824 KNIGHTHOOD. 
penor officers, twenty commanders, thirty officers, and 550 
legionaries. The honour is for life, but not hereditary. 
6. Each great officer fhall have an annual income of 5000 
francs; each commander 2000; each officer 1000; and 
‘each legionary 250, (about 81. is. 4_d. fterling ;) which fa¬ 
llacies are taken out of the revenues annexed to each 
cohort. 
7. Every individual admitted to the Legion of Honour 
fhall Iwear, upon his honour, to devote himfelf to the fer- 
vice of the republic, for the prefervation of its territory 
in its integrity, for the defence of its government, of its 
laws and demcfnes ; to combat, by all means which reafon 
and juftice, and eftablifhed laws, may fan&ion, all and 
every enterprife tending to re-eftablifh the feudal fyftem, 
to revive the ancient titles and qualities which were its at¬ 
tributes; in fine, to concur with alibis might to maintain 
liberty and equality. 
8. In the chef-lieu of each cohort fhall be eftablifhed 
hofpitals or lodgings for the reception both of the tnem- 
bers-of the Legion of Honour, whom old age, infirmities, 
or wounds, may have deprived of the power of being ufe- 
ful to the ftate, and of military men who, after having 
been wounded in the preceding wars to maintain French 
liberty, may have fallen into a ftate of indigence. 
Thefe difpofitions, we mult confefs, breathe the very 
efi'ence of honour and philanthropy, and do credit to thofe 
who, at the dawn of returning tranquillity, were intruded 
with the important commiffion of framing them. The fol¬ 
lowing difpofitions in the inftitutes of the Legion refpeft 
entirely the mode of organizing it; one of the principal 
features of which is that “ none, after the firft organization, 
fhall be admitted into the Legion previous to his havingex- 
ercifed, with diftimftion, the functions of his office during 
the fpace of twenty-five years.” Thefe regulations were 
figned by Bonaparte, then firft conful, on the 29th of May. 
The divifion of the territory of the republic refpefting 
the eftablifhment of the cohorts was decreed (July 2) foon 
after thofe preliminary articles ; and ftate, that the chef- 
lieux of the fixteen cohorts fhall be eftablifhed in palaces 
or national edifices, at the following places : Firft cohort, 
Fontainebleau. Second, the abbey of St. Waaft at Ar¬ 
ras. Third, the chapter-houfe of St. Martin at Ypres. 
Fourth, the caftle of Brulh. Fifth, the epifcopal palace 
of Toul. Sixth, the old ftatehoufe at Dijon. Seventh, 
the old epifcopal palace at Vienne. Eighth, the old epif¬ 
copal palace of Aix. Ninth, the palace of the ci-devant 
bifhopric of Beziers. Tenth, the old epifcopal palace of 
Narbonne. Eleventh, the abbey of Reole. Twelfth, the 
abbey of St. Maxent. Thirteenth, the abbey of Redon. 
Fourteenth, theabbeyof the Bee near Bernay. Fifteenth, 
the caftle of Chambord. Sixteenth, the caftle di Veneria 
in Italy. 
At that period the fum total of the value of the de- 
mefnes affigned to the Legion of Honour, was 5,265,257 
francs. Befides the hofpitals and other places of repofe 
provided for the old and the infirm, fmall penfions were 
granted to the legionaries, who, after long fervices, were 
enjoying their home, having no place in any hofpital, and 
exercifing no civil functions. This gratification was cer¬ 
tainly very inconfiderable, being no more than 150 francs; 
but feveral additions were made to it on account of the 
age, number of children, place of refidence, and other cir- 
cumftances refpefting the legionary. 
