CHAPTER V

1797.

Signature of the preliminaries of peace--Fall of Venice--My arrival

and reception at Leoben--Bonaparte wishes to pursue his success--

The Directory opposes him--He wishes to advance on Vienna--Movement

of the army of the Sombre-et-Mouse--Bonaparte's dissatisfaction--

Arrival at Milan--We take up our residence at Montebello--Napoleon's

judgment respecting Dandolo and Melzi.

I joined Bonaparte at Leoben on the 19th of April, the day after the

signature of the preliminaries of peace. These preliminaries resembled

in no respect the definitive treaty of Campo Formio. The still

incomplete fall of the State of Venice did not at that time present an

available prey for partition. All was arranged afterwards. Woe to the

small States that come in immediate contact with two colossal empires

waging war!

Here terminated my connection with Bonaparte as a comrade and equal, and

those relations with him commenced in which I saw him suddenly great,

powerful, and surrounded with homage and glory. I no longer addressed

him as I had been accustomed to do. I appreciated too well his personal

importance. His position placed too great a social distance between

him and me not to make me feel the necessity of fashioning my demeanour

accordingly. I made with pleasure, and without regret, the easy

sacrifice of the style of familiar companionship and other little

privileges. He said, in a loud voice, when I entered the salon where

he was surrounded by the officers who formed his brilliant staff, "I am

glad to see you, at last"--"Te voila donc, enfin;", but as soon as we

were alone he made me understand that he was pleased with my reserve,

and thanked me for it. I was immediately placed at the head of his

Cabinet. I spoke to him the same evening respecting the insurrection of

the Venetian territories, of the dangers which menaced the French, and

of those which I had escaped, etc. "Care thou' nothing about it," said

he;

--[He used to 'tutoyer' me in this familiar manner until his return

to Milan.]--

"those rascals shall pay for it. Their republic has had its day, and is

done." This republic was, however, still existing, wealthy and powerful.

These words brought to my recollection what I had read in a work by one

Gabriel Naude, who wrote during the reign of Louis XIII. for Cardinal de

Bagin: "Do you see Constantinople, which flatters itself with being the

seat of a double empire; and Venice, which glories in her stability of a

thousand years? Their day will come."

In the first conversation which Bonaparte had with me, I thought I could

perceive that he was not very well satisfied with the preliminaries. He

would have liked to advance with his army to Vienna. He did not conceal

this from me. Before he offered peace to Prince Charles, he wrote to

the Directory that he intended to pursue his success, but that for

this purpose he reckoned on the co-operation of the armies of the

Sambre-et-Meuse and the Rhine. The Directory replied that he must

not reckon on a diversion in Germany, and that the armies of the

Sambre-et-Meuse and the Rhine were not to pass that river. A resolution

so unexpected--a declaration so contrary to what he had constantly

solicited, compelled him to terminate his triumphs, and renounce his

favourite project of planting the standard of the republic on the

ramparts of Vienna, or at least of levying contributions on the suburbs

of that capital.

A law of the 23d of August 1794 forbade the use of any other names than

those in the register of births. I wished to conform to this law, which

very foolishly interfered with old habits. My eldest brother was living,

and I therefore designated myself Fauvelet the younger. This annoyed

General Bonaparte. "Such change of name is absolute nonsense," said he.

"I have known you for twenty years by the name of Bourrienne. Sign as

you still are named, and see what the advocates with their laws will

do."

On the 20th of April, as Bonaparte was returning to Italy, he was

obliged to stop on an island of the Tagliamento, while a torrent passed

by, which had been occasioned by a violent storm. A courier appeared on

the right bank of the river. He reached the island. Bonaparte read in

the despatches of the Directory that the armies of the Sambre-et-Meuse

and the Rhine were in motion; that they were preparing to cross the

Rhine, and had commenced hostilities on the very day of the signing

of the preliminaries. This information arrived seven days after the

Directory had written that "he must not reckon on the co-operation

of the armies of Germany." It is impossible to describe the General's

vexation on reading these despatches. He had signed the preliminaries

only because the Government had represented the co-operation of the

armies of the Rhine as impracticable at that moment, and shortly

afterwards he was informed that the co-operation was about to take

place! The agitation of his mind was so great that he for a moment

conceived the idea of crossing to the left bank of the Tagliamento, and

breaking off the negotiations under some pretext or other. He persisted

for some time in this resolution, which, however, Berthier and some

other generals successfully opposed. He exclaimed, "What a difference

would there have been in the preliminaries, if, indeed, there had been

any!"

