The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-04 00:00:00

CORRESPOND .N OF NAPOLEON I,

The tenth volume of the correspondence of Napo-
leon I. has just appeared. It comprises the period
between the Ist of October, 1804, and the 28th of
jqne, 1805, during which 894 letters were written
oil the most important affairs of State, from the
arn3y, navy, public works, finance, the public and
private conduct of public functionaries of every
'rade, to the squabbles of the opera dancers in
One of the first that caught my eye on
01)9ning the volume is the following :--
" Chalon-sur-Saone, 17 Germinal, an XIII,
(7 April, 1805).
"M. Forfait,—l have received your letter. The
Minister of Marine has informed me that, by your
own admission, you have an interest in many public
companies, both of contractors of public works as
of constructors. I myself was much annoyed at
seeing that you bad an interest in the business of
a contractor of Antwerp. Such things are incom-
tible with the confidence which I give to persons
in I take into my service. Yet I will do you
to think that in no circumstance this
nyinfluence on your duties. If commer-
al speculations appear more advantageous than
)ur services in the Council of State or in the
larine Department, I have no objection to what
may be advantageous to you; but if you mean to
continue serving either in the Council of State or
in the navy, I require of you to give up every
species of interested connection with contractors or
constructors under any pretext whatever.
NAPOLEON."

Paris.

the jus.

M. Forfait, I suppose, made his choice, though
what it was we do not know. Before this letter
was written he and his friends, no doubt, denounced
the "calumniators" of public functionaries quite
as vehemently as M. Billault did the other day in
the Legislative Corps, to the applause of his hearers,
who are always disposed to admire courage of every
kind, and who know that he generally succeeds
)est in fiction. Had Napoleon I.
_lived to our day,
he would see that M. Forfait and nis like were only
in the infancy of their art.
From Chambery he writes on the 17th of April,
1805, to Fouche, Minister of Police :
" The Bulletin de l'Europe (a paper of the day
as unfortunate as the Courrier du Bimanche) is
a.nieka.ted by a bad spirit. I am astonished, how-
ever, to find Esmenard there. Tell them, for their
own good, that the days of the Quotidienne [the
Union of the present day] have passed away. They
dare not indulge their evil disposition. People see
that they are kept within bounds; but the tip of
ear is seen, For instance, had they nothing better
to say, when speaking of the addresses, on the
topographic office ? I mean that the newspaper
serve the Government, and not oppose it. Esme-
nard is a man of merit, but Michaud is, as ever, a
rascal. " NAPOLEON."
On the 28th of June, 1805, he writes from Plais-
ance a letter to his " cousin," Marshal Berthier, full
of instructions on the preparations for the invasion
of England. The following extract is curious :
" Keep your eye on everything. Master all the
details about provisions, eau-de-vie, shoes, and
everything concerning the landing. Have every-
thing in your portfolio in perfect order. Put on
board a great quantity of artillery tools—you know
there is always a deficiency in campaigning. I
shall have to lay siege to Dover Castle, to Chatham,
and perhaps Portsmouth. Talk it over with Mares-
col (General of Engineers). It is possible that I
shall have troops enough to besiege the three places
at the same time. We must have no ifs,' or buts,'
or Vors'—all the chances are calculated beforehand.
Let tools of every kind be shipped, and take care
that nothing be wanted. I don't know how many
companies of miners I have ordered."
Nelson seems to occupy his thoughts during a
great part of this period. He writes to 'Vice-
Admiral Decres the same day :
"I am still without any positive information. It
would appear that Nelson has been to the West
Indies, but with ten ships only. Anyhow he could
not have left but on the 25th Floreal (15th of May).
In that case Magon will have arrived before him.
Nelson was first before Surinam, then at Trinidad,
and then at Barbadoes. This leaves a chance for
the arrival of the President frigate, which sailed on
the let P rairial (20thMay)—that is, mith hardly any
days difference, and with the advantage of one ship
against a squadron, following a shorter route, and
losing no time in giving chase or seeking for in-
formation. Nelson will lose two days at Cape
Verd. He will take many days in waiting for the
frigates and vessels chasing on his way. When he
learns that Villeneuve is not at the Windward
Islands he will go on to Jamaica, and while he is
occupied with taking in provisions and waiting for
him that great blow can be struck. This is my
calculation. Ship at Brest all the provisions you
can. Can't we do anything with this ship of the
tine L'Ocean ? Don't forget the gunboats. Let all
that are in the ports embark on the sth Thermidor
(25th of July). Let good troops be embarked, and
let everything, even to the pinnaces, be armed;
18 and 24-pounders are everywhere 18 and 24-
pounders. Send the captain of a frigate to Havre
and one to Dunkirk to hasten the departure from
both. Order the Cannoniere frigate to be ready
with its stores, and leave in 24 hours after the
rrival of your courier. You know how useful this
;ate must oe to us. Keep ready at Havre one
two good sailing brigs to carry orders. In
so critical it is a great relief to ga,t news
y. I suppose you have at Cherbourg a
ovisions at least for every one."

