FRA 
deliver vry reentry from the yoke of a foreigner.” It 
was propefed to bind a handkerchief over his eyes, but 
he prevented it, faying, “ That a loyal foldier, who has 
often been expofed to fire and fword, can face death 
with open eyes, and without fear.” He then looked at 
the foldiers who had levelled their pieces, faying, “ Gre¬ 
nadiers, lower your arms, otherwife you will mifs 'oronly 
wound me.” Of the nine who fired, feven hit him: two 
bullets pierced his head, and five his body. A coffin, 
partly filled with lime, was ready to receive his corpfe, 
and a grave had been dug in the garden of the caftle, 
where he was interred. Thus penffied in the prime of 
life the only fon of the due de Bourbon, a prince who in¬ 
herited all the virtues of the illufirious hotife of Conde. 
On the 8ih of April appeared in the French official 
■journal, the depofttions of fix furgeons, appointed to in- 
fpedt the body of general Pichegru, who had been found 
ftraogled two days before, in the place of his confinement; 
an attempt was made to prove that he had committed 
filicide: but from the circumftances related in that re¬ 
port, it feems almoft impoffible that he could himfelf 
have been the caufe of his death in the manner deferib- 
ed ; and, indeed, the general belief is, that to prevent the 
fenfation that might be occafioned by his trial or public 
execution among the foldiery, he was fecretly difpatched. 
Georges, and feveral of his adherents, were publicly.exe¬ 
cuted in the Place de Greve. 
Nothing could be more aufpicious for the advancement 
of Bonaparte’s perfonal ambition, than the prefent date 
of things. All ranks of Frenchmen were more than ever 
ready to anticipate his wifhes for the crow n of France, 
the object to which he now afpired. The firft decided 
■flep towards the accpmpliffiment of this extraordinary 
meafttre, was an addrefs to the firfi conful, on the part of 
the fenate, dated 27th of March, propofing to conftitute 
him hereditary emperor of France. His anlwer was dated 
the 25th of A pril, from St. Cloud, and was communicated 
by a meffage, in the following terms : 
“ Senators, —Your addrefs of the 6th of lad Ger¬ 
minal has never ceafea to be prefent to my thoughts ; it 
has been theobjedlof my confiant meditation. You have 
judged the hereditary power of the fupreme magiftracy 
neceffiary, in order to (belter the French nation completely 
from the plots of our enemies, and from the agitations 
arifing from rival ambition. It likewife appears to you, 
that many of our inflitutions require improvement, in 
order permanently to fecure the triumph of equality and 
public liberty, and prefept to the people, and to the go¬ 
vernment, the double guarantee of which they flood in 
need. We have been conflantly guided by this grand 
truth, that the fovereignty velides in the French people, 
in the fenfe, that every thing, without exception, ought 
to be done for their interefl, their happinefs, and their 
glory. It is in order to attain this end, that the fupreme 
magiftracy, the fenate, the council of date, the legiflative 
body, the electoral body, the electoral colleges, and the 
different branches of the adminidraticn, are, and onght to 
be, infiiruted. In proportion as I fix my attention on 
thefe great objects, I am the more convinced of the truth 
of t’nofe fentiments which I have expreded to you, and I 
feel more and more, that, in a circumftance as new as it 
is important, the counfels of your wifdom and experi¬ 
ence were neceffiary to enable me to fix my ideas. I re- 
qued you, therefore, to make known to me the whole of 
your thoughts. The French people can add nothing to 
the honour and glory with which they have furrounded 
me : but my mod facred duty, and that deared to my 
heart, is to fecure, to their lated poderity, thofe advan¬ 
tages which they have acquired by a revolution that has 
cod them fo much, particularly by the facrifice of thofe 
millions of brave citizens who have died in defence of 
their rights. Fifteen years have elapfed fince, by a fpon- 
taneons movement, you ran to arms; you acquired liberty, 
equality, and glory. Thefe firb bledings of nations are 
now fecured to you for ever, are dickered from every 
Vol. VII. No. 474. 
