466 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. 



arrival was announced by an 

 order for a forced loan of an 

 immense sum of florins. The 

 simple Dalberg thought the sum 

 intended for him, and began to 

 beseech his munificent master 

 not to load him with a super- 

 fluous bounty. Napoleon de- 

 parted and left his General to 

 execute his orders. The city 

 sent deputies to Paris with peti- 

 tions and remonstrances, who 

 returned with the usual suc- 

 cess. The Prince Primate is 

 described as a weak man of 

 talents and literary acquirements, 

 more expert as an author than 

 as a sovereign. His family is 

 one of the most ancient and 

 considerable in Germany. An 

 office at the coronation was 

 always filled by one of them, 

 whom the Emperor demanded 

 by calling out, " Is there no 

 Dalberg here ?" The Prince 

 Primate had been originally 

 Coadjutor, that is Archbishop 

 elect of Mayence. On the de- 

 struction of the Ecclesiastical 

 Electorate he was made Bishop 

 of Uatisbon, and Prince Primate 

 of the Empire. Here Napoleon 

 found him a ready tool for ac- 

 complishing his alliance with the 

 German Princes ; and for his 

 eminent services, rewarded him 

 with the Grand Duchy of Frank- 

 fort, AschafFenburg, and a terri- 

 tory in the neighbourhood, be- 

 sides other gifts. His brother is 

 attached to the royalists in France, 

 and has been created Duke Dal- 

 berg, by Louis XVII I. 



Notwithstanding the sufferings 

 of Frankfort, in the late war, I 

 could not discover among the 

 citizens with whom I convej'sed, 

 that satisfaction at their present 



tranquillity which might havB 

 been anticipated. I have even 

 observed in some a regret, 

 but half concealed, of the past 

 days of war and activity. They 

 had then a Court, Generals, 

 Staff, and troops. The French 

 army, since the revolution, have 

 generally been well supplied with 

 mone)', from the General to the 

 private. They spent freely, and 

 conducted themselves tolerably 

 well — is the general account 

 given of them at Frankfort. Iq 

 several German towns they were 

 preferred to the native troops. 

 Civility would go a great way 

 with a French soldier, but a 

 German was always grumbling. 

 An old servant of a gentleman of 

 my acquaintance came to him in 

 dismay at having a couple of 

 French officers billetted on hiro, 

 not knowing how to provide for 

 them. The gentleman, who had 

 had some experience of the 

 French character, recommended 

 him to treat them with civility, 

 and lent him a few silver forks 

 and disheS to serve up the scanty 

 fare he could afford them. The 

 experiment answered. The 

 Frenchmen ate their bread-soup 

 and potatoes off plate with great 

 content, and returned the man's 

 attentions with so many little acts 

 of generosity, that he came to his 

 master with tears in his eyes when 

 his guests departed. On the 

 occasion of the arrival of Napo- 

 leon, or any of his generals, 

 money was scattered about with 

 a profusion, by which all ranks 

 profited. When a body of 

 French troops approached, the 

 poor mechanics and little shop- 

 keepers would rush out of the 

 gates to meet them, sure to return 



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