hatred at the Jacobins, which his subsequent life so strongly evinced, and which he never, even for the purpoess of ambition, made any attempts to disguise. It was his fortune to witness both the mob which inundated the Tuileries on the 20th June, and that which overturned the throne on the 10th August; and on both he strongly expressed his sense of the ruinous consequences likely to arise from the want of resolution in the government. No man knew better the consequences of yielding to popular clamour, or how rapidly it is checked by proper firmness in the depositories of power: from the weakness shown on the 20th June, he predicted the disastrous effects which so speedily followed on the next great revolt of the populace. When he saw the monarch, in obedience to the

rabble, put on the red cap, his indigna

tion knew no bounds. •

How on earth,' he exclaimed, could they let those wretches enter the palace! They should have cut down four or five hundred with grape-shot, and the rest would speedily have taken to flight.'"

Having distinguished himself by the suppression of some insurrectionary movements in his native country, Corsica, and by his skill and conduct, at the siege of Toulon, when the conflict approached between the convention and the sections, his great abilities pointed him out as one whose counsel and whose services might, at that important crisis, be eminently useful. Accordingly, when the attack by Menou, on the section Le Pelletier failed, and when the convention were on the point of entering into measures of accommoda

tion with the insurgents, the extraordinary vigour and clearness with which he depicted the disgrace and the ruin of such a step, effectually prevailed with them to make another stand against the inroads of their anarchical invaders. Barras was appointed commander-in-chief; Napoleon, second in command. Murat was instantly despatched to Sablons, with a squadron of three hundred horse, to seize upon a park of artillery, and only arrived a few moments before the troops of the sections, who came to obtain them for the insurgents. By this decisive step the defeat of the revolt was rendered certain. On the next day the cannon began to roar; and the convention had the satisfaction of seeing themselves, scattering dismay and death them, instead of being turned against amongst their affrighted enemies. Barras did full honour to the skill and the gallantry of the young soldier, who, however, was not himself overjoyed that his first success in separate command should have been gained in civil dissension. Often," writes Bourienne, "has he said in aftertimes that he would give many years of his life to tear that page from his history."

His marriage with Josephine soon followed. She was a West Indian by birth; and it had been predicted of her, by an old Negress, that she should lose her first husband, be extremely unfortunate, and afterwards be greater than a queen, a prediction the authenticity of which is as indisputable as it has been made remarkable by its fulfilment. A few days after his marriage,

6

he was appointed to the command of the Italian army, and immediately entered upon that career of success which soon extended his celebrity beyond the circle of Paris. Montenotte, Milessimo, Dego, and Mondovi were speedily signalized by victories by which the republic was saved from the most imminent dangers; and the young general, who had left the capital with but a handful of undisciplined and ill-provided troops, was enabled to send home despatches, which, were they not accompanied by trophies and standards which attested their truth, might well startle the credulity of the most sanguine partizans of the revolution.

"When these successive victories, these standards, these proclamations, arrived day after day at Paris, the joy of the people knew no bounds. The first day the gates of the Alps were opened; the next, the Austrians were separated from the Piedmontese; the third, the Sardinian army was destroyed, and the fortresses surrendered. The rapidity of the success, the number of the prisoners, exceeded all that had yet been witnessed. Every one asked, who is this young conqueror, whose fame had burst forth so suddenly, and whose proclamations breathed the spirit of ancient glory. Three times the Councils decreed, that the Army of Italy had deserved well of their country, and appointed a fête to Victory, in honour of the commencement of the campaign."

It was during this campaign that this extraordinary man commenced that system of classical spoliation, by which,

during his reign, Paris was adorned with so many splendid works of art at the expense of other countries. From the grand Duke of Parma he extorted the celebrated picture of St. Jerome, by Correggio. The Duke offered as its ransom a million of Franks. Napoleon's

answer was: "The million would soon be spent; but the possession of a chief d'œuvre at Paris, will adorn that capital for ages, and give birth to similar exertions of genius." A splendid, but deceptive judgment, which brought the arts directly into peril, and, in reality, no more proved a love of them, than the vehement importunity of the pretended mother in willing to see the child sacrificed the judgment of Solomon, who was rather than given to another, could be said to prove natural affection.

Napoleon's personal intrepidity was strikingly evinced at the passage of the bridge of Lodi. That event is thus described :

wards Milan; but, before arriving at "On the 10th, Napoleon marched tothat city, he required to cross the Adda. The bridge of Lodi over that river was held by a strong rear-guard, consisting of twelve thousand horse; while the remainder of thousand Austrian infantry and four their forces had retired to Cassana, and the neighbourhood of Milan. rapid advance, he hoped to cut off the bulk of their troops from the hereditary states, and make them prisoners; but, as there was not a moment to be lost in achieving the movements requisite to attain this object, he resolved to force the

