The Modern Regime Volume I Part 28

I., chs X. and XI.]

[Footnote 3306: Decree of March 17, 1808, on the organization of the Israelite cult. The members of the Israelite consistories and the rabbis must be accepted by the government the same as the ministers of the other cults; but their salary, which is fixed, must be provided by the Israelites of the conscription; the State does not pay this, the same as with cures or pastors. This is not done until under the monarchy of July, when the a.s.similation of the Israelite with the other Christian cults is effected.]

[Footnote 3307: "Travels in France during the years 1814 and 1815 "(Edinburgh, 1806) I., 176. "The n.o.bility, the great landed proprietors, the yeomanry, the lesser farmers, all of the intermediate ranks who might oppose a check to the power of a tyrannical prince, are nearly annihilated."--Ibid., 236. "Scarcely an intermediate rank was to be found in the nation between the sovereign and the peasant."--Ibid., II.

239. "The better cla.s.s of the inhabitants of the cities, whether traders and manufacturers or the bourgeoisie of France, are those who were the most decided enemies of Bonaparte."]

[Footnote 3308: Napoleon, desirous of forming an opinion of him, said to Roederer, "Send me his books." "But," said Roederer, "he is only a translator." "No matter," replied Napoleon, "I will read his prefaces,"]

[Footnote 3309: Cf. the "Dictionnaire biographique," published at Leipsic, 1806-1808 (by Eymory) 4 vols., and the "Almanach imperial" for 1807 to 1812; many other historic names are found there, and among these the ladies of the palace. In 1810, Comte de la Rochefoucauld is amba.s.sador to Holland and Comte de Mercy-Argenteau amba.s.sador to Bavaria.]

[Footnote 3310: "The Revolution," II., 323. (Ed. Laffont I. 773, note 1)]

[Footnote 3311: "The Revolution," vol. III., PP. 318~322. (Ed. Laff. II.

pp. 237-240.)]

[Footnote 3312: "The Ancient Regime," pp. 116-119, 128. (Ed. Laff. I.

pp. 90-92, 100-101.)]

[Footnote 3313: De Tilly, "Memoires," I., 153. "The difference between the tone and language of the court and that of the city was about as great as that between Paris and the provinces."]

[Footnote 3314: Hence the lack of success of the Maupeou parliament.]

[Footnote 3315: See the collections of songs previous to the Revolution, especially military songs such as "Malgre la bataille,"--"Dans les gardes francaises," etc.--At the time of the Restoration, the pastoral or gallant songs of Florian, Bouffiers and Berquin were still sung in bourgeois families, each person, young or old, man or woman, singing one at the dessert. This undercurrent of gayety, geniality and amiability lasted throughout the Revolution and the Empire. ("Travels through the South of France, 1807 and 1808," p.132, by Lieutenant-Colonel Pinkney, of the United States.) "I must once for all say that the Memoirs of Marmontel are founded in nature." He cites a great many facts in proof of this, and testifies in all cla.s.ses to a prompt and social nature, a natural benevolence or habitual civility which leads them instinctively, and not unfrequently impertinently, into acts of kindness and consideration."--The same impression is produced on comparing the engravings, fashion-plates, light subjects and caricatures of this period with those of the present epoch. The malicious sentiment begins only with Beranger; and yet his early pieces ("Le Roi d'Yvetot," "le Senateur") display the light air, accent and happy, instead of venomous, malice of the old song. n.o.body now sings in the lower bourgeoisie or in gatherings of clerks or students, while, along with the song, we have seen the other traits which impressed foreigners disappear, the gallantry, the jesting humor, the determination to regard life as so many hours (une serie de quarts d'heures, each of which may be separated from the others, be ample in themselves and agreeable to him who talks and to him or her who listens.]

[Footnote 3316: Read the novels of Pigault-Lebrun: books of the epoch the best adapted to the men of the epoch, to the military parvenus, swift, frank, l.u.s.ty and narrow-minded.]

[Footnote 3317: Candide (Recit de la Vieille).]

[Footnote 3318: "Souvenirs", by PASQUIER (Etienne-Dennis, duc), chancelier de France, Librarie Plon, Paris 1893. "I am sure that his imagination was more taken with Ghengis-Khan than with Caesar."]

[Footnote 3319: "The Revolution," II., 12, 22. (Laff. I. pp. 574, 582.) (Articles by Mailet-Dupan, "Mercure de France," Dec. 30, 1791, and April 7, 1792.)--Napoleon, "Memorial" (Sept. 3, 1816), thinks so too and states the essential characteristic of the Revolution. This consisted in "telling everybody who held office, every one who had a place or a fortune: 'Get out.'"]

