The life of Napoleon Buonaparte, emperor of the French. By Sir Walter Scott.

tf23 LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE.
possession of the ostensible pouwer-Theti denounce the It was no good omen, that on taking their places
jacobin chiefs, but in an irregular andJeeble manner.- in the assembly, these last assumed the right side,
Marat, Robespierre, and Dalton, supported by the a position which seemed doomed to defeat, since
Commlulnlity andlpopulace of Paris.-Fance declared a it had been successively occupied by the suppressed
Republic-Duk.e of Brunswvick's cainpaign-Negleetlts parties of moderate royalists and constitutionalists.
the French enigranrts-Is tardy in his operations-Occ- There as defeat in the ery sound of the arti
pies the poorest part of Chamipagne —His army becomes dee tas defeat the ery soufd of theparts
sickly-Prospects of a battle.-Dumourier's army re- been that of
dickly —P~rospects of a battle.-lDteJ7zriEr's arry re- droit, whereas the left hand position had always
crucited with Carmagnoles. —The duke resolves to retreat been that of victory. Men's minds are moved by
-Thoughts on the consequences of that measure —The small incidents in dubious times. Even this choice
retreat disastrous.-The emigrants disbatlded in a great of seats made an impression upon spectators and
measure-Reflections ol their fate.'-The Prince of Con- auditors nufavourable to the girondists, as all nade's arny. turally shrink friom a union with had fortune. There
was a considerable party of neutral members, who,
IT wras of course the object of each party to obtain without joining themselves to the girondists, affected
the greatest possible majority in the National Con- to judge impartially betwixt contending parties.
vention now to be assembled, for arranging upon They were chiefly men of consciences too timid to l
some new footing the government of France, and go all the lengths of the jacobins, but also of too
for replacing that constitution to which faith had timid nerves to oppose them openly and boldly.
been so repeatedly sworn. These were sure to succumb on all occasions, when
The jacobins made the most energetic exertions. the jacobinsjudged it necessary to use their favourite
They not only wrote missives through their two argument of popular terror.
thousand affiliated societies, but sent three hundred The girondists took posession, however, of all oscommnissaries, or delegates, to superintend the elec- tensible marks of power. Danton was dismissed
tions in the different towns and departments; to from his place as minister of justice; and they were,
exhort their comrades not only to be firm, but to be as far as mere official name andl title could bestow
enterprising; and to seize with strong hand the it on them, in possession of the authority of governante power over the public force, which the mother ment. But the ill-fated regulation which excluded
society possessed in Paris. The advice was poured ministers from seats in the assembly, and conseinto willing ears; for it implied the sacred right of quently firom any right save that of defence, proved
insurrection, with the concomitant privileges of as fatal to those of the new system, as it had done
pillage and slaughter. to the executive government of' Louis.
The power of' the jacohins was irresistible in Our remarks upon the policy of the great change
Paris, where Robespierre, Dasnton, and Marat, who from monarchy to a republic will be more in place
shared the high places in their synagogue, were elsewhere. Indeed, violent as the change sounded
elected by an inmmense majority; and of the twenty in words, there was not such an important alteration
deputies who represented Paris, there were not in effect as to produce much sensation. The conabove five or six unconnected wvith the mnassacres. stitution of 1791 was a democracy to all intents and
Nor were they anywhere unsuccessfutl, where there purposes, leaving little power with tile king, and
existed enough of their adherents to overawe by that little subject to be so nlmch cramped and
threats, clanmour, and violence, the impartial voice straitened in its operation, that the royal authority
of the public. wvas even smaller in practice than it had been liBat in every state there is a great numnber of men mited in theory. When to this is added, that Louis
-vwho love order for itself, and for the. protection it was a prisoner amongst his subjects, acting under
affords to property. There were also a great many the mnost severe restraint, and endangering his life
persons at heart royalists, either pure or consti- every timne he attempted to execute his constitutltional, and all these united in sending to the tional power, lie must long have been held rather an
National Convention deputies, who, if no opportunity incumbrance on the motions and councils of the
occurred of restoring the monarchy, might at least state, than as one of its efficient constituted authoco-operate with the girondists and more moderate rities. The nmtninal change of the system of governrepublicans in sa5ing the life of' the unfortunate ment scarcely made a greater alteration in the
Louis, and in protecting Inen's lives, and property in internal condition.of France, than the change of a
general, from the infuriate violence of the jacobins. sign makes upon a house of entertainment, where the
These supporters of order-we know no better name business of the tavern is carried on in the usual way,
to assign to them —were chiefly representatives although the place is no longer distinguished as the
of the departments, where electors had more time King's Head.
to disciminate and reflect, than when under the VWhile France was thus alarmed and agitated
influence of the revolutionary societies and clubs of within, by change, by crime, by the most bitter
the towns. Yet Nantes, Bordeaux, Marseilles, political factions, the dawn of that course of victory
Lyons, and other towns, chiefly in the west and had already risen on the frontiers, which in its noonsouth, were disposed to support the girondists, and day splendour, was to blaze fiercely over all Europe.
sent deputies:tvourable to their sentiments. Thus It is not our putrpose to detail military events at
the conventioi, awhen assembled, still presented the present; we shall have but too many of them to disappearance of two strongparties; and the feebleness cuss hereafter. Wre shall barely state, that the
of that which, being moderate in its views, only Duke of Brunswick's canmpaign, considered as resought to act defensively, consisted not in want of lative to his proclamation, forms too good an illustranumbers but in want of energy. tion of the holy text, "Pride goeth before destruc