By a

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bridge, and thus get into their rear. himself arrived at Lodi, at the head of the grenadiers of D'Allemagne; upon which, the Austrians withdrew from the town, and crossed the river; drawing up their infantry, with twenty pieces of cannon, at the farther extremity of the bridge, to defend the passage. Napoleon immediately directed Beaumont, with all the cavalry of the army, to pass at a ford half a league farther up, while he himself directed all the artillery which had come up against the Austrian battery, and formed six thousand grenadiers in close column, under cover of the houses at his own end of the bridge. No sooner did he perceive that the discharge of the Austrian artillery was beginning to slacken, from the effect of the French fire, and that the passage of the cavalry on their flank had commenced, than he addressed a few animating words to his soldiers, and gave the signal to advance. The grenadiers rushed forward, through a cloud of smoke, over the long and narrow defile of the bridge. The terrible storm of grape-shot for a moment arrested their progress; but finding themselves supported by a cloud of tiralleurs, who waded the stream below the arches, and led on by their dauntless general, they soon recovered, and rushing forward with resistless fury, carried the Austrian guns, and drove back their infantry. Had the French cavalry been ready to profit by the confusion, the whole corps of the Imperialists would have been destroyed; but, as it had not yet come up, their numerous squadrons protected the retreat of the infantry, which retired with the loss of two thousand men, and twenty pieces of cannon. The loss of the victors was at least as great. The object of this bold measure was indeed lost, for the Austrians, whom it had been intended to cut off, had meanwhile gained the chaussée of Brescia, and made good their retreat; but it contributed greatly to exalt the character and elevate the courage of the Republican troops, by inspiring them with the belief that nothing could resist them; and it made a deep impression on the mind of Napoleon, who ever after styled it the terrible passage of the bridge of Lodi."

The great importance of this exploit consisted not so much in any military advantage of which it put him in possession, as in the influence which it ever after had upon the minds of the soldiers. It was here Buonaparte acquired the

name "Le Petit Corporal," by which he was ever after called by his men when they wished to express enthusiastic affection. Thenceforth their confidence in him was unbounded; and this contributed more than any thing else to the great successes which afterwards distinguished his eventful history. Nor was its effect upon his own mind less remarkable. "The 13th Vendemaire, and the victory of Montenotte," said he, "did not induce me to believe myself a superior character. It was after the passage of Lodi that the idea shot across my mind, that I might become a decisive actor on the political theatre. Then arose, for the first time, the spark of great ambition."

The succeeding events of this brilliant campaigu were all calculated to foster this germ of magnanimous daring, which had taken possession of his mind. By singular efforts of boldness and skill he defeated the best contrived combinations for his destruction; and on one occasion, when, with a handful of troops, he was upon the point of being made prisoner, by his address and presence of mind he contrived to make prisoners of a vastly superior detachment of the enemy. This singular event is thus described :

"He had arrived at Lonato to expedite the movement of his forces in the opposite directions, where their enemies were to be found; and, from the dispersion which he had directed, only twelve hundred men remained at headquarters. Before he had been long there, he was summoned to surrender by a corps of four thousand Austrians, who had already occupied all the avenues by which retreat was possible. This was a part of the troops of Bayalitch, which, having been defeated in its endeavours to effect a junction with Quasdanovich, was now, in desperation, endeavouring to regain the remainder of the army on the Mincio. Napoleon made his numerous staff mount on horseback; and, having ordered the officer bearing the flag of truce to be brought before him, directed the bandage to be taken from his eyes, and immediately told the astonished Austrian, that he was in the middle of the French army, and in presence of its general-in-chief, and that unless they laid down their arms in ten minutes, he would put them all to the sword. The officer, deceived by the splendid cortège by which

he was surrounded, returned to his division, and recommended a surrender; and the troops, cut off from their companions, and exhausted by fatigue and dis. aster, laid down their arms. When they entered the town, they had the mortification of discovering not only that they had capitulated to a third of their numbers, but missed the opportunity of making prisoner the conqueror who had filled

the world with his renown."

Nor was he less prompt in resenting any real or supposed want of zeal or courage in his own troops, than in anticipating the designs and confounding the calculations of his enemies. The army in the Tyrol, under Vaubois, having met with some repulses, which caused him to halt in his career of victory; and having yielded, as he thought, tamely to the forces which they should have endeavoured to with stand,

"No sooner was this disastrous intelligence received by Napoleon, than he drew back his whole force through Vicenza to Verona, while Alvinza, who was himself preparing to retire, after his check on the preceding day, immediately resumed the offensive. Napoleon in person proceeded, with such troops as he could collect, in the utmost haste to the Montebaldo, where he found the division of Vaubois all assembled on the plateau of Rivoli, and so much reinforced as to

you.

army of Italy. Napoleon consoled them by some kind expressions, and, feigning to yield to their prayers, promised to suspend the order, and a few days after they behaved with uncommon gallantry, and regained their place in his esteem."

