17(5 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



failure of this limitation, the impe- 

 rial dignity is to devolve fust to Jo- 

 sepJi Bonaparte and his male issue ; 

 and, on failure of those, to Louis 

 JBanaparte and his male issue ; and 

 limilly, on failure of (liose branches, 

 an emperor is to be nominated by 

 the senate. The members of the 

 imperial family, in the order of in- 

 heritance, siiall btar the title of 

 princ', and the eldest son of the 

 emperor that of imperial prince. 



The education of those princes is 

 fo be under the direction of the 

 acnate. They are prohibited from 

 marrying without the consent of the 

 emperor. Any marriage so con- 

 tracted incurs the privation of the 

 right of inheritance, both of the in- 

 dividuals and their descendants. 



The minority of the emperor 

 ceases at the age of eighteen. Un- 

 til he arrives at that age, his func- 

 tions shall be administered by a 

 regent, the rules for whose appoint- 

 ment are prescribed, and his pow- 

 ers limited, from which office females 

 are excluded. 



The first exercise of the imperial 

 authority was the nomination of his 

 imp<!rial highness prince Joseph Bo- 

 naparte to the dignity of ^r«/idt7(,'C- 

 ior ; his imperial highness prince 

 Louis Bonaparte to that of consta- 

 ble of France : consul Cambaceres 

 to be arch'Chancellor of the empire : 

 consul Lebrun to be arch-treasurer. 

 These persons then took the pre- 

 scribed oaths, in presence of the 

 emperor. 



The arch-chancellor then pre- 

 sented the ministers and the secre- 

 tary of state, who likewise took 

 the oaths. 



The constable presented generals 

 d'Avoust and Bessieres. General 

 Murat, governor of Paris, was also 

 presented j and general Duroc; who 



took the oaths, as governor of the 

 imperial palace. 



On the same day a letter had been 

 addressed to each of the consuls, 

 Cambaceres and Lebrun, notifying 

 to tliem the change in their titles. 



It was likewise ordered that the 

 French princes and princesses should 

 be addressed by the title of their 

 imperial highnesses, and the sisters 

 of the emperor are of that number. 

 The great officers of the empire are 

 to receive the title of their serene 

 highnesses ; and they, as well as 

 the princes, are to be addressed 

 niomcigncur. The secretary of 

 state and the ministers shall have the 

 titles of their excellencies. The 

 functionaries of the departments, 

 and those Avho present petitions, 

 are to address them by the title of 

 tHonseigncur, Tlie president of the 

 senate shall have the title of e.rcc^- 

 lency. And the marshals of the 

 empire, wiien addressed in writing, 

 are to have the title oi monseizneur. 



On the 20th May, the generals 

 Bcrthicr, Murat, Moncey, Jour- 

 dan, iMasscua, Augercau, Berna- 

 dotte, Soult, Brune, Lasnes, Mor- 

 tiiT, Ncy, d'Avoust, Bessieres, 

 Kellerman, Lefevrc, Perignon, and 

 Serurier, w ere promoted to the rank 

 of marshals of the empire. 



Bonaparte them notified his ele- 

 vation to the bishops of France, by 

 letters of a similar tenor to the fol- 

 lowing, addressed to the arch-bishop 

 of Paris. 



" Cousin, the happiness of the 

 " French has always been' the dear, 

 "est object of my thoughts, and 

 " their glory that of all my labours. 

 " Called by Divine Providence, and 

 " the constitution of the republic, 

 " to the imperial power, I see, im 

 " this new order of things, only 

 " greater means of assuring, both 



"at 



