The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1804-08-24 00:00:00

THE CONFESSIONS 0? THE LATE FIRST CONSUL•

FROM THE MANI:SCRIPT 'COPY OF 1115 EXCELLENT
EMINENCE C•1131111•L CAPIARA.
We, Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul for life
of the French Republic, tormented by a disease,
which, from the commted state of our body and
mind, does not promise us much longer the enjoy-
ment of the consulate, and desiring sincerely to
make our peace with the world, we have di fated
the following confession to his Eminence Cardinal
Caprara, the Representative of his holiness the Pope,
the Representative of Christ upon earth :
Born in the island of Corsica, famous in ancient
as well as in modern times, for its fertility in great
criminals, brigands, assassins, and traitors, we en-
tered on life the 15th of August, 1769 ; our mother
was married to Carlo Bonaparte, but was kept by
M. de Marbattif, commander for Louis XV. in Cor-
sica: we cannot therefore exaaly say who is our real
father.
We assumed, however, according to the usages
of our countrymen, the name of our mother's hus-
band, Bonaparte, who often told us the comforts
and blessings of civil wars, and the valiant robbe-
ries of his father during these fortunate times, and
which caused him to he enn'bled by his Majesty of
illustrious memory, King Theodore 11. As soon as
we were able to read, we studied the history of our
dearly beloved country, from which we learned all
the particulars of those transaiions which seated
this Sovereign upon a throne. An idea struck us
which never since has been erased from our thoughts
and memory. If a German Baron could be acknow-
ledged a King of the Corsicans, why not a Corsican
Gen?leman be proclaimed " an Emperor of the
French '" The distance is certainly less between
Corsica and Francs than between Germany and Cor-
sica. We began, therefore, at the age of six, to ru-
minate upon a plan of advancement towards gran-
deur, which caused us to despise all other children's
play. Ambition was our first passion, and excluded
therefore both the innocence and pleasures of youth.
But as experience is only gained by age, we could
not always keep our meditations to ourselves, and
were regarded by some as insane, and by others as
wicked. Our school-master flogged us ; even our
fellow scholars pelted us, insulted us, or laughed at
us. Our uncle the curate Frere, alias Cardinal Fesch,
in a fam:l. council, seriously advised our being shut
up in a mad-house as incurable. Fortunately the
tenderne-s of M. de Marbeeuf, by procuring us a gra-
tuitous place in one of the royal military schools,
opened to us a wider sphere of glory than we had
expe!tcJ. Becoming di:erect with age, our attempts
at this school to g. t the better of our comrades,
were regarded as the charafteristic of a genius con-
vinced of its own superiority. Instead of being
blamed, we were rewat deciey a commission as a lieu-
tenant of artillery, signed by Louis XVI. As a
dying man we must, however, be sincere. It re-
quired all the power and influence of M. de Mar-
beeuf to prevent us from being chastised for some
error which our envious comrades pretended were
proofs of an early depravity, but which, in fa&, were
only the consequences of a system we had adopted
to regard the lives of individuals, the destruaion of
nations, the ruin of people, and even the wretched.
ness of the univers-, as nothing, if they stood in the
way, or obstruaed our schemes for enjoyment and
authority, if they prevented us from gratifying our
present passions or future views. This caused us at
the age of fifteen to poison our first mistress
in a "state of pregnancy by us, having neither means
nor money to support her ; and to plunder and
betray our friends and scbool-fellows.—We can-
not help confessing that these acs caused us
some remorse for some days ; but the revolution
which soon afterwards broke out, and the notri•lie
deeds we vurre a daily witness to, so- n silenced them.
Having become a member of the Jacobin Club, we
d isnunced them our personal enemies, as the ene-
mies of the revolution, and some of their heads on
pikes caused the resignation or emigration of the
rest Our promotion was, therefore, rapid, but not
so much as we wished. When we observed how
very numerous were the advanced guards of the
revolu:ion of the Orleans and La Fayette's party,
we almost des 'aired of getting the better of, or out-
living them all. We, therefore, resigned our com-
mission in France, went to our own country, were
chosen a Connnander of a Battalion of National
Guards, and began to plot to succeed King Theo-
dore in Corsica, rn expedation of succeeding Louis
XVI. in France. Our own countrymen were, how.
ever, too cunning for us, and we were forced to in-
trigue with English emissaries, not in hope of ob-
taining rank, but of obtaining money, by selling our
country to Great Britain. Bur here again, our
more important countrymen, equally ambitious and
ava: icious as ourselves, were in our way. We were,
of course, scorned by the English iators, and,
in return, swore eternal hatred tOlerec British em-
pire. After tha English had evacuated Toulon, not
having any Englishmen to murder, we revenged our-
selves on Frenchmen equally detested by us, and
1,200 men, women, and children, perished by our
cannon, swords, and bayonets, under pretence of be-
ing Pritisii adherents. We were then imprisoned
and disgraced with our fell me-terrorists, but some
fortunately reatembrred our former exploits, when
nes- ones of the same description were required at
Paris, where, in 179.'n we dispatched 6,010 Parisians,
of both sexes, and of all ages, to join the departed
Toulonese. In retorts, our worthy friend rewarded
us with the embraces of bis mistress, and the com-
mand over his armed slaves, whom we soon deter-
mined to make our own. Our determination was
backed by uninterrunted success. We were as
much applauded in drowning or strangling in Italy
wounded Frenchmen, as in defeating their opposers.
After laying waste tin.. nations of Europe, and con-
quering peace, we carried to the Africans in peace,
all the scourges the Europeans had experienced from
war. We would there have met with no opposition,
had it not been for the cursed English. 'l' hey de-
feated us before St Jean d'Acre, and in revenga, we
nobly ordered at late 4,000 disarmed Turks to be
butcherest.andBoovrounded French men to be poi;on-
ed. Afterwards we deserted from the beach army
ia Egypt in a most dastardly manner. and returned
to France, where our great atchievements caused us
to be hailed as a deliverer. We were pro' 'aimed
a First Consul, after dethroning our benefaCtors, the
Diredors. We again vanquished foteign fo.S .111li
private enemies. Within eight years. by turns
Athens; and Deist, C • '-•lin and Mu:sem:in, we
6,c,ealy became the remrer of the Lluietiat reit-

