428 
The colonel of grenadiers departed 
on his mission; and. punctually obeyed 
his orders): but'there was:an obstacle 
likely to occur, which it was necessary 
to foresee. It was well known ‘that 
the Due d’Enghein'was the chief of 
the party, and» that the emigrants 
assembled round Offenbourg composed 
a troop quite ready to serve under his 
orders. Itmight then happen, that the 
colonel should meet with resistance, 
and remain himself a prisoner. In 
this case, the court of Baden would no 
doubt interpose, and it would then be 
necessary to deny the enterprise; an 
idea which the character of the officer 
would not permit, or, rather, it would 
be necessary to abandon him to his 
fate, and thus in every way fail in the 
object in view. In order to obviate 
this inconvenience, a letter was put 
into the hands of an aide-de-camp of 
the First Consul, for the Margrave 
of. Baden ; in which, in case of neces- 
sity, there was a justification of the 
apparent hostility which was about to 
be committed: but, every thing having 
succeeded as was wished, the letter 
was not delivered ;.and this aide-de- 
camp remained .at Strasbourg, and in 
the environs. The Margrave com- 
plained ‘to the Tuileries of the out- 
rage, through his ‘minister at Paris; 
but the only satisfaction given him, 
was an order to remove immediately 
from his territory that assembly of 
emigrants, which had re-appeared on, 
ithe borders of the Rhine,—no matter 
under what pretence they remained 
there. The court of Baden obeyed, 
and there was no longer any question 
as to the carrying off the Duc 
@Enghein. 
The prince was brought to Stras- 
bourg; the telegraph announced his 
departure from that city ; he was from 
thence transferred to Paris. The co- 
Jonel, of grenadiers and the aide-de- 
camp of the First Consul arrived sepa- 
rately, and not with the escort, as has 
been said. [had then just arrived 
from) a mission» which ‘had | lasted 
“nearly two months, and during which 
I had :learned the arrest of General 
Moreau, | Georges, and Pichegru. I 
was then residing at the house of M. 
Beugnot, ,at) that time prefect of 
Rouen, when the public newspapers 
rendered an account: of ity as well as 
the day in which the orders were sent 
to carry off the: Due d’Enghein. | My 
mission in Normandy had two vbjects: 
Documents illustrative of History. 
[Dec. 1, 
one relative to the passage of the 
flotillas, »which were stationed: along 
the coast, from the moutir of the Seine 
as far as: Boulogne; the other, to ob- 
serve if fresh Isndings of troops’ were 
still) clandestinely effected from: A bbe- 
ville'as far as Havre; and I had orders 
to send to Paris’ all those who had 
been in any way parties thereto. 
I deparied from Paris the day fol- 
lowing the first confessions of the man 
who made known the existence of the 
plot. Had my journey occupied ‘two 
days more, I should have nothing: to 
say at this period of time respecting 
the death of the prince; and it would 
be absurd to suppose that it depended 
on my return. Until that period I 
was a complete stranger to every thing 
which had taken place; when, being 
on service at Malmaison, I was one 
day suddenly called into the cabinet of 
the First Consul, who handed to me a 
sealed letter, with an order to carry 
it directly to General Murat, governor 
of Paris. I departed on horseback, 
and arrived at the governor's house 
about six o’clock, where I encountered 
the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Tal- 
leyrand), who was then goiug out at 
the gate. AsTI had seen him thesame 
morning at Malmaison, and knowing 
that General Murat was so unwell as 
to be obliged to keep his apartment, 
I did: not stop to consider that this 
late hour was not the accustomed 
hour of the minister, but placed this 
Visit to the account of the invalid. 
The general took. the letter,—read 
it,—and told me: that orders would 
immediately be communicated te me 
touching those which L had jast depo- 
sited in his hands. I here declare, in 
all the sincerity of my heart, and under 
the guarantee of military honour; that 
I was entirely ignorant that’ these 
orders related to the Due d’Enghein; 
that I had in no way any knowledge 
of his having been forcibly carried: off 
from beyond the Rhine; nor: of his 
arrival at Paris. I had not heard a 
single word respecting it at Mal- 
maison, except ina vague manner, at 
the moment of my departure; and I 
believe thus much, because the tele- 
graphic despatch which announced 
his departare from Strasbourg had just 
arrived, and that some: whisperings: to 
that effect took place > im the: anti- 
chamber. On leaving the palace, IT had 
the firm persuasion that diwasoto>re- 
turn there immediately’ after: having 
: : fulfilled 
