Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte — Complete
not be indulgent. To be tried in the morning, condemned in the course
of the day, and shot in the evening, was the usual course of those
implacable proceedings. One of my cousins, the daughter of M.
Poitrincourt, came from Sens to Paris to inform me of the dreadful
situation of M. Defeu. She told me that he was related to the most
respectable families of the town of Sens, and that everybody felt the
greatest interest in his fate.
I had escaped for a few moments to keep the appointment I made with
Mademoiselle Poitrincourt. On my return I perceived the First Consul
surprised at finding himself alone in the cabinet, which I was not in
the habit of quitting without his knowledge. "Where have you been?" said
he. "I have been to see one of my relations, who solicits a favour of
you."--"What is it?" I then informed him of the unfortunate situation
of M. Defeu. His first answer was dreadful. "No pity! no pity for
emigrants! Whoever fights against his country is a child who tries to
kill his mother!" This first burst of anger being over, I returned to
the charge. I urged the youth of M. Defeu, and the good effect which
clemency would produce. "Well," said he, "write--
"The First Consul orders the judgment on M. Defeu to be suspended."
He signed this laconic order, which I instantly despatched to General
Ferino. I acquainted my cousin with what had passed, and remained at
ease as to the result of the affair.
Scarcely had I entered the chamber of the First Consul the next morning
when he said to me, "Well, Bourrienne, you say nothing about your M.
Defeu. Are you satisfied?"--"General, I cannot find terms to express my
gratitude."--"Ah, bah! But I do not like to do things by halves. Write
to Ferino that I wish M. Defeu to be instantly set at liberty. Perhaps
I am serving one who will prove ungrateful. Well, so much the worse for
him. As to these matters, Bourrienne, always ask them from me. When I
refuse, it is because I cannot help it."
I despatched at my own expense an extraordinary courier, who arrived in
time to save M. Defeu's life. His mother, whose only son he was, and M.
Blanchet, his uncle, came purposely from Sens to Paris to express their
gratitude to me. I saw tears of joy fall from the eyes of a mother who
had appeared to be destined to shed bitter drops, and I said to her as I
felt, "that I was amply recompensed by the success which had attended my
efforts."
Emboldened by this success, and by the benevolent language of the
First Consul, I ventured to request the pardon of M. de Frotte, who was
strongly recommended to me by most honourable persons. Comte Louis de
Frotte had at first opposed all negotiation for the pacification of La
Vendée. At length, by a series of unfortunate combats, he was, towards
the end of January, reduced to the necessity of making himself the
advances which he had rejected when made by others. At this period he
addressed a letter to General Guidal, in which he offered pacificatory
proposals. A protection to enable him to repair to Alençon was
transmitted to him. Unfortunately for M. de Frotte, he did not confine
himself to writing to General Guidal, for whilst the safe-conduct
which he had asked was on the way to him, he wrote to his lieutenants,
advising them not to submit or consent to be disarmed. This letter was
intercepted. It gave all the appearance of a fraudulent stratagem to
his proposal to treat for peace. Besides, this opinion appeared to be
confirmed by a manifesto of M. de Frotte, anterior, it is true, to the
offers of pacification, but in which he announced to all his partisans
the approaching end of Bonaparte's "criminal enterprise."
I had more trouble than in M. Defeu's case to induce the First Consul
to exercise his clemency. However, I pressed him so much, I laboured
so hard to convince him of the happy effect of such indulgence, that at
length I obtained an order to suspend the judgment. What a lesson I
then experienced of the evil which may result from the loss of time!
Not supposing that matters were so far advanced as they were, I did not
immediately send off the courier with the order for the suspension of
the judgment. Besides, the Minister-of-Police had marked his victim, and
he never lost time when evil was to be done. Having, therefore, I know
not for what motive, resolved on the destruction of M. de Frotte, he
sent an order to hasten his trial.
Comte Louis de Frotte was brought to trial on the 28th Pluviôse,
condemned the same day, and executed the next morning, the day before we
entered the Tuileries. The cruel precipitation of the Minister rendered
the result of my solicitations abortive. I had reason to think that
after the day on which the First Consul granted me the order for delay
he had received some new accusation against M. de Frotte, for when he
heard of his death he appeared to me very indifferent about the tardy
arrival of the order for suspending judgment. He merely said to me, with
unusual insensibility, "You should take your measures better. You see it
is not my fault."
Though Bonaparte put no faith in the virtue of men, he had confidence
in their honour. I had proof of this in a matter which deserves to be
recorded in history. When, during the first period of our abode at
the Tuileries, he had summoned the principal chiefs of La Vendée to
endeavour to bring about the pacification of that unhappy country, he
received Georges Cadoudal in a private audience. The disposition
in which I beheld him the evening before the day appointed for this
audience inspired me with the most flattering hopes. Rapp introduced
Georges into the grand salon looking into the garden. Rapp left him
alone with the First Consul, but on returning to the cabinet where I was
he did not close either of the two doors of the state bedchamber which
separated the cabinet from the salon. We saw the First Consul
and Georges walk from the window to the bottom of the salon--then
return--then go back again. This lasted for a long time. The
conversation appeared very animated, and we heard several things, but
without any connection. There was occasionally a good deal of ill-humour
displayed in their tone and gestures. The interview ended in nothing.
