WeRead Powered by ReaderPub
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III. / From the Accession of George III. to the Twenty-Third Year of the Reign of Queen Victoria cover

The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III. / From the Accession of George III. to the Twenty-Third Year of the Reign of Queen Victoria

Chapter 549: ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CONSULAR GOVERNMENT IN FRANCE.
By Edward Farr
Open in WeRead

Explore more books like this:

History - BritishHistory - Modern (1750+)History - RoyaltyHistory - Warfare

About This Book

The volume traces British political, parliamentary, and military developments from the accession of George III through the early nineteenth century, chronicling changes of ministry and cabinet, debates over colonial taxation and the American conflict, parliamentary controversies involving figures such as Wilkes and Warren Hastings, questions of Catholic relief and slave-trade abolition, and responses to the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars, including major naval and continental campaigns, the union with Ireland, and domestic legislation on finance, civil liberties, and parliamentary reform.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CONSULAR GOVERNMENT IN FRANCE.

The return of Napoleon agitated all France and all Europe. The character of this bold soldier was, indeed, now well known, and none could tell what game fraught with blood he next might play. Suspicion was well founded: Napoleon had designs in view when he returned from Egypt which time alone could unfold. The fact is, when in Egypt, letters from his brothers Joseph and Lucien, and from some of his admiring friends, informed him that Italy was lost; that the French armies were everywhere defeated; that the directory were quarrelling among themselves; and that the people, sick of the present state of affairs, were ripe for another revolution. Here then was another field for the ambitious to play their part; and Napoleon resolved to return to it. He had arrived in Paris two days before the directory knew anything about it; and in the meantime he had been consulting with chiefs of parties and officers of the army as to what step should be taken. Talleyrand and the Abbé Sieyes gave his councils the benefit of all their abilities; and a plan of attack upon the constitution was soon agreed upon. The Council of Ancients were easily persuaded that a new constitution was wanting; but the Council of Five Hundred vowed that they would die for that which they had already got. On the 9th of November it was agreed in the Council of Ancients that the assembly should adjourn to St. Cloud, and that Napoleon should put this into execution, being made supreme commander of all the forces for that purpose. The sitting was then dissolved; and Napoleon instantly issued two proclamations, announcing his command, and inviting the army and national guard to aid him in restoring liberty, victory, and peace to France. In this state of affairs, Barras, Sieyes, and Ducos, three of the directory, resigned; Moulins and Gohier remained to support the present constitution. These, however, by the orders of Napoleon, were guarded in the Luxembourg, so that the directory was in point of fact dissolved. It remained now for the councils to form a new executive; and to this end they met at St. Cloud, surrounded by troops. The Council of Five Hundred swore fidelity to the constitution; and Napoleon resolved to crush them. At his command the troops entered the Orangery with fixed bayonets, and the deputies were glad to make their escape by the windows and through the adjacent woods. On that evening the Council of the Ancients and about fifty of the scattered Five Hundred abolished the directory, and established in its place three consuls, who, with two committees chosen from each council, were charged with the task of preparing a new constitution. These consuls were Napoleon, Sieyes, and Ducos, the men who concerted together to bring about this new revolution. “Thus the French revolution closed its agitated career almost in the point from whence it set out—in despotism.” All their hopes of the blessings of liberty were with one fell blow dashed to the ground by the conqueror of Egypt and Italy—by one man, and he of men one of the meanest.