Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-11-16
Letters Of Napoleon I.-HOw he Dealt
with Political COnsDiratOrs.

VIII II III g.. 4
A duodecimo volume has just appeared
in Paris under the title of Napoleon l.
Peint par Luimenle. The compiler is NJ.
Randol, who sat as representative in the
Legislative Assembly under the republic.
Every one knows that the correspondence
of Napoleon has for some years past issued
in successive volumes from the Imperial
p~rinting-ofice at the public cost, and under
the supervision of a committee, of which
Prince Napoleon is the President. Seven
teen volumes have already appeared, and
how many more are to appear may be
guessed from the fact that the seventeenth
volume only comes down to October 1903.
From this mass NJ. Randot has selected a
certain number of letters with the view of
showing cut of Napoleon's own mouth the
means he often had recourse to to main
tain his absolute power. The following
specimens are taken at hazard from M.
Randot's little volume
"TREvEs, Is Vendemiaire, Year XIII.
To NJ. Cambaceres:
MY COUSIN Il have received the draft
of a decree about the lawyers. There is
nothing to give the great judges the means
of restraining them. Iprefer doing moth
ing rather than to lose the means Of TAX
ing measures against the pack of babblers
the artisans of revolution-who are
nearly all inspired by nothing but crime
and corruption. So long as L have a
sword by my side 1 will never put my
name to a decree so absurd. 1 wish we
could cut out the tongue of a lawyer who
would wag it against the government.
l have written to the Minister of Police
to pack off Nine. de Stael to Geneva, leav-
ing her free to go abroad as much as she
pleases. This woman continues her trade
of ~intriguant. She has approached Paris
in spite of my orders. She is a veritable
pestilence. My wish is that you speak to
the Minister about her, for 1 shall be
forced to have her taken off by gendarmes.
Keep IN eye on Benjamin Constant. for at
the slightest thing be mixes hirns.lf up
with l shall send him to Brunswick to his
wife, l will not tolerate this clique, or
allow them to make proselytes."
&c To N Fnss~Is<
1 beg of you to let me know what is this
piece called Don JUAN which people
wish to play at the opera, and for the ex-
pense of which my authorization is sought.
l want to have your opinion on this piece
do le5dIuS th0 puDiC Hllnu-
The Emperor suspected Mozart of mu-
tiny as Mime. de Stael and Benjamin Con-
slant. He feared every one that had gem
Jus, and felt, in spite of himself, the super
iority of intellectual and moral power
over brute force.
A few passages from his letters to Junot
and Joseph show the sort of Instructions
he gave his lie~utenants on the occasion of
some slight popular movements in Italy,
then subjected to French domination:
ut is not by fine phrases that tranquil
ity is to be maintained in Italy. Do as 1
did at Benasco. Burn a large village, and
shoot a dozen insurgents. Ny will is that
the village where the instruction has
occurred shall be burnt, that the priest
who is in the hands of the bishop at
Piacenza shall be shot, and that three or
four hundred of the guilty shall be sent to
the galleys. Burn one or two large vii
lagos, and let not a vestige of them be left.
You are much too good for the country
you are in. You must disarm, try and
transport. Pardon no one, but shoot at
least six hundred of the revolted. They
have killed a greater number of my sol
diers- Burn the houses of thirty of the
ringleaders of the villagers, and divide
their property among the soldiers. Disarm
all the inhabitants, and give upto pillage
five or six large villages Of those who have
conducted themselves the worst. 1 greatly
desire that the canaiUe of Naples should
revolt So long as you do not make an
example of them you cannot be their
master. A revolt is necessary for every
conquered people, and 1 should look upon
one at Naples just as a father of a family
would regard the smallpox among his
children, provided it did not too much
weaken the patient. 1t is a s~alutary
crisis"