14] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



tion of whatever decree he might 

 be charged with. Regnier, there- 

 fore moved, that the council sliould 

 be referred to St. Cloud. The 

 discussion of other motions, made 

 by different members, was over- 

 voted, and Regnicr's carried bjf a 

 great majority. It was farther 

 moved and agreed to, that this 

 translation should take place on the 

 following day ; that Buonaparte 

 should be charged with the execu- 

 tiim of the decree, and to take the 

 necessary measures for the security 

 of the national representation ; that 

 for this end, he should be invested 

 with the general command of every 

 kind of armed force at Paris ; that 

 he should be called into the council 

 to take the requisite oaths ; and, 

 finally, that a message, containing 

 the resolution of the council, should 

 be sent to the directory, and to the 

 council of five hundred. An ad- 

 dress was also voted to the F'rench 

 people, stating the right possessed 

 by tlie council of elders to remove 

 the legislative body to St. Cloud, and 

 also tiie motives which had induced 

 them to use this privilege in the 

 present circumstances. Their ge- 

 neral ol)ject, they alleged, was, to 

 repress a spirit of insubordination, 

 faction, and endless commotion, 

 and to obtain a speedy peace both 

 within and without the territories 

 of tlie republic. This address had 

 the desired effect. The Parisians, 

 desirous of peace, confident in 

 Buonaparte, and breathing inces- 

 santly after something new, waited 

 calmly for the development and 

 catastrophe of the piece now to be 

 acted. Buonaparte, thus investcxl 

 with irresistible military power, 

 obeyed the welcome summons, and 

 appeared in the hall of the as.sembly, 

 accompanied by Berthier, Lefebre, 



Macdonald, and other general of- 

 ficers. He pronounced a short 

 speech at the bar, and swore 

 that he would execute the de- 

 cree of the council in his own 

 name, and that of his compa- 

 nions in arms. " Woe be to 

 those, he said, who wish for com- 

 motion and disorder. Assisted l)y 

 my brave companions I will put a 

 stop to them. Examples are not 

 to be looked for in past times. No- 

 thing in liistory resembles the close 

 of the eighteenth century : nor is 

 any thing in the close of the 

 eighteenth century like the present 

 moment. We want a republic 

 founded on civil liberty ; or a na- 

 tional representation. We shall 

 have it. I swear we shall." The 

 message of the elders being read at 

 the bar of the council of five hun- 

 dred, the deputies, who were not 

 in the secret, or wlio were of the 

 democratical party, were struck 

 with astonishment, but kept silence. 

 All deliberation was suspended, 

 and the house adjourned till next 

 day, at twelve o'clock. On going 

 out of the ball, some of the mem- 

 bers cried vive la rejnibHquc. Others 

 who began to entertain some vague 

 suspicions of what was intend- 

 ed, added, vivc la constitnlion ! — 

 Meanwhile, the walls of Paris were 

 covered with proclamations pre- 

 pai"ed for the occasion. In one of 

 these Buonaparte acquainted the 

 national guard with the measures 

 that had been taken by the council 

 of elders. In another he informed 

 the soldiers of the command which 

 had been conferred on him, invi- 

 ting them to second him with their 

 accustomed courage and firmness, 

 promising them that liberty, victory, 

 and peace, and to restore the repub- 

 lic to the rank which two years ago 