The Legion was not fully completed and confirmed, nor 
the badge and other decorations afiigned, until after Bo¬ 
naparte had aftumed the title of Emperor. This happen¬ 
ed on the 18th of May, 1804.. (See the article France, 
vol. vii. p. 861.) On the 10th of July following it was 
decreed, that the badge of the Legion of Honour fhould 
,conlift in a ftar of five double rays, of gold enamelled 
white. The centre of the ftar, furrounded with a wreath 
Qf oak and laurel, bears on one fide the head of the em¬ 
peror, with thefe words: Napoleon Empereur des 
FRAN gAis; and on the other the French eagle holding 
the thunderbolt in her claws, with this motto: Honneur 
et Patrie. This badge is for the great officers, com¬ 
manders, &cc. not exceeding fixty; and is called the Great 
Eagle. Another of the fame defign, but of filver, is call¬ 
ed the Small Eagle ; and is worn at the button-hole, pen¬ 
dent to a red watered ribbon. The members of the Le¬ 
gion are obliged to wear this decoration at all times; 
the emperor wears indifferently the great or fmall eagle 
as he choofes. Princes and other illuftrious foreigners 
to whom his majefty may chufe to give the ribbon make 
no component part of the conftituted number: they arc 
admitted, not received, into the order: they take no oath, 
nor do they enjoy the privileges of the other members. 
The grand ceremony of adminiftering the oath to the 
members of the Legion of Honour, was performed in the 
chapel of the Hotel des Invalides, on the 26th Meffidor,year 
12, (1804,) being the anniverfary of the 14th of July, 1789. 
At fix in the morning the ceremony was announced to the 
public by adifeharge of artillery. The troops compofing 
the garrifon of Paris, having met at ten o’clock on the 
place called the Carroufel, filed before his majefty, and lined 
the road from his palace down to the Hotel des Invalides. 
A few minutes before twelve, her majefty the emprefs 
left the palace and crofted the garden of the Tuileries be¬ 
tween two ranks of foldiers. Her retinue confifted of four 
carriages, one with eight and three with fix horfes. The 
emprefs had with her in her carriage, the filters and filters- 
in-law of the emperor. The troops prefented arms as 
they palled, and the drums beat all the time. 
At twelve precifely his majefty the emperor, at the fignal 
of a heavy difeharge of artillery, left the palace on horfe- 
back, preceded by the marfhals of the empire, by the 
prince conneftable, and followed by the colonel-generals 
of his guard, the great officers of the crown, aides-de- 
camp, and the ltaff of the palace. On the arrival of his 
majefty the emperor at the Hotel of the Invalides, the go¬ 
vernor came forward and prefented him the keys of the 
Hotel. 
The cardinal archbifhop of Paris, accompanied by his 
clergy, received his majefty at the door of the chapel, and 
prefented him with frankincenfe and holy water. The 
clergy conducted his majefty under the canopy, to the im¬ 
perial throne, in the rnidft of acclamations, and at the 
found of military raufic. 
His majefty took his feat on the throne, having behind 
him the ftaff of his guard, the governor of the invalids, and 
the great officers of the crown. On the feiond ftep of the 
throne, on both fides, were the great dignitaries; lower, 
and on the right, the minifters of ftate ; on the left, the 
marlhals of the empire; at the foot of the throne, the 
grand mafter, and mafter of ceremonies. Oppofite to the 
grand-mafter, the grand chancellor and grand treafurer of 
the Legion of Honour. The aides-de-camp of the empe¬ 
ror ftood on both fides on the fteps of the throne. 
On the right of the altar, the cardinal legate was feated 
under a canopy upon an arm-chair, which had been pre¬ 
pared for him : on the left the cardinal archbifhop of Pa¬ 
ris, with his clergy. Behind the altar, upon an immenfe 
amphitheatre, were placed feven hundred invalids and 
two hundred young eleves of the polytechnic fchool. The 
nave was filled with the great officers, commanders, and 
members, of the Legion of Honour. 
The mafter of the ceremonies, having taken the order 
of his majefty, invited the cardinal legate to begin the 
fervice; and his eminence began the celebration of the 
mafs. After the reading of the Gofpel, the mafter of the 
ceremonies, having again received the order from his ma¬ 
jefty, conducted to the fteps of the throne the grand chan¬ 
cellor of the Legion of Honour, who pronounced a moft 
eloquent difeourfe upon the advantages likely to reftilt 
from the inftitution of this order; upon the gratitude 
which they owed to the hero who, by the ftrength of his 
genius and good fortune, by his perfeverance and wifdom, 
had preferved the principles which the revolution began 
upon, and healed the wounds which anarchy had inflicted 
on the nation. 
