(November 9), 1799, Napoleon spent the first Christmas Day after his
return from Egypt in writing personal letters to the King of England
and Emperor of Austria, with a view to peace. He asks King George how
it is that the two most enlightened nations of Europe do not realise
that peace is the chief need as well as the chief glory ... and
concludes by asserting that the fate of all civilised nations is bound
up in the conclusion of a war "which embraces the entire world." His
efforts fail in both cases. On December 27th he makes the _Moniteur_
the sole official journal. On February 7th, 1800, he orders ten days'
military mourning for the death of Washington--that "great man who,
like the French, had fought for equality and liberty." On April 22nd
he urges Moreau to begin his campaign with the army of the Rhine, an
order reiterated on April 24th through Carnot, again made Minister of
War. A diversion to save the army of Italy was now imperative. On May
5th he congratulated Moreau on the battle of Stockach, but informs him
that Massena's position is critical, shut up in Genoa, and with food
only till May 25th. He advises Massena the same day that he leaves
Paris that night to join the Army of Reserve, that the cherished
child of victory must hold out as long as possible, at least until May
30th. At Geneva he met M. Necker. On May 14th he writes General
Mortier, commandant of Paris, to keep that city quiet, as he will have
still to be away a few days longer, which he trusts "will not be
indifferent to M. de Melas."
No. 3.
This letter was written from Ivrea, May 29th, 1800. On the 30th
Napoleon is at Vercelli, on June 1st at Novara, and on June 2nd in
Milan. Eugene served under Murat at the passage of the Ticino, May
31st.
_M.'s_; probably "Maman," _i.e._ his mother.
_Cherries._--This fruit had already tender associations. Las Cases
tells us that when Napoleon was only sixteen he met at Valence
Mademoiselle du Colombier, who was not insensible to his merits. It
was the first love of both.... "We were the most innocent creatures
imaginable," the Emperor used to say; "we contrived little meetings
together. I well remember one which took place on a midsummer morning,
just as daylight began to dawn. It will scarcely be believed that all
our happiness consisted in eating cherries together" (vol. i. 81,
1836).
No. 4.
_Milan._--He arrived here on June 2nd, and met with a great reception.
In his bulletin of June 5th we find him assisting at an improvised
concert. It ends, somewhat quaintly for a bulletin, as follows:
"Italian music has a charm ever new. The celebrated singers,
Billington,[50] La Grassini, and Marchesi are expected at Milan. They
say they are about to start for Paris to give concerts there."
According to M. Frederic Masson, this Paris visit masked ulterior
motives, and was arranged at a _dejeuner_ on the same day, where La
Grassini, Napoleon, and Berthier breakfasted together. Henceforward to
Marengo Napoleon spends every spare day listening to the marvellous
songstress, and as at Eylau, seven years later, runs great risks by
admitting Venus into the camp of Mars. At St. Helena he declares that
from June 3rd to 8th he was busy "receiving deputations, and showing
himself to people assembled from all parts of Lombardy to see their
liberator." The Austrians had declared that he had died in Egypt. The
date of No. 4 should probably be June 9th, on which day the rain was
very heavy. He reached Stradella the next day.
FOOTNOTES
[50] On reaching London a few months later Mistress Billington was
engaged simultaneously by Drury Lane and Covent Garden, and
during the following year harvested L10,000 from these two
engagements.
SERIES D
No. 1.
The date is doubtless 27 _Messidor_ (July 16), and the fete alluded to
that of July 14. The following day Napoleon signed the Concordat with
the Pope, which paved the way for the restoration of the Roman
Catholic religion in France (September 11).
_The blister._--On July 7 he quaintly writes Talleyrand: "They have
put a second blister on my arm, which prevented me giving audience
yesterday. Time of sickness is an opportune moment for coming to terms
with the priests."
_Some plants._--No trait in Josephine's character is more characteristic
than her love of flowers--not the selfish love of a mere collector,[51]
but the bountiful joy of one who wishes to share her treasures.
Malmaison had become the "veritable Jardin des Plantes" of the
epoch,[52] far better than its Paris namesake in those days. The
splendid hothouses, constructed by M. Thibaut, had been modelled on
those of Kew, and enabled Josephine to collect exotics from every
clime, and especially from her beloved Martinique. No jewel was so
precious to her as a rare and beautiful flower. The Minister of
Marine never forgot to instruct the deep-sea captains to bring back
floral tributes from the far-off tropics. These often fell, together
with the ships, into the hands of the British sea-dogs, but the
Prince Regent always had them sent on from London, and thus
rendered, says Aubenas, "the gallant homage of a courtly enemy to the
charming tastes and to the popularity already acquired by this
universally beloved woman." Her curator, M. Aime Bonpland, was an
accomplished naturalist, who had been with Humboldt in America, and
brought thence 6000 new plants. On his return in 1804 he was nominated
by Josephine manager of the gardens of Malmaison and Navarre.
