Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte (Volume 3) (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. Armt Contractors?Napoleon And Madams De Stael ? Mission To Rome ? Complaisance Of The Pope ? Napoleon's Religion?Anecdotes Of The Pope And The Emperor ? Pius Vii. In Paris ? Coronation Anecdotes ? Opening Of The Chambers By The Emperor ? Important InterView And Conversation ? Bourrienne's AppointMent ? Affairs Of Italy ?Coronation At Milan. England was never more the dupe of Bonaparte than during the encampment at Boulogne. Believing in the attempt of a descent, she exhausted herself in providing the means of defence round her whole coast, lest she might be taken at any point unprovided. Such are the advantages possessed by the party acting on the offensive. But, though keeping herself on the defensive, she attempted several acts of hostility through the superiority of her marine, and command of the sea. Fortune, however, seemed inclined to protect the arms of Napoleon; at least these attacks did us little injury; and, in spite of the rockets and infernal machines of Admiral Keith, which were reported to have wholly destroyed our flotilla, the English, in their enterprizes, lost as many men aa vre did. But Napoleon, then in the vigour of his genius and activity, had always his eyes fixed far from those things which surrounded him, and upon which his attention seemed to be bent. Thus, during the preceding journey, the object of which was to organize the territories on the Rhine, he sent out twosquadrons, one from Toulon, under Villeneiive, the other from Rochefort, commanded by Messicssy. With the operations of these armaments I have little to do; but the orders, thus given, obtained me an opportunity of seeing Lauriston, who, despatched by the Emperor, whom he accompanied in his progress, to assume the command of the troops in the squadron of Villeneuv...