A Narrative of the Events Which Have Taken Place in France; From the Landing of Napoleon Bonaparte, on the 1st of March, 1815, Till the Restoration of Louis XVIII with an Account of the Present State of Society and Public Opinion (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1815 Excerpt: ...in London, several years since. On the return of Napoleon from the Isle of Elba, his brother Joseph solicited M. de la Fayette to accept die dignity of the peerage, and assured him that the emperor had placed him the first on the list. M. de la Fayette answered, that if he again appeared on the public scene it must be as representative of the people; and, having thus escaped being a peer, was named in his own department Member of the House of Representatives. attitude attitude which the assembly had now taketf', . rendered all hopes of success fruitless?. Recourse was therefore had to riegociation. The ministers, who had loitered in ther council of the Elys6e by the emperor's order, at length appeared on a second requisition, before the assembly, accompanied;eby Lucien Bonaparte, as imperial: cotrimissary, who required a committee of the whole house to communicate animpe rial message. This message, which began by an elaborate recital of the misfortunes that had befallen the army, concluded' with the information that the emperor had named a commission of three of his ministers to treat for peace with the allies; The members, who were led to suppose, from the former part of this message, that Bonaparte's desire of being released from all further cares of government, would necessarily follow the avowal of his defeat: o 2 were were astonished, in their turn, at this lame and impotent conclusion. They expressed themselves in no measured terms upon the project of the emperor's treating for peace, when he himself was the only obstacle to its accomplishment. ' " Give us," said they, " some idea of your new policy. What are your plans, your combinations? Europe has declared war against Napoleon alone. Let us have no secrets. Shew us the depth of the ...