Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-05-19
:sss-Yacv IN France The power

.nee attached TO his mere title, ua-
p iA x;tn a military command. and
opa sortedbythe consequence that attends
p'app ssion of extensive landed property,
r,a;n at all times very inconsidera-
pDss qg,e earlier history ct our own U
' lilies MANY instances of the success
'e 'rb;eh the powes of territorial baronss
~ sv may be termed) has been opposed
- authority Of the crown and indeed,
y ,~nntries where monarchical govern
hove been established, similar compe-
" for paramount authority have for q
and particularly before the antroduc-
f standing armies, disturbed the pub
~ssropiity. TO prevent an union OF MI
i rrnown With the influence and conse-
p's1ee arishag from large possessions N
i seem to have been the aim to which
y Jew. and fears Of Bonapartc have been
rvcted. A purely titular ~aristoegaey, both
.Ijlarg and civil, can neve venture toop-
If. 20 the supreme and arbsraryau-
s;,v BIZ which he has assumed, and which
Sr NH TO be effected BY nothing short OF
rs ere at national disaster, Of which ne
:, II IS the cause. Hence we Ind a
, ,np the titulal creations, Italian, Portu-
Is. German, Ragusan and Dalnatlan
e&es.
/ None Of TIC departments, o. pflneipa,
owns IN Tlance, appear I have FURNISHED
]. .;role title for any prince, duke, marquis
.,nDf 4, baron, in. the empire. Even the
%.soersls who were rewarded tor the hard
Ems and safrfings they endured, IN the
. we're campaign against the Russians in 70
Ind. were remunerated by grants OF land
4 that distant country. Whether or no
.scb > distribution Of rewards be wise and
a,;t;c. time can. alone determine. sbut
~boveytr high may be the distinction OF a.
forei.n dukedom, it surely cannot afford to
nossessor a qualification equal e the sa-
s,action Of deriving his title ftoTn the coun-
- which gave him birth. By,future chang
! which time will infallibly operate in the
rrssent distribution of sovereign power on
ne continent, the towns and states .som
xbich these ducal titles are derived, may all
form part of the territorial possessions OF
cher potentates. It is as great q folly to
bear the title of duke OF any province which
a part of another empire, as it would
be TO revive, for the crown of England, the
claim to the kingdom of France.
The absurdity Of these foreign titles might
he rendered in the event of the re -eonquest
Of the emperor of Austria's Italian posses
sons, most strikingly apparent. Should ne
proper to create a batch OF dukes, and
confer ON them the landed possessions and
Italian titles of some of the French mar
sAas, the Austrian creation would reduce
the French dukedoms to mere titular nonen-
Ii must be~apparent to all these marshals
that although they have been raised to the
highest dignities, yetthe aP~prehenslons and
l~calousies which poison the mind OF their So
.vereign, who is technically to be denomi-
the fountain Of honor, very greatly
the value ofthe titles which they
have received. Bonaparte gives them dis
factions, without imparting to them { cor
responding degree of civic Importance
They are dukes as far as mere titles can
make them such but their real consequence
Is almost entirely limited to the military
which they hold in the empire. The
selfish designs and ambitious views Of Bo-
n,parte appear, therefore, manifest even in
the rewards which he bestows on his gene
rails and officers of state. The instability
Of the military government has been consl-
dered as almost proyerbial if at any time
It may be justly viewed IN this light, 1t IS
Perhaps, when a military tyrant shews the
distrust with which he regards the power OF
ms principal officers, even IN tbs rewards
which he %confrrs on them.