The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-02-16 00:00:00

LITE 11.1TURE.

Fit lets. rtltiVl aportert.

MR.

As the pericm who -oorepies the throve of the
bethrtiOnS, must long condone to engage the at-
tention of .England and of Europe, every account
bk persona or his character will he interesting to
ill the elsices'of sour readers, from the philosopher
andthe stateAnan-to the trifler, who di aws 'from our
pages, at ins breakfast4able, the topics of his con-
versation for the day. NVith this sense of the ge-
neral importance of the subject, we will seleit ano-
ther piece from “ The Rough Sketches of Paris,"
in which BON ArA RT a forms the principal figure of
the grottpe. If we were to consult only onr own
feelings, we should not consider this nun as an
olije& of sufficient magnitude for our repeated at
tention. Being happily phiced beyond the grasp of
-his power, we should contemphite him as nothing
more than a common mortal, %%hose greatness
sprang from accident and not from merit, and who
has thewoliniself too little to fill the station into
ivhich he has .been thrown. In the fortunes of
'Sylla--of the fin t two Cxsan—and even of our own
-Cromwell, we see the result of profound policy—of
a continued exertion of splendid mine!—of a series
of great achievements, regularly conducted to one
point : but in the Revolution,which gave the diadem
of France to the fugitive of Egypt, we can trace
nothing but the intrigues of a tew men, whovrere
disgusted with the existing government, and the
submission of a people who were exhausted with •
alisacters, with vktories, and with crimes. The
usurpers of Rome and of England discovered, in
the porsession of power, a mind equal to thc mag-
antude of the object for which they had straggled :
tut Bonaparte has evidently lost in the cabinet,
part of the reputation which he had acquired in the
.field ; and has evinced the want of that calm and
ample breast—of that clear and comprehensive vi-
sion, which belong to the great and the accom-
plished statesman. He a6ts from passion,and with
short views ; and tl,e occasional attainment of his
purposes is unquestionably to be ascribed to the
rower which he weilds, and not to the reditude of.
Iris aim, or the dexterity of his management. For
the truth of what we assert, we may appeal to the
whole tenor of his conduCt, from his seizing on the
title of Prefeel of the Italian Republic, by which,
foe no object, he endangered the scarcely-establi:Shed
tranquillity of Europe, and the safety of France, to
his perfidious revocation of the grant of liberty to
the Blacks, by-which he has lost St. Domingo, and
converted one of the finest islands in the world into
scene of carnage, and,the'grave of the French.
LETTER VU!.

ONA P ARTE.—The Aforttbly Review, or *Parade in
the Court of the Thuilleriet.

)'ember the 6th, 1601, (.1:i Frimaire )

•MY Tr« Alt SIR,

My curiosity kat last gratified. I have. seen 80.
naparte. You wiil readily canceiw how much plea-
.-sure I felt to-day, in beholding, for the first time,
this extraordinary man, on whose single exertions
the fate of France, und in-many respects that of Eu-
rope, has for some time depended.
I was fortunate enough to obtain places in one of
the apartments of Darer' the Governor of the pa- ,
lace, from the winc:nes of which I °saw the review
-to the greatest advantage. It is impossible to de-
scribe the impatience with which we awaited the ap-
pearance of Bonaparte. Mrs. well observed,
that her eyes ached with looking.
As soon as the Court of the thuilleries,.(that is to
say, the ground which is enclosed with iron railings,
near the Cazousel,) was filled with the different regi.
ments, who arranged themselves with wonderfu
skill, and without the least confusion, notwithstand-
ing tile limited space allotted them, the Generals
descended• from their horses, went up stairs into the
palace, and, after some little delay, conduded Bo-
=parte to the door. He, instantly sprang on his
white char,-,-er, (wlf:ch waited for him at flte gate)
and commenced the review. As he passed several
limes before the window where I sat, I had ample
time to exam'ne his countenance, his figure, his
dress, and his manner. Ilk complexion is uneom-
manly sallow, his countenance expressive .but stern,
..liielgizre little but well made, and his w:hole perton,
like the mind which it contains, singular and re-
markable. If I were compelled to compare him to
-any one, I should name Kemble, the a,-tor. Though
Bonaparte is inuct less in sire, and less handsome
than that respedable performer, yet in the constnic-
eion of the feativea, and in :the •,en e;:pression,
there is a strong resemblance. ,!'here is, however,
'stick originality about the al' pearance of the First
Consul, that, without having seen him. •it;is difficult
to form an idea of his person. The ,pidure of Bona-
Tarte at-the review, exhibited some time back in Pic-
-cadilly. and the bast in &vet china, which is very
common at .Paris, and which has probably become
equally so in London, arc the best likenesses I have '
seen. As to his dress, he wore the grand costume of -
'his office ; that is to say, a scarlet velvet coat, richly ,
• .embroidered with gold, to this he had added leather
breeches, jockei-boots, .and a little plain cocked hat,
the only ornament of -which was stational cockade.
Isishair, unernvdered, was cut close inhis neck.
After tiding through the tanks, and receiving the
salutes of the ehicers, he passed by every regiment,
the colours of which wen: lowered as he %.-„rat on.
isle then placed himself in the nritidle the parade, .
and his Generals and Aides-de-Camp haying form-
.ed a groupe around him, he distributed swords and •
6relocks of honour to such of..eers and soldiers as
, in different campaigns had deserved them. Ber-
ahier, the•companion of his victories, and now Mi-
.nister of War. presented Aloe by one these articles to
Bonaparte; who havthg read the insa:iption which
was engraved .on each, recording. the action by
evlicheit was deserved, delivered with his own hands
tthe respeCiive .badges of honour. After this cere-
mony was .over, the different regiments passed by
:the First Consul, and the Capt.= of each company
.or troop saltaed bins in passing. The cavalry went
in full -gallop, and as they approached him stopped
-with wonderful neatness. This eonduded -the re-
«iew. 'He-then rode with Lk Officers to the palace
game dismounted, and retired so hit 'apartments,
.ee.l.loveed by the Generals and a strong detachment
.at men.
The 4,t,rtailt was altogether extremely 'brilliant.
'The-windows of the palace, of the ,gallery of the
lA)evrk. and of 211 the adjoining houses, were filled
with I.,dies elegantly oressed, and the iron gates
seprate 'the court-from theipalacc lft.t.lle bur-

Or &
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