Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1806-10-20

tarily a death iecmlngly certain, no.
from the love Of his country, bur
from principle Of honour, almoit
incompatible with the diihonor Of
bondage.
During the Siege Of York Town, in
America, we bad, during one night, e
rected battery, with intent to blow up
a place which, according to the report
of our spies, was your magazine Of am
munition, sc. We had not time to
finish it before daylight but one load
ed twenty-iour FOUNDER was mounted
and our canno4eer, the moment he was
about to fire ii, was killed. Six more
Of our men, III the same attempt, ex-
perienced tssesane fate My regiment
constituted the advanced guard nearest
to the spot, and la Fayette brought me
the order from the Commander in
Chief, to engage some Of my meii upon
that desperate undertaking. ! spoke
to them, and two advanced, but were
both instantly shot by your sharP-shoo-
tiers. then looked It my grenadiers
without utteling any thing, when, to
my sorrow, one of my best and most
orderly men advanced, saying: +" My
colonel, permit me to tiy my fortune :"
Having asscnted, he went coldly a.
midst hundreds Of bullets whistling st-
round lis ears, set fire to TIE cannon,
which blew up depot Of powder as
was expected, and IL the confusion re-
turned unhLrt. La Fayette then pre-
sented him with his purse. /" No, Sir, "
replied he, " money did not make me
venture upon such perilous ullderta-
king" | understood my man, pro-
NOTED him to a sergeant, and recon-
mended him 70 Rochan1beau, who, in
some months procured HIN the COM
nilsson Of sublieutenant. lie is how
one Of Bonaparte's heId-marshals, and
the only one of that rank who has no
crimes to reproach himself with
This man was the soldier of a despot,
butiwas lis action THAT Of man Of honor,
which staunch republican of ancient
Rome would have been proud of I Who
can explain this contradiction
This anecdote about Fournois |
heard Gen. Savary relate at Madame
Duchatel's, as proof of Bonaparte's
generosity and clemency which he af-
hrrned excited the admiration Of the
whole camp at Boulogne. | DO not
suppose this officer TO be above thirty
years Of age, Of which he has passed
the first twenty-five in orphan houses
or in watch-houses but no tyrant ever
had more cringing slave, or more
abiect courtier. His affectation to ex-
tol every thing that Bonaparte does,
right or wrong, is at last become SO ha-
bitual, that it is naturalized, and you
may mistake that for sincerity which is
but imposture or hattery.
This son Of Swiss porter is now
one Of Buonaparte's acknowledgements,
a colonel Of the Gems GArmes d'Elite,
a general of brigade in the army, and
commander of the Legion Of Honor
all these places he owes, not to valour
or merit, but to abjectness, immortality
and servility. When an aid de-can1p
with Bonaparte in Egypt, he served
him as a spy on his comrades, and on
officers Of the staff; and was SO much
detested, that near Aboukir several
shots were fired at him in his tent, by
his own countrymen. He IS supposed
still to continue the same espionage !;
and as colonel of the Gems d Armes
d Elite, he is charged with the secret
execution Of all prescribed persons or
state prisoners, who have been secretly
condemned a commission that desA
pot ives to man he trusts, but dares
not offer TO q man he estsems. He IS
so well known, that, the instant he en-
tiers society, silence Immediately fol-
lows, and he has the whole CONVERSE
tioA to himself. This he is stupid
enough to take for compliment, or Q
marx of respect, or an acknowledge
ment Of his superior parts and intelli>
gence when, in fact, it is direct re-
preach with which prudence arms
itself against suspected or known dis
honesty.
Besides his wife, he has to support
six other women whom he has seduced
and ruined and Notwithstanding the
opportunities his master has
him of pillaging and enrich
ing himself, he is still much in debt
but wo to his creditors, were they III
discrete enough to ask Tor their pay
ments the secret tribunal would son
seize them, and Transport them, or de-