1821.] Historical Particulars of Napoleon . 431 
200,000 men, and some heads of great 
merit. 
I freed myself from the inspection 
of Barras and Fr£ron in rather a sum¬ 
mary manner. The reduction of the 
forts of Lamalgue and Malboquet proves 
that I did well to send the representa¬ 
tives to their places: nevertheless, 
acting thus, I risked my future pros¬ 
pects; there was good fortune, but 
not prudence attending this transac¬ 
tion. 
I had an affection for Paoli, because 
in the effervescence of the love which 
I bore for my country, I believed him 
to be the hero of Corsica. I soon saw, 
however, that he wished to act in a 
sense contrary to the interests of the 
French revolution. I at first wished 
him no harm, in the hope that he 
meant to profit by the opportunity, and 
labour for the independence of our 
country. 
I corresponded with Messrs. Bow 
and Cameron, whom I had known dur¬ 
ing their residence at Ajaccio. These 
two Englishmen were then in London, 
and in a situation to give me intelli¬ 
gence from good sources. I leave it to 
be imagined what was my astonishment 
on learning that Paoli had betrayed his 
compatriots. These gentlemen had 
joined to their letter authentic docu¬ 
ments, which established under what 
pretence, and how it was agreed upon, 
to deliver up the Isle of Corsica 
to England. In the account which 
Paoli had rendered of the spirit of the 
inhabitants of tile Isle, he had not 
spared me. We may well presume 
that in giving up the Isle to the 
English, he had not forgotten himself; 
in fact, he was to have been the governor 
and viceroy. 
The Corsicans and the English, al¬ 
though equally passionate for liberty, 
would not have been long ere they had 
been at variance. The English, too 
absolute in their protections, would 
have treated Corsica less as an united 
country than as a conquered province. 
TheEnglish believe themselves superior 
to all other people, and the Corsicans 
are not backward in arrogating to them¬ 
selves peculiar privileges. From the 
nature of these two characters would 
have resulted the slavery of my country, 
and this was what I wished to prevent. 
My sole means of resistance were in 
the elements of the revolution, and 
these I laid hold of. I speedily for¬ 
warded to the Convention the docu¬ 
ments establishing the treason of Paoli; 
I caused myself to be named Lieut* 
Colonel of the National Guard; I sur¬ 
rounded myself with all those the most 
devoted to France and the revolution. 
All Corsica was informed that Paoli 
wished to deliver it up to England; 
he denied the fact, and lost me in the 
esteem of my compatriots ; myself and 
family were exiled; but Corsica was 
warned; I had signalised its danger; 
and Paoli no longer dared to put his 
projects into execution. 
There are a thousand good actions 
which men condemn for want of fore¬ 
seeing the results ; my conduct in Cor¬ 
sica is of the number; they blamed it; 
they even made it criminal; and yet it 
is one of my titles of glory; 1* pre¬ 
served Corsica to France, and I have 
spared the Corsicans all the humilia¬ 
tions which England showered down 
upon Scotland and Ireland. History 
will lay hold of this trait, and will 
render me justice. 
A great ambition is the mark of a 
great character. He who is endowed 
with it may either perform very good, 
or very bad actions; it is according as 
he is actuated by more or less honour. 
"J’he revolution has presented thirty 
kinds of ambitious characters. Some 
were ignoble and blood-thirsty, others 
estimable and worthy of the high rank 
which they have taken in society. 
Talleyrand and Cambacdres, are to 
Lebon and Chaumette, what the eagles 
are to the owls. 
Men of consummate stupidity and 
a very small number of sages, rich 
enough to have no occasion to expose 
themselves, were the sole individuals 
for whom it was possible not to be am¬ 
bitious amidst the chances presented 
by the revolution. The rest of the 
French necessarily formed projects and 
anticipated great hopes. I was of this 
number, and it was impossible to be 
otherwise. However this might be, I 
knew not how to push myself forward 
iu the career; all the avenues at that 
period appeared to me polluted. The 
chiefs of the army w^ere then without 
influence; I thought of turning my 
views another way. I had connection 
with Robespierre, and some others of 
his stamp, but I made but little progress 
around them ; I was not their man. 
This connection, which lasted only a 
moment, caused my dismissal on the 
9th Thermidor. It was an injustice, 
but it w r as the epoch of injustice, and 
it was necessary to submit. 
The government being changed, it 
became 
