O’ Meara’s Voice from St: Eelena. 
have flocked to a country where they 
enjoyed such superior privileges. More- 
over; IT wanted (0 establish an universal 
liberty of conscience. © My system ‘was 
‘tothave no! predominant religion, but to 
allow perfect liberty’ of conscicnee anid 
‘of thought, to make allbmen equal, whe- 
ther’ Protestants, Catholics, Mahome- 
tans; Deists)or others ; so that their reli- 
gion should have no influence in getting 
them cemployments under government. 
In fact, that it should neither be the 
means of ‘serving ‘or of ‘injuring them ; 
and that no. objection should be made to 
a man’s ‘getting a situation on the score 
of religion; provided he were fit for it in 
other respects... Tmade every thing in- 
dependent of religion. All the tribunals 
were'so. ‘Marriages* were independent 
ol the priests ;seven the burying-zrounds 
wete ‘not left» at! their disposal, as they 
could viot ‘refuse interment to the body 
of any person, of whatsoever religion. 
My intention was to render every thing 
belonging to the state‘and the constita- 
tion purely. civil and independent of any 
religion. L‘wishedto deprive the priests 
of all influence and power in civil affairs, 
and toeblige them tovconfine themselves 
totheir own spiritual matters, and. med- 
dle with nothing else.” 
st FREEMASONS. 
oa asked some questions relative to the 
freenrasons; and his opinions concerning 
thenn» ** Acset of imbeciles who meet, 
ai faire bonne chére, and perform some 
ridiculous fooleries.. However,’ said 
he, “they do'some goodactions. ‘They 
assisted in the revolution, and latterly to 
diminish thé power of the pope, and the 
influence of the clergy. When the sen- 
timents of a people are against the go- 
verument, every society has a tendency 
to. do: mischief to if”’ I then asked if 
- the freemasons on the continent had any 
connexion with the illuminati.» He re- 
plied, «‘t No, that is ‘a‘society altogether 
different, and'in Germany is of ‘a very 
dangerous nature.” I asked if he-had 
not encouraged the freemasons?’ He 
said,‘ Rather so, as they fought against 
the = : 
vil CARNOT. ~ 
Phe: following is his dee orton of 
Carnot. ‘Ay man laborious and sincere, 
but liable tothe influence of ‘intrigues 
andicasily deceived.» He had ‘directed 
the operations of war, ‘without having 
merited the eulogiums:which were pro- 
nounced upon him, as he had neither 
the experience nor the habitude of war. 
When minister-of-war, he shewed but 
little talent, and had many quarrels with 
635 
the ministéer-of-finance and the treasury ; 
inall ‘of which he was wrong. He lelt 
the ministry, convinced that he could not 
fulfil his station for want of money. He 
afterwards voted against the establish- 
ment of the empire, but, as his conduct 
was always upright, he never gave any 
umbrage to tle government. © During 
the prosperity of the empire, he never 
asked for any thing; but after the mis- 
fortunes in Russia, he demanded em- 
ployment, and got the command of 
Antwerp, where he acquitted himself 
very well. After Napoleon’s return from 
Elba, he was minister of the interior ; 
and the emperor had every reason to be 
satisfied with his conduct. He was 
faithfal, a man of truth and probity, and 
laborious in his exertions. After the 
abdication, he was named one of the 
provisional government, but he was joué 
by the intriguers by whom he was sur- 
rounded. He had passed for an original 
amongst his companions when he was 
young.. He hated the nobles, and ‘on 
that account had several’ quarrels with 
Robespierre, who latterly’ protected 
many of them. He was member of the 
committee of public safety along with 
Robespierre, Couthon, St. Just, and the 
other butchers, and was the only one 
who was not denounced. He afterwards 
demanded to be included in the denun- 
ciation, and to be tried for his conduct, 
as well as the others, which. was re- 
fused ; but bis having made the demand 
to share the fate of the rest, gained him 
great credit. 
BARRAS, 
“ Barras,” he said, “was a ‘violent 
man, aud possessed of little knowledge 
or resolution $ 5 fickle, ‘and far froin 
meriting the reputation which ‘he en- 
joyed, though from the violetice’ of his 
manner and Joudness ‘of: tone in’ the be- 
ginning of his speeches, one Woutd have 
thought otherwise.” 
THE POLES, 
I made a few remarks upon the Poles 
who bad served in his army, who I ob- 
served were greatly attached to his per- 
sone SCANT? “replied “the emperor, 
“they were much attached to me. ‘The 
present viceroy of ‘Poland was with me 
in my campaigns’ in Egypt. 1 made 
hima general: “Most of my old Polish 
guard are now employed through policy 
by Alexander.” “Phey’ are a brave na- 
tion, and muke ‘good ‘soldiers. Tn the 
cold \whieh prevails’in the northern 
countries® the Pole is better than the 
Frenchwan.” 1 asked-him, if in Tess 
rigorous climates'the Poles were as good 
soldiers 