His chagrin, I might almost say his despair, increased when, some days

after his entry into the Venetian States, he received a letter from

Moreau, dated the 23d of April, in which that general informed him that,

having passed the Rhine on the 20th with brilliant success, and taken

four thousand prisoners, it would not be long before he joined him. Who,

in fact, can say what would have happened but for the vacillating

and distrustful policy of the Directory, which always encouraged low

intrigues, and participated in the jealousy excited by the renown of

the young conqueror? Because the Directory dreaded his ambition they

sacrificed the glory of our arms and the honour of the nation; for

it cannot be doubted that, had the passage of the Rhine, so urgently

demanded by Bonaparte, taken place some days sooner, he would have been

able, without incurring any risk, to dictate imperiously the conditions

of peace on the spot; or, if Austria were obstinate, to have gone on to

Vienna and signed it there. Still occupied with this idea, he wrote to

the Directory on the 8th of May: "Since I have received intelligence of

the passage of the Rhine by Hoche and Moreau, I much regret that it did

not take place fifteen days sooner; or, at least, that Moreau did not

say that he was in a situation to effect it." (He had been informed to

the contrary.) What, after this, becomes of the unjust reproach against

Bonaparte of having, through jealousy of Moreau, deprived France of the

advantages which a prolonged campaign would have procured her? Bonaparte

was too devoted to the glory of France to sacrifice it to jealousy of

the glory of any individual.

In traversing the Venetian States to return to Milan, he often spoke

to me of Venice. He always assured me that he was originally entirely

unconnected with the insurrections which had agitated that country; that

common sense would show, as his project was to advance into the basin of

the Danube, he had no interest in having his rear disturbed by revolts,

and his communications interrupted or cut off: "Such an idea," said he,

"would be absurd, and could never enter into the mind of a man to whom

even his enemies cannot deny a certain degree of tact." He acknowledged

that he was not vexed that matters had turned out as they had done,

because he had already taken advantage of these circumstances in the

preliminaries and hoped to profit still more from them in the definitive

peace. "When I arrive at Milan," said he, "I will occupy myself with

Venice." It is therefore quite evident to me that in reality the

General-in-Chief had nothing to do with the Venetian insurrections; that

subsequently he was not displeased with them; and that, later still, he

derived great advantage from them.

We arrived at Milan on the 5th of May, by way of Lawbook, Thrust,

Palma-Nova, Padua, Verona, and Mantua. Bonaparte soon took up his

residence at Montebello, a very fine chateau, three leagues from

Milan, with a view over the rich and magnificent plains of Lombard. At

Montebello commenced the negotiations for the definitive peace which

were terminated at Passeriano. The Marquis de Gallo, the Austrian

plenipotentiary, resided half a league from Montebello.

During his residence at Montebello the General-in-Chief made an

excursion to the Lake of Como and to the Ago Maguire. He visited the

Borromean Islands in succession, and occupied himself on his return with

the organization of the towns of Venice, Genoa, and Milan. He sought for

men and found none. "Good God," said he, "how rare men are! There

are eighteen millions in Italy, and I have with difficulty found two,

Dandolo and Melzi."

He appreciated them properly. Dandolo was one of the men who, in those

revolutionary times, reflected the greatest honour upon Italy. After

being a member of the great council of the Cisalpine Republic, he

exercised the functions of Proveditore-General in Dalmatia. It is only

necessary to mention the name of Dandolo to the Dalmatians to learn from

the grateful inhabitants how just and vigorous his administration was.

The services of Melzi are known. He was Chancellor and Keeper of the

Seals of the Italian monarchy, and was created Duke of Lodi.

--[Francesco, Comte de Melzi d'Eryl (1753-1816), vice President of

the Italian Republic, 1802; Chancellor of the Kingdom of Italy,

1805; Duc de Loth, 1807.]--

In those who have seen the world the truth of Napoleon's reproach

excites little astonishment. In a country which, according to

biographies and newspapers, abounds with extraordinary men, a woman of

much talent--(Madame Roland.)--said, "What has most surprised me, since

the elevation of my husband has afforded me the opportunity of knowing

many persons, and particularly those employed in important affairs,

is the universal mediocrity which exists. It surpasses all that the

imagination can conceive, and it is observable in all ranks, from

the clerk to the minister. Without this experience I never could have

believed my species to be so contemptible."

Who does not remember Oxenstiern's remark to his son, who trembled at

going so young to the congress of Munster: "Go, my son. You will see by

what sort of men the world is governed."