PARIS. 
522 
is not, never can be, extinfl. To excite the admiration 
of his contemporaries, and to became the hero of future 
annals, is the grand aim of all his actions, the only end 
for which he appears to live ; for this he will commit 
crime without malignant intention, and praftife virtue 
without merit. The fame paflion which formerly fug- 
elted the romantic plan of univerfal empire, will now 
ireft and conftrain him to adopt an oppofite courfe. 
Public opinion, on which he fo much depends, and which 
is fo neceflary to his exillence, repels with horror the 
chains of defpotifm, even though fabricated of gold, and 
the palms of viftory if drained with blood. Opinion, the 
miftrefs of the mailers of the world, now exadls from him 
peace and liberty ; peace founded on jultice and cemented 
by good faith, and liberty protected and fupported by 
the laws. At this price flie promifes him glory and im¬ 
mortality, and at this price he will purchafe the objedts of 
his mod ardent wilhes. 
This reafoning, however plaufible, however interelling, 
would not heal the yet-bleeding wounds which Ruflia, 
Pruflia, and Aultria, had received at Friedland, Jena, and 
Aullerlitz. The allies could not trull him. He had no 
pledges to give ; and, without fufficient pledges, they 
were not jultified in compromifing the peace and fecurity 
of Europe. 
During fifteen years he had unceafingly aimed at the 
fubjugation of Europe. It had been the objedl of his 
daily meditations, and his nightly dreams. “In five 
years,” faid he to one of his minilters, at a time when he 
was at peace with every continental power except Spain, 
“ in five years I fliall be mailer of the world. Rulfia alone 
will remain; but I will crulh it,” added he, with a moll 
exprelfive gellure. “Paris fliall reach to St. Cloud. I 
will build fifty vefl'els every year; but I will not fend one 
of them to fea till I have 500. I lhall then be mailer of 
the ocean as well as the land.” 
A firong attachment to royalty and the Bourbons Hill 
fubfilled in Brittany and La Vendee ; and the royalills in 
thofe parts at this time took up arms in defence of the 
Bourbon caufe, and became mailers of the country which 
they inhabited ; but they were not able to extend them- 
felves towards Paris. There was, indeed, a want of con¬ 
cert and combination in all the efforts of the Bourbonills, 
which rendered them defultory and ineffectual ; and they 
had little influence in diverting the attention of the 
French government from the means to refill the foreign 
ltorm which was rifing againlt it. 
This danger was fo imminent, that it was become ab- 
folutely neceflary no longer fo conceal it from the nation, 
which was to be prepared for exerting all its powers of re¬ 
finance. On the 14th of April, a long report from the 
minilter of foreign affairs to the emperor was publilhed 
at Paris. This document gives a correfl view of the flate 
of Europe, and of the preparations of the allies at that 
period. But it is too long for infertion ; and we mull re¬ 
fer the reader to Gifford's Hillory, where he will find it 
at full length, p. 1299. Suffice it to fay, that, in con- 
fequence of its contents, every effort was now made to 
increafe the regular army; an energetic proclamation was 
publilhed ; and the national guards were ordered to be 
embodied, and diflributed among the different fortreffes 
of the country: 3130 battalions, of 720 men each, were 
commanded to be immediately equipped for fervice; 
making a grand total of 2,255,040 foldiers. Had Napo¬ 
leon been able to have called into aflion this immenfe 
body, and to have inftilled a fufficient portion of enthu- 
fiafm into their ranks, he might have bid defiance to the 
world : but fcarcely a tenth part were ever enrolled. 
The old foldiers, however, crowded to the imperial 
ftandard; and a brave and numerous army was foon placed 
at his difpofal, with which he might expefl at leafl to 
open the campaign with eclat; and he indulged the hope 
that fome brilliant aCtion at the commencement of the 
contelt might excite the enthufiafm of the French, or dif- 
concert or difunite the allies. 
