STATE PAPERS. 



661 



Yersity.- — Above all things I recom- 

 mend the commanders of large or 

 small bodies, to instil into the troops 

 the true military virtues ; a strict 

 discijiline, paticnrc, obedience, and 

 continence. The spirit of discon- 

 tent, obstinacy, stubborness, drink- 

 ing, and gambling, as well as every 

 species of vice, which undermine 

 men's morals, must be extirpated in 

 the army ; and I shall seriously hold 

 the commanders responsible for the 



observance of this exhortation. • 



That the business at head-quarters 

 may be managed according to a set- 

 tied plan, I have divided the Avhole 

 administration into four parts, each 

 of which is to have its separate 

 functions. 



Proceeding of the Extraordinary 

 Meet in fr *ff the Comei-cative Sen- 

 ate oj France. Oct. '■lAth, 1803. 



At one o'clock this day the mem- 

 bers of the conservative senate met, 

 in virtue of a convocation extraor- 

 dinary, ordered by his highness 

 prince Joseph, grand elector. His 

 imperial highness prince Louis, con- 

 stable ; his serene highness the arch- 

 chancellor of the empire and some 

 of the ministers were present at 

 the sitting. It was opened under 

 the presidency of the grand elector, 

 with the following speech, pronoun- 

 ced by his highness : " Senators, in 

 the midst of his triumphs his majes- 

 ty has felt the necessity of giving to 

 the senate a new proof of liis es- 

 teem ; it is the object of the mes- 

 sage which his majesty has ordered 

 me to submit to you. Vou will 

 perceive, gentlemen, that his ma- 

 jesty is impatient that the French 

 youth should take their share of the 

 fresh successes which await bim. 



But already our young conscripg 

 are in motion ; they are setting out, 

 or have already done so. All pa- 

 rents know, that when their chil- 

 dren go to the grand army, they g» 

 to place themselves under the shield 

 of the common father of the French, 

 who is more sparing of their blood 

 than he is anxious for glory. The 

 emperor and his army have exceeded 

 the hopes of the nation; I have thes, 

 happiness of informing you, that it 

 answers, in a manner worthy of it, 

 the glorious invitation of its chief.'* 

 The message of the emperor and 

 king, which his imperial highness 

 read to the meeting, is expressed ia 

 t\Q following manner: " Senators, 

 I send you 40 stand of colours, 

 which my army has conquered in 

 the diilerent actions which took 

 ])lace since that at Wertingcn. It 

 is a homage which I and my array 

 pay to the sages of the empire ; it 

 i.s an offering made by children to 

 their fathers : senators^ accept it as 

 a proof of my satisfaction for thu 

 manner in which you have always 

 assisted me in the most important 

 concerns of the empire. And you, 

 Frenchmen, cause your brothers to 

 march ; let them hasten to combat 

 by our sides, in order that, without 

 shedding of blood, without extraor- 

 dinary exertion, we may repel far 

 from US all the armies created by 

 the gold of England, and over- 

 v*helm with confusion the allies of 

 the oppressors of the seas. Sena- 

 tors, a month is not yet elapsed 

 since I told you that your emperor 

 and his army would do their duty, 

 — I am impatient to say, that my 

 peopL> have done thcir's. Since I 

 began the campaign I have dispersed 

 an army of 100,000 men: I have 

 almost taken the half of them pri- 

 soners ; the rest are killed, wound- 



Uu3 



ed. 



