natural philosophy, astronomy, etc., I am convinced that Bonaparte would have pursued these sciences with all the genius and spirit of investigation which he displayed in a career, more brilliant it is true, but less useful to mankind.  Unfortunately, the monks did not perceive this, and were too poor to pay for good masters.  However, after Bonaparte left the college they found it necessary to engage two professors from Paris, otherwise the college would have fallen to nothing.  These two new professors, mm.  Durfort and Desponts, finished my education; and I regretted that they did not come sooner.  The often-repeated assertion of Bonaparte having received a careful education at Brienne is therefore untrue.  The monks were incapable of giving it him; and, for my own part, I must confess that the extended information of the present day is to me a painful contrast with the limited course of education I received at the Military College.  It is only surprising that the establishment should have produced a single able man.

Though Bonaparte had no reason to be satisfied with the treatment he received from his comrades, yet he was above complaining of it; and when he had the supervision of any duty which they infringed, he would rather go to prison than denounce the criminals.

I was one day his accomplice in omitting to enforce a duty which we were appointed to supervise.  He prevailed on me to accompany him to prison, where we remained three days.  We suffered this sort of punishment several times, but with less severity.

In 1783 the Duke of Orleans and Madame de Montesson visited Brienne; and, for upwards of a month, the magnificent chateau of the Comte de Brienne was a Versailles in miniature.  The series of brilliant entertainments which were given to the august travellers made them almost forget the royal magnificence they had left behind them.

The Prince and Madame de Montesson expressed a wish to preside at the distribution of the prizes of our college.  Bonaparte and I won the prizes in the class of mathematics, which, as I have already observed, was the branch of study to which he confined his attention, and in which he excelled.  When I was called up for the seventh time Madame de Montesson said to my mother, who had come from Sens to be present at the distribution, “Pray, madame, crown your son this time; my hands are a-weary.”

There was an inspector of the military schools, whose business it was to make an annual report on each pupil, whether educated at the public expense or paid for by his family.  I copied from the report of 1784 a note which was probably obtained surreptitiously from the War Office.  I wanted to purchase the manuscript, but Louis Bonaparte bought it.  I did not make a copy of the note which related to myself, because I should naturally have felt diffident in making any use of it.  It would, however, have served to show how time and circumstances frequently reversed the distinctions which arise at school or college.  Judging from the reports of the inspector of military schools, young Bonaparte was not, of all the pupils at Brienne in 1784, the one most calculated to excite prognostics of future greatness and glory.