5 
Workmen were employed in fortifying the heights of 
Montmartre, Chaumont, and Mefnil-Montant, in the 
neighbourhood of Paris; while orders were iflued to infpeft 
and complete the fortifications of every garrifon-town : 
Soiflbns, Laon, Lafere, Saint-Quentin, Guife, Chateau- 
Thierry, Vitry, and Langres, were placed in a refpeclable 
flate of defence ; Chalons, Rheims, Dijon, the Vofges, 
Jura, and Argonne, already Itrong by nature, were ren¬ 
dered nearly impregnable ; many hundred workmen were 
daily employed in the fortifications of Lyons; and no 
effort was fpared to oppofe every obltacle to the progrefs 
of the invader. Every defile was guarded; fortifications 
were ereCted at the heads of the bridges; batteries crowned 
the fummit of every mountain, and the din of preparation 
founded from the northern frontier to the Mediterranean 
fea. 
On his firlt landing in France, Napoleon had pledged 
himfelf to give the French a conllitution agreeable to their 
wilhes, and favourable to their liberties. He now' haltened 
to redeem his pledge. Inclination and necelfity equally 
prompted this meafure. He appointed a commiffion to 
draw up the form of a Conllitution to be fubmitted to 
the choice of the nation. Bilhop Gregoire, well known 
for his attachment to rational liberty, and Benjamin 
Conffant, who had lately and fo boldly fpoken his fenti- 
ments of the emperor, and fo flrenuoufly oppofed his 
caufe, were members of this commiffion. 
This document, called the “ ACte additionel,” which 
was publilhed on the 23d of April, contains, under the 
feveral heads, all the provifions for ellablilhing a free re- 
prefentative government, fimilar to that of England, 
which it obvioully had in view; but, fince this Adi was 
never afted upon, it is unneceflary for us to infert it. It 
will be found in the elaborate work referred to above, at 
p. 1 304. and to the curious enquirer it will be confidered 
as a record fo far valuable as it affords a view of what was 
thought neceflary to fatisfy the expectations of the party 
which then poffefled the principal political influence, and 
to whofe views Bonaparte would probably have been 
obliged to conform, had he been unable to re-ellablifh a 
military defpotifm. 
The promulgation of this new conllitution w'as, how¬ 
ever, to form a grand fpeClacle, a thing highly agreeable 
to the Parifians, indeed to all popular aflemblies. Every 
Frenchman of mature age was, in the firft place, invited 
to infcribe his vote for or againll it, in regillers which 
were opened in every town and dillriCt. Thefe votes 
were to be collected, and the grand refult publilhed, at 
the Champ de Mai, which was convened for the 26th 
of May. 
The Champ de Mai, or Champ de Mars, is a large ex- 
pa nfe in front of the Military School, (fee p. 467.) It 
was appropriated, like the Campus Martius at Rome, to 
the reviews of troops, and to horfe and foot races on pub¬ 
lic fellivals. It did not, however, derive its name from 
any imitation of the Roman Campus Martius. In the 
early periods of the French monarchy, the general affem- 
blies of the nation were held in this place: the objeCls 
of the meeting were to frame new laws, to fubmit the 
complaints of the people to the royal ear, to compofe dif¬ 
ferences among the barons, and to review the forces of 
the kingdom. It was denominated the Champ de Mars, 
becaufe the aflembly took place in the month of March. 
In the middle of the eighth century, Pepin transferred it 
to the month of May, as a milder and more convenient 
feafon. After this it was called either the Champ de Mars 
or the Champ de Mai. Under the fecond race of kings, 
fimilar meetings were held both in the beginning of the 
year, and in Augult or September. Under the third race 
they gradually changed their character, and aflumed the 
title of parliaments and etats generaux, which they pre- 
ferved to the period of the revolution. 
One circumdance attending the promulgation of the 
Additional Aft gave great offence. The army and navy 
were invited to deliberate on it, and tranfmit their ap¬ 
proval 
