The native American. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1840, 1839-04-13

received the evening before cabinets courier
from Napoleon, ordering him TO give to General
Suchet two Of his best divisions, large part Of
his artillery park, engineer, artillery, and staff
officers. | asked the marshal if he had not mad
vertently given some motives of suspicion to the
emperor, which might have induced him to give
the command of such important sieges as those
OF Tortosa and Tarragona-strong places situated
both IN Catalonia and under the Immediate Juris-
dlcuon OF his commando simple lieutenant
general instead of marshal OF the empire! Al
ter some minutes reflection, he answered, that he
remembered having spoken, on one occasion,
perhaps too freely, when at Reuss. We had tar
rled, some months before, at the large city OF
Reuss-the second after Barcelona in Catalonia
during which a rich merchant, an inhabitant of
| the place, was denounced to ME as very suspl-
cious person, who was accustomed to give secret
information to General Baron d'Eroles, one of the
Californian leaders, concerning all that passed at
our headquarters. l soon intercepted, at the
outposts, one of his emissaries, upon whom was
found note, which the bearer confessed he had
received from the merchant, Senior B..
The note gave statement of our forces in and
round the city, in artillery infantry cavalry, etc.
1t was such document authorized me to try
and sentence its unhappy author to be hanged.
He endeavored to deny his handwriting, but
when compared with other of his writings, the
fact was so evident that he confessed its genuine
ness. The peasant who bore it, being innocent,
was reprimanded and set at liberty. | sent my
interpreter, a French emigrant, Able Berrier, Sc
cre,y in search of the padre confessor the fam
lily of the prisoner, and to suggest to him, las if
coming entirely from the Abbe,) to call on me
with the wife and her two children, for prrdon.
Meanwhile / requested secret interview from
the marshal, to whom gave brief account of
what had passed. He approved of my course,
and promised to act accordingly.
| had scarcely begun to dine, when one of nv
aid-de-camps came running in to inform me that
curate, a lady and two children, were without,
waiting anxiously to speak with me. | left my
merry guests, and made sign to the Able to
follow me. | was greatly moved to see them all
four suddenly PROSTATE themselves before me,
utterng loud cries, and begging me to spare the
life Of the unhappy man. | could not restrain
tear. | ordered them to rise, and to sit down and
be composed. The clergyman had large me-
mortal in Spanish. which he handed to me to
read 1t contained protestations of devotion to
the emperor, to the marshal, and to us all, with
many PRAYERS that God might grant us long and
happy life. 1t ended with the offer of as much
money as he could command, if | would pardon
him. was about to tear the paper in pieces, as
coming from the criminal himself, dated from the
Capilla,t and signed by him. returned tito the
curate, and told him to burn it, as it was docu-
ment very improper, and even offensive to us all.
| then wrote note to the marshall in which I ex-
pressed nv willingness to revoke my sentence,
if such course would receive his approval. The
same evening the merchant was set at liberty. He
was very grateful, and afterwards rendered us va
liable services. The relation of this fact is me-
cessary, to illustrate the conversation held with
the marshal at Mora. -..
II was so excited" continued Macdonald, sat
the sight Of this unhappy family, that we'll re-
member having said, loud enough to be heard by
all my guests: that wished much to be relieved
from my commando" l asked him if he remem-
bered any of the officers who had heard him say
these words? 'Yes, | think so: there were Ge-
nerals Taviel, Guieeminot, Frere, Salm, Paom-
bini, Colonies Delort, Fournier, Adhemar, Grange,
v" ''Stop, stop, Monsieur lie Marechal,''
said l: Il think have your MANI
Colonel v, an Italian by birth, was
handsome, dandy youth, about nineteen years of
age, who, in the last campaign against Austria,
had been made lieutenant, captain, lieutenant
colonel, and had been sent recently by Napoleon,
upon the proposition of his Major-general Ber-
thier, Prince of Neufchatel, in quality of adutant-
general or colonel, in the staff of the army of Ca
talonia. His name had frequently been mention
ed to me as suspicious. l had heard Of his hav-
ing gained the two orders ofthe Legion Of Honor
and the Italian order of the Iron Crown; and of
his various and rapid promotion, through the in
huence of his aunt, the beautiful and witty Coun-
tess V, the avowed mistress of the Major
general, Prince of Neufchatel. He had repayed
these favors, not in battlefield like his fellow
officers, but by becoming a spy over his compa-
Mons and superiors.
Buonaparte possessed the true Italian charac-
ter-mistrust and profound Discrimination. He
confded generally in the venality of mankind,
and thought he could buy every one with gold
and baubles-titles and orders He ordered v
to Catalonia, to observe, particularly the actions
of Macdonald. Napoleon had never liked Mac
donald, not even after the battle of Wagram,
when he embraced him before us all, and said to
him: "Macdonad let us forget the past let us be
friends: name you marshall" etc. He learned
only to appreciate Macdonald when it was too
late-namely, at the time of his forced abdication
at Fontainebleau
When left Macdonald's cabinet at Mora,
called Captain Lavalette into my apartment, and
questioned him concerning Colonel V. He
&c