163 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



" has been done or attempted be- 

 " yond their first wishes, command- 

 's' ed, perhaps, by ciicunstances 

 " stronger than men, cannot con- 

 " stitute either the duration, the 

 " force, or the happiness of a great 

 *' empire. Vv'e shall not, citizen 

 '• first consTil, point out tlic mode 

 " most suitable to be adopted for 

 *' tiic accomplishment of our wish. 

 *' "We trust, in this respect, to the 

 " wisdom of the first authority of 

 " the state, and to your M'isdom. 

 " But let us be fcari'ul of dissem- 

 " bling the truth from ourselves. — 

 " The moments are pressing. Our 

 " implacable enemies are observing 

 *' us. We know Mhat frightful 

 '"' projects they have shewn them- 

 " selves capable of. They will ne- 

 " ver cease meditating our ruin, 

 " before strong, generous, and last- 

 *•' ing institutions have convinced 

 " them thatonr minis impossible." 

 (Signed) The tM-elve mayors, 

 tlic twenty-four as- 

 sistant mayors, the 

 live members of the 

 council of prefec- 

 ture, the prefc(St, 

 and the secretary 

 general. 

 Matters being so far prepared, a 

 proposition was submitted to \^i\^ 

 tribunate, on the 1st May, by one 

 of Ijonaparte's creatures, named 

 Curee, for conferring on Napoleon 

 Bonaparte the rank and title of 

 emperor of the French, and of 

 making the said rank and title here- 

 ditary in his family, according to 

 the laws of primogeniture. 



Carnot Mas the only member of 

 that body who ventured to oppose 

 the proposition. 



He began, by declaring that he 

 should preserve the same modera- 



tion, 



m delivering 



his 



opinion, 



which had been exhibited by tlie 

 tribunes, who had spoken in favour 

 of the motion. He referred those 

 who ni'.ght be inclined to put a bad 

 construction on his motives, to a 

 rigid examination of his conduft, 

 since the commencement of the re- 

 volution. He asked if it were to 

 grant the first consul a reward for 

 his services, to offer him the sacrifice 

 of liberty. If it were not to de- 

 stroy I5onaparte's own work, to 

 make France his private patrimony. 

 " I voted," continued the orator, 

 " against the consulate for life, and 

 " I will not this day pursue a dif- 

 " ferent course. I will be consis- 

 " tent with myself. But the mo- 

 " ment that the proposed order of 

 " things is established, I will be the 

 " first ia conform to it, and yield 

 " to the new authority proofs of 

 " my deference. May all the mem- 

 " bers of the community follow my 

 " example." He cited a number of 

 passages from the Roman history, 

 tu shew that a government placed in 

 tlie hands of an individual was no 

 pledge of its stability or tranquil- 

 lity. He drew the same inference 

 from the History of France, Mhere 

 intestine commotions and civil dis- 

 cords existed under the government 

 of princes. After the peace of 

 Amiens, Bonaparte had the choice 

 of a republic or a monarch)^ — but 

 he swore to defend the former, and 

 to respect the wishes of France, who 

 had made him her guardian. Now 

 it is proposed to render that power 

 a property, of which, at present, 

 only the administration is possessed. 

 The Romans were most jealous of 

 t'eir liberty, and Camillus, Fabius, 

 a"Cl Cincinnatus only saved the 

 country by relinquishing the poM'er 

 which hbrl been confided to them. 

 The libert) of Rome perished as 



soon 



