136 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



of troops were al'W'ays kept in mo- 

 tion, hovering upon tiic Neapolitan 

 frontier. 



Whether all, or some only, of the 

 motives we have detailed, operated 

 upon the mind of the French em- 

 peror, upon this occasion, certain it 

 is, that he lost no time in carrying 

 his purposes intoeft'ect. Inatfected 

 compliance with the addresses which 

 were poured in upon him, from the 

 various constituted authorities of 

 the Italian republic, who, like the 

 Cappadocians of old, supplicated 

 the yoke of bondage, and which 

 urged the necessity cf his appear- 

 ance in Italy, to remedy the defects 

 of n constitution they pretended 

 ■was imperfe6t, and utterly inade- 

 quate to the wants and wishes of the 

 people, Bonaparte, accompanied by 

 his empress, set off for i\]ilan, where 

 he arriAcd early in the month of 

 May. Not the Consul Flaminius, 

 when, on the part of the Roman 

 senate, he announced the restora- 

 tion of liberty to the oppressed and 

 deje(5ted states of (jreece, was re- 

 ceived Avith so much apparent tran- 

 sport, certainly not with so much 

 aduKtion, as was now the person, 

 who came expressly for the purpose 

 of giving thcin a tyrant and a task- 

 master, by the Italian states! ]\leet- 

 ings were immediately convened, 

 and the whole republic, at the feet 

 of Bonaparte, humbly besought him 

 io relieve them from the burthen of 

 governing themselves, and to take 

 upon himself, and his heirs, the 

 Italian diadem. To this flattering 

 request the French emperor was not 

 found inexorable, and, on the 26'th 

 day of May, he added to his other 

 titles, that of " king of Italy" ! ! ! 



The coronation took place at 



Milan, with the utmost splendour, 

 soknniity, |'.omp, and the most im- 

 posing nlagnilicc iicc. Tiie emperor, 

 seated on a sujjcrb tirrone. having on 

 his right the honours of the empire, 

 on the left the honours of Italy, 

 and before liim the honours of 

 Charlemagne, was invested %vith the 

 usual insignia of royalty, by the 

 cardinal arciibishop, aiici fuuilly as- 

 cendinj; the altar, seized upon the 

 celebrated iron crown, there de- 

 posited, and placed it upon his head, 

 saying, at the same time, with a loud 

 voice, and in a tone of defiance, (it 

 being a part of t!io ancient ceremo- 

 nial on the cnthroiung of the liOm- 

 bard kings) the remarkable words : 

 Dieu me la dontie ; giirc (i qui la 

 toiic/ie* ! 



After the ceremony, than which 

 nothing could be more magnificent, 

 a constitutional code, being the third 

 Milich this country had received from 

 France, was coniDiunicated to the 

 states, and eagerly accepted by 

 them. The most remarkable of its 

 provisions were, the placing the re- 

 gal authority solely in the person 

 of Bonaparte, with the privilege of 

 naming his successor ; after which, 

 however, the crown, with certain 

 liriiitations, was to be hereditary. 

 It was decreed that, hereafter, the 

 monarch must constantly reside 

 within the Italian States, but that, 

 while the present king retained the 

 crown of Italy, he might cause 

 himself to be represented by a vice- 

 roy, who must, however, reside 

 within the boundaries of the king- 

 dom. 



After the death of Bonaparte, 

 the kingdom of Italy must never 

 again be vested i>i the same person 

 with that of the French empire, 



but 



* God gives it tome;— beware those who touch It ! 



