第 19 节
作者:
开了 更新:2021-04-30 17:21 字数:8677
of the Syndic Censor。 M。 Forshmann immediately waited upon M。 Doormann;
and when the latter begged that he would not insist on the insertion of
the article; M。 Forshmann produced a letter written in French; which;
among other things; contained the following: 〃You will get the enclosed
article inserted in the Correspondent without suffering a single word to
be altered。 Should the censor refuse; you must apply to the directing
Burgomaster; and; in case of his refusal; to General Tolstoy; who will
devise some means of rendering the Senate more complying; and forcing it
to observe an impartial deference。〃
M。 Doorman; thinking he could not take upon himself to allow the
insertion of the article; went; accompanied by M。 Forshmann; to wait upon
M。 Von Graffen; the directing Burgomaster。 MM。 Doorman and Von Graffen
earnestly pointed out the impropriety of inserting the article; but M。
Forshmann referred to his order; and added that the compliance of the
Senate on this point was the only means of avoiding great mischief。 The
Burgomaster and the Syndic; finding themselves thus forced to admit the
article; entreated that the following passage at least might be
suppressed: 〃I know a certain chief; who; in defiance of all laws divine
and human;in contempt of the hatred he inspires in Europe; as well as
among those whom he has reduced to be his subjects; keeps possession of
a usurped throne by violence and crime。 His insatiable ambition would
subject all Europe to his rule。 But the time is come for avenging the
rights of nations 。 。 。 。〃 M。 Forshmann again referred to his orders;
and with some degree of violence insisted on the insertion of the article
in its complete form。 The Burgomaster then authorised the editor of the
Correspondent to print the article that night; and M。 Forshmann; having
obtained that authority; carried the article to the office at half…past
eleven o'clock。
Such was the account given me by M。 Doormann。 I observed that I did not
understand how the imaginary apprehension of any violence on the part of
Russia should have induced him to admit so insolent an attack upon the
most powerful sovereign in Europe; whose arms would soon dictate laws to
Germany。 The Syndic did not dissemble his fear of the Emperor's
resentment; while at the same time he expressed a hope that the Emperor
would take into consideration the extreme difficulty of a small power
maintaining neutrality in the extraordinary circumstances in which
Hamburg was placed; and that the articles might be said to have been
presented almost at the point of the Cossacks' spears。 M。 Doormann added
that a refusal; which world have brought Russian troops to Hamburg; might
have been attended by very unpleasant consequences to me; and might have
committed the Senate in a very different way。 I begged of him; once for
all; to set aside in these affairs all consideration of my personal
danger: and the Syndic; after a conversation of more than two hours;
departed more uneasy in his mind than when he arrived; and conjuring me
to give a faithful report of the facts as they had happened。
M。 Doormann was a very worthy man; and I gave a favourable representation
of his excuses and of the readiness which he had always evinced to keep
out of the Correspondent articles hostile to France; as; for example; the
commencement of a proclamation of the Emperor of Germany to his subjects;
and a complete proclamation of the King of Sweden。 As it happened; the
good Syndic escaped with nothing worse than a fright; I was myself
astonished at the success of my intercession。 I learned from the
Minister for Foreign Affairs that the Emperor was furiously indignant on
reading the article; in which the French army was outraged as well as he。
Indeed; he paid but little attention to insults directed against himself
personally。 Their eternal repetition had inured him to them; but at the
idea of his army being insulted he was violently enraged; and uttered the
most terrible threats。
It is worthy of remark that the Swedish and English Ministers; as soon as
they read the article; waited upon the editor of the Correspondent; and
expressed their astonishment that such a libel should have been
published。 〃Victorious armies;〃 said they; 〃should be answered by
cannonballs and not by insults as gross as they are ridiculous。〃 This
opinion was shared by all the foreigners at that time in Hamburg。
CHAPTER XXXIV。
1805
Difficulties of my situation at HamburgToil and responsibility
Supervision of the emigrantsForeign MinistersJournalsPacket
from StrasburgBonaparte fond of narrating Giulio; an extempore
recitation of a story composed by the Emperor。
The brief detail I have given in the two or three preceding chapters of
the events which occurred previously to and during the campaign of
Austerlitz; with the letters of Duroc and Bernadotte; may afford the
reader some idea of my situation during the early part of my residence in
Hamburg。 Events succeeded each other with such incredible rapidity as to
render my labour excessive。 My occupations were different; but not less
laborious; than those which I formerly performed when near the Emperor;
and; besides; I was now loaded with a responsibility which did not attach
to me as the private secretary of General Bonaparte and the First Consul。
I had; in fact; to maintain a constant watch over the emigrants in
Altona; which was no easy matterto correspond daily with the Minister
for Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Policeto confer with the
foreign Ministers accredited at Hamburgto maintain active relations
with the commanders of the French armyto interrogate my secret agents;
and keep a strict surveillance over their proceedings; it was; besides;
necessary to be unceasingly on the watch for scurrilous articles against
Napoleon in the Hamburg 'Corespondent'。 I shall frequently have occasion
to speak of all these things; and especially of the most marked
emigrants; in a manner less irregular; because what I have hitherto said
may; in some sort; be considered merely as a summary of all the facts
relating to the occurrences which daily passed before my eyes。
In the midst of these multifarious and weighty occupations I received a
packet with the Strasburg postmark at the time the Empress was in that
city。 This packet had not the usual form of a diplomatic despatch; and
the superscription announced that it came from the residence of
Josephine。 My readers; I venture to presume; will not experience less
gratification than I did on a perusal of its contents; which will be
found at the end of this chapter; but before satisfying the curiosity to
which I have perhaps given birth; I may here relate that one of the
peculiarities of Bonaparte was a fondness of extempore narration; and it
appears he had not discontinued the practice even after he became
Emperor。
In fact; Bonaparte; during the first year after his elevation to the
Imperial throne; usually passed those evenings in the apartments of the
Empress which he could steal from public business。 Throwing himself on a
sofa; he would remain absorbed in gloomy silence; which no one dared to
interrupt。 Sometimes; however; on the contrary; he would give the reins
to his vivid imagination and his love of the marvelous; or; to speak more
correctly; his desire to produce effect; which was perhaps one of his
strongest passions; and would relate little romances; which were always
of a fearful description and in unison with the natural turn of his
ideas。 During those recitals the ladies…in…waiting were always present;
to one of whom I am indebted for the following story; which she had
written nearly in the words of Napoleon。 〃Never;〃 said this lady in her
letter to me; 〃did the Emperor appear more extraordinary。 Led away by
the subject; he paced the salon with hasty strides; the intonations of
his voice varied according to the characters of the personages he brought
on the scene; he seemed to multiply himself in order to play the
different parts; and no person needed to feign the terror which he really
inspired; and which he loved to see depicted in the countenances of those
who surrounded him。〃 In this tale I have made no alterations; as can be
attested by those who; to my knowledge; have a copy of it。 It is curious
to compare the impassioned portions of it with the style of Napoleon in
some of the letters addressed to Josephine。
End of The Memoirs of Napoleon; V8; 1805
by Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne