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

LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 239
the republican armies, yet their successes had been by the many thousands who saw no possible chance
cLequered with many reverses, and, contrasted of settling the nationon any other model; and there
with the Italian campaigns, lost their impression on is little doubt, that had France been permitted at
the imagination. that moment an uninfluenced choice, the Bourbon
While they were thus becoming unpopular in the family would have been recalled to the throne by the
public opinion, the Directory had the great mis- great majority of the French people.
fortune to be at enmity among themselves. From But for reasons mentioned elsewhere, the military
the time that Letourneur retired from office in terms were the decided opponents of the Bourbons, and
of the constitution, and Barthelemy was elected in the purchasers of national domains, through every
his stead, there was a majority and an opposition in successive sale which might have taken place, were
the Directory, the former consisting of Barras, Rew- deeply interested against their restoration. Numbexs
bel, and La Reveillere-the latter, of Carnot and might be on the side of the royalists; but physical
Barth6lemy. Of the two last, Carnot (who had force, and the influence of wealth andof the monied
been, it may be remembered, a member of the Com- interest, were decidedly against them.
mittee of Public Safety tinder Robespierre) was a Pichegrn might now be regarded as chief of the
determined republican, and Bartihelemy a royalist; royal party. He was an able and successful general,
-so strangely do revolutionary changes, like the to whom France owed the conquest of Holland.
eddies and currents of a swoln river, bring together Like La Fayette and Dumourier, he had been disand sweep down side by side, in the same direction, gusted with the conduct of the Revolution; and like
objects the most different and opposed. Barthdlemy the last of the two generals named, had opened a
of course dissented from the majority of the direc- communication with the Bourbons. He was accused
tors, because secretly and warmly he desired the of having suffered his army to be betrayed in a derestoration of the Bourbons, an event which must feat by Clairfayt, and the government in 1796 rehave been fraught with danger to his colleagues, all moved him from the command of the Army of the
of whom had voted for the death of Louis XVI. Sambre and Meuse, offering him in exchange the siCarnot also differed from the majority, certainly tuation of ambassador to Sweden. He declined this
with no such wish or view; but, his temper being species of honourable exile, and, retiring to Francheas overbearing as his genius was extensive, he was Comte, continued his correspondence with the Irmimpatient of opposition, especially in such cases perial generals. The royalists expected much from
where he knew he was acting wisely. He advised the countenance of a military man of a name so
strongly, for example, the ratification of the articles imposing; but we have seen more than once in the
of Leoben, instead of placing all which France had course of these memoirs, that a general without an
acquired, and all which she might lose, on the last army is like a hilt without the blade which it should
fatal cast with an enemy, strong in his very despair, wield and direct.
and who might raise large armies, while that of An opportunity, however, offered Pichegru the
Bonaparte could neither be reinforced nor supported means of serving his party in a civil capacity, and
in case of a reverse. Barras's anger on the occasion that a most important one. The elections of
was so great, that he told Carnot at the council- May 1797, made to replace that proportion of the
board, it was to him they owed that infamous treaty councils which retired by rotation, terminated geneof Leoben. rally in favour of the royalists, and served plainly
While the Directory were thus disunited among to show on which side the balance of popular feelthemselves, the nation showed their dissatisfaction ing now leaned. Pichegru, who had been returned
openly, and particularly in the two bodies of repre- as one of the deputies, was chosen by acclamation
sentatives. The majority indeed of the Council of President of the Council of Five Hundred, and
Elders adhered to the Directory, many of that body Barbe Marbois, another royalist, was elected to the
belonging to the old republican partisans. But in same office by the Council of Ancients, while, as
the more popularly composed Council of Five Hnn- we have already said, Barthelemy, likewise fi-iendly
dred, the opposition to the government possessed a to monarchy, was introduced into the Directory.
great majority, all of whom were decidedly against These elections were evil signs for the Directory,
the Directory, and most of them impressed with the who did not fail soon to be attacked on every side,
wish of restoring, upon terms previously to be ad- and upbraided with the continuance of the war and
justed, the ancient race of legitimate monarchs. This the financial distresses. Various journals were at
body of persons so thinking was much increased by the disposal of the party opposed to the majority of
the number of emigrants, who obtained, on various the Directors, and hostilities were commenced begrounds, permission to return to their native country tween the parties, both in the assemblies, where
after the fall of Robespierre. The forms of civil life the royalists had the advantage, and in the public
began now to be universally renewed; and, as had papers, where they were also favourably listened
been the case in France at all times, excepting to. The French are of an impatient temper, and
during the bloody reign of Terror, women of rank, could not be long brought to carry on their warfare
beauty, talent, and accomplishments, began again within the limitsassigned by the constitution. Each
to resume their places in society, and their saloons party, without much regard to the state of the law,
or boudoirs were often the scene of deep political looked about for the means of physical force with
discourse, of a sort which in Britain is generally con- which they might arm themselves. The Directory
fined to the cabinet, library, or dining-parlour. The (that is, the majority of that body), sensible of their
wishes of many, or most of these coteries, were in unpopularity, and the predominance of the opposite
favourofroyalty; the same feelings were entertained party, which seemed for a time to have succeeded