Be this as it may, the First Consul did not behold with pleasure the factitious influence of which Fouche had possessed himself.  For some time past, to the repugnance which at bottom he had felt towards.  Fouche, were added other causes of discontent.  In consequence of having been deceived by secret reports and correspondence Bonaparte began to shrug up his shoulders with an expression of regret when he received them, and said, “Would you believe, Bourrienne, that I have been imposed on by these things?  All such denunciations are useless—­scandalous.  All the reports from prefects and the police, all the intercepted letters, are a tissue of absurdities and lies.  I desire to have no more of them.”  He said so, but he still received them.  However, Fouche’s dismissal was resolved upon.  But though Bonaparte wished to get rid of him, still, under the influence of the charm, he dared not proceed against him without the greatest caution.  He first resolved upon the suppression of the office of Minister of Police in order to disguise the motive for the removal of the Minister.  The First Consul told Fouche that this suppression, which he spoke of as being yet remote, was calculated more than anything else to give strength to the Government, since it would afford a proof of the security and internal tranquillity of France.  Overpowered by the arguments with which Bonaparte supported his proposition, Fouche could urge no good reasons in opposition to it, but contented himself with recommending that the execution of the design, which was good in intention, should, however, be postponed for two years.  Bonaparte appeared to listen favourably to Fouche’s recommendation, who, as avaricious for money as Bonaparte of glory, consoled himself by thinking that for these two years the administration of the gaming tables would still be for him a Pactolus flowing with gold.  For Fouche, already the possessor of an immense fortune, always dreamed of increasing it, though he himself did not know how to enjoy it.  With him the ambition of enlarging the bounds of his estate of Pont-Carre was not less felt than with the First Consul the ambition of extending the frontier of France.

Not only did the First Consul not like Fouche, but it is perfectly true that at this time the police wearied and annoyed him.  Several times he told me he looked on it as dangerous, especially for the possessor of power.  In a Government without the liberty of the press he was quite right.  The very services which the police had rendered to the First Consul were of a nature to alarm him, for whoever had conspired against the Directory in favour of the Consulate might also conspire against the Consulate in favour of any other Government.  It is needless to say that I only allude to the political police, and not to the municipal police, which is indispensable for large towns, and which has the honourable mission of watching over the health and safety of the citizens.