662 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



honourable distinctions. In the last 

 place, and it is no doubt the 

 greatest of the miracles operated by 

 your genius, that people, whose 

 civil eflervesccnce had rendered them 

 impatient of every restraint, and 

 hostile to every authority, were by 

 your means made to cherish and 

 respect a power which was exercised 

 only for their glory and repose. 

 — The French people do not pre- 

 tend to establish themselves judges 

 of the constitutions of other states ; 

 they have no critical remarks to 

 make ; no examples to follow ; ex- 

 perience in future will become their 

 guide. They have tasted for ages 

 the advantages attached to heredi- 

 tary power ; they have made a 

 short but painful trial of the con- 

 trary system ; they return by the 

 effect of free and mature delibera- 

 tion to a path suited to their genius. 

 They make a free use of their rights, 

 to delegate to your imperial majesty 

 a power which your interest for- 

 bids you to exercise by yourself. 

 Th'cy stipulate for future genera, 

 tions, and by a solemn compact 

 entrust to the offspring of your race, 

 the happiness of their posterity. 

 The latter will imitate your virtues, 

 the former will inherit our love and 

 our fidelity. Happy the nation 

 which, after so much trouble and 

 uncertainty, finds in its bosom a 

 tnan worthy of appeasing the tem- 

 pest of the passions, of conciliating 

 all interests, and uniting all voices ! 

 Happy the prince who holds his 

 power by the will, the confidence, 

 and the affections of the citizens ! — 

 If it be in the principles of our con- 

 stitution, and already several ex- 

 amples of this kind have been given, 

 to submit to the sanction of the 

 people that part of the decree which 

 concerns the establishment of aii 



hereditary government ; the senate 

 have thought that it ought to entreat 

 your imperial majesty to consent 

 that the organic dispositions should 

 be immediately carried into execu- 

 tion ; and that, for th^ glory as 

 well as the happiness of the republic, 

 Napoleon may be immediately pror 

 claimed emperor of the French. 



The emperor replied in the fol- 

 lowing terms : 



" Every thing that can contribute 

 to the good of the country is essen- 

 tially connected with my happiness. 

 I accept the title which you think 

 necessary to the glory of the nation. 

 I submit to the sanction of the peo- 

 ple the law of hereditary succession. 

 I hope France will never repent of 

 its having surrounded with honours 

 my family. In all cases my spirit 

 will cease to be present with my 

 posterity, the day on which it shall 

 cease to deserve the love and confi- 

 dence of the great nation." 



The senate being then admitted 

 to an audience of her majesty the 

 empress, the consul Cambaceres, 

 the president, said : 



Madam, — We have just presented 

 to your august spouse the decree 

 which confers on him the title of 

 emperor, which establishes the go- 

 vernment hereditary in his family, 

 and associates future generations iu 

 the happiness of the present race. 

 — A very agreeable duty remains to 

 be performed by the senate — that of 

 offering to your imperial majesty 

 the homage of its respect, and an 

 expression of the gratitude of the- 

 French. — Yes, madam, fame pro- 

 claims the good which you are con- 

 tinually doing ; it says, that being 

 always accessible to the unfortunate, 

 you employ your influence with the 

 chief of the state only to relieve dis- 

 tress, and that to the pleasure of 



obliglngj 



