name of the Emperor--Decree of
Berlin--The military governors of Hamburg--Brune, Michaud, and
Bernadotte.
The moment now approached when war was about to be renewed in Germany,
and in proportion as the hopes of peace diminished Prussia redoubled
her threats, which were inspired by the recollection of the deeds of the
great Frederick. The idea of peace was hateful to Prussia. Her measures,
which till now had been sufficiently moderate, suddenly assumed a
menacing aspect on learning that the Minister of the King of England had
declared in Parliament that France had consented to the restitution of
Hanover. The French Ministry intimated to the Prussian Government that
this was a preliminary step towards a general peace, and that a large
indemnity would be granted in return. But the King of Prussia, who was
well informed, and convinced that the House of Hanover clung to this
ancient domain, which gave to England a certain preponderance in
Germany, considered himself trifled with, and determined on war.
Under these circumstances Lord Lauderdale was recalled from Paris by his
Government. War continued with England, and was about to commence with
Prussia. The Cabinet of Berlin sent an ultimatum which could scarcely
be regarded in any other light than a defiance, and from the well-known
character of Napoleon we may judge of his irritation at this ultimatum.
--[The severity with which Bonaparte treated the press may be
inferred from the case of Palm the publisher. In 1808 Johann
Phillip Palm, of Nuremberg, was shot by Napoleon's order for issuing
a pamphlet against the rule of the French in Germany.]--
The Emperor, after his stay of eight months in Paris passed in abortive
negotiations for peace, set out on the 25th of September for the Rhine.
Hostilities commenced on the 10th of October 1806 between France and
Prussia, and I demanded of the Senate that a stop should be put to the
Prussians recruiting. The news of a great victory gained by the Emperor
over the Prussians on the 14th of October reached Hamburg on the 19th,
brought by some fugitives, who gave such exaggerated accounts of
the loss of the French army that it was not until the arrival of the
official despatches on the 28th of October that we knew whether to mourn
or to rejoice at the victory of Jena.
The Duke of Brunswick, who was dangerously wounded at the battle of
Auerstadt, arrived on the 29th of October at Altona.--[This Prince
was in the seventy-second year of his age, and extremely infirm.]--His
entrance into that city afforded a striking example of the vicissitudes
of fortune. That Prince entered Altona on a wretched litter, borne by
ten men, without officers, without domestics, followed by a troop of
vagabonds and children, who were drawn together by curiosity. He was
lodged in a wretched inn, and so much worn out by fatigue and the pain
of his eyes that on the day after his arrival a report of his death very
generally prevailed. Doctor Unzer was immediately sent for to attend the
unfortunate Duke, who, during the few days that he survived his wounds,
saw no one else except his wife, who arrived on the 1st of November. He
expired on the 10th of the same month.
--[For the mistimed but rather pathetic belief of the old dying Duke