HISTORY OF EUROPE. [43 



in which he Irealecl this man, whose 

 courage and entire devotion to the 

 party he belonged to, pointed liim 

 out as a valuable partisan not to be 

 rejectedjbut by all means tobc attach- 

 ed tohis cause and pei'son. He accept- 

 ed his friendship, but with propriety 

 and dignity. He appointed him to 

 tlie chief command of the French 

 army in Holland. In the letter 

 which conveyed this appointment, 

 there was a friendly rebuke for his 

 connection with the jacobin clubs, 

 and a reprobation of part of their 

 principles and actions; yet the turn 

 of the whole expressed great con- 

 fidence in his intentions. The con- 

 sul, in that letter, also stated, that, 

 if necessary, he was to take the 

 command of the army in person, in 

 which case, Augereau, would again 

 be one of his principal officers. — 

 The manner in which Buonaparte 

 expressed his gratitude to the gre- 

 nadier who had saved his life, is 

 characteristic of the sentiments and 

 manners at this time prevalent in 

 France, and particularly marks the 

 great revolution in the way of 

 thinkingjon the subject of distinction 

 of rank. On the twelfth of Novem- 

 ber, the consul entertained the gre- 

 nadier, Thome, at his own table at 

 dinner, and after dinner, his wife 

 made him a present of a diamond 

 worth two thousand crowns. It is 

 certainly not in this manner that a 

 senator of Hamburgh would have 

 expressed his gratitude to a private 

 soldier, who should liave laid liim 

 under such an obligation ; nor even 

 a lord mayor of London. The le- 

 gislative commissionsof twenty-five 

 members, on the twelfth of Novem- 

 ber, also entered on their functions; 

 and they divided themselves each 

 into five committees, of five mem- 

 bers eacli, for the purpose of yve- 

 paring laws of police, legislation, 



iinance, a civil code, and a consti- 

 tution. Lucien Buonaparte was 

 chosen president of the commission 

 of the five hundred, and Le Bruue 

 that of the commission of the elders. 

 In these commissions, a new oath 

 was drawn up and agreed to, to be 

 taken by all public functionaries. 

 It was conceived in these terms: 

 " I swear fidelity to the French re- 

 public, one and indivisible, and to 

 maintain with all my power t!;e 

 rights of the sovereignty of the peo- 

 ple, a representative government, 

 liberty, equality, and the security 

 of persons and ])roperty." 



The commissioners began their 

 operations with the abolition of bad 

 laws. A proposition made by the 

 first consul, of a very gracious na- 

 tvu-c, was the first subject that came 

 under their consideration, and form- 

 ed a very pleasing presage of the 

 spirit that was to animate the new 

 government. This was the repeal 

 of two odious and oppressive laws : 

 the law of tlie forced loan, and the 

 law of hostages. The repeal of this 

 law was no sooner promulgated in 

 the western departments, by the 

 two commissioners of peace just 

 mentioned, than those who had 

 taken up arms in their own defence 

 against it, immediately proposed a 

 suspension, which was acceded to 

 liy the republican general, Hedou- 

 ville. But others of the insurgents, 

 who were actuated by motives more 

 hostile to the republic, continued 

 their depredations, avowing, by 

 proclamations, that their object was 

 the restoration of the throne and the 

 altar, and that directors and con- 

 suls were alike traitors and usurpers: 

 but these things will be more pai-- 

 ticularly related in a subsequent 

 chapter. 



I'he consuls and the legislative 

 commissioners professed to have no- 