We cannot afford space to dwell minutely upon the details of this brilliaut campaign, which laid the foundation of Napoleon's greatness; and in which not only his skill as a general, but his talents as a negociator, were most conspicuously displayed; but the following instance of personal intrepidity, which he displayed in the battle of Arcola, is sufficient to prove that his courage was not the least of the qualities which fitted him for a great commander. Massena and Augereau, having forced their way through a murderous cannonade to the foot of the bridge, made celebrated by that action, were with difficulty able to sustain the tremendous opposition which they there encountered, and at length staggered and fell back under the destructive and overwhelming fire of their assailants. All would have been lost had not their general promptly come to their rescue.

be able to withstand an attack. He here deemed it necessary to make a severe example of the regiments whose panic had so nearly proved fatal to the army. Collecting the troops into a circle, he addressed them, with a severe tone, in these words: Soldiers, I am displeased with You have evinced neither discipline, nor valour, nor constancy. have allowed yourselves to be chased from positions, where a handful of resolute men might have arrested an army. Soldiers of the thirty-ninth and eightyfifth, you are no longer French soldiers. Chief of the staff, cause it to be written on their standards, They are no longer of the army of Italy.' These terrible words, pronounced with a menacing voice, filled these brave regiments with consternation. The laws of discipline could not restrain the sounds of grief which burst from their ranks. They broke their array, and, crowding round the general, entreated that he would lead them into action, and give them an opportunity of showing whether they were not of the

over the

bridge, and pushed the crowd of fugitives into the marsh, where Napoleon lay up to the middle in water, while the enemy's soldiers for a minute surrounded him on

all sides. The French grenadiers soon perceived that their commander was left Forward! to save the general!' and rebehind; the cry ran through their ranks, turning to the charge, they drove back the Austrians, and extricated Napoleon from his perilous situation. During this terrible strife, Lanne's received three wounds. His aid-de-camp, Meuron, was killed by his side, when covering his general with his body, and almost all his personal staff were badly wounded."

His escape from the dangers by which

he was surrounded upon the Plateau of Rivoli is too singular to be omitted, when he was pressed at the same time in front, flank, and rear, by overwhelming numbers, and his men had their retreat cut off, and no resource from the bayonets of the Austrians but in the precipices of the Alps.

"At this perilous moment, the presence of mind of Napoleon did not forsake him. He instantly, in order to gain time, sent a flag of truce to Alvinzi, proposing a suspension of arms for half an hour, as he had some propositions to make, in consequence of the arrival of a courier, with despatches from Paris. Alvinzi, ever impressed with the idea that military were to be subordinate to diplomatic operations, fell into the snare; the suspension, at the critical moment, was agreed to; and the march of the Austrians was suspended at the very moment when the soldiers, with loud shouts, were exclaiming We have them!-we have them!' Junot repaired to the Austrian headquarters, from whence, after a conference of an hour, he returned, as might have been expected, without having come to any accommodation; but meanwhile the critical moment had passed; Napoleon had gained time to face the danger, and made the movements requisite to repel these numerous attacks. Joubert, with the light infantry, was ordered to face about, on the extreme right, to oppose Quasdanovich, while Leclerc and Lasalle, with the light cavalry and flying artillery, flew to the menaced point; and a regiment of infantry was directed to the heights of Tiffaro, to make head against the corps of Lusignan. Far from being disconcerted by the appearance of the troops in his rear, he exclaimed, pointing to them,These are already our prisoners;' and the confident tone in which he spoke soon communicated itself to the soldiers, who repeated the cheering expression. The head of Quasdanovich's division, which had so bravely won the ascent, received in front by a terrible fire of grape-shot, charged in one flank by Lasalle's horse, and exposed on the other to a close discharge of musketry from Joubert, broke and staggered backwards down the steep. The fugitives, rushing headlong through the column which was toiling up, soon threw the whole into inextricable confusion; horse, foot, and cannon struggled together, under a plunging fire from the French batteries, which

blew up some ammunition waggons, and produced a scene of frightful disorder. No sooner was the Plateau delivered from this flank attack, than Napoleon accumulated his forces on the troops which had descended from the semicircle of the Montebaldo, and these, destitute of artillery, and deprived now of the expected aid from the corps in flank, soon gave way, and fled in confusion to the mountains, where great numbers were made prisoners."

Well after this might he feel an exalted confidence in his destiny. The directory at home began to feel alarmed at the vast military reputation which he had acquired, and were desirous to conclude the war, while yet it might be concluded with honour, and before any further risks were run, by which the recent successes might be endangered. Accordingly, Clarke was authorised to sign a peace, on condition that Belgium and the frontier of the Rhine should be given to France, an indemnity secured to the Stadtholder in Germany, and all its possessions restored to Austria in Italy. This Napoleon vehemently opposed., He would not even permit Clarke to the proposed negociations.

open

"Before Mantua falls,' said he, 'every negociation is premature;—and Mantua will be in our hands in fifteen days. These conditions will never meet with my approbation. The Republic is entitled, besides the frontier of the Rhine, to insist for the establishment of a State in Italy, which may secure the French influence there, and retain in its subjection Genoa, Sardinia, and the Pope. Without that, Venice, enlightened at last as to its real dangers, will unite with the emperor, and restrain the growth of democratic principles in its Italian possessions.'"

His influence prevailed. Clarke felt himself completely overmastered. His Mantua anticipations were realized. speedily fell. A garrison 18,000 strong surrendered their arms; and fifty standards, a bridge equipage, and 500 pieces of artillery, fell into the hands of the conqueror.

On this occasion he displayed a generosity of feeling which attracted universal admiration. He respected the age and the services of the old Marshal, (Wurmser,) by whom the