748 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



of the subjects which were discus- 

 sed, an epoch in the annals of 

 France. 



On that day was presented to 

 the senators, a projet of a senatus 

 consultum, respecting a dissolution 

 of the marriage between the empe- 

 ror Napoleon and the empress Jo- 

 sephine. This dissolution of marri- 

 age.required bj' the two high parties, 

 and approved of bj' a family council, 

 at which all the princes and prin- 

 cesses of the imperial family, pre- 

 sent at Paris, assisted, received, the 

 same day the assent of the senate, 

 after having been the object of ex- 

 amination of a special commission 

 named for this purpose ■ Afterhav- 

 ing read the contents of the impe- 

 rial decree, which enacts the con- 

 vocation of the senate; and of that 

 which directs that itshall be presided 

 by the prince arch-chancellor, and 

 that the princes of the imperial fa- 

 mily, hereafter named, should be 

 present in the senate, the official 

 journal gives an account of this 

 memorable sitting in the following 

 terms — [Here follows a speech 

 from the arch-chancellor of state, 

 the prince arch-chancellor of the 

 empire, president, and the duke of 

 Parma] — The count Regnault de 

 St. Jean d'Angely laid before the 

 senate the projet of the senatus 

 consultum, and explained the mo- 

 tives of it, which are, that they mu- 

 tually sacrifice their conjugal hap- 

 piness to the welfare and interests 

 of their country. — [Here follows a 

 speech from the prince viceroy of 

 Italy ; after which, the count Gar- 

 nier, annual president, proposed to 

 refer the projet of the senatus con- 

 sultum to the examination of a spe- 

 cial commission of nine members, 

 which was named, and made its 

 report during its sitting.]— At half 



past four, the senate resumed its 

 sitting, and count Lacepede, one 

 of the members of the special com- 

 mission, made the report, which 

 terminated in proposing the adop- 

 tion of the projet of the senatus 

 consultum ; and also the adoption 

 of two addresses — one to the em- 

 peror, and the other to the em- 

 press. 



Extract from the Register of the 

 Conservative Senate, of Saturday, 

 thelGtk Dec. 1809. 



The conservative senate, assem- 

 bled to the number of members 

 prescribed by art. the 90th of the 

 act of the constitution, and dated 

 the 13th December, 1799, having 

 seen the act drawn up the 15th of 

 the present month, by the prince 

 arch-chancellor of the empire, of 

 which the following is the sub- 

 stance : 



"In the year 1809, and the 15tli 

 day of Dec. at nine o'clock in the 

 evening, we, Jean Jacques Regis 

 Cambaceies, prince arch-chancel- 

 lor of the empire, duke of Parma, 

 exercising the functions prescribed 

 to us by tit. 2, of art. l^ of the 

 statute of the imperial famil}', and 

 in consequenceof orders addressed , 

 to us by his majesty the emperor 

 and king, in his private letter, dat- \ 

 ed that day, of the following te- 

 nor : 



" My cousin ; — Our desire is, 

 that you repair this day, at nine 

 o'clock in the evening, to our grand 

 cabinet of the palace of the Thuil- 

 leries, attended by the civil secre- 

 tary of state of our imperial fami- 

 ly, to receive from us and from the 

 empress, our dear consort, a com- 

 munication 



; 



L 



