BONAPARTE. NAPOLEON I. 



BONAPARTE. NAPOLEON L 



780 



7 sj>oUer offiorr, akd DseieiisMse, the chief physician, whether 

 it would not be n act of humanity to dminitT opium to tlinn. 

 DetgetMttea replied that " his buin< as was to core and not to kill." 

 A rear-fttavd was then left behind at JDTa for the protection of those 

 en, which remained there three days after the departure of the 

 array. When the rear-guard left, all the patient* were dead except 

 one or two, who fell into the hands of the English, and they, or some 

 other of the lick who were sent by era and were also taken, baring 

 heard something of the suggestion about the opium, propagated the 

 report that the aick bad been really poieooed, which was believed both 

 in France and in England for many yean after. Such is the result of 

 Las Cases' investigation of this buMoess, both from Napoleon himself 

 and from the chief persons who were at Jaffa at the time. 



Bonaparte entered Cairo on the 14th of June. The Syrian cam- 

 paign lasted little more than time months, aud it cost the Fivm-h 

 about 4000 men, who were killed or died of tho plague. While Bona- 



Cwas in Syria, Deeaix had driven the Mamelukes from Upper 

 t, snd beyond the cataracts of Assouan. The French bad also 

 occupied Coswir. The division of Desaix contained the French savants, 

 and Oenon among the rest, who examined tho monuments of Thebes, 

 Dendera, Ktfon, *c. From their observations the splendid work on 

 Egypt was afterwards compiled. 



Towards the end of July, Bonaparte being informed that tho Turk ih 

 fleet bad landed 18,000 men at Aboukir, under Stid Mustnpha 1'aclia, 

 immediately assembled his army to attack them. 110 had formed a 

 cavalry, which wan commanded by Murat ; the Turks had none. The 

 Turki had entrenched themselves near the sea, and the French attacked 

 their advanced potts and drove them tack upon their entrenchments ; 

 but the Turkish guns checked their advance, and threw the foremost 

 of the assailants into disorder. The main body of the Turks then 

 sallied out, hut in the eagerness of their pursuit fulling into complete 

 disorder, they were charged by the French, both infantry snd cavalry, 

 routed, and followed into their entrenchments, where they fell into 

 inextricable confusion. About 10,000 of them perished, either by the 

 bayonet or in tho sea, where they threw themselves in hopes of regain- 

 ing their ships. The sea appeared covered with their turbans. Six 

 thousand men received quarter, together with the pacha, whom Bona- 

 parte condescended to praise for the courage he had diaplayed. This 

 victory of Aboukir, fought on the 25th of July 1799, closed Bona- 

 parte's Egyptian campaign. It was after this battle that Bonaparte 

 received intelligence of the state of France. He learnt the disasters 

 of the French army, the lots of Italy, the general dissatisfaction pre- 

 vailing in France against the Directory, and the intrigues and animo- 

 sities among the directors themselves, and between them and the 

 legiiUtive councils. He determined at once to return to France. He 

 kept it however a secret from the army, and ordered two frigates in 

 the harbour of Alexandria to be got ready for sea, and having ordered 

 his favourite officers, Murat, Lanm-s, Berthier, Mannont, and also 

 Mews. Mooge, Deuon. and Bertbollet to meet him at Alexandria, he left 

 Cairo on the 18th of August, and on arriving at Alexandria embarked 

 secretly on board the frigate ' La Muiron' on th<s 23rd. He took leave 

 of Kleber, whom he left in command, only by letter. He left in Egypt 

 90,000 men, having lost about 9000 in his campaigns. The English 

 fleet had gone to Cyprus to get provisions, and lloiiaparto was again 

 fortunate enough to avoid the English cruizers. He is said to have 

 res/I daring the peerage both the Bible and the Koran with great 

 aMduity. On the 30th September the two frigates entered the Gulf 

 of Ajaceio ; on the 7th October they sailed again, and passing un- 

 noticed through the English squadron, they anchored on the 9th in 

 the (iiilf of Krtjus, to the eastward of Toulon. The usual forms of 

 quarantine were dispensed with, and on his landing be was received 

 with applause by the inhabitants of the various towns on his road to 

 I'aris, and especially at Lyon, which had suffered so much in the 

 Revolution. 1'eople were tired of the Directory, which had shown 

 both incapacity and corruption, and to which they attributed all the 

 late misfortunes of France. On arriving at Paris, Bonaparte found 

 himself courted, as he probably expected, by the various parties. 

 The republicans, with generals Jourdan, Brrnadotte, Augereau, and a 

 majority in th council of (00, wished to ro.tra.in the power of the 

 Directory, to torn out lUrrw, but to maintain the constitution of tho 

 year 111. Hieysa, one of the directors, with a majority of the Council 

 of Kldem, wished for a new constitution, less democratic, of which 

 he bad sketched the outline. Barns strove to maintain the power of 

 the Directory, of which till then he had been the most influential 

 mshsf. But his party was small and in bad odour with tho people. 

 Bonaparte decided on joining gieyes and giving him bis military sup- 

 port i the day for attempting the proposed change in the constitution 

 was Axed between them and their friends. 



The Council of Elders met at six o'clock In the morning of the 18th 

 Brumalre (9th November 1799) at the Tuileries; but several of tl,<> 

 leadinK members of the republican party wen not summoned. Cor 

 nudet, Lebrnn, and other members in tho interest of Kieyes, spoke of 

 laMgi I s which threatened the Republic, of conspiracies of the Jaco- 

 bin., of a return of the reign of terror, Ac. The majority of the 

 eouocil were either in the secret, or were really agitated by fear of 

 the Jacobins. The council adopted a resolution, according to the 

 powers given to it by the constitution, by which the two councils were 

 ppointed to meet at St. Cloud the next day, in order to be safer from 



any attempts of tho mob of the capital. By another resolution General 

 Bonaparte was appointed commander-in-ciiief of the military division 

 of Paris, and charged with protecting the safe removal of the council*. 

