Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte — Complete
Empress Maria Louisa then joined him, and they both proceeded to
Belgium. At Antwerp the Emperor inspected all the works which he had
ordered, and to the execution of which he attached great importance. He
returned by way of Ostend, Lille, and Normandy to St. Cloud, where he
arrived on the 1st of June 1810. He there learned from my correspondence
that the Hanse Towns-refused to advance money for the pay of the French
troops. The men were absolutely destitute. I declared that it was urgent
to put an end to this state of things. The Hanse towns had been reduced
from opulence to misery by taxation and exactions, and were no longer
able to provide the funds.
During this year Napoleon, in a fit of madness, issued a decree which I
cannot characterise by any other epithet than infernal. I allude to the
decree for burning all the English merchandise in France, Holland, the
Grand Duchy of Berg, the Hanse Towns; in short, in all places subject to
the disastrous dominion of Napoleon. In the interior of France no idea
could possibly be formed of the desolation caused by this measure in
countries which existed by commerce; and what a spectacle was it to the
destitute inhabitants of those countries to witness the destruction
of property which, had it been distributed, would have assuaged their
misery!
Among the emigrants whom I was ordered to watch was M. de Vergennes, who
had always remained at or near Hamburg Since April 1808. I informed the
Minister that M. de Vergennes had presented himself to me at this
time. I even remember that M. de Vergennes gave me a letter from M. de
Rémusat, the First Chamberlain of the Emperor. M. de Rémusat strongly
recommended to me his connection, who was called by matters of
importance to Hamburg. Residence in this town was, however, too
expensive, and he decided to live at Neumuhl, a little village on the
Elbe, rather to the west of Altona. There he lived quietly in retirement
with an opera dancer named Mademoiselle Ledoux, with whom he had become
acquainted in Paris, and whom he had brought with him. He seemed much
taken with her. His manner of living did not denote large means.
One duty with which I was entrusted, and to which great importance
was attached, was the application and execution of the disastrous
Continental system in the north. In my correspondence I did not
conceal the dissatisfaction which this ruinous measure excited, and the
Emperor's eyes were at length opened on the subject by the following
circumstance. In spite of the sincerity with which the Danish Government
professed to enforce the Continental system, Holstein contained a great
quantity of colonial produce; and, notwithstanding the measures of
severity, it was necessary that that merchandise should find a market
somewhere. The smugglers often succeeded in introducing it into Germany,
and the whole would probably soon have passed the custom-house limits.
All things considered, I thought it advisable to make the best of an
evil that could not be avoided. I therefore proposed that the colonial
produce then in Holstein, and which had been imported before the date of
the King's edict for its prohibition, should be allowed to enter Hamburg
on the payment of 30, and on some articles 40, per cent. This duty was
to be collected at the custom-house, and was to be confined entirely
to articles consumed in Germany. The colonial produce in Altona,
Glnckstadt, Husum, and other towns of Holstein, lead been estimated,
at about 30,000,000 francs, and the duty would amount to 10,000,000 or
12,000,000. The adoption of the plan I proposed would naturally put a
stop to smuggling; for it could not be doubted that the merchants would
give 30 or 33 per cent for the right of carrying on a lawful trade
rather than give 40 per cent. to the smugglers, with the chance of
seizure.
The Emperor immediately adopted my idea, for I transmitted my
suggestions to the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the 18th of
September, and on the 4th of October a decree was issued conformable
to the plan I proposed. Within six weeks after the decree came into
operation the custom-house Director received 1300 declarations from
persons holding colonial produce in Holstein. It now appeared that the
duties would amount to 40,000,000 francs, that is to say, 28,000,000 or
30,000,000 more than my estimate.
Bernadotte had just been nominated Prince Royal of Sweden. This
nomination, with all the circumstances connected with it, as well as
Bernadotte's residence in Hamburg, before he proceeded to Stockholm,
will be particularly noticed in the next chapter. I merely mention the
circumstance here to explain some events which took place in the north,
and which were, more or less, directly connected with it. For example,
in the month of September the course of exchange on St. Petersburg
suddenly fell. All the letters which arrived in Hamburg from the capital
of Russia and from Riga, attributed the fall to the election of the
Prince of Ponte-Corvo as Prince Royal of Sweden. Of thirty letters which
I received there was not one but described the consternation which the
event had created in St. Petersburg. This consternation, however, might
have been excited less by the choice of Sweden than by the fear that
that choice was influenced by the French Government.
CHAP XXII.
1809-1810.
Bernadotte elected Prince Royal of Sweden--Count Wrede's overtures
to Bernadotte--Bernadottes's three days' visit to Hamburg--
Particulars respecting the battle of Wagram--Secret Order of the
day--Last intercourse of the Prince Royal of Sweden with Napoleon--
My advice to Bernadotte respecting the Continental system.
I now come to one of the periods of my life to which I look back with
most satisfaction, the time when Bernadotte was with me in Hamburg. I
will briefly relate the series of events which led the opposer of the
18th Brumaire to the throne of Sweden.