[Footnote 3320: Roederer, III., 534 (January 1809, on Normandy), "Children in every situation think of becoming soldiers to get the cross (legion of honor), and the cross secures the chevalier. The desire of distinction, of pa.s.sing ahead of some one else, is a national sentiment."]

[Footnote 3321: "The Revolution," II., 248. (Laff. I. p. 747.)]

[Footnote 3322: Napoleon, "Memoires "(edited by M. de Montholon, III., 11-19), on the extraordinary ignorance of Cartaux.--Ibid., 23, on Doppet's incapacity, the successor of Cartaux.]

[Footnote 3323: "The Revolution," III., 310. (Laff. II. pp. 178-179.)]

[Footnote 3324: They called themselves exclusives under the Directory.--Cf. "The Revolution, II.", 23, 187, 196, 245, 297-303, 340-351, 354; book III., ch, 2 and 3, and book IV. (Ed. Laff. I.

pp. 582, 701, pp. 709-710, 745, 782-787, 821-823 and in Vol. II. pp.

131-167, pp. 167-215 and pp 311-357.)]

[Footnote 3325: The declaration of Human Rights in 1789 stated that: "art. 1st, -- 5. Tous les citoyens sont egalement admissible aux emplois publics. Les peuples ne connaissent d'autres motifs de preference, dans elections, que les vertus et les talents." Virtue in French is virtue in English while talent in French must be translated as being both talent and skill. (SR.)]

[Footnote 3326: Madame de Remusat, pa.s.sim.--Roederer, III., 538 (January 1809). (Words of Napoleon) "I took a few of the old court into my household. They remained two years without speaking to me and six months without seeing me... I don't like them--they are no good for anything--their conversation is disagreeable to me."]

[Footnote 3327: Napoleon, "Memoires."]

[Footnote 3328: Roederer, "Memoires."]

[Footnote 3329: Taine uses the French expression "esprit" which might both mean spirit, wit, mind or sense.]

[Footnote 3330: Roederer, "Memoires, "III., 281. "Men, under his government, who had hitherto been considered incapable are made useful; men hitherto considered distinguished found themselves mixed in with the crowd; men hitherto regarded as the pillars of the State found themselves useless ... An a.s.s or a knave need never be ambitious to approach Bonaparte, they will make nothing out of him."]

[Footnote 3331: Fievee, "Correspondance," III., 33.--Roederer, III., 381.]

[Footnote 3332: Beugnot, "Memoires," II., 372.]

[Footnote 3333: Lefebvre, a former sergeant in the French guards, who became marshal of the empire and Duc de Dantzig, with 150,000 francs a year, received the visit of a comrade who, instead of having mounted the ladder as he had done, had remained at the bottom of it. The marshal, a fine fellow, welcomed his comrade heartily, and showed him over his hotel. The visitor's face gradually grew somber, and bitter words escaped from his lips; he often murmured, "Ah, how lucky you are!"--At last, the marshal, impatient, said to him, "Well, I will make all this over to you on one condition."--"What is it?"--"You must go down into the court. I will post two grenadiers at the window with their guns, and they shall fire at you. If they miss, you shall have the hotel and everything in it."--"Ah, no, thanks!"--"My friend, more shots than these have been fired at me and nearer by!"]

[Footnote 3334: Roederer, III., 332 (Aug. 2, 1800).]

[Footnote 3335: Papers of Maine de Biran. (Note communicated by M.

Naville.) Letter of Baron Maurice, prefect of Dordogne, to M. Maine de Biran, sub-prefect of Bergerac, transmitting to him by order of the minister of the interior a blank form to be filled up by him presenting the "Statistics of young ladies belonging to the most notable families of the arrondiss.e.m.e.nt." The form annexed contained several columns, one for names and given names, others for the future inheritance of real and personal estate, etc. A clever or energetic prefect, provided with this list, was able and was expected to take an active part in marriages and see that all the large dowries were appropriated on the right side.--"Memoires de Madame de------," part 3rd, ch. VIII., p. 154.

(These very instructive memoirs by a very sincere and judicious person are still unpublished. I am not authorized to give the name of the author.) "It was at this time that the emperor took it into his head to marry as he saw fit the young girls who had more than 50,000 livres rental." A rich heiress of Lyons, intended for M. Jules de Polignac, is thus wedded to M. de Marboeuf. M. d'Aligre, by dint of address and celerity, evades for his daughter first M. de Caulaincourt and then M.

de Faudoas, brother-in-law to Savary, and in stead weds her to M.

de Pommereu.--Baron de Vitrolles, Memoires, I. 19. (His daughter was designated by the prefect of the Ba.s.ses-Alpes.)--Comte Joseph d'Estourmel, "Souvenirs de France et d'Italie," 239. (Details of this description of the young ladies to be married and the circular from the duke de Rovigo, minister of police.) the eight column of the form was "reserved to describe the physical charms and deformities, the talents, the conduct and the religious principles of each of the young ladies."]