TO t

same he again writes the same day, still

,bout Nelson ;

"I em in receipt of your courier and your letters
om Guadaloupe. I beg of you to reassure me by
courier, for I tremble lest the English
stion of all by that way. . . Let
that we have now against us. There are but
sels before Brest, six at Rochefort, and eight
rrol. We don't know what is in the Mediter-

our first

ranean, bat certainly there are not more than four
ships'. W:i want information about Nelson and Col-
Envy°. i.
'oe They were together on the 25th Floreal
on the Spanish coast with 17 ships. They then
liart"ltxaupanv, and we really know nothing about
them since. If they are together, they arrived on
he 26th Prairial at Surinam, and on the Ist Mes-
;:lor at Barbadoes. If they then appeared
lis:'"re Mar%iniclue they found our squadron
Ilii-seti of 11 French and six Spanish
.!',.-ce.'-buttle ships. Nelson will have done one
;f' two things—tried to rally a squadron, as
vianeuve will have left, or, when Villeneuve knew
or the arrival of Nelson 14
theseis waters, he will
[l,-.aiq have left. But it is ,
.., - ham to believe that
any news the v,,,r
without getting , nth would send
17 men of war to the West Indies,, 'while Nelson,
with his 10 vessels, joining Cochrane who has six,
and witlit the three that are at Jamaica, will have
19, which will give him the superiority
over our
When
quadron—it is, I say, bard to believe that
he enemy has thus the chance of finding himself
raster everywhere, he would blindly abandon
ndia. There is another observation. If the two
:ngiish squadrons together have been in Am. erica
icy will have passed Cape Vora, and will not
'rive but on the sth Messidor—that
is, 40 days
If, on the other hand, Nelson was alone,
'
will have been so without hesitating and seeking
iy information. Then what will he do with his
) ships ? He will loae eight or ten days in join -
ono Cochrane ; during which Villeneuve will leave,
Ind the enemy will be weakened at the moment of
combat by being deprived of Nelson's and Cochrane's
squadrons. It is certain that Nelson was short of
provisions. He must have landed on the coast of
Africa to take in water. His crews were worn out
with fatigue. He landed his sick at Gibraltar. His
crews I believe to be incomplete ; and he will be
more prudent and reserved. My opinion is that
Nelson has gone to America, and that Collingwocd
has gene to India. Anyhow we ought to have
every day new data;to go on."
Amid all these plans he had time to write the
nv.-ing• to M. c
ambhceres, which is dated 11th
, 1805,

oyagc

A nTi

31y Cousin,--4 herewith
.
send you a memorial
licL his been addressed to me by the leader of
opera dancers. It seems
to me at the first
proper to let Dupont
man has not yet get up the ballets.
:eyear of reputation.
ucceeds in
SO
amin
t a manner in a

This
Wh(

branch, it is a little too hasty to deprive people of
it who have grown gray in it. With regard to the
reforms to be made, make me out a detailed report,
and draw out for me a fresh code of regulations.

