The sun., 1907-12-01

and had already skstohed out in all ita de-
tails his plan. Of which the leading idea was
TO strengthen the Executive He knew
that for success he must have the support
OF some General who had the army behind
him. At frst Sisyes had thought OF
JOubert for the part. next he coanted on
Macdonald. and then. as lately as October.
he thought Of making tho attempt with
MOreau, who had come back from the Army
OF the Rhine. From the moment, how
ever. that Napoleon returned The idea OF
employing any other sword but his had to
be- abandoned.
Il 10 we'll known that on the 18th and 10Th
OF Brumaire the tragi-comedy was played
out nearly az IRE stage managers had ar
ranged Il. although ON the second day in
the Council Of Five Hundred NspOlsOn was
exposed TO serious danger at the hands Of
the JaCobins. with wild cries Of "A has
10 Dictateuri A baS le tyranl HOrs Ia loir
they rushed upon him. Hustled. pressed
upon, struck. beside himself and almost
RAinting, Napoleon retreated toward the
door. where his comrades received him
and escorted him out" Our authors COM
ment on the exciting scene 10: -The Jaco-
bins might kill Napoleon IL they meant TO
make him harmless TO them. But how
would that have helped them2 They would
have cut OF the head OF the hydra and \
hundred others would have grown up In
it's stead. They had. in fact. nothing to
oppose 70 him but their words and the
CopstitMtion. which was a worthless piece
Of paper that they themselves had torn
20 shreds'
Napoleon himself was acutely alive TO
the fact that constructive work must follow
the overthrow Of the Directory. On his
way back 20 Paris, after the accomplish
ment Of the coup d'etat. he said to his oon1-
panions in the carriage: We have pulled
down-we must now build up. and build
solidly." IL took some Ave weeks to per-
feet the new Constitution but on February
7, 1900, the French nation confirmed the
authority OF Napoleon. naming him FIRST
Consul by plebiscite in which. by 5000 900
votes against 1900. it gave its sanction TO
the new organic law. The Government
thus ratified was what il claimed to be- the
will of France concentrated at it's centre.
SO far as the internal condition Of France
was concerned the events which followed
NapOleOn's 9 return had justified the peoples
faith in him. .FactiOus parties had been
broken up. The peasants OF La Vendee
and Brittany had made peace in presence
Of the alternative OF destruction. Capital
locked up for years. had begun to be again
available. The bankruptcy OF the State
Treasury had been averted. These things
however. did not avail to assure the basis
Of order. repose and national advancement.
peace with foreign Powers.
When Napoleon came baCI, from Egypt
Europe was in conflict with France and
had been victorious over her Italy was
almost lost. The English were in pos
session Of its coasts. Only in the Alps
and south Of the Genoese Apennines could
the French armies still maintain them
selves The pressure on Holland had been
somewhat relieved by Gen. Brume's vic
tory late in the autumn Of 1Tpe. but Corfu
was actually and Malta and Egypt ss good
as lost Could il be expected that the
Powers which after suffering many de-
Eeats had at last obtained important ad-
vantages would agree. except under COM
pulsiou. to such terms OF peace as France
would accept? The peace proposals which
Napoleon had caused TO be made to Eng
land and Austria before the close of l7o0
were rejected. Evidently Napoleon must
conquer for his people. and so came about
the campaign Of MarengO.