[Footnote 3336: "Statistiques des Prefets." (Doubs, by Debry, p. 60; Meurthe, by Marquis, p. 115, Ain, by Bossi, p.240.)]

[Footnote 3337: "Statistique de l'Ain," by Bossi, p. 1808. From 1140 in 1801, the number of employees and others under state pay amounts to 1771 in 1806. This increase is attributed by the prefect to causes just stated.]

[Footnote 3338: Napoleon, "Correspondance." (Note of April 11, 1811.) "There will always be at Hamburg, Bremen and Lubeck from 8,000 to 10,000 French, either employees or gendarmes, in the customs and depots."]

[Footnote 3339: One officer may be counted to every 50 men in the infantry; in the cavalry 1 officer to every 25 or 30 men,--This ratio of one officer to every fifty men indicates that, among the 1,700,000 men who perished between 1804 and 1815, there were 24,000 officers, which gives about 3,000 vacancies per annum, to which must be added the vacancies due to the wounded, disabled and and retired. It must be noted, moreover, that the death or retirement of an officer above the grade of second-lieutenant makes several vacancies, vacancies which are more numerous the higher the rank. When a captain is killed there are three promotions and so on.]

[Footnote 3340: "The Revolution" III., 335. (Laff. II. p. 250)--Already, in 1795, the need of competent and specialized men was so great that the government sought, even among royalists, for financial and diplomatic heads of these services; it made offers to M. Dufresne and to M. de Rayneval.--Ib. 406.--(Cf. "Memoires" by Gaudin, Miot de Melito and Mollien.)]

[Footnote 3341: Words of Bouquier, reporter of the law on education (session of the Convention, Frimaire 22, year II).]

[Footnote 3342: The reader is recommended to do as I have done and consult biographies on point, also the souvenirs of his grandparents.

(H.A.Taine.)]

[Footnote 3343: Thibaudeau, "Memoires sur la Consulat," p.88.

(Exposition of motives by Roederer to the corps Legislatif, Floreal 25, year X.) "After all, it is the creation of a new currency of quite different value from that which issues from the public treasury, a currency of unchangeable worth and of an inexhaustible mine, since it lies in French honor; a currency which can solely reward actions regarded as above any recompense."]

[Footnote 3344: Thibaudeau, ibid., 83. (Address by the First Consul to the council of State, Floreal 14, year X.)--Also "Memorial": "Old and corrupt nations are not governed the same as young and virtuous ones; sacrifices have to be made to interest, to enjoyments, to vanity. This is the secret of the return to monarchical forms, to t.i.tles. crosses, ribbons, harmless baubles suited to exciting the respect of the mult.i.tude while at the same time enforcing self-respect."]

[Footnote 3345: "La Legion d'honneur," by M. Mazas, pa.s.sim. Details on the nomination ceremonials. "The veritable date was July 15th, as the 14th was Sunday. Augereau and about sixty officers, "bad fellows" who disliked the ma.s.s, refused to go into the chapel and remained outside in the court."]

[Footnote 3346: Several generals, Lecourbe, Souham, etc., were excluded as being too republican or suspect and hostile. Lemercier, Ducis, Delille, and Lafayette refused. Admiral Truguet, through pique and discontent, had at first declined the grade of grand-officer, but finally changed his mind and became at first commander and then grand-officer.]

[Footnote 3347: "Les Cahiers du capitaine Coignet," pa.s.sim and pp. 95, 145. "When the ceremony was over, handsome women who could get at me to examine my cross, asked me if they might give me a kiss."--At the Palais Royal the proprietor of a cafe says to him: "Order whatever you want, the Legion of Honor is welcome to anything."]

[Footnote 3348: Mazas, ibid., p. 413.--Edmond Blanc, "Napoleon, ses inst.i.tutions civiles et administratives," p. 279.--The number of decorated, at first, was to be 6,000. In 1806, the emperor had nominated 14,500, and taking his entire reign, until his fall, about 48,000. The real force of legionaries, however, then living does not surpa.s.s at this time 30,000, of which only 1,200 are in civil careers. At the present time, December 1, 1888 (doc.u.ments furnished by the records of the Legion d'honneur), there are 52.915 decorated persons, of which 31,757 are soldiers and 21,158 civilians. Under the empire there was in all 1 cross to every 750 Frenchmen; at that time, out of 50 crosses there were 2 for civil services, while in our day there are nearly 20. (QUID informs us that on 30-11-1994 the strength amounted to 207,390 persons. SR.)]

[Footnote 3349: Edmond Blanc, ibid., 276-299, 325 and 326. (List of t.i.tles of prince and duke conferred by the emperor, and of gifts of 100,000 francs rental or of above that sum.)]