• •
gion; and were rewarded with a Consulate f..r Tiro,
under tae throne of which we buried our former
religious and political apostacy, with our p..ofessions
of love for liberty :mid equality. It was a that
period we svere seized by the imperial purple fever,
which consumes us, and will soon bury the First
Consul for life. Our republican rivals, our royalist
opposers, and the Burbon pretenders to our throne,
are all terrified, annihilated, or removed. Our last
wish, as a First Consul, is, that we may, as an Em-
peror, be enabled to murder the last Frenchman
upon the body of the last Englishman.

Ciriin in inn Consular Palace, St Clouds 11,1tv 17. ISOC the
last day of our Cumulate OM life. R'JNAPAN.TE.
CAPIARA.

MEETINGS OF CREDITORS AT GUILDHALL,

TO IOOPTOW. 111.11.
iV illiam Beattie, St Paul's Church-yard, pocket 'book-

maker . 10
. . .
Thomas Rutt, Dalsten, Middles-x,stnek-broker , . Ito
Stephen SawmolF, now or late of Apollo-heild,ngs, tad.
lane, Walworth, merchant • I. 10
. .
Francis David de la eliauinette, Laitnnstane, Essrx
and I..ad.mloall.street, London, merchant It's
Edw... I rug'', Franklin's yard, (Nieto, Surr.n., oilman 2 14
refer Ca...n, Brighthellmstuov, SIMMX. linen-draper I it,
Hilton Wray, Bitchitt.lane, druggist 3 1,,
Michael Byrne, Goorge-strste, Manche/ter-square, encl.
merchant . • • • . t 10
. ... . .. ....

Jeremiah Carnelian, now or late of Brown, Builarncs,
_ _ _

St. M., Axe, ;merchant
Mary Price, spinster, ilerefortl, milliner
Thomas 1.14 d II:, Aldernialibury, macho
Thomas Cole, Dageetthant, Kum', Mak r
John Price, Ineibuir-square, merchant .
William Cook, Caniuni..trem-roai, Mitirtlesex, mariner le,
Thomas !Marriott, late nf King-street, et.ne.merchant lU
John Stork, Thomas Whi6y, and Matthew Bimetal,
Great Dritield, York, merchants . I II
DIVIDENDS.

2 II
11U
I 14
I IJ

Joseph Raoley, Chancery:-lariebaaStand shoe-maker II
Henry Pedlar, Bath, Sumersetshire, woollen-droper in
Thomas Roger,on, Oitford.stree, linen-draper In
Henry Meeski, Edward street, Titchtiald-street, tailor s
1 &Nara Davies, by-lane, furrier . In
. .
John Batsman, late of Whites Impel, hanlwaremsn 11
Thomas Smith, Guuld's-hill, R.aciiffe Highway, linen-

draper . . . . -
. -
.
12
. .
Inn Briggs, Great Yarmouth. Norfolk, slop-se:ler 10
Richard Stareley, Feu.Morch-street, druggist 10
Somerton Macqueest,late of fish..treet.hill, hardwaremau 10
Thomas lilies locley, tate of Pic, adillr, haberda.her 10
Thomas Stretch, lat.: of Grafton.sirret,St. novenas, grocer 10
.I,.hu Young. Lmtg acre, coach-maker 10
. .
B.mjanti.i labart, Lloal...trfsft. bookseller . 10