484 ) JOSEPH FOURIER. 
phatically protesting against this confusion, which the 
powerful of. the earth are constantly endeavouring to 
establish between the perishable bounties of which they 
are the dispensers, and the noble fruits of thought. 
Fourier was Prefect and Baron by the favour of the 
Emperor ; he was one of the glories of France by his 
own genius ! 
On the 9th of March, Napoleon, in a moment of 
anger, ordered Fourier, by a mandate, dated from Gre- 
noble, to quit the territory of the seventh military division 
within five days, under pain of being arrested and treated 
as an enemy of the country! On the following day, our 
colleague departed from the Conference of Bourgoin, 
with the appointment of Prefect of the Rhone and the 
title of Oownt, for the Emperor after his return from 
Elba was again at his old practices. 
These unexpected proofs of favour and confidence 
afforded little pleasure to our colleague, but he dared 
not refuse them, although he perceived very distinctly 
the immense gravity of the events in which he was led 
by the vicissitude of fortune to play a part. 
“What do you think of my enterprise?” said the 
Emperor to him on the day of his departure from Lyons. 
“ Sire,” replied Fourier, “I am of opinion that you will 
fail. Let but a fanatic meet you on your way, and all is 
at an end.’”—“ Bah!” exclaimed Napoleon, “the Bour- 
bons have nobody on their side, not even a fanatic. In 
connection with this circumstance, you have read in the 
journals that they have excluded me from the protection 
of the law. I shall be more indulgent on my part; I 
shall content myself with excluding them from the 
Tuileries.” 
Fourier held the appointment of Prefect of the Rhone 