In the splendid work, _Le Jardin de la Malmaison_, in three volumes,
are plates, with descriptions of 184 plants, mostly new, collected
there from Egypt, Arabia, the United States, the Antilles, Mexico,
Madeira, the Cape of Good Hope, Mauritius, the East Indies, New
Caledonia, Australia, and China. To Josephine we owe the Camellia, and
the Catalpa, from the flora of Peru, whilst her maiden name (La
Pagerie) was perpetuated by Messrs. Pavon and Ruiz in the Lapageria.
_If the weather is as bad._--As we shall see later, Bourrienne was
invaluable to Josephine's court for his histrionic powers, and he
seems to have been a prime favourite. On the present occasion he
received the following "Account of the Journey to Plombieres. To the
Inhabitants of Malmaison,"--probably the work of Count Rapp, touched
up by Hortense (Bourrienne's _Napoleon_, vol. ii. 85. Bentley,
1836):--
"The whole party left Malmaison in tears, which brought on such
dreadful headaches that all the amiable company were quite overcome by
the idea of the journey. Madame Bonaparte, mere, supported the
fatigues of this memorable day with the greatest courage; but Madame
Bonaparte, consulesse, did not show any. The two young ladies who sat
in the dormeuse, Mademoiselle Hortense and Madame Lavalette, were
rival candidates for a bottle of Eau de Cologne; and every now and
then the amiable M. Rapp made the carriage stop for the comfort of his
poor little sick heart, which overflowed with bile; in fact, he was
obliged to take to bed on arriving at Epernay, while the rest of the
amiable party tried to drown their sorrows in champagne. The second
day was more fortunate on the score of health and spirits, but
provisions were wanting, and great were the sufferings of the stomach.
The travellers lived on in the hope of a good supper at Toul, but
despair was at its height when on arriving there they found only a
wretched inn, and nothing in it. We saw some odd-looking folks there,
which indemnified us a little for spinach dressed with lamp-oil, and
red asparagus fried with curdled milk. Who would not have been amused
to see the Malmaison gourmands seated at a table so shockingly
served!
"In no record of history is there to be found a day passed in distress
so dreadful as that on which we arrived at Plombieres. On departing
from Toul we intended to breakfast at Nancy, for every stomach had
been empty for two days, but the civil and military authorities came
out to meet us, and prevented us from executing our plan. We continued
our route, wasting away, so that you might see us growing thinner
every moment. To complete our misfortune, the dormeuse, which seemed
to have taken a fancy to embark on the Moselle for Metz, barely
escaped an overturn. But at Plombieres we have been well compensated
for this unlucky journey, for on our arrival we were received with all
kinds of rejoicings. The town was illuminated, the cannon fired, and
the faces of handsome women at all the windows gave us reason to hope
that we shall bear our absence from Malmaison with the less regret.
"With the exception of some anecdotes, which we reserve for chit-chat
on our return, you have here a correct account of our journey, which
we, the undersigned, hereby certify.
"JOSEPHINE BONAPARTE.
BEAUHARNAIS LAVALETTE.
HORTENSE BEAUHARNAIS.
RAPP.
BONAPARTE, MERE.
"The company ask pardon for the blots."
_"21 Messidor (July 10)._
"It is requested that the person who receives this journal will show
it to all who take an interest in the fair travellers."
At this time Hortense was madly in love with Napoleon's favourite
general, Duroc, who, however, loved his master more, and preferred not
to interfere with his projects, especially as a marriage with Hortense
would mean separation from Napoleon. Hortense and Bourrienne were both
excellent billiard players, and the latter used this opportunity to
carry letters from Hortense to her lukewarm lover.
_Malmaison, without you, is too dreary._--Although Madame la Grassini
had been specially summoned to sing at the Fete de la Concorde the day
before.
No. 2.
This is the third pilgrimage Josephine has made, under the doctor's
orders, to Plombieres; but the longed-for heir will have to be sought
for elsewhere, by fair means or foul. Lucien, who as Spanish
Ambassador had vainly spent the previous year in arranging the divorce
and remarriage of Napoleon to a daughter of the King of Spain,
suggests adultery at Plombieres, or a "warming-pan conspiracy," as the
last alternatives.[53] Josephine complains to Napoleon of his
brother's "poisonous" suggestions, and Lucien is again disgraced. In a
few months an heir is found in Hortense's first-born, Napoleon
Charles, born October 10.