On the 13th of march 1809 Gustavus Adolphus was arrested, and his uncle,
the Duke of Sudermania, provisionally took the reins of Government. A
few days afterwards Gustavus published his act of abdication, which
in the state of Sweden it was impossible for him to refuse. In May
following, the Swedish Diet having been convoked at Stockholm, the Duke
of Sudermania was elected King. Christian Augustus, the only son of that
monarch, of course became Prince Royal on the accession of his father to
the throne. He, however, died suddenly at the end of May 1810, and Count
Fersen (the same who at the Court of Marie Antoinette was distinguished
by the appellation of 'le beau Fersen'), was massacred by the populace,
who suspected, perhaps unjustly, that he had been accessory to the
Prince's death.
--[Count Fereen, alleged to have been one of the favoured lovers of
Marie Antoinette, and who was certainly deep in her confidence, had
arranged most of the details of the attempted flight to Varennes in
1791, and he himself drove the Royal family their first stage to the
gates of Paris.]--
On the 21st of August following Bernadotte was elected Prince Royal of
Sweden.
After the death of the Prince Royal the Duke of Sudermania's son, Count
Wrede, a Swede, made the first overtures to Bernadotte, and announced to
him the intention entertained at Stockholm of offering him the throne of
Sweden. Bernadotte was at that time in Paris, and immediately after his
first interview with Count Wrede he waited on the Emperor at St. Cloud;
Napoleon coolly replied that he could be of no service to him; that
events must take their course; that he might accept or refuse the offer
as he chose; that he (Bonaparte) would place no obstacles in his way,
but that he could give him no advice. It was very evident that the
choice of Sweden was not very agreeable to Bonaparte, and though
he afterwards disavowed any opposition to it, he made overtures to
Stockholm, proposing that the crown of Sweden should be added to that of
Denmark.
Bernadotte then went to the waters of Plombieres, and on his return to
Paris he sent me a letter announcing his elevation to the rank of Prince
Royal of Sweden.
On the 11th of October he arrived in Hamburg, where he stayed only
three days. He passed nearly the whole of that time with me, and he
communicated to me many curious facts connected with the secret history
of the times, and among other things some particulars respecting the
battle of Wagram. I was the first to mention to the new Prince Royal of
Sweden the reports of the doubtful manner in which the troops under his
command behaved. I reminded him of Bonaparte's dissatisfaction at these
troops; for there was no doubt of the Emperor being the author of the
complaints contained in the bulletins, especially as he had withdrawn
the troops from Bernadotte's command. Bernadotte assured me that
Napoleon's censure was unjust; during the battle he had complained of
the little spirit manifested by the soldiers. "He refused to see me,"
added Bernadotte, "and I was told, as a reason for his refusal, that
he was astonished and displeased to find that, notwithstanding his
complaints, of which I must have heard, I had boasted of having gained
the battle, and had publicly complimented the Saxons whom I commanded."
Bernadotte then showed me the bulletin he drew up after the battle of
Wagram. I remarked that I had never heard of a bulletin being made by
any other than the General who was Commander-in-Chief during a battle,
and asked how the affair ended. He then handed to me a copy of the
Order of the day, which Napoleon said he had sent only to the Marshals
commanding the different corps.
Bernadotte's bulletin was printed along with Bonaparte's Order of the
Day, a thing quite unparalleled.
Though I was much interested in this account of Bonaparte's conduct
after the battle of Wagram; yet I was more curious to hear the
particulars of Bernadotte's last communication with the Emperor. The
Prince informed me that on his return from Plombieres he attended the
levee, when the Emperor asked him, before every one present, whether he
had received any recent news from Sweden.
He replied in the affirmative. "What is it?" inquired Napoleon. "Sire,
I am informed that your Majesty's charge d'affaires at Stockholm opposes
my election. It is also reported to those who choose to believe it that
your Majesty gives the preference to the King of Denmark."--"At these
words," continued Bernadotte, "the Emperor affected surprise, which you
know he can do very artfully. He assured me it was impossible, and then
turned the conversation to another subject.
"I know not what to think of his conduct in this affair. I am aware
he does not like me;--but the interests of his policy may render him
favourable to Sweden. Considering the present greatness and power of
France, I conceived it to be my duty to make every personal sacrifice.
But I swear to Heaven that I will never commit the honour of Sweden.
He, however, expressed himself in the best possible terms in speaking of
Charles XIII. and me. He at first started no obstacle to my acceptance
of the succession to the throne of Sweden, and he ordered the official
announcement of my election to be immediately inserted in the Moniteur'.
Ten days elapsed without the Emperor's saying a word to me about my
departure. As I was anxious to be off, and all my preparations were
made, I determined to go and ask him for the letters patent to relieve
me from my oath of fidelity, which I had certainly kept faithfully in
spite of all his ill-treatment of me. He at first appeared somewhat
surprised at my request, and, after a little hesitation, he said, 'There
is a preliminary condition to be fulfilled; a question has been
raised by one of the members of the Privy Council.'--'What condition,