N C E. s6i 
dorm, they are preferved to you, and to your children. 
Inftitutions, conceived and commenced in the midd of 
the hut ricanes of internal and external wars, developed 
with condancy, are jud terminated in the attempts and 
plots of onr mod mortal enemies, by the adoption of fuch 
nteafures as the experience of centuries and of nations has 
deniondrated, as proper to guarantee the rights which the 
nation had judged neceffiary for its dignity, its liberty, and 
its happinefs.” 
Matters being fo far fettled, a propofition was fubmitted 
to the tribunate, on the id of May, for conferring on 
Napoleon Bonaparte the rank.and title of “ Emperor of 
the French,” and of making the faid rank and title here¬ 
ditary in his family, according to the laws of primogeni¬ 
ture. Carnot was the only member of that body who ven- 
tured to oppofe the propofition. He began, by declaring* 
that he ffiould preferve the fame moderation, in deliver¬ 
ing his opinion, which had beenexhibited by the tribunes, 
who had fpoken in favour of the motion. He afked if it 
were to grant the fird conful a reward for his fervices, to 
offer him the fact idee of liberty ? If it were not to de- 
droy Bonaparte’s own work, to make France his private 
patrimony ? “ I voted (continued he) againd the confu- 
late for life -, and I will not this day purfue a different 
courfe. I will be .confident with myfelf. But the mo¬ 
ment that the propofed order of things is edablifhed, I 
will be the did to conform to it, and yield to the new 
authority proofs of my deference. May all the members 
of the community follow my example.” 
The fitting concluded with the motion declaring the-, 
difeuffion to be clofed, and that a report fhould be made 
the next day on the original propofition. Accordingly, 
on the 3d of May, the tribunate having heard the report 
of the fpecial commifiion, refolved, id, “ That Napo¬ 
leon Bonaparte ffiould be proclaimed Emperor of the 
French and, in that quality, be charged with the go¬ 
vernment of France. 2d. That the title of emperor, to¬ 
gether with the imperial prerogatives, diould be heredi¬ 
tary in his family, in the male line, and in the order of 
primogeniture. 3d. That the condituted authorities, in 
forming the neediary regulations for the edablifliment of 
the hereditary power, fhould make all due providons for 
preferving equality, liberty, and the rights of the people. 
4th. That the prefent vote finould be carried to the fenate 
by a deputation of fix members, who were to explain the 
motives which had induced the tribunate to adopt this 
refolution.” 
This decree was accordingly prefented on the 4th of 
May 1804; and the fenate then replied to Bonaparte’s 
fpeech of the 25th of April, in an addrefs figned by the 
vice-prefidentFrancois deNeufchateau, Moreau de Galles, 
and Jofeph Cornudet, fecretaries, and the chancellor of 
the fenate, Laplace. The meafure was finally adopted 
by the fenate of the 18th of May, on which day adecree, 
denominated an “ Organic Senatus Confultum,” was pa (Fed, 
conferring the title of Emperor on the firfi: conful, and 
eftablifiiing that dignity hereditary in his family. It was 
likewife decreed, that the members fhould immediately 
repair to St. Cloud, to communicate this decifion to Bo¬ 
naparte. They accordingly fet out at the dole of the fit¬ 
ting, efcorted by a body of troops. The fenate were ad¬ 
mitted to an audience on theirarrival, and their prefident, 
conful Cambaceres, prefented the “ Senatus Confultum” 
to Bonaparte, accompanied with an oration : 
“ Sire,— The decree which the fenate has paffied, and 
which it takes the earlieft opportunity of prefenting to 
your imperial majefiy, is only the authentic expreffion of 
a will already manifested by the nation. This decree, which 
confers on you a new title, and which, after you, fectires 
the dignity hereditary in your race, adds nothing to your 
dignity or your rights. The love and gratitude of the 
French people have, for fome years, entrufled to your ma¬ 
jefiy the reins of government, and the conftitutions of the 
ftate repofed in you the choice ^ a fucceffor. The mod: 
auguft denomination, decreed t <3 you, is then only a tri- 
10 K bute 
