HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



185 



*< French, %Thohas so well deserved 

 «* of the catholic religion forAvhat he 

 *' has done, has signified to us liis 

 *' strong desire to be anointed with 

 *' the holy unction, and to receive 

 ** the imperial crown from us, to the 

 " end that the solemn rights which 

 *' are to place him in the highest 

 *' rank, shall be strongly impressed 

 ** with the character of religion, 

 *' and call down more effectually 

 *' the benediction of heaven *.'* 



The necessary limits of this work, 

 even if the subjeft merited a minute 

 description, prohibit us from enter- 

 ing into a detail of the long cere- 

 mony of the coronation. Suffice it 

 to say, that, on the 19th Novem* 

 ber, Bonaparte, attended by a nu- 

 merous military escort, and followed 

 bj"^ an immense train of equipages, as 

 brilliant as could be procured, filled 

 with persons of the highest rank in 

 the government, accompanied by 

 the pope, proceeded through streets 

 strewed with sand, and lined by a 

 prodigious concourse of curious 

 spectators, to the cathedral church of 

 *■' Notre Dame," which edifice was 

 decorated, for tjic occasion, both 

 •within and without, with all the sump- 

 tnousness which French ingenuity 

 could devise. There his holiness 

 performed a solemn service, anoint- 

 fcd the emperor with the sacred unc- 

 tion, and placed the crown upon his 

 majesty's head. To this ceremony, 

 in the evening, succeeded plays, 

 pantomimes, singing, music, danc- 

 ing, fire-works, illuminations, foun- 

 tains ilowing with Mine ; in short, 

 every thing that could amuse and 

 divert a gi<l<ly, inconsiderate popu- 

 lace. Impartial persons, however, 

 who were e^'e-witnesscs of this ex- 

 BibitioHj pretend that it was far 



from exciting that degree of enthu- 

 siasm which so shining and costly a 

 spectacle might be ex])e6ted t» pro- 

 duce on a people who, more tlian 

 any other, delight in public shows : 

 that none seemed to take a sincere 

 interest in it, but those in power, or 

 who were immediately benefited by 

 the existing order of things ; and 

 that the lowest classes made merry, 

 and danced, apparently from no 

 other motive, than because they 

 found themselves supplied, free of 

 expence, with the means of indulg- 

 ing in their favourite recreations. 



To put the seal to this transaction, 

 and to stamp it with still greater 

 weight, the conservative senate, in 

 pursuance of a former resolution, 

 presented themselves in a body, on 

 the 1st December, at the palace of 

 the Thuilleries, and their president, 

 Francois de Neufchateau, addressed 

 the emperor in a prolix and turgid 

 complimentary oration, in point of 

 style and matter much resembling 

 those pieces which we have already 

 thought proper to cite, by way of 

 specimen. To which his imperial 

 majesty replied : 



" I ascend the throne, to which 

 " the unanimous wishes of the se- 

 " natc, the people, and the army, 

 '' have called me, with a heart pe- 

 " nctrated with the great destinies 

 " of that people, whom, from the 

 " midst of camps, I first saluted by 

 " the name of Great, From my 

 " youth, my thoughts have been 

 " solely fixed upon them, and I 

 '' must add, here, that my pleasures 

 " and my paius arc derived entirely 

 " from the happiness or misery of 

 " the people. My descendants shall 

 " long jireserve this throne. In the 

 " camps thsy will be the first sqI- 



* V^ide State Papers, p. 686, 



diers 



