at Malmaison, he dictated to me a list of persons to whom he wished to make presents.  My name did not escape his lips, and consequently I had not the trouble to transcribe it; but some time after he said to me, with the most engaging kindness, “Bourrienne, I have given you none of the money which came from Hamburg, but I will make you amends for it.”  He took from his drawer a large and broad sheet of printed paper, with blanks filled up in his own handwriting, and said to me, “Here is a bill for 300,000 Italian livres on the Cisalpine Republic, for the price of cannon furnished.  It is endorsed Halter and Collot—­I give it you.”  To make this understood, I ought to state that cannon had been sold to the Cisalpine.  Republic, for the value of which the Administrator-general of the Italian finances drew on the Republic, and the bills were paid over to M. Collot, a provision contractor, and other persons.  M. Collot had given one of these bills for 300,000 livres to Bonaparte in quittance of a debt, but the latter had allowed the bill to run out without troubling himself about it.  The Cisalpine Republic kept the cannons and the money, and the First Consul kept his bill.  When I had examined it I said, “General, it has been due for a long time; why have you not got it paid?  The endorsers are no longer liable.”—­“France is bound to discharge debts of this kind;” said he; “send the paper to de Fermont:  he will discount it for three per cent.  You will not have in ready money more than about 9000 francs of renters, because the Italian livre is not equal to the franc.”  I thanked him, and sent the bill to M. de Fermont.  He replied that the claim was bad, and that the bill would not be liquidated because it did not come within the classifications made by the laws passed in the months the names of which terminated in ‘aire, ose, al, and or’.

I showed M. de Fermont’s answer to the First Consul, who said, “Ah, bah!  He understands nothing about it—­he is wrong:  write.”  He then dictated a letter, which promised very favourably for the discounting of the bill; but the answer was a fresh refusal.  I said, “General, M. de Fermont does not attend to you any more than to myself.”  Bonaparte took the letter, read it, and said, in the tone of a man who knew beforehand what he was about to be, informed of, “Well, what the devil would you have me do, since the laws are opposed to it?  Persevere; follow the usual modes of liquidation, and something will come of it!” What finally happened was, that by a regular decree this bill was cancelled, torn, and deposited in the archives.  These 300,000 livres formed part of the money which Bonaparte brought from Italy.  If the bill was useless to me it was also useless to him.  This scrap of paper merely proves that he brought more. than 25,000 francs from Italy.