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

LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE. 333
— Hanover and other places occupied by the French.- tending only to gratify his own resentment, and exScheme of invasion renewed.-Nature and extent of Na- tend the evils of war, already sufficiently nutrlerous.
poleon:'s preparations.-Defensive measures of England. The English had, as is the universal customn, laitd
-Reflections. an embargo on all French vessels in their ports, at
the instant the war was proclaimed, alnd thle loss to
THE bloody war which succeeded the short peace France was of course considerable. Bonaparte took
of Amiens originated, to use the words of the satirist, a singular mode of retaliating, by seizing on the
in high words, jealousies, and fears. There was no persons of thle English of every description, who
special or determinate cause of quarrel, which could chanced to be at Paris, or travelingin the dominions
be removed by explanation, apology, or concession. of France, who, trusting to the laws of good faith
The English nation were jealous, and from the hitherto observed by all civilized nations, expected
strides which Bonaparte had made towards universal nothing less than an attack upon their pertsonal
power, not jealous without reason, of the farther fieedom. The absurd excuse at first set iup for this
purposes of the French ruler, and demanded gua- extraordinary violation of hulmanity, at once, and of
rantees against the encroschments which they ap- justice, was, that somle of these individuals migh;llt
prehended; andl such guarantees he deemed it be- be liable to serve in the English militia, andl were
neath his dignity to grant. The discussion of these therlefore to be corsidered as prisoners of war. But
adverse claims had been unusually violent and in- this flimlsy pretext could not have excusedl the seiztemperate; and as Bonaparte conceived the English ing on the English of all ranks, conditions, and ages.
nation to be his personal enemies, so they, on the The measure was adopted without the participation
other hand, began to regard his power as totally of the first consul's nrinisters; at least we mlust
incompatible with the peace of Europe, and inde- presume so, since Talleyrand himself elcou;aged
pendence of Britain. To Napoleon, the English solne individulals to remain after the British abshaspeople, tradesmen and shopkeepers as he chose to sador had left Paris, with an assurance of satfety
qualify them, seemed assuming a consequence in which he had it not in his power to make good. It
Europe, which was, he conceived, far beyond their was tihe vengefill start of a haughty temper, tendered
due. He was affected by feelings similar to those irritablle, as we have often stated, by uninterrupted
with which Haman beheld Mordecai sitting at the prosperity, and resenlting, of conseq,,ence, resistance
king's gate;-all things availing him nothing, while and contradiction, with an acuteness of ielilig apBritain held such a high rank amonlg the nations, proaching ts frienzy.
without deigning to do hint reverence or worship. The individuals wvlo sffered tinder this capciciousc
The English people, on the other hand, regarded and tyrannical act of arbitrariy power, were treated
him as the haughty and proud oppressor, who had in all respects like pritsoners of war, anld confined to
the will at least, if not the power, to root Britain prison as such, unless they gav e their parole to abide
out from among the nations, and reduce them to a in certain towns assigned them, and keep within
state of ignominy and bondage. particular limits.
When, therefore, the two nations again arose to The mass of individual evil occasioned by this
the contest, it was like combatants whose anger cruel measure wvas incalculablglreat. Twelve years,
against each other has been previously raised to the a large proportion ofl humain liie, were cut fron- that
highest pitch by mutual invective. Each had re- of each of these dotenus, as they were called, so f:ar
course to the measures by-which their enemy could as regarded settied plan, or active exertion. Upon
be most prejudiced. many, the interruption fe11 with'atal influlence,
England had at her command the large means of blighlting all their hopes and prospects; others learned
annoyance arising out of her immnense naval supe- to live only for tile passing day, and were thils deriority, and took her measures with the decision terred from habitual study or usefuil indnst'y. Tile
which the emergency required. Instant orders were most tender bonds of aftection were broken asunder
dispatched to prevent the cession of such colonies by this despotic sentelnce of imprisonument; the trost
as yet remained to be given up, according to the fatal inroads were made on fitnmily feelings by this
treaty of Amiens, anld to seize by a coarp-de-nsain long separation between children, and htusballds,
such of the French settlements as had beeni ceded, and wives-all the nearest and dearest domestic reor were yet occupied by her. France, on the other lations. In short, if it was Bonaparte's desire to
hand, in consequence of her equally great superiority inflict the highest degree of pain oin a certain number
by land, assembled upon her extensive line of sea- of persons, only because t'hey were born in isritain,
coast a very numerous army, with which she appear- lie certainily attained his end. It lie hoped, to gailt
ed disposed to make good her rnler's threats of in- anything farther, he was completely buifietd; anl |
vasion. At the same tnime, Bonaparte occupied with- when lie hypocritically imlnputes the sffti'l-itq's of tho
out ceremony the territory of Naples, Holland, and dbitens to the obstinacy of the English min.ilstly, his
such other states as Britain must have seen in his reasoning is the same with that of' a captlin u Itshands with feelings of keen apprehension, and thus lian bandidtti, who mn'lders his prisoner, and throws
made good the previous menaces of Talleyrand in the blame of the crimne on the friel ds of the dceceased,
his celebrated note. - who failed to send the ransorn at which lie had:rated
But besides carrying to the utrmost extent all the his life. Neither is his vindication more reasonable,
means of annoyance which the ordinary rules of hos- when he pretends to say that the measure was taken
tility afford, Napoleon, going beyond these, had re- in order to purevent England, on futlure occasions,
Course to strange and unaccustomed reprisals, un- from seizing, accorditlg to ancient usage, on the
known as yet to the code of civilized nature, and shipping in her ports. This outrage must therefore