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"The peace of Amiens had always been regarded from the side of England as an armed truce: on the side of Napoleon it had a very different character.... A careful reader must admit that we were guilty of a breach of faith in not surrendering Malta. The promise of its surrender was the principal article of the treaty."
England and Napoleon in 1803.
(Edited for the R. Hist. S. by Oscar Browning, 1887.)
JOSEPHINE'S TWO VISITS TO PLOMBIÈRES,
1801 AND 1802.
Events of 1801.
January 1st.—Legislative Union of Great Britain and Ireland.
January 3rd.—French under Brune occupy Verona, and
January 8th.—Vicenza.
January 11th.—Cross the Brenta.
January 16th.—-Armistice at Treviso between Brune and the Austrian General Bellegarde.
February 9th.—Treaty of Luneville, by which the Thalweg of the Rhine became the boundary of Germany and France.
March 8th.—English land at Aboukir.
March 21st.—Battle of Alexandria (Canopus). Menou defeated by Abercromby, with loss of 2000.
March 24th.—The Czar Paul is assassinated.
March 28th.—Treaty of Peace between France and Naples, who cedes Elba and Piombino.
April 2nd.—Nelson bombards Copenhagen.
May 23rd.—General Baird lands at Kosseir on the Red Sea with 1000 English and 10,000 Sepoys.
June 7th.—French evacuate Cairo.
July 1st.—Toussaint-Louverture elected Life-Governor of St. Domingo. Slavery abolished there. The new ruler declares, "I am the Bonaparte of St. Domingo, and the Colony cannot exist without me;" and heads his letters to the First Consul, "From the First of the Blacks to the First of the Whites."
July 15th.—Concordat between Bonaparte and the Pope, signed at Paris by Bonaparte, ratified by the Pope (August 15th).
August 4th.—Nelson attacks Boulogne flotilla and is repulsed.
August 15th.—Attacks again, and suffers severely.
August 31st.—Menou capitulates to Hutchinson at Alexandria.
September 29th.—Treaty of Peace between France and Portugal; boundaries of French Guiana extended to the Amazon.
October 1st.—Treaty between France and Spain, who restores Louisiana. Preliminaries of Peace between France and England signed in London.
October 8th.—Treaty of Peace between France and Russia.
October 9th.—And between France and Turkey.
December 14th.—Expedition sent out to St. Domingo by the French under General Leclerc.
No. 1.
To Josephine, at Plombières.
Paris the "27" ..., 1801.
The weather is so bad here that I have remained in Paris. Malmaison, without you, is too dreary. The fête has been a great success; it has rather tired me. The blister they have put on my arm gives me constant pain.
Some plants have come for you from London, which I have sent to your gardener. If the weather is as bad at Plombières as it is here, you will suffer severely from floods.
Best love to "Maman" and Hortense.
Bonaparte.
Events of 1802.
January 4th.—Louis Bonaparte marries Hortense Beauharnais, both unwilling.
January 9th.—The First Consul, with Josephine, leaves for Lyons, where,
January 25th.—He remodels the Cisalpine Republic as the Italian Republic, under his Presidency.
March 25th.—Treaty of Amiens signed in London. French lose only Ceylon and Trinidad. Malta to be restored to the Order of Knights, reconstituted.
May 7th.—Toussaint surrenders to Leclerc.
May 19th.—Institution of the Legion of Honour.
No. 2.
To Josephine, at Plombières.
Malmaison, June 19, 1802.
I have as yet received no news from you, but I think you must already have begun to take the waters. It is rather dull for us here, although your charming daughter does the honours of the house to perfection. For the last two days I have suffered slightly from my complaint. The fat Eugène arrived yesterday evening; he is very hale and hearty.
I love you as I did the first hour, because you are kind and sweet beyond compare.
Hortense told me that she was often writing you.
Best wishes, and a love-kiss.—Yours ever,
Bonaparte.
No. 3.
To Josephine, at Plombières.
Malmaison, June 23, 1802.
My Good Little Josephine,—Your letter has come. I am sorry to see you have been poorly on the journey, but a few days' rest will put you right. I am very fairly well. Yesterday I was at the Marly hunt, and one of my fingers was very slightly injured whilst shooting a boar.
Hortense is usually in good health. Your fat son has been rather unwell, but is getting better. I think the ladies are playing "The Barber of Seville" to-night. The weather is perfect.
Rest assured that my truest wishes are ever for my little Josephine.—Yours ever,
Bonaparte.
No. 4.
To Josephine, at Plombières.
Malmaison, June 27, 1802.
Your letter, dear little wife, has apprised me that you are out of sorts. Corvisart tells me that it is a good sign that the baths are having the desired effect, and that your health will soon be re-established. But I am most truly grieved to know that you are in pain.
Yesterday I went to see the Sèvres manufactory at St. Cloud.
Best wishes to all.—Yours for life,
Bonaparte.
June 29th.—Pope withdraws excommunication from Talleyrand.
No. 5.
To Josephine, at Plombières.
Malmaison, July 1, 1802.
Your letter of June 29th has arrived. You say nothing of your health nor of the effect of the baths. I see that you expect to be home in a week; that is good news for your lover, who is tired of being alone!
You ought to have seen General Ney, who started for Plombières; he will be married on his return.
Yesterday Hortense played Rosina in "The Barber of Seville" with her usual skill.
Rest assured of my love, and that I await your return impatiently. Without you everything here is dreary.
Bonaparte.
August 2nd.—Napoleon Bonaparte made First Consul for life. "The conduct and the language of Bonaparte represents at once Augustus, Mahomet, Louis XI., Masaniello" (Montgaillard, an avowed enemy).
September 22nd.—Opening of the Ourcq Waterworks for the supply of Paris.
September 25th.—Mass celebrated at St. Cloud for the first time. In this month Napoleon annexes Piedmont, and the next sends Ney to occupy Switzerland.
October 11th.—Birth of Napoleon Charles, son of Louis Bonaparte and Hortense.
October 29th.—Napoleon and Josephine visit Normandy, and, contrary to expectation, receive ovations everywhere. They return to Paris, November 14th.
Events of 1803.
February 19th.—New constitution imposed by France on Switzerland.
April 14th.—Bank of France reorganised by Bonaparte; it alone allowed to issue notes.
April 27th.—Death of Toussaint-Louverture at Besançon.
April 30th.—France sells Louisiana to U.S. for £4,000,000 (15 million dollars).
May 22nd.—France declares war against England, chiefly respecting Malta. England having seized all French ships in British harbours previous to war being declared, Napoleon seizes all British tourists in France.
May 31st.—His soldiers occupy Electorate of Hanover.
June 14th.—He visits North of France and Belgium, accompanied by Josephine, and returns to Paris August 12th.
September 27th.—Press censorship established in France.
November 30th.—French evacuate St. Domingo.