 A message signifying this appointment, and summoning him to appear 

 before the elders, was carried to Bonaparte while he was in the midst 

 of his military levee. He immediately mounted on horseback, and 

 invited all the officers to follow him. The greater number did so ; 

 butBcmadotte and a few more declined the invitation, Bonaparte 

 had been talking privately with Beruadotte, but could not win him 

 over to his side; he found him "as stubborn as a bar of iron." 

 (Bourienne.) Bonaparte having given his orders to the adjutants of 

 the various battalions of the national guards and to the commanding 

 officers of the regular troops which were formed in the Champs Ely- 

 sees, repaired to the Council of Elders, surrounded by a numerous 

 retinue, among whom were Moreau, Berthier, Lannes, Murat, and Li- 

 Fevre, who commanded the National Guards. He told the council 

 that they represented the wisdom of the nation, that by their resolu- 

 tions of that morning they had saved the Republic, that he 1111.1 hU 

 brave companions would support them, and he swore thin in his and 

 their names. Coming out of the hall he read to the assembled troops 

 the resolutions of the elders, which were received by the soldiers with 

 bursts of applause. 



Meantime the three directors, Barras, Moulin", nnd Gohier, who 

 remained at the Luxembourg, after Sieyes and IJucos hod gone to the 

 Tuileries and given in their resignation, became alarmed. They li .1 

 no force at their disposal ; even their own personal guard had deserted 

 them. Barras sent his secretary Bottot to endeavour to nc; 

 with Bonaparte. The general received him in public in tin mi.l-l <>f 

 his officers, and, assuming the tone of an angry mast T. upbnii!. 

 directors with their misconduct : " What have you done with that 

 France which I left to yon prosperous and glorious ? I left her at * 

 peace, and 1 find her at war; I left her triumphant, and I find n 

 but spoliations and misery. What have you done with ahu: 

 thonsnnd Frenchmen whom I left behind my companions in 

 and in glory ? They are no more." . . He then signified to Bottot 

 in private his friendly S"ntimeuts towards llarrss, and assured him of 

 his personal protection if he immediately abdicated. Talleyrand hnd 

 meantime seen Barras, who, fearing perhaps to expose himself to an 

 investigation of his official conduct, consented to resign. He w 

 letter to the Council of Eldera to that effect, and then net off for hia 

 estate in the country under an escort which Bonaparte gave him. 

 [BARKAS.] Gohier and Moulins being thus left alone, did not consti- 

 tute the number required by tho constitution in order to give to their 

 drlil ^rations the authority of an executive council. Moreau wns Bent 

 by Bonaparte to guard the palace of tho Luxembourg, and in fact to 

 keep the two directors prisoners there. 



The Council of Five Hundred having met at ten o'clock on the snme 

 day, received a message from the Elders, adjourning the sit! 

 SL Cloud for the next d;iy. 'J h. y separated amidst cries of ' Tint 

 Republic and the Constitution for ever ! " 



Kouche', the minister of polio?, Caiiibarero, minister of jr 

 Talleyrand, and other influential men, second, el the views of 

 parte and of Sicye. Tho power of tho Directory wns at an end. The 



?uestion was, what form of government should be *< for it. 



t was acreed at last that the council should adjourn themsclw* to 

 the following year, after appointing a commission for the pur; 

 framing a now constitution, and that meantime an executive should 

 be formed consisting of three consuls. Sieyes, Ducos, and Bon > 

 These measures it was known would obtain a majority in the Council 

 of Elders, but would meet with a determined opposition in that of the 

 Five Hundred. 



On the I :ali Brumaire (10th November) the councils assembled at 

 St. Cloud. The republican minority in the Council of Elders com- 

 plained loudly of the hasty and irregular convocation of the pi 

 day. In the midst of the debate Honaparte appeared at the bar, 

 accompanied by 11< rthier and his secretary Bonrientie, the latter of 

 whom gives an account of the scone. He told the deputies that they 

 were trending upon a volcano, that he and his brethren in nrmn r.;im 

 to oflVr their assistance, that his views were disinterested, "and yet," 

 he sdded, " I am calumniated, 1 nm compared to Cromwell, to ( 

 This was uttered in a rambling, broken manner. Linglot, ono of tho 

 minority, said to him, " General, will you swear to the constitution of 

 the year 111 I" Bonaparte then became animated: "The Constitu- 

 tion!" he cried out, "you violated it on the 18th Fructidor [Aunt 

 yon violated it on tho 22nd Floreal, you violated it on the 30th Prairini. 

 All parties by turns have appealed to the Constitution, and all ; 

 by turns have violated it. As we cannot preserve the Constitution, 

 let us at least preserve liberty and equality." He then talked of 

 conspiracies, of danger to the Republic, &c. Several members insisted 

 on tho General revealing these conspiracies, explaining these dangers. 

 Bonaparte, after some hesitation, named Monlins ami liarras, who he 

 said had proposed to him to take the lead in the conspiracy. This 

 increased the vociferations among the members: "The General must 

 explain himself, every thing must bo told before all France." lint ho 

 had nothing to reveal. He spoke of a party in the Council of Five. 

 Hundred which wanted to re-establish the convention and the reign 

 of terror. His sentences became incoherent, he was confused, but at 

 last ho said, " If any orator, paid by foreigners, attempts to put mo 



