455 
ISli.] Bonap-arte, 
I was prompted by a very natural cu- 
J’iosity to tiiake many inquiries concern¬ 
ing the domestic temper and habits of 
the Cajsar of Ctesars,’’ as Bonaparte is 
now denominated in the journals of Pa' 
ris. My sources of information were 
among the best, and the following is tlie 
summary of the copious details which 
were o;iven to me on this subiect. From 
his earliest youth his disposition was 
haughty, vintlictive, overweening, and 
ambitious. Th.is character he displayed 
at the siege of Toulon, where he first 
distinguished himself in such a manner 
as to induce his coramander-in-chief, 
Dugommier, to make this remark, in 
speaking of him to one of the commissi¬ 
oners of the convention : “ Let that young 
man engage your attention ; if you do not 
promote him, I can answer for it that he 
will know how to promote himself.”— 
When he w'as appointed, at the early age 
-of tw'enty-fjve, to the command of the 
army of Italy, he betrayed no emotion, 
either of surprise or of diffidence, at so 
sudden and dangerous an elevation, and 
answered those, who indulged in some 
remarks concerning his youth, in this 
way;—“ At the expiration of six months, 
1 shall either be an old general or a dead 
man.” 
At the commencement of the French 
revolution, he esj)oiised the republican 
principles of the time, and defended 
theiri with so much warmth as nearly to 
have lost his life, while at the military 
scinml of Paris, by the excess of his zeal. 
In the year 1790, he became acquainted 
with the celebrated Paoli, who had been 
the (fiend of his father, and he then pro¬ 
fessed the most enthusiastic feelings, on 
the scoi e of the noble efforts, which that 
general had made, to establish the inde¬ 
pendence of his coun'try. 
Fven in his boyhood Bonaparte was 
passionately devoted to tiie military 
science, and took part with his young 
comrafles only in such exercises as pre- 
scnted the most lively image of war. 
His disposition was then solitary and 
contemplative. The story is correct, 
which is related concerning agaider. that 
he had formed as a private retreat for 
himself when at school, and fortified 
against the incursions of his class-mates, 
lie was sometimes assisted in the flel’ence 
of this fortress by the present General 
DTIcdouville, who was then the only 
«ne of his companions who felt or dis¬ 
played any sympathy for him. They 
separated at an early age, and fledou- 
preseated himself for the hrst time 
to Bonaparte in Italy, as a simple lieute¬ 
nant, when the latter was coinmander-in- 
chief of the French army. Bonaparte 
recognised him immediately, and ad¬ 
dressed him thus, ‘‘I know you: you are 
the person who assisted me in defemding 
my garden.” Pledouville was promoted 
without delay, and has since occupied 
tlie highest military and civil grades. 
Bonaparte has been at all times lavish of 
lionours and favours to the associates of 
his first campaigns, and of his humbler 
fortunes. 
lie was not without social qualities in. 
the earlier stages of his military career, 
ajid even.after his eleyation to the first 
posts of the army, could occasionally 
soften the natural sternness and solem¬ 
nity of his manner, into an affable and 
communicative ease, v\hic!» rendered Ins 
conversation somewhat attractive. He 
of’ten indulged himself when First Consul, 
after the public repasts of the Thuiferies, 
ill copious narratives concerning his 
campaigns in Egypt, about wiiich he was 
extremely fond of talking. But, on his 
accession to the imperial dignity, these 
glimmerings of the spirit of gentleness 
and courtesy were seen no more, and 
the innate disposition of tlie man was 
displayed without disguise or controuL 
Since that period he has been, in the in¬ 
terior of the Thuilei ies, almost uniform¬ 
ly austere, gloomy, and suspicious; 
making all tliose who belong to his house- 
h(dd, the victims of the most tyrannical 
ca[)rice, and of the most impetuous gusts 
ot passioti. I have it from good au¬ 
thority, that for two or three days sub¬ 
sequent to the murder of the Duke 
D’Enghien, he resembled rather a fa¬ 
mished tiger, than the monarch of a ci¬ 
vilised iiation, Scarcely an individual 
dared approach him, but his ciiicf fa¬ 
vourite General Savary, whom he lias 
recently made minister of police, and 
whose appointment to that office has 
occasioned tlie Parisians to remark, tfiat 
they have now a supei-intendant wdio 
mends iiis pen with his sword: 7in jni- 
7iislre qui tuille sa plume avec son cpet\ 
1 he accusations wliich Sir Robert Wil¬ 
son, in his woi k on Egypt, has preferred 
against Bonaparte, have attracted t!',e 
attention of the woild. I had, wnile in 
Pari.-i, a conversation on this subject 
with one of the principal geographical 
engineers attached to tlie Fiencii expe¬ 
dition to that country, and I obtained 
frmn him, information with. iTgard to the 
affair of Jaffa, upon winch particular 
circupastaucss induced me to place cl;?? 
fullest 