The First Consul, perceiving that Georges entertained some apprehensions
for his personal safety, gave him assurances of security in the most
noble manner, saying, "You take a wrong view of things, and are wrong
in not coming to some understanding; but if you persist in wishing to
return to your country you shall depart as freely as you came to Paris."
When Bonaparte returned to his cabinet he said to Rapp, "Tell me,
Rapp, why you left these doors open, and stopped with Bourrienne?" Rapp
replied, "If you had closed the doors I would have opened them again. Do
you think I would have left you alone with a man like that? There would
have been danger in it."--"No, Rapp," said Bonaparte, "you cannot think
so." When we were alone the First Consul appeared pleased with Rapp's
attachment, but very vexed at Georges' refusal. He said, "He does not
take a correct view of things; but the extravagance of his principles
has its source in noble sentiments, which must give him great influence
over his countrymen. It is necessary, however, to bring this business
soon to an end."
Of all the actions of Louis XIV. that which Bonaparte most admired was
his having made the Doge of Genoa send ambassadors to Paris to apologise
to him. The slightest insult offered in a foreign country to the rights
and dignity of France put Napoleon beside himself. This anxiety to have
the French Government respected exhibited itself in an affair which
made much noise at the period, but which was amicably arranged by the
soothing influence of gold.
Two Irishmen, Napper Tandy and Blackwell, who had been educated in
France, and whose names and rank as officers appeared in the French army
list, had retired to Hamburg. The British Government claimed them as
traitors to their country, and they were given up; but, as the French
Government held them to be subjects of France, the transaction gave rise
to bitter complaints against the Senate of Hamburg.
Blackwell had been one of the leaders of the united Irishmen. He had
procured his naturalisation in France, and had attained the rank of chef
d'escadron. Being sent on a secret mission to Norway, the ship in
which he was embarked was wrecked on the coast of that kingdom. He then
repaired to Hamburg, where the Senate placed him under arrest on the
demand of Mr. Crawford, the English Minister. After being detained in
prison a whole year he was conveyed to England to be tried. The French
Government interfered, and preserved, if not his liberty, at least his
life.
Napper Tandy was also an Irishman. To escape the search made after him,
on account of the sentiments of independence which had induced him to
engage in the contest for the liberty of his country, he got on board
a French brig, intending to land at Hamburg and pass into Sweden. Being
exempted from the amnesty by the Irish Parliament, he was claimed by
the British Government, and the Senators of Hamburg forgot honour and
humanity in their alarm at the danger which at that moment menaced their
little republic both from England and France. The Senate delivered up
Napper Tandy; he was carried to Ireland, and condemned to death, but
owed the suspension of his execution to the interference of France. He
remained two years in prison, when M. Otto, who negotiated with Lord
Hawkesbury the preliminaries of peace, obtained the release of Napper
Tandy, who was sent back to France.
The First Consul spoke at first of signal vengeance; but the Senate of
Hamburg sent him a memorial, justificatory of its conduct, and backed
the apology with a sum of four millions and a half, which mollified
him considerably. This was in some sort a recollection of Egypt--one of
those little contributions with which the General had familiarised the
pashas; with this difference, that on the present occasion not a single
sous went into the national treasury. The sum was paid to the First
Consul through the hands of M. Chapeau Rouge.
--[A solemn deputation from the Senate arrived at the Tuileries to
make public apologies to Napoleon. He again testified his
indignation: and when the envoys urged their weakness he said to
them. "Well and had you not the resource of weak states? was it not
in your power to let them escape?" (Napoleon's Memoirs).]--
I kept the four millions and a half in Dutch bonds in a secretaire for
a week. Bonaparte then determined to distribute them; after paying
Josephine's debts, and the whole of the great expenses incurred at
Malmaison, he dictated to me a list of persons to whom he wished to make
presents. My name did not escape his lips, and consequently I had not
the trouble to transcribe it; but some time after he said to me, with
the most engaging kindness, "Bourrienne, I have given you none of the
money which came from Hamburg, but I will make you amends for it." He
took from his drawer a large and broad sheet of printed paper, with
blanks filled up in his own handwriting, and said to me, "Here is a bill
for 300,000 Italian livres on the Cisalpine Republic, for the price of
cannon furnished. It is endorsed Halter and Collot--I give it you." To
make this understood, I ought to state that cannon had been sold to the
Cisalpine Republic, for the value of which the Administrator-general of
the Italian finances drew on the Republic, and the bills were paid over
to M. Collot, a provision contractor, and other persons. M. Collot had
given one of these bills for 300,000 livres to Bonaparte in quittance of
a debt, but the latter had allowed the bill to run out without troubling