The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1814-07-09
From tie Paris " .Ionrnol r.. De6at.n

frontthe Paris Journal des De6ats.'
'4A6cdotes 'J Bonaltiarte.- Nothing can be
more curious than the accounts We daily hear
Oh what passed at the sittings of the council of
s" over which Bonaparte presided. Some
times ne anected kind of good nature, bon
5tons, and cen provoking the utterance of sem
tIments directly the reverse OF his own: hnt
1t was only IN trifing matters that he author
lsea SO much boIdneSs. If measures connect
ca win the religion, the Consumption, or the
Ha~te7lo@ce were under discussion. his pbvsi-
cSnomy became sombre and ferocious his
voice emitted hoarse and cavernous sonnfs
terrifying every peTSOn-and the profound 81;
tShce winch ensued was only interrupted bv
snort g nasty sentences, always of a singular
ana extraordinary nature, and which fell from
MN az broken intervals. He was ike the Pv-
Ihehlssa debating the oracle from the trinod
-When the meeting broke up, the base and
serVlie Iiatterers, OF whom he always nominal
ted abundance to fill his various councils. *
Canned" Surely this is nota man buto God
40Ho mas addressed rs :" The few men of in
tegrity and wisdom whom he employed were
of course silent.
After the dreadful reverses in SaxonV. in
1913, ne returned to Paris on the 9th of No
yemoer--and ON the 18th he held council Of
state. One OF those present, Q.aron de r.
VINO took minutes of the proceedings, has
transmitted to us the following details. for the
accuracy OF which we pledge ourselves:
impatient to see what kind of face the
emperor wore afterhis disasters, the members
OF the council crowded into the saloon adioin-
ing the Council chamber To avoid in some
measure the embarrassment of first inter-
view, the emperor abruptly sent for the 20
vernon OF the bank to come to him first he
otterly exclaimed against the wise measures
"hiCh, az critical moment, had saved this
national establishment, and secured the NH
TIC credit he spoke half an houa without pi
wing the governor time to put in a single word
nc ran round the same circle of ideas three or
Tour times, without even changing the Ian
guage, employing ridiculous IMAGES, and very
oiIen the most calling expressions Of scorn x
Contempt.
When Bonaparte had done sDcakinp. the
doors OF tho Council chamber we're thrown -
pen, and the sittiugs commenced by the rea-
ding OF decree Of finance, under the imperlaI
authority, setting aside the sanction of the le-
gisiatve body, Which was nevertheless con-
Voked Tor the I'd Dec. He required, by this de
cree, nothing less than an augmentation of one
hall on the contributions, The decree passed
without any direct opposition to its principIe
and merely after a desultory discussion. in the
course OF which the emperor uttered various
CViuadictory and absurd opinions" The CON
ti1bution (hc said, among other things) has no
bounds IT presents, generally, the idea Of one
hith' but 1t may, according to the urgency of
circumstance, be raised to one fourth, one
third, one half &c. No the contribution has
no limits 1t there are any laws which declare
the contrary, they arc bad laws"
Alter this decree, the project Of soma
us consul;um was read for placing at the dis
posal Of the minister Of war, 100000 men. to
% taken from the old conscriptions, already