_The fat Eugene_ had come partly to be near his sister in her mother's
absence, and partly to receive his colonelcy. Josephine is wretched to
be absent, and writes to Hortense (June 16):--"I am utterly wretched,
my dear Hortense, to be separated from you, and my mind is as sick as
my body. I feel that I was not born, my dear child, for so much
grandeur.... By now Eugene should be with you; that thought consoles
me." Aubenas has found in the Tascher archives a charming letter from
Josephine to her mother in Martinique, announcing how soon she may
hope to find herself a great-grandmother.
No. 3.
_Your letter has come._--Possibly the one to Hortense quoted above, as
Josephine was not fond of writing many letters.
_Injured whilst shooting a boar._--Constant was not aware of this
occurrence, and was therefore somewhat incredulous of Las Cases
(vol. i. 289). The account in the "Memorial of St. Helena" is as
follows:--"Another time, while hunting the wild boar at Marly, all his
suite were put to flight; it was like the rout of an army. The
Emperor, with Soult and Berthier,[54] maintained their ground against
three enormous boars. 'We killed all three, but I received a hurt
from my adversary, and nearly lost this finger,' said the Emperor,
pointing to the third finger of his left hand, which indeed bore the
mark of a severe wound. 'But the most laughable circumstance of all
was to see the multitude of men, surrounded by their dogs, screening
themselves behind the three heroes, and calling out lustily "Save the
Emperor![55] save the Emperor!" while not one advanced to my
assistance'" (vol. ii. 202. Colburn, 1836).
"_The Barber of Seville._"--This was their best piece, and spectators
(except Lucien) agree that in it the little theatre at Malmaison and
its actors were unsurpassed in Paris. Bourrienne as Bartholo, Hortense
as Rosina, carried off the palm. According to the Duchesse d'Abrantes,
Wednesday was the usual day of representation, when the First Consul
was wont to ask forty persons to dinner, and a hundred and fifty for
the evening. As the Duchess had reason to know, Bonaparte was the
severest of critics. "Lauriston made a noble lover," says the
Duchess--"rather heavy" being Bourrienne's more professional comment.
Eugene, says Meneval, excelled in footman's parts.[56] Michot, from
the Theatre Francais, was stage manager; and Bonaparte provided what
Constant has called "the Malmaison Troupe," with their dresses and a
collection of dramas. He was always spurring them on to more ambitious
flights, and by complimenting Bourrienne on his prodigious memory,
would stimulate him to learn the longest parts. Lucien, who refused to
act, declares that Bonaparte quoted the saying of Louis XVI.
concerning Marie Antoinette and her company, that the performances
"were royally badly played." Junot, however, even in these days played
the part of a drunkard only too well (Jung, vol. ii. 256).
No. 4.
_The Sevres Manufactory._--After his visit, he wrote Duroc: "This
morning I gave, in the form of gratuity, a week's wages to the workmen
of the Sevres manufactory. Have the amount given to the director. It
should not exceed a thousand ecus."
No. 5.
_Your lover, who is tired of being alone._--So much so that he got up
at five o'clock in the morning to read his letters in a young bride's
bed-chamber. The story is brightly told by the lady in question,
Madame d'Abrantes (vol. ii. ch. 19). A few days before the Marly hunt,
mentioned in No. 3, the young wife of seventeen, whom Bonaparte had
known from infancy, and whose mother (Madame Permon) he had wished to
marry, found the First Consul seated by her bedside with a thick
packet of letters, which he was carefully opening and making marginal
notes upon. At six he went off singing, pinching the lady's foot
through the bed-clothes as he went. The next day the same thing
happened, and the third day she locked herself in, and prevented her
maid from finding the key. In vain--the unwelcome visitor fetched a
master-key. As a last resource, she wheedled her husband, General
Junot, into breaking orders and spending the night with her; and the
next day (June 22) Bonaparte came in to proclaim the hunting morning,
but by her side found his old comrade of Toulon, fast asleep. The
latter dreamily but good-humouredly asked, "Why, General, what are you
doing in a lady's chamber at this hour?" and the former replied, "I
came to awake Madame Junot for the chase, but I find her provided with
an alarum still earlier than myself. I might scold, for you are
contraband here, M. Junot." He then withdrew, after offering Junot a
horse for the hunt. The husband jumped up, exclaiming, "Faith! that is
an amiable man! What goodness! Instead of scolding, instead of sending
me sneaking back to my duty in Paris! Confess, my Laura, that he is
not only an admirable being, but above the sphere of human nature."
