515 
P A 
becaufe it was built by the hands of ftrangers; becaufe 
it was profcribed by the vow of the nation, declared in 
all our national arfemblies; becaufe, in fhort, it offered 
a guarantee only to the interefts of a few men, whofe ar¬ 
rogant pretenfions were oppofed to our rights. Soldiers ! 
the imperial throne only can fecure the rights of the 
people, and, above all, the firft of our interefts—our 
glory. Soldiers ! we are now to march to hunt from our 
territories thefe princes, auxiliaries to ftrangers ; thema- 
tion will not only fecond us in our proteftations, but will 
follow our impulfe. The French people and I calculate 
upon you. We will not interfere with the affairs of foreign 
nations, but woe to thofe who fhall interfere with ours !” 
As Napoleon was about to conclude his harangue, 
Gen. Cambronne, and the officers of the guards of the 
battalion of idle of Elba, appeared, with the ancient eagles 
of the guard. Napoleon continued, and faid to the fol- 
diers ; “ Thefe are the officers of the battalion that have 
accompanied me in my misfortunes. Every man is my 
friend. They are dear to my heart ! Every time I be¬ 
held them, they brought before my eyes the different 
regiments of the army, for among thefe 600 brave fellows 
are men from every regiment. They have recalled to my 
memory thofe glorious days of which even the memory 
is fo dear ; for they are all covered with honourable fears, 
gained in memorable battles. In loving them, it was 
you, foldiers! the whole French army, that I loved. They 
bring you back youreagles. Let them ferveas arallying- 
point. In giving them to the guards, 1 give them to the 
whole army. Treafon and unfortunate events had co¬ 
vered them with a melancholy veil j but, thanks to the 
French people and to you! they now re-appear, refplendent 
in all their glory. Swear that they fhall always be pre¬ 
lent wherever the interefts of the country fhall require 
them ; and that traitors, and thofe who would wifh to 
invade our territory, fhall never endure their fight.”— 
“ We fwear it!” exclaimed the foldiers. 
In the mean time, the new revolution was ftrengthen- 
ing itfelf in different parts of France, the greateft part of 
which feemed to adopt with enthufiafm the tri-coloured 
flag and the fovereignty of Napoleon ; but the latter only 
under the form of the head to a popular government. 
This idea was explicitly declared in the different addreffes 
prefented to Napoleon, in his imperial capacity, at the 
Tuileries, on the 27th of March. That of the minifters 
led the way. The whole ftrain of this addrefs correfponds 
to the following paflage : “ The cavfe of the people, the only 
legit in. ate caufe, has triumphed. Your majefty is reftored 
to the wifhes of the French : you have refumed the reins 
of government amidft the bleffings of your people and 
your army. France, fire, has for the guarantee of this, 
its will, and its deareft interefts. She has alfo the expref- 
fions of your majefty, uttered amidft the throngs that 
crowded around you on your journey.” They proceeded 
to mention the maxims which he had announced as thofe 
by which the nation was in future to be governed : “ We 
are to have no foreign war, unlefs to repel unjuft aggref- 
fion : no internal re-a£lion-. no arbitrary a£ts. Perfonal 
fecurity, prote&ion of property, the free utterance of 
thought: fuch are the principles which your majefty has 
pledged to us.” 
To addreffes like thefe Napoleon was obliged, at this 
jun&ure, to return correfponding anfwers. To his mi¬ 
nifters he replied, “ The fentiments you exprefs are my 
own. All for the nation ; all for France. That is my 
motto. Myfelf and family, whom that great people have 
raifed to the throne of the French, and whom they have 
maintained there, notwithftanding political ftorms and 
viciffitudes ; we defire, we deferve, we claim, no other title.” 
