New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-06-09
BARRAS'S "REMINISCENCES.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIS MALICIOUS
ANIMOSITIES.
II.

/ Ancient
FIR rGGuctnlao S,.r r5sn f9a,Ser Dy = '
In d,scuss,ng the double authorship Of these
memoirs II Is useless TO raise the quest'o" VI
STYLE This could not be done IN respect u
translation Of any book. But in the present ca''
II could not be done even with the original "
the concession is made al the outset '""' ~"
literary form Of the work was crea'e' ny W.
DE- Saint Albn. The inquiry must deal WIN inv
matter itself rather than with the way "
made up And for this n iransiauoh' csp''"'
one as faithful as Is here given, Is not less van
an. ,h,n the original itself II can be depende"
on for the substance of the narrative an" ~ Wv
reflections TO the same extent that us '"""''
~ J., n,, of the most salient characteristics
., tho u,rras memoirs AZ they sihhd ~ wv
commentary hy which men are c"h'f"H''" "'
,om, favorable moment IN their 'N'', WV
what they became ruhnodu'ntlN Tah'' '"' W
annie "A man almost forgotten now 'N''''
Iietorians poulcct. member OF the '""'''
pcnuiics nj the time when the h'o''""' W."
IN IN, nuah &C i,a ma, Fuc'ot AZ ho,."'
Governments This wa, the time 'n" ''"
chose for 4 bitter and violent speech "p'" Wv
uabcuf conspiracy and various "th'r "''"',''
tory themes The Grafton rs dcscrip'u III
memoirs az a "Neri,aAle treSnP " ~"
..,,,, MAJ, vol be credited TO Barras hmS'n
dominated by hatred. consumed with gan ""'
oroo.,r very little grateful to i'p"p"'
lit, oro,s to them destiny t. Wlli'h '''N
,,,,d hardly prctcnd" Thus far one may say
enc, a,s,lke of Doucet could have gone !"
memorandum on the very day the spe''" "''
delivered But then comes the proph'"V ''''
mani at will be seen how. dnder the i''i'''
Government NJ Doucct viii make 'ne ""'' -
intimacy entered into with Bonaparie on the
18Th Vendemiaire: how. after having maui vs."
NJ that Government. he Will be on Eoou '''',''
with the Restoration; he VIII then 'e'ui" ~ Nv
,,n,,oror during the hundred Days, to again
ocrer his services to the Restoration as 500" a.
,a shall have secured its forgiveness, ana coupe
-, 49,, horeditarv peerage and his emoluments
&c ex-senator other no less lucrative positions
making of him what Is vulgarly called oe-
.erm,ned and shameless pluralist Here Is
series of illusions covering a period OF nearly
quarter of a century. not one OF wnlch 'o"'"
have been known to Barras or 10 NJ oe Sam
Amin in the times Of the Directorate. II such
,,otic,na,ions were rare in these Volumes II
might be imagined that they were aooeo ~
Barras himself when one of his Garner ine'"o
randums happened to catch his eye. But DIS
,natter of fact they are inserted Systematically
and consistently wherever the narrative l"'-
nishes the least occasion for them Ih's lao'
80. ha considered in the light Of the condition
=, tho material left by Barras to NJ de SAINT
A,bin's care as literary executor ana editor' l"
the first place Barras's papers packed III ha''e
on the night Of his death. were carried 10 W. NC
saint-Albn's house. In the second place barras
attempts to set his "reminiscences IN order "eie
not begun until his health was shattered u! oiu
age and the griefs and annoyahces OF MS Aie'
That was hardly the time for man wholly u''-
,saa ~ literary work to take up so great
given in his general introduction only SHOWS
that Barras had written or dictated po'"o"s "a
the work along with mass OF notes.
Is u In such mass Of notes, varying prooapiy
nv wears as to their respective dates that one
would look for the editorial reflections win WHO"
81 many pages Of the published work are gar
nished? Shall II not rather be said that the o'ish
n, every one OF these reflective sentences or para
eraphs is in doubt? The answer 10 this ques''o''
~ II can be given with certainty, is important ~
Tho stuav OF Barras's development a Halter. In
the midst Of his working life he doubtless had ms
animosities. but he no such phenomenon OF
,oa,ca q 9 one might be led TO suppose. II We turn
10 the notes which were unquestionaoly contempo-
rarv with the events to which they refer We ind
that this hater OF Napoleon began BY giving him
= unqualified praise. "Bonapartes well-conceived
dispositions" he in alludng to the early IN
cidents OF the Italian campaign have been ad-
rniraby executed" But In the same memoran-
DUN there Is also a remark which shows the In
ception Of feeling that was perfectly just!haoe
Barras was a consistent advocate OF the suprem-
acy OF the civil power. AS "A member OF Govern
mont which was more or less experimental. he was
Jealous OF its authority 1t was. therefore, right
for him TO notice that several movements and
utterances" had escaped Bonaparte Indicative OF
n certain inclination TO follow his own bent and
get rid OF the civil authority. OF whom he Is but
the military agent" But he tempered even this
legitimate criticism by adding. HE feels that 1t Is
still necessary for him TO entrench himself behind
his Government" 1t is possible TO divine little
growth of ill-temper in the omission OF Bona
parties name from the exultant remark on the sue
cessfu charge of the French at Lodi. But more
effective note Of disapproval accompanies the an
nouncement that the Directorate had decided tC
publish the letters OF the General-in-Chef OF the
Army of Italy. The disapproval Is sharet
by at least a majority OF the directors
and again It is perfectly justihable. Bona
parte INDUCED in unpleasant remarks on th'
Duke OF Modena. who had the misfortune L
be named Hercules He was as unworthy
this name said Bonaparte. as he was OF nj
descent from the noble House OF Este. TIT
Young General also informed the Directorate tina
The Dukes confidential adviser was really his IL
legitimate brother. the son OF French dancer
The Directorate seeing no utility in this gossip
decided to omit ii from the proposed publication
OF Bonaparte's letters. Barras's comment is sim
ply 80 far from showing any generosity to I'M
defeated. Bonaparte already displays agains
them his taste for sarcastic remarks and the en-
toyInent he feels at humiatng them" He doe
not fail to mention at the same time the skill o
Roraparte's manOeuvres and the completeness o
the victories in Italy. little later-that is whei
Bonaparte was pressing for more troops and in
sisting that with the needed achievements n
could soon be on the banks Of the Danube-ther
comes a sentence which shows who his real oppo
nent in the Directorate was at this time Carno
thought his boast about the Danube presumptu