Laura, however, was still dubious. Later in the day she was taken to
task by the First Consul, who was astounded when she told him that his
action might compromise her. "I shall never forget," she says,
"Napoleon's expression of countenance at this moment; it displayed a
rapid succession of emotions, none of them evil." Josephine heard of
the affair, and was jealous for some little time to come.
_General Ney._--Bonaparte had instructed Josephine to find him a nice
wife, and she had chosen Mlle. Aglae-Louise Auguie, the intimate
friend and schoolfellow of Hortense, and daughter of a former
Receveur-General des Finances. To the latter Ney goes fortified with a
charming letter from Josephine, dated May 30--the month which the
_Encyclopaedia Britannica_ has erroneously given for that of the
marriage, which seems to have taken place at the end of July
(_Biographie Universelle, Michaud_, vol. xxx.). Napoleon (who stood
godfather to all the children of his generals) and Hortense were
sponsors for the firstborn of this union, Napoleon Joseph, born May 8,
1803. The Duchess d'Abrantes describes her first meeting with Madame
Ney at the Boulogne fete of August 15, 1802. Her simplicity and
timidity "were the more attractive inasmuch as they formed a contrast
to most of the ladies by whom she was surrounded at the court of
France.... The softness and benevolence of Madame Ney's smile,
together with the intelligent expression of her large dark eyes,
rendered her a very beautiful woman, and her lively manners and
accomplishments enhanced her personal graces" (vol. iii. 31). The
brave way in which she bore her husband's execution won the admiration
of Napoleon, who at St. Helena coupled her with Mdme. de Lavalette and
Mdme. Labedoyere.
FOOTNOTES
[51] She was, however, no mere amateur, and knew, says Mlle.
d'Avrillon, the names of all her plants, the family to which
they belonged, their native soil, and special properties.
[52] _Rueil, le chateau de Richelieu et la Malmaison_, by Jacquin and
Duesberg, p. 130; in Aubenas' _Josephine_, vol. i.
[53] Lucien declares that Napoleon said to his wife, in his presence
and that of Joseph, "Imitate Livia, and you will find me
Augustus."--(Jung, vol. ii. 206.) Lucien evidently suspects an
occult sinister allusion here, but Napoleon is only alluding to
the succession devolving on the first child of their joint
families. Lucien refused Hortense, but Louis was more amenable
to his brother's wishes. On her triumphal entry into Muehlberg
(November 1805), the Empress reads on a column a hundred feet
high--"Josephinae, Galliarum Augustae."
[54] Made Grand Huntsman in 1804.
[55] An anachronism; he was at this time First Consul.
[56] An euphuistic way of saying he could not learn longer ones. In
war time Napoleon had to insist on Eugene keeping his letters
with him and constantly re-reading them.
SERIES E
No. 1.
_Madame._--Napoleon became Emperor on May 18th, and this was the first
letter to his wife since Imperial etiquette had become _de rigueur_,
and the first letter to Josephine signed Napoleon. Meneval gives a
somewhat amusing description of the fine gradations of instructions he
received on this head from his master. This would seem to be a reason
for this uncommon form of salutation; but, _per contra_, Las Cases
(vol. i. 276) mentions some so-called letters beginning _Madame et
chere epouse_, which Napoleon declares to be spurious.
_Pont de Bricques_, a little village about a mile from Boulogne. On
his first visit to the latter he was met by a deputation of farmers,
of whom one read out the following address: "General, here we are,
twenty farmers, and we offer you a score of big, sturdy lads, who are,
and always shall be, at your service. Take them along with you,
General; they will help you to give England a good thrashing. As for
ourselves, we have another duty to fulfil: with our arms we will till
the ground, so that bread be not wanting to the brave fellows who are
destined to destroy the English." Napoleon thanked the honest yeomen,
and determined to make the only habitable dwelling there his
headquarters. The place is called from the foundations of bricks found
there--the remains of one of Caesar's camps.
_The wind having considerably freshened._--Constant tells a good story
of the Emperor's obstinacy, but also of his bravery, a few days later.
Napoleon had ordered a review of his ships, which Admiral Bruix had
ignored, seeing a storm imminent. Napoleon sends off Bruix to Holland
in disgrace, and orders the review to take place; but when, amid the
wild storm, he sees "more than twenty gunboats run aground," and no
succour vouchsafed to the drowning men, he springs into the nearest
lifeboat, crying, "We must save them somehow." A wave breaks over the
boat; he is drenched and nearly carried overboard, losing the hat he
had worn at Marengo. Such pluck begets enthusiasm; but, in spite of
all they could do, two hundred lives were lost. This is Constant's
version; probably his loss is exaggerated. The Emperor, writing
Talleyrand on August 1st, speaks only of three or four ships lost, and
"une quinzaine d'hommes."
No. 2.
_The waters._--Mlle. d'Avrillon describes them and their effect--the
sulphur baths giving erysipelas to people in poor health. Corvisart
had accompanied the Empress, to superintend their effect, which was as
usual nil.
_All the vexations._--Constant (vol. i. 230, &c., 1896) is of use to
explain what these were--having obtained possession of a diary of the
tour by one of Josephine's ladies-in-waiting, which had fallen into
Napoleon's hands. In the first place, the roads (where there were
any[57]) were frightful, especially in the Ardennes forest, and the
diary for August 1st concludes by stating "that some of the carriages
were so battered that they had to be bound together with ropes. One
ought not to expect women to travel about like a lot of dragoons." The
writer of the diary, however, preferred to stay in the carriage, and
let Josephine and the rest get wet feet, thinking the risk she ran the
least. Another vexation to Josephine was the published report of her
gift to the Mayoress of Rheims of a malachite medallion set in
brilliants, and of her saying as she did so, "It is the colour of
Hope." Although she had really used this expression, it was the last
thing she would like to see in print, taking into consideration the
reason for her yearly peregrinations to Plombieres, and now to Aix,
and their invariable inefficiency. Under the date August 14th, the
writer of the diary gives a severe criticism of Josephine. "She is
exactly like a ten-year-old child--good-natured, frivolous,
impressionable; in tears at one moment, and comforted the next.... She
has just wit enough not to be an utter idiot. Ignorant--as are most
Creoles--she has learned nothing, or next to nothing, except by
conversation; but, having passed her life in good society, she has got
good manners, grace, and a mastery of that sort of jargon which, in
society, sometimes passes for wit. Social events constitute the canvas
which she embroiders, which she arranges, and which give her a subject
for conversation. She is witty for quite a whole quarter of an hour
every day.... Her diffidence is charming ... her temper very sweet and
even; it is impossible not to be fond of her. I fear that ... this
need of unbosoming, of communicating all her thoughts and impressions,
of telling all that passes between herself and the Emperor, keeps the
latter from taking her into his confidence.... She told me this
morning that, during all the years she had spent with him, never once
had she seen him let himself go."
_Eugene has started for Blois_, where he became the head of the
electoral college of Loir et Cher, having just been made Colonel-General
of the Chasseurs by Napoleon. The Beauharnais family were originally
natives of Blois.
No. 3.
_Aix-la-Chapelle._--In this, the first Imperial pilgrimage to take the
waters, great preparations had been made, forty-seven horses bought at
an average cost of L60 apiece; and eight carriages, which are not dear
at L1000 for the lot, with L400 additional for harness and fittings.
At Aix they had fox-hunting and hare-coursing so called, but probably
the final tragedy was consummated with a gun. Lord Rosebery reminds us
that at St. Helena the Emperor actually shot a cow! They explored coal
mines, and examined all the local manufactories, including the relics
of Charlemagne--of which great warrior and statesman Josephine refused
an arm, as having a still more puissant one ever at hand for her
protection.
When tidings come that the Emperor will arrive on September 2, and
prolong their stay from Paris, there is general lamentation among
Josephine's womenkind, especially on the part of that perennial wet
blanket and busybody, Madame de Larochefoucauld, who will make herself
a still greater nuisance at Mayence two years later.
No. 4.
_During the past week._--As a matter of fact he only reached Ostend on
April 12th from Boulogne, having left Dunkirk on the 11th.
_The day after to-morrow._--This fete was the distribution of the
Legion of Honour at Boulogne and a review of 80,000 men. The
decorations were enshrined in the helmet of Bertrand du Guesclin,
which in its turn was supported on the shield of the Chevalier
Bayard.
_Hortense_ arrived at Boulogne, with her son, and the Prince and
Princess Murat, a few days later, and saw the Emperor. Josephine
received a letter from Hortense soon after Napoleon joined her
(September 2nd), to which she replied on September 8th. "The Emperor
has read your letter; he has been rather vexed not to hear from you
occasionally. He would not doubt your kind heart if he knew it as well
as I, but appearances are against you. Since he can think you are
neglecting him, lose no time in repairing the wrongs which are not
real," for "Bonaparte loves you like his own child, which adds much to
my affection for him."