158 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



harshness might cause a clamour, 

 and perhaps stronger marks of dis- 

 satisfaction on the part of the troops; 

 and although- he was found guilty 

 of the charges adduced against him, 

 by the tribunal before which he 

 was tried, his sentence was remitted 

 ("on his haying written a disculpa- 

 lory letter to Bonaparte] upon the 

 condition that he should retire to 

 the United States of America. 



The conspiracy being thus defeat- 

 ed, and the principal persons con- 

 cerned, in conlineme^nt, Bonaparte 

 availed himself of an opportunity 

 which then presented itself, to get 

 rid of one of the princes of the house 

 of Bourbon, from whom it is pre- 

 sumed he entertained considerable 

 apprehensions. In this he was not 

 actuated solely by the spirit of re- 

 venge, for he had been previously 

 heard to say that the only individu- 

 al of that unfortunate family who 

 could be deemed dangerous to the 

 existing French govcrnnu'nt, re- 

 sided in an obscure manner in a 

 small town in Germany. This 

 could apply only to the due d'Eng- 

 hien, consequently it is probable 

 that the seizure of that prince had 

 long been in contemplation. 



In fdct, the due d'Enghien had 

 acquired the highest reputation. 

 During the whole of the preceding 

 war, he had served under his gal- 

 lant grandfather the prince of Con- 

 de, and had so much distinguished 

 himself by his skill and bravery as 

 an officer, added to his unbounded 

 generosity and humanity, as to be 



adored by his followers, and ad-, 

 mired by his enemies. Such con- 

 du6l must have procured him nu- 

 merous friends and partizans in 

 France. 



The violation of the territory of 

 an independant but weak potentate, 

 was no impediment, and but a tri- 

 •vial consideration in the eyes of 

 Buonaparte, compared with the sa- 

 crifice of so illustrious and so valua- 

 ble a victim. 



*'• Nam regibus boni quam mali 

 " suspc(5tiores sunt, semperque his 

 " aliena virtus forniidolosa est." 



Shortly after the disbanding of 

 the army of Conde, his highness 

 fixed his residence at Ettenheim, in 

 the electorate of Baden, where he 

 passed his time in the society of a 

 few selcft friends. His principal 

 occupation was study, his recrea- 

 tions the culture of a small garden 

 and hunting. Besides, it is proba- 

 ble, that the locality of his retreat 

 furnished him with the. opportuni- 

 ties of receiving earlier intelligence 

 of what was passing in France, 

 tl.an if he had been further removed 

 from the frontiers. 



Thus situated, and little expedting 

 any attempt upon his person, he was 

 seized, together with several other 

 individuals, on the 15th of March, 

 by a body of French cavalry, who 

 had passed the Rhine on the pre- 

 ceding night, under the command of 

 general Caulincourt, aid-de-camp to 

 Bonaparte, and instantly conveyed 

 to the citadel of Stra>burgh.* 



On the 17th he was sent forward 



to 



* The first intimation which the elector of Baden had of tlii> d<^jic:n, was the 

 following letter, dated ilio 10th Marcli, from Talleyraiid, l-'rench minister for fo- 

 reign affairs, to baron Edclshcim, the ekctur's prime niiniiter, Caulmcourt was the 

 bearer. 

 " Sir, 

 " I had formerly sent you a note, the purport of which was to request the arrest 



of 



