68 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



many people, not only in France, 

 but in other countries, the new 

 dictatorship of Buonaparte was, 

 in fact, a great step towards the re- 

 storation of the monarchy. Buo- 

 naparte, it was said, would save 

 himself from many evils and cover 

 his head with eternal glory, if he 

 could accomplish that grand work 

 in a manner consistent with the in- 

 ternal tranquillity and general hap- 

 piness of France, and the peace and 

 advantage of neighbouring nations.* 

 The grand obstacle to such a design 

 is, the distribution of the land of 

 the church, and of the nobles, among 

 so immense a number of new pro- 

 prietors. Yet not a few were of 

 opinion, that, in case of a general 

 reflux in the political sentiments of 

 the French nation, the thing might 

 be found practicable, by means of 

 what remains unsold, and in the 

 hands of government, of royal, or, 

 as they are now called, national 

 domains, and compromises with the 

 present proprietors or incumbents. 

 But while many of the loyalistsflat- 

 tered themselves that there was yet 

 to be another revolution, and that 

 Buonaparte, influenced by public 

 opinion and spirit, was going to 

 imitate the conduct of general 

 Monk, it appeared, from letters of 

 congratulation from the depart- 

 ments, that the French, in general. 



were pleased with the change that 

 had taken place in the government^ 

 which appeared to have assumed a 

 kmd of consistency. Having long 

 been ill-governed, they were glad 

 to see a change from which they 

 could hope, at least, that their af- 

 fairs would be conducted with vi- 

 gour and ability. Meanwhile the 

 public funds kept rising, and every 

 thing was quiet at Paris, and in the 

 departments, except in those of the 

 West, where Comet, who had been 

 a member of the council of the an- 

 cients, with another deputy was 

 sent to pacify the loyalists, as above 

 mentioned. Five and twenty mem- 

 bers of the legislative body were 

 sent as deputies, or military pre- 

 fects, to five and twenty new mili- 

 tary divisions of the country, 

 called prefectures. 



The force of the royalists, or 

 Chouans, in Britanny and Norman- 

 dy, November, 1799> amounted to 

 sixty thousand. They threatened 

 the town of Quimper, of which 

 they were at one period in pos- 

 session. Several garrisons were 

 disposed by government on the 

 coasts of Flanders and Picardy, for 

 obstructing their progress. The 

 army of loyalists in Normandy, 

 under the command of the count 

 de Frotte, was considerable. A 

 part of this army called the divi- 



• The following note is taken from the conversation of an intelligent and moder- 

 ate, though, perhaps, on the present point, too sanguine a loyalist. " Jf I had ac- 

 quired what Buonaparte has acquired, I would give none of it up ; and the only 

 means, perhaps, of consolidating and eternizing his glory would be, after settling 

 the affairs of France in the best manner possible, to call to the throne the duke of 

 Angouleme, or the duke of D'Enghien. Having done this, I would not accept any 

 secondary station : no, not even a sovereignty. As a simple compensation, I would 

 accept only a sum of money, sufficient to form an independent establishment in 

 some free and neutral country, such as the United States of America. I would 

 thus be assured of living tranquil and happily all the rest of my days, and that no 

 catastrophe would either bereave me of felicity, or sully my fame. In fact, it would 

 he necessary to unite the examples of Solon, Lycurgus, and Belisarius, in order to 

 forma just comparison with such a conduct on the part of Buonaparte." 