" NAPOLEON."
Again, to M. Champagny, Minister of the Interior,
16th December, 1804 :

" M. Champagny,—A number of poets and musi-
cians have distinguished themselves by the odes,
pieces of music, and other productions which they
made on the occasion of my coronation. We ought
to make them presents in proportion to the goodness
of their works. I wish you would collect all that
has been done on that occasion.

" NAPOLEON."
A cousin of the celebrated General Hoche petitions
'or the place of usher or valet de chambre. The

petition is referred to the Emperor, who writes in

the margin :
" A little place is granted to him in the Excise.
Forwarded to Francois, Counsellor of State."
The Minister of Marine proposes to the Emperor
to cancel the nomination of a young man in his
Department, on the ground that his father was a
man of bad character, and that one of his relations
had been condemned to hard labour. Napoleon,
much to his credit, writes (20th of February, 1805)
in the margin :

" Rejected. The young man must be kept in his
employment. Faults are personal."
He gives instructions (7th of June, 1805) to Prince
Eugene Beauharnais how to regulate his conduct as
Viceroy :

" My Cousin,--In confiding to you the govern-
ment of our kingdom of Italy, we have given you a
proof of the esteem with which your conduct has
inspired us. But, being still at a time of life when
one is not acquainted with the perversity of the
human heart, we cannot too strongly reco:nmend
you to be circumspect and prudent. Our Italian
subjects are naturally greater dissemblers than
the citizens of France. You have but one method
of preserving their esteem and forwarding their in-
terests ; it is not to accord your entire confidence to
anybody, and not to tell anybody what you think
of the Ministers and of the great officers who sur-
round you. When you shall have spoken candidly
and unnecessarily, remark to yourself that you have
committed a fault, in order that you may not re-
peat it. Show for the nation you govern an esteem
which it is necessary to manifest the more you dis-

cover reasons for esteeming it less. A time will
come when you will admit that there is a great dif-
ference between one people and another. The ob-
ject of your Government being the happiness of
my Italian people, the sacrifice of your prejudice
against such of their customs as displease you is
the first of your duties. Make it your glory to be
a Frenchman in every position except in that of
Viceroy of Italy, but in that you must cause it to
be forgotten, and you will not succeed except by
persuading the Italians that you love them. They
know that we love only those we esteem. Cultivate
their language—let them form your principal so-
ciety—distinguish them at your festivities in a
marked manner—approve what they approve, and
love what they love. Speak as little as possible.
You are not sufficiently informed, and your educa-
tion has not been sufficiently perfect, to permit

you to enter on a discussion without reflection.
Learn to be silent, and be assured that silence often
produces the same effect as science. Do not be
ashamed to ask a question. Although a Viceroy, you
are only 23 years of age, and, whatever flatterers
may tell you, everybody knows secretly the extent
of your acquirements, and they grant you more
esteem through the hope of what you shall be than
through the opinion of what you are
Give no credit to spies. There is more harm than
good in having them ; you have nothing to fear at
Milan, and perhaps even in no country. Your
military police, who, narrow you as to your troops,
are all you want . . . Your great interest is to
treat the natives well, to know them all, to know
their names and their families. Do not be very
familiar with strangers. There is nothing to gain
with them. An ambassador will not say any good
of you, because his trade is to say all the bad he can.
Foreign Ministers are, in all the force of the term,
titled spies. There will be no harm in keeping
them at a distance, for they are always more dis-
posed to esteem those they see little of than those
who show them friendship and kindness. . . .
Mejan (the Viceroy's secretary) will be of use to
you if he does not seek to make money; and he will
not do so if he knows you ore watching his acts,
and that a single fault of the kind would destroy
him in my mind and in yours. He must be well paid,
and have the hope of every sort of promotion ; but
for that he must be on foot night and day. If he
get the habit of working only at fixed hours, and
amusing himself the remainder of the day, he will be
of no use to you. You will have to repress in him,
as in the other Frenchman, the disposition which
leads them to despise the country, all the more that
melancholy will be added to it; for the Frenchman
is good for nothing anywhere but in France."