The addrefs of the council of ftate was remarkable for 
the independence of its language, the caution which it 
gave Napoleon for the regulation of his future con¬ 
duct, and the conditions on which alone it pledged itfelf 
to fupport him. “ The council of ftate, in refuming their 
funftions, conceived it a duty to make known the prin- 
R I S. 
ciples which form the rule of their opinions, and of their 
conduct. The fovereignty rejis in the people. The people 
are the only Jource of legitimate power. The emperor is 
called to guarantee anew, by frefh inftitutions, for which 
he has pledged himfelf in his proclamations to the army 
and to the nation, all the liberal principles, individual 
liberty, and the equality of rights, the liberty of the prefs, 
the abolition of the cenforfhip, the freedom of worfhip, 
the voting of taxes and laws by the reprefentatives of the 
nation freely elected, the inviolability of national pro¬ 
perty of every origin, the independence and irremovability 
of the tribunals, the refponfibility of the minifters, and of 
all the agents of power. For the better confervation of 
the rights and obligations of the people and of the mo¬ 
narch, the national inftitutions (hall be reviewed in a grand 
aflembly of the reprefentatives, already announced by the 
emperor.” 
It appears to have been Napoleon’s intention, in form¬ 
ing his miniftry, to have rallied round him the various 
political parties into which France was divided. To 
eft'eft this purpofe, he had feledted, as his confidential 
minifters, the heads of what was termed the republican 
party, but who had abandoned their extravagant notions 
of liberty, and had become friendly to a limited monarchy. 
While they formed an efficient part of his miniftry, he 
gave an unequivocal pledge that his government would 
not be difgraced by any arbitrary or tyrannical meafures. 
When he arrived at Paris, an interefting interview took 
place between him and Carnot. In the courfe of their 
converfation, Napoleon acknowledged that he had afted 
wrong. He deplored the mania of conqueft which had 
led him into fuch fatal excefles; and renounced the idea 
of the grand empire, and a military government. He 
however, demanded fome facrifices from Carnot and his 
party. He required they (hould relinquifh the fternnefs 
of the republican charafter ; and that Carnot (hould 
accept a title of nobility, as a proof of their being content 
with a limited monarchy on a reprefentative bafis. To 
this Carnot, after confulting with his friends, agreed ; 
and the title of count was conferred upon him. He was 
afterwards appointed minifter of the interior. 
Carnot was one of the ableft engineers, and moft Ikil- 
ful generals, that France has produced. In 1791, he was 
cholen a member of the legislative aflembly, and became 
a zealous and confcientious republican. In the following 
year he voted for the death of the unfortunate Louis; 
and, although the injuftice of the fentence cannot be 
doubted, no one ever accufed the honed intentions of 
Carnot. In the firft edition of this work, vol. iii. p. 
808, 9. we gave fome anecdotes of his public career, 
reaching to the year 1797 at which time, deceived by 
the flying reports of the day, we fuppofed he had been 
killed. It is to correft that error that we now refume 
the fubjeft; happy to record, that at that perilous junc¬ 
ture Carnot efcaped to Swiflerland. 
When Bonaparte returned from Egypt, he remembered 
the talents of Carnot, and the many obligations under 
which he lay to him ; and recalled him to power. He 
was once more placed at the head of the war-department; 
and the conqueft of Italy and Germany were foon the 
proofs of his (kilful arrangements. But the ambitious 
charafter of Napoleon then began to be difplayed : Car¬ 
not remonftrated with him in vain ; and, difdaining to 
be the bafe inftrument of tyranny, again retired to the 
bofom of his family. In 1802,, he was dragged from his 
retirement, and chofen member of the tribunate. Here 
he diftinguifhed himfelf as the fearlefs opponent of every 
arbitrary meafure. He voted againft the aflumption of 
the consulate for life; and, in 1804, after privately ufing 
every argument to diffuade Bonaparte from his ambitious 
purpofe, he flood alone in the tribunate, and oppofed the 
motion to confer on him the imperial dignity. “Shall 
we,” faid he, “ becaufe this man has reftored the peace 
and profperity of his country, reward him with tbefacri- 
fice of her beft interefts, the very liberty which we are 
grateful 
